NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/7/19
Here are Monday’s NBA G League assignments and recalls from around the league:
- The Pacers re-assigned big man Ike Anigbogu to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team announced today. Anigbogu played a key role in Fort Wayne’s win over Stockton tonight, scoring 13 points and racking up a game-high 18 rebounds.
- The Bucks recalled forward Christian Wood from the G League today, according to the club (via Twitter). While Wood continues to play a very limited role in Milwaukee, he’s averaging an impressive 27.7 PPG for the Wisconsin Herd, and will have his minimum salary contract guaranteed this week.
Latest On Thibodeau, Saunders, Timberwolves
After reaching out to Tyronn Lue when the former Cavaliers head coach was let go earlier this season, Doc Rivers didn’t waste any time doing the same with Tom Thibodeau once Thibs was dismissed by the Timberwolves on Sunday. According to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times, it’s not yet clear how involved Thibodeau might be with the Clippers, but it sounds like he’ll at least share some thoughts with Rivers over the course of the season.
“Tom will be around,” Rivers said on Monday. “Tom’s around even when he’s not. He watches every NBA game, so the one thing with Tom is he’s going to be working at home even without the job, that’s what he does. And he’s another guy who loves the game of basketball. And for me, I love people who love the game.”
Like Lue, Thibodeau was an assistant on Rivers’ staff in Boston years ago, so it makes sense that the Clippers’ coach would reach out to him. Lue’s role with the Clips is an informal one, and it sounds like the club might go that same route with Thibodeau.
Here’s more on Thibodeau, the Timberwolves, and new interim head coach Ryan Saunders:
- Karl-Anthony Towns said today that he and his teammates were stunned by the news of Thibodeau’s firing, and that “no one saw it coming,” as Malika Andrew of ESPN.com relays. Towns admitted he was just telling Minnesota’s assistant coaches last week that the organization seemed to be gaining some much-needed stability. “I jinxed that badly,” Towns said.
- When asked on Monday what changes he’d bring to the Timberwolves, Saunders said he wanted to be introduce a more “collaborative” approach, writes Michael Rand of The Star Tribune. That was an interesting answer, according to Rand, who notes that multiple people in the organization have told him that Thibodeau was “notoriously bad at delegating tasks” and “seldom took a collaborative approach to problem-solving.”
- Dave Campbell of The Associated Press takes a closer look at Saunders, who becomes the youngest active head coach in the NBA. Despite being just 32 years old, Saunders is one of the most respected figures in the organization, says Campbell. “He’s the only coach that’s been here since my rookie year,” said Andrew Wiggins. “There’s been a lot of changes, but I trust him. I have a good relationship with him. I think he’s going to do a great job, especially because you can talk to him.”
- Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype (link via USA Today) provides a few suggestions for coaches who could be candidates to take over the full-time job in Minnesota.
Chandler Parsons To Leave Grizzlies Indefinitely
JANUARY 7, 7:26pm: In a statement to Wojnarowski, Parsons expressed regret that he wasn’t able to finish out the 2018/19 season with the Grizzlies. According to Wojnarowski, the veteran forward wanted to keep practicing with the team, even if he wasn’t being activated for games, but the Grizz preferred to have him leave the club until a resolution can be reached.
“I am extremely disappointed that I didn’t get to finish this season alongside my teammates and the Memphis coaching staff,” Parsons told ESPN. “Unfortunately that option wasn’t presented to me.
“The Grizzlies training staff medically cleared me to play 5-on-5 in mid-December and I have been practicing with the team ever since. I will continue to work out and train until my agent and the team reach a resolution. I am ready to play and committed to getting back on the court.”
JANUARY 6, 3:58pm: Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons will leave the team indefinitely as the two sides work to structure a resolution on his future, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Parsons and team management agreed to the separation on Sunday, with the 30-year-old failing to see any playing time.
The Grizzlies still owe Parsons $38MM, which includes his 2019/20 salary of $25.1MM.
According to Wojnarowski and ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the Grizzlies and Parsons’ representation will work to find a trade for Parsons. So far, the Grizzlies have not been willing to include a first-round draft pick in such a trade, but they are willing to take on a longer contract in return for Parsons.
Reports indicate that the final disagreement between the two sides was regarding the possibility of a G League assignment for Parsons. According to Wojnarowski, Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace wanted Parsons to play in a couple of games with the Memphis Hustle before he would decide on returning the veteran to the active roster.
While Parsons was willing to play in the G League, he wanted a clearer timetable regarding his return to Memphis’ active roster.
