International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Norris Cole To Play In China

October 5th, 2016 at 10:16am CST by Luke Adams

10:16am: Cole drew some NBA interest from the Cavs, Nuggets, and Suns, but no team was willing to offer him more than the minimum, according to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net, who adds that Cole’s deal in China is believed to be worth about $5MM.

8:56am: Norris Cole is headed overseas for the coming season, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, who passes along a report from Zhang Duo (Twitter link). International basketball reporter David Pick confirms (via Twitter) that Cole has signed with the Shandong Golden Stars of the Chinese Basketball Association, per the guard’s agent.

Cole, who turns 28 this month, appeared in 45 games for the Pelicans last season, starting 23 of them. He set new career highs with 10.6 PPG, 3.7 APG, and 3.4 RPG, though his FG% (.405) and 3PT% (.324) were a little below his career marks. Before joining the Pelicans, the former first-round pick had spent three and a half seasons in Miami with the Heat.

A recent report suggested that Cole was drawing interest from Cleveland as the team considered adding point guard depth, but the Cavs ultimately decided to add Toney Douglas, perhaps prompting Cole to accept an offer elsewhere.

By signing with Shandong, Cole will be joining the team that signed NBA free agent Jason Thompson earlier in the offseason. According to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net (via Twitter), Cole’s deal is believed to have an NBA out. The Chinese regular season typically ends in February, with the playoffs wrapping up in March, so assuming Cole didn’t sign a multiyear pact – which seems like a safe bet – he should have the opportunity to return to the NBA before the end of the 2016/17 campaign.

Spurs Sign Nicolas Laprovittola

September 26th, 2016 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 26: The Spurs’ signing of Laprovittola is now official, according to the team (via Twitter).

SEPTEMBER 3: Laprovittola’s deal is a non-guaranteed, one-year minimum salary arrangement, international journalist David Pick tweets.

SEPTEMBER 2: The Spurs have a deal in place with Laprovittola and will give him a shot to snag their 15th and final regular season roster spot, Stein tweets.

AUGUST 26: The Spurs already have two Argentinian players on their roster, in Manu Ginobili and Patricio Garino, and they’re working to add a third. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, San Antonio is making an effort to sign veteran guard Nicolas Laprovittola. Orazio Cauchi of Sportando suggests that the two sides already have a deal in place.

The Spurs have a long list of unsigned draft picks that they’ve stashed overseas over the years, but Laprovittola’s name isn’t on that list, since he went undrafted when he was eligible in 2012. The 26-year-old has played for a handful of international teams since 2007, spending time in Argentina, Brazil, and Lithuania before joining his current club, Spain’s Estudiantes.

Last season, Laprovittola averaged 10.3 PPG and a team-high 3.8 APG for Lietuvos Rytas in Lithuania, posting an impressive .492/.444/.912 shooting line. He was also a member of the Argentinian national team in Rio this month, averaging 8.2 PPG, 2.7 APG, and 2.2 RPG in the Olympic tournament.

Having already been active in free agency this summer, the Spurs used up all their cap space and their room exception, so the team would only be able to sign Laprovittola to a minimum-salary deal. Assuming the two sides make it official, I’d expect a two-year, minimum-salary pact with a partial guarantee in year one, which would give the Argentinian guard a chance to compete for a roster spot.

Jeff Ayres To Play In Russia

September 22nd, 2016 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA big man Jeff Ayres is headed overseas, having signed a contract with Russian team CSKA Moscow. The club officially announced the deal today on its website.

“I think this is a great situation for me and perfect timing to go to Europe,” Ayres said in a statement. “I got a chance to play for [a] great team, great organization like CSKA Moscow. … I watched some games already trying to learn the system, I know many players there and I think I can fit into European basketball. So it seems like [a] really good idea.”

Ayres, 29, spent two seasons in San Antonio and was part of the Spurs’ 2014 championship team, but wasn’t re-signed after the 2014/15 season. He was the first player selected in the 2015 D-League draft and spent much of the season in Idaho before joining the Clippers in January. After playing on two 10-day contracts, Ayres signed with the team for the remainder of the season. He appeared in 17 games for L.A., averaging 1.8 PPG and 1.3 RPG in limited playing time. Ayres has also played for the Trail Blazers and Pacers over the course of his six-year NBA career.

Although he ended up signing to play in Russia, Ayres appeared to receive a little NBA interest this offseason. He recently worked out for the Spurs after participating in a free agent mini-camp with the Lakers last month.

According to CSKA Moscow’s announcement, Ayres only signed a two-month contract with the club, so if the team doesn’t extend his contract, he’d have the opportunity to return to the NBA during the 2016/17 season.

