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The Memphis Grizzlies have waived forward James Ennis.
Ennis (6-7, 210) has come off the bench in all 13 appearances with the Grizzlies and Miami Heat this season to average 1.2 points in 3.6 minutes. Memphis acquired Ennis with Mario Chalmers from Miami on Nov. 10 for Beno Udrih and Jarnell Stokes.
The 25-year-old California, Long Beach product has averaged 4.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 75 games (three starts) over two seasons with the Heat and Grizzlies.
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After leaving in the third quarter during Saturday’s game in Phoenix, Grizzlies forward/center Brandan Wright underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which revealed a sprain of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee, the team announced today. Wright will be out indefinitely, but no surgery will be required.
“This is an unfortunate development for Brandan and our team,” Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace said. “Brandan had been playing his best basketball of the season recently and showing the positive impact he has on our roster. We expect a full recovery and will have further updates when appropriate.”
Wright (6-10, 210) has averaged 6.9 points on 67.3 percent shooting with 3.6 rebounds and 1.25 blocks in 17.7 minutes in 12 games (two starts) this season, his first with the Grizzlies and eighth in the NBA.
Friday in Los Angeles the Grizzlies beat the Lakers, 112-95. Memphis got a nice boost from Vince Carter off the bench: 7-of-10 shooting, including 5-of-7 three-pointers, for 19 points, three rebounds and two assists in around 19.5 minutes. Here’s the Memphis Commercial Appeal reporting:
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Griz veteran Vince Carter manufactured a season-high 19 points mostly off of five 3-pointers. The long-range daggers were Carter’s first five field goal attempts over a span of nearly eight minutes.
“I was just locked in and trying to do anything I could for the team,” Carter said. “I don’t know if it makes me feel younger, but it just brings back good memories and shows that I can still do this. The guys are trying to find me, and that makes you feel good.”
The 18-year veteran is known for his dunking ability but gave new meaning to “Vinsanity.” At one point, Carter hit back-to-back shots from beyond the arc in just 28 seconds.
“I had him ready to sub out, and as (P.J. Hairston) was sitting there waiting for a dead ball, Vince made two more, which put him at five (3-pointers),” Joerger said. “But he was getting tired, he did a great job. What he does is he settles us. It was good for him to play with Mike Conley and a little bit of Lance (Stephenson). What I liked about what we did tonight, we can be chuckers at times, but the ball moved and that made for easier looks. Those are the kinds of shots where you might pass up an open guy when you see someone open, and all of a sudden he gets it and we’re moving the basketball. When they grab on to those things and realize this is how we can be successful, it can be good for us.”
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Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol underwent successful surgery on Saturday, Feb. 20 to repair a non-displaced Type II fracture of the navicular bone in his right foot.
Although Marc will not return to the court this season, he is expected to make a full recovery.
The surgery was performed by foot and ankle specialists Dr. Robert Anderson of OrthoCarolina and Dr. Drew Murphy of Campbell Clinic.
“Marc remains a cornerstone of our franchise and we are pleased to hear that the surgery went according to plan,” Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace said. “Marc’s determination and competitive spirit will serve him, his family and the team well as he begins the healing and rehab process from which we expect him to make a full recovery. We are confident we will have Marc back anchoring our team next season and beyond.”
Gasol left in the first quarter of the game on Feb. 8 vs. Portland with the injury.
Vince Carter isn’t ready to call it a career. Not today, at least.
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Vince Carter sounds pretty confident this won’t be his last time on the court in Toronto.
Carter and a vastly different Memphis lineup than the one the league was seeing even three games ago, are in town to take on the Raptors Sunday and Carter is giving no indication that fans will be witnessing his Toronto swan song.
“Not now, not yet,” Carter said when asked if he goes into a game like Sunday’s thinking this might be his last time on this particular court.
“I just go year by year and listen to the body. Every now and then I’ll think about ‘When I do know (it’s time), how do I approach that?’ It’s just tough accepting it because I enjoy playing still. I think when I don’t enjoy playing I will definitely let it be known.”
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The L.A. Clippers announced today the team has acquired forward Jeff Green from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Lance Stephenson and a future protected first-round pick.
Green, 29, is averaging 12.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 53 games (31 starts) for Memphis this season. The seven-year NBA veteran has career averages of 14.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 609 regular season appearances (463 starts) with the Grizzlies, Boston Celtics and Seattle/Oklahoma City Thunder.
“Lance was a true professional and we appreciate all that he did for us,” Clippers President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Doc Rivers said. “In the short time he was here, he had a good impact on our team. We are excited to add Jeff to the Clippers and I am looking forward to coaching him again.”
A Maryland native, the 6-foot-9 inch Green played under Rivers in Boston from 2011-2013 and was a member of the 2007-08 NBA All-Rookie First Team.
Originally selected by Boston with the 5th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft out of Georgetown University, Green was traded to Seattle on Draft Night. The 2007 Big East Player of the Year, Green led the Hoyas to the Final Four before declaring for the draft following his junior season.
Stephenson, 25, averaged 4.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 43 games (10 starts) for the Clippers this season. He holds career averages of 8.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists over 314 games (186 starts) for the Clippers, Charlotte Hornets and Indiana Pacers.
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The Clippers beat the trade deadline buzzer Thursday by sending Lance Stephenson and a lottery-protected first-round draft pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for Jeff Green in a move that bolsters their frontcourt.
Green can play both forward positions and could presumably fill in at power forward until Blake Griffin returns from a broken right hand and a four-game suspension that is expected to sideline him until next month.
Then Green, 29, could switch to small forward, one of the Clippers’ biggest needs in recent seasons as it started Matt Barnes and Luc Mbah a Moute.
