Inside Hoops – Page 493 – NBA Blog

Grizzlies waive Dakari Johnson

The Memphis Grizzlies waived center Dakari Johnson today.

Johnson (7-0, 255) appeared in 31 games (six starts) last season as a rookie for the Oklahoma City Thunder and averaged 1.8 points and 1.1 rebounds in 5.2 minutes. He was acquired by the Grizzlies from the Orlando Magic on July 23, 2018.

The 22-year-old New York native was selected the Thunder with the 48th overall pick in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft following his sophomore season at the University of Kentucky. He has played three seasons in the NBA G League for the Oklahoma City Blue.

Justin Zanik reportedly a candidate for Sixers GM job

The Sixers still need a new general manager. The search has gone on for quite a while now, but the search has reportedly been narrowed down to a select handful of candidates. Here’s the Salt Lake Tribune with more:

Utah Jazz assistant general manager Justin Zanik is getting another shot at one of the NBA’s 30 top jobs.

Zanik has been named one of three candidates in the Philadelphia 76ers’ general manager search, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Besides Zanik, the Sixers are also interviewing Houston’s Gersson Rojas and Golden State’s Larry Harris.

Full article

Some Warriors speak on David West, who has announced his retirement

Warriors President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Bob Myers and Head Coach Steve Kerr have released the following statements on David West, who announced his retirement yesterday morning:

BOB MYERS

“There should be a picture in the dictionary of David under ‘pro’s pro’. He’s one of the most decent people I’ve ever met. His depth of character is unmatched. We are all better for having spent the last two years with him. There is no doubt the best is ahead of him.”

STEVE KERR

“David was a consummate professional throughout his entire career and was a huge presence in our locker room the last two years. The respect that he commanded was palpable every single day he walked in the door and the leadership that he provided to our team was critical to our success. He had the unique ability to connect with both the veteran and young players and the mentoring he provided our younger group was invaluable. The consistency that he displayed at a high level on the court for 15 years was amazing and a testament to his hard work and dedication. He is a true champion in every sense of the word.”

DAVID WEST CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

· 15-year NBA career with the New Orleans Hornets (2003-11), Indiana Pacers (2011-15), San Antonio Spurs (2015-16) & Golden State Warriors (2016-18)

· Two-time NBA champion (2017 & 2018)

· Two-time NBA All-Star (2008 & 2009)

· One of 129 players in NBA history to appear in at least 1,000 regular-season games (1,034)

· Posted career averages of 13.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists

· Averaged double figures in scoring in 10-straight seasons (2005-06 to 2014-15), including back-to-back campaigns in which he averaged more than 20 points per game (20.6 in 2007-08 & 21.0 in 2008-09)

· Tallied 173 career double-doubles, and one triple-double on Jan. 12, 2013 vs. Charlotte

Bulls announce promotions in their basketball operations department

The Chicago Bulls have promoted Brian Hagen to Associate General Manager, Steve Weinman to Assistant General Manager, Jim Paxson to Director of Pro Personnel and Miles Abbett to Manager of Minor League Scouting and Analytics.

Hagen is entering his seventh season with the Bulls, as he spent the last six seasons as Assistant General Manager and third as General Manager of the Windy City Bulls. Before joining the Bulls, he spent nine seasons in basketball operations with the New Orleans Hornets, most recently as the team’s Director of Player Personnel. In that role, he was responsible for coordinating the team’s amateur and professional scouting operations and assisted in the evaluation of free agents and prospective trade acquisitions. While with the Hornets, he also spent time as the team’s video coordinator, Director of Basketball Operations, Director of Scouting and Assistant to the General Manager.

Weinman, set to begin his seventh year with the Bulls, was previously the team’s Manager of Basketball Operations and Analytics, after spending two years working for the NBA. In his new role, Weinman will continue to manage the team’s salary cap and oversee the organization’s planning for future initiatives, while remaining the team’s lead for all basketball analytics efforts. Weinman will also shift his focus toward pro scouting and draft personnel.

Paxson will begin his 13th season with the Bulls and has spent the last 12 seasons serving as the Director of Basketball Operations. Prior to Chicago, he spent seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, first as Vice President of Basketball Operations (1998-99), and then as President and General Manager of the club (1999-2005). Paxson also served as Assistant General Manager of the Portland Trail Blazers for three seasons (1995-98), as well as Offensive Skills Coach during the 1993-94 season. He was a two-time NBA All-Star and earned All-NBA Second Team honors in 1984.

Abbett, about to embark on his fifth season with the Bulls, formerly served as the team’s Basketball Operations Coordinator. He will now build upon his analytical contributions for the organization, while also focusing on scouting the G League and international professional leagues.

