Toronto Raptors Blog – Page 23 – NBA Blog

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.

Toronto Raptors arena to be renamed as Scotiabank Arena in July, 2018

Today, Scotiabank and Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) announced an expanded sponsorship and philanthropic partnership which will see the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors transformed into the Scotiabank Arena in July, 2018.

This 20-year strategic partnership also includes new philanthropic opportunities with the MLSE Foundation, and a digital collaboration between MLSE and the Scotiabank Digital Factory.

“We have always sought new and innovative partnerships with the goal of building strong and enduring communities,” said Brian Porter, Scotiabank’s President and CEO. “Today’s announcement is an extension of Scotiabank’s unwavering love of sports and our commitment to help young people reach their full potential. We believe that MLSE is an ideal partner for Scotiabank to reach our objectives.”

Scotiabank supports more than 8,000 Canadian kids’ community hockey teams. This partnership will enrich that support in the Greater Toronto Area, and will help to expand community hockey programs for youth across the country. “Scotiabank is already a proud supporter of the MLSE Foundation and its LaunchPad program. Today’s announcement builds on our commitment to Canada’s young people,” said Brian Porter.

“For the past 18 years, Air Canada Centre has not only been home to the Maple Leafs and Raptors, it has also hosted hundreds of the most popular concerts and events in the industry, helping contribute to Toronto’s well-deserved reputation as one of the top sports and entertainment destinations in the world,” said Larry Tanenbaum, Chairman of the Board for MLSE. “We are grateful to Scotiabank for their continued support and this expanded partnership as we look ahead to what we expect to be 20 of the most exciting years in Toronto sports and entertainment history.”

“MLSE is proud to operate one of the top venues in sports and entertainment, in a world-renowned city backed by some of the best fans and partners in the industry,” said Michael Friisdahl, President and CEO of MLSE. “This expanded partnership with Scotiabank will not only support our pursuit of championships and delivering a world-class experience for our fans, but it will have a lasting impact on our community.”

As part of the transfer of the arena naming rights in 2018, MLSE and Air Canada have also reached an agreement on a long-term partnership renewal that will see the company continue as the official airline partner of both the Maple Leafs and Raptors.

“As Canada’s flag carrier and North America’s Best Airline as ranked by the Skytrax World Airline Awards, we are proud to continue our partnership with MLSE as the Official Airline of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors,” said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada. “We congratulate MLSE and Scotiabank as they build on the legacy we helped establish in 1999 and look forward to celebrating with fans and customers during our final season as title sponsor of the Air Canada Centre. Air Canada supports professional and amateur sports throughout Canada and our global hub in Toronto connects that city to the world, driving both the economy and communities.”

“MLSE is extremely grateful to Air Canada for their support as a founding partner of the Raptors and Air Canada Centre and we look forward to our continued partnership,” said Tanenbaum.

“Air Canada has been an integral part of the success of this arena and our teams over the past 18 years, and with our renewal agreement, we look forward to continued success with our partnership in the years to come,” said Friisdahl.

Since opening in February, 1999, Air Canada Centre has hosted more than 50 million fans over 3,500 premiere events including the 2016 NBA All Star Weekend, the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and many of the world’s most popular performing artists including U2, Justin Bieber and Drake. As one of the leading sports and entertainment venues in the world, Air Canada Centre was named last year as Canadian Venue of the Year by Canadian Music Week as well as the third busiest concert venue in North America and seventh-ranked facility in the world for concert attendance by Pollstar. The venue capacity is 19,800 for basketball and full-house concerts and 18,800 for hockey.

“We are thrilled that Scotiabank’s name will appear on the side of this iconic building for the next two decades, and are looking forward to all of the historic moments to come,” said Scotiabank’s

Raptors sign Kyle Wiltjer

The Toronto Raptors signed forward Kyle Wiltjer (pronunciation: WILT-jer) today.

Wiltjer, 6-foot-10, 240 pounds, appeared in 14 games for the Houston Rockets last season, totaling 13 points and 10 rebounds in 44 minutes of action. He also averaged 20.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 35.9 minutes in 22 contests for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League. He shot .379 (81-for-214) from three-point range with the Vipers.

