July 2013 – Page 5 – NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog

Memphis Grizzlies sign second round draft pick Jamaal Franklin

The Memphis Grizzlies signed 2013 second round draft selection Jamaal Franklin to a multi-year contract, the team announced today.

Franklin (6-5, 191) was selected by Memphis in the second round (41st overall) of the 2013 NBA Draft after leading San Diego State in scoring (17.0 points), rebounding (9.5), assists (3.3) and steals (1.61) last season as a junior. He was the only Division I player to pace his team in all four categories.

The 22-year-old was named the 2011-12 Mountain West Player of the Year after leading the conference in scoring (17.4 points) as a sophomore, becoming the first sophomore to win the award since Andrew Bogut in 2005. Franklin helped guide the Aztecs to three consecutive Mountain West titles and three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including the first three NCAA Tournament victories in program history.

The Moreno Valley, Calif. native finished his collegiate career ranked in the top 20 in SDSU history in points (1,181, 17th), rebounds (605, 14th), three-point field goals (100, 13th), free-throw percentage (.783, 10th) and blocks (51, T-16th).

Center Bernard James is back with the Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have re-signed center Bernard James.

James (6-10, 240) was originally waived by the Mavericks on July 19, 2013 and cleared waivers on July 21, 2013. He played in 46 games (11 starts) last season in his rookie year. He averaged 2.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 9.9 minutes per contest.

The former Florida State Seminole was the 33rd overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. The Mavericks acquired James’ draft rights, along with the draft rights to 24th overall pick Jared Cunningham and 34th overall pick Jae Crowder from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for guard Kelenna Azubuike and the draft rights to 17th overall pick Tyler Zeller.

The Savannah, Ga., native is a former Staff Sergeant who served six years in the Air Force including three tours to Iraq, Afghanistan and Qatar. In his senior season at Florida State, James averaged 10.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while being named to the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Defensive team. James also won the Most Courageous Award by the United States Basketball Writers of America.

Sixers CEO apologizes to fans over Andrew Bynum

It’s no secret that the 76ers’ Andrew Bynum experiment was a disaster.

The acquisition of the 7-foot center in last summer’s four-team trade ultimately set the Sixers back several seasons. Bynum, who made $16.9 million last year, never played for the team because of chronically injured knees.

After being urged by WIP-FM (94.1) host Angelo Cataldi, new Sixers chief executive officer Scott O’Neil apologized Thursday morning to fans who bought tickets with the hope of seeing Bynum play.

“I apologize on behalf of the Sixers to any fan who invested and thought Bynum was going to be their guy and be the savior,” O’Neil said. “At the end of the day that’s our apology to every fan, not just to [Cataldi].

“However, we are going to take some chances when we can take some chances. And sometimes they’re not going to work. And sometimes they are.”

Reported by Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer

No Knicks vs Nets games in 2013-14 preseason

The Nets released their preseason schedule yesterday, and two things stood out: the first trip back to Boston for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry, and the absence of the Knicks.

The former Celtics are scheduled to make their first trip to Boston Oct. 23, a little more than a week after the players the Nets shipped to Boston in the blockbuster deal — Gerald Wallace, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries and Keith Bogans — make their return to Brooklyn Oct. 15.

But just as noteworthy is the fact the Nets won’t be facing their crosstown rivals during the preseason, something that hasn’t happened in recent memory. The two teams have faced each other at least once a year going back at least as far as 2002.

Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post

Milwaukee Bucks waive Gustavo Ayon

The Milwaukee Bucks have requested waivers on center Gustavo Ayon, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

Ayon (6-10, 250) appeared in 12 games for the Bucks last season after being acquired from Orlando on Feb. 21, averaging 4.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists per contest. The native of Tepic, Mexico, has appeared in 109 career games over two seasons split between New Orleans, Orlando and Milwaukee, with career averages of 4.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

Atlanta Hawks sign Pero Antic

The Atlanta Hawks have signed forward/center Pero Antić, President of Basketball Operations/GM Danny Ferry announced today.

Antić, a 6-foot-11, 260-pound big man, has played with Olympiacos in the Greek Basketball League and the Euroleague the last two seasons, helping the club to back-to-back Euroleague championships. Last year, he averaged 6.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in 15.2 minutes in 30 games (.432 FG%, .321 3FG%, .714 FT%).

“Pero is a skilled and versatile big man who will add depth to our frontcourt,” Ferry said. “He will fit in well with what we’re building and we’re excited to add him to the team.”

A native of the Republic of Macedonia, Antić has played professionally since 1999, beginning with Rabotnički in his home country. He has also played with AEK Athens (Greece), Red Star Belgrade (Serbia), Academic Sofia (Bulgaria), Lokomotiv Kuban (Russia) and Spartak St. Petersburg (Russia).

Additionally, the 30-year-old Antić is the captain of the Macedonian National Team, helping the team to the semifinals of EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania. He averaged 11.5 points and 8.8 rebounds over 11 games in the tournament, while collecting three double-doubles.

