August 2010 – Page 10 – NBA Blog

Isiah Thomas to serve as Knicks consultant

Isiah Thomas has been named a consultant to the New York Knicks, it was announced today in a joint statement by Knicks President Donnie Walsh and MSG Chairman James L. Dolan. In this role, Mr. Thomas will assist the team’s senior management in various capacities, including player recruitment.

“Isiah Thomas brings unique experience as a Hall of Fame player, coach, executive and owner, and we believe having him as part of our organization will be extremely beneficial to the team’s success. Isiah was helpful to the team’s senior management during our most recent recruitment efforts, including assisting with the acquisition of Amar’e Stoudemire. He will provide valuable insight and analysis of young prospects from around the world. Isiah will remain head coach of FIU, and that will continue to be his primary responsibility.”

“I’m excited to once again be a part of the New York Knicks organization. I was honored to have been asked to help during the recent free agent recruiting process, and believe that this new role takes full advantage of my skill set as an evaluator of basketball talent. While I will of course continue in my role as FIU’s coach, I look forward to working with Donnie, Coach D’Antoni and all of the Knicks staff to help bring a championship back to New York,” said Mr. Thomas.

InsideHoops.com says: Why do this? Everything went badly under Isiah. Why bring back something negative from the past? This makes no sense at all.

Thunder sign Cole Aldrich

Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has signed rookie Cole Aldrich. All first round draft picks are guaranteed to receive a contract should they want to enter the NBA right away.

Aldrich averaged 11.3 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game during his junior campaign at the University of Kansas. The 6-11 center was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and First–Team All-Big 12 for the second consecutive season along with AP Third Team All-American as a junior.

The Bloomington, Minnesota native left KU as the school’s all-time leader in blocks in a season (125) and second on the schools all-time block list (253). Aldrich was a perfect 55-0 at Allen Fieldhouse as a Jayhawk and was a member of the 2008 National Championship team.

Suns name Lance Blanks GM

The Phoenix Suns have named former player and veteran NBA executive Lance Blanks the club’s general manager, the team announced today.

“After a thorough search, we believe we have found the perfect choice to serve as our general manager,” said Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. “Lance Blanks is a first-rate talent evaluator, basketball executive and person. We are thrilled that he will be joining the Phoenix Suns.”

An experienced and successful talent evaluator, Blanks combines the high basketball IQ of a former player with a 10-year track record in the front offices of two of the league’s most successful franchises over the last decade. The 43-year-old Blanks joins the Suns after spending the last five seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers as vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager, a tenure during which the Cavs owned an overall record of 272-138 (.663).

Prior to joining the Cavaliers in 2005, Blanks spent the previous five seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, originally joining the club in 2000 as a scout. Blanks was then promoted to the role of director of scouting in September 2002. During his time in the Alamo City, the Spurs won two NBA Championships and drafted Tony Parker and Luis Scola.

Grizzlies sign Acie Law

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed guard Acie Law, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Acie is a former lottery pick whose offensive skills, ability to drive the basketball, set up his teammates, work hard on the defensive end and excellent work ethic will all help to fortify our backcourt,” Wallace said.

Law, a three-year NBA veteran, was originally selected with the 11th pick overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. The 6-3, 202-pound guard has averaged 3.7 points, 1.6 assists and 1.0 rebounds in 12.1 minutes in 137 career games (eight starts) with the Hawks, Golden State Warriors, Charlotte Bobcats and most recently with the Chicago Bulls.

The 25-year-old appeared in 26 total games (one start) last season, averaging 4.3 points and 1.0 assists for the Bobcats, Warriors and Bulls, where he recorded a career-high 22 points on 7-of-8 shooting with the Bulls at Dallas on March 17, 2010.

Law earned several accolades during his four-year career at Texas A&M, winning the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top guard as a senior in 2006-07. The Dallas, Tex. native was also a consensus All-American in 2006-07 and was named First Team All-Big 12 as a junior and senior.

Memphis’ roster now stands at 14.

Shannon Brown will stay with Lakers

The Los Angeles Times reports:

Lakers free agent guard Shannon Brown has agreed to a two-year contract worth about $4.6 million to stay with the team, his agent, Mark Bartelstein, said Thursday.

“Obviously, the process took a while, but Shannon wanted to be here and they wanted him,” Bartelstein said. “Shannon had a number of other opportunities out there, but he had been in L.A. for two years and they won two championships. The chance to go for a three-peat is very special to him.”

Bartelstein said Brown was in “serious talks” with about half a dozen teams throughout the summer, and that he could have made more money elsewhere, but that the allure of a third straight title was too much.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Shannon Brown fact — While the rest of the Lakers fly somewhere, Brown exercises by leaping alongside the plane. This also saves fuel costs.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Hornets hire Randy Ayers and Fred Vinson as assistant coaches

The New Orleans Hornets announced the hiring of assistant coaches Randy Ayers and Fred Vinson today, completing first-year head coach Monty Williams’ staff. Per team policy, terms of the contracts were not released.

Williams’ coaching staff stands at Mike Malone, who will serve as the lead assistant, Bryan Gates, James Borrego, Ayers and Vinson.

“Randy and Fred will bring a wealth of experience to our staff,” said Hornets Head Coach Monty Williams. “Randy is an experienced coach both on the collegiate and professional level. He brings many tools that will help strengthen our coaching staff and will be able to assist our players on a variety of levels. Fred’s experience, particularly with the Clippers, will be instrumental in helping the younger players as they adjust to the NBA.”

