Category: General NBA insight

The Memphis Grizzlies waived guard Luke Hancock, the team announced today.

Hancock (6-6, 200) recorded two points in nine minutes in his lone preseason appearance on Oct. 9 at Houston. Undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft, the Louisville product signed with the Grizzlies as a free agent on Sept. 25.

The Grizzlies’ roster now stands at 18 players.

Wizards guard Bradley Beal underwent successful surgery today to repair a non-displaced fracture of the scaphoid bone in his left (non-shooting) wrist.  The procedure was performed by Dr. Michelle Carlson.

The injury occurred during the first quarter of Washington’s preseason game against Charlotte in Greenville, SC, on October 10.

Beal is expected to miss approximately six weeks.

The Memphis Grizzlies waived forward Michael Beasley, the team announced today.

A Yahoo Sports report says Beasley will sign with a team in China.

Memphis signed Beasley (6-9, 235) as a free agent to a non-guaranteed contract on Sept. 25.

The 25-year-old owns career averages of 13.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 24.9 minutes in 409 games (199 starts) for Miami, Minnesota and Phoenix after being drafted by Miami at No. 2 overall in the 2008 NBA Draft.

There was a ton of NBA signings today. Most of the moves were training camp deals, on non-guaranteed, very small contracts. The vast majority of players signed to such deals will not make the regular season roster, and will likely being playing overseas next season.

We posted every transaction, but in our main articles section today, not this blog section. To see what went down, hit our front page.

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed Keith Appling, Jabari Brown, Roscoe Smith, and Jeremy Tyler to their training camp roster, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

Appling played four collegiate seasons at Michigan State (2010-14), averaged 10.6 points, 3.3 assists, and 3.0 rebounds in 142 games as a Spartan. He went undrafted in 2014 despite ranking in the top-10 in the Big Ten in assists per game each of his final three seasons.

Brown, a teammate of Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson as a junior last season at Missouri, averaged 19.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 2013-14 before declaring himself eligible for the NBA Draft.

Smith was a member of the Lakers 2014 Summer League team, appearing in all five games after a three-year college career at UConn (2010-12) and ultimately UNLV (2013-14), where he averaged 11.1 points and 10.9 rebounds while shooting 53.1% from the field.

Tyler is a three-year NBA veteran who has played in 104 games (23 starts) with the Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks, averaging 3.6 points and 2.6 rebounds in 9.9 minutes per contest.

The Atlanta Hawks have re-signed forward/center Elton Brand, it was announced today by Head Coach Mike Budenholzer.

“We are happy to retain Elton,” Budenholzer said. “In addition to the production he gives us on the court, he is the ultimate professional and a terrific leader. Elton’s presence is felt by all of us, but especially his teammates.”

In 73 games (15 starts) last season with the Hawks, Brand averaged 5.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists and a team-best 1.2 blocks in 19.4 minutes (.539 FG%, .649 FT%). He ranked 23rd in the NBA in blocks per game and 12th in blocks per 48 minutes (3.0), recording 25 multi-block contests. Brand scored in double-figures 10 times and had five double-digit rebounding efforts.

The 15-year veteran has appeared in 1,005 games (863 starting assignments) with Chicago, the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia, Dallas and the Hawks, putting up 16.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 blocks in 34.0 minutes (.501 FG%, .737 FT%). The two-time NBA All-Star (2002 and 2006) was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2005-06, won the NBA Sportsmanship Award in 2006 and shared NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 1999-2000.

He ranks 16th among all active players in scoring (16,661), sixth in rebounds (8,877), second in offensive rebounds (3,267) and fourth in blocks (1,795).

Through 37 postseason games (30 starts), Brand has averaged 13.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.7 blocks in 30.8 minutes (.518 FG%, .722 FT%).

The Atlanta Hawks have signed free agent guard Kent Bazemore, it was announced today by Head Coach Mike Budenholzer.

