NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog
NBA Blog: The NBA basketball news blog section of Inside Hoops
Grizzlies blog – Memphis Grizzlies blog
|
Grizzlies forward Darrell Arthur left practice this morning with a serious Achilles injury and the fear is that he might be lost for the entire 2011-12 season, according to sources with knowledge of situation.
An early diagnosis by the team’s medical staff indicated that Arthur might have suffered a torn right Achilles. The 6-foot-9 reserve had just returned to practice after missing time with a sore left Achilles.
— Reported by Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal
The Golden State Warriors have been awarded guard Ish Smith off of waivers, the team announced today.
Smith, 23, spent last season with the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies, appearing in 43 games (three starts) and averaging 2.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 10.3 minutes per contest. In three starting assignments, the 6’0” guard averaged 6.3 points, 3.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.00 steals in 27.0 minutes.
Originally signed by Houston after a four-year career at Wake Forest, Smith was traded to Memphis along with Shane Battier in exchange for DeMarre Carroll, Hasheem Thabeet and a first-round draft pick on February 24, 2011. The Charlotte, NC, native appeared in five playoff games for Memphis.
Prior to being traded, Smith appeared in eight games (five starts) for Houston’s D-League affiliate, posting averages of 12.5 points, 7.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.50 steals and 1.25 blocks in 32.9 minutes for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
The Memphis Grizzlies waived center Mikki Moore, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.
Moore (6-11, 225) holds career averages of 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 557 games (181 starts) over a 12-year NBA career (1998-2010) with the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, Seattle SuperSonics, Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors.
The 36-year-old University of Nebraska product was originally signed by Memphis on Dec. 10, 2011.
 |
The Memphis Grizzlies have re-signed center Marc Gasol to a multi-year contract, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today. The deal is reportedly for four years, $57.7 million.
“We are very happy to re-sign Marc Gasol, who has been one of the pillars of the Grizzlies franchise since his arrival and a true ‘Memphis basketball player’ ever since his days at Lausanne,” Wallace said. “We are excited to keep him as part of our core group of players and to build on what this organization has already achieved for many years to come.”
Gasol (7-1, 265) posted 15.0 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.15 blocks in helping lead Memphis through a 13-game run through the 2011 NBA Playoffs, which included a first-round upset of the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs and a seven-game series with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 26-year-old finished second in the league in rebounds per game and third in blocks per game during the postseason.
During the 2010-11 regular season, Gasol averaged 11.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, a career-high 2.5 assists and 1.68 blocks in 81 games (all starts). Teaming with Zach Randolph, Gasol helped Memphis pace the NBA in points in the paint (51.5) for the second consecutive season.
The Barcelona, Spain native holds career averages of 12.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.44 blocks in 32.7 minutes in 232 games (225 starts) over three seasons in Memphis after his draft rights (48th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft) were acquired in a package from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for older brother Pau Gasol on Feb. 1, 2008. Memphis originally signed Marc on July 9, 2008.
The Memphis Grizzlies waived guard Ish Smith, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.
Smith (6-0, 175) averaged 2.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists on .374 shooting in 10.3 minutes in 43 total games (three starts) as a rookie last season with the Grizzlies and Houston Rockets.
The 23-year-old Wake Forest product posted 1.8 points and 1.0 assists in 7.5 minutes in 15 games with Memphis after being acquired on Feb. 24, 2011 from Houston.
The Memphis Grizzlies waived Jared Reiner, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.
Reiner, a 6-11, 255-pound center, holds NBA career averages of 1.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in 46 games (four starts) over two seasons with the Chicago Bulls (2004-05) and Milwaukee Bucks (2006-07). The 29-year-old spent last season with BBC Bayreuth in Germany, where he recorded 12.6 points and 7.8 rebounds.
|
“Me and Shawn Kemp are friends, but he signed a contract, went into a lockout and came back overweight,” Zach Randolph said. “I didn’t want to be like that.”
Randolph is indeed the Grizzlies’ poster child for the lockout. He returned as the franchise player, looking like a supermodel, so to speak, thanks in part to University of Memphis assistant Frank Matrisciano.
