Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Bradley Beal reportedly in investor group seeking to buy the New York Mets

Wizards star shooting guard Bradley Beal is reportedly looking to make a business move in the world of baseball. Here’s NBC Sports Washington reporting:

Nationals-Mets games could take on a different meeting someday soon, as Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is reportedly among a group of investors trying to buy the New York Mets.

Beal, 27, was listed with a large group of athletes and celebrities headlined by Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez in a report by ESPN about the investor group. Former NFL star Brian Urlacher and current Nuggets player Mason Plumlee are some of the others.

As NBA contracts continue to grow, we can only expect more players to make big moves in entertainment, sports outside of basketball, and more.

Lakers guard Rajon Rondo will miss 6-8 weeks due to thumb injury

Already without starting guard Avery Bradley, who decided to stay home and not join his team at all for the NBA restart at Disney World in Orlando, the Lakers will now also be without backup guard Rajon Rondo for the next 6-8 weeks. Here’s the Los Angeles Times:

Point guard Rajon Rondo will undergo surgery to repair a fracture in his right thumb that he suffered at practice Sunday evening in Orlando, the Lakers announced.

Rondo is expected to return to full basketball activities in six to eight weeks. The Lakers’ first game after the resumption of the NBA season will take place July 30 against the Clippers, with the playoffs beginning Aug. 17.

And here’s the O.C. Register:

He is slated to undergo surgery this week, and the team estimates he could miss six to eight weeks before returning to basketball activities, meaning he will miss at minimum all eight of the Lakers’ seeding games and likely at least one round of the playoffs. ESPN was first to report the injury.

Losing the four-time All-Star is another challenging hurdle for a team that is already without starter Avery Bradley, who elected to sit out last month. While Rondo was a bit player this season for the Lakers — averaging just 20 minutes, 7 points and 5 assists per game — he’s one of the most experienced guards on the roster and stood to gain more minutes in the restart. The Lakers already figure to slot Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in at a starting role for Bradley.

LeBron James is typically the point guard for the Lakers’ main rotation, but the team has tried to use Rondo to give James relief from ball-handling responsibilities over the last two seasons.

The team’s backcourt will be under a lot of pressure to play beyond the norm.

In EuroLeague, Toko Shengelia signs with CSKA Moscow

Here’s Euroleague.net reporting on a former NBA player signing a new deal overseas:

CSKA Moscow solidified an already-strong roster by signing one of the premier players on the continent, former All-EuroLeague First Team selection Toko Shengelia, to a three-year contract on Thursday. Shengelia (2.06 meters, 28 years old) arrives from KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, where he spent the last six seasons. He averaged 15.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 28 EuroLeague games last season

Shengelia played briefly in the NBA, between 2012-14, mostly for the Nets, plus nine games for the Bulls, for a career average of 1.3 points in 5.5 minutes per game.

Nets sign Donta Hall as Substitute Player for NBA restart

The Brooklyn Nets have signed forward/center Donta Hall as a Substitute Player for the remainder of the 2019-20 NBA season.

Hall (6’9”, 229) signed two consecutive 10-day contracts as a rookie with the Detroit Pistons this season, appearing in four games and averaging 1.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 12.0 minutes per contest. Suiting up in 38 games (37 starts) for the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA G League in 2019-20, the Alabama native recorded averages of 15.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.3 blocks in 28.6 minutes per game, earning him All-NBA G League Second Team and All-Rookie Team honors.

The 22-year-old went undrafted in 2019 after a four-year (2015-19) collegiate career at the University of Alabama, appearing in 135 career games (85 starts) and averaging 7.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 20.8 minutes per contest. He was a two-time SEC All-Defensive Team honoree (2018, 2019) and became just the fifth player in Crimson Tide history to record more than 1,000 points (1,014), 800 rebounds (850) and 200 blocks (228) in a career.

Nets sign Michael Beasley as Substitute Player for NBA restart

The Brooklyn Nets have signed forward Michael Beasley as a Substitute Player for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.

