NBA News Blog – Page 853 – NBA Blog

Rockets trade Thomas Robinson to Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers have acquired forward Thomas Robinson from the Houston Rockets in exchange for the NBA rights to Kostas Papnikolaou and Marko Todorovic along with two future second round picks, it was announced today by General Manager Neil Olshey.

Robinson, 22, is entering his second NBA season after averaging 4.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 15.1 minutes in 70 games with Sacramento (51 games) and Houston (19 games) in 2012-13.

“Thomas is a dynamic young big man with tremendous upside,” said Olshey. “He is an elite athlete and brings a unique set of physical tools to our roster. He has the potential to be one of the best young power forwards in the league and his development will be a priority for us.”

Drafted by Sacramento with the fifth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Robinson (6-10, 237) played three seasons at Kansas, where he averaged 17.1 points (50.5%), 11.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.08 steals and 31.8 minutes in 39 games his junior year. A consensus First Team All-American in 2011-12, he earned the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year Award as a junior.

Indiana Pacer sign guard C.J. Watson

The Indiana Pacers announced Wednesday they have signed free agent C.J. Watson to a contract.

Watson, a 6-2, 180 lb. guard, is a six-year veteran of the NBA, having played for Golden State, Chicago and Brooklyn with career averages of 7.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He spent the 2012-13 season with Brooklyn and averaged 6.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 80 games.

“C.J. Watson is exactly the type of player we were looking for when we said we needed to address our bench,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. “He’s experienced and he has been with winning teams, so he knows what it takes.”

“We’ve looked at a lot of things since the season ended and upgrading our bench was one of those things,” said Pacers Head Coach Frank Vogel. “I feel the addition of C.J. Watson will help us accomplish that goal.”

Undrafted out of the University of Tennessee, Watson played briefly in Europe before returning to the United States and playing in the NBA Developmental League with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, where he averaged 26.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.38 steals over 16 games in the 2007-08 season. He signed with the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 8, 2008.

“I’m excited to join the Pacers,” said Watson. “It’s a good young team with a bright future and a shot to compete for a championship and I’m happy to be a part of that.”

Trail Blazers sign Dorell Wright

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed free agent forward Dorell Wright, it was announced today by General Manager Neil Olshey.

Wright, 27, holds career NBA averages of 9.3 points (43.1% FG, 36.7% 3-PT, 81.1% FT), 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists in nine seasons with Miami, Golden State and Philadelphia.

“Dorell brings a versatile skill set on both sides of the ball,” said Olshey. “He gives us the ability to stretch defenses on the offensive end while guarding multiple positions defensively.”

Wright’s 434 3-pointers made over the past three seasons rank fourth in the NBA during that span. He led the league with 194 3-pointers in 2010-11.

Selected by Miami with the 19th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft out of South Kent Prep, Wright (6-9, 205) averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 79 games (eight starts) last season with Philadelphia.

Wright will wear No. 1 for the Trail Blazers.

Blazers sign second round draft pick Allen Crabbe

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed rookie guard Allen Crabbe, it was announced today by General Manager Neil Olshey.

The reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year, Crabbe, 21, begins his NBA career with the Trail Blazers after finishing his junior season at the University of California.
Portland acquired Crabbe, selected with the 31st overall pick, from Cleveland on draft day in exchange for two future second round picks.

Crabbe (6-6, 210) averaged 15.7 points (44.6% FG, 38.2% 3-PT, 81.9% FT), 5.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in three seasons at California. His 209 3-pointers rank third in school history.

He will wear No. 23 for the Trail Blazers.

Raptors trade Andrea Bargnani to Knicks

New York Knicks Executive Vice President and General Manager Glen Grunwald announced today that the team has acquired forward/center Andrea Bargnani from Toronto in exchange for center Marcus Camby, forward Steve Novak, guard/forward Quentin Richardson (via sign-and-trade), a first-round draft selection in the 2016 NBA Draft and second-round selections in 2014 and 2017.

