Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

Pistons hire Malik Rose as assistant GM

The Detroit Pistons announced today that Malik Rose has been named assistant general manager.

“We are pleased to welcome Malik Rose to the Detroit Pistons organization,” said Ed Stefanski, Special Advisor to owner Tom Gores. “Malik has been around successful teams throughout his NBA playing career and now, as a young executive, he brings great basketball knowledge from both a playing and administrative perspective. His engaging and collaborative spirit fits perfectly with the basketball operations staff we are looking to construct.”

Rose has spent the last three seasons with the Atlanta Hawks as their manager of basketball operations. He also served as general manager for the club’s NBA G-League affiliate – the Erie BayHawks.

The 13-year NBA veteran appeared in 813 regular season games with the Charlotte Hornets, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder where he averaged 6.2 points and 4.1 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per game. The Philadelphia native was drafted by Charlotte in the second round (44th overall) of the 1996 NBA Draft. He signed as a free agent with San Antonio in 1997 and was traded to New York in 2005. Rose finished his career with Oklahoma City in 2009. He appeared in 82 playoff games, recording averages of 6.2 points and 4.3 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game and won NBA Championships with the Spurs in 1999 and 2003.

After retiring from the NBA, Rose worked as a television analyst for the Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks, Austin Toros of the NBA G-League, NBA TV and NBA Radio from 2010-2015.

Rose played collegiately at Drexel University from 1992-96 where he earned degrees in computer information systems and education with a mathematics certification. He also owns a Master’s degree in sports management.

Hornets do not give qualifying offers to Treveon Graham or Marcus Paige

The Charlotte Hornets have declined to give Treveon Graham and Marcus Paige qualifying offers, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations & General Manager Mitch Kupchak. Both players will become unrestricted free agents on July 1.

Graham, a 6-5 guard/forward from Virginia Commonwealth, appeared in 90 games for the Hornets during the last two seasons (2016-17 and 2017-18), averaging 3.7 points and 1.6 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game. He was originally signed by Charlotte as a free agent on July 26, 2016.

Paige signed a two-way contract with Charlotte on Aug. 2, 2017. In 2017-18, the 6-1 guard from North Carolina appeared in five games with the Hornets, averaging 2.4 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 5.6 minutes per contest. He also appeared in 46 games (39 starts) for the Hornets G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, averaging 15.2 points, 4.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 32.6 minutes per game.

LeBron James decision to opt-out or not coming today

LeBron James can stick with his current Cavs contract. Or out out, and re-sign with the Cavs for more money. Or opt out, and sign elsewhere. Or opt out, and then line up a sign-and-trade with the Cavs to get sent elsewhere. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on the situation:

LeBron James has a huge decision to make before free agency begins Sunday.

He has until 11:59 p.m. Friday to opt in or out of his $35.6 million player option with the Cleveland Cavaliers for next season. James would become an unrestricted free agent by opting out.

James would be eligible to sign a five-year, $205 million free-agent deal with Cleveland this summer if he opts out… If James signs with another team, his max salary would be $152 million over four years.

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Lakers waive Tyler Ennis

The Los Angeles Lakers have requested waivers on guard Tyler Ennis, it was announced last night.

Acquired via trade on February 23, 2017, Ennis averaged 5.2 points, 2.1 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 76 games (13 starts) for the Lakers.

The Lakers may do massive things in free agency in the next week or two. We’re all waiting to see if they land Kawhi Leonard in free agency, what LeBron James, Paul George and other top players decide, etc.

Should the Hornets trade Kemba Walker?

The Hornets are going nowhere fast. They get big production from Kemba Walker, but Dwight Howard is on his way out, and the rest of the squad is mostly supporting cast material. (A healthy Nic Batum can be excellent. But anyway:) Should the Hornets trade Walker? Here’s the Charlotte Observer with some opinion:

Next season will be the last on Kemba’s contract. He will make $12 million, which is to the NBA what $8 an hour is to the rest of North Carolina. He is a blue-light special bargain. He never will be again.

If the Hornets don’t trade him, they could lose him after next season. He can walk, and his employer gets nothing.

If the Hornets retain Kemba, he presumably will insist on a five-year contract. No other team can sign him to more than four. And he will want huge money, Nic Batum money, and he has earned it. The Hornets signed Batum to a five-year $120 million contract.

