Atlanta Hawks Blog – Page 26 – NBA Blog

Hawks add Jose Calderon via waiver wire

The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club has claimed guard Jose Calderon off of waivers, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer.

“We feel fortunate to be able to add a player of Jose’s caliber at this point in the season,” Budenholzer said. “His unselfish nature and ability to shoot with range fits our style of play and his experience will add to our locker room.”

In his 12th season, Calderon has appeared in 772 career regular season games (557 starts), averaging 9.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists (.473 FG%, .411 3FG%, .875 FT%). He’s also played in 18 postseason contests.

As a member of the Spanish national team, he’s won the FIBA World Cup (2006), two Olympic silver medals (2008, 2012) and a bronze medal (2016).

Calderon will wear uniform No. 13.

Mike Dunleavy out with ankle injury

Atlanta Hawks guard/forward Mike Dunleavy has been diagnosed with right ankle synovitis.

An MRI taken at the Emory Orthopaedics and Spine Center on Feb. 28th revealed the injury and a second opinion by Dr. Richard Ferkel of the Southern California Orthopedic Institute also confirmed the diagnosis.

Dunleavy will now undergo a period of rest, treatment and rehabilitation and his status will be updated as appropriate.

Hawks waive Lamar Patterson

The Atlanta Hawks have requested waivers on Lamar Patterson, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer.

The team and Patterson agreed to his release to allow Patterson to address a personal matter.

Hawks suspend Dennis Schroder for one game

Atlanta Hawks guard Dennis Schröder has been suspended by the organization for one game without pay for failure to report to the team on time after the all-star break. He will serve his one-game suspension tonight when the Hawks host the Miami Heat.

“Dennis has played an important role for our team and been a significant contributor to our success this season,” President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer said. “We are disappointed that he did not return to the team on time and we have discussed this with him. We look forward to him rejoining the team in Orlando tomorrow night.”

Hawks sign Ryan Kelly and Lamar Patterson to multi-year contracts

The Atlanta Hawks have signed forward Ryan Kelly and guard/forward Lamar Patterson to multi-year contracts, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer. Per team policy, terms of the agreements were not disclosed.

Kelly played in nine games earlier this season with the Hawks after signing on Oct. 31, 2016.

Patterson was signed to consecutive 10-day contracts on Jan. 29, 2017 and Feb. 8. He has appeared in four games with the Hawks this season.

Hawks trade Mike Scott to Suns

The Atlanta Hawks today acquired the Phoenix Suns’ top-55 protected 2017 second-round pick, in exchange for Mike Scott, the draft rights to Cenk Akyol and cash considerations going to Phoenix, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer.

“On behalf of the Atlanta Hawks, I want to thank Mike for his contributions over the last five years,” Budenholzer said. “He will be missed by his teammates, coaches and the entire Hawks organization. We wish him the best in the future.”

Scott is in his fifth NBA season, holding career averages of 7.1 points and 3.0 rebounds in 281 games, all with Atlanta. The 6-8 forward has averaged 2.5 points and 2.1 rebounds in 18 games with the Hawks this season, scoring a season-high 11 points on Jan. 27 vs. Washington. Originally the 43rd overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft out of the University of Virginia, Scott averaged career-highs of 9.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 80 games for Atlanta in 2013-14.

Akyol was selected by the Hawks with 59th overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft. The 6-6 guard from Turkey currently plays for Acibadem Universitesi Istanbul of the Turkish Basketball First League and has appeared in 12 games this season, averaging 6.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 20.7 minutes.

Sixers, Hawks trade Ersan Ilyasova, Tiago Splitter

The Philadelphia 76ers have acquired center Tiago Splitter, a second-round pick, and the option to swap a second-round pick from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for forward Ersan Ilyasova, President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo announced today.

The Sixers will also receive a second-round pick from Atlanta (via Miami) and the right to swap the least favorable of the 2017 second-round picks received in the Sixers trade with the Utah Jazz with Atlanta’s 2017 second-round pick.

“I want to thank Ersan Ilyasova for his positive contributions to this organization both on and off the basketball court,” Colangelo said. “Ersan is a true professional whose daily examples of hard work, focus and consistency have helped facilitate the ongoing growth of our program and culture.”

“We are excited to welcome Ersan, and his family, to the Atlanta Hawks. He’s a high-character, proven veteran who we’ve liked for many years and believe fits well within our system,” Hawks President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer said. “We also want to thank Tiago for his contributions on and off the court. We wish him all the best in the future.”

Ilyasova was acquired by Philadelphia on November 1, 2016 in a deal with Oklahoma City. In the midst of his ninth NBA season, he has appeared in 583 career games (353 starts) and holds averages of 11 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes per game. A native of Turkey, Ilyasova played in 53 games (40 starts) with the Sixers this season, averaging 15 points and six rebounds on 44 percent shooting from the field.

Splitter, a veteran of six NBA seasons, has appeared in 347 career games (153 starts) with San Antonio and Atlanta. He holds career averages of eight points and five rebounds in 19 minutes per game, while shooting 56 percent from the floor. Originally selected in the first round (28th overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft by the Spurs, the Brazilian native spent the first five seasons of his career in San Antonio (2010-15). During the Spurs’ run to the 2014 NBA title, Splitter saw action in all 23 playoff games (18 starts), posting eight points and six rebounds per contest.

Hawks sign radio broadcaster Steve Holman to contract extension

The Atlanta Hawks have signed radio play-by-play broadcaster Steve Holman to a multiyear contract extension.

“Steve is more than a broadcaster; he’s such an important part of our organization and the Atlanta community,” said Hawks Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer Andrew Saltzman. “His accomplishments and accolades speak for themselves and we’re thrilled fans will continue to be able to hear his one-of-a-kind broadcasting style for years to come.”

Holman, who will be inducted into the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame this evening and into the Georgia Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame on Feb. 24, is in his 32nd year as the “Voice of the Hawks,” having called more 2,500 games. His play-by-play streak, which began in March of 1989, is currently at 2,385 consecutive games including regular season and playoffs.

“The Hawks and the city of Atlanta mean so much to me, and I couldn’t be happier to be able to remain with the organization and community that have supported me throughout my career,” Holman said. “I’m very proud to be a part of such a great organization and excited about the future here. I look forward to calling Hawks games for many years to come.”

A fixture on Atlanta radio since 1980, Holman is also in the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame and has won a number of awards for sports reporting as well as the Georgia Associated Press Award, the 2014 Georgia Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, and was the 2015 and 2016 Gabby Award winner.

Taurean Prince, James Johnson fined by NBA

Atlanta Hawks forward Taurean Prince has been fined $25,000 for forcefully pulling down Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside during play and Heat forward James Johnson has been fined $25,000 for escalating the situation in retaliation by throwing a forearm into the chest of Prince, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident, for which Prince was assessed a Flagrant Foul 2 and ejected while Johnson was assessed a Technical Foul and ejected, occurred with 5:53 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Hawks’ 116-93 loss to the Heat on Feb. 1 at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Hawks sign Gary Neal to 10-day contract

The Atlanta Hawks signed guard Gary Neal to a 10-day contract today, team President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer announced.

Neal has played six seasons in the NBA with San Antonio, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Minnesota and Washington, and has averaged 9.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists, logging 21.4 minutes in 350 games (31 starts). The native of Baltimore, MD played collegiately at La Salle (2002-04) and Towson (2005-07) and was undrafted in 2007.

Neal, who was most recently with the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League, will wear uniform No. 14.