Parsons has not played since exiting the Grizzlies’ third game of the season because of soreness in his right knee.
Kevin Love Unsure About Return Date, Reaffirms Desire To Stay With Cavs
Injured Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love said last month that he was targeting a mid-January return from the foot injury that has sidelined him since October. However, speaking on Monday to reporters, including Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, he admitted that timeline is no longer realistic. Love is still several weeks away from getting back on the court, and likely won’t be back until closer to the All-Star break.
“I think just kind of go with the symptoms,” Love said. “Like if I’m feeling anything we’ll just kind of keep it at that pace, just a progression from here. But I think I’ll get more of an idea of that over the next couple weeks and then from there there will be even more progression and get out on the court. I don’t know when I’ll be able to go one-on-one, two-on-two, three-on-three, but I think that’s all part of the next few weeks I’d say.”
Approximately halfway through the 2018/19 season, the Cavaliers hold an NBA-worst record of 8-32. With lottery positioning on their mind, the Cavs will likely be as patient and deliberate as possible with Love’s recovery. However, the five-time All-Star has no intention of shutting it down for the season.
“That’s never really been the thought process — at least for me,” Love said, according to Fedor. “I know going out there, I want to play. I want to be out there with those guys. I feel like I would be letting my teammates down and letting LD (Larry Drew) and the coaching staff down if I didn’t get out there and play and get out there and play as soon as I could so long as I’m healthy.
“I would just hope to come back whether it be right before All-Star break, after All-Star break, just things to start trending in the right direction and give the fans and this organization some hope for better times that are going to be here.”
Of course, there’s a possibility that Love won’t even be in Cleveland beyond February 7, the date of this season’s trade deadline. However, if he’s not even healthy by that point, at deal seems awfully unlikely.
For his part, Love acknowledged today that even if he’s not traded in the next month, he’ll probably be the subject of trade speculation again in the summer. The 30-year-old added that while this season hasn’t gone as planned, he remains committed to staying in Cleveland long-term after signing a four-year extension with the Cavs last year.
“I would love to be here,” Love said. “Would just love to get through a whole season healthy just because I’ve had nagging things that have taken time and been a little bit unlucky, but I would like to play ball here.”
Hoiberg To Seek Coaching Job, Not Front Office Role
After being fired by the Bulls earlier this season, Fred Hoiberg appears to be taking his time to determine his next step. When he does get serious about lining up his next job though, he’ll be seeking a coaching role – either in the NBA or in college – rather than a front office position, he tells Zach Lowe of ESPN.com.
“My passion is in coaching,” Hoiberg said, “and I’m looking forward to what lies ahead.”
In the wake of Tom Thibodeau‘s firing in Minnesota on Sunday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski identified Hoiberg as someone who could be in contention for the Timberwolves’ GM or head coaching job, given team owner Glen Taylor‘s fondness for him. Before he coached in Iowa State and Chicago, Hoiberg served as an assistant GM in Minnesota’s front office, so a return to a management role wouldn’t be out of the question.
Still, a report today indicated that the Wolves have no immediate plans to pursue Hoiberg as their coach or GM. And given Hoiberg’s comments to Lowe, it sounds like he’ll exhaust his potential coaching opportunities before he gives serious consideration to taking another front office job.
As for what those head coaching opportunities might look like, Hoiberg will probably have to wait until the spring, when a number of NBA teams and NCAA programs figure to conduct full-fledged coaching searches. After Hoiberg was let go by the Bulls, reports suggested he’d prefer to remain in the NBA’s coaching ranks, but he tells Lowe that’s not necessarily the case.
“I am not prioritizing one over the other in respect to the NBA and college,” Hoiberg said. “The jobs are so different that you cannot compare them, so I plan on evaluating whatever opportunities may come independently.”
Recap Of Non-Guaranteed Contract Decisions
January 7 represents a key date for the NBA players who are on non-guaranteed contracts for the 2018/19 season. While their salaries won’t technically become guaranteed until January 10, the players who remained under contract through 5:00pm ET today are now assured of those guaranteed salaries. If released tomorrow, they wouldn’t clear waivers by the start of January 10, so they’ve survived the cut.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), only five players on non-guaranteed deals were released in advance of today’s deadline, so the rest of this season’s non-guaranteed players should be safe.
