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Bryce Dejean-Jones Dies At 23

May 28th, 2016 at 8:58pm CST by Arthur Hill
Matt Bush / USA TODAY Sports Images

Matt Bush / USA TODAY Sports Images

8:58pm: An NBA security report states that Dejean-Jones was calling for his girlfriend when he was shot through the bedroom door, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. A portion of the report tweeted by Justin Verrier of ESPN.com says an autopsy is being conducted, and toxicology reports won’t be returned for “a couple weeks.”

5:18pm: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has released a statement on the death of Dejean-Jones. “The NBA family mourns the tragic loss of New Orleans Pelicans point guard Bryce Dejean-Jones,” Silver said. “Bryce inspired countless people with his hard work and perseverance on his way to the NBA, and he had a bright future in our league. Our thoughts and sympathies are with Bryce’s family and the entire Pelicans organization during this difficult time.”

4:51pm: Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry offered condolences on hearing of Dejean-Jones’ death, tweets Brett Dawson of The Advocate. “I have all the respect for Bryce,” Gentry said. “I just had a real soft spot in my heart for him because I just felt like he was headed in the right direction. I thought he was ready to blossom as a player. I really did.”

3:55pm: An email from the apartment manager says Dejean-Jones tried to enter the residence of “an estranged acquaintance,” but went to the wrong place, tweets Justin W. Waldrop of Fox 4 in Dallas.

3:45pm: Dejean-Jones went to the wrong floor of his girlfriend’s apartment, tweets international journalist David Pick. He found himself locked out and pounded on the door several times before entering. Police say it doesn’t appear that Dejean-Jones and the apartment resident knew each other before the shooting, according to Justin Verrier of ESPN.com.

SATURDAY: 2:08pm: Pelicans rookie Bryce Dejean-Jones has died at age 23, reports Travis Hines of The Ames Tribune. Dejean-Jones was shot in the abdomen and bled to death, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. His death has been confirmed by the Dallas County (Texas) coroner’s office.

Dejean-Jones was allegedly involved in an early-morning break-in at a Dallas residence when the shooting took place, according to Sarah Mervosh of The Dallas Morning News. The person who lives at the residence told police that he shot Dejean-Jones after the player kicked down his bedroom door at 3:20 a.m. today. Dejean-Jones was taken to a hospital, where he died from the bullet wound. Dallas Police Homicide is conducting an investigation. Texas law permits people to use deadly force to protect themselves and their homes, Mervosh notes.

Dejean-Jones signed with New Orleans in midseason after going undrafted out of Iowa State. He inked 10-day deals in January and Feburary and played his way into a three-year contract. He averaged 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds in 14 games before being sidelined with a broken right wrist.

The Pelicans have released a statement on Dejean-Jones’ death, saying, “It is with deep sadness that the Pelicans organization acknowledges the sudden passing of Bryce Dejean-Jones. We are devastated at the loss of this young man’s life who had such a promising future ahead of him. Our thoughts and prayers are with Bryce’s family at this difficult time.” 

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Rose Rule Details For Anthony Davis

May 27th, 2016 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

Two standout NBA players were significantly impacted by Thursday’s announcement of this year’s All-NBA teams, with Damian Lillard receiving some good news while Anthony Davis got hit with bad news. By earning a spot on the All-NBA second team, Lillard ensured that his max extension, which goes into effect for the coming season, would increase from 25% of the Trail Blazers‘ cap to 27.5%, guaranteeing him an extra $12MM+ over the life of the deal. Conversely, since he missed out on All-NBA honors this year, Davis will have his max extension count for 25% of the Pelicans‘ cap rather than 30%, costing him nearly $25MM over the next five years.

In a column for The Vertical, Bobby Marks takes a closer at Lillard’s and Davis’ situations with the Blazers and Pelicans, respectively, and argues that the NBA needs to revamp what’s known as the Derrick Rose Rule. As Marks points out, the criteria for the Rose Rule hinges on fan and media votes, and it doesn’t seem right that those votes should have such a huge impact on a player’s earnings.

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Curry, LeBron, Westbrook Headline All-NBA Teams

May 26th, 2016 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has announced its three All-NBA teams for the 2015/16 season, with unanimous MVP Stephen Curry also leading the way in first-team nods (129) and overall points (645). After Curry, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook were the leading vote-getters, followed by Kawhi Leonard. DeAndre Jordan also earned a spot on the All-NBA first team.

Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard landed on the All-NBA second team, triggering the Derrick Rose Rule and ensuring that the max extension he signed last summer will be worth more than 25% of the salary cap. Per Danny Leroux of RealGM and Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), the terms of Lillard’s contract dictate that his extension will be worth 27.5%, rather than the full 30% allowable by the Rose Rule.

As for Anthony Davis, he just missed the cut for the All-NBA third team, so the Rose Rule won’t apply to his max extension with the Pelicans, costing him an extra $20MM+ over the life of his contract.

Here are all three All-NBA teams for the 2015/16 season, with voting point totals in parentheses:

All-NBA First Team:

  • Forward: LeBron James, Cavaliers (637)
  • Forward: Kawhi Leonard, Spurs (575)
  • Center: DeAndre Jordan, Clippers (317)
  • Guard: Stephen Curry, Warriors (645)
  • Guard: Russell Westbrook, Thunder (627)

All-NBA Second Team:

All-NBA Third Team:

James Harden, Paul Millsap, Anthony Davis, and Al Horford also received more than 75 voting points.

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Southwest Notes: Grizzlies, Anderson, Terry

May 18th, 2016 at 4:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Grizzlies spoke with at least two candidates today as their search for a new coach heats up. Heat assistant David Fizdale came to Memphis for an interview, tweets Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com., as did Portland assistant Nate Tibbetts, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). Both had been previously named as candidates for the job.

Spurs assistant James Borrego impressed Grizzlies officials during his interview earlier this week, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Memphis has also held interviews with Spurs assistant Ettore Messina, Hornets assistant Patrick Ewing and recently fired Pacers coach Frank Vogel (Twitter link). The Grizzlies have significant interest in Vogel, according to ESPN, but so does Orlando (Twitter link).

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

  • Pelicans free agent Ryan Anderson says he was nearly traded to Cleveland at the deadline, relays Brett Dawson of The Advocate. Appearing on “The Vertical Podcast,” Anderson contends the Cavaliers were trying to work out a deal for him before they picked up Channing Frye from Orlando. “There was a very last-minute phone call that I could have gone to Cleveland,” Anderson said. “I would be playing for the Cavs right now.” Anderson said he didn’t ask the Pelicans to trade him because he wants to have the option in free agency of staying in New Orleans. Anderson’s last experience as a free agent came in 2012 when he was restricted and Orlando swung a deal to send him to the Pelicans. This time, he likes the feeling of being in complete control. “I want to enjoy this process and see where New Orleans is at this summer,” Anderson said. “I want to see where, I don’t know, Houston is at or Sacramento or Washington.”
  • The Spurs could be interested in power forward Thomas Robinson if he opts out of his deal with the Nets, according to Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News. Robinson would give up a little more than $980K by opting out, but he stands to make much more on the open market with the expected jump in the salary cap. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has talked about the need to rebuild the bench with younger players, and the 25-year-old Robinson, a former teammate of LaMarcus Aldridge in Portland, could be a possibility.
  • Rockets point guard Jason Terry thinks Dwight Howard would be a “great fit” with the Mavericks, but only if he adapts to coach Rick Carlisle, according to The Dallas Morning News. “Whatever [Howard’s] role is, he would have to be the one to buy in first, and then you go from there,” Terry said on ESPN Radio’s Cowlishaw and Mosley show. “But he and Dirk [Nowitzki] together? That’s a powerful combination.” The 38-year-old Terry adds that he hopes to play one more season before retiring.
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Latest On 2016 NBA Draft

May 17th, 2016 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito
  • Indiana junior small forward Troy Williams is still undecided on whether or not he will remain in this year’s NBA draft, Scott Agness of VigilantSports tweets. Williams, who is the No. 86 overall prospect according to Givony, has upcoming workouts with the Lakers, Clippers, and Pelicans, Agness notes.
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Club Interviews Guard A.J. English At Combine

May 15th, 2016 at 11:01am CST by Dana Gauruder
  • Point guard A.J. English will work out for the Pelicans, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets. It was previously reported that English, who is considered a potential second-round pick, had scheduled workouts with the Pistons, Bucks, Cavaliers, Wizards, Clippers, Mavericks and Lakers.
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Kris Dunn Would Welcome Chance To Join Pelicans

May 13th, 2016 at 8:12pm CST by Eddie Scarito
  • Former Providence point guard Kris Dunn said he’d love to play for the Pelicans if they were to select him this June, citing the presence of power forward Anthony Davis as his primary reason, Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com relays. “[It’s] definitely [appealing],” said Dunn. “For any point guard who’s going there. Who wouldn’t want to play with [Davis]? He’s definitely a superstar, up there with LeBron James, Kevin Durant and all those guys. To be able to play with a guy like that, it’s only going to help me. He makes the game a lot easier for point guards.”
  • Utah sophomore center Jakob Poeltl interviewed with the Pelicans, Brett Dawson of The New Orleans Advocate (Twitter links). New Orleans also sat down with Diallo, the scribe adds.
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Draft Combine Update: Friday Morning

