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Mavericks trade Nick Calathes draft rights to Grizzlies

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have traded the draft rights to guard Nick Calathes to Memphis in exchange for a 2016 second round draft pick.

Calathes (6-6, 213) 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 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.

The 24-year-old 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.

Drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round (45th overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft, Calathes’ draft rights were traded to Dallas on draft night for a 2010 second round draft pick.

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.

Memphis originally traded a protected 2016 second round draft pick to the Denver Nuggets for Steven Hunter and a 2010 first round draft pick on Aug. 7, 2009. Denver later sent the pick to Dallas as part of a trade for Corey Brewer and Rudy Fernandez on Dec. 13, 2011.

DeMarcus Cousins enters pivotal week

This is when it starts, this new day for DeMarcus Cousins.

His return visit with the U.S. national team – the chance to enhance his prospects as a future Olympian – is also his latest and perhaps best opportunity to obliterate the past and sketch a more favorable, embraceable image.

The suspensions. The locker room feuds. The verbal tangle with a television analyst. The communication dust-up a year ago with the USA Basketball czar.

With issue-free participation in this week’s minicamp, Cousins redirects his career. He wins over his critics, empowers his advocates and delivers a strong message to his new bosses and his curious fans back in Sacramento.

But he has decisions to make and thoughts to be shared. He has undertaken a strange vow of silence – his feelings about the dramatic developments in Sacramento are unclear – while his new agent (Dan Fegan) privately seeks a five-year maximum contract before the Oct. 31 deadline.

Reported by Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee

New Memphis Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger is ready to roll

A Grizzlies assistant coach for the past six seasons, he was promoted on draft day after his team couldn’t agree with head coach Lionel Hollins on a new contract. Hollins entrusted him with the defense the past two seasons, and the Grizzlies have become one of the league’s best defensive teams while winning a franchise-record 56 games last season under Hollins.

“Lionel is comfortable in his own skin,” Joerger said. “He does a great job being who he is, and that’s something I need to be also. These guys know me as an assistant coach and now I’m going to be a head coach in demeanor and everything, but I still have to be who I am. If I try to be something different, it’s not going to work.”

He is a hard-working career coach who washed jerseys and booked halftime acts when he was assistant coach/general manager in Bismarck and credits part of his success to coaches such as Karl and Saunders, both of whom welcome him to their training camps a decade or more ago.

Joerger spent several days watching Saunders during the Wolves’ 2003 training camp when Saunders taught his intricate offense to newcomers Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell on a team that reached the Western Conference finals that season.

“I love the way Flip coaches offense,” Joerger said.

Reported by Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune

From Israel to the NBA and Mavericks for Gal Mekel

As far back as Gal Mekel can remember, he was always a basketball junkie.

“Basketball was my first love,” said Mekel, who was born and raised in Israel. “I started [playing] when I was 5 on the court right next to my house, and I started with a serious team when I was 6 of 7.

“When you grow up you have posters of Michael Jordan and everybody on your wall. It’s a dream of everybody.”

And it’s a dream for Mekel, a 25-year-old free-agent point guard who signed a three-year, $2.3 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks earlier this month.

When the regular season starts, Mekel will join Houston’s Omri Casspi as the only players from Israel to play in the NBA.

Reported by Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Stephen Curry finishes fourth in celebrity golf tournament

Warriors guard Stephen Curry hung in as the third-round leader for most of Sunday, but he faded down the stretch and watched Billy Joe Tolliver top Mark Rypien in a playoff for his fourth title at the American Century Championship at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.

Tolliver made par on the third playoff hole, the par-5, 501-yard 18th hole to claim the title after Rypien deposited a short pitch into a pond alongside the green. Tolliver and Rypien, former NFL quarterbacks, tied at 67 points, and Curry ended up with 64 — good enough for a fourth-place finish.

“I think I showed I’ve got what it takes to win here,” said Curry, the 36-hole leader. “Obviously, it takes a lot to win. A lot has to go right. The more I play, the more comfortable I get. It’s a great environment to play golf.”

Reported by Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle (Blog)

Brazilian center Vitor Faverani set to join Celtics

Signs seem to be pointing toward 7-foot Brazilian center Vitor Faverani finally becoming a Celtic. Faverani’s Spanish team in Valencia issued a press release on Friday that the 25-year-old has officially told them that he is leaving the team to pursue his basketball career elsewhere.

The Celtics and Faverani had essentially agreed on a three-year, $6 million framework of a deal, but the transaction had been delayed due to the Celts’ continuing attempts to get below the luxury tax line of $71.7 million. The C’s were $2 million over that line before this deal.

Reported by the Boston Herald

Gal Mekel has confidence after Vegas league

Shane Larkin’s ankle injury moved Gal Mekel into a more prominent role in the summer league and ended up giving Mekel the opportunity to be the most consistent player on the floor for the Mavs.

He finished the summer league by averaging 9.7 points and 5.0 assists while shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from 3-point range. Not bad, considering the Mavs ended the summer league playing four games in four days.

“For me, I think it was a great week the first time getting to know the NBA game,” Mekel said. “I think I played pretty good for the first time.

Prior to the summer league team leaving for Las Vegas, Mekel, 25, was considered a unique prospect because no one really knew what kind of game he had. Fresh off a title and MVP award in Israel, the guard’s resume impressed his coach.

Reported by Bryan Gutierrez of ESPN Dallas

Ricky Ledo ready to prove himself

By making a trade to acquire the 43rd overall pick in the 2013 draft, the Dallas Mavericks made Providence shooting guard Ricky Ledo their guy.

“We specifically grabbed that pick for Ricky Ledo and we feel pretty good about him,” president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said.

Ledo, 20, is considered to have big upside, but there is a reason he was available in the second round. He never played for Providence. After moving from high school to high school, the guard sat out his freshman year as a partial academic qualifier before declaring for this year’s draft.

“Certainly, he needs to mature and needs time, but we really feel good about him,” Nelson said.

Reported by Bryan Gutierrez, special to ESPN Dallas

Kevin Martin feels he brings a championship tone to Timberwolves

Kevin Martin didn’t realize how mediocre his NBA experience was until last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The new Timberwolves shooting guard had played on competitive teams in Houston and Sacramento, but an organization with an NBA-Finals-or-bust attitude was uncharted territory.

“It’s just a special atmosphere when your team has a championship tone in that locker room,” Martin said in a conference call Saturday afternoon. “That’s one thing I feel like I bring.”

Martin ended up with the Thunder last year after the Rockets made him part of a trade for superstar James Harden. Because of salary and luxury cap restrictions, it was unlikely Oklahoma City could have afforded Martin’s return this season. The Wolves swooped in for a sign-and-trade deal that was made official July 11.

Reported by Alex M. Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press

DeMarcus Cousins aims to become a better defender

Cousins will return to Las Vegas next week as part of the USA Basketball minicamp.

Cousins did not speak with the media, except for an interview on NBA TV. He was asked about the changes to ownership, the front office and coaching staff as he enters his fourth NBA season.

“To be honest, we came into every season with something to deal with,” Cousins said. “Just make the best of it and try to stay focused and play your game.”

Cousins said he continues to work on his overall game but with a special emphasis.

“I really want to improve the defensive end this year,” Cousins said. ” … That’s my main thing – just being better on the defensive end.”

Reported by Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee