NBA Teams – Page 1127 – NBA Blog

Philadelphia 76ers exercise contract options on Arnett Moultrie and Tony Wroten

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced they have exercised the third-year team options on the Rookie Scale Contracts for forward Arnett Moultrie and guard Tony Wroten.

Moultrie (6-10, 240) was originally the 27th overall pick by Miami in the 2012 NBA Draft before his rights were traded to Philadelphia. As a rookie last season, Moultrie appeared in 47 games for the Sixers and had the second-highest field goal percentage (.582) of any rookie with more than 25 games played. The 22-year-old was named First Team All-SEC as a junior at Mississippi State in 2011-12 and led the SEC in rebounding.

Wroten (6-6, 205) was selected by Memphis with the 25th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. He was acquired via trade by the Sixers back in August. The 20-year-old averaged 11 points for the Sixers this preseason after scoring 10-plus points once as a rookie for the Grizzlies in 2012-13. In his only season at the University of Washington, Wroten was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and became the first freshman in school history to earn First Team All-Conference honors.

Will Kyrie Irving be a Cav for life?

Will Kyrie Irving be a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers for his entire career? Maybe. OK, but will he at least stick around once his rookie contract expires? Nobody knows. Not him, not you, not anybody. Here’s the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

When it comes to retaining the Cavaliers’ superstar, it’s never too early to begin the discussion – if only to appease the Cleveland faithful that had their hearts broken three years ago.

So even though Kyrie Irving isn’t going to be a free agent any time soon — the Cavaliers can offer him a long-term extension next summer — when the topic came up for owner Dan Gilbert before the season opener, he was quick to assure that “we feel good about Kyrie being here for his entire career.”

A day later, Irving cautioned that it’s way too early to talk about contracts, but he will offer one bit of reassurance: He has a great relationship with Gilbert.

Atlanta Hawks exercise contract option on John Jenkins

The Atlanta Hawks have exercised the third-year (2014-‘15) option on the contract of John Jenkins, it was announced Thursday by President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ferry.

As a rookie last season, Jenkins averaged 6.1 points and 1.5 rebounds in 14.8 minutes (.446 FG%, .384 3FG%, .843 FT%), playing in 61 games (two starts). He ranked fifth among all rookies in three-point percentage, was tied for 18th in scoring and tied for 19th in assists per game. He was Atlanta’s first-round pick (23rd overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft.

Bobcats exercise contract options on Bismack Biyombo, Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has exercised its fourth-year options on forward/center Bismack Biyombo and guard Kemba Walker, as well as the third-year option on forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

“We are excited to keep these three up-and-coming players as part of our core for another season,” Higgins said. “We have been very pleased with their development over their careers so far and look forward to seeing them continue to grow both in the season that is just starting and in 2014-15.”

The seventh overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Biyombo has played in 144 career games for the Bobcats, averaging 5.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 25.5 minutes. Biyombo, who is already third on the team’s career blocked shot list (258), ranked eighth in the NBA in blocked shots as a rookie in 2011-12 (1.8) and ninth in 2012-13 (1.8). He has led the Bobcats in both rebounding and blocks in each of his two seasons, setting a franchise single-season record with 44 multiple-block games last season.

The ninth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Walker has played in 149 straight games since joining the Bobcats, with averages of 15.2 points, 5.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 31.4 minutes. In 2012-13, he was one of five players in the NBA to lead his team in scoring (17.7), assists (5.7) and steals (2.0). Walker ranked fifth in the league in steals per game and set the franchise single-season record for steals with 160. He has participated in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend in each of his two NBA seasons.

The second overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Kidd-Gilchrist earned Second Team All-Rookie honors last season after averaging 9.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 78 games played. In addition to being named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for November 2012, he was also selected to participate in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend. Kidd-Gilchrist posted a pair of games with 25 points and 12 rebounds, joining LeBron James as the only players to record two such games prior to their 20th birthday.

Memphis Grizzlies sign Quincy Pondexter to contract extension

The Memphis Grizzlies signed guard/forward Quincy Pondexter to a contract extension, the team announced today. According to CSNNW, the deal is for four years, $14 million.

Pondexter (6-6, 225) led the Grizzlies in three-point field goal percentage (career-high .395) in 59 games (one start) last season and also averaged career highs with 6.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in 21.1 minutes. He made 60 three-pointers last season after recording a total of 40 threes over his first two NBA seasons.

