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Grizzlies Sign James Johnson

December 16th, 2013 at 11:49am CST by Zachary Links

11:49am: The Grizzlies confirmed the signing via press release.

10:03am: The Grizzlies are on the verge of signing small forward James Johnson from the D-League, according to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (via Twitter).  Johnson has spent the 2013/14 season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, affiliate to the Rockets, where they are experimenting with an exceptionally high three point shot rate.

The Vipers tapped Johnson with the second-overall pick in this year’s D-League draft.  The four-year NBA veteran averaged 6.3 PPG and 3.2 RPG across four seasons with the Bulls, Raptors, and Kings.  Johnson, 26, was in camp with the Hawks over the offseason before being waived in October.

In ten games for the Vipers this season, Johnson is averaging 18.5 PPG and 9.1 RPG in 29.9 minutes per contest.

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Grant Jerrett Tops Field Of D-League Draftees

November 1st, 2013 at 8:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Thunder’s D-League affiliate used the No. 1 overall pick in tonight’s D-League draft on Grant Jerrett, allowing the Thunder to closely monitor a player whose NBA rights also belong to them. Oklahoma City traded for Jerrett shortly after the Blazers took him 40th overall in June’s NBA draft. A report in September indicated Jerrett had signed with the Thunder-owned Tulsa 66ers, but as I pointed out at the time, he’d have to enter the D-League draft rather than sign with Tulsa outright. The 66ers pulled off a trade yesterday to acquire the No. 1 pick in the D-League draft, positioning themselves to secure Jerrett’s D-League rights.

The Pelicans didn’t do the same with the second-rounder they picked up in the Jrue Holiday/Nerlens Noel trade. Pierre Jackson, the 42nd overall pick in the NBA draft, went fourth overall in the D-League draft to the Idaho Stampede, the affiliate of the Blazers.

The Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the one-to-one affiliate of the Rockets, took four-year NBA vet James Johnson second overall tonight, while Quincy Douby, who has three years of NBA experience, went at No. 3 to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the affiliate of the Heat. The Texas Legends, who are affiliated with the Mavs, rounded out the top five with their selection of C.J. Aiken, who was in an NBA camp with the Kings last month after leaving St. Joseph’s in the spring.

Ricky Davis was perhaps the most well-known figure selected, as the Erie BayHawks, the affiliate of the Knicks, drafted him in the sixth round, signaling that the Knicks liked what they saw when the 34-year-old worked out for them in September. Other notable picks include former Magic and Thunder swingman DeAndre Liggins, who went to the Skyforce at seventh overall. Thanasis Antetokounmpo, the brother of Bucks rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo, went at No. 9 to the Delaware 87ers. Check out the entire list of draftees right here.

Some D-League clubs were involved in draft day trades. The Santa Cruz Warriors came into the draft already stocked with Stephen Curry‘s brother Seth Curry, whose D-League rights Golden State had protected after cutting him at the end of camp. Santa Cruz swapped a second-round pick for Mychel Thompson, brother of Golden State sharpshooter Klay Thompson, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports writes, giving the Warriors’ affiliate their own version of the big club’s “Splash Brothers” duo.

Players with prior D-League experience who were cut from NBA camps can re-enter the D-League and go back to their old teams without entering the draft. That’s what James Nunnally, fresh off a camp appearance with the Suns, has decided to do, as he’ll return to the Bakersfield Jam, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com. The Suns are one of five NBA teams affiliated with the Jam, as our list of NBA/D-League affiliations shows.

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D-League Notes: Draft, Douby, Liggins, C’s

October 31st, 2013 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA D-League has released the official list of players eligible to be selected in tomorrow’s draft, which is set to take place at 7:00 pm ET in New York. There are plenty of intriguing names among the 180+ players hoping to be drafted, including a couple 2013 NBA draftees whose NBA rights are still held by their respective teams — Pierre Jackson (Pelicans) and Grant Jerrett (Thunder). Here’s more on the 2013 D-League draft class:

  • Potential top-10 picks include James Johnson, DeAndre Liggins, and Quincy Douby, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Johnson and Liggins were recently released by the Hawks and Thunder, respectively, while Douby averaged 31.6 PPG in China last season, including one 75-point game.
  • There are a handful of international players eligible to be drafted, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s brother Athanasios Antetokounmpo, tweets Givony. Givony adds in another tweet that there are prospects from Croatia and Japan in the draft pool as well.
  • Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside notes that former NBA veterans Ricky Davis and Salim Stoudamire are among the draft hopefuls.
  • The Maine Red Claws, the Celtics‘ D-League affiliate, announced 11 players on their camp roster today, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link). That list features Chris Babb, Damen Bell-Holter, and Kammron Taylor, who were in camp with Boston this month.
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Amico’s Latest: 76ers, DeRozan, Hawks, Hamilton

October 21st, 2013 at 3:46pm CST by Luke Adams

This week’s Amico Report from Sam Amico has been published at FOX Sports Ohio, and it features a few rumors and rumblings from around the NBA. Let’s check in on Amico’s latest updates….

  • Jimmer Fredette and Omer Asik are among the potential trade candidates “generating whispers” around the league, says Amico. He adds that practically every Sixer, besides the team’s two 2013 lottery picks (Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams), could also be available.
  • One GM tells Amico that there’s “strong league-wide interest” in DeMar DeRozan, though the Raptors don’t seem too interested in anything that’s been offered.
  • When James Johnson was waived today by the Hawks, I speculated that he could explore overseas options, but Amico suggests there are a few NBA teams with Johnson on their radars.
  • With the Hawks expected to keep either Royal Ivey or Shelvin Mack as their third point guard, the player that gets cut will likely be grabbed by another NBA club, according to Amico.
  • While no teams have stepped up with a commitment to him yet, free agent guard Richard Hamilton is “drawing loads of interest,” writes Amico.
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Hawks Release James Johnson

October 21st, 2013 at 11:47am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have waived James Johnson, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). The move reduces the Hawks’ preseason roster to 17 players, so the team will still have to make at least two more cuts before next week.

