Inside Hoops – Page 716 – NBA Blog

Warriors add Willie Green to coaching staff

The Warriors have added Willie Green to Steve Kerr’s coaching staff as an assistant coach/player development.

Green, 35, played 12 seasons in the NBA, posting averages of 8.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 731 regular-season games with the Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Hornets, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers and Orlando Magic. Originally selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round (41st overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft, Green was acquired by the 76ers in a draft night trade and spent his first seven seasons in Philadelphia—including six seasons as a teammate of Warriors forward Andre Iguodala. Green, who last played with Orlando in 2014-15, qualified for the postseason seven times over his 12-year career, averaging 5.2 points over 36 playoff games.

A native of Detroit, Mich., Green attended the University of Detroit Mercy, where he was named Horizon League Player of the Year as a senior in 2002-03.

Nuggets sign Jamal Murray, Juancho Hernangomez, Malik Beasley

The Nuggets have signed guard Jamal Murray, forward Juancho Hernangomez and guard Malik Beasley to multi-year contracts, it was announced today by General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly.

Murray, 6-4, 207, was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 7th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

The 19-year-old appeared in five games (all starts) for the Nuggets at the 2016 Samsung Summer League in Las Vegas, averaging 19.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 29.5 minutes per game. Among players that played at least five games, Murray ranked fourth in scoring while also tallying three straight games of 20+ points.

Murray played one season for the Kentucky Wildcats in 2015-16, appearing in 36 games and averaging 20.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 40.8% from three-point range.

Hernangomez, 6-9, 230, a native of Madrid, Spain, was selected with the 15th pick in the 2016 NBA draft. He appeared in five games (all starts) for the Nuggets at the 2016 Samsung Summer League, holding averages of 10.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 55% from the field. Hernangomez ranked fifth in rebounds among players that appeared in at least five games, while posting a double-double in two contests.

Hernangomez, played for Movistar Estudiantes of the Spanish ACB league in 2015-16. Appearing in 24 games, he averaged 9.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 23.5 minutes.

Beasley, 6-5, 196, was drafted with the 19th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. He did not participate in the 2016 Samsung NBA Summer League after recovering from a pre-existing injury. He appeared in 34 contests during the 2015-16 season with the Florida State Seminoles, averaging 15.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 29.8 minutes.

Murray will wear jersey #27, Hernangomez will wear jersey #41 and Beasley will wear jersey #25.

Ricky Rubio does little in Spain loss to Brazil

Here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune reporting on Team Spain, who aren’t getting much production from point guard Ricky Rubio:

Ricky Rubio walked off at halftime looking dejected, staring at the floor, the last of Spain’s players to get to the locker room. By the end of the game, he was standing on the sideline, waving a towel, urging on his teammates.

Rubio contributed another unproductive game to Spain’s waning Olympic hopes on Tuesday, producing three points before fouling out of Spain’s 66-65 loss to Brazil at the Rio Games. In 16 minutes, Rubio produced four rebounds, two turnovers, three points, zero steals or blocks and zero assists. He finished minus-6 for a team that lost in the last seconds to a less-heralded team.

Steve Kerr says Kevin Durant is no villain

The Warriors won 73 games last season, reached the NBA Finals, and then this offseason added superstar Kevin Durant as a free agent. Durant joined the team that beat his Thunder squad in the Western Conference Finals. Here’s ESPN.com reporting Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s words:

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr says it’s “absurd” to cast Kevin Durant as a villain because he left the Oklahoma City Thunder as a free agent and joined the Warriors this summer.

“To think of Kevin Durant or Steph Curry or any of our guys as villains, it’s kind of absurd. Especially Kevin,” Kerr said Sunday in an interview on ESPN Radio’s TMI with Michelle Beadle and Ramona Shelburne. “This is one of the most likeable people in this league. He’s just an awesome human being. What he did in Oklahoma City was just amazing for that community.

Kerr added: “Circumstances kind of dictate, I guess, that some people are going to see him as a villain. But it’s only because he decided to go elsewhere to play. He wanted to change his scenery, he wanted a new challenge. More than anything he wanted to play with our guys. He loves Draymond [Green] and Steph and Klay [Thompson] and Andre [Iguodala]. Seeing those guys in New York, he loved seeing the chemistry that exists and he wanted to be a part of it.”

Cavaliers sign guard Kay Felder

The Cavaliers have signed guard Kay Felder, according to General Manager David Griffin.

Felder (5-9, 176) was the Atlanta Hawks’ No. 54 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. His draft rights were acquired by the Cavs on draft night.

Felder played in all seven games (six starts) for Cleveland in the 2016 Summer League, averaging 15.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals in 29.9 minutes per outing.