Pondexter further increased his production during the 2013 NBA Playoffs, averaging 8.9 points and 2.5 rebounds on .489 shooting (.453 3FG shooting) in 23.8 minutes in 15 postseason games. The 25-year-old posted 15.3 points and 3.3 rebounds on .537 shooting (.480 3FG shooting) in 32.0 minutes during the 2013 Western Conference Finals, leading the Grizzlies in scoring twice during the series.

After a 13-point performance in the 2013-14 season opener on Oct. 30 at San Antonio, Pondexter holds career averages of 4.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists on .431 shooting (.366 3FG shooting) in 15.8 minutes in 190 games (15 starts) for Memphis and New Orleans.

Boston Celtics exercise contract option on Jared Sullinger

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have exercised a contract option on forward Jared Sullinger for the 2014-15 season.

This was an expected move. Sullinger is a talented young player and it makes sense to keep him around and see how he develops.

According to the Boston Herald, Sullinger will make $1,424,520 in the 2014-15 season.

Sullinger, a 6’9” forward, averaged 6.0 points and 5.9 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game during the 2012-13 season. The second-year player only appeared in 45 games as a rookie for the Celtics before missing the final 37 games of the season due to lumbar disc surgery. Sullinger averaged 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steal in 20.6 minutes per game during the 2013 preseason. He notched preseason highs of 19 points and nine rebounds at Philadelphia on October 11.

Part-owner Shaq wants playoffs for Kings

Can the Sacramento Kings make the playoffs this season? Sure seems like a tough goal when you look at their roster. But new part-owner Shaquille O’Neal says a postseason spot is within the realm of possibility. Here’ the Sacramento Bee:

A postseason berth would be the franchise’s first since the 2005-06 season.

“Looking at the personnel here and the Western Conference, I think we can do it,” O’Neal said. “We can get a playoff spot. Our goal should be the playoffs.”

Bigs together – O’Neal said he will continue to work with DeMarcus Cousins, offering wisdom for the young center’s development on and off the court.

But only to a point.

“I won’t micromanage him,” O’Neal said. “He’s a young guy who is still growing up. I know he wants to be a great big man. I can show him the keys.”

Big victory for Sacramento is keeping the Kings

The big victory for the Kings in recent years, as far as Sacramento is considered, is that the team is still in town and did not wind up being relocated to Seattle or elsewhere. Here’s the Sacramento Bee:

Standing at center court in Sleep Train Arena on Wednesday night amid smoke from exploding fireworks, new Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, microphone in hand, uttered a few words.

“Sacramento, I have just one thing to say to you,” he said, pausing, his face a mask of seriousness. “This is your team. And it is here to stay.”

A standing-room-only crowd in Sleep Train Arena exploded in cheers. It was a moment many here thought just six months ago would never happen. And yet, the Kings hosted a noisy, purple-hued celebration Wednesday in Natomas, launching their 29th and most improbable season in Sacramento.

The game, which the Kings won 90-88 over the Denver Nuggets, capped a triumphant night.

Many in the crowd said they had come to bask in the fact that Sacramento had somehow, over the last three years, fended off serious attempts by two cities to take the team – both of which seemed, at points, to be done deals.

Wilson Chandler still recovering from hamstring injury

Here’s the Denver Post on a key piece of the Nuggets who has been sidelined a bit longer than expected:

Wilson Chandler’s face would never give away his sense of worry, of frustration, of most anything. He’s as even-keeled as they come.

And yet he’s been dealing with a nagging hamstring injury that cost him pretty much all of the preseason and has spilled into the regular season, sidelining him for Wednesday night’s season opener against Sacramento.

Chandler’s inability to get better is concerning to Nuggets coach Brian Shaw.

“I am concerned with that,” Shaw said. “But at this point, it’s the beginning of the season — hamstring, those kinds of muscle pulls, strains, tears, can hamper you and linger for a long time. I just want him to be able to get it right and feel confident that when he does he can come out there and be productive for us.”

Allen Iverson announces retirement from basketball

To NBA fans, Allen Iverson, one of the most exciting guards in history, has basically been retired for several years now. But as for Iverson himself, it’s finally an official done deal as of yesterday. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Allen Iverson, who last played in the NBA in 2010, formally announced his retirement, and like his career, it was done with flair.

Speaking at an afternoon news conference at the Wells Fargo Center, Iverson was emotional, talking about his career and those close to him.

Iverson was candid in his comments and unwavering in his belief in himself and what he stood for. When asked if there was anything he would change during a stormy career, he said, “No, not one thing.”

Then he expanded.

“It’s easy to say I wish I would have done things this way, but I can’t go back and rewind it back and do it all over. I am happy with the way I done it because it taught me a lot.”