International Basketball Blog – Page 75 – NBA Blog

Walter Herrmann signs in Spain

EuroLeague.net reports: Tau Ceramica agreed to terms of a contract with small forward Walter Herrmann, who inked a two-year deal with the Euroleague powerhouse on Friday. Herrmann (206, 30) arrives from the Detroit Pistons, where he averaged 3.9 points and 1.8 rebounds in 60 NBA games last season. He has previously played three Euroleague seasons with Unicaja, averaging 7.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in 15 games in the 2005-06 season.

InsideHoops.com editor says: More long-haired, blond basketball players will need to step up and fill the void.

Yao Ming buys Shanghai Sharks

Reuters reports: Houston Rockets center Yao Ming has purchased his financially troubled former club the Shanghai Sharks, Chinese media reported on Thursday. The seven-time NBA All Star’s investment company signed a framework agreement with the club’s three co-owners who agreed to sell Yao all their shares in the club, Xinhua news agency said… The Sharks shared in the worst deficit in 14 years of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) last year and were in danger of failing to start the new season in November because of their dire finances.

Josh Childress staying in Greece for 2009-10

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (via blog): Josh Childress is going back to Greece. The former Hawks swingman said he is returning to Olympiakos for the 2009-10 season and will not opt out of his contract and return to the NBA. “I still have some unfinished business to tend to,” Childress said by phone early Tuesday morning. “I definitely have unfinished business in Greece.” … The Hawks own his NBA rights and will continue to do so, provided they extend him a qualifying offer again next summer. His status as a restricted free agent allows the Hawks to match any offers made to him by other NBA teams.

Sacramento Kings sign 2009 first round draft pick Omri Casspi

The Sacramento Kings today signed Omri Casspi to a contract, according to Kings’ President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

All NBA first round draft picks are guaranteed a contract, provided they elect to join the league right away. So, this is standard.

Casspi was selected by the Kings in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft. He is the first player from Israel to be drafted by an NBA team in the first round.

Mike Krzyzewski to continue coaching USA Basketball’s national team

The Boston Globe (Marc J. Spears) reports (via blog): Two sources close to the situation told The Boston Globe today that Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski will be back for another tour coaching USA Basketball’s national team. The announcement is expected to be made in a press conference Las Vegas prior to a USA Basketball mini-camp featuring young prospects for the national team on July 22-25.

Dallas Mavericks sign first round draft pick Rodrigue Beaubois

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed rookie Rodrigue Beaubois. As per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Beaubois (6-2, 182) was selected with the 25th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. He was acquired, along with a second round pick, from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for the Mavericks’ 24th overall selection B.J. Mullens.

The Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe native appeared in 29 French Pro A games in 2008-09 and averaged 10.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals in 22.3 minutes per game. Beaubois showed marked improvement from his 2007-08 campaign when he averaged 5.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 15.1 minutes per contest.

Beaubois is a member of the Mavericks Summer League Team. Dallas will play in the 2009 NBA Summer League presented by EA Sports. The squad will see its first action on Friday, July 10 when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks at COX Pavilion in Las Vegas.

San Antonio Spurs sign Marcus Haislip

The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they signed forward Marcus Haislip. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Haislip, 6-10, 230 lbs., has spent the past two seasons playing in Spain with the Unicaja Malaga in the Spanish ACB League and in Euroleague competition. Last year he appeared in 35 games in Spanish League play, averaging a team-high 15.8 points and 5.0 rebounds in 28.0 minutes. He shot .555 (117-211) from the field and .394 (65-165) from three-point range. In 14 Euroleague games, he averaged 11.2 points and 4.9 rebounds in 27.5 minutes. In 2007 Haislip helped lead Efes Pilsen Istanbul to the Turkish National Championship.

Originally drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 13th overall pick in 2002 NBA Draft, Haislip spent three seasons in the NBA before making the move overseas. He played two seasons with the Bucks before singing with the Indiana Pacers for the 2004-05 season. For his NBA career Haislip has appeared in 79 games, averaging 3.6 points and 1.5 assists in 10.3 minutes.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Haislip disappeared as fast as any lottery pick selected in the 2000’s. What was interesting was how he fell out of the league and simply didn’t return, until now, assuming this signing happens.

Toronto Raptors hire Eric Hughes, Alvin Williams, Francesco Cuzzolin as assistant coaches

The Toronto Raptors announced Wednesday they have re-signed Eric Hughes and added Alvin Williams and Francesco Cuzzolin to their basketball staff. The three join assistant coaches Marc Iavaroni, Alex English and Micah Nori on head coach Jay Triano’s staff.

