Inside Hoops – Page 852 – NBA Blog

Lakers promote Jesse Buss, Ryan West and Clay Moser

Los Angeles Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak announced today that Jesse Buss has been promoted to assistant general manager/director of scouting, Ryan West to director of player personnel, and Clay Moser to assistant coach/director of basketball strategy.

Buss most recently served as the Lakers’ director of scouting for the past three seasons, overseeing all scouting operations in preparation for the NBA Draft, in addition to his own scouting responsibilities. In his new role, Buss will continue to contribute to personnel decisions under Kupchak, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations Jim Buss, and Assistant General Manager Glenn Carraro, and will also continue to assist the Lakers’ NBA D-League team, the D-Fenders, with their draft and scouting. Originally joining the organization in 2006, Jesse spent two seasons as a basketball operations assistant before serving as a scout from 2008-11, and as scouting coordinator for the 2011-12 season.

West begins his new role after serving as assistant director of scouting for the past three seasons, where he was an integral part of the player evaluation process and had input in all drafting and scouting decisions. In addition to expanding his existing roles in the organization, West will maintain his extensive in-person scouting schedule. West originally joined the Lakers as a scout in the summer of 2009, and prior to joining the Lakers, spent eight seasons as a scout with the Memphis Grizzlies.

This will be Moser’s fifth season with the Lakers organization, originally coming to Los Angeles as associate head coach of the D-Fenders for the 2011-12 campaign, before being promoted to the parent club in December of that year. He served as the head advance NBA scout for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons, and added assistant coaching duties to his responsibilities last season. The Wisconsin-LaCrosse graduate brings over 25 years of professional basketball management and coaching experience to the newly-created position, where he will work directly with the coaching and analytics staffs to integrate ideas and information between the departments. Moser will work closely with Director of Analytics Yuju Lee and Associate Director of Analytics Aaron Danielson.

Lee brings a wealth of statistical and computer science knowledge to his position, holding MS degrees in each discipline from UCLA, while working closely with the basketball operations, coaching, and training staffs to incorporate statistical analysis into the day-to-day operation of each department. Lee was originally hired as a consultant by the Lakers for the 2012-13 season, contributing to a variety of analytics projects.

Danielson’s role includes designing and implementing statistical analysis for the basketball operations department, while also assessing league trends and developing new analytic content for the coaching and training staffs. Currently finishing his PhD in statistics at UCLA, Danielson previously earned master’s degrees in public policy from the University of Chicago and in economics from NYU. He began working with the Lakers two seasons ago in a consultant role.

Knicks sign Darion Atkins and Wesley Saunders

New York Knicks President Phil Jackson announced today that the team has signed forward Darion Atkins and guard/forward Wesley Saunders. The contracts are likely non-guaranteed and just for training camp.

Atkins, 6-8, 241-pounds, averaged 7.6 points and 6.0 rebounds over 23.9 minutes in 33 games as a senior at the University of Virginia and was named the winner of the 2015 Lefty Driesell National and ACC defensive player of the year awards. The Clinton, MD-native led the Portsmouth Invitational in scoring (20.0) and blocks (3.7) and appeared in nine Summer League games for San Antonio’s entries at Orlando and Las Vegas, averaging 2.3 points and 2.3 rebounds over 12.7 minutes.

Saunders, 6-5, 215-pounds, averaged 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals over 29.8 minutes in 120 games over four seasons at Harvard University. The three-time All-Ivy League first-team selection, averaged career-highs of 16.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists as a senior. The Los Angeles, CA-native, appeared in six 2015 Summer League games for the Jazz’ entry at Utah and Las Vegas, averaging 2.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists over 15.3 minutes.

Nets sign Dahntay Jones

The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent guard/forward Dahntay Jones, General Manager Billy King announced today.

According to ESPN New York, “Jones will receive a non-guaranteed contract, which is essentially a training camp invite, a source confirmed.”

Jones (6’6”, 225) has appeared in 622 games (157 starts) across 11 seasons in the NBA, registering career averages of 5.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 15.7 minutes per game while playing for the Memphis Grizzlies (2003-07), Sacramento Kings (2007-08), Denver Nuggets (2008-09), Indiana Pacers (2009-12), Dallas Mavericks (2012-13), Atlanta Hawks (2013) and the Los Angeles Clippers (2014-15). He has also appeared in 49 playoff games (16 starts) during seven career trips to the postseason, averaging 4.1 points and 1.3 rebounds in 11.1 minutes per game. Last season, Jones played in 33 regular season games for the Clippers, averaging 0.6 points and 0.3 rebounds in 3.7 minutes per game off the bench, as well as 11 postseason games with Los Angeles. Prior to signing with the Clippers, Jones played 19 games with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the D-League.

