The AP reports: Rudy Gay had 22 points, and Mike Conley scored 14 of his season-high 16 points in fourth quarter to help the Grizzlies beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-102 on Wednesday night for their first winning streak of the season… Mayo added 18 points in the first three quarters to pass Magic Johnson for the third longest streak of double-figure scoring games to start a career at 22. Only Dan Issel (27) and Bobby Jones (24), who played for the Denver Nuggets in the franchise’s first season in the NBA in 1976, had longer streaks. Kevin Durant scored 28 points, Russell Westbrook added 15 and Jeff Green had 13 for Oklahoma City, which got one of its league-low two wins at Memphis on Nov. 29. Desmond Mason, Nick Collison and Joe Smith also scored 10 apiece.
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3-team trade: Hornets get Antonio Daniels, Wizards get Javaris Crittenton, Mike James
The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have acquired guard Antonio Daniels and a future second round pick in a three-team deal with the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards. As part of the trade, the Hornets send guard Mike James to the Wizards. The Hornets acquired a future second round pick from the Grizzlies and Daniels from the Wizards. Memphis sends guard Javaris Crittenton to Washington, while Washington sends Memphis a future first round pick that Washington originally acquired in the deal that gave Memphis Juan Carlos Navarro.
Read and join in fan discussion of the trade.
“We are excited to get a player of Antonio’s caliber,” said Hornets General Manager Jeff Bower. “He is a guard with excellent size, versatility and toughness. Daniels is also a proven veteran who has won a championship and we look forward to all of those attributes strengthening our bench.”
Daniels has averaged 5.1 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 22.2 minutes of play in 13 games (five starts) with the Wizards. He has scored in double figures twice and has had seven games of four or more assists.
“AD has always been a steady, proven guard in this league.” said Hornets Head Coach Byron Scott. “He has won at the highest level and is a clutch player; he also gives us a different look in the backcourt with his size.”
Daniels, the fourth overall pick out of Bowling Green University in the 1997 draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies, has spent time with five NBA teams – Grizzlies (1997-98), San Antonio Spurs (1998-2002), Portland Trail Blazers (2002-03), Seattle Sonics (2003-05) and the Wizards (2005-08).
He won an NBA Championship as a member of the Spurs during the 1998-99 season where he averaged 4.7 points, 2.3 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per game during his second season in the NBA. Daniels best season in the league came during the 2004-05 season while a member of the Sonics where he averaged a career-best in points (11.2) and rebounds (2.3), while adding 4.1 assists in 27.0 minutes.
Daniels has ranked in the top seven in the NBA in assist per turnover three times in his career, including leading the league during the 2003-04 season.
Dec 8: Grizzlies 109, Rockets 97
The AP reports: O.J. Mayo and the Memphis Grizzlies used a quick start to put away the injury-depleted Houston Rockets. Rudy Gay scored 20 points, Mayo and Hakim Warrick had 18 points apiece, and The Grizzlies scored the first 10 points Monday night in a 109-97 win over the Rockets, who were without two of their top three scorers as Tracy McGrady and Ron Artest sat out with injuries… Kyle Lowry had 11 points and five assists, while Mike Conley and Marc Gasol each had 10 points. Gasol and Warrick had eight rebounds apiece for Memphis. Luis Scola had 16 points and 15 rebounds, and Rafer Alston had 16 points and eight assists for the Rockets. Von Wafer added 15 points, and Yao Ming and Aaron Brooks finished with 14 apiece. Carl Landry had 12 points.
Dec 3: Hawks 105, Grizzlies 95
The AP reports: Josh Smith wasted no time asserting himself after missing the past 12 games with an ankle sprain. The Atlanta Hawks’ fourth-year forward stole a pass from Memphis rookie O.J. Mayo a few seconds after tip-off, passing to Joe Johnson for an easy layup. “I knew I had to do something early just to get myself established in the game,” Smith said. “I definitely wanted to start on the defensive end, and being able to come up with that steal off the tip was key.” Johnson scored 26 points, and Mike Bibby had 20 points and 10 assists in the Atlanta Hawks’ 105-95 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. The Hawks, who have won three of four and five of seven, benefited from Smith’s 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, four turnovers and one blocked shot in 28 minutes… Rudy Gay finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds as Memphis dropped its season-worst seventh straight.
Rookies of Month: Derrick Rose, OJ Mayo
The Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose and the Memphis Grizzlies’ O.J. Mayo today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played from the start of the season (Oct. 28) through November.
Rose is ranked first among all Eastern Conference rookies in scoring average (18.4), assists per game (6.0) and minutes per game (38.0). He has scored in double-figures in all but one game and has led his team in scoring six times and in assists 13 times. He became the first Bulls rookie since Michael Jordan, in 1984-85, to score 10 or more points in the first 10 games of his rookie season. His nine assists in his NBA debut tied for the second-most by a No. 1 pick in his pro debut since the common draft began in 1966.
