Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Mavericks sign rookie Josh Green

The Dallas Mavericks have signed first round pick Josh Green.

Green (6-6, 210) was selected 18th overall by Dallas in the 2020 NBA Draft following his freshman season at the University of Arizona. He started all 30 games in which he appeared for the Wildcats and averaged 12.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Green ranked sixth in the PAC-12 in steals last season.

The Sydney native led IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) to the 2019 high school national championship while garnering McDonald’s All-American honors.

Green will wear No. 8 for Dallas.

Jazz sign former Seton Hall center Romaro Gill

The Utah Jazz have signed center Romaro Gill.

It’s likely just a non-guaranteed deal that brings Gill to Jazz training camp.

Gill (7-2, 255, Seton Hall) posted averages of 7.8 points on 62.8 percent shooting, to go with 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocks in 30 games during 2019-20. He ranked third in the NCAA and first in the BIG EAST in blocks per game, helping him earn 2019-20 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and BIG EAST Most Improved Player.

The St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, native spent three seasons (one as a redshirt) at Seton Hall, appearing in 57 games (29 starts), owning career averages of 5.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 17.9 minutes per game. He began his collegiate career playing two seasons at Vincennes.

Kings sign Frank Kaminsky

The Sacramento Kings have signed free agent forward/center Frank Kaminsky.

According to the Sacramento Bee, Kaminsky’s Kings contract is just a one-year, non-guaranteed deal.

Selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, Kaminsky has accrued averages of 9.8 points (.422 FG%, .347 3pt%, .750 FT%), 4.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 21.9 minutes per game in 321 career games (36 starts) with Charlotte (2015-19) and the Phoenix Suns (2019-20). The former consensus first-team All-American and 2014-15 Associated Press Player of the Year out of Wisconsin averaged 9.7 points (.450 FG%, .331 3pt%, .678 FT%), 4.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 19.9 minutes per game in 39 games (13 starts) during the 2019-20 campaign for Phoenix.

Kaminsky will wear No. 41 for the Kings.

Hawks players Kris Dunn, Tony Snell, Onyeka Okongwu dealing with injuries

With 2020-21 NBA training camps set to open tomorrow, the Atlanta Hawks have some player injuries:

Guard Kris Dunn underwent an MRI on November 24, which confirmed cartilage disruption in his right knee. He is currently able to participate in modified individual workouts. He will be reviewed on December 11 and an update will be provided as appropriate.

Forward/center Onyeka Okongwu underwent an MRI on November 20, which confirmed inflammation of the sesamoid bone in his left foot. Following a period of unloading and rest, Okongwu has begun a graduated return to re-loading, including form shooting and conditioning activities. He will be reviewed on December 11 and an update will be provided as appropriate.

Guard Tony Snell underwent an MRI on November 20, which confirmed inflammation of the cuboid bone in his right foot. Following a period of unloading and rest, Snell has begun a graduated return to re-loading, including form shooting and conditioning activities. He will be reviewed on December 11 and an update will be provided as appropriate.

Nuggets sign guard Markus Howard to two-way contract

The Denver Nuggets have signed guard Markus Howard to a two-way contract.

Howard, 5-11, 180, went undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft after a prolific four-year career at Marquette University. In 29 games (all starts) as a senior in 2019-20, Howard led the nation in scoring, averaging 27.8 points per game, adding 3.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists, shooting 44.4% from the field and 41.2% from three in 33.2 minutes. He was unanimously named to the 2019-20 All-America First Team.

The Morristown, New Jersey, native set the Big East all-time scoring record with 1,587 points over his four-year career and ranks 21st on the NCAA’s all-time scoring list with 2,761 points. Howard also broke school records in scoring, free throws made (599) and three-pointers made (434). He scored 51 points vs. USC on November 29th, 2019 becoming the third major-conference player to record a 50-point game in three consecutive seasons, joining Wayman Tisdale and Pete Maravich.

OKC Thunder will play home games without fans in attendance for start of 2020-21 NBA season

STATEMENT FROM THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

“As we continue planning for the start of the 2020-21 NBA season, our absolute top priority is the health and safety of our guests and our community. For months, we have worked in close collaboration with Chesapeake Energy Arena, the City of Oklahoma City, local health officials, and the NBA to put into place thorough health and safety measures to allow for reduced seating capacity. However, as we review ongoing and concerning trends in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Oklahoma, we want to exercise an abundance of caution to help control the spread of the virus in our community. Therefore, the Thunder has made the decision to begin the season without fans in the arena.

“We will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation over the coming weeks to determine when fans will be able to attend our games.

“We will take all necessary steps to create a safe environment for those who will be in attendance for games as the upcoming season begins, including players, coaches, staff, media and broadcasters.

“We urge everyone to take all the vital steps necessary to control the spread of the virus, especially wearing masks, washing hands and maintaining proper physical distance. As a community, we must all work together to get through this safely and move forward to welcome our fans into the arena to enjoy Thunder Basketball this season.”

