Southeast Notes: Hernangomez, Hornets, Hezonja
Willy Hernangomez made it clear that he wanted to play — whether it was in New York or elsewhere — and the Hornets acquired him prior to the trade deadline. The fit seemed odd, given Charlotte’s depth at center. However, the 24-year-old Spaniard can still blossom into an asset, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes.
Hernangomez is still an effective scorer in the post and has some passing skills, which fit into head coach Steve Clifford’s system. Also, Hernangomez’s salary is team-friendly at $1.5MM next season and slightly higher the following year. That allows the Hornets to audition Hernangomez for an extended period; he can either develop into a rotational player or as a future trade chip.
Charlotte has one of the elite centers of the last decade in Dwight Howard to help mentor Hernangomez. “It’s great to have Dwight here. I want to learn so much every day,” Hernangomez said. “(Sunday) morning, he talked to me and gave me advice, and he doesn’t know me a lot. I’m very happy to be with one of the best centers in the league. I’m going to learn a lot from him.”
Check out other Southeast Division notes below:
- After Sunday’s loss, the Hornets are 10 games below .500 at 23-33 and their playoff hopes are fading. Bonnell writes in a separate story that it is time for Clifford to reexamine the team and figure out an effective rotation.
- Mario Hezonja has shown signs of improvement in each of his three NBA seasons and his recent assignment on Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was a good growing experience, John Denton of NBA.com writes. “Mario had one of his best nights and defensively he got scored on some, but he had some of his best collisions at the rim that I’ve been begging him to do for two years now,’’ head coach Frank Vogel. “So, he had a big growth night.’’
- Chris McCullough plays sparingly for the Wizards, usually seeing time toward the end of games. However, McCullough prides himself on having an impact for the team in the minutes he is given, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington writes.
Wizards Seriously Considering Ty Lawson
The Wizards‘ search for a point guard has the team seriously considering eight-year NBA veteran Ty Lawson, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (link via Twitter).
Lawson, 29, played in 69 games for the Kings last season. He spent the 2017/18 season in China with CBA’s Shandong Golden Stars. At one point, Lawson averaged at least 15.2 PPG with the Nuggets in each season from 2011-2015. However, several off-the-court issues, including a pair of DUIs, have hindered Lawson’s NBA career.
With John Wall still early in his rehab process, the Wizards have been looking for help outside the organization. The team has reportedly considered recently-waived Derrick Rose and talked with free agent Ramon Sessions. It was reported on Sunday that Washington will likely sign a point guard to a 10-day contract.
Sixers Sign Marco Belinelli
FEBRUARY 12, 4:28pm: The Sixers have officially signed Belinelli, the team announced in a press release.
FEBRUARY 10, 9:58pm: Belinelli seemed to confirm his intentions to go to Philadelphia by sending out a tweet that read, “TRUST THE PROCESS”.
FEBRUARY 10, 9:15pm: Free agent Marco Belinelli will sign with the Sixers once he clears waivers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Several teams were competing to attract the 31-year-old shooting guard, Woj adds, with Philadelphia promising significant playing time in a reserve role.
Belinelli agreed to a buyout with the Hawks on Friday, and should pass through the waiver wire by Monday. He will bolster the outside shooting for the Sixers, who have been looking for another 3-point threat.
Belinelli averaged 11.4 points in 52 games with the Hawks while shooting .372 from behind the arc. Atlanta pulled him from its lineup last week in anticipation of a trade before the deadline, but when nothing worked out he became a prime buyout candidate.
Jazz Waive Derrick Rose; Wolves Have Interest
FEBRUARY 12: Rose has officially cleared waivers, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
FEBRUARY 10: The Jazz have formally requested waivers on Rose, the team announced in a press release.
FEBRUARY 8: Once their three-team trade with the Cavaliers and Kings becomes official, the Jazz will waive newly-acquired point guard Derrick Rose, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Assuming the move is completed today, Rose would be on track to clear waivers on Saturday.
Rose, 29, has only been healthy enough to play in 16 games this season, and has seen his minutes significantly cut back. After averaging at least 30 minutes per contest in each of his previous NBA seasons, the former MVP played 19.3 MPG for the Cavs this season, recording a modest 9.8 PPG and 1.6 APG on .439/.250/.854 shooting.
With Ricky Rubio, Donovan Mitchell, and Raul Neto all available to handle point guard duties in Utah, the Jazz didn’t have a pressing need in their lineup for Rose, who was included in today’s three-way deal for salary purposes. According to Charania, Rose will look to join a playoff-bound team once he reaches free agency, but it’s not clear how many teams will seriously consider the veteran, given his underwhelming play this season.
One team that figures to be in play is Minnesota, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times, who tweets that the Tom Thibodeau-led Timberwolves are expected to try to sign Rose if he goes unclaimed on waivers. There’s no guarantee that Rose will clear waivers though — he’s on a one-year, minimum salary contract, so any team could use the minimum salary exception to claim him.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/12/18
Here are Monday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Timberwolves have recalled rookie center Justin Patton from the G League, according to the team (Twitter link). Patton has yet to make his NBA debut, but looked good for the Iowa Wolves on Sunday, scoring a team-high 21 points.
- Newly-acquired Raptors shooting guard Malachi Richardson has been assigned to the G League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Richardson doesn’t figure to get much run for a Toronto team with a deep bench, but he should have a chance to play major minutes for the Raptors 905 against Maine on Monday night.
- The Bulls assigned a trio of players to the G League today, according to the club (Twitter link). Kris Dunn, Cristiano Felicio, and Noah Vonleh were sent to the Windy City Bulls for practice and will be recalled after that, the team announced.
