NBA News Blog – Page 789 – NBA Blog

Timberwolves hire Ryan Saunders as assistant coach

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced Ryan Saunders as an assistant coach, joining David Adelman, Sidney Lowe and Sam Mitchell on head coach Flip Saunders’ staff.

“Ryan brings a unique skill set of player development, analytics and team preparation to our team,” said general manager Milt Newton. “He played a key role in the development of Washington’s rising stars John Wall and Bradley Beal, and he served as the primary scout last season as the Wizards won their first playoff series since 2004-05. His ability to develop young talent, as well as his statistical analysis and game preparation techniques, will be an extremely valuable addition to our team.”

A University of Minnesota graduate, Saunders spent the last five seasons as an assistant with the Washington Wizards. In Washington, he was instrumental in assisting with the preparation for upcoming opponents with extensive scouting reports and statistical analysis. Prior to his time with the Wizards, Saunders was as an assistant for a season on Tubby Smith’s staff at the University of Minnesota, where he helped lead the Golden Gophers to an NCAA tournament appearance. In addition to his on-court work, Saunders helped players with their academic and social development off the court.

As well as his coaching experience, Saunders brings an analytical background to the Wolves coaching staff. He is the co-founder of an in-game analytical program, Gametime Concepts, which focuses on in-game analysis and statistical probabilities. Gametime Concepts is used by a number of NBA and NCAA teams.

Hawks trade Lou Williams to Raptors

The Atlanta Hawks have acquired a 2015 second round pick and guard/forward John Salmons from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for guard Lou Williams and the draft rights to Lucas Nogueira, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ferry.

“The trade allows us greater flexibility as we continue to build our team and add players that best fit how we want to continue to grow as a program.” Ferry said. “Lou has been really good for us. We would like to thank him for his contributions over the past two seasons and the professionalism he displayed on and off the court. We wish him the best going forward.”

Salmons, 34, averaged 5.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 22.1 minutes per game in 78 games (eight starts) last season with Sacramento and Toronto. Over his 12-year career, he has averages of 9.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 874 games (429 starts).

Williams averaged 10.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 60 games (seven starts) last season with Atlanta and has career averages of 11.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 554 games (54 starts).

Atlanta acquired the draft rights to Nogueira (16th overall), forward/center Mike Muscala from Bucknell and guard Jared Cunningham from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the draft rights to Shane Larkin (18th overall) during the 2013 NBA Draft.

Sixers waive James Anderson

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today they have waived guard James Anderson.

Anderson appeared in 80 games last year for the Sixers and averaged 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 29 minutes per game. In four NBA seasons, Anderson has appeared in 196 games with 68 starts, averaging 6 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 18 minutes per game.

The Sixers claimed Anderson off of waivers on July 16, 2013.

Milwaukee Bucks fire coach Larry Drew

Jason Kidd is coming soon to Milwaukee.

The Bucks have relieved Head Coach Larry Drew of his duties, the team announced today. It’s been widely reported that Nets head coach Jason Kidd is leaving Brooklyn and will take over the Milwaukee coaching duties.

Milwaukee Bucks General Manager John Hammond stated, “Despite the challenging season, Larry always handled himself and represented the Bucks in a first-class manner. Larry did the best he could in a difficult situation, especially given all of our injuries. I want to thank Larry for all of his efforts, and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

Drew was named the 13th head coach in Bucks history on June 3, 2013.

Magic add Willie Green, off waivers

The Orlando Magic have claimed guard Willie Green off of waivers, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today. Green was waived by the Los Angeles Clippers on June 29.

Green (6’3”, 205, 7/28/81) played in 55 games (nine starts) last season with the Clippers, averaging 5.0 ppg. and 1.4 rpg. in 15.8 minpg. He scored in double figures nine times, including a season-high 13 points twice, the last time on Mar. 12 vs. Golden State.

Originally selected by Seattle in the second round (41st overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft, Green has appeared in 679 career NBA regular season games (295 starts) during his 11-year career with Philadelphia, New Orleans, Atlanta and the L.A. Clippers, averaging 8.5 ppg., 1.8 rpg. and 1.4 apg. in 20.4 minpg. He also played in 36 career playoff games (12 starts), averaging 5.2 ppg. and 1.3 rpg. in 14.9 minpg.

Orlando Magic waive Jameer Nelson

The Jameer Nelson era in Orlando is over.

The Magic waived Nelson today, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced. The veteran point guard will become an unrestricted free agent.

“Jameer (Nelson) is the ultimate professional,” said Hennigan. “We truly thank him for his contributions to the organization, both on the court and in the community, during the last decade. He will always be a member of the Magic family.”

