Pelicans sign Elliot Williams to second 10-day contract

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has signed guard Elliot Williams to a second 10-day contract.

Williams, 6-5,180 has appeared in three games with the Pelicans, averaging 4.0 points, 1.0 assists and 1.0 rebounds in 11.0 minutes per game.

Prior to joining New Orleans, Williams played for the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League. Appearing in 25 games for Santa Cruz, Williams averaged 21.8 points, 7.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 36.8 minutes per game while being named a NBA D-League All-Star. Williams had signed 10-day contracts with Utah and Charlotte earlier this season, appearing in five games for Utah, averaging 3.6 points in 8.4 minutes per contest.

Selected by Portland with the 22nd overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft out of Memphis, Williams has appeared in 99 career games, averaging 5.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in 13.9 minutes per game.

Anthony Davis is ridiculously talented

Here’s the New Orleans Times-Picayune reporting on Pelicans star Anthony Davis, who is an amazingly high-level basketball talent:

Right now, just a few days shy of his 22nd birthday, Davis’ skill set represents arguably the perfect package of basketball ability, certainly as complete as the NBA has seen in its nearly 70 year history.

His stat line in last Wednesday night’s win over the Detroit Pistons, having not played in 10 days, was historic though overshadowed by the play of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, who notched his fourth consecutive triple-double in an overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Davis’ 39 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks represented only the third time in league history a player accumulated numbers such as those.

Hakeem Olajuwon and Dwight Howard were the others.

Pelicans sign Elliot Williams to 10-day contract

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has signed guard Elliot Williams to a 10-day contract.

Williams won’t be expected to do much more than provide some backcourt depth while playing very limited minutes. Generally the same situation for most players on a 10-day deal.

Williams, 6-5,180 has most recently played for the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League. Appearing in 25 games for Santa Cruz, Williams has averaged 21.8 points, 7.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 36.8 minutes per game while being named a NBA D-League All-Star. Previously this season, Williams has signed 10-day contracts with Utah and Charlotte. Williams appeared in five games for Utah, averaging 3.6 points in 8.4 minutes per contest.

Selected by Portland with the 22nd overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft out of Memphis, Williams has appeared in 96 career games with Portland and Philadelphia in addition to Utah, averaging 5.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per game.

Williams will be available for tonight’s game against Detroit at the Smoothie King Center. New Orleans’ roster now stands at 14.

Anthony Davis out 1-2 weeks with right shoulder sprain

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that forward Anthony Davis has been diagnosed with a right shoulder sprain. An MRI conducted by the team’s medical staff this morning confirmed the right shoulder sprain. The injury occurred at the 3:38 mark of the first quarter in last night’s game against the Miami HEAT. He is expected to miss 1-2 weeks.

Additionally, Ryan Anderson underwent an MRI this morning and has been diagnosed with an MCL sprain in his right knee. The injury took place at the 9:41 mark during the second quarter of last night’s game against the Miami HEAT. He is expected to miss 2-4 weeks.

New Orleans Pelicans waive Shawne Williams

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has waived forward Shawne Williams, who was acquired Feb. 19 from the Miami HEAT along with Norris Cole and Justin Hamilton as part of a three-team trade.

Williams, 6-9, 230, has appeared in 44 games (22 starts) this season for Miami, averaging 6.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in 21.0 minutes per game. Originally the 17th overall selection out of Memphis in the 2006 NBA Draft by Indiana, Williams has appeared in 295 career NBA games, averaging 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per game.

New Orleans’ roster now stands at 14.

Jrue Holiday out at least three more weeks with leg injury

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that guard Jrue Holiday re-aggravated the stress reaction in his lower right leg on Monday. He will be re-evaluated in three weeks by the team’s medical staff. A timetable for his return will be announced at a later date as more information is available.

Holiday has missed the previous 16 games with the injury. In 37 games this season, Holiday averaged 15.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 33.7 minutes per game. The 6-4 guard holds career averages of 13.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 369 contests.

