Pacers name assistant McMillan as new coach

NBA Official Release.

INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana Pacers announced Monday they have named Nate McMillan as their head coach. Per club policy terms of the contract were not released.

McMillan has spent the last three seasons as Associate Head Coach for the Pacers under Frank Vogel.

"I truly believe Nate is the right coach for us at this time," said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. "When I heard he was interested, I got in touch with him, met with him and in our conversation I came away with all the confidence in the world in Nate to lead our franchise to where we want to go. His experience as a player, head coach and assistant coach in the NBA are valuable assets for us."

"I want to thank Larry, Herb Simon and the Pacers for this opportunity, which is a great opportunity," said McMillan. "I've been around this franchise three years and understand what the expectations are and look forward to working hard to try to meet them. We have a good team and good base to build from. I'm very anxious to get started."

The 51-year-old (8/3/64) McMillan has a vast basketball background as a player and a coach. After playing collegiately at North Carolina State, McMillan was drafted by Seattle (30th overall) in the 1986 NBA Draft. He played his entire 12-year career with the Sonics and had his number (10) retired. He is second in franchise history in assists and steals and ranks in the top 10 in eight other categories. He was named to the NBA's All-Defensive team twice (1994 and '95) and led the league in steals in the 94-95 season with 2.96 per game.

After his playing days, McMillan was a Seattle assistant coach for two years and became the interim coach in 2000. He remained the Sonics' coach until 2005 and then became Portland's head coach until he was let go in March, 2012. In 2008-09, he led the Trail Blazers to a 54-28 record, the sixth-best record in franchise history. McMillan compiled a 478-452 (.514) record as a head coach for both teams. He also served as an assistant coach for the U.S. National Team where he won gold medals in the 2006 FIBA World Championships, the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics. McMillan was also inducted into the National Junior College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 after playing at Chowan College before transferring to North Carolina State.

Trail Blazers, head coach Terry Stotts agree to contract extension

NBA Official Release.

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Trail Blazers and head coach Terry Stotts have agreed to a contract extension, president of basketball operations Neil Olshey announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Terry has been an outstanding partner and this extension represents our desire to build a model of stability and consistency," said Olshey.

Stotts completed his fourth season as head coach of the Trail Blazers in 2015-16, going 44-38 to solidify his third consecutive winning season and third straight postseason berth, despite not returning four of five starters from 2014-15. Portland defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals for the second time in the past three seasons.

"I am very pleased that we were able to agree on a contract extension and look forward to continuing the progress that we have made," said Stotts. "As an organization, we have developed a culture and continuity that is exciting to be a part of, and I could not be more appreciative of the players and coaching staff.

"There is not a better fan base in the NBA. Jan and I love Portland and are extremely happy to call it our home."

Runner-up for the 2015-16 NBA Coach of the Year award, Stotts was named the NBA's Western Conference Coach of the Month in February of 2016 after the Trail Blazers finished the month with a 9-2 record.

In 2013-14, Stotts led the Trail Blazers to a 54-win season, marking the largest improvement in franchise history and the sixth-best record all-time. Portland won its first playoff series in 14 seasons, defeating the Houston Rockets in six games.

A 21-year coaching veteran, Portland introduced Stotts as the franchise's 14th head coach on August 7, 2012. He has compiled a 182-146 (.555) record in four seasons at the helm in Portland, good for fifth-most wins in team history, and has a 297-314 (.486) overall NBA coaching record with Atlanta, Milwaukee and Portland.

Cavaliers sign Dahntay Jones

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Dahntay Jones

The injury-ridden Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday signed veteran wing Dahntay Jones for their playoff campaign that begins this weekend against the Detroit Pistons.

Jones, 35, will play in the Cavaliers' regular-season finale against Detroit on Wednesday night.

Iman Shumpert and Mo Williams' knee injuries prompted the Cavaliers to sign Jones. Shumpert and Jones should be ready for the start of the playoffs this weekend.

Pelicans Sign James Ennis to 10-Day Contract

Press Release from the Pelicans website.

NEW ORLEANS (March 30, 2016) - The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has signed forward James Ennis to a 10-day contract after receiving a hardship exception from the NBA. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Ennis, 6-7, 201, most recently played for the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League, appearing in 24 games this season, averaging 18.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steals in 33.3 minutes per contest.

Selected 50th overall by Atlanta out of Long Beach State in the 2013 NBA Draft, Ennis has appeared in 75 career regular season games with Miami and Memphis, holding averages of 4.4 points and 2.4 rebounds.

New Orleans’ roster now stands at 18. Ennis will wear #4 for the Pelicans and be available for their game tonight in San Antonio.

Philadelphia 76ers Sign Christian Wood To 10-Day Contract

Statement from the 76ers website.

Christian Wood

PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 27, 2016 – The Philadelphia 76ers today announced that the team has called up forward Christian Wood from the Delaware 87ers and signed him to a 10-day contract.

Wood has appeared in 32 games with the Sevens this season, averaging a team-high nine rebounds, as well as 17 points on 53% shooting in 29 minutes per game.

Wood, who went undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft, signed with the 76ers last September 14. He has appeared in 14 career NBA games with the Sixers, averaging four points and two rebounds per game. Wood registered career-highs of 15 points and eight rebounds on November 13 at Oklahoma City.

In a related move, the team has waived guard-forward Sonny Weems.

Pelicans Sign Jordan Hamilton to 10-Day Contract

Statement from the Pelicans website.

NEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has signed forward Jordan Hamilton to a 10-day contract after receiving a hardship exception from the NBA. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Hamilton, 6-7, 220, most recently played for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League, appearing in 14 games while averaging 14.9 points on .497 shooting from the floor, 9.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 29.2 minutes per game. His signing marks the 36th GATORADE Call-Up this season from the D-League.

Selected 26th overall by Dallas in the 2011 NBA Draft out of the University of Texas, Hamilton has appeared in 140 career regular season games with Denver, Houston and the Los Angeles Clippers, holding averages of 5.5 points and 2.6 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per contest.

New Orleans’ roster now stands at 17. Hamilton will wear #25 for the Pelicans.

Grizzlies sign Jordan Farmar to 10-day contract

Statement from the Grizzlies website.

The Memphis Grizzlies announced Monday that the team has signed guard Jordan Farmar (FAHR-mahr) to a 10-day contract.

Farmar (6-2, 180) has appeared in 490 games (30 starts) across eight NBA seasons and averaged 7.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 19.4 minutes for the Los Angeles Lakers, New Jersey Nets and Los Angeles Clippers. He holds career shooting percentages of 42.3 percent from the field, 37.4 percent from three-point range and 73.4 percent from the free throw line.

The 29-year-old has played 69 postseason contests (six starts), all with the Lakers, and averaged 5.1 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 15.0 minutes. He played in three consecutive NBA Finals from 2008-10, winning back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010.

Originally from Los Angeles, Farmar was selected by the Lakers in the first round (26th overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft following a standout collegiate career at UCLA, where he averaged 13.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists in a total of 66 games. As a sophomore, he was named to the All-Pac-10 First Team and guided the Bruins to the NCAA National Championship game. Farmar excelled at Taft High School in Woodland Hills, Calif., averaging 27.5 points and 6.5 assists as a senior. He led Taft to the school’s first Los Angeles City title and was named a 2004 McDonald’s All-American.

Farmar returned to Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv for the first part of the 2015-16 season after playing with the club during the 2011-12 season. He also has played overseas in Turkey for Anadolu Efes (2012-13) and Darussafaka Dogus (2014-15).

Memphis’ roster now stands at 18 players.

Fans who want to support the Memphis Grizzlies and purchase tickets to any of the Grizzlies’ remaining contests of the 2015-16 season or guarantee their 2016 NBA Playoff tickets with 2016-17 Season Tickets can do so by calling (901) 888-HOOP or going online to grizzlies.com. For more information on the Grizzlies, visit grizzlies.com, ‘like’ Memphis Grizzlies on Facebook or follow on Twitter (@memgrizz).

Brooklyn Nets Sign Sean Kilpatrick To Multi-Year Contract

Statement from the Nets website.

Brooklyn, NY (March 19, 2016) – The Brooklyn Nets have signed guard Sean Kilpatrick to a multi-year contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

Originally signed to the first of two 10-day contracts on February 28, Kilpatrick has appeared in nine games with the Nets, averaging 11.9 points while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from three-point range in 19.1 minutes per game. Kilpatrick has scored in double figures six times, including each of the last four games.

In 21 career NBA games split between Brooklyn, Denver and Minnesota, Kilpatrick has averaged 7.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in 15.5 minutes per game.

Spurs sign Kevin Martin

Statement from the Spurs website.

SAN ANTONIO (March 9, 2016) – The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed guard Kevin Martin. Per club policy, terms of the contract were not announced.

Martin, 6-7/200, began the season with Minnesota and averaged 10.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21.4 minutes over 39 games, including 12 starts. He was in his third season with the Timberwolves before being waived on March 1.

The former Western Carolina guard was drafted by Sacramento in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft (26th overall) and played part of six seasons with the Kings before being traded to Houston in 2010. After two-plus years with the Rockets, Martin was dealt to Oklahoma City where he spent the 2012-13 season before being sent to Minnesota the following summer. Martin holds career averages of 17.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting .438 from the floor, .385 from three-point range and .870 from the free throw line in 698 career appearances. 

Martin is one of just five active players with over 1,000 three-pointers while shooting at least 38.0 percent from beyond the arc for their career, along with Stephen Curry, Kyle Korver, Mike Miller and Dirk Nowitzki.

Martin will wear No. 23 for the Spurs.

Suns Sign Alan Williams

Statemeht from the Suns website.

Alan Williams (NBAE/Getty Images)

The Phoenix Suns today signed forward/center and Phoenix native Alan Williams to a 10-day contract.

Williams, who went undrafted in 2015, has most recently played with Qingdao DoubleStar of the Chinese Basketball Association where he led the league with an average of 15.4 rebounds in 35 games this season, in addition to scoring 20.8 points per contest. Williams played with Charlotte and Houston at NBA Summer League 2015, averaging 20.5 points and 11.8 rebounds in four games with the Rockets in Las Vegas. He earned All-NBA Summer League Second Team honors with his top performances including a 22-point, 21-rebound game against Philadelphia on July 17 and a 27-point, 10-rebound game against the D-League Select team on July 10.

A 6-8, 260-pound post player, Williams completed a decorated four-year career at UC Santa Barbara in 2015. The Gauchos' all-time leading rebounder (1,125) and second-leading scorer (1,732), Williams led the nation with an average of 11.8 rebounds in 2014-15 and ranked second nationally with 11.5 in 2013-14. He was named Big West Player of the Year after averaging a career-best 21.3 points in 2013-14 as he averaged 15.5 points in 112 career appearances.

Born in Phoenix, Williams attended North High School where he was a part of two state title teams and was named All-Arizona as a senior in 2011.

Williams will wear uniform number 15. The Suns' roster now stands at 15.

Suns sign veteran forward Budinger for rest of season

Statement from NBA.com.

Chase Budinger

PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix Suns have signed forward Chase Budinger for the rest of the season.

The 27-year-old former University of Arizona player was waived by the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. He is in his seventh NBA season and has also played for Houston and Minnesota.

Budinger averaged 4.4 points in 49 games with the Pacers this season. He has averaged 8.1 points and 3.1 rebounds for his career.

The Rockets drafted Budinger in the second round in 2009. He averaged a career-best 9.8 points with Houston in 2010-11.

Pacers Sign Ty Lawson

Statement from the Pacers website.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers announced Monday they have signed point guard Ty Lawson. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not announced.