“I appreciate the opportunity the Orlando Magic has afforded me and my family over the past ten years,” said Nelson. “I’d like to thank the DeVos family, team management, and all the coaches that have provided me guidance, mentoring, and the ability to play the game that I love in the town that I love.”

“I’d also like to give sincere and special thanks to the great Magic fans. You have loyally supported me since my first day in Orlando and have always been there for me and my family. You made it easy for us to adopt Orlando as our second home and we will miss you.”

“All good things must come to an end, however, and it’s time to move on. I look forward to continuing my career as an NBA player and will never take for granted my time in Orlando.”

Nelson was originally selected by Denver in the first round (20th overall) of the 2004 NBA Draft, but was acquired by Orlando in exchange for a future first round pick on draft night. He played in 651 career NBA regular season games (556 starts), all with Orlando, averaging 12.6 ppg., 5.4 apg. and 3.1 rpg. in 29.2 minpg., while shooting .374 (874-2,335) from three-point range and .817 (1,092-1,337) from the free throw line. He also appeared in 44 career playoff games, averaging 15.0 ppg., 4.6 apg. and 3.5 rpg. in 32.5 minpg.

Nelson stands as the franchise’s all-time leader in assists with 3,501. He also ranks second in games played (651) and field goals attempted (7,033), third in minutes played (19,038), three-pointers made (874) and three-pointers attempted (2,335), fourth in scoring (8,184 points) and field goals made (3,109) and fifth in steals (619). He was named an NBA All-Star in 2009 and earned the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week honor twice (periods ending Dec. 21, 2008, Jan. 18, 2009). Nelson was also named to the 2004-05 NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

Orlando Magic waive Doron Lamb

The Orlando Magic have waived guard Doron Lamb, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today.

Lamb played in 53 games last season with the Magic, averaging 3.6 ppg. in 13.1 minpg., while shooting .400 (36-90) from three-point range. He scored in double figures six times, including a season-high 14 points on Apr. 2 vs. Cleveland

Originally selected by Milwaukee in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft by Milwaukee, Lamb appeared in 100 career NBA regular season games with Milwaukee and Orlando, averaging 3.5 ppg. in 12.7 minpg., while shooting .394 (50-127) from three-point range. He was acquired by Orlando along with Tobias Harris and Beno Udrih from Milwaukee in exchange for J.J. Redick, Gustavo Ayon and Ish Smith on Feb. 21, 2013.

Celtics extend qualifying offer to Avery Bradley

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have extended a qualifying offer to guard Avery Bradley.

Bradley, a 6’2 guard, is coming off a breakout 2013-14 season where he recorded career-highs in points per game (14.9), rebounds per game (3.8), points (891), rebounds (226), minutes (1855), field goals made (361), three-pointers made (79) and free throws made (90). Bradley tied a career-high for points in a game when he notched 28 points against Brooklyn on March 21. He recorded his first career double-double when he recorded 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds against New York on December 8. Selected with the 19th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Bradley recorded his 1,000th career points in the opening game of the season against Toronto on October 30. He led the Celtics in scoring in 17 games and recorded 20 or more points in 16 contests.

Kings waive forward Willie Reed

The Sacramento Kings waived forward Willie Reed, according to Kings General manager Pete D’Alessandro.

The 6-10, 200-pound forward was signed as a free agent by the Kings on March 26, 2014. He did not see action in any regular season games with the Kings. Reed was assigned to the Kings’ D-League affiliate Reno Bighorns and averaged 13.6 points (.649 FG%, .800 FT%), 7.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 2.4 blocks and 25.0 minutes per game in five contests off the bench.

Jason Kidd wants control of Nets, may wind up with Bucks

Here’s the New York Post reporting a wild story that came out of the blue and has been confirmed by several other outlets:

Apparently Jason Kidd isn’t satisfied with just coaching, but he’ll have to be if he stays with the Nets.

According to a league source, Kidd recently approached ownership with a series of demands, including the role of overseeing the Nets’ basketball operations department in addition to his head coaching responsibilities. The source said Kidd didn’t want general manager Billy King to be dismissed, but wanted to be given a title and placed above him in the organizational hierarchy.

Ownership declined to grant Kidd that kind of power, which is rare for any coach in the league to have. The source said ownership felt Kidd wasn’t ready for that kind of responsibility after having only one year of coaching experience — the team finished his first season on the bench with a 44-38 record, good for sixth in the Eastern Conference — and allowed Kidd to seek other opportunities.

The franchise then was approached by the Bucks for permission to speak with Kidd about the prospect of hiring him, and the Nets granted permission.