Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Blazers waive Jeff Pendergraph

The Portland Trail Blazers have waived forward Jeff Pendergraph, it was announced today by General Manager Rich Cho.

“We want to thank Jeff for his hard work and professionalism since he arrived here in Portland, and we wish him a fast and successful recovery from his injury,” said Cho. “We sometimes have to make difficult decisions in this business, and this was certainly one of them.”

Pendergraph suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in an Oct. 7 preseason game at Utah and is scheduled to undergo surgery as a result.

Pendergraph, 23, averaged 2.7 points and 2.5 rebounds in 39 games (four starts) as a rookie in 2009-10 with the Trail Blazers after being acquired from Sacramento in a draft day trade on June 25, 2009. The Arizona State product was the 31st overall pick in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft.

With Monday’s move, Portland’s roster stands at 14 players.

Martell Webster has back surgery, may be out 4-6 weeks

Martell Webster has back surgery, may be out 4-6 weeks

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that guard/forward Martell Webster underwent a successful microdiscectomy this morning to alleviate his recurring back pain. The surgery was conducted at TRIA Orthopaedic Center by Dr. James Schwender of the Twin Cities Spine Center.

No timetable for Webster’s return has been established, but the typical recovery time for this procedure is 4-6 weeks.

Marc Gasol suffers ankle sprain in practice

Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports:

Marc Gasol suffers ankle sprain in practice

Grizzlies starting center Marc Gasol left practice Sunday afternoon with a high left ankle sprain.

The 7-foot Spaniard landed awkwardly on backup center Hasheem Thabeet’s foot. and Gasol’s ankle was quickly wrapped in ice. The severity of Gasol’s injury won’t be known until today, when the Grizzlies’ medical staff reviews X-ray and MRI results.

Bucks exercise third-year option on Brandon Jennings

Bucks exercise third-year option on Brandon Jennings

The Milwaukee Bucks have exercised their third-year option on guard Brandon Jennings, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

Jennings started all 82 games for the Bucks in 2009-10, helping them to a 46-36 record (their most wins since a 50-32 mark in 2000-01) and their first playoff appearance since 2006. The 10th overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft finished third among rookies with 15.5 points, 5.7 assists and 1.3 steals to go with 3.4 rebounds. He hit 37.4 percent (145-388) of his three-pointers and sank 81.7 percent (223-273) of his free throws in a rookie season that saw him set franchise rookie records in assists (470) and three-pointers made (145).

In the thrilling seven game playoff series with Atlanta, Jennings averaged 18.7 points, 3.6 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals. In his playoff debut, Jennings tallied 34 points at Atlanta on April 17, two points shy of the rookie record for points in a playoff debut (36 – Derrick Rose in 2009; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1970).

Last season, Jennings became the first Eastern Conference rookie to win the Rookie of the Month award four times in a season, earning the honor for the months of October/November, December, January and March. Jennings was also named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from November 9 through November 15, a week that included a Bucks rookie record 55 points by Jennings in a win over Golden State.

Jennings’ 55-point performance on November 14 was the highest point total of the 2009-10 season and the most scored by a rookie since Earl Monroe had 56 in 1968. Jennings became the youngest player in NBA history to score 50-plus points in a game and the fastest to do it, accomplishing the feat in his seventh game as a pro.

In his regular season debut on October 30, Jennings tallied 17 points, nine assists and nine rebounds, narrowly missing becoming the second player in NBA history to record a triple-double in his debut (Oscar Robertson, 1960). Though he missed out on the triple-double, he became the first rookie since 1974 (John Drew, Atlanta) to lead his club in points, rebounds and assists in his debut. Jennings also appeared in the NBA Rookie Challenge as well as the Skills Challenge at the 2010 All-Star Weekend.

Knicks exercise options on Danilo Gallinari, Anthony Randolph and Toney Douglas

New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that the team has exercised fourth-year options on forwards Danilo Gallinari and Anthony Randolph, as well as its third-year option on guard Toney Douglas.

Gallinari, 6-10, 224-pounds, has averaged 12.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in 109 games (76 starts) over his first two NBA seasons. Originally selected by New York with the sixth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Gallinari was selected to play in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and compete in the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest at 2010 NBA All-Star Weekend in Dallas last season.

