NBA News Blog – Page 771 – NBA Blog

Orlando Magic hire Jay Hernandez

The Orlando Magic have named Jay Hernandez assistant coach/player development, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today.

“We are extremely excited to add Jay (Hernandez) and his family to the Orlando Magic,” said Head Coach Jacque Vaughn. “Jay will bring a tireless work ethic and dedication to development to our coaching staff.”

Hernandez established Pro Hoops, Inc. in 2004, a basketball training service based in New York for teams and individuals seeking to improve their performance.

Hernandez played one season at the University of New Hampshire (1996-97) and three seasons at Hofstra University (1998-2001). He helped Hofstra to a berth in the NIT in 1999, then back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2000 and 2001. Hernandez went on to play professionally in Puerto Rico for three seasons.

Greg Monroe signs Pistons qualifying offer

The Detroit Pistons announced today that forward Greg Monroe has signed the team’s one-year qualifying offer for the 2014-15 season.

“I have said from day one that we have great respect for Greg as a person and like what he brings to this team as a player,” said Stan Van Gundy, Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations for the Detroit Pistons. “We have had good dialogue with Greg throughout the offseason with the understanding that there were multiple options for both parties involved, and we respect his decision. We look forward to a great year from Greg as we continue to build our team moving forward.”

“I look forward to playing for Coach Van Gundy and his staff,” said Monroe. He has a proven track record and I’m excited about working with my teammates to get better and prepare for the season.”

Monroe, the seventh overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, averaged 15.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 32.8 minutes in a career-high 82 games (all starts) last season. In 309 career games (277 starts), Monroe has averaged 14.0 points (.508 FG, .678 FT), 9.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 31.3 minutes per game.

The 6-foot-11, Gretna, LA native has averaged 15.0-plus points, 9.0-plus rebounds, 2.0-plus assists and 1.0-plus steals in each of his last three seasons. He has recorded 101 double-doubles since 2011-12 – second most in the Eastern Conference (Joakim Noah – 102) and recorded his third consecutive season with 1,000-plus points and 600-plus rebounds, joining Grant Hill as the only Pistons to do so since 1994-95.

Warriors sign guard Justin Holiday

The Golden State Warriors have signed free agent guard Justin Holiday, the team announced today.

Holiday played for the Warriors at the 2014 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, starting all five games and averaging a team-high 14.8 points to go with 5.0 rebounds in 22.8 minutes.

Holiday, 25, played professionally last season in Hungary, where he posted averages of 12.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 50 games with Szolnok. The 6’6” guard has previous NBA experience with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2012-13, appearing in nine contests and averaging 4.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 15.8 minutes. He spent the rest of the 2012-13 campaign with the Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League, tallying 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and a league-leading 2.43 steals in 34.7 minutes over 47 games, earning 2013 All-NBA D-League Third Team and All-NBA D-League Defensive Second Team honors. Following a four-year career at the University of Washington, the Mission Hills, CA, native made his professional debut with Aalstar in Belgium during the 2011-12 season after going unselected in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Holiday will wear uniform #7. The Warriors roster currently stands at 17 players.

Sacramento Kings waive Jeremy Tyler

The Sacramento Kings today waived forward-center Jeremy Tyler, according to Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro.

Tyler was acquired from New York on August 6, 2014, along with guard Wayne Ellington and the unencumbered rights to the Knicks’ 2016 second-round draft selection in exchange for forwards Quincy Acy and Travis Outlaw.

Tyler has accrued averages of 3.6 points (.450 FG%, .557 FT%) and 2.6 rebounds per contest in 80 career NBA games in three seasons with three teams – Golden State (2011-12 – 2012-13), Atlanta (2012-13) and New York (2013-14).

Ron Rothstein retires from coaching

The Miami HEAT announced today that former head coach and long-time assistant Ron Rothstein has retired from coaching and will join the HEAT Broadcast team and serve as a Corporate Liaison. The HEAT also announced that long-time assistant and Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo will become a pro scout and serve as a Community Liaison.

“Both Ron and Bob were instrumental in the success of the HEAT and their contributions to our three championships cannot be overstated,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “They are HEAT lifers and I’m happy that they will continue to be an important part of the organization as they evolve into their new roles within the HEAT family.”

