General NBA insight – Page 31 – NBA Blog

Celtics rally to beat Suns in OT

The Celtics aren’t off to as good a start as was expected so far this season. And things looked more bleak than ever earlier today as they were outscored 32-13 in the first quarter by the lowly Suns. But the Celtics improved as the game progressed, and then exploded in the 4th quarter to reach overtime, and took away a win that featured big scoring from Kyrie Irving. Here’s the Boston Herald reporting:

Brad Stevens wants to see his team play a full 48 minutes with consistent effort, consistent execution, and, well, a few shots wouldn’t hurt.

And the Celtics coach is still waiting for that end-to-end masterpiece. But in the meantime, there’s last night’s 116-109 overtime win over the Phoenix Suns.

Kyrie Irving saved what started as an offensive slog with a season-high 39 points — the Celtics guard’s second straight 30-plus performance — and the C’s withstood an equally withering 38-point performance by the Suns’ Devin Booker.

The Celtics got off to a horrid start offensively in the first half. Stevens scrambled to make changes in the second half, starting Marcus Smart ahead of Jayson Tatum, who sat for the first nine minutes of the third quarter. The result was an energized second half that found the C’s cutting the Suns lead from 20 points at the half, to 15 by the end of the third quarter, to a point with 7.3 seconds left.

Marcus Morris’ 3-pointer with three-tenths of a second left in regulation tied the score at 100-100, and both sides steamed into overtime.

— Full Article

Injury updates on four Atlanta Hawks players

Injury updates on four Atlanta Hawks players:

Guard/forward Justin Anderson continues to progress in his rehabilitation from surgery on June 29th to address recurring tibial stress syndrome in his left leg. He has been cleared to return to modified live practice and his status will be updated as appropriate.

Following re-examination, forward/center John Collins continues to progress in his rehabilitation from mild inflammation and soreness in his left ankle. Spot shooting has been introduced as part of his rehabilitation plan. He is listed as out, will be reviewed on Nov. 4 and an update will be provided at that time.

Center Dewayne Dedmon participated in his first full live practice with the team today following rehabilitation for an avulsion fracture in his left ankle. He will be re-assessed tomorrow and is currently listed as probable for tomorrow’s game vs. Dallas.

Guard/forward Daniel Hamilton returned to modified practice today following rehabilitation for a tear in his right rotator cuff. He is currently listed as out, and his status will be updated as appropriate.

Lonzo Ball takes big step forward in practice

The Lakers underwent big-time changes this summer, adding LeBron James and an interesting cast of supporting players, but the core of the team aside from James remains the youth: Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball. While LeBron tends to play the role of a point-forward, or rather a do-everything forward, Ball’s best attribute is still his passing. It’ll be fascinating to see how the two co-exist on the floor. But before all of that, Ball must regain full health, and yesterday he took a solid step in that direction, per the Daily Breeze:

By the end of Thursday’s training camp session, Lonzo Ball felt fatigued. But he was more focused on what he didn’t feel.

Pain.

For the first time this season, Ball, the 20-year-old second-year point guard felt healthy enough to go through an entire practice. Since a knee injury that ended his rookie year prematurely and led to offseason surgery for a torn meniscus, Ball has been sidelined and limited from full competition.

While he’s not likely to take the floor in Sunday’s preseason opener against the Denver Nuggets, getting back into a full practice felt like a significant step in the right direction after months of restrictions.

“Did the whole practice. Did everything today,” he said. “Obviously I was a little tired but had to get back.”

Full article

On Lakers training camp

NBA training camps quickly lead to preseason games. Really, all of preseason can and should be thought of as one collective training camp. Still, teams have a lot to accomplish in the brief time they have between formally beginning camp and playing preseason games. As for the Lakers, here’s the Daily Breeze with some notes:

The Lakers have only five days of camp this year before playing Sunday, which doesn’t leave much time for the team bonding activities of years past. But Walton said the Lakers are looking for opportunities: Last year, they did an Escape Room on the road. They’ll likely do something comparable as they go to San Diego, Las Vegas and San Jose for this year’s preseason.

“There is a break in between right before the regular season starts,” he said, “where if we are up to speed to where we want to be and able to, we will find something fun to do as a group.”

Walton said he’s treating the preseason games as part of training camp, so it’s probable that James and other players with big roles will have truncated minutes in the contests. James said he didn’t expect to play “a bunch” of minutes but that he would defer to Walton for his preseason workload.

Point guard Lonzo Ball participated in practice but did not play in the scrimmage. Walton said center Ivica Zubac (illness) wasn’t available, and sideline reporter Mike Trudell reported that rookie big man Moritz Wagner sat out as well.

Full article

Heat sign forward Jarnell Stokes

The Miami Heat yesterday (Monday, August 27) signed forward Jarnell Stokes.