Per the New York Post, “Beasley hasn’t played in the league since February 2019, spending this season in China. But he averaged 13.2 points on 50.7 percent shooting two years ago with the Knicks, and Durant wanted Beasley to join him in Golden State last season. Now he’ll get his wish.”

Beasley (6’9”, 235) has seen action in 609 career games (238 starts) across 11 NBA seasons with Miami (2008-10, 2013-14, 2015), Minnesota (2010-12), Phoenix (2012-13), Houston (2016), Milwaukee (2016-17), New York (2017-18) and the L.A. Lakers (2018-19), recording averages of 12.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 22.8 minutes per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field, 34.9 percent from 3-point range and 75.9 percent from the free-throw line. He’s logged action in 25 career postseason games over five playoff appearances, most recently with the Bucks in 2017.

The Maryland native has also had three stints in the Chinese Basketball Association with the Shanghai Sharks (2014-15), Shandong Golden Stars (2015-16) and the Guangdong Southern Tigers (2019), helping lead the Tigers to the 2019 CBA championship. Beasley last appeared in an NBA game in February 2019 with the Lakers.

Beasley was originally selected with the second overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by Miami and earned All-Rookie First Team honors in his inaugural season. Prior to beginning his NBA career, the 31-year-old spent one year (2007-08) at Kansas State, where he was named Big 12 Player of the Year and Big 12 Freshman of the Year and set the school’s single-season record for points scored (866), rebounds (408) and double-doubles (28) en route to becoming one of just two first team All-Americans in program history.

Nets sign 40-year-old scoring guard Jamal Crawford as Substitute Player for NBA restart

The Brooklyn Nets have signed guard Jamal Crawford as a Substitute Player for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.

Per the New York Post, “the decimated Nets have lost six players to injury or COVID-19, and arrived in Orlando on Tuesday with just a dozen available bodies. But they’re bringing in a fresh faces, half reinforcements for 2020 and half tryouts for 2021. And it’s likely no coincidence that Kevin Durant’s close friend Beasley is among them.”

Crawford (6’5”, 185) has appeared in 1,326 career games (433 starts) across 19 NBA seasons, the most of any active player, with Chicago (2000-04), New York (2004-08), Golden State (2008-09), Atlanta (2009-11), Portland (2011-12), the L.A. Clippers (2012-17), Minnesota (2017-18) and Phoenix (2018-19), registering averages of 14.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 29.4 minutes per game, while shooting 41.0 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from 3-point range and 86.2 percent from the free-throw line. He last appeared in an NBA game in the 2018-19 regular season finale with the Suns, becoming the oldest player in NBA history (39 years, 20 days) to record a 50-point game when he scored 51 points against the Mavericks. He also became the first player in league history to register a 50-point game for four different teams. Crawford has made eight postseason appearances, notching averages of 14.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 28.1 minutes per contest in 74 games.

More from the Post: “This is a low-risk audition for cost-effective vets to fill out the roster next season should Brooklyn bring in a third star to join Durant and Kyrie Irving. Building a Big Three means following the blueprint of Miami, Cleveland and Golden State, and using their taxpayer’s exception ($18 million over three years) wisely.”

The Seattle native is a three-time Sixth Man of the Year, winning the award with the Hawks (2009-10) and Clippers (2013-14 and 2015-16), while becoming one of just two players in the 37-year history of the award to win it three times, joining Clippers guard Lou Williams. Crawford also earned the NBA’s Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award in 2018 with Minnesota. He ranks eighth in NBA history in 3-pointers made (2,220), 18th in games played (first among active players) and seventh among active players in points scored (19,414).

Crawford was originally selected with the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2000 NBA Draft by Cleveland before having his draft rights traded to Chicago. He spent one year (1999-00) at the University of Michigan prior to embarking on his NBA career.

In EuroLeague, Brandon Davies signs contract extension with FC Barcelona

Here’s Eurocupbasketball.com reporting on a former NBA player:

FC Barcelona and center Brandon Davies reached an agreement to extend his contract through the end of the 2021-22 season, the club announced Wednesday. Davies (2.08 meters, 28 years old) was already under contract for one more season and this deal will keep him at the club for an additional year. He averaged 9.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 28 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games last season, his first in Barcelona.

