G-League: Sergi Oliva named head coach of Rip City Remix

The Rip City Remix, the official NBA G League affiliate of the Portland Trail Blazers, have announced Sergi Oliva as the team’s next head coach.

Oliva brings a depth of coaching experience to the Remix bench as he has served as an assistant coach for two seasons with the Utah Jazz from 2020-22. Prior to Utah, he was first hired as a basketball operations analyst in 2014 by the Philadelphia 76ers and then held a dual role of front office strategy and coaching with coach Brett Brown from 2017-2020.

Currently, Oliva serves as the assistant general manager for the Portland Trail Blazers and will reassume the role once the G League season has concluded.

A native of Gelida, Catalonia, Oliva spent 12 years as a head coach at the youth and senior amateur levels in Catalonia. Oliva holds multiple degrees from Polytechnic University of Catalonia, including a PhD in Computational Complexity and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science.

Cleveland Cavaliers to hold 2024 Training Camp at IMG Academy in Florida

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced today that the team will hold its 2024 Training Camp at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, from October 1-6, 2024.

The six-day camp will mark the official start of the Cavaliers’ preparations for the 2024-25 NBA season.

“The city of Sarasota and IMG Academy in Bradenton is the perfect backdrop for our training camp this year,” said Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman. “This is a unique opportunity for us to utilize a world-class facility away from our usual environment, providing an excellent setting for building team chemistry and culture. We extend our gratitude to IMG Academy and the surrounding areas for their warm hospitality in hosting our organization. Their state-of-the-art facilities and supportive communities will be instrumental in helping us prepare for the upcoming season.”

Cleveland will become the first NBA team to hold training camp at IMG Academy, the world’s leading sports education brand. This 600-acre campus in Bradenton, Florida, is renowned for its state-of-the-art facilities, including multiple basketball courts and comprehensive strength and conditioning resources. IMG Academy offers a holistic education model, integrating innovative on-campus and online experiences to prepare student-athletes for college and life. This will also be the Cavaliers’ first remote training camp since preparing for the 2004-05 season at Capital University in Columbus, OH.

“IMG Academy is excited to welcome the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers to our world-class campus for their 2024-25 NBA Training Camp this fall,” said Mike Milliron, Chief Operating Officer of IMG Academy. “Our state-of-the-art environment, facilities, hospitality, and IMG Academy’s proven track record with regularly hosting professional sports leagues, organizations, and players make us an ideal partner for the Cavaliers as they prepare for their upcoming NBA season. We look forward to providing their staff and players with unrivaled IMG Academy campus experience.”

Grizzlies waive Mamadi Diakite

The Memphis Grizzlies have waived forward Mamadi Diakite.

Diakite (6-9, 228) has appeared in 55 games (six starts) and has averaged 3.1 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.6 minutes for the Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks since he went unselected in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Virginia.

Pelicans waive Matt Ryan

The New Orleans Pelicans have waived forward Matt Ryan.

Ryan, 6-7, 215, appeared in 28 games (one start) for New Orleans during the 2023-24 season, averaging 5.4 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting .451 from three-point range.

Across three seasons, Ryan has appeared in 63 career games with New Orleans, Minnesota, the Los Angeles Lakers, and Boston. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga product owns career averages of 4.4 points, 1.0 rebound and 0.5 assists per game while shooting .411 from deep.

Pelicans sign Javonte Green

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed free agent guard/forward Javonte Green.

Green, 6-5, 205, appeared in nine games (five starts) with the Chicago Bulls during the 2023-24 season, averaging 12.2 points and 7.4 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game. Green also played in 10 games last season with the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors, averaging 12.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 22.2 minutes per game.

Across five seasons, Green has appeared in 195 games (55 starts) for Chicago and Boston, averaging 5.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per contest. Prior to the NBA, the Petersburg, Va. native played four seasons at Radford University while averaging 14.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.7 blocks in 25.4 minutes across 133 games (122 starts).

