Inside Hoops – Page 873 – NBA Blog

Nets announce staff promotions

Brooklyn Nets General Manager Billy King announced today the promotions of Steve Jones to assistant coach for player development, Mike Jones to manager of video operations, Nick Resavy to video coordinator and Trevor St. Agathe to strength and conditioning coach/nutritional director. In addition, the Nets have named Brett Levy as video assistant.

Steve Jones will begin his second season with the Nets and first as an assistant coach for player development after serving as the team’s manager of video operations during the 2014-15 season. Prior to joining the Nets, Steve served in a variety of capacities with the Memphis Grizzlies, including video intern, video associate and video coordinator/player development from 2011-14. A native of Portland, Ore., Steve was a walk-on for the men’s basketball team at Arizona State for three years (2005-08) before transferring and completing his collegiate career as a walk-on at UNLV (2008-10), where he earned a B.A. in Communication Studies.

Mike Jones enters his second season with the Nets and first as manager of video operations after serving as the team’s video coordinator during the 2014-15 season. Mike played professionally for 11 years in France, Iran, Poland and Turkey, as well as in the CBA, after a standout collegiate career at Texas Christian University. Mike spent two years at TCU (1996-98) after spending his first two collegiate seasons at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, earning Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American honors and WAC Defensive Player of the Year honors as a senior. He was also a two-time All-WAC First Team performer. Prior to joining the Nets, the Oklahoma City native spent four years at Perry Street Prep in Washington D.C., eventually rising to the roles of dean of students and head boys’ basketball coach.

St. Agathe joined the Nets as a strength and conditioning intern for the team’s inaugural season in Brooklyn in 2012-13 and was elevated to the role of assistant strength and conditioning coach in 2013-14 before landing his current role as strength and conditioning coach/nutritional director. A native of Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, St. Agathe earned a B.S. in Health and Wellness with a concentration in adult fitness from Buffalo State in 2008 and a Master’s in Exercise Science with a concentration in strength and conditioning from Long Island University in 2014. He has completed internships with the Buffalo State athletic department and Sports Focus Physical Therapy in Buffalo and worked with the football program at his alma mater, James Madison High School, in the Midwood section of Brooklyn.

Resavy enters his new role of video coordinator after serving as the team’s video assistant during the 2014-15 season. Prior to joining the Nets, Resavy served as a graduate assistant for the Syracuse University Men’s Basketball Team for two seasons. The West Milford, NJ native played three years as a walk-on at Syracuse, where he earned a B.S. in Sports Management.

Levy enters his first season as a video assistant for the Nets. A 2015 graduate of the David B. Falk School of Sport and Human Dynamics at Syracuse University, Levy spent the second half of the 2014-15 NBA season working in the Philadelphia 76ers’ sales department and also previously served as an intern for three summers at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Pelicans re-sign Luke Babbitt

The New Orleans Pelicans have re-signed free agent forward Luke Babbitt.

In 2014-15, Babbitt, 6-9, 225, appeared in 63 games (19 starts) for New Orleans, averaging 4.1 points, while shooting .513 from three-point range, and 1.8 rebounds in 13.2 minutes per contest. Babbitt originally signed with the Pelicans as an unrestricted free agent on February 4, 2014. In 90 career games with the Pelicans, Babbitt has averaged 4.7 points while shooting .452 from three-point range, and 2.2 rebounds.

Originally drafted by Minnesota with the 16th overall selection in the 2010 NBA Draft out of Nevada, Babbitt has played in 216 career NBA games with Portland and New Orleans, holding averages of 4.2 points and 2.1 rebounds.

Report: Nuggets will trade Ty Lawson to Rockets

Point guard Ty Lawson has been busy getting in trouble off the court and will soon be wearing a different jersey on his back. Here is Yahoo Sports reporting:

The Denver Nuggets have reached agreement to trade guard Ty Lawson to the Houston Rockets, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Houston will send Kostas Papanikolaou, Pablo Prigioni, Joey Dorsey, Nick Johnson and a protected 2016 first-round draft pick to Denver, sources said. Along with Lawson, the Nuggets will send a 2017 second-round pick to Houston.

Denver’s plan is to turn the team over to rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, the seventh overall pick in the June NBA draft, and veteran guard Jameer Nelson.

Video: T.J. Warren goes wild in summer league

Watch T.J. Warren of the Phoenix Suns do big things at summer league in Vegas:

Report: Emmanuel Mudiay happy to avoid Knicks triangle offense

Here’s the New York Post reporting some interesting insight on a talented rookie that isn’t taking his talents to the Big Apple:

Nuggets rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay told confidants after the draft he was, in retrospect, happy the Knicks passed on him at No. 4, as he was unsure he would have been a good fit for the triangle. Despite public comments to the contrary that he felt team president Phil Jackson could “make me a star,’’ Mudiay said he felt he was a better match in a more freewheeling Denver offense, according to sources.

