Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Hawks sign Armoni Brooks

The Atlanta Hawks have signed guard Armoni Brooks.

Brooks appeared in 54 games (11 starts) during the 2021-22 season with Houston (41 games) and Toronto (13 games), tallying 5.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 15.6 minutes. He also appeared in four playoff games with the Raptors. Brooks saw action in two contests with the College Park Skyhawks before earning an NBA Call-Up to Toronto, averaging 17.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.0 blocks in 29.6 minutes (.406 FG%, .444 3FG%).

Undrafted in 2019, the 6-3 guard signed a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets on April 3, 2021, appearing in 20 games (five starts), notching 11.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 26.0 minutes (.406 FG%). He put in a career-high 24 points against the Los Angeles Lakers on May 12, 2021 and pulled down a career-best 10 rebounds against the Utah Jazz on April 21, 2021. In total, Brooks has seen action in 74 games (16 starts) over two NBA seasons, averaging 6.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 18.4 minutes.

Brooks, who appeared in four preseason games with Atlanta during the 2019-20 campaign, has appeared in 60 NBA G League contests, suiting up for College Park (2019-20, 2021-22) and Rio Grande Valley, affiliate of the Houston Rockets (2020-21). The Round Rock, Texas, native owns NBA G League averages of 12.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 23.6 minutes (.440 FG%, .392 3FG%, .860 FT%).

The 2017-18 American Athletic Conference Sixth Man of the Year, Brooks played collegiately at Houston from 2016-19, appearing in 100 games (40 starts), recording 9.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in 21.8 minutes (.415 FG%, .397 3FG%, .711 FT%). During the 2018-19 season, he was named to the NABC All-District 25 Second Team, the American Second Team, and the American Championship All-Tournament Team.

Orlando Magic announce basketball operations promotions and staff additions

Orlando Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced a series of basketball operations promotions yesterday.

Pete D’Alessandro, who joined the Magic in 2017, has been promoted to associate general manager. David Bencs has been elevated to an assistant general manager. Adetunji Adedipe has been promoted to vice president of player personnel. Stephen Mervis has been promoted to vice president of basketball strategy & evaluation. Larry Thompson has been promoted to vice president of security.

Kevin Tiller has been named the general manager of the Lakeland Magic.

Other promotions include: Becky Bonner (director of player services/pro personnel), Orlando Boyer (team services coordinator), Altavious Carter (assistant defensive coordinator/video), David Corbett (senior data scientist), Matthew Devita (manager of basketball systems), Randy Gregory (assistant offensive coordinator/video), Regan Harris (assistant director of team services), Soumya Kambhampati (senior quantitative researcher), Marty McClain (assistant director of security), Chris Newton (director of security), Trent Pennington (assistant general manager Lakeland Magic), Rodney Powell (senior director of team operations).

The Magic also announced the following staff additions: Ameer Bahhur (head video coordinator), Michael Belay (graduate assistant/scouting), Calin Butterfield (strength & conditioning coach), Ben Kimsey (graduate assistant/analytics), Davonte Fitzgerald (video assistant), Michael Franco (mental performance coach), Corey Hawkins (video assistant), Blake Huggins (video assistant), Xadiel Jusino (building maintenance technician), Tony Marlow (security assistant), Aubrey McCreary (skill development coach), Sean O’Brien (video assistant), Todor Pandov (head strength & conditioning coach), Kristen Perfetto (executive assistant to president and head coach), Jaclyn Sklaver (head of performance nutrition), Khaila Webb (graduate assistant/strategy), Daniel Yu (applied sports scientist/assistant strength & conditioning coach).

New Orleans Pelicans open practice scheduled for October 1, 2022

The New Orleans Pelicans will welcome fans back to the Smoothie King Center for the team’s annual open practice, on Saturday, October 1 at 2:00 p.m.

Open practice offers fans a firsthand look at the 2022-23 team.

Tickets for open practice are free of charge and open to the public. Fans can reserve tickets by registering at www.pelicans.com/openpractice . Registration is limited to four tickets per person and seating is general admission.

Additionally, the Pelicans will host a pre-practice party starting at 12:30 p.m. on Dave Dixon Drive, which will feature live music, concessions, face-painting, games and more. Tickets are not required to attend the party.

Complimentary parking will be available in Garage #2 and Garage #5 of the Caesars Superdome on a first-come, first-serve basis starting at 11:30 a.m.

