D-League Notes: Harris, Jazz, Muhammad
Manny Harris, fresh off his second D-League Performer of the Week award, is drawing interest from the Hawks and Lakers, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. NBA interest is nothing new for Harris, who also spoke with Thunder management about a week ago. Here’s more from the D-League..
- The Jazz today officially announced their recall of Ian Clark and Rudy Gobert from the D-League. Jody Genessy of the Deseret News first reported the move yesterday.
- The T’Wolves announced that they have recalled Shabazz Muhammad from the Iowa Energy. The rookie forward is expected to practice with Minnesota today. The UCLA product averaged 24.5 points and 9.8 rebounds in four games. Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (on Twitter) notes that Flip Saunders said this would be the plan all along.
- The Pistons announced that they have recalled rookie guard Peyton Siva and rookie forward Tony Mitchell from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Siva averaged 12.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.6 steals in five games (four starts) with Fort Wayne. In six games (five starts) with the Mad Ants, Mitchell averaged 6.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.5 blocks in 22.1 minutes per game.
- The Kings announced that they have assigned rookie guard Ray McCallum to the team’s NBA Development League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns. McCallum was assigned yesterday and recalled just a few hours later.
- The Raptors announced that they have recalled Dwight Buycks from the Bakersfield Jam. Buycks has appeared in 12 games for the Raptors this season recording a total of 41 points, 10 assists, 20 rebounds and six steals in 121 minutes.
- The Delaware 87ers of the D-League have claimed guard Vander Blue, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Maccabi Rishon LeZion of Israel waived the former Marquette shooting guard just before the New Year.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
D-League Notes: Gobert, Clark, Shengelia
Here are a few points pertaining to the NBA’s D-League:
- The Jazz are expected to recall rookies Rudy Gobert and Ian Clark from the D-League this weekend, tweets Jody Genessy of Deseret News. The duo spent time playing for the Bakersfield Jam but should rejoin the Jazz sometime today or tomorrow.
- Tornike Shengelia has been recalled by the Nets, the team announced. Shengelia, who had been playing with the Springfield Armor, has played sparingly throughout his career after being selected late in the 2012 draft by the 76ers. So far for this season, Shengelia has averaged 8.4 MPG in 15 contests for Brooklyn.
- Benjamin Hoffman of the New York Times takes a look at how a couple of former D-League players, Jon Leuer and Ed Davis, have been able to be productive for the Grizzlies. With Marc Gasol sidelined, the two big men have gained valuable experience by playing more minutes than they would have otherwise.
- Earlier today, we passed along that the Hawks had officially signed James Nunnally to a 10-day contract. Nunnally caught Atlanta’s attention after a strong showing in this year’s D-League Showcase where he earned a spot as a member of the All-Showcase Second Team.
Hawks Sign James Nunnally
SATURDAY, 2:47pm: The Hawks have officially signed Nunnally to a 10-day deal, the team announced via press release.
FRIDAY, 7:51am: The Hawks have reached an agreement to sign D-League forward James Nunnally to a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. Gino Pilato of D-League Digest first reported that Nunnally was in line for a D-League call-up from Atlanta.
Nunnally, who went undrafted in 2012, has spent most of the last two seasons with the Bakersfield Jam, and also received a training camp invite this past fall from the Suns. In 19 games for the Jam this season, the 23-year-old has averaged 18.2 PPG and shot 41.5% on three-pointers. Nunnally was a hot name at the D-League Showcase in Reno this week, reportedly meeting with the Cavs, Bulls, and Thunder before agreeing to sign with the Hawks.
Having waived Cartier Martin before this week’s contract guarantee deadline, the Hawks have a single open spot on their roster, so a corresponding move won’t be necessary to make room for Nunnally. If the team wants to keep the UC Santa Barbara alum around after his first deal expires, it can sign him to a second 10-day contract, then must decide whether to let him go or guarantee him a full-season salary.
Eastern Notes: Smith, Boozer, Knicks, Heat
Indications are that J.R. Smith is still on the outs with the Knicks and his benching will probably continue today against the SIxers, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. The benching appears to have the full support of owner James Dolan and, as Berman notes, most people that cross the Knicks owner can’t get back into his good graces. More from the East..