Randolph, 6-11, 225-pounds, has averaged 9.2 points and 6.0 rebounds in 96 games over his first two NBA seasons with the Golden State Warriors. Originally selected by the Warriors with the 14th overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft following his freshman season at Louisiana State University, Randolph was acquired by New York, along with Kelenna Azubuike and Ronny Turiaf, from Golden State in exchange for David Lee on Jul. 9, 2010.

Douglas, 6-2, 185-pounds, averaged 8.6 points, 2.0 assists and 19.4 minutes in 56 games during his rookie campaign with New York in 2009-10. The Jonesboro, GA-native was selected by the L.A. Lakers in the first round (29th overall) in the 2009 NBA Draft and had his draft rights traded to New York in exchange for cash considerations on draft night, Jun. 25, 2009.

Cavaliers exercise fourth-year option on J.J. Hickson

The Cleveland Cavaliers have exercised the fourth-year contract option on forward J.J. Hickson, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Hickson’s extension keeps him under contract with the Cavaliers through the 2011-12 season.  During the 2009-10 season, he more than doubled his scoring average from 4.0 points per game as a rookie to 8.5 points and increased his field goal percentage from .515 to .554 in 81 games played (73 starts). The 22-year old forward also averaged 4.9 rebounds in 20.9 minutes per game.  In eight games (seven starts) this preseason, Hickson averaged 14.3 points on .475 shooting, a team-leading 8.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 block in 24.5 minutes per game.

The 6-foot-9 forward was selected with the 19th overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft by Cleveland. He played one season at North Carolina State, earning ACC All-Freshmen Team honors after averaging 14.8 points on a conference-best .591 shooting and 8.5 rebounds in 28.7 minutes per game in 31 games.

Blazers trade Jerryd Bayless to Hornets

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have acquired guard Jerryd Bayless from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for a conditional future first-round pick.

“We have always been very high on Jerryd as a basketball player and person,” said General Manager Dell Demps. “He is an explosive, young guard who will be able to come in and help us right away. He has the ability to do a variety of things and has stepped up many times for the Blazers when called upon. We are very excited about adding him to our team.”

Bayless (6-3, 204)  was drafted in the first round (11th overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. His rights were traded along with Ike Diogu to Portland for the rights to Brandon Rush (13th pick in 2008 NBA Draft), Jarrett Jack and Josh McRoberts on draft night. Bayless played under current Hornets Head Coach Monty Williams in Portland for his first two seasons in the NBA.

Last season, Bayless averaged 8.5 points, 2.3 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 17.6 minutes of play over 74 games (11 starts). In those 11 games as a starter, Bayless averaged 12.6 points, 3.3 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 24.4 minutes of action. During his rookie season, Bayless appeared in 53 games,averaging 4.3 points, 1.6 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 12.4 minutes of play. The Phoenix native was named the 2008 NBA Summer League MVP after leading the league in scoring at 29.8 points per game.

Bayless spent one season at the University of Arizona before declaring for the NBA Draft. In his lone season for the Wildcats, Bayless averaged a team-high 19.7 points to go along with 4.0 assists and 2.7 rebounds. He was named second-team All-Pac-10 for his efforts. The 23-year old guard was a McDonald’s High School All-American coming out of St. Mary’s High School in Phoenix.

Heat sign Jerry Stackhouse

The Miami Heat announced today that they have signed free agent guard Jerry Stackhouse. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Stackhouse, who was originally drafted with the third pick in the 1995 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, has appeared in 896 career games (563 starts) with five teams over 15 NBA seasons. During his career, he has averaged 18.0 points, 3.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 32.8 minutes while shooting 40.9 percent from the field, 30.7 percent from three-point range and 82.1 percent from the foul line. During the 2009-10 season, Stackhouse averaged 8.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 20.4 minutes while shooting 40.8 percent from the field, 34.6 percent from three-point range and 79.7 percent from the foul line in 42 games after signing on January 19, 2010 with the Milwaukee Bucks. He scored in double-figures 15 times, including two 20-point games.

The two-time NBA All-Star has appeared in 71 postseason games (16 starts) and has averaged 13.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 30.1 minutes while shooting 37.2 percent from the field, 34.2 percent from three-point range and 83.0 percent from the foul line. Last season, he appeared in seven postseason games for the Milwaukee Bucks averaging 7.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 20.6 minutes while shooting 32.6 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three-point range and 90.0 percent from the foul line including a 16-point effort in a 107-93 Opening Round Game 3 win against the Atlanta Hawks.