Jazz sign Oscar Tshiebwe, waive Taevion Kinsey

The Utah Jazz have signed forward Oscar Tshiebwe to a two-way contract.

And in a related move, the team has waived guard Taevion Kinsey.

Tshiebwe (6-9, 260, Kentucky) spent the 2023-24 season on a two-way deal with the Indiana Pacers—appearing in eight NBA games and averaging 3.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 5.3 minutes per game. He was named Kia NBA G League Rookie of the Year and All-NBA G League First Team after appearing in 23 regular season games (21 starts) for the Indiana Mad Ants and averaging 16.2 points, 16.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 27.2 minutes per contest.

A native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tshiebwe spent two collegiate seasons at West Virginia before transferring to Kentucky for his final two seasons—averaging 14.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per contest in 107 total games (105 starts).

At Kentucky, Tshiebwe was the unanimous National Player of the Year and SEC Player of the Year as a junior in 2021-22, leading the nation in rebounding with 15.2 boards per game and ranking second with 28 double-doubles. As a senior in 2022-23, he was a unanimous second-team All-America selection and led the nation in rebounding (13.7 rpg) for a second consecutive season.

Kinsey (6-5, 190, Marshall) appeared in 34 regular season games (23 starts) in one season with the Salt Lake City Stars, averaging 11.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 30.8 minutes per game.

Jazz sign Kyle Filipowski

The Utah Jazz have signed center/forward Kyle Filipowski.

Filipowski (7-0, 248, Duke) played in eight games (five starts) for the Jazz at the 2024 Salt Lake City Summer League and NBA 2K25 Summer League in Las Vegas, owning averages of 11.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.0 steal in 22.2 minutes per contest. The Westtown, N.Y., native was drafted by the Jazz with the 32nd overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.

During his two-year collegiate career, he played in 72 games (all starts), averaging 15.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 29.8 minutes per contest. He was only the seventh Duke player in the past 50 years to total over 1,000 points in their first two seasons.

As a sophomore during the 2023-24 season, he averaged 16.4 points on 50.6 percent from the field, along with 8.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 36 games, earning Consensus 2023-24 All-American Second Team and All-ACC First Team honors. During his first collegiate season in 2022-23, he recorded averages of 15.1 points, 9.0 boards, and 1.6 assists in 36 games, garnering 2022-23 All-ACC Second Team and All-ACC Freshman Team honors, as well as being named the ACC’s Freshman of the Year and Rookie of the Year.

The 20-year-old finished his high school career at Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Wilbraham, Mass., where he was named the 2021 Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year. He competed at the 2022 Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit following his high school career.

Team USA wins 2024 Olympic gold medal

Per ESPN.com:

It is now five straight Olympic golds for the USA after a hard-fought 98-87 victory over the resilient and prideful host nation of France on Saturday.

The indelible moment came from Stephen Curry, who made four uber clutch 3-pointers in a two-minute second stretch of the fourth quarter to turn away a French uprising. Curry assured his first gold with a ridiculous fall away bomb over two defenders after a behind-the-back dribble, silencing the home fans with his “put them to sleep” trademark move.

“Before every shot you take, you think it’s going in,” Curry said. “All I saw was the rim. I didn’t see who was in front of me. I knew it was kind of a late clock situation, but that one impressed myself.”

After making nine 3-pointers in the semifinals and putting in 36 points, Curry made 8-of-12 triples in the final for 24 golden points.

“I’ve seen that from Steph a few times but it never gets old,” Team USA coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s a global game with a lot of great players, but we still feel we have the greatest players.”

Mavericks sign Kessler Edwards, waive Alex Fudge

The Dallas Mavericks recently signed forward Kessler Edwards to a Two-Way contract.

And in a related move, Dallas requested waivers on Two-Way forward Alex Fudge.

Edwards (6-7, 203) holds career averages of 3.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 11.9 minutes in 138 career games, 27 of which were starts, with the Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings. Appearing in 54 games for Sacramento last season, Edwards averaged 1.7 points and 5.1 minutes per game. Having appeared in four games, two of which were starts, during his 2023-24 tenure with the G League’s Stockton Kings, Edwards averaged 20.3 points (.459 FG%, 1.000 FT%), 7.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks in 31.1 minutes per game.

Originally drafted 44th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets, Edwards started in 23 of his 48 games appearances during his rookie season for the Nets, averaging 5.9 points and 3.6 rebounds. Before being traded to Sacramento in 2022-23, Edwards appeared in 14 games for the Nets averaging 3.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists throughout 22 games, three of which he started.

