NBA Teams – Page 992 – NBA Blog

Scottie Pippen not surprised LeBron went back to Cleveland

Here’s ESPN Chicago reporting Scottie Pippen’s reaction to LeBron James leaving the Miami Heat to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers:

Chicago Bulls great Scottie Pippen doesn’t know what it’s like to lose in the NBA Finals, but he figures LeBron James learned a lesson in doing just that for a second time in four tries with the Miami Heat.

After judging the slam-dunk championship at the Nike Chi League all-star festivities Saturday, Pippen was asked if he was surprised James left for the Cleveland Cavaliers following Miami’s one-sided loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals.

“I wasn’t surprised, I kind of figured he’d go back [to Cleveland],” Pippen said at Whitney Young High School. “I don’t know if he could hold that team up. I think [Dwyane] Wade’s physical ability had him thinking like, ‘Hey, maybe this is not the place I need to be.’

“It was a great run for them. They weren’t as successful as they thought they would be, but you went to the Finals four times, so you can’t hold your head down too much about that.”

Jazz: Ian Clark looking to show he belongs

Here’s the Salt Lake Tribune reporting on a young player’s challenges as he adapts to the NBA:

Ian Clark never ran the point guard spot in high school.

He played the position a bit during his senior year at Belmont, but nobody was comparing him to Chris Paul. His one year with the Utah Jazz was defined as a shooting guard.

But if he’s going to have staying power in the NBA, Clark will probably have to do it as a floor leader.

That’s what Clark faced this week at the Las Vegas summer league, proving to the Jazz front office that he can run an offense, and doing so with Trey Burke and Dante Exum spending a lot of their time as point guards as well.

“I just really wanted to show that I have been working on my game, and that I can be a point,” Clark said. “I’ve done things in my workouts this summer in Nashville so that I can get ready for this moment.”

Clippers re-sign Glen Davis

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have re-signed free agent forward Glen Davis.

Davis, 28, appeared in 23 games for the Clippers last season, averaging 4.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per game. He averaged 3.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game during the postseason. A native of Baton Rouge, LA, Davis was reunited with Clippers head coach Doc Rivers last season on February 24, who coached him for four seasons in Boston and together were a part of the 2008 NBA Championship Celtics team.

An eight-year NBA veteran, Davis has appeared in 440 career games (121 starts) with the Clippers, Orlando and Boston, averaging 8.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 22.6 minutes per game.

Originally drafted by Seattle with the 35th overall selection in the second round of the 2007 NBA Draft, Davis was traded to Boston along with Ray Allen as part of a Draft Day trade. After four years with the Celtics, Davis joined the Magic on Dec. 12, 2011 along with Von Wafer in exchange for Brandon Bass.

The power forward has made 82 career Playoff appearances, averaging 7.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 20.4 minutes.

Davis enjoyed a successful college career, playing three seasons at Louisiana State University. He averaged 16.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.16 blocks in 95 games (93 starts) at LSU, with his best year coming in 2006 when he led the Tigers to the Final Four and was named the SEC Player of the Year and a first-team All-American, leading the SEC in scoring (18.6) and rebounds (9.7)

Dallas Mavericks sign Rashard Lewis

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed free agent forward Rashard Lewis.

Lewis (6-10, 235) is a 16-year veteran and two-time NBA All-Star (2005, 2009). He has career averages of 14.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 32.0 minutes in 1049 career games (842 starts) for Seattle,
Orlando, Washington and Miami.

The Pineville, La., native returns to the state where he played his high school basketball. Lewis was a standout and Alief Elsik High School in Houston. He entered his name in the 1998 NBA Draft out of high school and
was selected with the 32nd overall pick by the Seattle Supersonics.

Lewis spent the past two seasons in Miami Heat and was a member of the Heat’s 2013 NBA Championship Team. Last season, he averaged 4.5 points, 1.8
rebounds and 16.2 minutes in 60 games (6 starts). In the 2014 NBA Playoffs, Lewis increased his averages to 5.3 points and 2.1 rebounds while also being moved into the Heat’s starting lineup. The Heat fell to San Antonio in the NBA Finals.

Miami Heat re-sign Chris Andersen

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have re-signed forward/center Chris Andersen.

