Utah Jazz Blog – Page 26 – NBA Blog

Can Ricky Rubio develop an outside shot?

The headline above has been one of the big questions about guard Ricky Rubio. It remains unanswered. For more on the topic, here’s the Deseret News:

When Ricky Rubio missed his first 13 shots in a Jazz uniform in three preseason games last week, it likely made a lot of folks question why the Jazz acquired the veteran point guard in the offseason. At the very least, it made fans squirm in their seats watching shot after shot clang off the rim.

When Rubio finally sank his first basket, a 3-pointer from out front in his 10th quarter of action in Utah, the Jazz faithful let out a cheer, with some of the cheers undoubtedly of the “yeah, he finally made a shot!” variety.

Rubio ended up making one of his next three, finishing 2 for 9 on the night to get to 2 for 17 on the season.

Maybe it was just the Vivint Arena baskets. Because three nights later in Phoenix, Rubio came out on fire, knocking down his first four shots en route to an 8-for-10 night as he led the team with 20 points in a win over the Suns.

Then on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers, Rubio started off strong again, making 4 of his first 8 shots before ending up at 6 for 18 on the night, missing his last five shots.

Full article

Utah Jazz sign Torian Graham

The Utah Jazz have signed free agent guard Torian Graham (pronounced TORE-ee-in).

Graham (6-5,195, Arizona State) appeared in 33 games (23 starts), averaging 18.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists for the Sun Devils during the 2016-17 season. He ranked first in the Pac-12 in three-point field goals made per contest (3.3), second in scoring average, seventh in minutes per game (34.8) and his 108 threes on the year were tied for the 14th most in NCAA Division I. Tallying 13 games with 20-or-more points and two games with 30-plus points, Graham garnered a 2017 Pac-12 Honorable Mention following the 2016-17 campaign. Prior to his lone season at Arizona State, he played for two seasons at Chipola Junior College (Fla.), helping the squad to a 26-6 record as a sophomore.

The Durham, N.C. native competed with the Dallas Mavericks entry at the 2017 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, seeing action in three contests.

The roster now stands at 20 players.

Utah Jazz waive Taylor Braun

The Utah Jazz have waived guard/forward Taylor Braun.

Braun (6-7, 210, North Dakota State) appeared in two preseason games for the Jazz, averaging 2.0 points, connecting on 4-of-4 free throws in 2.0 minutes per contest.

Prior to signing with Utah, Braun played with ratiopharm Ulm of the German Bundesliga, where he averaged 8.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 53 games (50 starts) during the 2016-17 season.

The 6-7 guard/forward originally signed with the Jazz on Sep. 26.

Following the move, Utah’s roster now stands at 19 players.

Jazz sign Taylor Braun

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has signed free agent guard/forward Taylor Braun.

We assume this is a non-guaranteed signing that merely brings Braun to Jazz training camp.

Braun (6-7, 210, North Dakota State) joins the Jazz most recently having played with ratiopharm Ulm of the German Bundesliga, where he averaged 8.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 53 games (50 starts) during the 2016-17 season. Prior to his two year stint with ratiopharm Ulm (2015-17), Braun has additional professional experience with Okapi Aalstar of the Basketball League Belgium, where in 2014-15, he appeared in 50 games (49 starts), owning averages of 14.5 points, 4.3 boards, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals in 31.3 minutes per contest.

The Newberg, Ore. native had a four-year career at North Dakota State (2009-14), appearing in 116 career games (107 starts), averaging 14.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 30.1 minutes per game. Following his senior season, Braun was named the 2014 Summit League Player of the Year and earned 2014 All-Summit League First Team honors and a 2014 AP Honorable Mention. He averaged a Summit League leading 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals, appearing and starting in 32 games in his final collegiate season. In 2013-14, the 6-7 guard/forward was one of only four NCAA Division I players to lead his team in points scored, rebounds and assists. He also garnered 2013 All-Summit League Second Team honors as a junior and 2012 All-Summit League First Team honors as a sophomore.

