Inside Hoops – Page 1269 – NBA Blog

Celtics add Ron Adams, Micah Shrewsberry, Walter McCarty to coaching staff

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have added Ron Adams, Micah Shrewsberry, and Walter McCarty to the team as assistant coaches.

Adams, Shrewsberry and McCarty join Jamie Young and Jay Larranaga on Head Coach Brad Stevens’ coaching staff.

“I am really excited about our assistant coaching staff that we have here in Boston,” said Stevens. “In this group, we have successfully assembled a passionate, intelligent, hard-working, and humble staff with a diverse set of experiences in coaching. We are all eager to get to work with this year’s team, and take great pride in being a part of the Boston Celtics organization.”

Adams joins the Celtics after spending the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the Chicago Bulls. He has also had assistant coaching stints with Oklahoma City (2008-10), Chicago (2003-08), Milwaukee (1998-2003), Philadelphia (1996-98) and San Antonio (1992-94). Adams also has served as the player personnel scout for the Portland Trail Blazers from 1996-98. Prior to the NBA, Adams has coached at the collegiate level with his alma mater Fresno Pacific University as well as Cal-Santa Barbara, Fresno State University and Nevada-Las Vegas. He has also coached professional basketball in Belgium, consulted and coached with the Canadian National basketball program and two Japanese professional basketball clubs.

Shrewsberry joins the Celtics after spending three seasons with Purdue University as an assistant coach. He previously has experience with Celtics Head Coach Brad Stevens at Butler University where he served as Butler’s Coordinator of Basketball Operations during the 2007-08 season and was an assistant coach on Stevens’ staff from 2008-11.

McCarty joins Stevens’ staff after re-joining the Celtics prior to the 2012-13 season as a Community Relations Consultant. McCarty was a member of Jim O’Brien’s coaching staff with the Indiana Pacers during the 2010-11 season. He also spent three seasons with the University of Louisville as an assistant coach. McCarty played 10 seasons in the NBA with the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers before he retired after the 2005-06 season.

Corey Brewer feels ready to help Timberwolves

Brewer says he’s worked hard to refine his offensive game. He turned into a big threat in transition while playing the last two seasons in Denver and has become proficient at shooting the corner 3-pointer.

Brewer says he’s a “whole different player” from the one that never quite lived up to the hype as a No. 7 overall pick during his first stint with the Timberwolves.

He also says he’s ready to be a leader on the young team.

Reported by Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press

Former NBA player Kenny Williams sentenced to nine months in prison

Former professional basketball player Kenny Williams has been sentenced to nine months in prison and ordered to pay more than $660,000 in restitution for failing to pay child support.

The 44-year-old Williams was sentenced in federal court in Raleigh on Tuesday.

The U.S. Attorney’s office said Williams earned a salary playing for the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, played overseas and drove luxury cars while his former wife and three children were on welfare.

Reported by the Associated Press

Detroit Pistons sign Josh Harrellson

Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the club has signed free agent forward/center Josh Harrellson to a contract.

Harrellson will provide bench depth in the frontcourt. He will likely play limited minutes for the Pistons.

Harrellson was drafted 45th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets and traded to the New York Knicks on draft night. In 37 games with the Knicks in 2011-12, he averaged 4.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 14.6 minutes. He also saw action in four playoff games where he averaged 2.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per game.

A 6-10, 275-pound native of St. Charles, MO, Harrellson played six games with the Miami HEAT last season and also played in Puerto Rico (Brujos de Guayama) and China (Chongqing Fly Dragon).

Harrellson, 24, played collegiately at the University of Kentucky from 2008-11, reaching the NCAA Final Four in 2011. As a senior, he averaged 7.6 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting 61.1% from the field with the Wildcats.

Lakers will wear short-sleeve jerseys in several games next season

The Los Angeles Lakers have one of the richest histories in the NBA with Hall of Famers and championships galore, but even historic franchises can be fashion forward.

The Lakers will wear short-sleeve jerseys next season in “several” games, according to a team source.

The jerseys will be white, the same color as the alternative uniforms the Lakers introduced for the 2002-03 season and traditionally wear on Sundays.

The Golden State Warriors were the first team to wear the adizero short-sleeve jerseys designed by adidas last season.

Reported by Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles

Celtics games will no longer air on WEEI

With less than two months until the NBA preseason tips off, the Boston Celtics have become radio nomads.

Entercom Communications announced Tuesday that Celtics games will no longer be carried on their WEEI and WRKO stations after an agreement could not be reached on a new contract. The stations had been the radio home of the Celtics since 2005.

“WEEI has had an incredible run with the Boston Celtics, from being a part of their 17th championship banner to the end of the Big 3 era,” Entercom Boston vice president/market manager Jeff Brown said in a statement.

Reported by Zack Cox of NESN

Charlotte Bobcats sign Anthony Tolliver

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced yesterday that the team has signed free agent forward Anthony Tolliver.

“Anthony is a quality young big man who will add depth to our front line,” Higgins said. “We are glad to add a player of his caliber to our roster.”

The 6-8 Tolliver is a veteran of five NBA seasons, having played in 243 career games for the Spurs, Trail Blazers, Warriors, Timberwolves and Hawks. He has career averages of 6.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 19.9 minutes, while shooting .413 from the field (506-1225), .325 from beyond the three-point line (176-542) and .782 from the free-throw line (298-391).