“Kent’s competitiveness and versatility make him a great addition to our group,” Budenholzer said.  “He can impact the game in a lot of ways, especially defensively guarding multiple positions. Kent’s work ethic and enthusiasm for the game make him a great teammate and great fit with the Hawks.”

Bazemore split time last season between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers averaging 6.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 13.6 minutes in 67 combined games (15 starting assignments).

After being acquired by the Lakers on Feb. 19, he recorded 13.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 28.0 minutes (.451 FG%, .371 3FG%) in 23 contests (15 starts).

The 6’5 Bazemore has played in seven NBA Development League games with Santa Cruz over the last two years, averaging 20.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.7 steals, 3.0 assists and 1.0 blocks in 33.6 minutes (.432 FG%, .811 FT%).

Undrafted after a four-year career at Old Dominion University (2008-12), Bazemore signed with Golden State as a free agent on July 26, 2012.  The Warriors traded him, along with MarShon Brooks, to the Lakers in exchange for Steve Blake on Feb. 19, 2014. Bazemore appeared in an Old Dominion record 140 career games as a collegian, averaging 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals in 26.3 minutes, and is the Colonial Athletic Association all-time steals leader (250).  He won the Lefty Driesell Award as the nation’s top defender in 2010-11 and was the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year as both a junior and senior (2011-12).

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have signed guard Andre Dawkins and forward Shawn Jones.

Dawkins, who helped Duke University to the 2010 NCAA Championship as a freshman, appeared in four games with the HEAT during the 2014 Orlando Summer League and averaged 12.3 points, 1.3 assists and 19.1 minutes while shooting 40 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and a perfect 5-of-5 from the foul line. He hit seven three-point field goals in Miami’s Summer League playoff game vs. Oklahoma City on July 11, finishing with 27 points on 8-of-17 from the field, 7-of-12 from three-point range and a perfect 4-of-4 from the foul line. He then joined the Houston Rockets in the 2014 Vegas Summer League and averaged 8.6 points and 17.4 minutes.

Dawkins played all four seasons at Duke, appearing in 142 career collegiate games (25 starts) and averaged 7.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 17.4 minutes while shooting 43.3 percent from the field, 40.7 percent from three-point range and 76.9 percent from the foul line. He finished fifth in three-point field goal percentage and eighth in three-point field goals made (231) on the school’s all-time list. Additionally, he became the 63rd player in Duke history to score at least 1,000 points (1,014).

Jones, a Miami native, appeared in five games with the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2014 Vegas Summer League and averaged 5.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 14.4 minutes. He tallied 10 points, eight rebounds, an assist and a block in 19:02 minutes of action while shooting 4-of-7 from the field and a perfect 2-of-2 from the foul line vs. Houston on July 15, 2014.

The Hialeah High School alum played all four seasons at Middle Tennessee State, appearing in 131 career collegiate games (62 starts) and averaged 8.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.24 blocks and 19.2 minutes while shooting 54.1 percent from the field. During his senior season, he appeared in 33 games (all starts) and averaged 14.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.91 blocks and 28.2 minutes while shooting 57.7 percent from the field. He led the team in points (467), rebounds (279), blocks (63), field goals made (183) and free throws made (101) and was named the Conference USA Player of the Year and selected to the All-Conference USA First Team.

The HEAT’s roster now stands at 19.

Brooklyn Nets General Manager Billy King announced today that the team has voided the contract of Hamady Ndiaye due to Ndiaye failing the required physical.

Ndiaye was signed by the Nets on September 17th.

The roster now stands at 16 players.

Los Angeles Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak announced today that Paul Pressey, Jim Eyen and Mark Madsen will serve as assistant coaches on Byron Scott’s staff.

Additionally, it was announced that Clay Moser (assistant coach/head advance NBA scout), Larry Lewis (assistant coach/director of player development), Thomas Scott (assistant coach/player development), Tom Bialaszewski (video coordinator/coach), and J.J. Outlaw (video coordinator/player development) will round out Scott’s staff.

