Philadelphia 76ers Blog – Page 36 – NBA Blog

Sixers sign Kendall Marshall

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced they have signed point guard Kendall Marshall.

Marshall was originally the 13th overall pick by Phoenix in the 2012 NBA Draft and appeared in seven games for the Delaware 87ers, the Sixers NBA Development League Affiliate, during the 2013-14 campaign, where he averaged 19 points and 10 assists per game on 46% shooting from three-point range.

Marshall appeared in 54 games for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2013-14 season, where he made 45 starts and averaged eight points and nine assists (with a 3.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio) in 29 minutes per game. He joined the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2014-15 season and posted averages of four points and three assists in 14 minutes per game.

A two-year stand out for the University of North Carolina, Marshall dished out an Atlantic Coast Conference record 351 assists in 2011-12 and went on to win the 2012 Bob Cousy Award, which is bestowed upon the nation’s top point guard in NCAA Division I.

Video: Best Dikembe Mutombo blocks

Retired center Dikembe Mutombo averaged 9.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game over his NBA career. He was a defensive force. Enjoy this video showcasing some of the best blocks of his basketball career:

Report: Sixers may add Kendall Marshall

The Philadelphia 76ers are still undergoing a massive rebuild. There’s no telling how many seasons it’ll take. As for who they may be added to their roster, here’s the Philadelphia Daily News reporting:

The 76ers are close to signing free-agent guard Kendall Marshall to a multiyear contract, Yahoo Sports reported.

The deal would fully guarantee his salary for the 2015-16 season, sources told the website.

Marshall has been rehabilitating a torn anterior cruciate ligament in Chapel Hill, N.C., the past few months and worked out in Philadelphia this week.

Marshall is expected to be able to play sometime during the first half of the season, NBA sources said.

Jahlil Okafor aiming for Rookie of Year award

Here’s CSN Philly reporting on 76ers rookie Jahlil Okafor, who is certainly a leading contender to win the 2015-16 Rookie of the Year award:

Jahlil Okafor, speaking at the NBA and Panini America’s rookie photo shoot at MSG Training Center on Saturday, shared a few of his goals for the upcoming 2015-16 season.

The Sixers’ big man already has his eyes set on some hardware.

“I’d like to win Rookie of the Year,” he said. “Just want to get better every night for myself and my coaches with the Sixers. Try and win some big games.”

The last Sixer to win the award was Michael Carter-Williams in 2014. If Okafor could pull that off, it would signify the Sixers are inching closer to resembling a respectable NBA team.

Sixers trade Jason Thompson to Warriors for Gerald Wallace

The Golden State Warriors have acquired forward/center Jason Thompson from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for forward Gerald Wallace, the team announced today. As part of the deal, Philadelphia also receives cash and draft considerations.

“We’re very happy to add Jason to our roster,” said Warriors General Manager Bob Myers. “He has a proven track record in this league and adds considerably to our team’s depth, which was a big key to our success last season and will be moving forward.”

Thompson, 29, owns career averages of 9.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 26.5 minutes over 541 regular-season games (405 starts) in seven seasons with the Sacramento Kings, hitting 49.7 percent from the field. In 81 games last season (63 starts), he tallied 6.1 points and 6.5 rebounds in 24.6 minutes per contest. The 6’11” forward/center recorded seven double-doubles in 2014-15, including his first career 20/20 game when he tallied 23 points and a career-high 22 rebounds on Jan. 17 vs. the Clippers, one of only three players to post those numbers in a game last season (DeMarcus Cousins, Kenneth Faried).

Originally selected by the Kings with the 12th overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft, Thompson appeared in more games in the Sacramento-era than any player in team history and ranks in the top-10 in several categories on the Kings’ all-time franchise leaderboard, including games played (eighth; 541), total rebounds (ninth; 3,746), offensive rebounds (third; 1,232), defensive rebounds (seventh; 2,514) and blocked shots (sixth; 394). The Rider University product has appeared in 541 of a possible 558 games (97%) during his seven-year NBA career. Thompson was traded to Philadelphia from Sacramento, along with Carl Landry and Nik Stauskas, on July 9, 2015.

Wallace, 33, was acquired by Golden State from Boston, along with Chris Babb, in exchange for David Lee on July 27. He owns career averages of 11.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.44 steals and 29.7 minutes in 832 regular-season games (611 starts) over 14 NBA seasons with Sacramento, Charlotte, Portland, New Jersey/Brooklyn and Boston.

Sixers sign Richaun Holmes

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced they have signed rookie forward Richaun Holmes.

