NBA D-League Update
March 18, 2014 - NBA G League (G League) News Release
ALL IN THE FAMILY
The general manager is the owner's son. The star player is the mega star player's little brother. The coach is the son of a former NBA coach.
You get the idea.
The Santa Cruz Warriors, owned and operated by the Golden State Warriors, are building a culture, and with that has come, if not an emphasis, an openness to the idea of having pedigree within the organization.
"We don't think about it when we're going out to find guys," said Warriors Assistant GM Kirk Lacob, son of team owner Joe Lacob, in an interview with Ridiculous Upside. "We don't say 'okay, now we need to find guys with pedigrees.' But certainly, when you're doing your research, there tends to be positive attributes to people with pedigrees. It's a lot easier to vet someone when you know about their family."
The most obvious example are the Curry brothers -- Stephen and Seth -- leading their respective teams. Stephen started his first All-Star game this past February, and is seen as one of the emerging talents in the entire NBA. Seth, who went undrafted in 2013 out of Duke, was picked up by Golden State over the summer, then routed to Santa Cruz, where he's appeared in 36 games, averaging 19.4 points and 5.9 assists. Seth also had a short stint with the Memphis Grizzlies this season.
Other examples within the organization include coach Casey Hill, the son of former NBA head coach Bob Hill; player Mychel Thompson, the older brother of Klay Thompson; and player Cameron Jones, who is the cousin of the Toronto Raptors' Landry Fields.
"In the case of Casey Hill, after knowing Bob, we knew what Casey was about," said Lacob. "For guys like Cameron Jones, Seth Curry, and Mychel Thompson, we know their brother(s) or cousin(s). We know they're good people. We know what they're all about -- their work ethic. It makes what we see in those guys easier to trust. It might not be all the same, but something is going to be similar."
It goes without saying that Kirk Lacob has a great working relationship with his father, and it's a relationship that's built on one main thing: trust.
"If you want to talk about my dynamic with my dad, one of the biggest things is that we trust each other," said Lacob. "When he asks me to do something, he knows I'm going to try and do it to the best of my abilities. That's something that he's helped cultivate, being my dad.
"But something he values in the people that work for him is that he can trust them. He knows that they'll get something done if he asks that it be completed. There's certainly value in that. Whenever you work with people, you want to know what you're working with. You want to have a comfort level.
NEWS & NOTES
D-Fenders Shawne Williams Named NBA D-League Performer of the Week
Los Angeles D-Fenders forward Shawne Williams was named NBA Development League Performer of the Week for games played Monday, March 10 - Sunday, March 16. The award is the first for Williams, who becomes the third Los Angeles player to be honored as Performer of the Week this season, joining Manny Harris and Terrence Williams. Williams (6-9, 225, Memphis) led the D-Fenders to a 3-0 week, including road wins over the Tulsa 66ers and Canton Charge. For the week, Williams averaged 26.3 points on 49 percent shooting from the floor and 46 percent shooting from three-point territory to go with 7.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. His 34-point performance on March 15 at Canton was his NBA D-League career high. A six-year NBA veteran who played in 36 games for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, Williams is averaging 19.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 30.6 minutes in 13 games for the D-Fenders.
Sixers Sign James Nunnally to 10-day Contract
The Philadelphia 76ers today have signed forward James Nunnally to a 10-day contract. He is the 37th GATORADE Call-Up of the 2013-14 NBA Development League season. In 35 games for the Bakersfield Jam and the Texas Legends of the NBA D-League, Nunnally is averaging 18.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. The NBA D-League All-Star was also called up by the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 11, 2014, and appeared in four games.
AROUND THE D-LEAGUE
The Orlando Magic has signed center Dewayne Dedmon for the remainder of the regular season. Dedmon originally signed his first of two 10-day contracts on Feb. 25. Dedmon (7-0, 255) has appeared in three games with Orlando, averaging 2.3 points and 1.0 rebounds in 2.0 minutes per game. He has played in 18 combined games this season with Golden State, Philadelphia and Orlando, averaging 2.5 points and 2.9 rebounds in 9.0 minutes per game. He also appeared in 15 games with the Santa Cruz Warriors, averaging 15.2 points, 13.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 2.33 blocks and 1.53 steals in 33.7 minutes per game.
NBA G League Stories from March 18, 2014
- D-Fenders Win Streak Comes to An End in Fort Wayne - Los Angeles D-Fenders
- Golden State Warriors Recall Nemanja Nedovic and Ognjen Kuzmic from Santa Cruz - Santa Cruz Warriors
- BayHawks Release Davis - Erie BayHawks
- Deandre Liggins Returns to Skyforce - Sioux Falls Skyforce
- NBA D-League Update - G League
- Reno Bighorns Come up Short against Vipers - Reno Bighorns
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