NBA News Blog – Page 696 – NBA Blog

Kevin Durant cleared to play without limitations

You forgot — at least a little — about Kevin Durant. Not totally. You remember he existed, of course. But the domination he regularly unleashes on the court hasn’t been on your mind in a while. Well, if all goes well, he’ll soon serve up some helpful reminders. Here’s the Oklahoman reporting:

In 2011, Nike leveraged Durant’s obsession into an ad campaign labeled Basketball Never Stops. At the time, for KD, it so rarely did. His most serious NBA injury was a minor ankle sprain.

Then the foot fracture happened last October. Then the setbacks followed. Then the bone graft ended his season. Then a summer of rehab and reflection and careful progression bled into this upcoming, all-important nine months for both Durant and his franchise.

Sam Presti unofficially opened it on Wednesday afternoon with his preseason state of the Thunder address. In it, he said Durant has received full medical clearance for training camp. He’s been doing non-contact court drills since late July. But that recently progressed to full-speed 5-on-5 scrimmages, the last step in his long road back.

“In terms of limitations, he doesn’t have any,” Presti said.

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be precaution.

Timberwolves waive Anthony Bennett

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has waived forward Anthony Bennett.

With the move, Minnesota’s roster stands at 18 players.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, it was a mutually agreed-upon contract buyout “will save the team a little more than $2 million on the $5.8 million they owed him for this coming season.

“In speaking with Anthony and his representatives over the past few days, we came to the conclusion that this was the best outcome for both parties,” said Timberwolves general manager Milt Newton. ‘When you look at our team, our deepest position is probably power forward. This move balances out our roster while also allowing Anthony another opportunity in the NBA. He has a lot of talent and his play this summer internationally made this a difficult decision for us.

“During his short time here Anthony has carried himself with class and represented the franchise in a very professional manner. We thank him for his positive attitude and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

Acquired by the Wolves on August 23, 2014 as part of a three-team trade with Cleveland and Philadelphia, Bennett appeared in 57 games with Minnesota last season averaging 5.2 points in 15.7 minutes per game.

Pelicans sign Jeff Adrien, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Corey Webster

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today the team has signed free agents Jeff Adrien, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Corey Webster.

Jeff Adrien, 6-7, 245, appeared in 17 games last season for the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he averaged 3.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per game before signing with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association. In China, Adrien appeared in 11 games, averaging 13.6 points on .551 shooting from the field, 11.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. Prior to his stint in Minnesota, Adrien was a member of the Houston Rockets’ preseason roster.

Undrafted in 2009 out of the University of Connecticut, Adrien has appeared in 153 career games for Golden State, Houston, Charlotte, Milwaukee and Minnesota, holding averages of 4.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per game. Adrien has also appeared in the NBA Development League, suiting up for Erie and Rio Grande Valley, and his international experience also includes stints in Spain, Italy and Russia in addition to China.

Chris Douglas-Roberts, 6-7, 210, appeared in 12 games for the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2014-15 season, averaging 1.6 points and 1.0 rebounds in 8.6 minutes per game.

Drafted 40th overall by New Jersey in the 2008 NBA Draft out of the University of Memphis, Douglas-Roberts has appeared in 222 career games (61 starts) with New Jersey, Milwaukee, Dallas, Charlotte and the Los Angeles Clippers, holding averages of 7.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists.

Corey Webster, 6-2, 190, is a native of Aukland, New Zealand, who most recently played for the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League. In 32 games for the Breakers last season, Webster averaged 15.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

Webster is a member of the New Zealand Men’s National team, and led his team in scoring in the 2015 FIBA Oceania Championships.

New Orleans’ roster now stands at 18.

Nets sign Chris Daniels

The Brooklyn Nets have signed forward/center Chris Daniels, General Manager Billy King announced today.

We assume this is a non-guaranteed contract that merely brings Daniels to training camp.

Daniels (6’9”, 265) spent the 2014-15 season with the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China’s CBA. In his seven-year pro career, Daniels has competed in South Korea, Puerto Rico, China, Jordan and Lebanon, as well as the NBA D-League. Daniels played collegiately at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (2004-08), where he is still the program’s all-time leading scorer. He also helped lead the Islanders to their first and only NCAA Tournament appearance in 2007.

Knicks sign guard Travis Trice

New York Knicks President Phil Jackson announced today that the team has signed guard Travis Trice.