Hughes returns for his third season with the club, and his first as assistant coach/basketball development. He spent the past two seasons as a basketball development consultant.

Hughes was the director of summer player development for Goodwin Sports Management in Seattle from 2002-06, creating workout programs and training NBA players Jamal Crawford, Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Dwight Howard, Gary Payton, Nate Robinson and Rodney Stuckey. He was also the head coach at Spokane Community College in Spokane, Washington during that time. He compiled an 88-61 (.590) mark in his five seasons, leading the Bigfoot’s to the Eastern Region championship in 2005 and 2006. He was named Eastern Region Coach of the Year for those two seasons.

From 1993-2002, Hughes was an assistant at the University of Washington. His teams qualified for postseason play four consecutive seasons, going to the NIT in 1996 and 1997 and the NCAA Tournament in 1998 and 1999.

Hughes will serve his second consecutive term as Toronto’s head coach in the Las Vegas Summer League. The team will hold a training camp in Las Vegas July 7-9 and play five games from July 10-16.

Williams makes his first foray into coaching since he ended his NBA playing career in 2007. He will serve as assistant coach/basketball development.

One of the most beloved Raptors of all time, Williams spent nine seasons with the organization. He averaged 9.9 points and 4.3 assists in 417 regular season games and 12.5 points and 4.3 assists in 78 playoff appearances.

Williams scored nine of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Raptors to a Game 5 triumph over the New York Knicks in 2001, giving Toronto its lone playoff series victory in franchise history. He ranks among the team’s All-Time Top 10 in 14 statistical categories.

Williams will be an assistant coach to Hughes at the Las Vegas Summer League.

Cuzzolin will serve as the Raptors’ assistant coach/strength and conditioning. He brings to the team more than 20 years of professional experience of coaching, teaching and product development in the field of physical fitness and rehabilitation.

Cuzzolin spent 12 of the past 13 seasons with Benetton Treviso in the Italian Serie A League where his teams won the Italian League, Italian Supercup or European Saprta cup on 10 occasions. He also captured the Euroleague championship with Virtus Bologna in 2001.

For the past three summers Cuzzolin has been the strength and conditioning coach for the Russian National Team, including its European Championship squad in 2007 and its 2008 appearance at the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Cuzzolin has previous experience working in an NBA environment serving on staff with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers during their summer training camps, as well as at the annual Rbk European Big Man Camp.

Cuzzolin is the president of the European Physical Conditioning Association and a professor at the University of Padua.

Grizzlies make qualifying offers to Hakim Warrick, Juan Carlos Navarro

The Memphis Grizzlies have made qualifying offers to restricted free agents Hakim Warrick and Juan Carlos Navarro, club General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

Warrick, the Grizzlies’ longest-tenured and last remaining player from the club’s most-recent playoff appearance in 2006, averaged 11.6 points and 5.0 rebounds in 82 games last season. The 6-9, 219-pound forward has averaged 10.2 points and 4.3 rebounds in 307 games through four NBA seasons, all with the Grizzlies, who originally selected him with the 19th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.

In his only NBA season, Navarro averaged 10.9 points and 2.2 assists in 82 games and was named to the 2007-08 NBA All-Rookie Second Team. After his rookie season, the 6-3, 170-pound guard signed with his former Spanish club F.C. Barcelona. Memphis retains the right to match any future offer should he decide to return to the NBA.

In accordance with the league’s collective bargaining agreement, in order for a team to retain its right of first refusal with respect to a restricted free agent, the team must tender the player a qualifying offer prior to June 30. A restricted free agent may sign an offer sheet with any team but is subject to a right of first refusal with the team for which the player last played.

Hasheem Thabeet worked as a bouncer

The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports: Hasheem Thabeet did what he could to help his family. His father, an architect, had died of complications from diabetes, so Thabeet, at age 17 and all of 7 feet, found work as a bouncer outside a nightclub in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He was an intimidating presence at the door, blocking ill-advised attempts to get inside — a skill set that, as it turned out, would prove invaluable in the not-so-distant future. But he also harbored a secret. “When a fight started,” Thabeet said, “you wouldn’t see me.” … Thabeet spoke five languages, but academic transcript issues landed him at three prep schools in three states before he settled for good at Cypress Community Christian School outside of Houston. He was a project — he was used to kicking the ball with his feet instead of shooting it with his hands — but UConn coach Jim Calhoun was willing to take the risk. Thabeet’s potential was immense.