NBA News Blog – Page 516 – NBA Blog

Suns hire Jeff Fish as director of performance and head strength and conditioning coach

The Phoenix Suns have named Jeff Fish as director of performance and head strength and conditioning coach. Fish brings to the Suns’ athletic training staff over 25 years of experience as a performance director and strength and conditioning coach in professional and collegiate sports.

In his role, he will be responsible for strength and conditioning, player performance, nutrition and applied sports science, and will work closely with Senior Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Aaron Nelson and his staff on injury prevention, rehabilitation and rest/recovery.

Fish joins the Suns after most recently operating his own Atlanta-based performance training company, Jeff Fish Performance, and has also served as a performance consultant with the Portland Trail Blazers, Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders. Prior to that, Fish spent five years (2008-13) as director of athletic performance with the Atlanta Falcons, the first person to hold that title for any NFL team, as the Falcons had the winningest five-season stretch in franchise history, winning two NFC South division titles and making four playoff appearances. During his time with the Falcons, Fish began the implementation of movement efficiency assessments at the NFL Combine.

In addition to the Falcons, Fish holds NFL experience of four seasons as head strength and conditioning coach with the Oakland Raiders (2004-07) and three seasons as assistant strength and conditioning coach with the Kansas City Chiefs (1998-2000). Fish has also held positions with Division I collegiate programs, serving as director of strength and conditioning at the University of Missouri (2001-04), head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Tulsa (1995-98) and Kent State University (1993-95), and strength and conditioning assistant at Clemson University (1991-93).

A graduate of Western Carolina University where he was a wide receiver on the football team, Fish also holds a Master’s in Physical Education and Exercise Science from Western Michigan University where he was a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach. The Ithaca, New York native is a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS), certified strength and conditioning coach (SCCC) and licensed massage therapist (LMT).

Lakers sign Briante Weber

The Los Angeles Lakers signed guard Briante Weber today.

Weber (6-2, 165) appeared in 20 games with Golden State and Charlotte in 2016-17, averaging 3.1 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 10.3 minutes per game. In his NBA career, the Virginia Commonwealth University product has played in 27 games (four starts) for the Warriors, Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies and Miami Heat, recording averages of 3.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

Undrafted in 2015, Weber was a three-time Atlantic 10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year at VCU, where he finished his career ranked third in NCAA history for all-time steals.

Nets sign Jacob Wiley to two-way contract

The Brooklyn Nets signed forward Jacob Wiley to a two-way contract today.

Wiley (6’8”, 213) appeared in 34 games for Eastern Washington University last season (2016-17), recording averages of 20.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 34.3 minutes per contest while shooting 64.3 percent (265-of-412) from the field. He was named the Big Sky Conference Most Valuable Player and earned first team honors after finishing the season ranked first in the conference in field goal percentage, rebounding and blocked shots per game and sixth in scoring. The Newport, Wash., native was also named an honorable mention All-America selection by the Associated Press while ranking sixth in NCAA Division I basketball in field goal percentage and eighth in blocked shots per game.

Prior to suiting up for Eastern Washington, Wiley played two seasons (2014-16) for Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho and one season (2012-13) for the University of Montana. He most recently was a member of Brooklyn’s 2017 NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted sign two players to two-way contracts in addition to the 15-man regular season roster. A two-way player for the Nets will provide services primarily to the team’s NBA G League affiliate – the Long Island Nets – but can spend up to 45 days with Brooklyn, not including any time prior to the start of Long Island’s training camp and at the conclusion of their season.

Lakers sign V.J. Beachem

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed forward V.J. Beachem.

Beachem appeared in 36 games (all starts) for Notre Dame last season, averaging 14.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 34.2 minutes as a senior. Overall, the 6-foot-8 forward notched 9.2 points and 2.7 rebounds through 132 career games with the Fighting Irish.

Beachem most recently competed in four games for the Minnesota Timberwolves at the 2017 Las Vegas NBA Summer League.

Timberwolves sign Marcus Georges-Hunt

The Minnesota Timberwolves today signed guard Marcus Georges-Hunt.

