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Kings sign David Stockton through 2015-16 season

Kings sign David Stockton through 2015-16 season

The Sacramento Kings announced today that the team has signed David Stockton through the 2015-16 season. The Kings had previously signed Stockton to a 10-day contract on February 20.

A day later, Stockton made his NBA debut at the STAPLES Center against the Los Angeles Clippers. He recorded one point (0-2 FG, 1-1 FT), two rebounds and one assist in seven minutes off the bench in his lone appearance with the Kings.

Stockton, a 5-11, 165-pound guard, averaged 20.1 points (.461 FG%, .398 3pt%, .824 FT%), 4.2 rebounds, 9.4 assists, 2.5 steals and 30.5 minutes per game in 43 contests of which he started 38 for the Sacramento Kings NBA D-League affiliate Reno Bighorns in 2014-15. Stockton recorded two triple-doubles, a 36-point, 10-rebound, 14-assist performance against Idaho on March 22 and a 26-point, 10-rebound, 15-assist effort vs. Bakersfield on March 31. Eight times he scored 30 or more points, including a career-high 44 points on March 4 vs. Rio Grande. He had 21 point-assist double-doubles, including a 37-point, 22-assist game against Texas on March 6. Among D-League leaders, he ranked 11th in scoring, third in assists and second in steals per game. Undrafted, Stockton was selected by the Maine Red Claws in the third round of the 2014 NBA Development League Draft on November 1, 2014. He was later traded to the Reno Bighorns on draft night.

Like his father, Hall of Fame guard John Stockton, he played collegiately at Gonzaga (2010-11 – 2013-14).

Suns sign Jerel McNeal through 2015-16 season

Suns sign Jerel McNeal through 2015-16 season

The Phoenix Suns have signed guard Jerel McNeal through the 2015-16 season. The Suns had previously signed McNeal to a 10-day contract on April 1.

McNeal, whose first name is pronounced Jah-rell, made his NBA debut with the Suns on April 2 and has appeared in four games with the team since initially signing.

In 27 games with the Bakersfield Jam this season, McNeal averaged 18.5 points, 4.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 steals. The 6-3 guard scored a season-high 40 points on 16-of-23 shooting for the Suns’ NBA Development League affiliate on March 7 at Austin.

A two-time NBA D-League All-Star, McNeal had previously signed with an NBA team during the regular season on two occasions though he made his debut with the Suns earlier this month. The 27-year-old spent 10 days with the New Orleans Hornets from March 9-19, 2011, and ended the season with the Utah Jazz from March 27-April 17, 2013. This was McNeal’s fourth career D-League season with Bakersfield (2012-15) and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2010-11) as he holds career averages of 18.7 points, 5.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 135 games.

Undrafted out of Marquette University in 2009, McNeal has participated in NBA training camps with the Los Angeles Clippers (2009), Houston Rockets (2010) and Toronto Raptors (2012) and has also played professionally in Belgium, Italy and China. McNeal played four seasons at Marquette (2005-09) where he remains the Golden Eagles’ all-time leading scorer (1,985 career points) and earned Associated Press All-America Second Team honors as a senior in 2008-09.

Aaron Craft named D-League Defensive Player of Year

Aaron Craft named D-League Defensive Player of Year

Aaron Craft named D-League Defensive Player of Year

Santa Cruz Warriors guard Aaron Craft has been selected as the 2015 NBA Development League’s Defensive Player of the year by a vote of the league’s 18 head coaches. Craft will be honored with a trophy for his efforts by NBA D-League President Malcolm Turner prior to tonight’s playoff game against the Oklahoma City Blue, which will be broadcast live on ESPNNEWS at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Craft (6-2, 192, Ohio State) played in all 50 regular season games for Santa Cruz, anchoring a Warriors defense that held opponents to league-lows 42 percent shooting from the field and 99.6 points per 100 possessions. Santa Cruz’ opponents averaged 102.2 points, good for third-lowest in the NBA D-League. Individually, Craft averaged an NBA D-League best 2.5 steals while topping the league with a 1.4 steal-to-turnover ratio. Additionally, he averaged 9.2 points, 6.2 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 36.1 minutes.

“Aaron has shown his aptitude, intensity and desire on the defensive end all season long,” said Chris Alpert, Vice President of Basketball Operations for the NBA D-League. “His ability as a lock-down defender has been a tremendous asset for coach Casey Hill and the Warriors this season. We congratulate Aaron on an impressive rookie campaign and this well-deserved award.”

Craft helped lead the Warriors to the West Division Championship and a 35-15 record, tied for the best in the league. The team earned the top overall seed in the Western Conference and currently owns a 1-0 lead over the Blue in the first round of the 2015 NBA D-League Playoffs.

“Aaron is one of the soundest defenders I’ve ever been around and without a doubt he deserves this award,” said head coach Hill. “He has been phenomenal for our team all year long and it has been amazing to coach him.”

A four-year contributor at Ohio State, Craft was a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (2012, 2014) and was named the NABC Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2014. Undrafted last season, Craft earned an invitation to the Golden State Warriors training camp in September 2014.

