NBA Teams – Page 1071 – NBA Blog

Boston Celtics lose Gerald Wallace for season

Here’s the Boston Globe reporting on the Celtics, who have already been facing an uphill battle all season and now get even weaker due to injury:

There was a time where the Celtics’ roster was loaded with players, depth wasn’t an issue for coach Brad Stevens.

Those days are long gone after an eventful Friday at the team’s practice facility, when Stevens revealed that veteran forward Gerald Wallace has a torn meniscus and bone spurs in his ankle and is out for the season.

Team president of basketball operations Danny Ainge confirmed Wallace is out for the season and will need surgery. He has two more years on his contract. Also, Stevens said Vitor Faverani had a second opinion on his sore left knee and may also need surgery, although Ainge said it was “premature” to assume the burly center will miss the rest of the season.

Struggling Knicks get dropped by Heat

Here’s the New York Times reporting on the Knicks, who on Thursday lost to the Miami Heat. New York is now 21-37 for the season and have lost eight of their last 10 games:

Nobody needed Carmelo Anthony to confirm what everyone already knew. But given his uncertain future with the Knicks, his saying it only added to the angst that has gnawed at this team for months.

“Anything that can go wrong,” he said, “is going wrong.”

Anthony spoke roughly nine hours before the Knicks faced the Miami Heat on Thursday night at American Airlines Arena, and then — true to form in this ramshackle season — the Knicks went about their familiar business of making sure more went wrong.

What made their 108-82 loss more disheartening than usual was that they had a chance against the Heat, the N.B.A.’s two-time defending champions — at least for a while. The Knicks were rebounding and scoring, but the game disintegrated amid a flurry of LeBron James dunks and Dwyane Wade jumpers.

“We just didn’t respond,” Knicks Coach Mike Woodson said, adding, “It was like we stopped playing.”

Anthony scored 24 of his 29 points in the first half and proved incapable of sparing the Knicks from their fifth loss in six games since the All-Star break and their 10th in their last 12 games over all.

Wizards survive 3OT thriller vs Raptors

Here’s the Washington Post blog reporting on the Wizards, who on Thursday won a hard-fought triple-overtime battle against the Toronto Raptors:

Trevor Ariza was plowing through a plate of chicken and vegetables in the locker room after the Wizards completed a 3-hour 32-minute marathon with the Toronto Raptors. Ariza usually takes his time to hit the postgame buffet table after road games, but he was in a hurry to grab some grub on Thursday night. Playing almost 50 minutes will do that.

“Pretty tired. Hungry and tired,” Ariza said, when asked about how he felt after the Wizards survived a highly competitive and physically taxing triple-overtime game and left Air Canada Centre with a 134-129 victory. “It was the longest game in the world. You give it all so at the end of the game you’re totally drained. I was drained.”

The Washington basketball franchise hadn’t played a game that needed three overtimes since the Bullets lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, 110-109, on Nov. 15, 1975 – before all but three current NBA players were born (Steve Nash, Derek Fisher and Ray Allen). Wizards broadcaster Phil Chenier was a member of that Bullets team; he and Wes Unseld each scored 25 points that night. When asked his recollection of that contest in the locker room after Thursday’s game, Chenier said, “I don’t remember any of it.”

Chenier’s broadcast partner Steve Buckhantz let him know the Bullets lost that night, to which he said, “That’s probably why I don’t remember.”

Celtics sign Chris Babb to 10-day contract

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed guard Chris Babb to a 10-day contract.

Babb, a 6’5” guard was playing for the Celtics’ NBA Development League affiliate, Maine Red Claws where he averaged 12.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.18 steals and 37.5 minutes in 33 games. He is the 26th Gatorade Call-Up this season from the NBA Development League and the third time the Celtics have signed someone from the D-League this season joining Chris Johnson and Vander Blue. Babb was on the Celtics roster during the 2013 preseason where he appeared in five games for the Celtics and averaged 3.2 points in 6.0 minutes per game while shooting 44.4 percent from three-point territory.

Gustavo Ayon out for season after shoulder surgery

Hawks forward/center Gustavo Ayon had surgery today to repair a right shoulder injury. The surgery was performed at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta by Dr. Xavier Duralde and accompanied by Hawks Team Physician Dr. Michael Bernot from the Peachtree Orthopaedic Clinic.

Ayon will now undergo a period of rest, treatment and rehabilitation. He will be out through the remainder of the season.

At the time of his injury, Ayon had averages of 4.3 points on .510 shooting, 4.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 blocks in 16.5 minutes per game in 26 games (14 starts).