Pelicans sign Toney Douglas to second 10-day contract

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has signed guard Toney Douglas to a second 10-day contract.

Douglas, 6-2, 185, has appeared in three games for New Orleans, averaging 9.0 points, 4.0 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 22.0 minutes per game. Prior to joining the Pelicans, Douglas played for the Jiangsu Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association, appearing in 35 games while averaging 19.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.1 steals. Drafted 29th overall out of Florida State in 2009 by the Los Angeles Lakers, Douglas had appeared in 297 career NBA games with New York, Houston, Sacramento, Golden State and Miami, averaging 7.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

Anthony Davis injured, will not play in 2015 NBA All-Star game

New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis, who is recovering from a right shoulder sprain, released the following statement:

“After careful thought and consideration, I’ve decided I will not be participating in this year’s NBA All-Star competitions. I want to thank the fans for voting me into the All-Star game and I am sorry I will not be able to play.

While I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to compete this weekend, I’m still very excited about the opportunity to be a part of the All-Star events in New York and celebrate our game with some of the NBA’s greatest figures.

More than anything, I am anxious to get healthy and back on the court with my teammates after the All-Star break.”

Pelicans sign Nate Wolters to second 10-day contract

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed guard Nate Wolters to a second 10-day contract.

Wolters, 6-4, 190, South Dakota State, first signed with the Pelicans on January 14. In five games with New Orleans, Wolters has averaged 2.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 11 minutes per contest.

Wolters was the 38th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards before his rights were dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers, and then the Milwaukee Bucks. Appearing in 69 games with Milwaukee, Wolters averaged 6.4 points, 2.9 assists and 2.4 rebounds.

The New Orleans Pelicans announced Wednesday that guard Jrue Holiday is expected to miss the next 2-4 weeks. Additional tests by team physicians yesterday revealed that Holiday developed a stress reaction in his right lower leg. Holiday will be held out of basketball activities until his symptoms improve and will be re-evaluated each week.

In 37 games this season, Holiday averaged 15.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 33.7 minutes per game. The 6-4 guard holds career averages of 13.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 369 contests.

The Pelicans are 21-21 this season. They’re 16th in the league in points per game, and 17th in the league in opponents’ points per game. They’re led by Anthony Davis (24.3 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 1.53 spg, 2.95 bpg), Tyreke Evans (17.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.3 apg), Holiday (15.2 ppg, 7.1, 1.62 spg), Ryan Anderson (14.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and Eric Gordon (11.8 ppg).

Pelicans sign Nate Wolters to 10-day contract

The New Orleans Pelicans today added some depth in their backcourt, signing unrestricted free agent guard Nate Wolters to a 10-day contract.

The 6-4, 190-pound Wolters, of South Dakota State, was the 38th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards before his rights were traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, and then the Milwaukee Bucks. Appearing in 69 games with Milwaukee, Wolters averaged of 6.4 points, 2.9 assists and 2.4 rebounds.

Wolters will be available for tonight’s Pelicans game in Detroit. He will wear jersey #4.

New Orleans roster now stands at 14.

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has acquired forward Quincy Pondexter and a future second round draft pick from the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a three-team deal including the Boston Celtics. In exchange, New Orleans has traded guard Austin Rivers to Boston and guard Russ Smith to Memphis. As additional components of the trade, Boston has acquired forward Tayshawn Prince and a future first round draft pick from Memphis, and Memphis has acquired forward Jeff Green from Boston.

“The New Orleans Pelicans are thrilled to welcome back a high character person like Quincy Pondexter to our organization,” said Dell Demps, General Manager of the Pelicans. “Quincy is a two-way player, a multi-position defender that will add toughness along with an offensive skill set that we anticipate will help the Pelicans win games.”

“It was difficult to trade Austin Rivers and Russ Smith”, said Demps. “Russ was only with the team for a short time while Austin is an intense competitor that is continuing to improve. We will miss Austin and Russ on and off the court. We thank Austin and Russ for their contributions and wish them success in the future.”

