NBA Teams – Page 1207 – NBA Blog

Meyers Leonard may do big things for Trail Blazers

He’s out of position too often. He’s awkward at times, and the only thing that’s consistent about his game is that it’s reliably inconsistent. In fact, the Trail Blazers spent a good portion of their summer seeking a player who could make him a back-up. But every time I see Meyers Leonard on the basketball floor I believe he will one day be the answer in Portland.

Leonard turned 21 last NBA season. And if you want to polarize your next cocktail party, wait for a lull, and ask for a show of hands of those who believe Leonard will one day start a playoff game at center for the Blazers. Because this city is no longer Eastside vs. Westside. It’s not hipsters vs. yuppies. As division goes, there are those who believe Leonard will blossom, and those who think he’s a stiff.

I see a star.

Far as we know, Leonard spent his summer league hacking opponents around the basketball and tweeting about various Cirque du Soleil shows on the Vegas strip. But he also attended a Big Man’s Camp, and got stronger, and worked on his footwork.

Reported by John Canzano of the Oregonian

Will the Detroit Pistons make the NBA playoffs?

Based on the additions and subtractions in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

That year coach Michael Curry and the Pistons got swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The five teams that are virtual locks to make the playoffs in the East are two-time defending champion Miami, Brooklyn, Chicago, New York and surging Indiana, which could challenge the Heat for supremacy in the conference finals.

Three teams that made the playoffs last season have been severely weakened. Boston traded away landmarks Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, who are still grieving over leaving Beantown. Atlanta lost Josh Smith to the Pistons via free agency. Milwaukee lost Monta Ellis as general manager John Hammond is changing the roster.

Reported by Perry A. Farrell of the Detroit Free Press

Six Kobe Bryant items sell for $433,531 at auction

Two NBA championship rings that Kobe Bryant gave to his parents each sold for more than $100,000 at an auction that supported one of his charities.

Goldin Auctions said six items of Bryant memorabilia sold for a combined $433,531 in the monthlong auction that closed early Saturday morning.

A 2000 Lakers championship ring gifted by Bryant to his father, Joe, sold for $174,184. A ring given to his mother, Pamela, from the same championship season went for $108,153.

Reported by the Associated Press

John Henson had good summer league for Bucks

Nick Van Exel made his summer-league head coaching debut Friday as the Milwaukee Bucks concluded their weeklong stay in Las Vegas.

Despite another strong effort from rookie point guard Nate Wolters, the Bucks lost, 90-80, to the San Antonio Spurs.

But the bigger picture showed some positive developments for the Bucks (2-3) as they packed their bags and prepared to head home.

Second-year player John Henson proved to be one of the top big men in the NBA Summer League. He sat out Friday’s game with a minor injury but finished with averages of 14.7 points and 13.7 rebounds in three summer games.

Wolters, who scored 20 points Friday, gained confidence with each successive game and showed an impressive ability to get into the lane.

Reported by Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Joakim Noah will play fewer minutes for Bulls next season

Joakim Noah will continue to be a focal point for the Chicago Bulls but he will not be logging as many minutes as he did last season, coach Tom Thibodeau said Thursday.

“Jo’s minutes will come down,” Thibodeau said during the Las Vegas Summer League. “We got strung out there because Kirk [Hinrich] got hurt. We had to really run our offense through Jo. But the second half of the season we got his minutes down which was probably a good number for him. Luol [Deng] may come down a couple minutes but when you look at small forwards in this league, they all play those type of minutes.

“For us how he and our team matches up with LeBron [James] with Paul George and Kevin Durant, those guys are all in the 37-38 minute area. But I do feel really good about our depth so I think that’s going to be a big plus. Our bench is going to be one of our strengths next season. We’re going to look to take advantage of that.”

Reported by Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago

Coach Thibodeau impressed by development of Marquis Teague

Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau is impressed with the development of second-year guard Marquis Teague, who has been a Summer League standout in Las Vegas.

“The biggest thing is his preparation,” Thibodeau told ESPNChicago.com on Thursday. “I’m very excited about the way he came back after the season was over. The way he worked to get ready to play in the summer league this year was entirely different than his rookie year and that’s understandable when you have a 19-year-old kid coming in.

“I don’t think he really understood what he was going to be facing. After going through the league for a year, he went home, got a couple weeks off and then he went right into the gym, put a lot of work in and it showed.”

Reported by ESPN Chicago

New Cavaliers center Andrew Bynum is introduced in Cleveland

Andrew Bynum is officially a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The free agent center signed a two-year, $24 million contract at the team’s suburban training facility on Friday, and he was introduced by general manager Chris Grant.