Braun left North Dakota State ranked among the school’s all-time top 10 in nine different statistical categories, including fourth in free throws made (454), seventh in points (1,651), eighth in steals (153), ninth in three-pointers (125) and ninth in rebounds (671).

Braun will wear No. 24 for the Jazz.

The training camp roster now stands at 20.

Several key players gone from Jazz

The Jazz are a different team this upcoming season. They lost some key parts during the offseason, the biggest being young star Gordon Hayward. Here’s the Deseret News reporting:

A lot has changed in the last four and a half months since the Utah Jazz were eliminated from the NBA playoffs by the eventual champion Golden State Warriors, following a 51-win season and a fifth-place finish in the Western Conference.

The Jazz lost their premier player, Gordon Hayward, to the Boston Celtics in a free agency move that gave the Utah franchise nothing in return. They also lost starting point guard George Hill, who chose to sign with Sacramento, again with nothing in return. Also moving on were former first-round draft choice Trey Lyles, who was traded to Denver, part-time starting point guard Shelvin Mack and backup center Jeff Withey, who signed with the Mavericks and veteran Boris Diaw, who was waived.

Jazz picked up seven new players, six of whom who are expected to be on the 13-man active roster, led by former lottery pick Ricky Rubio. The Jazz also have first-round draft picks Donovan Mitchell and Tony Bradley as well as veterans Thabo Sefolosha, Jonas Jerebko and Ekpe Udoh. The Jazz also signed swingman Royce O’Neal, but he’ll most likely be fighting for a spot on the 15-man roster.

Full article

Jazz sign Nazareth Mitrou-Long

The Utah Jazz have signed free agent guard Nazareth Mitrou-Long (pronunciation: me-TRUE).

Mitrou-Long (6-4, 218, Iowa State) averaged 15.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists during his senior season with the Cyclones, earning All-Big 12 Second-Team honors. The guard also shot 47 percent from the field and led the conference with 2.8 three-point field goals per game. Connecting on a team-high 98 three-point attempts, the total was the third highest in a single-season in school history.

Over his four years at Iowa State, Mitrou-Long appeared in 131 games (83 starts) averaging 9.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists, helping to lead the Cyclones to three Big 12 Championships. He would finish his collegiate career with 260 three-point field goals, the second most in school history, in addition to becoming just one of 11 players ever for Iowa State to tally 1,200 points, 300 rebounds and 200 assists over his career.

The 24-year-old was most recently a member of the Sacramento Kings entry at the 2017 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas as well as the Indiana Pacers roster at the 2017 Orlando Summer League. Mitrou-Long averaged a combined 9.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 22.8 minutes between the two leagues.

Born in Ontario, Canada, Mitrou-Long played high school basketball at Findlay College Prep in Henderson, Nev.

Jazz sign Nate Wolters to two-way contract

The Utah Jazz have signed guard Nate Wolters to a two-way contract.

Wolters (6-4, 190, South Dakota State) played for Crvena Zvezda in Serbia during the 2016-17 season, where he helped lead his team to the Serbian National Championship. He appeared in 65 games, averaging 8.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 17.1 minutes.

Originally selected in the second round (38th overall) of the 2013 NBA Draft by Washington, Wolters was then traded to Philadelphia and soon after acquired by Milwaukee. The guard has appeared in 79 career NBA games (31 starts) over two seasons with the Bucks and New Orleans. He owns career averages of 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 19.7 minutes. Wolters also played 12 games (eight starts) with the (now) NBA G League’s Grand Rapids Drive in 2014-15, where he averaged 15.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.2 assists in 31.5 minutes. He has additional international experience playing in Turkey with Besiktas where he averaged 11.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 21 league games (18 starts).

A native of St. Cloud, Minn., Wolters played four collegiate seasons at South Dakota State (2009-2013) appearing in 128 games (110 starts) and averaging 18.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.5 steals in 33 minutes of action.

Jazz announce two assistant general managers, new director of basketball operations

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has named David Morway and Justin Zanik as assistant general managers.

In addition, the organization has promoted Steven Schwartz to director of basketball operations.