Johnson reportedly chose a non-guaranteed camp invite from Atlanta over multiple overseas offers, so perhaps now he’ll reconsider one of those offers, assuming they’re still on the table. The 26-year-old has spent four NBA seasons with the Bulls, Raptors, and Kings since being selected 16th overall in the 2009 draft.

Of the 17 players on the Hawks’ roster, 12 have fully guaranteed contracts, making them solid bets to make the regular season roster. Mike Scott also has a small guarantee, while Shelvin Mack, Eric Dawson, Cartier Martin, and Royal Ivey have fully non-guaranteed deals, putting them in danger of being waived by opening night.

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Hawks Rumors: Brand, Johnson, Carroll

October 4th, 2013 at 11:51am CST by Zachary Links

The Hawks had a roster makeover this offseason that included the acquisition of former Jazz big man Paul Millsap.  The forward views this as a brand new chapter in his career and isn’t interested in being compared to Josh Smith.  “I don’t really try to compare myself to anybody else,” Millsap told Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld this week. “We’re two different players and two different people. I’ll be myself and I know the things I’m capable of doing. When we get out there, I can shoot the basketball, be very energetic and rebound. There are some of the same similarities, but [we’re] different.”  More out of Hotlanta..

  • Forward Elton Brand says that he has no plans to retire at the end of the season, writes HoopsWorld’s Lang Greene.  Brand signed a one-year, $4MM deal with Atlanta this summer after seeing the lowest minutes per game average of his career last season.  Brand will be playing behind fellow newcomer Millsap and Al Horford.
  • James Johnson chose a non-guaranteed two-year deal with Atlanta over several offers from overseas, Greene writes.  Johnson has career averages of 6.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game in stints with the Bulls, Raptors, and Kings. 
  • Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll is happy to have an opportunity to start this season, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes.  The small forward is in his fifth season with his fifth NBA team.

Read more

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Odds & Ends: Nets, Johnson, Nedovic

September 21st, 2013 at 6:30pm CST by Michael Pina
A few random notes from around the league.

 

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Hawks Sign James Johnson

September 19th, 2013 at 5:04pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to a congratulatory tweet from sports agency firm Priority Sports, James Johnson has signed a contract with the Hawks. Though the terms of the deal were not mentioned, the pact could likely be a training camp invitation or a partially guaranteed deal. In 54 games and 11 starts for the Kings last season, the 6'9 power forward averaged 5.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and shot 41.3% from the field in 16.3 MPG. With the addition of Johnson, Atlanta currently has a total of 19 players heading into training camp.

Drafted 16th overall by the Bulls in 2009, Johnson hasn't lasted more than two seasons with an NBA team since then, splitting his first four years in the league between Chicago and Toronto before landing with Sacramento in 2012/13. To date, the Wake Forest product's best season was arguably with the Raptors in 2011/12, where he played a total of 62 games with 40 starts, averaging 9.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 1.4 BPG in 25.2 MPG. 

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James Johnson To Work Out For Three Teams

August 21st, 2013 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

A free agent for the first time, James Johnson has yet to land a deal with an NBA team, but will look to make an impression in upcoming workouts with three clubs, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. Charania reports that Johnson will work out for the Spurs, Jazz, and Hawks in hopes of receiving a contract offer.

Johnson, 26, has spent time with the Bulls, Raptors, and Kings since making his NBA debut in 2009, averaging 6.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and a 12.4 PER in 219 career contests. Johnson's trade history is indicative of his slipping stock; a year and a half after being selected 16th overall by Chicago, the 6'9" forward was sent to Toronto for a first-round pick that landed at No. 28, then was eventually flipped to Sacramento for a 2014 second-rounder.

The Spurs, Jazz, and Hawks all currently have between 12 and 14 guaranteed contracts on their books for 2013/14, so there'd be room for Johnson to earn a roster spot on any of the three clubs, if he were to sign with one of them.

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Pacific Notes: Howard, Dragic, Johnson, Warriors

October 19th, 2012 at 11:11am CST by Luke Adams

A Thursday morning report about the possibility of the Lakers pursuing LeBron James in the summer of 2014 resulted in Jim Buss saying the Lakers are indeed hoping to make a splash in '14, and LeBron brushing off the speculation. While everyone wants to talk about the possibility of LeBron eventually heading west, there are other stories coming out of the Pacific Division, so let's round those up right here:

  • The summer's biggest trade acquisition, Dwight Howard, appears set to make his Lakers debut on Sunday against the Kings, according to Marc J. Spears and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
  • The Suns aren't expecting offseason signee Goran Dragic to replace Steve Nash's production, as coach Alvin Gentry tells Derek Page of HoopsWorld: "We don’t really talk to him about replacing Steve. We could go through the whole league and they couldn’t replace Steve…. We all know what Steve brought to our team but now we’re trying to get ourselves in a situation where Goran can step into a role, where he feels confident in what he’s doing and he can become the best Goran Dragic. That’s what we’re trying to get him to do, which would be pretty good."
  • While Kings president Geoff Petrie says James Johnson's perimeter game needs to improve, he thinks Johnson, acquired this summer from the Raptors, "has the potential to really help us defensively," as he tells Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.
  • In looking back at the Warriors' offseason, ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Insider link) says Draymond Green was one of his favorite players in the draft, but he's not a huge fan of the team's Carl Landry signing.
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