Inside Hoops – Page 264 – NBA Blog

Utah Jazz sign guard Justin James to two-way contract

The Utah Jazz have signed guard Justin James to a two-way contract.

James (6-6, 190, Wyoming) owns career averages of 3.2 points on 44.6 percent from the field in 72 games with the Sacramento Kings. Last season, James averaged 3.9 points on 46.8 percent shooting. He was originally selected with the 40th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by Sacramento.

The Port Saint Lucie, Fla., native was a four-year player at Wyoming, where as a senior in 2018-19, he averaged 22.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals in 38.2 minutes per game. He was named to the 2018-19 All-Mountain West Second Team, 2017-18 All-Mountain West First Team and 2016-17 All-Mountain West Third Team during his collegiate career.

Raptors sign Svi Mykhailiuk

The Toronto Raptors have signed guard-forward Svi Mykhailiuk to a multi-year contract and forward Reggie Perry.

Mykhailiuk, 6-foot-8, 205 pounds, averaged 8.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 20.1 minutes in 66 games (14 starts) with Detroit and Oklahoma City last season. He shot .411 (208-506) from the field and .334 (105-314) from three-point range. Mykhailiuk scored in double figures 27 times, including 20 or more twice, and had a season-high 22 points March 31 against the Raptors.

A native of Cherkasy, Ukraine, Mykhailiuk was picked in the second round (47th overall) by the LA Lakers in the 2018 NBA Draft. He owns career averages of 7.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 18.5 minutes in 164 NBA games with Los Angeles, Detroit and Oklahoma City. Mykhailiuk played collegiately at Kansas (2014-18), where he broke the Jayhawks’ single-season record for three-pointers made (115) and earned All-Big 12 Second Team honours as a senior.

Perry, 6-foot-10, 250 pounds, was selected in the second round (57th overall) by the LA Clippers in the 2020 NBA Draft and his rights were traded to Brooklyn in a three-team deal with Detroit. In 26 games as a rookie with the Nets last season, he posted averages of 3.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 8.1 minutes. Perry scored in double figure three times and recorded his lone double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds Jan. 29 at Oklahoma City. He also appeared in five postseason games for Brooklyn, and averaged 18.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 28.8 minutes in 15 contests with the Long Island Nets in the NBA G League.

A native of Thomasville, Georgia, Perry played two collegiate seasons (2018-20) at Mississippi State, where he earned consensus All-SEC First Team honours from the coaches and media and was named the SEC’s Co-Player of the Year by the Associated Press as a sophomore.

Orlando Magic sign forward Admiral Schofield

The Orlando Magic have signed free agent forward Admiral Schofield.

The contract is likely a non-guaranteed deal that merely brings Schofield to Magic training camp, which begins on Tuesday, September 28 at Amway Center.

Schofield (6’5”, 240, 3/30/97) played in 14 games last season (11 starts) with Greensboro of the NBA G League, averaging 10.1 ppg., 5.7 rpg. and 2.1 apg. in 26.2 minpg.

Originally selected in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2019 NBA Draft by Philadelphia, Schofield has played in 33 career NBA regular season games (two starts) with Washington, averaging 3.0 ppg. and 1.4 rpg. in 11.2 minpg. He has also appeared in 47 career NBA G League regular season games (44 starts) with both Capital City and Greensboro, averaging 14.2 ppg., 5.5 rpg. and 2.1 apg. in 29.5 minpg.

Schofield played in 132 career games (94 starts) during four seasons at the University of Tennessee (2015-19), averaging 11.9 ppg., 5.3 rpg. and 1.3 apg. in 24.9 minpg., while shooting .387 (184-476) from three-point range. As a senior (2018-19), he played and started in 37 games, averaging 16.5 ppg., 6.1 rpg. and 2.0 apg. in 31.7 minpg., while shooting .418 (74-177) from three-point range. He was named to the All-SEC First Team by the conference coaches, earned All-SEC Tournament Team honors and was also an honorable mention All-American by Associated Press. As a junior (2017-18), Schofield was named to the All-SEC Second Team by the conference coaches and earned All-SEC Tournament Team honors.

Schofield will wear #25 with the Orlando Magic.

Orlando’s roster now stands at 20 players.

Celtics hire Will Hardy, Damon Stoudamire, Ben Sullivan, Joe Mazzulla, Aaron Miles and Tony Dobbins as assistant coaches

The Boston Celtics announced today that Will Hardy, Damon Stoudamire, Ben Sullivan, Joe Mazzulla, Aaron Miles, and Tony Dobbins will serve as assistant coaches on first-year head coach Ime Udoka’s staff.

