Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Knicks forward Julius Randle fined by NBA

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle has been fined $50,000 for initiating an on-court altercation by forcefully shoving Phoenix Suns forward Cam Johnson, making contact with a game official in his attempt to get at Johnson, and for his noncompliance with an NBA investigation, it was announced today by Byron Spruell, President, League Operations.

The incident, for which Johnson was assessed a technical foul and Randle was assessed two technical fouls and ejected, occurred with 2:40 remaining in the third quarter of the Suns’ 115-114 victory over the Knicks on Mar. 4 at Footprint Center in Phoenix.

Raptors sign Armoni Brooks to 10-day contract, and release D.J. Wilson

The Toronto Raptors have signed guard Armoni Brooks to a 10-day contract.

And in a corresponding move, the Raptors have released forward D.J. Wilson.

Brooks, 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, is averaging 6.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 16.8 minutes in 41 games (eight starts) with Houston this season. He is shooting .347 (87-251) from the field and has scored in double figures 10 times, including a season-high 21 points Dec. 10 at Milwaukee. The Rockets waived Brooks at the NBA trade deadline who also appeared in two games with College Park in the NBA G League earlier this month.

A native of Waco, Texas, Brooks holds career averages of 7.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 19.8 minutes in 61 games (13 starts) with Houston (2020-22). He signed a two-way contract with the Rockets in April 2021 following two seasons in the G League with College Park (2019-20) and Rio Grande Valley (2020-21). Brooks is averaging 12.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 23.7 minutes in 60 career G League contests.

Prior to the G League, Brooks played three collegiate seasons at Houston (2016-19) where he was named All-AAC Second Team as a junior. He went undrafted in 2019.

Injured Clippers swingman Paul George remains out, but seen shooting around

The Clippers remain without injured stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, but at least there was a positive PG13 sighting. Per the OC Register:

Paul George hasn’t been cleared for takeoff, so don’t bother checking the departure board, not just yet.

But the Clippers’ star wing looked characteristically fluid as he put up shots – with his right hand – Saturday before the team’s practice at Honey Training Center.

The seven-time All-Star has missed the past 33 games – a span in which the Clippers are holding steady, at 17-16 – since being shelved with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

It’s the type of injury that often sidelines baseball pitchers for a year following Tommy John surgery to repair it, but that operation is relatively unheard of for basketball players, according to Dr. Alan Beyer, executive medical director at Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine.

George underwent an MRI on Feb. 25, which indicated, Coach Tyronn Lue said that day: “Just that he feels better. He’s making progress, but he’s gonna need more time.”

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Zion Williamson will reportedly at least be around the Pelicans again soon

It’s unclear if Pelicans forward will play at all this season, but at least he will reportedly soon be around the team again. Via the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

While Zion Williamson remains sidelined indefinitely from a right foot injury he suffered last summer, he is expected to rejoin the New Orleans Pelicans next week, sources told The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate.

Williamson has spent the majority of the past two months in Portland, Oregon, with a few members of his inner circle. In early January, the team announced that he would be away from the team while he recovered from right foot surgery.

Williamson has yet to play a game this season after fracturing the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. He was supposed to go through a full practice in December, but he began experiencing soreness in his right foot, and he has remained sidelined.

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Basketball star Brittney Griner reportedly detained in Russia

Here’s the New York Times reporting on American basketball star Brittney Griner:

The Russian Federal Customs Service said Saturday that its officials had detained an American basketball player after finding vape cartridges that contained hashish oil in her luggage at the Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow.

The Customs Service said in a statement that the player had won two Olympic gold medals with the United States, but it did not release the player’s name. The Russian news agency TASS, citing a law enforcement source, identified the player as Brittney Griner, a seven-time W.N.B.A. All-Star center for the Phoenix Mercury. Griner, 31, won gold medals with the U.S. women’s national basketball team in 2021 and 2016.

The Customs Service released a video of a traveler at the airport who appeared to be Griner, wearing a mask and black sweatshirt, going through security. The video showed an individual removing a package from the traveler’s bag.

The screening at the airport occurred in February, according to the Customs Service, raising the possibility that Griner has been in custody for at least several days.

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Boston Celtics sign Malik Fitts and Kelan Martin to second 10-day contracts

The Boston Celtics have signed forwards Malik Fitts and Kelan Martin to their second 10-day contracts.

