July 6, 2017
THE FLATS – Marcus Georges-Hunt, who signed with the Orlando Magic and saw action late in the 2016-17 season, has played very well for the Magic’s entry in the NBA Orlando Summer League … Quinton Stephens got a late call from the Charlotte Hornets to play in its Orlando Summer League team … Chris Bosh is officially released by the Heat, which wants to retire his jersey … All of that and more can be found in this week’s Nissan #ProJackets Basketball Report.
After emerging as a leading force for the Maine Red Claws of the NBA G League during the first half of the 2016-17 season, Marcus Georges-Hunt signed a non-guaranteed contract (through next season) with the Magic late in the season and wound up appearing in three games for a total of 76 minutes. The 6-5 guard from College Park, Ga., averaged 14 points in those games while hitting 5-of-9 three-pointers and shooting 45.8 percent overall.
That earned him a spot on the Magic’s Orlando Summer League entry, where he has averaged 13.0 points (17th in the league), 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists over four games while hitting 46.8 percent from the floor.
The 2016 Tech graduate had signed a 10-day contract with the Miami Heat right after the All-Star break but never appeared in a game. Georges-Hunt played in 45 games for the Red Claws, averaging 15.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
Orlando Sentinel: Magic's Marcus Georges-Hunt has made offseason strides https://t.co/Fc8svs9jzv pic.twitter.com/op9fyPaXQX
— GT Men's Basketball (@GTMBB) July 6, 2017
Following a career-best year as a senior at Georgia Tech, Quinton Stephens drew enough interest from the Charlotte Hornets to get a pre-draft workout from the team. The 6-9 forward from Atlanta also got an offer to train with the Shenzhen Leopards in the Chinese Basketball Association, a three-month assignment. But he delayed his trip to China when the Hornets invited him back to play on their Orlando Summer League team, for which he has appeared in two games.
BOSH OFFICIALLY RELEASED BY MIAMI
The Miami Heat officially released Chris Bosh this week, clearing his remaining two years and $52.1 million in salary from the team’s books, but team president Pat Riley was effusive in his praise of Bosh in a statement he made on the occasion of his release.
“Chris changed his life and basketball career when he came to Miami,” said Riley. “And he changed our lives for the better, in a way we never would have imagined, when he joined the Miami Heat. We will forever be indebted to CB for how he changed this team and led us to four trips to the NBA Finals and two NBA Championships. He is, without a doubt, one of the greatest players in the history of the franchise. The number “1” will never be worn by another player and we can’t wait to someday hang his jersey in the rafters. Today, we are both moving on but we wish Chris, Adrienne and their family nothing but the best. They will forever be part of the Miami Heat family.”
Bosh, 33, will still receive his salary, but it will not count against the Heat’s cap space. He played in Miami for six seasons and was an integral part of their championship teams in 2012 and 2013. A likely Hall of Famer, Bosh was an All-Star in 11 of his 13 NBA seasons.
Should the Heat retire his No. 1 jersey, Bosh would become the second former Tech player to have his jersey retired by an NBA team. Mark Price’s No. 25 is retired in Cleveland.
“The number “1” will never be worn by another player and we can’t wait to someday hang his jersey in the rafters.” – Riley #ThankYouChr1s pic.twitter.com/Vx7dsX2Xdr
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) July 4, 2017
MORE FREE AGENCY NEWS
After being traded from Oklahoma City to Chicago in mid-season, Anthony Morrow now finds himself an unrestricted free agent. The 6-5 native of Charlotte, N.C., who has averaged 9.4 points and shot 41.7 percent from three-point range over his nine-year career, played in just nine games for the Bulls after the trade. According to the San Jose Mercury News, Morrow still remains valuable “because of his quick-trigger, highly accurate 3-point shot. Plus he’s a good locker room guy, played with the Warriors back in the day, grew up with Steph Curry, became good friends with Kevin Durant in OKC and won’t grumble about sporadic minutes, which is important if you’re in that 13-15 spot on a roster totem poll.”
Jarrett Jack hadn’t fully recovered from his 2015-16 knee injury when the Atlanta Hawks signed him last summer. The former Tech star did not appear in any pre-season games for the Hawks, which released him prior to the start of the 2016-17 season. Jack did, however, get a 10-day contract with one of his former teams, the New Orleans Pelicans, in March, but played in only two games before tearing the meniscus in his right knee. He remains a free agent.
OVERSEAS UPDATE
• Recent Yellow Jacket guard Adam Smith (2015-16) made a big splash in his first season playing for Roseto in Italy’s Serie A2 league, earning player of the year honors while averaging 23.6 points per game (second-best in the league). The performance earned him a contract for next season with Elan Chalon in France’s top league (ProA).
Year #1. So grateful 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/RwlxYIZySM
— Adam Smith (@AdamIIISmith) June 28, 2017
Welcome @AdamIIISmith
Découvrez sa présentation ici : https://t.co/wpcdL3SKWW #RougeEtBlanc #20172018 pic.twitter.com/5cZVtGHdW0— Elan Chalon (@ELANCHALON) July 4, 2017
• Former Tech center Demarco Cox (2014-15) has signed a contract for next season with Qjuimper UJAP in France’s ProB league. Cox, 27 and beginning his third pro season, enjoyed a fine 2016-17 campaign in France, being selected to Eurobasket.com’s All-French NM1 second team after averaging 14.1 points and 7.6 rebounds for Vendee Challans in 36 games. Cox spent most of previous (2015-16) season at Galil Elion (National League) in Israel where in 24 games he had very impressive stats: 17.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.5 apg and 1.1 bpg. Cox also spent pre-season at Fribourg Olympic (LNA) in Swiss league that year.
