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Houston Rockets guard Aaron Brooks has been diagnosed with a bone contusion in the right ankle. He is expected to miss 1-3 weeks with the injury.
Brooks is a backup point guard and an undersized player who relies very heavily on his speed and quickness.
The New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that forward Patrick Ewing, Jr. has been waived.
Originally acquired from the Houston Rockets on Aug. 29, 2008, the rookie appeared in three preseason games.
The Bergen Record (Steve Adamek) reports: Junior, meanwhile, said of the possibility of not fulfilling what he said was a “dream” since his days running around the Knicks’ old Purchase College practice floor when his father played, “I’ll just go on with my life and take the next step. I’m not one to sit around and think about things. I just get on with the next step.”
The New York Post reports: The Knicks were heavily leaning toward cutting Ewing, a swingman, before Friday night’s preseason finale, but the decision became more difficult after Ewing lit up the Garden with an electrifying 9-minute stint in the fourth quarter, when he executed two monster dunks and sank a 3-pointer against the Nets. The fans chanted his name in the final minutes.
The Los Angeles Lakers have waived free agent guard Coby Karl, it was announced today.
Karl, who was signed by the Lakers as an undrafted rookie free agent on July 30, 2007, appeared in 17 games last season, averaging 1.8 points and 0.8 rebounds in 4.2 minutes.
Karl also played in 17 games with the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League last season where he averaged 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 37.6 minutes while posting a .411 3-point field goal percentage. In the D-Fenders’ two playoff games, Karl averaged 13.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.0 steals in 37.0 minutes.
Karl, a 6-5 guard from Boise State, averaged 14.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists as a senior and was named First Team All-WAC. Karl’s 1,698 career points ranks third on Boise State’s all-time scoring list while leaving Boise State as the all-time leader in games played (127) and three-pointers made (266).
The Golden State Warriors have waived forward Rob Kurz, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin announced today.
Kurz, who was originally signed as a free agent September 9, appeared in four of Golden State’s six preseason games, averaging 4.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 14 minutes per game.
The Warriors roster now stands at 15 players.
The Dallas Morning News (Tim MacMahon) reports: Antoine Wright seems to have shored up the starting spot at shooting guard, allowing Jerry Stackhouse and Jason Terry to provide firepower off the pine. Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop provide a solid defensive 1-2 punch in the middle. So I reckon that leaves backup point guard as the biggest concern in the rotation. Sorry, but it’s tough to get too worked up about who will run the point for the 12-15 minutes per game that Jason Kidd is resting.
The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have waived guard/forward Malik Hairston.
Hairston averaged 5.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in six preseason games for San Antonio.
The Spurs roster stands at 15.
The Miami HEAT announced today that they have requested waivers on center David Padgett and guard Jason Richards. Both were initially signed as free agents by the HEAT on July 2, 2008.
Padgett appeared in three games in the preseason and averaged 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per game.
Richards tore his left ACL and had it surgically repaired on September 2. He did not appear in any preseason games for the HEAT.
The Contra Costa Times (Marcus Thompson II) reports: Warriors coach Don Nelson confirmed after Saturday’s practice that he has agreed to a contract extension. A team source said the agreement was for two years and $12 million, some of which is deferred money. The new agreement, which Nelson said he has yet to sign, locks him up for three seasons, making him all but a lock to become the winningest coach in NBA history while with the Warriors. Nelson is 52 wins shy of current career wins leader Lenny Wilkens (2,612). “It wasn’t my idea,” said the 68-year-old Nelson, while toking on a cigar. “It was fine with me to weigh it year-to-year. But they came to me and wanted me to commit to three years and, uh, I’m pretty excited about it. It’s quite an honor really to be wanted. At my age, you’re lucky if anybody wants you. Hopefully, your wife.”
InsideHoops.com editor says: This is good news for the media. Because Nelson gives some of the best, most honest, no-holds-barred interviews of any coach in the history of basketball. It’s also good news for Warriors fans, because Don’s teams tend to always overachieve. It’s also good news for fans who like watching fun, fast-paced basketball. Other than all that, this is awful.
The Portland Trail Blazers exercised fourth-year options on the contracts of forward/center LaMarcus Aldridge, guard Sergio Rodriguez and guard Brandon Roy, while exercising their third-year option on center Greg Oden.
The moves, announced today by General Manager Kevin Pritchard, keep all four players under contract through the 2009-10 season.
The Trail Blazers acquired Aldridge, Rodriguez and Roy in 2006 draft day trades.
Portland selected Oden with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
The Chicago Sun-Times (Brian Hanley) reports: Bulls guard Larry Hughes is expected to miss up two to four weeks with a dislocated right shoulder. Hughes, who initially was expected to be out from six to eight weeks, underwent a second MRI Friday, in which dye was injected into the injured joint, to give a more detailed picture of the damage.