Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

Grizzlies sign Toney Douglas for rest of season

Grizzlies sign Toney Douglas for rest of season

The Memphis Grizzlies today signed guard Toney Douglas for the remainder of the 2016-17 season.

Douglas (6-2, 195) has appeared in 14 games as a reserve for the Grizzlies this season and averaged 5.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 17.2 minutes. The 30-year-old originally signed with Memphis as a free agent on Dec. 5 pursuant to the NBA’s hardship rule and was waived on Dec. 15. He then was re-signed by the Grizzlies to consecutive 10-day contracts on Jan. 31 and Feb. 9. Memphis has gone 11-3 in games where Douglas has played.

Drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round (29th overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft following his senior season at Florida State University, the Jonesboro, Ga. native has appeared in 384 regular season games (65 starts) and averaged 7.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 19.2 minutes during his eight-year NBA career with the New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies.

Lakers trade Lou Williams to Rockets

Lakers trade Lou Williams to Rockets

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has acquired guard Lou Williams from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for guard/forward Corey Brewer and the Rockets first round pick in the upcoming 2017 NBA Draft.

“This trade allows us to continue on the path of building something special, while maintaining future flexibility within the organization,” President of Basketball Operations Earvin “Magic” Johnson said. “Additionally, Corey is a proven veteran that will make a positive impact on our team right away.”

Brewer, 30, has appeared in 58 games (eight starts) for the Rockets this season, averaging 4.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 15.9 minutes per game. Originally drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the seventh overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, Brewer has averaged 9.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists through 687 career NBA games. The former Florida standout was a two-time NCAA champion before winning an NBA Championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.

Williams was originally the 45th overall pick by Philadelphia in the 2005 NBA Draft out of South Gwinnett High School near Atlanta. In 12 NBA seasons, he is averaging 12.8 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.1 rebounds in 759 career games with 90 starts. Williams was Sixth Man of the Year while playing for Toronto in 2014-15.

This season, Williams is averaging a career-high 18.6 points in just 24.2 minutes per game. In NBA history, the only player to average at least 18.0 points in 25.0 or fewer minutes played was Freeman Williams (19.3 ppg in 24.1 mpg) for San Diego in 1980-81. Williams also ranks fifth in the NBA in fourth quarter scoring this season with 7.7 ppg. He scored a total of 137 points off the bench over a four-game stretch from Dec. 3 through Dec. 9, marking the highest four-game total by a reserve since starts were tracked by the NBA in 1970-71.

Williams is shooting 44.4% from the floor this season, which would be his highest percentage since shooting a career-best 47.0% in 2009-10. He is averaging over two 3-pointers made for this first time in his career on a career-high 38.6% shooting. Williams is also shooting a career-best 88.4% from the line this season and 82.5% for his career.

Of reserves with more than one appearance this season, Williams has the highest scoring average at 18.7 points per game. Houston’s Eric Gordon is second with 17.5 ppg. Dating back to 2007-08, Williams has the highest point total (7,918) of any reserve in the NBA. Over that 10 season span, he also has made 348 more free throws than any reserve has attempted.

Knicks stand pat at NBA trade deadline

There were plenty of Knicks-related rumors, but as the NBA trade deadline passed today the team kept their roster in tact. Here’s the New York Daily News reporting:

Derrick Rose was shopped by the Knicks to Minnesota for much of Thursday heading into the 3 p.m. deadline, but the swap for Ricky Rubio never materialized and Phil Jackson stuck with a roster that went 23-34 into the All-Star break.

Negotiations involving Carmelo Anthony had no traction, as the small forward with the power of a no-trade clause said he’d be spending the afternoon napping ahead of Thursday’s game against the Cavs.

But for Rose, the possibility of a relocation — and a reunion with Timberwolves coach/president Tom Thibodeau — was a real possibility. According to sources, the Knicks were eager to land other pieces in the deal — including forward Nemanja Bjelica — but Minnesota ultimately declined and pulled out.

