Category: Utah Jazz Blog

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D-League: Dean Cooper named head coach of Idaho Stampede

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has named Dean Cooper as head coach of the Idaho Stampede, the team’s D-League affiliate, pending league approval.

Cooper becomes the 10th head coach in Stampede history and the sixth since the organization became a member of the NBA Development League.

“We are pleased to welcome Dean to our organization,” said Utah Jazz General Manager Dennis Lindsey. “The D-League is a critical component in building teams and it begins with each affiliate’s head coach. Dean’s addition is another step in the continued expansion of our basketball operations, and his experience and teaching ability will be a tremendous asset to both the Idaho Stampede and Utah Jazz.”

Cooper spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets on Kevin McHale’s staff. He began his NBA career with the Rockets in 1999 as a video coordinator, eventually becoming an assistant coach to Rudy Tomjanovich. When Jeff Van Gundy succeeded Tomjanovich, Cooper transitioned to the front office as a personnel scout for one season before eventually becoming the Director of Scouting (2004-07) and Vice President of Player Personnel (2007-08).

He spent the 2008-09 season as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves when McHale was the interim coach. Following a one-year stint as a regional scout for the Timberwolves (2009-10), Cooper became Director of Player Development for the Portland Trail Blazers under then-coach Nate McMillan.

“The Utah Jazz and Idaho Stampede are both model organizations with winning traditions and passionate fans,” said Cooper. “I am looking forward to working with Coach Snyder as we develop a unified approach to player development while continuing to put a team on the floor that will compete every night and make the Boise community proud.”

Prior to the NBA, Cooper coached four years at the collegiate level. For two seasons he was an assistant coach at his alma mater, Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Mich., before taking a similar role at the University of Buffalo for two years. While at Aquinas, he also served in an advance scouting role for the Connecticut Pride of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) for one season. Cooper began his coaching career at a pair of Michigan high schools, spending five years at Belding High School and three years at Caledonia High School.

A native of Belding, Mich., Cooper has been a camp director in the NBA’s Basketball without Borders program since 2005. Married to Melanie Cooper, he earned his undergraduate degree in business administration from Aquinas College.

“Having coached in the D-League for three seasons, I learned what an extension your affiliate is of your NBA program,” said Utah Jazz Head Coach Quin Snyder. “Dean has a proven history of player development which is an integral aspect of my coaching philosophy. As an extension of our staff, he will work hand-in-hand with us to establish a clear, seamless connection to ensure we are stressing the same principles in Utah and Idaho.”

The Jazz and Stampede have a single affiliation partnership that begins with the 2014-15 NBA D-League season. The partnership, also referred to as a “hybrid affiliation,” is the ninth of its kind in the NBA D-League and enables the Jazz to manage all aspects of the Stampede’s basketball operations, while the existing local ownership group headed by Bill Ilett maintains primary responsibility for the team’s off-the-court business operations and community initiatives.

Jazz players look to make an impact on world stage

Here’s the Salt Lake Tribune reporting on upcoming international summer bball:

Summer league is over. Training camp is still two months away. So, naturally, it’s time for basketball.

Basketball’s World Cup starts late next month in Spain, and a few members of the Utah Jazz are hoping to make their presence known on the global stage.

Dante Exum (and Jazz summer leaguer Brock Motum) have returned to Australia to prepare for the tournament. Center Rudy Gobert is back home in France.

And Utah’s new max-man, Gordon Hayward, will begin his quest to earn a spot on the United States’ 12-man roster starting Monday, when Team USA begins it’s camp in Las Vegas.

Exum, the Jazz’s first-round pick in last month’s draft, figures to have the most prominent role among his teammates. With point guard Patty Mills injured, the 19-year-old Exum should get heavy minutes in the Australia backcourt.

Jazz trade John Lucas III, Malcolm Thomas and Erik Murphy to Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired guard John Lucas III and forwards Malcolm Thomas and Erik Murphy from the Utah Jazz in exchange for guard Carrick Felix, Cleveland’s 2015 second round draft pick and cash considerations, General Manager David Griffin announced tonight from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Lucas appeared in 42 games (six starts) for the Jazz in 2013-14 with averages of 3.8 points and 1.0 assist in 14.1 minutes per game. Over his six-year NBA career, the 5-11 guard out of Oklahoma State has played in 216 games (eight starts) with Houston, Chicago, Toronto and Utah, averaging 4.8 points and 1.4 assists in 12.2 minutes per game.