NBA To Open Global Basketball Academies

September 21st, 2016 at 6:21pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The NBA plans to open global basketball academies starting in Africa, China, India and Australia, Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony of the Vertical report. The expectation is that other global regions will be added to the program in the future. The goal of opening these academies is to identify the best young talent in the teenage ranks around the world and assist them by delivering training on the court and education off of it. The league will be seeking to assist prospects in the 14-to-18-year-old range.

Brooks Meek, the NBA’s vice president of internal operations, will be among the league executives tasked with coordinating the program. The league is still finalizing locations and contracts and an announcement is expected in the near future, Wojnarowski and Givony add.

The program will partner with and upgrade existing facilities and educational institutions. The league will provide coaching, strength and conditioning specialists, scouting, video and technical specialists and it plans on partnering with local infrastructures to create a “360 degree” development experience for prospects. The program will work closely with the prospects’ families and mentors to help them understand the academic portion of the program with the goal of conveying the importance of achieving the higher education goals. The league will provide scholarship funds for players wishing to attend college and there will be assistance for those who don’t earn scholarships. The pair of Vertical scribes note that this particular segment of the program has drawn comparisons to the old “G.I. Bill.” There will also be vocational and life-skills training for those prospects that are uninterested in or unable to pursue a college degree.

For older prospects in the program, the league will provide evaluation windows that will eventually be open to college coaches interested in recruiting them. For prospects that plan on immediately taking a professional route, there will be windows in which agents will be allowed to meet with them.

The NBA’s initiative will be headquartered in Australia and elite prospects from other regions and countries with underdeveloped basketball infrastructures could be invited to its location. Through the Basketball Without Borders program, the NBA has successfully been able to identify young talent globally and it would like to build on those camps with this new initiative. The league believes the D-League could eventually draw from these programs to fill its rosters since the prospects won’t yet meet the age requirement to be draft-eligible.

Trevor Cooney To Play In Spain

September 20th, 2016 at 10:15am CST by Luke Adams

Trevor Cooney had been expected to join the Nets and play for the team’s D-League affiliate this season, but the undrafted free agent guard will instead head overseas for the 2016/17 campaign. According to international basketball journalist David Pick (Twitter link), Cooney has signed a Euroleague deal with Spanish team Baskonia.

It was Pick who reported last month that Cooney appeared ticketed for the Nets. Teams can sign a player to their 20-man offseason roster, then waive him prior to the regular season and designate him as an affiliate player for their D-League squad — Brooklyn intended to send Cooney to the Long Island Nets. However, the former Syracuse guard never made anything official with the Nets, and almost certainly received a more lucrative offer from Baskonia.

Cooney, 24, went undrafted this June after completing his collegiate career at Syracuse. In 37 games this past season as a fifth-year senior, Cooney averaged 12.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 36.4 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .348/.354/.806.

Tibor Pleiss To Play In Turkey

September 12th, 2016 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

Less than two weeks after being waived by the Sixers, German big man Tibor Pleiss has found a new home for the upcoming season. Pleiss will head to Turkey for the 2016/17 campaign, having signed a one-year contract with Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul. The team issued a press release announcing the deal, with Pleiss confirming it on his Facebook page as well.

Pleiss, a former second-round pick who signed with the Jazz last summer, barely saw any action in his first and only NBA season, playing just 82 total minutes for Utah in 2015/16. The German big man was assigned to the D-League for a good chunk of the year, and he performed well for the Idaho Stampede, averaging 12.3 PPG and 10.4 RPG in 28 contests.

In August, the Jazz sent Pleiss to the Sixers in exchange for Kendall Marshall in a cost-cutting trade. Philadelphia, armed with a ton of cap room, had the flexibility to take on Pleiss’ $3MM guaranteed salary even though he wasn’t in the club’s plans, picking up a couple second-round picks in the process. The 76ers waived the 26-year-old less than a week after acquiring him.

Over the weekend, international basketball reporter David Pick indicated that the Nets had invited Pleiss to come to training camp with them, but that the free agent center turned down that offer, with an eye toward playing in Turkey. According to NetsDaily.com (via Twitter), Brooklyn had interest in bringing in Pleiss for a workout, and so did the Spurs, but he passed on both invitations.

Atlantic Notes: Pleiss, Seraphin, Stackhouse, Green

September 11th, 2016 at 11:31am CST by Arthur Hill

German center Tibor Pleiss received an invitation to work out for the Nets, but seems likely to sign overseas, tweets international basketball writer David Pick. Pleiss is finalizing a deal with the Galatasaray team in Turkey. He will take the place of former NBA player Nenad Krstic, who has a lingering knee injury and is expected to retire (Twitter link). Pleiss was waived by the Sixers last week after being acquired in a trade with the Jazz. The 7’3″ center appeared in 12 games for Utah last season, but spent most of the year in the D-League.