Georges-Hunt, 23, spent most of this past season with the Maine Red Claws in the NBA G League, averaging 15.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 36.4 minutes over 45 games. He shot 46.2 percent from the field, including 39.2 percent from three-point range, and was named to the All-NBA G League Third Team. The 6-6 guard signed a 10-day contract with the Miami Heat on Feb. 8, 2017 but did not appear in a game. Georges-Hunt signed with the Orlando Magic on April 3, 2017 and averaged 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9.6 minutes over five games.

Georges-Hunt played four seasons at Georgia Tech, averaging 13.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 130 games (129 starts). As a senior in 2015-16, he averaged 16.7 points and 3.3 assists in 36 games and was named All-ACC second team by the ACC coaches.

Patrick Patterson undergoes knee surgery

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Patrick Patterson underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure today on his left knee, Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced.

The proactive procedure was performed by Dr. Neal S. ElAttrache of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, California. Patterson will be re-evaluated in 4-6 weeks.

This past season, Patterson appeared in 65 games with Toronto averaging 6.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 24.6 minutes per game.

New Timberwolves uniforms

A post shared by InsideHoops.com NBA Basketball (@insidehoops) on Aug 10, 2017 at 8:27am PDT

The Minnesota Timberwolves today introduced some of their new uniform designs, which will be worn by the team beginning with the 2017-18 season.

The two designs unveiled today are the “Association” and “Icon” jerseys. As previously announced by Nike, the NBA is eliminating its Home and Road uniform designations, and instead, home teams will pick which of their uniforms will be worn at all home games, with visiting teams choosing a contrasting uniform from their own assortment.

Two additional core uniform designs will be revealed in the coming months.

The uniform looks were created through a collaborative effort between the Timberwolves and Mississippi-based design expert Rodney Richardson of RARE Design.

A post shared by InsideHoops.com NBA Basketball (@insidehoops) on Aug 10, 2017 at 8:28am PDT

Trail Blazers sign CJ Wilcox to two-way contract

The Trail Blazers signed guard CJ Wilcox to a two-way contract today.

Wilcox (6-5, 200) holds career NBA averages of 2.0 points (37.0% FG, 33.3% 3-PT, 81.3% FT), 0.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 5.7 minutes in 66 games over three seasons with the LA Clippers and Orlando Magic.

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. Wilcox’s G League assignment has yet to be determined.

Originally drafted with the 28th overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft by the Clippers,
Wilcox, 26, has spent parts of each season on an NBA G League roster, posting averages of 16.9 points (47.3% FG, 42.2% 3-PT, 79.2% FT), 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 30 games (19 starts) with Fort Wayne, Bakersfield, Canton and Erie.

Lakers sign Stephen Zimmerman

The Los Angeles Lakers signed center Stephen Zimmerman today.

Zimmerman spent the 2016-17 season with the Orlando Magic and played in 19 games, averaging 1.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in 5.7 minutes per game. Selected by Orlando in the second round (41st overall) of the 2016 NBA Draft, the 7-foot center spent much of the season with the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League, where he tallied 13.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 steals in 21 games (all starts).

A native of Las Vegas, Zimmerman played one season at UNLV, notching 10.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 26 games (24 starts).

Mavericks sign Maalik Wayns

The Dallas Mavericks have signed free agent guard Maalik Wayns.

Wayns (6-2, 200) is a two-year NBA veteran with career averages of 2.7 points and 1.0 assist in 29 career games (one start) with Philadelphia and L.A. Clippers.

The Philadelphia native spent last season as the starting point guard for Maccabi Rishon in Israel. He averaged 15.1 points, 4.1 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 30.1 minutes in 16 games, while shooting .445 from the floor, .413 from behind-the-arc and .737 from the foul line.

The former Villanova standout went undrafted in the 2012 NBA Draft after foregoing his senior season with the Wildcats. As a junior, Wayns averaged 17.6 points, 4.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 33.6 minutes on his way to earning Second Team All-Big East.