NBA Teams – Page 644 – NBA Blog

Mavericks waive Pierre Jackson

The Dallas Mavericks have requested waivers on guard Pierre Jackson.

Jackson (5-11, 176) was originally signed by the Mavericks on December 27 and made his NBA debut that night against the Houston Rockets where he registered 7 points, 2 assists and 1 rebound in 11 minutes of action. Jackson averaged 3.0 points, 1.8 assists and 7.1 minutes in his 4 games with Dallas.

The Texas Legends call-up had appeared in 10 games (all starts) for the Mavericks’ D-League affiliate this season. He averaged 29.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.9 steals and 35.7 minutes per game while in Frisco.

Jackson holds career D-League averages of 25.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.7 steals and 36.9 minutes in 49 games (37 starts) with the Idaho Stampede and Texas Legends. On Feb. 4, 2014, he set the D-League single-game scoring record with 58 points against the Legends (Jordan McRae later broke it with a 61-point game in January 2016 and Russ Smith topped that with 65-point night in March 2016). Jackson was named to the Futures All-Star roster for the 2014 NBA D-League All-Star Game.

Long Island Nets add R.J. Hunter

The Long Island Nets, the NBA Development League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets, have acquired guard R.J. Hunter off waivers.

Hunter (6’5”, 185) appeared in three games for the Chicago Bulls this season before being waived on December 29. In 39 career NBA games with Boston (2015-16) and Chicago (2016), Hunter recorded averages of 2.5 points and 1.0 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per contest. He has also appeared in 13 NBA D-League games between Boston’s affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, and Chicago’s affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, averaging 15.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals in 32.2 minutes per game. Hunter was originally selected by the Boston Celtics with the 28th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Matt Bonner joins Spurs TV broadcast team as a studio analyst

Matt Bonner retires, joins Spurs TV broadcast team as a studio analyst

The San Antonio Spurs announced today that former Spurs forward Matt Bonner will join the TV broadcast team as a studio analyst. Bonner will team up with Andrew Monaco in the studio for all Spurs produced home broadcasts and select road contests. The Spurs host the Milwaukee Bucks at the AT&T Center on Tuesday, Jan. 10 and Bonner will make his Spurs TV debut on FOX Sports Southwest’s “Spurs Live” pre-game show at 7 p.m.

In addition to his pre and post-game show duties, the two-time NBA Champion will have a presence on Spurs digital properties.

Nuggets waive Alonzo Gee

The Denver Nuggets have waived forward Alonzo Gee, it was announced today by General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly.

Gee, 6-6, 225, signed with Denver on Nov. 16, 2016, appearing in 13 games and averaging 1.1 rebounds in 6.9 minutes. The seven-year NBA veteran has appeared in 417 career games (213 starts) for Washington, San Antonio, Cleveland, Portland, New Orleans and Denver posting averages of 6.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 21.8 minutes.

Dirk Nowitzki open to come off bench for Mavs

The Mavs are having a mess of a season. With an 11-25 record, through Thursday’s games they have the fourth worst record in the NBA, and the worst in the Western conference. Dirk Nowitzki, as legendary as he is, has declined. Here’s ESPN.com with more:

The sixth-leading scorer in NBA history would have no problem accepting a sixth-man role if it could help the Dallas Mavericks salvage their season.

Dirk Nowitzki starting at center, as Dallas has done recently with coach Rick Carlisle opting to bring Andrew Bogut off the bench, has not proved to be a solution for the Mavs. That starting five has the worst plus-minus of any Dallas lineup this season, getting outscored by 49 points in 48 minutes. The Mavs’ lineup with the best plus-minus features Bogut with the other four starters (plus-27 in 54 minutes).

Without hesitation, Nowitzki said he would be on board with coming off the bench while Bogut started when asked about the situation following Thursday’s 102-95 home loss to the Phoenix Suns that dropped Dallas (11-25) to last place in the Western Conference standings.

Jazz vs Cavs NBA virtual reality game broadcast

The Utah Jazz vs Cleveland Cavaliers home game on Tuesday, Jan. 10 will be broadcast live in virtual reality, as part of NBA Digital and NextVR’s season-long initiative to deliver weekly games in VR through NBA LEAGUE PASS.

This programming marks the first regular schedule of live games delivered in VR by a professional sports league.

The VR broadcasts are fully produced with dedicated announcers, multiple unmanned camera angles and optimized graphics. Game breaks are filled with in-venue entertainment, behind-the-scenes footage from the arena and VR-specific commentary.

“The Utah Jazz are excited to be featured in two virtual reality broadcasts by the NBA this season,” said Utah Jazz President Steve Starks. “We support the NBA’s drive forward in VR innovation and the capability of giving our global fan base courtside seats for Jazz games through technology.”

For local viewers, the VR broadcast of Utah-Cleveland game will be blacked out. More information on the NBA LEAGUE PASS VR Game of the Week is available at http://www.nba.com/vr.

The Utah Jazz game at Oklahoma City on Feb. 28 is also on the NBA VR broadcast schedule.

Sixers waive Hollis Thompson

The Philadelphia 76ers waived Hollis Thompson today.

Thompson appeared in 31 games this season and averaged six points, three rebounds and one assist in 18 minutes per game.

Thompson was originally signed by the Sixers on September 24, 2013 and appeared in 256 games (82 starts), posting averages of eight points, three rebounds and one assist on 42% shooting from the field in 24 minutes per game.

With the move, the Sixers roster currently stands at 14 players.

Hornets waive Aaron Harrison

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has waived guard Aaron Harrison.

Harrison (6-6, 212, Kentucky) was originally signed by the Hornets on July 14, 2015. The Kentucky product appeared in 26 games over two seasons with Charlotte, including two playoff outings in 2016.

Charlotte’s roster now stands at 14.

Pelicans sign Donatas Motiejunas

The New Orleans Pelicans signed free agent forward/center Donatas Motiejunas (pronounciation: doh-NAH-tahs moe-tee-YOU-nus) today.

Motiejunas, 7-0, 222, played for the Houston Rockets from 2012-16. In 214 career regular season games, the Lithuanian native holds averages of 7.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 19.0 minutes per game. He was set to return to the Rockets this season but the two sides were unable to work things out.

Motiejunas will wear number #12 for the Pelicans.

The team’s roster currently stands at 15 players.

Jimmy Butler scores 52 points against Hornets

The embodiment of the Eastern Conference was on full display at the United Center, as the Bulls and Charlotte Hornets are a little closer to finding out who they are but the difference between good and mediocre is slim.

So slim Dwyane Wade’s absence didn’t tilt the pendulum even more to the Hornets’ direction as they came in with confidence from a win last week, but the tables were turned in a big way.

An unexpected energy boost helped them early and their remaining star closed the night as Jimmy Butler pulled off yet another miracle at the United Center, scoring 27 of his season-high 52 points in the second half to help the Bulls to a 118-111 win over the Hornets Monday night.

Jumper after jumper, most in the face of defensive stopper Nic Batum, Butler did virtually everything in the fourth—and even reached the 50-point plateau for the second time in his career thanks to Hornets coach Steve Clifford picking up a technical late with Butler hitting the free throw.

— CSN Chicago

Quick Take: Butler shot 15-24 FG and 21-22 FT for 52 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, one block and three steals. In general, though, the Bulls are struggling these days. They’re 17-18, but the biggest issue right now is point guard Rajon Rondo, who had been a starter but lately spends entire games sitting on the bench. He played 11 minutes Friday, zero minutes Saturday and zero minutes last night. What will happen with him is unclear.