NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/2/17
Here are Thursday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA, with new moves added to the top of the post throughout the day:
8:20pm:
- The Grizzlies have assigned guard Ben McLemore and forward Ivan Rabb to the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate, according to an official release from the team. McLemore is a veteran recovering from a foot injury who has yet to appear in an NBA game this year.
2:00pm:
- The Magic have assigned rookie center Khem Birch to the G League, the team announced today (via Twitter). According to Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link), the plan is for Birch to play a couple games with the Lakeland Magic before being recalled to the NBA.
- Nets guard Isaiah Whitehead, who was sent to the G League on Monday, has been recalled, the club announced today in a press release. Whitehead has also had three assignments to the Long Island Nets this season.
- The Grizzlies assigned second-year forward Deyonta Davis to the G League to practice with the Memphis Hustle, according to the team (Twitter link). Davis hasn’t been part of the Grizzlies’ rotation this year, appearing in just one game for the club so far.
Northwest Notes: Murray, Aminu, Hernangomez
The Nuggets have an opportunity to develop Jamal Murray into a significant part of their franchise for years to come, they just need to make sure that they handle things better than Denver’s NFL counterpart has handled their quarterback situation, Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post writes.
Those unfamiliar with the Broncos depth chart need only know that the club has attempted to eke into the postseason with a short-term quarterback rather than organically developing their younger, higher-ceiling, long-term quarterback. Kiszla fears that a hasty acquisition of Eric Bledsoe could put the Nuggets in a similarly short-sighted position.
While nobody is denying that Bledsoe is a solid NBA player, Kiszla writes that the Nuggets would be better off giving Murray the opportunity to learn to be a solid starter. The club should push his learning curve to find out just what he’s capable of.
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- The Trail Blazers will be without forward Al-Farouq Aminu for the time being. Mike Richman of The Oregonian writes that the 27-year-old left Wednesday night’s game in a walking boot. While Richman writes that X-Rays came back negative, the team revealed that he’ll miss Thursday’s contest.
- Despite the fact that the team opted against exercising his fourth-year option, Josh Huestis would like to remain with the Thunder, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman tweets.
- It will be at least a couple of weeks before Nuggets forward Juan Hernangomez returns to the lineup, Gina Mizell of The Denver Post tweets. We wrote in late-October that the sophomore has been sidelined with mononucleosis.
Southwest Notes: Rondo, Curry, Pelicans
Offseason addition Rajon Rondo has stepped as one of the vocal leaders in the Pelicans locker room despite the fact that he hasn’t suited up for a single game this season, William Guillory of The Times-Picayune writes.
The 31-year-old playmaker will slot into a frontcourt-heavy Pelicans lineup that could benefit from reinforcements on the perimeter. That doesn’t mean the veteran is going to rush back from the core muscle injury that has sidelined him since undergoing surgery in mid-October.
“I wake up and I feel pretty good everyday. We take for granted that we can get out of bed on the regular, for the couple weeks I was down, I couldn’t. I’m just happy I can get out of bed without having assistance or not having to roll over to my side and get up,” the Pelicans guard said.
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry mentioned November 17 as a possible return date but Rondo will be particularly cautious about making his debut. “I want to play the rest of the [season]. I don’t want to come back and play two games, then I’m sitting out for another two weeks,” he said.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Don’t expect the Mavs to instantly turn their season around once Seth Curry makes his 2017/18 debut but the sharp-shooting guard can help create space with his .432 career three-point shooting abilities, Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News writes in a question-and-answer feature with readers.
- Shaky perimeter play has limited the Pelicans this season, William Guillory of The Times-Picayune writes, and that was on display yet again this week. The team has struggled in 2017/18 in part because they rely too heavily on their star-studded frontcourt for offense.
- Count Mavs owner Mark Cuban among those excited about Dennis Smith Jr. Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes that Cuban thinks the rookie guard needs to work on his shot but has the strength and attitude to thrive in the NBA.