On draft night, Knicks fans were upset Jackson passed on Mudiay at 4, and he became the best rookie point guard in the Las Vegas summer league, averaging 12 points and 5.8 assists in four games. He also averaged 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals. But Mudiay’s outside shooting was poor, as advertised, and that wouldn’t have served well in the triangle. In Vegas, Mudiay shot 14.3 percent from 3-point land.

Mudiay, who played in China last season, only worked out for the top four teams in the draft — the Timberwolves, Lakers, 76ers and Knicks, denying the Nuggets a look. Rumors are the Kings passed on Mudiay at No. 6 because he didn’t work out for them. During Mudiay’s Knicks workout, Jackson gave him a long triangle film session.

Marcus Smart escapes serious finger injury

Here’s ESPN Boston reporting some relatively good news. Not great news. Because it’s still about an injury. But news that Marcus Smart could have been in a lot worse shape than he is:

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart expressed relief Saturday that he dodged a more severe injury when he dislocated two fingers on his right hand Thursday and said he hopes to be healed up by the time the Celtics open training camp in September.

Smart dislocated his right index and middle fingers falling to the floor while chasing a rebound during Thursday’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers at Vegas summer league. The broadcast showed his fingers bent at cringeworthy angles while being attended to by team trainer Ed Lacerte, but X-rays revealed no broken bones.

Smart met with reporters in Vegas at halftime of Boston’s 95-93 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday and said he’s already on the road to recovery.

The Seth Curry summer league show continues

Here’s the New Orleans Times Picayune reporting on one of the biggest stars of 2015 summer league. It’ll be interesting to see if after this, Seth Curry lands himself a regular season contract.

It didn’t appear early New Orleans Pelicans guard Seth Curry was on his way to having another sensational game on Saturday night like he had been enjoying in the NBA Summer League.

Curry started the game going 1-of-10 from the field and was held to just three points in the first half.

Still, Curry scored 21 of his game-high 24 points in the second half to help the Pelicans surge to a 100-91 victory against the Golden State Warriors to advance to Sunday’s semifinals game against the Phoenix Suns at 7 p.m. The Suns advanced to the semifinals after beating the Chicago Bulls, 91-84, in Saturday’s quarterfinal game.

At 5-0, the Pelicans are the only remaining team in the 24-team NBA Summer League that remains unbeaten.Curry broke from his shooting slump in the third quarter when he scored 11 points.

Raptors sign Bismack Biyombo

The Toronto Raptors announced Saturday they have signed free-agent center Bismack Biyombo (Biz- MOCK bee-OM-bo) to a multi-year contract.

“Bismack brings athleticism and interior length to our team,” said Raptors President and General Manager Masai Ujiri. “He has proven to be an exceptional rim protector and his physicality will be a great asset to us defensively.”

Biyombo, 6-foot-9, 245 pounds is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is one of six African-born players currently in the NBA.

Biyombo has appeared in 284 NBA career regular season games, all with Charlotte, where he has averaged 4.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 21.0 minutes. He ranked eighth in the NBA in blocks (1.8) in 2011-12 and ninth (1.8) in 2012-13.

He posted a career-high 5.2 points in his rookie campaign, 7.3 rebounds in 2012-13 and shot a career-best .611 (88-144) from the field in 2013-14. He recorded a career-high 17 rebounds twice and had a personal-best seven blocks in a game on three occasions.

In 2014-15, Biyombo averaged 4.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 19.4 minutes in 64 games (21 starts). He shot .543 (101-186) from the field and ranked 17th in the NBA in blocks. In his 21 starts, he upped his averages to 6.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 26.9 minutes.

Biyombo began his professional career in Spain (2009-11). He played for the World Select Team at the 2011 Nike Hoop Summit where he recorded the lone triple-double (12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks) in the event’s history. Biyombo was selected seventh overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Suns waive Jerel McNeal, sign Mirza Teletovic, Sonny Weems and Ronnie Price

The Phoenix Suns have signed forward Mirza Teletovic (pronounced MEER-za Tel-LET-O-Vich), guard/forward Sonny Weems and guard Ronnie Price.

“We have followed Mirza Teletovic’s career for a long time and we are excited to have him wear a Suns uniform,” said General Manager Ryan McDonough. “Mirza is one of the best shooting big men in the world and we think his skill set will be a great fit for our style of play.”

“Sonny Weems has been one of the best players outside of the NBA over the past few years,” added McDonough. “We’ve seen him dominate high-level competition at both ends of the floor and we think his versatility and experience help solidify our wing rotation.”

“The Suns are pleased to welcome Ronnie Price and his family back to Phoenix,” said President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. “As we know, Ronnie is the consummate professional and a great teammate.”

The 6-9, 242-pound Teletovic is a three-year NBA veteran who owns career averages of 7.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 165 career games. Teletovic has played all three NBA seasons with the Brooklyn Nets and had his best statistical campaign in 2014-15 when he averaged a career-high 8.5 points, a career-best 4.9 rebounds and a career-high 1.2 assists in 40 games before being diagnosed with bilateral pulmonary embolous (multiple blood clots in the lungs) on Jan. 23. He was cleared to resume all basketball-related activities on April 17.

