August 2016 – Page 5 – NBA Blog

Cavaliers sign guard Kay Felder

The Cavaliers have signed guard Kay Felder, according to General Manager David Griffin.

Felder (5-9, 176) was the Atlanta Hawks’ No. 54 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. His draft rights were acquired by the Cavs on draft night.

Felder played in all seven games (six starts) for Cleveland in the 2016 Summer League, averaging 15.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals in 29.9 minutes per outing.

The Detroit native was the only player in the country to rank in the Top 5 this past season in both scoring (fourth, 24.4 ppg) and assists (first, 9.3 apg) and became just the fifth player in Division I history over the last 20 years to average over 23 points and six assists in a single season.

Brook Lopez very involved this Nets offseason

The Nets need center Brook Lopez to do bigger things than ever this upcoming season. If the offseason so far is any indication, he appears willing and able.

Here’s the New York Post reporting:

Lopez trains amid rookies, returning teammates and free-agent signees, some he helped recruit after sitting with team brass in free-agency meetings. That’s new, too. He never did that before.

“I called guys, texted guys, met guys. Isn’t that amazing?” asked Lopez, who reverted to his self-deprecating humor. “They said, ‘Let’s send the most antisocial guy we have to recruit …’”

It exemplifies a new culture and approach around the Nets under new general manager Sean Marks and new head coach Kenny Atkinson. Lopez has seen and heard all this before in his Nets run; this is, after all, his ninth head coach (name them all, win valuable prizes). One difference: The training, by choice, started for many within two weeks of last season’s end. Lopez has been doing it for two months. Never before was he around this early.

The rebuild of the Nets could take a long time. It’ll be interesting to see if Lopez is a part of it. He’s the team’s best trading chip. For now, though, he remains their main building block and clear best source of offense.

Lakers re-sign Marcelo Huertas

The Lakers have re-signed point guard Marcelo Huertas.

The Lakers backcourt is built around D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson. The bench rotation includes Jose Calderon, Nick Young and Huertas.

In his first NBA season with the Lakers last year after playing professionally in Brazil, Spain, and Italy since 2001, Huertas averaged a team-best 3.4 assists per game in addition to 4.5 points and 1.7 rebounds over 53 games.

“Marcelo’s understanding of the game, unselfishness, and professionalism are assets to our team and he has an uncanny ability to change the pace of the game,” said General Manager Mitch Kupchak. “He’s fundamentally solid but also has a flair and excitement to his style of play, which makes him a fan favorite.”

Prior to coming stateside, Huertas spent the previous four seasons (2011-15) with Spanish power FC Barcelona, where he was a key piece on their 2011-12 and 2013-14 Spanish National Championship and 2013 Spanish National Cup-winning teams. He also has 165 games of Euroleague experience, and was the 2013-14 Euroleague Top 16 Round Two MVP.

The Brazilian native has extensive international experience, notably representing his country at the 2012 Olympics in London, where he led the squad with 6.0 assists per game in addition to 11.3 points, good for second-best on the roster. He is currently a member of the Brazilian national team that will participate in this month’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He has also appeared on three consecutive FIBA Basketball World Cup teams in 2006, 2010, and 2014. His decorated international resume includes gold medals from the 2006 South American Championship (where he was named MVP of the tournament after averaging a team-leading 16.8 points to go with 4.0 assists) and 2007 Pan American Games, in addition to three medals from the FIBA Americas Championship: 2005 and 2009 (gold), and 2011 (silver).

Nets sign Beau Beech, Yogi Ferrell and Egidijus Mockevicius

The Nets have signed guard/forward Beau Beech, guard Yogi Ferrell and center Egidijus Mockevicius.

Until we hear otherwise, we will assume these are training camp signings that give these players a chance to compete for a regular-season contract.

Beech, Ferrell and Mockevicius were all members of Brooklyn’s 2016 NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas.

