June 2017 – Page 7 – NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog

D-League officially renamed to G League

Beginning today the NBA Development League (NBA D-League), the NBA’s minor league, will officially become the NBA G League.

Beginning with the 2017-18 season, the NBA G League will feature 26 teams, an expansion of four teams since last season, 22 of which are owned and operated by NBA franchises.

For the first time this coming fall, NBA teams can sign up to two “two-way” players to NBA contracts. These contracts allow “two-way” players to be with their NBA parent team for up to 45 days, spending most of the season in the NBA G League.

The NBA G League has more than tripled in size since it debuted with eight teams during the 2001-02 season. Last season, nearly 1.5 million fans attended games, marking the eighth straight year the league has surpassed 1 million fans.

For the 2017-18 season, the NBA G League will unveil new on-court uniforms and collaborate with the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) on programs to enhance player sports performance and recovery. Gatorade will begin to incubate its latest product and equipment innovations into NBA G League locker rooms, and teams will have the opportunity to collaborate with Gatorade to help players maximize their athletic potential and on-court performance.

“This is a pivotal moment for the NBA G League,” said NBA G League President Malcolm Turner. “The league is experiencing unprecedented success both on and off the court, and our partnership with Gatorade is helping to drive momentum and create exciting opportunities for innovation, sports performance and player development.”

Forty-four percent of players on 2016-17 end-of-season NBA rosters had NBA G League experience, while 65 percent of players selected in NBA Draft 2016 spent time in the NBA G League last season, including more than half of the first-round picks.

Cavaliers and GM David Griffin to part ways

Here’s a statement from the Cavs:

The Cleveland Cavaliers and its General Manager, David Griffin, have mutually decided not to extend David’s current contract, which ends June 30, 2017.

On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank Griff for his leadership and many contributions during his time here, including most recently, his role in the franchise’s first NBA Championship.

We have no announcement at this time related to new leadership of the Cavaliers basketball operations group, but we are confident our current front office will continue to aggressively explore and pursue opportunities to improve our team in the weeks ahead.

Celtics trade No. 1 pick in 2017 NBA draft to Sixers

Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo announced today that the team has acquired the first overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft from the Boston Celtics.

In exchange, the team sends the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and a future first-round pick to Boston.

The future first-round pick that Boston will receive will be the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, provided that such pick is No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, or No. 5 in the 2018 NBA Draft. If the Lakers’ 2018 first-round pick is No. 1 or is No. 6 or later, the Sixers will instead convey to the Celtics the rights to the more favorable of the Sixers’ own 2019 first-round pick or the Sacramento Kings’ 2019 first-round pick, provided that the more favorable pick is not the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. If the more favorable of the Sixers’ and Kings’ 2019 first-round picks is the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Sixers will instead convey the rights to the less favorable of those two picks.

“We’re thrilled to be able to select what we expect be an impact player with the third pick in this year’s very talented draft class, while also adding a highly valuable future asset as we continue to build towards Banner 18,” said Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.

With the acquisition of these two first round picks, the Celtics now potentially own the rights to seven first round selections over the next three years, including picks from Brooklyn (2018), Memphis (2019, protected 1-8), and the LA Clippers (2019, protected 1-14).

“We are very pleased with the outcome of this trade, which puts us in the enviable position of selecting first overall in consecutive draft years,” Colangelo said. “History suggests that No. 1 has the greatest odds of producing franchise-level talent and we are confident that this year’s draft class has that very potential. Thursday night will see us take another significant step toward building a successful and sustainable basketball program.”

The Sixers will choose first overall for the fourth time in team history. Philadelphia chose Ben Simmons with first pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Allen Iverson in 1996 and Doug Collins in 1973.

“I am incredibly excited that we’ve acquired the No. 1 overall pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft,” Josh Harris, Sixers Managing General Partner, said. “This pick provides us a tremendous opportunity to add another foundational player to our promising core. Bryan and his team have done a great job in positioning our organization for what we believe will be long-term success.”

Celtics may trade top NBA Draft pick to Sixers

Multliple reports say that the Celtics may trade the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft to the Sixers, who have the No.3 pick. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting:

Saturday was Markelle Fultz Night for the 76ers.

Hours before Fultz’s arrival at the team’s practice site in Camden, Joel Embiid tweeted out a selfie of himself and Dario Saric standing in front of a locker with a Markelle Fultz name plate.

There was an overflow of reporters and photographers taking pictures as Fultz walked into the building at 7:08 p.m. wearing a black Sixers cap.

And the team’s employees and guests watched intently as Fultz’s workout – that weeks ago seemed nothing more than wishful thinking – took place.

The Washington point guard working out for the Sixers was an indication that the team is getting closer to acquiring the only perfect fit in Thursday night’s NBA draft.

Pablo Prigioni now a head coach in Spain

Here’s Euroleaguebasketball.net with an update on former NBA guard Pablo Prigioni:

Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz has turned to one of the great players in club history to guide the team as head coach with the hiring of Pablo Prigioni on Friday. The sides agreed to a two-year contract. Prigioni, 40, played briefly for Baskonia last season before announcing his retirement in January. In all he played parts of eight seasons for Baskonia and retired ranked fifth in assists in the EuroLeague’s all-time list (804) and is third in steals (322). This will be his first time coaching.

