Blazers waive Tolliver, assign Mills

The Portland Trail Blazers waived forward Anthony Tolliver today and assigned rookie guard Patty Mills to the NBA Developmental League’s Idaho Stampede, the team announced.

Tollliver was signed Dec. 17 with a hardship exemption Portland received from the NBA after guard Rudy Fernandez was sidelined with back surgery.

The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Tolliver played in two games for the Blazers this season, recording four minutes, one rebound and zero points.

When Tolliver was signed, he acknowledged his time with Portland would likely be brief.

“Hopefully I do get the chance to get on the court and show what I can do,” Tolliver said. “I’m just going to be prepared for whatever it is. It’s their decision to use me how they may. They’re the ones writing the checks.”

However, Tolliver said he was quickly made to feel like a part of a Blazers team that has been forced to unite in the face of adversity. And he used his time with the team to reach out and make an impact in the regional community, sponsoring a Northeast Portland family for the holidays.

Meanwhile, Mills had yet to play a regular-season game for Portland. The 6-foot, 175-pound native of Canberra, Australia, has spent the season recovering from right foot surgery he underwent July 13. Mills had been active in recent practices, though, and had traveled with the team on its recent road trip.

With Tolliver waived and Mills re-assigned, Portland’s roster now stands at 15. However, Fernandez, Joel Przybilla, Greg Oden, Nicolas Batum and Travis Outlaw are all injured, leaving the team with just 10 healthy players.