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NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Kiki VanDeWeghe announced this evening that Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson has been fined $25,000 for verbally abusing game officials and failing to leave the court in a timely manner following his ejection.
Atkinson received a technical foul and was ejected with 1:09 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Nets’ 114-106 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday, Dec. 21 at Barclays Center.
The Washington Wizards have signed free agent guard Ron Baker.
“Ron is a tough and physical defender who can give us added depth in the backcourt,” said Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld. “He is a hard-nosed player who will have the chance to earn minutes with his competitiveness and intensity.”
Baker (6-4, 220) has averaged 3.3 points, 1.8 assists and 1.5 rebounds over 92 NBA career games (14 starts), all with New York. He was released by the Knicks on Dec. 13 after averaging 1.3 points and 1.2 assists in 11 games on the season. As an undrafted rookie out of Wichita State, Baker averaged 4.1 points, 2.1 assists and 1.9 rebounds for New York during the 2016-17 season. He averaged 13.2 points over his four years as a Shocker, earning All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team honors three times and All-Defensive First Team honors once.
The Wizards have waived forward Okaro White. White, who was originally signed as a free agent on Nov. 21, appeared in three games for Washington this season.
Injuries have been a season-long problem for the 2018-19 Chicago Bulls.
Bobby Portis, who has played in just nine games so far this season, injured his right ankle in the fourth quarter of yesterday’s game against the Nets. An MRI and repeat physical exam were performed this morning, and he was diagnosed with a sprained ankle.
Portis will be out two-to-four weeks.
The Bulls are 7-25 this season, which as of today is the worst record in the NBA.
Zach LaVine injured his left ankle in the fourth quarter of the Bulls game against the Orlando Magic in Mexico City on Dec. 13.
Additional medical opinions taken since then agreed with the original diagnosis of a medial ankle sprain.
LaVine will be out approximately two-to-four weeks from the date of the injury. So, he could be out around one-to-three more weeks.
The young, rebuilding Bulls are 7-25 this season. ZaVine at 23.8 points per game has been their leading scorer.
Oklahoma City Thunder guards Raymond Felton and Dennis Schroder have each been suspended one game without pay for leaving the bench area during an altercation and participating in the altercation which spilled over into the spectator stands, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.
As part of the same incident, Chicago Bulls center Robin Lopez has been fined $25,000 for escalating the altercation, Thunder forward Jerami Grant has been fined $20,000 for escalating the altercation, and Bulls guard Kris Dunn has been fined $15,000 for instigating the altercation by shoving Thunder guard Russell Westbrook.
The incident, for which Dunn, Westbrook, Grant and Lopez each received technical fouls, occurred with 4:27 remaining in the third quarter of Oklahoma City’s 121-96 victory over Chicago on Dec. 17 at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Felton and Schroder will serve their suspensions tonight when the Thunder visits the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center.
The Washington Wizards have signed guard Chasson Randle from the Capital City Go-Go, the team’s NBA G League affiliate.
Randle has appeared in seven games this season with the Go-Go, averaging 23.1 points, 4.9 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game. Randle has scored at least 20 points in six of his seven games played with the team this season and is shooting 50.4 percent from the field and 46.8 percent from three. The Stanford-product earned an NBA call-up earlier this season, but did not appear in any games for the Wizards.
In another move, the Wizards assigned forward Okaro White to the Go-Go. White was assigned to Capital City on the most recent three-game road trip, where he averaged 19.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per game while shooting 53.5 percent from the field. White had a season highs of 31 points and 12 rebounds while going 12-of-17 from the floor at Northern Arizona on December 11.
In a corresponding move, Devin Sweetney was reacquired by the Go-Go and will travel with the team to the NBA G League Winter Showcase this week in Las Vegas – where the Go-Go will play Austin on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV and Agua Caliente on Friday at 3:00 p.m. ET on ESPNU. Wizards’ two-way player Jordan McRae will remain with Washington during the team’s back-to-back in Atlanta and Houston.
The Phoenix Suns have waived guard Austin Rivers.
Rivers was acquired by the Suns from Washington in a trade that was completed just yesterday.
The Suns’ roster now stands at 16 players.
There have been conflicting reports suggesting that Rivers’ next stop could be with the Grizzlies, but nothing is confirmed.
Dallas Mavericks forward Ding Yanyuhang underwent arthroscopic surgery to his right knee. The surgery was performed by Dr. Daniel Worrel at the Carrell Clinic in Dallas.
“Ding’s successful return to the court is the number one goal for all of us,” Mavericks President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Donnie Nelson said. “Ding will start rehab immediately, and we all look forward to his full recovery.”