The 6-foot-9, 235-pound Green, who is in the final season of a contract that pays him $9.4 million, was averaging 12.2 points and 4.5 rebounds for the Grizzlies. Green spent two seasons playing for Clippers Coach Doc Rivers in Boston while also sitting out the 2011-12 season because of a heart condition.
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Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has acquired guard Courtney Lee and cash considerations from the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team trade. As a part of the trade, Charlotte will send forward P.J. Hairston and two second-round draft picks (Charlotte’s 2018 second-round pick and Brooklyn’s 2019 second-round pick) to Memphis and guard Brian Roberts to the Miami Heat. As part of the trade, Memphis will also receive forward/center Chris Andersen and two second-round draft picks from Miami.
“We are excited to be adding a quality veteran wing player to our roster in Courtney Lee,” Cho said. “Courtney has proven to be a team defender, a consistent outside shooter and a solid scorer in our league for the past eight years. Particularly in terms of experience, he adds depth to our roster in a position of need for us and we expect him to fit in to our system and contribute right away.”
The 22nd overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Lee is in his eighth NBA season. He has played in 572 career games (332 starts) for the Magic, Nets, Rockets, Celtics and Grizzlies. A Western Kentucky product, Lee has career averages of 9.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 27.2 minutes, while shooting .450 from the field (2106-4677), .383 from beyond the three-point line (587-1531) and .845 from the free-throw line (725-858).
Lee played in 51 games for Memphis this season, starting 37, with averages of 10.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 29.2 minutes. He shot .458 from the field (192-419), .370 from beyond the three-point line (51-138) and .826 from the free-throw line (76-92). Lee scored in double figures in 25 of 51 games and has hit multiple three-point field goals in 14 games this year.
“Chris Andersen was absolutely essential in our 2013 NBA Championship run,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “We want to thank him for his contributions and we wish him nothing but the best, he will always be considered part of the HEAT family. Brian Roberts has been on our radar and we felt it was important to solidify our point guard position due to the injury of Tyler Johnson. We feel like we did that with the addition of Roberts and we would like to welcome Brian to Miami.”
Andersen (6-10, 245) holds career averages of 5.5 points (.533 FG/.653 FT), 5.1 rebounds and 1.47 blocks in 17.8 minutes in 663 games (31 starts) over 14 seasons with the Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans) and Miami Heat. The 37-year-old owns postseason averages of 5.4 points (.644 FG/.692 FT), 4.8 rebounds and 1.26 blocks in 17.0 minutes in 69 games for Denver and Miami.
A native of Long Beach, Calif., Andersen won an NBA Championship with Miami in 2013 and was instrumental in the Heat’s championship run, averaging 6.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.10 blocks in 15.2 minutes in 20 games and setting an NBA postseason record by shooting .807 (46-of-57 FG) from the field.
Hairston (6-6, 230) owns career averages of 5.8 points (.341 FG/.833 FT) and 2.4 rebounds in 17.5 minutes in 93 games (45 starts) in two seasons with Charlotte. The 23-year-old has averaged 6.0 points (.359 FG/.810 FT) and 2.7 rebounds in 19.5 minutes in 48 games (45 starts) for the Hornets this season.
After leading the University of North Carolina in scoring as a sophomore, Hairston joined the NBA Development League and became the first D-League player ever to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft when Charlotte drafted him 26th overall in 2014. He averaged 21.8 points (.453 FG/.358 3P/.870 FT), 3.5 rebounds and 1.50 steals in 32.3 minutes in 26 games (15 starts) for the Texas Legends and was named to the 2013-14 D-League All-Rookie Second Team.
Roberts is in his fourth NBA season and his second with Charlotte. Roberts signed with the Hornets as a free agent on July 23, 2014, and saw action in 102 games with averages 6.1 points and 2.0 assists in 16.3 minutes per game. He holds career averages of 7.4 points, 2.6 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game in 18.5 minutes per game over the course of 252 contests (57 starts).
Here’s the Memphis Commercial Appeal reporting on the 29-20 Grizzlies, who are getting 12.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game from forward Jeff Green this season — though Green has done much bigger things in the past four weeks:
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He’s always been able to put the ball in the basket on drives to the rim and via spot-up 3-pointers. When that is combined with his hustle and effort in other areas, Green transforms into the versatile and productive player who makes coaches contented.
Green arguably has been the Grizzlies’ best player since he was benched for an entire second half of a Jan. 12 loss to Houston.
Zach Randolph has brought vintage performances during that span. Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and Tony Allen also have been on point with regard to their respective duties.
But only Green can claim this: According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Green’s 24 points in the Grizzlies’ win at New Orleans made him the first NBA player in more than 21 years to come off the bench in four consecutive games and finish each one as the game’s high scorer (outright or tied) as his team won. The last player to put together four consecutive games like that was Dan Majerle with the Phoenix Suns in January of 1995.
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The Memphis Grizzlies announced today that the team has signed center Ryan Hollins to a second 10-day contract.
Hollins (7-0, 240) has averaged 3.1 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10.6 minutes in nine games with the Grizzlies this season. After joining the team for training camp, he was re-signed twice during the season on Dec. 29 (waived on Jan. 7) and to his first 10-day contract on Jan. 21. Between his stay during training camp and his regular season stints with the Grizzlies, Hollins also played five games, making three starts, for the Washington Wizards.
The 31-year-old has averaged 3.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 495 career games (67 starts) over 10 NBA seasons with the Charlotte Bobcats, Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies. A native of Pasadena, Calif., Hollins was selected by Charlotte in the second round (50th overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft following his senior season at the University of California, Los Angeles.