NBA News Blog – Page 770 – NBA Blog

Knicks sign Orlando Sanchez

New York Knicks President Phil Jackson announced today that the team has signed forward Orlando Sanchez.

We assume this is a non-guaranteed deal that merely brings Sanchez to training camp for a chance to earn a regular season contract.

Sanchez, 6-9, 230-pounds, averaged 7.4 points, on 51.1-percent shooting, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 rebounds over 22.3 minutes in 32 games (18 starts) for St. John’s University last season. The Nagua, Dominican Republic-native previously played two seasons at Monroe College (NY) and for the Dominican national team.

Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins to be immortalized with statue

Here’s the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporting on one of the most popular Hawks of all time:

Dominique Wilkins will get his statue.

The Basketball Hall of Famer and Hawks legend will have a statue of his likeness erected outside Philips Arena next year.

A group has contracted Hall of Fame sculptor Brian Hanlon to do the art work many believe long over due. Hanlon worked with Wilkins when he created the bust for his 2006 enshrinement. The sculpture will be unveiled on March 6, the day the Hawks host LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

“The first thing that comes to mind is that it immortalizes you,” Wilkins told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Tuesday. “There is no better feeling in the world to know that you will be recognized for the rest of your life and even after you are gone it’s still going to be there.”

Brooklyn Nets sign Hamady Ndiaye

The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent center Hamady Ndiaye, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

Ndiaye most recently played for Senegal’s national team in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and spent part of the 2013-14 season with the Sacramento Kings. In 14 games with Sacramento, Ndiaye totaled six points, 18 rebounds and four blocks in 74 minutes of play. Ndiaye also played two games last season with the NBA Development League’s Reno Bighorns on assignment from the Kings, and after being waived by Sacramento in January, the 7’0” center spent 15 games with the D-League’s Delaware 87ers.

Selected out of Rutgers with the 56th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Ndiaye was traded to the Washington Wizards on draft night. He played in 16 games for the Wizards in his rookie season in 2010-11, averaging 0.9 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.3 blocks in 5.0 minutes per game. Ndiaye also appeared in three games for Washington during the 2011-12 season. In 33 career NBA games, Ndiaye has averaged 0.6 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.3 blocks in 4.8 minutes per game. Over the course of his professional career, Ndiaye has also played in the NBA D-League with the Dakota Wizards (2010-11), Iowa Energy (2011-12) and Maine Red Claws (2011-12), as well as overseas with Guangzhou Liu Sui Whampoa of China’s National Basketball League (2012) and Tianjin Ronggang of the Chinese Basketball Association (2012-13).

Heat sign forward Khem Birch

The Miami Heat announced today that they have signed forward Khem Birch.

We assume this is a non-guaranteed training camp signing that merely gives Birch a chance to compete for a regular season contract.

Birch appeared in six games (all starts) with the Washington Wizards during the 2014 Vegas Summer League and averaged 5.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.17 blocks and 19.3 minutes while shooting 47.8 percent from the field. He led the team in offensive rebounds and finished second in blocks, third in total rebounds and fourth in field goals made, free throws made and minutes. Additionally, he posted a seven-point, 11-rebound game vs. Miami on July 15 while shooting a perfect 3-of-3 from the field and a perfect 1-of-1 from the foul line.

Last season at UNLV he averaged a double-double after appearing in 33 games (32 starts) with the Rebels averaging 11.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.76 blocks, 1.2 assists and 31.4 minutes while shooting 51 percent from the field. He was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-Defensive Team and All-Mountain West Second Team honors. He finished second in the NCAA in blocks per game and total blocks (124) and tied for seventh in total rebounds (337). He capped the season leading the team in blocks, free throws made (131), minutes (1,037), offensive rebounds (131) and tied for total rebounds.

The HEAT’s roster now stands at 17.

Clippers re-sign Hedo Turkoglu

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have re-signed free agent forward Hedo Turkoglu.

“We are happy to welcome Hedo back to the Clippers,” Clippers President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Doc Rivers said. “Hedo is a versatile, veteran presence who contributed to the championship culture we are building in Los Angeles.”

Turkoglu, 35, appeared in 38 games for the Clippers last season after being signed on January 10. He averaged 3.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10.3 minutes of play. Turkoglu has appeared in 935 career games (569 starts) with Los Angeles, Orlando, Phoenix, Toronto, San Antonio and Sacramento. A 14-year NBA veteran, Turkoglu owns career averages of 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 27.8 minutes per game. The 6-foot-10 inch forward is a career 38.2 percent shooter from three-point range.

The NBA’s first Turkish born player, Turkoglu was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2007-08 when he averaged a career-high 19.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists. The Istanbul native was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week twice (periods ending Jan. 27, 2008 and Feb. 3, 2008) and was a key member of the Orlando Magic team that appeared in the 2009 NBA Finals.

Turkoglu has appeared in 98 career postseason games (72 starts) with averages of 10.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

Originally selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft by the Kings, Turkoglu played four seasons in the Turkish Professional League before coming to the NBA.