Wiltjer signed with the Rockets as an undrafted free agent in September 2016. He played two collegiate seasons at Kentucky (2011-13) before transferring to Gonzaga (2014-16), where he averaged a team-high 20.4 points during his senior season. Wiltjer was named All-West Coast Conference First Team as a junior and senior.

Raptors sign Lorenzo Brown to two-way contract

The Raptors have signed guard Lorenzo Brown to a two-way contract. Which means he will likely spend most of the season playing in the G League.
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Brown, 6-foot-5, 189 pounds, is averaging 3.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 63 career NBA games with Philadelphia (2013-14), Minnesota (2014-15) and Phoenix (2015-16). He has also appeared in games for the Delaware 87ers (2013-14), Springfield Armor (2013-14) and Grand Rapids Drive (2014-17) of the NBA G League.

Brown split the 2016-17 season between the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and Grand Rapids. He averaged 24.0 points, while shooting .301 (37-for-123) from three-point range during 20 games with Zhejiang. Brown finished the season averaging 23.6 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting .353 (18-for-51) from three-point territory in 11 appearances for the Drive.

Brown, a native of Roswell, Georgia, was selected 52nd overall in the 2013 NBA Draft by Minnesota. He played three seasons at North Carolina State and was named Second Team All-ACC his junior year.

Raptors guard Malcolm Miller undergoes ankle surgery

The Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday that guard Malcolm Miller underwent ankle arthroscopy for debridement after sustaining a sprained right ankle July 5 during an NBA Summer League practice in Las Vegas. The procedure was performed by Dr. Richard Ferkel in Los Angeles. Miller is expected to miss the next 12 weeks.

Miller, 6-foot-7, 210 pounds, signed the team’s first two-way contract July 9 after participating in the Raptors’ free agent camp June 15-16. He averaged 7.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 18.7 minutes in 29 games last season for Alba Berlin of the German Bundesliga. In 2015-16, he averaged 12.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 31.9 minutes in 47 games for the Maine Red Claws of the NBA G League and was second on the team with 84 made three-pointers.

A native of Laytonsville, Maryland, Miller played four seasons at Holy Cross and was named Second-Team All-Patriot League during his senior year.

Raptors sign C.J. Miles

The Raptors have signed guard-forward C.J. Miles to a multi-year contract.

“C.J. is an exceptional shooter and adds versatility to our perimeter game,” said Raptors President and General Manager Masai Ujiri. “We are excited to add a player with experience level to our core group.”

Miles, 6-foot-6, 225 pounds, holds career averages of 9.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 715 games through 12 NBA seasons with Indiana, Cleveland and Utah. He is a career .316 (1,008-for-2,795) three-point shooter and has made at least 100 three-point field goals in five of the last seven seasons (2010-17), including each of the last three.

Miles spent the 2016-17 campaign with the Pacers, averaging 10.7 points and 3.0 rebounds. He shot a career-best .413 (169-for-409) from three-point range. His 169 three-pointers made in 76 games ranked were a single-season career-high and ranked seventh among Eastern Conference players.

Miles played three seasons (2014-17) for Indiana averaging 12.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 210 games. He averaged a career-best 13.5 points during the 2014-15 campaign. Prior to joining the Pacers, he averaged 10.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 116 games over two seasons (2012-14) with Cleveland. Miles spent the first seven years of his NBA career (2005-12) with the Jazz, averaging 8.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 389 appearances.

A native of Dallas, Texas, Miles was selected 34th overall by Utah in the 2005 NBA Draft following a standout career at Skyline High School. He was named All-Dallas Area Player of the Year by the Dallas Morning News and was a 2005 McDonald’s High School All-American.

Raptors sign Kennedy Meeks

The Raptors have signed forward Kennedy Meeks to a contract.

Meeks, 6-foot-10, 277 pounds, recently participated with the Raptors’ entry in NBA Summer League 2017 in Las Vegas, averaging 11.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 15.5 minutes in four games.

Meeks played four seasons at North Carolina (2013-17), averaging 10.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 21.3 minutes in 144 games. He ranks fifth all-time in school history in rebounds (1,052). As a senior, Meeks helped the Tar heels win the national championship. He averaged career highs in points (12.5), rebounds (9.5) and minutes (24.3) in 40 games. His 152 offensive rebounds were most by a North Carolina player in a single-season since the school starting recording the stat in 1995-96.

