Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (back spasms) exited Thursday’s game versus Minnesota with 10:02 remaining in the first quarter. A precautionary MRI conducted this morning revealed no structural damage and he will be listed as day-to-day moving forward.
Kings forward Marvin Bagley III (left foot) exited Thursday’s game versus Minnesota with 4:05 remaining in the third quarter. He will be evaluated by a foot specialist tomorrow and an update will be provided as appropriate.
A third-year guard and fifth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft out of Kentucky, Fox has accrued averages of 17.6 points (.465 FG%, .333 3pt%, .686 FT%), 4.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 29.3 minutes per game in 14 games (12 starts) for the Kings during the 2019-20 season.
A second-year forward and second overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft out of Duke, Bagley III has averaged 13.7 points (.459 FG%, .214 3pt%, .800 FT%), 6.9 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.4 steals and 23.6 minutes per game in nine games (three starts) for Sacramento this season.
The Philadelphia 76ers announced promotions within the team’s basketball operations department today.
BASKETBALL OPERATIONS
Zach Sogolow has been promoted to Director, Basketball Operations after previously serving as Senior Manager, a role he held since joining the team in August 2017. Sogolow will oversee day-to-day basketball staff operations, working closely with the Assistant General Manager on league rules and compliance, as well as contract and salary-cap-related matters. He joined the 76ers after nearly two years at the NBA League Office, where he served as Basketball Operations Coordinator. Sogolow also spent the summer of 2014 with the League Office as a Basketball Operations Analytics Trainee. A four-year team manager for the Harvard Crimson men’s basketball team, Sogolow spent the 2014-15 season as a head manager, while pursuing his degree in psychology.
Mary Purcell-Davis has been promoted to Manager, a title she adds to her already-existing Executive Assistant position. She will continue to oversee basketball operations staff travel, manage day-to-day logistics of all basketball operations staff and serve as Executive Assistant to 76ers Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Alex Rucker. Purcell-Davis started her career with the 76ers in February 1987 as a receptionist and worked in advertising sales before transitioning full-time into basketball operations in 1997. A Philadelphia native, Purcell-Davis credits longtime 76ers Executive Assistant Marlene Barnes, who spent 39 years with the franchise, as a mentor. Purcell-Davis has worked with 15 different head coaches, including serving as Executive Assistant for current 76ers Sr. Advisor to the Head Coach Jim O’Brien, Oklahoma City Thunder Assistant Coach Maurice Cheeks and Phoenix Suns Assistant Coach Randy Ayers, among others.
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
John Boyles has been promoted to Director, Research & Development, a role in which he will be responsible for the leadership and direction of the team’s developers and data scientists. John originally joined the team in July 2018 as a Developer, creating custom applications for use within the basketball operations department. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Pittsburgh, John spent 15 years working on distributed file systems, most notably rising to Technical Director at Avere Systems, a company eventually acquired by Microsoft. Just prior to joining the 76ers, John worked for Curalate in Philadelphia as the Technical Lead of the Metrics Team.
Grant Fiddyment has been promoted to Manager of Research after previously serving as Data Scientist within the same department. Fiddyment originally joined the 76ers in December 2016 and immediately began developing tools to analyze team training, performance and in-game strategies. He spent the previous five years as a Graduate Researcher at Boston University, where he assisted a team of mathematicians and epilepsy clinicians. Fiddyment holds degrees in several different disciplines, including bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from the University of Georgia and a PhD in computational neuroscience from Boston University. He has also served as an Adjunct Professorial Lecturer at American University since December 2016.
COMMUNICATIONS
Patrick Rees has been promoted to Vice President of Communications after previously serving as Senior Director within the same department. In this expanded role, Rees will continue to oversee the team’s basketball communications efforts, while also supporting the organization throughout the year on brand initiatives, launches and campaigns. In his third season with the 76ers, Rees has also worked in the PR department for the Washington Wizards, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic and San Antonio Spurs over the past 15 years.
The Houston Rockets signed forward William Howard to a two-way contract today.
Howard (6-8, 207) was playing for Salt Lake City in the NBA G League and is the eighth GATORADE Call-Up of the season. In 15 games for the Stars, Howard averaged 13.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.1 3-pointers made on 43.7% shooting.
Prior to joining the Stars, Howard was with Utah during training camp and the preseason. He spent the past seven seasons playing professionally in his home country of France.
Earlier today, the Houston Rockets converted the two-way contract of guard Chris Clemons into a standard NBA contract.
Clemons (5-9, 180) was eligible for the 2019 NBA Draft and originally signed with Houston on July 3. He has appeared in 20 games for the Rockets this season and is averaging 21.1 points and 5.5 3-pointer made per 36 minutes played. Clemons has also averaged 21.6 points in five G League games for the Rockets affiliate, Rio Grande Valley.
As a senior at Campbell University last season, Clemons led the nation in scoring with 30.1 ppg. He finished his career with the third-most points (3,225) and the fifth-most 3-pointers made (444) in NCAA Division I history.
In yet another indication of how a rough Pistons season is going, shooting guard Luke Kennard will miss the next two weeks with bilateral knee tendinitis.
Kennard will begin a treatment regimen and be re-evaluated for a return to action on January 7.
The Pistons are 11-20 this season, which is the 11th best record in the Eastern conference. Kennard this season is scoring 15.8 points per game, which tied him with Blake Griffin for the team’s third-leading scorer. The guard has started 25 ofhis 28 games played.
