Inside Hoops – Page 263 – NBA Blog

Thunder add Rob Edwards and DJ Wilson to training camp

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed guard Rob Edwards and forward DJ Wilson.

The deals are for training camp purposes.

Edwards (6-5, 205) spent last season with the Oklahoma City Blue and in 15 games (3 starts), averaged 12.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 21.3 minutes per game on 44.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Wilson (6-10, 231) split the 2020-21 season between the Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets and appeared in 35 games (one start) and averaged 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game. In 142 career NBA games (five starts), he has averaged 4.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per game.

Thunder add Mamadi Diakite, waive Charlie Brown Jr.

The Oklahoma City Thunder yesterday claimed forward Mamadi Diakite off waivers from the Milwaukee Bucks.

And in a separate transaction, the Thunder waived guard Charlie Brown Jr.

Diakite (6-9, 218) appeared in 14 games (one start) last season with the Bucks and averaged 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds in 10.1 minutes. Additionally, Diakite saw action in 12 G League games (three starts) during the 2020-21 season as a member of the Lakeland Magic where he registered averages of 18.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.08 blocks in 27.7 minutes.

A native of Guinea, Diakite played alongside Thunder guard Ty Jerome on the 2019 Virginia Cavaliers’ NCAA National Championship team.

Knicks sign Wayne Selden Jr.

The New York Knicks have signed guard/forward Wayne Selden Jr.

The signing is probably a non-guaranteed deal that merely brings Selden Jr. to Knicks training camp.

Selden, 6-5, 230-pounds, holds career averages of 7.3 points, two rebounds, 1.5 assists over 19.1 minutes in 124 career games (27 starts) with New Orleans, Memphis, and Chicago. He played in six games in August for the Knicks Summer League entry in Las Vegas, NV, averaging 6.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists over 16.4 minutes.

The Roxbury, MA-native last played in the NBA in 2018-19 for Memphis and Chicago, averaging 6.9 points and 2.4 rebounds over 19.2 minutes in 75 games. He went unselected in the 2016 NBA Draft after playing three years collegiately at the University of Kansas. As a Jayhawk, he was named to the 2016 All-Big 12 Second Team following his junior season after averaging 13.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists over 29.9 minutes in 38 games.

The Knicks roster currently stands at 20 players.

G League: Long Island Nets hire James Maye, Jimmie Oakman, Lance Harris as assistant coaches

The Long Island Nets, the NBA G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets, have named James Maye, Jimmie Oakman and Lance Harris as assistant coaches on Head Coach Adam Caporn’s staff.

Maye joins Long Island after spending the 2019-20 season as an assistant coach with the NBA G League’s Greensboro Swarm. He previously spent one season (2018-19) as an assistant coach with NBA G League’s Capital City Go-Go. Prior to beginning his coaching career, Maye played 14 professional seasons (2003-17), mainly overseas and for one season (2006-07) in the NBA G League with the Dakota Wizards. He also played five collegiate seasons (1998-03) at UNC Greensboro, where he currently ranks fifth all-time in scoring with 1,574 career points, and later earned a Master of Business Administration from the American College of Thessaloniki in Greece.

Oakman will enter his fourth season with the Long Island Nets and his second as assistant coach. He originally joined the Long Island staff ahead of the 2018-19 season as head video coordinator and served in the same role the following season with added player development responsibilities. Prior to working with the Nets, Oakman spent three seasons (2015-18) as Boston University’s director of basketball operations and one season (2014-15) as the team’s special assistant and director of advance scouting. The University of Massachusetts Amherst graduate also previously served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for three seasons (2011-14) at Daniel Webster College in Nashua, N.H.

Harris joins Long Island after spending the 2020-21 season with the Brooklyn Nets as a video seasonal assistant. He previously spent one season (2019-20) as an assistant coach at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo. Prior to beginning his career in basketball operations, Harris played professionally overseas for more than a decade (2007-19) in Slovenia, France, Turkey, Russia, Italy, Ukraine and Greece following four collegiate seasons (2003-07) at Kansas State.

Spurs hire Manu Ginobili as Special Advisor to Basketball Operations

The San Antonio Spurs today announced additions and promotions within the team’s basketball operations staff.

In the Spurs medical and performance group, Xavi Schelling has been named Director of Player Performance & Wellness, while Marilyn Adams is now Director of Performance Therapy. Logan Sullivan joins the Spurs as Senior Performance Therapist, while Brendan Bowman is now Assistant Athletic Trainer & Recovery Coordinator. Hillary Cauthen comes to San Antonio as Performance Psychologist, while Ryan Curtis has been named Sports Science Coordinator, Jesse Wang becomes Assistant Performance Coach and Chasity Chov is now Medical Assistant II.

In the Spurs front office, Manu Ginobili has been named Special Advisor to Basketball Operations and Josh Ryan is now Senior Front End Developer.

San Antonio’s coaching staff now includes Willis Hall as Player Development Assistant, Sean Sheldon as Head Video Coordinator and Josh Brannon as Assistant Video Coordinator.

In Spurs operations, Cory Johnson has been named Director of Team Operations and Ricki Dean joins San Antonio as Player Engagement & Family Services Manager.

Schelling moves to Director of Player Performance & Wellness after spending the last five seasons as the team’s Director of Sports Science and Athletic Performance. He enters his eighth season with the Spurs overall since starting as Applied Sports Scientist in 2014. Prior to joining San Antonio, he served as the Director of Athletic Performance from 2006-14 for Bàsquet Manresa, a Spanish team in the 1st Division of the ACB Spanish League. He has also worked as the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Spanish National Basketball Team at the 2014 U20 European Championship.

Adams has been elevated to Director of Performance Therapy after joining the Spurs in 2014 as Director of Rehabilitation. Prior to arriving in San Antonio, she worked independently with various elite athletes and served as the Team Physiotherapist for Triathlon Canada at the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London. In addition, the University of Alberta graduate spent 2009-14 on the FIS Snowboard World Cup Tour with the Canada Snowboard Team.

Sullivan comes to San Antonio after spending the last four seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers as the team’s Physical Therapist. Prior to entering the NBA, he spent three years at EXOS, a human performance company in Phoenix, where he worked individually with professional athletes from the four U.S. major sports leagues, the PGA Tour and Olympians. A former football player at Butler, Sullivan graduated from BU with a bachelor’s degree in biology in 2011 before earning a doctorate in physical therapy from Northern Arizona in 2015.

Bowman moves to Assistant Athletic Trainer & Recovery Coordinator after spending the last four seasons with San Antonio, most recently as Assistant Athletic Trainer last year. Prior to last year, he spent his first three seasons in Silver and Black as a Medical Systems Assistant and Medical Quality Assurance Assistant. Bowman also spent a season as the Athletic Trainer for the Birmingham Squadron, formerly the Erie BayHawks, of the NBA G League in 2016-17. Bowman earned a master’s degree from Minot State in 2016 after graduating from Washington State in 2014.

Cauthen joins the Spurs with 13 years of experience applying mental skills training. She co-founded Blu Chip Analytics in 2017 and Living Mental Wellness in 2018 in Austin. Cauthen has served as Director of Performance Services at Texas Optimal Performance & Psychological Services since 2015 and was elected to the executive board of the Association of Applied Sport Psychology in 2018. A former Division I track and field athlete at the University of New Hampshire and Miami of Ohio, Cauthen earned both a master’s and PsyD in clinical psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles.

Curtis transitions to Sports Science Coordinator after spending the last two seasons as Athletic Performance Data Manager for the Spurs. He was the Director of Athlete Performance and Safety at the Korey Stringer Institute (University of Connecticut) after working as a strength coach and athletic trainer for the US Marine Corps, US Tennis Association and privately for professional tennis players on the ATP/WTA World Tour. Curtis graduated with a bachelor’s degree in athletic training from Culver-Stockton College in 2006, finished a master’s degree in kinesiology from Kansas State in 2009 and earned a PhD in exercise science from UConn in 2019.

Wang elevates to Assistant Performance Coach after spending the last two seasons as Sports Science Quality Assurance Assistant for San Antonio. He started with the organization in 2018 as Athletic Performance Quality Assurance Assistant for the Austin Spurs. Prior to joining the Silver and Black, Wang spent a season with the Cincinnati Bengals as Strength and Conditioning Fellow after earning a bachelor’s degree in human physiology from Oregon and working as a Sports Science Assistant with the Ducks football team.

Chov becomes San Antonio’s Medical Assistant II after spending last season as the Austin Spurs Assistant Athletic Trainer. Prior to joining the Spurs in 2020, she served as the University of Nevada’s Associate Director of Sports Medicine in 2019-20, working with the men’s basketball team. Chov earned a master’s degree from Michigan State in 2019 while working with the Spartans football and men’s basketball teams and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in athletic training from the University of Texas at Austin in 2017.

Ginobili returns to the Spurs following a 16-year playing career with San Antonio where he helped the Silver and Black capture four NBA championships. The Spurs all-time leader in three-pointers made (1,495) and steals (1,392), his career winning percentage of .721 is the best in NBA history (min. 1,000 games). A native of Argentina and 23-year professional, Ginobili is one of only two players in the history of basketball to win a EuroLeague title, an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal.

Ryan becomes Senior Front End Developer after spending the last four seasons as Front End Developer. Prior to joining San Antonio, he served as Web Developer for Axis Maps from 2013-17 while earning a master’s degree in geographic information systems from Penn State. After graduating from Wheaton College with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 2007, Ryan worked with the Free Burma Rangers doing humanitarian relief work in Thailand, later providing cartographic and IT support to various relief agencies throughout Southeast Asia.

