July 2013 – Page 11 – NBA Blog

John Henson had good summer league for Bucks

Nick Van Exel made his summer-league head coaching debut Friday as the Milwaukee Bucks concluded their weeklong stay in Las Vegas.

Despite another strong effort from rookie point guard Nate Wolters, the Bucks lost, 90-80, to the San Antonio Spurs.

But the bigger picture showed some positive developments for the Bucks (2-3) as they packed their bags and prepared to head home.

Second-year player John Henson proved to be one of the top big men in the NBA Summer League. He sat out Friday’s game with a minor injury but finished with averages of 14.7 points and 13.7 rebounds in three summer games.

Wolters, who scored 20 points Friday, gained confidence with each successive game and showed an impressive ability to get into the lane.

Reported by Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Joakim Noah will play fewer minutes for Bulls next season

Joakim Noah will continue to be a focal point for the Chicago Bulls but he will not be logging as many minutes as he did last season, coach Tom Thibodeau said Thursday.

“Jo’s minutes will come down,” Thibodeau said during the Las Vegas Summer League. “We got strung out there because Kirk [Hinrich] got hurt. We had to really run our offense through Jo. But the second half of the season we got his minutes down which was probably a good number for him. Luol [Deng] may come down a couple minutes but when you look at small forwards in this league, they all play those type of minutes.

“For us how he and our team matches up with LeBron [James] with Paul George and Kevin Durant, those guys are all in the 37-38 minute area. But I do feel really good about our depth so I think that’s going to be a big plus. Our bench is going to be one of our strengths next season. We’re going to look to take advantage of that.”

Reported by Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago

Coach Thibodeau impressed by development of Marquis Teague

Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau is impressed with the development of second-year guard Marquis Teague, who has been a Summer League standout in Las Vegas.

“The biggest thing is his preparation,” Thibodeau told ESPNChicago.com on Thursday. “I’m very excited about the way he came back after the season was over. The way he worked to get ready to play in the summer league this year was entirely different than his rookie year and that’s understandable when you have a 19-year-old kid coming in.

“I don’t think he really understood what he was going to be facing. After going through the league for a year, he went home, got a couple weeks off and then he went right into the gym, put a lot of work in and it showed.”

Reported by ESPN Chicago

New Cavaliers center Andrew Bynum is introduced in Cleveland

Andrew Bynum is officially a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The free agent center signed a two-year, $24 million contract at the team’s suburban training facility on Friday, and he was introduced by general manager Chris Grant.

Bynum sat out the entire 2012-2013 season with Philadelphia because of knee injuries, but said he will be medically cleared to practice by the start of training camp. He underwent surgery on both knees in March.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Dion Waiters will strictly play shooting guard for Cavs this season

Dion Waiters’ role will be simplified this season under Mike Brown. He’s the shooting guard, period. And the second word in that position is much more important to Brown than the first.

“I’m viewing him strictly as a 2-guard,” Brown said.

Former coach Byron Scott tried limiting Waiters to strictly shooting guard last year, but Waiters struggled adjusting to playing without the ball in his hands all the time, so Scott relented and allowed Waiters to run the point for long stretches. Brown is reverting back to making Waiters play off the ball, but made it clear the “guard” in his title is much, much more important than the “shooting.”

Reported by Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal

Dallas Mavericks sign Samuel Dalembert

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed free agent center Samuel Dalembert.

Dalembert has played a total of 774 games (605 starts) with four NBA teams (Philadelphia, Sacramento, Houston and Milwaukee) and has career averages of 8.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 25.2 minutes per game. The 11-year NBA veteran played with the Milwaukee Bucks last season and averaged 6.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 47 games, while shooting .542 from the field.

Dalembert (6-11, 250) was selected by Philadelphia with the 26th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft and played for the 76ers for eight seasons (2001-10). He traded by Philadelphia to Sacramento for center Spencer Hawes and forward Andres Nocioni on 6/19/10.

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Dalembert is the only Haitian-born player in the NBA. He spent 14 years in Haiti before moving to Montreal and becoming a Canadian citizen in August, 2007. He played collegiately at Seton Hall and averaged 7.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.83 blocks in 59 games over two years. He currently owns the school record for career blocked shots (267).