There’s more news out of the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks were outbid in their attempt to re-sign reserve center Kevin Seraphin, according to Mark Berman of the New York Post. Seraphin agreed to join the Pacers last week and signed a two-year, $3.6MM contract on Thursday, with the second year as a team option. The deal starts at $2MM for next season, which topped the Knicks’ offer of $1.2MM, the minimum for a player who has been in the league for six years. It will still be a pay cut for Seraphin, who signed for the $2.8MM cap exception last season. The Knicks were hoping to keep Seraphin, who averaged 3.9 points in 48 games in 2015/16, as a backup to Joakim Noah. Berman expects Kyle O’Quinn to get a larger role with Seraphin’s departure, with Willy Hernangomez, Marshall Plumlee and Maurice Ndour as other options.
Jerry Stackhouse sees his new job as coach of Toronto’s D-League affiliate as the next step toward becoming an NBA head coach, writes Chris O’Leary of The Toronto Star. Stackhouse was named to the position Friday after spending last season as an assistant with the Raptors. With 18 years as an NBA player, Stackhouse hopes to use that experience to help some of the players with Raptors 905. “I spent just about as much of my life on the struggle that you’re watching some of these [D-League players] … making whatever they make, 25, 30 grand, but it’s a destination,” he said. “It’s where you want to get, it’s the sacrifices you have to make. I’m excited about it, I really am.”
The return of Gerald Green will give the Celtics a prolific scorer off the bench, writes Taylor C. Snow of NBA.com. In a look at Boston’s wing players, Snow notes that Green, who left the Heat for the Celtics this summer, can score the ball in a variety of ways.

Northwest Notes: Hill, Jazz, Abrines

September 10th, 2016 at 9:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

When George Hill attended a basketball camp in early June in Highland, Utah, he had no idea that he was close to his next NBA home, relays Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. Later that month, the Pacers shipped him to the Jazz in a three-team deal. The trade may have taken Hill by surprise, but he’s settling into his new surroundings and looking forward to the upcoming season. The Jazz like Hill’s mix of shooting and defensive prowess and are hoping he will serve as a mentor to Dante Exum, who showed promise as a rookie before missing all of last season with a knee injury.

Hill is eligible for a contract extension in October and will become a free agent next summer if one is not reached. “I haven’t really talked about that much with anyone,” Hill said. “My whole focus is to come in here and be the best player that I can possibly be. I feel that the contract situation will work itself out, once you do that.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Jazz should be a contender in the West after adding a mix of veteran players to their young core, writes A.J. Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today. Along with Hill, Utah picked up Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw.
FC Barcelona executive Manel Arroyo said the team is “upset” about losing Alex Abrines, even though he understands the allure of playing in the NBA, according to Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. Abrines left the Spanish club in July to sign a three-year deal worth roughly $17.1MM with Oklahoma City. Horne adds that the move probably wouldn’t have happened if Kevin Durant had remained with the Thunder. “Sometimes it is a situation where we are discussing how we manage the future of the team and how we must be the model of the other basketball teams because for the players the target is always to be in the United States,” Arroyo said. “Clearly when he [Abrines] receives a call and proposal from the NBA, he wants to be in the main league in the basketball world.”

Colton Iverson Will Play In Israel

September 9th, 2016 at 10:54am CST by Arthur Hill

Colton Iverson, whose rights were renounced by the Celtics last month, will play in Israel next season, according to Sportando (Twitter link). The 7’0″ center has agreed to a contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Boston had owned the rights to Iverson since making him the No. 53 selection in the 2013 draft after buying the pick from the Pacers. Iverson played for the Celtics’ summer league team in July, but was given almost no chance of making the regular-season roster because Boston already has 16 players with guaranteed contracts.

Iverson, 27, had hoped to catch on with another NBA team before training camp, but apparently no invitation was forthcoming. He has spent the past three seasons with teams in Turkey and Spain.

Jerrelle Benimon To Play In China

September 9th, 2016 at 8:33am CST by Arthur Hill

Jerrelle Benimon will spend the upcoming season in China after passing on a training camp offer from the Jazz, tweets Chris Reichert of Upside and Motor. Benimon, who played briefly for Utah during the 2014/15 season, will join the Qingdao franchise.

Benimon signed with the Nuggets in August of 2014, but was waived in training camp. He agreed to a 10-day contract with the Jazz in March of 2015 and appeared in two games during his stay there.

A 6’8″ power forward out of Towson, Benimon spent last season with the Foshan Long-Lions in the Chinese Basketball Association. He played for Brooklyn’s entry in this year’s Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 8.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in four games.