Inside Hoops – Page 704 – NBA Blog

Who will start at SF for Clippers?

The usual Clippers starters are back: Chris Paul and J.J. Redick in the backcourt, Blake Griffin at power forward, and DeAndre Jordan at center. As for who may get the starting nod at small forward, here’s the OC Register reporting:

When the doors opened at the Bren Events Center, those guys were going to be playing with the first unit. But the fifth guy? That was, and remains, a bit of mystery.

On the opening day of training camp Tuesday, Luc Mbah a Moute played with the starters during the period open to the media. Earlier in the day, free agent addition Alan Anderson also worked with the starters. Wesley Johnson, who couldn’t hang on to a spot in the starting lineup last year, also is expected to get a chance with the starters at small forward.

“It’s the first day. I think that job is wide open,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “I’d say Luc, Alan, Wes would be the three, but we may go small. Like I said last year, and didn’t follow through on it, that position will change a lot. Last year, we ran a lot with the small lineup, three guards, and we may do that to start games.”

Dante Exum healthy, ready to return

Young Jazz point guard Dante Exum played all 82 games as a rookie, averaging 4.8 ppg on 34.9% FG. He then missed his entire second season due to injury. Exum is now healthy and set to return to action, though the Jazz have now added veteran PG George Hill, which takes pressure off of Exum and allows him to develop at his own pace. Here’s the Here’s the Deseret News reporting:

Exum, the fifth pick of the 2014 draft, said he’s never been so pumped up for a practice as he was leading up to the beginning of training camp. Sitting out for a year can do that to a hungry and enthusiastic young man.

“I was just excited to get back out there,” Exum said after the first of two practices Tuesday. “I was feeling good. I was just ready to come out there, talk when I can and run between every drill.”

Both his attitude and his body were at 100 percent as he returned from a yearlong rehab that followed his September 2015 surgery on his left knee that had been injured in a friendly international game with the Australian team.

Exum said sitting out of games — especially staying home watching on TV when the team was on the road — was his biggest challenge during that lengthy ordeal. He also struggled seeing his teammates practice and improve while he wasn’t able to do anything on the court. The mental part of this experience, one prolonged by the Jazz’s extra-cautious rehab process, could be more difficult than the physical at times. Even so, he learned patience and got to know his coach’s mindset better while sitting behind the bench during games.

Cavaliers coaching staff announced

The Cavaliers have promoted Larry Drew to Associate Head Coach on Head Coach Tyronn Lue’s staff.

“We are extremely pleased to secure Coach Lue’s staff into the future. The diverse talents and wealth of experience they bring to our Cavs family is, and has been, essential to our growth and evolution as a Championship-caliber franchise,” said Cavs General Manager David Griffin.

Additionally, Damon Jones was named a Cavs Assistant Coach, joining Jim Boylan, Mike Longabardi and James Posey. Phil Handy returns as Cavs Director of Player Development/Assistant Coach and Vitaly Potapenko remains as Assistant Director of Player Development. Mike Gerrity has been promoted to Director of Player Development for the Charge and will serve as Player Development Assistant with the Cavs.

The Cavs also promoted Dan Vincent, formerly the Cavs Manager of Video/Advance Scouting, to Special Assistant to the Head Coach/Manager of Advanced Scouting.

The Canton Change, the Cavaliers exclusively owned and operated NBA Development League team, have promoted Nate Reinking to Head Coach. Reinking was formerly an Assistant Coach for the Charge.

In Canton, Melvin Ely and Sam Jones have been hired as Assistant Coaches on Charge Head Coach Nate Reinking’s staff.

Kawhi Leonard the leader for Spurs

The Spurs last season were led offensively by Kawhi Leonard (21.1 ppg), LaMarcus Aldridge (18.0 rpg) and Tony Parker (11.9 ppg). Defensively, Leonard is the best on the squad. With Tim Duncan retired but Pau Gasol now on board and Aldridge still ready to score and rebound, Leonard is still the best all-around weapon on the squad.

