July 2015 – Page 8 – NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog

Celtics sign second round pick Jordan Mickey

The Boston Celtics have signed rookie forward Jordan Mickey.

According to the Boston Herald, “the team did not release terms of the agreement, but sources told the Herald it is a four-year deal for a total of $5 million. The first two years are guaranteed at a combined $2.4 million, with the latter two years at the team’s option.”

Mickey, a 6’8” forward out of LSU, was selected with the 33rd overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. He appeared in five games for the Celtics during the Las Vegas Summer League and averaged 13.8 points on 52.9 percent shooting from the field, 9.6 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 2.6 blocks in 30.0 minutes per game. Mickey recorded his best game in the Vegas Summer League on July 18 with 18 points on 7-12 (.583) shooting, five rebounds, one assist and three blocks in 33 minutes against the San Antonio Spurs.

He also played in three contests for the Celtics during the Utah Summer League and averaged 9.7 points on 52.2 percent shooting, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 25.0 minutes per game. Mickey recorded his best game in the Utah Summer League on July 6 with 16 points on 7-8 (.875) shooting, four rebounds, one steal and three blocks in 27 minutes against the Utah Jazz.

Mickey led the NCAA D-I in blocks per game (3.64) and led the SEC in rebounding (9.9 rpg), while being selected First-Team All-SEC by the coaches and media for the 2014-15 season. Other than Shaquille O’Neal, he was the only player in LSU history to block more than 100 shots in a season (106 in 2014, 113 in 2015).

Pistons sign second round pick Darrun Hilliard

The Detroit Pistons have signed rookie guard Darrun Hilliard to a contract.

Hilliard, a 6-6 guard from Villanova University, was selected 38th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. He averaged 9.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.2 steals in the recently concluded NBA Orlando Summer League.

A native of Bethlehem, Pa., Hilliard averaged 11.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.3 steals and 26.8 minutes in 132 career games at Villanova. Last season, he averaged 14.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 28.8 minutes in 35 games. As a senior, the 6-foot-6 guard, led Villanova in scoring and earned First Team All-Big East honors. He scored a season-high 31 points against Butler and posted 27 points, including six 3-pointers made, against North Carolina State in the NCAA Tournament. As a junior, Hilliard shared the Big East Most Improved Player award and was Honorable Mention All-Big East. He improved his scoring from 4.8 points per game as a freshman to 11.4 points per game as a sophomore.

Spurs re-sign Manu Ginobili

The San Antonio Spurs have re-signed guard Manu Ginobili.

At this point in his career, Ginobili remains a key member of the Spurs’ supporting cast but is not counted on as a leader the way he used to be. And with the fantastic additions to the team’s frontcourt this offseason, there will be even less pressure on Manu than ever before.

The upcoming season will mark Ginobili’s 14th campaign with the Silver and Black. Over the course of his NBA career, he has appeared in 865 games, averaging 14.3 points, 4.0 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.39 steals in 26.7 minutes. He has shot .450 (4,015-8,925) percent from the field, .368 (1,272-3,457) from three-point range and .827 (3,093-3,739) from the charity stripe.

Ginobili, who was drafted by San Antonio with the 57th overall pick in the second round of the 1999 NBA Draft, is the Spurs all-time NBA leader in three-pointers made (1,272), second in steals (1,201), fourth in games played (865) and free-throws made (3,093) and fifth in total points (12,395) and assists (3,478). He has twice been named to the All-NBA Third Team (2008, 2011). The 2008 NBA Sixth Man of the Year and two-time All-Star (2008, 11), Ginobili currently owns the best winning percentage of any active player in the NBA (.723, 625-240).

The four-time NBA champion has appeared in 187 career playoff games, averaging 15.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.40 steals in 29.4 minutes. Last postseason, he passed Michael Jordan for 11th all-time in postseason wins (120). That total gives Ginobili, along with teammates Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, the most playoff victories by a trio in NBA postseason history. The trio has also set an NBA record for most regular-season games played together (730) and is second all-time in league history for its 539 shared victories.

