Month: September 2018

In Dallas, all eyes on Luka Doncic

Here’s the Dallas Morning News reporting on Mavs rookie Luka Doncic, who will have the attention of much of the basketball world, let alone the city of Dallas:

A leap of faith.

That’s what Mavericks fans are taking when it comes to prized draft pick Luka Doncic.

He’s 19 years old. He’s been a professional in Europe for four years. He’s been an MVP at that level.

And virtually nobody in Dallas knows anything about him.

All that fans can really do is bank on the wisdom of owner Mark Cuban, president Donnie Nelson and coach Rick Carlisle.

Even a lot of the Mavericks’ players have yet to get a pulse on how good Doncic can be. Though he technically came in a trade with Atlanta, he’s the highest-drafted rookie (third) the franchise has had since Jason Kidd was taken second in 1994. But Kidd was a more known commodity.

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Lack of roster turnover good for Celtics

The Celtics were an excellent squad last season, came close to reaching the NBA Finals, and should have a healthy Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving this season. They kept all their key players, which is huge. Here’s NESN.com reporting what center Aron Baynes said on this topic:

Baynes indicated during a charity appearance Wednesday that the lack of roster turnover this summer could play an important role for the Celtics.

“Last year at this time we were learning peoples’ names; this year we can get into the finer points of the systems that we’re learning,” Baynes said, via Celtics.com. “We’ve still got a bit to learn and a way to go in incorporating the healthy guys back into it, but it’s definitely exciting that we’re starting at this base level compared to where we were last season.”

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Cavs sign guard David Nwaba

The Cleveland Cavaliers signed guard David Nwaba today.

Nwaba (6-4, 219) spent last season with the Chicago Bulls, playing in 70 games (21 starts) and averaging 7.9 points on .478 shooting and 4.7 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per contest. He scored in double figures in 32 games and recorded three double-doubles on the season.

The 6-4 guard out of Cal Poly, who went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft, holds career averages of 7.5 points on .494 shooting and 4.3 rebounds in 22.7 minutes per game during 90 games (23 starts) over two NBA seasons with Chicago and the Los Angeles Lakers. Nwaba also played in 40 games (31 starts) with the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League in 2016-17, averaging 14.1 points on .647 shooting, 6.9 rebounds, 1.35 steals and 1.15 blocks in 28.7 minutes per contest while earning NBA G League All-Defensive Team and NBA G League All-Rookie Team honors.

Nwaba will wear jersey number 12 with the Cavaliers.

Hawks reportedly signing Cole Aldrich

Here’s the latest on center Cole Aldrich, who must work hard to solidify his place in the league beyond the training camp signing reported below by the St Paul Pioneer Press:

Hawks reportedly signing Cole Aldridge

Cole Aldrich is signing a training camp deal with the Atlanta Hawks, he told the Pioneer Press on Thursday.

In a cost-cutting move, the Timberwolves waived the veteran center earlier this offseason after inking Aldrich to a three-year, $21 million deal in 2016. The Bloomington Jefferson standout ended up on the end of the bench last season, playing in just 21 games.

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WNBA: Storm take 1-0 Finals lead vs Mystics

The 2018 WNBA Finals have begun. Here’s NBC Sports Washington on the results of Game 1:

Game 1 of the biggest stage in women’s basketball took place Friday night in Seattle.

Using a healthy 48-32 halftime lead, the Storm cruised to take a 1-0 series hold in the 2018 WNBA Finals defeating the Washington Mystics, 89-76.

Breanna Stewart, Natasha Howard and Jewell Loyd combined to score 60 of the team’s 89 points. The team shot a sizzling 54 percent from the floor.

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And here’s ESPNW.com:

The rim seemed huge for guard Jewell Loyd, who struggled a bit during the semifinals, and center Natasha Howard. And they took advantage of that, going a combined 17 of 21 from the field. Loyd led Seattle in scoring with 23 points. As good as the Mystics’ defense can be — even though we didn’t see it Friday — it’s still a bit of a relief for Loyd that she’s not still facing a defender as pesky as Phoenix’s Briann January…

Howard had 19 points, and MVP Breanna Stewart had 22…

The Storm led by as much as 27 in the third quarter. If this wasn’t their best offensive game on display, it was — at the very least — indicative of how potent a team Seattle is when things are working. Which has been the case most of this season.