Pelicans, Suns, Pistons Discussed Bledsoe Trade
6:28pm: It turns out the third team involved in the Bledsoe/Jackson trade discussion was New Orleans. Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated writes that the Suns would have landed Detroit’s 2019 first-round pick, New Orleans’ 2018 first-round pick, Alexis Ajinca, and Omer Asik. Jackson would have gone to the Pelicans in that scenario. The talks are now “dead,” the report states.
2:25pm: According to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders, the Pistons offered the Suns a package including Jackson and a first-round pick for Bledsoe.
12:06pm: If they make a deal with the Pistons, the Suns would prefer to get a third team involved to take Jackson, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
It makes sense that the rebuilding Suns wouldn’t want to absorb Jackson’s contract, which runs through 2019/20, but involving a third or fourth team typically makes trades more difficult to complete, so we’ll see if this goes anywhere.
11:39am: The Pistons should be added to the list of teams that have exhibited interest in disgruntled Suns point guard Eric Bledsoe, league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). However, Stein cautions (via Twitter) that for a deal to appeal to Phoenix, the Pistons would have to attach additional pieces to Reggie Jackson.
Shortly after Bledsoe publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with his situation in Phoenix a week and a half ago, the Suns sent him home and began aggressively seeking a trade. At that point, it seemed as if the Suns may resolve the situation quickly, but GM Ryan McDonough said this week that there’s no timetable for a Bledsoe deal, suggesting the team isn’t rushing to get something done.
Reports last week indicated that the Nuggets and Bucks might be the most likely landing spots for Bledsoe, but Jamal Murray and Emmanuel Mudiay have played well lately for Denver, and Malcolm Brogdon – whom the Suns would reportedly target – is off to a good start in Milwaukee. As such, the Suns may be looking to engage other teams in trade discussions.
The Pistons would be an interesting trade partner. It’s worth noting that the Suns were said to have expressed “strong” interest in Andre Drummond back in June. Jake Fischer of SI.com, who initially reported Phoenix’s interest in Drummond, tweeted today that Bledsoe’s name was part of those discussions as well.
For what it’s worth, Detroit has been linked to multiple point guard trade candidates over the course of the year, including Kyrie Irving in August and Ricky Rubio back in January. Those rumors never led to anything real, so it’s possible Stan Van Gundy and the Pistons are just doing their due diligence again here. However, the fact that they’ve kicked the tires on so many other point guards may also suggest they’re open to moving on from Jackson.
After enjoying a career year in 2015/16, Jackson struggled through an injury-plagued 2016/17 campaign. He’s off to a good start this season, averaging 16.4 PPG and 6.0 APG through eight games.
Central Notes: Pacers, Drummond, James
The Pacers won the Paul George trade, even if the Thunder happened to win it as well, Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star writes. The scribe, who memorably critiqued Indiana’s handling of the George saga prior to the deal, says that he didn’t initially appreciate Kevin Pritchard‘s haul for their disgruntled star.
While it seems likely that Victor Oladipo won’t end up averaging the 23.8 points per game he’s averaged through eight games so far this season, he’s a more valuable player than what he came across as during his lone season with the Thunder. It’s reasonable to expect the Pacers two-guard to continue to post a scoring average in excess of the 17.9 points per game he posted in his career-high season with the desolate 2014/15 Magic.
Of course the component that makes or breaks the deal will be Domantas Sabonis. Fortunately for the Pacers, the 21-year-old big man has looked excellent averaging 13.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in just 27.1 minutes.
Doyel compliments Pritchard for winning a trade that seemed unwinnable, considering the lack of leverage the Pacers were left with after George’s agent leaked that George wanted out.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- The Pistons have had success running Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson in the pick-and-roll. Lately, Rod Beard of The Detroit News writes, the big man has added a new tool, the ability to take his man off the dribble, giving the club another option to utilize on offense.
- The business partner of Cavaliers forward LeBron James – long-time friend Maverick Carter – says that location won’t influence where James signs as a free agent next summer. “Could he sell a few more sneakers if he was in a gigantic market like Boston, Chicago, New York, or L.A.? Maybe. But not as much as if he wins. What matters the most is if he wins. When you win as an athlete that matters the most,” Carter said in an interview on The Rich Eisen Show (via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com).
