NBA Teams – Page 1066 – NBA Blog

Magic sign Dewayne Dedmon, Adonis Thomas to second 10-day contracts

The Orlando Magic have signed center Dewayne Dedmon and guard-forward Adonis Thomas each to a second 10-day contract, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today. Dedmon and Thomas both originally signed 10-day contracts on Feb. 25.

Dedmon (#3, 7’0”, 255, 8/12/89) has appeared in two games with Orlando, averaging 2.5 ppg. and 1.5 rpg. in 2.2 minpg. He has played in 17 combined games this season with Golden State, Philadelphia and Orlando, averaging 2.5 ppg. and 3.1 rpg. in 9.4 minpg. He also appeared in 15 games with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League, averaging 15.2 ppg., 13.1 rpg., 1.3 apg., 2.33 blkpg. and 1.53 stlpg. in 33.7 minpg.

Thomas (#8, 6’7”, 235, 3/25/93) has appeared in three games with Orlando, averaging 2.3 ppg. and 1.0 rpg. in 7.6 minpg. He played in 26 games (21 starts) with the Springfield Armor of the NBA Development League, averaging 16.2 ppg., 4.2 rpg. and 1.3 apg. in 35.1 minpg., while shooting .469 (38-81) from three-point range.

Not drafted by an NBA team in 2013, Dedmon played in 51 games (49 starts) during his two-year career at USC, averaging 7.1 ppg., 6.7 rpg. and 1.67 blkpg. In 2012-13 as a redshirt junior, he appeared in 31 games (29 starts), averaging 6.7 ppg., 7.0 rpg., 2.13 blkpg. and 1.10 stlpg. in 22.3 minpg. He led the Trojans in rebounding and blocked shots. Dedmon did not play organized basketball until his senior year of high school due to religious reasons and played one season at Antelope Valley College in his hometown of Lancaster, CA, before transferring to USC.

Also undrafted in 2013, Thomas played in 55 games (44 starts) during two years at the University of Memphis, averaging 10.7 ppg., 4.0 rpg. and 1.5 apg. in 27.5 minpg. He was named to the Conference USA All-Tournament Team in 2013.

Orlando’s roster stands at 14 players.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich handles timeouts in his own special way

Here’s ESPN.com on Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who marches to the beat of his own drum, as the expression goes:

Gregg Popovich handles timeouts in his own way

Gregg Popovich, famously curt and sarcastic, revealed one of the secrets to the San Antonio Spurs’ success in a moment of candid reflection Tuesday, saying empowering his players to communicate on the court as he does during timeouts is key to getting them to make the right decisions throughout a game.

Popovich, speaking to media before a typically efficient 122-101 rout of the host Cleveland Cavaliers, said he often mines the “competitiveness and the character of the player” in shaping them into confident, productive components of the Spurs’ offense.

“Sometimes in timeouts I’ll say, ‘I’ve got nothing for you. What do you want me to do? We just turned it over six times. Everybody’s holding the ball. What else do you want me to do here? Figure it out,’ ” Popovich said, according to the San Antonio Express-News, not long before the Spurs used 14 3-pointers and a season-high 39 assists to dispatch the Cavs. “And I’ll get up and walk away. Because it’s true. There’s nothing else I can do for them. I can give them some bulls—, and act like I’m a coach or something, but it’s on them.”

Nate Robinson plans to return to Nuggets

Here’s ESPN News Services reporting on explosive scoring guard Nate Robinson, who is good at coming off a bench, scoring in a hurry and creating havok:

Denver Nuggets point guard Nate Robinson, who is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in January, vows that he’ll exercise his player option and return to the team next season.

“Things happen,” Robinson told the Denver Post on Wednesday. “God always has a plan for everybody. So, it’s just another obstacle that I’ve got to hop over and keep pushing. But for me, it’s going push me to continue to work hard.

Nuggets finally end losing streak

Here’s the Denver Post reporting on the Nuggets, who for the moment can hold their heads high once again:

These postgame shindigs had become so nuts-and-bolts, it took until the end for anyone to remember to step back and take a look at the entire forest. The Nuggets had won. There were reasons for that, of course. Many of them.

But the Nuggets had won on Wednesday night, after losing six straight. After not winning at home since Feb. 5. That, in and of itself, no matter how it was accomplished, was a relief.

Nuggets 115, Mavericks 110.

The Pepsi Center crowd could finally exhale.

Finally.

“It’s been a long time,” a relieved Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said. “It feels good. Especially here, where we’ve let down our crowd so many times. It just goes to show that when we have the healthy bodies and we play the way we’re capable of playing, we can play with anybody.”

LeBron, Durant doing big NBA things

Here’s the San Antonio Express-News with a look into the further development of already-great LeBron James:

It speaks to the greatness of LeBron James that, in a season Kevin Durant would otherwise be the runaway candidate for MVP, he’s still worth discussing.

Indeed, after a month in which James averaged 30.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.7 steals, punctuated by a career-high 61 points on just 33 shots against Charlotte, the award might not be quite the mortal lock it appeared even a few weeks ago.

