NBA News Blog – Page 663 – NBA Blog

Clippers sign Jeff Ayres to second 10-day contract

The L.A. Clippers announced today the team has signed forward Jeff Ayres to a second 10-day contract.

A five-year NBA veteran, Ayres, 28, has appeared in three games with the Clippers scoring two points and grabbing two rebounds.

In 223 career regular season games with Portland, Indiana, San Antonio and Los Angeles, he is averaging 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 10.0 minutes. Ayres was a member of the 2014 NBA Champion Spurs and has played in 36 career Playoff games.

The Ontario, CA native most recently played for the Idaho Stampede in the NBA Developmental League, averaging 16.3 points and 9.5 rebounds in 23 games this season and was named a 2015 D-League All-Star.

A stand-out at Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, where he played with former Clippers guard Darren Collison, Ayres was originally drafted with the 31st pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings and traded to Portland on Draft Night.

The 6-foot-10 inch forward played four seasons at Arizona State (2005-2009) earning All-Pac 10 First Team honors in 2009 when he averaged 14.5 points and 8.2 rebounds.

Erick Green named D-League Player of Month

Erick Green formerly of the Reno Bighorns and now with the Utah Jazz after signing a 10-day contract on Jan. 26, has been named NBA Development League Player of the Month for games played in January.

Green (6-4, 185, Virginia Tech) sparked Reno to a 9-3 month (7-2 in games that he played) averaging 27.6 points, 4.7 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He shot 55.0 percent from the field (83-for-151) and connected on 54.0 percent of his three-point attempts (34-of-63).

On Jan. 4, he tied a season-high with 40 points on 12-of-21 shooting (57.1 percent) and nailed four of his seven attempts from behind the arc to go with seven assists, five rebounds and three steals in a 126-122 win over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. On Jan. 8, he connected on six-of-seven three-point attempts as part of a 37-point effort in a 115-114 loss to the Westchester Knicks at the NBA D-League Showcase.

Green was selected with the 46th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Jazz. With Reno he averaged 26.7 (third in the league) points on 53.3 percent shooting to go with 4.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals.

Other players receiving consideration for the monthly award were Austin’s Orlando Johnson, Bakersfield’s Xavier Munford, Delaware’s Jordan McRae (of the Phoenix Suns), Grand Rapids’ Devin Ebanks, Iowa’s Alex Stepheson, Idaho’s Phil Pressey, Los Angeles’ Vander Blue, Maine’s Terry Rozier (on assignment from the Boston Celtics), Raptors’ Ronald Roberts Jr., Rio Grande Valley’s Raphiael Putney, Sioux Falls’ Tre Kelley, Texas’ Brandon Ashley and Westchester’s Jimmer Fredette.

Suns name Earl Watson interim head coach

The Phoenix Suns have named assistant coach and former NBA player Earl Watson interim head coach, the team announced today.

Now the 17th head coach in franchise history, Watson joined the Suns as an assistant coach this past offseason after working last season as an assistant coach for the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League. Watson became a coach following a 13-year NBA career as a point guard in which he appeared in 878 career games with Seattle/Oklahoma City, Memphis, Denver, Indiana, Utah and Portland from 2001-2014. Watson averaged 6.4 points, 4.4 assists and 1.0 steals for his career, posting highs of 10.7 points and 6.8 assists with the SuperSonics in 2007-08. Watson played for three NBA Coach of the Year Award winners throughout his 13-year career (Hubie Brown, George Karl, Scott Brooks), as well as Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan.

Prior to being selected 40th overall in the 2001 NBA Draft, the Kansas City, Kan. native was a four-year starter at UCLA, helping guide the Bruins to three Sweet 16 appearances and earning All-Pac-10 First Team honors in 2000-01.

Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant named NBA Players of Week

Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant were today named NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Jan. 25 through Sunday, Jan. 31.

Wade led the Heat to a 4-0 week, which included wins over the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks, behind averages of 24.0 points (tied-third in the Eastern Conference), 7.0 assists (fourth in the conference), 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 steals (tied-eighth in the conference) and 1.75 blocks (tied-fifth in the conference). On Jan. 26, he tallied 27 points, eight assists, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks during a 102-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Durant’s league-best 34.7 points on the week helped the Thunder to a 3-0 record. He ranked fourth in the Western Conference with 11.7 rebounds, contributed 4.3 assists and averaged a conference-high 40.0 minutes. Durant recorded point-rebound double-doubles twice, including a 44-point, 14-rebound outing on Jan. 26, as the Thunder topped the New York Knicks 128-122 in overtime.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Golden State’s Klay Thompson, Indiana’s Monta Ellis, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul, Memphis’ Jeff Green, New Orleans’ Ryan Anderson and Jrue Holiday, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook and Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.

