NBA News Blog – Page 522 – NBA Blog

Hawks name Josh Longstaff head coach of Erie BayHawks

The Hawks have named Josh Longstaff as Head Coach of the Erie BayHawks, the organization’s NBA G League affiliate, it was announced today by BayHawks General Manager Malik Rose.

“Josh is a tremendous communicator and has shown the ability to build productive relationships with young players. His passion and knowledge of player development fits in perfectly with the program we are building in Erie as well as Atlanta,” Rose said. “We’re excited to be able to add a young coach of his caliber to the organization.”

Longstaff, 34, spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the New York Knicks after beginning his NBA coaching career with the Oklahoma City Thunder (2010-14), first serving as Player Personnel and Video Coordinator for one year before being promoted to Video Analyst and Player Development Coach. While a member of the Thunder staff, he helped Oklahoma City to four straight playoff appearances, including the 2011-12 Western Conference title as well as two conference finals appearances.

“This is an exciting opportunity for me and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of such a great organization,” Longstaff said. “I’m thrilled and humbled to be able to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a head coach on the professional level.”

A native of Portland, Maine, Longstaff was a four-year letterman at Bryant University in Rhode Island, graduating in 2005 with a degree in marketing. Following graduation, he coached high school basketball in his home state for five years.

Blazers trade Allen Crabbe to Nets

The Nets on Tuesday acquired guard/forward Allen Crabbe from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for forward Andrew Nicholson.

Crabbe joins the Nets after spending the first four seasons of his NBA career with Portland. In 226 games (24 starts), the 25-year-old Crabbe has registered averages of 8.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 22.8 minutes per game while shooting 45.6 percent from the field, 41.1 percent from 3-point range and 84.8 percent from the free-throw line. This past season, the Los Angeles native saw action in 79 games (seven starts), averaging a career-best 10.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in 28.5 minutes per contest while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from 3-point range, good for the second-highest 3-point field goal percentage in the league among qualifying players. Crabbe has also appeared in the postseason with the Blazers in each of the last three seasons, averaging 8.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 25.5 minutes per game through 17 playoff contests.

Crabbe was originally selected with the 31st overall pick (second round) in the 2013 NBA Draft by Cleveland before being traded to Portland on draft night. Prior to beginning his NBA career, he spent three years (2010-13) at the University of California, where he was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, All-Pac-12 First Team as a sophomore and junior and Pac-12 Player of the Year in his third and final collegiate season.

Nicholson, 27, has averages of 6.0 points (46.7% FG, 32.1% 3-PT, 77.3% FT), 3.0 rebounds and 0.4 rebounds in 285 games (36 starts) over five seasons with Orlando, Washington and Brooklyn.

Selected with the 19th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft out of St. Bonaventure, Nicholson (6-9, 250) split the 2016-17 season with Washington and Brooklyn, posting averages of 2.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 9.0 minutes in 38 games.

Cavs hire Koby Altman as new general manager

The Cleveland Cavaliers have named Koby Altman the team’s new General Manager.

Altman has been a member of the Cavs basketball front office for the past five years, most recently serving as Assistant General Manager, having been promoted to that position in September 2016. He has been an essential part of a front office that formulated a roster and coaching staff that have been to three straight NBA Finals, including winning the NBA Championship in 2016. Altman has also led the team’s front office over the last five weeks.

“Over the past month, Koby Altman has led our front office group through this transition period, impressing many inside the franchise and outside the organization, as well. We are very excited that he will now be officially leading the basketball side of our franchise. Koby has the credentials, knowledge, experience and instincts to be an outstanding General Manager. In addition to these positive attributes and outstanding relationships around the league, Koby will inspire and impact the best possible culture throughout the organization. We are going to see a capable and passionate leader who will also cultivate new ideas and innovation,” said Cavaliers Chairman Dan Gilbert

“The speed of the game is ever faster on the court and in the front offices around our league. I am confident that Koby is equipped and prepared to lead and succeed in this dynamic environment.”

Other notable front office moves are expected soon.

“The past month or so has allowed the opportunity for several other talented and hard-working individuals on the basketball side of our business to demonstrate their deep knowledge and capability. We are looking forward to announcing additional restructuring involving these remarkable executives in the very near future,” concluded Gilbert.

Originally joining the Cavaliers in August of 2012 as pro personnel manager, Altman was promoted to director of pro player personnel in September 2013. In his role as assistant general manager, Altman was tasked with player evaluation across all levels of basketball, both domestically and abroad. Altman also oversaw the team’s NBA and G League scouting efforts and played a core role in all aspects of the team’s basketball operations, working closely with the team’s coaches, players and staff.