Hawks sign Thomas Robinson

The Atlanta Hawks signed forward Thomas Robinson today.

Robinson has played in 313 career games (12 starts) with the Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 4.9 points and 4.8 rebounds in 13.4 minutes (.470 FG%).

He spent last season with Khimki (Russia), where he averaged 8.5 points and 5.7 rebounds in 15.8 minutes in 28 games (.487 FG%).

Originally selected fifth overall by Sacramento in the 2012 NBA Draft, Robinson was a consensus First Team All-American and Big 12 Conference Player of the Year following his junior season at Kansas, where he played three seasons. He is a native of Washington, DC.

Grizzlies sign center Doral Moore

The Memphis Grizzlies signed center Doral Moore to their training camp roster today.

Moore (7-1, 280) appeared in 31 games (30 starts) last season as a junior at Wake Forest University and averaged 11.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.97 blocks in 25.5 minutes while shooting 68.9 percent from the field.

The 21-year-old native of Locust Grove, Georgia saw action in 92 games (31 starts) over his three-year collegiate career and averaged 5.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.22 blocks in 13.7 minutes before going unselected in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Sixers sign Anthony Brown

The Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday signed guard-forward Anthony Brown.

Brown spent last season on a two-way contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, appearing in one NBA contest. In 45 games (43 starts) with Minnesota’s G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, Brown posted averages of 18.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 37.7 minutes per game. He shot .459 from the field, .404 from three-point range (5.4 attempts per game) and .794 from the free-throw line.

Originally selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the No. 34 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Brown has appeared in 41 career NBA games (11 starts) with the Lakers, New Orleans, Orlando and Minnesota. Across 76 contests (69 starts) at the G League level, Brown has compiled averages of 18.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 37.3 minutes per game with Los Angeles, Erie and Iowa. Erie chose the California native with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA G League Draft.

Brown starred at Stanford, where he played his college basketball, from 2010-15. As a fifth-year senior in 2014-15, he posted career highs across the board, with 14.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest. The season prior, he helped lead the Cardinal, a No. 10 seed, to a Sweet 16 appearance in the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

Spurs sign Quincy Pondexter

The San Antonio Spurs signed forward Quincy Pondexter today.

Pondexter, 6-7/230, spent last season with the Chicago Bulls, averaging 2.0 points and 1.2 rebounds in 8.5 minutes in 23 games.

A seven-year NBA veteran, Pondexter holds career averages of 5.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 17.3 minutes over 302 total games played. After being drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft (26th overall) he was sent to the New Orleans later that summer. Prior to the start of the 2011-12 campaign, Pondexter was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies where he played the next three-plus seasons. On Jan. 12, 2015 he was traded back to the Pelicans where he posted a career-best 9.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 27.8 minutes over 45 games.

Pondexter played collegiately at the University of Washington, earning All-Pac-10 First Team honors as a senior in 2010. In four seasons with Huskies he averaged 13.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 136 games. He is the school’s all-time leader in games played and finished his career ranked third in scoring with 1,786 points.

Sacramento Kings announce hirings and promotions within basketball operations department

The Sacramento Kings made many additions and promotions within the team’s basketball operations department today.

The new additions include Teena Murray as Senior Director of Athlete Health and Performance, where she will lead the Kings sports medicine, athletic training and strength and conditioning disciplines.

Additional hires to the Athlete Performance staff include Mike Roncarati as Head of Prevention and Rehabilitation, Joe Resendez as Head Athletic Trainer and Jesse Green as Performance Analyst.

Recent hires and promotions in the scouting department include Elizabeth Ramsey, who joined the organization in May as Director of Basketball Operations and Intelligence. Gene Cross has been promoted to Director of Amateur Scouting, Chris Alpert and Acie Law join the team as regional scouts and Robbie Lemons was promoted to Scouting Coordinator.

Staffing updates to the team’s Athletic Performance and Scouting departments are accompanied by additions to the organization’s Player Development group, including Bobby Jackson as Sacramento Kings Player Development Coach and several key roles filled for the NBA G League Stockton Kings: Tyrone Ellis as Head Coach, Rico Hines as Assistant Coach and Drake U’u as Assistant General Manager.

Additionally, Melanie Stocking was promoted to Senior Manager, Team Travel and Logistics and Matthew Baron was named Performance Chef’s Assistant.