“Chris Andersen has had two great seasons with us and without him, we would not have been able to win the 2013 NBA Championship,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “I’m happy he decided to come back and we’re looking forward to a great season from him in the power rotation.”

Andersen, a 12-year NBA veteran has appeared in 596 career NBA regular season games (10 starts) and averaged 5.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.53 blocks and 17.8 minutes while shooting 52.9 percent from the field. Last season, Andersen appeared in 72 regular season games with the HEAT and averaged 6.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.35 blocks and 19.4 minutes. He shot a career-high 64.4 percent from the field, after previously shooting a career-high 57.7 percent from the field in his first season with Miami in 2012-13. He also blocked six shots off the HEAT bench on March 9 at Chicago, tying the team single-game record for blocks by a reserve. Additionally, Andersen shot a perfect 7-of-7 off the bench on January 7 vs. New Orleans, tying the second-most made field goals without a miss by a HEAT reserve in franchise history. That effort also tied the best shooting performance of his career with his perfect 7-of-7 game vs. Washington on March 25, 2011.

Andersen has appeared in 38 postseason career games with the HEAT, spanning two seasons, and averaged 5.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.05 blocks and 16.3 minutes while shooting 69.3 percent from the field, helping Miami to consecutive NBA Finals appearances, including the 2013 NBA Championship.

Knicks sign center Jason Smith

New York Knicks President Phil Jackson announced today that the team has signed center Jason Smith

Smith, 7-0, 240-pounds, holds career averages of 6.0 points, on 47.2-percent shooting, and 3.5 rebounds over 16.7 minutes in 331 games (65 starts) over six seasons with Philadelphia and New Orleans. This past season for the Pelicans, he averaged 9.7 points, on 46.5-percent shooting, and a career high 5.8 rebounds over 26.8 minutes in 31 games (27 starts).

The Greeley, CO native was originally selected by the Miami Heat 20th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft as a junior out of Colorado State University, before having his draft rights traded to Philadelphia that night.

Miami Heat re-sign Udonis Haslem

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have re-signed forward Udonis Haslem.

“Udonis Haslem has been a fixture in Miami over the last 11 years,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “He’s a team player, an encompassing all-purpose player, that would play just about any position or role in order to win. It’s been such a privilege and honor to have him with the organization and I’m so happy that he decided to come back.”

Haslem, a three-time NBA Champion, has played his entire 11-year NBA career with the HEAT, appearing in 715 regular season games (473 starts) averaging 8.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 28.0 minutes while shooting 49.5 percent from the field and 76 percent from the foul line. He became the HEAT’s all-time offensive rebound leader, surpassing Alonzo Mourning (1,505), on April 11 vs. Indiana. Additionally, Haslem was already Miami’s franchise leader in defensive and total rebounds, becoming the first non-drafted player in NBA history to be their team’s all-time rebounding leader. Among the HEAT’s all-time franchise leaders, he ranks first in total rebounds (5,332), defensive rebounds (3,821) and offensive rebounds (1,511), second in games played, games started, minutes played (19,987), third in double-doubles (130), fourth in double-figure points off the bench (70), sixth in field goals made (2,484), eighth in total points (6,127), ninth in free throws made (1,159) and 10th in steals (390) and blocked shots (231).

The Miami native appeared in 46 games (18 starts) with the HEAT last season, averaging 3.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 14.2 minutes while shooting 50.7 percent from the field, his sixth season shooting at least 50 percent from the floor. He served as a team captain for the seventh-straight year, tying Alonzo Mourning for the franchise mark. He finished second on the team in charges drawn (17) and blocked a career-tying three shots on January 18 at Charlotte. He also scored his 6,000th career point on December 28 at Portland and grabbed his 1,500th career offensive rebound on April 2 vs. Milwaukee.

Haslem, who along with Dwyane Wade, is only one of two players to have played on each of the HEAT’s three NBA Championship teams, has appeared in 138 postseason career games (84 starts) and averaged 5.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 22.5 minutes while shooting 47.9 percent from the field. Last season, he appeared in 16 postseason games (six starts) and averaged 2.5 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10.6 minutes of action while shooting 45.9 percent from the field. He helped lead Miami to a perfect 6-0 record in each of the games he started as the HEAT made their fourth consecutive NBA Finals appearance.