Trice, 6-0, 170-pounds, averaged 15.3 points, 5.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds over 33.6 minutes in 39 games as a senior at Michigan State University. He averaged 19.0 points and 4.2 assists in leading the seventh-seeded Spartans to the Final Four of the 2015 NCAA Tournament and finished his career with 202 three-pointers, fifth best in school history. The Huber Heights, OH-native. appeared in seven 2015 Summer League games for Miami’s entry at Orlando and Las Vegas, averaging 4.4 points and 1.3 assists over 10.6 minutes.

Knicks sign DaJuan Summers

New York Knicks President Phil Jackson announced today that the team has signed forward DaJuan Summers.

Summers, 6-8, 240-pounds, holds career averages of 3.3 points and 1.0 rebounds over 9.9 minutes in 83 games (seven starts) over four seasons with Detroit, New Orleans and Los Angeles Clippers. He last played in the NBA for L.A. Clippers appearing in two games in 2012-13.

The Baltimore, MD-native, was originally selected by Detroit in the second round (35th overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft following three seasons at Georgetown University. He played overseas in each of the last two seasons for Gran Canaria in Spain (2014-15) and Budivelnyk Kyiv in Ukraine (2013-14). He has also played for Maine of the NBA Developmental League (2012-13) and in Italy for Siena (2011-12).

Pistons guard Darrun Hilliard had surgery to repair broken nose

The Detroit Pistons announced today that guard Darrun Hilliard underwent surgery to repair a broken nose suffered while playing pick-up basketball last week. The surgery was performed by Dr. Mike Rontal of Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI Campus. Hilliard will be fitted with a mask for the next three weeks and will continue all basketball-related activities.

Hilliard, 6-6, 205, was drafted 38th overall by the Pistons in the 2015 NBA Draft from Villanova University.

Timberwolves hosting free open scrimmage October 5

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team is hosting a free open scrimmage at Target Center on Monday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. Due to the overwhelming popularity of the Wolves’ previous open scrimmage this summer, fans will need to reserve their seats in advance exclusively at www.timberwolves.com starting at 10 a.m. on Sept. 23. A maximum of six free tickets are available per order.

The scrimmage tips off the 2015 Timberwolves Training Camp and features the team’s full roster. Target Center doors open at 6 p.m., and concessions and merchandise stands will be open. Season members will have access to a VIP seating area.

Spurs hire Jacque Vaughn as pro scout

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that Jacque Vaughn has been added to the front office. The former Spurs player and assistant coach will return to San Antonio as a pro scout.

Vaughn spent the last three seasons as head coach of the Orlando Magic (2012-15) and was the second-youngest head coach in the league when he was hired in 2012. Prior to leading Orlando, he spent two seasons (2010-12) as an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich for the Silver and Black.

In his 12-year NBA playing career, Vaughn appeared in a total of 776 games and averaged 4.5 points and 2.5 assists. The former Kansas Jayhawk was drafted by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 1997 NBA Draft (27th overall) and played his first four seasons in Salt Lake City. He then made stops with the Hawks, Magic and Nets before signing with the Spurs on July 12, 2006. Vaughn played his final three seasons in San Antonio and was part of the Spurs 2007 NBA Championship team before retiring after the 2008-09 season.

Blazers promote Jim Moran to assistant coach

The Portland Trail Blazers have promoted Jim Moran to assistant coach on Head Coach Terry Stotts’ staff, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey.

“I am excited to add Jim to our coaching staff,” said Stotts. “He is a young coach with a bright future. He has a terrific work ethic coupled with a refreshing personality. He has already demonstrated a unique ability to work with our players and he will add a new perspective for us.”

Moran joins a staff that includes fellow assistant coaches Jay Triano, David Vanterpool, Nate Tibbetts and Dale Osbourne.

Moran begins his first year on the Trail Blazers bench in 2015-16 after spending last season in Portland as an associate video coordinator. A player development coach for the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League in 2013, Moran played his entire professional career for CB Gran Canaria in the Spanish ACB League from 2001-11.

He is the only player in team history to have his number retired by Gran Canaria, finishing his career with 2,060 points, 802 rebounds and 321 assists. Moran played collegiately at William & Mary, where he was twice named to the All-Colonial Athletic Association Team his junior and senior seasons. A native of Syosset, New York, Moran played for the Irish Men’s National Team from 2001-06.