NBA News Blog – Page 242 – NBA Blog

Hawks sign Johnny Hamilton, A.J. Lawson, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Jahlil Okafor

The Atlanta Hawks have signed Johnny Hamilton, A.J. Lawson, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Jahlil Okafor.

It’s assumed that these deals are non-guaranteed contracts that merely bring the players to Hawks training camp.

Hamilton, a 7’0 center, played in 13 games last season with Fenerbahce in Turkey before being loaned to Mornar Bar (Montenegro) for the remainder of the season. He finished his college career at UT-Arlington in 2017-18 after two seasons at Jacksonville College and two at Virginia Tech. As a graduate student at UTA, Hamilton averaged 11.1 points and 8.1 rebounds in 23.4 minutes (.629 FG%, .664 FT%) in 34 contests (31 starts). Hamilton has also spent time with the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA G League and Darussafaka in Turkey.

Lawson, a 6’6 guard who participated for the Hawks in the 2021 NBA Summer League, played three seasons at South Carolina. As a junior in 2020-21, he averaged 16.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.2 assists in 31.3 minutes, earning second team All-SEC honors. Over his three-year career at USC, the 6’6 guard put in 14.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals in 30.0 minutes in 81 contests (80 starts). The native of Brampton, Ontario has competed for Canada’s men’s national under-19 team.

Luwawu-Cabarrot, a 6’7 guard/forward, played in 58 games (seven starts) for the Brooklyn Nets last season, averaging 6.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 18.1 minutes. He has appeared in 276 career contests (42 starts) in five seasons with Philadelphia, Oklahoma City and Brooklyn, putting up 6.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 16.6 minutes. The native of Cannes, France has also played in 11 career postseason contests with averages of 6.5 points and 1.6 rebounds in 14.2 minutes. He was originally selected by the 76ers in the first round (24th overall) of the 2016 NBA Draft. He also has played internationally with Antibes (France) and Mega Leks (Serbia). Luwawu-Cabarrot won a silver medal as part of the French Olympic team last month. His name is pronounced TEAM-oh-tay loo-WA-woo cab-uh-RO.

Okafor, a 6’11 center, played in 27 games (two starts) for the Detroit Pistons last season and averaged 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 12.9 minutes (.618 FG%, .708 FT%). In 247 career regular season contests (116 starts) with Philadelphia, New Orleans, Brooklyn and Detroit, he has compiled 10.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 19.5 minutes (.542 FG%, .676 FT%). He was an NBA All-Rookie First Team selection in 2016. The third overall pick by the 76ers in 2015, Okafor helped Duke to a 35-4 mark and the 2015 national championship, averaging 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.4 blocks, finishing second in the nation in FG% (.664). He was a consensus First Team All-American and ACC Player of the Year following his freshman season.

Timberwolves part ways with President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas

Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor released the following statement:

“Today, the Minnesota Timberwolves parted ways with President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas. As an organization, we remain committed to building a winning team that our fans and city can be proud of.”

Per the Minneapolis Star Tribune, “Sachin Gupta will assume day-to-day operations on the basketball side while keeping his title as executive vice president of basketball operations. The team, which gave no reason for the sudden dismissal, will hold a search for a permanent replacement for Rosas.”

And more from the Star Tribune: “Taylor made the call to fire Rosas, sources close to the team said, in conjunction with new owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, who are on a path to become controlling owners in 2023.”

Cavaliers sign Denzel Valentine

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Denzel Valentine.

Valentine (6-5, 218) appeared in 62 games (three starts) for the Chicago Bulls this past season, averaging 6.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in 16.7 minutes. He scored in double figures on 21 occasions, including a career-best seven straight double-digit scoring performances from Feb. 3-15. Over four NBA seasons, all with the Bulls, Valentine has played in 232 regular season games (45 starts) with career averages of 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 19.8 minutes. His 342 three-pointers rank 13th all-time in Bulls franchise history. Additionally, Valentine played in four postseason games for Chicago in the 2017 NBA Playoffs.

