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The Brooklyn Nets have recalled forward Tornike Shengelia from the Springfield Armor of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by General Manager Billy King.
Shengelia, who was assigned to the Armor on November 7, will rejoin the Nets in advance of tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers.
Bullying isn’t cool at any level, including the world of pro sports. Here’s an ESPN.com report on the NBA reminding all teams to be sure to prevent any such behavior:
The memo, sources said, references the Miami Dolphins’ ongoing bullying scandal and urges NBA players to report anything if they feel the need while also spelling out specific violations of the league’s policies.
Sources said the memo reiterated a number of prohibited behaviors that would violate league policy.
The lengthy list of violations, sources said, includes: any physical abuse or threats of violence; verbal abuse focused on an individual’s race, nationality, color, gender, age, religion, sexuality, etc.; destruction, defacement or theft of a fellow player’s personal property; engaging in any activity that intimidates or threatens fellow players with ostracism or inflicts extreme mental stress, embarrassment, humiliation or shame; and forcing an individual to engage in any activity or perform any task that violates federal, state or local law or NBA rules and regulations.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder are about to get better, and the NBA is about to get even more exciting than it’s already been in this first week of action.
The following statement was issued today by Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti regarding Russell Westbrook’s availability to play in tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns:
“Russell Westbrook has gone through a methodical rehab process jointly created by our medical and performance teams and treating physicians. The process has been instrumental in getting Russell to this point and has included various physical and medical benchmarks. The final benchmark being unrestricted basketball activity. After hitting the necessary marks, all parties, including the team, consulting physicians, Russell’s representatives, and most importantly Russell, jointly determined that returning to play was the correct next step.”
According to the Oklahoman, “Thunder players, coaches and front office executives all said Westbrook looked great in on-court activities in the days leading up to training camp. But the loose stitch in his knee caused swelling that would not subside until Westbrook underwent the second procedure. Thunder general manager Sam Presti, however, said last month that the second surgery, though pushing back Westbrook’s return date, allowed the team an opportunity to see Westbrook’s meniscus and gain confidence that it had properly healed.”
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Brooklyn Nets center-forward Andray Blatche has been fined $15,000 for making an obscene gesture during the Nets 101-100 win over the Heat on Friday, Nov. 1, at Barclays Center, it was announced today by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations.
Blatche’s actions occurred with 2:40 remaining in the 4th quarter of the game.
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The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that Ronny Turiaf underwent a MRI (Magnetic Resonance Image) this morning at TRIA Orthopedics in Bloomington, Minn. that revealed a radial head fracture of the right elbow. Turiaf will be re-evaluated later this week to determine an approximate time table for a return to the court.
Turiaf suffered the injury at the 10:17 mark of the second quarter during last night’s 100-81 Wolves win over Oklahoma City.
Jimmer Fredette got a lot of attention before and during his entrance into the world of NBA basketball, but ever since he actually put on a Kings jersey, we haven’t seen a lot of him. There have been flashes here and there, but for now, Jimmer is still proving his worth. As for his Kings situation, here’s the Sacramento Bee:
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The Kings on Thursday declined to pick up the fourth-year option on guard Jimmer Fredette’s contract for the 2014-15 season, which would have paid the 2011 first-round draft pick a little more than $3 million. The deadline to do so was Thursday at 9 p.m.
Therefore, Fredette will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. The Kings could re-sign him at a reduced salary, but the decision likely means this will be Fredette’s final season with the team.
It also means Fredette probably would bring more value in a trade because his expiring deal would create salary cap space for next summer’s free-agent class. The trade deadline is Feb. 20.
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Orlando Magic forward/center Solomon Jones has suffered a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today. Jones will undergo surgery and will be out indefinitely. He suffered the injury during Orlando’s overtime loss on Oct. 30 @ Minnesota.
Jones (6-10, 235, 7/16/84) was signed as a free agent on Sep. 27. He has played in two games this season, averaging 2.0 ppg. and 5.0 rpg. in 13.7 minpg. Jones also appeared in seven preseason outings, averaging 4.6 ppg., 4.3 rpg. and 1.29 stlpg. in 16.0 minpg.
A graduate of nearby Mount Dora High School, Jones was originally selected in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft by Atlanta. He has appeared in 272 career NBA games with Atlanta, Indiana, New Orleans, the Los Angeles Clippers, New York and Orlando, averaging 3.1 ppg. and 2.4 rpg. in 11.1 minpg. Collegiately, Jones played two years at Daytona Beach Community College, then two years at the University of South Florida.
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The Philadelphia 76ers today announced they have exercised the third-year team options on the Rookie Scale Contracts for forward Arnett Moultrie and guard Tony Wroten.
Moultrie (6-10, 240) was originally the 27th overall pick by Miami in the 2012 NBA Draft before his rights were traded to Philadelphia. As a rookie last season, Moultrie appeared in 47 games for the Sixers and had the second-highest field goal percentage (.582) of any rookie with more than 25 games played. The 22-year-old was named First Team All-SEC as a junior at Mississippi State in 2011-12 and led the SEC in rebounding.
Wroten (6-6, 205) was selected by Memphis with the 25th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. He was acquired via trade by the Sixers back in August. The 20-year-old averaged 11 points for the Sixers this preseason after scoring 10-plus points once as a rookie for the Grizzlies in 2012-13. In his only season at the University of Washington, Wroten was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and became the first freshman in school history to earn First Team All-Conference honors.
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The Atlanta Hawks have exercised the third-year (2014-‘15) option on the contract of John Jenkins, it was announced Thursday by President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ferry.
As a rookie last season, Jenkins averaged 6.1 points and 1.5 rebounds in 14.8 minutes (.446 FG%, .384 3FG%, .843 FT%), playing in 61 games (two starts). He ranked fifth among all rookies in three-point percentage, was tied for 18th in scoring and tied for 19th in assists per game. He was Atlanta’s first-round pick (23rd overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft.
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Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has exercised its fourth-year options on forward/center Bismack Biyombo and guard Kemba Walker, as well as the third-year option on forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.
“We are excited to keep these three up-and-coming players as part of our core for another season,” Higgins said. “We have been very pleased with their development over their careers so far and look forward to seeing them continue to grow both in the season that is just starting and in 2014-15.”
The seventh overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Biyombo has played in 144 career games for the Bobcats, averaging 5.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 25.5 minutes. Biyombo, who is already third on the team’s career blocked shot list (258), ranked eighth in the NBA in blocked shots as a rookie in 2011-12 (1.8) and ninth in 2012-13 (1.8). He has led the Bobcats in both rebounding and blocks in each of his two seasons, setting a franchise single-season record with 44 multiple-block games last season.
The ninth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Walker has played in 149 straight games since joining the Bobcats, with averages of 15.2 points, 5.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 31.4 minutes. In 2012-13, he was one of five players in the NBA to lead his team in scoring (17.7), assists (5.7) and steals (2.0). Walker ranked fifth in the league in steals per game and set the franchise single-season record for steals with 160. He has participated in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend in each of his two NBA seasons.
The second overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Kidd-Gilchrist earned Second Team All-Rookie honors last season after averaging 9.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 78 games played. In addition to being named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for November 2012, he was also selected to participate in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend. Kidd-Gilchrist posted a pair of games with 25 points and 12 rebounds, joining LeBron James as the only players to record two such games prior to their 20th birthday.