Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Jazz now 4-0 in preseason

Yeah, preseason win-loss records don’t mean anything, but it’s still cool being 4-0. There’s no negative to winning. Feel free to go win things today. Win some things that matter, then win some things that don’t, and you’ll still probably just enjoy the winning.

Here’s the Salt Lake Tribune on the Jazz:

After a lackluster defensive effort in the first half, the Jazz’s bench unit ratcheted up the intensity on both ends in the fourth quarter against the Trail Blazers on Sunday, rallying for a 123-112 victory at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., to bolster their preseason record to 4-0.

Donovan Mitchell scored a team-high 21 points for Utah, which outscored Portland 39-20 over the final 12 minutes of action.

Joe Ingles and Alec Burks added 12 each for the Jazz.

The end result was a bit deceiving, considering that fourth quarter featured a Jazz lineup of Ekpe Udoh, Royce O’Neale, Grayson Allen, Georges Niang and Burks feasting on the likes of Caleb Swanigan, Meyers Leonard, Nik Stauskas, Anfernee Simons and Wade Baldwin IV.

The Jazz are worth watching this season. If you aren’t a Jazz fan, take this into account and turn your TV on when they play, and turn to that channel. See how we guided you through the process? You’re welcome.

Pistons waive Chris McCullough

The Detroit Pistons waived forward Chris McCullough today.

McCullough, 6-11, 200, was signed to the training camp roster on September 25 and did not see action in any of the Pistons’ two preseason games.

McCullough has played in 59 career NBA games with the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards. He was drafted 29th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets from Syracuse University.

Heat sign Charles Cooke and DeAndre Liggins, waive Marcus Lee and Malik Newman

The Miami HEAT today signed guards Charles Cooke and DeAndre Liggins and waived Marcus Lee and Malik Newman.

There’s a good chance that both deals will end by the time preseason wraps up.

Cooke, who signed a two-way contract with New Orleans on August 1, 2017, split last season between the Pelicans and the Greensboro Swarm and the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League. In 25 G League games (10 starts) last season, he averaged 12.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.40 steals and 25.3 minutes while shooting 45.2 percent from the field. He also appeared in 13 NBA games with the Pelicans, totaling six points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal in 38 minutes of action.

Liggins, a five-year NBA veteran, split last season between the Milwaukee Bucks and the New Orleans Pelicans, appearing in 58 games (four starts) averaging 1.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in 12.5 minutes of action. He previously spent time with the HEAT’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, from 2013-16, appearing in 76 games (74 starts) averaging 13.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2.36 steals and 39.2 minutes while helping the Skyforce to the 2016 G League championship.

Marcus Lee, who was signed by the HEAT on August 15, appeared in one preseason game with Miami on October 2 at Charlotte, totaling 10 points, six rebounds and an assist in 12:42 minutes of action.

Knicks sign Jeff Coby

The New York Knicks signed forward Jeff Coby today.

It’s likely a deal that won’t last past preseason.

Coby, 6-8, 225-pounds, split last season with CB Prat Juventud and Cambados Xuven of Liga LEB Oro. In 22 games (eight starts) combined between the two teams, Coby averaged 7.6 points and 6.2 rebounds over 18.7 minutes. He played four seasons (2013-17) at Columbia, posting 5.2 points and 3.9 rebounds over 15.0 minutes in 108 games (35 starts).

Knicks sign Paul Watson

The New York Knicks signed forward Paul Watson today.

It’s likely a non-guaranteed deal that won’t last past the end of preseason.

Watson, 6-8, 210-pounds, appeared in five games for New York’s 2018 Summer League entry in Las Vegas and averaged 2.0 points, 1.6 rebounds and a steal over 12.0 minutes. He spent the 2017-18 season with the Westchester Knicks where he averaged 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds over 26.7 minutes in 45 games (23 starts). Watson played four seasons (2013-17) at Fresno State, posting 10.1 points and 4.4 rebounds over 29.7 minutes in 135 games (128 starts). He was named 2014 Mountain West Rookie of the Year as voted on by the coaches.

