Golden State Warriors Blog – Page 79 – NBA Blog

Raptors hire Scott Roth as assistant coach

The Toronto Raptors announced Monday the addition of Scott Roth as an assistant coach. Roth brings 25 years of experience as a player, scout and coach in the professional and international ranks to head coach Jay Triano’s staff.

“Scott and I have a long history dating back to playing professionally at the same time in Turkey,” said Triano. “He is a coach who brings to us experience from many different levels of basketball – International, D-League and the NBA.”

Roth comes to Toronto following one season as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors. Prior to that he was the head coach of the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA D-League in 2008-09 and guided the team to its first post-season appearance with a 26-24 record.

Roth has served seven seasons in the NBA as an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks (1996-2000) and Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies (2000-02), and four seasons as a scout and advisor for the Milwaukee Bucks.

In 2000, Roth was the head coach of the Turkish National Team when they claimed a silver medal at the European Championships held in Istanbul. A year later he guided Turkey at the 2001 World Championships in Indianapolis. Most recently, he was the head coach of the Dominican Republic National Team in 2007 and 2008, earning a silver medal at the CBC Caribbean Championships in Puerto Rico.

Following a standout collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin, Roth was selected in the fourth round of the 1985 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs. He opted to begin his professional playing career overseas with Efes Pilsen in Turkey. He returned to North America in 1987 and appeared in 160 NBA games with the Utah Jazz (1987-88), San Antonio Spurs (1988-89) and Minnesota Timberwolves (1989-90) before returning to Europe to finish his career.

Timberwolves sign Anthony Tolliver

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed free-agent forward Anthony Tolliver. Per team policy, terms of the contract offer were not disclosed.

“Anthony is a talented and versatile player who will fit nicely with the young team we’re assembling,” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “He made significant strides during his time in Golden State last season and we’re excited to see the continued growth of his game here in Minnesota.”

Tolliver, 25, appeared in 44 games for the Golden State Warriors last year after a midseason call-up from the NBA D-League. The 6-8 forward averaged 12.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game for the Warriors, including career bests of 34 points (April 7 at Minnesota) and 21 rebounds (March 27 vs. Dallas). Tolliver scored in double figures in 29 of his 44 games with the Warriors and grabbed 10+ rebounds 13 times, including 12 double-doubles.

Despite going undrafted out of Creighton University during the 2007 NBA Draft, Tolliver has appeared in 65 career NBA games during stints with San Antonio, Portland and Golden State, and owns career averages of 9.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Tolliver has also appeared in 56 games in the D-League over the last three seasons, averaging 14.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He averaged 21.4 points and 11.4 rebounds in 14 games for the Idaho Stampede last season before earning the call-up to the Warriors.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Warriors sign-and-trade CJ Watson to Bulls

The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has acquired the signed-and-traded contract of guard C.J. Watson from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for a future second-round draft choice. Golden State will be receiving the lesser of Phoenix’s and Utah’s regular 2011 second-round draft choices, both of which are held by the Bulls.

Watson (6-2, 175) comes to the Bulls having played the last three seasons with the Warriors. Last year, the 26-year-old Watson appeared in 65 games (15 starts) and averaged 10.3 ppg, 2.8 apg, 2.6 rpg, 1.58 spg, 27.5 mpg, .468 from the field, .310 from behind the arc and .771 from the line. In his three years with Golden State, he appeared in 174 games (33 starts) and he owns career averages of 8.7 ppg, 2.4 apg, 2.3 rpg, 1.23 spg, 23.2 mpg, .459 shooting from the field, .351 shooting from downtown and .822 shooting from the line.

Following his collegiate career at the University of Tennessee, he went undrafted in the 2006 NBA Draft. From there, Watson split the 2006-07 season playing in Italy and Greece. He then played with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League in 2007-08 before his free agent call-up with the Warriors.

David Lee out six weeks with finger injury

Golden State Warriors forward David Lee, who suffered an injury to the middle (long) finger on his right hand during practice with USA Basketball yesterday in Las Vegas, was examined today by Dr. Bill Green in San Francisco.

The exam indicated that Lee suffered a “mallet finger” injury. He is expected to wear a splint for six (6) weeks and is expected to make a complete recovery prior to the start of training camp in late September.

Jazz sign Raja Bell

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has signed guard Raja Bell to a multi-year free agent contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

“Raja has proven to be an excellent three-point shooter over a number of years and is a good defender who brings a toughness on the perimeter,” said Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor. “He knows Coach Sloan’s system and what he expects of him. Raja had a lot of choices and we’re happy he chose the Jazz.”

