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The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have waived guard/forward Courtney Fells and guard Dan Nwaelele.
Fells appeared in three preseason games, averaging 4.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 12.4 minutes of action.
Nwaelele saw action in three preseason games, averaging 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 12.3 minutes.
San Antonio’s roster now stands at 14.
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Kenyon Martin’s lingering ankle injury will keep him out of Monday’s preseason game against the Raptors. It may also keep him out of the Knicks’ season opener.
Martin suffered an ankle injury late last season but returned to play in every playoff game for the Knicks.
But the injury is still bothering Martin, according to Mike Woodson.
“His knees are fine. He feels great there. It’s just, he’s nursing his ankle,” Woodson said after Saturday’s practice.
Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York
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Amar’e Stoudemire took a big step toward getting back on the court Saturday, but his status for the season opener is still up in the air.
Stoudemire was cleared for contact and participated in half-court drills Saturday. It was the first contact for Stoudemire since he underwent surgery on his knee over the summer.
“I felt explosive. So we’ll see how the progress continues,” Stoudemire said.
Stoudemire collided with rookie Tim Hardaway Jr. in half-court drills and hit his head, but he seemed to be OK.
Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York
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“If it ain’t on the Xbox, I ain’t reading it,” said Wallace. “I couldn’t tell you anything about no magazines, newspapers, none of that.”
But try as he might to avoid the noise, even Wallace couldn’t help but acknowledge that few pundits expect Boston to be very competitive this season with most win projections — both locally and nationally — topping out in the high 20s.
“Our main thing is we want to try to get better,” said the 31-year-old Wallace, the Boston player with the most service time in the league (12 seasons). “We know nobody is picking us to win the championship; nobody is picking us to make the playoffs. Our main thing is we just gotta continue to get better. I told the guys, we’re like a sleeper team. We’re that team that everybody’s looking at on their schedule like, ‘OK, we can get a win,’ [or,] ‘We can rest, this might be a night off for us.’ We can surprise some teams and do some things. … A lot of teams are not going to be expecting it.”
Reported by Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston
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The Milwaukee Bucks have exercised the third-year contract option on John Henson (6-11, 220), and the fourth-year contract option on Brandon Knight (6-3, 189), General Manager John Hammond announced today.
Henson, 22, appeared in 63 games (nine starts) during his rookie season, averaging 6.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest. The 14th overall pick by Milwaukee in last year’s draft, Henson posted eight double-figure rebounding games in his rookie season, including 25 boards against Orlando on April 10 that stood as the high game by a rookie in the NBA last season. Henson added 17 points and seven blocks in that game, becoming the first NBA player with 17+ points, 25+ rebounds and 7+ blocks in a game since Shaquille O’Neal did so during the 2003-04 season. Henson also snared 18 rebounds at Miami on Nov. 21, giving him the top two single-game rebounding totals by a Bucks rookie in the last 25 years.
Knight, 21, joins the Bucks this season after playing his first two years for the Detroit Pistons, where he was selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. The third-year guard has started 135 of his 141 career games, with averages of 13.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest. An All-Rookie First Team selection in 2011-12, Knight also participated in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge at both the 2012 and 2013 NBA All-Star Weekends. In four preseason appearance for the Bucks, Knight has posted 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 22.5 minutes per game.
Under the terms of the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement, the first two years of a first round draft pick’s contract are guaranteed, while the third and fourth year of the contract are the team’s option.
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At 31, Gomes might have thought he was past the point of proving himself. But that’s precisely what he must now do to make the Thunder and cash in on his partially guaranteed contract.
“It’s a challenge that I’ve got to be ready for,” Gomes said. “I know it’s a performance league and you’ve got to go out there and perform and play well.”
Gomes finally got the chance to perform in the Thunder’s fourth preseason game Thursday night against New Orleans. He scored 11 points in 12 minutes, making all three of his 3-point attempts while displaying a good defensive disposition.
“I think I can provide that on a daily basis,” Gomes said.
Reported by Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman
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Clippers Coach Doc Rivers had the Lakers’ championship banners covered and had his players’ banners draped over them instead at Staples Center.
Rivers said it will be done whenever it’s the Clippers’ home game in the arena they share with the Lakers.
The Lakers have 12 championship banners — Minneapolis has its five titles on one banner — and 10 retired jerseys, including Chick Hearn’s microphone retired jersey.
“Well, I didn’t look at it as the banner thing,” Rivers maintained. “I just look at it as putting our guys up.”
Rivers had the banners of Jamal Crawford, Blake Griffin, J.J. Redick, DeAndre Jordan, Jared Dudley, Chris Paul and Matt Barnes all put up on the wall.
Reported by Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times
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Billups is surprised that no one signed Hamilton, who was waived by the Bulls in the off-season.
“I’m not sure what he’s going to do yet, but I am surprised,” Billups said this week. “I’m hoping that sometime soon somebody will pick him up. I worked out with him a lot this summer. He’s in great shape and looking like the Rip of old. He’s got his self healthy again, so I’m hoping. I know that he can really, really help somebody.”
Hamilton, 35, once was one of the top shooting guards in the NBA with the Pistons, but after declining as a player and becoming a disruptive presence, the Pistons bought him out at the conclusion of the 2011 NBA lockout.
Reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press
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[Coach Rick] Carlisle said Crowder is in a tough spot because his offense suffers while he consistently tries to slow down scoring machines such as Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James.
“But that’s one of the reasons we like him,” Carlisle said. “He’s one of the best defenders we’ve got.
“He can guard guys that run off screens, he’s a good one-on-one defender, he’s got good size, he can guard different positions, he’s played some [power forward], he’s played some [shooting guard], and he mostly plays [small forward],” Carlisle said. “The flexibility that he gives us is a big plus.”
It’s a big plus that Crowder takes seriously. That’s why he took the initiative over the off-season to try to improve his defensive skills.
Reported by Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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Derrick Rose believes the Bulls have only one main rival — and it’s the Miami Heat, not the Indiana Pacers.
Rose made his feelings known before Friday night’s preseason contest against the Pacers.
While being respectful regarding Indiana’s recent success, Rose acknowledged that he believed any rivalry with the Pacers is a thing of the past.
“People say that it’s a rivalry, but I don’t really see it,” Rose said before scoring 32 points in the team’s 103-98 win against the Pacers. “I say the team that is more like a rivalry is when Darren Collison was on the team. That one was more like a rivalry, but this team is a great team. They’ve already proven themselves last year by making it to the Eastern Conference finals.”
Reported by Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago