Month: July 2018

Nuggets sign rookie Thomas Welsh to two-way contract

The Denver Nuggets signed rookie center Thomas Welsh to a two-way contract today.

Welsh, 7-0, 255, appeared in two games for the Nuggets Las Vegas Summer League team, averaging 6.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 31.3 minutes per game.

Welsh was selected by Denver with the 58th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. He played four seasons at UCLA where he averaged 9.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks while shooting 53.7% from the field. He was one of five finalists for the 2017-18 Kareem Abdul-Jabar award, given to the nation’s top center, and finished his Bruins career ranked third in career rebounds (1,035), third in blocks (143) and sixth in career double-doubles (37). As a senior the California native posted averages of 12.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 40.7% from three (45-of-112 3FG) and 82.8% from the free throw line. His 10.8 rebounds per game was UCLA’s highest per game average since David Greenwood in 1977-78.

Lakers sign Jeffrey Carroll

The Lakers signed guard/forward Jeffrey Carroll today.

In 118 career games (77 starts) for Oklahoma State from 2014-18, Carroll averaged 12.0 points (.451 FG%), 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 25.1 minutes per game. As a senior last season, Carroll notched 15.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 30.7 minutes.

Carroll most recently played in six Las Vegas Summer League games for the Lakers, notching 4.2 points (.480 FG%) and 2.0 rebounds in 9.0 minutes per game.

Celtics re-sign Marcus Smart

The Celtics re-signed guard Marcus Smart today.

According to the Boston Herald, “the Celtics appeared to be bidding against themselves as they renewed serious negotiations and agreed to a four-year, $52 million deal with Marcus Smart Thursday. But they were willing to pass on a potentially bargain year of Smart at the qualifying offer of $6,053,719 to lock him up for multiple years and avoid an far more uncertain dance next summer when he could be an unrestricted free agent.”

Smart, 24, produced 10.2 points in 2017-18 to go along with a career-high 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 29.9 minutes over 54 games played (11 starts). He played a key role in Boston’s league-leading defense, which allowed just 99.5 points per 100 possessions with him on the court (3rd among guards who appeared in half of their team’s games).

Smart also ranked in the top-25 in defensive deflections per game, and the top-10 in charges drawn per game among players who appeared in half of their team’s games in 2017-18.

“Keeping Marcus in a Celtics uniform was a top priority, and we’re excited to have accomplished that,” said Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge. “His intensity is unmatched, and the level of toughness that he brings to the team throughout the course of the entire season is second to none.”

“This is where I want to be, and I’m ready to put a green jersey back on and get to work,” said Smart. “I’m determined to help my teammates bring another championship to the best fans in the world.”

Smart missed the final 15 games of the regular season due to injury, before returning in Game 5 of the First Round of the NBA Playoffs against Milwaukee. He averaged 9.8 points, 5.3 assists and 1.73 steals in 15 postseason games, including a 19-point performance (6-13 FG, 4-10 3-PT) in Boston’s victory over Philadelphia in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on May 3.

A four-year NBA veteran and the team’s longest tenured Celtic, Smart has averaged 9.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.48 steals and 28.7 minutes over 261 career games (83 starts).

Clippers sign Luc Mbah a Moute

The L.A. Clippers signed free-agent forward Luc Mbah a Moute today.

Per multiple reports, the deal is for one year, $4.3 million.

“Luc is the ultimate professional,” said Frank. “He is a very smart player and an outstanding defender who leads by example and provides a strong cultural presence in the locker room. Luc is a class act that we welcome back to the Clippers.”

The Clippers’ forward rotation currently includes Danilo Gallinari and Tobias Harris. Mbah a Moute should be in the backup mix off the bench behind them.

Mbah a Moute, 31, appeared in 61 games for the Houston Rockets last season, averaging 7.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.18 steals in 25.6 minutes. The 6’8”, 230-pound forward spent the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons with the Clippers, averaging 4.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 19.7 minutes over 155 appearances (137 starts). He holds career averages of 6.4 points and 4.1 rebounds across 10 NBA seasons with Milwaukee, Sacramento, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Houston and L.A.

A native of Cameroon, Mbah a Moute was selected 37th overall by Milwaukee in the 2008 NBA Draft after three collegiate seasons at UCLA, where he was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and a member of the Pac-10 All-Freshman team in 2006.