Here’s the San Antonio Express-News:

Leonard led the team on both the offensive and defensive ends last season, and he spent the offseason trying to figure how how to lead them somewhere else — the locker room.

“Just becoming a leader,” he said. “Just making sure I know what’s going on on the floor in every position. Just being ready to really get my mentality at leading this group this year, that’s pretty much it.”

Leonard thinks that the Spurs have a championship roster. They added two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol to the roster, whom Leonard said is knowledgeable, skilled and should fit right in. But he knows that the bread and butter of the Spurs’ offense this season will come from him and LaMarcus Aldridge.

Rudy Gay still a King, for now

Kings forward Rudy Gay is entering the 11th year of his career. Time has flown. He turned 30 in August. The time to win is now, or at least pretty soon. Sacramento probably aren’t the place where that’s going to happen, and it’s likely that Gay will have a new home, either via trade sometime this season or via free agency in the summer of 2017. Here’s the Sacramento Bee with the latest:

Gay will opt out of his contract after this season and become an unrestricted free agent, fueling speculation the Kings will trade the forward to avoid losing him with no compensation.

“I made the decision to opt out,” Gay said Monday during the team’s media day. “Whether I sign here, whether I’m here the rest of the season or whether I start here, it’s really not up to me. Wherever I am, I’m going play to the best of my ability.” …

“I’m pain-free,” Gay said. “I’m in the best shape of my life, I’d like to say, and I’m focused. No matter what, I come here to play with my brothers, and that’s everybody in that locker room, and we’re playing to win.”

Al Horford a big addition for Celtics

The Celtics are saying all the right things, not looking to put too much pressure on new frontcourt addition Al Horford, but it’s reasonable to expect that having him in the mix should bump the team up to the next level in the Eastern conference. They won 48 game last season, and can certainly aim for 50+ wins this coming year.

Here’s the Boston Herald:

After taking another step forward last season, expectations have never been higher for Brad Stevens’ Celtics.

Inking Al Horford to a four-year, $113 million contract has fueled that fire, but Stevens cautioned that they aren’t asking the big man to put the C’s on his back.

“We’re not asking Al to be anything more than him,” Stevens said. “He’s a good fit for how we play on offense. He’s a good fit for the way we play defense. He’s a professional.”

And more from the Herald:

“I took a chance on coming here because I believe in the type of guys we have here in the organization,” Horford said at Celtics media day.

The power forward recounted coming to TD Garden as a rookie, eyes glued to the championship banners in the rafters.

“I couldn’t stop looking at them,” Horford said. “It’s something that’s powerful. It leaves an impression.”

Timberwolves add Rasual Butler, John Lucas III and Toure` Murry to training camp

The Timberwolves finalized the team’s 2016-17 Training Camp roster today by signing forward Rasual Butler and guards John Lucas III and Toure’ Murry.

Butler, 37, has appeared in 809 games over his 13-year NBA career, averaging 7.5 points and 2.4 rebounds. In 2015-16, he played in 46 games for the San Antonio Spurs, averaging 2.7 points and 1.2 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per game. Butler, the 53rd overall selection in the 2002 NBA Draft by Miami, has played with the Heat, New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards and Spurs. Butler played six games under current Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Tom Thibodeau in Chicago during the 2010-11 NBA season.

In his eight-year NBA career, Lucas III, 33, has averaged 4.8 points, 1.5 assists and 12.3 minutes in 237 games. The 5-11 guard most recently played in the NBA with the Detroit Pistons in 2014-15, averaging 4.7 points and 2.9 assists in 21 games. Lucas has enjoyed NBA stints with the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz and Pistons. Lucas III played under Thibodeau from 2010-12 in Chicago. He is the son of former NBA player John Lucas Jr., who played 14 years in the NBA from 1976-90.