Ayers holds a strong track record as an assistant and head coach in college and the NBA. He served as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2003-04 season posting a 21-31 record. Prior to his head coaching job in Philadelphia, Ayers served as an assistant coach for the 76ers for five seasons (1998-2003). As the top assistant under Head Coach Larry Brown, Ayers helped guide Philadelphia to five consecutive playoff appearances, including a trip to the NBA Finals in 2001.

The Springfield, Ohio native has also served as an assistant coach in the NBA for the Orlando Magic (2004-2006), the Washington Wizards (2007-09) and again for the 76ers during the 2009-10 season.

Ayers began his coaching career by serving as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Miami University (Ohio) for two seasons. He then served as an assistant for two seasons at West Point before moving on to Ohio State. At Columbus, Ayers spent six seasons as an assistant coach before landing his first head coaching job at the Ohio State University. In his eight seasons with the Buckeyes, Ayers spearheaded teams that earned two consecutive No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, while also winning the National Coach of the Year honor by the Associated Press in 1991 and the Big Ten Coach of the Year award in 1991 and 1992.

Ayers was drafted by the Chicago Bulls, but was cut from the team without ever playing professionally. He has been married for the last 27 years to his wife, Carol. Randy and Carol have two sons, Ryan and Cameron. Ryan played basketball at Notre Dame and graduated in 2009. Cameron, who will begin his freshman year at Bucknell this fall and will play basketball for the Bison.

Vinson, a Georgia Tech graduate, had been an assistant for the L.A. Clippers since 2007. During his time with L.A., he also served as the Director of Player Programs in those years, mentoring younger players to ease their transition in life in the NBA.

Born on Jan. 28, 1971, Vinson played parts of the 1994-95 and 1999-2000 seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and Seattle SuperSonics, tallying career averages of 1.3 points and 5.2 minutes per game. Vinson also averaged 3.3 points per game for the Clippers during the 2005-06 NBA preseason. He was also a member of the 2002-03 CBA champions Yakima Sun Kings, coached by former Portland Trail Blazer coach Bill Bayno. Vinson also played for SLUC Nancy, in Nancy, France during the 2003-04 season.

WNBA signs Jamba Juice as new sponsor

The AP reports:

The smoothie retailer Jamba Juice has made its first investment in a national sports league by signing a multi-year deal to sponsor the W.N.B.A.

The deal will be part of a national marketing campaign promoting health and wellness as well as promotional materials for Jamba Juice stores in W.N.B.A. markets, officials said. The league will also work with the retailer to promote a program known as Jamba Jump, a fitness routine that uses jump ropes. The goal is to reach 1 million children through the partnership, they said. The program will debut at Los Angeles Sparks games and then expand to other teams.

Celtics sign Shaquille O’Neal

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed free agent center Shaquille O’Neal. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“It is not every day that you can add a player of Shaquille’s caliber to your team,” said Danny Ainge, Celtics President of Basketball Operations. “His past experience speaks for itself and we believe that he is a great fit for our roster.”

O’Neal, a 7’1” center, posted averages of 12.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and shot 56.6% from the field last season in 53 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The former Louisiana State Tiger is a three-time NBA Finals MVP (2000, 2001, 2002) and former NBA MVP (2000). He has been named to 15 All Star games and also has been named All-Star Game MVP three times. His 15 All-Star appearances are the second most all-time behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 17. He is a member of four NBA Championship teams (3, Los Angeles Lakers, 2000, 2001, 2002; 1, Miami Heat, 2006). One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history (he was youngest member of this team, at the age of 24, when it was named in 1996), O’Neal also is one of just three players in NBA history to be named league MVP, All-Star Game MVP and Finals MVP in the same season (1999-2000).

“I am honored to be joining the Celtics,” said O’Neal. “I have played against Paul, Ray, Kevin, Rajon, and Jermaine for many years and it will be great to be able to call them my teammates. I cannot wait to get to Boston to get started in pursuit of another championship.”

The first overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft by Orlando, O’Neal has posted career averages of 24.1 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. He also has appeared in 214 career playoff games with averages of 24.5 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks. O’Neal is the fifth leading scorer in NBA history (28,255 points) and is 14th in NBA history in total rebounds (12,921).

Suns sign Matt Janning

The Phoenix Suns have signed guard Matt Janning to a multi-year contract, the team announced today.

The 6-4, 198-pound Janning was a member of the Suns’ 2010 entry in the Las Vegas Summer League. The Minnesota-born guard started all five games for the Summer Suns, averaging 12.6 points, third-most on the team behind only Gani Lawal and Earl Clark, and 5.8 rebounds, second-most of any Sun (Lawal).

A four-year collegiate performer at Northeastern University (2006-10), Janning was a two-time selection to the All-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) First Team as both a junior and senior, and was named the CAA’s Most Valuable Player as a junior. The 22-year-old averaged 14.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 128 career games (127 starts) for the Huskies. As a senior, Janning averaged a team-leading 15.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists in earning the 2010 Herbert Gallagher Award as Northeastern’s top male scholar-athlete.

Brook Lopez pulls out of world championships; replaced by McGee

The AP reports:

New Jersey center Brook Lopez, struggling to recover from a bout with mono, has withdrawn from the U.S. national team and will be replaced by Washington’s JaVale McGee.

Lopez informed USA Basketball officials Wednesday that he didn’t believe he was in good enough condition to take part in training camp next week in New York.

InsideHoops.com editor says:

Team USA is now dreadfully short on legit big-men. The squad’s current 15-man roster includes centers Tyson Chandler and McGee, and power forwards Kevin Love, Lamar Odom and Jeff Green. If Green does not make the final 12-man roster — and I had assumed he wouldn’t, though perhaps this increases his chances — the team will be very thin up front.