Inside Hoops – Page 864 – NBA Blog

Magic sign Melvin Ejim

The Orlando Magic have signed forward Melvin Ejim (EDGE-um), General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today.

Ejim (6’6”, 220, 3/4/91) played in 47 games (45 starts) last season with Virtus Roma in Italy, averaging 7.9 ppg., 5.6 rpg. and 1.00 stlpg. in 24.1 minpg. He recently played with the Orlando Magic “White” team during the 2015 Southwest Airlines Orlando Pro Summer League, averaging 9.2 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 1.6 apg. and 1.00 stlpg. in 30.0 minpg.

Ejim, who was not drafted by an NBA franchise in 2014, played in 135 games (126 starts) during four seasons at Iowa State University from 2010-14, averaging 12.2 ppg., 7.8 rpg., 1.4 apg. and 1.08 stlpg. in 27.8 minpg., while shooting .497 (596-1,158) from the floor. He finished his collegiate career as the Cyclones’ all-time leader in games played and games started. Ejim also finished on the school’s all-time list in rebounding (second, 1,051) and is the only player in ISU history to amass 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 100 steals. Ejim was named the Big 12 Player of the Year in 2013-14. He helped Iowa State captured the 2013-14 Big 12 Tournament championship and reach the Sweet Sixteen during the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

Dante Exum suffers knee injury

The following is a medical update on Utah Jazz guard Danté Exum:

Exum suffered a left knee injury today while competing for the Australian National Team in a game against the Slovenian National Team in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Exum was initially treated on site and will now return to Salt Lake City for further medical evaluation by the Utah Jazz medical staff and official healthcare partner University of Utah Health Care.

Further updates will be provided soon.

Clippers sign Pablo Prigioni

The Los Angeles Clippers signed Pablo Prigioni today, adding depth behind Chris Paul at the point guard position.

Prigioni, 38, joins the Clippers after playing in a total of 67 regular season games (three starts) last season with the Houston Rockets (24 games) and the New York Knicks (43 games), averaging 4.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 17.9 minutes.

The 6-foot-3 guard enjoyed a decorated international career before signing with the Knicks in 2012 and has appeared in 211 career regular NBA season games (48 starts) with New York and Houston, owning career averages of 3.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 17.7 minutes.

A veteran of the Spanish and Argentine leagues, Prigioni played for Ramallo (1995-96), Belgrano (1996-98) and Obras Sanitarias (1998-99) of the Argentine League and for Fuenlabrada (1999-01), Alicante (2001-03), Caja Laboral (2003-09, 2011) and Real Madrid (2009-11) of the Spanish ACB and LEB Leagues. He won the Spanish National Championship in 2007-08, the King’s Cup three times (2004, 2006, 2009) and Spanish Super Cup three times (2005, 2006, 2008) and is also a two-time All-Euroleague second team selection (2006, 2007).

The Rio Tercero, Argentina native was a member of the 2008 Argentinian National Team that captured Bronze in the Beijing Summer Olympics and the 2012 team in the London Summer Olympics. Prigioni helped Argentina win a Gold medal at the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship, a Silver medal at the 2007 Americas Championship and a Bronze medal at the 2009 Americas Championship. He also represented Argentina in the 2006 and 2010 World Championships.

Raptors announce front office promotions

The Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday the promotion of Teresa Resch to Vice President, Basketball Operations and Player Development and Dan Tolzman to Director, Player Personnel.
Resch joined the Raptors in 2013. She will continue her responsibilities for off-court player development programs and as a liaison between basketball and team business operations.
Resch has also played an instrumental role in overseeing plans for the team’s new practice facility slated to open in February, 2016.

Tolzman joined the Raptors in 2013 as Director of Scouting. In addition to input on personnel and roster decisions, he will continue to head all aspects of the team’s scouting department, including college and professional scouting, talent assessment and related data management.

On July 7, Tolzman was named the first general manager of the Raptors’ new NBA D-League affiliate, Raptors 905. As the club’s general manager, Tolzman will lead all basketball operations and player personnel matters, including roster management and development, player transactions, scouting and drafting.

