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Hawks sign Alex Poythress and Daniel Hamilton

The Atlanta Hawks signed forward Alex Poythress guard/forward Daniel Hamilton today.

Poythress’ deal is confirmed by the team to be a two-way contract. Hamilton’s contract is probably a non-guaranteed deal that merely brings him to training camp.

The Hawks are in serious rebuilding mode. There isn’t a single player on the roster right now that is considered a star in today’s NBA. The good news is, this means there’s plenty of opportunity for almost everybody on this super-young roster to step up and quickly put their name on the map.

Eyes will certainly be on rookies Trae Young and Kevin Huerter, and young power forward John Collins, among others.

And then there’s Jeremy Lin. Maybe we’ll see Linsanity 2.0. Don’t count on it, because Lin is older now and coming back from serious injury. But if it were to happen, this is the year and the roster for such a blessing to occur.

As for today’s pair of signings, here’s more on each player:

Hamilton spent last season on a two-way contact with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA G League. In six games with the Thunder, he averaged 2.0 points and 1.3 assists in 4.7 minutes (.455 FG%, .400 3FG%). He started 45 games with the Blue, averaging 16.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 32.8 minutes (.406 FG%, .813 FT%).

As a rookie in 2016-17, Hamilton appeared in 49 contests (47 starts) with the Blue, compiling 14.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.3 steals in 31.2 minutes (.426 FG%, .374 3FG%, .767 FT%).

Following two seasons at Connecticut, Hamilton was selected with the 56th overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft by Denver, before his rights were traded to Oklahoma City in exchange for cash considerations.

As a sophomore for the Huskies, he was one of two Division I players in the country (joining Ben Simmons) with 450 points, 300 rebounds and 150 assists. On the season, he averaged 12.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 31.9 minutes, which earned him Second Team All-AAC honors.

A native of Los Angeles, CA, he attended Crenshaw High School before transferring to St. John Bosco for his final two seasons. He will wear No. 5.

Poythress (POY-thress) finished last season with the Indiana Pacers, where he appeared in 25 games. He began the season on a two-way contract with the Pacers and the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (originally signing on August 22, 2017), before his contract was converted on December 28, 2017.

In seven starts with the Mad Ants, he averaged 20.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 blocks in 24.0 minutes (.482 FG%, .675 FT%).

As a rookie in 2016-17, the 6’9” forward signed a 10-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on April 1, 2017 and averaged 10.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in 26.2 minutes (.463 FG%, .800 FT%) in six contests. He also appeared in 46 games (45 starts) with the Mad Ants prior to signing with the 76ers, and put in 18.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 blocks in 31.1 minutes (.528 FG%, .403 3FG%, .783 FT%). Poythress earned All-NBA G League Second Team and All-NBA G League Rookie team honors, also earning a spot in the NBA G League All-Star Game that season.

In four seasons at University of Kentucky (2012-16), he finished his career with 966 points, 597 rebounds and 77 blocks, becoming the 12th player in program history with at least 900 points, 500 rebounds and 70 blocks. As a senior in 2015-16, Poythress compiled 10.2 points and 6.0 rebounds in 23.6 minutes (.601 FG%, .706 FT%), playing 31 games and starting 23.

He was named Tennessee’s Mr. Basketball following his senior year at Northeast High School in Clarksville, TN, also earning Parade and McDonald’s All-America honors. Poythress was born in Savannah, GA. He will wear No. 22.

Only players with three-or-fewer years of NBA experience are permitted to sign two-way contracts. Per league rules, teams are allowed to have up to two two-way players on their roster at any given time, in addition to their 15-man regular season roster. A two-way player for the Hawks will primarily play for the team’s NBA G League Affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, but can spend up to 45 days with Atlanta, not including any time prior to the start of Erie’s training camp and after the conclusion of their season.

Tom Chambers reportedly charged with assault

Here’s the Deseret Morning News reporting on long-retired NBA star Tom Chambers:

Former Utah Jazz and Utah Utes power forward Tom Chambers was charged with assault stemming from an incident that happened in April of this year, the Arizona Republic reported.