The Detroit native was the only player in the country to rank in the Top 5 this past season in both scoring (fourth, 24.4 ppg) and assists (first, 9.3 apg) and became just the fifth player in Division I history over the last 20 years to average over 23 points and six assists in a single season.

Brook Lopez very involved this Nets offseason

The Nets need center Brook Lopez to do bigger things than ever this upcoming season. If the offseason so far is any indication, he appears willing and able.

Here’s the New York Post reporting:

Lopez trains amid rookies, returning teammates and free-agent signees, some he helped recruit after sitting with team brass in free-agency meetings. That’s new, too. He never did that before.

“I called guys, texted guys, met guys. Isn’t that amazing?” asked Lopez, who reverted to his self-deprecating humor. “They said, ‘Let’s send the most antisocial guy we have to recruit …’”

It exemplifies a new culture and approach around the Nets under new general manager Sean Marks and new head coach Kenny Atkinson. Lopez has seen and heard all this before in his Nets run; this is, after all, his ninth head coach (name them all, win valuable prizes). One difference: The training, by choice, started for many within two weeks of last season’s end. Lopez has been doing it for two months. Never before was he around this early.

The rebuild of the Nets could take a long time. It’ll be interesting to see if Lopez is a part of it. He’s the team’s best trading chip. For now, though, he remains their main building block and clear best source of offense.

Lakers re-sign Marcelo Huertas

The Lakers have re-signed point guard Marcelo Huertas.

The Lakers backcourt is built around D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson. The bench rotation includes Jose Calderon, Nick Young and Huertas.

In his first NBA season with the Lakers last year after playing professionally in Brazil, Spain, and Italy since 2001, Huertas averaged a team-best 3.4 assists per game in addition to 4.5 points and 1.7 rebounds over 53 games.

“Marcelo’s understanding of the game, unselfishness, and professionalism are assets to our team and he has an uncanny ability to change the pace of the game,” said General Manager Mitch Kupchak. “He’s fundamentally solid but also has a flair and excitement to his style of play, which makes him a fan favorite.”

Prior to coming stateside, Huertas spent the previous four seasons (2011-15) with Spanish power FC Barcelona, where he was a key piece on their 2011-12 and 2013-14 Spanish National Championship and 2013 Spanish National Cup-winning teams. He also has 165 games of Euroleague experience, and was the 2013-14 Euroleague Top 16 Round Two MVP.

The Brazilian native has extensive international experience, notably representing his country at the 2012 Olympics in London, where he led the squad with 6.0 assists per game in addition to 11.3 points, good for second-best on the roster. He is currently a member of the Brazilian national team that will participate in this month’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He has also appeared on three consecutive FIBA Basketball World Cup teams in 2006, 2010, and 2014. His decorated international resume includes gold medals from the 2006 South American Championship (where he was named MVP of the tournament after averaging a team-leading 16.8 points to go with 4.0 assists) and 2007 Pan American Games, in addition to three medals from the FIBA Americas Championship: 2005 and 2009 (gold), and 2011 (silver).

Nets sign Beau Beech, Yogi Ferrell and Egidijus Mockevicius

The Nets have signed guard/forward Beau Beech, guard Yogi Ferrell and center Egidijus Mockevicius.

Until we hear otherwise, we will assume these are training camp signings that give these players a chance to compete for a regular-season contract.

Beech, Ferrell and Mockevicius were all members of Brooklyn’s 2016 NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas.

Beech (6’9”, 215) joins the Nets out of the University of North Florida. In four seasons with the Ospreys, Beech played in 133 games (129 starts) and recorded averages of 11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 28.7 minutes per game while shooting .423 from the field and .393 from three-point range. The Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. native was named to the All-Atlantic Sun First Team in both his junior and senior seasons and was also named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team. Along with leading North Florida all-time in games played and starts, Beech ranks first in steals (147) and tied for first in three-pointers made (302).

Ferrell (6’0”, 180) joins the Nets after a four-year career at Indiana University. Ferrell was named to the All-Big Ten First Team twice (2015 and 2016) and garnered second-team honors as a sophomore (2014). As a senior, Ferrell averaged 17.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 34.7 minutes per game, earning Associated Press Third Team All-America honors and capping his career as Indiana’s all-time assists leader with 633. Ferrell also led Indiana to three NCAA Tournament appearances and helped the Hoosiers advance to the Sweet 16 twice. In 137 career games (all starts) at IU, the Indianapolis, Ind., native averaged 14.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 32.8 minutes per game.

Mockevicius (6’10”, 237) joins Brooklyn following a four-year career at the University of Evansville. Mockevicius was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team as both a junior and senior (2015 and 2016) and was the conference’s defensive player of the year as a senior. The native of Lithuania was also the nation’s leading rebounder this past season, averaging 14.0 boards per game, to go along with 15.7 points and 2.8 blocks in 31.8 minutes per contest. In 136 career games with the Purple Aces, Mockevicius averaged 11.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 25.7 minutes per game.

