Jul
10

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Nets Acquire Jarrett Jack and Sergey Karasev

The Brooklyn Nets have acquired guard Jarrett Jack and guard/forward Sergey Karasev from the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a three-team trade which also included the Boston Celtics, General Manager Billy King announced today.  In exchange, Brooklyn will send guard Marcus Thornton to Boston, as well as the draft rights to Ilkan Karaman, Christian Drejer and Edin Bavcic to Cleveland.  Additionally, the Celtics will receive center/forward Tyler Zeller and a first round draft pick from the Cavaliers, while sending a conditional second round pick to Cleveland.

“Jarrett is a proven NBA veteran who will add versatility to our backcourt,” said King. “The team had a need in that area and we are excited that we were able to secure Jarrett to fill that role. Sergey is a player who we have followed closely for several years. He is a versatile forward and will be a welcome addition to our roster.”

Jack, a nine-year NBA veteran, played 80 games (31 starts) last season for the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he averaged 9.5 points, 4.1 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per game.  The 6’3″ guard has played in 691 career games for Portland, Indiana, Toronto, New Orleans, Golden State and Cleveland with career averages of  10.9 points, 4.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game. Originally drafted by Denver with the 22nd pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, Jack began his career in Portland, where he played his first three NBA seasons.  The Georgia Tech product had his best statistical season in 2011-12 with New Orleans when he averaged career-highs of 15.6 points 6.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game.  Jack has twice helped his team reach the postseason, playing in 18 total playoff games.  As a member of the Golden State Warriors, Jack played in 12 postseason contests in 2012-13, making four starts.  En route to helping the Warriors reach the Western Conference Semifinals, Jack posted averages of 17.2 points, 4.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Karasev was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 19th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.  The 6’7″ swingman out of Russia played in 22 games for the Cavaliers, averaging 1.7 points in 7.1 minutes per game.  Karasev also appeared in 18 games for the Canton Charge of the NBA Development League last season, where he posted averages of 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.  A member of the Russian national team, Karasev won bronze at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, and was a member of the gold medal winning team at the 2013 World University Games in Kazan.  Prior to joining the NBA, Karasev played three seasons internationally with BC Triumph in Russia.

Thornton was acquired by the Nets from Sacramento on February 19, 2014.  In 26 games for Brooklyn, the 6’4″ guard averaged 12.3 points, shooting .414 from the field.  In 10 playoff games with the Nets, Thornton posted averages of 5.9 points in 12.4 minutes per game.

Jul
2

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Breaking: Nets Reach Deal with Lionel Hollins

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The Brooklyn Nets have reached an agreement in principle with Lionel Hollins to serve as the team’s new head coach, General Manager Billy King announced.  Hollins will become the 19th head coach in the franchise’s NBA history.

“We are very excited to welcome Lionel as the new head coach of the Brooklyn Nets,” said King. “He is a proven winner who will provide the franchise with stability and leadership going forward.”

“I want to thank the Nets ownership and Billy for this opportunity,” said Hollins. “It has been a long process to get back into the league, and I believe that Billy and I will have a very successful working relationship. Brooklyn has firmly established itself as a franchise that is committed to winning, and I eagerly look forward to becoming part of that culture and building on the success of the past two playoff appearances.”

A veteran of over 20 years of NBA coaching experience, Hollins most recently served as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies in 2012-13, where he guided the team to a franchise record 56 wins and reached the Western Conference Finals.  Hollins took the helm in Memphis midway through the 2008-09 season and led the Grizzlies to consecutive postseason appearances in his final three campaigns as coach.  In his four-plus season stint as head coach, Hollins compiled a record of 196-155 (.558).

The Las Vegas native was an original member of the Vancouver franchise as an assistant coach, and was a staple on the sidelines for 10 of the club’s first 12 seasons (1995‐00, 2002‐07).  Hollins twice served as the Grizzlies’ interim head coach, when he guided Vancouver to an 18‐42 finish (.300) in 1999‐00, and again took over for four games in 2004‐05, following the resignation of Hubie Brown.  Overall, Hollins owns a career NBA coaching record of 214‐201 (.516).  Prior to joining the Grizzlies, the Arizona State graduate spent seven years with the Phoenix Suns (1988‐95) as an assistant coach under Cotton Fitzsimmons and later Paul Westphal.  He began his coaching career as an assistant at Arizona State in 1985 and served for part of the 2008-09 season as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Selected sixth overall in the first round of the 1975 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, the Arizona State product earned a spot on the 1976 All‐Rookie First Team and won an NBA Championship as a starter for the Trail Blazers in 1977.  A year later, he was an NBA All‐Star while also being named to the NBA’s All‐Defensive First Team.  Over 10 NBA seasons, Hollins averaged 11.6 points, 4.5 assists and 1.56 steals in 673 career games with the Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers, Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets.