Category: General NBA insight

New York Knicks guard Raymond Felton was questioned by police Tuesday morning after allegedly pointing a gun at a woman, sources said.

The starting point guard, whose wife, Ariane Raymondo-Felton, recently filed for divorce, was being quizzed at the 20th Precinct Station House on the Upper West Side, according to law-enforcement sources.

Police said Felton was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the second, third and fourth-degrees.

— New York Post

Felton was charged with second- and third-degree criminal possession of a firearm, which are felonies, and fourth-degree possession of a firearm, which is a misdemeanor, the spokesman said. Further details on the weapons charges are not known at this point.

— ESPN New York

The Idaho Stampede’s Dee Bost today was named NBA Development League Performer of the Week for games played Monday, Feb. 17 – Sunday, Feb. 23. The honor is the first for Bost this season.

Bost, a 6-2, 176-pound guard from Mississippi State, led Idaho to a 2-0 week, including wins over the Maine Red Claws and Los Angeles D-Fenders. Bost averaged a 20.5-point, 14.5-assist, 11.5-rebound triple-double last week while shooting 36 percent from the floor.

On Feb. 19, Bost, who leads the NBA D-League in minutes (42.0 mpg), played wire-to-wire against the Red Claws, scoring 29 points to go with 14 assists, seven rebounds, two steals and a block. He came back three days later to record his fifth triple-double of the season when he finished with 12 points, 16 rebounds, 15 assists and four steals at Los Angeles.

On the season, Bost is averaging an NBA D-League best 8.9 assists, to go with 16.2 points and 6.4 rebounds.

Other top performers considered include Austin’s Courtney Fells, Rio Grande Valley’s Robert Covington, playing on assignment from the Houston Rockets, Santa Cruz Warriors’ Ognjen Kuzmic, playing on assignment from the Golden State Warriors, Sioux Falls’ Justin Hamilton, Springfield’s Willie Reed and Tulsa’s Grant Jerrett.

Arron Afflalo had 32 points, rookie Victor Oladipo added 30 points and a career-high 14 assists, and the Orlando Magic rallied to beat the New York Knicks 129-121 in double overtime on Friday night.

The Magic trailed by as many as 14 points, but got 25 points and 10 assists from Oladipo after halftime to stave off the Knicks. Tobias Harris added 22 points.

Orlando snapped a three-game losing streak in its first game following the departure of Glen Davis, who had the remainder of his contract bought out earlier in the day.

Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 44 points, but only 14 came after the third quarter.

— Associated Press

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced they have waived forward Earl Clark.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the move happened “hours after acquiring the forward along with center Henry Sims and a 2014 second-round pick in a trade for Spencer Hawes on Thursday morning. The move trimmed the Sixers’ roster to 15 players, the maximum number allowed on NBA rosters.”

Clark was originally the 14th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by Phoenix and appeared in 45 games for Cleveland this season.

Although still finding his way in the league, Clark does have NBA talent, and should be able to latch on with another team in the near future.

The Los Angeles Clippers today announced that they have traded center Byron Mullens and a conditional second round draft selection to the Philadelphia 76ers for a future second round choice.

Mullens, 25, appeared in 27 games for the Clippers this season, averaging 2.5 points and 1.2 rebounds in 6.2 minutes per game. For his career, Mullens has appeared in 171 games (66 starts) with averages of 7.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 18.7 minutes.

The Indiana Pacers announced Thursday they have acquired guard/forward Evan Turner and forward Lavoy Allen from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for forward Danny Granger and a future second round draft pick.

Turner, a 6-7, 220 lb. guard out of Ohio State, was the second overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, drafted by Philadelphia. He has career averages of 11.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.  For the 2013-14 season, he has played in 54 games, with averages of 17.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

Allen is in his third season, having played college basketball at Temple. He was also drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers, as the 50th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.  He has career averages of 5.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game; with averages of 5.2 points and 5.4 rebounds this season.

