Warriors Sign Dragan Bender To Second 10-Day Deal
12:55pm: The move is official, the Warriors announced (Twitter link).
9:46am: Dragan Bender will sign a second 10-day contract with the Warriors, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The decision follows a story yesterday that Golden State was taking a wait-and-see approach to Bender’s future with the team. His first 10-day contract expired after Tuesday’s game.
Bender has played six games since joining the team, starting three and averaging 7.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per night.
The signing will bring Golden State back to a full roster. Two potential openings will arise in the next week with Mychal Mulder‘s 10-day contract expiring Saturday and Chasson Randle‘s 10-day deal ending next Thursday.
Celtics Notes: Fall, Smart, Kanter, Ojeleye
Tacko Fall has learned to enjoy his status as the latest cult hero in Boston, writes Jared Weiss of The Atheltic. Even though he has gotten into just six game for the Celtics and has played 24 total minutes, fans go crazy whenever the 7’5″ rookie approaches the scorer’s table. He also draws plenty of attention when he goes out in public with his teammates.
“They’ve been really good about it and sometimes I feel bad, ’cause I don’t want to take too much attention from the team,” Fall says. “And especially with coach Brad (Stevens), I don’t want them to see me like Tacko the rock star or Tacko the superstar. If you know me and the person I am, I don’t like to take too much attention away from them. But they actually give me attention, which is crazy.”
Fall’s size and potential make him an easy choice as a fan favorite, even though he went undrafted out of Central Florida last summer. He signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Celtics in July and earned a two-way deal in training camp. He has spent most of his first season with the organization’s G League affiliate in Maine, but still drew nearly a million All-Star votes from fans. Fall appreciates the attention, but said his immediate goal is to obtain a standard contract and eventually a spot in the rotation.
“I didn’t want that to happen, but it kinda gave me more motivation to someday earn that right,” he said of the voting. “You know, earn it on the court and then also have the fan votes where it’s like, ‘OK, I’ve really worked hard for this and all these people (are) cheering me on, wanting me to be there, so I’ve really earned it. It’s like, God put me in that position and I earned it.’”
There’s more Celtics news to pass along:
- Marcus Smart has been fined $35K for “confronting and verbally abusing” officials after Tuesday’s loss to the Nets, the NBA announced (Twitter link). The amount of the fine “reflects his multiple prior violations of acceptable on-court decorum,” the release from the league states.
- Enes Kanter may see a diminished role for the rest of the season now that the other Celtics centers are finally healthy, observes Alexandra Francisco of MassLive. Kanter has seen a combined 30 minutes over the past three games and didn’t play at all in Saturday’s loss to the Rockets.
- The short-handed Celtics were able to pull out a win in Cleveland last night because of a career-high 22 points from Semi Ojeleye, writes Mariva Lewter of Heavy. The third-year forward continues to build a reputation by taking advantage of opportunities. “He’s a great worker, he’s a great teammate,” Stevens said. “When everything is not going your way, he’s a guy that you know is in everybody’s corner, and I think that that’s huge when you start talking about team. And you also know he can not play one night and be effective in his role the next.”
Bulls Notes: Presti, Paxson, Boylen, Markkanen
Sam Presti has been mentioned as a possible target in the Bulls‘ front office shakeup, but K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago doesn’t believe the organization is willing to spend heavily on a new executive. He estimates it would take an offer in the neighborhood of $10MM a year to get the attention of Presti, the current president of basketball operations for the Thunder.
Johnson adds that Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf is exploring multiple options, which likely include both Presti and Raptors executive Masai Ujiri. Toronto isn’t expected to let Ujiri leave while he still has a year left on his contract, but because Presti is a close friend with Oklahoma City owner Clay Bennett, the feeling around the league is that Bennett wouldn’t stand in his way if he wanted to leave the organization. Even so, Johnson expects the Bulls to make several hires for the new front office, rather than investing so much in a single executive.