The 27-year-old guard was originally drafted by Chicago with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft after a four-year career at Michigan State, where he became the first player in school history to be named Player of the Year by the Associated Press during his senior year. Valentine also earned college player of the year awards from the NABC, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports, and Basketball Times while garnering a unanimous First-Team All-American selection in 2016.

G League: Cleveland Charge name Dan Geriot new head coach

The Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League, downtown Cleveland’s newest professional sports team playing home games at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center, announced today that Dan Geriot has been promoted to become the fifth Head Coach in Charge team history.

Coach Geriot joins the Charge after spending the last six seasons in various roles on the staff for our own Cleveland Cavaliers.

“This is a very exciting day for the Cleveland Charge and I’m looking forward to having someone of Dan’s experience and innovative approach step in as head coach of this team,” said Charge General Manager Brendon Yu. “During his tenure with the Cavaliers, Dan displayed a unique ability to build strong relationships with players and assisted with their overall development both on and off the court. I’m confident that he will be able to bring that same passion and commitment to the Charge.”

“Dan has been an integral part of my coaching staff for a little over two years and I’m extremely happy for the opportunity presented to him to lead the Charge,” said Cavaliers Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “His work ethic and commitment to the organization confirms his desire to coach the game at the highest levels of competition. The continuity this move provides also creates a seamless transition across the entirety of our player development program here in Cleveland between the Charge and the Cavaliers. I’m looking forward to watching Dan help those young men achieve their basketball goals.”

Geriot has been a Cavaliers Assistant Coach since the 2019-20 season, where he was responsible for assisting and reporting directly to Cavaliers Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff along with scouting upcoming opponents and presenting game plans, as well as the individual development for the frontcourt players. Geriot was previously an assistant video coordinator/coaching assistant with the Cavs from 2016-18 and was a seasonal video coordinator with the team for the 2015-16 championship season. Prior to joining the Cavs, Geriot was with Campbell University as an assistant coach from 2013-15 and was with Princeton University as an assistant coach from 2011-13. The Springfield, Pennsylvania native has a degree in political science and history from the University of Richmond, where he played four collegiate seasons and led the Spiders to two NCAA tournaments in 2010 (First Round) and 2011 (Sweet 16).

All four previous Charge Head Coaches have ended their tenure with NBA call-ups: Alex Jensen (Utah), Jordi Fernandez (Denver), Steve Hetzel (Charlotte), and Nate Reinking (Cleveland).

Utah Jazz sign guard Justin James to two-way contract

The Utah Jazz have signed guard Justin James to a two-way contract.

James (6-6, 190, Wyoming) owns career averages of 3.2 points on 44.6 percent from the field in 72 games with the Sacramento Kings. Last season, James averaged 3.9 points on 46.8 percent shooting. He was originally selected with the 40th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by Sacramento.

The Port Saint Lucie, Fla., native was a four-year player at Wyoming, where as a senior in 2018-19, he averaged 22.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals in 38.2 minutes per game. He was named to the 2018-19 All-Mountain West Second Team, 2017-18 All-Mountain West First Team and 2016-17 All-Mountain West Third Team during his collegiate career.

Raptors sign Svi Mykhailiuk

The Toronto Raptors have signed guard-forward Svi Mykhailiuk to a multi-year contract and forward Reggie Perry.

Mykhailiuk, 6-foot-8, 205 pounds, averaged 8.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 20.1 minutes in 66 games (14 starts) with Detroit and Oklahoma City last season. He shot .411 (208-506) from the field and .334 (105-314) from three-point range. Mykhailiuk scored in double figures 27 times, including 20 or more twice, and had a season-high 22 points March 31 against the Raptors.

A native of Cherkasy, Ukraine, Mykhailiuk was picked in the second round (47th overall) by the LA Lakers in the 2018 NBA Draft. He owns career averages of 7.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 18.5 minutes in 164 NBA games with Los Angeles, Detroit and Oklahoma City. Mykhailiuk played collegiately at Kansas (2014-18), where he broke the Jayhawks’ single-season record for three-pointers made (115) and earned All-Big 12 Second Team honours as a senior.

