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Rudy Gay has surgery on left shoulder

Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay underwent season-ending surgery today to repair a left shoulder subluxation, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today. The surgery was performed by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla.

Gay, who originally suffered the injury on Feb. 15 vs. Philadelphia, will begin his post-operative rehabilitation and is expected to be ready for the start of the 2011-12 season.

Memphis has recorded a 9-6 record (.600) in Gay’s absence, with 10 of those games coming against current playoff teams.

The 6-8, 240-pound forward averaged 19.8 points and 6.2 rebounds in his fifth NBA season while posting career highs in assists (2.8), steals (1.69), blocks (1.07), field goal percentage (.471), three-point field goal percentage (.396), free throw percentage (.805) and minutes (39.9).

The 24-year-old holds career averages of 17.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists on .457 shooting in 36.0 minutes in 372 games, all with the Grizzlies.

Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery

Rudy Gay

rudy gay

He’s lanky.

Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a left shoulder subluxation, as recommended by team physician Dr. Fred Azar of the Campbell Clinic. Gay also received this recommendation from Dr. Barry Phillips and Dr. Robert Miller of the Campbell Clinic and Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala.

The need for surgery has always been a possibility in the event that non-operative rehabilitation was unsuccessful. The date of the surgery is yet to be determined.

The 6-8, 240-pound forward has missed the last 14 games, including last night’s 103-85 victory over Utah, since suffering the injury on Feb. 15 vs. Philadelphia. Memphis is 8-6 over that span.

Gay averaged 19.8 points and 6.2 rebounds in his fifth NBA season while posting career highs in assists (2.8), steals (1.69), blocks (1.07), field goal percentage (.471), three-point field goal percentage (.396), free throw percentage (.805) and minutes (39.9, 3rd in the NBA).

The 24-year-old holds career averages of 17.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists on .457 shooting in 36.0 minutes in 372 games, all with the Grizzlies.

Gay is expected to be ready for the start of the 2011-12 season.

Rockets assign Hasheem Thabeet to D-League

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has assigned center Hasheem Thabeet to Houston’s single-affiliation NBA D-League partner Rio Grande Valley. Thabeet, who is the third Rockets player to be assigned to the Vipers this season, also averaged 13.8 points, 11.2 boards and 3.17 blocks in six games (four starts) with the NBA D-League Dakota Wizards in 2009-10.

“With one game in the next six nights, we wanted to take advantage of the break in the Rockets schedule to give Hasheem some extended playing time with the Vipers,” said Rockets Vice President of Player Personnel and RGV Vipers GM Gersson Rosas. “Hasheem has been working with our Rockets coaching staff over the past few weeks, but this opportunity to get valuable game experience with Rio Grande Valley will help with his long-term development.”

Thabeet (7-3, 263, Connecticut), who was acquired by Houston from Memphis on Feb. 24, has played in two games with the Rockets since the trade. He averaged 1.2 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.33 blocks in 45 games with the Grizzlies this season and made his Rockets debut vs. New Jersey (2/26/11). Selected by Memphis with the second overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Thabeet stands as the first Tanzanian-born player to be drafted by and play for an NBA team. In 2009-10, Thabeet ranked second among rookies in blocks per game (1.31) and actually led the NBA in blocks per 48 minutes (4.84).

He finished his rookie campaign with averages of 3.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in 13.0 minutes over 68 games (13 starts) in 2009-10. At Connecticut, Thabeet was named the 2009 Co-Big East Player of the Year along with Pittsburgh’s DeJuan Blair. He was also a two-time winner of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) National Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2008 and 2009.

Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay remains out with shoulder injury

Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay underwent a follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) today on his left shoulder, which revealed that while the shoulder is healing from a subluxation, it needs more time to fully recover. There is no timetable for his return.

The 6-8, 240-pound forward has missed the last 10 games after suffering the injury on Feb. 15 vs. Philadelphia.

Currently in his fifth NBA season, Gay is averaging 19.8 points and 6.2 rebounds while posting career highs in assists (2.8), steals (1.69), blocks (1.07), field goal percentage (.471), three-point field goal percentage (.396), free throw percentage (.805) and minutes (39.9, 3rd in the NBA).

The 24-year-old holds career averages of 17.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists on .457 shooting in 36.0 minutes in 372 games, all with the Grizzlies.

Grizzlies sign Leon Powe

The Memphis Grizzlies signed free agent Leon Powe, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

Originally selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 49th overall pick in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft, the 6-8, 240-pound forward owns career averages of 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds on .516 shooting in 14.3 minutes in 223 games (19 starts) over four-plus seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, who acquired his rights from the Nuggets on draft night.

The former University of California standout averaged 5.0 points and 2.7 rebounds on .492 shooting in 13.4 minutes in 14 games (three starts) for the Cavaliers this season before he was waived on Feb. 24.