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if Carlos Boozer could be a fit for the Heat if the Bulls use the amnesty clause on him. While he’s likely to available come July and has South Florida ties, Winderman doesn’t see it happening. Boozer has always gone for top dollar and that probably wouldn’t change this summer.
- With Luol Deng in the mix, the Cavs suddenly seem to have a balanced roster and much better ball movement on offense, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Cleveland is now 2-0 in the Deng era.
- James Nunnally, whose ten-day deal with the Hawks should be finalized today, made the D-League Showcase first-team, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Odds & Ends: Knicks, Nunnally, LeBron
The Knicks have been shopping J.R. Smith ever since he reacted negatively to the team’s decision to waive his brother, a source tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Smith’s public and private responses to his brother’s dismissal put him in owner James Dolan’s doghouse, and evidence suggests it was Dolan who ordered Smith’s surprise benching Thursday, Isola writes. Carmelo Anthony nonetheless remains supportive of the troubled swingman, and that could be the key to Smith’s ability to stick around New York, Isola believes. While even Thursday’s win over the Heat apparently can’t stop the New York soap opera, there’s also plenty of scuttlebutt from elsewhere in the NBA:
- The Hawks are set to finalize their 10-day signing of James Nunnally on Saturday, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- LeBron James and Tom Thibodeau share mutual admiration, but the Bulls would have to OK repeated luxury tax payments and Derrick Rose would have to cede crunch-time shots for LeBron to wind up with Chicago, notes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Thibodeau indicated today that the Bulls plan to send Erik Murphy to the D-League soon, observes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com (Twitter link).
- Giannis Antetokounmpo would love to play with his brother, Thanasis, but he won’t pressure the Bucks to draft him this year, writes Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter links).
- Australian guard Dante Exum has been meeting with agents the past few weeks, as expected, and the projected top-five pick appears to be a “lock” to enter the draft this year, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com (on Twitter).
- There isn’t as much motivation for teams to tank as popular opinion suggests, and even when there is, the practice demonstrates a willingness to win as much as much as it does an intention to lose, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports opines in a piece for SB Nation.
Eight Teams Interested In Andrew Bynum
2:26pm: The Hawks are unlikely to make a serious play for Bynum, a source tells Broussard. On the other hand, Broussard hears from a league source that Pat Riley and the Heat are expected to “go hard” after the center.
11:12am: Despite some speculation that the Nets may kick the tires in Bynum, a league source tells NetsDaily.com that Brooklyn has “no interest at all” (Twitter link).
11:00am: The Mavericks are among the teams interested in Bynum, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein (via Twitter). As Stein notes, Dallas only has the minimum salary exception available to make an offer.
9:46am: There are eight NBA teams interested in signing Andrew Bynum when he clears waivers later this week, reports ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard (via Twitter). As we’ve heard for the last several days, the Heat and Clippers are Bynum’s top choices, but Broussard says that playing time, contending status, and salary will all factor into the big man’s decision.
While Bynum’s injury woes and off-court question marks have significantly diminished his value over the last two seasons, he has managed to stay healthy enough this year to post 8.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and a 15.4 PER in 24 games for Cleveland. If there were no red flags related to health and attitude, the 26-year-old would likely draw interest from just about every NBA team, but it sounds like at least a quarter of the NBA’s 30 clubs are still intrigued enough by his upside to inquire.
Broussard’s mention of money being a factor in Bynum’s decision is worth noting. Virtually all mid-season signings are for the minimum salary, but Bynum could be an exception to that general rule. If he’s seeking offers worth more than the minimum, teams with cap space or exceptions (mid-level and bi-annual) would presumably have an edge over teams with no financial flexibility, such as the Clippers, Knicks, and Nets.
After Bynum was released yesterday, we heard that the Clippers may not be overly interested in him, while the Hawks were said to be in the mix.
Bynum Options: Clippers, Heat, Pacers, Hawks
The dust has barely settled from the Bulls waiving Andrew Bynum this afternoon before teams are beginning to be rumored as possible landing places for the All Star center. Here are a few of the teams rumored to be in the lead for his services.
