Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Pistons hire Tim Grgurich and Micah Nori as assistant coaches

The Detroit Pistons hired Tim Grgurich and Micah Nori as assistant coaches today.

Grgurich, a longtime NBA veteran and highly respected assistant, most recently served as an assistant coach for Milwaukee as a member of Jason Kidd’s staff and has spent the last 27 years with a number of NBA teams including the Seattle Supersonics (1991-98), Portland Trail Blazers (1998-2001; 2004-05), Milwaukee Bucks (2001-02; 2016-18), Phoenix Suns (2002-04), Denver Nuggets (2005-10) and Dallas Mavericks (2011-16). He was honored earlier this month with the 2018 Tex Winter Assistant Coach Lifetime Impact Award by the National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA).

Grgurich spent many years on George Karl’s staffs in Seattle, Portland and Milwaukee and also overlapped with Pistons head coach Dwane Casey when they both served under Karl’s Supersonics teams from 1994-98, including a trip to the NBA Finals in 1996. The duo also spent one season together with Rick Carlisle in Dallas (2011).

Grgurich was the lead assistant for Jerry Tarkanian at the University of Las Vegas-Nevada, preparing emerging NBA standouts such as Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony, Armen Gilliam and Sidney Green. The Runnin’ Rebels won the 1990 NCAA Championship and made three Final Four appearances while he was part of the program.

He began his coaching career at the University of Pittsburgh, his alma matter, where he was also a three-year letterman in both basketball and baseball.

Nori joins the Pistons after spending the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets. Prior to Denver, he spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings. Overall, Nori has spent 20 years working in the NBA – including 15 seasons with the Toronto Raptors in various roles. He served as an assistant coach during his last four seasons with the Raptors organization and previously served as Toronto’s director of NBA scouting and as an advance scout.

A native of Middleton, OH, and multi-sport athlete, Nori was four-year starter and captain of Indiana’s baseball team that won the 1996 Big Ten Championship. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Sports Organization from Miami (OH) University.

Cavs sign Channing Frye

Center/forward Channing Frye is back on the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Frye (6-11, 255) split last season between Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 5.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per game over 53 games (one start). He owns career averages of 9.0 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting .387 from three-point range in 22.8 minutes per game through 854 contests (439 starts) with New York, Portland, Phoenix, Orlando, Cleveland and the Lakers.

Frye previously played with Cleveland from parts of 2015-16 through 2017-18, and was a member of Cleveland’s 2016 NBA Championship winning team. With the Cavs, he has appeared in 144 games (19 starts), averaging 7.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in 16.6 minutes per contest.

The 12-year NBA veteran has competed in 49 playoff games with Portland, Phoenix and Cleveland, averaging 7.0 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting .444 from beyond the arc in 17.6 minutes per game. With Cleveland during the 2016 and 2017 Playoffs, he played in 29 games, holding averages of 7.0 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting .558 from the field, .541 from deep and .857 from the free throw line in 13.5 minutes per game. His .541 three-point percentage is the highest in Cavaliers playoff history (minimum 50 attempts).

The 6-11 forward, who hails from White Plains, New York, and played collegiately at Arizona, was originally selected by the New York Knicks with the eighth overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. He earned First Team All-Rookie honors in 2005-06.

Nuggets sign rookie Thomas Welsh to two-way contract

The Denver Nuggets signed rookie center Thomas Welsh to a two-way contract today.

Welsh, 7-0, 255, appeared in two games for the Nuggets Las Vegas Summer League team, averaging 6.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 31.3 minutes per game.

Welsh was selected by Denver with the 58th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. He played four seasons at UCLA where he averaged 9.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks while shooting 53.7% from the field. He was one of five finalists for the 2017-18 Kareem Abdul-Jabar award, given to the nation’s top center, and finished his Bruins career ranked third in career rebounds (1,035), third in blocks (143) and sixth in career double-doubles (37). As a senior the California native posted averages of 12.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 40.7% from three (45-of-112 3FG) and 82.8% from the free throw line. His 10.8 rebounds per game was UCLA’s highest per game average since David Greenwood in 1977-78.

