John Shurna

International Notes: Zaid Abbas, John Shurna

Earlier this week, former Blazers forward Luke Babbitt reached a deal with Russia's BC Nizhny Novgorod on a one-year contract that doesn't include an NBA out clause.  Agent Bill Duffy explained that his client will benefit from playing 30 minutes per contest and developing his game further before returning stateside.  Here's today's look around the globe..

  • Jordanian forward Zaid Abbas has signed with Tianjin of China, agent Giovanni Funiciello told HoopsHype (on Twitter).  Abbas had a bit of NBA interest, but his new deal means that he'll play a fourth consecutive season in China.  The 29-year-old was said to be holding off on a new deal in China over optimism for an NBA deal this month, but it would appear that nothing materialized to his liking.
  • Forward John Shurna signed with Spanish club Joventut de Badalona, according to Mark Porcaro of Secret Rival (via Twitter).  The Northwestern product was in summer league with the Hawks after going undrafted in 2012 and joined the Bucks' squad this offseason.

Atlantic Notes: Felton, Kidd, Shurna, 76ers, Nets

After losing a pair of games to the Knicks early in the season, the Sixers will continue to square off against Atlantic Division rivals this weekend, playing the Celtics in Boston tonight before heading to Toronto to face the Raptors. As we await those games and others, let's round up a few of the latest items out of the Atlantic, where the Knicks are the league's only remaining undefeated team….

Knicks Waive Bellfield, Shurna, Thompson, Sims

The Knicks waived four players to get down to the 15-man roster limit today, cutting ties with Oscar Bellfield, John Shurna, Mychel Thompson and Henry Sims, as Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports (Twitter link). Shurna and Sims had partial guaranteed of $50K, while Bellfield's and Thompson's contracts were non-guaranteed. The moves likely mean Chris Copeland, who has a non-guaranteed deal, will be on the Knicks opening-night roster.

Knicks Notes: Ewing, Shurna, Paul

Knicks owner James Dolan would like to see Isiah Thomas back with the club in some official capacity, but surprisingly it's Thomas who has cold feet about the proposed reunion.  As it stands now, it doesn't seem likely that we'll see Thomas re-hired by the Knicks, though the former coach will likely continue to be an unofficial consultant for Dolan.  Here's tonight's non-Isiah news out of New York..

  • The Knicks offered Patrick Ewing an opportunity to coach the D-League's Erie BayHawks, but the team's former star center turned it down, tweets Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.  Ewing, who previously worked for the Magic and interviewed for a couple of head coaching jobs this summer, would prefer to stay in the NBA.
  • One source told Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com that Ewing felt slighted by the club's offer to coach in the D-League.  "Patrick has paid his dues," the source said. "He was a little insulted."
  • Earlier tonight, the Knicks signed former Northwestern forward John Shurna to a contract and Begley (via Twitter) notes that his deal will be for the minimum salary with a partial guarantee that becomes fully guaranteed if he is on the roster on January 10th.
  • Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com looks at some of the top Knicks storylines that just won't go away.  Among them are the club's pursuit of Chris Paul, which Zwerling classifies as a longshot.

Knicks Sign John Shurna

The Knicks have signed forward John Shurna to a one-year, partially guaranteed deal, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times (via Twitter).  The former Northwestern star hooked on with the Hawks summer league team after going undrafted in June.

Shurna, 22, averaged 20 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.8 APG, and 1.7 BPG in his final season at Northwestern.  Most impressively, Shurna shot 46.3% from the field while draining 44% of his shots from downtown.  While he offers an impressive shooting stroke for a 6'8" forward, it remains to be seen what position he can best fill at the next level.