Davies, listed at 6-foot-10, 240 pounds, played briefly in the NBA between 2013-15, mostly for the Sixers, plus seven games with the Nets, for an NBA career average of 3.7 points and 2.5 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game.

Detroit Pistons hire David Mincberg as assistant GM

The Detroit Pistons have named David Mincberg as assistant general manager.

Mincberg comes to Detroit from Milwaukee where he spent three seasons with the Bucks, including this past season as Vice President of Basketball Strategy. Prior to joining the Bucks, Mincberg spent five seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies where he started as Team Counsel before becoming the Grizzlies’ Director of Scouting.

A native of Washington, D.C., Mincberg holds an undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida and a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

In G League news, Tori Miller named General Manager of College Park Skyhawks

The Atlanta Hawks and their NBA G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, today announced multiple promotions and a hire within the Basketball Operations group, including the promotion of Tori Miller to General Manager of the Skyhawks. Miller’s promotion establishes her as the first woman to hold the title of General Manager in the history of the NBA G League. Former Skyhawks General Manager Derek Pierce will continue to oversee Atlanta’s scouting department in his role as Vice President of Player Personnel for the Hawks.

In addition to Miller’s announcement, Atlanta has promoted Dwight Lutz to Senior Director of Basketball Strategy and Analytics, Zac Walsh to Director of Team Operations and Max Horowitz to Senior Data Scientist. The Hawks also announced the hiring of Justin Howe as Assistant Athletic Trainer/Physical Therapist.

Miller, who was named Assistant General Manager of the Skyhawks on July 30, 2019, began her tenure with the organization as Manager of Basketball Operations three seasons ago with the Erie BayHawks. A native of Decatur, GA, Miller is a University of Miami graduate and spent time as a Basketball Operations Intern for the Phoenix Suns prior to her time in the G League.

Lutz finished his second season as Atlanta’s Director of Basketball Strategy and Analytics in 2019-20. He joined the Hawks following an 18-month stint as a Basketball Operations Analyst for the Minnesota Timberwolves and a four-year stay with the NBA where he served as Senior Manager of Game Analytics and Strategy. Lutz played four years of basketball while earning a degree in Mathematics from Trinity University before receiving a graduate degree in statistics from the University of Florida.

Walsh has been with the Hawks since 2002, holding the successive titles of Basketball Operations Intern, Equipment Manager, and Travel and Equipment Manager prior to earning a promotion to Director of Team Operations. The Atlanta native received the David “D.H.” Nordstrom Equipment Manager of the Year award in 2014 from the National Basketball Athletic Equipment Managers Association. Walsh earned a Business Management degree from Georgia Tech.

Horowitz served as a Data Scientist for the Hawks during the two most recent seasons prior to earning a promotion to Senior Data Scientist. The New York City native attended Carnegie Mellon University where he graduated with a degree in Economics and Statistics. He joined the Hawks after working first as a Specialist and then as a Basketball Strategy Senior Analyst for the NBA from June 2016 until October 2018.

Howe joins the Hawks in a full-time capacity after working with the Hawks’ Athletic Performance and Sports Medicine team in a part-time role in 2019-20. He attended Sheridan College and earned an undergraduate degree in Athletic Therapy before receiving a graduate degree in Sports Medicine and a doctorate degree in Physical Therapy from Georgia State University.

Former NBA forward Derrick Williams signs in Spain with Valencia Basket

In international basketball news, former NBA forward Derrick Williams, listed at 6-foot-8, 240 pounds, has signed in Spain. Per Eurocupbasketball.com:

Valencia Basket added explosiveness and experience to its roster with the signing of power forward Derrick Williams on a one-year contract, the club announced Wednesday. One of the most acrobatic players in the competition and an expert at alley-oop finishes, Williams (2.03 meters, 29 years old) arrives from Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, where he averaged 11.3 points and 3.9 rebounds over 28 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games last season.

Williams’ played in the NBA between 2011-18, though he played just two NBA games in the 2017-18 season. His NBA career average is 8.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per outing. It’s possible he could get back into the league at some point, but for now, overseas is his spot.