Charlotte Hornets Blog – Page 36 – NBA Blog

Bobcats sign forward James Southerland

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed free agent forward James Southerland.

The 6-8 Southerland, an undrafted rookie from Syracuse University, posted career-best averages in scoring (13.3 ppg), rebounding (5.2 rpg) and three-point shooting (.398) as a senior in 2012-13. During his four-year career, he averaged 7.9 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting .449 from the field and .370 from three-point range in 112 games.

Southerland tied a Syracuse single-game school record with nine three-pointers as he scored a career-high 35 points at Arkansas on Nov. 30, 2012. Southerland was named to the 2013 Big East All-Tournament Team after setting a tournament record with 17 three-pointers. Additionally, he set a Big East Tournament record for most three-pointers in a game without a miss, going 6-6 on his way to a team-high 20 points against Pittsburgh on March 14, 2013.

This summer, Southerland played for the Philadelphia 76ers entry in the NBA Orlando Summer League as well as the Golden State Warriors entry in the Las Vegas Summer League.

Brooklyn Nets training camp to be held at Duke University

The location of Brooklyn Nets training camp for the 2013-14 season will be the campus of Duke University, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

The Nets will travel to Duke on September 30 and conduct practices at the Michael W. Krzyzewski Center – Dedicated to Academic & Athletic Excellence from October 1-5, before returning to Brooklyn.

“With many new players and a new staff, going on the road for training camp will offer a unique opportunity for our players to bond and focus solely on basketball as they prepare for this season.” said King. “Duke University offers first class basketball facilities and will provide an optimum training environment for our team.”

Charlotte Bobcats sign Anthony Tolliver

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced yesterday that the team has signed free agent forward Anthony Tolliver.

“Anthony is a quality young big man who will add depth to our front line,” Higgins said. “We are glad to add a player of his caliber to our roster.”

The 6-8 Tolliver is a veteran of five NBA seasons, having played in 243 career games for the Spurs, Trail Blazers, Warriors, Timberwolves and Hawks. He has career averages of 6.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 19.9 minutes, while shooting .413 from the field (506-1225), .325 from beyond the three-point line (176-542) and .782 from the free-throw line (298-391).

Tolliver played in 62 games last season with the Hawks, averaging 4.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 15.5 minutes. He shot .380 from the field (82-216), .338 from beyond the three-point line (45-133) and a career-best .863 from the free-throw line (44-51). Tolliver also saw action in six playoff games for Atlanta, averaging 4.0 points on .571 shooting from the field (8-14) and .636 three-point shooting (7-11), to go with 1.5 rebounds, in 11.3 minutes.

Bobcats assistant coach Bob Beyer arrested after fight in NY restaurant

Charlotte Bobcats assistant coach Bob Beyer was arrested in upstate New York on Thursday night following an incident in a Saratoga Springs restaurant.

Beyer, 51, was charged with second-degree obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

A Bobcats spokesman said Beyer is still employed by the team and issued the following statement: “We are aware of the incident. It is a legal matter and we will have no further comment until the legal process has run its course.”

Reported by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer

Bobcats rookie Cody Zeller played great in summer league

Zeller, the fourth overall pick in June, found a place to live in Charlotte two weeks ago and is now buying furnishings. He joked on Twitter recently that his mother sent him to IKEA to start living like a grown-up.

The little bit of basketball Zeller has played so far as a Bobcat went exceedingly well. He was named to the all-tournament team at Las Vegas Summer League, after averaging 16.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in four games.

New Bobcats coach Steve Clifford gave Zeller plenty of freedom to experiment offensively away from the basket. Zeller was pleasantly surprised how much NBA rules (defensive three-seconds and no-handchecking dribblers) opened up the lane for his drives.

“First time in a while it didn’t seem like there were six or seven guys waiting for me in the lane,” Zeller said.

The thing that came across most in Zeller’s Las Vegas performance was his remarkable speed and quickness for a 7-footer.

Reported by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer

Anthony Tolliver signing with Charlotte Bobcats

Charlotte Bobcats are signing Anthony Tolliver

Free-agent Anthony Tolliver, a 6-foot-8 forward with five seasons of NBA experience, has agreed to a one-year, veteran-minimum deal with the Charlotte Bobcats.

