Sixers Granted Injury Exception, Sign Alex Poythress
APRIL 2, 9:23am: The signing is official, the team announced in a press release.
APRIL 1, 11:37am: The Sixers have been granted an injury hardship exception, and will use their newfound roster spot to sign Alex Poythress of the D-League, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (twitter link).
Poythress, 23, received summer league experience with the Magic, and started 45 games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season. A former Kentucky Wildcat, Poythress went undrafted after his senior year.
Having recently lost Jahlil Okafor and Robert Covington for the season due to injuries, the Sixers‘ hardship exception permitted them to expand their roster size to 16. Poythress will presumably be available for Philadelphia’s match-up with Toronto on Sunday.
New York Notes: Porzingis, Henangomez, Draft
Kristaps Porzingis will talk to Knicks management before deciding whether to play in the European Championships, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Porzingis, one of three Knicks who may be involved in the tournament, said he is undecided about whether he wants to represent Latvia. He didn’t participate in the nation’s Olympic qualifier last summer.
Teammates Willy Hernangomez of Spain and Mindaugas Kuzminskas of Lithuania both plan to be part of the competition. The event starts in August and runs through mid-September, close to the start of training camp, but Hernangomez doesn’t believe the Knicks will object. “They let me play in the Olympics, and the European Championships is almost as important to us,” he said.
There’s more this morning out of New York:
- Porzingis and Hernangomez are part of a core of promising young talent that gives the Knicks hope for the future, writes Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. That group also includes Ron Baker, Chasson Randle and Marshall Plumlee. “We’ve seen improvement with all of them,” said coach Jeff Hornacek. “A lot of that is offensive player development. We’ve got to get these guys on the defensive side of it. That’s an attitude you have to develop as a young player.” Isola adds that team president Phil Jackson made a mistake last summer by bringing in Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee rather than committing to rebuilding around younger players.
- The Nets are focused on providing a positive finish to a miserable season, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. They still have the league’s worst record at 17-59, but Saturday’s win over Orlando makes them 8-12 since the All-Star break. Brooklyn is four games away from the Lakers in our latest Reverse Standings with six left to play. “We definitely want to finish the season strong,” Trevor Booker said. “It’ll give us something to build off of over the summer going into next season.”
- The Nets have a rooting interest in the Pacers missing the playoffs, notes NetsDaily.com. Indiana’s second-round pick will go to Brooklyn if it falls between 31 and 44. The Pacers are currently in a three-way tie for seventh with the Bulls and Heat at 37-39. The Nets are assured of having the Wizards’ first-rounder (currently No. 23) and the Celtics’ (No. 27), along with Boston’s second-rounder (No. 57). They also have $3.425MM available to purchase another pick.
Clippers Notes: Austin Rivers, Griffin, Doc Rivers
Austin Rivers is targeting the middle of a first-round playoff series as a realistic return date, relays Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Rivers is sidelined by a left hamstring strain that he suffered Wednesday against Washington. There’s no timetable for him to play again, but the general feeling is that he will be ready sometime in late April. “The goal was game one of the playoffs,” Rivers said, “but it’s looking like hopefully mid first round, early second round. We’ll see. You never know, I might heal faster than I think so. In my mind, my goal is to be back by the first round, for game one or game two, which is ideal. So, we’ll see.” The playoffs will start two weeks from today.
There’s more news out of Los Angeles:
- After becoming the first player to reach 10,000 points in a Clippers uniform, Blake Griffin wanted to focus more on the postseason than his future in L.A., writes Bill Oram of The Orange County Register. Griffin scored 36 today in a win over the Lakers, then brushed aside questions about free agency. “I’ve loved my time here, absolutely,” he said. “But my main focus right now is the season. I said this before the season, I’m not doing the whole free agency talk. I’m not talking about any decision I can’t make right now. Like I said, my main focus is getting this team right and moving forward and being right heading into the playoffs.”
- Also reaching a milestone today was coach Doc Rivers, who posted his 800th career victory, Oram notes in the same story. Those wins have come over 18 seasons with the Magic, Celtics and Clippers. “I’ve learned everything is a big deal,” Rivers said, “but you don’t have to sweat it all.”
- The Clippers are just 33-29 after a 14-2 start and there is concern that the core could be broken up this summer, writes Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times. With Griffin, Chris Paul and J.J. Redick all headed toward free agency, Plaschke thinks a significant playoff run will be needed to justify keeping the team together.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 4/1/17
Here are Saturday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
10:39pm:
- The Trail Blazers recalled Tim Quarterman from the Long Island Nets, the team announced on its website. Portland is among the NBA teams without a direct D-League affiliate. Quarterman has appeared in 13 Trail Blazers games this season, averaging 1.5 points and 3.4 minutes per night.
