NBA Teams – Page 1163 – NBA Blog

Sixers forward Arnett Moultrie out for months after ankle surgery

Philadelphia 76ers forward Arnett Moultrie suffered an injury to the medial malleolus of his left ankle last week and underwent surgery on Thursday, September 26. Moultrie is not expected to return until some time in the new year.

The Sixers are rebuilding, and while their rotation for upcoming new season wasn’t quite clear yet, it was expected that Moultrie was going to play a solid role.

Sixers center Kwame Brown suffered a right hamstring strain during off-season workouts and will receive a second opinion.

DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings agree to contract extension

DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings agrees to contract extension

The Kings have reached an agreement on a contract extension with center DeMarcus Cousins for four years worth approximately $62 million.

The most Cousins was eligible for under the collective bargaining agreement was five years and $80 million.

The contract takes effect for the 2014-15 season.

The deadline for first-round draft picks from 2010 to agree to contract extensions is Oct. 31. If the Kings had not reached an agreement, they could not sign Cousins until an agreement until after this season.

Reported by Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee

Cousins deal will include no early termination option, which could’ve been possible after the third year of the deal, a source said.

After resisting the idea of giving Cousins a max deal without conditions in the contract, the Kings finally relented and gave the talented, but tempermental young center the offer he and his agent, Dan Fegan, had sought in negotiations.

Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports

Grizzlies owner Robert Pera will play Tony Allen 1-on-1, for charity

Memphis Grizzlies Chairman and Controlling Owner Robert Pera will play Grizzlies guard Tony Allen in an exhibition game of one-on-one in the Coventry Health Care Practice Facility at FedExForum on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 4 p.m. Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph will officiate.

Pera and Allen agreed to the exhibition contest and to donate $100,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® to tip-off the 2013-14 season. The event will be streamed live at grizzlies.com and broadcast live on ESPN Radio 92.9 FM.

This event is closed to the public.

Atlanta Hawks will host open practice on October 5, 2013

The entire Atlanta Hawks roster and coaching staff will be tipping-off the 2013-14 season with an open practice on October 5, 2013 at Philips Arena. The event is free to the general public with doors at the CNN entrance opening at 4:00pm for a 5:00pm tip-off.

Open practice will consist of two teams of current Hawks players scrimmaging during three, 12-minute quarters. In-game elements for the day include a Q&A with Coach Budenholzer, play-by-play from the voice of the Hawks, Steve Holman, appearances by Atlanta Hawks cheerleaders and Harry the Hawk, and a 50/50 jackpot raffle benefitting the Atlanta Hawks Foundation.

The Hawks’ open Practice will also be streamed live on Hawks.com.

Utah Jazz waive guard Jerel McNeal

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has waived guard Jerel McNeal. Following the move, Utah’s roster now stands at 13 players.

McNeal (6-3, 200, Marquette), whose first name is pronounced Jah-rell, was originally signed by the Jazz to a 10-day contract on March 27 from the NBA Development League’s Bakersfield Jam, then signed for the remainder of the 2012-13 season on April 6.

McNeal did not appear in a game for the Jazz.

Gerald Wallace yet to show himself as a Celtic

Back in July, when the Boston Celtics formally introduced the players acquired from the Brooklyn Nets as part of this summer’s nine-player blockbuster swap, small forward Gerald Wallace was absent, excused from the press conference to attend the start of his youth basketball camp in his native Alabama.

Seventy-three days later, with training camp less than a week away, the former All-Star still hasn’t made an appearance at his new basketball home. So when a reporter noted to Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge on Tuesday that Wallace remains an intriguing figure because he hasn’t spoken to the media, Ainge smiled and offered, “I’m right there with you. I’m anxious to meet Gerald.”

The two crossed paths briefly a lifetime ago, when Wallace was a fresh-faced rookie in Sacramento and Ainge was doing TV work. Now, Ainge is presiding over his second Boston rebuild and 31-year-old Wallace is the heftiest contract on his books (three years, $30.3 million).

Reported by Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston

Nick Young or Wesley Johnson may be starter at SF for Lakers

The former USC and Cleveland High of Reseda standout revealed D’Antoni’s intentions that both he and Wesley Johnson are spending part of training camp competing for the starting spot at small forward.

“I think it’s going to be a little bit of both,” Young said. “Wesley is young and athletic and could fit in that Shawn Marion type game. That’s what they like about him.”

They like Young, of course, because of his athleticism and scoring mentality. Meanwhile, the Lakers see potential in Johnson as a solid perimeter defender. Still, the fourth selection in the 2010 NBA Draft has only averaged 7.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 23.1 minutes in three uneventful seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns.

Reported by Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (Blog)

Trevor Booker hoping to bounce back for Wizards

Trevor Booker won’t spend too much time dwelling on what went wrong last season. He knows injuries once again spoiled his campaign, limiting his effectiveness and his playing time and resulting in his least productive season with the Washington Wizards.

Booker can’t change what happened, but he used the frustration of a lost season to fuel his offseason workouts in Charlotte, where he focused on getting stronger and more durable for a critical season.

“I don’t watch the film,” Booker said of last season, when he averaged 5.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and shot a career-low 49.1 percent. “I just try to keep it in my head.”

In his three seasons with the Wizards, the 6-foot-8 Booker has been a rugged, high-energy player but staying healthy has always been a greater struggle for the undersize forward than battling for rebounds with larger opponents.

Reported by Michael Lee of the Washington Post (Blog)

Greg Monroe deflecting questions about future with Pistons

Greg Monroe’s restricted free agency figures to dominate Detroit Pistons news in summer of 2014, which is precisely where the forward-center plans to keep it.

Monroe made it clear today that he has no intention of fielding questions about his contractual future.

When it was suggested that such questions are precisely what he figures to face throughout this season, Monroe declared, “No, I’m not.”

He answered the question preemptively, with the caveat that he has no intention of addressing it again.

Reported by David Mayo of Michigan Live

Renaldo Balkman may join Mavs training camp

Former New York Knicks draftee Renaldo Balkman is considering joining the Mavericks as the final member of their training camp roster.

The Mavericks were hoping to bring in active defensive-minded bodies to fill out their camp roster and Balkman would fit that need.

The 6-8 Balkman was the 20th overall pick in the 2006 draft by the Knicks. In six NBA seasons, he has averaged 4 points and 3.5 rebounds in limited playing time. He was traded to the Denver Nuggets in 2008 then traded back to the Knicks in 2011 as part of the Carmelo Anthony deal.

Reported by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News (Blog)