The Oklahoma City Thunder released guard Mustafa Shakur, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.
Shakur, who was signed to a 10-day contract on March 16, did not appear in a game with Oklahoma City.
Danny Granger returns to form
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports:
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It took nearly the entire season, but Pacers forward Danny Granger is averaging 31 points and shooting 54 percent from the field in the past four games. He has had 13 games of at least 30 points, including three straight, this season.
Granger missed more than a month with a torn right plantar fascia and has had a difficult time adjusting to his new teammates.
“I think he’s found a comfort level,” O’Brien said. “He’s taking what’s there. He’s not forcing the issue, and his assist-to-turnover ratio is up. . . . This is the Danny Granger we became accustomed to seeing last year.”
Return to San Francisco possible for Warriors
C.W. Nevius of the San Francisco Chronicle reports:
The rumor that the Golden State Warriors might move to San Francisco is recycled every few years.
But this time, it has a chance to happen.
Potential buyers of the team have asked the San Francisco Giants about building a state-of-the-art arena in Mission Bay, south of AT&T Park, sources say.
The team is on the verge of finishing an agreement that would give the Giants exclusive negotiating rights with the Port Commission to develop the parking lot behind AT&T Park. So if you want to talk about an arena in what the team is calling the Mission Rock District, you need to speak to the Giants.
Danilo Gallinari getting noticed
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports:
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Danilo Gallinari made a believer out of Tracy McGrady and Denver’s Carmelo Anthony after the 6-foot-10 forward scored 17 of his team-high 28 points in the third quarter of Tuesday’s win over the Nuggets. Gallinari asked to guard Anthony, and in the decisive third quarter, the two players traded shots and words in a classic duel that had the Garden buzzing.
“That was like, ‘(forget) everybody else, it’s me and you,’ ” McGrady said. “I haven’t seen (Hedo) Turkoglu and Dirk (Nowitzki) do that. They play within the team concept. That was ‘get me the ball and everybody move out of the way.’ I was enjoying it.”
Gallinari has always been one of the Knicks’ more physically and mentally tough players. He’ll play through pain, he’s not afraid to take big shots and he won’t back down from a challenge. In December, after the Clippers’ Baron Davis hit Gallinari with an elbow, Gallinari returned the favor after grabbing a rebound. Davis looked stunned.
Lawrence Frank will return to coaching… someday
Dave D’Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger reports
He’s preparing again.
Not for a game, or for a practice, or for anything immediate or specific.
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But make no mistake, Lawrence Frank is preparing for something, and his specific purpose won’t be apparent until some general manager rings his phone in a month or two.
“I hope to get another opportunity to coach another NBA team, and only time will tell how soon that may come,” the former Nets coach said Wednesday. “So I’m working on some things, visiting people, doing some writing, formulating thoughts and ideas, putting together material about the components of coaching – mostly studying the DNA of successful organizations.”
And he’s doing all these things the way Frank does everything: at a whirlwind pace…
“A college team takes on the personality of its coach,” Frank said. “But when you study the NBA, you know a team takes on the personality of its best player. With any team on a high level, the top player embodies its winning culture. So if you’re going to upgrade, it can change quickly – as long as you’re fortunate to get the right franchise player.”
Spurs sign Curtis Jerrells
The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed guard Curtis Jerrells from the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.
Jerrells, 6-1, 200 pounds, has appeared in 43 games this season with the Austin Toros. He averaged 20.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 40.0 minutes.
Jerrells has been selected as the NBA Development League Performer of the Week twice this season, most recently for games played during the week of March 15 when he averaged 32.7 points, 6.3 assists and 5.7 rebounds. Jerrells also appeared in five preseason games for San Antonio, averaging 3.6 points and 1.8 assists in 14.8 minutes. He was waived on 10/22.
Jerrells played collegiately for four years at Baylor University. As a senior he averaged a team-high 16.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists while starting in all in 39 games for the Bears. He was selected to the All-Big 12 Third Team and was named to the 2009 NIT All-Tournament Team after leading the Bears to the NIT championship game. As a junior Jerrells was named to the All-Big 12 First Team, after averaging 15.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists. He scored a career-high 36 points, including a school and Big 12 record 20-of-24 free throws, in a five-OT 116-110 win at Texas A&M on 1/23/08.
For his career, Jerrells averaged 15.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.34 steals. Jerrells is the only player in school history to finish his career with more than 1,000 points, 400 assists and 100 steals.
Rumors Talk: Blatche blowing it
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Since the Washington Wizards scrapped their team, two main things have happened that I can think of. First, Josh Howard’s season ended due to injury. And second, big-man Andray Blatche emerged as a legit talent. His stats in the last month or so are inflated because he tends to get the ball a heck of a lot, but still, he’s doing great.
But as you read on the rumors page today, he messed up yesterday, arguing with Flip Saunders and then reportedly refusing to play the rest of the game. By doing this, Blatche sent a message to the masses that he has maturity issues to work on. Hopefully he does the right thing, says sorry to his coach and team, and moves on positively from there. But the Wizards really don’t need any more nonsense from any players.
The Knicks don’t need Raja Bell at all this season. It’s pointless to add him. Bell should probably just hang out someplace cool, regain full health, and focus on joining a championship contender next season.