Bynum sat out the entire 2012-2013 season with Philadelphia because of knee injuries, but said he will be medically cleared to practice by the start of training camp. He underwent surgery on both knees in March.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Dion Waiters will strictly play shooting guard for Cavs this season

Dion Waiters’ role will be simplified this season under Mike Brown. He’s the shooting guard, period. And the second word in that position is much more important to Brown than the first.

“I’m viewing him strictly as a 2-guard,” Brown said.

Former coach Byron Scott tried limiting Waiters to strictly shooting guard last year, but Waiters struggled adjusting to playing without the ball in his hands all the time, so Scott relented and allowed Waiters to run the point for long stretches. Brown is reverting back to making Waiters play off the ball, but made it clear the “guard” in his title is much, much more important than the “shooting.”

Reported by Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal

Houston Rockets re-sign Aaron Brooks, sign Reggie Williams

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has re-signed guard Aaron Brooks to a one-year deal and have inked unrestricted free agent guard Reggie Williams to a multi-year contract.

Brooks (6-0, 161, Oregon) returned for his fifth season with the Rockets in 2012-13, averaging 1.4 points and 0.9 assists in seven games with Houston. Originally selected by the Rockets in the first round (26th overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft, Brooks has averaged 11.6 points and 3.4 assists in 325 games (149 starts) with Houston, the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings. He was named the 2009-10 NBA Most Improved Player after finishing first in the NBA in 3-pointers made (.398, 209-525 3FG) and setting the franchise single-season record for treys. Brooks became just the sixth player in NBA history to make at least 200 3-pointers (209) and dish out 400 or more assists (434) in the same season. In addition to earning NBA Rookie of the Month honors for 2007 NBA Summer League, Brooks played in two games with the D-League Rio Grande Valley Vipers in 2007-08.

Williams (6-6, 205, Virginia Military Institute) has averaged 8.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 20.0 minutes per game over 177 career outings (32 starts) with the Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Bobcats. He entered the NBA as a GATORADE Call-Up from the NBA D-League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce, signing the first of two 10-day contracts with the Warriors on Mar. 2, 2010. Williams appeared in 24 games for Golden State his rookie season, averaging 15.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 32.6 minutes per outing. In his 10 starts in 2009-10, he averaged 16.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 41.5 minutes. He appeared in a career-high 80 games (nine starts) for the Warriors in 2010-11, averaging 9.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 20.3 minutes per contest. He also ranked ninth in the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage (.423, 102-241 FG) during the 2010-11 campaign. Williams signed with the Bobcats as a free agent on Dec. 15, 2011, appearing in 73 games (13 starts) over his two seasons in Charlotte.

Prior to the NBA, Williams appeared in 30 games for JDA Dijon Bourgogne in France’s ProA league, averaging 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 29.0 minutes in 2008-09. As a collegian, he appeared in 112 career games over four seasons at VMI, averaging 22.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals. Williams actually led the nation in scoring his junior (28.1) and senior (27.6) seasons, becoming the ninth player in NCAA Division I history to lead the country in scoring in multiple campaigns. He finished his collegiate career as the all-time leading scorer in both VMI and Big South Conference history with 2,556 points. Williams was named First-Team All-Big South as a junior and senior, as well as earning Second-Team All-Big South honors as a sophomore.

Detroit Pistons sign rookies Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Tony Mitchell

Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the club has signed draft selections Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Tony Mitchell to contracts.

All players selected in the first round of the NBA Draft are guaranteed to receive a contract. Caldwell-Pope went first round, while Mitchell went second round.

Caldwell-Pope was drafted by Detroit with the eighth overall selection in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft. In five games during the 2013 NBA Summer League in Orlando, he averaged 13.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.8 steals in 28.6 minutes per game. The 6-foot-6 guard from the University of Georgia averaged a SEC-leading 18.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.0 steals in 32 games as a sophomore last season. The 2012-13 SEC Player of the Year and an All-SEC First Team selection was one of only nine players in NCAA Division 1 to score in double figures in every game last season. Caldwell-Pope led the Bulldogs in rebounds (7.1 rpg), was third in the SEC in three-point field goal percentage (37.3) and recorded seven double-doubles. In his final collegiate game against LSU in the SEC Tournament, Caldwell-Pope scored a career-high 32 points, including 25 in the second half.

Mitchell was drafted by Detroit with the 37th pick in the second round. He compiled averages of 7.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 25.4 minutes in five games during the 2013 NBA Summer League. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 13.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks in 55 games at the University of North Texas. Last season he averaged 13.0 and 8.5 rebounds in 32 games while leading the Sun Belt Conference with 2.7 blocks per game. During his first year at North Texas, he was one of only two freshmen in the NCAA to average a double-double joining Kentucky’s Anthony Davis, the #1 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. A member of the gold-medal winning 2010 USA Men’s U-18 at the 2010 FIBA Americas U-18 Championship, he finished his collegiate career as North Texas’ all-time leader in blocks (157).