Kings name Bobby Jackson as assistant player development coach

Kings name Bobby Jackson as assistant player development coach

The Sacramento Kings today added Bobby Jackson as an assistant player development coach on the staff of head coach Dave Joerger.

Jackson in the past three seasons has worked for the Kings as a collegiate scout. Before that, he worked as a regional scout and player development coach for the Kings in 2010-2012 and the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2013.

The Salisbury, North Carolina native played 12 seasons in the NBA, accruing averages of 9.7 points (.417 FG%, .354 3pt%, .793 FT%), 3.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.98 steals and 22.2 minutes per contest in 755 games (started 143), punctuated by an NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2003 as a member of the Kings after registering a career-best 15.2 points (.464 FG%, .379 3pt%, .846 FT%), 3.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.53 steals and 28.4 minutes per game. In addition to six seasons in a Kings uniform (2000-05 & 2008-09), Jackson also played for the Denver Nuggets (1997-98), where he was named to the All-Rookie Second Team, Timberwolves (1998-2000), Memphis Grizzlies (2005-06), New Orleans/OKC Hornets (2006-08) and Houston Rockets (2008).

Before his time as an NBA player, Jackson led the University of Minnesota to the school’s one and only Final Four appearance, posting 15.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. He was named to the 1997 Second All-American team, and was named the Big 10 Player of the Year.

Lakers sign Joel Berry II

The Lakers signed guard Joel Berry II today.

Berry II was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2017 NCAA Final Four after leading North Carolina to a National Championship. As a senior last season, Berry II earned First Team All-ACC honors with averages of 17.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 33.1 minutes per game. The Orlando, FL native played in 144 career games (112 starts) for the Tar Heels, notching 12.7 points (.420 FG%), 3.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 27.6 minutes per game.

Dallas Mavericks hire Jenny Boucek and Stephen Silas as assistant coaches

The Dallas Mavericks have hired Jenny Boucek and Stephen Silas as assistant coaches.

Boucek (pronounced Boo-SECK) became just the third woman to coach in the NBA after spending last season with the Sacramento Kings (also Becky Hammond-San Antonio and Nancy Lieberman-Sacramento). Prior to joining the Kings, she spent three seasons as the head coach of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm (2015-17) and two-plus seasons as the head coach of the Sacramento Monarchs (2007-09).

Boucek was involved in the WNBA since its inaugural season in 1997 when she played for the Cleveland Rockers. Following a career-ending injury in 1998, she began her coaching career as an assistant with the Washington Mystics in 1999. She then spent three seasons (2000-02) in the same capacity with the Miami Sol and three seasons with the Seattle Storm (2003-05). In her first stint with Seattle in 2004, Boucek was a member of the franchise’s first WNBA Championship. The Storm won their second WNBA crown in 2010 with Boucek on staff in a similar role. Boucek is distinguished as the first athlete to play in the WNBA and subsequently serve as both an assistant and head coach in the league.

The Nashville, Tenn., native played collegiate basketball at the University of Virginia from 1992-96. Boucek helped lead the Cavaliers to four regular season Atlantic Coast Conference Championships and three NCAA Elite Eight appearances. She was a two-time GTE All-American, two-time ACC selection and two-time Defensive Player of the Year. She finished her career at Virginia with over 1,000 points.

Silas joins Dallas after spending the previous nine seasons as an assistant with the Charlotte Hornets, including the last as the team’s Associate Head Coach. The 2018-19 season will mark his 18th year as an assistant coach in the NBA.

During his recent stint with Charlotte, Silas served as the head coach of the team on several occasions. In 2015-16, he helped lead the Hornets to a division-best 48-34 (.585) record and the franchise’s second playoff appearance in a span of three years.

Silas joined the Hornets’ coaching staff on Dec. 26, 2010, after spending the previous four-and-a-half seasons as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors. Prior to joining the Warriors, Silas served as an advance scout for the Washington Wizards during the 2005-06 campaign. He also spent five seasons as an assistant coach under his father, Paul Silas, with the original Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets (2000-03) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-05). Silas, who joined the original Hornets in the summer of 1999 as an advance and college scout, was promoted to assistant coach on June 5, 2000, making him the youngest assistant in the NBA at that time at 27 years old.