Tolliver played in 62 games last season with the Hawks, averaging 4.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 15.5 minutes. He shot .380 from the field (82-216), .338 from beyond the three-point line (45-133) and a career-best .863 from the free-throw line (44-51). Tolliver also saw action in six playoff games for Atlanta, averaging 4.0 points on .571 shooting from the field (8-14) and .636 three-point shooting (7-11), to go with 1.5 rebounds, in 11.3 minutes.

Cleveland Cavaliers sign all their 2013 NBA Draft picks

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced today that the team has signed all of their 2013 NBA Draft picks, Anthony Bennett, Sergey Karasev and Carrick Felix, to contracts.

Bennett (6-8, 240, forward) was the first overall pick in the June draft and first-ever Canadian selected #1 in the history of the NBA. An early entry candidate from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), Bennett starred for Canada’s junior national teams and was the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year.

Karasev (6-7, 203, guard/forward) was selected 19th overall and led Russia to the Gold Medal in the World University Games in Kazan, Russia.

Felix (6-6, 210, guard/forward) was the third pick of the second round (33rd overall) following a senior season at Arizona State that earned him second-team All-Pac 12 honors and a spot on the Pac 12 All-Defensive team.

Utah Jazz hire Justin Zanik as assistant general manager

The Utah Jazz announced today that the organization has named Justin Zanik as the team’s assistant general manager. In this newly created position, Zanik will participate in all areas of day-to-day management of the team. Zanik is expected to assume his new role on September 1.

“Justin possesses an extensive amount of international experience, an intimate knowledge of the collective bargaining agreement and a noted ability to work with players, agents and NBA management,” said Utah Jazz General Manager Dennis Lindsey. “He is a high-character individual with a strong work ethic and will be a tremendous addition to the Jazz basketball operations staff. I am very happy to welcome Justin, his wife, Gina, and their children to the Jazz family.”
A National Basketball Players Association certified agent since 2003, Zanik has been involved in all aspects of athlete representation for the past 15 years. He comes to the Jazz from ASM Sports, where he has served as Vice President of the Andy Miller-led agency since 2004. Zanik oversaw all aspects of career management for ASM’s basketball clients, ranging from contract negotiations to career planning and client services, including the creation of marketing opportunities and community initiatives. He was also an integral part of all of ASM’s contract and statistical analysis during preparation for free agency, and also developed and customized ASM’s pre-draft training, interview and workout programs.

Prior to joining ASM, Zanik spent four years as Vice President of Basketball Operations for Priority Sports & Entertainment from 1998 to 2002, where he managed European player contract negotiations and assisted in negotiation, research and recruitment of Priority’s NBA clients.

Zanik graduated from Northwestern University in 1998 with a degree in Economics.

Brooklyn Nets announce their assistant coaches

The Brooklyn Nets have added John Welch, Joe Prunty and Charles Klask to Jason Kidd’s staff as assistant coaches, General Manager Billy King announced today. The three new hires round out the coaching staff which also includes Lawrence Frank, Roy Rogers and Eric Hughes.

In addition, the Nets have named Jim Sann as advance scout.

Welch joins the Nets following eight seasons as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets under George Karl. Before joining the Nuggets, Welch spent two seasons as an assistant coach/workout coach for the Memphis Grizzlies. Prior to his arrival in Memphis, he spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Fresno State, serving under head coach Jerry Tarkanian. Welch joined Fresno State in 1995 and helped the Bulldogs to two consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, six consecutive 20-win seasons and seven straight postseason appearances. Welch began his coaching career with a three-year stint as a graduate assistant at UNLV, including when they advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1986-87. When the Rebels’ season ended, Welch also served as a player and coach in the New Zealand Professional Basketball League from 1986-89. Welch then served as an assistant coach under Seth Greenberg at Long Beach State from 1993-95. As a player, Welch spent three seasons at the University of Nevada, Reno and transferred to UNLV for his senior year. Welch played under Tarkanian for one year when the Rebels compiled a 33-5 record and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

Prunty enters his 18th NBA season and 22nd overall in coaching, most recently serving as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers for three seasons after joining the club in July 2010. Prior to his stint in Cleveland, Prunty was an assistant coach during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, after serving three seasons (2005-08) with the Dallas Mavericks as an assistant. He spent the previous nine seasons with the San Antonio Spurs where he won NBA Championships in 1999, 2003 and 2005. The Sunnyvale, Ca. native played collegiately at De Anza College in Cupertino, CA and is a 1991 graduate of California Poly San Luis Obispo.

Charles Klask joins the Nets following two seasons as an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons, where his responsibilities included game-plan preparation, statistical analysis and scouting. Prior to his stint in Detroit, Klask was on the staff of the Orlando Magic from 2002-2011, where he worked as a video coordinator, advance scout and the last three years as the scouting information manager. Klask began his NBA career with the Pistons in 2001, when he served as a video intern before being named the video coordinator of the Detroit Shock of the WNBA. A native of Livonia, MI, Klask is a graduate of Michigan State University.

Sann begins his second stint with the Nets organization, previously serving as assistant coach/coaching associate from 2005-06 to 2009-10, before joining the Chicago Bulls as an assistant coach/video coordinator the following season. Prior to the Nets, Sann was the advanced scout for the Houston Rockets during the 2004-05 season and served as an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors in 2003-04. He began his professional basketball career with the New York Knicks organization, holding various positions over 11 seasons, eventually rising to director of basketball administration. The Larchmont, NY native graduated from the University of Colorado in 1991.