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Anthony Davis reportedly parts ways with agent

Anthony Davis is one of the league’s top stars, though his Pelicans squad needs more talent for their win totals to turn anyone’s heads. But on an individual level, Davis has decided to make a change. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis has parted ways with longtime agent Thad Foucher, sources told ESPN.

To officially change agents, players are required to file paperwork with the players’ union and then wait 15 days. Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, who represents LeBron James among others, is a leading contender to represent Davis, sources said.

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Celtics guard Jabari Bird arrested

Here’s Boston.com with an update on new Celtics backup guard Jabari Bird, who probably will receive very few minutes this coming season, but right now has something far bigger to worry about:

Celtics shooting guard Jabari Bird is under arrest and facing charges for an alleged domestic violence incident that took place Friday night in Brighton.

According to the Boston Police Department (BPD), Bird is “currently being guarded” at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. A BPD spokesman said in a statement Saturday morning that the victim involved in the incident was transported to a separate hospital for “treatment of injuries sustained.” Complaints will be sought against Bird for assault and battery 209A, strangulation, and kidnapping.

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Hawks sign R.J. Hunter

The Atlanta Hawks yesterday (Friday) signed guard R.J. Hunter.

Hunter has played in 44 career regular season games (one start) in three seasons with Boston, Chicago and Houston, averaging 2.6 points and 1.0 rebounds in 8.4 minutes.

Last season, he appeared in five contests on a two-way contract for the Rockets, starting one, averaging 3.8 points and 1.0 rebounds in 9.0 minutes. In 45 games (28 starts) with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League, he put up 20.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals in 30.8 minutes (.443 FG%, .377 3FG%, .803 FT%).

Hunter was originally selected in the first round (28th overall) of the 2015 NBA Draft by the Celtics as an early-entry candidate. He was a two-time Sun Belt Player of the Year at Georgia State, where he played under his father, head coach Ron Hunter. He is the Panthers’ all-time scoring leader (1,819) in three seasons.

Hunter is a native of Indianapolis, IN (Pike High School).

Clippers match Pelicans offer sheet, retain Tyrone Wallace

The L.A. Clippers have exercised their right of first refusal and will retain guard Tyrone Wallace.

Per NBA rule, the Clippers had two days to match the offer sheet provided to Wallace by the New Orleans Pelicans.

Wallace spent training camp with Los Angeles before the club’s G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, acquired his returning player rights from the Salt Lake City Stars in October 2017. He spent the early part of the 2017-18 season with Agua Caliente, appearing in 26 games and averaged 22.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. On January 6, Wallace signed a two-way contract with the L.A. Clippers, appearing in 30 games for Los Angeles and averaged 9.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 28.4 minutes.

“We identified Tyrone as a versatile, competitive and tough-minded player who adds to the organizational culture,” said Frank. “Ty worked hard with our staff at Agua Caliente and Los Angeles, and his growth has been a reflection of his commitment to getting better. Together with our team’s player development program, Ty demonstrated impressive improvement and contributed meaningfully to our team last season. We are excited to welcome Ty back to the Clippers.”

A native of Bakersfield, CA, Wallace was selected 60th overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2016 NBA Draft out of the University of California, Berkeley.

On Memphis Grizzlies training camp

The vast majority of NBA training camps have a similar structure. For a quick overview on Grizzlies camp, which like the rest of the league opens later this month, here’s the Memphis Commercial Appeal:

The Memphis Grizzlies will kick off training camp on Sept. 25 in Memphis.

Camp will be held inside FedExForum for the third straight year after being held away from Memphis from 2013-15.

The team’s annual media day is set for Sept. 24, and training camp will run until Sept. 28. On Sept. 29, the Grizzlies will hold an open practice and scrimmage at FedExForum, which will be free to the general public. Fans in attendance will receive vouchers for a Grizzlies preseason game and a Memphis Hustle regular-season game.

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