The Boston native graduated from Brown University in 1996, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in sociology and management and played four seasons for the Bears basketball team. Upon graduation, Silas spent three years as the assistant executive director of the National Basketball Retired Players Association in Providence, Rhode Island.

Spurs trade Kawhi Leonard to Raptors for DeMar DeRozan

The San Antonio Spurs have obtained guard DeMar DeRozan, center Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first round pick from the Toronto Raptors in a trade for forward Kawhi Leonard and guard Danny Green.

DeRozan was named to the 2018 All-NBA Second Team after averaging 23.0 points, 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds in 33.9 minutes in 80 games last season with Toronto. The 6-7, 220-pound guard shot .456 (645-1,413) from the field, .310 (89-287) from three-point range and .825 (461-559) from the free throw line. A four-time All-Star, DeRozan holds career averages of 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 675 games over nine NBA seasons. He earned All-NBA Third Team honors following the 2016-17 season when he ranked fifth in the league in scoring, averaging a career-best 27.3 points.

The ninth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, DeRozan is one of 10 players in the league to average 20-or-more points in each of the last five seasons and has been named to three straight NBA All-Star teams. A gold medalist on the 2016 USA Olympic Team, he has earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors nine times and has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month three times (April 2015, January 2016 and January 2018).

Appearing in all 82 games, Poeltl averaged 6.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.22 blocks in 18.6 minutes for Toronto during the 2017-18 season. Selected by the Raptors with the ninth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, the 7-0, 230-pound center has appeared in 136 games in his two-year NBA career, averaging 5.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in 15.8 minutes. Poeltl holds a career field goal percentage of .641 (320-499), which ranks fifth in the NBA among all players with at least 300 field goals made in the last two seasons.

Poeltl is both the first Austrian to be selected in the NBA Draft and to appear in an NBA game. He played two seasons at the University of Utah, earning All-American second team honors as a sophomore during the 2015-16 season. Poeltl was also named the 2016 Pac-10 Player of the Year and won the 2016 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award as the top center in college basketball.

Leonard is a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2015, 2016) and twice was named First Team All-NBA (2016, 2017).

Leonard joins the Raptors after spending his entire seven-year NBA career with San Antonio and helped the Spurs win the 2014 NBA Championship. He holds career averages of 16.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and a .386 three-point shooting percentage (529-1370) in 407 career games. The Los Angeles native averaged a career-best 25.5 points in 74 games during the 2016-17 season and was third in NBA Most Valuable Player voting. In 87 career playoff games, Leonard averaged 16.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and is shooting .427 from beyond the arc (125-293). He was named the MVP of the 2014 NBA Finals after averaging 17.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and shot .579 (11-for-19) in five games against Miami.

Green spent the last eight seasons with San Antonio, averaging 9.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists in 25.8 minutes per game. In 520 games with the Spurs, Green posted a .396 (959-2421) average from three-point range and was a key contributor to the team’s 2014 NBA Championship title. A native of New York, Green played 70 games (60 starts) for the Spurs last season averaging 8.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 25.6 minutes. He was named to the NBA All Defensive Second Team during the 2016-17 campaign.

Pelicans sign Trevon Bluiett to two-way contract

Pelicans sign Trevon Bluiett to two-way contract

The New Orleans Pelicans today signed guard Trevon Bluiett to a two-way contract.

Bluiett, 6-5, 215, joined the Pelicans’ Summer League team after going undrafted out of Xavier (OH) in 2018. In four Summer League games, Bluiett averaged 18.3 points on .565 shooting from the field, including .536 from three-point range. In his first two outings at the MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2018 in Las Vegas, Bluiett scored 24 and 26 points, respectively, while connecting on six three-pointers in each contest.

In 142 collegiate games at Xavier, the Indianapolis native averaged 15.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists. During his senior season, Bluiett averaged 19.3 points while shooting .417 from three-point range on his way to being named to the All-Big East First Team for the third consecutive season, as well as a Consensus Second-Team All-American.

Per NBA rules, each team is allowed to carry two players on two-way contracts in addition to the standard 15 players on the roster. Players signed to two-way contracts will spend the majority of the year in the NBA G League, but can be called up to their NBA team for a maximum of 45 days during the season.