“I am incredibly grateful to Dan for the opportunity to become general manager of the Cavaliers. His confidence, support and strong commitment to achieving our collective goals is very clear to me and I look forward to continuing our efforts. I am also excited and proud to lead a front office team that will continue to be sharply focused on competing for championships. That challenge is what drives all of us,” said Altman. “Cleveland fans support the Cavs with passion, pride and loyalty. That’s something all of us here have a deep respect for and will never take for granted. We will always work hard and search for creative ideas that will impact our success on the court and in the community.”

Altman has extensive experience with the USA Basketball program as well. In the summer of 2010, he served as the Team Manager for USA Basketball’s Under-17 team at the inaugural FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Hamburg, Germany. That 17-and-under squad won the first gold medal to ever be awarded for that age group and featured three players selected among the top 10 in the 2012 NBA Draft. In 2009, he assisted Team USA’s 19-and-under team in the FIBA Under-19 World Championship in Auckland, New Zealand. That squad also won the gold, its first in that age group since 1991.
Prior to joining the Cavaliers, Altman served as an assistant coach at The Ivy League’s Columbia University for two seasons, where he also led Columbia’s developmental basketball program. Altman spent the 2009-10 season at Southern Illinois as a graduate assistant after earning his master’s degree in sport management at the University of Massachusetts. While earning his graduate degree at UMASS, he coached at nearby Amherst College for two seasons and helped guide the team to a 48-11 record. Altman, a Brooklyn, New York native, played collegiately at Middlebury College, where he was a three-year starter at point guard.

Heat sign guard Matt Williams

The Heat have signed guard Matt Williams.

Williams appeared in eight Summer League games (six starts) with the HEAT in Orlando and Las Vegas and averaged 9.9 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 38 percent from the field, 39 percent from three-point range and a perfect 2-of-2 from the foul line. He started all six games in Las Vegas with Miami and shot 45 percent from three-point range, leading the team in three-point field goals made four times, including a 5-of-8 performance from beyond the arc vs. Washington on July 10 and a 6-of-9 output from downtown vs. Memphis on July 15.

The University of Central Florida graduate finished his collegiate career as the school’s all-time leader in three-point field goals made (274) and became the 18th player in program history to score at least 1,000 points. He appeared in 36 games (all starts) as a senior and averaged 15.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 36.5 minutes while shooting 39.1 percent from the field, 38.4 percent from three-point range and 81.1 percent from the foul line. He set the single-season school and conference records for three-point field goals made (126) and set the Knights’ single-game three-point field goals made record after connecting on 11 against USF on January 17. He capped the season scoring the fifth-most points for a single-season in school history and earned the team’s MVP award.

Spurs re-sign Pau Gasol

The Spurs have re-signed forward/center Pau Gasol.

According to ESPN, it’s a three-year deal worth $48 million, with a partial guarantee on the third season.

During the 2016-17 season, Gasol appeared in 64 games in his first year with the Silver and Black, averaging 12.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.09 blocks in 25.4 minutes while shooting .502 (303-604) from the field, a career-best .538 (56-104) from beyond the arc and .707 (130-184) from the foul line. On April 12 at Utah he scored his 20,000th career point to become just the second European player to eclipse 20,000 points for their career, joining Dirk Nowitzki.

A 16-year NBA veteran, Gasol is a four-time All-NBA selection who has won two NBA Championships. The six-time All-Star was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2010-11 and 2014-15 while earning All-NBA Third Team honors in 2008-09 and 2009-10.

In 1,119 career NBA games (1,081 starts), Gasol has averaged 17.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.65 blocks while shooting .510 (7,651-15,008) from the floor and .754 (4,569-6,062) from the free throw line in 34.7 minutes. He has appeared in 131 career playoffs games, averaging 15.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.77 blocks in 36.1 minutes.

The 2002 Rookie of the Year was originally drafted with the third overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Hawks before being dealt on draft night to the Grizzlies, where he spent his first six-plus seasons (2001-2008) and averaged 18.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 476 games.

After being acquired in the middle of the 2007-08 season by the Lakers, Gasol spent the next six-plus seasons (2008-2014) with Los Angeles, where he won titles in 2009 and 2010. The NBA’s 2012 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award winner averaged 17.7 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 429 games with the Lakers. Gasol then signed with the Bulls in the summer of 2014 and spent the last two seasons in Chicago (2014-16), where he averaged 17.6 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 150 total games.

Gasol is one of four players in NBA history to reach 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 3,500 assists and 1,500 blocks in his career, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan.

A native of Barcelona, Spain, Gasol has played for the Spanish Senior National Team since 2001, including appearances in the last four Summer Olympic Games (2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016), helping Spain capture silver medals in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics.

Spurs sign Matt Costello to a two-way contract

The Spurs have signed forward Matt Costello to a two-way contract.

Costello, 6-10/240, most recently played with Minnesota in the 2017 MGM Resorts Summer League, leading all players in rebounding in Las Vegas and averaging a double-double of 11.3 points and 12.0 rebounds to go along with 1.75 steals and 1.25 blocks in 25.8 minutes. He also appeared in the 2017 Orlando Pro Summer League with Orlando.

