NBA News Blog – Page 870 – NBA Blog

Clippers sign DaJuan Summers to a 10-day contract

The Los Angeles Clippers today signed Maine Red Claws forward DaJuan Summers to a 10-day contract. It is the 26th Call-Up of the 2012-13 NBA Development League season. Summers joins 121 players with NBA D-League experience currently on NBA rosters.

Summers (6-8, 240, Georgetown) has played in 29 games, 16 starts, for the Red Claws this season, averaging 18.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 33.1 minutes. He has led Maine in scoring 13 times, finishing with more than 20 points in 11 games and recording 30 or more points in two other contests. A 2013 NBA D-League All-Star, Summers scored 28 points in 25 minutes for the Prospects Team in Houston.

A three-year contributor at Georgetown, Summers averaged 11.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 27.6 minutes in 101 career NCAA games for the Hoyas.

Summers is expected to join the Clippers today and be available on Sunday, March 17, when the team hosts the New York Knicks at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Clippers waive forward Trey Thompkins

The Los Angeles Clippers today waived forward Trey Thompkins. The 37th overall selection of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Clippers out of Georgia, Thompkins averaged 2.4 points and 1.0 rebounds in 24 games during his rookie season. He did not appear in a game this season due to a left knee bone bruise.

“We want to thank Trey for his contribution to the Clippers,” Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro said. “Unfortunately, he was never able to truly showcase his talents this season due to injuries. We wish him all the best and believe he has a bright future.”

The Clippers roster currently stands at 14.

Legendary New York high school coach Jack Curran dies at 83

Jack Curran, who spent more than a half century at Archbishop Molloy High School and was among the nation’s winningest prep coaches in basketball and baseball, has died. He was 83.

His death was confirmed Thursday by the Queens school. The family has yet to release further information, the school said.

Curran had been weakened by lung and kidney problems. He broke his kneecap last month when he slipped on ice while on his way to church. The mishap did not prevent him from attending church that day.

Curran coached 55 years at the school. In 1958, he became the basketball coach at what was then St. Ann’s Academy. He succeeded Lou Carnesecca, who left to coach St. John’s.

NBA players Brian Winters, Kevin Joyce, Kenny Smith and Kenny Anderson played under Curran at Archbishop Malloy. Curran was the winningest coach in New York state, with 972 victories in basketball and 1,708 in baseball.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Bobcats sign Jannero Pargo to 10-day contract

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed guard Jannero Pargo to a 10-day contract.

The 6-1 Pargo is in his ninth NBA season and has career averages of 6.4 points, 2.0 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 443 games played with the Lakers, Raptors, Bulls, Hornets, Hawks and Wizards. For his career, Pargo has shot .388 from the field (1104-2845), .350 from beyond the three-point line (338-966) and .867 from the free-throw line (301-347). He has also seen action in 40 playoff games, averaging 5.8 points, 1.5 assists and 1.4 rebounds in the postseason.

Pargo has played in 14 total games this season, seven each with the Wizards and Hawks, with overall averages of 4.0 points and 2.4 assists in 15.4 minutes.

Pargo will wear No. 5.

The Bobcats roster stands at 15 players.

Calf still bothering Shawn Marion

Dallas Mavericks forward Shawn Marion has been ruled out of Thursday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs and will be re-evaluated Friday morning by team doctor T.O. Souryal.

Marion has missed the previous three games because of a bruised left calf suffered during the Mavs’ March 6 win over the Houston Rockets. The Mavs had considered Marion to be day to day, but the calf has not been recovering as well as anticipated.

— Reported by Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas

Craig Brackins joins LA D-Fenders in D-League

The Los Angeles D-Fenders, of the NBA Development League, have acquired former 2010 first round NBA Draft pick Craig Brackins, it was announced today.

Brackins, a 6-10, 230 pound forward, most recently played for Angelico Biella (Italy) where he was voted to the Italian SerieA All-Star Game. The 21st overall selection in the 2010 NBA Draft, Brackins joined the Oklahoma City Thunder and was subsequently moved on draft day to the New Orleans Hornets before ultimately landing with the Philadelphia 76ers. In 17 career NBA games with the 76ers, Brackins averaged 1.8 points (30 total points), 1.1 rebounds (19 total rebounds) and 0.5 assists (9 total assists) in 7.1 minutes per game. Brackins also brings NBA Development League experience to the D-Fenders, averaging 19.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 25 career games with the Springfield Armor and Maine Red Claws.

