Inside Hoops – Page 1291 – NBA Blog

Chicago Bulls waive forward Malcolm Thomas

The Chicago Bulls announced today that they have waived forward Malcolm Thomas.

Thomas (6-9, 225) appeared in seven games during the 2012-13 season with Chicago, and averaged 2.5 ppg in 8.4 mpg.

According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, “Thomas, who averaged 2.5 points in seven games last season for the Bulls, signed a contract that would’ve become guaranteed for $250,000 on Wednesday had he not been waived. With the Bulls in the luxury tax, his guaranteed money would’ve cost the Bulls more at the end of next season. The Bulls have 12 players under contract and remain in the hunt for veteran center Marcus Camby, along with the Heat and Rockets. If Thomas doesn’t sign with another team, he could be invited back to Bulls’ camp. However, his chances of making the regular-season roster always were a longshot.”

Carlos Boozer recommended Utah Jazz to John Lucas III

Among the reasons John Lucas III ended up as a member of the Utah Jazz were a long-term relationship with Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey and good reviews of the organization and city from none other than former Jazzman Carlos Boozer.

Lucas was introduced Monday afternoon at EnergySolutions Arena as the latest Jazz signee. Terms of the contract were not released. Lucas has played parts of five seasons in the NBA since leaving Oklahoma State, most recently with the Toronto Raptors in 2012-13.

The soft-spoken 30-year-old had some options as a free agent, but chose Utah after talking with his father, John II, a former NBA star and coach, Lindsey, and a couple of his former Chicago Bulls’ teammates — Boozer and Ronnie Brewer.

Reported by Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News

Kings taking a look at Greg Oden

As long as center Greg Oden can still walk — and even if he can’t — there’s going to be some NBA interest in him. Talented big men like him are too good to not glance at.

The Kings will have representatives in Indianapolis to watch a workout with free agent center Greg Oden on Tuesday.

New Orleans will reportedly also attend the workout.

Oden, the first overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft has played in just 82 games in his career due to injuries.

Reported by Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (Blog)

I won’t be surprised if Oden winds up back in the NBA next season. On a very nonguaranteed contract.

Coach Krzyzewski begins quest for third straight gold

Ten months after Colangelo first saw that gleam return to Krzyzewski’s eye, and two months after the coach made his return official, the two men are back to work at a four-day camp that began Monday. As Krzyzewski sat down in a chair outside a meeting room at the Wynn resort with a red polo and the USA logo on the left breast, he said he spent most of Duke’s college season last year fully convinced he wouldn’t be back for a run at a third gold.

“Throughout the year I did not think I would be coaching (Team USA),” Krzyzewski told The Associated Press before the camp kicked off. “I just felt that that wasn’t going to happen. But then after discussions, not just talking with Jerry, but my staff and my family, to be given that opportunity again, it’s something I’m really excited about and feel very honored and privileged to have that opportunity.”

When Krzyzewski leads the Americans at the Rio Olympics in 2016, he’ll join Henry Iba as the only coaches in U.S. history to coach in three Olympics. Together with Colangelo, Krzyzewski has changed the culture of USA Basketball and restored some sense of pride, professionalism and prestige to a brand that was tarnished after a bronze medal finish in Athens in 2004.

Reported by Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press

Karl Malone is helping Derrick Favors bulk up mentally

Even with an undeniable new layer of muscle, Derrick Favors has a long way to go to catch his newest mentor in terms of bulk. That’s because almost any NBA would have a long way to go to catch Favors’ newest mentor in terms of bulk. That, in turn, is because his newest mentor is Karl Malone.

Favors, the projected started power forward for the Jazz, has spent nearly two months working out daily alongside the No. 2 scorer in NBA history.

No, Favors has not taken to running sprints with parachutes tied to his waist.

Not yet, anyhow.

The two Jazz big men are working primarily on a different muscle, Favors said.

“He just taught me just a lot of mental stuff,” he said. “During workouts we’re just talking. He was just showing me things here and there, that everything was mostly mental.”

Reported by Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune

Warriors beat Suns in first-ever NBA Summer League championship game

The third-seeded Phoenix Suns fell to the top-seeded Golden State Warriors 91-77 in the inaugural NBA Summer League championship game.

Ian Clark led the Warriors in scoring with 33 points off the bench and won the Most Valuable Player award of the championship game. Clark averaged just nine points a game going into Monday’s contest.

The Suns were down only four going into the fourth quarter before the Warriors took control of the game.

Suns first round draft pick Archie Goodwin continued his good play in the summer league by leading the team with 18 points on 6-11 shooting.