“I’m appreciative of all the support the Mavericks and Legends organizations have given me this season,” Ding said through a translator. “I’m getting great medical treatment here in Dallas. I look forward to a successful rehab process and hope to get back on the court in the near future.”
Ding will rehabilitate his knee at Baylor Physical Therapy in Frisco, Texas in conjunction with the Texas Legends.
Brooklyn Nets guard/forward Dzanan Musa on Monday was diagnosed with a left shoulder subluxation after sustaining the injury during Sunday’s Long Island Nets game. Musa will begin rehabilitation immediately, and updates regarding his status will be issued as appropriate.
Musa has played in 16 games for Brooklyn’s NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, while on assignment this season, recording averages of a team-high 20.1 points with 7.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 32.4 minutes per contest. He’s also appeared in seven games for Brooklyn this season, averaging 1.7 points in 3.7 minutes per game.
The Phoenix Suns completed a trade with the Washington Wizards today, acquiring forward Kelly Oubre Jr. (pronounced OOH-bray) and guard Austin Rivers in exchange for forward Trevor Ariza.
“Trevor has been one of the most effective, efficient and versatile players at his position for over a decade,” said Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld. “We are obviously very familiar with the leadership and experience he brings as one of the league’s most respected professionals and look forward to welcoming him back to the team.”
Ariza (6-8, 215) returns to Washington for a second stint with the Wizards. He averaged 12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting .393 from three-point range with the team from 2012-2014, helping the team advance to the second round of the playoffs in 2013-14. The 15-year veteran has averaged 10.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting .353 from three-point range in 968 career games (667 starts) over 15 seasons with Phoenix, Houston, Washington, New Orleans, the L.A. Lakers, Orlando and New York. He has averaged 9.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals in 26 games (all starts) with the Suns this season.
Over the past 10 seasons (entering the 2018-19 season), Ariza had 1,304 three-pointers and 30.5 defensive win shares (estimate of number of wins contributed by a player due to his defense), joining LeBron James and Kevin Durant as the only players to post those numbers. He has also averaged at least 2.0 three-pointers and 1.5 steals in each of the past five seasons (coming into the 2018-19 season), joining Stephen Curry and James Harden as the only players to do so. Dating back to 2008-09, Ariza has the third-most steals (1,245) in the NBA behind only Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook and he joins Harden and Westbrook as the only players with at least 4,000 points, 2,000 rebounds, 800 assists and 600 steals since 2013.
Ariza brings extensive playoff experience to the Wizards, averaging 10.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting .367 from three-point range in 102 postseason contests (90 starts). He helped lead the Lakers to the 2009 NBA championship, averaging 11.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting .476 from three-point range in 23 games (all starts) and helped lead the Rockets to the Western Conference Finals in both 2015 and 2018, starting all 34 games in those combined playoff runs.
Oubre, a 6-7, 205-pound forward, is in his fourth NBA season and posting career highs by scoring 12.9 points per game and shooting 43.3 percent from the field this season. He has played particularly well of late, scoring at least 20 points in three of his last six games and averaging 17.7 points (51.4 FG%, 40.7 3FG%, 79.2 FT%) over this six-game stretch. Oubre scored a season-high 23 points last Monday at Indiana then scored 20 last Wednesday vs. Boston, giving him consecutive 20-point games for the first time in his career.
For his career, the 23-year-old has averaged 8.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.8 steals in 252 games (32 starts) all with the Wizards. He has also appeared in 18 career playoff games, averaging 7.0 points in 18.4 minutes. Over the last two seasons, Oubre is averaging 12.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 three-pointers and 1.0 steals while shooting 81.4 percent from the free throw line in 110 games.
The left-hander was initially the 15th overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft by Atlanta before being traded to Washington on draft night. He played one season at the University of Kansas and was named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team after averaging 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds while helping the Jayhawks to a Big 12 regular season title. A native of New Orleans, prior to the Wizards’ games at the Pelicans in each of the past two seasons Oubre has presented 10 high school students from the New Orleans area with scholarships.
“We commend Kelly on the growth and development he showed within our system to become a solid rotation player as well as the work he did in the D.C. community during his time as a Wizard,” said Grunfeld. “We also appreciate Austin’s contributions during his brief time with us and wish them both the best as they continue their careers.”
Rivers, a 6-4, 200-pound guard, is in his seventh NBA season and averaging 7.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 29 games with the Wizards this season. For his career, the 26-year-old has averaged 9.3 points, 2.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 437 games (132 starts) with the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans, Clippers and Wizards. Initially the 10th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by New Orleans, Rivers played one season at Duke University where he averaged 15.5 points.