New Orleans Pelicans Blog – Page 70 – NBA Blog

Wizards sign Hilton Armstrong

Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed center Hilton Armstrong to a free agent contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.

“Hilton brings what we were looking for in a backup center for our roster,” said Grunfeld. “He is a defensive-minded, skilled big man who will be able to provide consistent minutes and step in to fill a larger role when necessary.”

Armstrong (6-11, 235), the 12th overall selection in the 2006 NBA Draft (by New Orleans), holds career averages of 3.4 points and 2.6 rebounds in 224 games (37 starts over four professional seasons with New Orleans, Sacramento and Houston. He registered career-highs of 4.8 points (.561 field goal percentage) and 2.8 rebounds per game in 70 games (29 starts) during the 2008-09 season with the Hornets. A former Big East Defensive Player of the Year and All-Big East performer, Armstrong also helped the University of Connecticut to the NCAA championship as a sophomore.

Summer league finishes early for Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that guards Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton will miss the remaining three games for the Hornets in the NBA Summer League.

Collison, who sat out last night due to a slight right knee bruise, was excused from the team last night following the Hornets game to return to Los Angeles to enroll in summer school at UCLA. The All-Rookie point guard is one class shy of his bachelor’s degree which he will obtain at the conclusion of summer school. In one game, Collison had nine points and seven assists.

Thornton suffered a bruised left shin during the game last night and as a precautionary will sit out the remining games. In two games, the LSU product averaged 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds.

The Hornets arrived in Las Vegas on Sunday, July 4th and started practice the evening of July 5th. Both Collison and Thornton participated in all seven practices before the summer league started.

Hornets to sign Luther Head

UPDATE: There were problems with Luther Head’s physical, so the Hornets chose not to sign him. See this page.

The AP reports:

The New Orleans Hornets have reached an agreement on a two-year contract with veteran guard Luther Head.

The Hornets are not announcing the deal yet because Head still must pass his physical, but Head’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, told The Associated Press on Saturday that the deal paying Head about $2.5 million over two years is done.

InsideHoops.com editor says:

With this move, the Hornets improve their bench depth.

Hornets trade Cole Aldrich, Morris Peterson to Thunder for Craig Brackins, Quincy Pondexter

The New Orleans Hornets finalized a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder this morning that sent the rights to Cole Aldrich and guard Morris Peterson in exchange for the rights to Craig Brackins and Quincy Pondexter.

“The concept that we liked was the idea of being able to add two young players in the draft,” said General Manager Jeff Bower. “By getting two picks, we had the opportunity to add two different types of players like Craig and Quincy. It continues our pursuit to strengthen our team and gives us two experienced college players who had great careers at their respected school.”

Brackins, the 21st overall pick in the draft, averaged a team-high 16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists as a junior last season for Iowa State. Craig was named to the All-Big 12 First Team as a sophomore and the All-Big 12 Second Team as a junior. The 6-10, 230 pound forward started every game during his three-year career for the Cyclones.

Pondexter, the 26th overall pick in the draft, finished third in the Pac-10 in scoring (19.3 ppg) and rebounds (7.4 rpg) for Washington his senior season. Quincy was named All-Pac-10 First Team and Pac-10 All-Tournament Team his senior season and set a Pac-10 record with five player-of-the-week honors his final season for the Huskies. The 6-6, 225 pound guard/forward finished his career as Washington’s all-time career leader in games played (136) and finished third in scoring (1,786 points).

New Orleans originally selected Kansas’ Aldrich at the 11th slot. An early entry candidate for the 2010 Draft, Aldrich averaged 11.3 points and 9.8 rebounds as a junior, registering 15 double-doubles for the Jayhawks.

Peterson holds career averages of 10.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 27.4 minutes in 707 games (487 starts) with Toronto and New Orleans. Last season he played in 43 games (39 starts) for the Hornets, averaging 7.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 21.2 minutes per game.

Both players will be part of the Hornets’ entry in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and are expected to participate in this evening’s practice. The Hornets will play their first summer league game Friday, July 9 vs. Golden State.

Cavaliers hire Byron Scott as head coach

The Cleveland Cavaliers have named 26-year NBA veteran Byron Scott as the team’s new head coach, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today from Quicken Loans Arena, in downtown Cleveland.

Coach Scott, 49, played in the NBA for 14-years, primarily with the Los Angeles Lakers where he participated in winning three championships in 11 seasons with the team. After retiring from the NBA, Coach Scott played one season overseas (1997-98), winning a championship for Pananthinaikos in Greece.

He then went on to coach 12 seasons in the NBA, 10 of them as a head coach. After two seasons (1998-2000) in Sacramento as an assistant to Kings’ Head Coach Rick Adelman, Byron was named head coach of the New Jersey Nets where he led the franchise to back-to-back Eastern Conference Championships and back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in his 2nd and 3rd seasons as the Nets’ head coach.

