Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Most Inside Hoops stories lately are on the insidehoops.com front page, not here

Hello,

Just a quick update. Lately we’ve mostly been posting stories on our front page, rather than in this blog. Just shifting things around. Everything is good. We were slightly quiet during the big holiday week last week, but during the week, including today, we’re basically updating almost every hour or two all morning, afternoon and a bit in the evening.

So, if you’re reading this, be sure to bookmark http://www.insidehoops.com and when you want NBA news, click that bookmark.

We’ll either be updating this blog in the very near future, or creating a new RSS feed.

In other news, we’ll be posting a lot more player interviews, starting in the next day.

Now go hit our front page.

Nets waive Alan Williams

The Brooklyn Nets waived forward/center Alan Williams today.

Signed to a two-way contract on September 24, Williams played in 17 games for Brooklyn’s NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, where he averaged 21.0 points and a league leading 14.7 rebounds in 26.9 minutes per contest. He did not appear in a game for Brooklyn this season.

The Brooklyln roster now consists of 16 players.

Update on 2016 Iman Shumpert legal situation

The Sacramento Bee has an update on Iman Shumpert’s legal situation stemming back to 2016:

The Sacramento Kings’ Iman Shumpert will get probation but no jail time for his 2016 arrest in Georgia. The charges were DUI due to drugs, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, and failure to maintain a lane, the Fayette County Superior Court said.

The point guard entered a plea of no contest to all the misdemeanor charges, court records show.

Shumpert is having a decent season after being fairly quiet in 2017-18 with the Cavs.

No Paul George for Thunder tonight vs Suns

At 9 p.m. tonight, the OKC Thunder face the Suns in Phoenix. But they’ll be doing so without not just one of their best players, but one of the league’s best players so far this season. Here’s the Oklahoman reporting:

For the first time this season, the Thunder will be without Paul George.

Thunder coach Billy Donovan announced Friday morning that George would miss tonight’s game against the Suns with a right quad contusion. Donovan was uncertain of when George sustained the injury, but said it was an ailment George has been playing with for some time.

George is having a fantastic season, and was especially excellent in December games.

The Suns have one of the league’s worst records, but Devin Booker recently returned from injury and during almost all games played in his return the team has looked far better. Phoenix has won five of their last seven games.

Bulls sign Brandon Sampson, waive Tyler Ulis

The Chicago Bulls today signed Brandon Sampson to a Two-Way contract. This just after the team waived Two-Way player Tyler Ulis.

Sampson, a 6-foot-5, 184-pound guard, played three seasons at Louisiana State University, then went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft . This season, he has played in 18 games (18 starts) in the G League for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, averaging 17.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 35.1 minutes per game. In college at LSU, Sampson played in 85 games (40 starts) between 2015-18, averaging 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. He scored a career-high 24 points twice in the 2016-17 season.

A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he was named Mr. Basketball for the state of Louisiana in 2015.

Sampson on the Bulls will wear jersey No. 44.

Thunder waive two-way player Tyler Davis

The Oklahoma City Thunder has waived two-way player Tyler Davis today.

Davis, a 6-foot-10, 266-pound center born in Plano, Texas and played college basketball at Texas A&M, played just one minute in one game for the Thunder this season. As a two-way player he naturally spent most of his time with the Oklahoma City Blue in the G League, where in 15 games (eight starts) he averaged 17.2 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.87 blocks in 26.7 minutes per game.

The Thunder are 21-12 this season, which through yesterday’s games is the third best record in a very tight Western conference. The team is off tonight, but tomorrow heads to Phoenix to play a Suns team that lately is playing much better basketball than they were earlier in the season.

Pistons injury updates on Glenn Robinson III and Ish Smith

Detroit Pistons injury updates on Glenn Robinson III (left ankle sprain) and Ish Smith (right adductor tear).

Glenn Robinson III has resumed basketball activity and is advancing on-court work this week with the goal to be ready for a return to action sometime during the club’s upcoming four-game road trip. That trip begins Friday at Indiana.

Ish Smith’s rehabilitation from an adductor tear has progressed to limited on-court basketball activities including strength work, light running and light shooting. His progression will continue to be monitored over the next 2-3 weeks with a gradual load increase and escalation towards full basketball related activity.

Austin Rivers signs with Rockets

 

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The Houston Rockets have signed free agent guard Austin Rivers for the remainder of the season.

Originally drafted 10th overall by New Orleans in the 2012 NBA Draft, the 6-4, 200 Rivers played one season at Duke.

Rivers, now in his 7th NBA season, has played in 437 games (132 starts), averaging 9.3 points, 2.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 24.2 minutes per game.

Last season, as a Clipper, Rivers averaged career highs of 15.1 points, 4.0 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.21 steals. He also averaged a career-best 2.2 3-pointers made on 37.8% shooting.

The 26-year-old started this season with Washington prior to being traded to the Suns on Dec. 17.

The Rockets are 17-15 this season and host the OKC Thunder tomorrow.

Ersan Ilyasova out after surgery for broken nose

Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova underwent surgery yesterday to repair a fractured nose.

The injury occurred during a December 16 team practice.

Ilyasova is out, and the team hasn’t specified an estimated return date yet.

Ilyasova has played in 24 games (two starts) this season, averaging 7.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 19.9 minutes per game while shooting 43.0 percent from the field.

Chris Paul out with hamstring injury

Following an MRI yesteday afternoon, Dr. Steven Flores of Memorial Hermann has diagnosed veteran star Rockets guard Chris Paul with a Grade-2 left hamstring strain.

Paul will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks.

The injury was sustained during the second quarter of Thursday’s game against the Heat in Miami. It was a close game, that the Rockets wound up losing, 101-99. Paul played 12 minutes, totaling four points and four assists.

Paul has played in 26 games this season, averaging 15.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game. He’s shooting just 41.5% FG, which is by far his lowest in years.

The Rockets are just 16-15 so far this season, which through Friday’s games would place them 9th in the Western conference. They have suffered a massive dropoff in defensive efficiency this season from last year.