Doors for the event will open at 1:00 p.m. Fans can enter through the Northeast ground, Northwest ground, and North 100 entrances.

Mavericks sign McKinley Wright IV, Tyler Hall, D.J. Stewart Jr., Mouhamadou Gueye and Marcus Bingham Jr.

The Dallas Mavericks have signed guards McKinley Wright IV, Tyler Hall and D.J. Stewart Jr. along with forwards Mouhamadou Gueye and Marcus Bingham Jr.

The signings are likely for training camp purposes.

Wright IV (5-11, 192) signed a two-way deal with Minnesota after going undrafted in 2021 and appeared in five games for the Timberwolves as a rookie last season. The Minneapolis native also saw action in 18 games (all starts) for the franchise’s G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, averaging 19.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.6 steals in 36.9 minutes. Wright IV was a four-year player at the University of Colorado and finished as the school’s all-time leader in assists (683) and double-figure scoring games (109) while garnering All-Pac-12 First Team honors in each of his final three seasons for the Buffaloes.

Hall (6-5, 210) went undrafted in 2019 and spent the past three seasons with the G League’s Westchester Knicks. In 25 games (all starts) for Westchester in 2021-22, he averaged 15.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 35.1 minutes while shooting 41.7% (95-228 3FG) from beyond the arc. Hall signed a 10-day contract with New York on Dec. 18, 2021, and made his NBA debut in a Christmas Day game against Atlanta. The Rock Island, Illinois, native was a two-time First Team All-Big Sky selection (2017, 2019) at Montana State and ranks tied for 10th in Division I basketball history in 3-point field goals made with 431 (431-1,077 3FG, .400).

Stewart Jr. (6-6, 205) went undrafted in 2021 and played in 12 games (all starts) for the G League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce last season, averaging 14.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals in 35.8 minutes. The Grace, Mississippi, native signed a two-way contract with San Antonio on March 4 but did not appear in a game for the Spurs. Stewart Jr. played two collegiate seasons at Mississippi State University, where he was named Second Team All-SEC by the coaches as a sophomore in 2020-21.

Gueye (6-10, 200) went undrafted in 2022 after spending last season as a graduate transfer at the University of Pittsburgh, where he averaged 9.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 2.1 blocks and 29.2 minutes in 32 games (28 starts) for the Panthers. The former America East Defensive Player of the Year at Stony Brook was one of two major conference players to lead their team in 3-pointers made (43) and blocks (67) last season.

Bingham Jr. (7-0, 230), who also went undrafted in this past summer’s draft, competed for the Mavericks’ 2022 summer league team and averaged 5.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 0.8 blocks and 15.8 minutes in five games (2 starts) in Las Vegas. The Grand Rapids, Michigan, native was a four-year player at Michigan State University and as a senior, averaged career highs for points (9.3), rebounds (6.3), blocks (2.2) and minutes (18.7) in 35 games (32 starts) for the Spartans.

The Mavericks training camp roster now stands at 20 players.

Sacramento Kings sign Kent Bazemore and Quinn Cook

The Sacramento Kings have signed Kent Bazemore and Quinn Cook, according to General Manager Monte McNair.

Bazemore spent the 2020-21 season with the Golden State Warriors before joining the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2021-22 season.

Cook appeared in 11 regular season games (eight starts) for the Stockton Kings last season, averaging 23.7 points, 5.8 assists, 5.1 rebounds, while shooting 52.4 percent from the field.

Per the Sacramento Bee, “General manager Monte McNair has assembled more talent and depth than Sacramento has seen in years, arguably going back to the last time the Kings made the playoffs in 2006. The Kings are widely expected to contend for a play-in spot and some national analysts believe they will finally end their NBA-record 16-year playoff drought, but first they have to finalize their roster and rotation.”

Trail Blazers announce numerous basketball operations staff moves

Portland Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin announced the following additions to the basketball operations staff today:

Jonah Herscu joins the Trail Blazers as an Assistant Coach after spending the past three seasons with the Sacramento Kings. Herscu began with Sacramento as an advance scout in 2019 before being named an assistant coach in 2021. Prior to the Kings, Herscu spent three seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers as an advance scout and player development assistant (2018-19), and assistant video coordinator (2016-18). He arrives in Portland with 14 seasons of experience in the NBA, NBA G League, and WNBA.