Coach Scott has the 8th highest career playoff game appearances as a player and head coach combined in NBA history and is within 15 more playoff game appearances from moving to ranking 4th in NBA history. In addition, Coach Scott’s .579% winning career playoff percentage is the 4th highest among all current NBA head coaches. trailing only Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich and Stan Van Gundy.

“Byron’s combination of high-level success and depth of experience, both as a head coach and as a player, is a tremendous asset for our organization. He is a strong leader with a proven track record of winning in both the regular season and the playoffs. We’re confident Coach Scott will positively impact the strong culture we have put in place here in Cleveland over the past five years.” said Cavs General Manager Chris Grant. “We’re very excited for Coach Scott to get started. His experience and leadership will be a critical element in our drive to achieve the franchise’s ultimate goal.”

After four seasons with New Jersey, Coach Scott was hired by the New Orleans Hornets where he improved the Hornets by 38 wins, from a lowly 18 victories in 2004-05 to a 56-win campaign just three years later in 2007-08. This win total is the New Orleans’ franchise record and earned Coach Scott the Red Auerbach trophy as the 2007-08 NBA Coach of the Year. Coach Scott also led the Hornets to an appearance in the Western Conference Semifinals that same season, as well as leading the Western Conference All-Star Team as its head coach in the NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans where, ironically, the west lost to the eastern conference, and its All-Star Game MVP, LeBron James.

In his second year with the Hornets during the 2005-06 season, Coach Scott guided the Hornets to a 38-44 record, an NBA best 20-game win improvement from his first season in New Orleans, despite Hurricane Katrina displacing the team from its hometown and forcing the Hornets to play in four different home arenas throughout the 2005-06 campaign. Coach Scott followed the 2007-08 effort by leading the Hornets to 49 regular season wins and back to the playoffs in 2008-09.

Prior to his stint in New Orleans, Coach Scott led the New Jersey Nets to the most successful run in franchise history. In his first season in 2000-01, he spearheaded rebuilding a New Jersey team with a 26-56 record before guiding them to a franchise-high and Eastern Conference best 52-30 record followed by the Nets’ first-ever trip to the NBA Finals in 2001-02. The 26-win improvement marked the sixth-largest year-to-year improvement in NBA history and the team also won its first Atlantic Division title in franchise history. Scott also earned head coaching honors for the 2002 Eastern Conference All-Stars. (Coach Scott is one of just six coaches to earn the honor for both conferences)

The following season (2002-03) he guided the Nets back to the NBA Finals after winning a second consecutive Atlantic Division title.

“I want to thank Chris Grant and Dan Gilbert and the entire ownership group for this great opportunity. In meeting with Dan and Chris I could tell they have a solid team and family approach to everything and that really impressed me,” said the Cavaliers’ new skipper, Byron Scott. “The deeper we got into these discussions, the better I felt about the situation. This is a great job and an impressive organization and I am very happy to be a part of it. Everything about it just felt like a really good fit for both me and the team. I am anxious to get going and to build on the success the Cavaliers have experienced in recent years.”

Prior to his successful coaching career, the Inglewood, California native enjoyed an outstanding NBA playing career. Selected 4th overall in the first round of the 1983 NBA Draft, by the San Diego Clippers, Scott played 14 seasons with three different teams (the Lakers, Indiana Pacers and Vancouver Grizzlies), winning three NBA titles with the Lakers in 1985, 1987 and 1988 as a key starter on the Lakers famed ‘Showtime’ era teams.

In 1,073 games (717 starts), the 6-foot-4 guard averaged 14.1 points on .482 shooting, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 28.1 minutes per game. In 183 postseason games (122 starts), he posted career playoff averages of 13.4 points on .482 shooting, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 29.3 minutes per game. Coach Scott has been a consistent winner as both a player and a coach. In his 14-year playing career, Scott experienced 12 winning seasons and his team reached the playoffs in 13 of those 14 seasons.

The Cavaliers new head coach attended Arizona State, where he finished his career as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,752 points. As a senior, he was named First Team All-Pac 10 after averaging 21.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists.

Off the court, Coach Scott’s non-profit organization, The Byron Scott Children’s Fund, has raised more than $6 million dollars over the past decade, with the proceeds going to various children’s charities.

Cavaliers to hire Byron Scott as coach

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

When Byron Scott went to bed Tuesday night he was convinced he was not going to be the Cavaliers head coach. About 24 hours later he was agreeing to take the job. It will become official today.

After an overnight negotiating session, sources said, Scott reached an agreement in principle on a three-year contract to take over the Cavs on the same day that LeBron James became a free agent. The deal is expected to be finalized and announced by the Cavs today.

Scott took the job while on a trip with family to Arkansas and limited cell phone range actually slowed down the process late Wednesday.

Hornets hire Mike Malone, Bryan Gates and James Borrego as assistant coaches

New Orleans Hornets Head Coach Monty Williams announced three new members of his coaching staff today. Williams will be joined by Mike Malone, Bryan Gates and James Borrego.

