Cole Aldrich to join another former KU big man at Atlanta Hawks camp
Former Kansas center Cole Aldrich has reached agreement on a non-guaranteed training camp contract with the Atlanta Hawks, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.
Aldrich, who turns 30 on Oct. 31, is an eight-year NBA veteran who joined the league as the No. 11 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. He most recently played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who cut him on June 30. The Bloomington, Minn., native played in just 21 games for the Wolves a year ago.
The Hawks recently signed former KU forward Thomas Robinson to a similar non-guaranteed training camp deal. According to published reports, Atlanta currently has 15 players on guaranteed contracts, meaning they’d have to trade or cut somebody for Robinson or Aldrich to make the team.
Robinson, 27, has played for Sacramento, Houston, Portland, Philadelphia, Brooklyn and the Los Angeles Lakers in his five-year NBA career. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2012 Draft played for Khimki Moscow last season in Russia. Aldrich has played for Oklahoma City, Houston, Sacramento, New York, L.A. Clippers and Minnesota.
“Coming off such a lucrative contract (three years, $22 million in Minnesota), it’s a bit of a surprise to see Aldrich available to sign a non-guaranteed camp deal with a team that already employs a number of centers, but so goes the current market for big men,” wrote Jeff Siegel of peachtreehoops.com.
“A consistent theme throughout the league this summer was the large supply and relatively low demand for a player with Aldrich’s skill set — the league has moved away from large, lumbering centers in favor of more agility and versatility at that position.
“Aldrich will compete with Robinson to perhaps displace one of Atlanta’s 15 guaranteed contracts on the team’s final roster. Having already signed Daniel Hamilton and Vince Carter to those final two spots, the Hawks don’t currently have room to promote either non-guaranteed player to the regular season roster, but things can always change between now and mid-October, especially as it relates to the contract status of Tyler Dorsey and DeAndre’ Bembry, two wings who could very well see their time in Atlanta come to an abrupt finish,” Siegel added.
Brown coaching Fiat Torino
Former KU coach Larry Brown has started his coaching duties with Fiat Torino of the Italian League. The 77-year-old Brown recently signed a one-year deal. There have been reports there is an option for a second season.
“Since I left it, I kind of missed coaching again,” Brown told eurocupbasketball.com from training camp in Italy. He last coached at SMU in 2015-16.
“I really want to teach. The kids are coming younger and younger to the pros, and they need to be taught. I’m getting that opportunity here in Torino. We have young players and young coaches, and that’s the beauty of it. I get to teach, and I’m going to learn.”
Brown has been coaching since 1965, when he worked for Dean Smith at North Carolina.
“I do love the way the game is played here,” he told eurocupbasketball.com. “I have unbelievable respect for the coaching and the quality of play. It’s going to be a challenge for me. It’s not going to be easy; I understand that. If we can get healthy, though, it’s going to be fun. I’m very excited.”
Fiat Torino Turin made its EuroCup debut last year. The team finished in the top 16.
“The expectations here are that they want me to be fair with the players, make them play hard, play the right way. And that’s going to be our goal from the first day,” he told eurocupbasketball.com. “Whether we win a championship or not, I never worry about that. I worry about every day being prepared and having players excited about coming to the gym. And I’m hopeful that the fans will respect what we’re trying to do.”
Former KU guard Tyshawn Taylor recently agreed to join the team on what’s believed to be a one-year deal.
Weekend visits
KU recruiting target Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, a 6-9 senior forward from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., will make an official recruiting visit to Notre Dame this weekend.
Robinson-Earl — he is ranked No. 9 in the recruiting Class of 2019 according to Rivals.com — will visit Villanova (Sept. 14-16), North Carolina (Sept. 21-23) and Arizona (Oct. 12-14). He will attend KU’s Late Night in the Phog as part of an official visit on Sept. 28.
Samuell Williamson, a 6-7 senior forward from Rockwall (Texas) High School, who visited KU last weekend, is off to Texas A&M for a weekend visit. Rivals.com’s No. 35-rated player in the Class of 2019 also has set visits to Louisville (Sept. 14-16), Oklahoma (Sept. 21-23) and Texas Tech (Oct. 5-7).
James Wiseman, a 7-foot senior forward from Memphis East High School who will attend Late Night in the Phog, will make an official visit to Kentucky this weekend. The country’s No. 3-rated player according to Rivals.com also has set up a visit to Vanderbilt on Oct. 5-7. He’s also considering Memphis and Florida State.
Gary Bedore
Gary Bedore covers University of Kansas athletics for The Star.
