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Pop star Justin Timberlake, who has Memphis roots, has agreed to become a limited partner in Robert Pera’s bid to buy the Memphis Grizzlies, a source close to Pera confirmed Thursday night.
Pera, a 34-year-old Silicon Valley entrepreneur, agreed in June to buy the Grizzlies from Michael Heisley. His bid continues to undergo vetting by the NBA and is pending approval from the league’s owners.
— Reported by Kyle Veazey of the Memphis Commercial Appeal
The Memphis Grizzlies will open the 2012 preseason Oct. 6 against Real Madrid Baloncesto at FedExForum at 7 p.m.
With 30 Spanish League championships, Real Madrid is one of the most successful professional basketball teams in Europe and an affiliate of the soccer powerhouse of the same name. In addition to the Grizzlies, Real Madrid will also match up against the Toronto Raptors during the preseason.
— Reported by Michael Sheffield of Memphis Business Journal
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The Memphis Grizzlies re-signed center Hamed Haddadi, Grizzlies General Manger and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.
The first Iranian ever to play in the NBA, Haddadi (7-2, 265) averaged 2.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and a career-high 0.74 blocks in 5.9 minutes in 35 games for Memphis last season. The 27-year-old also set a personal best by shooting .542 from the field.
Haddadi made four appearances for the Grizzlies during the 2012 NBA Playoffs, recording totals of five points, nine rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes.
A native of Ahvaz, Iran, Haddadi owns NBA career averages of 2.1 points and 2.2 rebounds in 6.1 minutes in 121 games in four seasons, all with the Grizzlies.
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The Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies swapped some bench depth today.
The Wolves have officially traded guard Wayne Ellington to the Grizzlies for forward Dante Cunningham.
“We thank Wayne for his three seasons with the Wolves. He was the consummate professional and we wish him the best in Memphis, ” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “In Dante Cunningham we are getting a versatile forward who brings a defensive presence and an efficient offensive game to our team. Also, the addition of Dante helps balance our roster.”
Cunningham, 25, was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft. In three seasons in the NBA, the 6-8 forward has averaged 5.2 points, on 48.5 percent shooting, and 3.3 rebounds in 205 games (25 starts).
As a rookie with Portland in 2009-10, Cunningham averaged 3.9 points and 2.5 rebounds in 63 games. The 6-8 forward started the 2010-11 season with Portland before being traded on Feb. 24, 2011, along with Joel Pryzbilla, Sean Marks and two future first round draft picks to the Charlotte Bobcats for Gerald Wallace. For the season, Cunningham averaged 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds. He signed with the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 20, 2011, and averaged 5.2 points, shooting a career-best 51.6 percent from the field this past season. Cunningham also pulled down a career-high 3.8 rebounds per game, including grabbing a career-high 14 boards vs. Minnesota on March 27, 2012.
Ellington (6-4, 200) joins the Grizzlies with career averages of 6.1 points and 1.9 rebounds on .412 shooting (.376 three-point shooting) in 18.7 minutes in 189 games (13 starts) over three seasons with Minnesota. The 24-year-old posted 6.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in a career-high 19.1 minutes in 51 games (four starts) for the Timberwolves last season.
The Wynnewood, Penn. native was selected by Minnesota in the first round (No. 28 overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft after being named Most Outstanding Player of the 2009 NCAA Final Four and leading North Carolina to a national title. He earned All-ACC Tournament honors in each of his three collegiate seasons and finished his Tarheels career ranked second in UNC history with 229 made three-pointers.
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The new hot topic among Bulls fans is O.J. Mayo. The Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard is an unrestricted free agent and the Bulls have interest. The big question is what they have to offer.
The main competition appears to be Phoenix, which has about $8-9 million of salary cap room after New Orleans matched the Suns’ offer sheet to Eric Gordon.
Complete details of the Kirk Hinrich acquisition and Kyle Korver trade to Atlanta have yet to be revealed, but those transactions should help the Bulls in the Mayo chase.
If the Bulls get a second-round draft pick out of the Korver trade, they’ll have a traded-player exception worth $5 million. To use that on Mayo, they’d have to talk the Grizzlies into doing a sign-and-trade and send some sort of draft pick and/or cash in return.
— Reported by Mike McGraw of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald
The Memphis Grizzlies re-signed forwards Marreese Speights and Darrell Arthur to multi-year contracts, Grizzlies General Manger and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.
“The re-signing of Marreese Speights and Darrell Arthur is very important for the present as well as the future of the Grizzlies,” Wallace said. “Both Marreese and Darrell have proven to be players who can help us win, not just amass stats for themselves. Two seasons ago, Darrell was a vital player for our team which won the initial playoff game and series in franchise history. This past season, Marreese came riding into town in January and helped save our season after both Darrell and Zach Randolph went down to injuries. Both players also have considerable room to improve. This is a great day for the franchise that we have both of these crucial players staying in Memphis.”