Tolliver, who played for the Atlanta Hawks last season, reportedly drew interest from a variety of teams, including the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz. He has a history with members of the Bobcats coaching staff, working with assistants Stephen Silas at Golden State and Bob Weiss in Atlanta last season.

Tolliver has played for the San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and Hawks. He has career averages of 6.1 points and 4.1 rebounds. His shooting is not particularly strong – 41.3 percent from the field.

Reported by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats re-sign Jannero Pargo

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has re-signed guard Jannero Pargo. We assume it’s for the league minimum, but this hasn’t been confirmed.

Pargo is considered bench support. He’s a reserve who can help a team in limited minutes.

The 6-1 Pargo joined the Bobcats on March 14, 2013, signing the first of two 10-day contracts before signing for the remainder of the season on April 3. He saw action in 18 games, averaging 8.4 points, 1.9 assists and 1.2 rebounds in 16.2 minutes. Pargo shot .401 from the field (57-142), .382 from beyond the three-point line (29-76) and .889 from the free-throw line (8-9).

A nine-year NBA veteran, Pargo has played in 461 career games with the Lakers, Raptors, Bulls, Hornets, Hawks, Wizards and Bobcats. He has career averages of 6.5 points, 2.0 assists and 1.5 rebounds, while shooting .389 from the field (1161-2987), .352 from beyond the three-point line (367-1042) and .868 from the free-throw line (309-356).

Bobcats to re-sign Jannero Pargo; Anthony Tolliver could be next

The Charlotte Bobcats are bringing back Jannero Pargo to serve as their third point guard and could soon add forward Anthony Tolliver.

Bobcats president of basketball operations Rod Higgins told the Observer the team has come to terms with Pargo and has offered Tolliver a one-year, veteran-minimum contract.

Pargo was with the Bobcats their last 17 games last season, filling in after backup point guard Ramon Sessions suffered a season-ending knee sprain. A nine-season NBA veteran, Pargo averaged 8.6 points, 1.9 assists and just over 16 minutes. He was particularly helpful as a 3-point shooter, making 38 percent of his attempts for a team that was 27th among 30 teams in that statistic.

Reported by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Blog)

Gerald Henderson happy that Bobcats got help down low

Henderson, who averaged a career-high 15.5 points per game last season, is particularly excited about the addition of big men Al Jefferson and Cody Zeller, who he said will not only help the team, but should also free up open looks for him and the team’s other guards.

“I think with more attention on guys down low it frees up the perimeter a bunch,” Henderson said. “Any team with a good big man, you will see the guards get more freedom and have more open shots. With Al, teams are going to have to double team him so you have more chances for open shots.”

Henderson is eager to cash in.

He improved his 3-point shooting from 23.4 percent in 2011-12 to 33 percent last year, giving the Bobcats hope that he can develop into a legitimate shooting guard.

Reported by the Associated Press

Charlotte Bobcats re-sign Gerald Henderson

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has re-signed guard Gerald Henderson. According to the Charlotte Observer, Henderson agreed to a three-year contract with a total value of $18 million and has the option to terminate that contract after the 2014-15 season.

“We are incredibly pleased that Gerald will remain a part of our team,” Higgins said. “He is a player that we consider an important piece of our core. He has shown significant improvement over the past two seasons and we are confident that he will continue to play a key role for our team.”

Initially selected by the Bobcats with the 12th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Henderson played in 68 games last season and averaged career highs of 15.5 points, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steal, along with 3.7 rebounds, in 31.4 minutes per game. He posted single-season career bests in scoring (1,055), rebounds (250), assists (177), steals (68), blocks (34), field goals (382), three-point field goals (33), three-point percentage (.330), free throws (258), free-throw percentage (.824) and minutes played (2,133).

Henderson concluded the 2012-13 campaign with 24 straight double-figure scoring games, recording the longest streak of his career and the longest by a Bobcats player since the 2010-11 season. Over the final 21 games of the season, he averaged 23.9 points on .475 shooting and .855 free-throw shooting, to go with 4.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He scored 20 points or more in 10 of the last 21 games, with three games of 30 points or more, including a career-high 35 points on two occasions.

In four seasons with the Bobcats, Henderson has played in 234 career games with averages of 11.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 25.6 minutes, while shooting .448 from the field and .792 from the free-throw line.