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The Toronto Raptors have waived center Kennedy Meeks, guard Andy Rautins and forward Kyle Wiltjer.
Rautins and Wiltjer both appeared in three preseason games while Meeks made his lone appearance October 4 against the Los Angeles Clippers in Hawaii.
Toronto’s roster now stands at 17 players.
The Utah Jazz have waived guard/forward Taylor Braun.
Braun (6-7, 210, North Dakota State) appeared in two preseason games for the Jazz, averaging 2.0 points, connecting on 4-of-4 free throws in 2.0 minutes per contest.
Prior to signing with Utah, Braun played with ratiopharm Ulm of the German Bundesliga, where he averaged 8.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 53 games (50 starts) during the 2016-17 season.
The 6-7 guard/forward originally signed with the Jazz on Sep. 26.
Following the move, Utah’s roster now stands at 19 players.
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Dallas Mavericks guard Seth Curry will be out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a stress reaction of his left tibia.
No timetable has been set for his return and he will be reevaluated weekly.
According to the Dallas Morning News, “Curry was one of the Mavericks’ best players after entering the starting lineup last season in January. He averaged 12.8 points and shot 42.5 percent from 3-point range.”
The Phoenix Suns have released the statement below following last night’s passing of Suns legend and Basketball Hall of Famer, Connie Hawkins.
“’The Hawk’ revolutionized the game and remains to this day an icon of the sport and one of basketball’s great innovators. His unique combination of size, grace and athleticism was well ahead of its time and his signature style of play is now a hallmark of the modern game.
A flip of the coin changed the Suns’ fortunes and he helped put Phoenix on the map as the city’s first professional sports superstar. Rightfully, he became the first Suns player inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and his No. 42 hangs in the rafters at Talking Stick Resort Arena as part of our Ring of Honor.
Connie’s passion for the game was only matched by his desire to give back to the Phoenix community, a role which he played proudly as a Suns community ambassador, spreading warmth and kindness to everyone he encountered. We will miss Hawk dearly. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends as we mourn the passing of a true Suns legend.”
The Los Angeles Lakers have hired Jason Rosenfeld as Director of Basketball Analytics.
Rosenfeld and his basketball analytics department will work closely with the basketball operations staff, as well as the coaching and training staffs, to incorporate statistical analysis and quantitative strategy into the day-to-day operations of each front office department.
Most recently with the NBA league office, Rosenfeld was hired as the Director of Basketball Analytics in 2014 and was tasked with developing new statistics to better evaluate players (ex. hustle stats), as well as assisting teams with their analytics efforts in both business and basketball operations. Rosenfeld’s analytics department also supported rule and policy changes by the Competition Committee and Board of Governors to improve game flow, successfully advocating for a rule change to diminish deliberate fouling in 2016.
Prior to joining the league office, Rosenfeld served as Director of Basketball Analytics for the Charlotte Hornets for two seasons, and worked in the front office of the Yao Ming-owned Shanghai Sharks of the CBA from 2009-10.
Rosenfeld graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Statistics, while minoring in East Asian Studies, and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
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The Orlando Magic have announced that perennial NBA All-Star and Naismith Basketball Hall-of-Famer Tracy McGrady will join the front office as special assistant to the CEO.
McGrady will be available to the organization as needed in a variety of capacities. He will be available to the players and coaches on and off the court, will assist and advise the executive team in several areas and will help with promotion, marketing and community relations activities for the Lakeland Magic of the NBA G League.
“Having Tracy McGrady, a perennial All-Star and a Hall-of-Famer, on our staff is tremendous for our entire organization,” said Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins. “Whether it will be on the court with the team or in the Central Florida community, Tracy’s knowledge, experience and stature will be an incredible asset for our players and our organization. We are extremely excited to bring him back home.”
“I am thrilled to be back where I truly made a name for myself – with the Orlando Magic,” said McGrady. “The DeVos family and the entire organization have always done everything in a first-class manner and I am excited to be able to help them with whatever they may need.”