Mayo leads all rookies in scoring with 21.9 ppg, the highest scoring average for a first-year player since Allen Iverson (23.4 ppg) in 1996-97. He ranks in the Top 10 among rookies in seven major categories, including scoring average, minutes, assists, steals, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage, and is the first rookie to have four 30-plus point games within his first 17 career games since Allen Iverson (five) in 1996-97. In addition, Mayo is on pace to become just the fifth rookie since the 1996-97 season to average over 39.0 minutes, joining LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson and Shane Battier.
Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference T-Mobile Rookies of the Month were Charlotte’s D.J. Augustin, Memphis’ Marc Gasol, Miami’s Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers, Milwaukee’s Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, New Jersey’s Brook Lopez, Portland’s Rudy Fernandez, Sacramento’s Jason Thompson and San Antonio’s George Hill.
Mike Miller still adjusting to Wolves
The St. Paul Pioneer Press (Phil Miller) reports: Mike Miller’s 19-foot jumper to beat the Thunder on Friday was a feel-good moment for the first-year Timberwolf and his victory-starved team. But the 16 shots Miller took before that game-winner might have been even more significant. Miller hit eight of 17 shots in Oklahoma, and was noticeably more willing to assert himself at the offensive end. Along with a 10-for-19 night against the Spurs three weeks ago, it was just the second time since coming to Minnesota on a draft-night trade that Miller resembled the perimeter gunner he had been in Memphis. “He got into a nice rhythm and took some good shots,” said forward Craig Smith. “He can make them.” He can if he takes them, but that’s been the catch for Miller in Minnesota. The 6-foot-8 swingman is a career 46 percent shooter, and 40 percent from three-point range. But Miller has tried to work his way into the Wolves’ offense slowly this year, and has passed up shots he didn’t hesitate to try in his previous nine NBA seasons.
Nov 29: Thunder 111, Grizzlies 103
The AP reports: Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder snapped their long losing streak with a timely game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Durant scored 30 points, and Jeff Green added 22 to help the Thunder end the losing streak at 14 with a 111-103 victory over Memphis on Saturday night… Russell Westbrook had 12 points for the Thunder, and Damien Wilkins and Desmond Mason finished with 11 each. O.J. Mayo led Memphis with 30 points, while Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol had 16 each… The Thunder had come close to ending the winning streak in a couple of games recently, losing on a last-second shot against Minnesota on Friday night and dropping a 99-98 game against Phoenix last Tuesday night. This time, they were able to stop the skid by closing out the game.
Nov 28: Spurs 109, Grizzlies 98
The AP reports: Manu Ginobili made one acrobatic layup after another. Tony Parker zipped a no-look assist, then sank a tough jumper as an encore. Tim Duncan did what he always does. The gang in San Antonio is finally back together… Parker had 15 points and seven assists after a three-week absence, fearlessly charging toward the basket and faking out defenders like he did before missing the past nine games with a sprained ankle… O.J. Mayo scored 32 points for Memphis, beaten by San Antonio for the second time this week… Roger Mason, who started for Parker at point guard, scored 20 points and was one of six Spurs in double figures. Memphis got 26 points from Rudy Gay and came within three points of the Spurs in the fourth quarter before falling behind for good.
Grizzlies assign Hamed Haddadi to D-League
The Memphis Grizzlies assigned center Hamed Haddadi (pronounced ha-MED ha-DAHD-dee) to the Dakota Wizards, their NBA Development League affiliate, General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.
“The Dakota Wizards are a tremendous organization which the Grizzlies are fortunate to have as our affiliate,” Wallace said. “We are eager to watch Hamed’s development under coach Duane Ticknor’s tutelage. This assignment will be a positive experience for Hamed.”
Signed as a rookie free agent on Aug. 28, Haddadi averaged 1.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 9.7 minutes in six preseason games. The 7-2, 280-pound center has yet to make his NBA regular season debut.
A native of Ahvaz, Iran, Haddadi represented his country last summer in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, where he averaged a double-double (16.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocks) in Olympic competition, playing five games for the Iranian National Team.
The 23-year-old also posted 14.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 25.5 minutes in two contests for the Iranian National Team at the 2008 Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City last summer.
Slated to become the first Iranian to ever play in the NBA, Haddadi is the Grizzlies’ first assignment to the D-League since the club assigned Alexander Johnson to the Arkansas RimRockers on March 1, 2007. The 23-year-old is the seventh NBA player (sixth rookie) to be assigned to the Development League in 2008-09.
Haddadi, who will wear jersey No. 50, is expected to make his D-League debut in the Wizards’ regular season opener vs. Iowa Energy on Saturday, Nov. 29 at the Bismarck Civic Center in Bismarck, North Dakota.
Nov 24: Spurs 94, Grizzlies 81
The AP reports: Manu Ginobili returned from his offseason left ankle surgery, and the San Antonio Spurs celebrated with a victory. Ginobili, who missed San Antonio’s first 12 games, scored 12 points to help the Spurs beat the Memphis Grizzlies 94-81 on Monday night… Rookie George Hill scored 20 points and Roger Mason added 18 to lead the Spurs. Tim Duncan added 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks for San Antonio, which has won five of its last six games. O.J. Mayo scored 23 of his 26 points in the second half to lead Memphis, which has dropped seven of its last eight. Rudy Gay scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Darko Milicic had 11 points and 11 rebounds.