- Patrick McCaw, who has been spending time in the G League to get more minutes, was recalled by the Warriors today, the team confirmed in a press release. The Santa Cruz Warriors scored 131 points on Sunday, but McCaw had just six of them, on 2-of-11 shooting.
Wizards Expected To Sign Point Guard To 10-Day Deal
FEBRUARY 12, 3:34pm: Tomas Satoransky is scheduled to go through the concussion protocol on Tuesday, and if he passes, the Wizards will likely wait until after the All-Star Game to make a roster move, Aldridge tweets. The Wizards’ Wednesday game in New York is their last contest before the break.
FEBRUARY 11, 10:15am: The Wizards will probably use a 10-day contract to fill their vacancy at point guard through the All-Star break, tweets David Aldridge of TNT. He lists Ramon Sessions, Donald Sloan and Briante Weber as the top candidates. They may pursue Derrick Rose or other available players during the break.
Sessions, 31, played a season and a half in Washington from 2015 to 2016. He was waived last month by the Knicks after averaging 3.7 PPG and 2.1 APG in 13 games.
Sloan, 30, was in training camp with the Wizards, but was waived before the season began. He played for five teams in five seasons, with his last NBA experience coming in Brooklyn in 2015/16.
Weber, 25, was waived by the Rockets in mid-January after 13 games as a two-way player. He has bounced around the league since the 2015/16 season, having short stints with five organizations.
Rose, 29, will remain on waivers through tomorrow afternoon. Luxury tax concerns make it unlikely the Wizards will submit a claim on him, though they would be interested if he becomes a free agent.
Whoever Washington signs may get a limited chance to prove himself as the Wizards have just one game remaining before the break.
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Greg Oden Joins BIG3 Draft Pool
Former first overall pick Greg Oden is hoping to return to the court this summer — not in the NBA, but in Ice Cube’s 3-on-3 league. The BIG3 announced today that Oden has joined the league’s draft pool for the coming season (Twitter link).
Oden, who turned 30 last month, was selected by Portland with the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, one spot ahead of Kevin Durant. However, the Ohio State standout only appeared in 105 total NBA games, averaging 8.0 PPG and 6.2 RPG, last playing in the league for the Heat in 2013/14. His career was derailed by multiple knee and leg injuries.
After making an effort to revive his playing career in China during the 2015/16, the former Trail Blazers center said multiple times in the fall of 2016 that his playing career was over. “Don’t get me wrong,” Oden said at the time. “If I was healthy, I would love to continue playing, but I’m not healthy.”
A year and a half later, it appears Oden may not be ready to throw in the towel after all, as he makes an effort to participate in a three-on-three league that features former NBA players like Chauncey Billups, Stephen Jackson, Jermaine O’Neal, Rashard Lewis, Kenyon Martin, and many more. For now, Oden isn’t on a BIG3 roster, but if he’s healthy this spring, he’ll be an intriguing candidate to be plucked out of the draft pool by one of the league’s clubs.
New York Notes: Prigioni, Knicks, Ntilikina, Nets
The Knicks are considering a reunion with old friend Pablo Prigioni, but as a developmental coach rather than as a player, two industry sources tell Marc Berman of The New York Post. Prigioni, who played for the Knicks from 2012 to 2015, has retired as a player and was named the coach of Spanish team Baskonia last summer, but had to step down after just eight games due to family issues, a source tells Berman.
Now, Prigioni is back in New York, with a source telling Berman that the former NBA point guard is spending the week with the Nets to learn about Brooklyn’s basketball operation. While it’s unclear whether the Nets are also interested in hiring Prigioni, the 40-year-old is “exploring” whether he wants to become a personnel man, says Berman.
As we wait to see whether Prigioni returns stateside to take a job with one of the NBA’s New York teams, let’s round up a few more notes on those two clubs…
- New Knicks point guard Emmanuel Mudiay is excited to develop alongside rookie Frank Ntilikina, as Berman details for The New York Post. “We’re going to grow together,” Mudiay said. “At least that’s what I know is the plan right now. He’s 19, I’m 21, so we’re both kind of close in age. He speaks French. I speak French. It’s going to be fun, just trying to see how we feel each other out on the court.”
- Yaron Weitzman of Bleacher Report outlines why the two trades the Knicks made last week are representative of GM Scott Perry‘s plan for the franchise. Weitzman also cites league sources who say that the Knicks turned away numerous trade proposals for Ntilikina prior to last Thursday’s deadline.
- The Nets‘ acquisition of Dante Cunningham last week was a move that flew under the radar, but GM Sean Marks says he expects Cunningham to fill a key positional need in Brooklyn. Tom Dowd of BrooklynNets.com has the story.
Suns Sign Josh Gray To Second 10-Day Contract
FEBRUARY 12: The Suns have officially signed Gray to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.
Gray’s 10-day deal will actually become a 12-day deal, since it must cover at least three games. The Suns play tonight and Wednesday, but their third game won’t come until after the All-Star break, on February 23.
FEBRUARY 11: Rookie point guard Josh Gray will receive a second 10-day contract from the Suns on Monday, according to Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic.
Gray signed the first deal on February 2, so it was about to expire. The team made its intentions clear by bringing him on a road trip that will take them to Golden State tomorrow and Utah on Wednesday.
Pressed into service because of injuries to the Phoenix backcourt, Gray has averaged 6.8 points and 3.0 assists in four games, playing 17.5 minutes per night. After going undrafted out of LSU in 2016, he spent the past two seasons with the Suns’ G League affiliate.
Gray’s second 10-day deal will expire after the All-Star break and the team will have to decide whether to release him or sign him for the rest of the season.