NBA News Blog – Page 507 – NBA Blog

Kings add Galen Duncan to staff

The Sacramento Kings have hired Galen Duncan as Vice President of the Kings Academy and Professional Development.

In his role with Sacramento, Duncan is responsible for implementation of the Kings Academy program, a developmental, player-centric curriculum aligning multi-faceted organizational philosophies and ideals to help athletes mature into well-rounded professionals. Under Duncan’s oversight, Kings Academy will augment on-court progress with access to practical material and experiences that help balance on-court priorities and personal responsibilities with opportunities to become impactful contributors in the community.

A Ph.D. in health psychology, Duncan joins the Kings organization after spending 10 years as Senior Director of Player Development with the National Football League’s Detroit Lions, where he advised players regarding housing options, financial education tools, counseling connections and off-field career opportunities. Additionally, Duncan assisted Football Operations with character evaluations for all draft eligible players and oversaw rookie transition and social media etiquette training programs while also serving as the Lions liaison between the League Office and NFLPA (NFL Players Association) and member of the Player Development Steering Committee. Duncan also spent six seasons as a treating clinician for the NFL’s Program for Abuse of Substances, providing one-on-one and group therapy for football players involved in the mandatory treatment program.

Duncan’s professional experience features consultancies with the NBA Rookie Transition Program and NBA Players Association, for which he presented psychologically instructive presentations and facilitated individual and group counseling sessions tailored to first and second year players. He remains an active therapist in both the Wayne State University and University of Detroit Mercy Athletic Departments, counseling collegiate teams and athletes across numerous sporting disciplines.

A retired United States Army Reserves officer, the Detroit native and Lake Superior State alumnus (’94) played collegiate basketball before securing his Master’s Degree in social work from Wayne State University (’97) and Ph.D. in health psychology from Walden University in 2006.

Bucks sign Kendall Marshall to training camp contract

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed free agent guard Kendall Marshall to a training camp contract.

Marshall, 26, appeared in 21 games (18 starts) last season for the Reno Bighorns of the NBA G League and averaged 15.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 9.0 assists in 36.2 minutes per contest. He started in all five games this summer for Team USA in the FIBA AmeriCup tournament and averaged 3.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists for the Gold Medal winning squad.

A four-year NBA veteran, Marshall was the 13th overall selection in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. He sports career averages of 5.0 points, 1.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists over 160 games (57 starts) with Phoenix, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee and Philadelphia.

Hawks sign Jeremy Evans and Jordan Mathews

The Atlanta Hawks have signed Jeremy Evans and Jordan Mathews.

The deals may just be training camp contracts. Not yet confirmed.

A six-year NBA veteran, Evans spent 2010-15 with the Utah Jazz, the 2015-16 season with the Dallas Mavericks and last year with Khimki (Russia). The 2012 NBA slam dunk contest champion, Evans has appeared in 249 career regular season games (nine starts), averaging 3.5 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10.5 minutes (.568 FG%). He’s also spent time with Utah and Texas in the NBA G League.

Evans, a 6’9 forward, was originally selected in the second round (55th overall) of the 2010 NBA Draft by Utah after a four-year career at Western Kentucky. Evans will wear jersey No. 22.

Mathews, who played three years at California before transferring to Gonzaga for his senior season, averaged 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 28.0 minutes (39 games, all starts) in 2016-17, helping lead the Zags to the National Championship game. His 85 three-pointers made last year tied for the seventh-highest single-season total in school history.

In three years at Cal (2013-16), the 6’4 guard appeared in 102 games (63 starting assignments) and put in 11.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 26.6 minutes. The native of Los Angeles attended Santa Monica High School. He will wear jersey No. 6.

Nuggets re-sign Mason Plumlee

The Denver Nuggets have re-signed center Mason Plumlee, President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

Acquired in a trade with Portland on February 13th, Plumlee, 6-11, 245, appeared in 27 games for Denver in 2016-17, averaging 9.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.10 blocks in 23.4 minutes per game.

Over four seasons, Plumlee has appeared in 315 career games (213 starts) for Brooklyn, Portland and Denver, averaging 9.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 23.0 minutes per game.

The Duke University product also won a Gold Medal alongside Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried at the FIBA World Cup with Team USA in 2014. The Indiana native was drafted by Brooklyn with the 22nd overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

Bucks sign Brandon Rush to training camp contract

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed free agent guard/forward Brandon Rush to a training camp contract.

Rush, 32, appeared in 47 games (33 starts) last season for the Minnesota Timberwolves and averaged 4.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 21.9 minutes per contest.

A nine-year NBA veteran, Rush was the 13th overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He sports career averages of 6.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists over 481 games (163 starts) with Indiana, Golden State, Utah and Minnesota. Rush won an NBA Championship with Golden State in 2015.

Lakers sign Andrew Bogut

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed center Andrew Bogut, it was announced today by General Manager Rob Pelinka.