“I want to thank Ron and Bob for their guidance, wisdom and dedication that they provided to me when I took over as head coach,” said HEAT Head Coach Erik Spoelstra. “I especially want to thank them for all their hard work and support these past six seasons. They were a huge part of all our team success. Moving forward, having their great basketball minds just down the hall will continue to be invaluable.”

Rothstein, with over 40 years of experience in the game of basketball, will join the HEAT broadcast team and bring his vast knowledge of the game to the Sun Sports studio. For Rothstein, it marks a return to the broadcasting field in which he previously served as a color commentator for the Detroit Pistons during the 1991-92 NBA season. He will also serve the South Florida community in his additional role as Corporate Liaison. Rothstein, an original HEAT employee who has served the organization for 16 years in various capacities, became the organization’s first head coach on July 12, 1988 and guided them for three seasons, increasing the team’s victory total each year. During his 26 years on an NBA bench, his teams made 18 postseason appearances, highlighted by three NBA championships, six Eastern Conference championships, six NBA Finals appearances, nine Eastern Conference Finals appearances and nine divisional championships.

McAdoo, a former NBA MVP and Hall of Famer, will take his 33 years of combined NBA experience, 19 as a coach (all with the HEAT) and 14 as a player, into the world of player personnel and scouting where he will serve as one of the lead scouts under HEAT Vice President, Player Personnel Chet Kammerer. In his new role, McAdoo’s duties will include scouting on the NBA, college and international levels. Generally considered one of the greatest shooting big men in league history, the five-time NBA All-Star captured three consecutive scoring titles from 1973-74 through 1975-76 and was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 1973. In 1982, he was a member of Pat Riley’s first championship team in Los Angeles and later played professionally in Italy where his teams went on to win the Italian Championship three times and the European Championship twice. In 2008, he was named as one of the 50 most influential personalities in European Club Basketball over the last half century and in 2014 he was named the best foreign player to play in European Basketball. In addition to his role as scout, McAdoo will also serve in the capacity of Community Liaison.

Wizards hire Howard Eisley as assistant coach

The Washington Wizards announced today that the team has named Howard Eisley as an assistant on the staff of Head Coach Randy Wittman. Eisley comes to Washington after spending the last four years on the sidelines with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The 12-year pro ended his career after the 2005-06 campaign. In 786 career NBA games with eight teams, he averaged 6.5 points, 3.5 assists and 1.7 rebounds. The Boston College standout was originally selected in the second round (30th overall) of the 1994 Draft by the Timberwolves.

Eisley spent time with Minnesota, San Antonio and Rockford of the CBA before joining the Jazz in 1995, where he contributed to two Western Conference championships in 1997 and 1998. Following his stint with the Jazz, he played with Dallas, New York, Phoenix before returning to Utah and eventually playing for the L.A. Clippers and Denver.

Eisley will join assistants Don Newman, Don Zierden, Roy Rogers, Pat Sullivan and David Adkins on the Wizards’ bench.

Toronto Raptors sign Greg Stiemsma

The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday they have signed free-agent center Greg Stiemsma (STEEMS-muh).

Stiemsma, 6-foot-11, 260 pounds, averaged 2.9 points with career bests of 4.1 rebounds and 18.3 minutes in 55 games (20 starts) last season with New Orleans. He scored in double figures four times, including a season-high 12 points January 3 at Boston. He also recorded back-to-back double-digit rebound totals with 11 caroms at Cleveland on January 28 and a career-best 12 boards January 29 at Minnesota.

The University of Wisconsin product has played for New Orleans, Minnesota (2012-13) and Boston (2011-12). He owns career averages of 3.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 16.0 minutes in 186 NBA games (42 starts).

Detroit Pistons name Otis Smith head coach of Grand Rapids Drive

The Detroit Pistons announced today that the club is appointing Otis Smith as head coach of its NBA Development League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive.

“I’m pleased to welcome Otis Smith to the Detroit Pistons organization as the head coach of the Grand Rapids Drive,” said Van Gundy. “Otis understands the vision and connectivity we want to create between the Detroit Pistons and the Grand Rapids Drive, our NBA D-League affiliate. His experiences as a general manager, director of player development and NBA player will pay dividends as he spearheads our efforts in Grand Rapids.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Otis into the Grand Rapids Drive organization,” said Steve Jbara, President of the Grand Rapids Drive. “His basketball and player development knowledge as well as his front office experience will be extremely beneficial moving forward with the franchise. There is no doubt in my mind that Otis is the right man for the job. Our fans and the local basketball community are in for a special season.”