Lakers hire Mark Madsen as player development coach

The Los Angeles Lakers have hired Mark Madsen and Larry Lewis of the Los Angeles D-Fenders as player development coaches, it was announced today by Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

“Both Mark and Larry bring a high level of credibility to our staff,” said Lakers Head Coach Mike D’Antoni. “Mark has endless energy and is a workaholic. He’s developed players at the college level and I think he’ll do a great job making the jump to the NBA. Larry has proven to be a natural at helping develop players for the D-Fenders since transitioning from nearly two decades of playing abroad and in the CBA. We expect that he will make a great player development coach at the NBA level as well.”

“While we were looking forward to having Mark as our head coach for the upcoming season, we’re thrilled that he now has the opportunity to help further develop players on the Lakers roster,” said D-Fenders President & CEO Joey Buss. “Both he and Larry, who has done a tremendous job working with our players over the past two seasons, are perfect examples of what the D-Fenders are all about; namely developing talent. Having sent eight players to the NBA over the past two seasons, we’re excited to now see the synergy of the Lakers and D-Fenders pay off in the coaching ranks as well.”

Roughly ten years after his final game with the Lakers, fan favorite Mark Madsen returns to the franchise for his first season as player development coach. Selected by the Lakers in the first round (29th overall) of the 2000 NBA Draft, Madsen played three seasons in Los Angeles (2000-03) and was a member of back-to-back NBA championship teams in 2001 and 2002. He then signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves as a free agent prior to the 2003-04 campaign and played six seasons (2004-09) with the Timberwolves. In 453 games over nine seasons, Madsen averaged 2.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 11.8 minutes.

Following his playing career, Madsen served as an assistant coach during the 2009-10 seasons with the Utah Flash of the NBA Developmental League before returning to his alma mater, Stanford University, to complete coursework for his MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. In 2012, he was named as an assistant coach on Stanford head coach Johnny Dawkins’ staff and spent the 2012-13 season working primarily with the team’s post players.

Lewis joins the Lakers after spending the last two seasons with the Los Angeles D-Fenders. Most recently, Lewis spent the 2012-13 season as an assistant coach with the D-Fenders. Prior to his stint as an assistant coach, Lewis was head of player development, a role in which he helped develop eight NBA Call-Ups along with six players on assignment from the Lakers. Additionally, Lewis played a central role in helping the team post the best regular season record (38-12) in NBA D-League history, earn the Regular Season Champion award, reach first NBA D-League Finals in team history, and capture the Development Champion award. Lewis also earned a spot as an assistant on the NBA D-League Select Team in 2012.

An alumnus of Morehouse College, Lewis turned pro when he was selected by the Albany Patroons of the CBA in 1992. The 6’7” forward played internationally in Argentina (2011), Spain (2001-2011), Japan (1996- 2001), Cyprus (1996), Great Britain (1993) and the Dominican Republic (1992). Lewis also played a season in the USBL with Sarasota (1996), in the CBA with the Harrisburg Hammerheads and Rapid City Thrillers (1994-95), and for Team USA (1995) in the Pan American Games where he won a silver medal.

Houston Rockets re-sign Aaron Brooks, sign Reggie Williams

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has re-signed guard Aaron Brooks to a one-year deal and have inked unrestricted free agent guard Reggie Williams to a multi-year contract.

Brooks (6-0, 161, Oregon) returned for his fifth season with the Rockets in 2012-13, averaging 1.4 points and 0.9 assists in seven games with Houston. Originally selected by the Rockets in the first round (26th overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft, Brooks has averaged 11.6 points and 3.4 assists in 325 games (149 starts) with Houston, the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings. He was named the 2009-10 NBA Most Improved Player after finishing first in the NBA in 3-pointers made (.398, 209-525 3FG) and setting the franchise single-season record for treys. Brooks became just the sixth player in NBA history to make at least 200 3-pointers (209) and dish out 400 or more assists (434) in the same season. In addition to earning NBA Rookie of the Month honors for 2007 NBA Summer League, Brooks played in two games with the D-League Rio Grande Valley Vipers in 2007-08.