“Seven-foot versatile players with a good mid-range offensive game and an ability to stretch the other team’s defense are hard to come by in this league,” Grunwald said. “Andrea has proven to be a quality scorer who adds another dimension to our team. We are excited to add him to our frontline.”

Bargnani, 7-0, 256-pounds, was selected No. 1 overall by Toronto in the 2006 NBA Draft, and after seven seasons with the Raptors, ranks third on the franchise’s all-time scoring list with 6,581 points, second in three-point field goals (579) and fourth in games played (418). He holds career averages of 15.2 points, on 43.7-percent shooting from the field, and 4.8 rebounds over 30.3 minutes in 433 games (316 starts). Bargnani posted a career-best 41 points, and added seven rebounds and six assists, versus the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 8, 2010.

“Andrea has great size and can create huge match-up problems for our opponents,” Head Coach Mike Woodson said. “He can score both inside and out. He will be a great complement to Carmelo, Tyson and Amar’e.”

The native of Rome, Italy, averaged 12.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 28.7 minutes in 35 games during the 2012-13 season. Although Bargnani missed 46 games due to injury/illness, he scored in double-digits 11 times, reached the 20-point plateau eight times and scored a season-high 34 points on Nov. 23, 2012 at Detroit.

Camby, 6-11, 245-pounds, appeared in 24 games (four starts) for New York during the 2012-13 season – his second tenure with the Knicks. He averaged 1.8 points and 3.3 rebounds and being acquired from Portland, via sign-and-trade, on Jul. 11, 2012.

Novak, 6-10, 225-pounds, averaged 6.6 points, on 41.4-percent shooting from the field and 42.5-percent from three-point range, over 81 games (one start) during the 2012-13 season – his second season with the Knicks. He was claimed off waivers from San Antonio on Dec. 21, 2012.

Richardson, 6-6, 220-pounds, appeared in one game for the Knicks during the 2012-13 season – his second tenure with New York. He signed as a free agent on Apr. 16, 2013.

Chicago Bulls sign Mike Dunleavy

The Chicago Bulls announced today the team has signed free agent guard/forward Mike Dunleavy.

“We are extremely excited to add Mike to our team,” said Bulls General Manager Gar Forman. “He was a priority for us from the second free agency began and we feel he will be a terrific fit for us, both on and off the floor.”

Dunleavy (6-9, 230), an 11-year NBA veteran, most recently played with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2012-13 season. Last year with the Bucks, he appeared in 75 games (three starts) and averaged 10.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.9 apg and 0.52 spg in 25.9 mpg. He also shot .442 from the field, .428 from downtown (eighth in the NBA) and .820 from the line.

In addition to playing the last two seasons in Milwaukee, the 32-year old Dunleavy has also played for the Indiana Pacers (2007-11) and the Golden State Warriors (2002-07). In 757 career games (429 starts), Dunleavy has posted averages of 11.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.4 apg and 0.78 spg in 28.2 mpg. He holds career shooting averages of .444 from the field, .372 from behind the arc and .799 from the line. For his career, he ranks 76th in NBA history with 982 three-point field goals made.

Originally selected by the Golden State Warriors in the first round (third overall) of the 2002 NBA Draft, Dunleavy’s teams have advanced to the postseason two times. In nine playoff games, he has produced 8.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.8 apg and 0.67 spg in 18.1 mpg. He also owns postseason shooting averages of .480 from the field, .385 from downtown and .762 from the free throw line.

Dunleavy will wear No. 34 with the Bulls

Atlanta Hawks sign Paul Millsap

The Atlanta Hawks have signed forward Paul Millsap, President of Basketball Operations/GM Danny Ferry announced today. We’ll add contract details to this page tonight.