Bogut played 26 games (21 starts) with Dallas and one game with Cleveland last season, tallying 2.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 21.6 minutes. The seven-footer has played in 671 career games (651 starts) for Milwaukee, Golden State, Dallas and Cleveland, with averages of 10.0 points (.534 FG%), 8.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 blocks in 29.1 minutes.

A member of the 2015 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, Bogut earned NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors for the 2014-15 season. Drafted first overall by the Bucks in 2005, Bogut was named to the All-Rookie First Team in 2005-06 and earned Third Team All-NBA honors in 2009-10. The University of Utah product and native Australian led the NBA in blocks in 2010-11, with 2.6 blocks per game.

Nets hire Olivier Sedra as public address announcer

The Brooklyn Nets will have a new arena voice this season. Olivier Sedra has been hired as the public address announcer for Nets games at Barclays Center and will represent the team at community clinics and special events.

Sedra joins the Nets’ game presentation team after serving as PA announcer for the Cleveland Cavaliers for 11 NBA seasons. Sedra, a Canadian from Montreal who is fluent in French and English, also represented the Cavs internationally at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and the 2015 NBA Africa game in Johannesburg, South Africa, as well as the 2016 and 2017 NBA All-Star events.

“I’m really excited to get started with the Nets and Barclays Center,” said Sedra. “Brooklyn is building something special and I’m honored to be a part of it. With Barclays Center’s expansive programming, there is also tremendous opportunity to get involved in other events.”

“Olivier’s booming voice, impeccable timing, and high basketball IQ will be a great addition to the game experience at Barclays Center,” said Brett Yormark, Chief Executive Officer of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment. “His knowledge and passion will also help us elevate our other programming, including college basketball, boxing, and special events.”

Heat exercise contract option on Justise Winslow

The Miami Heat have exercised their fourth-year team option on Justise Winslow.

Winslow, who was originally selected by the HEAT in the first round (10th overall) in the 2015 NBA Draft, has appeared in 96 career games (23 starts) with Miami averaging 7.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 29.8 minutes while shooting 40 percent from the field. He was one of eight HEAT players to average double-figures in points (10.9) last season, marking the most for any team in the NBA. The former NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection appeared in 78 games in 2015-16, becoming just the fifth rookie to lead the HEAT in games played during a single-season. The former NCAA champion at Duke paired with Josh Richardson to become just the fourth set of Miami rookies to connect on at least 25 three-point field goals (32) and block at least 25 shots (26) during their rookie seasons. Additionally, Winslow was the third-youngest player in the league to start on Opening Night during the 2015-16 season at just 20 years, 216 days.

Bulls hire Doug Collins as advisor

The Chicago Bulls have hired Doug Collins as a Senior Advisor of Basketball Operations. In his new role with the club, Collins will report to Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson.

One of the most respected figures in all of basketball, Collins returns to the Bulls with more than 40 years of experience in the NBA. In this capacity, he will serve as an expert resource for the front office and coaching staff.

“Doug will be great in this capacity for our organization. The position of ‘senior advisor’ has proven to work well around the NBA in recent years, and I am confident the same will hold true with the Bulls,” said Chicago Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. “The fact that our relationship goes back more than 30 years certainly helps, but he is especially qualified to assist our leadership in rebuilding the Bulls.”

“People who know me know the respect that I have for Jerry, Michael, and the Chicago Bulls organization. I am looking forward to getting started and helping everyone,” said Collins. “To be able to stay involved in the NBA and work with John, Gar, Fred and their respective staffs, while not having to leave my family and continuing to live in one of the greatest cities in the world—the fit couldn’t be any better for me at this point in my life.”

Following a standout collegiate career at Illinois State, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Collins with the first overall pick in the 1973 NBA Draft. He played eight seasons with the Sixers and was a four-time NBA All-Star before his career was cut short due to injuries. In 1986, Collins was named head coach of the Bulls, a position he held for three seasons. He also has been head coach for the Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards and 76ers.

“We are pleased to have Doug return to the Bulls and have him join our front office. As our organization transitions into this next phase, we feel like Doug will bring valuable perspective with his vast knowledge of the NBA and the game of basketball,” said Paxson. “His enthusiasm and expertise make this a great fit for the Bulls. As an advisor, he will regularly contribute observations, insights and suggestions, and he will be part of conversations throughout this building. I know from talking to Doug he is excited to join us at this time, and we look forward to tapping into his experience to help improve this team.”

Trail Blazers sign Anthony Morrow

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed guard Anthony Morrow to a training camp contract.

A nine-year NBA veteran, Morrow (6-5, 210) has played for seven franchises, most recently suiting up for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls during the 2016-17 season. For his career, Morrow has averaged 9.4 points (44.7% FG, 41.7% 3-PT, 88.0% FT), 2.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 21.8 minutes in 564 career games (142 starts).

He will wear No. 24 for the Trail Blazers.