Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Cavs trade Isaiah Thomas to Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired guard Isaiah Thomas, forward Channing Frye and a top-three-protected 2018 first round draft pick from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Larry Nance Jr., it was announced today by General Manager Rob Pelinka.

Thomas appeared in 15 games (14 starts) for Cleveland this season, averaging 14.7 points, 4.5 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 27.1 minutes. The two-time NBA All-Star (2015-17) owns career averages of 19.0 points (.441 FG%), 5.1 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 456 career games (323 starts). In 2016-17, Thomas earned All-NBA Second Team honors when he averaged a career-high 28.9 points (.463 FG%) per game.

Drafted eighth overall by New York in 2005, Frye has played in 845 career games (439 starts) for New York, Portland, Phoenix, Orlando and Cleveland, with averages of 9.0 points (.442 FG%, .387 3FG), 4.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. The 2016 NBA Champion appeared in 44 games (one start) for the Cavaliers this season, notching 4.8 points (.497 FG%) and 2.5 rebounds in 12.4 minutes.

Clarkson (6-5, 194) has appeared in 53 games (two starts) for Los Angeles this season, averaging 14.5 points on .448 shooting from the field, 3.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 23.7 minutes per game. He ranks second in the NBA in points per game off the bench (14.4) and has scored in double figures 39 times in 2017-18, including 12 games with 20 points or more. The 6-5 guard has averaged double figures in scoring in each of his four seasons, owning career averages of 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 28.1 minutes over 273 games (138 starts). The fourth-year guard from Missouri was the 46th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by Washington before being traded on draft night to the Lakers, where he went on to earn NBA All-Rookie First Team honors.

Nance Jr. (6-9, 230) has played in 42 contests (17 starts) for the Lakers in 2017-18, averaging career highs in points per game (8.6), field goal percentage (.601), rebounds per game (6.8) and steals per game (1.40) in 22.0 minutes. He has six double-doubles and has scored in double figures on 17 occasions this season. The Akron, Ohio native was the 27th overall pick out of Wyoming by Los Angeles in the 2015 NBA Draft and owns career averages of 6.9 points on .547 shooting, 5.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.16 steals in 21.6 minutes per game.

Kristaps Porzingis suffers torn ACL

 

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The single worst thing that can happen to the Knicks this season has now happened. Young star Kristaps Porzingis has suffered a serious injury. Here’s New York Newsday reporting:

Kristaps Porzingis’ beautiful breakout season, the one that began with his setting a Knicks record by scoring 300 points in his first 10 games, ended in the most ugly of fashions with him rolling around underneath the basket and clutching his left knee.

MRI? It was more like MR-Cry. At least that’s how many Knicks fans felt Tuesday night after the team announced that that the test had shown that their star has a torn left ACL. Not only does that mean Porzingis is out for the season. He likely won’t be back for the start of next season if you go by the average time it takes to rehab such injuries. Former Knick Derrick Rose took 16 months to come back from his torn ACL, while Iman Shumpert took nine months.

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And here’s the New York Post:

“It’s deflating,” Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said, and that was before he knew of the awful diagnosis to come. “Very deflating.”

Porzingis was on the floor. He was pounding his fist when he wasn’t grabbing for his left knee. Earlier in the season, on the other end of the floor, Porzingis had nearly bent his ankle in half against the Heat, thrown a shivering scare into the Garden, missed a few games, admitted how scary it is to have your body betray you like that.

This was different. This wasn’t the ankle. This was the knee, twisting in a way it wasn’t intended to twist. The replay went up on the Garden board and the gasp was immediate and it was unambiguous. He struggled to his feet, hobbled off the floor.

Soon, he flashed a thumbs up as he walked out of the Garden, his leg wrapped in a knee stabilizer, bound for an MRI tube that would deliver the devastating news: torn anterior cruciate ligament. Out for the year. And who knows how much more after that.