McGrady played in 295 games (294 starts) during his four seasons with the Magic (2000-04), averaging 28.1 ppg., 7.0 rpg., 5.2 apg. and 1.53 stlpg. in 39.4 minpg. While with Orlando, he was a two-time All-NBA First Team selection (2001-02, 2002-03), a two-time All-NBA Second Team selection (2000-01, 2003-04), a four-time NBA All-Star (2001-04), led the NBA in scoring twice (2002-03, 32.1 ppg.; 2003-04, 28.0 ppg.) and was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2000-01.
McGrady’s scoring average of 28.1 ppg. remains the highest in Orlando Magic history. He also stands among the franchise’s all-time leaders in free throws made (second, 1,819), points (third, 8,298), free throws attempted (fourth, 2,368), field goals attempted (fourth, 6,689), field goals made (fifth, 2,985), steals (sixth, 452), assists (seventh, 1,533), blocked shots (seventh, 292), rebounds (eighth, 2,067), three-point field goals attempted (eighth, 1,410), three-point field goals made (ninth, 509) and minutes played (tenth, 11,628). McGrady was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2017.
The Memphis Grizzlies have signed guard Durand Scott and waived guard Jeremy Morgan.
Scott (6-5, 203) started in 27 of his 28 appearances last season for Enel Brindisi in the Italian Lega A, his second year with the club, and averaged 14.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.36 steals in 31.2 minutes while shooting 43.8 percent from the field, 36.0 percent from three-point range and 71.7 percent from the free throw line. The 27-year-old also has played professionally in Spain (2013-14), Israel (2014-15) and Puerto Rico (2015-16) since going unselected in the 2013 NBA Draft.
A native of New York City, Scott played four years collegiately at the University of Miami, where he was selected by the coaches and media as the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2013. He also played for the Jamaican National Team in the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship.
Morgan (6-5, 192) appeared in two preseason games with the Grizzlies and averaged 1.0 points and 1.5 rebounds in 8.0 minutes. The 22-year-old Coralville, Iowa native went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft following a four-year collegiate career at the University of Northern Iowa.
Lots of players get banged up in preseason. But when it’s a star or superstar, then it’s always worth taking full notice. Because if a big dog is out, it means the rest of the team — most importantly new additions to the squad — can’t fully adjust to playing alongside the star. Which matters — early on, at least. Here’s ESPN.com reporting on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers:
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LeBron James went through a full practice Thursday for the first time since tweaking his left ankle last week and could play in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ preseason game against the Indiana Pacers on Friday, said Cavs coach Tyronn Lue.
“We’ll see how he feels after going through practice today,” Lue said.
It would be the Cavs first test of their new-look starting lineup of Kevin Love, Jae Crowder, J.R. Smith and Derrick Rose flanking James.
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Charlotte Hornets guard/forward Nicolas Batum underwent a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) exam today which revealed a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. The injury occurred with 11:26 remaining in the first quarter of Charlotte’s preseason road contest against the Detroit Pistons last night. Treatment options are still being evaluated, but Batum is expected to miss a minimum of six to eight weeks.
According to the Charlotte Observer, “Batum signed a five-year, $120 million contract with the Hornets in July 2016. He is scheduled to make nearly $21 million this season. He averaged 15.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.9 assists last season, but shot poorly (.403 from the field and .333 from 3-point range).”
The 6-8 veteran swingman from France has averaged new career highs in points in each of his first two seasons in Charlotte. During the 2016-17 season, Batum totaled 1,164 points, 481 rebounds and 455 assists, becoming the first Charlotte player to score over 1,000 points, grab 450 rebounds and hand out over 450 assists in a single season. After a seven-year stint with Portland, Batum has averaged 15.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 34.5 minutes per game over the course of 144 games the last two seasons with the Hornets.
More from the Observer: “With Batum out, Hornets coach Steve Clifford told the Observer late Thursday afternoon he plans to turn to Jeremy Lamb as a starter.”
The Milwaukee Bucks have signed free agent guard Xavier Munford.
Munford, 25, was a member of the 2017 USA AmeriCup Team that finished 5-0 and won the gold medal in Argentina. He averaged 10.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
Last season he split time between the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League and FC Barcelona Lassa. He played in 14 games for the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2015-16 season and averaged 5.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
A native of Hillside, N.J., Munford concluded his collegiate career at the University of Rhode Island in 2014 where he became the fastest player in school history to reach the 1,000 point mark.