Fitts, 24, has competed in 11 NBA games over the past two seasons with the LA Clippers, Utah, and Boston, averaging 0.8 points, and 1.3 rebounds in 4.5 minutes. The California native played in seven games with the Jazz in 2021-22 and produced career highs of six points and seven rebounds at Toronto on Jan. 7.

Martin, 26, has played in 94 games over parts of three NBA seasons with Minnesota, Indiana, and Boston, averaging 5.6 points on 41.5% shooting (30.9% 3-PT, 88.9% FT), 2.4 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 13.4 minutes. The Kentucky native produced 6.3 points (41.7% FG), 2.0 rebounds, and 16.4 minutes in 27 games (one start) for the Pacers this season, reaching double figures in scoring on three occasions.

Both Fitts and Martin competed in one game for the Celtics during their first 10-day contracts, which were signed on Feb. 23.

Celtics sign Nik Stauskas

The Boston Celtics have signed guard Nik Stauskas.

Per Boston.com, “Stauskas scored 100 points combined in his last two G-League games for the Grand Rapids Gold, including a 57-point explosion on Tuesday. Stauskas set the record for points in a half with 38.”

Originally selected by Sacramento with the eighth overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, Stauskas, 28, has averaged 6.8 points (38.9% FG, 35.4% 3-PT, 81.4% FT), 2.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.4 steals, and 19.8 minutes in 337 NBA games (63 starts) over six NBA seasons with the Kings, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Portland, Cleveland, and Miami. Stauskas competed in two games with the Heat earlier this season, tallying 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting (2-4 3-PT) and three boards.

Stauskas has played in 26 games (25 starts) with the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League this season, averaging 23.8 points on 47.6% shooting (41.6% 3-PT, 87.9% FT), 5.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 38.0 minutes. He scored a career-high and set the franchise scoring record with 57 points on 20-of-29 shooting (11-15 3-PT) against the Wisconsin Herd on March 1, and tallied 43 points on 16-of-21 shooting (9-13 3-PT) the very next night against the Lakeland Magic, becoming the second player in G League history to produce 100+ points in a two-game span.

Stauskas will wear no. 13 for Boston.

No return date yet for Knicks guard Derrick Rose

Derrick Rose has barely been on the court for the New York Knicks this season, and it’s unclear when his availability will change. Via New York Newsday:

Derrick Rose appeared on the floor at the Knicks’ morning shootaround Friday, not in uniform and not ready to rejoin the team on the court. But the Knicks at least had him with them, helping to provide some measure of leadership as they struggle through a downward spiral.

Rose hasn’t played since Dec. 16. He had ankle surgery later in December and had a second procedure last week to deal with an infection at the site of the first surgery.

“He can’t really do much,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Just gotta be patient, let it clear up. That’s it.”

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Miami Heat will soon have Victor Oladipo in action

The Miami Heat, who at 42-22 have the best record in the Eastern Conference, are about to get stronger. Via the Miami Herald:

League sources confirmed an ESPN report that [Victor] Oladipo is expected to make his season debut during the Heat’s season-long seven-game homestand that begins Saturday. The Athletic reported Thursday that the plan is for Oladipo to make his return in Monday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets.

The Heat overcame all of these absences in Brooklyn on Thursday behind a dominant performance from center Bam Adebayo, who finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Tyler Herro also stepped up with 27 points and eight assists.

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Trail Blazers sign Drew Eubanks to second 10-day contract

The Trail Blazers have signed center Drew Eubanks to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today.

Eubanks, 25, has averaged 9.3 points (70.6% FG, 66.7% FT), 7.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 22.3 minutes in three games (all starts) since signing his first 10-day contract with Portland on February 22. For the season, Eubanks is averaging 4.9 points (54.5% FG, 74.1% FT), 4.2 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 12.7 minutes in 52 games (12 starts) with San Antonio and Portland.

A product of Reynolds High School in Troutdale, Oregon, Eubanks (6-9, 245) played three seasons at Oregon State from 2015-18 before going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft. He holds career averages of 4.7 points (57.0% FG, 74.3% FT), 3.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.67 blocks in 151 games (18 starts) for the Spurs and Trail Blazers.