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Trail Blazers center Festus Ezeli is expected to undergo surgery next week on his left knee, it was announced today by president of basketball operations Neil Olshey.
While the exact surgery date is pending, it will be performed by Dr. Robert LaPrade at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado.
Ezeli will be out for the remainder of the 2016-17 season.
The Milwaukee Bucks have signed forward Terrence Jones to a contract for the remainder of the season, General Manager John Hammond announced today. In a related move, Axel Toupane has been released from his 10-day contract.
Jones, 25, appeared in 51 games (12 starts) with the New Orleans Pelicans this season and posted averages of 11.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 blocks in 24.8 minutes per game. He was waived by the Pelicans on Feb. 23.
Currently in his fifth NBA season, Jones has played in 229 games and averaged 10.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 24.8 minutes per contest. He spent his first four NBA seasons with the Houston Rockets and also played with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League.
Toupane was signed to a 10-day contract on Feb. 25 and saw action in two games with the Bucks.
Jones will wear uniform number 6. Milwaukee’s roster now stands at 15 players.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed forward Derrick Williams to a contract for the remainder of the season, Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.
Williams (6-8, 245) has appeared in nine games with the Cavaliers this season, averaging 10.3 points on .561 shooting from the field and 3.1 rebounds in 24.2 minutes. He originally signed with the Cavs on Feb. 9, the first of two consecutive 10-day contracts. Prior to joining Cleveland, he played in 25 games (11 starts) with Miami this season and averaged 5.9 points and 2.9 rebounds in 15.1 minutes.
Playing in his sixth NBA season, Williams has appeared in 410 games (112 starts) with Minnesota, Sacramento, New York, Miami and Cleveland and holds career averages of 9.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in 21.1 minutes. He was drafted out of Arizona as the No. 2 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Timberwolves and earned All-Rookie Second Team honors in 2012.
The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club has claimed guard Jose Calderon off of waivers, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer.
“We feel fortunate to be able to add a player of Jose’s caliber at this point in the season,” Budenholzer said. “His unselfish nature and ability to shoot with range fits our style of play and his experience will add to our locker room.”
In his 12th season, Calderon has appeared in 772 career regular season games (557 starts), averaging 9.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists (.473 FG%, .411 3FG%, .875 FT%). He’s also played in 18 postseason contests.
As a member of the Spanish national team, he’s won the FIBA World Cup (2006), two Olympic silver medals (2008, 2012) and a bronze medal (2016).
Calderon will wear uniform No. 13.
Rio Grande Valley Vipers guard Darius Morris today was named the NBA Development League Player of the Month for games played in February.
Morris (6-4, Michigan) led Rio Grande Valley to a 6-2 record behind averages of 21.9 points, 7.5 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals. He shot 46.6 percent from the field and scored over 25 points in four games in February. On Feb. 10, he recorded a triple-double with 19 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds in a 116-112 victory over the Sioux Falls Skyforce. On Feb. 14, he hit a season-high six three pointers on his way to 26 points and added 14 assists and six rebounds in a 141-133 win over the Texas Legends.
Morris is averaging 20.3 points, 6.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals this season. He was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 41st overall pick in NBA Draft 2011 presented by State Farm. He last appeared in the NBA with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2014-15 season.
Other players who received consideration for the monthly award were Delaware’s James Webb III, Grand Rapids’ Kevin Murphy, Los Angeles’ David Nwaba (called up by the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 28), Northern Arizona’s Elijah Millsap, Raptors 905’s Brady Heslip and Texas’ Jameel Warney.
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Atlanta Hawks guard/forward Mike Dunleavy has been diagnosed with right ankle synovitis.
An MRI taken at the Emory Orthopaedics and Spine Center on Feb. 28th revealed the injury and a second opinion by Dr. Richard Ferkel of the Southern California Orthopedic Institute also confirmed the diagnosis.
Dunleavy will now undergo a period of rest, treatment and rehabilitation and his status will be updated as appropriate.
