Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

In G League, Grand Rapids Gold hire Jason Terry as new head coach

The Grand Rapids Gold, the G League affiliate of the Denver Nuggets, have hired Jason Terry as their new head coach.

The 19-year NBA veteran appeared in 1,410 career games, the ninth most in NBA history. The sharp-shooting NBA Champion owns career averages of 13.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists while connecting on 2,282 career three-pointers, the seventh most all-time. After wrapping up his prolific playing career in 2018, Terry spent the 2019-20 season as the Assistant General Manager for the G League’s Texas Legends and the 2020-21 season as an assistant coach with his alma mater Arizona Wildcats.

Terry was drafted 10th overall in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks where he was named to the All-Rookie Second Team in 1999-00. Terry spent the first five years of his career with the Hawks before being traded to Dallas where he spent the next eight seasons and helped the Mavericks earn an NBA Championship in 2011. Terry appeared in all 21 playoff games during the championship run while averaging 17.5 points (second to Nowitzki), 3.2 assists and shot a scorching 44.2% from beyond the arc. He enjoyed one of his most successful individual seasons in 2008-09 when he was named the Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 19.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 33.7 minutes per game.

The Seattle, Washington native entered the NBA after spending four years at the University of Arizona, including a senior season where he averaged 21.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists and shot 40% from three-point range. Terry was named Pac-12 Player of the Year, All-Pac-12 First Team and Consensus All-American First Team his final season at Arizona.

Pistons re-sign Hamidou Diallo

The Detroit Pistons have re-signed guard Hamidou Diallo.

Diallo, 6-5, 202, was acquired by the Pistons from the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 13, 2021, in exchange for Svi Mykhailiuk and future draft consideration. In 20 games (four starts) as a Piston, Diallo averaged 11.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 23.3 minutes. Overall, he recorded career-high averages of 11.6 points (48% FG), 5.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 23.6 minutes in 52 games (nine starts) with the Thunder and Pistons last season.

Diallo, 23, was selected 45th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets and subsequently involved in two trades to Charlotte and then Oklahoma City following the draft. In 149 career NBA games (15 starts), he’s averaged 7.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.7 steals in 17.8 minutes with Oklahoma City and Detroit. He also won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest as a rookie at the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend in Charlotte.

A native of Queens, N.Y., Diallo played one season collegiately at Kentucky in 2017-18, averaging 10.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals in 24.8 minutes over 37 games (all starts).

Knicks sign forward Aamir Simms

The New York Knicks have signed forward Aamir Simms.

Per the New York Post, “Simms will be joining them for training camp. The team has signed the former Clemson star to an Exhibit 10 contract, a source confirmed.”

Simms, 6-8, 245-pounds, played four seasons at Clemson University (2017-21) and averaged 9.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists over 25.3 minutes in 122 games (100 starts). As a senior, Simms was named to the 2020-21 All-ACC Second Team after producing a career best 13.4 points on 53.2-percent shooting from the field (40-percent from downtown) with 6.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists over 29.7 minutes in 24 games (all starts).

The Palmyra, VA-native, recently appeared in four games for the Knicks Summer League entry in Las Vegas, NV. He averaged 3.8 points and 2.8 rebounds over 11.1 minutes.

Knicks sign Dwayne Bacon

The New York Knicks have signed guard Dwayne Bacon.

Bacon, 6-6, 221-pounds, appeared in all 72 games (50 starts) for Orlando last season, recording career highs of 10.9 points and 3.1 rebounds with 1.3 assists over 25.7 minutes. In four NBA seasons, he holds career averages of 7.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists over 19.4 minutes in 207 games (80 starts) with Charlotte and Orlando.

He was originally selected by New Orleans in the second round (40th overall pick) of the 2017 NBA Draft after two seasons at Florida State University (2015-17). The Lakeland, FL-native, averaged 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists over 28.8 minutes in 69 games (67 starts) with the Seminoles. He was named to the 2015-16 ACC All-Freshman team and to the 2016-17 All-ACC Second team.

Pelicans sign Jose Alvarado and Daulton Hommes to two-way contracts

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed guard Jose Alvarado and forward Daulton Hommes to two-way contracts.

Alvarado, 6-0, 179, started all 26 games during the 2020-21 season for Georgia Tech, where he was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-ACC Second Team honors after averaging 15.2 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.8 steals per game. In four seasons with the Yellow Jackets, Alvarado appeared in 106 games (104 starts) and finished with career averages of 13.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.1 steals in 34.9 minutes played.

Hommes, 6-8, 215, most recently played for Vanoli Cremona of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A, averaging 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 28 games while shooting .468 from the floor, .427 from deep, and .863 from the foul line. Undrafted in 2019 out of Point Loma Nazarene University, Hommes appeared in 36 games (six starts) with the G League’s Austin Spurs in the 2019-20 season, in which he averaged 8.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 19.6 minutes per game.

Pelicans re-sign Josh Hart

The New Orleans Pelicans have re-signed guard Josh Hart.

“Josh brings tenacity, competitiveness and infectious energy to our team every time he steps on the court,” said Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin. “We are excited to welcome him back and grateful that he wanted to continue his evolution with our Pelicans family.”

Hart, who was originally acquired by New Orleans from the Los Angeles Lakers as part of a three-team trade on July 6, 2019, appeared in 47 games (four starts) for the Pelicans last season, averaging 9.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 28.7 minutes per game.

