Month: June 2010

Thunder trade Eric Bledsoe draft rights to Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers acquired the draft rights to University of Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for a future protected first round draft pick. Originally selected by the Thunder with the 18th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Bledsoe joins number eight pick Al-Farouq Aminu as the Clippers second player chosen in the first round of this year’s draft.

Bledsoe, 20, appeared in 37 games for Kentucky in 2009-10, averaging 11.3 points, 2.9 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game in his first college season. A Birmingham, Alabama native, Bledsoe averaged 15.3 points per game and shot 58 percent during the Wildcats NCAA Tournament run and hit on 38 percent from three-point range during the season.

The 6-foot-1 inch, 190 pound guard was named to the Sporting News SEC All-Freshman Team and was named a CollegeInsider.com Freshman All-American. Bledsoe comes to the Clippers in the club’s 14th draft day trade since 1982 and brings toughness and athleticism to the Clippers in addition to a deft long-range shooting touch.

Wolves, Wizards trade rookies

The Minnesota Timberwolves tonight acquired the draft rights to Marquette forward Lazar Hayward, the 30th overall pick, and Serbian forward Nemanja Bjelica, the 35th overall pick, from the Washington Wizards in exchange for the draft rights to Clemson forward Trevor Booker, the 23rd overall pick, and Hamady N’diaye, the 56th overall pick. Additionally, Minnesota selected center Paulao Prestes from Brazil with the 45th overall pick.

Hayward, a 6-6 forward, started 118 of his 138 games at Marquette, averaging 13.5 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from behind the arc. The second all-time leading scorer in Marquette history with 1,859 career points, Hayward played in a school-record 138 games and earned Second Team All-Big East and Honorable Mention AP All-American honors as a senior. He was recently named Most Outstanding Player at the 2010 NABC All-Star Game.

Bjelica, a 6-10 forward from Serbia, averaged 9.9 points per game in 20 appearances last season for KK Crvena Zvezda in the Adriatic League, and improved to 20.2 points per game in six appearances in the Serbia A League. He was also the leading rebounder on the silver medal-winning Serbian National Team in Eurobasket 2009 last fall.

Prestes, a 6-11 center, currently plays for CB Murcia in the Spanish ACB League. The native of Brazil averaged 9.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in the Spanish ACB league this season while shooting 57.4 percent from the field. On a per minute basis, Prestes is the top rebounder in his league.

Earlier tonight, the Wolves selected Syracuse forward Wesley Johnson with the 4th overall pick in the draft. Minnesota also acquired Portland Trail Blazers guard/forward Martell Webster in exchange for forward Ryan Gomes and the draft rights to Luke Babbitt.

Suns sign three assistant coaches

The Phoenix Suns have signed assistant coaches Dan Majerle, Bill Cartwright and Igor Kokoskov to contracts through the 2011-12 season, the club announced today.

“I could not be happier to keep Dan, Bill and Igor on our staff,” said Suns Head Coach Alvin Gentry. “Finalizing their return was just a matter of time.  Our success this season was a product of how well our team worked together and how badly our guys wanted to win, and that included our entire coaching staff.”

Majerle, Cartwright and Kokoskov originally joined the Suns’ coaching staff on June 20, 2008, and have served on the club’s bench each of the last two seasons.  The trio has served on the staff of head coach Alvin Gentry for his entire 113-game tenure.

The 44-year-old Majerle was a three-time NBA All-Star (1992, 1993, 1995), all with the Suns, during his 14-year career with Phoenix, Cleveland and Miami.  Nicknamed “Thunder,” Majerle became a permanent fan favorite while playing eight seasons with the Suns (1988-95, 2001-02) and was given the club’s highest honor, induction into the Ring of Honor, on March 9, 2003.  Majerle retired as the Suns’ all-time leader in three-point field goals made, a record now held by Steve Nash, and ranks 18th in that category in NBA history overall (1360).

Majerle served as the head coach of the Suns’ Las Vegas Summer League squads in 2008 and 2009, and will do so again in 2010. Before joining the Phoenix coaching staff, Majerle spent the previous four seasons as a television analyst for Suns’ broadcasts and also worked in that capacity for TNT, ESPN and ABC.