Report: Rockets trading K.J. McDaniels to Nets

The 40-18 Rockets are reportedly sending little-used shooting guard K.J. McDaniels to the Nets.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, via Twitter, “Houston has traded K.J. McDaniels to the Brooklyn Nets, league sources tell @TheVertical. Unloading McDaniels to the Nets frees $3M in cap space to use on the buyout market for Houston.”

McDaniels, a 6-6, 205-pound guard who played college ball at Clemson and is in his third NBA season, is averaging 2.8 points in 7.3 minutes per game this season.

Mavs and Andrew Bogut never got to mesh

Here’s the Dallas Morning News discussing center Andrew Bogut, who never made his mark as a member of the Mavericks and is now set to be traded to the Sixers. Bogut played in 26 games for the Mavs, averaging 3.0 ppg and 8.3 rpg in 22.4 minutes per outing:

Mavs and Andrew Bogut never got to mesh

Andrew Bogut, we hardly knew ya.

The big Aussie with the bigger sense of humor blew through the Mavericks for two-thirds of a season, never quite fit on the court with Dirk Nowitzki and now is heading elsewhere, although nobody’s sure quite where.

It was a virtual guarantee that Philadelphia, to whom the Mavericks will trade Bogut as soon as the conference call with the NBA office takes place, will never put the 7-footer in a uniform. They will waive him if they can’t move him along. It’s likely the Mavericks are paying a chunk (if not all) of his remaining salary.
Bogut still has some tread on his tires, but it’s getting pretty well worn. The question is whether he can land in a place that can utilize him for 20 minutes a game and get the most of his skills.

Jeremy Lin finally set to return for Nets

Here’s the New York Post reporting on the Nets, who at 9-47 easily have the league’s worst record but at least are set to welcome entertaining point guard Jeremy Lin back to action:

Jeremy Lin finally set to return for Nets

The NBA season is two-thirds over, but for Jeremy Lin it might just as well be starting. With just 27 games left on the Nets’ schedule, and Lin finally making his return Friday in Denver, the team and its oft-injured floor general are hoping to win as many as possible.

“I’m excited to see Jeremy back and trying to get some momentum going into next season with our lineups and see who plays well with whom and who plays well with Jeremy at quarterback, your point guard,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “It’s important.”

“Win as many as you can. We’ve only won nine games, and that hurts everybody in the organization,’’ Lin said. “At this point I could really care less about a lot of other stuff, other than this team needs a win. We need to feel what it means to win. We need to build a winning culture, and my only goal is to get as many wins as we can.”

Sixers, Hawks trade Ersan Ilyasova, Tiago Splitter

Sixers, Hawks trade Ersan Ilyasova, Tiago Splitter

The Philadelphia 76ers have acquired center Tiago Splitter, a second-round pick, and the option to swap a second-round pick from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for forward Ersan Ilyasova, President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo announced today.

The Sixers will also receive a second-round pick from Atlanta (via Miami) and the right to swap the least favorable of the 2017 second-round picks received in the Sixers trade with the Utah Jazz with Atlanta’s 2017 second-round pick.

“I want to thank Ersan Ilyasova for his positive contributions to this organization both on and off the basketball court,” Colangelo said. “Ersan is a true professional whose daily examples of hard work, focus and consistency have helped facilitate the ongoing growth of our program and culture.”

“We are excited to welcome Ersan, and his family, to the Atlanta Hawks. He’s a high-character, proven veteran who we’ve liked for many years and believe fits well within our system,” Hawks President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer said. “We also want to thank Tiago for his contributions on and off the court. We wish him all the best in the future.”

Ilyasova was acquired by Philadelphia on November 1, 2016 in a deal with Oklahoma City. In the midst of his ninth NBA season, he has appeared in 583 career games (353 starts) and holds averages of 11 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes per game. A native of Turkey, Ilyasova played in 53 games (40 starts) with the Sixers this season, averaging 15 points and six rebounds on 44 percent shooting from the field.

Splitter, a veteran of six NBA seasons, has appeared in 347 career games (153 starts) with San Antonio and Atlanta. He holds career averages of eight points and five rebounds in 19 minutes per game, while shooting 56 percent from the floor. Originally selected in the first round (28th overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft by the Spurs, the Brazilian native spent the first five seasons of his career in San Antonio (2010-15). During the Spurs’ run to the 2014 NBA title, Splitter saw action in all 23 playoff games (18 starts), posting eight points and six rebounds per contest.

