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The Chicago Bulls announced today the signing of free agent guard Stefhon Hannah (steff-ON). We assume this is a non-guaranteed deal just for training camp.
Hannah (6-1, 175) spent last season with both the Grand Rapids Drive and the Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League. In 22 games, he averaged 5.9 ppg, 2.1 apg and 1.05 spg in 16.6 mpg.
Chicago’s roster now stands at 19.
Stanley Johnson does not look like a rookie, says coach
There’s been a lot of buzz on Detroit Pistons rookie Stanley Johnson. He’s got our attention. Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy is singing early praises about him as well. Here’s the Detroit Free Press reporting:
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“He looks like he’s been out here before,” coach Stan Van Gundy said Wednesday after the first practice of Day 2. “He doesn’t look like a lost rookie at all. He looks like he knows what he’s doing, and he’s ready to play.”
Van Gundy was asked to expound on his comments after Tuesday’s first practice, when he called Johnson “one of the better players” during light scrimmaging.
“He’s physically strong enough obviously to play, which helps him be able to play right away,” Van Gundy said. “He is a smart guy, and he’s also got a great mental toughness. Not a lot of stuff fazes him.”
Van Gundy also elaborated on areas where Johnson has excelled.
“He did a real good job, as he did today, taking the ball to the basket,” Van Gundy said. “I thought he did a real good job of that, getting up and down the floor. Competes hard physically. Still got to do a better job on the defensive end.”
Enjoy this video showcasing Tracy McGrady’s best highlights from his days on the Orlando Magic:
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard averaged 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game last season. Enjoy this video showcasing some of his best highlights:
Expectations for the Knicks are… improving.
The New York Knicks should certainly be better this season than last. That’s our bold statement for today. Anyway, here’s the New York Post reporting:
Though he said Monday he held “no expectations at this time’’ for the 2015-16 Knicks, Carmelo Anthony amended the remark two days later, saying the title still is “our big-picture goal.’’ Maybe he’s seen something at West Point.
And Derek Fisher said just because they are the no-name Knicks other than Anthony, it doesn’t mean they are “rebuilding’’ and still expect to win. Fisher said he likes the notion the Knicks are filled with names not befitting the grand marquee.
“Based on the fact we don’t have a certain caliber of player on our roster other than Carmelo, people assume we’re rebuilding,’’ Fisher said after Wednesday’s second day of practices. “Was Atlanta rebuilding last year when they didn’t have quote-unquote [name] player on their roster. We think our group, as we figure it out, will be more competitive than people think. But rebuilding doesn’t mean we’re not trying to win right now.’’
It should be noted Atlanta placed four guys on the All-Star team last February — Al Horford, Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver.
Joakim Noah is really good when healthy, in case you forgot
Here’s CSN Chicago reporting on a Bulls frontcourt that, with health, has potential to be a lot better than it’s been:
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When the Bulls made their expected coaching change, one of the on-court changes many expected was to break up the tandem of Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol in the frontcourt.
In fact, when Fred Hoiberg had his availability on Media Day, the new Bulls coach anticipated it would be among the first three questions. The notion stemmed around Noah limping around last season and to a lesser extent, Gasol advancing in age. With Gasol being an All-Star player, the speculation was growing louder that Noah should come off the bench to balance out the floor.
But Noah feels Hoiberg should hold off on making a decision based off the tape from last year. The film doesn’t lie that the duo looked uneven last season, despite the gaudy record posted by the starting five for the few games they played together (16-5).
“I think we should give it an honest evaluation while I’m healthy,” Noah said. “Last year, I wasn’t healthy. Let’s see how it goes and then coaches can make a decision from there.”
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Along with the signing of 15-year NBA veteran Mike Miller, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced the Denver Nuggets official 2015-16 training camp roster today.
With the addition of Miller and signings of Matt Janning, Oleksiy Pecherov and Devin Sweetney, the Nuggets roster stands at 19 players.
The Nuggets are currently holding training camp at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs before heading to Los Angeles to face the Clippers in their first preseason game on Friday, October 2nd.
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The Portland Trail Blazers have exercised team options on guard CJ McCollum (fourth year), center Mason Plumlee (fourth year) and forward Noah Vonleh (third year), it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey.
McCollum, the 10th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, holds averages of 6.3 points, 1.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 14.5 minutes in 100 career games in his first two seasons with Portland.
Plumlee, the 22nd overall selection in the 2013 NBA Draft by Brooklyn, has averaged 8.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.77 blocks and 19.9 minutes in 152 games during his first two NBA seasons. Portland acquired Plumlee and the draft rights to guard Pat Connaughton from Brooklyn for guard Steve Blake and the draft rights to forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
Vonleh, the ninth overall pick by Charlotte in the 2014 NBA Draft, appeared in 25 games for the Hornets during his rookie season, averaging 3.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.2 assists in 10.4 minutes. Portland acquired Vonleh and guard Gerald Henderson from Charlotte in exchange for forward Nicolas Batum.
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The Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday they have exercised the third-year team options on the Rookie Scale Contracts of forward Bruno Caboclo and center Lucas Nogueira. The contracts for Caboclo and Nogueira are now guaranteed through the 2016-17 season. In accordance with the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Raptors had until October 31 to exercise their option on both players. Per team policy, financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.
Caboclo, 6-foot-9, 218 pounds, was selected by Toronto with the 20th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. The native of Brazil split last season between the Raptors and Fort Wayne in the NBA D-League. He averaged 1.3 points, 0.3 rebounds and 2.9 minutes in eight outings with Toronto and 3.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 8.9 minutes in seven games with Fort Wayne.
Nogueira, 7-foot, 241 pounds was acquired from Atlanta on June 30, 2014. He saw action with the Raptors and Fort Wayne in the NBA D-League last season. He averaged 1.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.5 minutes in six outings with Toronto and 8.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 20.0 minutes in four contests with Fort Wayne.
The native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was taken 16th overall by Boston in the 2013 Draft. He played three seasons in Spain before joining the Raptors.
Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose is injured again.
According to the Bulls, Rose was struck in the face by an elbow during today’s practice. He was taken by the Bulls medical staff to Rush University Medical Center for testing and evaluation which determined he sustained a left orbital fracture. After consultation with several specialists, it has been determined that he will require a surgical procedure, which will take place tomorrow at Rush. After the procedure, a timetable for return to play will be determined.
SEPTEMBER 30 UPDATE: Derrick Rose’s procedure went as expected today. At this time it is estimated he will be able to resume basketball activities in two weeks. The Bulls guard sustained a left orbital fracture in practice yesterday morning.