NBA News Blog – Page 873 – NBA Blog

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

Danny Granger to miss at least three more games

Indiana Pacers swingman Danny Granger will miss at least three more games, according to coach Frank Vogel.

Pacers coach Frank Vogel said Tuesday after practice that Granger, out but all of five games this season, will have his left knee re-evaluated at the end of this week.

“Even if he’s cleared at the end of this week, that’s not going to be him back in game action right away,” Vogel said. “That’s him resuming activity.”

— Reported by Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star

Chase Budinger cleared to practice for Wolves

The Timberwolves received some good news in this injury-plagued season when forward Chase Budinger, out since Nov. 10 with a knee injury, was cleared Tuesday, March 12, to practice with the team.

Budinger spoke by phone Tuesday morning with Florida-based orthopedist James Andrews, who performed the Nov. 13 surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus ligament in Budinger’s left knee.

“The doctor said I can go into the next phase, which is a lot of contact work,” Budinger said after the Wolves’ shootaround. “What I can do is start playing one on one with the coaches and do some two-on-two stuff. Hopefully, (Wolves forward) Kevin (Love) will get cleared and we can start working out together and do some two-on-two stuff.”

— Reported by Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press

Celtics sign Shavlik Randolph to second 10-day contract

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed forward Shavlik Randolph to a second 10-day contract.

Randolph, a 6’10” forward, has yet to appear in a game for the Celtics since he was signed to his first 10-day contract on March 1. He appeared in 28 games for the Foshan Long Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association earlier this season averaging 32.0 points, 14.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks in 36.5 minutes per game while shooting 53.1% from the floor.

Kyrie Irving out 3-4 weeks with shoulder injury

Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving experienced a left shoulder injury during the third quarter of last night’s game against the Raptors in Toronto.

X-rays taken at the Air Canada Centre were negative. He was reevaluated today at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health where he received an MRI and physical exam by Cavaliers Head Team Physician Dr. Richard Parker which revealed a Left AC (acromioclavicular) sprain.

Irving will undergo a period of rest and treatment and is currently projected to be out three to four weeks.

The 21-42 Cavaliers are the 12th seed in the Eastern conference. They weren’t going to make the playoffs this season, but losing their young superstar still hurts and will make the team’s remaining games that much more of a struggle.

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “Irving was driving to the basket when he took a hip from Raptors rookie forward/center Jonas Valancuinas and tumbled to the floor with 2:04 left in the third quarter of the Cavs’ 100-96 loss at Toronto. Irving landed on his left shoulder, lay on the floor for a bit, was tended to on the bench by athletic trainer Max Benton and then returned to the game to shoot two free throws — one-handed. He made the first, but missed the second. Toronto’s Landry Fields grabbed the rebound and was immediately fouled by Luke Walton. At that point Irving headed directly to the locker room and did not return. After the game, he needed help to get his Duke sweatshirt over his head. Then this afternoon, the Cavs announced he had a left AC (acromioclavicular) sprain or a sprained AC joint, an injury more commonly suffered by quarterbacks when they’re tackled and land on their shoulders.”

According to the Akron Beacon Journal, “Since the Cavs selected him No. 1 overall in 2011, Irving has suffered a concussion, a fractured wrist, injured both shoulders, hyperextended his knee and fractured a finger. He also broke a bone in his jaw this season but played through the injury without missing a game thanks to a protective mask. Irving missed most of his one season at Duke with a toe injury and battled problems with his right shoulder while in high school. He missed 10 games after spraining his right shoulder last season.”

Utah Jazz sign Travis Leslie to 10-day contract

The Utah Jazz today signed Santa Cruz guard Travis Leslie to a 10-day contract. It is the 24th Call-Up of the 2012-13 NBA Development League season. Leslie joins 121 players with NBA D-League experience currently on NBA rosters.

Leslie (6-4, 205, Georgia) has played in 28 games for Santa Cruz this season, averaging 16.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 27.6 minutes. He has scored at least 20 points in nine outings, including two 30-plus point games. He was named to the Prospects All-Star squad for the 2013 NBA D-League All-Star Game and went on to win MVP honors with 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting to go along with seven rebounds in a 139-125 victory over the Futures Team.

Leslie was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 47th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He appeared in 10 games for the Clippers during the 2011-12 season and averaged 1.4 points and 4.5 minutes. He was waived by the Clippers before the start of the season and subsequently selected by Santa Cruz in the 2012 NBA D-League Draft.

Leslie is expected to join the Jazz today and be available tomorrow when the team hosts the Pistons at 9 P.M. EST.

Amare Stoudemire needs right knee sugery, out 6 weeks

Knicks forward Amar’e Stoudemire continues to suffer knee injuries

Amar’e Stoudemire needs surgery and will miss the next six weeks of the Knicks’ season. The killer blow was announced by the team just prior to Saturday’s game against the Jazz. Stoudemire will have a right knee debridement sometime this week.

Stoudemire had been having some soreness in the knee, and missed the team’s shootaround Saturday morning. He elected to have an MRI later in the day, which revealed that he needed surgery.

“I feel for Amar’e, because again he’s put a lot of work in this summer, to get back out on the court, with what he went through at the beginning of camp,” head coach Mike Woodson said. “And now he’s got to go back in again. I feel for the young man because he puts so much time and hard work in. But you know we got to go on.”

With the timetable suggested by the team, Stoudemire will presumably miss the rest of the regular season and into part of the playoffs.

— Reported by Seth Walder of the New York Daily News

InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner says: I feel awful for Stoudemire, who keeps himself in great shape and has desperately tried to stay healthy.