Warriors, Jerry West reach new deal

Here’s the San Jose Mercury News reporting on the Golden State Warriors. Apparently a legend will stick around as an executive:

Warriors executive board member Jerry West has agreed to a two-year extension with the team through the 2016-17 season, an NBA source confirmed to this newspaper Wednesday.

West had one year remaining on his original deal with the team, and this new deal will be tacked on for a total of a three-year commitment from this point.

This move, coupled with the new deal for general manager Bob Myers through the 2017-18 season, puts a bow on co-owner Joe Lacob’s desire to keep his front office together for the long term as the team gets set to move into a San Francisco arena by 2018.

West, 76, had told associates recently that he was thinking about retiring for good, especially after the chaos of the Warriors’ 51-win season and subsequent firing of coach Mark Jackson.

Nets sign center Jerome Jordan

The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent center Jerome Jordan, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today. We assume this is just a training camp signing, and that Jordan must still work to try to earn a regular season contract.

Jordan spent last season with Virtus Bologna in the Italian League, after the 7’0” center split the 2012-13 season playing in the NBA Development League for the Reno Bighorns (24 games) and the Los Angeles D-Fenders (18 games). Jordan was named to the 2013 All-NBA D-League Third Team after averaging 12.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 42 games (36 starts). During the 2011-12 season, Jordan played 21 games, along with one playoff game, for the New York Knicks, averaging 2.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 5.1 minutes of NBA play. Additionally, Jordan spent part of the 2011-12 season with the D-League’s Erie BayHawks, where he appeared in eight games. Selected out of Tulsa with the 44th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, Jordan was traded to the Knicks on July 8, 2010, before pursuing his career abroad with KK Hemofarm in Serbia (2010-11) and BC Krka in Slovenia (2011).

Warriors sign Leandro Barbosa

The Golden State Warriors have signed free agent guard Leandro Barbosa to a contract, the team announced today.

Barbosa, 31, appeared in 20 games with the Phoenix Suns last season, averaging 7.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 18.4 minutes per contest. The Sao Paulo, Brazil, native spent the first part of the year with Sao Paulo-based Pinheiros/Sky, tallying averages of 15.9 points and 3.1 assists in eight Brazilian League games.

An 11-year NBA veteran, Barbosa owns career marks of 11.9 points, 2.3 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 23.7 minutes in 649 games (111 starts) with the Suns, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics. The 6’3” guard, who ranks 23rd among active players in three-point percentage (.390), has made postseason berths in six of his 11 campaigns (five with Phoenix, one with Indiana), helping the Suns to Western Conference Finals appearances in 2005, 2006 and 2010. In 2006-07, Barbosa earned the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award after posting career highs of 18.1 points and 4.0 assists to go with 2.7 rebounds and 1.20 steals in 80 games (12 starts) with the Suns, converting on 43.4 percent of his three-point attempts (7th in the NBA).

Originally selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round (28th overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft, Barbosa played professionally in Brazil from 1999-2003, making his professional debut with Palmeiras in Brazil’s second division in 1999-2000 and earning Brazilian League Rookie of the Year honors with Baura Tilibra in 2001-02. He recently competed with the Brazilian National Team in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, averaging 11.9 points in seven games and helping Brazil advance to the quarterfinals.

The Warriors roster currently stands at 18 players.

Knicks sign Langston Galloway, Travis Wear

New York Knicks President Phil Jackson announced today that the team has signed guard Langston Galloway and forward Travis Wear.

We assume that these are nonguaranteed deals that merely bring Galloway and Wear to Knicks training camp, giving them a chance to compete for a regular season contract.

Galloway, 6-2, 202-pounds, is an undrafted rookie out Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. After four seasons, the Baton Rouge, LA native finished his collegiate career as the Hawks’ second all-time leading scorer with 1,991 points and the school’s all-time leader on three-point field goals with 343. For New York’s entry at the 2014 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas this past July, he averaged 5.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists over 13.8 minutes in four games

Wear, 6-10, 230-pounds, is an undrafted rookie out of the University of California, Los Angeles. After three seasons, the Huntington Beach, CA native averaged 9.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in 96 games for the Bruins after transferring after his freshman year with the University of North Carolina. For New York’s entry at the 2014 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas this past July, he averaged 2.7 points over 5.7 minutes in three games.

Charlotte Hornets arena will receive upgrade

Here’s the Charlotte Observer with good news about the Hornets arena:

Charlotte City Council members on Monday approved spending $33.5 million over 10 years on improvements to Time Warner Cable Arena, money that the city said it was contractually obligated to spend.

The Charlotte Hornets will use the money to renovate restaurants and bathrooms, add lower bowl seating, improve lighting and replace the scoreboard, among other improvements.

The team and the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority had originally asked for nearly $50 million in public money.

Some council members Monday lauded the city for spending less than was requested, while others said they felt they were giving the NBA team a free ride.