3:26pm:
- The Rockets assigned Chinanu Onuaku to the D-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports (Twitter link). Onuaku has started 39 games with Rio Grande this season, averaging 13.7 points with 10.7 rebounds.
Northwest Notes: Nurkic, Nuggets, Favors, Wolves
Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic suffered the fracture in his right leg Tuesday against the Nuggets, tweets Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. He played 32 minutes in Thursday’s game before the injury was discovered on Friday. Nurkic will be out of action for at least two weeks, and Portland is hoping he can be ready for the playoffs. “It just depends how I feel,” Nurkic said. “The doctor said, ‘He’s tough,’ and if it doesn’t hurt I’m going to be back.” (Twitter link). Blazers coach Terry Stotts plans to use a “committee” approach at center while Nurkic is out, with Meyers Leonard getting the start tonight (Twitter link).
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- After losing three straight and falling two games behind Portland in the race for the final playoff spot, Nuggets coach Michael Malone wants his team to close out the season “the right way,” relays Christopher Dempsey on NBA.com. “If we do finish the right way, maybe other things happen and we give ourselves a chance,” Malone said. “I want to find guys that when everything looks bleak, who is going to go out there and play anyway. … Going forward, I will find a group of five guys, vets or young guys, whoever it may be, to go out there and play and play as hard as possible.” Denver has to overcome injury problems as it tries to save its season. Will Barton, Darrell Arthur and Jameer Nelson are all questionable for Sunday’s game at Miami and possibly beyond.
- The Jazz are hoping injured forward Derrick Favors can return before the end of the regular season, according to Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. A bone bruise in his left knee has kept Favors sidelined since March 6th, but coach Quin Snyder said Friday that he is “hopeful” about Favors coming back.
- Despite having some of the most exciting young players in the league, attendance remains a problem for the Timberwolves, notes Kent Youngblood of The Star Tribune. Even though the crowds have been trending upward, Minnesota is last in the NBA with an average of 14,584 fans per night. The Wolves are getting about 4% larger crowds than they did last season, but it will take success on the court for that number to increase significantly.
Community Shootaround: Hall of Fame Omissions
There were howls of protest out of Houston today when the 2017 class was announced for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Despite making five all-star teams as a player and winning two titles as a coach, Rudy Tomjanovich was passed over once again.
Former teammate Calvin Murphy and ex-Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy were among those protesting the omission. Houston Chronicle writer Jonathan Feigen blasted the move in a column, saying “The exclusion of Tomjanovich and others said nothing about their achievements, and everything about the secret panel’s failure.”
The man known as “Rudy T” was one of the top forwards in the game in the 1970s. He spent 11 years in the NBA, all with the Rockets, and might have played longer if not for the lingering effects from Kermit Washington’s infamous punch in 1977.
After his playing career ended, Tomjanovich stayed with the Rockets as an assistant coach. He took over as head coach midway through 1991/92 and compiled 527 career wins, leading the franchise to its only championships in 1994 and 1995.
But Tomjanovich wasn’t the only significant player to be passed over this year. Here are a few more who have arguably earned a spot in Springfield:
- Chris Webber — The first pick in the 1993 draft was also a five-time All-Star. He played 15 NBA seasons, seven with Sacramento, and helped the Kings become one of the most successful teams of the early 2000s. He was the 1994 Rookie of the Year and an All-NBA selection in 2001.
- Sidney Moncrief — Another five-time All-Star, Moncrief was the standout player on some great Bucks teams in the 1980s. He scored nearly 12,000 points in 11 NBA seasons and was voted Defensive Player of the Year in 1983 and 1984.
- Tim Hardaway Sr. — One of the NBA’s best point guards in his 14 seasons, Hardaway is best known as part of the electric “Run T.M.C.” Golden State teams. He made five All-Star teams, was named to the All-Rookie Team in 1990 and the All-NBA Team in 1997.
- Kevin Johnson — The former Suns standout ranks sixth in NBA history in assists per game with 9.1 over his career. He played 13 seasons, made three All-Star teams and was named Most Improved Player in 1989.
- Jack Sikma — The former SuperSonics and Bucks center is the only eligible seven-time All-Star not enshrined in Springfield. He played 14 seasons, scored 17,287 points and won the 1979 championship in Seattle.
