NBA News Blog – Page 646 – NBA Blog

Grizzlies sign Xavier Munford to second 10-day contract

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed guard Xavier Munford to a second 10-day contract.

Munford (6-3, 180) has appeared in five games with the Grizzlies after signing his first 10-day contract with the team on March 16 and has averaged 2.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 10.2 minutes. The 23-year-old was called up from the NBA Development League’s Bakersfield Jam, where he appeared in 41 games (37 starts) and averaged 20.4 points (.490 FG/.412 3P/.811 FT), 4.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.00 steals in 33.7 minutes. A 2016 D-League All-Star, he ranks sixth among qualifying players in assists per game and 11th in scoring average.

Undrafted in the 2014 Draft, Munford transferred to the University of Rhode Island as a junior and completed his collegiate career with averages of 17.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 35.5 minutes in 61 games (all starts) over two seasons. The New Jersey native led the Rams in scoring in each of his two years with the program.

Nets sign Henry Sims to second 10-day contract

The Brooklyn Nets have signed center Henry Sims to a second 10-day contract.

Originally signed to a 10-day contract on March 17, Sims has appeared in four games with the Nets, averaging 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game.

The Nets are 21-51 this season which is the second worst record in the Eastern conference.

Chandler Parsons undergoes season-ending knee surgery

Dallas Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons underwent arthroscopic surgery today to address an injury to his right medial meniscus. The surgery was performed by team physician Dr. Daniel Worrel at The Carrell Clinic in Dallas.

Parsons will miss the remainder of the 2015-16 season.

The Mavericks are 35-36 this season and currently the 7th seed in the Western conference. They are in a very tight playoff race against the 6th seed Trail Blazers and 8th seed Rockets, with the Jazz very close in the 9th spot.

Parsons (6-10, 230) finished the year with averages of 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 29.5 minutes in 61 games (51 starts). He shot 49.2 percent (320-of-651) from the field and 41.4 percent (104-of-251) from 3-point range.

Over his final 30 games of the season (since Jan. 12), Parsons averaged 18.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 34.3 minutes. He shot 52 percent (204-of-392) from the floor and 47.5 percent (75-of-158) from deep in his last 30 games.

Pelicans sign Jordan Hamilton to 10-day contract

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed forward Jordan Hamilton to a 10-day contract. This brings their team roster to 17. They were able to exceed the usual 15-player maximum after receiving an injury hardship exception from the NBA.

The 6-7, 220-pound Hamilton most recently played for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (D-League), appearing in 14 games and averaging 14.9 points on .497 shooting from the floor, 9.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 29.2 minutes per outing.

Selected 26th overall by Dallas in the 2011 NBA Draft out of the University of Texas, Hamilton has appeared in 140 career regular season games with Denver, Houston and the Los Angeles Clippers, holding averages of 5.5 points and 2.6 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per contest.

Hamilton will wear #25 for the Pelicans.

His signing marks the 36th “Call-Up” from the D-League this season.

The Pelicans are 26-45 this season and have been a huge disappointment, partially due to their level of play but certainly injuries played a huge factor in their struggle. The team recently announced that star forward Anthony Davis won’t play again this season. Davis recently had knee surgery, while playing through a long-time shoulder injury.

Nuggets sign Axel Toupane to multi-year contract

The Denver Nuggets have signed Axel Toupane to a multi-year contract.

The 6-7, 210 swingman appeared in 11 games for Denver, averaging 3.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game. He previously played in 32 games (14 starts) for the Toronto 905 of the NBA D-League this season, averaging 14.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.00 steals in 29.7 minutes per game.

The 23-year-old native of France played professionally for Strasbourg of the French Pro National Basketball League A from 2011 through 2015. He went undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft.

The Nuggets are 30-42 this season and technically still in the race to qualify for the 2016 NBA playoffs, though they’d have to go on a big run to make that happen and get lucky as well. Not likely.

Meyers Leonard having season-ending shoulder surgery

Portland Trail Blazers forward Meyers Leonard will undergo surgery to repair his injured left shoulder and as a result will miss the remainder of the season.

The surgery is scheduled to be performed on Friday, April 8 by Dr. Neal ElAttrache at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles.

Through 61 games this season, Leonard is averaging 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

Timberwolves sign Greg Smith for remainder of season

The Minnesota Timberwolves today signed forward/center Greg Smith for the rest of the season. Smith was originally signed to a 10-day contract on March 2, then signed to a second 10-day contract on March 12.

Smith is used sparingly, and in 10.3 minutes per game is averaging 2.3 points, on 56.3% shooting, and 1.6 rebounds over nine games for the Wolves this season. He scored four points and grabbed six rebounds in 18 minutes Mar. 4 at Milwaukee and tallied six points and four rebounds in the Wolves’ win over Mar. 5 vs. Brooklyn.

The 25-year-old Smith also appeared in 16 games with the Raptors 905 in the NBA D-League this season, averaging 12.4 points, on 51.0% shooting, and 8.3 rebounds in 27.9 minutes per game.

Smith spent three seasons with the Houston Rockets (2011-14) before joining the Dallas Mavericks in 2014-15. He holds NBA career averages of 4.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.5 minutes over 131 career games (12 starts).

Jahlil Okafor undergoes knee surgery

Philadelphia 76ers rookie center Jahlil Okafor, the team’s best building block for the future, underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure today to fix a slight meniscus tear in his right knee. He won’t play again this season.

The team describes the procedure as minor.

Okafor will begin his rehabilitation program tomorrow under the guidance of Sixers Director Of Performance Research & Development Dr. David T. Martin.

The Sixers are a league-worst 9-62 this season. Okafor has been their leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, averaging 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

Chandler Parsons out with knee injury

Dallas Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons will not travel with the squad on their upcoming road trip due to a right knee injury. The team says that treatment options are currently being explored.

Between Wednesday, March 23 and Monday, March 28 the Mavericks play on the road against the Trail Blazers, Warriors, Kings and Nuggets.

Chandler (6-10, 230) has played in 61 games (51 starts) and averaged 13.7 points, while shooting .490 from the field and .414 from 3-point range in 29.5 minutes. He also has averaged 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

Terrico White named D-League Performer of Week

Terrico White of the Bakersfield Jam was today named NBA Development League Performer of the Week for games played Monday, March 14 through Sunday, March 20. It’s the second Performer of the Week award for White this season.

White (6-5, 213, Mississippi) helped Bakersfield to a 2-1 week, averaging 29.7 points (tied for fourth) on 62.1 percent shooting to go with 7.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals. He connected on 10-of-22 three-point attempts.

For the season, he is averaging 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals.

Other top performers considered were Delaware’s Christian Wood and Russ Smith, Los Angeles’ Vander Blue, Idaho’s Treveon Graham, Iowa’s James Ennis, Reno’s David Stockton, Rio Grande Valley’s Jaron Johnson, Sioux Falls’ Jarnell Stokes, Texas’ Tu Holloway and Westchester’s Jimmer Fredette.