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New Orleans Pelicans guard Jarrett Jack is expected to miss 4-6 weeks after suffering a right lateral meniscus tear.
Jack, 6-3, 200, was signed to a 10-day contract by New Orleans on February 24, and has appeared in two games, averaging 3.0 points and 2.5 assists in 16.5 minutes per game.
An 11-year NBA veteran, Jack has appeared in 805 career regular season games with Portland, Indiana, Toronto, New Orleans, Golden State, Cleveland and Brooklyn, averaging 11.0 points, 4.5 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 28.1 minutes per game.
The Philadelphia 76ers have signed forward Justin Harper to a 10-day contract.
Harper, a two-time NBA D-League All-Star, most recently saw action with the Los Angeles D-Fenders, where he appeared in 37 games (all starts) and posted averages of 16 points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes per game, while shooting 40 percent from three-point range.
A season ago, Harper played in 42 games (26 starts) with L.A. and averaged 15 points and six rebounds per game as he shot 39 percent from beyond the arc. On February 24, 2016, he signed the first of two 10-day contracts with the Detroit Pistons.
A veteran of two NBA seasons and three D-League campaigns, Harper has also played internationally in Italy, Israel and France.
Harper was originally selected with the 32nd overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers before being traded to the Orlando Magic on draft night. He played in 14 games as rookie, averaging six minutes per contest.
Harper started all 37 games during his senior season at Richmond, averaging 18 points and seven rebounds, as he was named 2011 First Team All-Atlantic 10. That year, he helped lead the Spiders to 29-8 record and an Atlantic 10 title. Richmond, as a No. 12-seed, reached the Sweet 16 for the second time in school history.
Harper will wear number 30 for the Sixers.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed center Andrew Bogut, Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.
Bogut (7-0, 260), was waived by Philadelphia on Monday after being traded to the 76ers by Dallas on February 23.
He’s a fantastic addition to the Cavs frontcourt. Bogut is an excellent defender and crafty veteran. He doesn’t score much, but is a welcome addition to a team that has the best record in the Eastern conference and third best record in the NBA through Wednesday’s games.
Playing in his 12th NBA season, Bogut owns career averages of 10.0 points on .534 shooting from the field, 8.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 blocks in 29.1 minutes over 670 games (651 starts) for Milwaukee, Golden State and Dallas. He is one of nine active players with at least 1,000 career blocks (1,070). A 2015 NBA champion, Bogut has also appeared in 58 playoff games (57 starts) and holds postseason averages of 5.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 22.5 minutes. He averaged 3.0 points and 8.3 rebounds in 22.4 minutes through 26 games (21 starts) with the Mavericks this season and pulled down double digits in rebounds on 10 occasions.
The 7-0 center was originally selected by the Bucks with the first overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft and was an All-Rookie First Team selection in 2006. He was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2010 and All-Defensive Second Team in 2015. Bogut has represented the Australian national team at three Olympic Games (2004, 2008 and 2016).
Bogut will wear jersey number 6 with the Cavs.
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The Golden State Warriors have signed forward Matt Barnes. An excellent addition for the team with the best record in the NBA.
Barnes, 36, appeared in 54 games (13 starts) with the Sacramento Kings this season, tallying 7.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 25.3 minutes per game. Barnes owns career averages of 8.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 23.7 minutes in 909 career games (354 starts) over 14 NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies.
The 6’7” forward will make his second stint with the Warriors after spending the 2006-07 and 2007-08 campaigns with Golden State, where he helped the Warriors upset the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the 2007 playoffs and posted averages of 11.1 points and 5.7 rebounds while hitting 42.2 percent (19-of-45) from three-point range in 11 games (three starts) that postseason. Barnes has appeared in the playoffs in each of the last seven seasons and owns career marks of 7.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.00 steals in 25.1 minutes over 83 postseason games (48 starts).
Barnes will wear uniform #22.
The Warriors roster now stands at 15 players.