Evan Bradds, Garrett Jackson, DJ MacLeay, and Steve Tchiengang have been named to the team’s player enhancement staff, while Matt Reynolds will serve as a special assistant to Udoka.

Hardy joins Boston’s coaching staff after spending the last six seasons as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs from 2015-16 to 2020-21. The Williams College graduate has spent each of the last 11 seasons with San Antonio since joining on as a basketball operations intern in 2010, including a two-year stint as the Spurs video coordinator from 2013-15. Hardy served on the coaching staff during Team USA’s gold medal run at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and at the 2019 FIBA World Cup. He was also tabbed as San Antonio’s summer league head coach in Las Vegas in 2017 and 2018, as well as serving as the team’s head coach during the Utah summer league from 2015-18.

Stoudamire spent the last five seasons at the University of Pacific after being named the head coach of the men’s basketball team on March 16, 2016. He led Pacific to a 23-10 finish in 2019-20 – the program’s best mark since 2012-13 – en route to being named both the West Coast Conference Coach of the Year and the Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year, given annually to the top minority coach at the Division I level. Stoudamire previously worked as an assistant coach at the University of Memphis (2011-13; 2015-16), the University of Arizona (2013-15), and in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies from 2009-2011.

A 13-year NBA point guard, Stoudamire played in 878 career games (793 starts) with the Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, and San Antonio Spurs. He was named the league’s Rookie of the Year and was selected to the All-Rookie First Team in 1995-96 after being selected by Toronto with the seventh overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft.

Sullivan joins the Celtics after winning an NBA Championship in his third season as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. He has seven seasons of experience as an assistant coach in the NBA, including a four-year stint with the Atlanta Hawks from 2014-15 to 2017-18. Prior to his time in Milwaukee and Atlanta, Sullivan served as an assistant video coordinator with San Antonio while also working in its basketball development department.

Mazzulla returns for his third year as an assistant coach after originally joining the organization prior to the 2019-20 season. The Rhode Island native most recently served as Boston’s head coach throughout the 2021 Las Vegas Summer League, guiding the Celtics to a 4-1 record and an appearance in the championship game. Mazzulla previously spent two seasons as the head coach of the men’s basketball team at Fairmont State University (2017-19), guiding the Falcons to a 43-17 overall record, and an NCAA Tournament bid in his second and final year.

Miles spent the last two seasons as a player development coach with the Golden State Warriors, after serving as the head coach of the Santa Cruz Warriors – Golden State’s G League affiliate – for two seasons from 2017-18 to 2018-19. The native Oregonian led Santa Cruz to a 57-43 record in his two seasons at the helm, including a 34-16 mark and trip to the G League Western Conference Finals in 2018-19. Miles played 10 seasons of professional basketball, eight of which came overseas, after a decorated collegiate career at Kansas in which he netted two All-Big 12 Third Team selections.

Dobbins begins his second season as an assistant coach with the Celtics after spending the previous two years as the team’s video coordinator. A native of Washington, D.C., Dobbins played a combined 13 years of professional basketball across Europe and the NBA G League. He was named the French Pro A’s Best Defensive Player three times (2009, 2013, 2014), won two French Cup championships (2010, 2015), and a G League title with the Asheville Altitude in 2005.

Lakers announce global marketing partnership with Bibigo

The Los Angeles Lakers have announced a multi-year global marketing partnership with Bibigo, a brand by the No. 1 food company in Korea. The partnership will feature the Bibigo logo on the Lakers jerseys beginning with the 2021-22 season.

The global marketing partnership establishes Bibigo as the first international partner ever for the Lakers and will include a large-scale integrated marketing program, including courtside branding (baseline courtside apron and rotational LED signage), social and digital fan focused campaigns.

Per the Los Angeles Times, “the five-year agreement is worth more than $100 million, according to people familiar with the deal but not authorized to disclose its terms publicly.”

And per SCNG.com, “NBA jersey patch deals have averaged $7 million to $10 million per year, according to The Athletic, though Wish reportedly was paying the Lakers between $12 million to $14 million per year, and this one is likely worth significantly more because of a recent change in NBA rules that allows teams to include their logos in overseas business deals. The Golden State Warriors reportedly have the most lucrative deal at $20 million per year with Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten.”