Charlotte Bobcats 2013-14 preseason schedule info

Bobcats Sports & Entertainment President & COO Fred Whitfield today announced the Bobcats will play regional home contests in Asheville and Greensboro, N.C., as part of the team’s 2013 preseason schedule. The Bobcats will take on the Atlanta Hawks on October 8 at Asheville’s U.S. Cellular Center and host the Dallas Mavericks on October 19 at the Greensboro Coliseum. Both games, which are presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, will tip off at 7:30 p.m.

“We are constantly looking for ways to bring Bobcats basketball to cities across the Carolinas as we continue to build our fan base regionally,” said Whitfield. “We are very excited to have the opportunity to showcase our team in a pair of great markets like Asheville and Greensboro.”

The game in Asheville will be the team’s first preseason contest in the city, while the club will host a game in Greensboro for the third time.

Brooklyn Nets 2013-14 preseason schedule

The Brooklyn Nets will open their 2013-14 campaign with a seven-game preseason schedule that includes three home contests played at Barclays Center, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

The preseason slate features a home-and-away set with the defending champion Miami Heat, who visit Brooklyn on October 17, while the Nets travel to Miami in the preseason finale on October 25.

The schedule is also highlighted by the return of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry to Boston on October 23rd. The former Celtics were acquired by the Nets on July 12th in an offseason blockbuster trade, and will host their former team at Barclays Center on October 15th.

Brooklyn tips off its exhibition schedule on October 8th against the Wizards in Washington, followed by a home tilt in Brooklyn against the Detroit Pistons on October 12th and a road contest against the division rival Philadelphia 76ers on October 14th.

Knicks officially re-sign Kenyon Martin

New York Knicks Executive Vice President and General Manager Glen Grunwald announced today that the team has re-signed forward Kenyon Martin.

Martin provides toughness, defense, rebounding, and some offense. Every team needs an enforcer or two, and Martin helped serve that role on the Knicks last season.

“Kenyon did a fantastic job for us once he signed in February,” Grunwald said. “He strengthened our frontline going into an important stretch of the season with some very impressive performances. We are happy to have him back.”

Martin, 6-9, 230-pounds, averaged 7.2 points, on 60.2-percent shooting, and 5.3 rebounds over 23.9 minutes in 18 games (11 starts) with New York this past season. In 12 post-season games (one start), he averaged 5.8 points, on 58.0-percent shooting, 4.5 rebounds and 1.42 blocks over 21.1 minutes. He originally signed the first of two consecutive 10-day contracts on Feb. 23, 2013 and then, for the remainder of the season on Mar. 15.

The Saginaw, MI-native, holds career averages of 12.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 31.4 minutes in 13 seasons with New Jersey, Denver, the L.A. Clippers and New York. In 112 postseason games (88 starts), he has averaged 12.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 32.1 minutes. He was selected by New Jersey, following a four-year collegiate career at the University of Cincinnati, with the first overall pick of 2000 NBA Draft. Martin was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2001 and represented the Eastern Conference at the 2004 NBA All-Star Game.

Toronto Raptors add to coaching staff

The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday the additions Bill Bayno and Jesse Mermuys (MER-miss) to Head Coach Dwane Casey’s staff as assistant coaches. The team also announced the promotion of Jama Mahlalela (JAM-ah MA-la-LAY-La) to assistant coach/player development.

Bayno brings more than 20 years of coaching experience to Toronto at the NBA, college and international levels. He recently completed his second season with Minnesota as an assistant coach for Rick Adelman. Bayno previously spent five seasons with Portland as an assistant coach.

A native of Newburgh, New York, Bayno began his coaching career in 1985 as a graduate assistant for former Raptors assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo at Seton Hall. He also worked for Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown at Kansas and John Calipari at UMass before landing his first head coaching job at UNLV in 1995. Bayno guided the Runnin’ Rebels for five seasons, earning NCAA Tournament bids in 1998 and 2000 and winning four conference championships. He was named co-Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year for the 1999-2000 season after compiling a 23-8 record.

During the offseason Bayno has participated in the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program each year since 2005. He has also worked overseas at the Adidas Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy and was head coach of the Talk ‘N Text Phone Pals in the Philippine Basketball Association.

Mermuys was a member of Kevin McHale’s staff in Houston last season, serving as assistant coach/director of player development. He worked with the Denver Nuggets for four years, first as video coordinator in 2008-09 then promoted to advance scout where he was responsible for scouting upcoming opponents throughout the league. He was elevated to assistant coach/advance scout for the 2011-12 campaign.

Mermuys, a native of Tucson, Arizona, had served in a variety of roles at the collegiate level, including director of basketball operations for the University of Arizona, assistant coach at Southern Utah and Pima Community College and video coordinator at New Mexico State.

Mahlalela moves to the bench following two seasons working in the Raptors’ front-office as director of player development. He started with the Raptors on the community development staff in 2006, leading the Raptors Basketball Academy and various clinics throughout Canada. Mahlalela was named director of basketball operations for NBA Asia in 2009 and oversaw the League’s clinics, youth programs and elite-level development from his base in Hong Kong.

Mahlalela was a four-year starter at the University of British Columbia and an assistant coach for four seasons at the University of Toronto.