Thomas, a 6-9 forward from San Diego State, played in eight contests for Utah and San Antonio last season and averaged 1.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in 7.9 minutes per game, while Murphy, a 6-10 forward out of Florida, appeared in 24 games for Chicago with averages of 0.3 points and 0.3 rebounds in 2.6 minutes per game in 2013-14.

Felix was selected by the Cavaliers in the second round (33rd overall) in the 2013 NBA Draft. He appeared in seven games and averaged 2.7 points, 0.9 rebounds and 5.4 minutes. He also appeared in nine games with the Cavaliers D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge, where he averaged 11.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals in 28.7 minutes.

Utah Jazz sign Trevor Booker

Utah Jazz sign Trevor Booker

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has signed free-agent forward Trevor Booker.

Booker (6-8, 235, Clemson) is a four-year veteran who owns career averages of 6.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 20.3 minutes over 235 career games (105 starts), all with the Washington Wizards. This past season, he registered 6.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, including 24 games of 10-plus points and five double-doubles. Booker also led the Wizards in field goal percentage (.551, 222-of-403) and recorded a career-high 379 total rebounds during the 2013-14 campaign.

Originally selected in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2010 NBA Draft by Minnesota prior to his rights being traded to Washington, Booker was the first senior selected in that year’s draft class.

Prior to the NBA, Booker played four seasons at Clemson University from 2006-10. He ranks fifth all-time at Clemson in scoring with 1,725 career points and third all-time in school history with 1,060 rebounds. Booker helped led the Tigers to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and a school-record 93 victories during his four-year tenure. He also became the first player in ACC history to record 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds, 200 blocks, 200 assists and 100 steals in a career. Booker averaged double figures in scoring in all four collegiate seasons.

Born in Newberry, S.C., Booker played high school basketball at Union County and was named the 2006 Gatorade High School Player of the Year in South Carolina following his senior season. He also won a bronze medal with Team USA at the World University Games in the summer of 2009.

Jazz: Ian Clark looking to show he belongs

Here’s the Salt Lake Tribune reporting on a young player’s challenges as he adapts to the NBA:

Ian Clark never ran the point guard spot in high school.

He played the position a bit during his senior year at Belmont, but nobody was comparing him to Chris Paul. His one year with the Utah Jazz was defined as a shooting guard.

But if he’s going to have staying power in the NBA, Clark will probably have to do it as a floor leader.

That’s what Clark faced this week at the Las Vegas summer league, proving to the Jazz front office that he can run an offense, and doing so with Trey Burke and Dante Exum spending a lot of their time as point guards as well.

“I just really wanted to show that I have been working on my game, and that I can be a point,” Clark said. “I’ve done things in my workouts this summer in Nashville so that I can get ready for this moment.”

Jazz match Hornets offer sheet, and keep Gordon Hayward

gordon hayward

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has retained its right of first refusal and matched the offer sheet extended to guard/forward Gordon Hayward by the Charlotte Hornets.  According to multiple reports, it is a four year deal for $63 million.

“As we have said since the start of last season, we have always seen Gordon Hayward as a significant part of the future of the Utah Jazz,” said Jazz General Manager Dennis Lindsey.

“Gordon is a young, multi-faceted player and a high-character individual who we are pleased will remain a member of the Jazz for many years to come.”

Hayward (6-8, 220, Butler) appeared in 77 games (all starts) for the Jazz in 2013-14, averaging career-highs of 16.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.4 steals in 36.4 minutes (10th in NBA) to become just the second player in Jazz history to average at least 16 points, with five-or-more rebounds and assists in a season (Pete Maravich in 1974-75 and 1976-77).  He led the Jazz in scoring and minutes played, ranked second in assists and third in rebounds last season while posting career highs in nearly every major statistical category.  Hayward registered nine double-doubles on the season (seven points/rebounds, two points/assists), tallying seven double-digit rebound performances, and six games with 10+ assists.  He scored in double figures 63 times, reaching 20-plus points on 22 occasions.  He also recorded single-game career highs of 37 points (Jan. 7 vs. Oklahoma City), 13 rebounds (Dec. 13 at Denver) and 12 assists (Nov. 25 vs. Chicago).