The Trenton, N.J., native began his NBA career when he was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 20th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft out of Duke University and was subsequently traded to the Memphis Grizzlies on draft night.

Pelicans sign Sean Kilpatrick

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today the team has signed free agent guard Sean Kilpatrick.

Kilpatrick, 6-4, 210, appeared in four games during the 2014-15 season for the Minnesota Timberwolves, averaging 5.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists. Kilpatrick spent the majority of the 2014-15 season in the NBA Development League, appearing in 44 games for the Santa Cruz Warriors and Delaware 87ers, while averaging 13.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.

Undrafted in 2014, Kilpatrick played four seasons at the University of Cincinnati, earning All-American Second Team and First Team All-ACC honors during his senior year.

Sixers sign Kendall Marshall

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced they have signed point guard Kendall Marshall.

Marshall was originally the 13th overall pick by Phoenix in the 2012 NBA Draft and appeared in seven games for the Delaware 87ers, the Sixers NBA Development League Affiliate, during the 2013-14 campaign, where he averaged 19 points and 10 assists per game on 46% shooting from three-point range.

Marshall appeared in 54 games for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2013-14 season, where he made 45 starts and averaged eight points and nine assists (with a 3.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio) in 29 minutes per game. He joined the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2014-15 season and posted averages of four points and three assists in 14 minutes per game.

A two-year stand out for the University of North Carolina, Marshall dished out an Atlantic Coast Conference record 351 assists in 2011-12 and went on to win the 2012 Bob Cousy Award, which is bestowed upon the nation’s top point guard in NCAA Division I.

Lakers sign Marcelo Huertas

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard Marcelo Huertas, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

Until we hear otherwise, we will assume this is a non-guaranteed deal that merely brings Huertas to Lakers training camp.

The Brazilian native began his professional playing career in his home country for three seasons (2001-2004) before signing with Joventut of the Spanish ACB League, where he played three seasons (2004-2007), winning the 2006 FIBA Euro Cup. He remained in the ACB League for the 2007-08 season, which saw him garner an All-ACB Team selection with Bilbao Basket, before joining Fortitudo Bologna in Italy’s top domestic league for the 2008-09 campaign. “Marcelinho” returned to the ACB League with Saski Baskonia from 2009-11, where he won the 2009-10 Spanish National Championship, and in 2010-11 won the Euroleague’s weekly MVP award two times and led the ACB with 5.9 assists per game en route to a second All-ACB Team selection.

Before joining the Lakers, 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.

The 6’3’’ point guard has played in Euroleague competition seven times, including the last six straight years, amassing 165 games played, and averages of 8.0 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per contest. He led the Euroleague in free throw shooting at 97.2% during the 2012-13 season, and was the 2013-14 Euroleague Top 16 Round 2 MVP.

Additionally, the 32-year-old has extensive international experience, notably as a member of the Brazilian national team for 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 has also appeared on three consecutive FIBA World Championship (renamed 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).

Pacers buy Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Pacers Sports & Entertainment, the parent organization of the Indiana Pacers, has acquired the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the National Basketball Association’s Development League, it was announced today.

With the acquisition, the Mad Ants become the 10th D-League team to be wholly owned by an NBA franchise and now all 19 D-League teams are singly-affiliated with NBA franchises.

“We are proud to extend the Pacers brand into Northeast Indiana and excited about continuing the tradition of professional basketball in Fort Wayne,” said Pacers Sports & Entertainment owner Herb Simon. “We will work closely with the Mad Ants staff to provide support and expertise on both the business and basketball sides and we hope to build on their enthusiastic fan base.”

The Mad Ants were previously owned by the Fort Wayne Basketball Group, LLC, which was led by majority investors John Zeglis, Julie Potter, and Jeff Potter. Jeff Potter, former president of the Mad Ants, will continue with the team as its president of business operations.

“The last eight years with the Mad Ants have brought our investors tremendous joy and a whole lot of fun,” said Jeff Potter. “Our goal in starting the Ants was to bring Fort Wayne something fun and exciting for families and basketball fans to enjoy, and we are so thankful to the city and our fans for how they received us and supported us. Although our run with the team is ending, we are so pleased to see our team placed in such great hands, and we wish the Pacers nothing but the best as they move forward with the Mad Ants.