According to Yahoo Sports, “Green gives the Grizzlies a versatile veteran who can score and defend both forward positions. He is averaging 17.6 points and 4.2 rebounds this season. Green makes $9.2 million this season and holds a player option of $9.2 million in 2015-16 – the final year of his contract. The Celtics are unloading assets – they traded forward Brandan Wright to the Phoenix Suns for a future first-round draft pick earlier Friday – and gathering assets for a rebuild. With this trade, Boston will have accumulated 11 first-round picks over the next four drafts.”

Green (6-9, 235) has averaged a career-high 17.6 points to go with 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 33.1 minutes in 33 games (all starts) with Boston this season, shooting .434 from the field, .305 from three-point range and a career-best .840 from the free throw line. He has scored 10+ points 29 times, 20+ points 10 times and 30+ points twice, including a season-high 35 points on Nov. 3 at Dallas, and has posted one double-double.

Drafted by Boston in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft and traded to the Seattle SuperSonics on draft night, Green joins Memphis with career averages of 14.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 32.8 minutes in 511 games (395 starts) with Seattle/Oklahoma City and Boston. The seven-year veteran has career shooting percentages of .440 from the field, .340 from three-point range and .788 from the free throw line. Green netted a career-high 43 points on March 18, 2013 vs. Miami.

The 28-year-old owns career postseason averages of 12.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 31.2 minutes in 21 playoff games (12 starts) for Oklahoma City and Boston. Green posted 20.3 points on .435 shooting (.455 three-point shooting) in six games in the Celtics’ first round series against New York in the 2013 NBA Playoffs.

A native of Hyattsville, Md., Green averaged 13.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 33.2 minutes in 102 games over three years (2004-07) at Georgetown University. Serving as the Hoyas’ co-captain in his junior season, Green led Georgetown to its first NCAA Final Four appearance since 1985 and was named the 2007 Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA East Regional and was selected as the 2007 Big East Player of the Year and Big East Tournament MVP.

Prince, a 6’9” forward, has appeared in 26 contests for the Grizzlies this season and is averaging 7.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 24.2 minutes per game, while shooting 15-33 (.455) from beyond the arc over that span. He scored a season-high 20 points, including shooting a perfect 4-4 from long range, five rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes on December 5 against the San Antonio Spurs. Prince was the starting small forward for the 2004 NBA Champion Detroit Pistons and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in four consecutive seasons (2005-08). For his career, Prince is averaging 11.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 32.3 minutes per game.

Rivers, a 6’4” guard, has appeared in 35 games for the Pelicans this season and is averaging 6.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 22.1 minutes per game. He recorded a season-high of 21 points, including shooting 11-12 (.917) from the foul line, two rebounds, three assists and one steal in 33 minutes on December 20 against the Portland Trailblazers. Rivers was selected as the 10th overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft by New Orleans and is averaging 6.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 21.4 minutes per game for his career.

Pondexter, 6-6, 225, Washington, appeared in 30 games this season with Memphis, holding averages of 4.5 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. This will be Pondexter’s second stint with New Orleans, as he spent his rookie season with the franchise during the 2010-11 season, appearing in 66 games and averaging 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds. In his five seasons, Pondexter holds career averages of 4.5 points and 1.8 rebounds in 234 games.

Smith, 6-0, 165, Louisville, was acquired by New Orleans in a draft night trade this past June after being selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 47th overall pick. The rookie guard appeared in six games this season for the Pelicans, averaging 0.8 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists.

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has assigned rookie point guard Russ Smith to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League. This will be Smith’s third assignment of the season.

In his most recent assignment, Smith, 6-0, 185, appeared in four games for Fort Wayne, averaging 17.5 points, and 7.8 assists. Overall, Smith has appeared in six games with Fort Wayne, averaging 16.5 points, 6.2 assists and 1.8 steals.

Smith has appeared in six games for New Orleans, averaging 0.8 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Smith appeared in six preseason contests for the Pelicans, averaging 5.0 points, 1.2 assists and 0.8 rebounds.

