NBA News Blog – Page 770 – NBA Blog

Denver Nuggets training camp: Jerrelle Benimon, Alonzo Gee, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Marcus Williams added to roster

The Denver Nuggets will open training-camp with 19 players after signing forwards Jerrelle Benimon, Alonzo Gee, Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Marcus Williams, Nuggets General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

Benimon, 6-8, 245, went undrafted in 2014 out of Towson University where he was named the CAA player of the year in both his junior and senior seasons. The forward averaged 18.7 points while ranking second in the nation in rebounds (11.2 rpg) and third in double-doubles (21) during his final collegiate campaign in 2013-14. Benimon played for the Miami Heat in the Orlando Summer League and for the Nuggets in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 10.7 points, 11.3 rebounds (2nd overall) and 1.7 assists in three games.

Gee, 6-6, 219, has appeared in 277 career NBA games (173 starts), posting averages of 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.00 steals in five seasons with the Cavaliers, Spurs and Wizards. Gee was undrafted in 2009 after playing four years at the University of Alabama. He averaged 15.0 points and 7.2 rebounds and was named Second Team All-SEC as a senior. Gee appeared in 65 games (24 starts) for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2013-14.

Mensah-Bonsu, 6-9, 235, has four years of NBA experience and three seasons of international experience after going undrafted out of George Washington University in the 2006 NBA Draft. He’s appeared in 62 career NBA games for New Orleans, Toronto, Houston, San Antonio and Dallas, averaging 2.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Mensah-Bonsu averaged 8.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in 55 games for Galatasaray of the Turkish League during the 2013-14 season.

Williams, 6-7, 203, was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs with the 33rd overall pick of the 2007 NBA Draft after he averaged 16.6 points and 6.7 rebounds as a sophomore at the University of Arizona. The forward has averaged 1.1 points and 3.0 minutes in 13 career NBA games over parts of two seasons with the Spurs and L.A. Clippers. He also appeared in 89 games for the Austin Toros of the NBA D-League from 2007-2010, averaging 21.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Williams has spent the last three seasons with the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Aaron Gray suffers cardiac episode, will miss Pistons training camp

The Detroit Pistons announced today that Aaron Gray will miss training camp while rehabbing from a cardiac episode suffered following a voluntary workout in late August.

The 7-0, 270-pound center has undergone a full evaluation and is currently seeking additional medical assessments from cardiac specialists to determine a timetable for a return to action.

Gray is a backup, and not likely to play a big role on the Pistons this season. As for his health, hopefully doctors figure out the problem — if there is one — and Aaron turns out to be fine and can play soon.

Cavs sign Chris Crawford, Shane Edwards for training camp

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Chris Crawford and forward Shane Edwards, Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Crawford played in 140 games (84 starts) over his four-year career at The University of Memphis with averages of 8.7 points, 3.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 27.9 minutes per game. His 242 three-pointers made are tied for third in school history, while he also ranks fourth in total steals (223) and sixth in games played. The 6-4 guard went undrafted in this year’s NBA Draft and appeared in five contests for the Houston Rockets summer league team in Orlando with averages of 10.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 24.4 minutes per game.

Edwards signed a 10-day contract with Cleveland in 2013-14 when he played in two games with the Cavaliers after spending most of the season with the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers’ D-League affiliate. In 46 games (38 starts) with the Charge, he averaged 14.2 points on .551 shooting, 5.4 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 28.8 minutes per game.

Hornets sign Jason Maxiell

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has signed free agent forward Jason Maxiell. The training camp roster now stands at 18.

The 6-7 Maxiell spent last season with the Orlando Magic, averaging 3.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 14.4 minutes in 34 games. Originally selected with the 26th overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft by Detroit, Maxiell spent his first eight seasons with the Pistons, appearing in 523 career games (175 starts), with averages of 6.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 19.1 minutes.

Over his nine-year career, Maxiell has appeared in 557 games (188 starts), averaging 5.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in 18.9 minutes, while shooting .501 (204-457) from the field.

Collegiately, he averaged 12.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 129 career games for Cincinnati. While with the Bearcats, he was named Second Team All-Conference USA twice (2004 and 2005), Conference USA All-Tournament (2004), Conference USA Sixth Man of the Year (2002) and Conference USA All-Freshman Team (2002). Maxiell played in 129 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in school history, and started the last 77 contests he played.

Tyreke Evans out 3-5 weeks with hamstring injury

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that guard Tyreke Evans is expected to miss 3-5 weeks with a strained right hamstring.

“Tyreke injured his hamstring playing pickup basketball out of town last week,” stated General Manager Dell Demps. “He is back in New Orleans rehabbing with our medical staff. Hopefully, he will be cleared to play before the season-opener.”

Evans appeared in 72 games for the Pelicans last season and averaged 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 28.2 minutes per game.

Cavs trade Keith Bogans to 76ers

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired Philadelphia’s 2015 second round pick (protected) in exchange for guard Keith Bogans and the Cavs 2018 second round pick in a trade with the 76ers, General Manager David Griffin announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

As a result of the trade, the Cavs will receive a trade exception of approximately $5.3 million.

The 76ers pick acquired in the trade is 31-50 and 56-60 protected, if such pick is not conveyed to the Boston Celtics to satisfy a prior trade between Philadelphia and Boston.