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And another New York Post report:

The Knicks didn’t announce a timetable, but the 7-foot-3 Latvian will need surgery and is done for the season. His availability for training camp in late September is in doubt.

A review of torn ACLs in the NBA in recent years show absences that range from seven to 12 months.

The injury, which occurred after his dunk over Giannis Antetokounmpo occurred 12 days before Porzingis was slated to make his first All-Star appearance, in Los Angeles for Team LeBron.

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Seth Curry will reportedly not play this season

Seth Curry, brother of Stephen, played one game for the Cavs and one game for the Grizzlies in the 2013-14 season, played two games for the Suns in 2014-15, then played 44 games averaging 15.7 minutes per outing for the Kings in 2015-16, and last season he really put himself on the map playing solid basketball for the Mavs. He’s still on the Mavs now, but injury has erased his season. Here’s ESPN.com with the latest:

Dallas Mavericks guard Seth Curry will have season-ending surgery on his left tibia, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Curry has missed the entire season with the injury.

The recovery process is expected to take 12 to 14 weeks, and Curry is expected to be fully recovered and on the court by the start of his free agency in July, sources said.

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Nets trade Tyler Zeller to Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks have traded guard Rashad Vaughn and a second round pick to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Tyler Zeller. Milwaukee will convey its 2018 second round pick provided that the pick falls between No. 31-47. If the pick is not conveyed in 2018, it will become an unprotected 2020 second round pick.

Vaughn (6’6”, 210) has played in 22 games for the Bucks this season, averaging 2.7 points in 7.9 minutes per game. Selected by Milwaukee with the 17th overall pick in the 2015 draft, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas product holds career averages of 3.1 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 12.3 minutes per contest in 133 games.

According to the New York Daily News, “Zeller has started 33 games for the Nets this season, averaging 7.1 points on 54.6% shooting from the field to go along with 4.6 rebounds. The 28-year-old big man is on a team-friendly two-year, $3.6 million contract with the second year non-guaranteed.”

Zeller, 28, is in his sixth season in the NBA and holds career averages of 7.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while shooting 50.4 percent from the field. This season with the Nets, Zeller appeared in 42 games (33 starts) and averaged 7.1 points and 4.6 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game while shooting 54.6 percent overall. Zeller was in his first season with Brooklyn after spending three seasons (2014-17) with the Boston Celtics, and his first two seasons in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2012-14). The North Carolina product was drafted with the 17th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks, but was traded the following day to the Cavaliers where he began his NBA career.

Bucks center John Henson and Zeller were teammates at North Carolina from 2009-12 where they advanced to the Elite Eight in consecutive seasons in 2011 and 2012.

Report: Nets trading Tyler Zeller to Bucks

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Milwaukee Bucks will be acquiring center Tyler Zeller from the Brooklyn Nets.

In return, the Nets will reportedly receive a protected 2018 second round pick along with Rashad Vaughn, a former first-round draft pick.

Zeller adds frontcourt depth for Milwaukee. The Nets did start Zeller for 33 of the 42 games he played for them this season, but he was still averaging just 16.7 minutes per outing.

The Bucks, through Sunday’s games, are 29-23, which is the fifth best record in the Eastern Conference. And are trying to improve right now. The Nets, at 19-35, are 12th best in the conference and focused more on the future.

Darren Collison to undergo surgery

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Indiana Pacers guard Darren Collison on Tuesday will undergo left knee arthroscopic surgery.

His return date is fairly soon: the team says he should be back in two to three weeks.

The Pacers are 30-24 this season, which is the 6th best record in the Eastern conference. The Bucks are 5th and the Heat are 7th. Only a half-game separates the three teams.

Indiana is led in scoring this season by Victor Oladipo at 24.0 ppg. Then they have five players averaging between 12.0 and 13.7 points per game.

Collison for the season has played 52 games, starting all 52 at point guard, averaging 12.8 points and 5.3 assists per outing, on excellent shooting.

