September 2015 – Page 9 – NBA Blog

Spurs will institute wait list for season tickets

After retaining their core players while adding LaMarcus Aldridge and David West, the San Antonio Spurs are still an NBA championship contender. Their fans, of course, know this. Here’s the San Antonio Express-News blog reporting:

Want season tickets to watch the new-look Spurs play in the renovated AT&T Center this fall?

Get in line. Or rather, put your name on the list.

For the first time in club history, the Spurs will institute a waiting list for season tickets next week after selling out of their allotment of 13,200.

Current season-ticket holders will be given first priority, should they want to add to their personal inventory.

Moses Malone, gone too soon

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer on basketball legend Moses Malone, who has passed away. As always, for more, click the link:

Once you’re resigned to the sorrow of Moses’ passing, the memories come flooding back. Those of us old enough and lucky enough to remember that special 1982-83 season will swear those 76ers were better than any single-season NBA team in history. Better than Wilt’s 68-win Sixers team in ’67. Better than Michael Jordan’s 72-win Chicago Bulls team in ’96. Better than every single one of Bill Russell’s great Boston Celtics teams and all those great Los Angeles Lakers teams, too.

As for the three iconic words, it was actually only one word repeated three times. And it was never uttered in public. Instead, Billy Cunningham told reporters before the start of the 1983 playoffs that Moses had uttered “four, four, four” when the coach asked him about his playoff attitude.

This was Moses’ actual quote: “I ain’t saying we’re going to sweep everybody in four games. I’m just saying, if we have an idea of winning the championship, the best thing to do is win it as fast as we can.

“I like our chances, sure. I think we’re the team to beat. We had the best record, we got a bye in the first round. We’ll be ready. This is something we all want.”

Metta World Peace wants to return to NBA

Here’s the New York Daily News reporting on Ron Artest, aka Metta World Peace, who could still probably help an NBA team in limited minutes as a backup:

Metta World Peace said he is done playing overseas and is ready to return to the NBA this season.

“I’m ready for any scenario,” the 35-year-old said.

But as for what city he might play in, he’s still not sure.

The Queensbridge native was in attendance for Saturday’s fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Andre Berto.

Despite being out of the league for the past two seasons, World Peace pronounced himself still “one of the best small forwards in the world.”

Statements on the death of Moses Malone

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released the following statement regarding the passing of Moses Malone:

“We are stunned and deeply saddened by the passing of Hall of Famer Moses Malone, an NBA legend gone far too soon. Known to his legions of fans as the ‘Chairman of the Boards,’ Moses competed with intensity every time he stepped on the court. With three MVPs and an NBA championship, he was among the most dominant centers ever to play the game and one of the best players in the history of the NBA and the ABA. Even more than his prodigious talent, we will miss his friendship, his generosity, his exuberant personality, and the extraordinary work ethic he brought to the game throughout his 21-year pro career. Our thoughts are with Moses’ family and friends during this difficult time.”

Hawks Legend Dominique Wilkins released the following statement regarding the passing of Moses Malone:

“I am extremely saddened to hear of Moses’ passing this morning. This is extremely tough for me. I am completely in shock and words can’t express the pain and loss I am feeling right now. We had a mutual respect when we played against each other and I was fortunate enough to have called him a teammate and close friend. Even before we played together, he was one of the first greats who truly mentored me and showed me how to be a professional. I never saw anyone work harder than Moses and away from basketball, he was just as kind and thoughtful.

The entire Hawks organization sends its condolences to his family and friends.”

The following is a statement on behalf of the Philadelphia 76ers from Chief Executive Officer Scott O’Neil:

“It is with a deep sense of sadness that the Sixers family mourns the sudden loss of Moses Malone. It is difficult to express what his contributions to this organization – both as a friend and player – have meant to us, the city of Philadelphia and his faithful fans. Moses holds a special place in our hearts and will forever be remembered as a genuine icon and pillar of the most storied era in the history of Philadelphia 76ers basketball. No one person has ever conveyed more with so few words – including three of the most iconic in this city’s history. His generosity, towering personality and incomparable sense of humor will truly be missed. We will keep his family in our thoughts and prayers and as we are once again reminded of the preciousness of life.”

Sam Mitchell named interim Timberwolves head coach

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that Sam Mitchell will serve as interim head coach while Flip Saunders takes a leave of absence from his duties as Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations. In Saunders’ absence, Timberwolves general manager Milt Newton will assume an increased role in the day-to-day and strategic operations of the basketball department.

Saunders, who had been undergoing chemotherapy treatment after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma earlier this summer, recently experienced complications from his completed treatments. Recently, he was admitted to a local area hospital where he remains at this time while undergoing further testing and treatment.

The following are statements from Timberwolves Owner Glen Taylor, General Manager Milt Newton, and Interim Head Coach Sam Mitchell:

Glen Taylor, Timberwolves Majority Owner
“First and foremost, my immediate concern is for the Saunders family and the health of Flip. Our priority right now is for him to regain his strength so that he can be 100 percent when he returns to his Timberwolves duties. In the interim, I remain confident in the direction of our team. I have known Sam Mitchell for a number of years, back to his playing days in Minnesota. He is a former NBA Head Coach of the Year. I have no doubt he will get the most out of our players and will continue to serve as a great mentor to our young and talented players as interim head coach.”

Milt Newton, Timberwolves General Manager
“Flip has our full support and backing as he takes time to focus on his health. In the interim, we are confident in Sam and his ability to make this a seamless transition for our players. Sam has a long history with both Flip and Glen and we don’t anticipate much to change in terms of our basketball philosophy.”

Sam Mitchell, Timberwolves Interim Head Coach
“My thoughts right now are with Flip and the Saunders family. In the interim, I am confident that I can continue to build the foundation that Flip has established. We have a team blended with talented young guys and experienced veterans. We’re excited to see how this team comes together in training camp.”

Lakers promote Jesse Buss, Ryan West and Clay Moser

Los Angeles Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak announced today that Jesse Buss has been promoted to assistant general manager/director of scouting, Ryan West to director of player personnel, and Clay Moser to assistant coach/director of basketball strategy.

Buss most recently served as the Lakers’ director of scouting for the past three seasons, overseeing all scouting operations in preparation for the NBA Draft, in addition to his own scouting responsibilities. In his new role, Buss will continue to contribute to personnel decisions under Kupchak, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations Jim Buss, and Assistant General Manager Glenn Carraro, and will also continue to assist the Lakers’ NBA D-League team, the D-Fenders, with their draft and scouting. Originally joining the organization in 2006, Jesse spent two seasons as a basketball operations assistant before serving as a scout from 2008-11, and as scouting coordinator for the 2011-12 season.

West begins his new role after serving as assistant director of scouting for the past three seasons, where he was an integral part of the player evaluation process and had input in all drafting and scouting decisions. In addition to expanding his existing roles in the organization, West will maintain his extensive in-person scouting schedule. West originally joined the Lakers as a scout in the summer of 2009, and prior to joining the Lakers, spent eight seasons as a scout with the Memphis Grizzlies.

This will be Moser’s fifth season with the Lakers organization, originally coming to Los Angeles as associate head coach of the D-Fenders for the 2011-12 campaign, before being promoted to the parent club in December of that year. He served as the head advance NBA scout for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons, and added assistant coaching duties to his responsibilities last season. The Wisconsin-LaCrosse graduate brings over 25 years of professional basketball management and coaching experience to the newly-created position, where he will work directly with the coaching and analytics staffs to integrate ideas and information between the departments. Moser will work closely with Director of Analytics Yuju Lee and Associate Director of Analytics Aaron Danielson.

Lee brings a wealth of statistical and computer science knowledge to his position, holding MS degrees in each discipline from UCLA, while working closely with the basketball operations, coaching, and training staffs to incorporate statistical analysis into the day-to-day operation of each department. Lee was originally hired as a consultant by the Lakers for the 2012-13 season, contributing to a variety of analytics projects.