Drafted out of the University of Louisville by Philadelphia with the 47th overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, Smith was acquired by New Orleans in a draft night trade.

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has assigned forward Noah Vonleh to its NBA D-League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

“We believe Noah would benefit greatly from additional game experience,” Cho said. “He will be able to get that playing time through this D-League assignment.”

Vonleh was selected by the Hornets with the ninth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. The 6-10 rookie has appeared in four games this season, with averages of 2.5 points and 2.8 rebounds in 8.0 minutes.

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has waived point guard Gal Mekel.

Mekel, 6-3, 191, was signed by the team on December 5 as an unrestricted free agent. Mekel appeared in four games with New Orleans, averaging 1.5 points and 3.3 assists.

The Wichita State product appeared in 31 games during the 2013-14 season for the Dallas Mavericks and appeared in all eight of Dallas’ 2014 preseason games.

New Orleans’ roster now stands at 14.

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has assigned rookie point guard Russ Smith to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League.

Smith, 6-0, 185, has appeared in two games for Fort Wayne, averaging 14.5 points and 3.0 steals in 25.5 minutes per game.

Smith has appeared in three games for New Orleans, averaging 0.3 rebounds per game. Smith appeared in six preseason contests for the Pelicans, averaging 5.0 points, 1.2 assists and 0.8 rebounds.

Drafted out of the University of Louisville by Philadelphia with the 47th overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, Smith was acquired by New Orleans in a draft night trade.

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has recalled rookie point guard Russ Smith from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League.

Smith, 6-0, 185, appeared in two games over the weekend for Fort Wayne, helping the Mad Ants win both contests. In 25.5 minutes per game, Smith averaged 14.5 points and 3.0 steals.

Smith has appeared in three games for New Orleans, averaging 0.3 rebounds per game. Smith appeared in six preseason contests for the Pelicans, averaging 5.0 points, 1.2 assists and 0.8 rebounds.

Drafted out of the University of Louisville by Philadelphia with the 47th overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, Smith was acquired by New Orleans in a draft night trade.

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has signed free agent guard Gal Mekel. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Mekel, 6-3, 191, appeared in 31 games (one start) last season with the Dallas Mavericks, posting averages of 2.4 points and 2.0 assists. Mekel appeared in all eight of Dallas’ 2014 preseason games (two starts), averaging 7.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists.

Prior to joining the Mavericks, Mekel spent five years playing professionally in Israel, winning two Israeli Super League championships with Hapoel Gilboa Galil in 2010 and Maccabi Haifa in 2013, as well as being named the 2009 Israeli Super League Rising Star and winning the league MVP award twice (2011, 2013). Before starting his professional career, the Israeli native played two seasons at Wichita State University from 2006-08.

Mekel will wear #24 and will be available for New Orleans’ game tomorrow night in Los Angeles against the Clippers.

New Orleans’ roster now stands at 15.

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has signed free agent forward Dante Cunningham.

Cunningham, 6-8, 230, was the 33rd overall pick out of Villanova in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. A five-year veteran, Cunningham has appeared in 366 career NBA games (41 starts) with Portland, Charlotte, Memphis and Minnesota, holding career averages of 6.2 points and 3.9 rebounds.

Cunningham will be available for the Pelicans’ game tonight at Golden State. He will wear #44.

New Orleans’ roster stands at 14.

The New Orleans Pelicans are off to a 7-5 start this season and enjoying the rise of star forward Anthony Davis, and look to be on the rise, but they’ve just suffered an injury to their starting lineup.

The team announced today that guard Eric Gordon will be out indefinitely with a left shoulder injury. An MRI revealed Gordon suffered a torn labrum as a result of the left shoulder subluxation injury that occurred Saturday night at Utah.

Gordon will undergo further evaluation throughout this week by the team’s medical staff to determine the best course of action moving forward.

Gordon, who starts at shooting guard, hasn’t been a standout this season, averaging just 9.5 points and 2.0 assists in 31 minutes per game, and shooting just 39.8% from the field.

More details will be released as they become available.