March 2015 Basketball Wiretap

Bulls Assign Cristiano Felicio To D-League

Dec 31, 2015 2:10 PM

The Chicago Bulls has assigned forward Cristiano Felício to the Canton Charge of the NBA Development League, pursuant to the Flexible Assignment Rule.

Felício (6-9, 266) has appeared in two games for the Bulls this season.

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: Cristiano Felicio, Chicago Bulls, NBA, D-League

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Steve Kerr Could Return This Weekend

Dec 31, 2015 12:12 PM

Steve Kerr could resume his duties as head coach of the Golden State Warriors this weekend, though no firm timetable has been set.

Kerr joined the Warriors for their two-game trip to Texas.

"It's obviously a possibility," interim coach Luke Walton said of Kerr's potential return to the bench this weekend. "He hasn't said he's going to. To be honest, I don't think he knows yet. I think that's part of why he's on this road trip, to see how his body handles the travel and getting into Houston at 1 a.m. tonight to turn around and play again then get on another plane and fly home and get in late again. So that's part of why he's here on this trip, whether or not this weekend is a realistic return or not."

Kerr is declining interview requests until he resumes coaching duties, according to a Warriors spokesman.

The Warriors host the Nuggets on Saturday for their first game of 2016.

Tim MacMahon/ESPN

Tags: Golden State Warriors, NBA

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December PER Of Top-10 2016 NBA Draft Prospects

Dec 31, 2015 4:43 PM

The following are the month-by-month PER of the current top-10 prospects of the 2016 NBA Draft.

Overall PER / December PER / November PER

Ben Simmons: 31.0 / 35.3 / 27.0

Brandon Ingram: 23.7 / 29.7 / 16.4

Skal Labissiere: 17.6 / 7.4 / 23.1

Dragan Bender: 13.1 / 15.3 / 18.0

Jaylen Brown: 16.8 / 12.8 / 21.9

Kris Dunn: 29.1 / 27.3 / 30.0

Jamal Murray: 15.6 / 15.1 / 16.0

Henry Ellenson: 21.0 / 23.7 / 18.0

Jakob Poeltl: 32.5 / 29.1 / 36.9

Cheick Diallo: 21.7 / 21.7 / NA

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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Celtics Assign Jordan Mickey, Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter To D-League

Dec 31, 2015 11:26 AM

The Boston Celtics have assigned forward Jordan Mickey, and guards Terry Rozier and R.J. Hunter to the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League.

In the Red Claws' 113-83 victory over the Iowa Energy on December 28, Mickey tallied 22 points on 9-15 (.600) shooting, eight rebounds, one steal and three blocks in 29 minutes. He has played in 14 matchups for Maine this season and is averaging 19.0 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steal and 4.5 blocks in 34.6 minutes per game.

Rozier has appeared in four contests for the Red Claws this season and is averaging 20.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 1.3 steals in 34.8 minutes per game. In his latest matchup with the Red Claws on December 19, he recorded a double-double with 13 points, a game-high 10 assists and seven rebounds in 41 minutes of action.

Hunter tallied a season-high 12 points on 5-6 (.833) shooting, two rebounds, two assists and two steals in 21 minutes against the Atlanta Hawks on November 24. He has appeared in 20 games for the Celtics this season and is averaging 3.4 points and 1.5 rebounds in 11.7 minutes per game over that span.

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: Boston Celtics, Maine Red Claws, NBA, D-League, D-League Teams

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Al Jefferson Undergoes Surgery To Repair Tear In Lateral Meniscus

Dec 31, 2015 11:22 AM

Al Jefferson underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Thursday and is expected to be sidelined for at least six weeks.

The operation repaired a tear in the lateral meniscus of Jefferson's right knee.

Jefferson had just returned to the Hornets' lineup after missing 11 games: six for a strained groin muscle and five for a suspension for violating the league's drug policy.

Associated Press

Tags: Al Jefferson, Charlotte Hornets, NBA, NBA Injury

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Stotts Praises Breakout Season Of 'Gym Rat' Will Barton

Dec 31, 2015 11:15 AM

Will Barton is averaging 16.3 points per game to lead the Denver Nuggets in scoring this season.

Barton has had a breakout season several years after being a second round pick by the Portland Trail Blazers.

"I have to hand to Will. He's playing terrific. He's playing with confidence. Will has put in a lot of time. He's a gym rat, and it's showing," Terry Stotts said.

Associated Press

Tags: Will Barton, Denver Nuggets, NBA

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Noel-Okafor Position Formula Remains A Mystery To 76ers

Dec 31, 2015 11:08 AM

The Philadelphia 76ers had Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor switch roles in their 110-105 win over the Sacramento Kings.

Noel started at center with Okafor coming off the bench. Noel had 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting to go with nine rebounds, two assists and four steals.

Okafor added 10 points and 10 rebounds in what was his first game back after missing the previous two with a sprained right knee.