Edwards played three seasons at Pepperdine University, earning First-Team All-West Coast Conference (2021), Second-Team All-WCC (2020) and WCC All-Freshman Team honors (2019).

Edwards will wear No. 20 for the Mavericks.

Fudge (6-8, 200) appeared in two games for the Mavericks, one of which he recorded a season-high 11 points (5-9 FG, 1-3 3FG) and three steals.

Timberwolves announce coaching staff updates

The Minnesota Timberwolves recently announced the following coaching staff updates:

Max Lefevre (Luh-Fev) has been promoted to Assistant Coach. Lefevre has been with the Timberwolves since the 2019-20 season, holding positions of Video Coordinator/Player Development Associate and Player Development Coach. Prior to his time with the Timberwolves, Lefevre spent four seasons at Texas Tech as the Director of Player Development, helping the Red Raiders to the 2019 NCAA National Championship game and the Big 12 Conference regular-season championship. He also worked as Director of Basketball Operations at the University of Arkansas Little Rock in 2015-16 and as a graduate assistant at Angelo State from 2013-15. Born in France, Lefevre played college basketball at Avila University also located in Kansas City. He earned his Bachelor of Science in International Business from Avila in 2012 before earning his Master of Education in Sports Administration from Angelo State in 2015.

Jeff Newton has been promoted to Assistant Coach. Newton enters his sixth season with the organization after serving as Quality Control Coach last season and previously as Player Development/Offensive Associate with the Timberwolves. Newton was the Head Coach of the Iowa Wolves, the Timberwolves G League affiliate for two seasons. Prior to his time with the Timberwolves organization, he was with the Houston Rockets for three seasons, spending one year each as a personnel scout, assistant video coordinator and basketball operations intern. Newton got his start in the NBA as a basketball operations intern with the then Charlotte Bobcats. A native of Barrington, Rhode Island, Newton graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a degree in Sports Management.

Chris Hines has been named Assistant Coach/Director of Player Development. Hines enters his first season as the Director of Player Development after spending the last two seasons as a Player Development Coach and two seasons as a Player Development Associate. Prior to joining the Timberwolves coaching staff, Hines was hired as Assistant Head Coach for Minnesota’s G League Affiliate the Iowa Wolves in 2019. He spent three seasons with the Guangdong Southern Tigers as a Director of Player Development beginning in 2016. Prior to that, he was with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers as Director of Basketball Operations and Player Development. Hines played briefly for the Iowa Energy during the 2014-15 season and played one season collegiately at Drake University after playing for three years at the University of Utah, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 2012. Hines was recently Head Coach of the Timberwolves’ entry to NBA 2K25 Summer League 2024, where the Wolves went 4-1 this summer.

Nathan Bubes has been promoted to Assistant Coach/Quality Control Coach. Bubes returns to the Timberwolves after spending the last season as an Assistant Coach with the Iowa Wolves. Prior to his time in Des Moines, he spent two seasons with the Timberwolves as Quality Control Coach. Before arriving in Minnesota, Bubes served as the assistant video coordinator for the New Orleans Pelicans from 2019-2021. Prior to his time with New Orleans, he was the coordinator of strategy and analytics for Brigham Young University men’s basketball program. Bubes had his start in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers when he served as the team’s video intern in 2018.

Moses Ehambe has been named Assistant Coach/Player Development. Ehambe begins his fifth season with the Timberwolves after serving previously as a Player Development Associate and the Director of Player Programs. Prior to his time with the Timberwolves, Ehambe spent one season with the Indiana Pacers as a Video/Player Development Assistant. He played collegiately at Oral Roberts University for four years and after going undrafted in 2008, Ehambe spent over a decade playing overseas and in the G League, including being part of the 2011 D League Champion Iowa Energy.

James White has been promoted to Player Development Coach. White finished his first season with the Timberwolves coaching staff after spending one season with the Iowa Wolves as an Assistant Coach. Prior to the Wolves, he served as a head coach for two seasons in The Basketball League. He entered coaching after a long and successful playing career with stints in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets and New York Knicks, the NBA D League and international leagues in Italy, Russia and Turkey. White was selected 31st overall in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. A McDonald’s High School All-American, White played one season at the University of Florida before transferring to the University of Cincinnati.