We’ll use the space below to break down those decisions from around the league. The following players will have their non-guaranteed 2018/19 salaries become fully guaranteed on Thursday:
- Ryan Arcidiacono (Bulls): $1,349,383
- Patrick Beverley (Clippers): $5,027,028
- Isaiah Briscoe (Magic): $838,464
- Trey Burke (Knicks): $1,795,015
- Tim Frazier (Pelicans): $1,621,415 ($1,512,601 cap hit)
- Shaquille Harrison (Bulls): $1,311,265
- Richaun Holmes (Suns): $1,600,520
- T.J. McConnell (Sixers): $1,600,520
- Alfonzo McKinnie (Warriors): $1,349,383
- Royce O’Neale (Jazz): $1,378,242
- Jahlil Okafor (Pelicans): $1,567,007
- Quincy Pondexter (Spurs): $2,165,481 ($1,512,601 cap hit)
- Chasson Randle (Wizards): $869,094
- Noah Vonleh (Knicks): $1,621,415 ($1,512,601 cap hit)
- Tyrone Wallace (Clippers): $1,349,383
- Kenrich Williams (Pelicans): $838,464
- Christian Wood (Bucks): $1,512,601
The following players were waived within the last couple days before their salaries could become fully guaranteed. Their approximate cap hits are noted:
- Ron Baker (Wizards): $171K
- Lorenzo Brown (Raptors): $800K
- Michael Carter-Williams (Bulls): $1.2MM
- Patrick McCaw (Cavaliers): $324K
- James Nunnally (Timberwolves): $656K
Technically, all of these players are now on waivers, so their salaries could still become fully guaranteed – and these cap hits could be removed from their old teams’ books – if they’re claimed by a new team. That seems unlikely, however.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.
Rockets Trade Michael Carter-Williams To Bulls
4:07pm: The Rockets have officially announced their deal sending Carter-Williams to Chicago (Twitter link). The Bulls, who already waived Brooks earlier today, per RealGM’s transactions log, released Carter-Williams as well, as they confirmed (via Twitter).
10:01am: The Rockets have finalized a deal to send Michael Carter-Williams and cash to the Bulls, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. In return, Houston will receive a heavily protected second-round pick that is unlikely to ever convey, adds Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
The Bulls will waive Carter-Williams, who has a non-guaranteed contract, before the league deadline of 5:00 pm Eastern, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link). All contracts become fully guaranteed for the rest of the season on Thursday, but players have to be released by the close of business today to avoid the guarantee so they have time to clear waivers.
The Bulls have a full 15-man roster, so the team will waive MarShon Brooks before the deal can be completed, according to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Brooks was acquired Thursday in a trade with the Grizzlies and hasn’t played yet for Chicago. Smith adds that the draft choice the Rockets will receive is top-55 protected. The Bulls’ second-rounder in 2019 belongs to the Sixers, so Smith believes the pick in the deal will be for 2020 (Twitter link).
The trade enables the Rockets to cut their projected luxury tax payment from $16.3MM to $13.7MM, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. It also gives Houston a $1.2MM trade exception. The Rockets open a roster spot that may eventually go to Danuel House, who has won a place in the starting lineup and is approaching the 45-day NBA limit on his two-way contract.
The Bulls will take a $1.2MM cap hit, but will only have to pay Carter-Williams $366K, Marks adds (Twitter link). The cash from the Rockets is expected to cover the salary for him and Brooks. Chicago will also have an open roster spot by the end of the day, points out K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
Carter-Williams was named Rookie of the Year with the Sixers in 2014, but has turned into an NBA journeyman. He spent time with the Bucks, Bulls and Hornets before signing with Houston in July. He appeared in 16 games for the Rockets, posting a 4.3/0.8/1.3 line in about nine minutes per night.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Knicks Notes: Kanter, Ntilikina, Knox
Enes Kanter has been promised a place in the Knicks‘ rotation, Marc Berman of the New York Post relays. Coach David Fizdale assured Kanter he’ll be in games and suggested the team will use two-center alignments in the future.
“I want to pull off combinations like that because I want to give them all a taste out there,” Fizdale said of playing two centers at the same time.
Fizdale replaced the Turkish big man with Luke Kornet after the team’s Christmas day loss to the Bucks. Mitchell Robinson has been out with an ankle injury that predated the lineup change, leaving Kanter to see minutes off the bench over the last four contests. Robinson isn’t quite ready to see the court, though the rookie won’t take all of Kanter’s minutes once he returns.
Kanter won’t play in the team’s January 17 tilt against the Wizards in London. Kanter, who has been outspoken about the Turkish Government, said he wouldn’t travel with the team because of safety concerns. “I could get killed pretty easy,” he previously said, alluding to his feud with Turkish dictator Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the possibility of a Turkish presence in London.