Last season, Stokes played with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association, appearing in 28 games. He averaged 25.0 points, 13.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.11 steals and 1.04 blocks in 33.5 minutes per game.

Stokes started all 28 games in which he appeared with the HEAT’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, during the 2015-16 season, helping the team to the 2016 G League Championship and earning the 2016 G League MVP award after averaging 20.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.11 steals and 30.7 minutes while shooting 66.5 percent from the field. He was originally drafted by the Utah Jazz in the second round (35th overall) of the 2014 NBA Draft and was previously acquired by the HEAT in a trade with Memphis on November 10, 2015 before being traded by Miami to New Orleans on February 18, 2016.

Stokes has appeared in 28 career NBA games (two starts) between Miami, Memphis, New Orleans and Denver averaging 2.4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 5.4 minutes of action while shooting 58.1 percent from the field. He appeared in five games with the HEAT during the 2015-16 season, totaling seven points, two rebounds, one assist and a steal in 14 minutes of action.

He appeared in 87 games while at the University of Tennessee (84 starts) where he was a teammate of current HEAT guard Josh Richardson and averaged 13.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.08 blocks and 29.7 minutes while shooting 62.8 percent. He finished his collegiate career first in offensive rebounds, fourth in double-doubles, eighth in total rebounds and 14th in blocks on the school’s all-time list.

Lakers waive Malik Newman

The Lakers waived Malik Newman today.

In five Las Vegas Summer League games for the Lakers, Newman scored 3.2 points per game in 9.8 minutes.

The 6-foot-3 guard played college basketball at Kansas.

The Lakers already have point guards Lonzo Ball and Rajon Rondo on the roster.

Rockets re-sign Gerald Green

The Houston Rockets re-signed free agent guard/forward Gerald Green today.

Per multiple reports, the deal is a one-year, $2.4 million contract.

Green originally signed with the Rockets on Dec. 28, 2017 and averaged 12.1 points over the remainder of the season. He hit the third-most 3-pointers of any reserve in the league over that span.

For the season, Green averaged 2.7 3-pointers made in 22.7 minutes per game. No other player in NBA history averaged more than 2.5 3FGM in fewer than 25.0 mpg in a single season.

Over the past seven seasons, Green averaged 10.8 ppg in 21.5 mpg. He is one of only five players with at least 400 games played over that span to have averaged at least 10.0 ppg in fewer than 22.0 mpg.

Sixers re-sign JJ Redick, trade for Wilson Chandler

The Philadelphia 76ers have re-signed guard JJ Redick.

And in a separate move, Philadelphia acquired forward Wilson Chandler, a 2021 second-round pick and the right to swap 2022 second-rounders with the Nuggets.

The 76ers also traded the draft rights to forward Isaac Bonga (No. 39 overall) to the L.A. Lakers in exchange for Chicago’s 2019 second-round pick (via the Lakers) and cash considerations.

“Our ability to retain JJ is big for us and his obvious shooting skills are only a part of his importance to our team,” Brown said. “His leadership and professionalism add to the overall special package that he brings to our team, and all of this makes him incredibly valuable. Our ability to maintain continuity will strengthen the team’s continued growth and certainly puts us in better shape as the season begins.”

“Wilson’s veteran experience in the NBA, along with his inherent skill package, makes him a tremendous acquisition for our young team,” Brown said. He is a modern-day player, takes tremendous pride in playing defense and his ability to shoot from the perimeter is exactly what we are looking for. We are excited to welcome Wilson into our 76ers family.”

Redick, who originally signed with the 76ers in July 2018, averaged a career-high 17.1 points per game this past season as he helped Philadelphia to a 52-30 record, the team’s best since 2000-01. In his 12th NBA season, Redick shot a team-best .420 from three-point range (min. 65 attempts), while his 193 makes rank fourth in single-season franchise history, behind only Kyle Korver (226 in 2004-05), Robert Covington (203 in 2017-18) and Dana Barros (197 in 1994-95)..

“My family and I are thrilled to return to the 76ers,” Redick said. “I’m so grateful to play for this organization and this city. I can’t wait for the season to start and for our team to continue our pursuit of an NBA championship.”

Chandler, who has spent the last six-plus seasons with Denver, appeared in 74 games (71 starts) with the Nuggets this past season, posting 10.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 31.7 minutes per contest. He was one of four Nuggets to average double-figure points while also averaging at least 5.0 rebounds per game. Chandler shot .445 from the field, .358 from three-point range and .772 from the free-throw line as he helped lead the Nuggets to a 46-36 regular-season record, the team’s best since 2012-13.

“I’m very excited to join the 76ers,” Chandler said. “I’ve heard nothing but great things about the organization from top to bottom. They have a good mix of young talent who’ve shown they can compete on the brightest of stages and some proven veterans who have had a lot of success in this league. This team is built to compete for a ring, and I look forward to helping them achieve that goal. I know how passionate this city is about basketball and I can’t wait to suit up and play for the 76ers and their fans.”