In the NCAA Tournament, Meeks averaged 12.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 26.2 minutes in six games. He earned All-Final Four honours after recording a career high-tying 25 points and 14 rebounds in the semifinals versus Oregon. Meeks finished with 69 rebounds in the tournament, the most in any one NCAA Tournament by a Tar Heel.

Raptors trade Cory Joseph to Pacers

The Raptors have acquired the draft rights to forward Emir Preldzic (PRELD-zich) from the Pacers in exchange for guard Cory Joseph.

Preldzic, 6-foot-9, 220 pounds, began playing professionally in 2003 and spent eight seasons (2007-15) with Fenerbahçe Ülker (Turkey) of the EuroLeague. He played the past two seasons with Darüşşafaka (2015-16) and Galatasaray (2016-17) in the Turkish League.

Preldzic, a native of Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was selected 57th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2009 NBA Draft. His draft rights have also been held by Cleveland, Washington, Dallas and Indiana.
Joseph averaged 8.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists during 160 regular-season games (26 starts) over two seasons with Toronto. He averaged 8.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 30 playoff games.
Joseph, a native of Pickering, Ontario, was the second Canadian to appear in an NBA game for the Raptors. He signed as a free-agent July 9, 2015.

Raptors trade DeMarre Carroll to Nets

The Brooklyn Nets have acquired DeMarre Carroll and 2018 first and second round draft picks from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Justin Hamilton.

Carroll joins Brooklyn after spending the previous two seasons in Toronto. This past season, the 30-year-old native of Birmingham, Ala., appeared in and started 72 games, registering averages of 8.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 26.1 minutes per game. Prior to his time with the Raptors, Carroll put together his two best professional seasons (2013-15) with the Atlanta Hawks while Nets Head Coach Kenny Atkinson served as an Atlanta assistant. In those two seasons, Carroll saw action in 143 games, averaging 11.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals in 31.7 minutes per game while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from 3-point range.

In 414 career games (258 starts) split between Memphis, Houston, Denver, Utah, Atlanta and Toronto, the eight-year veteran has recorded averages of 8.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 22.9 minutes per game. Carroll has also appeared in the postseason in five of the last six seasons, including each of the last four, and owns career playoff averages of 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 28.6 minutes per contest. Carroll was originally selected by Memphis with the 27th overall pick in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft out of the University of Missouri. After spending two years (2004-06) at Vanderbilt, Carroll transferred and spent his junior and senior seasons (2007-09) at Missouri, helping to lead the Tigers to an Elite Eight appearance as a senior while garnering All-Big 12 First Team honors.

Hamilton, who originally signed as a free agent with Brooklyn on July 11, 2016, saw action in 64 games in his lone season with the Nets, averaging 6.9 points and 4.1 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game. In 113 career games with Brooklyn, Minnesota, Miami and Charlotte, the three-year NBA veteran has posted averages of 6.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per contest.

Raptors sign Malcolm Miller and Alfonzo McKinnie

The Toronto Raptors have signed guard-forward Malcolm Miller to a two-way contract and forward Alfonzo McKinnie to a multi-year contract.

Miller, 6-foot-7, 210 pounds, averaged 7.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 18.7 minutes in 29 games last season for Alba Berlin of the German Bundesliga. In 2015-16, he averaged 12.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 31.9 minutes in 47 games for the Maine Red Claws of the NBA G League and was second on the team with 84 made three-pointers.

A native of Laytonsville, Maryland, Miller played four seasons at Holy Cross and was named Second-Team All-Patriot League during his senior year.

McKinnie, 6-foot-8, 215 pounds, averaged 14.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 30.5 minutes in 50 games last season for the Windy City Bulls of the NBA G League. He reached double-figure scoring 41 times, including a season-high 29 points March 4 versus Sioux Falls. The Chicago, Illinois native was named to the 2017 NBA G League All-Star Game in New Orleans and scored 16 points in 22 minutes of action.

McKinnie won a silver medal for USA Basketball at the 2016 FIBA 3×3 World Championship in Guangzhou, China. He split the 2015-16 season between the East Side Pirates (Luxembourg) and Heromsillo (Mexico), where he averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 26.0 minutes in 24 games.

McKinnie played two collegiate seasons with Wisconsin-Green Bay (2013-15) and two seasons at Eastern Illinois (2010-12).