NBA News Blog – Page 835 – NBA Blog

Brooklyn Nets announce their assistant coaches

The Brooklyn Nets have added John Welch, Joe Prunty and Charles Klask to Jason Kidd’s staff as assistant coaches, General Manager Billy King announced today. The three new hires round out the coaching staff which also includes Lawrence Frank, Roy Rogers and Eric Hughes.

In addition, the Nets have named Jim Sann as advance scout.

Welch joins the Nets following eight seasons as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets under George Karl. Before joining the Nuggets, Welch spent two seasons as an assistant coach/workout coach for the Memphis Grizzlies. Prior to his arrival in Memphis, he spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Fresno State, serving under head coach Jerry Tarkanian. Welch joined Fresno State in 1995 and helped the Bulldogs to two consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, six consecutive 20-win seasons and seven straight postseason appearances. Welch began his coaching career with a three-year stint as a graduate assistant at UNLV, including when they advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1986-87. When the Rebels’ season ended, Welch also served as a player and coach in the New Zealand Professional Basketball League from 1986-89. Welch then served as an assistant coach under Seth Greenberg at Long Beach State from 1993-95. As a player, Welch spent three seasons at the University of Nevada, Reno and transferred to UNLV for his senior year. Welch played under Tarkanian for one year when the Rebels compiled a 33-5 record and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

Prunty enters his 18th NBA season and 22nd overall in coaching, most recently serving as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers for three seasons after joining the club in July 2010. Prior to his stint in Cleveland, Prunty was an assistant coach during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, after serving three seasons (2005-08) with the Dallas Mavericks as an assistant. He spent the previous nine seasons with the San Antonio Spurs where he won NBA Championships in 1999, 2003 and 2005. The Sunnyvale, Ca. native played collegiately at De Anza College in Cupertino, CA and is a 1991 graduate of California Poly San Luis Obispo.

Charles Klask joins the Nets following two seasons as an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons, where his responsibilities included game-plan preparation, statistical analysis and scouting. Prior to his stint in Detroit, Klask was on the staff of the Orlando Magic from 2002-2011, where he worked as a video coordinator, advance scout and the last three years as the scouting information manager. Klask began his NBA career with the Pistons in 2001, when he served as a video intern before being named the video coordinator of the Detroit Shock of the WNBA. A native of Livonia, MI, Klask is a graduate of Michigan State University.

Sann begins his second stint with the Nets organization, previously serving as assistant coach/coaching associate from 2005-06 to 2009-10, before joining the Chicago Bulls as an assistant coach/video coordinator the following season. Prior to the Nets, Sann was the advanced scout for the Houston Rockets during the 2004-05 season and served as an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors in 2003-04. He began his professional basketball career with the New York Knicks organization, holding various positions over 11 seasons, eventually rising to director of basketball administration. The Larchmont, NY native graduated from the University of Colorado in 1991.

Memphis Grizzlies sign guard Nick Calathes

The Memphis Grizzlies signed guard Nick Calathes, the team announced today.

Calathes (6-6, 213) was named the 2012-13 EuroCup MVP after recording 12.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists on .521 shooting in 17 games during the EuroCup competition last season.

The 24-year-old also posted 12.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists on .547 shooting in 14 games for Lokomotiv Kuban of the Russian Professional Basketball League (PBL) and averaged 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists on .555 shooting in 30 games in the VTB United League.

Calathes played his first three professional seasons in Greece for Panathinaikos Athens, helping guide the club to back-to-back Greek League Championships in 2010 and 2011 as well as a Greek League Finals appearance in 2012. Panathinaikos won the 2011 Euroleague Championship and advanced to the 2012 Euroleague Final Four.

Drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round (45th overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft, Calathes’ draft rights were traded to the Dallas Mavericks on draft night for a 2010 second round draft pick. Memphis acquired the draft rights to Calathes from Dallas in exchange for lifting the protection on a 2016 second round pick already owed to the Mavericks (via Denver) on July 22, 2013.

A two-time Florida Mr. Basketball, the Winter Park, Fla. native played two seasons at the University of Florida, where he was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Year in 2008 and selected First Team All-SEC as a sophomore in 2009. He led the Gators in scoring and assists per game in each of his two collegiate seasons, setting the school single-season record for assists (231) as a sophomore. Despite playing only two seasons, Calathes ranks third in school history in assists (452).

Bucks sign Larry Sanders to contract extension

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed Larry Sanders (6-11, 235) to a multi-year contract extension, General Manager John Hammond announced today. Sanders had a breakout year for the Bucks in 2012-13 when he posted career highs across the board with averages of 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game (2nd in the NBA). According to multiple reports, the extension is for four years, $44 million.