Joey Dorsey has been added to Timberwolves Head Coach Chris Finch’s coaching staff as a Player Development Assistant. Dorsey joins Minnesota after recently serving as a volunteer coach for the University of Memphis Men’s Basketball team last season. Dorsey recently participated in the NBA Coaching Developmental Program led by former NBA Coach Butch Carter. After playing collegiately for four years at Memphis, Dorsey was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 33rd overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. He played four seasons in the NBA with the Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors. In 130 career games (26 starts), he totaled 344 points, 513 rebounds and 55 assists. Dorsey played over a decade overseas, including winning the Greek League and EuroLeague championships with Olympiacos.

Cole Fisher has been promoted to Manager of Basketball Analytics. Fisher will be entering his seventh season with the Timberwolves after previously serving as a Senior Analyst and Basketball Operations & Coaching Analyst for the Wolves. He began his NBA career as a basketball operations intern for the Toronto Raptors in 2017 and was a basketball analytics intern for the Sacramento Kings in 2018. In addition, Fisher has created a web application to help accurately predict future NBA success for current G League players, as well as other web applications.

Trail Blazers 2024-25 preseason game schedule

The Portland Trail Blazers will tip-off their four-game 2024-25 preseason schedule with a matchup against the LA Clippers, who will host the Trail Blazers in Seattle, Wash. at Climate Pledge Arena on Friday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. PT. The Clippers matchup marks the second time the teams have faced off in Seattle for a preseason game, the first occurring during the 2022-23 preseason.

The Trail Blazers will then travel to Sacramento to take on the Kings at Golden 1 Center on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 3 p.m. PT before returning home to Portland to kick off the preseason homestand.

Portland will host Ratiopharm Ulm of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) at Moda Center on Wednesday, Oct. 16 and then will conclude the preseason schedule vs. UTA on Friday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. PT.

Raptors 2024-25 preseason game schedule

The Raptors will open 2024-25 preseason on Sunday, October 6 against the Washington Wizards at Bell Centre as part of the 10th edition of the NBA Canada Series. The game will mark Toronto’s seventh preseason game in Montréal (2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018 & 2022). The Raptors also faced Washington at Bell Centre in 2015, winning that matchup 92-82 in front of a sold-out crowd.

Toronto will play five preseason games in total, including one at Scotiabank Arena.

The Raptors are on the road Friday, Oct. 11 at Washington and Sunday, Oct. 13 against the Boston Celtics.

The Raptors return home to host Boston on Tuesday, Oct. 15 before wrapping up the preseason by travelling to Brooklyn to face the Nets on Friday, Oct. 18.

Hawks 2024-25 preseason game schedule

The Atlanta Hawks today announced the team’s four-game 2024 preseason schedule, including home contests against the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers, along with road games at Miami and Oklahoma City.

Atlanta begins exhibition play on Tuesday, Oct. 8 versus Indiana (7:30 p.m.) before heading to Miami to take on the Heat on Thursday, Oct. 10 (7:30 p.m.). The Hawks return home to take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, Oct. 14 (7:30 p.m.) and travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder in Atlanta’s preseason finale on Thursday, Oct. 17 (8 p.m.).

Nets 2024-25 preseason game schedule

The Brooklyn Nets tip off the 2024-25 season with a four-game preseason schedule, which includes a pair of home games at Barclays Center.

At home, Brooklyn will host the Washington Wizards on Monday, Oct. 14, and the Toronto Raptors on Friday, Oct. 18.

On the road, Brooklyn will open their preseason slate versus the Los Angeles Clippers at Frontwave Arena in San Diego on Tuesday, Oct. 8, and will travel to Philadelphia for a matchup with the 76ers on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

Trail Blazers hire Ronnie Burrell as assistant coach

The Portland Trail Blazers recently named Ronnie Burrell as an assistant coach on Head Coach Chauncey Billups’ staff.

Burrell joins the Trail Blazers after most recently spending the 2023-24 season as an assistant coach with the Brooklyn Nets. Prior to joining Brooklyn, Burrell spent the 2022-23 season as the head coach of the Nets’ NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. Burrell led Long Island to a 23-9 overall record in the regular season, tied for the second-best record in the NBA G League and earned NBA G League Coach of the Year honors.

Prior to rejoining the Nets organization ahead of the 2022-23 season, Burrell spent the 2021-22 season as an assistant coach with the College Park Skyhawks, the NBA G League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks, and the previous season as a player development coordinator with the Chicago Bulls. The Montclair, N.J., native previously played 11 professional seasons (2005-2016) in France, Germany and Poland after a four-year collegiate playing career (2001-05) at UNC Greensboro.