For his career, Redick has played in 760 games (389 starts) with Philadelphia, the L.A. Clippers Milwaukee and Orlando and holds averages of 12.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 25.4 minutes per game. He’s shot .449 percent from the field and .415 percent from three-point range. Redick’s .890 career free-throw percentage is ninth in NBA history and second among active players.

Redick ranks within the NBA’s top 15 all-time in career three-point percentage at .415 and has shot no lower than .420 in any of the past four seasons. The Duke product was originally selected by Orlando with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft after he was named 2006 Associated Press Collegiate Player of the Year.

A veteran of 10 NBA seasons, Chandler has played in 590 career games (447 starts) with Denver and New York. He holds lifetime averages of 13.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 31.1 minutes per game, while shooting .445 from the field, .341 from three-point range and .769 from the free-throw line.

Chandler also spent the 2011-12 season playing professionally overseas for the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association. In his first CBA game, he posted 43 points along with 22 rebounds and four assists in 51 minutes in a 118-115 double overtime win over Tianjin Ronggang. In all, he appeared in 32 games (29 starts) for Zhejiang, averaging 26.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals in 34.9 minutes per contest.

The Benton Harbor, Michigan native was originally selected No. 23 overall by New York in the 2007 NBA Draft after two seasons at DePaul. In his second season with the Blue Demons, Chandler led the team with averages of 14.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game and was named Second Team All-Big East. He led the team to a 20-14 record, the school’s only 20-win season over the past 13.

Timberwolves re-sign Derrick Rose

The Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday re-signed guard Derrick Rose.

The 6-foot-3 former league MVP, now far removed from those days, originally signed with the Wolves last season on March 8. He played a total of 25 regular season games on two different teams (Minnesota and Cleveland) last season, and averaged 8.4 points on 43.5% shooting.

During the 2018 playoffs, Rose played in all five games of the Timberwolves’ first round series against the Rockets, and performed quite well as a bench contributor, putting up 14.2 points per game on 50.9% shooting.

Rose has made the NBA All-Star team three times. And he won NBA MVP in 2010-11 as a member of the Bulls.

Five NBL (Australia) teams will face NBA teams in 2018-19 NBA preseason

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Basketball League (NBL) today announced that for the second consecutive year, NBL teams will travel to the U.S. to participate in the NBA preseason.

Five NBL teams, including the Adelaide 36ers, Melbourne United, New Zealand Breakers, Perth Wildcats and Sydney Kings, will play a total of seven games against NBA teams in the 2018 NBA preseason, including the Denver Nuggets, LA Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz, from Sept. 28 – Oct. 5. This marks the most games NBA teams will play against teams from an international league in a single preseason.

The first game will feature the Melbourne United against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sept. 28 at the Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers are led by Australian point guard and 2018 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Ben Simmons and Brett Brown, head coach of the 76ers and former coach of the Australia men’s national team.

On Sept. 29, the Perth Wildcats will play Australians Joe Ingles and Dante Exum of the Utah Jazz at the Vivint Smart Home Arena. Former NBA player Andrew Bogut and the Sydney Kings will then face the LA Clippers at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sept. 30, before the Phoenix Suns host the New Zealand Breakers at the Talking Stick Resort Arena on Oct. 3.

The schedule culminates on Oct. 5 with three games: the Perth Wildcats vs. the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center; Melbourne United vs. the Toronto Raptors at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada; the Adelaide 36ers vs. the Utah Jazz at the Vivint Smart Home Arena.

There were a record-tying eight Australian players on 2017-18 opening night NBA rosters, including Simmons, Ingles, Exum and Bogut. Seven Australian players and one New Zealander were on team rosters for the 2018 NBA Playoffs.

NBL Owner and Executive Chairman Larry Kestelman:

“The increased number of games symbolizes the continued strength of the NBL-NBA partnership and the growth of our league in Australia and New Zealand. These initiatives continue to position the NBL as the second best league and entertainment product in the world outside the NBA.”

NBA Asia Managing Director Scott Levy:

“We are excited to build on our partnership with the NBL to expand the number of their teams participating in this year’s NBA preseason. There’s incredible momentum around basketball in Australia and New Zealand, and our fans can look forward to a tremendous slate of games showcasing some of the best talent the NBA and NBL have to offer.”

Sydney Kings Center Andrew Bogut:

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to play for the Sydney Kings against the LA Clippers. This is also a great opportunity to showcase the NBL against some of the best players in the world at a time when the league and Australian and New Zealand basketball is thriving.”

Sydney Kings Head Coach and five-time Olympian Andrew Gaze:

“We loved going to play in the NBA preseason last year and for five teams to now have that opportunity this year is another feather in the cap of the NBL. We can’t wait to take on the LA Clippers and I’m sure Australian and New Zealand basketball fans will be just as excited about these games.”