Tucker (6-3, 209, Arkansas-Little Rock) has played in 16 games (all starts) for the Wisconsin Herd of the NBA G League this season where he’s averaged 23.8 points on 49.4 percent from the field, 4.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 33.8 minutes per contest.
The 22-year-old finished his collegiate career at Arkansas-Little Rock, owning averages of 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 36.6 minutes per game during the 2018-19 season. The Charlotte, N.C. native was named to the 2018-19 All-Sun Belt Second Team following his final college season. He played for Florida Gulf Coast for two seasons (2015-17) prior to Arkansas-Little Rock.
The Washington Wizards signed forward Johnathan Williams today.
Williams (6-9, 228) appeared in 18 games (12 starts) for Maccabi Rishon Lezion in Israel (I-BSL) this season, averaging 11.8 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. The second-year forward totaled eight double-doubles and reached double-figures in 13 games for Rishon, most recently posting 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists vs. Nahariya on December 22.
After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, Williams signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 6.5 points and 4.1 rebounds in 24 games off the bench. The Gonzaga product also appeared in 26 games for the South Bay Lakers, posting averages of 15.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists.
The Wizards’ roster now stands at 17, not including two-way players Garrison Mathews and Anzejs Pasecniks.
The Denver Nuggets and Head Coach Michael Malone have agreed to a contract extension, Vice Chairman of KSE Josh Kroenke and President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced Tuesday.
According to ESPN, Malone’s extension runs through the 2022-23 NBA season.
Malone is coming off a season in which he led the Nuggets to a 54-28 record, their second-best overall record in franchise history, en route to the #2 seed in the Western Conference. The Nuggets also advanced to the second round of the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2008-09. Since Malone took over prior to the 2015-16 season, the Nuggets have improved on their win total by a total of 24 wins (+3 after first season, +7 after second, +6 after third and +8 after fourth), making Denver the only team in the NBA to increase their win total in each of the last four seasons. The Nuggets previously agreed to a contract extension with Coach Malone on Oct. 17, 2018.
According to the Denver Post, “as the Nuggets deal with their first year of real expectations, Malone has been noticeably more measured on the sidelines this season. He knows that his demeanor will be reflected in how his team plays, and it’s one area of tangible growth. On Monday, when the Nuggets showed composure in their riveting comeback win over the Suns, Malone tried to embody how he wanted his team to conduct itself.”
“This season and team has been about continuity, with Coach Malone being the first piece of that,” stated Josh Kroenke. “We are thrilled to continue to have him lead this promising young roster and are excited about what the future holds. Coach Malone has been pivotal in this organization’s success and will continue to be so.”
“We have been very fortunate to have Coach Malone lead our resurgence. His tireless work ethic and passion are clearly reflected in the continued improvement of our roster,” said Tim Connelly. “We are all extremely excited for him to continue to lead our team as we try to build a championship level organization.”
Through 357 games as Denver’s head coach, Malone has compiled a record of 194-163 (.543), ranking him fourth in franchise history in wins among head coaches.
“I would like to thank Josh, Stan and the entire Kroenke family, along with Tim Connelly and the front office, for continuing to believe and trust in me as their head coach,” Malone said. “None of this would be possible without the hard work, dedication and trust from our players as well as the entire coaching staff. I’d also like to thank the amazing fans in Denver who have helped make Pepsi Center one of the toughest places to play in the NBA once again. I look forward to continuing our ultimate goal of winning NBA Championships.”
The Utah Jazz in a trade today acquired guard Jordan Clarkson from Cleveland in exchange for guard Danté Exum and two future second round picks, pending the outcome of physicals.
The two draft picks Cleveland will receive are a 2022 second-round pick via San Antonio and a 2023 second-round pick via Golden State.
Exum (6-5, 214) has appeared in 11 games for Utah this season. In five seasons with the Jazz, he averaged 5.7 points and 2.2 assists in 18.7 minutes over 215 career contests (68 starts), and appeared in 17 career playoff games in 2017 and 2018. The Melbourne, Australia native was originally drafted by Utah with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, “Exum, 24, had struggled to find time in coach Quin Snyder’s playing rotation after recovering from knee surgery. While the Jazz had allocated all of their developmental resources toward Exum, the Australian disappointed during the course of his Jazz career.”
Clarkson (6-4, 192, Missouri) is in his sixth NBA season, currently averaging 14.6 points on 44.2 percent from the field, 2.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 23.0 minutes per game. Among qualified players, the 27-year-old ranks seventh in scoring average off the bench in 2019-20, also having knocked down the fourth most three-point field goals (59) among reserves this season.
Drafted in the second round (46th overall) of the 2014 NBA Draft by Washington (traded to Lakers on draft night), the San Antonio, Texas native has appeared in 411 career games (138 starts) with the Los Angeles Lakers and Cavaliers with career averages of 14.7 points on 44.4 percent shooting, 3.2 boards and 2.7 assists in 27.2 minutes per contest. Following his first season, he was named to the 2014-15 All-Rookie First Team.
Per the Tribune, “Clarkson, known as a slasher along the lines of former Utah guard Alec Burks, spent most of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers before being traded to the Cavs in 2018.”
And one more Tribune note: “Exum will make $9.6 million for this season and next. Clarkson’s deal, on the other hand, expires this summer and will make him $13.4 million this season.”