Smith brings 25-plus years of basketball experience to the bench, most recently serving as the president of basketball operations and general manager of the Orlando Magic from 2010-12. Smith first joined Orlando as director of player development in 2003-04 and was promoted to assistant general manager in 2005-06 before being named general manager in May of 2006.

Under Smith’s leadership Orlando made the playoffs six times, recorded a franchise-record four straight seasons with 50-plus wins (2007-11), won three Southeast Division Titles (2007-10) and reached the NBA Finals in 2009. During his time with the Magic, the team accumulated a record of 299-177 (.628).

Prior to his time with Orlando, Smith spent the 2002-03 season as executive director of basketball operations with the Golden State Warriors. He also served as director of community relations/Warriors foundation for Golden State from 1999-02 and as community relations manager with the Orlando Magic from 1996-98. As a player, Smith appeared in 375 career NBA regular-season games with Denver, Golden State and Orlando, averaging 10.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 20.6 minutes.

Born and raised in Jacksonville, FL, Smith graduated from Jacksonville University in 1986.

Sacramento Kings waive Wayne Ellington

The Sacramento Kings waived guard Wayne Ellington, according to Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro.

Ellington was acquired from New York on August 6, 2014, along with forward-center Jeremy Tyler and the unencumbered rights to the Knicks’ 2016 second-round draft selection in exchange for forwards Quincy Acy and Travis Outlaw.

Ellington is averaging 6.4 points (.418 FG%, .386 3pt%, .855 FT%), 1.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game in 312 career contests with Minnesota (2009-10 – 2011-12), Memphis (2012-13), Cleveland (2012-13), Dallas (2013-14) and New York in his five-year NBA career.

Knicks hire Jim Cleamons, Rasheed Hazzard, Brian Keefe and Joshua Longstaff

New York Knicks President Phil Jackson has that Jim Cleamons, Rasheed Hazzard, Brian Keefe and Joshua Longstaff have been added to the coaching staff.

Cleamons rejoins the Knicks organization with over 30 years of coaching experience and 10 NBA championships to his name. The 64-year-old Lincolnton, NC joined the Chicago Bulls staff in 1989, staying seven seasons, and the Los Angeles Lakers staff for 10 seasons, winning nine NBA titles along the way. He served as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks for parts of two seasons (1996-98), the ABL’s Chicago Condors (1998-99) and China’s Zhejiang Guangsha (2011-12). He had also been an assistant coach for New Orleans (2004-05), and most recently, Milwaukee (2013-14). The Ohio State-alum played in the NBA for 10 seasons with the Lakers, Cleveland, New York and Washington, winning an NBA title as a rookie in Los Angeles in 1972. He signed with the Knicks on Oct. 7, 1977, playing three seasons in New York, averaging 7.4 points in 180 games.

Hazzard spent five seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers (2006-11), including as a member of NBA Championship teams in 2009 and 2010, working in player development and as an advance scout, and also as an assistant coach for the D-Fenders, the Lakers’ D-League affiliate. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at University of Portland after playing collegiately at George Washington University. His father Walt, was a member of UCLA’s 1964 NCAA Championship Team and played in the NBA for 10 seasons with the Lakers, Seattle, Atlanta, Buffalo and Golden State earned an NBA All-Star selection in 1968.

Keefe had been a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder organization for the past seven seasons, serving as an assistant coach for the last five years. He joined the Thunder in 2007 as a player development coach after two seasons as an assistant video coordinator with the San Antonio Spurs, including the NBA Championship team on 2007. Prior to his NBA career, Keefe was an assistant coach at Bryant University for four seasons (2001-05) and a graduate assistant at the University of South Florida (2001-01). He played college basketball at Nevada-Las Vegas and California-Irvine for two seasons each.

Longstaff had spent the last four seasons working for the Oklahoma City Thunder in a player development role and as a video analyst. Previously, he coached high school basketball for five seasons in his home state of Maine and played college basketball at Bryant University.