The Argentina native is one of only eight players in NBA postseason history (Kobe Bryant, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, LeBron James, Clyde Drexler) with at least 2,500 points (2,836), 750 rebounds (793), 700 assists (747) and 250 steals (261) in the playoffs.

Ginobili has been a member of the Argentinian National Team since 1998. He led his home country to the Gold Medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, becoming one of only two players to have won a Euroleague title, an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal (Bill Bradley). In 2010 he was awarded the Diamond Konex Award, given to the most important sportsman of the decade in Argentina.

Nets announce staff promotions

Brooklyn Nets General Manager Billy King announced today the promotions of Steve Jones to assistant coach for player development, Mike Jones to manager of video operations, Nick Resavy to video coordinator and Trevor St. Agathe to strength and conditioning coach/nutritional director. In addition, the Nets have named Brett Levy as video assistant.

Steve Jones will begin his second season with the Nets and first as an assistant coach for player development after serving as the team’s manager of video operations during the 2014-15 season. Prior to joining the Nets, Steve served in a variety of capacities with the Memphis Grizzlies, including video intern, video associate and video coordinator/player development from 2011-14. A native of Portland, Ore., Steve was a walk-on for the men’s basketball team at Arizona State for three years (2005-08) before transferring and completing his collegiate career as a walk-on at UNLV (2008-10), where he earned a B.A. in Communication Studies.

Mike Jones enters his second season with the Nets and first as manager of video operations after serving as the team’s video coordinator during the 2014-15 season. Mike played professionally for 11 years in France, Iran, Poland and Turkey, as well as in the CBA, after a standout collegiate career at Texas Christian University. Mike spent two years at TCU (1996-98) after spending his first two collegiate seasons at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, earning Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American honors and WAC Defensive Player of the Year honors as a senior. He was also a two-time All-WAC First Team performer. Prior to joining the Nets, the Oklahoma City native spent four years at Perry Street Prep in Washington D.C., eventually rising to the roles of dean of students and head boys’ basketball coach.

St. Agathe joined the Nets as a strength and conditioning intern for the team’s inaugural season in Brooklyn in 2012-13 and was elevated to the role of assistant strength and conditioning coach in 2013-14 before landing his current role as strength and conditioning coach/nutritional director. A native of Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, St. Agathe earned a B.S. in Health and Wellness with a concentration in adult fitness from Buffalo State in 2008 and a Master’s in Exercise Science with a concentration in strength and conditioning from Long Island University in 2014. He has completed internships with the Buffalo State athletic department and Sports Focus Physical Therapy in Buffalo and worked with the football program at his alma mater, James Madison High School, in the Midwood section of Brooklyn.

Resavy enters his new role of video coordinator after serving as the team’s video assistant during the 2014-15 season. Prior to joining the Nets, Resavy served as a graduate assistant for the Syracuse University Men’s Basketball Team for two seasons. The West Milford, NJ native played three years as a walk-on at Syracuse, where he earned a B.S. in Sports Management.

Levy enters his first season as a video assistant for the Nets. A 2015 graduate of the David B. Falk School of Sport and Human Dynamics at Syracuse University, Levy spent the second half of the 2014-15 NBA season working in the Philadelphia 76ers’ sales department and also previously served as an intern for three summers at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Pelicans re-sign Luke Babbitt

The New Orleans Pelicans have re-signed free agent forward Luke Babbitt.

In 2014-15, Babbitt, 6-9, 225, appeared in 63 games (19 starts) for New Orleans, averaging 4.1 points, while shooting .513 from three-point range, and 1.8 rebounds in 13.2 minutes per contest. Babbitt originally signed with the Pelicans as an unrestricted free agent on February 4, 2014. In 90 career games with the Pelicans, Babbitt has averaged 4.7 points while shooting .452 from three-point range, and 2.2 rebounds.