Speights (6-10, 255) set career highs in scoring (8.8 points), rebounding (6.2) and minutes (22.4) in 60 games (54 starts) last season after Memphis acquired him from the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 4, 2012 in a three-team trade that also included the New Orleans Hornets.
With Speights in the starting lineup, Memphis posted a 37-17 record (.685) and went on to record the club’s highest-ever regular season winning percentage (.621). For the first time in franchise history, the Grizzlies clinched home court advantage in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, where Speights averaged 6.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 14.3 minutes in seven games against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 24-year-old holds NBA career averages of 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 16.4 minutes in 265 games (58 starts) over four seasons with the Grizzlies and 76ers. Philadelphia selected the St. Petersburg, Fla. native with the No. 16 overall pick in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft.
Arthur (6-9, 235) posted career bests in scoring (9.1 points), blocks (0.79), field goal percentage (.497), free throw percentage (.813) and minutes (20.1) in 80 games (nine starts) during the 2010-11 season before a torn right Achilles sustained on Dec. 18, 2011 caused him to miss the entire 2011-12 season. The 24-year-old underwent surgery on Dec. 22, 2011 and is expected to be ready for the start of the 2012-13 season.
Before suffering the injury, Arthur registered 7.1 points and 0.92 blocks in 15.5 minutes in 13 games during the 2011 NBA Playoffs, which included a first-round upset over the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs and a seven-game series with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals.
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The Memphis Grizzlies signed guard Jerryd Bayless to a multi-year contract, Grizzlies General Manger and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“We are pleased to add Jerryd Bayless to our team,” Wallace said. “He is a rapidly-improving young player who is coming off his best season in the NBA. Jerryd will address two areas of need: three-point shooting and backup point guard play. He is a very hard-working player whose best days as a professional are ahead of him.”
Bayless (6-3, 200) established new career highs in scoring (11.4 points), assists (3.8), steals (0.77) and minutes (22.7) in 31 games (11 starts) last season with the Toronto Raptors. The 23-year-old also set personal bests for field goal percentage (.424), three-point field goal percentage (.423) and free throw percentage (.852).
In 11 games as a starter, Bayless posted 17.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists on .450 shooting (.429 three-point shooting) in 34.6 minutes. Those averages surged to 21.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 7.6 assists on .543 shooting (.571 three-point shooting) in 37.5 minutes during a five-game run as a starter from March 11-17, 2012. Bayless recorded 28 points, six rebounds and nine assists in an overtime victory over Memphis on March 16, 2012 at FedExForum.
The Phoenix, Ariz. native owns NBA career averages of 8.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists on .412 shooting in 229 games (36 starts) over four seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Hornets and Toronto Raptors. After becoming the first freshman since Sean Elliot (1985-86) to lead the University of Arizona in scoring, Bayless was selected by the Indiana Pacers in the first round (No. 11 overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft before his rights were traded to Portland on draft night.
The Memphis Grizzlies signed 2012 draft selection Tony Wroten, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.
Wroten (6-6, 203) was selected by the Grizzlies in the first round (No. 25 overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft. The 19-year-old became the first freshman in University of Washington history to earn First Team All-Conference honors, ranking fifth in the Pac-12 in scoring (16.0 points), eighth in assists (3.7) and second in steals (1.9) in 35 games for the Huskies.
In his lone collegiate season, Wroten set numerous school freshman records, including scoring average, most points (559), assists (130) and steals (66), and earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors. He also joined Detlef Schrempf (1984-85) as the second player in program history to compile at least 500 points, 150 rebounds and 100 assists in a single season.
The Seattle, Wash. native led the Huskies with 12 games of 20-or-more points, including a UW freshman-record 29 points on March 8, 2012 vs. Oregon State in the Pac-12 Tournament. He tallied 22 points against Oregon on March 20, 2012 in the NIT Quarterfinals.
Wroten was a member of the 2010 USA U-17 World Championship Team that posted a perfect 8-0 record and captured the gold medal while attending Garfield High School, which also produced Brandon Roy.
The left-hander joins fellow Washington standout Quincy Pondexter on the Grizzlies’ roster.
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Forward Marreese Speights has agreed to a two-year contract with the Grizzlies worth nearly $9 million, two sources with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed to The Commercial Appeal.
Though they can be negotiated and agreed to now, free agent contracts can’t be signed until Wednesday.
The second year of Speights’ new contract is a player option.
— Reported by the Memphis Commercial Appeal
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The Oklahoma City Thunder has agreed with former No. 2 overall pick Hasheem Thabeet on a two-year contract.
The deal cannot officially be signed until the league’s free agent moratorium period is lifted on July 11. Financial terms of the deal were not immediately known, but the contract, which will be fully guaranteed for both seasons, is believed to be a minimal salary, or roughly $880,000 in the first year of the contract.
Thabeet will join his fourth team in four seasons after being drafted by Memphis in 2009. He was taken one spot ahead of Thunder guard James Harden, but the 7-foot-3 center has had a disappointing start to his professional career after earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in his final two seasons at Connecticut.
— Reported by Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman
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