David Adkins has joined the Trail Blazers coaching staff as Director of Player Development, bringing over 29 years of coaching and player development expertise with him to Portland. Adkins spent the 2021-22 season in Los Angeles as a player development coach for the Clippers and the top assistant for the team’s G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers. Before that, Adkins worked for seven seasons with the Washington Wizards as an assistant coach and director of player development.

Tina Thompson enters her first season as a scout for the Trail Blazers after serving as the head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers women’s basketball team from 2018-2022. Thompson’s storied playing career culminated in her induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. She is a four-time WNBA Champion with the Houston Comets, a nine-time WNBA All-Star and an eight-time All-WNBA honoree. Internationally, Thompson earned championships in the Russian National League, EuroLeague and Romanian National League while also earning gold medals with Team USA at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. As a part of the 25th anniversary of the WNBA in 2021, the USC alum was named to The W25, commemorating the top 25 WNBA players of all time.

Dale Boyd begins in his first season as the Assistant Strength Coach in 2022-23. Boyd spent the 2021-22 season as the assistant strength and conditioning coach and sports scientist for Overtime Elite after previously holding an internship with P3 in Atlanta in 2021. Boyd enjoyed a stint in the NBA G League as the head strength and conditioning coach for the Austin Spurs in 2020-21 and returns to the state of Oregon, where he was the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Oregon Men’s Basketball program during the 2019-20 season.

Swenge Lomani started with the Trail Blazers in March 2022 as an International Scout. A French native, he grew up playing basketball and played in the minor leagues in France. Lomani became an agent at the age of 21 and spent the next 13 years helping to advise and develop young players on and off the court in both basketball and football.

Jason Luhnow enters his first season as a full-time Assistant Video Coordinator after joining the Trail Blazers as a video intern in January of 2022. Luhnow played basketball at Lake Oswego High School before becoming a standout player at Lewis and Clark College. Post-graduation, Luhnow played for the Woodville Warriors of the National Basketball League One division in Australia.

Nico Mathieu enters the 2022-23 season as an International Scout for the Trail Blazers after most recently serving as a consultant for the San Antonio Spurs since 2018. The French native began his scouting career working independently for several French clubs starting in 2014. In 2017, Mathieu became a scout for Châlons-Reims of the LNB Pro A, the top-tier division of French Basketball and then transitioned to scouting for ASVEL’s Academy which produced French Champion U21 (2021 & 2022), French U17 Cup (2022) and French Champion U18 (2022) teams. In 2018, along with consulting for the Spurs, he scouted for JL Bourg, also of the LNB Pro A division in France.

Jacob Mooallem joins the Trail Blazers in his first season as the team’s Analytics Coach. Mooallem spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach for the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League and previously worked as a video scout at DraftExpress, working closely with current Trail Blazers assistant general manager, Mike Schmitz. The West Palm Beach, Fla. native served as head video manager at Indiana University, graduating in 2020.

Katherine Overman enters her first season as a Sr. Data Scientist for Portland with research and development. Overman earned her Ph.D. in Physics at Emory University in 2022, where she did her research modeling animal behavior patterns, specifically with fruit flies. Prior to that, she graduated from Augusta University, with a double major in Math and Physics.

Juanita Samborski is joining the Trail Blazers as a Software Developer with research and development. Samborski has extensive experience as a freelance developer, creating functional, intuitive user interfaces for clients in a variety of fields. She graduated from the University of Washington with a certificate in Full Stack Development, after graduating from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Arts.

Ikenna Smart joined the Trail Blazers in January of 2022 as an Assistant Video Coordinator. Smart most recently worked with the Alabama men’s basketball program as a graduate assistant from 2020-2022 where he supported the defensive coordinator and analytics team while assisting with player development. Smart played college basketball for Wake Forest in 2018-2019 as a graduate transfer and earned a master’s degree in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Global Studies. Before transferring to Wake Forest, Smart spent four seasons at University of Buffalo.

Micah Smith joins the team as Assistant Athletic Trainer after most recently serving one season as the head athletic trainer for the Wisconsin Herd of the NBA G League. He is a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) in addition to holding credentials as a Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES) and Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES). Smith holds a Master of Science in Health Care Administration from LeTourneau and a Master of Science in Sports Rehabilitation and Sports Psychology from California University of Pennsylvania.