Milwaukee Bucks waive Caron Butler

The Milwaukee Bucks have requested waivers on forward Caron Butler (6-7, 228), General Manager John Hammond announced today. The two sides agreed on a contract buyout.

“When you talk about being a professional and handling yourself with class, that’s what Caron has done here in Milwaukee,” Hammond said. “We thank him for his many positive contributions both on and off the court and wish him and his family well.”

Butler, 33, appeared in 34 games (13 starts) for the Bucks this season, averaging 11.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest. The native of Racine, Wis., scored in double figures in 18 games, including a season-high 38 points on Nov. 22 at Philadelphia. He also tallied a game-high 30 points in a win over Detroit on Jan. 22, giving him multiple 30-point games in a season for the first time since 2008-09. He notched two point/rebound double-doubles this season, giving him multiple double-doubles for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign.

“It’s been a dream come true to wear the Milwaukee uniform which so many of my idols growing up wore,” Butler said. “I’d like to thank Sen. Herb Kohl, John Hammond and Larry Drew for the opportunity to live out my dream of playing for the Bucks. The entire organization has treated me and my family in a first-class manner that we will never forget. I would be remiss if I didn’t also thank the great fans of Milwaukee, Racine and the entire state of Wisconsin for always standing with us during a challenging season. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”

Butler was acquired by the Bucks from Phoenix on Aug. 29. Now in his 12th NBA season, he has played in 764 regular season games for Miami, the Los Angeles Lakers, Washington, Dallas, the Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee, and holds career averages of 15.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

Clippers reportedly hope to land Danny Granger

Here’s ESPN.com reporting on the Los Angeles Clippers, who hope to land the services of Danny Granger, a player that in 2011-12 scored 18.7 ppg but in 2012-13 played just five games, and in 2013-14 so far has averaged just 8.3 ppg on 36% shooting in 22.5 minutes per outing:

The Los Angeles Clippers met with the representatives of swingman Danny Granger during Wednesday night’s game against the Houston Rockets and have nudged ahead of the San Antonio Spurs in the race for Granger’s services, according to sources close to the process.

The Clippers are widely regarded as the team best positioned to provide Granger the playing time and the championship contention he craves.

And they’ve stepped up their pursuit of the former All-Star, sources told ESPN.com, at least partly due to growing concern within the organization about the status of guard J.J. Redick, who has missed the past nine games and is out indefinitely with a back injury.

Sacramento Kings, Jimmer Fredette agree to contract buyout

The Sacramento Kings and guard Jimmer Fredette have mutually agreed to a contract buyout, according to Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro.

“This was a very tough decision, but we’re confident that the agreement reached today represents the most productive path forward, both for Jimmer and the Kings,” said D’Alessandro. “Echoing a sentiment that everyone who knows him appreciates about Jimmer, he’s a tremendous person and a consummate professional. We thank him for the meaningful contributions he made to the team and in the Sacramento community. On behalf of an entire organization, we wish him nothing but great success in the future.”

Through 41 games, Fredette is averaging 5.9 points (.475 FG%, .493 3pt%, .895 FT%), 1.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 11.3 minutes per game in 41 games off the bench. He has accrued career averages of 7.0 points (.416 FG%, .402 3pt%, .855 FT%), 1.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 15.0 minutes per game in 171 career contests with Sacramento.

Battle for new Sacramento arena continues

Here’s the Sacramento Bee reporting on the latest developments regarding plans for a new arena that would become home to the Kings:

A leader of one of the political campaigns that attempted to force a public vote on Sacramento’s arena plan said this morning that the group will not appeal a judge’s ruling that struck the measure from the ballot.

Craig Powell of Voters for a Fair Arena Deal said the decision has been made not to appeal Judge Timothy Frawley’s ruling Wednesday that signature petitions handed in by the group and Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed to Pork (STOP) included too many errors for the petitions to be valid.

Powell said the decision was made after Frawley indicated in a hearing on Friday that the petitions had significant flaws.

Fun between Rajon Rondo and the media continues

Here’s WEEI reporting on Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo:

In typical Rajon Rondo fashion, the Celtics point guard addressed the media in Boston for the first time since the Boston Herald report claiming he skipped the team’s trip to Sacramento without permission.

What does he make of the media firestorm unleashed after his alleged decision to remain in Los Angeles to celebrate his 28th birthday with friends and family? “I haven’t really read much about it,” he said. “I heard a lot of comments. Nobody knows the story, so you guys keep making up every story you guys possibly can.”

What, exactly, is the story? “It’s my business,” he followed. “It’s not yours.”