"I think that lineup really worked for us," Noel said of Wednesday’s lineup. "I think we were able to get up and down the court, and Jah brought his post-playing just rebounding especially. And I think this team can really go in a lot of different ways. We have a lot of different dynamics, especially with Jah coming off [the bench] and Ish running the point."

Jerian Grant started at power forward.

"For me, when we split up Jahlil and Nerlens, because of how they played, they didn’t go backwards in their numbers although they went backwards in their minutes," Brett Brown said. "Jah with more minutes would have scored more. But he ended up with a double-double."

Noel is more effective and comfortable as a center than a power forward. Meanwhile, Brown believes that Okafor is a natural power forward.

"The four-five, five-four you know it’s still a mystery right now," Brown said of deciding where to play Noel and Okafor. "It really is. And I think we are going to have this conversation throughout the whole year.

"Trying to grow those two guys is a challenge. So for me, it ends up more matchups than this overwhelming responsibility where it hurts the team. You know we want to win games. How I navigate that is a challenge."

Keith Pompey/Philadelphia Inquirer

Tags: Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, Philadelphia Sixers, NBA

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Heat Assign Josh Richardson To D-League

Dec 30, 2015 2:29 PM

The Miami Heat have assigned guard Josh Richardson to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Richardson has appeared in 13 games (one start) with the Heat this season, averaging 1.7 points and 1.1 rebounds in 9.2 minutes while shooting 31.6 percent (6-of-19) from the field and 40 percent (4-of-10) from three-point range. In his lone NBA start on November 12, Richardson scored eight points and grabbed three rebounds in a, 92-91, win vs. Utah. He has led the team in plus/minus twice and is tied for third in charges taken (two) this season. He was originally drafted by the Heat in the second round (40th overall) in the 2015 NBA Draft.

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: Josh Richardson, Miami Heat, Sioux Falls Skyforce, NBA, D-League, D-League Teams

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Stephen Curry Undergoes MRI On Lower Left Leg

Dec 30, 2015 2:14 PM

Stephen Curry has undergone an MRI exam on his lower left and Luke Walton says he probably won't play on Wednesday.

"We're confident that whether he plays or not that we can compete and try to win here," Walton said.

The Golden State Warriors will start Shaun Livingston at point guard if Curry is unable to play.

Diamond Leung/Mercury News

Tags: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, NBA, NBA Injury

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Knicks Interested In Trading For Brandon Jennings

Dec 30, 2015 2:07 PM

The New York Knicks have interest in trading for several point guards including Brandon Jennings.

Jennings recently returned to the lineup after rupturing his left Achilles tendon nearly 11 months ago.

Jennings has an expiring contract.

The Detroit Pistons traded for Reggie Jackson and re-signed him to a five-year, $80 million deal after Jennings was injured.

Frank Isola/New York Daily News

Tags: Brandon Jennings, Detroit Pistons, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Cleanthony Early Shot In Knee During Robbery

Rocco Parascandola, Chris Sommerfeldt, Dan Good/New York Daily News

Alec Burks Undergoes Surgery On Fractured Left Fibula

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Evan Fournier Admits Looking Ahead Towards Free Agency

Brian Schmitz/Orlando Sentinel

Stephen Curry Could Sit Multiple Games With Injured Leg

Diamond Leung/Mercury News

RealGM Radio: NBA Draft With Sam Vecenie, Mike Schmitz

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Eric Bledsoe Out For Season After Meniscus Surgery

Shams Charania/Yahoo! Sports

Markieff Morris Asked To Apologize Again To Team

Marc J. Spears/Yahoo! Sports

Russell Westbrook Watched Tape In Offseason Of His Technical Fouls

Anthony Slater/Oklahoman

Bucks Decide Against Trading For Caron Butler

Marc Stein/ESPN

Kings Expect Suspension For DeMarcus Cousins

ESPN

Grizzlies Waive Russ Smith, Set To Sign Ryan Hollins

Shams Charania/Yahoo! Sports

Hawks Assign Tim Hardaway Jr. To Austin Spurs

RealGM Staff Report

Marcin Gortat, Russell Westbrook Named Players Of The Week

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NBA PER: Paul George Drops Dramatically; Kawhi Moves Up To 4th

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Dunc'd On Pod: On The Run Of Injuries, Sunday Game Breakdowns

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NBA Efficiency Differential Rankings: Celtics Move Back Into Top-5

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Matt Barnes Receiving Two-Game Suspension From Derek Fisher Incident

Adrian Wojnarowski/Yahoo! Sports

Mickey Loomis To Have More Control Of Pelicans' Front Office

Jason La Canfora/CBS Sports (via David Fisher/The Bird Writes)

Durant, Westbrook Have NBA's First Dual 25 Point-10 Assist Game Since 1996

Murray Evans/Associated Press

Suns Fire Two Assistant Coaches, Give Jeff Hornacek One More Chance

Marc Stein/ESPN