NBA Teams – Page 677 – NBA Blog

Warriors announce promotions in Basketball Operations department

The Warriors today announced promotions in the team’s Basketball Operations department, highlighted by the promotions of Bob Myers to the role of president of basketball operations/general manager, Travis Schlenk to vice president of basketball operations/assistant general manager, Kirk Lacob to vice president of GSW Sports Ventures/assistant general manager, and Larry Harris to assistant general manager/director of player personnel.

Additional promotions include Nick U’Ren as director of coaching operations/special assistant to the head coach, Jonnie West as director of player programs, Nanea McGuigan as director of basketball administration/player programs, Chelsea Lane as head of physical performance and sports medicine, Drew Yoder as head athletic trainer, Roger Sancho as assistant trainer, James Laughlin as video coordinator, and Sammy Gelfand as manager of basketball analytics.

Myers is entering his fifth season as general manager of the Warriors and adds the title of president of basketball operations. In this role, he reports directly to Owner & CEO Joe Lacob and oversees the entire Basketball Operations department on a day-to-day basis. Myers earned the 2014-15 NBA Executive of the Year for constructing a roster that won a then-franchise-record 67 regular-season games (67-15, .817) and won the 2015 NBA Championship – the fourth title in franchise history.

Schlenk is entering his 13th season with the Warriors, his first as vice president, basketball operations. In this role, Schlenk assists in the management of all day-to-day basketball operations, including all player-related matters. He also continues to serve as assistant general manager, a title he has held for each of the past five seasons. Prior to being named assistant general manager prior to the 2011-12 campaign, Schlenk spent the previous two seasons as the team’s director of player personnel. Before joining the team’s front office, Schlenk spent five years as an assistant coach and video scout for the Warriors, having originally joined the organization prior to the 2004-05 season as a video scout.

Kirk Lacob is in his seventh season with the Warriors, his first as vice president of GSW Sports Ventures. He also continues to serve as assistant general manager, a position he has held for each of the past four seasons. As part of his newly added vice president role, Lacob is in charge of the organization’s new sports ventures, including continued efforts to develop partnerships for basketball operations and leading investments for GSW in sports related areas.

Harris is entering his ninth season with the Warriors, and his first as assistant general manager/director of player personnel. In this role, Harris serves as one of the organization’s key talent evaluators of players at both the professional and collegiate levels, assisting with the team’s year-round preparation for the NBA draft, free agency and trades. Harris originally joined the Warriors in 2008 as an assistant coach under Don Nelson before moving to the front office after one season on the bench.

Raptors sign Brady Heslip

The Raptors have signed Canadian free-agent guard Brady Heslip.

Toronto will open training camp September 27 in Vancouver. The roster stands at 20 players.

Heslip, a native of Burlington, Ontario and a member of the Canadian Men’s Senior National Team, spent the 2015-16 season with Acqua Vitasnella Cantu (Serie-A) in Italy, averaging 12.7 points and shooting .455 from three-point range in 29 games.

He averaged 13.0 points and 1.2 rebounds for Canada at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto and 10.7 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists at the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship in Mexico City.
Heslip was selected 11th overall by Reno in the 2014 NBA D-League Draft and averaged 24.5 points in 20 games with the Bighorns. He set an NBA D-League record by making 13 three-point field goals November 29, 2014 at Idaho as part of a 45-point performance.

Hawks sign Will Bynum, Ryan Kelly and Richard Solomon

The Hawks have signed free agents Will Bynum, Ryan Kelly and Richard Solomon, it was announced today by General Manager Wes Wilcox. The training camp roster now stands at 20 players.

Bynum, a Georgia Tech alum and eight-year NBA veteran, has played in 360 career games (29 starting assignments) with Golden State (2005-06), Detroit (2008-14) and Washington (2014-15). The 6’0 guard owns career averages of 8.1 points, 3.3 assist and 1.6 rebounds in 18.4 minutes (.442 FG%, .799 FT%). Bynum has also played professionally in Israel (2006-08) and China (2014-16), and was named the NBA Development League Rookie of the Year with the Roanoke Dazzle in 2005-06. He played his final two collegiate seasons at Georgia Tech, where he joined current Hawks teammate Jarrett Jack in helping the Yellow Jackets to the 2004 Final Four.

The 6’10 Kelly has spent the last three years with the Los Angeles Lakers after being selected in the second round (48th overall) of the 2013 NBA Draft, averaging 6.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 20.5 minutes in 147 games (59 starts). He has also seen action in the NBA Development League with the L.A. D-Fenders. A four-year letterman at Duke, Kelly was a member of the Blue Devils’ 2010 NCAA Champion team.

Solomon played last season in Japan after spending 2014-15 in the NBA D-League with the Oklahoma City Blue. In 28 games (one start) with the Blue, he tallied 8.5 points and 6.9 rebounds in 17.9 minutes (.618 FG%). The 6’11 Solomon had a four-year collegiate career at California, seeing action in 109 games and averaging 8.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 22.5 minutes (.512 FG%).

Bynum will wear uniform no. 6, Kelly no. 30 and Solomon no. 7.

