Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Golden State Warriors waive Joe Alexander, Seth Curry, Dewayne Dedmon

The Golden State Warriors have waived forward Joe Alexander, guard Seth Curry and center Dewayne Dedmon, the team announced today.

Alexander, 26, was signed as a free agent on September 27 and did not appear in a preseason game due to a tibial stress reaction in his left leg.

Curry, 23, was signed as a free agent on August 22. He appeared in six preseason contests and averaged 2.2 points and 1.0 assist in 7.2 minutes.

Dedmon, 24, was signed as a free agent on September 23 and appeared in five preseason games, averaging 3.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.00 blocks in 10.3 minutes.

The Warriors roster currently stands at 14 players.

OKC Thunder waive Diante Garrett and Rodney McGruder

Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder waived guards Diante Garrett and Rodney McGruder, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Garrett appeared in six preseason contests for the Thunder and recorded averages of 3.2 points and 1.5 assists in 10.2 minutes per game.

McGruder saw action in two exhibition games and averaged 1.0 point and 0.5 assists in 10.2 minutes per contest.

Oklahoma City’s roster now stands at 14.

NBA preseason ends tonight (Friday) with four games. All teams have to trim their rosters to 15 players or less by the start of the regular season, which kicks off Tuesday. Many more players around the league will be let go in the next few days. Most of those players were likely signed to non-guaranteed deals that merely brought them onto training camp/preseason rosters.

Danny Granger banged up, but hopefully back somewhat soon

Well, Danny Granger is banged up again. But it’s minor, hopefully. And not directly related to the stuff that kept him out for a long time. Hopefully. And the good news is, the Pacers are a talented team with a nice bench, so they can afford to be patient. Here’s Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star:

danny granger

Danny Granger’s return to the Indiana Pacers likely will be delayed a bit longer — although no one knows exactly how long.

Pacers coach Frank Vogel said after practice Thursday that the strained calf suffered by Granger last week is worse than previously thought and he doubts the former All-Star forward will play in the team’s regular-season opener against Orlando on Tuesday.

“There’s a chance he could play (against the Magic), but it’s probably unlikely,” Vogel said.

Granger did not play in Tuesday’s 107-89 preseason victory at Atlanta and will not play Friday night in the Pacers’ preseason finale at Dallas. He missed all but five games last season because of a knee injury.

Toronto Raptors exercise contract options on Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross

Terrence Ross

The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday they have exercised the third-year team options on the Rookie Scale Contracts of center Jonas Valanciunas and guard Terrence Ross.

The contracts for Valanciunas and Ross are now guaranteed through the 2014-15 season. In accordance with the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Raptors had until October 31 to exercise their option on both players.

Valanciunas, seven-foot, 257 pounds, joined the Raptors after being selected fifth overall in the 2011 NBA Draft and spending the 2011-12 season playing overseas. He was named to the 2012-13 NBA All-Rookie Second Team after finishing the year ranked third among rookies in rebounds (6.0), blocks (1.26) and field goal percentage (.557). Valanciunas also ranked seventh among rookies averaging 8.9 points in 23.9 minutes.

A native of Utena, Lithuania, Valanciunas became the fifth rookie in franchise history to start on opening night and the second to record a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) in his debut October 31 versus Indiana. He was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for March, averaging 11.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and shooting .620 from the field in 15 games. Valanciunas scored a career-high 24 points and set a team rookie record shooting 16-for-18 at the free throw line April 3 versus Washington.

In July, Valanciunas was named Most Valuable Player of the 2013 NBA Summer League after averaging 18.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 29.3 minutes in four outings. Following Summer League, he returned to the Lithuanian National Team and helped his country earn a silver medal at the FIBA Eurobasket Tournament and qualification for the 2014 FIBA World Championship. Valanciunas has been named FIBA Europe’s Young Men’s Player of the Year the past two years (2011 and 2012).

Ross, 6-foot-7, 197 pounds was selected eighth overall in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Raptors. Last season he posted averages of 6.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 17.0 minutes in 73 contests. He shot .332 (65-196) from beyond the arc and finished fifth among rookies in made three-pointers. He led the team in bench points 16 times and scored in double digits on 22 occasions. Ross recorded career highs of 26 points and six three-pointers January 2 versus Portland.

Ross won the 2013 Sprite Slam Dunk during All-Star Saturday Night on February 16 in Houston. He defeated Jeremy Evans in the final round with 58 per cent of the fan votes.

Ross netted a game-high 27 points in Monday’s double overtime victory versus New York. He is averaging 12.0 points and leads the team with nine three-pointers through seven preseason games.

Wizards waive Josh Childress, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Xavier Silas

josh childress

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has waived forwards Josh Childress and Pops Mensah-Bonsu and guard Xavier Silas.

Childress appeared in four preseason games averaging 2.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in eight minutes per contest.