Marcus Morris scored 17 points on 7-15 shooting with two three-pointers, while Markieff Morris added 10 points and seven rebounds, but shot 3-11.

Reported by Jeffrey Sanders of Arizona Sports

Mavs set to welcome new GM

The Mavericks missed out on the Dwight Howard sweepstakes, but they’ve just snagged a key member of the welcoming party that brought Howard to Houston.

Gersson Rosas, the Rockets’ executive vice president of basketball operations, has agreed to become the Mavericks’ new general manager, owner Mark Cuban confirmed.

Rosas will take the title from Donnie Nelson, who will retain his role as president of basketball operations.

“We try to take pride in being one of the most technologically advanced teams out there in all of professional sports, not just the NBA,” Cuban told “ESPN” KESN-FM (103.3).

Reported by Corbett Smith of the Dallas Morning News (Blog)

Jonas Valanciunas wins 2013 NBA Summer League MVP award

The National Basketball Associated announced Monday that Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas has been named Most Valuable Player of the NBA Summer League 2013, as selected by a panel of media members.

Valanciunas averaged 18.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 29.3 minutes in four outings. He shot .561 (23-41) from the field and .879 (29-33) from the foul line. He recorded highs of 23 points in Toronto’s opener versus Miami and 13 rebounds in a victory over San Antonio. Valanciunas scored in double figures in all four games and posted two double-doubles.

Valanciunas was joined by Kent Bazemore (Golden State), John Henson (Milwaukee), Jeff Taylor (Charlotte) and Cody Zeller (Charlotte) as members of the All-NBA Summer League 2013 Team. The team, which consisted of two frontcourt players and three backcourt players, was selected by journalists.

Valanciunas earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honours as he averaged 8.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 23.9 minutes in 62 games this past season. He was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for March, averaging 11.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and shooting .620 from the field in 15 games.

Clippers sign center Byron Mullens

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have signed free agent center Byron Mullens.

Mullens, 24, joins the Clippers after spending the last two seasons in Charlotte, where he averaged a career-high 10.6 points and 6.4 rebounds in 53 games (41 starts) in 2012-13. The Ohio native has appeared in 144 total games in four NBA seasons with Charlotte (2011-2013) and Oklahoma City (2009-2011) and brings career averages of 8.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 21.1 minutes per game to Los Angeles.

Originally drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the 24th pick in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft, Mullens was acquired by the Thunder on draft night and played in 26 total games for Oklahoma City before being traded to Charlotte on Dec. 19, 2011 in exchange for a 2013 draft pick.

The 7-foot Mullens played one season at Ohio State University, earning a spot on the 2008-09 Big 10 All-Freshman Team as well as winning the 2008-09 Big Ten 6th Man Of The Year Award for averaging 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game.

A star at Canal Winchester High School in Ohio, Mullens was a member of the 2008 McDonald’s All-American Team.

Last season, Mullens set career-highs in 3-pointers made (66), attempted (208) and percentage (.317) despite missing a stretch of 19 games from December 22 – February 4 with a left ankle injury. He also established new career-highs in total rebounds (337) and assists (81) with the Bobcats in 2012-13.

Toronto Raptors sign guard D.J. Augustin

The Toronto Raptors announced Monday they have signed free-agent point guard D.J. Augustin (aug-us-TEEN).

“Adding a young, experienced point guard to our roster was one of our objectives going into this off-season,” said Raptors President and General Manager, Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri. “D.J. will provide experience and give us depth in the backcourt.”

Augustin, 6-foot, 183 pounds, has appeared in 358 regular-season games (with 147 starts) posting averages of 9.6 points, 4.0 assists and 24.5 minutes. He is shooting .872 at the free throw line, which ranks 13th in the NBA over the last five seasons.

Augustin arrives in Toronto following one season at Indiana where he averaged 4.7 points, 2.2 assists and 16.1 minutes in 76 regular-season games. He also appeared in 19 playoff games for the Pacers, reaching double-digits in points four times, including a 16-point performance May 5 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals versus New York.

A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Augustin was drafted ninth overall by Charlotte in the 2008 NBA Draft. He scored a career-high 31 points January 20, 2011 versus Philadelphia and finished the 2010-11 season averaging a career-best 14.4 points. Augustin was named to the All-Rookie Second Team during the 2008-09 season after averaging 11.8 points and 3.5 assists.

Augustin earned consensus first-team All-American honours and first-team All-Big 12 honours during his two-year collegiate career at the University of Texas. He was the recipient of the 2008 Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard and was a finalist for the Naismith and Wooden Awards.