Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

Sixers still may use Ben Simmons as PG

The Sixers have all sorts of talent in their backcourt. The distribution of roles and responsibilities will be fascinating to watch. Here’s CSN Philly with more:

Ben Simmons made it clear this summer he wants to be the Sixers’ point guard. Less than a month from training camp, Brett Brown still is on board with that plan.

“We’ve gone on record, I’ve said what I’ve said and I don’t backpedal from any of it,” Brown said Thursday at the Sixers training complex while previewing his upcoming Coaches Clinic. “I’m excited to give him the ball and continue to grow him.”

With that vision comes questions that will be played out over the season as the 6-foot-10 Simmons makes his rookie debut after suffering a Jones fracture last training camp.

The Sixers made significant additions to their backcourt this summer, including point guard Markelle Fultz. How will the Sixers utilize these two No. 1 picks? Part of Fultz’s appeal to the Sixers was his ability to play off the ball and complement Simmons in a one-two combination.

Timberwolves to hold training camp in San Diego

NBA preseason starts in just about three weeks, and we cannot wait. But before preseason games are played, training camps are held. Many teams take the opportunity to travel, see someplace new, relocate and bond while on the road. As for the Timberwolves, here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune reporting:

The Timberwolves today announced their training-camp schedule, which starts a week early this year both because the NBA season starts a week earlier this season and because they have that preseason trip to China, too.

The Wolves will hold training camp in San Diego at two local universities for seven days before they play the Lakers in a preseason game in Anaheim on Sept. 30.

They’ll have their traditional media at their Mayo Clinic Square training facility on Sept. 22 and then fly immediately after that to Califonia. Their first camp practice is the next morning, Saturday, Sept. 23.

Former Sports Illustrated writer Luke Winn hired by Raptors

The Toronto Raptors have hired Luke Winn as the club’s Director, Prospect Strategy. Winn joins the Raptors after working at Sports Illustrated for the past 15 years, most recently as a senior writer covering college basketball.

Winn has reported on college hoops since the 2004-05 season, and has numerous international events. His work at SI included in-depth player features and original analytics research.

For the Raptors, Winn will research and scout draft prospects, and provide input on personnel decisions.

Cavaliers sign John Holland to two-way contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard/forward John Holland to a Two-Way Contract, Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Holland (6-5, 205) was the NBA G League Impact Player of the Year last season after appearing in 37 games (all starts) for the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers exclusively-owned G League Team. He averaged 22.9 points (seventh in the league), 4.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals in a league-high 38.9 minutes per game. Holland also shot .481 from the field, .346 from beyond the arc and .881 from the foul line, while helping the Charge reach the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.

Before rejoining the Charge in 2016-17, Holland was in training camp with the Cavaliers where he played in three preseason games and averaged 10.7 points in 18.8 minutes. He received a Gatorade NBA Call-Up from the Boston Celtics before the 2016 NBA Playoffs and made his NBA debut in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks. The Boston University product played professionally in France, Spain and Turkey, and also represented the Puerto Rican national team in 2011.

Holland becomes the first player to sign a Two-Way contract with the Cavaliers. Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to have two Two-Way players on their roster at any given time, in addition to their 15-man regular season roster. A Two-Way player for the Cavs will provide services to the team’s G League affiliate – the Canton Charge – but can spend up to 45 days with Cleveland.

Isaiah Thomas hip injury lingers

Cavs guard Isaiah Thomas is still recovering from his hip injury, and the healing process will delay the start of play for his new team. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

Isaiah Thomas hip injury lingers

While introducing their acquisitions from the summer’s blockbuster trade, the Cleveland Cavaliers were reluctant to discuss Isaiah Thomas’ health during a news conference Thursday.

“To be fair to Isaiah, we’re not going to address any specifics on his hip injury,” general manager Koby Altman said. “We’re also not going to put a timetable on it.”

Altman added: “We’re not going to rush it, at all.”

Altman intercepted a question directed to Thomas about his health and tried to steer the proceedings away from the subject, declaring, “This is not going to turn into the Isaiah Thomas hip press conference.”

While Altman was careful not to put any expectations on a return date, Cavs coach Tyronn Lue revealed that Thomas will miss the start of the season. That would mean the All-Star point guard still has at least five to six weeks of rehab ahead of him before he suits up for Cleveland. Altman said Cleveland will lean on free-agent signees Derrick Rose and Jose Calderon while Thomas is out.

Nets owner reportedly plans to sell team

Here’s the New York Post reporting on the Brooklyn Nets, who may find themselves with a new owner — though the entire process may span a few years:

Nets owner reportedly plans to sell team

Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is ready for a long goodbye.

The Russian billionaire, unable to sell a minority stake in the money-losing NBA franchise, now plans to off-load a controlling stake in the team, two sources close to the situation told The Post.

However, Prokhorov is hoping to sell the Nets in a two-part process, the sources said. First, the 52-year-old will look to sell a minority piece of the team — but give the buyer the right to buy the entire team in a short period of time — say three years, the sources said.

Magic re-sign Damjan Rudez

Magic re-sign Damjan Rudez

The Orlando Magic have re-signed free agent forward Damjan Rudez (pronunciation: DAHM-yahn ROO dezh), President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today.

Rudež (#3, 6’10”, 228, 6/17/86) appeared in 45 games last season with the Magic, averaging 1.8 ppg. in 7.0 minpg. Not drafted by an NBA franchise, he has played in 146 career NBA regular season games (two starts) with Indiana, Minnesota and Orlando (2014-17), averaging 3.3 ppg. in 11.2 minpg., while shooting .373 (106-284) from three-point range. Rudež is a former member of the Croatian Senior National Team.

Orlando’s roster now stands at 19 players.

Pacers sign DeQuan Jones and Trey McKinney-Jones

Pacers sign DeQuan Jones and Trey McKinney-Jones

The Indiana Pacers announced Thursday they have signed 6-8 forward DeQuan Jones and 6-5 guard Trey McKinney-Jones to contracts.

DeQuan Jones was undrafted out of the University of Miami in 2012 and played with the Orlando Magic in 2012-13. He played with Reno in the NBA G League one season and has played internationally the last three seasons.

Trey McKinney-Jones also played at the University of Miami and was undrafted in 2013. He has had three stints with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA G League while also playing internationally the last three seasons.

Bucks sign James Young

Bucks sign James Young

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed free agent guard James Young to a training camp contract.

Young, 22, was the 17th overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. He played in 89 games over three seasons with Boston and averaged 2.3 points and 1.1 rebounds per contest. In two seasons (2014-16) with the Maine Red Claws of the NBA G League, Young averaged 18.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 40.6 percent from three-point distance.

Originally from Flint, Mich., Young played one season at the University of Kentucky and averaged 14.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.