NBA News Blog – Page 518 – NBA Blog

Isaiah Thomas aiming for max contract next summer

The 53-win Boston Celtics got 28.9 points and 5.9 assists per game from 5-9 All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas last season. A big payday is likely looming next summer. Here’s the Boston Herald reporting:

Thomas’ health is of the utmost importance as the Celtics try to ascend the next step up the NBA hierarchy, and he personally looks to climb on the pay scale. He has one year remaining on his contract. He hasn’t been shy about his desire to land a max contract next summer.

Team goals and winning a title come first, but Thomas still expects a big payday. The two may come hand in hand.

“Very confident,” Thomas said when asked how confident he is that he’ll get that max deal. “I deserve it. I put the work in, and you can put me down against any guard in the NBA. . . . My numbers are up there with the best players in the world, and my team is winning. So, I mean, you have to reward that.

“I’m just going to keep working though. My time is gonna come. I have a lot of faith in God, and I just have to keep working to get better.”

Charles Oakley banned from MSG for one year

Here’s the NY Post reporting the latest news on Charles Oakley, whose run-in last season with security at MSG has finally come to resolution. Maybe.

Well, it certainly doesn’t sound like Charles Oakley is crushed by his one-year ban from Madison Square Garden.

“I want to thank all my fans around the world. The case is over now that was the hard part. The easy part is stayin away from the Garden OAK,” the former Knicks All-Star power forward tweeted on his personal account Sunday.

As a result of his February brawl in the stands with MSG security, Oakley accepted a deal Friday that includes a one-year banishment from the arena, where he once labored for 10 seasons as a Knick.

Nets sign Milton Doyle and Jeremy Senglin

The Brooklyn Nets have signed guards Milton Doyle and Jeremy Senglin.

Doyle and Senglin were both members of Brooklyn’s 2017 NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas.

Doyle (6’4”, 180) joins the Nets after a four-year career (2013-17) at Loyola University Chicago. In 121 career games (98 starts), Doyle recorded averages of 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 30.4 minutes per contest. He became the first player in program history to earn All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team honors after averaging 15.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 32.6 minutes per game during his senior season, while scoring in double figures in all but one of his 32 games. The Chicago native also earned Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer and Freshman of the Year awards during his collegiate career and ended his tenure ranked eighth in school history in points (1,606) and fifth in assists (459).

Senglin (6’2”, 190), a native of Arlington, Texas, played four collegiate seasons (2013-17) for Weber State. In 124 career games (123 starts), he averaged 16.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 33.7 minutes per contest. He concluded his career as the school’s all-time leading scorer (2,078 points), as well as finishing second in career field goals made (665), third in assists (343), fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (.422) and eighth in steals (110). Senglin, who twice earned Big Sky All-Conference honors, scored in double figures in 104 of his 124 career games.

Lakers sign Vander Blue

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard Vander Blue.

Blue most recently competed for the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League, where he averaged 24.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals last season before being named 2017 NBA G League Most Valuable Player. He has averaged 23.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists through four seasons in the G League and stands as South Bay’s all-time leader in points, field goals made and free throws made.

The 6-foot-5 guard was a member of the Lakers’ entry in the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League, where he contributed 15.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists as Los Angeles won their first summer league championship.

Undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft, Blue averaged 9.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game in three seasons at Marquette before winning All-AAC Second Team honors in 2013.

Lawrence Frank takes over Clippers basketball operations

The L.A. Clippers announced today that they are creating separate roles for coaching leadership and basketball operations leadership. The team says the change stems from discussions between team owner Steve Ballmer and Doc Rivers.

Doc Rivers will continue to serve as the team’s head coach, while Lawrence Frank takes over responsibility for basketball operations. Frank and Rivers will be peers in the Clippers’ structure, each reporting directly to owner Steve Ballmer. Doc and Lawrence will work closely together to lead the Clippers towards its goal of an NBA championship.

In announcing the shift, Ballmer noted: “Doc knows how to win championships. That is what we prioritize, and that is what Doc will focus on. He is key to integrating our new players with our returning players and taking us to new heights on the court.” He added: “Lawrence is someone I learn from every single time I hear him talk. He gets recruiting, talent development and identification, salary cap strategy – he gets it all. I know the team will be well positioned with him leading the front office. It is great to have two independent voices — and two of the League’s absolute professionals — working in partnership for our team. With these two guys at the helm, we will have great success.”

Rivers remarked: “I am committed to the Clippers success and am excited to focus on the coaching side as two thirds of our roster will be new this year. This is a change I discussed with Steve since my bet last year on Lawrence Frank has worked out so well.”

Frank commented that: “After a year in the organization’s front office, I am excited to continue to invest in our front office and I look forward to the opportunity. Steve has charged us with taking the Clippers to the next level, and together with Doc we will do just that.”

Mavericks sign Brandon Ashley

The Dallas Mavericks have signed free agent forward Brandon Ashley.

Ashley (6-9, 230) played on both of the Mavericks’ summer league teams this past July. In two games in Orlando, he averaged 8.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 21.0 minutes. In six games (all starts) in Las Vegas, he averaged 11.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 block in 20.0 minutes while shooting 47.4 percent (27-of-57) from the floor.

After going undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft, Ashley spent the 2015 preseason with Dallas but was waived by the club on Oct. 24, 2015. He joined the Mavericks’ D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, for the 2015-16 season. In 33 games (all starts) for the Legends, he averaged 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.0 steal, 1.4 blocks and 31.7 minutes en route to being named a 2016 NBA D-League All-Star.