Spending last season with the Iowa Energy of the NBA G League, Costello averaged 9.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.65 blocks in 25.3 minutes over 23 games (14 starts). After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft, the forward played for Atlanta last preseason, averaging 4.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in 9.0 minutes.

Costello played four years at Michigan State and is the school’s all-time leader in blocked shots (146). During his senior season, Costello averaged 10.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.20 blocks in 22.9 minutes, earning All-Big Ten honors.

Two-way contracts were added to the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement and will go into effect for the 2017-18 season. Each team will now be able to have 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 bulk of the season in the NBA G League, which includes San Antonio’s exclusively owned and operated affiliate, the Austin Spurs.

Heat sign Derrick Walton Jr. to two-way contract

The Heat have signed guard Derrick Walton Jr. to a two-way contract.

Walton appeared in four Summer League games (one start) with the Magic in Orlando and averaged 10.0 points, 3.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 20.5 minutes while shooting 46.9 percent (15-of-32) from the field, 50 percent (6-of-12) from three-point range and 66.7 percent (4-of-6) from the foul line. His 50 percent shooting from downtown tied for the third-highest during the Orlando Summer League with a minimum of 10 attempts.

Walton appeared in 127 games (126 starts) at the University of Michigan, becoming the only player in program history to score at least 1,000 points, grab 500 rebounds and dish out 400 assists. Among the school’s all-time leaders, he finished second in free throw percentage (.837), third in starts, fourth in assists (499), tied for fourth in three-point field goals made (233), seventh in steals (146), eighth in minutes (4,053), tied for 15th in games played and 22nd in points (1,471). He helped lead the Wolverines to the 2017 Big Ten Championship and was named the Big Ten Tournament MVP as he continued to guide Michigan to a Sweet 16 berth in the NCAA Tournament after defeating No. 2 Louisville in the previous game. Additionally, he dished out a single-game school record 16 assists at Nebraska on March 5, 2017 and recorded just the fifth triple-double in Michigan history after tallying 10 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists against Youngstown State on December 19, 2015.

Pistons sign Luis Montero to two-way contract

The Pistons have signed guard/forward Luis Montero to a two-way contract.

Montero, 6-7, 190, played 49 games last season with the Sioux Falls Skyforce and the Reno Bighorns of the NBA G League. In 36 games with Sioux Falls (15 starts), Montero averaged 8.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 steals in 24.4 minutes per game. He was traded to Reno on March 2, 2017 and averaged 8.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steals in 13 games with the Bighorns. Montero played in four games with the with the Santa Cruz Warriors during the 2015-16 season and averaged 16.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.8 blocks in 28.3 minutes per game. He saw action in 12 NBA games with the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2015-16 season and averaged 1.2 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.1 assists.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Montero played one year at Westchester Community College (2013-14) where he averaged 15.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to have two Two-Way players on their roster at any given time, in addition to their 15-man regular season roster. Two-Way players for the Pistons will provide services primarily for the Grand Rapids Drive, the team’s G League affiliate, but can spend up to 45 days with the Pistons, not including any time prior to the start of the Drive’s training camp and at the conclusion of their season.

Report: Knicks to hire Gerald Madkins

As the memory of Phil Jackson steadily fades, the Knicks will soon make another front office hire. Here’s the NY Post reporting:

According to multiple league sources, Gerald Madkins will be named the Knicks new assistant general manager, leaving the Clippers, where he was director of basketball operations since September 2012.

Madkins, 48, who played parts of three NBA seasons with the Cavaliers and Warriors, has been an executive with four other NBA teams — including the Knicks, for whom he served as a scout from 2003-2007.

Sources said Madkins was “going to New York” after his time in Los Angeles, but the Knicks have not formally announced the hire. That could come this week. One other source, acknowledging the team’s interest, said any definitive claims of a hire were “premature.” But that could be a matter of a variation on Yogi Berra’s claim that “it’s not done till it’s done.”

Hawks add Nicolas Brussino off waivers

The Hawks have claimed guard/forward Nicolas Brussino off waivers, it was announced today by General Manager and Head of Basketball Operations Travis Schlenk. He was waived by the Dallas Mavericks on July 20.

Brussino, 6’8, appeared in 54 games as a rookie last season with the Mavericks, averaging 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9.6 minutes. He also spent time with the Texas Legends of the NBA G League, averaging 16.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 35.8 minutes (.628 FG%, .520 3FG%, .842 FT%) in five contests.

Prior to Dallas, the 24-year-old played professionally in his native Argentina with Penarol (2015-16) and Regatas Corrientes (2012-15). He has also been a member of the Argentinian National Team since 2012, including participating in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.