Hornets Waive Mangok Mathiang
The Hornets have waived big man Mangok Mathiang, per an official release from the team and announcement from President of Basketball Operations & General Manager Mitch Kupchak.
Mathiang, 25, signed a two-way contract with the Hornets a little over one year ago today. He played in four games during the 2017/18 season, averaging 2.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 5.0 minutes per contest.
The 6’10” center also appeared in 43 games (36 starts) for Charlotte’s G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, where he averaged 10.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.1 assists in 25.3 minutes per game.
After waiving Mathiang, the Hornets now have an open two-way spot on their roster, with rookie guard J.P. Macura holding down the other two-way contract for Charlotte.
Marcus Georges-Hunt To Work Out For Nuggets
Former Timberwolves guard Marcus Georges-Hunt is working out with the Nuggets this week, per Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype.
The 6’5” shooting guard became an unrestricted free agent this summer after Minnesota decided not to give him a qualifying offer. He appeared in 42 games and only averaged 1.4 points in 5.3 minutes per contest during the 2017/18 season with the Wolves.
The Nuggets, meanwhile, have already filled both of their two-way slots with rookies DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell and Thomas Welsh, and have 15 players on their roster with guaranteed contracts for the 2018/19 season. Accordingly, any deal for Georges-Hunt would likely be an unguaranteed, training camp contract only.
Georges-Hunt, 24, was a four-year college standout at Georgia Tech, but went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft. In addition to his stint with the Wolves, he also spent some time with the Magic toward the end of the 2016/17 season.
Rockets Sign Carmelo Anthony
AUGUST 13, 12:21pm: Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has published a tweet welcoming Anthony to Houston, signaling that the signing is now official.
AUGUST 13, 8:21am: Anthony has traveled to Houston and is completing his physical on Monday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who tweets that the veteran forward should finally make his deal with the Rockets official today.
AUGUST 7, 4:17pm: Carmelo Anthony has verbally agreed to sign with the Rockets, league sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Anthony already made his plans known a few weeks back, but he still needed to be officially traded and waived before he could make a final decision.
Anthony reportedly drew interest from the Heat in addition to the Rockets, but Houston has always been seen as the frontrunner ever since it became public knowledge that the working relationship between Anthony and the Thunder was beyond repair.
The 34-year-old forward, who has long made it known that he sees himself as a starter in the NBA, will presumably get the chance to show he’s right after Houston lost both Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute in free agency.
Anthony will reportedly sign a one-year, veteran’s minimum salary, leaving the Rockets with the remainder of their mid-level exception to use elsewhere.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Lakers At Warriors To Highlight Christmas Day
AUGUST 8, 8:10am: The Rockets will host the Thunder to round out the Christmas Day schedule, tweets ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
AUGUST 7, 8:02pm: Some of the more popular games of the 2018/19 NBA schedule will be announced tomorrow at 2:00pm EST. At that time, the NBA will announce the schedule for the opening week of the 2018/19 regular season along with the slate of games for Christmas Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
However, Marc Stein of The New York Times is already reporting matchups for three of the Christmas Day games. The Celtics will play the Sixers, the Knicks will host the Bucks, and the new-look Lakers will travel to Oakland to take on the Warriors. Chris Haynes of ESPN is also reporting that the Jazz will host the Trail Blazers.
This will be the fourth consecutive season that a LeBron James-led team will face off against Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and the Warriors. James’ Cavaliers teams went 1-2 against Golden State over the last three seasons.
Bucks Sign Jordan Barnett
The Bucks have signed Jordan Barnett to a training camp contract, per an official release from the team. Alec Lewis of Yahoo Sports first reported back in June that Barnett would receive a camp invite from Milwaukee.
Barnett, 22, appeared in all five of the Bucks’ summer league games in Las Vegas and averaged 6.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 18.6 minutes per game. He went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft upon finishing the final two seasons of his collegiate career at Missouri after transferring from Texas.
As a senior during the 2017-18 season, the 6’7” forward averaged 13.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in 32 games (all starts) with the Tigers while shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from 3-point range.
The Bucks currently have 14 players on guaranteed contracts, so while there’s technically an open roster spot for Barnett, he’s far more likely to end up playing for the Bucks’ G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.
Sasha Vujacic Hopeful For NBA Return
According to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, veteran guard Sasha Vujacic is hoping for a return to the NBA for the 2018/19 season.
Vujacic spent the 2017/18 season with Fiat Torino of the Lega Basket Serie A in Italy, helping the team win its first even Italian Cup by scoring the deciding layup in the final seconds.
“I don’t know where I will be playing next season,” Vujacic said. “But honestly, I am first waiting for the NBA. But I also know that my agent is talking to some European teams, Torino included.”
A 10-year NBA veteran, the 34-year-old last played in the NBA during the 2016/17 season, appearing in 42 games for the Knicks and averaging 3.0 points and 1.2 assists in 9.7 minutes per game.
A two-time NBA champion with the Lakers, Vujacic holds career averages of 5.3 PPG, 1.9 RPG, and 1.3 APG in 15.3 minutes per contest with a relatively humdrum shooting line of .390/.367/.858.
Pistons Name Sachin Gupta Assistant GM
The Pistons have announced the hiring of Sachin Gupta as the team’s new assistant general manager. “We are pleased to welcome Sachin Gupta to the Detroit Pistons organization,” said Ed Stefanski, special advisor to owner Tom Gores.