Danielson’s role includes designing and implementing statistical analysis for the basketball operations department, while also assessing league trends and developing new analytic content for the coaching and training staffs. Currently finishing his PhD in statistics at UCLA, Danielson previously earned master’s degrees in public policy from the University of Chicago and in economics from NYU. He began working with the Lakers two seasons ago in a consultant role.

Knicks sign Darion Atkins and Wesley Saunders

New York Knicks President Phil Jackson announced today that the team has signed forward Darion Atkins and guard/forward Wesley Saunders. The contracts are likely non-guaranteed and just for training camp.

Atkins, 6-8, 241-pounds, averaged 7.6 points and 6.0 rebounds over 23.9 minutes in 33 games as a senior at the University of Virginia and was named the winner of the 2015 Lefty Driesell National and ACC defensive player of the year awards. The Clinton, MD-native led the Portsmouth Invitational in scoring (20.0) and blocks (3.7) and appeared in nine Summer League games for San Antonio’s entries at Orlando and Las Vegas, averaging 2.3 points and 2.3 rebounds over 12.7 minutes.

Saunders, 6-5, 215-pounds, averaged 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals over 29.8 minutes in 120 games over four seasons at Harvard University. The three-time All-Ivy League first-team selection, averaged career-highs of 16.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists as a senior. The Los Angeles, CA-native, appeared in six 2015 Summer League games for the Jazz’ entry at Utah and Las Vegas, averaging 2.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists over 15.3 minutes.

Nets sign Dahntay Jones

The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent guard/forward Dahntay Jones, General Manager Billy King announced today.

According to ESPN New York, “Jones will receive a non-guaranteed contract, which is essentially a training camp invite, a source confirmed.”

Jones (6’6”, 225) has appeared in 622 games (157 starts) across 11 seasons in the NBA, registering career averages of 5.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 15.7 minutes per game while playing for the Memphis Grizzlies (2003-07), Sacramento Kings (2007-08), Denver Nuggets (2008-09), Indiana Pacers (2009-12), Dallas Mavericks (2012-13), Atlanta Hawks (2013) and the Los Angeles Clippers (2014-15). He has also appeared in 49 playoff games (16 starts) during seven career trips to the postseason, averaging 4.1 points and 1.3 rebounds in 11.1 minutes per game. Last season, Jones played in 33 regular season games for the Clippers, averaging 0.6 points and 0.3 rebounds in 3.7 minutes per game off the bench, as well as 11 postseason games with Los Angeles. Prior to signing with the Clippers, Jones played 19 games with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the D-League.

The Trenton, N.J., native began his NBA career when he was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 20th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft out of Duke University and was subsequently traded to the Memphis Grizzlies on draft night.

Pelicans sign Sean Kilpatrick

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today the team has signed free agent guard Sean Kilpatrick.

Kilpatrick, 6-4, 210, appeared in four games during the 2014-15 season for the Minnesota Timberwolves, averaging 5.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists. Kilpatrick spent the majority of the 2014-15 season in the NBA Development League, appearing in 44 games for the Santa Cruz Warriors and Delaware 87ers, while averaging 13.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.

Undrafted in 2014, Kilpatrick played four seasons at the University of Cincinnati, earning All-American Second Team and First Team All-ACC honors during his senior year.

Sixers sign Kendall Marshall

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced they have signed point guard Kendall Marshall.

Marshall was originally the 13th overall pick by Phoenix in the 2012 NBA Draft and appeared in seven games for the Delaware 87ers, the Sixers NBA Development League Affiliate, during the 2013-14 campaign, where he averaged 19 points and 10 assists per game on 46% shooting from three-point range.

Marshall appeared in 54 games for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2013-14 season, where he made 45 starts and averaged eight points and nine assists (with a 3.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio) in 29 minutes per game. He joined the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2014-15 season and posted averages of four points and three assists in 14 minutes per game.

A two-year stand out for the University of North Carolina, Marshall dished out an Atlantic Coast Conference record 351 assists in 2011-12 and went on to win the 2012 Bob Cousy Award, which is bestowed upon the nation’s top point guard in NCAA Division I.