Suns sign Earl Barron to 10-day contract

Suns sign Earl Barron to 10-day contract

michael redd

The Phoenix Suns have signed center Earl Barron to a 10-day contract.

The 7-0 center has averaged a double-double in 27 games with the Bakersfield Jam this season, posting 20.3 points and 10.9 rebounds for the Suns’ NBA Development League affiliate. Barron played with the Suns during the 2014-15 preseason and averaged 3.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 13.7 minutes in six appearances, including a 10-point, 13-rebound performance in 24 minutes at Houston on Oct. 13.

Barron, who played with the Suns in 2010-11, is a seven-year NBA veteran from the University of Memphis who last saw regular season action with the New York Knicks during the 2012-13 season. In 124 career games with Miami, New York, Phoenix, Milwaukee, Portland, Golden State and Washington, Barron has averaged 4.9 points and 3.7 rebounds. Barron previously signed with the Suns on Nov. 16, 2010, and averaged 3.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 12 games (six starts) with the club.

Stan Van Gundy expects long-term excellence from Reggie Jackson

Stan Van Gundy expects long-term excellence from Reggie Jackson

Here’s Pistons.com raving about how nice it is for Detroit to add Reggie Jackson. Which makes sense, because Jackson is a very good young player who appears to have big upside if handed control of a squad. But what happens when Brandon Jennings comes back next season? Well, let’s not worry about that right now.

reggie jackson

What are the Pistons getting in Reggie Jackson?

A supremely confident, athletically gifted, competitively hypercharged point guard on the cusp of his prime years.

“Two things, more than anything, other than just his overall play,” Stan Van Gundy cited about what drew the Pistons to Jackson as a core piece to slot alongside Andre Drummond, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and – if it works out for both sides in free agency – Greg Monroe. “No. 1 is how he’s played when he’s had the chance to be a starter. He’s been outstanding. And how he’s played in big games, particularly in playoff games. This is a guy who’s been very good. I don’t think there was much question around the league as to this guy’s ability.”

If there were any questions in the aftermath of Thursday’s deal that sent Kyle Singler and D.J. Augustin to Oklahoma City and also cost the Pistons second-round draft choices in 2017 and ’19 about the Pistons’ interest in Jackson beyond this season, Van Gundy buried them emphatically.

“We wouldn’t have made the move we did if we didn’t feel ready to make it a long-term commitment,” Van Gundy said Friday.

Lakers aware that the Kobe Bryant era is nearing its end

Lakers aware that the Kobe Bryant era is nearing its end

Here’s the Orange County Register reporting on a topic that will make us cry: That we don’t have a lot of time left to enjoy Kobe Bryant in the NBA. And the Lakers are very aware of this as they determine how to build their team for the future:

Lakers aware that the Kobe Bryant era is nearing its end

The days of the Lakers building a roster to satisfy the needs, and complement the style, of Kobe Bryant are gone.

Just three years removed from the blockbuster summer that brought Steve Nash and Dwight Howard to Los Angeles, one of the Lakers’ top basketball executives said circumstances have dictated that the organization change course.

“This team primarily has been Kobe’s team now for almost 18 or 20 years,” General Manager Mitch Kupchak said in a wide-ranging interview with media, “and we’re much closer to the end of those 18, 20 years than we are to the middle or the beginning. So at some point we have to start a new run.”

And while that will presumably include a 37-year-old Bryant next season, the Lakers are not simply planning on reloading this summer to make one more playoff push for the future Hall of Famer’s swan song.

Pistons sign Quincy Miller to 10-day contract

Pistons sign Quincy Miller to 10-day contract

Pistons sign Quincy Miller to 10-day contract

Detroit Pistons General Manager Jeff Bower announced today that the club has signed forward Quincy Miller to a 10-day contract.

The 6-foot-9, 210-pound forward joins the Pistons after spending parts of the 2014-15 season with the Sacramento Kings and the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Developmental League. In six games with the Kings, he averaged 2.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals in 10.2 minutes. He had his best game with Sacramento at Golden State (1/23), recording season-highs in points (13) and rebounds (6).

The North Chicago, IL native averaged 25.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.6 blocks, 1.9 assists, 1.6 steals and 28.9 minutes in 15 games with the Reno Bighorns this season. Miller was named to the D-League All-Star Prospects team where he scored 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 24 minutes.

The three-year pro holds career averages of 4.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 13.5 minutes in 65 career games (16 starts) with Sacramento and Denver. He has also spent time with the Iowa Energy of the D-League.

Sixers sign Tim Frazier to second 10-day contract

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced they have signed guard Tim Frazier to a second 10-day contract.  Frazier is the 34th “Call-Up” of the 2014-15 NBA Development League season.

Frazier signed his first 10-day contract with the Sixers on Feb. 5 and appeared in three games with two starts, averaging five points, five rebounds and nine assists.  Through the first three games of his NBA career, Frazier tallied 26 assists, the seventh-most by any player dating back to 1985-86.

This past Sunday, Frazier played in the D-League All-Star Game and posted 11 points and a game-high 10 assists in leading the Eastern Conference to a 129-94 win over the Western Conference.

In his lone D-League game since his original 10-day contract with the Sixers expired, Frazier recorded his third triple-double of the season with 10 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists in Maine’s 87-86 win over Fort Wayne on Feb. 17.

