Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Dallas Mavericks waive Tu Holloway and DJ Mbenga

The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have waived Tu Holloway and DJ Mbenga. Both Holloway and Mbenga were signed as free agents on September 27.

Holloway (6-0, 190) played collegiately at Xavier University and went undrafted in the 2012 NBA Draft. In his four years as a Musketeer, he played in 134 games and held career averages of 13.7 points, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals per contest. As a junior, Holloway was Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and earned Third Team All-America honors from the Associated Press while averaging 19.7 points and 5.4 assists a game.

Mbenga (7-0, 240) is native of Congo who was originally signed by Dallas as a rookie free agent on July 14, 2004 after playing with the Mavericks summer league squad. In his first stint with Dallas he saw action in 79 games averaging 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds. Mbenga was waived by Dallas on Oct. 30, 2007. Since his time in Dallas, Mbenga has played for Golden State, L.A. Lakers and New Orleans. He holds career averages of 1.8 points and 1.5 rebounds in 234 games (4 starts).

The Mavericks’ training camp roster now stands at 16 players.

Chicago Bulls give coach Tom Thibodeau contract extension

The Chicago Bulls announced today the team has agreed to terms on a contract extension with Head Coach Tom Thibodeau through the 2016-17 season.

“Tom has proven to be one of the top coaches in the NBA and we are happy that he has agreed to a long-term extension that will ensure he is our coach for many years to come,” said Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman.

In two seasons at the helm of the Bulls, Thibodeau has led the Bulls to a regular-season record of 112-36 (.757; the highest winning percentage by a head coach in NBA history).  In his first year on the sidelines in Chicago, he coached the Bulls to a record of 62-20, followed by a mark of 50-16 in 2011-12.  In recognition of his coaching efforts, Thibodeau claimed the NBA Coach of the Year award in 2011 and he was runner-up for the distinction in 2012.  He also is the only coach in league history to win the most games in the NBA in each of his first two seasons.

In 2011-12, Thibodeau reached the 100-win plateau in just his 130th contest as a head coach, breaking the NBA record for reaching the 100-win plateau the fastest.  During his time in Chicago, he has claimed Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honors five times and coached the Bulls to a playoff record of 11-11 (.500), including a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2011.

Warriors add guard Stefhon Hannah to training camp roster

The Golden State Warriors have signed free agent guard Stefhon Hannah, the team announced today. We assume it’s just a training camp signing.

Hannah, 27, appeared in 29 games (27 starts) last season with the Warriors’ NBA D-League affiliate, the Dakota Wizards, where he helped the Wizards to a postseason berth with averages of 18.4 points, 4.8 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.14 steals (second in the league) in 32.0 minutes en route to earning 2011-12 NBA Development Defensive Player of the Year honors. The 6’1” guard played the previous season in the D-League with the Iowa Energy and has played professionally in Poland, Cyprus and Lithuania since graduating from the University of Missouri in 2008.

The Warriors now have 20 players under contract.

San Antonio Spurs add Eddy Curry to training camp roster

eddy curry

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that guard Sherron Collins and center Eddy Curry have been added to their 2012-13 training camp roster. The Spurs current roster stands at 20 players.

Collins (5-11, 215) played last season for Hacettepe Universitesi of the Turkish Basketball League where he appeared in 19 games, averaging 10.6 points, 2.8 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.05 steals in 28.9 minutes.

Collins, who appeared in 20 games with the Charlotte Bobcats in 2010-11, played collegiately for the University of Kansas.  In 143 career games for the Jayhawks, he averaged 13.2 points, 3.9 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 28.5 minutes while shooting .444 (656-1,476) from the field, .377 (232-615) from behind the arc and .807 (344-426) from the free-throw line.  He was named a consensus First Team All-American in 2010 and was named to the All-Big 12 First Team in 2009 and 2010.

Curry (7-0, 295), drafted fourth overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2001 NBA Draft, played last season for the Miami Heat where he averaged 2.1 points in 5.9 minutes.  From 2005-10, the center appeared in 222 games for the New York Knicks, averaging 10.3 points and 4.2 rebounds in 20.0 minutes.  In a Bulls uniform from 2001-04, Curry averaged 12.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in 23.4 minutes in 289 games.  For his career, he has appeared in 525 NBA career games, averaging 13.0 points and 5.2 rebounds in 24.9 minutes while shooting .545 (2,574-4,726) from the floor.

Denver Nuggets add Anthony Carter and Ben Uzoh to training camp

The Denver Nuggets will open training camp with 17 players after signing G Anthony Carter and G Ben Uzoh, Nuggets Vice President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri announced today.

Carter, 6-1, 190, is a 13-year NBA veteran who previously spent four-plus years with Denver from 2006-11. He has appeared in 218 games for the Nuggets, averaging 5.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists.

Carter, 37, reached the postseason each of his four full seasons with Denver and appeared in all 16 of their games during the Western Conference Finals run in 2009. He played for the Toronto Raptors during the 2011-12 campaign, where he averaged 2.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 24 games.

Uzoh, 6-3, 205, attended the University of Tulsa before playing in the NBA and NBA D-League over the past two seasons. He owns career averages of 4.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 60 career games with New Jersey (2010-11), Cleveland (2011-12) and Toronto (2011-12).

Uzoh, 24, has appeared in 24 career games in the D-League (four with Springfield and 20 with Rio Grande Valley), averaging 15.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.50 steals.

Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao cleared for practice

Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (fractured bone in his right hand) and forward/center Anderson Varejao (right wrist fracture) have been cleared for full team practice participation starting with the commencement of training camp on Tuesday, October 2nd. Irving injured his hand on July 14th,2012 and Varejao’s injury occurred last season on February 10th, 2012. Guard Daniel Gibson (torn tendon in his left foot and ankle) has been cleared for participation in practice to tolerance. Gibson’s injury occurred last season on March 19th, 2012.

Lakers add Chris Douglas-Roberts to training camp roster

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed forward Chris Douglas-Roberts, it was announced today. We assume this is just a training camp signing.

Douglas-Roberts, a three-year NBA veteran out of the University of Memphis, was originally selected by the then-New Jersey Nets in the second  round (40th overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft. Douglas-Roberts has appeared in 155 NBA games (53 starts) for the Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks, recording career averages of 7.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 20.6 minutes.

Most recently, the 6-7 forward spent the 2011-12 season playing for Virtus Bologna of the Italian League. In 34 games, Douglas-Roberts averaged 12.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 27.0 minutes.

Bucks add Eddie Gill, Orien Greene, Mustapha Farrakhan, Alando Tucker to training camp roster

The Milwaukee Bucks announced their 2012 training camp roster today with the additions of Eddie Gill, Orien Greene, Mustapha Farrakhan and Alando Tucker.

Gill (6-0, 190) returns to Milwaukee after seeing action in six games with the Bucks during the 2008-09 campaign. An undrafted guard, he has averaged 3.1 points, 1.2 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 187 NBA games on the rosters of New Jersey, Memphis, Portland, Indiana and Seattle. A native of Aurora, Colo., he has played in the NBA D-League with the Asheville Altitude and Colorado 14ers. The 2008-09 D-League Impact Player of the Year, Gill averaged 15.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists over 112 career games. Last season, Gill participated in Australia’s premier league, averaging 13.3 points for the Townsville Crocodiles.

Greene (6-4, 208) was a second round pick by Boston in the 2005 NBA Draft (53rd overall) and tallied 3.2 points over 80 appearances (five starts) in his rookie year. He has played in 131 NBA games with Boston, Indiana, Sacramento and New Jersey, averaging 2.5 points, 1.2 assists and 1.5 rebounds. Greene spent the 2011-12 season with the NBA D-League’s Los Angeles D-Fenders, and played two seasons with the Utah Flash, averaging 14.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.1 steals in his D-League career.

Farrakhan (6-4, 175) averaged 13.5 points and 2.8 rebounds during his senior campaign at the University of Virginia. The guard from Harvey, Ill., led the Cavaliers in both points (418) and minutes played (956) during the 2010-11 season where he was the squad’s high scorer in 15 contests. For his efforts, Farrakhan earned 2010-11 Honorable Mention All-ACC accolades before spending the 2011-12 season with the NBA D-League’s Bakersfield Jam. There, he made 11 starts in 39 games, averaging 9.0 points and 3.4 assists.

Tucker (6-6, 205) joins the Bucks after spending the 2011-12 season with the NBA D-League’s Texas Legends where he averaged 14.5 points and 3.6 rebounds. After a standout collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin where he earned Big Ten Player of the Year and First Team All-America honors, Tucker was selected by Phoenix as the 29th overall pick in the 2007 draft. The Lockport, Ill., product has averaged 4.1 points through 51 career NBA games with the Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Bulls add Ryan Allen, Vance Cooksey, Andre Emmett, Kyrylo Fesenko, Marko Jaric to training camp

The Chicago Bulls announced today the signing of free agents Ryan Allen, Vance Cooksey, Andre Emmett, Kyrylo Fesenko and Marko Jaric to round out their 2012-13 training camp roster.

Allen (6-3, 200), a rookie guard out of UW-Milwaukee, earned Horizon League All-Defensive Team honors last year, as he averaged 8.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.2 apg and 1.06 spg in 29.1 mpg .  A native of Chicago, Allen attended Thornton Fractional High School in Harvey, Ill.  His brother Tony is a member of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Cooksey (6-0, 175) spent last season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and the Texas Legends in the NBA D-League.  In 38 D-League games, he posted 8.8 ppg, 4.8 apg, 2.6 rpg and 1.10 spg in 23.9 mpg.

Emmett (6-5, 230) split last year with the New Jersey Nets and the Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League.  In six games with the Nets last season, he recorded 2.2 ppg and 1.0 rpg in 7.5 mpg.  While with the Bighorns, he averaged 23.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.70 spg and 36.7 mpg.

Fesenko (7-1, 280), a veteran of 135 NBA games (seven starts), played in three games with the Indiana Pacers last year.  During his time with the Pacers, he posted 2.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 0.70 spg in 5.7 mpg.  For his NBA career, the Ukraine native has averaged 2.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg and 8.2 mpg.

Jaric, a seven year veteran of the NBA, has previously played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota and Memphis.  In 447 career games (221 starts), he has averaged 7.1 ppg, 3.6 apg, 2.7 rpg and 1.30 spg in 25.2 mpg.  Jaric last played in the NBA in 2008-09, as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies.  He spent the 2011-12 season with Montepaschi Siena of the Italian League.

The Bulls will open training camp today with Media Day at the Berto Center, prior to tomorrow’s first practices of the season.

Chicago’s roster now stands at 18.