Lakers sign Jeffrey Carroll

The Lakers signed guard/forward Jeffrey Carroll today.

In 118 career games (77 starts) for Oklahoma State from 2014-18, Carroll averaged 12.0 points (.451 FG%), 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 25.1 minutes per game. As a senior last season, Carroll notched 15.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 30.7 minutes.

Carroll most recently played in six Las Vegas Summer League games for the Lakers, notching 4.2 points (.480 FG%) and 2.0 rebounds in 9.0 minutes per game.

Celtics re-sign Marcus Smart

The Celtics re-signed guard Marcus Smart today.

According to the Boston Herald, “the Celtics appeared to be bidding against themselves as they renewed serious negotiations and agreed to a four-year, $52 million deal with Marcus Smart Thursday. But they were willing to pass on a potentially bargain year of Smart at the qualifying offer of $6,053,719 to lock him up for multiple years and avoid an far more uncertain dance next summer when he could be an unrestricted free agent.”

Smart, 24, produced 10.2 points in 2017-18 to go along with a career-high 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 29.9 minutes over 54 games played (11 starts). He played a key role in Boston’s league-leading defense, which allowed just 99.5 points per 100 possessions with him on the court (3rd among guards who appeared in half of their team’s games).

Smart also ranked in the top-25 in defensive deflections per game, and the top-10 in charges drawn per game among players who appeared in half of their team’s games in 2017-18.

“Keeping Marcus in a Celtics uniform was a top priority, and we’re excited to have accomplished that,” said Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge. “His intensity is unmatched, and the level of toughness that he brings to the team throughout the course of the entire season is second to none.”

“This is where I want to be, and I’m ready to put a green jersey back on and get to work,” said Smart. “I’m determined to help my teammates bring another championship to the best fans in the world.”

Smart missed the final 15 games of the regular season due to injury, before returning in Game 5 of the First Round of the NBA Playoffs against Milwaukee. He averaged 9.8 points, 5.3 assists and 1.73 steals in 15 postseason games, including a 19-point performance (6-13 FG, 4-10 3-PT) in Boston’s victory over Philadelphia in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on May 3.

A four-year NBA veteran and the team’s longest tenured Celtic, Smart has averaged 9.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.48 steals and 28.7 minutes over 261 career games (83 starts).

Clippers sign Luc Mbah a Moute

The L.A. Clippers signed free-agent forward Luc Mbah a Moute today.

Per multiple reports, the deal is for one year, $4.3 million.

“Luc is the ultimate professional,” said Frank. “He is a very smart player and an outstanding defender who leads by example and provides a strong cultural presence in the locker room. Luc is a class act that we welcome back to the Clippers.”

The Clippers’ forward rotation currently includes Danilo Gallinari and Tobias Harris. Mbah a Moute should be in the backup mix off the bench behind them.

Mbah a Moute, 31, appeared in 61 games for the Houston Rockets last season, averaging 7.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.18 steals in 25.6 minutes. The 6’8”, 230-pound forward spent the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons with the Clippers, averaging 4.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 19.7 minutes over 155 appearances (137 starts). He holds career averages of 6.4 points and 4.1 rebounds across 10 NBA seasons with Milwaukee, Sacramento, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Houston and L.A.

A native of Cameroon, Mbah a Moute was selected 37th overall by Milwaukee in the 2008 NBA Draft after three collegiate seasons at UCLA, where he was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and a member of the Pac-10 All-Freshman team in 2006.

Kings name Bobby Jackson as assistant player development coach

Kings name Bobby Jackson as assistant player development coach

The Sacramento Kings today added Bobby Jackson as an assistant player development coach on the staff of head coach Dave Joerger.

Jackson in the past three seasons has worked for the Kings as a collegiate scout. Before that, he worked as a regional scout and player development coach for the Kings in 2010-2012 and the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2013.

