NBA News Blog – Page 188 – NBA Blog

Hawks convert Skylar Mays’ contract from two-way to standard

The Atlanta Hawks have converted the contract of guard Skylar Mays from a two-way to a standard NBA contract.

Mays has appeared in 27 games (five starts) for the Hawks this season, averaging 3.0 points in 8.1 minutes (.500 FG%, .889 FT%). In eight starts with the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League this season, he averaged 18.0 points, 4.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 33.6 minutes (.456 FG%, .341 3FG%, .947 FT%).

Drafted in the second round (50th overall) by the Hawks in the 2020 NBA Draft, Mays played in 33 games as a rookie with Atlanta in 2020-21, putting up 3.8 points and 1.1 rebounds in 8.2 minutes (.449 FG%, .350 3FG%, .880 FT%).

A native of Baton Rouge, LA, Mays attended LSU and became the first player in school history to record at least 1,600 points, 400 rebounds, 300 assists and 200 steals. A summa cum laude graduate with a degree in kinesiology, Mays was a three-time Academic All-American and a two-time SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Cavaliers waive RJ Nembhard

The Cleveland Cavaliers have waived guard RJ Nembhard.

Nembhard (6-5, 200) appeared in 13 games this season for the Cavaliers as well as 15 games (14 starts) with the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively-owned and operated NBA G League team. With the Charge, Nembhard averaged 24.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 37.5 minutes. Nembhard went undrafted in 2021 after playing four seasons at Texas Christian University where he averaged 9.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 26 minutes per game.

Nembhard originally signed a two-way contract with the Cavaliers on Oct. 16, which was later converted to a standard NBA contract on March 31.

Pacers sign Terry Taylor, Duane Washington Jr., Nate Hinton and Gabe York

The Indiana Pacers have signed forward Terry Taylor and guard Duane Washington Jr.

Additionally, the team has signed guard/forward Nate Hinton and guard Gabe York to two-way contracts.

In a related move, the Pacers have waived guard Keifer Sykes.

Hinton will wear number 14 and York will wear number 8 for the Pacers.

The roster currently stands at 17 players.

Multiple key Suns players will be out tonight against Clippers

The Phoenix Suns are resting some key players tonight. Via the Arizona Republic:

Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams sounded as if he wasn’t completely in favor of resting players despite having the No. 1 overall seed for the playoffs and franchise record for wins in a single season locked up.

“The resting thing is that, I’m not quite sure if there is a huge benefit, because of the position we’re in with the play-in-tournament,” Williams said after Tuesday’s win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Phoenix. “You get almost a week off and so, at some point, there’s going to be some deconditioning for the top seeds. So, I don’t think there’s a necessary benefit for resting guys right now.”

However, Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, Jae Crowder and Chris Paul are ruled out of Wednesday’s game at the Clippers (39-40) in the second of a back-to-back for the Suns (63-16).

The Suns have already wrapped up the league’s best record this season and will have homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.

Bulls guard Lonzo Ball will not play again this season

Via the Chicago Sun-Times:

The Bulls officially ruled point guard Lonzo Ball out for the remainder of the season on Wednesday morning, including any sort of hope for the playoffs, focusing on getting his left knee right for the 2022-23 season.

The Sun-Times reported on Tuesday that this news was coming for Ball, after he was experiencing pain in the knee during a morning rehab workout.

And per ESPN.com, “Ball, who has not played since Jan. 14, had surgery on his left knee on Jan. 28 to repair a slight meniscus tear. The team said he is still experiencing pain “with high-level physical activity.”

Thunder sign Melvin Frazier Jr. to two-way contract, and waive Olivier Sarr

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed guard Melvin Frazier Jr. to a two-way contract.

And in a related move, Oklahoma City has waived forward Olivier Sarr.

Frazier (6-6, 210) split the 2021-22 season between the G League Iowa Wolves and Oklahoma City Blue, appearing in 50 games (36 starts) and averaging 13.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.46 steals in 30.2 minutes per game. He has appeared in 29 career NBA games with the Orlando Magic, where he averaged 1.9 points in 5.9 minutes per game.

Longtime Nets official scorer Herb Turetzky has passed away

The Brooklyn Nets mourn the loss of longtime official scorer Herb Turetzky, who passed away on Monday, April 4, at the age of 76.