“By combining his God-given ability with hard work and determination, Larry has developed into one of the top young defensive players in the league,” said Hammond. “He is a very important part of what we are doing in Milwaukee, and we’re excited to announce his contract extension.”

The 24-year-old center is entering his fourth year with the Bucks and owns career averages of 6.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Last season, he notched a team-leading 26 double-doubles, one of which was his first career triple-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds and a franchise-record-tying 10 blocks at Minnesota on Nov. 30. Sanders and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the only players in Bucks history with a 10-block game. He finished the season with 201 blocks – just the fourth 200-block season in Bucks history and the first since Elmore Smith in 1975-76 – and had a string of 40 consecutive games with at least one blocked shot from Nov. 28 – March 4, the longest streak by a Buck in the last 25 years. Beginning with the 10 blocks at Minnesota, Sanders swatted 22 shots over a three-game stretch from Nov. 30 – Dec. 3 which stands as the most blocks in a three-game span in Bucks history, and he blocked four or more shots in five consecutive games from Jan. 2 – 9, which was the longest such streak since Abdul-Jabbar had a five-game streak in 1973.

Sanders, the 15th-overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, finished third in Most Improved Player voting after the 2012-13 season and earned the attention of USA Basketball with his play last year. He was invited to attend the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s National Team Mini-Camp in Las Vegas in July.

Community involvement is a priority of Sanders’ commitment to Milwaukee. He is active in supporting the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee and earned the organization’s Community Champion Award in March after donating a scoreboard to the Pieper-Hillside location. He has also distributed Thanksgiving meals at the House of Peace, donated toys to patients at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, tickets to all Bucks home games for Milwaukee youth and community groups, and he hosts an annual “Larry Sanders Basketball Camp” for kids in his hometown of Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Ty Lawson charged with physical harassment, criminal mischief

Ty Lawson, the Denver Nuggets’ star point guard, was charged with physical harassment and criminal mischief stemming from a Saturday night domestic violence arrest.

Lawson’s girlfriend, Ashley Nicole Pettiford, was also arrested, Grayson Robinson, Arapahoe County Sheriff told The Denver Post.

A mandatory restraining order was issued after charges were filed surrounding a domestic violence incident, according to court records.

“They were yelling at each other and broke each other’s phones,” Robinson said. “I don’t believe it was physical otherwise.”

Reported by Ryan Parker of the Denver Post

Trail Blazers sign guard Dee Bost

The Portland Trail Blazers signed guard Dee Bost to a contract, it was announced today by General Manager Neil Olshey. We assume this is a nonguaranteed contact that will bring Bost to training camp, where the team will evaluate him further.

Bost (6-2, 176) played four seasons at Mississippi State, where he averaged 15.8 points and 5.6 assists as a senior. Bost finished his career with 633 assists, tops in Mississippi State history and eighth all-time in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

Last season he played for Buducnost Podgorica in Montenegro where he averaged 8.3 points and 1.8 assists in 21.5 minutes per game.

Bost, 23, becomes the 17th player on the Trail Blazers’ current roster.

Bobcats assistant coach Bob Beyer arrested after fight in NY restaurant

Charlotte Bobcats assistant coach Bob Beyer was arrested in upstate New York on Thursday night following an incident in a Saratoga Springs restaurant.

Beyer, 51, was charged with second-degree obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

A Bobcats spokesman said Beyer is still employed by the team and issued the following statement: “We are aware of the incident. It is a legal matter and we will have no further comment until the legal process has run its course.”

Reported by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer

Bucks add Jim Cleamons to coaching staff

Former Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls assistant Jim Cleamons has been hired as the Bucks lead assistant coach, joining Bob Bender, Nick Van Exel, Scott Williams and Josh Oppenheimer on coach Larry Drew’s staff.

Cleamons was a guard on the Lakers’ championship team in 1971-’72 and later served as an assistant to Phil Jackson on the Lakers staff from 1999-2004 and again from 2006-’11. Cleamons also was an assistant to Jackson with the Chicago Bulls for seven seasons, winning four titles during the Michael Jordan era in the Windy City.

The 63-year-old Cleamons has been connected with 10 NBA championship teams (one as a player with the Lakers and five as a coach, and the four titles with the Bulls).

Reported by Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Mark Stevens joins Golden State Warriors ownership group

Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, the Co-Executive Chairmen of the Golden State Warriors, announced today that longtime Silicon Valley venture capitalist Mark Stevens has purchased the equity interests of the team that were previously held by Vivek Ranadivé and joined the team’s ownership group as an Executive Board Member.

