Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

Hawks forward Jabari Parker out with shoulder injury

Atlanta Hawks forward Jabari Parker underwent a non-surgical procedure on his right shoulder earlier today at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex.

He will enter a period of rehabilitation and treatment. The Hawks will re-examine him in two weeks.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, “Parker has struggled with a right shoulder impingement and has missed five of the Hawks’ past six games, though he played a quiet 15 minutes in the Hawks’ loss in Boston on Jan. 3. He has also battled illness and a throat infection.”

The Hawks are 8-29 this season, which through Monday’s games is the worst record in the NBA. Parker is their third leading scorer, averaging 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, on impressive 50.5% shooting from the field. He has started 23 of 32 games played this season.

Pistons forward Blake Griffin out after knee surgery

Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin had knee surgery today and will be out for an indefinite period of time.

The team says that Griffin underwent a successful arthroscopic debridement of his left knee.

A six-time All-Star, Griffin is having an extremely disappointing season, averaging 15.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per outing.

Here’s the Detroit News reporting:

Griffin has struggled this season, missing the last four games; he last played in the loss San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 28, finishing with 12 points on 3-of-16 shooting — with 3-of-10 on 3-pointers. He missed the remainder of the western trip, including a notable matchup against his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers, on Jan. 2.

Last season, Griffin had the highest production, posting a career-best 24.5 points, along with 7.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists and was voted third-team All-NBA. Following a surgical procedure last summer, Griffin was expecting to return in a similar form, but he had setbacks, causing him to be limited in the preseason and then to miss the first 10 games of the regular season…

Griffin is in the third year of a five-year contract worth $173 million.

The Pistons are 13-24 this season, and face major decisions to make in regard to Andre Drummond, who openly plans to test free agency this summer. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they were to make a huge trade or two in the coming weeks, before February’s trade deadline.

Cavs sign Levi Randolph, waive Alfonzo McKinnie and Tyler Cook

The Cleveland Cavaliers made some moves today, signing guard Levi Randolph to a Two-Way contract, and waiving forwards Alfonzo McKinnie and Tyler Cook.

Randolph (6-6, 210) has played in 20 games (all starts) this season with the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League team, averaging 15.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 36.0 minutes per game. He originally went undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft after playing four years collegiately at Alabama, where he averaged 9.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 30.7 minutes per game over 135 career contests (120 starts).

McKinnie (6-8, 215) was claimed off waivers by the Cavaliers on Oct. 21 and played in 23 games for Cleveland this season. Cook (6-9, 255), who was claimed off waivers by the Cavaliers as a Two-Way player on Oct. 19 and had his contract converted into a standard NBA contract on Jan. 3, played in six games for Cleveland this season.

Cavs SG Kevin Porter Jr. out with knee injury

Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Kevin Porter Jr. suffered a left knee injury during the team’s home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves last night, and will be re-evaluated in around two weeks.

The exact injury has been diagnoses as a left knee sprain.

Porter will undergo a period of treatment, rehabilitation and evaluation.

An active member of the Cavs rotation this season, Porter is averaging 8.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 21.8 minutes per game.

The Cavs, with a record of 10-26, are being led in scoring this season by Collin Sexton (18.5 PPG), Kevin Love (16.4 PPG) and Tristan Thompson (12.4 PPG).

Nets sign Justin Anderson to 10-day contract

The Brooklyn Nets signed guard/forward Justin Anderson to a 10-day contract today.

Anderson (6’5”, 231) joins Brooklyn from the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League. In 13 games (all starts) for Raptors 905 this season, Anderson has recorded averages of 21.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 33.6 minutes per contest. Over four NBA seasons with Dallas (2015-17), Philadelphia (2017-18) and Atlanta (2018-19), Anderson has appeared in 216 games and holds career averages of 5.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in 13.2 minutes per game. He also appeared in seven games (all starts) for the Texas Legends of the NBA G League during the 2015-16 season.