- After vastly improving his free-throw shooting over the offseason, Pistons center Andre Drummond should look to get to the line more, Ansar Khan of MLive writes. Historically terrible from the free-throw line, Drummond has shot 70% from the line in 2017/18. He could now benefit from attacking the basket more aggressively.
Pacific Notes: Johnson, Sarver, Lopez
The Clippers opted for flexibility by turning down the third-year option on Brice Johnson‘s rookie contract, Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register writes.
Team president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank says that the decision was made because the Clippers didn’t have a full body of work on which to base Johnson’s value. The 23-year-old North Carolina standout has played in just six games over the course of his NBA career, two of them this past week.
“We still think Brice is a talented player,” Frank said. “There wasn’t a great body of work due to some difficult circumstances, obviously, with the back injury. This year, we have great depth at his position.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Contrary to a Washington Post report that suggested Suns owner Robert Sarver was looking to sell the franchise, the executive has “zero interest” in cashing out, Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic writes. Sarver bought the team for $401MM in 2004 and it’s now, per Forbes, valued north of $1B.
- A move to the second-unit may have helped Buddy Hield find his rhythm with the Kings. Kyle Ramos of the team’s official site discussed the sophomore’s solid showing off the bench on Wednesday.
- Often the subject of trade rumors, Brook Lopez wasn’t particularly surprised to find out that the Nets had traded him to the Lakers last June, Greg Logan of Newsday writes. He was, however, excited. “I’m a huge Magic Johnson fan, so having him around — to be a little fan boy — it’s awesome for the little kid Brook inside,” Lopez said.
Southeast Notes: Simmons, Batum, Wizards
The Magic have jumped out to a 6-2 start this season despite the fact that much of the core they’ve featured this season is a carryover from last year’s team that finished just 29-53. The X-Factor that’s helping the team perform so much better in 2017/18 could very well be Jonathon Simmons, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes.
Simmons signed a three-year deal worth $20MM this summer and has earned the trust of head coach Frank Vogel early in his Magic career.
“He has earned the trust. You know, when we put the ball in his hands, typically, he makes good things happen,” Vogel said. “He’s a good decision maker, and he’s a threat going to the basket. I mean, he really attacks the rim and will get to the free throw line and will finish. He does a good job making the extra pass, too. I do have a lot of trust; he’s earned it very early with me in his stay [with the Magic].”
Through eight games with the Magic so far this year, Simmons has averaged 15.8 points and 3.6 rebounds.
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- According to the man himself, Nicolas Batum could be cleared to practice in the next nine days. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, caught up with the Hornets swingman as he recovers from a torn ligament in his left elbow that has sidelined him since early October.
- The Heat have looked thin on the perimeter thanks to a rash of injuries at the position. In a question-and-answer with readers, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel discusses whether or not the team ought to have considered using the money spent on Kelly Olynyk to pursue a wing, like Rudy Gay.
- The Wizards parted ways with Carrick Felix earlier today but have no immediate plans to fill the vacant roster spot, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post tweets.
Poll: Cavs’ Slow Start A Cause For Concern?
The Cavaliers fell to the Pacers on Wednesday night, marking the fifth time already this season that they’ve lost to a team projected to have a losing record. The Cavs, who lost early in the season to Orlando, have now been beaten by the Nets, Pelicans, Knicks, and Pacers in their last four games.
As Dave McMenamin of ESPN details, the club held an “air-it-out” meeting earlier this week to address its poor start. The reaction to that meeting at the time was positive, with one source describing it to McMenamin as “very productive,” but it seemed to have little effect on Wednesday, with the Pacers beating the Cavs by 17 points.
Although he didn’t express much concern about Cleveland’s first few losses, LeBron James was more perturbed by the club’s latest loss, McMenamin writes in another article for ESPN.com. Admitting that he hoped things would change now that “it’s a new month,” James had trouble explaining why exactly the Cavs are struggling so much.
“We have an opportunity to be very good and then you see some of the lulls that we have and it’s just very difficult on our team right now,” James said. “We’re just trying to figure it out on the fly. … So, our team is kind of depleted as well, both on and off the floor.”