Thabo Sefolosha suffers major injuries from incident outside NYC nightclub

Thabo Sefolosha suffers major injuries from incident outside NYC nightclub

Thabo Sefolosha suffers major injuries from incident with NYC police

Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha suffered injuries during yesterday’s early morning incident where he was arrested near the 1OAK nightclub in New York City after Pacers forward Chris Copeland had been stabbed. But did these injuries occur due to the arrest from police, or did something else happen with Thabo beforehand that we don’t know about? We do not know this.

An examination of Sefolosha’s right leg, including an X-ray at Barclays Center yesterday and an MRI today at Peachtree Orthopaedics revealed a fractured fibula and ligament damage that will require surgery. He is out for the remainder of the season, including the entire postseason, and a timeline for his return will be updated at a later date.

“This is a very difficult situation for Thabo and our thoughts and support will be with him during his recovery. We know that his approach and dedication will serve him well in his rehabilitation,” Head Coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Our team remains focused and will be prepared as we head into the postseason.”

  Thabo Sefolosha — Video of Brutal Clash with Cops … Headlocked & Taken Down
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Nikola Pekovic had Achilles surgery this morning

Nikola Pekovic had Achilles surgery this morning

The Minnesota Timberwolves announced that center Nikola Pekovic underwent a successful debridement and repair of his right Achilles this morning. The surgery was performed by Dr. Robert Anderson at Ortho Carolina in Charlotte, North Carolina. Pekovic will be sidelined indefinitely. An update on his progress will be provided when appropriate.

Pekovic played in 31 games this season, averaging 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest. The five-year veteran holds career averages of 12.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

The Wolves are 16-61 through Tuesday’s games, which is the second worst record in the league. The NBA’s regular season ends in one week, on Wednesday, April 15.

Knicks sign Ricky Ledo for rest of season

Knicks sign Ricky Ledo for rest of season

Knicks sign Ricky Ledo for rest of season

New York Knicks President Phil Jackson announced today that the team has signed guard Ricky Ledo for the remainder of the season.

Ledo, 6-7, 195-pounds, is averaging 9.5 points and 3.4 rebounds over 21.1 minutes in eight games with the Knicks and 5.9 points and 2.2 rebounds over 13.9 minutes in 13 games with both Dallas and New York on the season. He signed the first of two consecutive 10-day contracts with the Knicks on Mar. 19.

Bucks sign Jorge Gutierrez to multi-year contract

Bucks sign Jorge Gutierrez to multi-year contract

Bucks sign Jorge Gutierrez to multi-year contract

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed guard Jorge Gutierrez to a multi-year contract, General Manager John Hammond announced today. Gutierrez is the 60th Gatorade Call-Up of the 2014-15 NBA Development League season.

Gutierrez appeared in seven games for the Bucks earlier this season and averaged 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds while playing 13.4 minutes per game. He made one start for Milwaukee on Feb. 2 at Toronto, and tied his career high for scoring with 13 points on Feb. 6 at Houston. He signed his initial 10-day contact on Jan. 28 and a second 10-day contract on Feb. 7.

Gutierrez has also played 15 games for the Canton Charge of the NBA D-League this season and averaged 13.5 points, 5.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 29.8 minutes per game.

Timberwolves sign Arinze Onuaku

Timberwolves sign Arinze Onuaku

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed forward Arinze Onuaku (Ah-rin-zay On-ooh-ah-koo) for the remainder of this season. The Timberwolves were granted an NBA hardship exception for a 16th roster spot due to having four players out due to injury.

Onuaku, 27, averaged 17.5 points, on 62.2% shooting, and 12.2 rebounds in 41 games this season for the Canton Charge of the NBA D-League. He was named to the NBADL All-Star Game for the third consecutive season. Onuaku was signed by the Indiana Pacers on September 5, 2014 after playing with their NBA Summer League team. He was waived by the Pacers on October 25, 2014.

The 6-10 forward played in three games for the New Orleans Pelicans and two games for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2013-14, averaging 0.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in those five games. In May of 2014, he joined the Chongqing Flying Dragons for the 2014 Chinese NBL, and averaged 28.6 points and 14.8 rebounds in 19 games. Onuaku averaged 14.8 points, on 62.8% shooting, and 10.1 rebounds for Canton in 2013-14 and 12.6 points and 9.5 rebounds for the Charge in 2012-13.

Onuaku went undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft after a four-year career with Syracuse University where he averaged 9.2 points and 6.0 rebounds in 134 games. He finished his collegiate career first on Syracuse’s all-time field goal percentage list at 64.8% (540-for-833).

Carl Landry suspended one game for leaving bench area during altercation

Carl Landry suspended one game for leaving bench area during altercation

Kings forward Carl Landry suspended one game for leaving bench area during altercation

Sacramento Kings forward Carl Landry has been suspended one game without pay for leaving the bench area during an altercation, it was announced today by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 6:10 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Utah Jazz’s 101-95 win over the Kings on April 5 at Sleep Train Arena.

Landry will serve his suspension on April 7, when the Kings host the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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