In February 2016, Ashley signed with Germany’s Alba Berlin. In 14 games for Alba, he averaged 8.5 points and 5.7 rebounds in 19.6 minutes.

The San Francisco native was an early entry candidate for the NBA Draft after his junior season at the University of Arizona. He started all 38 games as a junior, averaging 12.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in 27.8 minutes while helping the Wildcats return to the Elite Eight for the second straight year. Ashley was also named Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 and the Most Outstanding player of the Pac-12 tournament as a junior.

Thunder sign Daniel Hamilton to two-way contract

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed guard Daniel Hamilton to a two-way contract.

Hamilton spent the 2016-17 season with the Oklahoma City Blue, appearing in 49 games (47 starts) and averaging 14.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 31.2 minutes per game. His rebounds led all qualifying rookie guards in the G League.

The California native led the Blue with 15 double-doubles and added the team’s only triple-double of the season, the fifth in team history.

“Daniel has shown significant strides in his development since entering our program,” said Presti. “We are thrilled that he will receive the first two-way contract in Thunder history as we expect him to spend time with both teams this season as he continues to evolve as a player.”

Hamilton competed with the Thunder in the 2017 Mountain Dew Orlando Pro Summer League, where he started four games and averaged 11.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and an Orlando Summer League-high 6.8 assists in 31.0 minutes per game.

Hamilton was drafted No. 56 overall in the 2016 NBA Draft after spending two seasons at the University of Connecticut. In his time at UConn, he was named American Athletic Conference (AAC) Rookie of the Year, an AAC All-Conference Second Teamer and the Most Outstanding Player of the 2016 AAC Championship.

Starting in the 2017-18 season, each team is allowed two players on two-way contracts, in addition to the standard 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.

Pelicans sign Ian Clark

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed free agent guard Ian Clark.

Clark, 6-3, 175, most recently played for the 2017 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors. In 77 games last season with Golden State, Clark averaged 6.8 points while shooting .487 from the field, including .374 from three-point range, 1.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 14.8 minutes per contest. Clark additionally appeared in 16 postseason games, averaging 6.8 points while shooting .506 from the floor, including .361 from three-point range and .941 from the free throw line.

Undrafted out of Belmont University in 2013, Clark has appeared in 196 career regular season games with Utah, Denver and Golden State, holding averages of 4.5 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists. Additionally, Clark has appeared in 32 career postseason contests, including two trips to the NBA Finals with Golden State, averaging 5.5 points while shooting .500 from the field, 1.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 11.7 minutes per game.

Hornets sign Marcus Paige and Mangok Mathiang to two-way contracts

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has signed forward/center Mangok Mathiang (MANG-go MATH-ee-ang) and guard Marcus Paige to two-way contracts.

Mathiang (6-10, 230, Louisville) was a member of the Hornets entry at the 2017 Orlando Pro Summer League, where he saw action in five games, averaging 4.4 points on 53.3 percent from the field, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 offensive rebounds in 17.1 minutes per game.

Born in Sudan, Africa, Mathiang lived in Melbourne, Australia for several years before moving to the United States where he spent four years at Louisville (2013-17), appearing in 114 career games (44 starts), owning averages of 4.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 18.0 minutes per contest, serving as team captain as a redshirt senior in 2016-17. In his final collegiate season, Mathiang averaged 7.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 20.8 minutes per contest, helping the Cardinals to a 25-9 record.

Paige (6-1, 164, North Carolina), was originally drafted with the 55th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets, with his draft rights being traded to Utah the following day. The 23-year-old appeared in 46 games (40 starts) with the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League last season, averaging 12.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 32.7 minutes per contest.

The Marion, Iowa native played four collegiate seasons at North Carolina (2012-16), owning career averages of 13.1 points on 40.7 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc, 4.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 141 games, helping the Tar Heels to a 2016 NCAA Championship Game appearance as a senior.

Paige was named to the 2014-15 All-ACC Third Team and 2013-14 All-ACC First Team, also earning the 2013-14 ACC Most Improved Player of the Year award. Additionally, he was recognized as an Academic All-American in three seasons, including First Team honors following his senior year.

Mathiang and Paige become the first Hornets players to ever sign a two-way contract. The 2017-18 season is the first year NBA teams can utilize two-way contracts, in which teams will be permitted to carry two such players on their roster in addition to their 15-man regular season roster. Charlotte’s two-way players will spend time with the team’s NBA G League squad, The Greensboro Swarm, as well as the main club, but are allowed no more than 45 days in the NBA, not including any time prior to the start of the Swarm’s training camp and at the conclusion of the season.

Pelicans sign Charles Cooke to two-way contract

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed free agent guard Charles Cooke to a two-way contract.

Cooke, 6-5, 196, was a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves 2017 Summer League team after going undrafted in June. Over five games in Las Vegas, Cooke averaged 10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals per contest.

A product of the University of Dayton, Cooke led the Flyers in both scoring (15.8) and rebounding (5.1) during his senior season, while being named to the Second Team All-Atlantic 10 and the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team.

Beginning with the 2017-18 season, each NBA team is able to carry the standard 15 players on their roster, as well as up to two additional players on two-way contracts. Two-way players will spend the majority of the year in the NBA G League, but can be called up to their NBA team for a maximum of 45 days during the season.