Perry, 6-foot-10, 250 pounds, was selected in the second round (57th overall) by the LA Clippers in the 2020 NBA Draft and his rights were traded to Brooklyn in a three-team deal with Detroit. In 26 games as a rookie with the Nets last season, he posted averages of 3.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 8.1 minutes. Perry scored in double figure three times and recorded his lone double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds Jan. 29 at Oklahoma City. He also appeared in five postseason games for Brooklyn, and averaged 18.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 28.8 minutes in 15 contests with the Long Island Nets in the NBA G League.

A native of Thomasville, Georgia, Perry played two collegiate seasons (2018-20) at Mississippi State, where he earned consensus All-SEC First Team honours from the coaches and media and was named the SEC’s Co-Player of the Year by the Associated Press as a sophomore.

Orlando Magic sign forward Admiral Schofield

The Orlando Magic have signed free agent forward Admiral Schofield.

The contract is likely a non-guaranteed deal that merely brings Schofield to Magic training camp, which begins on Tuesday, September 28 at Amway Center.

Schofield (6’5”, 240, 3/30/97) played in 14 games last season (11 starts) with Greensboro of the NBA G League, averaging 10.1 ppg., 5.7 rpg. and 2.1 apg. in 26.2 minpg.

Originally selected in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2019 NBA Draft by Philadelphia, Schofield has played in 33 career NBA regular season games (two starts) with Washington, averaging 3.0 ppg. and 1.4 rpg. in 11.2 minpg. He has also appeared in 47 career NBA G League regular season games (44 starts) with both Capital City and Greensboro, averaging 14.2 ppg., 5.5 rpg. and 2.1 apg. in 29.5 minpg.

Schofield played in 132 career games (94 starts) during four seasons at the University of Tennessee (2015-19), averaging 11.9 ppg., 5.3 rpg. and 1.3 apg. in 24.9 minpg., while shooting .387 (184-476) from three-point range. As a senior (2018-19), he played and started in 37 games, averaging 16.5 ppg., 6.1 rpg. and 2.0 apg. in 31.7 minpg., while shooting .418 (74-177) from three-point range. He was named to the All-SEC First Team by the conference coaches, earned All-SEC Tournament Team honors and was also an honorable mention All-American by Associated Press. As a junior (2017-18), Schofield was named to the All-SEC Second Team by the conference coaches and earned All-SEC Tournament Team honors.

Schofield will wear #25 with the Orlando Magic.

Orlando’s roster now stands at 20 players.

Celtics hire Will Hardy, Damon Stoudamire, Ben Sullivan, Joe Mazzulla, Aaron Miles and Tony Dobbins as assistant coaches

The Boston Celtics announced today that Will Hardy, Damon Stoudamire, Ben Sullivan, Joe Mazzulla, Aaron Miles, and Tony Dobbins will serve as assistant coaches on first-year head coach Ime Udoka’s staff.

Evan Bradds, Garrett Jackson, DJ MacLeay, and Steve Tchiengang have been named to the team’s player enhancement staff, while Matt Reynolds will serve as a special assistant to Udoka.

Hardy joins Boston’s coaching staff after spending the last six seasons as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs from 2015-16 to 2020-21. The Williams College graduate has spent each of the last 11 seasons with San Antonio since joining on as a basketball operations intern in 2010, including a two-year stint as the Spurs video coordinator from 2013-15. Hardy served on the coaching staff during Team USA’s gold medal run at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and at the 2019 FIBA World Cup. He was also tabbed as San Antonio’s summer league head coach in Las Vegas in 2017 and 2018, as well as serving as the team’s head coach during the Utah summer league from 2015-18.

