Inside Hoops – Page 514 – NBA Blog

Timberwolves re-sign Derrick Rose

The Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday re-signed guard Derrick Rose.

The 6-foot-3 former league MVP, now far removed from those days, originally signed with the Wolves last season on March 8. He played a total of 25 regular season games on two different teams (Minnesota and Cleveland) last season, and averaged 8.4 points on 43.5% shooting.

During the 2018 playoffs, Rose played in all five games of the Timberwolves’ first round series against the Rockets, and performed quite well as a bench contributor, putting up 14.2 points per game on 50.9% shooting.

Rose has made the NBA All-Star team three times. And he won NBA MVP in 2010-11 as a member of the Bulls.

Timberwolves sign Jared Terrell to two-way contract

The Minnesota Timberwolves yesterday signed guard Jared Terrell to a two-way contract.

The 23-year-old Terrell averaged 16.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game this past college season at Rhode Island. He hit 42.7% FG from the floor, including 41.4% three-pointers and 82.1% free throws. He was rewarded with Atlantic 10 First Team All-Conference Team honors, an was named the U.S. Basketball Writer’s Association District I Player of the Year.

Over the course of his four-year college career, Terrell finished seventh on Rhode Island’s all-time scoring list with 1,754 career points, fourth in three-pointers (192) and fifth in steals (170). He helped lead Rhode Island to the NCAA Tournament in both of last two seasons.

Two-way contracts allow NBA teams to sign two players to two-way contracts. This is in addition to the up-to-15-man regular-season roster that each team can have. Players signed to a two-way contract can accrue no more than 45 days of service with their respective NBA club during the regular season and will spend the remainder of their time with the team’s NBA G League affiliate.

Celtics sign rookie Robert Williams

The Boston Celtics yesterday signed center/forward Robert Williams to his rookie contract.

Williams, 20, comes to Boston after having been selected 27th overall with the team’s lone draft pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. He averaged 11.1 points on 59.1% shooting and 8.7 rebounds in 61 games (40 starts) over two collegiate seasons at Texas A&M University.

As a sophomore in 2017-18, Williams (6-10, 241 lbs.) led the Southeastern Conference in rebounding with 9.2 boards per game. He was also named Co-SEC Defensive Player of the Year after producing a conference-best 78 blocked shots, the second-most by any player in school history.

The Shreveport, LA native burst onto the collegiate scene as a freshman in 2016-17, averaging 11.9 points (55.8% FG), 8.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots in his first season with the Aggies. He earned Second Team All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman Team honors, in addition to being named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year.

Williams will wear No. 44 for the Celtics.

Knicks sign rookie Kevin Knox

The New York Knicks yesterday signed 2018 first-round draft selection Kevin Knox to his rookie contract.

Knox, 18, was drafted by New York out of the University of Kentucky with the ninth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft on June 21. The 6-9, 215-pound forward started all 37 games for the Wildcats averaging a team-high 15.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists over 32.4 minutes. He was named a 2017-18 AP All-America Honorable Mention and co-freshman of year in the SEC.

The Tampa, Fla. native scored in double figures in all but seven games, including a team-high 10 games with 20 or more. He erupted for a game-high 34 points in a 17-point comeback victory at No. 7 West Virginia on Jan. 27, 2018. He helped lead the Wildcats with 25 points and six rebounds in a victory over Davidson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Knox will wear No. 20 for the Knicks and is currently participating with the team’s entry in the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League.

Bucks add Josh Longstaff, Vin Baker to staff

The Milwaukee Bucks have named Josh Longstaff as an assistant coach on the staff of Head Coach Mike Budenholzer. The team also appointed Vin Baker as basketball operations associate/director of program development.

In addition, the Bucks have made the following hires: Zach Peterson as head video coordinator and Schuyler Rimmer as player development and video assistant.

Longstaff spent last season as the inaugural head coach of the Erie BayHawks, the G League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks, where he led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals. He began his NBA career with Oklahoma City in 2010 as player personnel and video coordinator, and then continued as video analyst and player development coach for his final three seasons with the Thunder. In 2014, Longstaff joined the New York Knicks as an assistant coach until becoming head coach of the BayHawks in 2017.

A native of Portland, Maine, Longstaff was a four-year letterman in basketball at Bryant University, graduating in 2005.

Baker remains with the Bucks as basketball operations associate/director of program development after serving in multiple roles including assistant coach and pre- and post-game analyst for team telecasts on FOX Sports Wisconsin.

A 13-year NBA veteran, he was a four-time All-Star who averaged 15.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 791 career games. A graduate of the University of Hartford, he was the eighth overall pick by the Bucks in the 1993 NBA Draft. Along with Milwaukee, Baker also played with Seattle, Boston, New York, Houston and the Los Angeles Clippers. In 2017, he worked as an assistant coach with the Texas Legends of the NBA G League as part of the NBA’s Assistant Coaches Program.

Peterson was most recently head video coordinator for the Hawks. He joined Atlanta in 2014 and served as a seasonal assistant in basketball operations as well as in the video department. Peterson earned a bachelor’s degree in advertising from Michigan State University where he was a manager for the men’s basketball program.

An Orlando, Florida, native, Rimmer worked as a video/player development seasonal assistant last season with the Atlanta Hawks. He attended Stanford and was a member of the men’s basketball team. He completed his collegiate career at the University of Florida in 2017 with a degree in Political Science.

