Inside Hoops – Page 708 – NBA Blog

Jazz sign Henry Sims

The Jazz have signed free agent center Henry Sims.

We will assume this is a non-guaranteed deal that merely brings Sims to training camp.

Sims (6-10, 248, Georgetown) has appeared in 135 NBA games over four seasons with New Orleans, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Brooklyn, owning career averages of 7.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 18.8 minutes per game. Sims finished the 2015-16 season with the Nets, appearing in 14 games (four starts) and averaging 6.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 block in 18.8 minutes of action.

He has also spent time in the NBA D-League with the Erie BayHawks, Canton Charge and Grand Rapids Drive. Sims averaged 15.7 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 30.0 minutes per game before signing with Brooklyn in March of 2016.

The Baltimore native, played four years at Georgetown (2008-12), averaging 11.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 blocks as a senior. He played high school basketball at Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore.

He will wear jersey #30 for the Jazz.

Pelicans sign Chris Copeland and Robert Sacre

The Pelicans have signed free agents Chris Copeland and Robert Sacre.

We assume these are non-guaranteed contracts that merely bring Copeland and Sacre to Pelicans training camp.

Copeland, 6-8, 235, appeared in 24 games with Milwaukee last season, posting averages of 2.1 points in 6.5 minutes per game. Undrafted out of Colorado in 2006, Copeland has appeared in 171 career regular season games (26 starts) with New York, Indiana and Milwaukee, posting averages of 5.8 points and 1.6 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per game.

Sacre, 7-0, 270, appeared in 25 games last season for the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 3.5 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game. Drafted 60th overall by the Lakers in 2012 out of Gonzaga, Sacre has spent his entire career in Los Angeles, averaging 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds over 189 career regular season games (35 starts).

Khris Middleton suffers hamstring injury, needs surgery

Milwaukee Bucks guard Khris Middleton suffered a left hamstring injury in preseason workouts that will require surgery, General Manager John Hammond announced Wednesday. Middleton is expected to be sidelined for approximately six months, with surgery planned in the next week.

“We’re obviously disappointed for Khris and our team, but injuries are an unfortunate part of the game,” said Hammond. “We’ll rely on our overall roster depth to help us while Khris is out for a significant period of the season.”

The Bucks were a disappointment last season, finishing with a 33-49 record and not living up to expectations that came with being a young but talented roster. Losing Middleton for the next six months certainly hurts their quest to rise up in the East.

Middleton, 25, averaged a career-high 18.2 points, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals last season along with 3.8 rebounds in 79 games. Originally selected by Detroit (39th overall) in the 2012 NBA Draft, Middleton has career averages of 13.2 points, 2.7 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 267 career games (201 starts).

2016 Bucks Fan Fest info

The fourth annual Bucks Fan Fest will return to the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Sunday, Oct. 2, from 12:30 – 4 p.m. The Fan Fest will once again be highlighted by the team’s annual open practice, which will take place from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. The event is open to the public and FREE! (tickets are required, but can be downloaded and printed for free at www.bucks.com/fanfest).

The Bucks’ annual open practice provides a rare peek into the inner-workings of an NBA team, including a first look at the new faces on the Bucks squad including Bucks rookies Thon Maker and Malcolm Brogdon, and free agents Matthew Dellavedova, Mirza Teletovic and Jason Terry. The practice will take place on the BMO Harris Bradley Center court and last for approximately one hour. General admission seating in the lower bowl will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. All fans that download tickets at www.bucks.com/fanfest before the event will be entered to win a pair of courtside seats to watch the open practice.

Following the team’s open practice, the arena will be transformed into a festival celebrating the new season of Bucks basketball. Fan Fest will run from 2-4 p.m. and include opportunities for autographs and photos with current players, coaches and broadcasters, the chance to shoot a free throw on the Bucks court, appearances by Bucks game night entertainment crews, the opportunity to purchase Bucks gear and memorabilia, and “Bango’s Backyard” with interactive games.

2016 Thunder Blue and White Scrimmage info

Fans will have the first opportunity to see the 2016-17 Thunder squad in action as the team brings its annual Blue and White Scrimmage to John Marshall Mid-High School on Tuesday, Sept. 27.