Pelicans sign DeAndre Liggins

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed guard DeAndre Liggins.

Liggins, 6-6, 209, who was signed to two 10-day contracts by the Pelicans in January, has appeared in four games this season for New Orleans, averaging 4.3 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 12.8 minutes per contest.

Liggins will be available for the Pelicans’ game tonight against Utah at the Smoothie King Center. New Orleans’ roster currently stands at 17, including two two-way players (Charles Cooke and Mike James).

Kevin Love injury update: out around 8 weeks

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The Cavaliers are 30-20 this season, and have been struggling a lot in recent weeks. And then they lost power forward Kevin Love to injury: a non-displaced fracture of his left hand fifth metacarpal.

Today, team provided an update on how much time he’s expected to miss.

The examination and consultation process, including the Cavaliers medical team, Head Team Physician Dr. James Rosneck and Dr. Steven Maschke of Cleveland Clinic Sports Health and Dr. Michelle Carlson of the Hospital for Special Surgery, is now complete. Love will undergo a non-surgical treatment and rehabilitation process to repair the injury.

Love is expected to miss approximately eight weeks.

The team needs a better effort from a lot of players. New point guard Isaiah Thomas is still recovering from injury and hasn’t looked great just yet. He’s scoring 15.4 points and dishing 4.2 assists per game, shooting just 36.3% from the field and just 25.0% from three-point range. Shooting guard J.R. Smith has also fired bricks this season, averaging just 7.8 points in 29.8 minutes per outing, shooting 37.7% FG.

The team’s overall issue, however, is their collective defense, which has been among the league’s worst this season.

Suns sign Josh Gray to 10-day contract

The Phoenix Suns have signed guard Josh Gray to a 10-day contract, calling him up from the Northern Arizona Suns of the NBA G League.

Gray, a 6-1, 180-pound guard, has yet to make his NBA debut. In 31 games with the NAZ Suns this season he averaged 17.9 points, shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from three-point range, 6.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals (4th in G League). The NBA G League Player of the Week for games played Jan. 1-7, Gray has four games scoring 30-plus points this season including a career-high 32 points in a win over the Agua Caliente Clippers on Jan. 26.

The 29th GATORADE Call-Up in the NBA this season and sixth in NAZ Suns history, Gray is Northern Arizona’s all-time leader in points (1,228), assists (410), field goals made (474), field goals attempted (1,065), steals (148), games (81) and minutes (2,250). Overall in 81 career NBA G League games, all with Northern Arizona over the past two seasons, Gray has averaged 15.2 points, 5.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals. On Nov. 27, 2016, he recorded the only triple-double in NAZ Suns history with 24 points, 13 rebounds, 11 steals and five steals against Sioux Falls.

The 24-year-old went unselected in the 2016 NBA Draft out of Louisiana State University. Gray tried out for the NAZ Suns prior to their inaugural season in 2016-17, earning an invite to training camp where he made the team and went on to have one of the better seasons by a local tryout in G League history.

A native of Lake Charles, La., Gray began his collegiate career at Texas Tech University in 2012-13 before transferring to Odessa College for the 2013-14 season then completing his career with two seasons at LSU from 2014-2016.

Gray will wear uniform No. 14.

Phoenix’s roster now stands at 17 players.

Malcolm Brogdon injured, out 6-8 weeks

Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon suffered a left quadricep tendon injury during the second quarter of last night’s game at Minnesota. This morning, he underwent an MRI and subsequent examination by team physician Dr. William Raasch at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin. The exam revealed a partially torn left quadricep tendon that is expected to sideline Brogdon for 6-to-8 weeks.

This season, Brogdon, 25, has played in 46 games (20 starts) and averaged 13.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 30.5 minutes. The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, Brogdon joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-70) as the only players in team history to win the award. He is the first player not drafted in the first round to win Rookie of the Year since 1966.