Prigioni started his playing career with Obras Sanitarias in his native Argentina and played for two Spanish clubs, Fuenlabrada and Lucentum Alicante, before joining Baskonia in 2003.

Monta Ellis, Reggie Bullock suspended by NBA

Reggie Bullock and Monta Ellis suspended by NBA

The NBA announced today that Monta Ellis of the Indiana Pacers and Reggie Bullock of the Detroit Pistons have each been suspended without pay for five games for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program.

Their suspensions will begin with the next NBA regular season game that they are eligible and physically able to play.

Clippers and City of Inglewood exploring new arena possibility

The L.A. Clippers and the City of Inglewood announced today that they have entered into a three-year Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) that will allow the Clippers to explore building a new state-of-the-art basketball arena, training facilities and team offices in Inglewood, Calif. Under the ENA, which was unanimously approved Thursday morning by the Inglewood City Council, the Clippers will consider a 20-acre site located south of Century Boulevard at Prairie Avenue and directly across the street from the future football stadium and entertainment district being developed by The Kroenke Group.

The ENA establishes a three-year timeframe during which the L.A. Clippers will develop the details of its proposed basketball facility. The City of Inglewood will conduct an environmental review including an evaluation of the proposed facility’s construction and operational impacts.

The Clippers have called STAPLES Center, located in downtown Los Angeles, home since 1999. The team’s current lease with Anschutz Entertainment Group, the owners of STAPLES Center, will expire at the end of the 2023-2024 NBA season.

“Today’s announcement is consistent with what Steve Ballmer and the Clippers leadership have said for years – we want to be regarded as the best. That requires setting the highest bar for our performance in every aspect of our business,” stated Gillian Zucker, L.A. Clippers President of Business Operations. “To accomplish this goal, we must have options for the future.”

“This agreement serves as an example of the team’s commitment to providing Clipper Nation with the best game experience in the NBA,” Zucker said. “It is another step in the journey toward building a championship culture that will deliver positive results for Clippers players, fans and the greater Los Angeles community.”

“The Clippers applaud the energy and vision that Mayor Butts has for his city,” added Zucker. “His tenacity was instrumental in getting this Exclusive Negotiating Agreement across the finish line.”

The new arena would be 100 percent privately funded and privately capitalized. No public dollars will be used for this project.

Under the exclusive negotiating agreement, the L.A. Clippers are responsible for the costs to plan, entitle and develop the proposed facility. Within 24 hours of signing the ENA, the L.A. Clippers will pay the City of Inglewood $1.5 million, which will fund the City’s administrative costs. If additional funding is required, the Clippers will provide the necessary resources.

Nets hire Travon Bryant as assistant player development coach

The Brooklyn Nets have named Travon Bryant as an assistant player development coach on Head Coach Kenny Atkinson’s staff.

Bryant joins the Nets after spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach for the NBA Development League’s Oklahoma City Blue. The Long Beach, Calif., native played collegiately at the University of Missouri (2000-04) before embarking on an 11-year pro career overseas, most recently with Japan’s Akita Northern Happinets in 2015. Bryant also played in Greece, Italy, Germany, Ukraine and France during his time abroad.

Sixers exercise Robert Covington contract option

The Philadelphia 76ers today exercised the contract option on forward Robert Covington for the 2017-18 season.

In 204 games (165 starts) over the course of three seasons with the Sixers, Covington holds averages of 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals per game while shooting 35 percent from three-point range and 81 percent from the free-throw line. His 170 made three-pointers in 2015-16 were the fifth-most ever in a season by a Sixers player, and his 474 threes are already fifth-most in franchise history behind Allen Iverson, Kyle Korver, Andre Iguodala and Hersey Hawkins.

This past season, Covington finished fourth in the NBA with an average of 1.9 steals per game, while his total of 127 swipes on the year placed him 11th in the league. Covington, Houston’s Trevor Ariza, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook were the only NBA players with 125 threes and 125 steals in 2016-17.

Covington was originally signed by the Sixers on Nov. 15, 2014, after spending much of the 2013-14 season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Houston Rockets’ D-League affiliate. He appeared in seven NBA games for Houston and was named D-League Rookie of the Year during an All-Star campaign.

Inglewood will vote on a new arena for Clippers

Clippers may build their own arena in Inglewood

The Staples Center is home to both the Lakers and Clippers, but the latter squad would reportedly enjoy a home of their own.

According to the LA Times, “Inglewood’s City Council will vote Thursday on an exclusive negotiating agreement with a Clippers-controlled company to use city-owned land to build an arena for the team, according to a copy of the agreement.”

More from the Times: The 22 acres where the 18,000- to 20,000-seat arena would be built are across the street from the 298-acre site where Rams owner Stan Kroenke is building a stadium that will house his team and the Chargers.