Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Rockets bring back Gerald Green

The Houston Rockets today signed free agent guard/forward Gerald Green.

Green’s contract is reportedly just a non-guaranteed, one-year deal.

Green (6-6, 205) suffered a left foot injury in a preseason game for the Rockets on Oct. 10, 2019 and did not appear in a game last season prior to being acquired via trade by Denver on Feb. 5, 2020.

From the time Green previously signed with Houston on Dec. 28, 2017 through the end of the 2018-19 season, he had the most 3-pointers made (255) of any reserve in the NBA. Over that span, he appeared in 114 games for the Rockets while averaging 10.3 points and 2.3 3-pointers made in 21.1 minutes per game.

Dating back to 2011-12, Green is one of six players with at least 450 games played to have averaged at least 10.0 points in fewer than 22.0 minutes per game. The Houston native was originally the 18th overall pick by Boston in the 2005 NBA Draft.

Hornets sign rookie center Vernon Carey Jr.

The Charlotte Hornets have signed center Vernon Carey Jr.

Drafted by the Hornets with the 32nd overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the 6-10 Carey played one season at Duke, where he was named USBWA Freshman of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year, while earning Consensus All-American Second Team, All-ACC First Team and ACC All-Freshman Team honors. Carey averaged 17.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 1.0 assists in 24.9 minutes per game, while shooting .577 from the field, including .381 from three-point range. The Miami, Florida, native led the ACC in field goal percentage and ranked third in scoring, fourth in rebounding and sixth in blocks, making him the only player in the conference to rank in the top 10 in each of those categories.

Rockets hire John Lucas, Jeff Hornacek, Will Weaver, Rick Higgins, and DeSagana Diop as assistant coaches

The Houston Rockets today announced John Lucas, Jeff Hornacek, Will Weaver, Rick Higgins, and DeSagana Diop [sa-GAH-na JOP] will join head coach Stephen Silas’ staff as assistant coaches.

Lucas, who was the first overall pick by Houston in the 1976 NBA Draft, re-joined the Rockets organization as their Director of Player Development prior to the 2016-17 season. He was head coach of San Antonio and Philadelphia for stretches during the 1990’s and for Cleveland in 2001-02 and 2002-03. Lucas is widely respected throughout the sports community for his ability as a mentor and has helped numerous athletes develop professionally and personally.

Hornacek was a key member of the Utah Jazz during the mid-to-late 1990’s and for his career, shot 49.6% from the floor, 40.3% from 3-point range, and 87.7% from the foul line. He joined the Jazz as a shooting coach in 2007 and became an assistant coach in 2010-11. Hornacek was head coach of Phoenix for two and a half seasons from 2013-16 and for two seasons with New York from 2016-18. Rockets forward P.J. Tucker played for Hornacek during his time with the Suns.

Weaver joins the Rockets after guiding the Sydney Kings of the NBL in Australia to the best record in the league and the championship game in his first season as head coach. In 2018-19, he was named NBA G League Coach of the Year after leading the Long Island Nets to the championship game. Weaver began his NBA career as the video coordinator for Philadelphia in 2013-14 before transitioning to the role of special assistant to the head coach for two seasons, followed by two seasons in that capacity for Brooklyn.

Higgins spent the past two seasons with Orlando as associate coach/player development. Prior to joining the Magic, he was with Charlotte for eight seasons, serving as a basketball operations assistant, video scout and coaching associate/video coordinator. Higgins played collegiately for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. His father, Rod, played in the NBA for 13 seasons and is currently the vice president of basketball operations for the Atlanta Hawks.

Diop was the eighth overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft and was a starter for Dallas during its run to the Finals in 2006. Following a 12-season career, he joined the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League as a player development coach in 2014-15 before being promoted to assistant coach the following season. Diop spent the past four seasons as a coaching associate on Quin Snyder’s staff in Utah.

Hornets re-sign center Bismack Biyombo

The Charlotte Hornets have re-signed center Bismack Biyombo.

The Hornets originally acquired Biyombo in a three-team trade with the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls on July 8, 2018.

According to the Charlotte Observer, Biyombo “will provide needed depth at the position, and increased his role as a mentor to some of the team’s young players last season.”

Biyombo, listed at 6-foot-9, appeared in 53 games, including 29 starts, during the 2019-20 season for Charlotte. He averaged a career-high 7.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocked shots in 19.4 minutes per game. Biyombo recorded double-digit scoring 22 times last season, including eight double-doubles.

The ninth-year veteran first began his NBA career with the Hornets after being selected by Sacramento in the first round (seventh overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft and sent to Charlotte in a draft night trade. Biyombo has appeared in 636 career NBA regular season games (271 starts) with Charlotte, the Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic, averaging 5.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 20.2 minutes per game, while shooting .520 (1232-2367) from the floor. He has also played in 23 career NBA playoff contests (11 starts), averaging 5.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 24.1 minutes per game.

Biyombo, who played for Charlotte from 2011-14 and 2018 to present, stands third in Hornets history in career blocks (533), fifth in career offensive rebounds (772) and ninth in total rebounds (2,278).