A five-time NBA champion as a player and coach, Cartwright owns a wealth of coaching experience established over 12 seasons as an NBA assistant coach and parts of three seasons as head coach of the Chicago Bulls (151 games).  Cartwright served six seasons in the Bulls organization under Phil Jackson (1996-98) and Tim Floyd (1998-2001) and was on the staff of Chicago’s 1997 and 1998 championship squads.  Cartwright then spent four seasons on the bench of the New Jersey’s Nets before joining the Suns in the summer of 2008.

The third overall pick of the 1979 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks, Cartwright spent his first eight seasons in the Big Apple before a 1988 trade sent him to Chicago and help propel the Bulls to their first three championships.  He was a 1980 NBA All-Star and a 1979 selection to the NBA All-Rookie Team.

Kokoskov (ko-KOSH-kov) just completed his 10th season as an assistant coach in the NBA after entering the league in 2000 as a member of Gentry’s staff with the Los Angeles Clippers.  The 38-year-old was the first full-time, non-American assistant coach in NBA history, and just one week ago on June 18 Kokoskov became an American citizen in a ceremony at US Airways Center.

The native of Belgrade, Yugoslavia, has served as the head coach of the Serbia and Montenegro national team, and most recently served in the same capacity for the Republic of Georgia. Kokoskov was an assistant coach for the Suns’ Las Vegas Summer League entries in both 2008 and 2009.

Suns exercise Alvin Gentry option

The Phoenix Suns have exercised the third-year option on head coach Alvin Gentry’s contract for the 2011-12 season, the club announced today.

“Alvin has done a phenomenal job as our head coach,” said Suns Managing Partner Robert Sarver. “His leadership and ability to connect with and lead our players was exceptional.”

Originally elevated as the 14th head coach in franchise history on an interim basis on Feb. 16, 2009, Gentry was named the club’s head coach on May 9, 2009.  In just 113 games under his leadership, Gentry’s Suns have compiled a 72-41 (.637) record, giving him the third-highest winning percentage among coaches in franchise history (Paul Westphal, Mike D’Antoni).

The 30-year coaching veteran in both the professional and collegiate ranks took the reins of the Suns in 2009 with the stated goals of establishing a homecourt advantage, returning the club to its trademark offensive explosiveness, and developing a young, productive bench.

In just a season-plus under his leadership, the Suns own a 46-12 (.793) home mark, seventh-best of any NBA team in that span, and perhaps most impressively are 31-6 (.838) at home against the ultra-competitive Western Conference.  Phoenix has led the NBA in scoring in each of the last two seasons and averaged 112.3 points during his tenure, even more than the trendsetting Suns posted from 2004-05 to 2007-08 (109.8).  In 2009-10, the Suns bench ranked 10th in the NBA, averaging 33.2 points.  Gentry and the bench gained national attention during the playoffs when the group increased its scoring average to 34.1 points, best in the NBA, as Gentry played 10 or more Suns in 16-straight postseason games for the first time since 1993.

In his first full season on the bench in 2009-10, Gentry was a two-time NBA Western Conference Coach of the Month for November 2009 and March 2010.  In leading the Suns to 54 wins, his career-high as a coach, and the conference’s third-best record, Gentry finished fifth in NBA Coach of the Year voting.

Gentry became just the fifth head coach in franchise history to lead his team to a Western Conference Finals berth in his first full season.  Gentry coached the Suns to 10 postseason victories in 2010, tied for the second-most in a single postseason in franchise history.

In 21 seasons in the NBA, Gentry has enjoyed three other head coaching stints with the Los Angeles Clippers (2000-03), Detroit Pistons (1997-2000) and Miami Heat (1995).  He has worked alongside some of the game’s most respected coaches, including Larry Brown, Kevin Loughery, Doug Collins and Mike D’Antoni.  Gentry joined the Suns organization as an assistant coach on June 1, 2004.

A point guard at Appalachian State under Press Maravich and Bobby Cremins, Gentry earned a degree in management in 1997 and began his coaching career as a graduate assistsant at the University of Colorado the following season.

Kevin Pritchard fired as Trail Blazers general manager

Jason Quick of the Oregonian reports:

Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard has been fired by owner Paul Allen, less than an hour before the 2010 NBA Draft was set to begin.

A source close to Pritchard said Allen informed the popular general manager that Thursday would be his last day of work, which will include conducting the Blazers draft.