Grizzlies sign Ryan Hollins to second 10-day contract

The Memphis Grizzlies announced today that the team has signed center Ryan Hollins to a second 10-day contract.

Hollins (7-0, 240) has averaged 3.1 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10.6 minutes in nine games with the Grizzlies this season. After joining the team for training camp, he was re-signed twice during the season on Dec. 29 (waived on Jan. 7) and to his first 10-day contract on Jan. 21. Between his stay during training camp and his regular season stints with the Grizzlies, Hollins also played five games, making three starts, for the Washington Wizards.

The 31-year-old has averaged 3.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 495 career games (67 starts) over 10 NBA seasons with the Charlotte Bobcats, Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies. A native of Pasadena, Calif., Hollins was selected by Charlotte in the second round (50th overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft following his senior season at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Heat guard Tyler Johnson will undergo shoulder surgery

The HEAT announced today that guard Tyler Johnson will undergo rotator cuff surgery in his left shoulder. The procedure will take place this Wednesday, February 3 at Doctors Hospital in Miami and be performed by HEAT team physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick.

Johnson has appeared in 36 games (five starts) with the HEAT this season averaging 8.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 24.0 minutes while shooting 48.8 percent from the field.

Pelicans sign Bryce Dejean-Jones to second 10-day contract

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has signed guard Bryce Dejean-Jones to a second 10-day contract.

Dejean-Jones, 6-6, 203, has appeared in five games (two starts) for the Pelicans, averaging 5.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game.

Prior to joining New Orleans, Dejean-Jones played for the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League, appearing in nine games (seven starts), averaging 19.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.0 steals in 31.1 minutes per game.

Undrafted out of Iowa State, Dejean Jones was a member of the Pelicans’ 2015 Las Vegas Summer League team and training camp roster. In six summer league contests, Dejean-Jones averaged 12.8 points on .619 shooting from the field, including .500 from three point range, to go along with 1.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.2 assists in 21.7 minutes per game. Appearing in all seven preseason contests for New Orleans, Dejean-Jones averaged 8.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

Rockets want some techs against Dwight Howard rescinded

Here’s ESPN.com reporting on Rockets center Dwight Howard, who is averaging a modest 14.4 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game this season for the 25-25 squad.

The Houston Rockets have petitioned the NBA to rescind the four technical fouls administered to center Dwight Howard in the past two games, according to a source.

Howard was ejected for picking up two technical fouls in each of the past two games. He leads the NBA with 12 technicals this season and is tied with the Clippers’ Blake Griffin with two ejections.

Howard was ejected from Saturday’s loss to the Washington Wizards for pushing Nene Hilario in the fourth quarter after they were tangled with each other. It was Howard’s second technical of the game. He picked up the first technical with 6 minutes,16 seconds to play in the opening quarter after getting fouled by Jared Dudley, who grabbed Howard in the upper body. Howard was trying to show the referees what Dudley was doing to him by putting his hands behind Dudley’s neck when he was given the technical.

Suns fire coach Jeff Hornacek

The 14-35 Phoenix Suns weren’t expected to come anywhere close to competing for an NBA championship this season, or even be one of the league’s better teams, but they certainly seemed capable of being respectable. But through Sunday’s games they are tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 4th worst record in the league. And this morning, they took action.

The Suns announced today that they have relieved Jeff Hornacek of his duties as head coach following his two-plus seasons in the position. The Suns plan to have an interim head coach in place by Tuesday.

Hornacek was named the 16th head coach in franchise history on May 28, 2013, returning to the team with whom he spent his first six professional seasons as a player. In two-plus seasons as head coach of the Suns, Hornacek’s teams compiled a 101-112 (.474) record, including a 14-35 (.286) mark this season. In Hornacek’s inaugural season of 2013-14 the Suns went 48-34 followed by a 39-43 record last season.

Randy Wittman to miss two games

The Washington Wizards announced today that Head Coach Randy Wittman will miss the team’s next two games (Feb. 1 at Oklahoma City and Feb. 3 vs. Golden State) due to the passing of his brother.

Assistant Coach Don Newman will assume head coaching duties for the next two games. Wittman is expected to return to the sidelines for the team’s game on Feb. 5 vs. Philadelphia.