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Pistons name Sachin Gupta assistant general manager

Pistons name Sachin Gupta new assistant general manager

The Detroit Pistons have hired Sachin Gupta as assistant general manager.

“We are pleased to welcome Sachin Gupta to the Detroit Pistons organization,” said Ed Stefanski, Special Advisor to owner Tom Gores. “Sachin is a creative thinker, extremely intelligent, and has a great handle on the analytical side of basketball operations systems. His analytics and salary cap background will be a tremendous resource while serving a leadership role for our basketball operations team.”

Gupta spent last season as a special advisor to Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey, his second stint with the organization. The Boston-area native began his NBA career with the Rockets in 2006 as Morey’s first hire, laying the foundation for the team’s extensive analytics undertaking, which the Rockets would later become renowned for. In addition to his responsibilities as an analyst, Gupta also assisted in managing the team’s salary cap during his six-year tenure in Houston.

Gupta transitioned to the Philadelphia 76ers front office in 2013 as a consultant prior to the NBA Draft while finishing MBA studies at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. He then moved to a more permanent position, Vice President of Basketball Operations in 2014 and served as General Manager Sam Hinkie’s top lieutenant. Gupta served a substantial role in driving the club’s overhaul that led to this past season’s return to the NBA Playoffs.

Prior to joining the NBA ranks, Gupta spent two years at ESPN where he had a hand in fostering basketball’s analytical movement, implementing advanced NBA metrics on ESPN.com before their use had become widespread across the league. While at ESPN, he also became well versed in the CBA when he developed the widely popular NBA Trade Machine.

Gupta earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from MIT.

Grizzlies sign Shelvin Mack

The Memphis Grizzlies signed guard Shelvin Mack today.

According to ESPN.com, it’s a a one-year deal.

The only clear starter in the Memphis backcourt is veteran Mike Conley at point guard. Mack is mostly joining a big cast of backup guards, many of whom will have the opportunity to compete for real minutes.

Mack, 6-foot-3, 203 pounds, has appeared in 399 regular season games (53 starts) over a seven-year NBA career and has averaged 6.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 17.9 minutes for the Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz and Orlando Magic. The 28-year-old also has competed in 30 postseason games (three starts) and has averaged 5.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 13.1 minutes for Atlanta and Utah.

Last season, Mack saw action in 69 games (three starts) for Orlando and averaged 6.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and a career-high 3.9 assists in 19.8 minutes while shooting 43.0 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from three-point range and 71.1 percent from the free throw line.

Mack was selected by Washington in the second round (34th overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft following his junior season at Butler University after he helped guide the Bulldogs to back-to-back NCAA Tournament Finals (2010, 2011). The Lexington, Kentucky native was named an NBA G League All-Star during the 2012-13 season while playing for the Maine Red Claws.

Nets sign Theo Pinson

The Brooklyn Nets have signed guard/forward Theo Pinson.

Until reported otherwise, we will assume the signing is a non-guaranteed deal that merely brings Pinson to Nets training camp.

Pinson (6’6”, 210) joins the Nets after a four-year collegiate career at the University of North Carolina. In 122 games (58 starts) for the Tar Heels, Pinson recorded averages of 6.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 21.7 minutes per contest. The Greensboro, N.C., native helped lead UNC to the 2017 national championship as a junior and earned honorable mention All-ACC and first-team All-ACC Tournament honors as a senior. Pinson registered career-high averages of 10.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 29.7 minutes per game in his senior season, becoming the first Tar Heel to average at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists in a single season and the eighth player to do so in ACC history. He appeared in 14 NCAA Tournament wins throughout his career, tied for second in UNC history.

Pinson appeared in all five of Brooklyn’s games at the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League, posting averages of 11.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks in 25.0 minutes per game.

Mavericks sign Ryan Broekhoff

The Dallas Mavericks signed free agent guard/forward Ryan Broekhoff today.

Until we hear otherwise, we will assume the deal is a non-guaranteed contract that merely brings Broekhoff to Mavs training camp.

Broekhoff (6-7, 215) spent the last five seasons playing professionally in Turkey and Russia, including the most recent three with Russia’s PBC Lokomotiv Kuban. In 16 VTB United League games for Loko last season, he averaged 8.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. In 16 EuroCup games for Loko in 2017-18, he averaged 12.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists en route to earning All-EuroCup First Team honors.

A native of Melbourne, Australia, Broekhoff attended the Australian Institute of Sport before going on to play four years at Valparaiso (2009-13). As a junior in 2011-12, he averaged 14.8 points, a league-high 8.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists on his way to being named the Horizon League Player of the Year. As a senior in 2012-13, Broekhoff averaged a career-high 15.7 points to go along with 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists while leading the Crusaders to a berth in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Broekhoff is a member of the Australian national team. He averaged 7.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists for the Boomers at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Heat sign guard Malik Newman

The Miami Heat signed guard Malik Newman today.

