Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Bucks sign Chris Wright to 10-day contract

Bucks sign Chris Wright to 10-day contract

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed free-agent forward Chris Wright (6-8, 225) to a 10-day contract, General Manager John Hammond announced today. Wright is the 43rd “Call-Up” of the 2013-14 season from the NBA D-League.

This marks Wright’s second stint with the Bucks this season, after also spending 10 days with the club from March 14-23. He appeared in two games with the Bucks, averaging 6.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 16.5 minutes per game.

Wright returns to the Bucks from the D-League’s Maine Red Claws, where he’s appeared in 41 games this season and posted averages of 19.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest. He’s notched 14 double-doubles on the year, including seven in his last 11 appearances. Wright also played for the Red Claws during the 2012-13 season, when he average 18.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, and has been named to the D-League All-Star Game in both of his seasons in Maine.

After going undrafted out of Dayton in 2011, Wright was selected by the Red Claws with the third overall pick in the 2011 D-League Draft. He appeared in four games for the Red Claws, averaging 17.0 points and 10.8 rebounds, before signing with the Golden State Warriors on Dec. 24, 2011. Wright appeared in 24 games during his lone NBA season and posted 2.9 points and 1.9 rebounds per contest. Earning the start in Golden State’s season finale, Wright tallied a career-best 25 points and eight rebounds while shooting 11-of-14 from the field on April 26, 2012, at San Antonio.

Wright will wear #15 for the Bucks.

Wizards bring Glen Rice back from D-League

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that guard Glen Rice has been recalled from the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League. Rice will be with the team for tonight’s game vs. Chicago.

In two separate assignments with the Energy, Rice has appeared in 19 games while averaging 17.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.7 steals in 28 minutes per game.

Rice has appeared in 11 games, including one start, for Washington this season while averaging 2.9 points in 10 minutes per game.

The 40-36 Wizards recently clinched a spot in the Eastern conference playoffs. They are currently the 6-seed, but could move up to five or drop to seven depending on how the rest of the season plays out.

Warriors fire assistant coach Darren Erman

The Golden State Warriors have relieved Assistant Coach Darren Erman of his duties with the organization due to a violation of company policy, it was announced today. Erman, 37, was in his third season with the Warriors after spending four years with the Boston Celtics.

It is not yet known what actual violation took place.

“This is the type of decision that would be made across the board and irrespective of position within the organization,” said Warriors’ General Manager Bob Myers. “Obviously, the timing is unfortunate, but we hold all of our employees, whether in Basketball Operations or other aspects of the business, accountable for their actions and to the same standard. We move forward and thank Darren for his contributions.”

Another Warriors assistant coach, former NBA player Brian Scalabrine, was recently demoted.

The team is 47-29 and close to clinching a Western conference playoff berth.

According to the Bay Area News Group, “Head coach Mark Jackson said he remained confident in his staff, which now is down to three assistant coaches following his decision to remove Scalabrine from the bench last week due to a “difference in philosophies” along with Erman’s firing. “He made a mistake,” Jackson said of Erman. “He owns it. He’s done a lot for me. He’s done a lot for this organization, and I’m pulling for him to make a comeback. I’m pulling for him to move on and become a great coach, and I believe that can happen. “It’s just tough. I’m pulling for him. The right decision was made, and we move forward, but certainly I’m pulling for him to bounce back and get back on the road that he was on.”

Sixers sign guard Casper Ware to second 10-day contract

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced that they have signed guard Casper Ware to a second 10-day contract. He signed his first 10-day contract on March 24, 2014.

Ware has appeared in five games for the Sixers this season. After graduating from Long Beach State in 2012, Ware played in Italy. He spent the 2012-13 season with A.S. Junior Casale and was named MVP of Legadue Basket. Prior to joining the Sixers this season, Ware was with Virtus Bologna of Lega Basket Serie A.

Grizzlies recall Jamaal Franklin from D-League

Grizzlies recall Jamaal Franklin from D-League

The Memphis Grizzlies have recalled guard Jamaal Franklin from their NBA Development League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team announced today.

Franklin (6-5, 191) recorded 17.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.69 steals on .475 shooting (.418 3FG shooting) in 29.0 minutes in 13 games after he was re-assigned to Fort Wayne on Feb. 26.