The native of Bosnia is a career 40.1 percent shooter from the floor, including 36.2 percent from three-point range, whose 7.0-point career average has come on 6.3 field goal attempts per game.

Prior to joining the Nets on July 16, 2012, Teletovic played six of his 10 professional seasons overseas with Caja Laboral Baskonia (2006-12) of the Spanish ACB League. With Caja Laboral Baskonia, he won the 2007-08 and 2009-10 Spanish National Championship and averaged 12.4 points (45.1 FG%, 40.5 3FG%), 4.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 blocks in 120 Euroleague games.

Weems, a native of West Memphis, Ark., has been a standout the past three seasons with CSKA Moscow of the Euroleague and Russia’s top national league, the VTB United League. An All-Euroleague First Team selection in 2013-14, Weems averaged 13.0 points (44.6 FG%, 36.9 3FG%, 78.7 FT%), 3.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 0.9 steals and 28.1 minutes in 83 Euroleague games over his three seasons with CSKA. Weems also played 83 VTB United League games with CSKA, averaging 11.2 points (45.7 FG%, 41.4 3FG%, 71.1 FT%), 2.9 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 steals in 24.8 minutes.

The athletic 6-6, 205-pound wing is a three-year NBA veteran who last played with the Toronto Raptors during the 2010-11 season when he averaged a career-high 9.2 points on 44.4 percent shooting in 59 games (28 starts). The 29-year-old also played with the Raptors in 2009-10 after spending his rookie season with the Denver Nuggets in 2008-09. For his NBA career, Weems has averaged 7.7 points on 47.4 percent shooting, 2.5 rebounds and 20.3 minutes in 140 games (47 starts).

A second-round selection (39th overall) by the Chicago Bulls in the 2008 NBA Draft, Weems earned All-SEC First Team honors as a senior at the University of Arkansas in 2007-08 after averaging a team-best 15.0 points for the Razorbacks.

The 6-2, 190-pound Price is a 10-year NBA veteran who owns career averages of 3.6 points, 1.7 assists and 1.2 rebounds in 468 games. The 32-year-old guard previously signed with the Suns on Dec. 13, 2011 and averaged 3.6 points, 1.9 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 36 games. In total, he has played for six NBA teams, the Sacramento Kings (2005-07), Utah Jazz (2007-11), Suns (2011-12), Portland Trail Blazers (2012-13), Orlando Magic (2013-14) and most recently with the Los Angeles Lakers (2014-15). Price’s best statistical season came in 2014-15 with the Lakers when he averaged a career-high 5.1 points, career-best 3.8 assists and a career-high tying 1.6 rebounds in 43 games.

Undrafted out of college, Price was a four-year performer at Utah Valley State College (now Utah Valley University) and the first player to enter the NBA directly from that school, the second in the league overall (Travis Hansen, 2003-04).

The Suns have waived guard Jerel McNeal. McNeal played in six games with the Suns in 2014-15, totaling nine points in 36 minutes after initially signing with the team on April 1.

Suns re-sign Brandon Knight to big contract

The Phoenix Suns have re-signed guard Brandon Knight to a multi-year contract, the team announced today.

According to multiple reports from earlier in July, it is a five-year, $70 million deal.

“We are delighted to have reached a multi-year agreement with Brandon,” said President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. “He will be an integral member of our team on the court and will enhance our culture with his leadership and professionalism.”

Knight appeared in 63 games last season, including 11 games with the Suns after being acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 19, posting 17.0 points per game with his shooting marks of 42.2 percent from the field, 38.9 percent from three-point range and 87.4 percent from the free-throw line each representing career bests. He also averaged career-highs of 5.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals. At just 23 years of age, Knight was the second-youngest qualified player in the NBA to average at least 15 points and five assists in 2014-15 with only Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving being younger.

Finishing in the top-30 on the league leaderboard in scoring average, assists per game, steals per game, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage, Knight joined Golden State’s Stephen Curry, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul and Irving as the only four players to rank in the top-30 in each category in 2014-15. Knight scored 20-plus points on 25 occasions last season, including a season-high 34 points vs. Charlotte on Dec. 23 while with Milwaukee and 28 points in a Suns win at Orlando on March 4.

A four-year NBA veteran, the 6-3 guard with a 6-7 wingspan holds career averages of 15.2 points (41.7 FG%, 36.5 3FG%, 79.6 FT%), 4.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 32.4 minutes in 276 games (265 starts) with Detroit (2011-13), Milwaukee (2013-15) and the Suns. Knight earned 2011-12 NBA All-Rookie First Team honors following his first season with the Pistons and twice played in the Rising Stars Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend in 2012 and 2013.

Knight was originally selected with eighth overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft by Detroit following one season at the University of Kentucky in 2010-11. While at Kentucky, the South Florida native earned All-SEC Second Team honors after setting school freshman records in scoring and three-point field goals made. Knight was named the NCAA East Region Most Outstanding Player after leading the Wildcats to the Final Four for the first time since 1998, ending the longest Final Four drought in the prestigious program’s history.

The Suns’ roster stands at 13