Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

Lakers waive Dwayne Mitchell

The Los Angeles Lakers have waived free agent guard Dwayne Mitchell, it was announced Wednesday.

Mitchell, a 6’5” 220-pound guard out of Louisiana Lafayette, was a member of the Lakers 2008 Summer-Pro League team in Las Vegas, where he averaged 6.7 points and 1.5 rebounds in 15.0 minutes over six games.

The Lakers preseason roster now stands at 18.

There are going to be a ton of fringe players cut by NBA teams over the next week or so. Almost all of them have tiny, nonguaranteed contracts that basically only exist for training camp purposes.

Cavs release Michael Dickerson

The Cleveland Cavaliers have granted a release to guard Michael Dickerson. Dickerson was excused from camp on October 1st in order to attend to a personal matter and has not been able to return. He was unable to pursue his return to the NBA at this time, while addressing the personal matter, but expects to still pursue a return to the league in the future.

InsideHoops.com editor says: That was quite a comeback.

Cavs release Lance Allred

The Cavaliers released center Lance Allred Wednesday. Allred joined the Cavaliers with a 10-day contract on March 13th of 2008 and then signed another 10-day contract on March 25th. He was signed for the remainder of the season on April 4th and opened camp with the Cavaliers for the 2008-09 season on September 30th. Allred played in the Cavaliers game last night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland vs. the Toronto Raptors and saw 4:10 of action with one rebound and one blocked shot.

JR Giddens tattoos have meaning

The Boston Herald (Mark Murphy) reports: J.R. Giddens is a man of many tattoos, but each, he says, have a purpose. A basketball encircled by a Black Mamba snake is tattooed over the Celtics rookie’s heart with the inscription, “Natural Born Killer” – an apparent reference to his playing style. But his newest – a green shamrock with the No. 4 behind his left ear – may also be one of his most dear. “I was the last pick of the first round,” he said. “Everyone had a chance to get me and they passed, and this is the team that took me. So I wanted to honor it.” Of his body art philosophy, Giddens said, “Some guys have tattoos all over that don’t mean anything. Mine all mean something.”

Oct 7: Raptors 104, Cavs 84

The AP reports: LeBron James played just 8 minutes in the first quarter before he raised his hand for a substitute and coach Mike Brown pulled his superstar for the remainder of Cleveland’s preseason debut… Toronto’s Jermaine O’Neal, acquired from Indiana in a July trade, scored 11 points in his Raptors debut. O’Neal missed 40 games last season because of lingering knee problems and dropped weight over the summer to ease the pressure on his joints. Will Solomon scored 17 points, Andrea Bargnani 15 and Kris Humphries 14 for the Raptors, who didn’t attempt a 3-pointer in the first half but dropped six from long range after halftime… Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 16 points and Williams, acquired in an August trade from Milwaukee, added 12 points, four assists and three rebounds in 26 minutes.

Oct 7: Rockets 96, Grizzlies 93

The AP reports: Ron Artest gave Houston fans an early glimpse of what he brings to the team. Artest scored 12 of his 15 points in the first quarter of his Rockets debut, and Houston beat the Memphis Grizzlies 96-93 on Tuesday night in its preseason opener… Tracy McGrady sat out to rest his sore left knee… Carl Landry, Yao’s backup, had 18 points and nine rebounds… Rudy Gay scored 14 for the Grizzlies and had a pair of highlight-reel dunks in the fourth quarter. Hakim Warrick led Memphis with 15, including a dunk that tied it at 92.

Oct 7: Mavs 108, Wizards 82

The AP reports: Dirk Nowitzki and Brandon Bass each scored 17 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 108-82 victory over the injury-depleted Washington Wizards on Tuesday night in the preseason opener for both teams. Wizards forward Antawn Jamison left in the first quarter with a right knee injury and did not return… Andray Blatche’s 18 points paced the Wizards. Dallas’ Josh Howard, who finished with 15 points, was greeted by a mixture of cheers and boos from the crowd when he was introduced with the starting lineup following a controversy-filled offseason.

Oct 7: Jazz 99, Lakers 90

The AP reports: Ronnie Brewer and Paul Millsap each scored 13 points, Deron Williams had 11 points and eight assists, and the Utah Jazz beat the Los Angeles Lakers 99-90 on Tuesday night in the preseason opener for both teams. Kobe Bryant played 24 minutes for the Lakers, finishing with eight points, five rebounds and five assists after sitting out the entire second and fourth quarters. Bryant, who won the league’s MVP last season for the first time in his career, was on the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team at the Beijing Olympics along with Williams and Utah teammate Carlos Boozer.

Oct 7: Blazers 110, Kings 81

The AP reports: Greg Oden debuted to a standing ovation, as did the rest of the young Portland Trail Blazers, in a 110-81 exhibition victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. Oden finished with 13 points in just under 20 minutes… Brandon Roy, who had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in August, played a little more than 23 minutes and had 14 points and seven assists for the Blazers. Martell Webster led Portland with 15 points. Donte Greene, acquired from Houston in the Artest deal, had 18 points and Francisco Garcia added 12 for the Kings, who led by as many as 11 points in the first half before the Blazers seized control.