Murray arrives in Sacramento after spending the previous 14 years as the Director of Sports Performance at the University of Louisville, where she built a high-performance model spanning 21 sports and served as head performance coach for the women’s basketball and softball teams, both perennial NCAA Tournament squads. In addition, she served as an adjunct faculty member in the graduate program of Exercise Science and has published research papers in the areas of functional movement and physiological profiling.

Over the course of two decades in the sports performance industry, Murray has extensive experience with professional, Olympic and collegiate athletes, having worked as a consultant with USA Hockey, the NHL’s Florida Panthers and Anaheim Ducks and the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack. Her experience includes roles at Cornell University as Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning and a similar position at the University of Connecticut. As the strength and conditioning coach for the U.S. Women’s National and Olympic ice hockey teams from 2006-2010, she shared in two World Championship gold medals and a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

A native of Shawville, Quebec (Canada), she is a Master Coach with the Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coaches’ Association and is one of less than 100 certified strength and conditioning coaches by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Murray received the Guiding Woman in Sport Award for her leadership in the strength and conditioning field from the National Association of Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS).

Most recently with the Atlanta Hawks for three seasons as Director of Rehabilitation, Roncarati brings a wealth of experience at the NBA and collegiate levels to his new role with Sacramento. Before his tenure in Atlanta, he served as the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Golden State Warriors from 2013-15, where his stint in Oakland culminated in an NBA championship. Before making the transition to professional basketball, Roncarati served as Physical Therapist and Strength and Conditioning Coach at South County Orthopedics, a sports medicine provider at that time for the University of Rhode Island. A graduate of Northeastern University and a Doctor of Physical Therapy, he worked with the athletic training and strength and conditioning staffs for the school’s basketball and baseball teams and co-authored a published paper regarding off-season medical screening for Division 1 Men’s Basketball players. In addition to his work in team athletics, the native of Cumberland, Rhode Island spent three years as a personal rehabilitation expert working with collegiate and professional athletes and members of the general population. Roncarati is a credentialed Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Resendez joins the Kings having spent the previous seven seasons as assistant athletic trainer for the Los Angeles Clippers. Prior to his work at the NBA level, Resendez spent four seasons as the athletic trainer/strength and conditioning coach for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League, where he contributed to a pair of NBA D-League Finals Appearances (2010 & 2011). His tenure with the Vipers commenced before the club’s inaugural season after the Brownsville, Texas native served a two-year stint as head trainer for the Men’s Basketball team at Louisiana Tech, where he earned his Master’s Degree of Science in exercise physiology in 2006. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in kinesiology with an emphasis in Sports Medicine from the University of Texas-Pan American in 2003, Resendez spent one season as the assistant athletic trainer at the University of Texas-San Antonio. A certified athletic trainer through the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) and a licensed athletic trainer (LAT), Resendez specializes in joint and soft tissue manipulation/mobilization and restorative therapies.

Also relocating from the University of Louisville, Green served as an Athletic Performance Fellow and Analyst for the Cardinals after four years with the Brisbane Lions Australian Rules Football Club, where he worked as the Strength and Conditioning Coordinator. He holds a Masters Degree in Performance Sport from Australian Catholic University and earned a Bachelor of Sports Science at Bond University.

Hired in May after 11 years with the NCAA, Ramsey most recently served four seasons as Associate Director of Enforcement and Basketball Development managing cases regarding NCAA violations in men’s and women’s basketball while working closely as a liaison between coaches, athletes, conferences and other third-party entities. In her new role, she will assist with the day-to-day functioning of the basketball operations and scouting departments. A graduate of the University of Indianapolis, Ramsey also earned a masters of Sports Administration from Canisius College and law degree from Indiana University McKinney School of Law. As a collegiate athlete, she ranks first Hounds history in points, field goals, scoring average, rebounds, rebounding average and double-doubles—earning induction into the University of Indianapolis Hall of Fame in 2017.

Cross begins his third season with the Kings organization and first as Director of Amateur Scouting. He previously served as a regional scout after spending the 2015-16 season as an assistant coach with the Reno Bighorns. Cross adds more than two decades of basketball experience to his new role, including stops as a head coach for the University of Toledo (2008-10), Erie Bayhawks (2012-14) and Rayos de Hermosillo (Sonora, Mexico). Cross’ tenure in the coaching ranks also features assistant duties at the Universities of Notre Dame, Illinois-Chicago, DePaul and Virginia in addition to stints with D-League franchises Utah Flash, Iowa Energy and Los Angeles Defenders. A Chicago native, he played collegiate basketball at the University of Illinois from 1989 to 1994.

Alpert joins the Kings scouting department after 20 years working around professional basketball in a variety of capacities. Before serving as COO of Up2Us Sports, he spent 14 seasons in several roles within the NBA Development League, leaving in 2015 as Vice President of Basketball Operations and Player Personnel.