“This partnership is a connection of two ‘global culture icons’ of food and sports, and it is an important opportunity for Bibigo to emerge as a global food brand,” said Wookho Kyeong, CMO of CJ CheilJedang, Bibigo is a global strategic brand of CJ CheilJedang. “We look forward to the opportunities to communicate with consumers and increase the value of the brand through a global common language, sports and the Lakers.”

“The Lakers are thrilled for the opportunity to partner with Bibigo as our first ever global marketing partner,” said Tim Harris, President of Business Operations. “As Korea’s leading food brand, Bibigo is always looking for opportunities to innovate and expand their brand, and the Lakers are excited to help them to not only expand their global recognition, but to provide the opportunity to reach new fans.”

Pistons hire Rex Kalamian, Jerome Allen, Jim Moran and Bill Bayno as assistant coaches

The Detroit Pistons have named Rex Kalamian, Jerome Allen, Jim Moran and Bill Bayno as assistant coaches, and Andrew Jones as a player development coach to Head Coach Dwane Casey’s staff.

Additionally, Jordan Brink and Austin Dufault were promoted to player development coaches.

Kalamian reunites with Casey after spending last season as an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings. He spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach with the L.A. Clippers and was a part of Casey’s staff in Toronto from 2015-18. His other stops in the NBA as an assistant coach include Oklahoma City (2009-15), Sacramento (2007-09), Minnesota (2005-07), Denver (2004-05) and L.A. Clippers (1995-03). Kalamian also served as a scout for the Clippers (1992-95) and Philadelphia 76ers (2003-04).

Before joining the NBA, Kalamian worked two seasons (1990-92) as an assistant coach at his alma mater, East Los Angeles College. As a player, he was named team captain at ELAC and led the South Coast Conference in 3-point shooting percentage during the 1988-89 season.

Allen comes to Detroit after six seasons as an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics. Prior to joining the Celtics, he served the previous five years as the head coach at the University of Pennsylvania after serving one year as Penn’s interim head coach.

Born in Philadelphia, PA, Allen played collegiately at Penn and was a two-time Ivy League Player of the year. As a four-year starter, he led the Quakers to Ivy League titles in each of his last three seasons. He was drafted 49th overall in the 1995 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves and played in 127 career NBA games with Minnesota, Indiana and Denver. He also played professionally in Europe including France, Italy, Greece, Spain and Turkey.

Moran spent the last five seasons as an assistant coach with the Portland Trail Blazers after one season as the team’s associate video coordinator. He began his coaching career as a player development coach for the Maine Red Claws of the then NBA Development League in 2013.

Moran played his entire professional career with CB Gran Canaria in the Spanish ACB League from 2001-11 and is the only player to have his jersey number retired by the club. A native of Syosset, NY, Moran played collegiately at William and Mary where he was named to the All-Colonial Athletic Association Team in both his junior and senior seasons. He also played for the Irish Men’s National Team from 2001-06.

Bayno joins the Pistons after spending the last five seasons as an assistant coach with the Indiana Pacers. Prior to the Pacers, he spent two seasons (2013-15) on Casey’s staff with the Toronto Raptors. Bayno has also served as an assistant with the Minnesota Timberwolves (2011-13) and two stints (2005-08 and 209-11) with the Portland Trail Blazers. Additionally, Bayno has had head coaching stints in the ABA, the Philippine Basketball Association and the Continental Basketball Association where he led the Yakima Sun Kings to the CBA championship in 2003.

A native of Goshen, NY, Bayno was the head coach at UNLV from 1995-2000 and led the Rebels to two NCAA Tournament appearances after winning the Mountain West Conference in 1998 and 2000. In 2000, UNLV won the MW regular season and tournament championships and Bayno was named co-coach of the year. He was also the head coach at Loyola Marymount during the 2008-09 season and served as an assistant coach at the collegiate level at Seton Hall, Kansas, Baptist College and UMass. Bayno played at the University of Massachusetts before transferring to Sacred Heart University.

Jones joins the Pistons from the Philadelphia 76ers where he was a player development coach over the last two seasons. He previously spent five seasons in the Thunder organization, starting as an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Blue, the team’s G League affiliate, before working as a video analyst/player development for one season. From 2016-19, he worked as a senior performance analyst and player development coach.

Jones, a Philadelphia native, played four seasons at Penn State University from 2007-11 and spent the 2013-14 season as a graduate assistant for the Nittany Lions.

Brink and Dufault served as video coordinator and assistant video coordinator, respectively, with the Pistons prior to their promotions.