For 54 years, Turetzky was synonymous with Nets Basketball. He was the one constant since the inception of the franchise, and his passing leaves a void that can never be filled. A fixture at center court, he touched the lives of generations of Nets players, staff and fans, leaving an indelible mark on those who knew him. His warm smile and kind-hearted nature will be forever missed by all at Barclays Center, and his legacy will endure for years to come.

Turetzky is survived by his wife of 51 years, Jane, their daughter, Jennifer, son, David, daughter-in-law, Heather, and grandchildren, Jack and Harper.

A native of Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood, Turetzky scored the first game in franchise history, a matchup between the New Jersey Americans and Pittsburgh Pipers of the American Basketball Association (ABA) on Oct. 23, 1967, at the Teaneck Armory while he was a senior at Long Island University. That game began a career that spanned more than 2,200 games and was eventually certified as a record for professional basketball games scored in the Guinness Book of World Records. Turetzky also worked 1,465 consecutive regular season and playoff games, beginning in the 1984-85 season and concluding in Oct. 2018. Turetzky’s tenure saw him score games in eight home arenas with more than 500 players donning a Nets uniform in that span. He was on hand to score the greatest moments in franchise history, including ABA championships in 1974 and 1976 and consecutive trips to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.

Turetzky earned a number of honors throughout his career with the Nets, including his induction into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame and the Basketball Old Timers of America Hall of Fame.

The Nets honored Turetzky at their game versus the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 16, 2021, bestowing him the title of official scorer emeritus and dedicating the scorer’s table at Barclays Center as the ‘Herb Turetzky Scorer’s Table’ in a ceremony attended by his family, former players and a group of close friends.

Thunder sign Georgios Kalaitzakis and Zavier Simpson to 10-day contracts

The Oklahoma City Thunder has signed forward Georgios Kalaitzakis and guard Zavier Simpson to 10-day contracts, via the NBA’s Hardship Allowance, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Kalaitzakis (6-7, 192) made 31 appearances (two starts) with the Oklahoma City Blue this season and averaged 10.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.6 minutes per game.

Simpson (6-0, 190) played in 47 games (32 starts) in his second season with the Blue this year and averaged 12.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 30.3 minutes per game.

Former NBA All-Star player and Coach of Year Gene Shue passes away

Gene Shue has passed away. Via the Washington Times:

Gene Shue, the former Maryland Terrapins basketball star who went on to coach the [Washington] Bullets for 13 seasons, died on Sunday. He was 90.

The NBA announced Shue’s death with a statement on Monday.

“The NBA family mourns the passing of Gene Shue, a 5x NBA All-Star, 2x All-NBA selection and 2x NBA Coach of the Year,” posted the league’s official Twitter account. “Gene dedicated his life to the game and left an indelible mark as a player, head coach and executive. We extend our deepest condolences to the Shue family.”

Shue is the franchise’s leader in wins with 522 and is the only bench boss in team history to win the NBA Coach of the Year Award, doing so in 1969 and 1982.

Per the AP, “a five-time All-Star as a player for the Pistons, Shue went on to coach for more than two decades. He took the Baltimore Bullets to the NBA Finals in 1971, then did the same with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1977. He is still the record holder for the Washington-Baltimore franchise with 522 victories.”

Pistons sign forward Braxton Key to two-way contract, waive forward Chris Smith

The Detroit Pistons have signed forward Braxton Key to a two-way contract.

And in a related move, the team waived forward Chris Smith.

Key, 6-8, 225, signed a 10-day contract with Detroit on March 24. In five games with the Pistons this season, he’s averaging 6.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per game.

Prior to Detroit, Key averaged 18.9 points (48% FG, 39% 3FG), 7.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.5 blocks in 28.2 minutes per game with the Delaware Blue Coats, the NBA G League affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers, this season. In 43 career NBA G League games, he averaged 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks in 23.7 minutes, all with the Blue Coats. Key also appeared in two games with the 76ers this season.

A native of Charlotte, N.C., Key began his collegiate career at the University of Alabama where he played two seasons and was named to the 2016-17 SEC All-Freshman team. He played his final two seasons at the University of Virginia where he was a member of the 2019 NCAA Championship team. In 125 career games, he averaged 8.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 26.6 minutes per game.

Smith signed a two-way contract with Detroit on August 16, 2021. In 18 games with the Motor City Cruise, the G League affiliate of the Pistons, he averaged 8.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists.