Clippers power forward Blake Griffin is expected to miss up to two months of action as he recovers from surgery to repair a fracture in his right (shooting) hand suffered during an altercation with team equipment manager Mathias Testi. The team released a statement, co-signed by owner Steve Ballmer and coach/executive Doc Rivers, that clearly expressed displeasure for Griffin’s actions. “This conduct has no place in our organization and this incident does not represent who are as a team,” the statement read. “We are conducting a full investigation with assistance from the NBA. At the conclusion of the investigation, appropriate action will be taken.”
Here’s more from the week that was…
Miscellaneous News
- Cavs shooting guard J.R. Smith was cleared of wrongdoing in the alleged choking incident he was involved in outside of a New York nightclub in November.
- Nuggets assistant GM Arturas Karnisovas and Rockets executive VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas have reportedly become serious candidates for the Nets GM vacancy.
- Thunder swingman Andre Roberson will miss at least three weeks with a right knee sprain.
- Wizards point guard John Wall hired agent Rich Paul and the Klutch Sports Group to represent him.
- Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic was diagnosed with an acute appendicitis and underwent surgery this week. The power forward is expected to be out until after the All-Star break.
- The league announced the reserves for the 2016 NBA All-Star game.
- The three-year maximum-salary contract that Brook Lopez signed this past summer with the Nets reportedly contains only conditional guarantees for next season and 2017/18 based on the health of his right foot.
Signings
- The Nuggets signed Sean Kilpatrick to a second 10-day contract.
- Free agent shooting guard Elijah Millsap signed with the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv.
- The Clippers signed Jeff Ayres to a 10-day contract.
- Grizzlies camp cut Lazeric Jones signed with Pinar Karsiyaka of Turkey.
- The Jazz signed Erick Green to a 10-day contract.
- The Suns inked Jordan McRae to a 10-day contract.
- Former Pistons affiliate player Ryan Boatright signed with Italy’s Orlandina.
- The Knicks signed Thanasis Antetokounmpo to a 10-day contract.
- Wolves camp cut Nick Wiggins, the older brother of Andrew Wiggins, signed with the Canterbury Rams of Australia’s National Basketball League for the remainder of the season.
- The Magic re-signed Keith Appling to a second 10-day contract.
You can stay up to date on all the 10-day deals handed out with our 10-day contract tracker.
D-League News
- Bryce Cotton has left the Spurs’ D-League team in Austin to sign with Xinjiang in China.
- Keith Bogans joined the Knicks’ affiliate in Westchester.
You can stay up to date on all the D-League assignments and recalls for the season here.
Suns deal with Jordan McRae?