Murry, 26, has played in 56 games with three teams between two NBA seasons, including appearing in 51 contests with the Knicks in 2013-14 where he averaged 2.7 points. Originally undrafted in the 2012 NBA Draft out of Wichita State, the 6-5 guard spent 2015-16 in the NBA D-League, starting the season with the Texas Legends before being acquired in a trade by the Sioux Falls Skyforce late in the season. Murry played in 45 games between the two stops, averaging 11.5 points, 4.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 31.3 minutes per game. Murry played for the Timberwolves entry in the 2016 Summer League, averaging 6.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals in eight games.

Butler will wear No. 12, Lucas III will wear No. 11 and Murry will don No. 23.

Spurs add Joel Anthony, Nicolas Laprovittola, Ryan Richards to training camp

The Spurs training camp roster stands at 20 players, and includes the additions of center Joel Anthony, guard Nicolás Laprovíttola and forward-center Ryan Richards.

Anthony (6-9, 245), a nine-year NBA veteran, spent the last two seasons with the Detroit Pistons. The UNLV product has also played for the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat, where he spent his first six-plus seasons and won back-to-back NBA championships in 2012 and 2013. Anthony has appeared in 471 career games, averaging 2.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.11 blocks in 14.7 minutes.

Laprovíttola (6-4, 180) is a native of Argentina and has played professionally since 2007, most recently splitting last season between Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius (Lithuania) and Movil Estudiantes (Spain). In 20 games with Lietuvos, he averaged 10.3 points, 3.8 assists and 2.2 rebounds before making the move to Movil. In 20 games with Estudiantes, he posted averages of 13.8 points, 4.4 assists and 2.9 rebounds. Laprovíttola is also a member of the Argentinian National Team and competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he averaged 8.2 points, 2.7 assist and 2.2 rebounds in six games.

Richards (6-11, 265) was originally drafted by the Spurs with the 49th overall pick in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft. He split last season between Iran-Super League’s Shahdary Gorgan and Lebanon-Pepsi LBL’s Sagesse-Al Kekmeh Beirut. In 26 games with Shadary, he averaged 20.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 37.6 minutes. After transferring to Sagasse-Al Kekmeh Beruit midway through the season, he averaged 15.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in six games.

Pistons sign Nikola Jovanovic and Trey Freeman to training camp

The Pistons today signed Nikola Jovanovic and Trey Freeman to contracts that bring those two players to training camp.

Jovanovic, a 6-11, 235 played three years at the University of Southern California and averaged 10.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 98 games for the Trojans. He averaged 12-plus points and 7.0 rebounds in both his sophomore and junior years and shot better than 50% from the field in all three of his collegiate years. A native of Belgrade, Serbia, Jovanovic became the 36th player in USC history to record 1,000-plus points.

Freeman averaged 22.1 points as a senior at Old Dominion University last season. In 135 career collegiate games, he’s averaged 17.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists at Campbell University (2011-13) and Old Dominion (2014-16). A 6-2 guard from Virginia Beach, VA, Freeman earned First-Team All-Conference USA honors in both his junior and senior years.

Nets sign Chase Budinger and Jorge Gutierrez

The Nets today signed free agent forward Chase Budinger and guard Jorge Gutierrez.

Budinger (6-7, 215) has appeared in 407 career NBA games (50 starts) with Phoenix (2015-16), Indiana (2015-16), Minnesota (2012-15) and Houston (2009-12) and holds averages of 7.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 19.7 minutes per contest. The California native was selected 44th overall out of the University of Arizona in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons before being traded on draft night to the Rockets.

Gutierrez (6-3, 195) most recently suited up for the Charlotte Hornets during the 2015-16 season, and has also had NBA stints with the Milwaukee Bucks (2014-15) and the Nets (2013-15). In 47 total NBA games, the Mexico native holds averages of 2.9 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 10.3 minutes per contest.

Gutierrez, who began his professional career playing for Pioneros de Quintana Roo in Mexico (2012-13), has had four stints in the NBA D-League over the past four seasons, all with the Canton Charge. In 2014 he was named to the All-NBA D-League Second Team and was twice named to the league’s all-defensive team (2013, 2014).