Charlotte Hornets will play home games without fans for start of 2020-21 NBA season

STATEMENT FROM THE CHARLOTTE HORNETS

With health and safety as our top priority, the Charlotte Hornets, in consultation with state and local government officials, have determined that home games at Spectrum Center will be held without fans when the 2020-21 NBA season begins.

We will continue to work with state and local health officials, as well as the NBA, to develop a plan that will allow fans to return to Spectrum Center in both a safe and timely manner. We are optimistic that conditions will improve in the coming months and hope to be able to have fans in attendance later in the season.

In the meantime, we will continue to implement enhanced safety procedures and will share additional information on these measures as we get closer to having fans return to Spectrum Center.

Knicks re-sign Elfrid Payton

The New York Knicks have re-signed guard Elfrid Payton.

The team waived Payton recently, but have now brought him back on what is reportedly a one-year, $5 million deal.

Payton, 6-4, 195-pounds, averaged 10.0 points, 7.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds over 27.7 minutes in 45 games (36 starts) for New York last season. The Gretna, LA native was originally signed on July 8, 2019 and then waived on November 19, 2020.

He holds career averages of 11.0 points, 6.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds over 29.3 minutes in 387 games (331 starts) over six seasons with Orlando, Phoenix, New Orleans and New York. He was originally selected by Philadelphia 10th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft out of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Sacramento Kings hire Kyle Draper as additional TV play-by-play announcer

The Sacramento Kings announced today that Kyle Draper has been named as the team’s additional TV play-by-play announcer, following the recent announcement of new primary TV announcer Mark Jones, and host of “Kings Pregame Live” and “Kings Postgame Live” on NBC Sports California. Draper, who arrives in Sacramento with more than 20 years of television experience, will call select games alongside analyst and Kings legend Doug Christie on NBC Sports California when Jones is on assignment for ESPN.

Since 2009, Draper has worked for NBC Sports Boston, serving as host of “Celtics Pregame Live” and “Celtics Postgame Live” and as the fill-in play-by-play announcer for the network’s live-game coverage of the Celtics. He’s also covered various other events for NBC Sports Boston, including the NBA Draft Lottery, NBA Draft and Celtics training camp. In addition, Draper has filled in as play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports Chicago’s live coverage of the Chicago Bulls.

“We are excited to welcome Kyle to the Kings family and add his engaging presence to our talented broadcast team of Mark Jones and Doug Christie,” said Kings Owner and Chairman Vivek Ranadivé. “His significant experience in the media industry will greatly add to the telecasts, and we look forward to watching him work his magic in Sacramento.”

“Kyle’s deep passion and knowledge of the NBA will further complement our expert Kings coverage all season long,” added NBC Sports Bay Area/California Senior Vice President and General Manager Matt Murphy. “With the recent addition of Mark joining Doug for the majority of our Kings telecasts, we are thrilled to be able to showcase Kyle’s exceptional talents as both a play-by-play broadcaster and studio host beginning next month.”

“It is an honor to join the Kings broadcast team and I would like to thank Vivek and the organization for this amazing opportunity,” said Draper. “For generations, Kings fans have demonstrated an incredible devotion to their team, and I can’t wait to connect with them while beginning a new chapter in Sacramento.”

Prior to his broadcasting career in the league, Draper garnered experience throughout the news industry from several roles including sports director at WHAS-TV (ABC) in Louisville, Ky., and as a general news reporter, producer and sports anchor in Yakima, Wash., and La Crosse, Wis. Draper is a graduate of Winona State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and has also attended Temple University.

Miami Heat sign Max Strus

The Miami Heat have signed guard/forward Max Strus.

It is likely a non-guaranteed deal that merely brings Strus to Heat training camp.

Strus split last season between the Chicago Bulls and their G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls. He appeared in two games with Chicago totaling five points and one rebound in 6:14 minutes of action while shooting 2-of-3 from the field and connecting on his only free throw. He also appeared in 13 games (12 starts) for Windy City before suffering a season-ending injury and averaged 18.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 34.9 minutes while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 96.3 percent from the foul line.

Strus played two seasons at DePaul University after transferring from Lewis University. As a senior at DePaul in 2018-19, he appeared in 35 games (all starts) and averaged 20.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 37.4 minutes while shooting 42.9 percent from the field, 36.3 percent from three-point range and 84.2 percent from the foul line. Among DePaul’s all-time leaders, he finished third in three-point field goals made (194), fourth in career scoring average (18.6) and fifth in career free throw percentage (.825). He scored 705 points as a senior, joining Mark Aguirre as the only players in school history to score at least 700 points in a single season. Additionally, Strus recorded eight career 30-point games, joining Aguirre (17), George Mikan (13) and Tom Kleinschmidt (8) as the only players in program history with at least five 30-point games.