Knicks sign Chasson Randle

The Knicks on Thursday signed guard Chasson Randle.

Until we hear otherwise, we will assume this deal merely brings Randle to training camp, where he’d have to earn a regular season contract.

The 6-2, 185-pound guard played in 66 games for CEZ Nymburk (Czech Republic) last season, where he averaged 12.8 points over 20.6 minutes.

Randle headed overseas after a four-year college career at Stanford University (2011-15) and finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer (2,375 points), with averages of 16.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.15 steals over 144 games. He was a two-time All-Pac 12 first-team selection (2014, 2015) and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2015 National Invitation Tournament after leading the Cardinals to the championship at Madison Square Garden.

The Rock Island, IL-native appeared in three games for the Knicks entry in the 2016 Orlando Pro Summer League, averaging 18.3 points, 5.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 3.00 steals over 29.7 minutes.

Sixers announce coaching staff

The Philadelphia 76ers announced Thursday that the team has named Jim O’Brien and Kevin Young as Assistant Coaches, John Bryant and Alvin Williams as Player Development Coaches, John Townsend as Shooting Coach, Chris Babcock as Assistant Director of Player Development and Dr. Lance Pearson as Director of Applied Analytics.

In a related move, Eugene Burroughs, who spent the last two seasons as the Sixers’ shooting coach, has been promoted to Head Coach of the Delaware 87ers, the NBA Development League affiliate of the Sixers.

“We are excited to maintain a continuity of culture within the staff by promoting five very talented coaches from within our organization,” said Sixers Head Coach Brett Brown. “This commitment to growth and development is the foundation upon which we were also able to recruit three coaches with decades of expertise who will help move our program forward and fit seamlessly into our system.”

O’Brien, a Philadelphia native, has nearly four decades of coaching experience, most recently as an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks during the 2012-13 season. He has held three NBA head coaching positions, including the 2004-05 season with the Sixers, when he led the team to a playoff appearance and a 43-39 record. O’Brien played his college basketball at St. Joseph’s University (1971-74) and attended high school at Roman Catholic.

Young has coached in the NBA Development League since 2007, most recently serving as head coach of the Delaware 87ers for the past two seasons. He previously held head-coaching positions with the Iowa Energy (2011-13) and Utah Flash (2010-11). As a player, Young starred at point guard for Clayton State University (2002-04).

Bryant also spent the past two seasons with the Delaware 87ers as an assistant coach. In three seasons prior to joining the Sevens, he served as assistant coach/head strength & conditioning coach with the Bakersfield Jam. Like O’Brien, he played his collegiate basketball at St. Joseph’s University (2001-05).

Townsend joins the Sixers after spending the past three seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies. He spent his first season as the team’s shooting coach before serving as Memphis’ director of player development for the past two seasons. Townsend has over a decade of additional experience as a shooting coach, including time spent in that role with the Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers and NBA Development League. Under Townsend’s direction, the 2008-09 Blazers shot 46.5 percent from the field, which ranked eighth in the NBA.

Williams was the Toronto Raptors’ director of player development from 2010-13. He began his coaching career after a 10-year run in the NBA, eight of which were spent with the Toronto Raptors. Born in Philadelphia, Williams played his high school basketball at Germantown Academy before putting together a standout four-year career at Villanova University (1993-97). For his senior season, Williams posted averages of 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals in 34 minutes per game as he led the Wildcats to a 24-10 record, capturing the Big East regular season title and a four-seed in the 1997 NCAA Tournament.
Babcock served as player development assistant this past season with the Sixers. He originally joined the team prior to the start of the 2013-14 season and assumed the role of assistant video coordinator, a position he held for two seasons. He spent the 2012-13 season with the San Antonio Spurs in the same role. Prior to his time with the Spurs, Babcock coached at the University of Texas from 2008-12.

Pearson spent last season in the role of coordinator of coaching analytics and special video projects, and has been working within the Sixers’ basketball operations department for the past three seasons. He spent four years at Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky as an assistant coach and adjunct professor of psychology. Pearson holds three bachelor’s degrees from the University of Kentucky as well as a Ph.D. in cognitive and neutral systems from Boston University.

Burroughs will assume the head coach position with the Sevens after spending the past two seasons as the Sixers’ shooting coach. Prior to joining the Sixers, Burroughs was an assistant coach at Marist College. He spent the previous two years as associate head coach at Penn State. A Philadelphia native, he played his collegiate basketball at Richmond University (1991-94), where he was a member of the first-ever 15-seed to defeat a two-seed in the NCAA Tournament, when the Spiders knocked off Syracuse in 1991.