“Sachin is a creative thinker, extremely intelligent, and has a great handle on the analytical side of basketball operations systems. His analytics and salary cap background will be a tremendous resource while serving a leadership role for our basketball operations team.”
Gupta began his career in the NBA as Rockets’ general manager Daryl Morey’s first hire in 2006. He also worked under Sam Hinkie in the Sixers front office before returning to Houston as a special advisor to Morey last season.
Additionally, Gupta spent two years at ESPN helping foster the implementation of advanced analytical metrics that have now become widespread throughout the NBA.
Brian Bowen To Play In Australia
Former McDonald’s All-American and Louisville recruit Brian Bowen has signed a professional contract with the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League, reports Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
Bowen, a five-star recruit in the class of 2017, is the first player signed to the NBL’s Next Stars program, launched in March to provide alternative pathways for NBA prospects who are uninterested in or unable to play college basketball.
“I am honored to be the first player under the NBL’s Next Stars program and feel it will be the perfect next step as I continue the path toward fulfilling my dream of playing in the NBA,” Bowen said. “In joining the Sydney Kings, I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to start my professional career and look forward to learning from all the team’s veteran pros, like Andrew Bogut, Jerome Randle and Brad Newley. I can’t wait to get out to Sydney and join the team.”
Widely known as one of the central figures identified in the FBI’s investigation into corruption in college basketball, Bowen, 19, hopes to put all of that behind him and focus on making it to the NBA like Thunder swingman Terrance Ferguson did before him.
Ferguson, a top-100 recruit in the class of 2016, played with the Adelaide 36ers during the 2016/17 NBL season before becoming a first-round draft pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Bowen, who will make his debut in the NBL this season, will now become automatically eligible for the 2019 NBA Draft after signing a professional contract with the Kings.
Grizzlies In Limbo Between Contention And Rebuild
The Grizzlies are an interesting franchise to keep an eye on moving forward this season and beyond, as they are somewhat in a state of limbo – not quite rebuilding but not close to being a serious contender either – writes Mark Giannotto of The Commercial Appeal.
To be sure, Memphis had a relatively nice offseason. They drafted a potential future franchise cornerstone in Jaren Jackson, they signed Kyle Anderson to the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, and traded for veteran guard Garrett Temple. By midseason, all three could possibly join Mike Conley and Marc Gasol in the Grizzlies’ starting lineup.
Yet, as Conley says, because of the new pieces learning to fit in and difficulty of the Western Conference, it may turn out to be an “awkward” year in Memphis.
“This season, expectations are still try to be that playoff team, that team that comes out and really makes it tough on everybody. But it is an awkward year with so many teams getting so much better [with] different acquisitions they made in the offseason.”
In addition to adding Jackson, Anderson, and Temple, the Grizzlies also traded away relative disappointments Ben McLemore, Deyonta Davis and Jarell Martin, while adding rookie Jevon Carter, a potential throwback-type player to the Grit ‘N’ Grind era.
Ultimately, it’s probably still going to be difficult for Memphis to make the playoffs in the West, even assuming a 22-win improvement from last year that would see Memphis literally double the amount of victories from a season ago. As such, a rebuild is probably closer to fruition than title contention.
As Giannotto notes, only seven players (not including Gasol’s player option) are signed beyond this season, and only rookie Dillon Brooks had a meaningful role on last year’s team. Accordingly, one would think that most teams would begin rebuilding this season. Only time will tell if the Grizzlies choosing to do otherwise was the right call.
Atlantic Notes: Knox, Sixers, Vegas Odds
Former Knicks guard Charlie Ward, a Florida State football teammate of the father of rookie Kevin Knox in the early ’90s, believes New York’s 2018 first round pick has the mentality to become the Knicks’ next superstar, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post.
“I’m grateful he’s a Knick,” Ward said. “I think he has the right mentality to be successful in New York. He seems to have a mature approach and great understanding of where he is in his development. The kid is well-balanced, with an inner confidence and swagger to him while having a quiet demeanor — which you need, especially being in New York.”
Ward, who now coaches high school basketball in Tallahassee, reiterated that in order to succeed in New York City, one must not only be mentally tough and hard-working, but also unassuming and humble.
“That’s the kind of superstar you want — a guy who will go about his business, not going to be talking much, but learning the ropes on how to get better each day. New York is a tough place to play, but you have to have thick skin. He’s willing to listen and be coached. His whole mentality and attitude is one that will help him become a superstar in the league at some point.”
In order to become that superstar, Knox will likely need to help lead the Knicks to the playoffs eventually. The Knicks haven’t made the playoffs for five straight seasons and have only won a single playoff series since 2001.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook has set its initial win totals for NBA teams during the 2018/19 regular season. The Atlantic Division looks like this: Celtics – 57.5; Raptors/Sixers – 54.5; Nets – 32.5; Knicks – 29.5.
- Despite still not have a general manager, the Sixers have made some changes in their scouting department, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Sixers recently hired J. R. Holden as an international scout and are making a push to hire a female scout in the near future.
- As we relayed last night, the Nets are cautiously optimistic that the injury suffered by forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in a Chinese charity game hosted by former teammate Jeremy Lin is not serious.