Brandon Jennings takes vacation from Twitter

Here’s the New York Daily News reporting on the ever-changing social media world of Knicks guard Brandon Jennings:

Brandon Jennings takes vacation from Twitter

Brandon Jennings wants Knicks fans to cool it on Twitter.

The point guard recently went on a brief hiatus from social media after he became fed up with the influx of bizarre tweets.

Jennings is usually prolific on Twitter, engaging with his fans on a variety of topics, from sneakers to rising rap artists. But he didn’t fire off a single tweet between Feb. 14 and Feb. 19, instead using his All-Star break to spend time with his children and unwind.

“Just needed a break from it. Being a Knicks player, you get all type of weird tweets and stuff,” Jennings said at Knicks practice Wednesday. “So I just wanted to get off social media for a minute. That’s all. Calm it down a little bit.”

Nets trade Bojan Bogdanovic and Chris McCullough to Wizards

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has acquired forward Bojan Bogdanovic and forward Chris McCullough from Brooklyn in exchange for forward Andrew Nicholson, guard Marcus Thornton and a 2017 protected first round draft pick.

“Bojan is a very good shooter and a talented overall scorer whose versatility gives us an added dimension as we gear up for the stretch run,” said Grunfeld. “He is a proven starter that will provide us an added boost off the bench and allow us to be creative with our lineups.”

Bogdanovic (6-8, 225, name is pronounced BOY-ahn bog-DON-O-vich) has averaged career-highs of 14.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists this season while shooting .357 (99-277) from three-point range in 55 games (54 starts). He holds career averages of 11.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 212 career games (121 starts) while shooting .441 from the field, .366 from three-point range and .847 from the line in three seasons with Brooklyn. The 31st overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft averaged 11.2 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting .433 from the field and a career-best .382 from long distance in 79 games (39 starts) last season.

The 27-year-old sharpshooter has scored in double digits 44 times and tallied 20+ points 12 times this season. He played for the Croatian National Team during the 2016 Summer Olympics, leading all scorers with 25.3 points per game while shooting .506 from the field and .450 from three-point range. Bogdanovic was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team after averaging 9.0 points and shooting .355 from three-point range in his first season (2014-15). Prior to the NBA, he played 160 games for Fenerbache Ulker of the Turkish Basketball League, averaging 13.7 points and 2.3 rebounds.

McCullough (6-9, 215) holds career averages of 3.9 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting .429 from the field in 11.4 minutes per game. As a rookie in 2015-16, the former 29th overall draft pick averaged 4.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 24 games (four starts). This season, the Syracuse alum has appeared in 14 games with Brooklyn averaging 2.5 points and 1.2 rebounds and has played in 31 games with the Long Island Nets of the D-League where he averaged 18.1 points and 7.7 rebounds to earn 2017 D-League All-Star honors.

“We feel Chris is an intriguing prospect as a first-round pick who was recently named a D-League All-Star,” said Grunfeld. “He has high potential and we look forward to our staff continuing his development.”

Nicholson has appeared in 28 games with Washington this season after signing with the team as a free agent on July 7, 2016, recording averages of 2.5 points and 1.2 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game. Prior to joining the Wizards, Nicholson spent the first four seasons of his NBA career (2012-16) with the Orlando Magic, appearing in 247 games and posting averages of 6.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game. The 27-year-old native of Mississauga, Ontario was originally selected with the 19th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by Orlando after a standout four-year career at St. Bonaventure University, where he earned Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honors, as well as All-American Honorable Mention, while leading the Bonnies to their first-ever Atlantic 10 Tournament title in his senior season.

Thornton has appeared in 483 career games with New Orleans, Sacramento, Brooklyn, Boston, Phoenix, Houston and Washington, recording averages of 11.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 23.4 minutes per game. In 33 games this season with Washington, Thornton has averaged 6.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 17.4 minutes per game.

“We thank Andrew and Marcus for their professionalism and their contributions to our team,” said Grunfeld. “We wish them both the best moving forward in their careers.”