Video: Best NBA crossovers of 2014-15 season

Enjoy this video of the best NBA crossovers from the 2014-15 season:

Atlanta Hawks announce two executive appointments

The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club announced today two executive appointments. Atlanta sports marketing veteran Andrew Saltzman has joined the organization as Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer, and Andrew Steinberg moves to the newly created role of Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer.

“These two executive announcements are major steps in realizing our ownership’s vision of being Atlanta’s top sports franchise, both in the business and civic communities,” Chief Executive Officer Steve Koonin said.

“We are thrilled to add the talents and experience of Andrew Saltzman to our executive team. Andrew is a passionate executive who has proven himself a visionary creative mind in the sports and media marketplaces, both locally and nationally.”

“I’ve been in the Atlanta sports market for almost 20 years and have never seen a sports team with as much momentum as the Atlanta Hawks,” said Saltzman. “The opportunity to be a part of this organization and work with a leader like Steve Koonin is simply a dream come true for me.”
Saltzman most recently served as the Chief Revenue Officer for PlayOn! Sports and the NFHS Network, the nation’s largest high school sports media company. From 1997 to 2012, Saltzman served as President of Big League Broadcasting, co-founding and developing WQXI-AM into one of the country’s leading sports talk outlets, Sports Radio 790 The Zone. Through his leadership and client-centric marketing vision, 790 The Zone established itself as Atlanta’s premier sports broadcast station. Saltzman’s resume also includes successfully negotiating multi-year sports broadcast agreements with the Hawks, the Atlanta Falcons, Georgia Tech Athletics and the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

In his new role of Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer, Steinberg will now take a leadership role in the execution of strategic projects as determined by Koonin and the Hawks Board of Directors, including: the development of a new practice facility site, reimagining Philips Arena, and pursuing an NBA Development League team as a Hawks affiliate. Additionally, he will provide oversight of Philips Arena.

“We are fortunate to have a leader in Andrew Steinberg, who will take on new responsibilities as our enterprise enters its next chapter. As the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club continues to invest in both our organization and our community, Andrew will be at the forefront of these new major initiatives under new ownership,” said Koonin.

Under Steinberg, all Hawks revenue metrics have surged. During the 2014-15 season, Atlanta experienced the largest increase in attendance in the NBA and established team records for single game and group sales, leading the league in both categories. The Hawks currently lead the NBA in new full season tickets sold for 2015-16 and the season ticket membership base has increased by over 50% in his three seasons. Steinberg also created the Analytics and CRM department, providing strategic direction and key business intelligence insights and was instrumental in negotiations for the local media deals with Fox Sports South, CBS Radio 92.9 The Game and iHeartMedia’s El Patron 105.3FM. During his time in the role, Steinberg also developed marquee corporate partnerships with Boingo, Comcast, FanDuel and Ticketmaster, among others.

“I am excited for the challenges of my new role and working closely with our owners, who are committed to making the Hawks a vibrant community asset,” said Steinberg. “I look forward to helping execute their positive vision and to working with Executive Vice President and Philips Arena General Manager Trey Feazell, who has done an outstanding job leading the arena to become one of the busiest in the nation.”

Steinberg joined the Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena from Sporting Kansas City where he was Executive Vice President – Business Operations, directing revenue generation, strategic relationships, and corporate partnerships for the MLS team and the venue, Sporting Park. Prior to Sporting Kansas City, Steinberg served in various roles with the University of Kansas Athletics Department most notably as the Associate Athletics Director for Marketing and Revenue Development where he was responsible for enhancing KU’s brand image and strengthening its revenue streams. Steinberg joined the University of Kansas after serving as an associate with the law firm of Riling, Burkhead & Nitcher in Lawrence, Kansas and working with NIKE in Beaverton, Oregon.

“These two executive announcements are a major step in realizing our ownership’s vision in having our enterprise serve as a dynamic leader in the Atlanta business community,” said Koonin.

No Eurobasket 2015 for Serbian center Boban Marjanovic

After a physical exam, which included a MRI, San Antonio Spurs center Boban Marjanović has been diagnosed significant bony edema in his left ankle. The exam was performed by Dr. Richard Ferkel, director of sports medicine at the Southern California Orthopedic Institute.