Facundo Campazzo signs with Nuggets in the NBA

The Denver Nuggets have signed guard Facundo Campazzo to a multiyear contract.

Campazzo, 5-11, 194, most recently appeared in 20 games (16 starts) for Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB in 2020, averaging 10.2 points, 5.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 41.0% from the field in 24.1 minutes per game. The 29-year-old is a two-time Euroleague Champion (2015, 2018) and a three-time Liga ACB winner (2015, 2018, 2019) while also winning the Liga ACB finals MVP in 2019.

According to the Denver Post, “despite his 5-foot-11 frame, Campazzo’s a gifted passer known for his flash and creativity. The Argentinian guard has been with Real Madrid since 2014, where he was once teammates with Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.”

The native of Cordoba, Argentina went undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft and signed with Real Madrid in 2014. Over five seasons he appeared in 270 games (175 starts), averaging 8.6 points, 4.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 41.9% from the field in 21.2 minutes. Campazzo has played in 63 games for the Argentine national team including eight games in the 2012 London Olympics and led them to a silver medal at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

More from the Post: “He’ll likely share backup point guard duties with Nuggets reserve Monte Morris, who’s made himself a vital part of the rotation.”

Mavericks sign rookie Josh Green

The Dallas Mavericks have signed first round pick Josh Green.

Green (6-6, 210) was selected 18th overall by Dallas in the 2020 NBA Draft following his freshman season at the University of Arizona. He started all 30 games in which he appeared for the Wildcats and averaged 12.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Green ranked sixth in the PAC-12 in steals last season.

The Sydney native led IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) to the 2019 high school national championship while garnering McDonald’s All-American honors.

Green will wear No. 8 for Dallas.

Jazz sign former Seton Hall center Romaro Gill

The Utah Jazz have signed center Romaro Gill.

It’s likely just a non-guaranteed deal that brings Gill to Jazz training camp.

Gill (7-2, 255, Seton Hall) posted averages of 7.8 points on 62.8 percent shooting, to go with 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocks in 30 games during 2019-20. He ranked third in the NCAA and first in the BIG EAST in blocks per game, helping him earn 2019-20 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and BIG EAST Most Improved Player.

The St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, native spent three seasons (one as a redshirt) at Seton Hall, appearing in 57 games (29 starts), owning career averages of 5.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 17.9 minutes per game. He began his collegiate career playing two seasons at Vincennes.

Kings sign Frank Kaminsky

The Sacramento Kings have signed free agent forward/center Frank Kaminsky.

According to the Sacramento Bee, Kaminsky’s Kings contract is just a one-year, non-guaranteed deal.

Selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, Kaminsky has accrued averages of 9.8 points (.422 FG%, .347 3pt%, .750 FT%), 4.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 21.9 minutes per game in 321 career games (36 starts) with Charlotte (2015-19) and the Phoenix Suns (2019-20). The former consensus first-team All-American and 2014-15 Associated Press Player of the Year out of Wisconsin averaged 9.7 points (.450 FG%, .331 3pt%, .678 FT%), 4.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 19.9 minutes per game in 39 games (13 starts) during the 2019-20 campaign for Phoenix.

Kaminsky will wear No. 41 for the Kings.

Hawks players Kris Dunn, Tony Snell, Onyeka Okongwu dealing with injuries

With 2020-21 NBA training camps set to open tomorrow, the Atlanta Hawks have some player injuries:

Guard Kris Dunn underwent an MRI on November 24, which confirmed cartilage disruption in his right knee. He is currently able to participate in modified individual workouts. He will be reviewed on December 11 and an update will be provided as appropriate.

Forward/center Onyeka Okongwu underwent an MRI on November 20, which confirmed inflammation of the sesamoid bone in his left foot. Following a period of unloading and rest, Okongwu has begun a graduated return to re-loading, including form shooting and conditioning activities. He will be reviewed on December 11 and an update will be provided as appropriate.

Guard Tony Snell underwent an MRI on November 20, which confirmed inflammation of the cuboid bone in his right foot. Following a period of unloading and rest, Snell has begun a graduated return to re-loading, including form shooting and conditioning activities. He will be reviewed on December 11 and an update will be provided as appropriate.

Nuggets sign guard Markus Howard to two-way contract

The Denver Nuggets have signed guard Markus Howard to a two-way contract.

Howard, 5-11, 180, went undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft after a prolific four-year career at Marquette University. In 29 games (all starts) as a senior in 2019-20, Howard led the nation in scoring, averaging 27.8 points per game, adding 3.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists, shooting 44.4% from the field and 41.2% from three in 33.2 minutes. He was unanimously named to the 2019-20 All-America First Team.

The Morristown, New Jersey, native set the Big East all-time scoring record with 1,587 points over his four-year career and ranks 21st on the NCAA’s all-time scoring list with 2,761 points. Howard also broke school records in scoring, free throws made (599) and three-pointers made (434). He scored 51 points vs. USC on November 29th, 2019 becoming the third major-conference player to record a 50-point game in three consecutive seasons, joining Wayman Tisdale and Pete Maravich.