The Pacers also announced that Brian Levy will become the Mad Ants General Manager. Levy had previously been the assistant general manager of the Phoenix Suns’ D-League team in Bakersfield, Calif.

The coaching staff of the Mad Ants has yet to be named.

The Mad Ants, champions of the D-League in 2014 and runners-up this past spring, will continue to play their 24 home games in Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. This will be their ninth season in the D-League.

“Indiana’s purchase of the Mad Ants signals an important milestone for the NBA D-League, as all 19 of the league’s teams are now owned by, or in hybrid partnerships with, their NBA parent clubs,” said Malcolm Turner, NBA D-League President. “I’m excited to welcome Herb Simon and the Pacers front office into the NBA D-League family, and extend my thanks to outgoing Mad Ants owners John Zeglis and Jeff Potter, whose commitment to excellence on and off the court helped shape the NBA D-League.”

The Pacers have assigned players to the Mad Ants since their inaugural season. This past year, center-forward Shayne Whittington had two separate stints with the Mad Ants.

“Owning the Mad Ants will be an integral part to the development of our young talent and we’ll have the ability to institute the same offensive and defensive systems and create a winning basketball culture across the state of Indiana,” said Pacers Basketball President Larry Bird. “We are excited to build on the team’s success in Fort Wayne while using it as a training ground for players, coaches and front office personnel.”

“We continue to see momentum and investments in Fort Wayne as we work together to move our community forward in a positive direction,” said Mayor Tom Henry. “We’re honored to have a new partnership with the Indiana Pacers, and we welcome them to our City. We’re a leader in providing tremendous minor league sports opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy. Thank you to the Mad Ants for being an important part of the success we’re experiencing in Fort Wayne. I’m encouraged by what this new relationship will mean to our community, state, and region as we build on being a nationally recognized city for job and business growth and quality of life amenities.”

New Phoenix Suns black alternate jersey

The Phoenix Suns last night announced a new marketing campaign, WeArePHX, as well as a black alternate uniform. Suns president, Jason Rowley, head coach Jeff Hornacek and Suns players Eric Bledsoe, Devin Booker, Archie Goodwin, Brandon Knight, Jon Leuer and P.J. Tucker, were joined by City of Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton for the reveal event at Canyon Suites at The Phoenician, at the base of Camelback Mountain.

The Suns also revealed their new black “PHX” alternate uniform, deemed Civic Pride, which the team says represents their pride in their home City, while harkening back to popular Suns teams of the past, including the Kevin Johnson and Charles Barkley-led Suns of the mid 90’s, the first team to wear a black Suns uniform. The sleek new design offers the team an alternate look while incorporating the Suns primary colors, purple and orange.

The Suns will wear the black alternate for the first time at the team’s home opener on October 28 at Talking Stick Resort Arena, and a total of 13 times during the 2015-16 season, a nod to Suns great Steve Nash, who will be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor on October 30 and whose teams were among the first to wear a “PHX” jersey in the mid-2000’s.

NBA Players Union moving to new Manhattan home in spring 2016

NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts announced today that union operations will be moving to a new home in mid-town Manhattan in spring 2016.

The new office space and players campus is located at 1133 Avenue of the Americas and covers 47,000 square feet over two floors. The campus will include a business center, practice court and training facility. The union will conduct player meetings in the new space and host several player programs on campus during the off-season.

“We are delighted to have a more accessible and welcoming space for our members to conduct business and train, when they are in New York,” said Roberts. “This is their home away from home.”

The union has accepted an offer to sell its current office space, located at 310 Lenox Avenue in Harlem. The settlement will happen in early 2016.

Cavaliers sign Sasha Kaun

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed center Sasha Kaun to a contract, General Manager David Griffin announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Kaun (6-11, 250) spent the last six seasons with CSKA Moscow where he was a five-time Russian League champion (2009-2013), five-time VTB United League champion (2010, 2012-2015) and 2010 Russian Cup winner. Over his career with the team, he appeared in 142 games (94 starts) with averages of 7.6 points on .702 shooting from the field and 3.6 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game. Last year with the club, he played in 30 games (all starts) and averaged a career-high 9.9 points on .691 shooting from the field and 4.5 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per game.

The Russian native played collegiately at Kansas, where he was a member of the Jayhawks 2007-08 National Championship team. He was also a member of the Russian National Team coached by Cavs head coach David Blatt, winning a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Kaun was originally the 56th overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder (then Seattle SuperSonics) and had his rights traded to the Cavs on draft night.