NBA News Blog – Page 1293 – NBA Blog

Thunder sign Kendrick Perkins to a contract extension

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed center Kendrick Perkins to a multi-year contract extension, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. Per team policy, the terms of the agreement were not disclosed. We will post contract details this afternoon.

“We had a unique opportunity to enter into discussions with Kendrick to solidify his future with our organization,” said Presti. “We are pleased to know that he will be a part of our core group now and in the future. Kendrick’s blue-collar, team-first approach aligns with the vision we hold for building a sustainable team in the Oklahoma City community.

Perkins (6-10, 280) owns career averages of 6.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 1.0 assist and 22.3 minutes in 454 NBA games. He has appeared in 12 games (7 starts) this season with the Celtics before being traded to the Thunder on February 24th, averaging 7.3 points and 8.1 rebounds in 26.1 minutes. The center has appeared in 68 career postseason games, averaging 6.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 25.7 minutes.

Perkins, originally selected in the 2003 NBA draft (27th overall) by the Memphis Grizzlies and then traded to Boston on draft night, was a Parade and McDonald’s All-America at Ozen High School in Beaumont, TX. He helped lead Ozen to a 96-3 record during his final three seasons, averaging 27.5 points, 16.4 rebounds and 7.8 blocks as a senior.

Bucks sign Earl Barron to 10-day contract

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed center Earl Barron (7-0, 245) to a 10-day contract, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

Barron, 29, appeared in 12 games (six starts) earlier this season with the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 3.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 15.3 minutes.

Undrafted out of Memphis, Barron has appeared in 101 NBA games (27 starts) with Miami, New York and Phoenix. He holds career averages of 5.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15.4 minutes. In addition to his NBA experience, Barron has also appeared in 121 NBA Development League (D-League) games dating back to 2003.

The Bucks roster is now at 15 players.

Knicks waive Kelenna Azubuike

The AP reports:

The New York Knicks have waived guard Kelenna Azubuike, who never played for the team while recovering from major knee surgery.

Azubuike was acquired from Golden State on July 9 in the sign-and-trade deal that sent David Lee(notes) to the Warriors. He was expected to be ready early in the season after missing the last 73 games in 2009-10, but never got into a game despite saying recently he believed he was close.

InsideHoops.com editor says: This dude can play and, once healthy, is absolutely worthy of being signed. Anyway, the Knicks will reportedly use the available roster spot to sign Jared Jeffries any day now, possibly Tuesday.

Danilo Gallinari out 7-10 days with fractured toe

The AP reports:

The Nuggets will be without forward Danilo Gallinari for a week to 10 days after X-rays revealed that he had fractured his left big toe.

Gallinari stubbed his toe late in a loss to Portland on Friday night and was held out of Monday night’s 100-90 victory over the Atlanta Hawks because of continuing soreness. Soon after beating Atlanta 100-90, the Nuggets announced that the toe was broken.
Gallinari scored 30 points against the Blazers, one shy of tying his career high.

Antawn Jamison out 5-7 weeks with broken finger

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Antawn Jamison sustained a fracture of his left little finger during last night’s game at The Q vs. Philadelphia.

X-rays taken at The Q confirmed the fracture. He was re-examined today at the Cleveland Clinic by Cavaliers Head Team Physician Dr. Richard Parker and Cleveland Clinic Innovations Chairman and Hand Surgeon, Dr. Thomas Graham.

It was determined that surgery will be required to repair his fractured finger. He is now scheduled to have that surgery tomorrow at the Marymount Surgery Center, which is located in the Cleveland Clinic Sports Health Center. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Graham with Dr. Parker assisting.

Antawn is projected to miss 5-7 weeks.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Wizards sign Mustafa Shakur

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed guard Mustafa Shakur. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

Shakur will be signed for the remainder of the season after being signed to two separate 10-day contracts earlier in the season (first on January 22 and then on February 12). He averaged 3.3 points and 2.2 assists in six games during that stretch.

Wizards waive Mike Bibby

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has waived guard Mike Bibby after coming to a mutual agreement on a contract buyout.

“We agreed to terms with Mike on a buyout of his contract, which gives us increased financial flexibility and opens up more opportunities for us to continue to develop and evaluate our younger players,” said Grunfeld.

Bibby was acquired by the Wizards on February 23 along with Maurice Evans, Jordan Crawford and a 2011 first round pick from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong. He appeared in two games for the Wizards, totaling two points and eight assists.

Tony Parker out 2-4 weeks

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that guard Tony Parker has been diagnosed with a strained left soleus after undergoing a MRI earlier today. He is expected to miss two to four weeks. He will not accompany the team on this week’s road trip to Memphis and Cleveland in order to begin his rehabilitation program in San Antonio.

Parker, in his 10th season with the Spurs, is averaging 17.1 points, 6.6 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.24 steals per game while shooting .518 from the field. Parker is one of two players in the NBA to average at least 15.0 points, 5.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds and shoot at least .500 from the field.

Pistons president Dumars voices support for Coach Kuester

The following statement was released this afternoon by Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars.

“First of all, John Kuester has my full support as we try to make a push towards the postseason over these last 21 games. We’ve had a long and proud history of being a first class organization that handles its business the right way. We expect everyone that represents the Detroit Pistons to do so in a first class manner and that will continue as we move forward.”

Bobcats waive Morris Peterson

Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has waived guard Morris Peterson. The Bobcats roster now stands at 14 players.

Peterson was acquired by the Bobcats along with forward DJ White from Oklahoma City in exchange for center Nazr Mohammed on Feb. 24.

The 6-7 Peterson is in his 11th season in the NBA, having played in 711 games for Toronto, New Orleans and Oklahoma City, and has career averages of 10.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 27.2 minutes. Originally selected by the Raptors with the 21st pick in the 2000 NBA Draft, he was named to the All-Rookie First Team following the 2000-01 season. Peterson has scored in double figures 362 times in his 711 career games and has averaged double-figure scoring in four of his full 10 NBA seasons, including a career-best 16.8 points for Toronto in 2005-06.