The Montross, Va., native was originally selected by Dallas with the 21st pick in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft following a three-year (2012-15) collegiate career at the University of Virginia. While playing for the Cavaliers, Anderson earned National Basketball Coaches Association All-America Third Team honors and was named to the All-ACC Second Team as a junior. He was also named the ACC Sixth Man of the Year by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association as a sophomore.

The Nets roster now stands at 17 players.

Hawks sign forward Paul Watson to 10-day contract

The Atlanta Hawks signed Paul Watson to a 10-day contract today.

The 6’6” forward has started all 13 games this season for the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League, averaging 18.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 34.3 minutes (.533 FG%, .467 3FG%, .706 FT%). He spent the previous two seasons in the G League with the Westchester Knicks, who selected him in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2017 G League Draft.

Watson played four years at Fresno State, where as a senior in 2016-17, he compiled 11.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 32.3 minutes (.414 FG%, .341 3FG%, .679 FT%).

The native of Phoenix, AZ led Paradise Valley High School to the state championship his senior year. He will wear jersey No. 2.

Will the Pistons trade Andre Drummond?

 

 

 

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The Pistons are going nowhere fast this season, and Andre Drummond can opt out of his contract this summer. It will cost Detroit a ton of money to keep him. Naturally, this leads to trade speculation.

Here’s ESPN.com with an update:

Drummond, who has spent his entire eight-year career with the organization, did not hesitate when asked why he would like to stay in Detroit.

“I’m not a quitter, for one,” Drummond said after scoring 14 points and grabbing 18 rebounds in Saturday’s 111-104 win over the Golden State Warriors. “I was never brought up to be a quitter. If I start somewhere, I try to finish there, try to complete the mission, which is to win a championship here. It will never be me that wants to go anywhere … I love being here. I would love to play here the rest of my career.”

The Pistons are 13-23 this season. Drummond is putting up big stats, but Blake Griffin is having a very disappointing season, guards Derrick Rose and Luke Kennard are getting buckets, but there isn’t much else to write home about. The team has tough decisions to make. A rebuild is clearly necessary, and whether it should include Drummond on a massive new contract or not is up for debate.

Nets sign guard Chris Chiozza to two-way contract

Saturday night, the Brooklyn Nets signed guard Chris Chiozza to a two-way contract.

Chiozza (5’11”, 176) joins Brooklyn from the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G League. In 10 games (nine starts) this season for the Go-Go, he averaged 10.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 2.6 steals in 31.1 minutes per contest. Chiozza signed a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards earlier this season on Oct. 21, and appeared in 10 games for the Wizards, averaging 2.7 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 12.3 minutes per game. During the 2018-19 season, Chiozza was signed to a 10-day contract with the Houston Rockets on Feb. 22 and was later signed for the remainder of the season by the Rockets on March 23. He appeared in seven games for Houston, averaging 0.9 points in 4.6 minutes per game. Over two NBA G League seasons with Rio Grande Valley (2018-19) and Capital City (2018-20), the 24-year-old has appeared in 57 games (55 starts) and holds career averages of 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.1 steals in 33.1 minutes per game.

The Tennessee native played four collegiate seasons (2014-18) at the University of Florida. In 139 career games (65 starts), he averaged 7.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals in 25.1 minutes per contest. Following his senior season, the Gators’ all-time assists leader (571) was named to the All-SEC First Team after appearing in 34 games (32 starts) and averaging 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.9 steals in 32.0 minutes per game.

The Nets roster now stands at 16 players.

Wizards waive forward Johnathan Williams

Late Saturday night, the Washington Wizards waived forward Johnathan Williams, who had reached the 10-day limit on the team’s injury hardship exception.

Williams appeared in six games for the Wizards (four starts), averaging 5.5 points and 6.3 rebounds.

There are now 16 players on the Wizards roster, plus two-way players Garrison Mathews and Anzejs Pasecniks.

The Wizards are 11-24 this season. They’re being led in scoring by shooting guard Bradley Beal at 27.8 points per game, and have seven other players averaging double-digit points. And have one of the league’s most efficient offenses, despite playing without point guard John Wall this season. But their defense is one of the league’s worst.