May 13th, 2016 at 10:29am CST by Chuck Myron

Skal Labissiere‘s impressive private workout on Wednesday didn’t quite measure up to the hype, contends Chad Ford of ESPN.com in an Insider-only piece, who pegs the draft range for the Kentucky big man as No. 9 to No. 20. The Suns and Kings are among the teams Labissiere has interviewed with at the combine, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, echoing previous reports about interviews with Philadelphia and New Orleans. Ford’s sources remain solidly in the camp of Ben Simmons over Brandon Ingram for the top overall pick, while it appears it’s a battle between Jamal Murray and Kris Dunn for the No. 3 pick, Ford hears. Still, no one had a more impressive combine showing Thursday than Cheick Diallo, a high second-round prospect, according to Ford. Both his strengths and weaknesses were on display, as Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz of DraftExpress detail. The Kansas center/forward says he’ll probably remain in the draft, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv details, adding the Warriors, Mavericks, Nets, Sixers, Knicks and Raptors to the list of teams he’s interviewing with at the combine.

See more updates as the combine continues:

  • The Lakers interviewed Ingram, notes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
  • The Bulls, Hawks, Kings, Spurs and Rockets are among the teams interviewing Cal swingman Jaylen Brown, as he told reporters and as Basketball Insiders relays in a video. Also on the list are Boston and Minnesota, as we passed along earlier.
  • UNLV shooting guard Patrick McCaw listed the Raptors, Bucks, Hornets, Cavaliers and Heat, as well as a previously reported meeting with Boston, among his interviews, as Basketball Insiders relays in another video.
  • Wisconsin power forward Nigel Hayes will work out for the Suns, Celtics and Knicks, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (Twitter link). Ford heard some negativity surrounding his performance Thursday.
  • The Pelicans, Knicks, Mavericks, Hornets and Lakers are the previously unreported teams on the interview list for Maryland point guard Melo Trimble, as J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic relays. Ford heard from NBA types down on Trimble’s showing Thursday.
  • Former Iona combo guard A.J. English met with the Pelicans and will do so with the Wizards and Nets, Zagoria tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
  • The Spurs, Warriors, Nuggets and Grizzlies are the previously unreported teams interviewing Seton Hall shooting guard Isaiah Whitehead, Zagoria relays (Twitter link). He’ll work out for the Sixers on Monday, the Pacers on Wednesday, the Celtics on May 20th and the Bulls on May 23rd, a source tells Zach Braziller of the New York Post (Twitter links). Boston, Indiana and Chicago are particularly interested in him, Braziller hears.
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Southwest Notes: Smith, Demps, Labissiere, Ulis

May 12th, 2016 at 8:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kenny Smith, a candidate for the Rockets‘ head coaching position, said he had “a great meeting” with team officials, relays Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. Smith sat down with owner Leslie Alexander and GM Daryl Morey for 2 1/2 hours Tuesday at Alexander’s Florida home. “They have a clear vision of what they want to do,” Smith said. “I have a clear vision of what I’d like to do. Sometimes you meet in the middle. Sometimes it doesn’t meet at all, but it was something that we both had to explore, and [are] still exploring.” Smith, who helped bring two NBA titles to Houston in the mid-1990s, said he and the team are “just staying in contact” with each other at this point. He added that he enjoys his job as a TNT analyst and said it would take a fantastic offer to make him leave.

There’s more tonight from the Southwest Division:

  • The combine in Chicago is “an integral part of the draft process,” Pelicans GM Dell Demps told Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com. Coaches, GMs and other team officials from around the league gather each year to watch prospects display their skills and get to know them on a personal basis. Demps said that contact is vital in preparing for the draft. “Most NBA coaches do not get the opportunity to watch college players during the NBA season [due to the 82-game schedule], so the combine is usually the first time they can watch them play in person,” he said.
  • The Pelicans spoke with Kentucky big man Skal Labissiere, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
  • The Spurs and Grizzlies were among the nine teams that interviewed Kentucky sophomore point guard Tyler Ulis, relays Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
  • Seton Hall sophomore point guard Isaiah Whitehead had an interview with the Rockets, tweets Zach Braziller of The New York Post.
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