Originally drafted by Minnesota with the 16th overall selection in the 2010 NBA Draft out of Nevada, Babbitt has played in 216 career NBA games with Portland and New Orleans, holding averages of 4.2 points and 2.1 rebounds.

Report: Nuggets will trade Ty Lawson to Rockets

Point guard Ty Lawson has been busy getting in trouble off the court and will soon be wearing a different jersey on his back. Here is Yahoo Sports reporting:

The Denver Nuggets have reached agreement to trade guard Ty Lawson to the Houston Rockets, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Houston will send Kostas Papanikolaou, Pablo Prigioni, Joey Dorsey, Nick Johnson and a protected 2016 first-round draft pick to Denver, sources said. Along with Lawson, the Nuggets will send a 2017 second-round pick to Houston.

Denver’s plan is to turn the team over to rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, the seventh overall pick in the June NBA draft, and veteran guard Jameer Nelson.

Video: T.J. Warren goes wild in summer league

Watch T.J. Warren of the Phoenix Suns do big things at summer league in Vegas:

Report: Emmanuel Mudiay happy to avoid Knicks triangle offense

Here’s the New York Post reporting some interesting insight on a talented rookie that isn’t taking his talents to the Big Apple:

Nuggets rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay told confidants after the draft he was, in retrospect, happy the Knicks passed on him at No. 4, as he was unsure he would have been a good fit for the triangle. Despite public comments to the contrary that he felt team president Phil Jackson could “make me a star,’’ Mudiay said he felt he was a better match in a more freewheeling Denver offense, according to sources.

On draft night, Knicks fans were upset Jackson passed on Mudiay at 4, and he became the best rookie point guard in the Las Vegas summer league, averaging 12 points and 5.8 assists in four games. He also averaged 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals. But Mudiay’s outside shooting was poor, as advertised, and that wouldn’t have served well in the triangle. In Vegas, Mudiay shot 14.3 percent from 3-point land.

Mudiay, who played in China last season, only worked out for the top four teams in the draft — the Timberwolves, Lakers, 76ers and Knicks, denying the Nuggets a look. Rumors are the Kings passed on Mudiay at No. 6 because he didn’t work out for them. During Mudiay’s Knicks workout, Jackson gave him a long triangle film session.

Marcus Smart escapes serious finger injury

Here’s ESPN Boston reporting some relatively good news. Not great news. Because it’s still about an injury. But news that Marcus Smart could have been in a lot worse shape than he is:

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart expressed relief Saturday that he dodged a more severe injury when he dislocated two fingers on his right hand Thursday and said he hopes to be healed up by the time the Celtics open training camp in September.

Smart dislocated his right index and middle fingers falling to the floor while chasing a rebound during Thursday’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers at Vegas summer league. The broadcast showed his fingers bent at cringeworthy angles while being attended to by team trainer Ed Lacerte, but X-rays revealed no broken bones.

Smart met with reporters in Vegas at halftime of Boston’s 95-93 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday and said he’s already on the road to recovery.

The Seth Curry summer league show continues

Here’s the New Orleans Times Picayune reporting on one of the biggest stars of 2015 summer league. It’ll be interesting to see if after this, Seth Curry lands himself a regular season contract.

It didn’t appear early New Orleans Pelicans guard Seth Curry was on his way to having another sensational game on Saturday night like he had been enjoying in the NBA Summer League.

Curry started the game going 1-of-10 from the field and was held to just three points in the first half.

Still, Curry scored 21 of his game-high 24 points in the second half to help the Pelicans surge to a 100-91 victory against the Golden State Warriors to advance to Sunday’s semifinals game against the Phoenix Suns at 7 p.m. The Suns advanced to the semifinals after beating the Chicago Bulls, 91-84, in Saturday’s quarterfinal game.

At 5-0, the Pelicans are the only remaining team in the 24-team NBA Summer League that remains unbeaten.Curry broke from his shooting slump in the third quarter when he scored 11 points.