Author: Inside Hoops

InsideHoops.com has been a world leader in NBA basketball coverage for over 20 years. Read our blog, but also be sure to read our main website on www.insidehoops.com

Timberwolves sign Anthony Brown to two-way contract

Timberwolves sign Anthony Brown to two-way contract

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed forward Anthony Brown to a two-way contract.

Brown, 24, spent most of this past season with the Erie BayHawks in the NBA G League, averaging 20.3 points and 5.4 rebounds in 37.7 minutes over 24 games. He signed with the New Orleans Pelicans on November 21, appearing in nine games and averaging 3.9 points and 2.5 rebounds before being waived on December 9. He was signed to a 10-day contract by Orlando on January 22, averaging 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in two games.

Originally selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round (34th pick) of the 2015 NBA Draft, Brown appeared in 29 games as a rookie, averaging 4.0 points and 2.4 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per game. A Stanford graduate, Brown was named the Pac-12 Most Improved Player in 2013-14, helping lead Stanford to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2008.

Two-way contracts were added to the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement and will go into effect prior to the 2017-18 season, allowing teams to sign two players to two-way contracts in addition to the 15-man regular-season roster. Players signed to a two-way contact 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, the Iowa Wolves. Brown is the first Timberwolves player to sign a two-way contract.

Blake Ahearn named head coach of Austin Spurs

The Spurs announced today that they have named Blake Ahearn head coach of the Austin Spurs, their G League team.

Ahearn joins the Spurs after serving one season as the head coach of his high school alma mater, De Smet Jesuit in St. Louis, Missouri. Prior to that he spent one season as the head coach at Clayton High School in St. Louis.

Ahearn played professionally for eight seasons, including a three-game stint with the San Antonio Spurs during the 2008-09 season. Over the course of three seasons he appeared in a total of 22 NBA games between San Antonio, Miami and Utah. Ahearn also spent time in the NBA G League where he was a two-time First Team selection (2009 and 2012) and was named the 2008 Rookie of the Year. In 2015 he won an NBA G League Championship with the Santa Cruz Warriors. Ahearn also played professionally in Spain, Italy, China, Ukraine and Puerto Rico.

The St. Louis native played collegiately at Missouri State University from 2003–07. He is the NCAA’s all-time leader in free throw percentage, connecting on 94.6 percent (435-460) of his shots from the foul line. Ahearn also holds the single-season record, shooting 97.5 percent (117-120) from the free throw line during the 2003-04 season as a freshman. He was named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in 2004 and earned All-MVC First Team honors his junior and senior seasons.

Bulls sign Ryan Arcidiacono to two-way contract

Bulls sign Ryan Arcidiacono to two-day contract

The Chicago Bulls have signed guard Ryan Arcidiacono (pronounced “ar-chee-dee-ACK-uh-no”) to a two-way contract.

Arcidiacono (6-3, 195) appeared in five games for the Bulls’ Summer League squad this year and averaged 5.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.80 steals and 24.0 minutes per contest.

Arcidiacono played four seasons at Villanova and was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in the Wildcats’ championship run in 2016. He was named First-Team All-Big East and Big East Co-Player of the Year in 2015. He averaged 11.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.7 apg and 1.17 spg for his college career and shot .397 from the field, .358 from long range and .800 from the foul line. Arcidiacono went undrafted in 2016 and appeared in three preseason games for the San Antonio Spurs and eight games for the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to have two Two-Way players on their roster at any given time, in addition to their 15-man regular season roster. A Two-Way player for the Bulls will provide services to the team’s G League affiliate – the Windy City Bulls – but can spend up to 45 days with Chicago, not including any time prior to the start of Windy City’s training camp and at the conclusion of their season.

Bucks re-sign Tony Snell

The Milwaukee Bucks have re-signed restricted free agent guard Tony Snell.

“Tony was an integral part of our team’s improvement last season and we’re excited to re-sign him,” said General Manager Jon Horst. “He is a tireless worker, a terrific teammate and a man of great character. We look forward to having him back with the Bucks as we continue to build toward a championship.”

Snell had the best season of his four-year NBA career in 2016-17 – his first with the Bucks – as he set new career-highs in points (8.5), rebounds (3.1), assists (1.2) and minutes (29.2) per game while playing and starting a career-high 80 games. Snell also set new personal bests in 3-point percentage (.406) and field goal percentage (.455) during the 2016-17 season after he was acquired by the Bucks in October.