Timberwolves sign Brian Bowen II, Matt Lewis, Isaiah Miller and Chris Silva

Minnesota Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas today announced the team has signed forward Brian Bowen II, guard Matt Lewis, guard Isaiah Miller and forward Chris Silva.

The signings are likely non-guaranteed deals that merely bring the players to training camp.

Bowen II, 22, started all five games for the Timberwolves in the 2021 MGM Resorts NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, averaging 8.4 points, 4.2 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game. In two seasons with the Indiana Pacers, he saw action in 12 total games. He played in 44 games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants over two seasons, averaging 14.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. After withdrawing from the 2018 NBA draft during the final entry deadline, Bowen made the decision to forgo college and pursue a professional contract. On August 7, 2018, Bowen signed with the Sydney Kings of the Australian NBL. During the 2018–19 NBL season, he played in 30 games while averaging 6.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

Lewis, 22, wrapped up a four-year career at James Madison University where he ranked among the career leaders in several categories, including third in points (1,928) and eighth in assists (341). Last year during his senior season, he was named CAA Player of the Year after leading the Dukes in points, field goals, three pointers, free throws, defensive rebounds. assists, and minutes. Lewis became the first James Madison player ever be named to the All-CAA team in three different seasons.

Miller, 22, played in all five games for the 2021 Timberwolves Summer League team, averaging 7.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.6 steals in 16.2 minutes per game. Miller averaged 14.9 points on 47.4% shooting, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game during his four-year career at UNC Greensboro. In Miller’s final season with the Spartans, he was named SoCon Player of the Year and SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the only men’s basketball player in SoCon history to be named both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons. The Newark, N.J. native ranks second in school history with 314 steals and third in scoring with 1,965 points.

Silva, 24, saw action in 15 total games last season for the Miami Heat and Sacramento Kings where he averaged 2.1 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. During the 2019-20 season, the 6-8 forward split time between the Heat and the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League where he saw action in 44 games in for Miami, averaging 3.0 points on 61.5% shooting and 2.9 rebounds. Silva played four seasons at South Carolina, appearing in 134 career games (108 starts) and averaged 11.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.39 blocks and 21.7 minutes. He became the first player in school history to total at least 700 rebounds and 500 free throws made.

Nets sign forward Devontae Cacok

The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent forward Devontae Cacok.

It’s probably a non-guaranteed deal made to bring Cacok to training camp.

Cacok (6’7”, 240) joins the Nets after spending the last two seasons on a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. In 21 games (one start), he recorded averages of 2.1 points on 57.1 percent shooting from the field and 1.8 rebounds in 5.1 minutes per contest. Cacok was also a member of the Lakers’ 2020 NBA championship team. In addition to his NBA experience, the 24-year-old appeared in 33 games (two starts) with the Lakers’ NBA G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, during the 2019-20 campaign, posting averages of 19.3 points on 66.0 percent shooting from the floor, 11.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 23.9 minutes per game, earning All-NBA G League First Team and NBA G League All-Rookie Team honors. Cacok went undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft after spending four years (2015-19) at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he garnered Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year honors as a sophomore and was named All-CAA First Team as a junior and senior.

Hornets sign Xavier Sneed

The Charlotte Hornets have signed Xavier Sneed.

It’s probably a non-guaranteed deal for training camp purposes.

Sneed, 6-foot-5, 215-pound guard/forward, was a member of the Hornets 2021 Summer League Roster in Las Vegas, averaging 6.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in four games. He appeared in 13 games last season with Charlotte’s G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, averaging 8.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. Sneed finished the 2020-21 season with the second-best steals per game average amongst league leaders.

A four-year player at Kansas State, Sneed played in 137 career contests with the Wildcats, including all 32 games in his senior year. During the 2019-20 season, he averaged a team-best 13.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game en route to earning All-Big 12 honorable mention.

Rockets re-sign Dante Exum

The Houston Rockets have re-signed guard Danté Exum.

Exum (6-5, 214) was originally the fifth overall pick by Utah in the 2014 NBA Draft. He was acquired by Houston from Cleveland as part of a four-team trade on Jan. 16, 2021. Over the past four seasons, Exum averaged 14.0 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per 36 minutes played.

While helping Australia to a bronze medal at the Olympics this summer, Exum averaged 9.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, and 2.8 apg in 20.7 mpg. He also shot 56.7% from the floor and 60.0% from 3-point range.