Millsap, 28, averaged 14.6 points on .490 shooting, 7.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 30.4 minutes per game in 78 games (all starts) last season with the Utah Jazz. He also averaged 1.3 steals and 1.0 block per game, making him one of just five players in the NBA during the 2012-13 season (Kevin Durant, Marc Gasol, Al Horford and Josh Smith) to post averages of at least 14.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 block and 1.0 steal. Since becoming a full-time starter in the 2010-11 season (starting 216 of 218 games), he has averages of 16.1 points on .507 shooting, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 32.5 minutes per game.

The 6-foot-8, 253-pound forward has career averages of 12.4 points on .516 shooting, 7.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 27.4 minutes per game in 540 games (265 starts) and has recorded 107 double-doubles. A native of Louisiana, Millsap played collegiately at Louisiana Tech where he became the only player in NCAA history to lead the nation in rebounding in three consecutive seasons.

“Paul was one of our top priorities entering the free agency process and we believe he is a great fit with the team and culture that we are trying to build,” Ferry said. “He is a high-character individual and his toughness, high basketball IQ, and selflessness will add to our locker room and give us versatility on the court.”

Knicks re-sign Pablo Prigioni

New York Knicks Executive Vice President and General Manager Glen Grunwald announced today that the team has re-signed guard Pablo Prigioni to a contract.

Prigioni, 6-3, 185-pounds, was the first Argentine-born player in Knicks history and made his NBA debut at age 35 after signing as a free agent on Jul. 24, 2012. He averaged 3.5 points, 3.0 assists and 1.8 rebounds over 16.2 minutes in 78 games (18 starts) this past season and was inserted into the Knicks starting lineup on Mar. 18 to help lead the team to the franchise’s third-longest winning streak of 13. In 11 postseason games (10 starts), Prigioni averaged 4.5 points, 3.2 assists and 1.27 steals over 20.9 minutes.

“We are very excited to have Pablo back in a Knicks uniform. He is one of our catalysts on both the offensive and defensive end,” Grunwald said. “His tenacity, leadership and experience played an integral role in our team’s success down the stretch, and into the postseason.”

Wayne Ellington will sign with Dallas Mavericks

Wayne Ellington has become the third guard to join the Dallas Mavericks in free agency.

Ellington tweeted late Tuesday night that he had agreed to a contract with Dallas. The deal is reportedly for two years and $5 million.

The 6-foot-4 shooting guard split last season between Memphis and Cleveland. He was traded to the Grizzlies last summer and went to the Cavaliers midseason in a four-player deal.

Reported by the Associated Press

Toronto Raptors add Nick Nurse to coaching staff

The Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday they have added Nick Nurse to Dwane Casey’s coaching staff. Nurse joins the Raptors from the NBA D-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Nurse, 45, coached the Valley Vipers to a 59-41 mark the past two seasons and the 2012-13 NBA D-League championship. Prior to taking the reins in Rio Grande, Nurse coached the Iowa Energy to an overall regular season mark of 124-76 (.620) and the 2010-11 NBA Development League championship. For his accomplishments, Nurse was named the 2010-11 recipient of the Dennis Johnson Coach of the Year award.

A three-time NBA Development League All-Star head coach, Nurse led the Energy to back-to-back 37-13 finishes in 2009-10 and 2010-11, setting and then tying the league record for wins in a single season. Nurse led the Energy to two Eastern Conference championships and one Central Division championship.

A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, Nurse began his coaching career at the age of 23 when he became the head coach of Grand View College, making him the youngest college basketball coach in the United States. He moved on to an assistant coach position at the University of South Dakota where his teams recorded a 46-14 mark.

Nurse coached in Europe for 11 years starting in 1996, winning nine championships and two Coach of the Year awards while earning six All-Star head coach selections in the British Basketball League. During that time, he also gained coaching experience in Italy, Belgium and the USBL. Additionally, Nurse served as an assistant coach in the 2012 Olympics for the host British National Team.

Nurse holds a career professional coaching record of 459-220 (.676) during the regular season and 76-54 (.585) in the postseason.