Williams (6-6, 205, Virginia Military Institute) has averaged 8.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 20.0 minutes per game over 177 career outings (32 starts) with the Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Bobcats. He entered the NBA as a GATORADE Call-Up from the NBA D-League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce, signing the first of two 10-day contracts with the Warriors on Mar. 2, 2010. Williams appeared in 24 games for Golden State his rookie season, averaging 15.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 32.6 minutes per outing. In his 10 starts in 2009-10, he averaged 16.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 41.5 minutes. He appeared in a career-high 80 games (nine starts) for the Warriors in 2010-11, averaging 9.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 20.3 minutes per contest. He also ranked ninth in the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage (.423, 102-241 FG) during the 2010-11 campaign. Williams signed with the Bobcats as a free agent on Dec. 15, 2011, appearing in 73 games (13 starts) over his two seasons in Charlotte.

Prior to the NBA, Williams appeared in 30 games for JDA Dijon Bourgogne in France’s ProA league, averaging 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 29.0 minutes in 2008-09. As a collegian, he appeared in 112 career games over four seasons at VMI, averaging 22.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals. Williams actually led the nation in scoring his junior (28.1) and senior (27.6) seasons, becoming the ninth player in NCAA Division I history to lead the country in scoring in multiple campaigns. He finished his collegiate career as the all-time leading scorer in both VMI and Big South Conference history with 2,556 points. Williams was named First-Team All-Big South as a junior and senior, as well as earning Second-Team All-Big South honors as a sophomore.

Detroit Pistons sign rookies Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Tony Mitchell

Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the club has signed draft selections Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Tony Mitchell to contracts.

All players selected in the first round of the NBA Draft are guaranteed to receive a contract. Caldwell-Pope went first round, while Mitchell went second round.

Caldwell-Pope was drafted by Detroit with the eighth overall selection in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft. In five games during the 2013 NBA Summer League in Orlando, he averaged 13.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.8 steals in 28.6 minutes per game. The 6-foot-6 guard from the University of Georgia averaged a SEC-leading 18.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.0 steals in 32 games as a sophomore last season. The 2012-13 SEC Player of the Year and an All-SEC First Team selection was one of only nine players in NCAA Division 1 to score in double figures in every game last season. Caldwell-Pope led the Bulldogs in rebounds (7.1 rpg), was third in the SEC in three-point field goal percentage (37.3) and recorded seven double-doubles. In his final collegiate game against LSU in the SEC Tournament, Caldwell-Pope scored a career-high 32 points, including 25 in the second half.

Mitchell was drafted by Detroit with the 37th pick in the second round. He compiled averages of 7.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 25.4 minutes in five games during the 2013 NBA Summer League. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 13.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks in 55 games at the University of North Texas. Last season he averaged 13.0 and 8.5 rebounds in 32 games while leading the Sun Belt Conference with 2.7 blocks per game. During his first year at North Texas, he was one of only two freshmen in the NCAA to average a double-double joining Kentucky’s Anthony Davis, the #1 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. A member of the gold-medal winning 2010 USA Men’s U-18 at the 2010 FIBA Americas U-18 Championship, he finished his collegiate career as North Texas’ all-time leader in blocks (157).

Cleveland Cavaliers sign Andrew Bynum

Andrew Bynum has struggled with injuries throughout his NBA career and didn’t play a single game for the Philadelphia 76ers last season, but talented centers will always be at a premium in today’s game. So, although no one is sure how good he even is at basketball right now, or how his health will hold up in the coming season, Bynum has a new NBA home.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed Bynum to a contract, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

According to multiple outlets, the deal is for two years, $24 million. And according to the Associated Press, “the Cavaliers guaranteed Bynum only $6 million in the first year of the deal, but he could earn an additional $6 million through performance incentives. Cleveland holds a $12 million team option for the second season.”

“We are very happy to welcome Andrew to Cleveland and the Cavaliers organization,” said General Manager Chris Grant. “His talent, size and experience clearly have the potential to very positively impact our team. He has the ability to strengthen the foundation we are creating and continue to be very excited about. At the same time, we are fully aware of where he is in his journey to get back on the court and will provide every resource possible to support and enhance this process.”

Bynum was originally selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 10th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft out of St. Joseph H.S. in Metuchen, NJ. In seven seasons, the 7-0, 285-pount center has appeared in 392 games with 300 starts, averaging 11.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.6 blocks in 26.0 minutes per game while shooting .566 from the floor. The 25-year old missed the 2012-13 season with knee injuries. The previous season, 2011-12, Bynum, a two-time NBA Champion, averaged career-highs of 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds for the Lakers and Head Coach Mike Brown, while being voted as a NBA All-Star starter for the Western Conference.