Rudy Gay to opt out of Kings contract after this season

Players often keep this sort of thing to themselves. Rudy Gay telling this to the Kings actually helps the team. It means the team will almost surely try to trade him this season, and even if they get a lot less for him than they wanted, something good better than nothing. Here’s the Sacramento Bee reporting:

Forward Rudy Gay has told the Kings he will out of his contract after the season, meaning he likely will leave the team as an unrestricted free agent.

Gay signed his three-year, $40-million extension, with a player option for the third year, early in the 2014-15 season, when the Kings appeared on the rise under coach Michael Malone.

Gay was on the trading block this summer, according to multiple league sources, but his ability to opt out of his deal made it difficult for the Kings to acquire equal value in a trade.

Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo agree to contract extension

The Bucks today reached an agreement with Giannis Antetokounmpo on a contract extension, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

The team is betting their future on Giannis. According to multiple reports, the deal is for four years for a total of $100 million.

The contract will be finalized tomorrow afternoon at a press conference to be held at the recently-launched Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center (WESC) Preview Center.

Antetokounmpo, 21, appeared in 80 games (79 starts) last season and averaged career highs in points (16.9), rebounds (7.7), assists (4.3), blocks (1.4) and minutes (35.3). He became the first player in franchise history to record five triple-doubles in a season, and now ranks third on the Bucks’ all-time list for career triple-doubles.

Selected by the Bucks with the 15th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Antetokounmpo has career averages of 12.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 238 games (173 starts). He has improved his averages in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, field goal percentage and minutes over each season he has played in the NBA.

Mavericks sign guard C.J. Williams

The Mavericks have signed free agent guard C.J. Williams.

We will assume this is a non-guaranteed contract that brings Williams to training camp.

Williams (6-5, 225) spent the 2015-16 season with JDA Dijon Bourgogne in France, where he averaged 11.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game in 34 games. Williams also played for the San Antonio Spurs’ 2016 summer league teams that competed in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.

Before joining Dijon in 2015-16, Williams played for Michelin Etha Engomis Nicosia in Cyprus (2012-13), the D-League’s Los Angeles D-Fenders (2013-14) and Giorgio Tesi Group Pistoia in Italy (2014-15).

A native of Fayetteville, N.C., Williams played four years at North Carolina State (2008-12), where he helped the Wolfpack reach the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 as a senior in 2011-12. In 37 games as a senior, Williams averaged 10.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 31.1 minutes. He went undrafted in the 2012 NBA Draft.

The Mavericks’ 2016-17 training camp roster is now set at 20 players.

Knicks re-sign Lou Amundson

The Knicks have re-signed forward Lou Amundson.

He provides bench depth and is not expected to receive much playing time.

Amundson, 6-9, 220-pounds, appeared in 70 games over the last two seasons with New York – including 29 games in 2016-17, averaging 4.3 points and 4.2 rebounds over 15.2 minutes. He holds career averages of 3.7 points and 3.6 rebounds over 12.9 minutes in 428 games over 10 seasons with Utah, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Golden State, Indiana, Minnesota, Chicago, New Orleans, Cleveland and New York.

He was originally acquired from Cleveland as part of a three-team deal on Jan. 5, 2015.

Thunder renounce rights to Tomislav Zubcic

You probably don’t know forward Tomislav Zubcic, and if you’re a Thunder fan, you still won’t know him. OKC gave up the rights to him today, according to the Oklahoman:

The Thunder has renounced the rights to Tomislav Zubcic on Sunday, making the 6-foot-10 forward a free agent.

In June 2015, Zubcic, 26, was acquired along with a $2.85 million trade exception by the Thunder from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Luke Ridnour and cash.

Sixers coach says Joel Embiid should be defensive centerpiece

We’ve all been waiting to see Sixers center Joel Embiid finally make his NBA debut for what feels like an eternity now. But you can now hold your breath. Then, go ahead and breathe. Hold it again. Breathe again. Do this a lot. Even if you aren’t waiting for Embiid.

Back to the topic at hand: Embiid will finally make his 76ers debut, and his most important contributions should be on the defensive end, according to the team’s head coach. Here’s CSN Philly reporting:

Sixers coach says Joel Embiid should be defensive centerpiece

Joel Embiid has yet to make his NBA debut, but after two years of watching him rehab from foot injuries and develop on the court, Brett Brown has a clear picture of the big man’s role on the Sixers.

“He needs to be the crown jewel, the centerpiece to our defense,” Brown said Thursday at his annual preseason luncheon with the media.

Over the course of his rehab, Embiid has been wowing with videos knocking down three-point shots. Brown, though, envisions him making an impact on the other end. He believes Embiid’s 7-foot-2, 276-pound presence is best utilized at the basket. Last season, the Sixers ranked last in the league in rebounds (41.2), opponents’ rebounds (47.6) and rebound differential (minus-6.4) per game.

“I think he’s a rim protector,” Brown said.

P.J. Tucker out 6-8 weeks after back surgery

Suns forward P.J. Tucker underwent lower back microdiscectomy procedure today. He is expected to be out approximately six to eight weeks.

The surgery was performed by Dr. Dennis Crandall.

Preparing for his sixth NBA season and fifth with the Suns, Tucker is a four-time winner of the team’s Majerle Hustle Award. In 2015-16, he averaged 8.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, a career-high 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals while playing all 82 games (80 starts).