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Derek Pierce named GM of Erie BayHawks

The Atlanta Hawks today promoted Derek Pierce to General Manager of the Erie BayHawks (Atlanta’s G League affiliate). This will be in addition to Pierce’s current role within the Hawks basketball operations team.

Hawks General Manager and Head of Basketball Operations Travis Schlenk had to this to say about the move: “We are excited to have Derek take over as General Manager of the BayHawks. He has earned this position, working his way up throughout his time in the league and is well-respected by his peers for his work ethic and eye for talent… Derek understands how much we value the G League and will do a great job leading basketball operations for Erie.”

The 45-year-old Pierce joined Atlanta at the start of the 2017-18 season as the Hawks’ Pro Player Personnel Scout.

Before joining the Hawks organization, Pierce spent eight seasons with the Timberwolves as an advance, college and NBA personnel scout.

And before his time with the Timberwolves, Pierce for three seasons was an advance scout for the Wizards, and for two seasons was an advance scout for the Golden State Warriors. He was also the Pacers’ video coordinator for five seasons.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity given to me by the Atlanta and Erie families. I can’t wait to get to work and continue to build off last year’s success,” Pierce said. “The G League is an invaluable resource and we’ll continue to utilize it extensively like we have in recent years. Right now, my number one goal is to work with Coach Pierce to find a head coach who shares the same vision and passion for developing players and establishing a culture of hard-working and high character players that make both the fans of Atlanta and Erie proud.”

Sixers reportedly interested in Paul George

It’s about to be on. Free agent mania. Great players needing new homes, and perhaps going in that route, or sticking with their current squad. Endless speculation. As for Paul George, here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting that the Sixers wouldn’t mind adding him alongside Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and friends:

ESPN is reporting that Paul George told the Oklahoma City Thunder he will opt out his $20.7 million salary for the 2018-19 season. The small forward has until 11:59 p.m. Friday to formerly decline the final year of his contract.

The Sixers are interested in pursuing the five-time NBA all-star to play alongside Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, according to sources.

His opting out doesn’t mean that George ruled out playing for the Thunder. He’s considering a return to Oklahoma City as a free agent, according to reports. He would be eligible to make more money under that scenario.

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Rockets exercise 4th year option on coach Mike D`Antoni

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta announced yesterday that the team has picked up the fourth-year option on head coach Mike D’Antoni’s contract, taking him through the 2019-20 season. In two seasons with D’Antoni at the helm, the Rockets have recorded the second-highest winning percentage in the NBA (.732; 120-44).

“The way Mike conducts himself behind the scenes along with the results he brings, it did not take long for me to see that he is the perfect fit for our organization,” said Fertitta. “We are thrilled to have Coach D’Antoni continue to push the Rockets towards our goal of winning a championship.”

This past season, D’Antoni led the Rockets to a franchise single season record 65 wins. It marked the first time Houston posted the best record in the NBA. The Rockets also won a franchise record 31 road games, tying for the sixth-highest single season total in league history.

Houston also became the sixth team in NBA history to record three winning streaks of at least 10 games in a single season, including 17 in a row from Jan. 28 through March 7 which was the second-longest streak in franchise history.

Following his first season with the Rockets in 2016-17, D’Antoni was named NBA Coach of the Year after guiding Houston to a 55-27 mark. He became the eighth coach in league history to win multiple Coach of the Year awards, and joins Gregg Popovich as the only ones who are active.

The Rockets have set the NBA single season record for 3-pointers made in each of the past two seasons. Prior to D’Antoni’s first full season as head coach of Phoenix in 2004-05, only three teams had more than 700 3FGM in a single season. At the time, D’Antoni’s Suns posted the league’s three-highest single season totals for 3-pointers made from 2004-05 through 2006-07. This past season, 27 of the 30 teams hit at least 700 3-pointers.

Paul George will reportedly opt out of Thunder contract

The Thunder weren’t an impressive team last season. Carmelo Anthony will stick around, because other teams wouldn’t offer the type of money he’ll make from OKC in 2018-19. But Paul George has options. And remember, just because George will reportedly opt out of his Thunder deal doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll leave the team. He could re-sign, for a huge new contract. Or take his talent elsewhere. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

Oklahoma City Thunder star Paul George has informed franchise officials that he will not be opting in for the final year of his contract and will become an unrestricted free agent, league sources told ESPN.

George has an 11:59 p.m. ET Friday deadline to formally decline to opt in.