Tulsa 66ers will relocate to Oklahoma City

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s NBA Development League affiliate, the Tulsa 66ers, will be moving to Oklahoma City, the Thunder announced today.

The 66ers have played home games the last two seasons at the SpiritBank Event Center in Bixby, Okla., but team officials were notified recently that the facility will no longer offer arena space for lease. The move will take place prior to the start of the D-League regular season, which begins in mid-November and extends through early April.

“Our two seasons in Bixby were successful and we were pleased to be there, but circumstances beyond our control made it necessary to look for a new home for our Development League team,” said Danny Barth, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of the Thunder.

“We explored several potentially viable options, but were unable to find a facility in the Tulsa area that meets all of our business and basketball needs, so we made the decision to bring the team to Oklahoma City,” Barth said. “We offer our sincere thanks to the communities of Tulsa and Bixby, and to all of the 66ers fans and sponsors in the area for their loyal support over the past few years.”

The Professional Basketball Club, LLC, which owns the Thunder, purchased the 66ers in 2008.

Thunder officials are currently in discussions with the City of Oklahoma City to play the team’s 24 regular-season home games at the Cox Convention Center in downtown Oklahoma City, directly across the street from Chesapeake Energy Arena. Along with the move of the team, the business and basketball operations of the D-League team will also relocate to Oklahoma City. The team will train at the Thunder Community Events Center in Edmond, the original training home of the Thunder from 2008-11. The move of the 66ers is subject to NBA D-League approval.

Wizards re-sign Drew Gooden

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has re-signed forward Drew Gooden.

“The addition of Drew was a big part of our success late last season and we are excited to have him back with us,” said Grunfeld. “His skills will help to solidify our front court rotation and his experience will help us continue to grow as a team.”

Gooden appeared in 22 games for Washington last season, averaging 8.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per contest. The 12-year veteran originally signed a 10-day contract with the Wizards on Feb. 26, signed a second 10-day on March 8 and then signed for the remainder of the season on March 18. Gooden had 12 games of 10+ points, scored a season-high 21 vs. Brooklyn on 3/15 and pulled down a season-high 11 rebounds at the Los Angeles Lakers on 3/21.

In 10 playoff games last season, Gooden averaged 3.4 points 4.2 rebounds in 15 minutes of action. His best postseason outing came in Game One of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, where he posted 12 points and 13 rebounds in Washington’s win at Indiana.

In 12 seasons with Memphis, Orlando, Cleveland, Chicago, Sacramento, San Antonio, Dallas, the Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee and Washington, the former Kansas Jayhawk has appeared in 709 career regular season games while averaging 11.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 26.7 minutes per game. In 54 career postseason games, he has averaged 9.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in 24.8 minutes per contest.

Hornets sign Lance Stephenson

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has signed free agent guard Lance Stephenson.

According to the Charlotte Observer, “Stephenson will sign a three-season contract with the third season at the Hornets’ option. He’ll make $9 million each of the first two seasons and $9.4 million if the Hornets keep him for 2016-17.”

“We are extremely excited to add Lance to our team,” Cho said. “He is a great up-and-coming player with an incredibly high ceiling. He is an exceptional athlete who has the versatility and skill to play multiple positions on both offense and defense. We believe he will be an outstanding addition to our roster.”

The 6-5 Stephenson finished second in NBA Most Improved Player voting last season after leading the league with five triple-doubles and averaging career highs of 13.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 35.3 minutes in 78 games played for the Pacers. He also set career highs in field goals (427), field goal percentage (.491), three-point field goals (86) and three-point percentage (.352). Stephenson scored in double figures 64 times, including 13 games of 20 points or more. He also recorded 22 double-figure rebounding games and six double-figure assist games, tallying 20 double-doubles.

In addition to his career highs, Stephenson’s single-season totals in 2013-14 surpassed his previous three-year career totals in points, rebounds, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, assists, field goals, three-point field goals and free throws. He also saw action in 19 playoff games, averaging 13.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 37.1 minutes.

Stephenson was originally selected by the Pacers with the 40th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. He has played in 216 career games, all for the Pacers, with averages of 9.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists. In 42 career playoff games, he has averaged 10.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 33.1 minutes.