“We thank Danny for his eight-and-a-half seasons with us and we appreciate everything he did for us in his time here,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. “We felt we needed to make this trade to strengthen the core unit and our bench.  In Evan and Lavoy, we think we got two really good players that can help us and we look forward to what they can bring.”

Granger was drafted by the Pacers with the 17th pick of the 2005 draft and has spent his career with the Pacers. In his time with the Pacers, Granger averaged 17.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game; and was named an NBA All-Star in 2009.

Also, the Pacers have waived guard Orlando Johnson.  Johnson, a second-year player out of California-Santa Barbara, was a draft-night acquisition in 2012.  He was originally drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the 36th overall pick in that draft.

“Orlando is a great kid,” said Bird. “We appreciate everything he’s done for us and hope he has a long and successful career.”

The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday they have acquired guard Nando De Colo (NON-doe day CO-low) from San Antonio in exchange for forward Austin Daye.

De Colo, 6-foot-5, 195 pounds, has appeared in 26 games (three starts) for San Antonio this season, averaging 4.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists. He holds career averages of 4.0 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 98 appearances with the Spurs. De Colo matched his career high with 15 points February 8, 2014 at Charlotte. 

De Colo was selected with the 53rd overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by San Antonio. Prior to joining the Spurs, De Colo played three seasons (2009-12) with Valencia in the Spanish ACB League. He helped lead Valencia to the 2010 Eurocup Championship and the ACB playoffs in each of his three seasons with the club.

A native of Sainte-Catherine-lès-Arras, France, De Colo began his pro career in 2006 with Cholet Basket in the French ProA League. He played three seasons with Cholet, averaging 12.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals in 83 games.

De Colo has been a member of the French National Team since 2008. Last summer he helped France capture its first European Championship, averaging 7.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists. De Colo was also part of France’s team at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Daye appeared in eight games for Toronto, totaling eight points, seven rebounds and two assists after signing as a free-agent in July. 

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired guards Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for guard Steve Blake, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

According to the Bay Area News Group, “The trade allowed the Warriors to grab a veteran guard while still leaving them roughly $400,000 under the luxury tax.”

Bazemore, 24, has appeared in 44 games for the Warriors this season, averaging 2.3 points in 6.1 minutes per game. In his two NBA seasons (both with the Warriors), the Old Dominion product holds averages of 2.1 points in 5.1 minutes per game over 105 contests. After not being selected in the 2012 NBA draft, Bazemore was signed by the Warriors as a free agent on July 26, 2012.

Brooks, 25, has appeared in a combined 17 games with Golden state and Boston this season, averaging 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in 5.2 minutes per contest. Originally drafted by the Celtics with the 25th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Brooks owns career averages of 7.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 146 games (49 starts) over three seasons with the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets , Boston and Golden State. As a rookie with New Jersey in 2011-12, the 6’5” swingman averaged 12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 56 games (47 starts), earning All-Rookie Second Team honors.

Blake, 33, has appeared in 27 games (all starts) for the Lakers this season, averaging 9.5 points to go along with career highs of 7.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.26 steals in 33.0 minutes. He returned to action on Feb. 4 after missing the previous 26 contests with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, and, in his second game back, recorded his second career triple-double with 11 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in a win over Cleveland on Feb. 5.

An 11-year NBA veteran, Blake holds career averages of 7.0 points, 4.1 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 25.2 minutes in 703 games (344 starts) with the Lakers, Washington Wizards, Portland Trail Blazers, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets and L.A. Clippers, appearing in the postseason six times. For his career, Blake has converted on 39.0 percent of his three-pointers and boasts an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.84-to-1. The Maryland alum was originally selected by the Wizards in the second round (38th overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft after helping the Terrapins to their first-ever National Championship in 2002.

“The acquisition of Steve Blake will provide us with additional veteran depth at point guard as we enter the stretch run of the season,” said Warriors General Manager Bob Myers. “He’s had a productive career and is a player who can both run an offense and has the ability to shoot the basketball.  On the other hand, we thank Kent and MarShon for their contributions to our team both on and off the court and wish them success as they enter the next stage of their careers.”