Hornets will trade Cole Aldrich draft rights, Morris Peterson to Thunder

The New Orleans Hornets selected Cole Aldrich with the 11th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. The Hornets are in negotiations in trading Aldrich and guard Morris Peterson in exchange for multiple draft picks. We will not be able to complete a trade until after the moratorium period concludes on July 8.

The full trade specifics will be updated at a later time. Multiple media outlets report that the Oklahoma City Thunder are the not-yet-named team New Orleans is trading with.

“The concept that we liked was the idea of being able to add two players,” said General Manager Jeff Bower. “We thought that multiple picks was something that we wanted to pursue, particularly, with the opportunity to add two different types of players. We felt it does present us with those options, should the deal be finalized.”

New Orleans originally selected Kansas’ Aldrich at the 11th slot. An early entry candidate for the 2010 Draft, Aldrich averaged 11.3 points and 9.8 rebounds as a junior, registering 15 double-doubles. He owns the Kansas school record for blocks in a season (125) and second on the career blocked shots list.

Peterson holds career averages of 10.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 27.4 minutes in 707 games (487 starts) with Toronto and New Orleans. Last season he played in 43 games (39 starts) for the Hornets, averaging 7.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 points in 21.2 minutes per game.

Wolves trade Ryan Gomes, Luke Babbitt draft rights to Blazers for Martell Webster

The Minnesota Timberwolves tonight acquired 6-7 guard/forward Martell Webster from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for forward Ryan Gomes and the draft rights to Luke Babbitt, the 16th overall pick in tonight’s draft.

“We’re excited to add a player like Martell who has the ability to shoot the basketball and display a rare athleticism on the floor. He fits in well with our stated desire to stay young and add maturity,” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “We want to thank Ryan Gomes for being the consummate professional both on and off the court during his time in Minnesota and wish him the best of luck in the future.”

Just 23 years old but a five-year veteran in the league, Webster owns career averages of 8.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in 301 games (164 starts) for the Blazers. The 6th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft out of Seattle Preparatory High School in Seattle, Wash., Webster rebounded to appear in all 82 games last season and post averages of 9.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game after suffering a stress fracture in his left foot on opening night in 2008 that cause him to miss all but five minutes of the 2008-09 season. A career 37.2 percent shooter from behind the arc, Webster has connected on 120+ three-pointers in each of his last two full NBA seasons.

Gomes played three seasons in Minnesota, averaging 12.3 points and 5.1 rebounds in 240 games. The 50th overall pick by the Boston Celtics in the 2005 NBA Draft, Minnesota acquired Gomes in the 2007 trade that sent Kevin Garnett to Boston.

Grizzlies trade draft rights of Dominique Jones to Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have acquired the draft rights to Dominique Jones from the Memphis Grizzlies for cash considerations. Jones was originally the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Grizzlies.

Jones (6-4, 215) finished his three-year career at South Florida ranked fifth in career scoring (1,797 points), first in free throws attempted (615) and fifth in both field goals made (592) and attempted (1,339). He was named First Team All-Big East as a junior when he averaged 21.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

The Lake Wales, Fla., native led the Bulls in scoring all each of his three years. He was an honorable mention All-American and a finalist for both the Wooden Award and Naismith Award as a junior and was the only player in the nation to average at least 21 points, six rebounds and three assists per contest. He ranked second in the Big East (15th in the nation) in scoring in his final season with South Florida.

“We are excited to add Dominique to our organization,” President of Basketball Operations Donnie Nelson said. “He is 6-4 with a 6-9 wingspan and can do a little of everything. He can score, he can rebound and his assist-to-turnover ratio is exceptional.”

Rasheed Wallace to retire

David Aldridge of NBA.com reports:

The Boston Celtics’ expected rebuilding began Thursday when veteran forward Rasheed Wallace officially decided to retire after 15 NBA seasons, a league source said.

Wallace’s retirement had been expected after the Celtics’ seven-game loss to the Lakers in the Finals, but Boston had held out some hope that the 35-year-old would change his mind with a few days’ contemplation.

Wallace signed a three-year, $18.9 million contract with Boston last summer, turning down offers from Orlando and San Antonio after the Celtics made a team-wide push to recruit him, sending Coach Doc Rivers, GM Danny Ainge and forwards Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Wallace’s home to ask him to play in Boston. He left more than $12 million on the table by opting to retire.