Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

Hornets sign Jeremy Lamb to contract extension

Hornets sign Jeremy Lamb to contract extension

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has signed Jeremy Lamb to a contract extension.

“We were thrilled with the opportunity to add Jeremy Lamb to our roster this past summer,” Cho said. “Through the preseason and start of our regular season, Jeremy has proven to be the type of player and professional we seek here in Charlotte. We’re excited to have him as a part of the Hornets for years to come.”

The fourth-year guard was acquired in a trade on June 25, 2015, after spending the first three seasons of his career in Oklahoma City. Lamb was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets and was acquired by the Thunder prior to the start of his rookie year. Lamb has appeared in 150 games (including eight starts) and holds career averages of 7.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 15.7 minutes per game. The University of Connecticut product has a career three-point percentage of .350 (139-397). On a per-36 minute basis, Lamb has averaged 16.1 points and 2.1 three-point field goals made for his career.

Lamb was an early entry candidate in the 2012 NBA Draft after spending two seasons at the University of Connecticut. He appeared in 75 games (including 73 starts) for the Huskies, averaging 14.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 32.1 minutes per game. He earned First Team All-Big East and Honorable Mention AP All-American honors as a sophomore, following up a freshman season in which he was named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team, the NCAA West Region All-Tournament Team and the Big East All-Tournament Team as he and Hornets teammate Kemba Walker led UConn to the 2011 NCAA and Big East Tournament Championships.

Chandler Parsons back in action for Mavs

Chandler Parsons is back in action for the Dallas Mavericks. He played just 12 minutes in Sunday’s 103-98 Mavs win over the Lakers, shot just 1-of-6, but did have three rebounds, three assists and a steal. A good first step in his return. Parsons is an essential Mavs component, and his progress is worth monitoring. Here’s the Fort Worth Star Telegram reporting:

Chandler Parsons back in action for Mavs

He launched a shoe line in Southern California on Friday night. But Chandler Parsons was more than happy when Sunday came around and he was able to do what he’s been anxiously waiting to do for a long, long time.

Re-launch his NBA career.

Playing for the first time since suffering the first major injury of his NBA career during last April’s first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, Parsons played 12 rusty minutes during Sunday’s 103-93 triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers. But just the fact that he was able to play – six months to the day – since he had hybrid micro-fracture surgery to repair cartilage damage to his right knee, was good enough for Parsons.

“I’m so excited,’’ Parsons said. “I felt like it was my first game of my career, so that’s awesome just to be out there and compete and play.

Kendrick Perkins out with pectoral injury

Kendrick Perkins pectoral injury

New Orleans Pelicans center Kendrick Perkins will be out indefinitely with a right pectoral injury. The injury occurred during the first quarter of last night’s game against the Golden State Warriors. A timetable for his return will be announced at a later date.

Perkins, 6-10, 270, had appeared in all three of the Pelicans’ regular season contests (all starts), averaging 5.3 points and 2.7 rebounds.

DeMarcus Cousins injury update: day-to-day, sore Achilles

DeMarcus Cousins day-to-day with sore Achilles

Sacramento Kings center-forward DeMarcus Cousins did not return after halftime due to a sore right Achilles sustained in the second quarter of tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the STAPLES Center. Cousins recorded 13 points (6-14 FG, 0-3 3pt, 1-2 FT), nine rebounds, one assist and one steal in 15 minutes in the first half. He is listed as day-to-day.

Celtics exercise contract options on Marcus Smart, James Young, Kelly Olynyk

Celtics exercise contract options on Marcus Smart, James Young, Kelly Olynyk

The Boston Celtics have exercised their third-year options on guard Marcus Smart and guard/forward James Young, and their fourth-year option on forward Kelly Olynyk.

All of these moves were expected.

Smart, who is in his second NBA season, appeared in five contests for the Celtics this preseason and averaged 8.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.0 steal in 24.2 minutes per game. The 6’4” guard played in 67 games during his rookie year and averaged 7.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals in 27.0 minutes per game. Smart was named to the 2014-15 NBA All-Rookie Second Team, named the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for February 2015, and was selected with the sixth overall pick by the Celtics in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Young, who is also in his second NBA season, appeared in seven preseason matchups for the team this year and averaged 4.4 points, including connecting on 35.0 percent of his shots from beyond the arc, and pulled down 1.4 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game over that span. Young was selected with the 17th overall pick by the Celtics in the 2014 NBA Draft and is averaging 3.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game through 31 career contests.

Olynyk, who is in his third NBA season, appeared in six preseason games for the team this year and averaged 7.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 17.7 minutes per game. The 7’0” forward is averaging 9.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 21.1 minutes per game over his 134 game career. Olynyk was originally selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the 13th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft before the Celtics acquired him in exchange for the draft rights to Lucas Nogueira and two future second round picks on June 27, 2013.

Bulls exercise contract options on Tony Snell and Doug McDermott

Bulls exercise contract options on Tony Snell and Doug McDermott

The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has exercised its fourth-year option for guard Tony Snell and its third-year option for forward Doug McDermott.

By exercising their options, both players will be under contract with the Bulls for the 2016-17 season.

Both of these moves were expected. Snell started 22 games for the Bulls last season, and has started all three so far this season. McDermott is still proving himself as an NBA player but clearly has the Bulls’ interest.

Pacers great Mel Daniels has died

The Indiana Pacers today are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former center Mel Daniels, a stalwart on the team’s three American Basketball Association championship teams and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Daniels died Friday in Sheridan, Ind. He was 71. He is survived by his wife, CeCe and family.

“I join our extended Pacers family in offering my sincerest condolences to CeCe and Mel’s family,” said Pacers Sports & Entertainment owner Herb Simon. “We will miss him greatly, but when we look at that Hall of Fame banner in Bankers Life Fieldhouse, we will be forever reminded of what he meant to this franchise.”

Daniels was twice named the ABA’s MVP (1969 and 1971). He played six seasons with the Pacers, averaging 19.4 points and 16.0 rebounds per game.

A four-time All-ABA selection, Daniels was named to the First Team in 1969, 1970 and 1971, and was a Second Team pick in 1973. He also was named the ABA All-Star Game MVP in 1971 and was the ABA’s first Rookie of the Year in 1968 while playing with Minnesota. He is the Pacers’ all-time leading rebounder in the ABA (7,643) and he holds the Pacers’ ABA record for rebounds in a single season (1,475 in 1970-71).

He is a graduate of the University of New Mexico.

Following the end of his playing career, he joined the basketball staff of the Pacers.

His jersey number was retired on November 2, 1985. In September 2012, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Pelicans sign Toney Douglas

Pelicans sign Toney Douglas

The New Orleans Pelicans, who yesterday said goodbye to Nate Robinson, signed point guard Toney Douglas today.

Douglas, 6-2, 185, appeared in 12 games for New Orleans during the 2014-15 season, averaging 4.3 points and 2.0 assists in 14.8 minutes per game. Douglas spent the 2015 preseason with the Indiana Pacers, appearing in five games and averaging 6.6 points, 1.6 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals.

Drafted 29th overall out of Florida State in 2009 by the Los Angeles Lakers, Douglas has appeared in 309 career NBA games with New York, Houston, Sacramento, Golden State, Miami and New Orleans, averaging 7.6 points and 2.2 assists in 18.9 minutes per game.

New Orleans’ roster now stands at 15.