Beech (6’9”, 215) joins the Nets out of the University of North Florida. In four seasons with the Ospreys, Beech played in 133 games (129 starts) and recorded averages of 11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 28.7 minutes per game while shooting .423 from the field and .393 from three-point range. The Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. native was named to the All-Atlantic Sun First Team in both his junior and senior seasons and was also named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team. Along with leading North Florida all-time in games played and starts, Beech ranks first in steals (147) and tied for first in three-pointers made (302).

Ferrell (6’0”, 180) joins the Nets after a four-year career at Indiana University. Ferrell was named to the All-Big Ten First Team twice (2015 and 2016) and garnered second-team honors as a sophomore (2014). As a senior, Ferrell averaged 17.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 34.7 minutes per game, earning Associated Press Third Team All-America honors and capping his career as Indiana’s all-time assists leader with 633. Ferrell also led Indiana to three NCAA Tournament appearances and helped the Hoosiers advance to the Sweet 16 twice. In 137 career games (all starts) at IU, the Indianapolis, Ind., native averaged 14.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 32.8 minutes per game.

Mockevicius (6’10”, 237) joins Brooklyn following a four-year career at the University of Evansville. Mockevicius was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team as both a junior and senior (2015 and 2016) and was the conference’s defensive player of the year as a senior. The native of Lithuania was also the nation’s leading rebounder this past season, averaging 14.0 boards per game, to go along with 15.7 points and 2.8 blocks in 31.8 minutes per contest. In 136 career games with the Purple Aces, Mockevicius averaged 11.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 25.7 minutes per game.

Knicks sign Chasson Randle

The Knicks on Thursday signed guard Chasson Randle.

Until we hear otherwise, we will assume this deal merely brings Randle to training camp, where he’d have to earn a regular season contract.

The 6-2, 185-pound guard played in 66 games for CEZ Nymburk (Czech Republic) last season, where he averaged 12.8 points over 20.6 minutes.

Randle headed overseas after a four-year college career at Stanford University (2011-15) and finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer (2,375 points), with averages of 16.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.15 steals over 144 games. He was a two-time All-Pac 12 first-team selection (2014, 2015) and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2015 National Invitation Tournament after leading the Cardinals to the championship at Madison Square Garden.

The Rock Island, IL-native appeared in three games for the Knicks entry in the 2016 Orlando Pro Summer League, averaging 18.3 points, 5.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 3.00 steals over 29.7 minutes.

Sixers announce coaching staff

The Philadelphia 76ers announced Thursday that the team has named Jim O’Brien and Kevin Young as Assistant Coaches, John Bryant and Alvin Williams as Player Development Coaches, John Townsend as Shooting Coach, Chris Babcock as Assistant Director of Player Development and Dr. Lance Pearson as Director of Applied Analytics.

In a related move, Eugene Burroughs, who spent the last two seasons as the Sixers’ shooting coach, has been promoted to Head Coach of the Delaware 87ers, the NBA Development League affiliate of the Sixers.

“We are excited to maintain a continuity of culture within the staff by promoting five very talented coaches from within our organization,” said Sixers Head Coach Brett Brown. “This commitment to growth and development is the foundation upon which we were also able to recruit three coaches with decades of expertise who will help move our program forward and fit seamlessly into our system.”

O’Brien, a Philadelphia native, has nearly four decades of coaching experience, most recently as an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks during the 2012-13 season. He has held three NBA head coaching positions, including the 2004-05 season with the Sixers, when he led the team to a playoff appearance and a 43-39 record. O’Brien played his college basketball at St. Joseph’s University (1971-74) and attended high school at Roman Catholic.

Young has coached in the NBA Development League since 2007, most recently serving as head coach of the Delaware 87ers for the past two seasons. He previously held head-coaching positions with the Iowa Energy (2011-13) and Utah Flash (2010-11). As a player, Young starred at point guard for Clayton State University (2002-04).

Bryant also spent the past two seasons with the Delaware 87ers as an assistant coach. In three seasons prior to joining the Sevens, he served as assistant coach/head strength & conditioning coach with the Bakersfield Jam. Like O’Brien, he played his collegiate basketball at St. Joseph’s University (2001-05).