I definitely hope Don Nelson goes on to coach the Warriors in summer league play, as he reportedly plans. The more head coaches involved in those games, the better. It’ll just raise the level of everything and make the games that much better.
Madison Square Garden’s atmosphere is electric and amazing, even in losing seasons. Can’t wait to see what it’s like when they have an actual good team out there.
The Nuggets without Kenyon Martin probably aren’t a championship contender. He’s certainly not their best player, but they drop a half-rung down the ladder without him.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas returned to the Cavaliers! In equally shocking news, I ate food today, and will likely do so again tomorrow.
I laughed when hearing that Nets CEO Brett Yormark snapped at a fan. I have no followup comment. That’s just friggin funny on its own. Anyway, Yormark is a respected guy. He’s fine. Just a rough day. Or season. But the Nets should give that fan a signed jersey and a free basketball or something. Or a date with a Nets dancer.
On second thought, I’ll take the Nets dancer date. The fan can have the jersey.
Talk to you tomorrow.
This feature is an editorialized take on the day’s hot NBA rumors stories.
Mother of Kiki Vandeweghe passes away
Dave D’Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger reports:
Kiki Vandeweghe flew from California to New Jersey last night, only to learn this morning that his mom, Colleen, died Wednesday morning at her home in Newport Beach.
The Nets coach will stay on the job for a while, or until they work out the funeral arrangements. Colleen Kay Hutchins, who was 83, is survived by her husband – former Knicks star Dr. Ernie Vandeweghe – and two sons and two daughters.
Vandeweghe, who had left the Nets Sunday and skipped Monday’s loss to Miami to be with his family, had been contending with his mother’s illness for more than a year.
“I was happy I went back. I was very lucky to spend some time with my dad, it’s harder on him than anybody,” Vandeweghe said at the shootaround Wednesday morning.
Jazz sign Othyus Jeffers for rest of season
Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today the Jazz has signed rookie guard Othyus Jeffers for the remainder of the season.
Jeffers (6-5, 210, Robert Morris (IL)) was originally signed to a 10-day contract by the Jazz on March 3 before being re-signed to a second 10-day contract on March 14. Jeffers has appeared in seven games for the Jazz, averaging 2.7 points and 1.1 rebounds in 4.4 minutes per game. The Jazz is 7-3 since signing Jeffers. He recorded career-highs in points (eight) and minutes (nine) at Phoenix on March 19. Jeffers has scored in five of the seven games he has appeared in. The Chicago native made his NBA debut vs. the L.A. Clippers on March 6.
Jeffers became the 18th NBA Development League (D-League) Call-Up to the NBA this season, as well as the fifth D-League Call-Up in Jazz history, joining Rusty LaRue (2000-01), Mikki Moore (2003-04), Louis Amundson (2006-07) and Sundiata Gaines (2009-10).
Prior to his call-up, the Chicago native appeared in 22 games (16 starts) with the Iowa Energy of the NBA D-League, averaging 14.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Jeffers began the season with NGC Cantu in Italy, averaging 9.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 steals. He was selected by the Iowa Energy in the third round (47th overall pick) of the 2008 D-League Draft.
Rockets recall Jermaine Taylor, sign Mike Harris from D-League
Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the Rockets have recalled guard Jermaine Taylor and signed forward Mike Harris for the remainder of the season from Houston’s single-affiliation NBA D-League partner the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Harris marks his third Call-Up of 2009-10, earning one each with the Rockets and Washington Wizards earlier this season.
Taylor (6-4, 210, Central Florida) has averaged 19.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.25 steals in eight games (four starts) with Rio Grande Valley. The rookie out of Central Florida also posted back-to-back 30-point outings in his first stint with the Vipers at Albuquerque (30 points on 2/2/10 and 32 points on 2/3/10).
Harris (6-6, 235, Rice) returns to Houston from the Rio Grande Valley, where he was averaging a league-leading 27.1 points (.582, 363-624 FG), 10.5 rebounds (third in D-League), 1.9 assists and 1.18 steals in 34 games (31 starts) with the Vipers. At the time of his Call-Up, Harris also stood sixth in the D-League with 18 double-doubles on the season. Harris earned NBA D-League Player of the Month for Jan. 2010 and has been named the NBA D-League Performer of the Week two times this season (Jan. 11-17 and Mar. 8-14). He was also named to the D-League’s 2010 Western Conference All-Star Team. Harris scored a career-high 48 points (second-highest total in Vipers history) with a career-best 24 rebounds (tied a franchise record) at Dakota (1/17/10).
A former standout at Rice University, Harris has averaged 1.3 points and 1.0 rebounds in seven NBA games with Houston and Washington this season. Signed by the Rockets on Dec. 23, Harris averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in two games before being waived by Houston on Jan. 6. Re-acquired by Rio Grande Valley on Jan. 8, he later signed a 10-day contract with the Wizards on Feb. 24, averaging 0.8 points and 0.8 boards in five appearances. He was again re-acquired by the Vipers on Mar. 7. Harris actually began the 2009-10 season as a training camp invitee with Oklahoma City, but was waived by the Thunder on Oct. 23. Harris also spent his rookie NBA season with the Rockets in 2007-08, averaging 3.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in 17 games.