Bell (6-5, 215, Florida International) owns career averages of 10.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 604 career games (383 starts) over 10 NBA seasons with Philadelphia, Dallas, Utah, Phoenix, Charlotte and Golden State since entering the league on a 10-day contract in April 2001. Bell has also appeared in 68 career playoff games (40 starts), averaging 8.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 25.9 minutes with Philadelphia, Dallas and Phoenix.

Twice named to the NBA All-Defensive Team (First Team in 2006-07 and Second Team in 2007-08), Bell will enter the 2010-11 season ranked 11th in NBA history in career three-point field goal percentage (.411), minimum 250 made, and is fifth on that list among active players. Bell has shot at least .400 from beyond the arc in each of the last six seasons, hitting 100+ three-pointers in five of the last six campaigns.

In two seasons during his first stint with the Jazz (2003-05), Bell appeared in 145 games (36 starts) and averaged 11.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 26.3 minutes. He currently ranks fifth in Jazz history in three-point accuracy (.387, minimum 50 made).

Bell’s best statistical season came in 2005-06 with Phoenix, when Bell appeared in 79 games (all starts) and registered career-high averages of 14.7 points and 2.6 assists to go with 3.2 rebounds in a career-high 37.4 minutes per game.

In 2009-10, Bell appeared in six games with Charlotte and Golden State before missing the remainder of the season following left wrist surgery. Bell saw action in five games for Charlotte (all starts) before being traded to Golden State on November 16, 2009, playing one game for the Warriors prior to the season-ending surgery. Bell averaged a combined 11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 30.0 minutes between the two teams.

A native of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Bell was undrafted out of Florida International in 1999 and played in the USBL, CBA and IBL before the Philadelphia 76ers signed him to a 10-day contract on April 6, 2001.

Warriors sold for record $450 million

The AP reports:

Golden State Warriors owner Chris Cohan reached an agreement Thursday to sell the franchise for a record $450 million to Boston Celtics minority partner Joe Lacob and Mandalay Entertainment CEO Peter Guber.

“I am incredibly excited to have the opportunity to be the next steward of this storied NBA franchise. This is my dream come true,” said Lacob, who is also the managing partner with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. “Peter and I intend to do what we do best _ innovating and building. It is our passion to return the Warriors to greatness and build nothing short of a championship organization that will make all of us in the Bay Area proud.”

Lacob and Guber beat out Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, who had been considered the favorite to buy the team from Cohan. Ellison has a personal fortune of $28 billion, according to an annual survey by Forbes magazine, and is the sixth-richest man in the world.

Jazz reach agreement with swingman Raja Bell

Tim Buckley of the Deseret News reports:

The Jazz have reached an agreement with free agent Raja Bell, a veteran swingman who played previously in Utah and last was with the Golden State Warriors.

Details of the agreement, which the Jazz did not confirm, were not immediately known.

Bell is coming off recent wrist surgery that curtailed his 2009-10 season.

The deal is contingent on Bell passing a physical exam.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Good signing for both parties. Old Bell can still provide defense and veteran experience off the bench, plus he can trip opposing players with his cane.

Ekpe Udoh out 6 months

The AP reports:

The Golden State Warriors say top draft pick Ekpe Udoh will miss six months after undergoing surgery on his injured left wrist.

Udoh underwent the operation on Wednesday in San Francisco to repair a torn ligament in his wrist. He will have his wrist immobilized for about 10 weeks.

Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa News (blog) reports:

His wrist will be immobilized for 10 weeks, which means he will be just getting the cast off around the time camp starts. After that, starts rehab, which clearly the doctor thinks will take at least three months. That puts Udoh out until January, if everything goes according to plan. If recent history is any indicator (which it probably shouldn’t be because no one knows how well he heals), don’t expect Udoh back before the All-Star break.

Warriors trade Anthony Morrow to Nets

The New Jersey Nets have acquired guard Anthony Morrow from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for the Nets 2011 second round draft pick (protected 31-55), Nets President Rod Thorn announced today.

“We felt that outside shooting was a primary concern during this offseason,” said Thorn. “Anthony is one of the premier young shooters in the league and we are very pleased to add him to our roster.”

Morrow, 6’5”/210, is a two-year NBA veteran with career averages of 11.6 points and 3.4 rebounds in 26.0 minutes over 54 career games with the Golden State Warriors.

The four-year senior out of Georgia Tech, was not selected in the 2008 NBA Draft and later signed with the Warriors as a free agent. Morrow led the NBA in three-point field goal percentage in 2008-09, becoming the first Warrior and first rookie to lead the NBA in the category.

Last season, he appeared in 69 games, including 37 starts for Golden State, posting averages of 13.0 points on 46.8% shooting, including a 45.6% mark from downtown (fifth-best in the NBA) and 3.8 rebounds in 29.2 minutes per game.

Shooting .460 (226-491) from downtown in his two seasons, Morrow holds the highest three-point field goal percentage in the NBA among players with at least 200 three-pointers made.

Knicks sign-and-trade David Lee to Warriors

The Golden State Warriors have acquired All-Star forward/center David Lee in a sign-and-trade deal with the New York Knicks, in exchange for Kelenna Azubuike, Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf and a 2012 second round draft pick, the team announced today. Per team policy, financial terms of Lee’s deal were not released. We’ll post contract details tonight.

Lee, 27, appeared in 81 games for the Knicks last season, averaging 20.2 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.05 steals in 37.3 minutes per contest, while shooting 54.5% (686-1,258 FG) from the field and 81.2% (268-330 FT) from the line en route to being named to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team. One of only three players in the NBA last season to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds (joining Chris Bosh and Zach Randolph), Lee ranked fourth in the league in rebounding, fourth in double-doubles with 53 (trailing only Dwight Howard, Zach Randolph and Carlos Boozer), ninth in field goal percentage and 15th in scoring.

“David Lee is a terrific basketball player and an All-Star,” said Warriors’ General Manager Larry Riley. “His skill-set addresses two areas where we need to improve: rebounding and passing, plus, we know he will score. He is a proven talent in this league and we like the way that his talents fit with the other core players on our roster. We thank Kelenna, Anthony and Ronny for their contributions to our team and organization during their time here, and wish them nothing but the best. This decision was not easy, but, at the end of the day, we feel that this was the right move for our organization and we are excited that David Lee is now a member of the Golden State Warriors.”

A five-year NBA veteran, Lee owns career averages of 13.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 30.0 in 368 games (all with New York), while shooting 55.7% from the field and 77.4% from the free throw line. Following a four-year collegiate career at the University of Florida, Lee has continued to improve each year of his NBA career, including an increase in scoring every season – averaging 5.1ppg as a rookie in 2005-06, 10.7 in 2006-07, 10.8 in 2007-08, 16.0 in 2008-09, and 20.2 last season. In fact, over the last four seasons (not counting rookie year of 2005-06) the 6’9’’ forward/center has averaged 14.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, making him one of only seven players in the NBA to average at least 14.0 points and 10.0 rebounds over that four-season span (joining Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson and Zach Randolph). Lee is currently a member of the 2010-12 USA Basketball Men’s National Team program alongside Warriors’ guard and teammate Stephen Curry.

Lee scored 20-or-more points 46 times last season (including five 30+ games), grabbed 10-or-more rebounds 54 times, 15-plus boards 23 times and had three 20-plus rebound efforts. He posted 20-points & 10-rebounds in the same game 31 times, including his first career triple-double with a career-high 37 points, 20 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists at Golden State on April 2 to become the first NBA player to register at least 30 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a game since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did so in March of 1976.

Azubuike, 26, appeared in nine games (seven starts) with Golden State last season, averaging 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 25.7 minutes. He missed the final 73 games of the season after suffering a torn patellar tendon in his left knee on November 14 at Milwaukee and undergoing surgery for the injury on November 18. Originally called-up from the NBA D-League by the Warriors on July 17, 2007, Azubuike owns career averages of 10.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 24.4 minutes in 205 regular-season games over three seasons with Golden State.

Randolph, 20, appeared in 33 games (eight starts) last season for the Warriors, averaging 11.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.55 blocks in 22.7 minutes per contest. He missed 48 games due to injury, including the final 47 contests of the season due to a sprained left ankle that occurred on January 8 vs. Sacramento. Originally selected by the Warriors with the 14th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Randolph owns career averages of 9.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.30 blocks and 19.6 minutes in 96 games over two seasons with Golden State.

Turiaf, 27, appeared in 42 games (20 starts) with Golden State last season, averaging 4.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.29 blocks in 20.8 minutes per contest. Originally drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round (37th overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft and signed as a restricted free agent by the Warriors on July 10, 2008, Turiaf owns career averages of 5.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.42 blocks and 17.9 minutes in 294 regular-season games over five seasons with the Lakers and Warriors.