The Knicks then attempted to clarify the center’s response by announcing that Kanter would not make the trip because of visa issues. However, Kanter refuted the claim today, posting a photo of his travel document on his Twitter feed.
New York could trade Kanter, in addition to some of their other veterans, before the trade deadline, as the franchise is fully committed to a youth movement. As we wait to see what moves the 10-29 Knicks make, let’s take a look at some more notes from the Big Apple:
- The Knicks‘ team doctors have changed their diagnosis on Frank Ntilikina‘s ankle from a strained left tendon to sprained ligaments, which is an upgrade in terms of predicted recovery time, Berman passes along in the same piece. The team doesn’t expect Ntilikina to miss as much time as Robinson has. “With the Mitchell thing, we’re being overly cautious because he’s had multiple [sprains],” Fizdale said. “It’s different with Frank, and these kids heal differently. I don’t see Frank being out too long.”
- Kevin Knox is only 19 years old and the 6’9″ rookie says he isn’t done growing yet, Berman passes along in a separate piece. “Doctors said I have a half-inch or an inch left in the tank,” Knox said. “You never know — hopefully, I have an inch [left]. Maybe 6-10, 6-10½. If not, I’m perfectly fine with where I’m at.”
- While tanking may be the best path for the Knicks, Tim Hardaway Jr. is not a fan of the strategy and the losses are wearing him down, Berman adds in a separate piece. “It’s obviously a tough pill to swallow. You definitely want to try to win as many games as possible.”
Isaiah Whitehead Leaves Russian Team
Former Nets guard Isaiah Whitehead is a free agent again after parting ways with his team in Russia, according to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. Whitehead, who joined Lokomotiv Kuban in August, averaged 11.6 points and 3.3 assists during his time with the club.
The 42nd pick in the 2016 draft, Whitehead played two seasons in Brooklyn. He had a promising rookie year, posting a 7.4/2.5/2.6 line in 73 games, but fell out of the rotation last season and spent most of his time in the G League.
Whitehead was sent to Denver in a July 13 deal that brought Kenneth Faried, Darrell Arthur and a pair of draft picks to Brooklyn, but the Nuggets only wanted Whitehead for his non-guaranteed contract. He was waived four days later.
NBA teams were permitted to start handing out 10-day contracts over the weekend, so it’s possible that will be Whitehead’s route back to the league.
Robert Covington Discusses Sixers, Being Traded
Robert Covington, who is now a member of the Timberwolves, heard the trade rumors surrounding his name over the summer. He was aware that the Sixers were in the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes and asked Brett Brown about the possibilities of him getting dealt.
“I was told over the summer that there was no chance that I would be traded,” Covington said (via Sarah Todd of the Philadelphia Inquirer). “But things happen. I talked to Brett numerous times. At the same time, you saw everything that transpired with Kawhi and DeMar [DeRozan, the main principles in the trade that sent Leonard from San Antonio to Toronto], so anything can happen.”
Covington added that he didn’t find out about the trade from the Sixers.
“I found out on social media,” he said. “It was like five minutes before the team meeting, then Brett [Brown, the Sixers’ coach] called me and EB [general manager Elton Brand] called me, but I already knew. By then it was already out there. That’s how I found out.”
Covington added that the conversation with Brown was “clear-cut and dry.” The small forward was merely told he going to Minnesota in a package for Butler.
“As far as having that respect level, and for how much we’d been through, I would have thought it had to be completely different, but it wasn’t. Considering how much time relationship-wise and everything that went down. … It was weird,” Covington added.
Brown and Covington have been in contact via text since the deal. Brown recently learned about Covington’s feelings on the communication of the trade and indicated that he will reach out to the 28-year-old about it.
Brand and Covington haven’t spoken since the day of the trade. The two have known each other since Brand was a member of the Sixers (Todd notes that the two players had adjacent lockers) and they had a close relationship. Brand acknowledged that things are different now.
“It probably was cold,” Brand said of trading Covington. “I would talk to those guys about anything and everything … and now we don’t talk anymore. With my new role and my new job, it’s tough to make those decisions. The relationship is real, but it’s tough because it becomes transactional. I can see how he would think it was cold, for sure.”
Covington told Todd that he doesn’t hold any grudges. The Sixers will host the Timberwolves on January 15. “I think it’ll be warm, but you never know with Philly,” Covington said of the response he’ll get from the Philadelphia crowd. “One minute they love you and the next, you never know.”