Until we hear otherwise, we will assume this is a non-guaranteed deal that merely brings Newman to Heat training camp.

Newman began his collegiate career at Mississippi State before transferring to the University of Kansas where he appeared in 39 games (33 starts) last season and averaged 14.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.08 steals and 31.6 minutes while shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 41.5 percent from three-point range and 83.5 percent from the foul line. He connected on 85 three-point field goals, the ninth-most for a single-season in KU history, and was named the Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Player after he averaged 24.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in the tournament, helping Kansas earn the Big 12 title. Additionally, he averaged a team-high 21.6 points in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, helping Kansas to the Final Four.

Newman, who signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on July 1 before being waived on July 19, appeared in five Summer League games with the Lakers in Las Vegas and averaged 3.2 points while shooting 6-of-19 from the field, 2-of-6 from three-point range and a perfect 2-of-2 from the foul line.

Mavericks waive Chinanu Onuaku

The Dallas Mavericks waived center Chinanu Onuaku today.

Onuaku (6-10, 245) was acquired by Dallas from Houston in exchange for the rights to Maarty Leunen on Aug. 2. In the deal, the Mavericks also received cash considerations and the right to swap Golden State’s 2020 second round pick (acquired by Dallas on 7/7/16) with the Rockets.

Onuaku was drafted by Houston in the second round (37th overall) of the 2016 NBA Draft. In two seasons with the Rockets, he averaged 3.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 12.3 minutes in six career games (one start). In four games for Houston in the 2018 MGM Resorts Summer League in Las Vegas, he averaged 5.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 11.8 minutes per game while shooting .500 from the floor and .833 from the line.

The Lanham, Md., native played two years at the University of Louisville before declaring as an early-entry candidate in the 2016 NBA Draft. As a sophomore, Onuaku averaged 9.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.0 blocks in 24.6 minutes per game for the Cardinals and earned All-ACC Defensive Team and All-ACC Honorable Mention.

Cavs waive Okaro White

The Cleveland Cavaliers waived forward Okaro White today.

Per multiple reports, the Cavs will soon trade for forward Sam Dekker from the Clippers.

White (6-8, 204) originally signed with Cleveland on April 7, 2018 after completing a 10-day contract with the team in March of last season. He did not appear in a regular season game with Cleveland but played in all seven games for the Cavs in the MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2018 in Las Vegas, averaging 6.0 points and 7.4 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per game.

Mavericks re-sign Salah Mejri

The Dallas Mavericks have re-signed Salah Mejri.

Mejri, a 7-foot-2, 235-pound center, was originally signed by the Mavericks as a free agent on July 30, 2015 and spent the last three seasons in Dallas. He holds career averaged of 3.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 block and 12.1 minutes in 168 games (18 starts). He led the Mavericks in both field goal percentage and blocks each of the past two seasons and has five career double-doubles.

Before joining the Mavericks, Mejri played for Real Madrid where he briefly teamed with the 2018 NBA Draft’s third overall pick and Dallas rookie, Luka Doncic. While playing with Real, he won both a Spanish League title and a Euroleague Championship.

The native of Jendouba, Tunisia, Mejri was also a member of the Tunisian National Team that competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The team secured its bid to the London Olympics by winning the 2011 FIBA African Championships where Mejri was named Most Valuable Player.

Sixers sign center Norvel Pelle

The Philadelphia 76ers have signed center Norvel Pelle.

The deal may just be a non-guaranteed contract that merely brings Pelle to training camp.

Pelle, a 6-foot-11 center, played for the 76ers in 2018 Summer League in Las Vegas, where he averaged 7.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and a team-leading 1.2 blocks in 13.8 minutes per outing, in five games.

In 2017-18, Pelle played for Auxilium Pallacanestro Torino and Pallacanestro Varese of Italy’s Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). Over the course of 29 games (11 starts), he averaged 6.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 14.6 minutes per game combined between the two teams.

Pelle also spent the 2016-17 campaign with Varese after beginning his international player career with Homenetmen Beirut B.C. of the Lebanese Basketball League Division A in 2015-16.

He has also played in Taiwan.

A native of Antigua and Barbuda, Pelle began his professional career with the 76ers G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, which chose him with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Development League draft. In two seasons (2013-15) with Delaware he saw action in 39 games (six starts), posting averages of 5.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 12.8 minutes per contest.

Pacers sign C.J. Wilcox to two-way contract

The Indiana Pacers signed C.J. Wilcox to a two-way contract today.

Wilcox, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard, was originally selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 28th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. He signed a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2017-18 season, and averaged 10.4 points per game while shooting 45.1 percent from the field for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA G League. Wilcox last appeared in the NBA with the Orlando Magic during the 2016-17 season and has averaged 2.0 points per game over three NBA seasons with the Clippers and Magic.

Wilcox appeared in all five games for the Pacers’ Summer League team in Las Vegas in July. He averaged 9.2 points and 1.4 rebounds per game while shooting 56 percent from the field and 58.8 percent from three-point range.