“I’m thrilled to have Mike, Bryan and James on board,” said Head Coach Monty Williams. “They all have great experience, tireless work ethics and I believe they’ll bring a lot of fresh perspectives to the staff. I’m looking forward to working with all of them and excited to see how all of our different insight will come together to help this team reach its potential. I think this is the start of a great combination of strengths.”

Malone joins the Hornets after a five-year stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. As a member of the Cavaliers coaching staff, Malone has been instrumental in the team’s success since his arrival. The Cavs made their fifth-straight playoff appearance in 2010—just the second time in franchise history the team has done so. Over the last five campaigns, Cleveland has gone 272-138 (.663), which is third-best in the NBA during that span. In addition to his coaching duties with the Cavaliers, Malone was an assistant coach with the Canadian Men’s Senior National Team. He helped guide the Canadian team to a top four finish in the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship in Puerto Rico. Malone has also spent time with the New York Knicks, as well as coaching at Manhattan College, UVA, Providence College and Oakland (Mich.) University. Malone played college basketball at Loyola College (Md.). He is the son of former Cavaliers’ Head Coach and current Orlando Magic Assistant Coach Brendan Malone, who is a 23-year veteran of the NBA.

Gates begins his first season as an assistant coach with the Hornets following a one-year stint with the Sacramento Kings. He went to Sacramento following a highly-successful career as a head coach in the NBA Development League with the Idaho Stampede. Gates is a two-time recipient of the Dennis Johnson D-League Coach of the Year award (2006-07, 2007-08), having spent three seasons as the head coach for Idaho where he compiled a record of 101-51 (.664). He led the Stampede to the NBA Development League Championship in 2007-08. In all, Gates worked 12 seasons with the Stampede, serving as either the head coach or as an assistant coach with the club since its inception, and has also coached for the IBA’s Rapid City Thrillers, CBL’s Hickory Nutz, USBL’s Oklahoma Storm, and the Beirut Blue Stars in Lebanon.

Following seven seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, Borrego begins his first season with the Hornets. He joined the Spurs in the summer of 2003 as an assistant video coordinator and was named head video coordinator in the summer of 2004. He has served as an assistant coach for the Spurs summer league teams each of the last six years. Borrego served as an assistant coach at San Diego for two seasons (2001–03). During the 2002–03 campaign, USD won the WCC Championship and appeared in the 2003 NCAA Tournament. He played three seasons at University of San Diego and, as a senior, during the 2000–01 season, earned a spot on the West Coast Conference All-Academic Team.

Cavs like Brian Shaw, Byron Scott

Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal reports:

While the Cavaliers await a decision on LeBron James’ future, their coaching search appears to be nearing the final stages.

Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw arrived in town Monday and will continue meetings with owner Dan Gilbert and General Manager Chris Grant today, the team confirmed. The Cavs would like to make a decision on their next coach today, according to a source with knowledge of their plans, although a ”decision” does not necessarily mean a contract offer today.

By the conclusion of the interviews with Shaw, however, the team will probably choose between him and Byron Scott.

Shaw, who is represented by CAA Sports, the same firm that represents James, is the second known candidate, after Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, to be brought to Cleveland for an interview. Team executives met with Scott in Michigan on Father’s Day, according to his agent, Brian McInerney, but no offer was made.

Marcus Thornton wants to win starting spot

John Reid of the New Orleans Times Picayune reports:

When the New Orleans Hornets traded veteran Morris Peterson to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night, along with the draft rights to Kansas center Cole Aldrich for the draft rights to forwards Craig Brackins and Quicy Pondexter, it virtually cleared the way for second-year shooting guard Marcus Thornton to enter next season as the starter.

But Thornton said Friday that his approach won’t change from last season, when he came off the bench. He plans to stay driven and anticipates battling to win the job in training camp.

“Until I find out that I’m starting, I’m going to push like I’m still second string,’’ Thornton said Friday. ”I’m going to work and do what I’ve been doing.’’

With a need to clear salary-cap space, the Hornets dealt Peterson, eliminating the $6.6 million salary they would had been required to pay him this season in the final year of his four-year contract.

Hornets will trade Cole Aldrich draft rights, Morris Peterson to Thunder

The New Orleans Hornets selected Cole Aldrich with the 11th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. The Hornets are in negotiations in trading Aldrich and guard Morris Peterson in exchange for multiple draft picks. We will not be able to complete a trade until after the moratorium period concludes on July 8.

The full trade specifics will be updated at a later time. Multiple media outlets report that the Oklahoma City Thunder are the not-yet-named team New Orleans is trading with.

“The concept that we liked was the idea of being able to add two players,” said General Manager Jeff Bower. “We thought that multiple picks was something that we wanted to pursue, particularly, with the opportunity to add two different types of players. We felt it does present us with those options, should the deal be finalized.”