Tony Wroten was traded to Philadelphia for a conditional second-round draft pick, Roy Hibbert looks like a giant next to Tim Duncan and information on a few new jerseys, including a black Lakers alternate jersey for "Hollywood Nights."
The Memphis Grizzlies traded second-year player Tony Wroten to the Philadelphia 76ers for a future second-round draft pick. Wroten was a one-and-done backcourt prospect out of the University of Washington. The standout freshman averaged 16 points, 6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in his lone year in college.
As a rookie he hardly had an opportunity to gain on-court experience, appearing in just 35 games for Memphis. The Grizzlies recently signed Nick Calathes to two-year deal, making Wroten an expendable prospect.
Grizzly Bear Blues also adds that Wroten's performance on the Grizzlies' Las Vegas summer league squad could have led to the decision. Wroten took the highest amount of field goals on the team (79) while shooting just 25 percent from the field and 16 percent from beyond the arc.
The future second-round pick from the Sixers is top-50 protected, making this a low-risk asset acquisition for new general manager Sam Hinkie to experiment with.
Roy Hibbert is a monster
Roy Hibbert is 7'2, which is big even for NBA standards, but a recent picture he posted of himself alongside fellow NBA'ers Tim Duncan and Ian Mahinmi shows just how monstrous he is:
Tom Lewis of Indy Cornrows has all the measurements for the two big men and one giant man:
Ian Mahinmi was listed at 6'11 and 230 pounds last year, while Hibbert was 7'2 and 280 pounds. Appears the 50-pound difference is closer to 60 or 70 right now. And how about Duncan? The Big Fundamental was listed at 6'11 and 260 pounds. Hibbert's arm looks about as big as Timmy's leg! Crazy.
Hibbert has been training with Duncan in San Antonio during the off-season instead of playing in one of the many pro-amateur leagues that run through the summer. Hibbert averaged 11.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and a career-high 2.6 blocks per game last season with the Pacers and was one victory away from reaching the NBA Finals.
Nets and Knicks splitting multiple All-Star weekends?
The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets will split All-Star weekend festivities in 2015. Brooklyn will host preliminary events like the slam dunk contest and celebrity game while the All-Star game will be played in Madison Square Garden.
Both teams are working with the NBA to bring All-Star weekend back to New York as soon as 2017, however. Barclays Center would play host to the All-Star game and Madison Square Garden would take on the other events. Nothing has been finalized and the Nets aren't "certain" they'd want to bring All-Star weekend back to their home so quickly.
Lakers add alternate black jersey, Bobcats add sponsor to practice jersey
The Los Angeles Lakers unveiled a black alternate jersey as part of a new "Hollywood Nights" promotion. The team will wear the jersey throughout the season, though they did not announce scheduling plans. Los Angeles already wears white alternate jerseys for home games on Sundays.
The Lakers will also debut a white short-sleeved alternated jersey on Christmas Day when they play the Miami Heat.
The Charlotte Bobcats will experiment with corporate sponsorship on their practice jerseys. The franchise signed a two-year agreement with Blue Cross and Blue Shield and will feature their corporate logo and name on their jerseys during training camp, as well as making the company official sponsors of Bobcats training camp.
Details of the agreement were not disclosed, though industry experts project the deal will net the Bobcats $500,000-$750,000 anually.
Speaking of the Lakers, how will Nick Young fit in their offense?
The Lakers added a handful of veteran's minimum players this summer as they re-tooled their post-Dwight Howard roster. One of their key additions was California native Nick Young. Young's reputation of taking possessions hostage will be something to watch in Los Angeles, especially if Kobe Bryant isn't able to return to the court to open the season.
Silver Screen and Roll took an in-depth look at how Young can fit into Mike D'Antoni's schemes as a corner three-point shooter and off-ball player. The expectation is that so long as Nash or Bryant are handling the ball Young's isolation mishaps should be minimal.
The biggest challenge with Young won't be limiting his offensive possessions -- the Lakers have both Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash to control the ball. The problem will be finding areas on offense where he can be effective. If he doesn't drift out to the corners in transition and improve his long-range shooting percentages. Mike D'Antoni will also have to develop options for him to work off-ball in Horns sets, which is an aspect Young has experience with from his time with the Sixers.
Young averaged 10.6 points per game and shot a career-low 35 percent from beyond the arc last season with the Sixers.
Understanding Dwyane Wade's pain
Another summer, another chance to undergo knee treatment for Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade. Wade underwent shock treatment on his knee in order to alleviate arthritis pain shortly after capturing his third NBA championship. After a month away from on-court exercises Wade has begun basketball activities again.
Brandon Di Perno of Hot Hot Hoops discusses his own experience with leg injuries and sympathizes with the man once known as Flash as he sets his eyes on a three-peat:
Leg injuries are brutal, they hold an athlete back from their potential and for a player like Wade that can really take away from your game. In spite of this Wade isn't done, he's undergone shock therapy to treat his tendonitis and has once again teamed up with famed trainer Tim Grover to better himself for the season. Dwyane has that fire, and is taking the steps to let it loose.
Knee injuries have hindered him in recent years, but it appears they haven't broken him, and I personally doubt it ever will.