Townsend joins the Sixers after spending the past three seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies. He spent his first season as the team’s shooting coach before serving as Memphis’ director of player development for the past two seasons. Townsend has over a decade of additional experience as a shooting coach, including time spent in that role with the Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers and NBA Development League. Under Townsend’s direction, the 2008-09 Blazers shot 46.5 percent from the field, which ranked eighth in the NBA.

Williams was the Toronto Raptors’ director of player development from 2010-13. He began his coaching career after a 10-year run in the NBA, eight of which were spent with the Toronto Raptors. Born in Philadelphia, Williams played his high school basketball at Germantown Academy before putting together a standout four-year career at Villanova University (1993-97). For his senior season, Williams posted averages of 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals in 34 minutes per game as he led the Wildcats to a 24-10 record, capturing the Big East regular season title and a four-seed in the 1997 NCAA Tournament.
Babcock served as player development assistant this past season with the Sixers. He originally joined the team prior to the start of the 2013-14 season and assumed the role of assistant video coordinator, a position he held for two seasons. He spent the 2012-13 season with the San Antonio Spurs in the same role. Prior to his time with the Spurs, Babcock coached at the University of Texas from 2008-12.

Pearson spent last season in the role of coordinator of coaching analytics and special video projects, and has been working within the Sixers’ basketball operations department for the past three seasons. He spent four years at Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky as an assistant coach and adjunct professor of psychology. Pearson holds three bachelor’s degrees from the University of Kentucky as well as a Ph.D. in cognitive and neutral systems from Boston University.

Burroughs will assume the head coach position with the Sevens after spending the past two seasons as the Sixers’ shooting coach. Prior to joining the Sixers, Burroughs was an assistant coach at Marist College. He spent the previous two years as associate head coach at Penn State. A Philadelphia native, he played his collegiate basketball at Richmond University (1991-94), where he was a member of the first-ever 15-seed to defeat a two-seed in the NCAA Tournament, when the Spiders knocked off Syracuse in 1991.

Thunder sign Russell Westbrook to contract extension

The Thunder have signed guard Russell Westbrook to a contract extension, the team announced Thursday.

It is reportedly a three-year deal worth $85.7 million.

“I am grateful to extend my contract with the Thunder and continue to play with the only organization that I have played for and have loved being a part of since I was drafted into the NBA,” said Westbrook. “I’m really excited about moving forward with this group of guys and continuing to play in front of the best fans in the world.”

This past season Westbrook appeared in 80 games (all starts) and averaged 23.5 points (eighth in the NBA), 10.4 assists (second in the NBA), 7.8 rebounds and 2.04 steals (fifth in the NBA) in 34.4 minutes to become just the second player in NBA history (Oscar Robertson) to average at least 23 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for a single season.

“On behalf of the Thunder organization and the entire State of Oklahoma I want to congratulate Russ and offer my sincere appreciation for not only his profound presence and skill as a player, but for his high character, personal integrity and extraordinary leadership,” said Clayton I. Bennett, Thunder chairman. “We are thrilled he will continue with us and we look forward to exciting days ahead for the Oklahoma City Thunder.”

According to the Oklahoman, “Westbrook could have forced a trade. Could have sat tight this coming season, then bolted in free agency next summer. He did neither. He showed that he wants to be in OKC. Doesn’t mean forever. Doesn’t mean for the rest of his career. Durant taught us to tread lightly in looking too far into the future. But for now, Westbrook wants to finish what he started, wants the challenge of doing what he and Durant failed to do together. Wants to fight the good fight.”

During the 2015-16 season, Westbrook recorded 18 triple-doubles, equaling the most in the NBA since Magic Johnson accomplished the feat during the 1981-82 season. Westbrook also notched seven triple-doubles in March, the most by an NBA player in a calendar month since Michael Jordan in April of 1989.