Trevor Smith is joining the team as a Software Engineer and will work with the research and development group in architecting tools and data processes, helping develop our internal systems for supporting workflows and decision-making. Smith is an experienced full-stack developer, having worked in a few roles in multiple fields – latest supporting non-profits at Field Day. He is a graduate of University of Oregon, with additional certifications from immersion software engineering programs.

Taylor Walden joined the Trail Blazers as Manager of Performance Science in March 2022. Walden brings a decade of experience tracking and analyzing performance data to Portland’s health and performance staff. She most recently worked as a Player Health Operations Manager at the NBA’s league office since 2017. Prior to that, Walden spent five years working for the United States Olympic Committee in various sports medicine roles. A native of Southern California, Walden is a graduate of Pace University where she played soccer.

Celtics add Bill Russell’s jersey No. 6 to home court

The Boston Celtics, as well as the entire NBA, will honor the life and legacy of Hall of Famer Bill Russell, who recently passed away, through a variety of celebrations this year.

As a part of the tributes, the Celtics have unveiled a new home parquet court ahead of the NBA 2022-23 season that includes Russell’s jersey number 6 in both lanes.

This is the first time numerical text will be displayed within that area on an NBA court.

Previously announced by the league, every other NBA court around the league will display a number 6 decal on the sideline near the scorer’s table.

Miami Heat sign Dru Smith

The Miami Heat have signed guard Dru Smith.

Smith recently appeared in three Summer League games with the HEAT and averaged 12.0 points, 3.00 steals 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line. He appeared in 10 games (five starts) with Miami’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, last season and averaged 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.20 steals and 27.5 minutes.

Smith started all 25 games he appeared in as a senior at Missouri in 2020-21, averaging 14.1 points, 3.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 2.04 steals and 33.9 minutes while shooting 44.4 percent from the field, 39.8 percent from three-point range and 83 percent from the foul line. He was named to the All-SEC First Team and became the first player in school history to be named to the SEC All-Defensive Team after leading the conference in steals for the second consecutive season. He also led the team in points, assists, steals, field goals made, free throws made and minutes and earned Conference Player of the Week three times, the most by any player that season.

The HEAT’s roster now stands at 20.

Some 2022-23 Clippers games will be shown on KTLA 5 TV

KTLA-TV (KTLA 5) and the LA Clippers today announced a broadcast television partnership that will return live Clippers games to over-the-air TV in Southern California.

Eleven regular season and all four pre-season games will be exclusively accessible to all TV viewers in Southern California, bringing the Clippers back to KTLA 5 for the first time since 2009.

The station’s regular season schedule is highlighted by games against the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers.

KTLA 5 broadcasts of LA Clippers basketball games also will be carried by a number of Nexstar Media Inc.’s local television stations across Southern California, including KSWB-TV in San Diego, KGET-TV in Bakerfield, and KSEE-TV in Fresno.

“A critical way fans engage with the Clippers is by watching games on TV, and there is no better broadcast partner than KTLA, Los Angeles’ #1 TV station,” said LA Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker. “The segmentation of the television market has become difficult for consumers. We believe it’s incredibly important for Clippers basketball to be accessible to as many people as possible, and the return of the NBA to KTLA is a critical step.”

As an “official broadcast television home of the LA Clippers,” KTLA 5 will produce live pre-game, halftime, and post-game programming for games broadcast by the station and carry special programming related to the team including a “Countdown Clock to Gameday-Buzzer,” game-day weather forecasts, and frequent features on “LA Unscripted,” “Off the Clock,” and “California Cooking.” KTLA 5 will carry Clippers news across all of its broadcast, digital, and mobile platforms, and be anchored by its veteran team of news and sports personalities.

“Starting with the opening of Clippers training camp, L.A.’s Very Own KTLA 5 will be there every exciting step of the way,” said KTLA-TV’s Vice President and General Manager Janene Drafs. “Clippers fans across Southern California can count on KTLA for exciting pre- and post-game shows, insightful analysis, up-to-the-moment Clippers news, special features on the players and coaches, and one-of-a-kind related programming throughout the 2022-2023 basketball season.”

KTLA 5 previously aired live Clippers games from 1985 to 1991 and from 2002 to 2009 and is Southern California’s #1 source for local news coverage. KTLA achieves superior audience levels locally for AM News, Daytime News, Early News, Weekend AM News and Sports Final. The first commercial TV station licensed west of the Mississippi River, KTLA 5 has been keeping Southern Californians informed since 1947.