Eric Glass, from Heat video room to coaching summer league

It’s always interesting to see the journey taken by guys who work their way up in the coaching world. Here’s the Palm Beach Post reporting on Heat summer league coach Eric Glass:

Miami Heat assistant coach Eric Glass has one directive from his boss, head coach Erik Spoelstra, when it comes to summer league.

“He said ‘do whatever you want and don’t be afraid to make a mistake,’” Glass said. “Which was huge for me.

“He gave me incredible trust and leeway.”

Glass is leading Miami through two summer leagues, having just won 2-of-3 games in Sacramento and now moving onto Las Vegas where the Heat will compete in the NBA Summer League starting at 5 p.m. Saturday with a game against New Orleans.

Glass, 34, is next in a line of Heat coaches who got their start in the video room, eventually moved to the bench and started to make their bones in summer league. With thousands of hours in the video room and for the last two years as the Heat’s player development coach, Spoelstra believes Glass is “more than ready” for the challenge.

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And here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel, from June:

Glass, 34, is the Heat’s video coordinator, as well as part of the team’s player-development staff. His coaching experience includes time under former NBA coach Mike Fratello with the Ukrainian national team.

The Heat often have utilized summer league to develop their coaching staff, with assistant coaches Chris Quinn, Juwan Howard and Dan Craig among those to recently coach the team’s summer rosters. Pat Delany, now an Orlando Magic assistant coach, also has coached the Heat during summer league.

Full article

Timberwolves part ways with Nemanja Bjelica

Here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune with an update on the Timberwolves, who recently made a key decision on Nemanja Bjelica:

Nemanja Bjelica, the intriguing forward with three-point range and a habit of missing 15-20 games per season, is done in Minnesota after three seasons.

That was pretty much settled when the Wolves withdrew their qualifying offer and let him become an unrestricted free agent, then signed Anthony Tolliver to essentially take his role. But it’s confirmed as of this morning, with Woj tweeting that Bjelica is signing a one-year deal with the 76ers.

Bjelica might have had more upside than Tolliver, having been in the league just three seasons, but he’s already 30 and probably is what he is to a certain degree. Tolliver, 33, definitely is what he is, but in terms of short-term production — two guys on one-year deals — I’m going to go ahead and say Tolliver is a slight upgrade.

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Trail Blazers sign Nik Stauskas

The Portland Trail Blazers signed free agent guard Nik Stauskas today.

Stauskas, 24, holds career averages of 7.0 points (38.6% FG, 34.9% 3-PT, 80.1% FT), 2.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 21.1 minutes in 267 games (63 starts) over four seasons with Sacramento, Philadelphia and Brooklyn.

“Nik is a versatile and talented perimeter player that will seamlessly fit into our style of play,” said Olshey.

Selected by the Kings with the eighth overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft out of Michigan, Stauskas (6-6, 205) spent one season in Sacramento before playing his next two years in Philadelphia. He split the 2017-18 season with Philadelphia and Brooklyn.

A native of Mississauga, Canada, Stauskas averaged a career-best 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists during the 2016-17 season with the 76ers.

Rockets sign rookies Gary Clark and Vincent Edwards and waive Aaron Jackson

The Houston Rockets have signed rookie forwards Gary Clark and Vincent Edwards. And in a related move, the team has waived guard Aaron Jackson.

Clark (6-8, 225) was eligible for the 2018 NBA Draft following his senior season at Cincinnati. He started a school record 137 games while averaging 10.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks. Clark led the Bearcats in rebounding in each of his four seasons.

As a senior, Clark was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year while picking up AP Honorable Mention All-American distinction. He also earned his second straight AAC Defensive Player of the Year award.

According to Basketball-Reference, which tracks NCAA statistics back to 1992-93, Clark joined David West as the only Division I players with career totals of at least 1,400 points, 1,100 rebounds, 200 assists, 150 steals, and 180 blocks.

Edwards (6-8, 225) spent all four seasons at Purdue, where he started 127 of his 138 games played. As a senior, he averaged 14.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists while earning All-Big Ten Second team honors.

Over his final three seasons, Edwards averaged 1.4 3-pointers made on 40.9% shooting. Dating back to 1992-93, he is one of three Division I players with career totals of at least 1,600 points, 750 rebounds, 400 assists, and 170 3-pointers made.

Edwards finished his career at Middleton High School in Ohio as the school’s all-time leading rebounder and ranked second in scoring behind Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry Lucas.

Clippers sign rookies Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson

The L.A. Clippers signed guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson to their rookie contracts today.

All players selected in the first round of the NBA draft are guaranteed to receive an NBA contract, assuming they wish to begin their careers in the league right away. So, these signings were expected and are standard.

Selected 11th overall in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft, Gilgeous-Alexander played one collegiate season at Kentucky, where he appeared in 37 games (24 starts), averaging 14.4 points, 5.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 33.7 minutes. The 6’6”, 180-pound guard shot 48.5 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from three-point range as a Wildcat. A native of Hamilton, Ontario (Canada), the 19-year old was named to the Second-team All-SEC and the SEC All-Freshman Team, and was named the MVP of the SEC Tournament.

Selected 13th overall in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft, Robinson played three collegiate seasons at Boston College, where he appeared in 90 career games (all starts), averaging 17.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 34.6 minutes. The 6’5”, 188-pound guard shot 45.0 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from three-point range in his Boston College career. A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, the 21-year old was named All-ACC First Team as a Junior.