The Salisbury, North Carolina native played 12 seasons in the NBA, accruing averages of 9.7 points (.417 FG%, .354 3pt%, .793 FT%), 3.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.98 steals and 22.2 minutes per contest in 755 games (started 143), punctuated by an NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2003 as a member of the Kings after registering a career-best 15.2 points (.464 FG%, .379 3pt%, .846 FT%), 3.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.53 steals and 28.4 minutes per game. In addition to six seasons in a Kings uniform (2000-05 & 2008-09), Jackson also played for the Denver Nuggets (1997-98), where he was named to the All-Rookie Second Team, Timberwolves (1998-2000), Memphis Grizzlies (2005-06), New Orleans/OKC Hornets (2006-08) and Houston Rockets (2008).

Before his time as an NBA player, Jackson led the University of Minnesota to the school’s one and only Final Four appearance, posting 15.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. He was named to the 1997 Second All-American team, and was named the Big 10 Player of the Year.

Lakers sign Joel Berry II

The Lakers signed guard Joel Berry II today.

Berry II was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2017 NCAA Final Four after leading North Carolina to a National Championship. As a senior last season, Berry II earned First Team All-ACC honors with averages of 17.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 33.1 minutes per game. The Orlando, FL native played in 144 career games (112 starts) for the Tar Heels, notching 12.7 points (.420 FG%), 3.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 27.6 minutes per game.

Dallas Mavericks hire Jenny Boucek and Stephen Silas as assistant coaches

The Dallas Mavericks have hired Jenny Boucek and Stephen Silas as assistant coaches.

Boucek (pronounced Boo-SECK) became just the third woman to coach in the NBA after spending last season with the Sacramento Kings (also Becky Hammond-San Antonio and Nancy Lieberman-Sacramento). Prior to joining the Kings, she spent three seasons as the head coach of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm (2015-17) and two-plus seasons as the head coach of the Sacramento Monarchs (2007-09).

Boucek was involved in the WNBA since its inaugural season in 1997 when she played for the Cleveland Rockers. Following a career-ending injury in 1998, she began her coaching career as an assistant with the Washington Mystics in 1999. She then spent three seasons (2000-02) in the same capacity with the Miami Sol and three seasons with the Seattle Storm (2003-05). In her first stint with Seattle in 2004, Boucek was a member of the franchise’s first WNBA Championship. The Storm won their second WNBA crown in 2010 with Boucek on staff in a similar role. Boucek is distinguished as the first athlete to play in the WNBA and subsequently serve as both an assistant and head coach in the league.

The Nashville, Tenn., native played collegiate basketball at the University of Virginia from 1992-96. Boucek helped lead the Cavaliers to four regular season Atlantic Coast Conference Championships and three NCAA Elite Eight appearances. She was a two-time GTE All-American, two-time ACC selection and two-time Defensive Player of the Year. She finished her career at Virginia with over 1,000 points.

Silas joins Dallas after spending the previous nine seasons as an assistant with the Charlotte Hornets, including the last as the team’s Associate Head Coach. The 2018-19 season will mark his 18th year as an assistant coach in the NBA.

During his recent stint with Charlotte, Silas served as the head coach of the team on several occasions. In 2015-16, he helped lead the Hornets to a division-best 48-34 (.585) record and the franchise’s second playoff appearance in a span of three years.

Silas joined the Hornets’ coaching staff on Dec. 26, 2010, after spending the previous four-and-a-half seasons as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors. Prior to joining the Warriors, Silas served as an advance scout for the Washington Wizards during the 2005-06 campaign. He also spent five seasons as an assistant coach under his father, Paul Silas, with the original Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets (2000-03) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-05). Silas, who joined the original Hornets in the summer of 1999 as an advance and college scout, was promoted to assistant coach on June 5, 2000, making him the youngest assistant in the NBA at that time at 27 years old.

The Boston native graduated from Brown University in 1996, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in sociology and management and played four seasons for the Bears basketball team. Upon graduation, Silas spent three years as the assistant executive director of the National Basketball Retired Players Association in Providence, Rhode Island.