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The Memphis Grizzlies today announced the team has waived guard Daniel Nwaelele (wah-LAY-lay).
Nwaelele (6-5, 205) was signed by Memphis as a free agent on Sept. 28. Undrafted in the 2007 NBA Draft, the 31-year-old Air Force product has played two seasons with the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA Development League (2012-14).
The Grizzlies’ roster stands at 19 players.
The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that center Alexis Ajinca is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a right hamstring strain. The injury occurred during the second quarter of the Pelicans’ preseason opener against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, Oct. 3.
Ajinca, 7-2, 220, appeared in 68 games for New Orleans during the 2014-15 season, averaging a career-best 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. In 195 NBA games for New Orleans, Toronto, Dallas and Charlotte, Ajinca holds career averages of 4.1 points and 2.7 rebounds. After originally signing with New Orleans on Dec. 20, 2013, the French native signed a multi-year contract with New Orleans on July 9, 2015.
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Charlotte Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist suffered a dislocated right shoulder in Saturday’s preseason contest at Orlando. The injury occurred with 46 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Kidd-Gilchrist was taken to Florida Hospital South for x-rays and additional evaluation. X-rays taken at the hospital were negative. He will remain in Orlando overnight and is out for Sunday’s game at Miami. Kidd-Gilchrist will be further evaluated by Hornets team physicians in Charlotte on Monday. An update on his status will be provided when available.
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The Sacramento Kings announced today they have picked up the 2016-17 option on guard Ben McLemore’s contract, according to Kings Vice President and General Manager Vlade Divac.
Entering his third NBA campaign, the 6-5 guard averaged 12.1 points (.437 FG%, .358 3pt%, .813 FT%), 2.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 32.6 minutes per contest in starting all 82 games he played in last season.
The L.A. Clippers announced today the team has waived free agent forward/center Nikoloz Tskitishvili.
Tskitishvili did not appear in a preseason game for the Clippers. The former fifth overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets, Tskitishvili has appeared in 172 career games (16 starts) for Denver, Golden State, Minnesota and Phoenix averaging 2.9 points and 1.7 rebounds in 11.3 minutes of play. The Tbilisi, Georgian native has played in Spain, Italy, Iran, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates post-NBA. The 32-year old played for Champville of the Lebanese Basketball League last season.
Clippers win 2015-16 NBA preseason opener
DeAndre Jordan had 15 points and 12 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Denver Nuggets 103-96 on Friday night in the first game of the NBA preseason.
Jordan scored 12 points in the first half on 5-for-6 shooting, including three dunks.
The Clippers spoiled Nuggets coach Michael Malone’s debut.
Nuggets: Joffrey Lauvergne scored 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting and had 11 rebounds in a reserve role. Rookie Emmanuel Mudiay missed eight of his first 11 shots and finished with 14 points.
— Associated Press
Detroit Pistons guard Steve Blake was diagnosed with a concussion, suffered in practice on Wednesday.
Blake will undergo the NBA’s mandatory Return-to-Participation Exertion Protocol until he is deemed symptom free. No timetable has been set for his return.
The Milwaukee Bucks have signed forward John Henson to a contract extension, General Manager John Hammond announced today.
According to ESPN.com, it is a four-year extension worth somewhere around $45 million.
“We’re thrilled to get this deal done to keep John in a Bucks uniform for years to come,” Bucks General Manager John Hammond said. “Since we drafted him in 2012, John has made an impact on this team, especially on the defensive end, and he is an integral part of our future. We’re looking forward to continuing to watch his development as we work to become a championship-caliber team.”
Henson, 24, played in 67 games for Milwaukee last season (11 starts), and averaged 7.0 points and 4.7 rebounds. He finished 5th in NBA for blocks per game with 2.01 and is one of seven players in Bucks history to average over 2.0 blocks in a single season. Henson blocked at least one shot in 20 straight games from Dec. 26 to Feb. 22, which was the third-longest streak in the NBA last season and one game shy of the longest such streak of his career (21 from Dec. 13, 2013 to Feb. 22, 2014). On March 20 at Brooklyn, Henson tied his career high with seven blocked shots in only 21 minutes – tying the shortest time for any player to get to seven blocks last season.
“We’re excited for John and for our organization as we continue to build a consistent winner,” Bucks Head Coach Jason Kidd said. “John is a great teammate, plays unselfishly and has worked very hard to develop into a top-tier defender. We look forward to many great years together with him.”
The Bucks selected Henson with the 14th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. He’s posted career averages of 8.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks over three seasons, and his field goal percentage of 53.1 ranks third on Milwaukee’s all-time list (min. 1,000 FGA). In one of his best games on April 10, 2013, at Orlando, Henson posted 17 points along with career highs of 25 rebounds and seven blocks, becoming the first player to hit all three of those numbers since Shaquille O’Neal did so during the 2003-04 season.
Henson has been to the playoffs with the Bucks twice with averages of 5.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks through 10 games. In the 2015 postseason, he notched his first career playoff double-double on April 23 vs. Chicago with postseason career highs of 15 points and 14 rebounds, and with three blocks he became the first Bucks player since Ervin Johnson on May 28, 2001, to post a double-double with at least three blocks in a playoff game.
The 6-foot-11-inch product out of North Carolina was a two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year (2011, 2012) and was named First-Team All-ACC as a junior after leading the conference in shot-blocking and rebounding. He was also named a 2009 McDonald’s All American as a senior at Sickles High School (Florida).
The Golden State Warriors announced today that Head Coach Steve Kerr, who underwent surgery on his back to repair a ruptured disc in late July and a follow-up surgery in early September, will take a leave of absence from the team as he continues with rehabilitation and the recovery process. The length of Kerr’s absence is unknown and will be based on his progress.
“At this point, the most important thing is to make sure Steve is healthy, completely recovered and ready for not only the rigors of a long NBA season, but day-to-day life in general,” said Warriors General Manager Bob Myers. “We don’t anticipate the recovery process will be long term, but as of today we don’t know the exact timeframe. We’ll evaluate his progress daily and provide updates as necessary.”
“After the first two days of training camp, I realized I need to take a step back and focus on my rehabilitation in order to be ready for the grind of another NBA season,” said Kerr. “As I noted last week, my summer was difficult and no fun due to the multiple back surgeries. At this point, I simply want to get healthy and back to my normal daily routine on and off the court.”
Luke Walton, the team’s lead assistant coach, will serve as interim head coach in Kerr’s absence.
The NBA Champion Golden State Warriors will receive their 2014-15 NBA Championship rings during a special pregame ceremony on Opening Night on Tuesday, October 27 when the team hosts the New Orleans Pelicans to tip-off the 2015-16 campaign, it was announced today.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, along with Warriors co-owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, will present last season’s players and coaches with unique diamond-clad rings crafted by Jason of Beverly Hills.
The Warriors, who won a franchise record 67 games last season and captured the team’s first NBA title in 40 years, will also unveil the 2014-15 NBA Championship banner at Oracle Arena during the pregame ceremony.
The Warriors, who became the fifth team in NBA history to win four or more NBA titles, will commemorate the team’s 2014-15 NBA Championship by wearing special NBA Championship uniforms.