Selected No. 11 overall in the 2007 NBA Draft, Law played seven seasons in the league and three internationally, winning Greek (Olympiacos) and EuroLeague Championships before retiring in 2017. Known as “Captain Clutch” during his time at Texas A&M, he earned the 2007 Bob Cousy Award bestowed upon the nation’s top point guard. Most recently, Law was chosen for the NBA Basketball Operations Associate Program, spending last season working across various areas of league operations.

Lemons begins his third season with the organization and first as Scouting Coordinator after serving in a Basketball Operations role during the previous two campaigns. A Sacramento native, the 2015 Stanford graduate earned First-Team PAC-12 All-Academic honors as a member of the Cardinal basketball team (2010-2014). Lemons secured his public policy MA in Palo Alto and MSC in banking and finance from Newcastle University.

A mainstay in Sacramento on and off the court during his playing tenure, Jackson will join head coach Dave Joerger’s staff this season as a player development coach after spending the previous three seasons as a collegiate scout for the organization. His coaching experience includes two seasons on the Kings bench (2010-12) and another in Minnesota (2013). The Salisbury, North Carolina native played 12 seasons in the NBA, accruing averages of 9.7 points (.417 FG%, .354 3pt%, .793 FT%), 3.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.98 steals and 22.2 minutes per contest in 755 games (started 143), punctuated by an NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2003 as a member of the Kings after registering a career-best 15.2 points (.464 FG%, .379 3pt%, .846 FT%), 3.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.53 steals and 28.4 minutes per game.

Ellis arrives in Stockton having spent the previous 20 years involved in basketball as a collegiate and professional player and coach at the NBA G League, USA Basketball and NBA levels. He takes the helm ahead of the Kings 2018-19 debut season in California’s central valley after relocating from Reno, Nevada where the club played for 10 seasons. The opportunity marks Ellis’ second instance as a head coach for an inaugural NBA G League campaign after being tapped to lead the Northern Arizona Suns (Prescott Valley, AZ) in 2016. Following his retirement from the court in 2012, Ellis accepted his first coaching position with the Tulsa 66ers (NBA D-League), where he served as an assistant for one year before taking similar roles with the Reno Bighorns (2013-14), Grand Rapids Drive (2014-15) and Bakersfield Jam (2015-16). He spent last season as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns.

Hines joins the Stockton Kings bench as an assistant coach for Tyrone Ellis after serving the last two seasons in a similar role with the Reno Bighorns. His coaching experience includes five years as an assistant under Steve Lavin at St. John’s University (2010-15) and four seasons in Golden State working under Don Nelson as a player development assistant (2006-10). Hines is a 2002 graduate of UCLA.

U’u enters his fourth season with the organization and first as Assistant General Manager of the Stockton Kings after serving in a variety of roles, most recently as Pro Personnel Scout. Before joining the Kings, U’u played professionally for two seasons in Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL) for the Perth Wildcats, where he won a championship in 2014. The Sacramento native played collegiately for the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Stocking begins her 13th season with the Kings after being named Senior Manager, Team Travel and Logistics. Prior to her new role, she served as Manager of Basketball Operations and in various other capacities during her tenure with the organization. A native of Winters, California, Stocking is a Sonoma State University graduate.

Baron enters his third season with the Kings after being named Performance Chef’s Assistant. Previously, Baron served as the Sports Nutrition Intern after receiving his BA in Nutrition from California State University, Sacramento.

Utah Jazz sign guard Trey Lewis

The Utah Jazz signed guard Trey Lewis today.

Lewis (6-2, 185, Louisville) competed for the Jazz entry squads at the 2018 Utah Jazz Summer League and 2018 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, Lewis appeared in four games (one start), averaging 9.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 18.6 minutes per contest.

During the 2017-18 season, he played for JL Bourg-en-Bresse of the LNB Pro A in France and Ratiopharm Ulm of the Basketball Bundesliga in Germany. With JL Bourg-en-Bresse, he saw action in 14 games (all starts), owning averages of 17.2 points, 3.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 30.6 minutes. As a member of Ratiopharm Ulm, he played in 19 regular season games (six starts) with averages of 11.6 points, 2.1 assists and 1.8 rebounds, also appearing in 10 EuroCup contests and two German Cup games.

The Garfield Heights, Ohio native began his collegiate career at Penn State, before transferring to Cleveland State for two seasons and finishing at Louisville during 2015-16. As a senior, Lewis posted averages of 11.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game, helping the Cardinals to a 23-8 record.