- Bob Dandridge — He was a star forward in the 1970s who won titles with the Bucks and Bullets. Dandridge played 13 seasons, made four All-Star teams and holds the distinction for scoring the most points in the NBA Finals during the 1970s.
We want to hear from you. Which of these players most deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, and who are some others that should be considered? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. We look forward to what you have to say.
Magic To Sign Marcus Georges-Hunt
The Magic will sign shooting guard Marcus Georges-Hunt, tweets Chris Reichert of The Step Back. He didn’t reveal whether the contract is for 10 days or longer, but there are only 11 days left in the regular season.
This would be the second NBA stint of the season for Georges-Hunt, who signed a 10-day deal with the Heat in February when Miami was granted an extra roster spot under the hardship exception. He didn’t see any game action and was let go when that contract expired.
The rookie out of Georgia Tech signed with the Celtics in August, but was waived before the season began. He spent most of the year with Boston’s D-League affiliate in Maine, averaging 15.8 points in 45 games.
The signing of Georges-Hunt finally fills the open roster spot that Orlando has been carrying since early January.
Knicks Appear Determined To Keep Ron Baker
Knicks guard Ron Baker has won over coach Jeff Hornacek — and reportedly team president Phil Jackson as well — as he prepares for restricted free agency, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post.
The 24-year-old rookie filled in for Derrick Rose Friday night in Miami and put up 10 points and six assists in a Knicks victory. He also ran the triangle well and stood out with his effort on defense.
A four-year player at Wichita State, Baker came to the NBA with several similarities to Hornacek. They bonded quickly, with Baker saying, “Yeah, we have a pretty good friendship. We’ll try to be on the same team.’’
Sources say Jackson likes the way Baker defends against point guards, an area where Rose has been lacking. At 6’4″, Baker has the size to play shooting guard, but his 3-point range is a concern, as he is hitting just 29% from long distance.
“Guys like that [combo guards] are valuable in the league,’’ Hornacek said. “You’re not just strictly just relying on him at the 2. You can play him off the ball, you can play him on the ball. If he’s playing the point, he can get us into the offense. He’s smart about calling out the plays. And he’s a tough defender. Early on, playing against point guards, he was keeping guys in front of him.’’
Baker worked out for 16 teams last year, but still went undrafted. He signed with the Knicks in August and earned a roster spot. The early part of his season was filled with D-League trips, but he hasn’t been there since New Year’s Eve.
Berman adds that no matter what kind of offer Baker gets this summer, Hornacek will be a strong advocate for matching it.
Warriors Optimistic About Durant’s Return
Kevin Durant‘s performance in a five-on-five halfcourt workout today has the Warriors believing he will be able to play again before the regular season ends, writes Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.
“He looks good,” said assistant coach Willie Green, who participated in the workout. “He’s doing about everything he normally does. The thing is, now you don’t want to push too hard.”
It has been a little more than a month since Durant suffered a medial collateral ligament sprain and a tibial bone bruise in his left knee. He went through today’s workout wearing a protective brace that stretches from his tibia to a few inches above the kneecap.
Golden State has six games remaining in the regular season, which wraps up April 12th.
Assistant Mike Brown said Durant’s agility and movement have almost fully returned, but head coach Steve Kerr warned that a regular season return isn’t guaranteed.
“We’re getting closer, but we’re not there yet,” Kerr said. “He’s doing well, but we have to keep it going and let it play out until he’s completely ready.”
Austin Rivers Likely Sidelined For Regular Season
The Clippers anticipate losing Austin Rivers for the rest of the regular season due to a left hamstring strain, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN reports.
“I think it’s a little more serious [than initially believed],” coach Doc Rivers told reporters before Saturday’s game. When asked of Austin’s prospects for the postseason, Doc replied “We don’t know. I would say it’s 50-50.”
Per Arnovitz, Rivers’ injury occurred during the second quarter of Wednesday’s game against the Wizards. Having already locked up a playoff spot, the decision to potentially shut down Rivers for the season appears to be a cautious one. Raymond Felton and Jamal Crawford will likely split minutes at point guard in Rivers’ absence.
Austin addressed his injury with Bill Oram of the O.C. Register yesterday, voicing frustration at the prospect of being sidelined until the playoffs.
“This is the time of year, if anytime, I want to be healthy. … At least it’s not during the playoffs,” Rivers said. “People are always looking for something wrong with our team instead of looking for what’s right. Why don’t you look at how many injuries we’ve had and still been able to hold down the ship in the West, and still be a top-five seed in the West without Blake and Chris for a big chunk of games?”