The 22-year-old played an integral role for the Mad Ants, helping the team to an 11-2 record during his third assignment. He scored 10-plus points 12 times, 20-plus points four times and 30-plus points twice, including a D-League career-high 32 points on March 6 at Maine.

Franklin tallied three double-doubles in his latest stint with Fort Wayne, posting 31 points and a D-League career-high 11 assists on March 1 vs. Iowa, 19 points and 10 assists on March 9 at Maine, and 23 points and a D-League career-best 15 rebounds on March 14 at Delaware.

The Hawthorne, Calif. native has averaged 15.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.75 steals on .433 shooting in 28.1 minutes in 16 games through three assignments with Fort Wayne this season.

Drafted by Memphis in the second round (41st overall) of the 2013 NBA Draft after three collegiate seasons at San Diego State, Franklin has averaged 1.5 points and 1.1 rebounds in 7.9 minutes in 19 appearances as a rookie for the Grizzlies.

Owner of Timberwolves plans to buy Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper

Minnesota Timberwolves owner and printing company billionaire Glen Taylor has signed a letter of intent to buy the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the newspaper announced Tuesday.

Details of the cash offer weren’t announced, and Taylor wouldn’t elaborate in an interview with The Associated Press. He said he expected the deal to close in May following due diligence.

“I think it’s going to be a good business decision and also because it’s a Minnesota type of asset,” Taylor said. “I just think it’s something we can do very well in the state and get it back to private ownership and I think the challenge of it is something that just excites me.”

The sale would put Minnesota’s largest newspaper in the hands of one of the state’s richest men.

— Associated Press

Brandon Jennings fined $5,000 for flopping

Brandon Jennings

Detroit Pistons guard Brandon Jennings has been fined $5,000 by the NBA for violating the league’s anti-flopping rules for the second time this season.

The incident occurred with 3:01 remaining in the fourth quarter of Detroit’s 116-111 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, March 31 at Palace of Auburn Hills.

To view the play, click on this link.

Sacramento Kings sign Jared Cunningham to 10-day contract

Sacramento Kings sign Jared Cunningham to 10-day contract

The Sacramento Kings today signed guard Jared Cunningham to a 10-day contract, according to Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro.

In his second NBA season, Cunningham totaled two points (1-2 FG, 0-1 3pt, 0-2 FT), one rebound, three assists and 22 minutes in five games off the bench for the Atlanta Hawks before being waived on February 22.

Cunningham was selected out of Oregon State in the first round (24th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers before being traded along with Jae Crowder and Bernard James to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Tyler Zeller and Kelenna Azubike.

In his rookie campaign with the Mavericks, he recorded a total of 16 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal in 26 minutes in eight contests off the bench.

The 6-4, 194-pound guard has also spent time in the D-League, playing for the Texas Legends (2012-13) and Bakersfield Jam (2013-14). With the Legends, Cunningham averaged 15.3 points (.335 FG%, .257 3pt%, .721 FT%), 2.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 34.5 minutes per game in 15 games, of which he started 13. Cunningham posted averages of 16.5 points (.394 FG%, .330 3pt%, .803 FT%), 3.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 31.1 minutes per game in 22 contests, starting 19 of those.

Warriors sign Hilton Armstrong to 10-day contract

Hilton Armstrong

The Golden State Warriors have signed free agent center Hilton Armstrong to a 10-day contract as a Call-Up from the Warriors’ NBA Development League affiliate in Santa Cruz, the team announced today.

Armstrong, 29, has appeared in 32 games (23 starts) with the Santa Cruz Warriors this season, averaging 12.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.75 blocks (seventh-best in the D-League) in 28.2 minutes while hitting 55.9 percent from the field (ninth). The 6-11 center has played in eight games with Golden State over two separate stints (December 11–29/February 22-March 3) this season, averaging 2.3 rebounds in 4.4 minutes.

Originally selected by the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets with the 12th overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft, Armstrong has played in six NBA seasons with the Hornets (2006-09), Sacramento Kings (2009-10), Houston Rockets (2009-10), Washington Wizards (2010-11), Atlanta Hawks (2010-2011) and Warriors, owning career averages of 3.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 11.6 minutes over 285 games (39 starts). He has also played professionally with ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne in France, Panathinaikos in Greece and Changsha Bank Guangdong in China.

He will wear uniform #57.