A standout at Iowa State University, Brackins was named to the All-Big 12 First Team (2009) and All-Big 12 Second Team (2010) and received an Associated Press NCAA All-America Honorable Mention nod (2009). In three seasons at Iowa State, Brackins averaged 16.0 points and 7.7 rebounds over 96 games, finishing his career ranked 12th all-time in points scored (1,539) and eighth in rebounds (736).

Cavs re-assign forward Kevin Jones to D-League yet again

The Cleveland Cavaliers today re-assigned rookie forward Kevin Jones to the Canton Charge, Cleveland’s NBA Development League affiliate. The assignment is the sixth of Jones’ career and the record 152nd of the 2012-13 NBA and NBA D-League seasons. Jones is one of the record 56 players to have been assigned to the NBA D-League this season.

Jones (6-8, 260, West Virginia) has appeared in 19 games for Cleveland this season, averaging 2.1 points, 1.7 rebounds and 9.0 minutes.

In four previous stints with Canton this season, Jones appeared in nine games, averaging 22.4 points, 12.1 rebounds and 38.2 minutes. In his last assignment with Canton on March 2, Jones recorded a 17-point, 12-rebond double-double as the Charge defeated the Springfield Armor 112-111.

Jones is expected to join Canton today and be available when the team hosts the Bakersfield Jam at 7 p.m. ET.

InsideHoops.com editor says: The Cavs love sending Jones to the D-League. It’s fun. It’s the team’s favorite current hobby. It’s in right now.

Andrea Bargnani out for rest of season with elbow injury

The Toronto Raptors announced Wednesday that forward Andrea Bargnani is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the 2012-13 season with an avulsion sprain of the right elbow. This injury is not related to his previous right elbow injury that sidelined him for 26 games (December 12 – February 3).

Bargnani left at the 3:08 mark in the first quarter March 8 against the Los Angeles Lakers and did not return. He appeared in 14 of 15 games prior to this injury, including four straight starts (March 2-8).

Bargnani this season was averaging just 12.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, on just 40% shooting from the field.

The 25-39 Raptors are currently the 9th seed in the Eastern conference, but a full eight games behind the Milwaukee Bucks at 8th.

InsideHoops.com editor says: The Raptors appeared to be ready to flirt with making the playoffs in the East, but they’re pretty far behind the 8th spot right now. As for Bargnani, he was having a disappointing season, and I’m not sure this will affect them as the season winds down.

Mavericks sign guard Chris Wright to 10-day contract

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed free agent guard Chris Wright to a 10-day contract.

Wright (6-1, 210) played collegiately at Georgetown and went undrafted in the 2011 NBA Draft. He spent the 2012 training camp with the New Orleans Hornets before joining the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League for the 2012-13 campaign.

According to ESPN Dallas, “Wright became the first-known NBA player to acknowledge having multiple sclerosis when he signed a 10-day deal with Dallas and joined the Mavs in San Antonio. That’s a fact that Wright is especially proud of after earning a call-up from the D-League. “That’s definitely one of the things I pride myself on, being the face of it and being an inspiration and motivation for people to keep fighting.” said Wright, who averaged 15.5 points, 7.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals for the Iowa Energy this season to earn a D-League All-Star bid. “I made history with this.”

In 38 games (all starts) for the Energy, Wright averaged 15.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 37.0 minutes per game en route to earning NBA Development League All-Star honors.

A native of Bowie, Md., Wright played professionally for Olin Edime of the Turkish Basketball League in 2011-12.

Wright is expected to join the team in San Antonio and be available for the game against the Spurs on March 14. He will wear No. 8 for the Mavericks.

The Mavericks’ roster now stands at 15 players.

Bobcats likely adding Jannero Pargo

The Charlotte Bobcats plan to sign eight-season NBA veteran Jannero Pargo on Wednesday to shore up depth at the point guard position, an informed source told the Observer.

For Pargo, 33, this will be his seventh NBA franchise. He spent portions of this season with the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks after previous stints with the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Hornets.

The Bobcats are expected to sign Pargo to a 10-day contract, after the team lost reserve point guard Ramon Sessions for up to a month with a sprained left knee.

— Reported by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer