Pacers re-assign Orlando Johnson to D-League

The Indiana Pacers today re-assigned rookie guard Orlando Johnson to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers’ NBA Development League affiliate. The assignment is the record 81st of the 2012-13 NBA and NBA D-League seasons, and is the second for Johnson this year. He is one of 43 NBA players who’ve been assigned to the NBA D-League this season.

Johnson (6-5, 220, UC-Santa Barbara) has played nine minutes in three games for Indiana this season. In his previous two-game assignment with Fort Wayne, Johnson averaged 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals.

Selected in the second round (36th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings, Johnson was acquired by the Pacers via trade on June 28, 2012. In just three seasons at UC-Santa Barbara, Johnson became the Gauchos all-time leading scorer (1,825 points), and is the only player in school history to have scored 500 or more points in a season three times. His 674 points as a junior and 39 points in a game vs. Cal-Davis are also school records

Johnson is expected to join the Mad Ants today and be available when the team hosts the Texas Legends on Friday, Dec. 28.

Brooklyn Nets name P.J. Carlesimo interim head coach

PJ Carlesimo

The Brooklyn Nets, who today fired head coach Avery Johnson, have appointed Assistant Coach P.J. Carlesimo as the team’s interim head coach, it was announced by General Manager Billy King.

A search for a new head coach will commence immediately.

Carlesimo has previous NBA head coaching experience in Portland, Golden State and Seattle/OKC.  He owns a career coaching record of 204-296 in the regular season and 3-9 in the playoffs.

Brooklyn Nets fire head coach Avery Johnson

Brooklyn Nets fire head coach Avery Johnson

The Brooklyn Nets have relieved Avery Johnson of his head coaching duties, it was announced today by General Manager Billy King.

“The Nets ownership would like to express thanks to Avery for his efforts and to wish him every success in the future,” said Brooklyn Nets principal owner Mikhail Prokhorov.

Johnson was named head coach of the Nets on June 15, 2010.  In two-plus seasons as head coach of the Nets, Johnson compiled a record of 60-116.

The Nets are expected to name current assistant P.J. Carlesimo as the interim head coach.

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Raymond Felton out 4-6 weeks with fractured pinkie

Raymond Felton

Will the Knicks ever get healthy and whole?

Raymond Felton, the team’s starting point guard, said last night he has a fracture in his right pinkie, discovered following an X-ray. He added he will likely need surgery and be out four to six weeks.

Bah, humbug. Carmelo Anthony also missed last night’s 99-97 victor y over the Suns with a hyperextended knee suffered during Tuesday’s loss to the Lakers, but his injury doesn’t appear serious.

The timing of Felton’s latest injury is tough considering Amar’e Stoudemire is expected back on Jan. 1 and Iman Shumpert is gearing up to return later in the month. Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni will now be the point guards.

Felton took the X-ray of his shooting hand at halftime after sitting out last night. He injured the pinkie fighting for a loose ball with the Lakers’ Steve Nash. Felton will fly to New York tomorrow and see a hand specialist to confirm the next course of action, a Knicks official said.

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Thunder re-assign Perry Jones, DeAndre Liggins, Daniel Orton to D-League

The Oklahoma City Thunder has assigned forward Perry Jones, guard DeAndre Liggins and center Daniel Orton to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Jones has appeared in 10 games this season with the Thunder while recording averages of 1.2 points and 1.4 rebounds in 7.6 minutes per game.

In seven games with the Thunder, Liggins is averaging 0.7 points and 1.1 rebounds in 3.0 minutes per game.

Orton has seen action in one game for the Thunder, scoring two points in two minutes versus Cleveland on Nov. 11th.

All three players will travel with the 66ers to Canton for this weekend’s matchups with the Charge on Fri. Dec 28 and Sat. Dec 29.

Grizzlies re-assign Tony Wroten to D-League

The Memphis Grizzlies re-assigned guard Tony Wroten to the NBA Development League’s Reno Bighorns, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

Wroten (6-6, 208) averaged 13.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists on .370 shooting (.438 three-point shooting) in 22.8 minutes in six games for Reno during his first assignment from Nov. 27-Dec. 17.  The 19-year-old scored a D-League season-high 21 points in his Bighorns debut on Dec. 2 at Santa Cruz and matched that total in his next game on Dec. 7 vs. Bakersfield.

The Seattle native will be Bighorns for their next game on Friday, Dec. 28 at Idaho.

Drafted by Memphis in the first round (25th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft after one season at the University of Washington, Wroten has totaled eight minutes in three appearances for the Grizzlies during his rookie season.

Memphis will seek its fourth consecutive home victory tonight when the Grizzlies host the Philadelphia 76ers at 7 p.m. tonight at FedExForum.

Heat assign center Dexter Pittman to D-League

The Miami Heat today assigned third-year center Dexter Pittman to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s NBA Development League affiliate.  The assignment is the record 72nd of the 2012-13 NBA and NBA D-League seasons, and is the first for Pittman this year. He becomes the 43rd NBA player to have been assigned to the NBA D-League this season.

Pittman (6-11, 285, Texas) has appeared in four games for Miami this season, averaging 1.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.0 minutes.  He returns to the Skyforce having played in 22 games on assignment as a rookie in 2010-11, when he averaged 14.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 27.8 minutes.   In 41 career games for the Heat, Pittman has averaged 2.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 7.9 minutes.

Originally selected by the Heat in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2010 NBA Draft, Pittman averaged 6.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 134 career NCAA games.

Pittman is expected to join the Skyforce today and be available on Friday, Dec. 28, when the team hosts the Maine Red Claws in Sioux Falls at 8 p.m. ET.

DeMarcus Cousins not with Kings in Portland

DeMarcus Cousins

Kings center DeMarcus Cousins is not with the team and will not play against the Portland Trail Blazers.

It was coach Keith Smart’s decision not to bring Cousins on the trip.

Cousins was reinstated from an indefinite suspension Monday, but Smart said reinstatement meant Cousins would be allowed to practice, not necessarily play.

This will be the second game Cousins has missed since his verbal altercation at halftime of last Friday’s loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles.

— Reported by Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (Blog)