The Thunder team will take the court at 7 p.m. for an open practice that also includes several Thunder game-night features such as Rumble the Bison, the Thunder Girls, Thunder Drummers and Storm Chasers. Prior to the scrimmage, the team will hold Thunder Alley starting at 4 p.m. outside the school, where fans will be able to enjoy the OG&E ThunderBolt, pop-a-shot, sport court, the Thunder merchandise trailer, appearances by Thunder entertainers, and interactive games and sweepstakes at the U.S. Cellular tent.

“We are thrilled to bring the Thunder experience to John Marshall Mid-High,” said Brian Byrnes, senior vice president of Sales and Marketing. “Our tradition of the Blue and White Scrimmage gives us an outstanding opportunity to connect with communities across the state and show them how deeply we appreciate their support.”

Tickets for the scrimmage are being distributed by the John Marshall Mid-High School administration in order to best serve the school community.

Jazz announce basketball staff promotions and additions

The Jazz have promoted Richard Smith to executive director of international scouting and Bart Taylor to Jazz director of scouting/Salt Lake City Stars vice president of basketball operations.

Additionally, the team has hired Nixon Dorvilien as director of rehabilitation.

Smith is promoted to executive director of international scouting and will now head the Jazz’s global scouting efforts. He is entering his 22nd year with the organization having worked in a variety of capacities within basketball operations. For the past three seasons he served as the Jazz executive director of player services, following prior stints as director of basketball operations, director of scouting services, video coordinator and advance scout. A native of Norwich, Conn., “Smitty” earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Central Connecticut State College.

As Jazz director of scouting/Stars vice president of basketball operations, Taylor will serve the dual role of coordinating the Jazz’s scouting efforts while also directing all basketball-related decisions for the Jazz-owned NBA Development League team, which is set to begin its inaugural season in Utah in November. Now in his fifth season with the Jazz, Taylor had most recently served as the Jazz coordinator of scouting. Born and raised in San Antonio, Taylor served basketball operations internships with both his hometown Spurs and their NBA D-League affiliate the (then) Austin Toros after attending Trinity University in San Antonio, where he played basketball for three years and earned a degree in mathematics.

In his newly created role, Dorvilien will work closely with the Jazz’s medical and sports science staffs on injury prevention, athlete recovery and return to optimal performance after injury.

Dorvilien comes to the Jazz after spending the previous two seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks (2014-16), the first as assistant athletic trainer before being promoted to head athletic trainer for his second season. He also spent time with the Brooklyn Nets (2012-14) as assistant athletic trainer. Dorvilien started his career with the San Antonio Spurs in 2005 as the team’s equipment manager and assistant athletic trainer. He spent six seasons with the Spurs organization, including the team’s NBA Championship campaign in 2006-07. During his time in San Antonio, Dorvilien also served as the head athletic trainer and strength coach for the Austin Toros (now Austin Spurs) during their 2011-12 D-League Championship season.

A native of the Bahamas, Nixon received a bachelor’s degree in athletic training from Park University before earning his master’s degree from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in 2004. After completing his education, Dorvilien served one year as the Red Raiders’ athletic trainer for track and field, winning the men’s Big 12 championship, before joining the Spurs.

Warriors announce promotions in Basketball Operations department

The Warriors today announced promotions in the team’s Basketball Operations department, highlighted by the promotions of Bob Myers to the role of president of basketball operations/general manager, Travis Schlenk to vice president of basketball operations/assistant general manager, Kirk Lacob to vice president of GSW Sports Ventures/assistant general manager, and Larry Harris to assistant general manager/director of player personnel.

Additional promotions include Nick U’Ren as director of coaching operations/special assistant to the head coach, Jonnie West as director of player programs, Nanea McGuigan as director of basketball administration/player programs, Chelsea Lane as head of physical performance and sports medicine, Drew Yoder as head athletic trainer, Roger Sancho as assistant trainer, James Laughlin as video coordinator, and Sammy Gelfand as manager of basketball analytics.

Myers is entering his fifth season as general manager of the Warriors and adds the title of president of basketball operations. In this role, he reports directly to Owner & CEO Joe Lacob and oversees the entire Basketball Operations department on a day-to-day basis. Myers earned the 2014-15 NBA Executive of the Year for constructing a roster that won a then-franchise-record 67 regular-season games (67-15, .817) and won the 2015 NBA Championship – the fourth title in franchise history.