Lawson, 5-11, 195-pounds is in his seventh year in the NBA. He played his first six seasons with Denver before Houston acquired him last summer. He averaged 5.8 points per game and 3.4 assists with the Rockets in 53 games this season before the Rockets waived him last week. For his career, Lawson has averaged 13.3 points and 5.8 assists per game. Lawson, who played collegiately at North Carolina, was a first-round pick (18th overall) in the 2009 NBA Draft.

"We're glad to have Ty come play with the Pacers for this final run of the season," said Pacers' President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. "We think he brings added speed to our backcourt, he can get up and down the floor and he helps strengthen our second unit."

"This is a good opportunity for me to come here, try to help the Pacers win and get into the playoffs," said Lawson. "I’m just ready to play and do whatever is needed."

Celtics Sign Coty Clarke to 10-Day Contract

Statement from the Celtics website.

BOSTON – The Boston Celtics announced today (Monday) that they have signed Coty Clarke to a 10-day contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.


Clarke, a 6’7” forward, has appeared in 39 games for the Celtics’ NBA Development League affiliate Maine Red Claws this season and has averaged 16.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 26.0 minutes per game. Clarke, the 27th Gatorade D-League call-up of the season, is currently shooting 50.8 percent from the floor, 38.8 percent from three and 79.2 percent from the free-throw line. Clarke was on the training camp roster for the Celtics prior to the start of the 2015-16 season and appeared in one game during the 2015-16 preseason.

Thunder sign free agent Mohammed

"Pro Court Report" Staff Report

Nazr Mohammed

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday announced that they have signed free-agent center Nazr Mohammed.

The 38-year-old Mohammed spent two seasons with the Thunder (2010-12), appearing mostly as a reserve in 87 games. 

Mohammed was a part of the Oklahoma City team that reached the NBA Finals in 2012.

- - - - -

Info from this article came from NBA.com.

Hawks sign Kris Humphries

"Pro Court Report" Staff Report

The Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night signed veteran forward Kris Humphries after he was waived by the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.

The Hawks also assigned Lamar Patterson to Canton of the NBA Development League.

Heat sign Joe Johnson

Official release from NBA.com.

Joe Johnson

MIAMI — The Miami HEAT announced Saturday that they have signed seven-time NBA All-Star Joe Johnson.

Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Johnson is one of only five players in NBA history to record at least 18,000 points, 4,500 assists, 4,000 rebounds and 1,500 made three-point field goals. With his addition to the HEAT roster, Miami now features 38 total All-Star appearances, the most in the NBA.

Johnson has appeared in 1,119 career games (1,049 starts) and averaged 17.0 points, 4.2 assists and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 44.1 percent from the field, 37.1 percent from three-point range and 80.1 percent from the foul line. Earlier this season, he hit the game-winning three-point shot in a 105-104 win vs. Denver on February 8, and has now hit the game-tying or game-winning shot nine different times in his career (with one second or less remaining), the third-most by any player since he entered the league, fourth on that list is Dwyane Wade with seven. Additionally, Johnson and Wade now become the only active players in the league to each score at least 18,500 career points on the same roster.

Johnson appeared in 57 games (all starts) with the Brooklyn Nets this season averaging 11.8 points, 4.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 33.9 minutes while shooting 40.6 percent from the field, 37.1 percent from three-point range and 85.2 percent from the foul line. He led the team in three-point field goals made (85) and finished second in three-point field goal percentage. The 15-year veteran has appeared in the playoffs 10 times over his career, totaling 87 postseason games (81 starts) averaging 17.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 42.6 percent from the field, 34.9 percent from three-point range and 77.3 percent from the foul line.

Report: Joe Johnson may ink deal with Heat

"Pro Court Report" Staff Report

Joe Johnson was waived by the Brooklyn Nets earlier this week. He clears waivers on Saturdat, and he may just find a new home, with the Miami Heat.

Rumors of Johnson signing with the Heat were discussed with the Associated Press by an anonymous source. The person chose to be anonymous because the deal has not yet been signed.