Kyrie Irving says he plans to re-sign with Celtics

There was no real reason to expect Kyrie Irving to leave the Celtics as a free agent next summer. He’s got a great role. An excellent team. A young squad that should keep getting better. And right now, the team has just as clear a path to the NBA Finals as his LeBron James-led Cavs squad did.

Kyrie wanting out of Cleveland was a surprise, too. But there’s no reason to expect the same in regard to Boston. And now he’s said so himself, not in those exact words, but close enough. Here’s the Boston Herald reporting:

The annual Celtics season ticketholder fan fest is a generally fun affair, notable mainly for skills contests among the players.

But Kyrie Irving made Thursday night’s event something that will be spoken of for years. While the All-Star guard has been hinting strongly since he returned to town for training camp that he will be remaining with the club when he opts out of his contract next summer, he went a loud step further during a panel discussion on the parquet floor.

Rising from his chair, microphone in hand, Irving told the crowd, “If you’ll have me back, I plan on re-signing here next year.”

Evidently, it wasn’t such a spur of the moment remark. Irving told team officials he planned on making the statement tonight, though he saved it for the larger crowd after an earlier media session backstage.

The Celtics are must-watch these days, because they’re an excellent team, fun to watch, and also to see how they work Gordon Hayward into the mix.

LeBron James, Brandon Ingram look good in preseason win

Preseason is mostly a warmup period for many teams, but for the Lakers and other squads who made major offseason changes and have major chemistry development ahead of them, it’s more than that. The Lakers have a ton of lineup and rotation decisions to make. None will be fully settled in preseason, but coach Luke Walton has a lot of work ahead of him figuring this thing out.

And as for last night, here’s the Daily Breeze:

It was a tag-team act. LeBron James got the Lakers started. Brandon Ingram made sure they finished.

Breaking out of a sluggish start without their top two point guards, the Lakers finally managed their first preseason victory, 128-123 over the Sacramento Kings, behind 18 points from James in another one-half cameo followed by 31 points from Ingram, who guided the team down the stretch.

As Ingram made a key steal and two free throws in the final minute, James could be seen clapping and smiling from the bench.

It wasn’t a game the Lakers felt wholly good about – their third straight preseason effort with iffy defense and too many fouls. But between James’ second-quarter surge and Ingram’s strong offensive effort, they were finally able to get over a hump and see some potential from a budding young player.

The Lakers are must-see right now, and will stay that way for the near future.

Knicks sign guard Billy Garrett

The New York Knicks have signed guard Billy Garrett.

Garrett, 6-6, 210-pounds, appeared in three games for New York’s 2018 Summer League entry in Las Vegas and averaged 2.3 points over 9.4 minutes. He spent the 2017-18 season with the Westchester Knicks where he averaged 11.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals over 27.2 minutes in 50 games (14 starts). Garrett played four seasons (2013-17) at DePaul, posting 13.1 points, 3.5 assists and 2.7 rebounds over 29.2 minutes in 125 games (119 starts). He was named 2014 Big East Rookie of the Year.

Arena in Detroit no longer accepts paper tickets

Paper tickets are apparently now as worthless as the paper they’re printed on, at least for Detroit pro basketball and hockey games, according to the Detroit Free Press, as quoted below:

If you’re going to a Detroit Red Wings or Detroit Pistons game at Little Caesars Arena, whoever has your tickets better not forget their phone.

That’s because the LCA, which opened a season ago, will no longer accept paper tickets for Wings or Pistons games.

This announcement came during the summer and may have flown under the radar, but now as the NHL and NBA have returned, you need to know that Ticketmaster’s mobile ticketing technology will be used at the doors of the new arena.

Regardless of how any of us feel about this move, it’s the wave of the future and is bound to happen sooner or later at other arenas in the coming years. Ideally, some sort of safeguard comes to exist in case somebody does forget their phone, or if their phone battery dies, etc, though.