Schlenk is entering his 13th season with the Warriors, his first as vice president, basketball operations. In this role, Schlenk assists in the management of all day-to-day basketball operations, including all player-related matters. He also continues to serve as assistant general manager, a title he has held for each of the past five seasons. Prior to being named assistant general manager prior to the 2011-12 campaign, Schlenk spent the previous two seasons as the team’s director of player personnel. Before joining the team’s front office, Schlenk spent five years as an assistant coach and video scout for the Warriors, having originally joined the organization prior to the 2004-05 season as a video scout.

Kirk Lacob is in his seventh season with the Warriors, his first as vice president of GSW Sports Ventures. He also continues to serve as assistant general manager, a position he has held for each of the past four seasons. As part of his newly added vice president role, Lacob is in charge of the organization’s new sports ventures, including continued efforts to develop partnerships for basketball operations and leading investments for GSW in sports related areas.

Harris is entering his ninth season with the Warriors, and his first as assistant general manager/director of player personnel. In this role, Harris serves as one of the organization’s key talent evaluators of players at both the professional and collegiate levels, assisting with the team’s year-round preparation for the NBA draft, free agency and trades. Harris originally joined the Warriors in 2008 as an assistant coach under Don Nelson before moving to the front office after one season on the bench.

Raptors sign Brady Heslip

The Raptors have signed Canadian free-agent guard Brady Heslip.

Toronto will open training camp September 27 in Vancouver. The roster stands at 20 players.

Heslip, a native of Burlington, Ontario and a member of the Canadian Men’s Senior National Team, spent the 2015-16 season with Acqua Vitasnella Cantu (Serie-A) in Italy, averaging 12.7 points and shooting .455 from three-point range in 29 games.

He averaged 13.0 points and 1.2 rebounds for Canada at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto and 10.7 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists at the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship in Mexico City.
Heslip was selected 11th overall by Reno in the 2014 NBA D-League Draft and averaged 24.5 points in 20 games with the Bighorns. He set an NBA D-League record by making 13 three-point field goals November 29, 2014 at Idaho as part of a 45-point performance.

Hawks sign Will Bynum, Ryan Kelly and Richard Solomon

The Hawks have signed free agents Will Bynum, Ryan Kelly and Richard Solomon, it was announced today by General Manager Wes Wilcox. The training camp roster now stands at 20 players.

Bynum, a Georgia Tech alum and eight-year NBA veteran, has played in 360 career games (29 starting assignments) with Golden State (2005-06), Detroit (2008-14) and Washington (2014-15). The 6’0 guard owns career averages of 8.1 points, 3.3 assist and 1.6 rebounds in 18.4 minutes (.442 FG%, .799 FT%). Bynum has also played professionally in Israel (2006-08) and China (2014-16), and was named the NBA Development League Rookie of the Year with the Roanoke Dazzle in 2005-06. He played his final two collegiate seasons at Georgia Tech, where he joined current Hawks teammate Jarrett Jack in helping the Yellow Jackets to the 2004 Final Four.

The 6’10 Kelly has spent the last three years with the Los Angeles Lakers after being selected in the second round (48th overall) of the 2013 NBA Draft, averaging 6.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 20.5 minutes in 147 games (59 starts). He has also seen action in the NBA Development League with the L.A. D-Fenders. A four-year letterman at Duke, Kelly was a member of the Blue Devils’ 2010 NCAA Champion team.

Solomon played last season in Japan after spending 2014-15 in the NBA D-League with the Oklahoma City Blue. In 28 games (one start) with the Blue, he tallied 8.5 points and 6.9 rebounds in 17.9 minutes (.618 FG%). The 6’11 Solomon had a four-year collegiate career at California, seeing action in 109 games and averaging 8.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 22.5 minutes (.512 FG%).

Bynum will wear uniform no. 6, Kelly no. 30 and Solomon no. 7.

Rudy Gay to opt out of Kings contract after this season

Players often keep this sort of thing to themselves. Rudy Gay telling this to the Kings actually helps the team. It means the team will almost surely try to trade him this season, and even if they get a lot less for him than they wanted, something good better than nothing. Here’s the Sacramento Bee reporting:

Forward Rudy Gay has told the Kings he will out of his contract after the season, meaning he likely will leave the team as an unrestricted free agent.

Gay signed his three-year, $40-million extension, with a player option for the third year, early in the 2014-15 season, when the Kings appeared on the rise under coach Michael Malone.

Gay was on the trading block this summer, according to multiple league sources, but his ability to opt out of his deal made it difficult for the Kings to acquire equal value in a trade.