The Spurs medical team, in conjunction with Dr. Ferkel’s recommendation, has determined the injury compromises Marjanović’s ability to play basketball without compromising long-term health and future injury.

As a result of these findings and in the best interest of his future health, Spurs officials have informed Marjanović and the Serbian Basketball Federation that, under the agreement between FIBA and the NBA, Marjanović will not be allowed to participate with the Serbian National Team in Eurobasket 2015.

Dr. Ferkel is a member of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, Arthroscopy Association of North America, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and International Society for Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopedic Sports Medicine.

Nuggets sign Danilo Gallinari to contract extension

After restructuring his deal, the Denver Nuggets have signed forward Danilo Gallinari to a multi-year contract extension, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

According to the Denver Post, “Gallinari’s extension has a total value of three years and $45 million. He will get a bump in pay that starts this season and raises his salary from $11.5 million to $14 million.”

Gallinari, 6-10, 225, appeared in 59 games (27 starts) for Denver last season, averaging 12.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 24.2 minutes per game.

The 26-year-old closed out the 2014-15 season by averaging 19.1 points and 4.9 rebounds over the final 22 games while shooting 45% from the field, 40% from three and 90% from the charity stripe. He also eclipsed the 40-point mark two times during this stretch, including a career-high 47 vs. Dallas on Apr. 10, the most points ever scored in the NBA by an Italian-born player.

The six-year veteran was drafted by the New York Knicks with the 6th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Gallinari has appeared in 344 career games (274 starts) with Denver and New York, averaging 14.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists. He has been a member of the Nuggets since being acquired via trade in 2011.

Heat sign Josh Richardson

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have signed guard Josh Richardson.

Richardson played for the HEAT in both the Orlando Pro Summer League and Samsung NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. He played a combined 10 games (six starts), and averaged 11.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.70 steals and 1.6 assists in 26.1 minutes per game. He recorded 23 points and four steals in 30:20 minutes in his Summer League finale against the Sacramento Kings.

Richardson, who played four seasons at Tennessee, appeared in 136 career games (110 starts) for the Volunteers and averaged 9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.08 steals and 28.2 minutes while shooting 45.6 percent from the field, 31.8 percent from three-point range and 75.8 percent from the foul line. He finished his career ranking third in school history in games played, ninth in minutes (3,802), ninth in starts, 10th in steals (147), 16th in blocks (88) and 28th in points (1,252). As a senior, he appeared in 32 games (all starts) and averaged 16.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.09 steals and 36.3 minutes while shooting 46.1 percent from the field, 35.9 percent from three-point range and 79.8 percent from the foul line. Among the accolades he collected during his senior season, Richardson was named to the Associated Press and Coaches All-SEC First Teams, the SEC All-Defensive Team and the Defensive All-American Team. He was also selected to the SEC Community Service Team.

Richardson was selected in the second round (40th overall) by the HEAT in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Timberwolves sign Andre Miller

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed veteran guard Andre Miller.

Miller, a 6-2 guard, averaged 4.4 points and 3.5 assists in 15.5 minutes per game over 81 contests between Washington and Sacramento last season. He began the season in Washington, appearing in 51 games before being acquired by Sacramento on Feb. 19 in exchange for Ramon Sessions.

Over his 16-year career, Miller has played for seven organizations (Cleveland, L.A. Clippers, Denver, Philadelphia, Portland, Washington and Sacramento) and averaged 12.8 points and 6.7 assists over 1,265 games. Between 1999-00 and 2012-13, he played in all but six contests over a span of 14 seasons, including playing every single game in 10 different seasons. With Cleveland in 2001-02, he led the NBA in both assists (882) and assists per game (10.9), both franchise records.

Originally selected with the 8th overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1998 NBA Draft, Miller ranks first among active players and ninth in NBA history in assists (8,437). He also ranks T-5th among active players in games played (1,265) and ninth in minutes played (39,807). Miller is one of just eight players in NBA history to tally at least 16,000 points and 8,000 assists in a career.