People call Matrisciano “Hell’s Trainer.” Matrisciano refers to himself as a life-changer. Count Randolph and everyone around him as true believers.
“There will be some players that come back now who won’t be in shape,” Randolph said. “You’re going to notice. So I was definitely motivated to not let myself go.”
— Reported by Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal
 |
The Memphis Grizzlies signed free agent Jeremy Pargo to a multi-year contract, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Pargo, a 6-2, 219-pound guard, joins the Grizzlies after spending last season with Euroleague powerhouse Maccabi Tel-Aviv, where he was named to the 2011 All-Euroleague Second Team after recording 13.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists on .463 shooting in 30.0 minutes in 22 games.
Prior to his success with Maccabi, the 25-year-old helped guide Hapoel Gilboa Galil Elyon to the 2010 Israeli Basketball Super League Championship in his first season as a professional, averaging 14.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
The younger brother of NBA player Jannero Pargo, the Chicago native was named the 2008 West Coast Conference (WCC) Player of the Year after posting 12.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists as a junior at Gonzaga University. Pargo finished his four-year collegiate career with the Bulldogs with averages of 9.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 134 games.
Undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft, Pargo has made summer league appearances in 2009 and 2010 with the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Charlotte Bobcats and Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Memphis Grizzlies signed 2011 second-round draft pick Josh Selby to a multi-year contract, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Selby, a 6-2, 183-pound guard, was selected 49th overall by the Grizzlies in the 2011 NBA Draft. As a true freshman last season with the Kansas Jayhawks, the 20-year-old averaged 7.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 26 games, earning Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors twice. In his collegiate debut, Selby netted a career-high 21 points and converted the go-ahead three-pointer in Kansas’ 70-68 victory over USC on Dec. 18, 2010.
Ranked as the Rivals.com No. 1 overall high school recruit for 2010, the Baltimore native was named a McDonald’s All-American as a senior at Lake Clifton High School. Selby, who now joins fellow Jayhawks Darrell Arthur and Xavier Henry on the Grizzlies’ roster, scored 13 points in the All-American game and won the 2010 Powerade Jam Fest slam dunk contest as part of the event’s festivities.
The Memphis Grizzlies announced today that Bob Thornton and Lloyd Pierce will complete head coach Lionel Hollins’ staff as an assistant (Thornton) and player development coach (Pierce).
With almost 30 years of collegiate and professional basketball experience as a player, scout and coach, Thornton comes to Memphis after spending the past four seasons (2007-11) as an advance scout for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Along with his work with the Thunder, Thornton also served as an assistant coach for two NBA teams, first with the Chicago Bulls (2002-04) and most recently with the Minnesota Timberwolves (2005-07). Before his first stint with Bulls, Thornton spent one season (2001-02) as head coach for NBA Development League’s Huntsville Flight, along with one season as head coach of the Quad City Thunder of the Continental Basketball Association (2000-01).
As a player, Thornton played as a power forward for 11 professional seasons, eight in the NBA (1985-92, 1995-96) and three overseas, averaging 3.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 283 career NBA games with the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz and Washington Bullets.
The Los Angeles, Calif. native attended the University of California-Irvine (1981-84) where he played until graduation, earning his bachelor’s of science degree. Thornton was selected 87th overall in the 1984 NBA Draft by the New York City Knicks.
Pierce, with over 15 years of and collegiate and professional basketball experience, joins the Grizzlies’ organization for third NBA coaching job after a year (2010-11) with the Golden State Warriors, where he served as an assistant coach under head coach Keith Smart.
Prior to his stint with the Warriors, Pierce worked for the Cleveland Cavaliers as a player development coordinator for three seasons (2007-10). The San Jose, Calif. native attended Santa Clara University (1994-98) where he helped lead the Broncos to two NCAA Tournament berths.
After graduating with a degree in business management, Pierce played four seasons internationally, making stops in Mexico, Australia and Germany before returning to Santa Clara University where he joined the team’s staff as an assistant coach under head coach Dick Davey (2003-07).