“Russell has been an outstanding leader of this team since he was drafted by our organization eight years ago. His competitiveness, character, and unique athletic ability have propelled him to the forefront of the game,” said Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. “Russell personifies many of the traits that are synonymous with Oklahoma and Oklahomans. We are excited that Russell has chosen to continue to build the legacy of the Thunder with us as we move forward together.”

A five-time All-Star and two-time All-Star MVP, Westbrook received All-NBA First Team honors at the conclusion of the 2015-16 season. This past year, Westbrook was twice named the Western Conference Player of the Month, and his 54 double-doubles represented the most for a guard since the 2007-08 season (Chris Paul).

In eight seasons with the Thunder, Westbrook holds career averages of 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.73 steals in 34.0 minutes per game. The UCLA product has helped guide the Thunder to the Western Conference Finals in four of the past six seasons.

As a member of the U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team, Westbrook won a gold medal at the 2012 games in London. Additionally, Westbrook helped lead the USA Men’s National Team to a gold medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

Selected No. 4 overall in the 2008 NBA draft, Westbrook was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team; during the 2014-15 season, Westbrook led the NBA in scoring after averaging a career-best 28.1 points per game.

Westbrook received the 2014-15 Seasonlong NBA Cares Community Assist Award as a result of his community involvement and philanthropic efforts. Westbrook and his Why Not? Foundation have opened numerous reading centers throughout Oklahoma City public schools. “Russell’s Reading Rooms” provide underserved children with books, engaging students of all ages in reading. Westbrook’s charitable efforts have included hosting Thanksgiving meals, holiday parties and shopping sprees for Oklahomans in need, granting wishes through the Make-A-Wish Foundation and participating in food distribution events, hospital visits and Thunder FIT clinics.

Metta World Peace is doing life coaching

Here’s ESPN NY with an update on Metta World Peace, who says he’s been passing his wisdom on to others, and still hopes to continue his NBA playing career:

Q: What are your plans for next season? Are you headed back to training camp with the Lakers? You’ve talked about a potential future in coaching. Is that on your radar?

A: Right now, I’m life coaching a lot of people that are in the NBA. I can’t say [who]. But I coach a couple players. But it’s not a thing where I’m going to hide and be that perfect mentor. I just give them the best advice I can and live my life accordingly. I’m doing that now and one day I would love to coach. The Lakers are tattooed in my heart. They gave me a second chance when everyone was down on me, they gave me a chance to win a ring. The city of Los Angeles, they put up with me. Because in our world, the world of corporate basketball, you should act accordingly, you know? And I don’t like to act accordingly (smiles). I’m just trying to be authentic. I’m trying, as much as possible, to keep that if I coach one day.

Q: So is the NBA on the back burner right now?

A: No, the NBA’s always on the front burner.

Derek Fisher open to keep playing

It sure seemed like Derek Fisher was retired as a pro player, but he seems to be keeping an open mind on that front. Here’s the Oklahoman reporting:

The 41-year-old former Thunder guard and New York Knicks head coach said via Twitter that he’s “open to dialogue” if an NBA team is interested. Fisher hasn’t played since playing for the Thunder in the 2014 Western Conference finals against the San Antonio Spurs.

Clippers sign Alan Anderson

The Clippers have signed guard Alan Anderson.

Anderson brings intensity on both ends of the floor. He should help the Clippers’ bench.

Anderson, 33, spent last season with the Washington Wizards, where he averaged 5.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 13 games. The seven-year NBA veteran holds career averages of 7.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 300 games (66 starts) with the Charlotte Bobcats, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets and Wizards.

The Minneapolis native has spent time playing in the NBA Development League, Europe and China during his career. Anderson holds D-League career averages of 18.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 44 games (24 starts) with the Tulsa 66ers, New Mexico Thunderbirds and Canton Charge. In 2009-10, he captured the Euroleague Championship with Regal FC Barcelona and the following season, he was voted MVP of the Spanish Cup.

The Michigan State graduate boasted averages of 9.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists over his four-year career where he helped lead the Spartans to the NCAA Tournament Final Four in 2005.