The team has been impacted by injuries in the early going. Isaiah Thomas is out for at least a couple months while he recovers from a hip issue, Iman Shumpert is sidelined with knee soreness, Derrick Rose has missed some time, and Tristan Thompson is expected to miss up to a month after suffering a calf injury on Wednesday.
The Cavs’ slow start can also be attributed to poor defensive play. As Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com relays, players and coaches felt like they were playing tougher D on Wednesday, but the team still remains at or near the bottom of the NBA in several defensive categories. Teams are making 14.0 three-pointers game at a 41.8% clip so far against the Cavs, who have a defensive rating of 111.3. All of those figures are NBA worsts.
We’ve seen the Cavs get off to sluggish starts before, but the current losing streak – four straight games by 63 combined points – is the worst of James’ NBA career. And, according to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net (via Elias), no team has reached the NBA Finals after starting 3-5 since the 1990/91 Lakers (Twitter link).
What do you think? Is this just a blip on the radar for the Cavs as they get accustomed to their new-look roster, or is this slow start a harbinger of things to come this season? Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts!
How will the Cavs respond to their slow start?
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They'll be fine, and will get back to the NBA Finals 44% (430)
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They'll bounce back, but won't win the East 38% (375)
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They'll continue to struggle, and won't make a deep playoff run 18% (176)
Total votes: 981
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Tristan Thompson Expected To Miss 3-4 Weeks
12:02pm: The Cavaliers have issued their own update on Thompson, confirming that he’s dealing with a calf strain and indicating that they expect to get him back on the court in three or four weeks.
11:13am: Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson is expected to miss the next month due to the left calf injury he sustained on Wednesday night, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). After leaving Wednesday’s game in the second quarter, Thompson later departed the arena on crutches.
Thompson’s injury is the latest blow to a Cavs team that has had to deal with multiple injuries in the early going of the 2017/18 season. Isaiah Thomas, of course, is expected to be out until at least December – and possibly later – due to his hip injury. Derrick Rose has also missed some time so far, and Iman Shumpert is currently sidelined with a knee ailment.
After opening the year as a reserve, Thompson has re-entered the Cavaliers’ starting lineup for the last five games, but the club is just 1-4 during that stretch, and the 26-year-old’s production has been modest. In eight total games, he’s averaging a career-low 4.4 PPG and 6.1 RPG.
With Thompson sidelined, Jae Crowder seems like a good bet to re-enter the Cavaliers’ starting lineup, with Kevin Love spending a little more time at center. Cleveland doesn’t have a ton of depth up front, so it will be interesting to see whether Channing Frye and/or Ante Zizic see increased roles, or if the team opts to lean heavily on smaller lineups for the next few weeks.
Of course, making a roster move to add another big body is also a possibility, but the Cavs have 15 players on guaranteed salaries and will be reluctant to add salary, since that would increase their projected luxury-tax bill.
Wizards Waive Carrick Felix
The Wizards have cut shooting guard Carrick Felix from their roster, the team announced today in a press release. Felix will become an unrestricted free agent this weekend, assuming he clears waivers.
Felix beat out Donald Sloan for a spot on the Wizards’ roster to open the season, but his hold on that 15th and final slot was precarious, since his salary remained non-guaranteed. The 27-year-old didn’t end up playing any regular season minutes for Washington during his stint with the team. In fact, the one time he got on the court, he was suspended for it — the NBA banned him one game for leaving the bench during last Friday’s altercation between the Wizards and Warriors.
Because Felix’s contract was non-guaranteed, the Wizards will only be on the hook for a prorated portion of his minimum salary. By my count, Felix should receive about $132K for his brief stay in D.C. That figure takes into account the money he lost due to his suspension, though perhaps Bradley Beal will compensate him for that game, as he suggested a few days ago.
“I might help him out, man. It was all my fault, anyways,” Beal said of last week’s altercation. “I gotta help my guy out. We might start a Go Fund Me and help out my guy Carrick Felix. He’s gonna need some cash, for sure.”
The Wizards now have an open spot on their 15-man NBA roster.