George, who will decline a $20.7 million salary for the 2018-19 season, remains seriously interested in returning to the Thunder in free agency, league sources said. The Los Angeles Lakers will receive serious consideration too, sources said.

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Suns announce assistant coaching staff

The Phoenix Suns today announced Head Coach Igor Kokoskov’s coaching staff, naming Joe Prunty, Corliss Williamson, Jamelle McMillan and Jason Staudt assistant coaches, Cody Toppert director of player development and Devin Smith player development coach.

The Suns have also added Alex Zampier as head video coordinator and retained Brandon Rosenthal as assistant video coordinator.

“Proudly, I would like to announce the Suns’ coaching staff is complete,” said Kokoškov. “Our main criteria was to find high character people who will bring positive energy and enthusiasm to the team day in and day out. I strongly believe that we have extraordinary teachers of the game who are capable of helping our talented team grow. As a staff we believe that we control our own preparation, so we will give our best to prepare ourselves and our team to play on the highest possible level, one game at a time.”

Bringing 22 years of experience in the NBA to Phoenix, Prunty joins the Suns after most recently working as interim head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. Prunty went 21-16 over the final 37 games of the season at the helm of the Bucks before pushing the Celtics to seven games in the first round of the playoffs. He began 2017-18 as an assistant coach, his fourth season with Milwaukee which also included 17 games as interim head coach in 2015-16.

Williamson joins the Suns following two seasons as an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic (2016-2018), and he has also worked three seasons as an assistant with the Sacramento Kings (2013-2016). Before joining the NBA coaching ranks, Williamson was head coach at the University of Central Arkansas for three seasons from 2010-2013. His coaching career began with three years at Arkansas Baptist College, the first two as an assistant before serving as head coach during the 2009-10 season.

A 12-year NBA veteran as a player, “Big Nasty” averaged 11.1 points on 49.0 percent shooting plus 3.9 rebounds in 822 career games with Sacramento (1995-2000; 2005-2007), the Toronto Raptors (2000-01), Detroit (2001-2004) and the Philadelphia 76ers (2004-05). In 2003-04, Kokoškov was an assistant coach on Hall of Famer Larry Brown’s coaching staff in Detroit while Williamson averaged 9.5 points on 50.5 percent shooting to help the Pistons win the 2004 NBA Championship. Over the 12 seasons that comprised Williamson’s career, no NBA player totaled more points when coming off the bench and he won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award with the Pistons in 2001-02.

McMillan joins the Suns following six seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans (2012-2018), serving as one of the NBA’s youngest assistant coaches in his final two seasons with the Pelicans. The 29-year-old began with the Pelicans (then the Hornets) as a coaching intern in 2012 before working as a player development coach with the team for three seasons from 2013-2016. While a member of Alvin Gentry’s coaching staff, McMillan served as the Pelicans’ head coach at NBA Summer League 2017 in Las Vegas.

Staudt joins the Suns after most recently spending the 2017-18 season as Orlando’s pro personnel scout. He brings nearly 20 years of experience in various positions with five different NBA teams. Prior to his most recent tenure with the Magic, Staudt served as advance scout for Portland (2016-17) and the Houston Rockets (2012-2016). He spent seven seasons as video coordinator for Milwaukee from 2005-2012, which followed a brief stretch as an advance scout for Cleveland. Staudt began his NBA career as an intern with the Magic in 2001, elevating to video coordinator and advance scout in three seasons during his first tenure with Orlando before spending one season as an assistant coach with the Idaho Stampede (2004-05), then of the CBA.

Toppert remains in the Suns organization after spending the 2017-18 season as head coach of the team’s G League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns. Under Toppert, the NAZ Suns led the G League with five GATORADE Call-Ups to the NBA, in addition to leading the league in three-point makes, ranking second in scoring and winning a team-record 23 games.

Smith joins the coaching ranks following a decorated playing career overseas, spending his final six seasons with Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv where he played a key role in the club’s 2014 EuroLeague Championship. An All-EuroLeague Second Team selection in 2014-15, he helped Maccabi to two Israeli League titles, six Israeli Cups and the 2012 Adriatic League crown, in addition to the 2014 EuroLeague title. Smith retired in 2017, leaving Maccabi ranked ninth in club history in scoring in European competitions with 1,539 points, and he was inducted into Maccabi’s Hall of Fame earlier this year. Smith was a teammate of Suns forward Dragan Bender with Maccabi for the 2015-16 season.