“I’m excited to have completed my staff with a group of individuals who each possess unique skills, but all share my vision for the future of this team,” said Scott. “Paul is a great basketball mind with vast experience and someone with whom I have worked before, while Jim returns to the Laker family with a proven track record and a tremendous amount of respect around the league. Thomas has worked very hard through the ranks of the video department, player development and the NBA Development League to earn this position. I’m delighted to retain Mark, Clay, Larry, Tom and J.J., who are all highly qualified and have worked tirelessly with our players throughout the summer to prepare for next season. I can say with certainty that our staff is dedicated to upholding the winning culture and tradition of the Los Angeles Lakers.”

Pressey, who brings 31 seasons of NBA experience as a coach and player, previously worked with Scott as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2010-13, and the New Orleans Hornets for three seasons from 2007-10. Prior to New Orleans, he was an assistant coach with the Celtics as a member of Doc Rivers’ staff from 2004-06 and served as advance scout for Boston during the 2006-07 season. Pressey also spent time with the Orlando Magic (2000-04), San Antonio Spurs (1994-2000), and Golden State Warriors (1992-94) as an assistant coach, including helping the Spurs win their first-ever NBA Championship in 1999. He was originally named an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors prior to the 1992-93 season, but injuries forced him back into uniform, where he appeared in 18 games.

The Richmond, VA native was drafted 20th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1982 NBA Draft and played the first eight of his 11 NBA seasons in Milwaukee, followed by stops in San Antonio (1990-92) and Golden State (1992-93). In 724 career games (420 starts), Pressey, the father of Celtics guard Phil Pressey, averaged 10.6 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 48.5% from the field. The 6’5’’ guard/forward was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team during both the 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons and All-Defensive Second Team in 1986-87.

Eyen originally worked with the Lakers as an assistant coach to Pat Riley during the 1989-90 season and remained with the team from 1990-92 as an assistant coach to Mike Dunleavy, helping Los Angeles to the NBA Finals in 1991. In an assistant coaching capacity, he followed Dunleavy to Milwaukee from 1992-96, then to Portland from 1997-2001, and finally back to the Clippers (the franchise with which he began his NBA journey as an assistant coach in 1988-89) as lead assistant from 2003-09. In between coaching stints, Eyen remained in the NBA, spending the 1996-97 season as a pro and advance scout for the Knicks and the 2002-03 campaign as a college scout, also for New York.

Most recently, the University of California at Santa Barbara alumnus and letter-winner was an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings for four seasons from 2009-13, totaling 24 seasons of NBA experience as a coach and scout, and 31 years of combined coaching experience at the professional, collegiate (UCSB and Santa Barbara City College), and high school (Dos Pueblos in Goleta, CA) levels. He has also served as a consultant for professional clubs in the Netherlands, Germany and Japan, in addition to working with the Japanese National Team in 1996.

Scott, Byron’s eldest son, brings a combined nine seasons of experience as an assistant coach and video coordinator at the NBA and NBA D-League levels to his position. Last season, he served as an assistant coach with the Western Division Champion Los Angeles D-Fenders, the NBA D-League affiliate of the Lakers. Working closely with the parent club, Scott had a variety of duties, including aiding the development of current Lakers players Xavier Henry and Ryan Kelly while on assignment.

His two prior seasons were spent as Alex Jensen’s lead assistant for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ NBA D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge, which saw the team claim back-to-back playoff appearances, the 2013 East Division title, and Jensen (now an assistant coach with the Utah Jazz) win 2013 NBA D-League Coach of the Year. Scott spent the 2010-11 campaign as a player development/video coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers, preceded by four seasons (2006-10) served as assistant video coordinator for the New Orleans Hornets.

In additional moves, the basketball operations department announced the promotion of Rondre Jackson to director of player development and the hiring of Jordan Wilkes as basketball operations assistant.