Police said the incident happened on April 15 in a Scottsdale, Arizona, restaurant, according to the Republic. Another patron, 22-year-old Alexander Berglet, began to insult the former NBA player, TMZ reported, and Chambers told police he reacted after Berglet said, “Your mom should have killed you when you came out of the womb as ugly as you are, your arms are silly, your chest is this. Your belly is big.”

Full article

Grizzlies sign guard Markel Crawford

The Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday signed guard Markel Crawford to the team’s training camp roster.

Crawford (6-4, 210) appeared in seven games (one start) for the Grizzlies during NBA Summer League 2018 in Las Vegas and averaged 9.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 18.4 minutes while shooting 53.1 percent from the field and 45.8 percent from three-point range. The 23-year-old Memphis native also saw action in three games as a reserve during the 2018 Utah Jazz Summer League and averaged 5.7 points in 12.8 minutes.

Unselected in the 2018 NBA Draft, Crawford started 25 of his 32 games last season as a redshirt senior at Ole Miss and averaged 9.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.19 steals in 30.9 minutes. He spent his first four collegiate seasons at the University of Memphis following his high school career at Melrose High School in Memphis.

According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, “Crawford transferred to Ole Miss for his final year of eligibility, but played in 95 games for the Tigers between 2014 and 2017. He averaged 8.0 points in his three years under former Memphis coaches Josh Pastner and Tubby Smith.”

Jazz sign center Isaac Haas

The Utah Jazz have signed center Isaac Haas.

Until we hear otherwise, we will assume it is a non-guaranteed contract for training camp.

Haas (7-2, 290, Purdue) competed for the Jazz at the 2018 Utah Jazz Summer League and NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. He saw action in four games at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, totaling 15 points, 19 rebounds, four steals and three blocks in those contests.

He appeared in 35 games (all starts) as a senior in 2017-18, posting averages of 14.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 23.4 minutes per game. A finalist for the 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, Haas also earned an AP Honorable Mention and All-Big Ten Third team recognition following his final collegiate season.

Playing in 139 career games (76 starts) at Purdue, the Hokes Bluff, Ala. native finished his career ranked 20th in points (1,555), 20th in rebounds (643), fourth in field goal percentage (.589), seventh in blocked shots (124) and fourth in games played.

Hornets waive Mangok Mathiang

Yesterday, the Charlotte Hornets waived Mangok Mathiang.

Mathiang signed a two-way contract with Charlotte on Aug. 2, 2017. In 2017-18, the 6-10 forward from Louisville appeared in four games with the Hornets, averaging 2.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 5.0 minutes per contest. He also appeared in 43 games (36 starts) for the Hornets G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, averaging 10.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.1 assists in 25.3 minutes per game.

Utah Jazz waive David Stockton

The Utah Jazz yesterday waived guard David Stockton.

According to the Deseret News, “this comes after German club Medi Bayreuth announced in early August it had signed the younger Stockton. His brother Michael, who played at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, also plays in Germany.”

Stockton appeared in three games with Utah, averaging 3.3 points in 3.0 minutes per contest in 2017-18. He tallied a season-high five points at Minnesota on April 1.

Heat sign forward Marcus Lee

The Miami Heat signed forward Marcus Lee today.

It’s likely a non-guaranteed deal that merely brings Lee to Heat training camp.

According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, “the agreement with Lee follows an agreement with undrafted Kansas guard Malik Newman last week and two-way contracts for undrafted forwards Duncan Robinson and Yante Maten, giving the team four players from the most recent draft class.”

Lee began his collegiate career at the University of Kentucky before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley for his senior season where he appeared in 32 games (all starts) with the Golden Bears last season and averaged 11.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.63 blocks, 1.3 assists and 27.8 minutes while shooting 56.3 percent from the field. He finished eighth among the school’s all-time single-season blocks list with 52 and was the only player to start all 32 games. As a junior at Kentucky, Lee shot a single-season school record 68 percent from the field while helping the Wildcats to the SEC Championship. Additionally, he recently appeared in seven Summer League games (five starts) with the Cleveland Cavaliers in Las Vegas and averaged 6.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.57 blocks in 15.9 minutes of action while shooting 70 percent (21-of-30) from the field.