Stoudamire spent the last five seasons at the University of Pacific after being named the head coach of the men’s basketball team on March 16, 2016. He led Pacific to a 23-10 finish in 2019-20 – the program’s best mark since 2012-13 – en route to being named both the West Coast Conference Coach of the Year and the Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year, given annually to the top minority coach at the Division I level. Stoudamire previously worked as an assistant coach at the University of Memphis (2011-13; 2015-16), the University of Arizona (2013-15), and in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies from 2009-2011.

A 13-year NBA point guard, Stoudamire played in 878 career games (793 starts) with the Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, and San Antonio Spurs. He was named the league’s Rookie of the Year and was selected to the All-Rookie First Team in 1995-96 after being selected by Toronto with the seventh overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft.

Sullivan joins the Celtics after winning an NBA Championship in his third season as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. He has seven seasons of experience as an assistant coach in the NBA, including a four-year stint with the Atlanta Hawks from 2014-15 to 2017-18. Prior to his time in Milwaukee and Atlanta, Sullivan served as an assistant video coordinator with San Antonio while also working in its basketball development department.

Mazzulla returns for his third year as an assistant coach after originally joining the organization prior to the 2019-20 season. The Rhode Island native most recently served as Boston’s head coach throughout the 2021 Las Vegas Summer League, guiding the Celtics to a 4-1 record and an appearance in the championship game. Mazzulla previously spent two seasons as the head coach of the men’s basketball team at Fairmont State University (2017-19), guiding the Falcons to a 43-17 overall record, and an NCAA Tournament bid in his second and final year.

Miles spent the last two seasons as a player development coach with the Golden State Warriors, after serving as the head coach of the Santa Cruz Warriors – Golden State’s G League affiliate – for two seasons from 2017-18 to 2018-19. The native Oregonian led Santa Cruz to a 57-43 record in his two seasons at the helm, including a 34-16 mark and trip to the G League Western Conference Finals in 2018-19. Miles played 10 seasons of professional basketball, eight of which came overseas, after a decorated collegiate career at Kansas in which he netted two All-Big 12 Third Team selections.

Dobbins begins his second season as an assistant coach with the Celtics after spending the previous two years as the team’s video coordinator. A native of Washington, D.C., Dobbins played a combined 13 years of professional basketball across Europe and the NBA G League. He was named the French Pro A’s Best Defensive Player three times (2009, 2013, 2014), won two French Cup championships (2010, 2015), and a G League title with the Asheville Altitude in 2005.

Lakers announce global marketing partnership with Bibigo

The Los Angeles Lakers have announced a multi-year global marketing partnership with Bibigo, a brand by the No. 1 food company in Korea. The partnership will feature the Bibigo logo on the Lakers jerseys beginning with the 2021-22 season.

The global marketing partnership establishes Bibigo as the first international partner ever for the Lakers and will include a large-scale integrated marketing program, including courtside branding (baseline courtside apron and rotational LED signage), social and digital fan focused campaigns.

Per the Los Angeles Times, “the five-year agreement is worth more than $100 million, according to people familiar with the deal but not authorized to disclose its terms publicly.”

And per SCNG.com, “NBA jersey patch deals have averaged $7 million to $10 million per year, according to The Athletic, though Wish reportedly was paying the Lakers between $12 million to $14 million per year, and this one is likely worth significantly more because of a recent change in NBA rules that allows teams to include their logos in overseas business deals. The Golden State Warriors reportedly have the most lucrative deal at $20 million per year with Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten.”

“This partnership is a connection of two ‘global culture icons’ of food and sports, and it is an important opportunity for Bibigo to emerge as a global food brand,” said Wookho Kyeong, CMO of CJ CheilJedang, Bibigo is a global strategic brand of CJ CheilJedang. “We look forward to the opportunities to communicate with consumers and increase the value of the brand through a global common language, sports and the Lakers.”

“The Lakers are thrilled for the opportunity to partner with Bibigo as our first ever global marketing partner,” said Tim Harris, President of Business Operations. “As Korea’s leading food brand, Bibigo is always looking for opportunities to innovate and expand their brand, and the Lakers are excited to help them to not only expand their global recognition, but to provide the opportunity to reach new fans.”