Hall becomes the Spurs Player Development Assistant after spending the last three seasons as Video Coordinator. He enters his sixth season in San Antonio after starting with the team as a Quality Assurance Assistant in the video department in 2016. Prior to joining San Antonio, Hall played professionally for two seasons in Portugal and Luxembourg. The Charlotte native played four seasons at the College of Charleston, appearing in 137 games in his career from 2009-14.

Brannon becomes the Spurs Assistant Video Coordinator after spending the last two seasons as a Quality Assurance Assistant in the video department. Prior to joining the Spurs in 2019, he coached at Shawnee Mission East High School from 2016-18. The Houston native played at Southwestern Community College and Panola Junior College before spending his final three seasons at Rockhurst University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business communication in 2016. Brannon also worked in basketball camps for the Spurs Sports Academy since 2010, serving as a Camp Director from 2016-19.

Sheldon moves into the Head Video Coordinator position after spending last season as Assistant Video Coordinator for the Spurs. He enters his fourth season in San Antonio following his start in 2018 as a Quality Assurance Assistant in the video department. Sheldon joined the Silver and Black after serving as a graduate assistant at Michigan State while earning his master’s degree in 2017-18. Prior to entering coaching, he played professionally in Switzerland in 2016-17 after a four-year career at William and Mary, where he appeared in 111 games for the Tribe from 2012-16.

Johnson is now the Spurs Director of Team Operations after spending the last three seasons as Team Equipment and Travel Manger. Prior to joining San Antonio, he spent six seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves as assistant equipment manager from 2012-18. Prior to entering the NBA, he served as an assistant coach for one season at University of Mary after earning a master’s degree in sports management from Western Illinois University in 2011.

Dean joins San Antonio as the team’s Player Engagement & Family Services Manager after spending the last six years at the National Basketball Players Association as Associate Manager of Strategic Engagement & Development. At the NBPA, she was responsible for player engagement, crisis management and managing the ICONic Program, a transitional support program for players drafted under the age of 21. Dean received a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2011 and a master’s from Georgetown University in 2012.

MarJon Beauchamp signs in G League with the Ignite

MarJon Beauchamp, a former four-star recruit, has signed with NBA G League Ignite, NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim announced today.

Beauchamp joins an Ignite roster that features top young standouts Jaden Hardy, Michael Foster Jr., Scoot Henderson and Dyson Daniels. The team is coached by former NBA player Jason Hart.

“I chose the Ignite path because I know it’s going to prepare me both on and off the court,” Beauchamp said. “It’s a great opportunity to showcase my skills while staying humble and learning what it takes to be a professional.”

Beauchamp played at Yakima Valley College, where he averaged 30.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting 52.5 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from three-point range in 12 games.

Ignite is coming off a successful inaugural season that produced NBA Lottery picks Jalen Green (No. 2 overall, Houston Rockets) and Jonathan Kuminga (No. 7 overall, Golden State Warriors). This year’s team will make its official debut Friday, Nov. 5 against the South Bay Lakers to tip off the 2021 NBA G League Showcase Cup.

Hawks sign Johnny Hamilton, A.J. Lawson, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Jahlil Okafor

The Atlanta Hawks have signed Johnny Hamilton, A.J. Lawson, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Jahlil Okafor.

It’s assumed that these deals are non-guaranteed contracts that merely bring the players to Hawks training camp.

Hamilton, a 7’0 center, played in 13 games last season with Fenerbahce in Turkey before being loaned to Mornar Bar (Montenegro) for the remainder of the season. He finished his college career at UT-Arlington in 2017-18 after two seasons at Jacksonville College and two at Virginia Tech. As a graduate student at UTA, Hamilton averaged 11.1 points and 8.1 rebounds in 23.4 minutes (.629 FG%, .664 FT%) in 34 contests (31 starts). Hamilton has also spent time with the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA G League and Darussafaka in Turkey.

Lawson, a 6’6 guard who participated for the Hawks in the 2021 NBA Summer League, played three seasons at South Carolina. As a junior in 2020-21, he averaged 16.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.2 assists in 31.3 minutes, earning second team All-SEC honors. Over his three-year career at USC, the 6’6 guard put in 14.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals in 30.0 minutes in 81 contests (80 starts). The native of Brampton, Ontario has competed for Canada’s men’s national under-19 team.