- The Heat and Clippers have been rumored to be Bynum favorites even before he was traded and waived. Bob Finnan of The News-Herald confirmed those rumors in a tweet this evening. The Heat and Clippers are both already in the luxury tax, so signing Bynum would cost those teams more than just his salary. The Clippers would only be able to sign Bynum to the minimum salary ($1.19MM) whereas the Heat still have their full $3.2MM mini mid-level exception remaining.
- In the same tweet, Finnan speculates the Pacers may also try to sign Bynum purely to ensure the Heat can’t sign him. The Pacers are below the luxury tax but would only be able to offer up to $2.15MM to Bynum via their mid-level exception.
- With center Al Horford out for the season, and a freshly opened roster spot, the Hawks are in the running for Bynum, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. Amico adds that Bynum has also previously lived in Atlanta. Due to Horford’s season-ending injury, the Hawks could request the disabled player exception from the league. If Atlanta is granted this exception, the club could offer Bynum up to $5.15MM in salary for a one-year deal.
Hawks Waive Cartier Martin
The Hawks waived Cartier Martin in advance of today’s 4pm CT deadline, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Had Atlanta not beat the deadline, Martin’s minimum salary contract would have been guaranteed for the rest of the season.
The 29-year-old spent parts of four seasons with the Wizards prior to hooking on with the Hawks, appearing in 118 total games for Washington. Martin averaged 6.6 points per contest and 2.0 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game for the Hawks this season. He’ll be job hunting but it seems likely that he’ll find something soon, perhaps on a ten-day deal to start.
Deveney’s Latest: Miller, Hawks, Iguodala
Sean Deveney’s latest piece for The Sporting News focuses on Andre Iguodala‘s impact on the Warriors, timed appropriately enough since Iggy’s three-pointer at the buzzer gave the W’s a one-point win over the Hawks tonight. He passes along a few other tidbits of note, and we’ll start with those:
- The Nuggets are “a ways away” from trading Andre Miller, a source tells Deveney, adding that a deal would probably come closer to the February 20th trade deadline. Presumably, Deveney isn’t suggesting that Miller will probably be traded and is instead referring to the timing of any deal that might involve the 37-year-old. The Nuggets rescinded Miller’s suspension today, though a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that it was merely a gesture to allow Miller to receive his salary while he sits for two games (Twitter link).
- No moves that would help Atlanta’s front line are imminent, Deveney writes. The latest report we heard indicated that Hawks GM Danny Ferry was still deciding whether to pursue reinforcements in the wake of Al Horford‘s season-ending injury. The team apparently had talks with the Magic about Hedo Turkoglu before Orlando let go of the veteran small forward today.
- Deveney points out that Iguodala’s teams have a record of 142-89 (143-89 after tonight) over the past four years in games he plays, and 12-21 when he doesn’t. That was a reason why Golden State sought to acquire him this summer, Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob tells Deveney. “He is a winner,” Lacob said. “He knows how to win. Anyone you talked to about him, coaches or whoever it was, that was what they said.”
Latest On Hedo Turkoglu
The Magic decided to waive Hedo Turkoglu today after failing to find a trade that would net them either a young player or a draft pick, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Robbins also confirms that the Magic couldn’t convince the 34-year-old to accept a buyout and reduce his salary. The Magic fielded calls from both the Lakers and the Hawks about Turkoglu, a source told USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt, but neither was appetizing for the Magic. The deal with the Lakers would have resulted in more salary long term, and the Hawks proposal had no value, the source said.
Turkoglu is generating interest from several NBA teams, according to Can Pelister of Super Basket, a media outlet based in Turkoglu’s native Turkey (Twitter link). The small forward’s appeal apparently doesn’t carry over to the international market, since a Euroleague team has rejected Turkoglu’s entreaties, Pelister adds. It’s not clear how serious Turkoglu might be about joining a team overseas anyway, since a report earlier this week indicated that he’s intent on remaining in the NBA.
Turkoglu tweeted today that Orlando will always be his “second home,” and had plenty of kind words for the Magic and their fans, as Robbins conveys, so while a return to the Magic is out of the question, it seems he’s doing his best not to burn any NBA bridges. He’ll make $6MM from his partially guaranteed contract this season, but he’ll likely have to scrap for minimum-salary opportunities going forward if he is to find NBA work again.
Zach Links contributed to this post.