Ranadivé was required to relinquish his stake in the club after leading a group that purchased a controlling interest in the Sacramento Kings on May 31, 2013.

“We’re extremely excited about the addition of Mark to our ownership group,” said Lacob. “He brings an incredible track record of success in the business world, primarily as a venture capitalist in the Bay Area, and his expertise on many levels will certainly aid us in our quest to become a World Class organization. We’ve managed to take a step closer to that goal today with Mark’s arrival.”

“Mark will prove to be a tremendous asset to our organization as we strive to become one of the model franchises in professional sports,” said Guber. “We’ve managed to build a strong and well-rounded ownership group in which each individual contributes to our success, and Mark is no exception. He’s an ideal fit.”

Currently the managing partner of S-Cubed Capital in Menlo Park, CA, Stevens is also a special limited partner and former managing partner at Sequoia Capital, a global venture capital firm based in Menlo Park. He joined Sequoia in 1989 as an associate and became a partner in 1993. During his tenure at Sequoia, his investment focus areas have been in semiconductors, networking systems, software and energy. Stevens has been responsible for numerous, successful Sequoia investments including: Aspect Development, AtWeb, Billpoint, Commquest, Documentum, Mobile Peak, MP3.com, Nvidia, Pixelworks, Quicklogic, Quickturn, Stratum One, Summit Design and Terayon Communications.

“This is an incredible opportunity for me,” said Stevens. “Under the guidance of Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, the Warriors have established themselves as a top flight organization in a very short time. The future of this team and franchise is unbelievably promising and I’m looking forward to contributing my part to help us achieve our goals.”

Stevens, who was advised by Game Plan LLC in connection with his acquisition of Ranadive’s equity interests, currently serves on the Board of Directors of Nvidia and has served on the Board of Trustees of the University of Southern California since 2001 (co-chair of the Investment Committee and member of Finance and Executive Committees). He is also a member of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering Board of Councilors, is the founder and chairman of the USC Stevens Center for Innovation, and serves on the Advisory board of the Harvard Business School’s California Research Center. Stevens, who is a part time lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and B.A. in Economics (both magna cum laude) from the University of Southern California in 1981, an M.S. in Computer Engineering from USC in 1984 and an MBA from Harvard University in 1989.

The Golden State Warriors ownership group consists of leaders in a wide variety of fields including: sports, entertainment, e-commerce, mobile technology, communications and venture capital.

Celtics trade Fab Melo to Grizzlies for Donte Greene

The Memphis Grizzlies acquired center Fab Melo and cash considerations from the Boston Celtics in exchange for forward Donté Greene, the team announced today.

According to the Boston Globe, “Though Melo was a low-risk gamble at the No. 22 overall pick, he made little progress in his rookie season. The Brazilian played sparingly in six games, scoring 7 total points and proving to be little more than a long-term project at best.”

Entering his second NBA season, Melo (7-0, 255) saw action in six games last season with the Celtics averaging 1.2 points in six minutes per contest. He appeared in 33 games for the NBA Development League’s Maine Red Claws, where he averaged 9.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and a league-high 3.1 blocks in 26.2 minutes per game after being assigned to the Celtics affiliate on Nov. 14. While with the Red Claws, he recorded a triple-double on Dec. 22 against Erie with 15 points, 16 rebounds and a D-League record 14 blocks. In Maine’s next game, he recorded 32 points, nine rebounds and nine blocks. Melo, a native of Juiz de Fora, Brazil, was named to the 2013 NBA D-League All-Rookie First Team and All-Defensive First Team.

Drafted by Boston with the 22nd overall pick in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft, Melo decided to forgo his final two years at Syracuse University after being named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in his sophomore season. In two seasons at Syracuse, he averaged 4.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks on .576 shooting in 17.3 minutes in 63 games (54 starts).

Greene (6-11, 226) signed with Memphis on April 17, 2013, holding NBA career averages of 6.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 16.8 minutes in 253 games (82 starts) over four seasons (2008-12) with the Sacramento Kings, but did not see action in a game with the Grizzlies.

The 25-year-old had missed the majority of the 2012-13 regular season while recovering from a fractured ankle suffered during an offseason workout on Aug. 25, 2012. He played one game in Puerto Rico for Atleticos de San German of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) last year.

Owner of 76ers is reportedly buying New Jersey Devils hockey team

A person familiar with the negotiations says Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris will add the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and the lease to their arena to his portfolio Thursday.

Attorneys for both sides were putting the final touches on the deal Wednesday that would allow Jeff Vanderbeek to sell his majority ownership to Harris, said the person, who asked not to be identified because neither party had announced the deal.

Reported by the Associated Press