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Hawks hire Michelle Leftwich as Vice President of Salary Cap Administration

The Atlanta Hawks have hired veteran NBA executive Michelle Leftwich as Vice President of Salary Cap Administration, the team announced today.

In this role, Leftwich will assist and advise Hawks General Manager and Head of Basketball Operations Travis Schlenk with all aspects of the league’s salary cap rules, as well as player contract planning matters.

“Michelle’s expertise and knowledge of the CBA and its complexities will be a great asset to the Hawks,” Schlenk said. “She is widely respected throughout the NBA and brings a tremendous amount of institutional knowledge that will benefit our organization.”

Leftwich joins the organization after 21 years at the league office, including the last 10 years as NBA Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, where she assisted Rick Buchanan, NBA General Counsel, and Dan Rube, NBA Deputy General Counsel, with a variety of legal matters. Her broad duties at the NBA involved salary cap and player contract matters, collective bargaining with the players’ union, player trade approvals, and operation of the CBA’s escrow and tax system.

Prior to joining the NBA in 1996, Leftwich worked for the New York law firm formerly known as Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker. A native of Buffalo, N.Y., she received her Bachelors of Science degree in Accounting from Canisius College and her Juris Doctor degree from New York University School of Law.

Kings add Jenny Boucek to coaching staff

The Sacramento Kings today have added Jenny Boucek as an Assistant Player Development Coach on Head Coach Dave Joerger’s staff.

With 18 years of professional coaching experience and two WNBA championships under her belt, Boucek returns to Sacramento after most recently serving as the head coach of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm for three seasons (2015-17). Her resume includes two-plus seasons at the helm as the head coach of the Sacramento Monarchs from 2007-09, where she led the team to a 40-41 record.

Boucek was involved in the WNBA since its inaugural season, suiting up for the Cleveland Rockers in 1997. Following a career-ending injury in 1998, she began her WNBA 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. In her first stint with Seattle from 2003-05, Boucek was an assistant coach on staff that included the franchise’s first WNBA Championship in 2004. 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.

Prior to joining the coaching ranks, the Tennessee native was voted Foreign Player of the Year after leading Keflavik to the Icelandic Championship and Icelandic Basketball Cup in 1998. A four-year starter at the University of Virginia from 1992-1996, Boucek helped lead the Cavaliers to four regular season ACC Championships and three NCAA Elite Eight appearances.

Knicks sign Isaiah Hicks to two-way contract

The Knicks have signed forward Isaiah Hicks to a Two-Way contract.

Hicks, 6-9, 230-pounds, is an undrafted rookie who most recently played for the Charlotte Hornets, appearing in one 2017 preseason game. The Oxford, NC-native averaged 11.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in his senior year for the 2017 NCAA National Champion University of North Carolina.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to have two Two-Way players on their roster at any given time – Hicks joins center Luke Kornet on the Knicks. A Two-Way player will provide services primarily to the team’s G League affiliate – the Westchester Knicks – but can spend up to 45 days with New York, not including any time prior to the start of Westchester’s training camp and at the conclusion of their season.

Gordon Hayward undergoes surgery

Celtics forward Gordon Hayward has undergone bony and ligamentous stabilization surgery for the fracture dislocation of his left ankle sustained on Opening Night. The surgery was performed by Drs. Mark Slovenkai and Brian McKeon at New England Baptist Hospital, assisted by Dr. Anthony Schena, following consultations with Dr. David Porter of Methodist Sports Medicine in Indianapolis.

No timetable has been set for Hayward’s return, but he is expected to make a full recovery, the Celtics say.

Just speculating, but unfortunately we don’t expect to see Hayward again for most, if not all, of this season.

Blazers sign Wade Baldwin to two-way contract

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed guard Wade Baldwin to a two-way contract.

Baldwin, 21, averaged 3.2 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 12.3 minutes in 33 games (one start) as a rookie with the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2016-17 season.

With the introduction of two-way contracts, NBA rosters have grown from 15 spots to 17, adding a pair of two-way players that can spend up to 45 days on an NBA roster and the remaining time on an NBA G League roster. Baldwin, whose G League assignment has yet to be determined, joins CJ Wilcox as the team’s two-way roster players.