“I’m grateful to the Bucks ownership and everyone in the organization for believing in me,” Snell said. “We’re building something special here and I’m fortunate to work with great coaches and teammates. I can’t wait to get the season started and continue our positive momentum from last season.”

A 6-foot-7 guard, Snell has career averages of 6.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 21.4 minutes per game. Originally selected out of New Mexico with the 20th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, Snell has appeared in 293 games (147 starts) in four seasons.

On the development of Otto Porter

Here’s CSN Mid Atlantic reporting on Otto Porter, who the Wizards just rewarded with a huge new contact. Specifically on what Porter will be working on as he continues his development:

On the development of Otto Porter

During the press conference to announce Porter’s new deal, the Wizards small forward outlined the specific areas he hopes to improve in the next few years:

“I want to continue to improve in getting stronger and being able to defend bigger guys. I definitely want to be able to do that. I’m going to continue working on my midrange and my three-point, extending my range out. The big thing for me is my ballhandling. I want to make sure I keep my ballhandling real tight, whether I get the rebound and push it up the floor myself, I just want to be able to maintain my skills.”

If Porter can get better at defending big forwards, that would be excellent for the Wizards in terms of playing small and switching on defense.

Heat face contract decisions by Tuesday

Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting on the Heat, who have some decisions to make by tomorrow, as an extension possibility also opens up on Thursday:

Heat face contract decisions by Tuesday

The Heat must decide by the end of the day Tuesday whether to guarantee $453,000 each for 2017-18 to Rodney McGruder and Okaro White, with the two otherwise to become free agents.

August 1 guarantee deadlines are not unusual in the NBA, allowing teams time to sort through both summer league and free agency before making such decisions. The Charlotte Hornets recently cut former Heat guard Briante Weber when faced with such a deadline…

In addition, on Thursday, the two-year anniversary of when he signed his rookie contract as a second-round pick out of Tennessee in 2015, [Josh] Richardson becomes eligible for an extension. The combo guard otherwise would stand as a restricted free agent next summer.

Kings hire Brandon D. Williams as Assistant General Manager

Kings hire Brandon D. Williams as Assistant General Manager

The Sacramento Kings today hired Brandon D. Williams as Assistant General Manager, according to General Manager Vlade Divac. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

In his new role with Sacramento, Williams will support all facets of the day-to-day operation of the Kings front office, including roster composition, player evaluation and development, contractual negotiations, free agency procurement, collegiate, G-League and NBA scouting processes and player personnel matters.

“We are so excited that Brandon is joining our front office team,” said Divac. “He is an experienced and talented basketball executive. His knowledge of player development and basketball operations combined with his legal skills will be a strong addition to our team.”

Williams joins the Kings organization after spending the previous four seasons as an executive with Philadelphia, most recently serving as Vice President of Basketball Administration and General Manager of the NBA G-League’s Delaware 87ers. In addition to aiding the 76ers front office in matters regarding prospect evaluation, player development, staffing recruitment and contract negotiations, the former Davidson Wildcat standout helped facilitate several NBA call-ups and coaching promotions as the 87ers General Manager.

Before working in basketball operations from a team perspective, Williams spent nine seasons in the league office as Director of NBA Player Development (2005-07) and Associate Vice President of Basketball Operations (2007-13), overseeing standards relating to on-court operations, quality of game play, monitoring conduct and discipline and officiating performance via the Standard Observers Program. During early development of the contemporary NBA minor league system thriving today, Williams was regularly consulted on various issues to improve synergy in the league’s affiliation and assignment systems. In 2012, the Louisiana native obtained a law degree from Rutgers University.

A veteran of nine professional seasons in the NBA, CBA, D-League and abroad, Williams’ playing career was punctuated by championships with the San Antonio Spurs (1998-99) and Sioux Falls Skyforce (2004-05)—where he played for current Kings Head Coach Dave Joerger. His playing resume includes appearances with the Golden State Warriors (1997-98), San Antonio Spurs, Huntsville Flight (G-League), Atlanta Hawks (2002-03), Sioux Falls and significant experience oversees in France, Greece, Germany, Italy and Israel.

Lakers sign Thomas Bryant

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed center Thomas Bryant, it was announced today by General Manager Rob Pelinka.

Bryant, the 42nd overall selection in the 2017 NBA Draft, acquired via trade with the Utah Jazz on draft night, averaged 12.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 assists in 34 games (all starts) for Indiana University last season.

In eight games played for the Lakers in the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League, Bryant notched 5.1 points (.667 FG%) and 3.3 rebounds in 13.4 minutes.