Johnson believes John Paxson will accept whatever role ownership wants him to and speculates that Paxson is actually behind the management restructuring plan. The Bulls also intend to revamp their scouting department, which Paxson originally proposed.
There’s more from Chicago:
- Front office candidates will likely be asked to keep an open mind about the future of coach Jim Boylen, Johnson relays in the same piece. Boylen received a contract extension after last season and has kept the support of management despite a poor win-loss record. He recently objected to senior advisor Doug Collins’ presence at coaches meetings, Johnson adds, so Collins’ role in that area has been reduced.
- Lauri Markkanen played nearly 21 minutes last night after being sidelined since January 21 with a stress reaction in his pelvis, Johnson writes in a separate story. Markkanen posted 13 points and four rebounds and believes he’s ready for more time once he’s cleared by the medical staff. “I thought he tried. I thought he was active. I thought he was moving pretty good. I thought he showed his whole game — inside, outside,” Boylen said. “… He showed his full game in the minutes he played. I think it was a good first showing for him.”
- Last night’s game between the Bulls and Timberwolves matches two franchises that are currently linked by bad decisions, states Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Those include the shared choices to get rid of Jimmy Butler and coach Tom Thibodeau.
Luc Mbah A Moute Works Out For Rockets
Former Rockets forward Luc Mbah a Moute had a workout for the team yesterday, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic.
The 33-year-old veteran played for Houston during the 2017/18 season, averaging 7.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in 61 games. He signed with the Clippers before the start of last season, but was only able to play in four games because of a knee injury that required surgery last March. He was waived in April just before the start of the playoffs.
Mbah a Moute has played 11 NBA seasons, spending most of his time with the Bucks and Clippers. He is a defensive specialist who shoots 33.5% from 3-point range for his career.
Houston has a full roster, so someone would have to be waived before Mbah a Moute could be signed.
Knicks Notes: Oakley, Lee, Rose, Harkless
Charles Oakley offered his opinion on the Knicks‘ controversy involving Spike Lee during a radio interview this morning, relays Steve Popper of Newsday. Appearing on ESPN’s “Golic and Wingo,” Oakley said the dispute stems from an organizational philosophy set by owner James Dolan.
“When you see a business like this year after year … having problems off the court, trying to get people to come to games and they’re not coming because it’s a toxic situation, because it’s so much control going on … egos,” Oakley stated. “These people who run a team, sometimes owners sit back and watch; this guy wants to be the CEO, the head of operations, he wants to be in control. It shouldn’t be run like that. It should be run by a group of people, not a control freak.”
Oakley also suggested that these incidents alienate players who might think about joining the team. New York had an embarrassing experience last summer when it failed to land any top talent despite having enough cap room for two max offers.
There’s more tonight from New York:
- Rose took a low-key approach to his first day as president of basketball operations, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Rose didn’t hold a press conference or talk to any media. He met with players and staff and promised to build relationships. “We’ve been through a lot of up and down this year — coaching changes, president changes, a lot of family tragedies — but he really wants to stick with us,” Kevin Knox said. “He’s going to make sure we get better, the team gets better. As a player, that’s what you want to hear.”
- Warriors general manager Bob Myers tells Marc Berman of The New York Post that Rose’s background as a successful agent will help him succeed as an executive. Myers was the pioneer for that transition, leaving Arn Tellem’s agency in 2012 to take over Golden State.
- Maurice Harkless has made an impression on the coaching staff since being acquired from the Clippers at the trade deadline, observes Ian Begley of SNY.tv. “People use the term versatility a lot but when I watch the games, and then I go back and I watch in on video again, I see more things that he did that maybe I didn’t even notice,” interim coach Mike Miller said.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/4/20
Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Bucks assigned D.J. Wilson to their Wisconsin affiliate, according to a release from the team. He’s posting an 18.3/7.8/4.0 line in four games with the Herd and has appeared in 30 NBA games.
- The Thunder shipped Isaiah Roby to Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. He is averaging 8.8 points and 6.5 rebounds in 13 G League games.