Holmes appeared in all three games for the Sixers in the 2015 Utah Jazz Summer League, averaging 10 points and five rebounds in just 17 minutes per game.

The 21-year-old spent his final three collegiate seasons at Bowling Green and was named Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year and All-MAC First Team as a senior.

Holmes shot 55% for his career and left as Bowling Green’s all-time leader in blocks with 244. He became the first player in school history to record at least 1,000 points, 600 rebound and 200 blocks. Holmes also hit 18 3-pointers on 42% shooting as a senior after having 12 3FGM on 29% shooting his first two seasons with the Falcons.

Sixers sign guard Scottie Wilbekin

The Philadelphia 76ers have signed guard Scottie Wilbekin.

Wilbekin was eligible for the 2014 NBA Draft following a standout career at Florida. As a senior, he was named SEC Player of the Year and earned Third Team All-America by the Associated Press. Wilbekin was also a two-time SEC All-Defensive selection and finished his career with 167 steals.

Last season, Wilbekin played 32 games for Cairns Taipans of the Australian National Basketball League and was named the club’s MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. He was also named First Team All-NBL after averaging 15 points, four assists, four rebounds and one steal per game with the Taipans. He later joined AEK Athens of the Greek Basket League, averaging eight points and four assists in nine games played.

Wilbekin competed for the Sixers in the 2014 Orlando Pro Summer League and the 2015 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, where he finished second on the team in scoring with 14 points per game and averaged three 3-pointers made per game.

Sixers sign guard Pierre Jackson

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced they have signed guard Pierre Jackson.

Jackson (5-10, 180) was originally the 42nd overall pick by Philadelphia in the 2013 NBA Draft before his rights were traded to New Orleans along with Jrue Holiday in exchange for the rights to Nerlens Noel and what turned out to be the 10th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. During the 2014 NBA Draft, Jackson’s rights were traded back to the Sixers in exchange for the rights to Russ Smith, who was the 47th overall pick that year.

The Las Vegas native returned to action this summer, playing for Philadelphia in the NBA Summer League and is currently averaging 12 points while shooting 50% from 3-point range.

During the 2013-14 season, Jackson played for the Idaho Stampede in the NBA Development League and averaged 29.1 points, 6.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He was named a D-League All-Star and scored a league-record 58 points against Texas on Feb. 4, 2014.

Jackson spent his final two collegiate seasons at Baylor, after beginning his career at the College of Southern Idaho. He was named First Team All-Big-12 as a junior and a senior and set a school record with 712 total points in his final season.

Joel Embiid injury run continues; Sixers center to miss 2015-16 NBA season

Joel Embiid injury run continues: out for 2015-16 NBA season

The following is a statement from Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Sam Hinkie:

“As we previously communicated, we have spent the last several weeks working closely with Joel and his representatives to further evaluate Joel’s foot following the results of the most recent CT scan. This included conference calls and in-person visits with renowned foot and ankle specialists from the United States (New York, North Carolina, Colorado, California and Pennsylvania) and internationally (Australia, the Netherlands and Qatar). This group of experts unanimously agreed that the routine CT scan in June did reveal less healing than anticipated, an unexpected result since Joel was not experiencing any foot pain.

“We have been consistent in our philosophy that our focus will be Joel’s long-term health and wellness to ensure he will have a long and impactful career in the NBA. After receiving the input of the aforementioned medical experts, as well as conversations with Joel and his representatives, there was careful consideration given to a number of options related to this particular situation. A collective decision has been made that the best approach to promote full healing would be to proceed with a bone graft of the fracture site. We anticipate the procedure will take place in the next 7-10 days and result in Joel missing the upcoming season.

“We are still in the process of determining the doctor who will perform the procedure, which should be finalized in the coming days. Sixers Director of Performance Research and Development Dr. David T. Martin will outline and lead Joel’s rehab and recovery plan, in collaboration with a worldwide network of experts and specialists.”

Joel Embiid may miss the 2015-16 season

The Philadelphia 76ers are on a pretty in-depth rebuilding plan, to the point of drafting a successful point guard in Michael Carter-Williams, only to trade him away because he was good and often very good but not definitely a great. But now there’s another setback. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer blog reporting:

The 7-footer will have a second surgery after the latest setback in the healing of his right foot, according to several NBA sources. The team will decide whether to have it in North Carolina or at the New York Hospital of Special Surgery

“I would say there’s a great possibility that Embiid won’t play next year,” the source said. “Just think how long they sat him when they thought he was healthy.”

The Sixers are planning as if Embiid won’t play this season, sources say. Another source said the franchise is concerned that this setback could be career-threatening.