A strong likelihood? For sure; Durant has been nothing short of brilliant. But with James enjoying historic efficiency, and the Heat lurking just behind Indiana for the league’s best record entering tonight’s game against the Spurs, it’s no longer a foregone conclusion.

The raw numbers — 27.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists — are right in line with what James has been putting up for the last decade. But for Durant, he’d be on pace to lead the league in Player Efficiency Rating (30.2) for a seventh straight season, and win shares (12.2) for a sixth. (Only Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain have been as prolific in those categories.)

Joakim Noah reportedly wants Carmelo Anthony in Chicago

Here’s ESPN New York summarizing a report that Bulls center Joakim Noah wants Carmelo Anthony in Chicago. It’s way too early in 2014 to take any off-season free agency reports too seriously, but it’s fun to at least consider the possibilities:

Is Carmelo Anthony recruita-Bull?

ESPN’s Chris Broussard reports that Chicago center Joakim Noah tried to sell Carmelo on the idea of joining the Bulls in free agency, citing a source with knowledge of the conversation.

Broussard reports that Noah told Anthony over All-Star weekend, “Look, you could go to Los Angeles but … if you want to win a ring, come to Chicago.”

Anthony didn’t offer any guarantees, Broussard reports.

But he did say that he admires how “hard” Noah and the Bulls play and how “hungry” they are. Anthony also added that Derrick Rose is his son’s favorite player. Read into that what you will.

Kings sign Royce White to 10-day contract, assign him to D-League

The Sacramento Kings today signed forward Royce White to a 10-day contract, according to Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro. White has been assigned to the Kings D-League affiliate Reno Bighorns.

White has a serious issue with anxiety and a major fear of flying. His pro career has been a severe struggle. It’s a surprise that another NBA team is giving him a chance, even just on a 10-day deal. Hopefully he can step up and put himself back on the basketball map.

White was originally selected by the Houston Rockets in the first round (16th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft. Assigned to Houston’s D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, White averaged 11.4 points (.444 FG%, .659 FT%), 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 25.5 minutes per game in 16 contests (started 8).

On July 13, 2013, the Rockets traded White, the rights to center/forward Furkan Aldemir (four-KAHN ahl-DEE-meer) and additional consideration to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for future draft considerations. White was waived by the 76ers on October 25, 2013.

Thunder sign Reggie Williams to 10-day contract

The Oklahoma City Thunder has signed forward Reggie Williams to a 10-day contract, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

In 20 games this season with the Tulsa 66ers, Williams averaged 20.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.55 steals in 37.3 minutes per game.

This past week, Williams was named the D-League Performer of the Week for games played Feb. 24 – Mar. 3 after helping lead Tulsa to a 3-0 week while averaging 25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals during this span.

Williams has appeared in 177 NBA games (32 starts) and recorded career averages of 8.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 20.0 minutes per game as a member of the Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Bobcats.

The signing of Williams represents the 31st D-League Gatorade Call-Up this season and the sixth Call-Up all-time between the 66ers and the Thunder.

Williams is expected to join the Thunder prior to tonight’s game versus the Suns in Phoenix, AZ.

The Thunder roster now stands at 15.

Nets sign Jorge Gutierrez to 10-day contract

The Brooklyn Nets have signed guard Jorge Gutierrez to a 10-day contract, General Manager Billy King announced today.

Gutierrez (6-3, 195) joins the Nets from the Canton Charge of the NBA Development League, where he has appeared in 35 games (all starts) this season, averaging 13.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.9 assists (tied for third in the D-League) and 1.2 steals in 32.7 minutes per game. Prior to the 2013-14 NBA season, Gutierrez was signed to the Nets’ training camp roster, where he appeared in five preseason games, averaging 1.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, before being waived on October 26.

After going undrafted in the 2012 NBA Draft, Gutierrez spent last season with the Charge and was named to the NBA D-League’s All-Defensive First Team and All-Rookie First Team. A four-year player at the University of California, Gutierrez was named Pac-12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year following his senior season.

A native of Chihuahua, Mexico, Gutierrez will wear #13 for Brooklyn.

Cavs hope to get Anderson Varejao back soon

Here’s the Akron Beacon Journal reporting on the Cleveland Cavaliers, who would certainly benefit from the return of a hard-working big-man:

The Cavs could receive a boost this weekend with the return of Anderson Varejao, although no one wants to declare Varejao ready. He participated in Wednesday’s practice, but Brown conceded they didn’t do much physical work. That should change with today’s practice, which should give Varejao a better gauge on if he’s ready.

Varejao told the Beacon Journal last week he intended to play this week, but was much more vague Wednesday.

“We can’t set a date yet, but I would love to hopefully play the next game,” he said. “If not, I feel like I’m pretty close. But I just don’t know when yet.”

Varejao has missed the past 11 games with knee and back issues. He missed a week in January with a knee injury and said last week he believes overcompensating for the knee injury after returning might have led to the back problems.