Warriors legend Alvin Attles has passed away

Per the Golden State Warriors:

Warriors legend Alvin Attles passed away yesterday at the age of 87. He was surrounded by family at his East Bay home.

Attles, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2019, joined the Philadelphia Warriors in 1960 as the club’s fifth-round draft choice and has been affiliated with the franchise ever since, a span of over 60 years that represents the longest stint with a single franchise for any one person in NBA history. He is one of only six Warriors in franchise history to have his number retired (#16), along with Rick Barry (#24), Wilt Chamberlain (#13), Tom Meschery (#14), Chris Mullin (#17) and Nate Thurmond (#42).

Attles enjoyed an 11-year playing career with the Warriors, averaging 8.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 711 regular-season games, spending the final two years as the club’s player/coach. The North Carolina A&T product amassed a regular-season coaching record of 557-518 (.518) at the helm of the Warriors during his 13-plus year coaching career, the most wins by a head coach in franchise history, and guided Golden State to its first championship in the team’s West Coast Era with a 4-0 series sweep over the Washington Bullets in the 1975 NBA Finals. Attles completed his coaching career at the conclusion of the 1982-83 campaign to become the Warriors’ general manager, heading the team’s basketball operations for three years.

Miami Heat 2024-25 preseason game schedule

The Miami HEAT 2024-25 preseason schedule includes three games being played inside the Kaseya Center.

The five-game schedule will open in Charlotte against the Hornets on October 8 (7PM) before returning to Miami for three straight home games: First vs. the Atlanta Hawks on October 10 (7:30PM), followed by additional home games on October 13 vs. the New Orleans Pelicans (3:30PM) and October 15 vs. the San Antonio Spurs (7:30PM).

The HEAT will conclude the preseason in Memphis against the Grizzlies on October 18 (8PM).

Raptors sign Jared Rhoden

The Toronto Raptors have signed guard Jared Rhoden.

Rhoden, 6-foot-6, 210 pounds, averaged 4.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 14.4 minutes in 17 games with Detroit last season. He shot 50 per cent (33-66) from the field and .387 (12-31) from beyond the arc. Rhoden scored in double figures twice, including a career-high 16 points (6-12 FG, 4-8 3PT) Apr. 14 at San Antonio.

A native of Baldwin, New York, Rhoden holds career averages of 4.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 14.3 minutes in 31 career contests with the Pistons after signing a two-way contract in December 2022. During this stretch he also appeared in 53 regular season games with Motor City in the NBA G League, averaging 19.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 35.8 minutes.

Prior to the NBA, Rhoden played four collegiate seasons (2018-22) at Seton Hall where he posted averages of 10.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 26.0 minutes in 122 career games with the Pirates. In 31 games as a senior, he averaged 15.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 33.1 minutes and was named to the All-Big East First Team.

Mavericks 2024-25 preseason game schedule

The Dallas Mavericks 2024-25 preseason schedule begins with a game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 7 at American Airlines Center.

The team’s four-game preseason slate also includes home games against the Utah Jazz on Oct. 10 and Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 17.

Dallas’ lone road game in the preseason will be at the L.A. Clippers on Oct. 14 in their new arena, the Intuit Dome.

Tickets for home preseason games will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 10 a.m.

Key dates for the 2024-25 NBA season

The 79th NBA regular season will tip off on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, and conclude on Sunday, April 13, 2025. The NBA Play-In Tournament 2025 will take place from Tuesday, April 15 – Friday, April 18, followed by the start of the NBA Playoffs 2025 on Saturday, April 19. Game 1 of the NBA Finals 2025 is set for Thursday, June 5.

The regular-season schedule includes defined dates and opponents for 80 of each team’s 82 games, along with two games designated as TBD dates and opponents. Those two games for each team, to be played Dec. 10-16, will be determined based on the results of Group Play games in the NBA Cup 2024. The Group Play schedule, which comprises 60 games that will be played on Tuesdays and Fridays from Nov. 12 – Dec. 3, was announced on Aug. 13.