A key reserve for the Celtics during their 2007-08 NBA Championship run, Powe has appeared in 28 playoff games, averaging 4.7 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10.8 minutes. The 27-year-old gives Memphis three players with NBA Championship experience, including Powe’s former Celtics teammate Tony Allen and Jason Williams, who captured the 2005-06 title as a member of the Miami Heat.

The Grizzlies have a full roster of 15 players.

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Leon Powe may join Grizzlies

By Jeff Lenchiner

Free agent forward Leon Powe may soon become the newest member of the Memphis Grizzlies.

According to a tweet from David Aldridge of NBA.com and TNT/Turner, a source of Aldridge says Powe and the Grizzlies have come to an agreement.

The 6-8, 240-pound Powe has a career average of 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game.

Injuries have hampered Powe throughout his NBA career, especially in recent years. He played just 20 games in 2009-10 and only 14 so far this season.

Grizzlies beat Spurs 109-93

The AP reports:

Darrell Arthur and Zach Randolph scored 21 points each and the Memphis Grizzlies took advantage of poor ball handling by San Antonio to defeat the Spurs 109-93 on Tuesday night.

Tony Allen added 20 points, missing only one of his nine shots, and Mike Conley had 18 points and nine assists as Memphis won its season-best fifth straight home game.

Gary Neal was the only Spur to finish in double figures with 14 points. Starters Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and DeJuan Blair had nine points apiece, as they sat out the fourth quarter.

The Spurs (49-11) were playing their first game without starting point guard Tony Parker, who is expected to miss two to four weeks after suffering a strained left calf when the Spurs beat Memphis 95-88 on Saturday night.

San Antonio committed 22 turnovers in the game, one short of its season high.

Grizzlies almost traded O.J. Mayo to Pacers

Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports:

O.J. Mayo’s career with the Grizzlies figuratively ended and resumed in the amount of time it took to complete one phone call and make another.

The Grizzlies agreed to trade Mayo to the Indiana Pacers for forward/center Josh McRoberts and a 2011 first-round draft pick Thursday just before the NBA’s trade deadline.

The transaction was supposed to involve a third team but never got finalized because it was submitted to the league shortly after the 2 p.m. deadline. The deal was widely reported — and Griz owner Michael Heisley spoke to The Commercial Appeal of his sadness over parting with Mayo, a favorite of the owner. But then Griz general manager Chris Wallace, in a text to the newspaper, said, “Despite published reports, O.J. was not traded.”

Rockets trade Shane Battier to Grizzlies; Hasheem Thabeet to Rockets

The Memphis Grizzlies have acquired Shane Battier and Ishmael Smith from the Houston Rockets in exchange for Hasheem Thabeet, DeMarre Carroll and a future, lottery-protected first-round draft pick, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

The move reunites the Grizzlies and the City of Memphis with Battier, one of the most-popular and effective players in franchise history.

“We are thrilled to have acquired a player of Shane’s caliber as we make a push toward the playoffs,” Wallace said. “Shane is remembered fondly in our Memphis community for his contributions to the franchise’s prior postseason runs, and we expect that his combination of shooting, defense and leadership will be key ingredients in helping us get back there. We are also pleased to add Ishmael Smith, who has a bright future in this league.”

The first-ever draft pick in the Memphis era (No. 6 overall in 2001), Battier starred for five seasons in the Bluff City (2001-06), averaging 10.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.28 steals in 32.3 minutes in 396 games (279 starts). The franchise’s all-time leader in steals (507), Battier also ranks in the top 10 in team history in points (4,160, 6th), rebounds (1,908, 7th), blocks (418, 3rd), three-point field goals made (389, 4th), free throws made (765, 7th), games played (3rd) and games started (5th).

Grizzlies sign Rodney Carney to 10-day contract

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed swingman Rodney Carney to a 10-day contract, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

A four-year star at the University of Memphis, the 6-7, 205-pound guard/forward returns to the Bluff City after averaging 5.0 points on .421 shooting (45-of-107 FG), including a career-best .459 mark from three-point range (17-of-37 3FG), in 13.2 minutes in 25 games for the Golden State Warriors earlier this season. The Warriors waived Carney on Jan. 4.

Currently in his fifth NBA season, the 26-year-old owns career averages of 6.0 points and 2.0 rebounds on .422 shooting in 15.5 minutes in 297 games (48 starts) with the Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers.

Carney finished his collegiate career with the Tigers ranked third in school history in scoring (1,901 points), second in games played (133) and first in three-pointers made (287). In his senior season (2005-06), Carney posted 17.2 points and 4.3 rebounds, earning the Conference USA Player of the Year Award and leading the Tigers to an Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.