More from the Sun Sentinel: “addition of Lee gives the Heat 17 players under contract, three shy of the NBA offseason maximum.”

Bulls sign Derrick Walton Jr

The Chicago Bulls have signed guard Derrick Walton Jr., presumably just to their training camp roster.

According to the Chicago Tribune, “the Bulls have 14 guaranteed contracts, including two point guards in starter Kris Dunn and backup Cameron Payne. Ryan Arcidiacono, who split time between the Bulls and the G League on a two-way contract last season, also signed to battle for a roster spot in training camp.”

According to the Detroit News, “Walton, 23, faces long odds and could be left battling for a two-way contract with guard Antonius Cleveland and Arcidiacono, with Chicago’s other two-way deal already taken by guard Rawle Alkins.

Walton (6-1, 189) was undrafted in 2017, but signed with the Miami Heat on a Two-Way contract on July 24, 2017. In the 2017-18 season, he played in 16 games for the Heat and averaged 1.8 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 9.2 minutes per game. Walton posted a season-high seven points and five assists in a win against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 22, 2017. During his time in the NBA G League with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Walton started in all 27 games in which he played, and he posted 16.1 points, 7.1 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.48 steals in 32.4 minutes per game.

The Detroit native played four seasons at the University of Michigan, where he holds career averages of 11.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.15 steals in 31.9 minutes per game. Walton is the only player in Wolverine history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists in his career. As a senior in 2016-17, he was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team and the Big Ten Tournament Most Valuable Player.

Raptors sign center Greg Monroe

The Toronto Raptors’ signing of center Greg Monroe became official today.

Per multiple reports, it’s just a one-year deal.

“Greg is a proven big man in this league,” said Raptors General Manager Bobby Webster. “We believe Greg’s experience will be a great addition to not only our frontcourt, but to our team culture as we continue to build towards our goal of an NBA championship.”

Monroe is capable of delivering some instant offense, but isn’t known for his defense. He will likely play backup to starting center Jonas Valanciunas, and perhaps play some limited minutes as a backup to power forward Serge Ibaka.

Standing 6-foot-11, 265 pounds, Monroe averaged 10.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 20.4 minutes in 51 games (14 starts) with Milwaukee, Phoenix and Boston last season. He shot .565 (218-386) from the field and recorded nine double-doubles. Monroe appeared in 11 postseason games with the Celtics, averaging 4.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 9.5 minutes.

A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Monroe owns career averages of 13.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 28.9 minutes in 589 NBA games (415 starts) with Detroit, Milwaukee, Phoenix and Boston. He has averaged at least 10.0 points in each of the last seven seasons.

Monroe was originally selected by the Pistons with the seventh overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. He played collegiately at Georgetown, posting averages of 14.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 32.6 minutes in 65 career games (2008-10). Monroe was named First Team All-Big East as a sophomore and selected Big East Rookie of the Year his freshman season.

The big Raptors story of the summer was their trade of DeMar DeRozan to the Spurs for Kawhi Leonard. And one of the biggest stories entering the season will be if Leonard is healthy and if he’s as effective as he was prior to injury.

Thunder sign Tyler Davis to two-way contract

The Oklahoma City Thunder yesterday signed center Tyler Davis to a Two-Way Contract.

In three seasons at Texas A&M, Davis (6-10, 266) appeared in 102 games (100 starts) and averaged 13.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 26.0 minutes. At the end of the 2017-18 season, Davis was named to the All-SEC First Team after leading the conference in field goal shooting (58.5 percent) for a third consecutive season.

Davis led the Aggies in scoring this past season (14.9 points per game) as he helped lead Texas A&M to the Sweet 16 for a second time in three seasons. He is one of five players in school history to amass 1,000-plus points, 500-plus rebounds and 100-plus blocks. Davis was formerly named Mr. Basketball in the state of Texas following his senior season at Plano West High School.

Each team is allowed to have two players signed to Two-Way Contracts. This is in addition to the standard league maximum of up to 15 players on the roster. Players on Two-Way Contracts spend most of the season in the NBA G League, but can be called up to their NBA team for a maximum of 45 days.