Category: Philadelphia 76ers Blog

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Sixers sign Jarvis Varnado to 10-day contract

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced that they have signed forward Jarvis Varnado to a 10-day contract. He is the 26th “Call-Up” of the 2013-14 NBA Development League season.

Varnado was originally the 41st overall pick by Miami in the 2010 NBA Draft. He began his professional career overseas and joined Boston briefly during the 2012-13 season before eventually signing with the Heat during its championship run.

This season, Varnado was named a D-League All-Star for the Iowa Energy and is averaging 14.1 points along with a league-high 4.7 blocks while also ranking second in rebounding with 11.0 rpg. He signed a 10-day contract with Chicago on February 18, 2014 and appeared in one game.

Varnado played collegiately at Mississippi State and joined David Robinson as the only players in NCAA history to record at least 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 blocks. He finished his career as the NCAA’s all-time leading shot blocker with 564.

Season should stay tough for 76ers

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on the badly-struggling Sixers, who do not see light at the end of the rainbow — at least while the season is still going on:

Thirteen of their remaining 24 games are against teams that would be in the playoffs if the season had concluded Wednesday.

Five other games come against teams – the Memphis Grizzlies (twice), New York Knicks (twice), and Detroit Pistons – that could still make a playoff push.

On paper, the Sixers’ best opportunities are against the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics. They’ll face the Magic on Sunday at the Amway Center. The Sixers (15-43) will travel to Boston on April 4 before hosting the Celtics on April 14.

Fans are finding out that the Sixers lost a lot in last week’s trades that shipped Spencer Hawes to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen to the Indiana Pacers.

As a result, the squad, with a 12-game losing streak, might be hard-pressed to beat even the Magic (18-42) and Celtics (20-39).

Sixers, Danny Granger agree on buyout

Sixers, Danny Granger agree on buyout

According to Philly.com, “The Danny Granger Era in Philadelphia ended quicker than Andrew Bynum’s. As expected, the 76ers and Granger agreed to a contract buyout on Wednesday. The team announced the deal before the 76ers took the floor against the Orlando Magic at the Wells Fargo Center.”

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “The 76ers negotiated a buyout of what’s left of the forward’s expiring contract on Wednesday, six days after he was acquired in a trade with the Indiana Pacers. Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie wouldn’t disclose the buyout amount. Granger, however, was slated to receive around $4 million for the rest of the season. Assuming he clears waivers by 5 p.m. Friday, the 6-foot-9, 228-pounder can sign with a team of his choice. He is reportedly looking at championship contenders: the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, and San Antonio Spurs.”

And, here’s a statement from 76ers President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Sam Hinkie, regarding Danny Granger:

“His accomplishments and accolades to this point of his NBA career more than speak for themselves, so I would like to express that I have a great deal of respect for Danny Granger as a person. The manner with which he carried himself throughout this process was professional, courteous and respectful, and speaks volumes about his character.

“Following the completion of the trade on Thursday night, Danny traveled to Philadelphia and we had an opportunity to meet with him here. These were in addition to the open lines of communication with his agent Aaron Mintz and CAA while we worked through the next steps.

“Given Danny’s future goals and his desire to pursue them, we worked to fulfill his requests and have come to a resolution that we feel is mutually beneficial to both Danny and our organization.

“We wish Danny the best in the next phase of his career.”

Three-team trade sends Andre Miller to Wizards, Jan Vesely to Nuggets, Eric Maynor to Sixers

nuggets trade andre miller

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has acquired guard Andre Miller from Denver in exchange for forward Jan Vesely. As part of the three-team deal, the Wizards also sent guard Eric Maynor and a 2015 second round pick to Philadelphia and received a protected 2014 second round pick from the 76ers. The 76ers will also receive a future second round pick from Denver.

“Andre is a proven veteran who brings 14 years of experience as a point guard, leader and distributor to solidify our second unit,” said Grunfeld. “He will be a valuable addition as we make our push over these last 28 games of the season to put ourselves in the best possible position.”

Miller (6-2, 200) holds career averages of 13.6 points, 7.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 1,156 career games (935 starts) in 14-and-a-half NBA seasons with five teams. He has shot .459 from the field and .808 from the line. The eighth overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft has averaged 5.9 points and 3.3 assists in 30 games with Denver this season. A product of the University of Utah, Miller enjoyed his best season during the 2001-02 campaign when he averaged 16.5 points and a career-best and NBA-leading 10.9 assists in 81 games. He ranks second among active players and ninth in NBA history in career assists with 8,056 and is one of only eight players in NBA history to record at least 15,000 points and 7,500 assists. In 52 playoff games with Denver, Philadelphia and Portland, he holds averages of 15.5 points, 5.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.05 steals.

Vesely was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by Washington. In 141 career games with the Wizards, he averaged 3.5 points and 3.4 rebounds. In 33 games this season, Vesely posted 3.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 14 minutes.

Maynor signed with Washington as a free agent on July 10, 2013. In 23 games with the Wizards this season, he averaged 2.3 points and 1.7 assists in nine minutes.

“We appreciate the contributions and professionalism of both Jan and Eric during their time with the Wizards and we wish them both well,” said Grunfeld.

The 2015 second round pick that Washington sent to Philadelphia was acquired from the Clippers in 2012. In the three-team deal, the Wizards sent JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf to the Denver Nuggets and Nick Young to the Los Angeles Clippers. In return, the Wizards received Nene from Denver and Brian Cook and a second-round pick from the Clippers. The Clippers acquired the pick from New Orleans as part of their trade for Chris Paul trade the previous December.

76ers trade Spencer Hawes to Cavaliers

76ers trade Spencer Hawes to Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired center Spencer Hawes from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for forward Earl Clark, center Henry Sims and two second round draft picks, Cavaliers Acting General Manager David Griffin announced tonight from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

“We felt adding a player of Spencer’s caliber and experience will complement our frontcourt rotation well and we are very excited to have him in Cleveland,” said Griffin. “Spencer is a very skilled big man, who was having a career year in Philadelphia this season. We look for his ability to both shoot from the perimeter and defend the basket to help us, and at 25 years of age his game is still growing on both ends of the floor. In acquiring Spencer, we had to move Earl and Henry and we thank them for their contributions to the Cavaliers.”

In exchange for Hawes, the Cavs send Clark, Sims, the Cavs 2014 second round pick and the Memphis Grizzlies 2014 second round pick acquired in July 25, 2012 trade with the Grizzlies to the 76ers.

This season, Hawes has appeared in 53 games (all starts) for Philadelphia, averaging career highs of 13.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists (most among all NBA centers) in 31.4 minutes per game. The 7-1, 245-pound center is also shooting .399 from the three-point line and .782 from the foul line, both career highs. Hawes ranks fifth among all NBA power forwards and centers in three-point shooting percentage this season (minimum 100 attempts). He also ranks eighth in the Eastern Conference in blocks per game at 1.3 and is tied for ninth in double-doubles with 19 on the season. Hawes is one of four players (Tim Duncan, Pau Gasol and Paul Millsap) in the NBA this season with averages of at least 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 block.

Hawes was originally drafted by Sacramento in the 2007 NBA Draft as the No. 10 overall selection. The six-year veteran owns career averages of 9.4 points on .465 shooting, 6.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 blocks in 24.6 minutes over 473 games (321 starts). He has also played in 18 playoff games (17 starts) with averages of 8.2 points on .440 shooting and 5.8 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per game. He has the third-most career three-point field goals made (194) among any player listed 7-0 or taller in NBA history, trailing only Dirk Nowitzki (1,425) and Andrea Bargnani (609).

Sixers are looking for draft picks

The Philadelphia 76ers are rebuilding. And want draft picks. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting:

The 76ers’ focus in the days leading up to Thursday’s NBA trade deadline is acquiring draft picks, according to an Eastern Conference executive.

The franchise wants to gain future compensation in exchange for Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes, and Thaddeus Young, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. With the most cap space in the league and an open roster spot, the Sixers will consider acquiring an expiring contract from a team looking to dump a salary. But that most likely will also involve receiving a draft pick.

As a result, the 76ers are believed to be the most active team in trade talks leading up to the deadline. The Sixers have had discussions with all 29 other NBA franchises.

Close loss to Jazz a moral victory for Sixers

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on the 76ers, who at this point have to appreciate any game where they don’t get blown out:

The 76ers scored only four second-chance points. They were outscored, 56-10, in bench points, and they didn’t have an answer for Utah Jazz reserve Alec Burks.

Ye, the Sixers believe Wednesday’s 105-100 setback to the Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena was a positive step.

“To get humbled the last few games the way we have been, and we were down . . . on the road in a loud building, I’m proud of what we did,” said coach Brett Brown, whose squad had lost its previous two games by a combined 88 points. “Our bench, ultimately, we are going to need more from them, and some of that is just newness with Arnett” Moultrie playing in his third game of the season.

But under the circumstances, the Sixers (15-39) can cope with that heading into the all-star break. So much so that Wednesday’s performance could be considered a moral victory for the team with an eight-game losing streak.

Nerlens Noel health update

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on 76ers rookie Nerlens Noel, who has not yet played this season:

Update on injured Sixers rookie Nerlens Noel

It was obvious to see why the 76ers are excited about Nerlens Noel’s future.

The rookie center put on a show Thursday at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine while participating in one-on-one drills with player-development coach Greg Foster. Noel was fluid going to the basket, and displayed quickness and a burst while making an array of dunks and hook shots. He didn’t show any signs of the anterior cruciate ligament tear he suffered in his left knee last February during his lone season at Kentucky.

“Although it’s just sort of shadowboxing, you can’t help but see how quick he jumps, his athleticism, his length,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said of the 6-foot-11, 228-pounder. “It is exciting to look out there and see what you project [him] to be.”

Noel has yet to practice or play in a game as a Sixer. There’s a thought that the franchise doesn’t want him on the court and would be content if he missed the entire season. In October, Brown said Noel was not likely to play this season.

James Harden was an Allen Iverson fan

Here’s the Houston Chronicle reporting the feelings of a current terrific scoring guard on a former great:

The Philadelphia 76ers announced Wednesday that 11-time All-Star guard Allen Iverson will have his No. 3 jersey retired by the franchise on March 1.

Upon hearing the news, Rockets guard James Harden said Iverson was very deserving of the honor.

“He is one of the best players, one of the best scorers I have ever watched, period,” Harden said. “He is so small but he got it done. He was a warrior.”