“Gordon is a foundational piece for the Utah Jazz and an important member of the Utah community,” said Jazz President Randy Rigby.  “We have appreciated his commitment in the past and look forward to his continued growth both on and off the court.”

The 24-year-old career Jazzman was originally selected by Utah in the first round (ninth overall selection) of the 2010 NBA Draft, and has appeared in 287 career games (179 starts) and owns averages of 12.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 28.4 minutes.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to coach Gordon,” said Head Coach Quin Snyder.  “He is a talented and versatile player, and will play an integral role in our effort to build the Utah Jazz into a championship-caliber team.  We look forward to seeing him continue to develop as a leader on our team.”

Raptors trade Steve Novak to Jazz

Raptors trade Steve Novak to Jazz

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has acquired forward Steve Novak and the rights to New York’s 2017 second round draft pick from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for guard Diante Garrett.

Novak (6-10, 235, Marquette), the sixth-most accurate three-pointer shooter in NBA history (min. 250 made), is an eight-year veteran who owns averages of 5.0 points and 1.4 rebounds in 13.0 minutes over 414 career games with Houston, L.A. Clippers, Dallas, San Antonio, New York and Toronto. His career .432 (548-1,268) three-point percentage is second only to Golden State’s Stephen Curry (.440) among all active players, while his career .892 free throw percentage would rank fourth if he had enough attempts to qualify.

Originally selected in the second round (32nd overall selection) of the 2006 NBA Draft by Houston, Novak led the NBA in three-point accuracy (.472) during the 2011-12 season, ranking third that season in three-point makes (133). Novak averaged 3.3 points and 1.1 rebounds in 10.0 minutes in 54 games last season with Toronto.

Prior to the NBA, Novak played four seasons at Marquette University from 2002-06, averaging 12.4 points and 4.2 rebounds over his four-year collegiate career. He still ranks as the Golden Eagles’ all-time career leader with 354 three-pointers (.461, 354-768), after finishing his college career as Marquette’s all-time free-throw percentage leader (.931, 243-261) and ranking 10th on the school’s all-time scoring list (1,567).

Garrett (6-4, 190, Iowa State) averaged 3.5 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 14.8 minutes in 71 games last season with Utah. The Jazz signed Garrett from the NBA Development League’s Iowa Energy on November 13, 2013, making him the first NBA D-League Call-Up of the 2013-14 season.

Hornets sign Gordon Hayward to offer sheet (Jazz can choose to match)

Hornets sign Gordon Hayward to offer sheet

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has extended an offer sheet to restricted free-agent forward Gordon Hayward. According to multiple reports, the deal is for $63 million over four years — a larger offer than anyone expected Hayward to get. In accordance with the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, Hayward’s current team, the Utah Jazz, will have three days to match the offer.

The 6-8 Hayward saw action in 77 games for the Jazz last year, averaging career highs of 16.2 points, 5.2 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 36.4 minutes. He led the team in scoring and minutes played, ranked second in assists and was tied for third in rebounds. In his fourth NBA season, Hayward posted career highs in nearly every statistical category, including games played (77), minutes (2800), points (1248), field goals (426), field goal attempts (1032), free throws (311), free throw attempts (381), total rebounds (391), offensive rebounds (62), defensive rebounds (329), assists (400) and steals (110).

Hayward scored in double figures 63 times, grabbed double-figure rebounds in seven games and handed out double-figure assists on six occasions, tallying nine double-doubles. He also recorded single-game career highs of 37 points (Jan. 7 vs. Oklahoma City), 13 rebounds (Dec. 13 at Denver) and 12 assists (Nov. 25 vs. Chicago) during the 2013-14 season.

The ninth overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Hayward has played in 287 games during his four-year career, all with the Jazz. He has career averages of 12.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 28.4 minutes, with shooting percentages of .436 from the field (1171-2684), .365 from beyond the three-point line (277-759) and .813 from the free-throw line (816-1004). He has scored in double figures 174 times, including 45 games of 20 points or more and four games of 30 points or more.