In 28 games with 27 starts for the Red Claws in the D-League, Frazier is averaging 16 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and two steals.  At the time of his second call-up, Frazier ranked third in the league in assists and tied for fifth in steals.

Celtics happy to land Isaiah Thomas

Celtics happy to land Isaiah Thomas

The Boston Celtics, who thanks to a weak Eastern conference are still in a position to compete for a spot in the NBA playoffs, are happy to add talented guard Isiah Thomas to their mix. Here’s ESPN Boston reporting:

Celtics happy to land Isaiah Thomas

Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge made Isaiah Thomas one of his primary targets at the start of free agency this past summer. Four months later, he finally got his man.

The Celtics obtained Thomas from the Phoenix Suns at Thursday’s trade deadline in exchange for Marcus Thornton and Cleveland’s 2016 first-round pick. Boston is hoping Thomas can inject the sort of offensive spark the team needs while building toward a brighter future.

The 26-year-old Thomas, who signed a modest four-year, $27 million contract in July, joins rookie Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley in a primary three-guard rotation. The Celtics hope Thomas’ ability to create scoring opportunities in the pick-and-roll — something they sorely lack at the guard position — will invigorate an offense that ranks 23rd in offensive rating this season.

The 5-foot-9 Thomas has potential to give Boston’s offense a big-time jolt. In his final season with Sacramento during the 2013-14 campaign, Thomas averaged 20.3 points and 6.3 assists over 34.7 minutes per game. Despite playing only 25.7 minutes per game this season in Phoenix’s overstocked backcourt, he still averaged 15.2 points on four fewer shots per game and his 3-point percentage climbed to a career-best 39.1 percent.

Lakers stand pat at NBA trade deadline

Lakers stand pat at NBA trade deadline

Here’s the Orange County Register reporting on the 13-40 Los Angeles Lakers, who are without Kobe Bryant and with a limited present are focused on the future:

As much of the NBA descended into chaos, the Lakers remained intact at the league’s annual trade deadline.

While confused team executives and media members alike were trying to sort out the flurry of blockbuster deals in the minutes before Thursday’s noon deadline, things were pretty much normal for the Lakers.

Jeremy Lin shot free throws in one corner, while Nick Young held court in another. Good news: He and the dolphin species made up last week in Hawaii, following a well-documented incident a year ago in Mexico.

As this unfolded, the Laker most likely to have been traded sheepishly peeked out from the door leading to the team’s weight room.

“I thought J-Hill was gone, too,” Young said, teasing, as Jordan Hill listened in. “Fortunately they didn’t break any of us up.”

Hornets a better team when Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is active

Here’s the Charlotte Observer reporting on the Hornets, who are set to welcome Michael Kidd-Gilchrist back into action any day now:

Hornets a better team when Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is active

Over this season and last season the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets are 10 games above .500 when small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist plays.

They are 14 games below .500 when Kidd-Gilchrist sits out.

Coincidence? Hardly. Hornets coach Steve Clifford has an expression for what Kidd-Gilchrist does for his team’s bottom line. Clifford says Kidd-Gilchrist “does winning things.”

Those things don’t always pop off box scores. Kidd-Gilchrist is top 50 in the NBA in only one statistical category this season (40th in rebounding average at 7.2 per game).

But how he impacts games, particularly defensively on a defense-centric roster, is significant and growing.

San Antonio Spurs sign Reggie Williams

San Antonio Spurs sign Reggie Williams

San Antonio Spurs sign Reggie Williams

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed forward Reggie Williams.

Williams has appeared in three games for the Spurs since being signed to the first of two 10-day contracts on Jan. 28.

Williams, 6-6/210, appeared in 13 games this season for the Blue of the NBA D-League, averaging 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.08 steals in 31.9 minutes. He has also spent time in the D-League with the Blue in 2013-14 and the Sioux Falls Skyforce in 2009-10. In 69 career D-League games, he has averaged 22.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists in 37.7 minutes.

In the NBA, the Virginia native has suited up for the Oklahoma City Thunder (2013-14), Charlotte Hornets (2011-13) and the Golden State Warriors (2009-11). In 183 total games, he has averaged 8.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 19.5 minutes.

Williams has also played internationally for San Miguel Beerman of the Philippines (2014), Caja Laboral of Spain (2011) and JDA Dijon of France (2008-09). He played collegiately at the Virginia Military Institute (2004-08).

Winning time for Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers are 36-17 and in the mix to compete for an NBA championship this season. The time to win is now. Here’s the Oregonian reporting:

After all those roster rebuilds, after all that front office turmoil, after all the hyperbole about being a contender, the Trail Blazers on Thursday reinforced that there is a new era in Rip City.

“It’s winning time,” Wesley Matthews said.

The Blazers were a part of the busiest and most frenetic trade deadline in NBA history on Thursday, when they traded Thomas Robinson, Will Barton, Victor Claver and a lottery-protected 2016 first-round draft pick to the Denver Nuggets for Arron Afflalo and Alonzo Gee.

The addition of Afflalo, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard known for his tenacious defense and lethal long-range shooting, not only strengthened the Blazers’ bench for the stretch run, but also offered a no-doubt-about-it signal that the franchise believes it is primed for a deep playoff push. The Blazers’ window for contending has cracked open and President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey’s move to add Afflalo and Gee made it clear the franchise is ready to climb inside.