- The Suns assigned Ty Jerome to Northern Arizona, tweets Gina Mizell of The Athletic. Phoenix wanted him to get some playing time after he was pulled from the rotation last week.
- The Warriors recalled Alen Smailagic from Santa Cruz (Twitter link).
Nicolas Batum Apologizes To Hornets
Nicolas Batum isn’t hiding from the fact that he hasn’t lived up to his contract, writes Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer.
The five-year, $120MM deal Batum signed in the summer of 2016 remains the largest ever given out by the Hornets. After putting up decent numbers during the past three years, he lost his starting job this season and has been stuck on the end of the bench as Charlotte opted for a youth movement.
“I apologize to the people here,” he said, “because they put so much faith in me. And it didn’t go well… . It didn’t work out. But what do I have to do? Because I’m still here.”
Batum has appeared in 22 games this season, but head coach James Borrego didn’t use him at all in February. The last time he saw the court was in a January 24 game played in his native France.
Fowler points out that Batum remains a supportive member of the team and is serving as a mentor to a roster filled with first- and second-year players. As a veteran, he has interceded with officials on behalf of his teammates and estimates he has saved the Hornets from about a half-dozen technical fouls.
“I don’t want to be selfish,” Batum said. “… I don’t want to be that guy who’s like, ‘OK, let’s go out tonight. Coach sucks. Don’t show up. You shoot 25 times a game; don’t listen to him.’ No. I won’t do that. I don’t need that. They don’t need that.”
At age 31, Batum figures to remain in a teaching role through the end of next season. He has another year left on his contract, and his $27.13MM salary makes him nearly impossible to trade. Although the Hornets appear headed to their fourth straight year out of the playoffs, Batum believes the young core will get there soon.
“This franchise has got a bright future,” he said, “but I don’t think I’ll be part of it.”
Suns Concerned About Deandre Ayton’s Ankle Injury
Deandre Ayton underwent an MRI today on his injured left ankle, and there are concerns that he might be sidelined for a while, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Ayton is in a walking boot and he’s not expected to play Friday, although no official ruling has been made.
The injury happened on a collision with Toronto’s OG Anunoby in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s game. Ayton grabbed his ankle and immediately dropped to the court.
“When I looked at the injury, it looked like it got jammed and that’s a tough one cause you don’t know how it’s going to respond,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “Usually when you roll it, you can see, but when you get it jammed like with that much pressure, I think we just got to wait and see. He had some swelling last night.”
“Ankle (injury) feels the same like all the other ones,” said Ayton, who was walking with a crutch after the game. “It’s the same. I’m just used to it now.”
Phoenix is six and a half games out of a playoff spot with 20 games left, so there’s no reason to rush back the franchise center. Veteran Aron Baynes, who has already started 25 games this year, is expected to take Ayton’s spot in the starting lineup, and Dario Saric will be used in the middle in smaller sets.
Stephen Curry Cleared To Return Thursday
7:21pm: The Warriors have confirmed Curry’s return (Twitter link).
6:30pm: Stephen Curry has received medical clearance to play in Thursday’s game against the Raptors, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
A source tells Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area that Curry’s trip to the G League was limited to just one day because plans were in place for him to play tomorrow (Twitter link). Another source said Curry will be in Golden State’s lineup barring some “catastrophic” occurrence.
Curry will return after missing 58 games with a broken left hand he suffered on October 30. With him and fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson out of action, the Warriors have fallen to the bottom of the NBA with a 14-48 record. Curry was averaging 20.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists through the season’s first four games before the injury.
Jaylen Brown To Miss At Least A Week With Hamstring Injury
Jaylen Brown suffered a strained right hamstring Tuesday night and will be out of action for at least a week, writes Tom Westerholm of MassLive.
Coach Brad Stevens announced the injury in a session with reporters before tonight’s game. Brown, who has a history of hamstring issues, limped off the court in the fourth quarter last night. His condition will be checked again in a week.
The fourth-year swingman is having his best season, averaging 20.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.