Luwawu-Cabarrot, a 6’7 guard/forward, played in 58 games (seven starts) for the Brooklyn Nets last season, averaging 6.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 18.1 minutes. He has appeared in 276 career contests (42 starts) in five seasons with Philadelphia, Oklahoma City and Brooklyn, putting up 6.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 16.6 minutes. The native of Cannes, France has also played in 11 career postseason contests with averages of 6.5 points and 1.6 rebounds in 14.2 minutes. He was originally selected by the 76ers in the first round (24th overall) of the 2016 NBA Draft. He also has played internationally with Antibes (France) and Mega Leks (Serbia). Luwawu-Cabarrot won a silver medal as part of the French Olympic team last month. His name is pronounced TEAM-oh-tay loo-WA-woo cab-uh-RO.

Okafor, a 6’11 center, played in 27 games (two starts) for the Detroit Pistons last season and averaged 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 12.9 minutes (.618 FG%, .708 FT%). In 247 career regular season contests (116 starts) with Philadelphia, New Orleans, Brooklyn and Detroit, he has compiled 10.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 19.5 minutes (.542 FG%, .676 FT%). He was an NBA All-Rookie First Team selection in 2016. The third overall pick by the 76ers in 2015, Okafor helped Duke to a 35-4 mark and the 2015 national championship, averaging 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.4 blocks, finishing second in the nation in FG% (.664). He was a consensus First Team All-American and ACC Player of the Year following his freshman season.

Timberwolves part ways with President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas

Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor released the following statement:

“Today, the Minnesota Timberwolves parted ways with President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas. As an organization, we remain committed to building a winning team that our fans and city can be proud of.”

Per the Minneapolis Star Tribune, “Sachin Gupta will assume day-to-day operations on the basketball side while keeping his title as executive vice president of basketball operations. The team, which gave no reason for the sudden dismissal, will hold a search for a permanent replacement for Rosas.”

And more from the Star Tribune: “Taylor made the call to fire Rosas, sources close to the team said, in conjunction with new owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, who are on a path to become controlling owners in 2023.”

Cavaliers sign Denzel Valentine

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Denzel Valentine.

Valentine (6-5, 218) appeared in 62 games (three starts) for the Chicago Bulls this past season, averaging 6.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in 16.7 minutes. He scored in double figures on 21 occasions, including a career-best seven straight double-digit scoring performances from Feb. 3-15. Over four NBA seasons, all with the Bulls, Valentine has played in 232 regular season games (45 starts) with career averages of 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 19.8 minutes. His 342 three-pointers rank 13th all-time in Bulls franchise history. Additionally, Valentine played in four postseason games for Chicago in the 2017 NBA Playoffs.

The 27-year-old guard was originally drafted by Chicago with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft after a four-year career at Michigan State, where he became the first player in school history to be named Player of the Year by the Associated Press during his senior year. Valentine also earned college player of the year awards from the NABC, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports, and Basketball Times while garnering a unanimous First-Team All-American selection in 2016.

G League: Cleveland Charge name Dan Geriot new head coach

The Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League, downtown Cleveland’s newest professional sports team playing home games at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center, announced today that Dan Geriot has been promoted to become the fifth Head Coach in Charge team history.

Coach Geriot joins the Charge after spending the last six seasons in various roles on the staff for our own Cleveland Cavaliers.

“This is a very exciting day for the Cleveland Charge and I’m looking forward to having someone of Dan’s experience and innovative approach step in as head coach of this team,” said Charge General Manager Brendon Yu. “During his tenure with the Cavaliers, Dan displayed a unique ability to build strong relationships with players and assisted with their overall development both on and off the court. I’m confident that he will be able to bring that same passion and commitment to the Charge.”

“Dan has been an integral part of my coaching staff for a little over two years and I’m extremely happy for the opportunity presented to him to lead the Charge,” said Cavaliers Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “His work ethic and commitment to the organization confirms his desire to coach the game at the highest levels of competition. The continuity this move provides also creates a seamless transition across the entirety of our player development program here in Cleveland between the Charge and the Cavaliers. I’m looking forward to watching Dan help those young men achieve their basketball goals.”

Geriot has been a Cavaliers Assistant Coach since the 2019-20 season, where he was responsible for assisting and reporting directly to Cavaliers Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff along with scouting upcoming opponents and presenting game plans, as well as the individual development for the frontcourt players. Geriot was previously an assistant video coordinator/coaching assistant with the Cavs from 2016-18 and was a seasonal video coordinator with the team for the 2015-16 championship season. Prior to joining the Cavs, Geriot was with Campbell University as an assistant coach from 2013-15 and was with Princeton University as an assistant coach from 2011-13. The Springfield, Pennsylvania native has a degree in political science and history from the University of Richmond, where he played four collegiate seasons and led the Spiders to two NCAA tournaments in 2010 (First Round) and 2011 (Sweet 16).

All four previous Charge Head Coaches have ended their tenure with NBA call-ups: Alex Jensen (Utah), Jordi Fernandez (Denver), Steve Hetzel (Charlotte), and Nate Reinking (Cleveland).