Childress said he won’t forget his time with the team. “It was great,” said Childress to the Washington Post of the experience. “To be the first NBA game in Brazil, it was a big deal. I think culturally, not for myself, but for a lot of guys, it was a great experience for guys, to see a different world, a different culture, so the NBA did a great job with that. Without a doubt, over the past month, guys have bonded. There are lot of guys I did not know before I got here and now we’re friends and we’ll keep in touch throughout the year and in the summer.”

Mensah-Bonsu appeared in four preseason games averaging 0.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in five minutes per contest.

Silas appeared in three preseason games averaging 4.0 points in three minutes per contest.

The Wizards roster now stands at 15.

Charlotte Bobcats waive Patrick O`Bryant

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has waived center Patrick O’Bryant. The Bobcats roster now stands at 16 players.

A 7-0 center, O’Bryant was initially selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. He appeared in one preseason game with the Bobcats, scoring two points and grabbing five rebounds.

Assistant coach Brendan Malone leaves the Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings announced today the team has accepted the resignation of Assistant Coach Brendan Malone, effective immediately. No replacement will be made at this time and moving forward, Chris Jent will assume responsibilities as the lead assistant on Head Coach Michael Malone’s staff.

“As a veteran of 27 seasons in the NBA coaching ranks, Brendan brought a wealth of experience and knowledge to our organization, and we were all fortunate to have had an opportunity to work with him,” said Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro. “His departure is not indicative of a loss of passion for the game or his desire to help our franchise succeed, but rather a decision based on factors associated with the rigors of coaching in the NBA.”

“I’m thankful that I had my father on our staff during the summer and throughout training camp as I transitioned into a head coaching role,” said Michael Malone. “He was my father long before we became colleagues, and while I’ll miss his presence on the bench, he will always be an invaluable source of counsel on all matters basketball and otherwise.”

Malone Sr. joined the Kings in June after five seasons with the Orlando Magic under Head Coach Stan Van Gundy. During his tenure in Orlando, the Magic notched four straight seasons of 50 or more wins, three consecutive Southeast Division titles (2007-08 – 2009-10), and a 2009 NBA Finals appearance. Malone also worked under Hall of Famer Chuck Daly and was part of two NBA championships with the Detroit Pistons (1989 and 1990), where he orchestrated defensive sets to thwart Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. He spent seven seasons (1988-89 – 1994-95) with the Pistons before becoming the first-ever head coach of the expansion Toronto Raptors.

His coaching career includes three stints with the Knicks as an assistant coach (1986-87 – 1987-88, 1997-98 – 1999-00, and (2003-04). In between his second and third stays in New York, he served as an assistant coach with the Indiana Pacers for three seasons (2000-01 – 2002-03). In 1996, Malone worked as a consultant for the Seattle Supersonics during their run to the 1996 NBA Finals.

Cavaliers exercise contract options on Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters, Tyler Zeller

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced today that the team has exercised the fourth-year options on guard Kyrie Irving and forward Tristan Thompson, as well as the third-year options on guard Dion Waiters and center Tyler Zeller.

Irving was the first overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Cavaliers and owns career averages of 20.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.3 steals in 32.8 minutes through 110 career games with the team. A 2013 NBA All-Star, Irving participated in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge and also won the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest that weekend. Last season he averaged 22.5 points on .452 shooting, 3.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.5 steals in 34.7 minutes in 59 games. His 22.5 points per game were the highest for any player age 22 or younger in 2012-13 and the most among all Eastern Conference point guards.

Thompson was selected in the first round (4th overall) by the Cavaliers in 2011 and owns career averages of 10.2 points and 8.2 rebounds in 28.1 minutes through 142 (107 starts) games played. Last season, he posted 11.7 points on .488 shooting, 9.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 31.3 minutes. He set a franchise record for most offensive rebounds in a single-season with 306, which ranked second in the NBA, surpassing Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ 299 during the 2004-05 season. During NBA All-Star weekend, Thompson was selected to participate in 2013 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge.

Waiters was the fourth overall pick of the Cavaliers in the 2012 draft and appeared in 61 games last season, averaging 14.7 points on .412 shooting, 2.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steal in 28.8 minutes. He was also named to the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team. During NBA All-Star weekend, Waiters was selected to participate in 2013 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge.

Zeller was selected in the first round (17th) overall in the same draft class as Waiters by Dallas, but was later acquired by the Cavaliers in a draft day trade. In 77 games last season, he averaged 7.9 points on .438 shooting and 5.7 rebounds in 28.0 minutes. He was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team and was selected to participate in the 2013 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star Weekend.

Irving , Waiters and Zeller were among the 27 NBA players who participated in the three-day USA Basketball minicamp held in Las Vegas July 22-25, while Thompson led the Canadian National Team during the FIBA Americas Championship tournament.