Pistons hire Rex Kalamian, Jerome Allen, Jim Moran and Bill Bayno as assistant coaches

The Detroit Pistons have named Rex Kalamian, Jerome Allen, Jim Moran and Bill Bayno as assistant coaches, and Andrew Jones as a player development coach to Head Coach Dwane Casey’s staff.

Additionally, Jordan Brink and Austin Dufault were promoted to player development coaches.

Kalamian reunites with Casey after spending last season as an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings. He spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach with the L.A. Clippers and was a part of Casey’s staff in Toronto from 2015-18. His other stops in the NBA as an assistant coach include Oklahoma City (2009-15), Sacramento (2007-09), Minnesota (2005-07), Denver (2004-05) and L.A. Clippers (1995-03). Kalamian also served as a scout for the Clippers (1992-95) and Philadelphia 76ers (2003-04).

Before joining the NBA, Kalamian worked two seasons (1990-92) as an assistant coach at his alma mater, East Los Angeles College. As a player, he was named team captain at ELAC and led the South Coast Conference in 3-point shooting percentage during the 1988-89 season.

Allen comes to Detroit after six seasons as an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics. Prior to joining the Celtics, he served the previous five years as the head coach at the University of Pennsylvania after serving one year as Penn’s interim head coach.

Born in Philadelphia, PA, Allen played collegiately at Penn and was a two-time Ivy League Player of the year. As a four-year starter, he led the Quakers to Ivy League titles in each of his last three seasons. He was drafted 49th overall in the 1995 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves and played in 127 career NBA games with Minnesota, Indiana and Denver. He also played professionally in Europe including France, Italy, Greece, Spain and Turkey.

Moran spent the last five seasons as an assistant coach with the Portland Trail Blazers after one season as the team’s associate video coordinator. He began his coaching career as a player development coach for the Maine Red Claws of the then NBA Development League in 2013.

Moran played his entire professional career with CB Gran Canaria in the Spanish ACB League from 2001-11 and is the only player to have his jersey number retired by the club. A native of Syosset, NY, Moran played collegiately at William and Mary where he was named to the All-Colonial Athletic Association Team in both his junior and senior seasons. He also played for the Irish Men’s National Team from 2001-06.

Bayno joins the Pistons after spending the last five seasons as an assistant coach with the Indiana Pacers. Prior to the Pacers, he spent two seasons (2013-15) on Casey’s staff with the Toronto Raptors. Bayno has also served as an assistant with the Minnesota Timberwolves (2011-13) and two stints (2005-08 and 209-11) with the Portland Trail Blazers. Additionally, Bayno has had head coaching stints in the ABA, the Philippine Basketball Association and the Continental Basketball Association where he led the Yakima Sun Kings to the CBA championship in 2003.

A native of Goshen, NY, Bayno was the head coach at UNLV from 1995-2000 and led the Rebels to two NCAA Tournament appearances after winning the Mountain West Conference in 1998 and 2000. In 2000, UNLV won the MW regular season and tournament championships and Bayno was named co-coach of the year. He was also the head coach at Loyola Marymount during the 2008-09 season and served as an assistant coach at the collegiate level at Seton Hall, Kansas, Baptist College and UMass. Bayno played at the University of Massachusetts before transferring to Sacred Heart University.

Jones joins the Pistons from the Philadelphia 76ers where he was a player development coach over the last two seasons. He previously spent five seasons in the Thunder organization, starting as an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Blue, the team’s G League affiliate, before working as a video analyst/player development for one season. From 2016-19, he worked as a senior performance analyst and player development coach.

Jones, a Philadelphia native, played four seasons at Penn State University from 2007-11 and spent the 2013-14 season as a graduate assistant for the Nittany Lions.

Brink and Dufault served as video coordinator and assistant video coordinator, respectively, with the Pistons prior to their promotions.