Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

Derrick Rose done for season with knee injury

The Knicks’ season will end without a playoff berth, and without a healthy Derrick Rose, who may be wearing another team’s jersey next season. Here’s ESPN NY reporting:

New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose will miss the remainder of the season after tearing the meniscus in his left knee, the team announced Sunday.

Those close to Rose expect him to be at full health two months after the surgery, which will be scheduled shortly. Rose, 28, had played in 64 of the Knicks’ 76 games this season…

Rose and his agent, B.J. Armstrong, have both said publicly that Rose, who becomes a free agent this coming offseason, would like to return to New York.

Bucks sign Gary Payton II

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed guard Gary Payton II to a multi-year contract, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

Payton, 24, appeared in 49 games (all starts) with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA D-League this season, and averaged 14.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals in 32.7 minutes per game while shooting 49.8 percent from the field.

A 6-3 guard, Payton went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft after playing two seasons at Oregon State. Payton averaged 14.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.8 steals in 63 games with the Beavers and became the first player to be voted Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year two times. He was also an All-Pac-12 First Team selection during both of his seasons at Oregon State.

Payton is the son of NBA All-Star Gary Payton who played 28 games for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2002-03 season. Payton will wear uniform number 0. Milwaukee’s roster now stands at 15 players.

Sixers sign Alex Poythress

The Philadelphia 76ers today signed forward Alex Poythress from the Ft. Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League. Pursuant to the NBA’s roster hardship exception, the Sixers roster now stands at 16.

Poythress has appeared in 46 games (45 starts) for Ft. Wayne this season, posting averages of 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 31 minutes per game. He is shooting 57% from the field and 40% from beyond the three-point line. Poythress, a 2017 NBA D-League All Star selection, ranks in the Top 15 in the D-League in points, field goals made and attempted, offensive rebounds and blocks per game.

Poythress appeared in 112 career games at the University of Kentucky, finishing his four-year career averaging nine points, five rebounds and one assist in 22 minutes per game, while shooting 55% from the field. He helped lead the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament National Finals in 2014.

Blazers: Jusuf Nurkic suffers broken leg

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows Portland center Jusuf Nurkić has a non-displaced right leg fibular fracture, it was announced today by Neil Olshey, Trail Blazers president of basketball operations.

Nurkić will be sidelined for two weeks, at which time he will be reevaluated.

In 20 games since joining Portland, Nurkic is averaging 15.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.25 assists in 29.2 minutes.

Doc Rivers says Clippers March schedule was brutal

Here’s the OC Register reporting on the Clippers, who are currently the 5th seed in the Western conference:

Doc Rivers called the March schedule “one of the hardest months I’ve ever seen,” with 18 games, five sets of back-to-backs and four one-game trips.

For better or worse, the Clippers survived it.

Now, they get to play their final five games over 13 days, giving them ample time for rest and practice.

“That’s going to be helpful for us just to practice,” the Clippers coach said. “Even though we won’t go long, we went a whole month without a practice (before Tuesday), so it will be nice to be able to get back on the floor and just work, and try to get our continuity.”

Scottie Pippen not impressed with job Phil Jackson has done in NY

Here’s the New York Daily News reporting Scottie Pippen’s thoughts on the job Phil Jackson has done with the Knicks:

“To be honest with you, I’m going to have to go at my old coach Phil Jackson,” Pippen said on ESPN’s “The Jump.” “I think he just hasn’t put the right pieces on the floor. I give a lot of credit to Carmelo who is being very professional in getting through these 82 game season. And now he’s being benched to some degree, they’re taking a lot of his minutes away. But this team just hasn’t had it. They haven’t had it since Phil Jackson landed there. There hasn’t been any upside.”

After saying “fans would love to see Carmelo in New York and Phil out,” Pippen was asked by host Rachel Nichols if he believes Jackson “should be out.”

“Yes,” Pippen replied emphatically.

The fact that Pippen openly criticized is surprising.

Lance Stephenson is back on the Pacers

Lance Stephenson is once again a member of the Indiana Pacers. The team signed him to a contract today.

Stephenson, a 6-5 guard/forward, was drafted by the Pacers in the Second Round of the 2010 NBA Draft as the 40th overall pick. He played four seasons with the Pacers and averaged 9.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in the regular season. He played in 42 games in the playoffs with the Pacers, including twice in the Eastern Conference Finals, and in those 42 playoff games he averaged 10.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

According to the Indianapolis Star, “Stephenson, the tenacious, versatile and mercurial combo guard who once flourished in a blue and gold Indiana uniform, will make his stunning return to the Pacers later this week and be reunited with George. He signed a three-year, $12 million deal Thursday that includes a team option in the final year of the contract.”

“We’re very happy to have Lance back as part of our team,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. “We always knew he wanted to come back here, and we feel now is the right time, not only for the rest of this season, but moving forward. We look forward to having a long relationship with him, because we know what he can bring to our franchise, both on and off the court.”

After the Pacers, Stephenson played for Charlotte, the L.A. Clippers, Memphis, New Orleans and most recently with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He has career averages of 8.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

Stephenson will join the team in Cleveland for Sunday’s game.

Pelicans: Omer Asik and Quincy Pondexter done for season

New Orleans Pelicans center Omer Asik and forward Quincy Pondexter will miss the remainder of the season.

Asik, who was diagnosed with a gastrointestinal infection, is expected to return to basketball activities in 3-4 weeks.

Pondexter underwent left knee arthroscopic surgery on January 4, 2017. Further updates on his rehab progress will be announced appropriately.

Draymond Green does not support Raiders move

Here’s the San Francisco Chronicle reporting Draymond Green’s view on news that the Raiders will be taking their football talents to Las Vegas. Of course, it should be noted that Green as a member of the Warriors plays in Oakland/San Francisco area and it wouldn’t be a smart move for him or anyone around there to say that they agree with losing the Raiders. Still, here’s what he said:

Draymond Green does not approve of Raiders move

After Tuesday’s win over the Rockets, forward Draymond Green called the Raiders’ move “ridiculous” and said he doesn’t plan to attend any more of their games. The team will stay in Oakland for the next two seasons, and possibly a third, as it waits for a $1.9 billion domed stadium to be built in Las Vegas.

“That’s like moving the Dallas Cowboys or moving the (Green Bay) Packers,” Green said. “Moving the Raiders? You can move a lot of teams, but there aren’t many fan bases like the Raiders’ fan base. It’s like moving the Boston Celtics from Boston or the Lakers from Los Angeles. You just don’t move certain franchises.”