Selected with the 30th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Hart has appeared in 242 games (65 starts) with the Lakers and Pelicans over four seasons, holding career averages of 8.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 26.0 minutes per contest.

The Silver Spring, Maryland native appeared in 146 games (77 starts) over four collegiate seasons at Villanova University, averaging 13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 28.0 minutes. As a senior, Hart was named the Big East Player of the Year after averaging 18.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists during the 2016-17 season.

Knicks re-sign Taj Gibson

The New York Knicks have re-signed center/forward Taj Gibson.

Gibson, 6-10, 232-pounds, originally signed with New York on July 8, 2019, and has appeared in 107 games (59 starts) for the Knicks, recording 5.8 points and 4.8 rebounds over 18.3 minutes. Last season, he averaged 5.4 points and 5.6 rebounds over 20.8 minutes in 45 regular season games (three starts) and 5.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in five postseason games (three starts).

Prior to New York, Gibson spent 10 seasons with Chicago, Oklahoma City and Minnesota. The 12-year veteran holds career averages of 9.3 points on 51.8-percent shooting, 6.2 rebounds and one assist over 24.9 minutes in 844 regular season games (443 starts). Additionally, Gibson has appeared in 71 postseason contests, averaging 7.8 points and 4.9 rebounds over 22.3 minutes.

He was originally selected by Chicago with the 26th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft after three seasons at the University of Southern California.

Knicks re-sign Alec Burks

The New York Knicks have re-signed guard/forward Alec Burks.

Burks, 6-6, 214-pounds, averaged 12.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists over 49 games (five starts) for New York last season after signing as a free agent on November 22, 2020. He connected on a career best 41.5-percent from downtown and hit at least 100 three-pointers (102) for the second consecutive season. He recorded 11 20-point performances, one 30-point performance and a career best five straight 20-point performances from March 18-27.

Originally selected by Utah with the 12th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Burks holds career averages of 10.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists over 22.2 minutes in 544 games (91 starts) with New York, Philadelphia, Golden State, Cleveland, Sacramento and Utah.

The Grandview, MO-native spent two seasons at the University of Colorado, where he earned 2009-10 Big 12 Rookie of the Year honors during his freshman season. Burks was also one of two unanimous selections for first-team All-Big 12 in 2010-11, during which he led his team in scoring at 20.5 points.

Knicks re-sign Derrick Rose

The New York Knicks have re-signed guard Derrick Rose.

“Derrick’s arrival last season played a major role in our team’s success and the culture we instilled,” New York Knicks President Leon Rose said, “He continues to be a great player and teammate and is an extension of Coach Thibodeau on the court. We look forward to him being a key piece of our team moving forward.”

Rose, 6-3, 200-pounds, finished third in the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year voting after averaging 14.7 points, 4.2 assists and 2.6 rebounds over 25.6 minutes in 50 games with Detroit and New York last season. The 14.7 points ranked fourth in the NBA in scoring among players coming off the bench (min 30 games). After being traded to New York on Feb. 8, 2021, Rose produced 14.9 points, 4.2 assists and 2.9 rebounds over 26.8 minutes in 35 games helping guide the Knicks to a 24-11 record in games he played. Over the final 20 games of the season, Rose averaged 17.4 points, 4.3 assists and 3.4 rebounds off the bench, while shooting 54-percent from the floor, 41.7-percent from downtown, and 93.2-percent from the line. He was one of two players in the NBA to average at least 15 points and shoot 50/40/90 over the final six weeks of the season. The other was Chris Paul.

The Chicago-native returned to New York this past season for a second stint with the Knicks, after being acquired from Chicago via trade on Jun. 22, 2016. He’s averaged 16.9 points, 4.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds over 30.5 minutes in 99 games (67 starts) in his two seasons as a Knick.

The 12-year veteran has appeared in 646 NBA games (507 starts) and holds career averages of 18.5 points, 5.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds over 12 seasons with Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Minnesota, and Detroit.

Career highlights for the first-overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft include: 2011 NBA MVP; 2009 NBA Rookie of the Year; three consecutive NBA All-Star selections (2010, 2011, 2012); 2009 NBA All-Rookie Team; two-time Eastern Conference Player of the Month; five-time Eastern Conference Player of the Week and three-time Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month.

Pistons sign rookies Luka Garza and Chris Smith to two-way contracts

The Detroit Pistons have signed rookie center Luka Garza and rookie forward Chris Smith to two-way contracts.

Garza, 6-11, 235, earned unanimous 2020-21 National Player of the Year honors after averaging 24.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.6 blocks and 31.6 minutes in 31 games as a senior at Iowa. He led the nation in points (747) and field goals made (281) while shooting .553 from the field and .440 from 3-point range in 2020-21. Garza was a two-time unanimous All-America First Team selection and two-time Big Ten Player of the Year while becoming Iowa’s all-time leading scorer (2,306), marking the seventh-highest scoring total in Big Ten history.

Garza became the first Big Ten player to average at least 23.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in consecutive seasons since 1994. He finished his career as a Hawkeye with averages of 18.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks in 127 games.

Smith, 6-9, 215, played four seasons at UCLA and averaged 8.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 105 career games for the Bruins. He averaged 12.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in eight games as a senior prior to a season-ending injury. As a junior, Smith posted averages of 13.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists and was named the Pac 12’s Most Improved Player of the Year while earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors.