NBA Teams – Page 1003 – NBA Blog

Young Magic need veteran leadership from Channing Frye

Here’s the Orlando Sentinel reporting on new Magic addition, Channing Frye:

The Magic just didn’t pay for Channing Frye’s basketball services. They are paying him to run their daycare, too.

As any parent knows, finding the right person to watch your kids is money well spent.

You can’t put a price on the maturity and professionalism that Frye will bring to this NBA nursery, although the Magic figured it was worth about $32 million over four years.

You’d ask for the moon, too, to baby-sit this brood.

The Magic are so young and impressionable that they need chaperons and curfews. Top pick Aaron Gordon is 18, and they’ll surely award custody of him to Frye, 31.

Without question, they have turned their lockeroom over to Frye for the next four seasons — or however long he’s in Orlando.

Wolves sign first round draft pick Zach LaVine

The Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday announced the team has signed 2014 first-round draft pick Zach LaVine. LaVine, a 6-5 guard out of UCLA, was the 13th overall selection in this year’s draft.

All first round draft picks are guaranteed to receive a contract, assuming the player wants to come to the NBA right away. This signing is standard routine, and was expected.

LaVine appeared in all 37 games, making one start, as a freshman at UCLA this past season. He averaged 9.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, earning Pac 12 All-Freshman honors. He connected on 37.5% from three-point range, finishing the year with 48 made three-pointers, the second-highest made three-pointers by a UCLA freshman in school history. LaVine scored in double figures in 17 games, including nine of his first 10 contests.

LaVine will make his Wolves debut at the Samsung NBA Summer League 2014, which takes place in Las Vegas from July 11-21. Minnesota’s first game is against Dallas on July 12 at the Thomas & Mack Center at 5:30 p.m. CT.

Kings sign first round draft pick Nik Stauskas

The Sacramento Kings on Tuesday signed first-round draft pick Nik Stauskas (STOUS-kiss) to a contract, according to Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro. Sacramento selected Stauskas out of the University of Michigan with the eighth-overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

As a first round draft pick, Stauskas was guaranteed to receive a contract. This signing is standard and was expected.

An early entry candidate, the 6-6, 205-pound Stauskas earned numerous All-American honors and was named the 2013-14 Big 10 Player of the Year after averaging 17.5 points (.470 FG%, .442 3pt%, .824 FT%), 2.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 35.6 minutes per game in 36 appearances for the Wolverines during his sophomore campaign. In two seasons with Michigan, Stauskas helped the Wolverines to the NCAA Tournament title game in 2013 and a Big Ten Championship and an Elite Eight appearance in 2014, finishing with career averages of 14.1 points (.467 FG%, .441 3pt%, .832 FT%), 2.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 32.9 minutes per game in 75 contests. In the Michigan record books, he is ranked second all-time in career free throw percentage, fifth in three-point field goal percentage, eighth in three-point field goals made (172) and 10th in three-point field goals attempted (390).

Nets introduce new head coach Lionel Hollins

Here’s the New York Daily News reporting on the Nets, who formally introduced new head coach Lionel Hollins yesterday:

In tone, message and appearance, Lionel Hollins was the anti-Jason Kidd in his introductory press conference with the Nets on Monday, even going so far as to say that he is not after general manager Billy King’s job, a startling remark that seemed appropriate given the tumult of the past week.

In the wake of the Kidd fiasco, Hollins, 60, reached an agreement with the Nets last Wednesday to become the 19th coach in the team’s long and increasingly strange history.

Implied in his hiring is the understanding that Hollins will bring stability to a franchise that was thrown for a loop when Kidd abruptly left to become head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks last week after he tried, unsuccessfully, to undercut King.

So it was telling that Hollins made it clear on Monday that he has no intentions of currying more influence within the Nets. He’s happy being a coach.

“It’s just nice to be able to do your job,” Hollins said, wearing a dark suit with his wife, Angela, beaming in the front row and King by his side. “That’s all I want to do. I’m a basketball coach. I don’t want to do Billy’s job. I don’t want to do anybody else’s job in the organization, but the one I’m hired to do. That’s important to me. I’m very low maintenance.”

Brian Wright is new Detroit Pistons assistant general manager

Detroit Pistons Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations Stan Van Gundy announced today that the team has named Brian Wright as assistant general manager.

“I’m pleased to welcome Brian Wright to the Detroit Pistons,” said Van Gundy. “Brian understands our vision and what we are trying to accomplish as a front office staff. He has a sharp basketball mind and will be an asset for our organization.”

Wright joins the Pistons after eight seasons with the Orlando Magic. He served as the Director of College Scouting last season, overseeing and managing all aspects of the college scouting department and executing preparations the NBA Draft. He was also responsible for overseeing the player development department.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to come to Detroit and begin working with the staff,” Wright said. “I firmly believe in the basketball vision that Stan (Van Gundy) and Jeff (Bower) have outlined for the organization and look forward to being a part of that process.”

Wright began his career with the Magic as a summer intern in 2006 and was hired as the scouting coordinator prior to the 2006-07 season. He also served as scouting manager and spent the 2012-13 season as the team scouting/player development manager.

Wright attended graduate school at the University of Central Florida, earning an MBA and Master’s in sports business management from the DeVos Sports Business Management Program. Prior to his time at UCF, he was an undergraduate student-athlete playing basketball at La Sierra University in Riverside, CA.

Miami Heat interested in Marvin Williams

Here’s the New York Daily News reporting on the Miami Heat and free agency:

Pat Riley called adding a Carmelo Anthony-type max-salary player to the Heat “a pipe dream,’’ and so far during free agency the Heat president has been proven correct.

Marvin Williams, formerly with the Hawks and Jazz and considered a third-tier free agent, is the latest player to be recruited by the Heat, which on Sunday was still waiting to get a commitment from LeBron James.

But James, in turn, is waiting to see what Riley gets in the free-agent market before he reups for perhaps only one more season. And so far, it can’t be very encouraging for the four-time MVP. The Heat hasn’t added anyone, although Miami has gone after Kyle Lowry, Luol Deng, Marcin Gortat, Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza.

If Riley doesn’t get moving, James just might start looking at teams that have already visited his agent, Rich Paul, in Cleveland. Those teams include the Lakers, Suns and Cavaliers.

LeBron to meet with Heat before making free agency decision

Here’s the Associated Press, via StarTribune.com, reporting on superstar free agent LeBron James:

Before LeBron James makes his next decision, Pat Riley will get a chance to convince him to stay in Miami.

Two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press late Sunday night that James will meet with the Heat president this week before making a decision about where to play next season. The time and location of the meeting were still being scheduled, said the people who spoke on condition of anonymity because neither the Heat nor James announced their plans publicly.

“In the next two or three days,” one of the people said.

Monday would seem difficult, unless James’ schedule changes. He has a commercial shoot planned and was expected to travel to Las Vegas later in the day for his annual camp with some of the nation’s best young basketball players, an event that opens Wednesday. James also has been planning a trip to Brazil for the World Cup final on July 13.

Ronald Roberts Jr. aims to prove he’s a keeper for 76ers

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on the 76ers and summer league:

Ronald Roberts Jr. aims to prove he’s a keeper.

An undrafted rookie free agent with the 76ers, Roberts came to the Orlando Pro Summer League with a chip on his shoulder. The power forward/center out of St. Joseph’s plans to give all he can on every possession.

“For me, this is a critical moment,” said Roberts, who finished with 12 points and six rebounds Sunday in an 84-73 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on the Amway Center’s practice court.

“I just want to show everybody what I’ve got,” he said, “just playing my heart out [to] make my dreams come true. Like I said, when I [went undrafted], I went to the court. . . . I just want to show these people.”

Thunder name Darko Rajakovic assistant coach

The Oklahoma City Thunder has named Darko Rajakovic as assistant coach, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. Rajakovic has spent the past two seasons as the head coach of the Tulsa 66ers, the Thunder’s NBA D-League affiliate.

“Darko’s diverse basketball background, knowledge of the game and ability to develop players at a high level were clearly apparent during his time in Tulsa, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to add him to our staff,” said Thunder Head Coach Scott Brooks. “His understanding of the core tenants of what we do, thanks to his time in Tulsa, will maintain a level of consistency that we value and his various head coaching experiences internationally will provide another layer to our coaches.”

A Serbian native, Rajakovic was the first head coach in NBA D-League history born outside of North America. Rajakovic led Tulsa to a combined 51-49 record over two seasons, including a 27-23 record and NBA D-League Semifinals appearance in 2012-13.

During his time with the 66ers, Tulsa was assigned seven players from Oklahoma City a total of 50 times (the most in the league during that stretch), including current Thunder players Reggie Jackson, Perry Jones, Jeremy Lamb and Andre Roberson. Rajakovic has also seen five of his 66ers players receive call-ups to the NBA, including four to the Thunder (Grant Jerrett, Daniel Orton, Mustafa Shakur and Reggie Williams). He coached 11 Tulsa players over the past two years who were on an NBA roster in the 2013-14 season.

Prior to joining the 66ers, Rajakovic spent the previous three years as the head coach of Espacio Torrelodones of the Spanish EBA League. In his first season (2009), Rajakovic led Torrelodones to the Primera Division de Baloncesto title, promoting the team to the Liga EBA.

Rajakovic began his coaching career at 16 years old with BC Borac Cacak in Cacak, Serbia. Following his three-year stint in Cacak, Rajakovic was named the head coach of the U-20 and U-18 teams of Red Star Belgrade. During his eight years in Belgrade, Rajakovic led Red Star to two Serbian championships. Rajakovic received a basketball coaching degree from the Belgrade Basketball Academy in 2004 and a degree in sports management from BK University in Belgrade in 2006.

New Sacramento Kings arena will have small seating capacity

Here’s the Sacramento Bee reporting on the Kings:

The Sacramento Kings are abandoning the arena that has the fewest seats in the NBA. They’re building a new arena … with the fewest seats in the NBA.

The $477 million arena at Downtown Plaza, set to begin construction later this month, will seat just 17,500 fans. That’s fewer than 200 additional seats compared to Sleep Train Arena, which is widely considered outmoded and inadequate for NBA use.

The Kings’ owners say their new building will be more lucrative than Sleep Train through the magic of modern arena design. There will be far more seats in the lower bowl, translating into higher ticket prices. There will be twice as many “premium” seats, including luxury suites and lofts, which will come with VIP perks and be among the most expensive tickets in the house. Those features will more than offset the relatively small total seating capacity, team officials say.

“There will be a massive change in comfort, in amenities, in concessions,” said Kings President Chris Granger, who is overseeing design and construction. “That’s why we’re doing it.”

At 745,000 square feet, including the practice facility, the new arena will be almost 70 percent bigger than Sleep Train.

But why so few seats? The designers are following a less-is-more revolution taking place in sports economics. Spacious arenas with 20,000-plus seats are giving way to cozier buildings that, paradoxically, can generate as much, if not more, profit than the big-box facilities. It’s no coincidence that the newest NBA arena, the 2-year-old Barclays Center in Brooklyn, is currently the league’s smallest with a capacity of 17,732.