Bogans, an 11-year veteran, has played in 671 career games (333 starts) with averages of 6.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 21.6 minutes for Orlando, Charlotte, Houston, Milwaukee, San Antonio, Chicago, Brooklyn and Boston. The 6-5 guard is also a career .353 shooter from the three-point line and .716 from the charity stripe. He has played in 36 postseason games with career averages of 4.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per game.

Spurs keep the band together, retain Aron Baynes

The San Antonio Spurs had great total team chemistry as they won the NBA championship last season, and they’ve done everything possible to keep the band together for another run at the crown. Right down to the end of the bench.

Here’s more info on the Spurs keeping Aron Baynes:

http://www.insidehoops.com/spurs-re-sign-aron-baynes-092614.shtml

Phoenix Suns, Eric Bledsoe agree to 5-year contract

It took almost the entire NBA offseason to hammer out, but the Phoenix Suns and talented young guard Eric Bledsoe will stay together.

The Suns and Bledsoe have agreed to a five-year contract, the team announced today.

“I learned long ago that it doesn’t matter how stormy the sea is as long as the ship comes in and today we are thrilled that the ship has come in and Eric will remain a Sun for a long time,” said President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. “He will be an integral part not only of our basketball team, but our Phoenix community.”

“We are thrilled Eric Bledsoe will be in a Phoenix Suns uniform for years to come,” said General Manager Ryan McDonough. “Eric is one the most exciting and dynamic two-way players in the league. He played very well for us on both ends of the floor last season and we feel he is well on his way to establishing himself as one of the elite players in the NBA.”

“Lon, Ryan and the Suns have shown confidence in me, and I am looking to take that responsibility and help our team get better from last year and position ourselves to win an NBA championship,” said Bledsoe. “It’s why I came back to Phoenix. All summer, I knew that I really would be most comfortable coming back to Phoenix because of the great fans, my Suns teammates and our coaches. I am very happy it was able to work out this way.”

Bledsoe appeared in 43 games (40 starts) for the Suns in 2013-14, averaging career-highs of 17.7 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 32.9 minutes while also shooting a career-best 47.7 percent from the field. In his first season with the Suns, and fourth in the NBA, Bledsoe became just the sixth player in Suns history to average at least 17.0 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals, and the first since Charles Barkley in his NBA MVP season of 1992-93.

Bledsoe registered his first two games with at least 30 points this past season, twice setting his career-high in the final month of the season, scoring 30 points at Portland on April 4, and again at San Antonio on April 11. In that contest against the Spurs, Bledsoe also had 11 rebounds and nine assists to become the first Sun since 1999 to have a game with at least 30 points, ten rebounds and nine assists. Bledsoe recorded a career-high 14 assists in addition to scoring 26 points at Oklahoma City on Nov. 3, in just his third game with the Suns.

Acquired by the Suns from the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-team trade on July 10, 2013, Bledsoe excelled in his first season as a full-time starter, helping the Suns to a 28-15 (.651) record in the 43 games in which he played. Bledsoe notched 17 games with 20-plus points in 2013-14 after entering the season with four such games in his first three seasons combined.

Prior to joining the Suns, Bledsoe played the first three seasons of his professional career with the Clippers. Bledsoe, a native of Birmingham, Ala., played one season at the University of Kentucky before entering the 2010 NBA Draft where he was selected in the first round with the 18th overall pick.

The Suns’ roster stands at 14.

Pistons sign Hasheem Thabeet, Brian Cook, Lorenzo Brown, Josh Bostic to training camp roster

The Detroit Pistons announced today that the team has signed Hasheem Thabeet, Brian Cook, Lorenzo Brown and Josh Bostic to their training camp roster.

Thabeet, 7-3, 263, was drafted second overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. In 224 games with Memphis, Oklahoma City, Portland and Houston, he’s averaged 2.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 10.5 minutes per game. The University of Connecticut product was named National Defensive Player of the Year following his junior season.

Cook, a nine-year NBA veteran, has averaged 5.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 421 games (74 starts) with the Lakers, Magic, Clippers, Rockets and Wizards. He was drafted 24th overall by the Lakers in the 2003 NBA Draft after starring at the University of Illinois.

Brown, 6-5, 189, was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2013 NBA Draft out of North Carolina State University. He played in 26 games with the Philadelphia 76ers last season and averaged 2.5 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

Bostic, 6-5, 230, played last season for the Elan Chalon of the French League and averaged 7.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 10 games. He was named the 2008-09 NCAA Division II Player of the Year after leading Findlay University to a 36-0 record and a national championship.

Brooklyn Nets sign Willie Reed

The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent forward/center Willie Reed, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

Reed averaged 14.7 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in the NBA Development League last season in 49 games with the Springfield Armor and Reno Bighorns. The Sacramento Kings signed Reed for the remainder of the 2013-14 season on March 28, before assigning the 6’10” forward/center to the D-League’s Bighorns and then recalling him on two separate occasions.

Undrafted in the 2011 NBA Draft out of St. Louis University, Reed was selected in the second round (30th overall) of the 2012 NBA Development League Draft by the Springfield Armor. He earned All-NBA D-League Honorable Mention recognition after averaging 14.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 48 games (30 starts) with Springfield during the 2012-13 season before signing with the Memphis Grizzlies.

In stints with Memphis and Sacramento, Reed has yet to appear in a regular season NBA game.