Morway, who spent the 2016-17 campaign as a basketball operations consultant with the Jazz, previously served as the assistant general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks. Prior to his time in Milwaukee, Morway spent 14 years with the Indiana Pacers, his last four, as the organization’s general manager. Preceding his time in the NBA he was the assistant to the president of the San Diego Padres for three years before founding Professional Excellence Sports, Inc. a sports management firm. A graduate of the University of Arizona, he also holds a Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego.

Zanik returns to the Jazz after spending the 2016-17 season as the assistant general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks. Previously he was the assistant general manager of the Jazz from 2013-16, facilitating contract negotiations and managing the team’s salary cap as well as its international scouting efforts. He came to the Jazz from ASM Sports, serving as the agency’s vice president from 2004-2013. At ASM Sports he oversaw all aspects of career management for the group’s basketball clients. A certified agent for the NBAPA since 2003, Zanik graduated with a degree in economics from Northwestern University.

Schwartz, who enters his third year with the Jazz, previously worked as a basketball operations assistant to Head Coach Quin Snyder. In addition, he also assisted General Manager Dennis Lindsey with the league’s collective bargaining agreement and salary cap, responsibilities he will now continue in an expanded role. The native of Fort Worth, Texas received his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Texas along with his Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law.

Jazz and Rodney Hood reportedly in negotiations

Here’s the Salt Lake Tribune reporting on the Jazz, who would certainly like Rodney Hood to stick around — but only, of course, if the price is right:

The Utah Jazz and starting shooting guard Rodney Hood have opened contract extension negotiations, the Salt Lake Tribune has learned.

The two sides have had preliminary conversations as the Jazz hope Hood can become their primary perimeter scorer this season after Gordon Hayward left for the Boston Celtics. Another meeting is expected to occur in the next few weeks, according to league sources.

Hood, who will enter his fourth season in the league, is eligible for a rookie scale contract extension, with Oct. 16 the deadline to reach an agreement. Hood is one of two Jazz players eligible for an extension. Former lottery pick Dante Exum is the other.

Salt Lake City Stars finalize coaching staff

The Salt Lake City Stars, the NBA G League affiliate of the Utah Jazz, have finalized their coaching staff for the 2017-18 season. Bryan Bailey and Nathan Peavy will join new head coach Martin Schiller on the bench. Bailey and Peavy both played for Schiller with the Bundesliga’s Artland Dragons.

“I had the pleasure of coaching both Bryan Bailey and Nathan Peavy while I was an assistant with the Dragons and am very happy to add them to the Stars’ bench,” said Schiller. “They bring a diverse background in basketball from playing overseas to coaching in the NBA G League and I know they will be a tremendous asset to our team.”

Bailey joins the Stars after spending the 2016 season as an assistant coach for the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League. Bailey spent 13 years playing professional basketball in Europe, including the Euroleague and Eurocup. He began his career with DJK s.Oliver Würzburg (2002-03). He’s also played for Landstede Zwolle (2003-04); two stints with the Artland Dragons (2004-07, 2010-12); KK Bosna (2007-08), where he won the Bosnian League championship as the starting point guard; PGE Turow (2008-09), where he reached the final four of the Polish Cup; EWE Baskets Oldenburg (2009); Keravnos (2010); Virtus Roma (2013); and Medi Bayreuth (2012-15), selected to the 2013 German All-Star Game.

The Hempstead, N.Y., native is the co-founder of DIME Athletics, which focuses on assisting competitive high school, collegiate and professional basketball players on improving their basketball skills, strength, conditioning and overall athleticism to reach their highest performance level. Bailey played four years at Bucknell University (1998-02) and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Peavy, who just completed the 2016-17 season playing for Cariduros de Fajardo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league in Puerto Rico, has played professionally for eight seasons overseas. The 6-8 forward began his career in 2007 with the Uni Baskets Paderborn in the German Basketball Bundesliga League. He also played for the Artland Dragons (2009-12), Alba Berlin (2012-13), Atenienses de Manati (2015-16) and was member of the Puerto Rican National Team (2010-12). The Dayton, Ohio, native played four seasons at Miami (OH) from 2003-07.