Grizzlies waive Jeremy Richardson

InsideHoops.com NewsWire: The Memphis Grizzlies waived guard/forward Jeremy Richardson, club General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

Richardson, a 6-7, 195-pound swingman, was signed on Dec. 20 and appeared in three games, totaling one rebound and one assist in 15 minutes played.

Prior to his GATORADE Call-up from the NBA Development League, Richardson was averaging a league-high 28.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.63 steals in 41.5 minutes in eight games this season for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

The current roster now stands at 13 players.

Damon Stoudamire wants trade from Grizzlies

Looks like Memphis point guard Damon Stoudamire, who this season in 21.5 minutes per game has averaged 7.3 points and 3.9 assists on 39.7% shooting, has no interest in being bench fodder while young Mike Conley and Kyle Lowry pass him on the depth charts. The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports:

Grizzlies veteran point guard Damon Stoudamire will seek a trade or contract buyout, his agent said Thursday. Stoudamire was removed from the starting lineup in favor of first-round draft pick Mike Conley. Stoudamire was on the inactive list for the Grizzlies’ victory Wednesday over Indiana. Aaron Goodwin, an experienced NBA agent with a star-studded client list, called the decision to relegate Stoudamire to an insurance player at the point unacceptable and disrespectful.

The Grizzlies have struggled this season and with 9 wins and 22 losses are tied for the 5th lowest winning percentage in the league.

Grizzlies sign Jeremy Richardson

The Memphis Grizzlies today signed free agent guard/forward Jeremy Richardson, the top scorer in the NBA Development League.

Richardson, a 6-7, 195-pound swingman, was averaging a league-high 28.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.63 steals in 41.5 minutes in eight games this season for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the NBA D-League.

“We are pleased to call Jeremy Richardson up from the NBA Development League’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants,” said Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace. “He is an exciting young talent whose career is on a real upswing.  Jeremy can shoot the three-pointer, is very good at coming off screens and is blessed with impressive length and size for a perimeter player.

“Jeremy has received excellent coaching and an opportunity to develop his game against strong competition in an NBA-like setting over his time in the D-League.  The D-League is an invaluable training ground for talented young players such as Jeremy who need to transition into professional basketball.”

Richardson is the fourth GATORADE Call-Up from the D-League this season, joining Miami’s Luke Jackson, Denver’s Jelani McCoy and New Jersey’s Eddie Gill. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana native was also named the D-League Performer of the Week on December 3 after scoring a D-League season-high 40 points vs. the Iowa Energy on November 29.

The Delta State alum (Cleveland, Mississippi) had two call-ups to the NBA last season with the Atlanta Hawks and Portland Trail Blazers, averaging 1.3 points in six games in limited playing time. The 23-year-old spent the majority of the 2006-07 season with the Forth Worth Flyers in the D-League.  Recently, Richardson was one of the Miami Heat’s final cuts on October 29.

The current roster stands at 14 players. Richardson will wear No. 3.

Grizzlies waive Tarence Kinsey

The Memphis Grizzlies announced today that they have requested waivers on guard Tarence Kinsey.

Kinsey, a 6-6, 189-pound guard, was averaging 3.6 points and 1.1 rebounds in 8.7 minutes in 11 appearances this season. An undrafted free agent out of South Carolina, he averaged 7.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in his rookie season with the Grizzlies in 2006-07. Kinsey came on strong late in the season when he was named the NBA’s Western Conference Rookie of the Month after averaging 18.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.63 steals last April.

The current roster stands at 13 players.

Pau Gasol out with jammed right big toe

The Memphis Grizzlies announced today that forward/center Pau Gasol will be out indefinitely due to a jammed right big toe.

Gasol, who originally suffered the injury in yesterday’s practice, was placed on the team’s inactive list prior to tonight’s contest vs. the Los Angeles Clippers. In his place, the club activated forward Andre Brown.

The 7-0, 260-pound forward/center leads the club in rebounds (7.7, T-31st in NBA) and double-doubles (seven, T-27th), and is second in scoring (17.3, 44th) in 21 games played this season. The seven-year NBA veteran has scored in double figures in 79 consecutive games, which is the third-longest active streak in the NBA behind only Denver’s Carmelo Anthony (152) and Boston’s Ray Allen (118).

Rudy Gay stepping up

SI.com’s Ian Thompson reports: Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies — He ranks second among NBA sophomores in scoring with 18.1 points, a mark that leads the Grizzlies and represents a big hike over the 10.8 points he averaged as a rookie. Memphis has amped up the tempo to 103.8 points (sixth highest in the league) and the 6-9 Gay is their arrowhead, a versatile athlete who is improving his decision-making with the ball. “He’s picking up the whole idea of seeing what are they giving me,” coach Marc Iavaroni said. “If the defense says you should be going to the basket, then you should be going to the basket. If they give you a shot, then it’s your duty to take that shot.”

Mike Conley out indefinitely with right shoulder tear

The Memphis Grizzlies announced today that rookie guard Mike Conley will be out indefinitely due to a posterior labral tear in his right shoulder.

Conley, the fourth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, originally suffered the injury on Nov. 17 against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The 6-1, 180-pound playmaker will undergo rehabilitation and will miss a minimum of two-to-three weeks. He was placed on the inactive list prior to last night’s 125-108 victory over Seattle at FedExForum.

The 20-year-old is averaging 5.6 points and leads all rookies with 4.2 assists in 14.4 minutes in five games played.

Rudy Gay scoring big this season

Averaging a team-high 19.2 points per contest, Grizzlies second-year forward Rudy Gay is second among all 2006 draftees in scoring, nearly doubling his output from his rookie season (10.8 in 2006-07). He has recorded double-figures in eight of nine games this season and has surpassed the 20-point mark four times. He finished with 20-plus in eight games total in his rookie year.

– NBA News

Several NBA sophomores are stepping up

NBA News: The top three vote-getters in last year’s Rookie of the Year balloting are acquitting themselves quite nicely during the early going of their sophomore campaigns.

Portland’s Brandon Roy, the 2006-07 Rookie of the Year, is pacing the Trail Blazers in scoring (20.7 ppg) and assists (6.0 apg).

Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani has converted 15 of 30 three-point attempts and is averaging 13.4 points to go along with 4.6 rebounds.

Memphis’ Rudy Gay is averaging a team-high 20.6 points, nearly doubling his rookie average (10.8 ppg).

Other notable second-year performers include, but are not limited to: Roy’s teammate LaMarcus Aldridge, who is averaging 19.2 points and 7.7 rebounds; Golden State’s Kelenna Azubuike, who is averaging 18.8 points and shooting .531 from the field; Utah’s Ronnie Brewer, who is shooting .580 from the field, .429 from beyond the arc and .828 from the line in averaging 15.3 points; Cleveland’s Daniel Gibson, who is shooting .528 from three-point land while averaging 12.4 points; and Gay’s teammate Kyle Lowry, who is averaging 10.8 points and 4.4 rebounds.