The 17th overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft out of Vanderbilt, Baldwin (6-4, 200) posted averages of 12.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.33 steals and 28.2 minutes in 33 games (22 starts) with the NBA G League’s Iowa Energy last season.

Nuggets sign Richard Jefferson, waive Jameer Nelson

The Denver Nuggets have signed forward Richard Jefferson and waived guard Jameer Nelson.

Jefferson, 6-7, 233, most recently averaged 5.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 79 games for the Eastern Conference Champion Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016-17. He was also a member of the Cavaliers 2015-16 NBA Championship team, appearing in all 21 (two starts) of their playoff contests with averages of 5.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. In 16 NBA seasons, Jefferson has averaged 12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 1,161 career NBA games (809 starts) with New Jersey, Milwaukee, San Antonio, Golden State, Utah, Dallas and Cleveland.

Nelson, 6-0, 190, was acquired by Denver in a trade with Boston on January 13th, 2015, and re-signed on August 15, 2015. Nelson appeared in 148 games (59 starts) for Denver in two and a half seasons, averaging 8.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 25.6 minutes. The 13-year NBA veteran has played 828 career games (639 starts) for Orlando, Dallas, Boston and Denver, averaging 11.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.

The Nuggets roster remains at 15 guaranteed players and two two-way players.

Jeremy Lin suffers season-ending injury

The NBA season just began Tuesday, but for Nets guard Jeremy Lin, the 2017-18 campaign is already over.

According to the Nets, Lin has been diagnosed with a ruptured patella tendon of the right knee. The injury occurred during the fourth quarter of last night’s game at Indiana.

Lin is expected to miss the entire 2017-18 season.

Statement from Nets General Manager Sean Marks: “Jeremy worked tremendously hard during the offseason and in training camp and was excited for the prospects of the team this season. We feel awful that the injury will cost him the season, however our entire organization will be there to support Jeremy in every way possible throughout his recovery. Jeremy remains an important part of this team and will continue to contribute in a leadership role.”

Lakers hire Antawn Jamison

The Los Angeles Lakers have hired Antawn Jamison as a pro scout, it was announced today.

Jamison will be based in Charlotte, NC and will primarily scout East Coast, Southeast and Midwest games. A two-time NBA All-Star and 16-year veteran, Jamison averaged 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in 1,083 career games (864 starts) for the Warriors, Wizards, Mavericks, Cavaliers, Lakers and Clippers. Jamison will continue his role on Spectrum SportsNet as an analyst for the network’s Lakers coverage.

In addition, the Lakers have added Can Pelister to the scouting staff as an International Scouting Consultant.

Cavaliers sign London Perrantes to two-way contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard London Perrantes to a Two-Way Contract, Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Perrantes (6-2, 190) played collegiately at Virginia for four years, where he averaged 8.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 32.1 minutes per game over 138 contests (134 starts). He finished his UVA career ranking first in program history in games (138), starts (134) and minutes (4,425) and was the first Virginia player to ever win a game in four consecutive NCAA tournaments.

After going undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft, the 6-2 guard appeared in six total contests (all starts) with the Miami Heat in the 2017 Orlando Pro Summer League and the MGM Resorts NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, averaging 10.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 28.4 minutes per game. He also appeared in three preseason contests with the San Antonio Spurs before being waived on Oct. 12, 2017.

Perrantes joins John Holland as a Two-Way player with the Cavaliers. Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to have two Two-Way contract players on their roster at any given time, in addition to their 15-man regular season roster. A Two-Way player for the Cavs will provide services to the team’s G League affiliate – the Canton Charge – but can spend up to 45 days with Cleveland.

Lakers sign Vander Blue to two-way contract

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard Vander Blue to a two-way contract, it was announced today by General Manager Rob Pelinka.

Blue played five games for the Lakers in the preseason and was a fixture on the team’s championship entry in the Las Vegas Summer League.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to have up to two players under two-way contracts on their roster at any given time, in addition to their 15-man regular season roster. As a two-way player, Blue can spend up to 45 days with the Los Angeles Lakers, not including any time prior to the start of the South Bay Lakers’ training camp or after the conclusion of their G League season.

The Lakers roster stands at 17, with Blue and Alex Caruso as two-way players.