NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/23/19
Here are Saturday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Hornets recalled Caleb Martin and Jalen McDaniels from their Greensboro affiliate, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Martin has gotten into three NBA games this season, while McDaniels has appeared in just one.
- The Timberwolves recalled Jaylen Nowell from their affiliate in Iowa, the team announced in a press release. The second-round pick is averaging 18.5 PPG in six G League games.
- The Pistons recalled rookie Sekou Doumbouya from Grand Rapids, according to an email from the team. He is averaging 18.4 PPG in eight games with the Drive.
- The Jazz assigned Miye Oni and Nigel Williams-Goss to their Salt Lake City affiliate, the team announced on Twitter.
Five Key Stories: 11/16/19 – 11/23/19
If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:
Magic center Nikola Vucevic became the latest star player to be sidelined by injury during the first month of the season. Vucevic twisted his right ankle in an awkward fall Wednesday night and is expected to be out of action for at least four weeks. That’s a long time for Orlando to survive without one of its top scorers when the team is already off to a slow start.
The Trail Blazers waived Pau Gasol, who still hasn’t recovered from offseason surgery on his left foot. The veteran center signed with Portland as a free agent over the summer and may be transitioned into a coaching role.
The Rockets released Ryan Anderson, who re-signed with the team shortly before the start of training camp. Anderson saw just 14 minutes of playing time during his second stint in Houston and wasn’t being used despite a string of injuries.
The NBA Players Association appealed a 10-game suspension for Heat guard Dion Waiters. The action seeks to recoup $834K in salary that Waiters will lose for being suspended.
The NBA is considering changes to the schedule and the postseason, along with a possible midseason tournament. An ESPN report suggests that the Board of Governors may be ready to vote on the proposals by April.
Here are 10 more noteworthy headlines from around the basketball world this week:
- A report identifies the Hornets as a team likely to be interested in Pistons‘ center Andre Drummond on the free agent market. Charlotte may seek to work out a trade before this year’s deadline, but won’t give up any of its young core to make it happen.
- The Pelicans offered an encouraging update on top draft pick Zion Williamson, who has been sidelined since the preseason because of meniscus surgery. General manager David Griffin said Williamson should be back by mid-December.
- Nets guard Kyrie Irving didn’t accompany the team on its current road trip, which means he won’t be available for Wednesday’s game in Boston. Irving, who is sidelined with a shoulder impingement, receives a lot of blame from Celtics’ fans for the disappointing season a year ago.
- Carmelo Anthony talked about how grateful he is to be back in the NBA after making his season debut with the Trail Blazers Tuesday night. Anthony was out of the league for 12 months after the Rockets sent him away from the team last year.
- Paul George revealed that he wanted to team up with Kawhi Leonard two years ago, telling the Pacers that San Antonio was among the destinations he was interested in when he issued a trade request in 2017. Both players went to other cities before teaming up with the Clippers over the summer.
- Andrew Bogut may be interested in returning to the NBA again once his Australian season is over. It likely won’t be with the Warriors this time, as Golden State appears to be a long shot to reach the playoffs after an injury-plagued start.
- The NBA is working on a solution with Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie regarding his plan to allow investors to buy a digital token backed by his contract.
- Memphis center James Wiseman, who is under consideration to be the top pick in the 2020 draft, had 11 games added to his suspension by the NCAA.
- Two more NBA coaches could be part of the Olympics next summer. Kings assistant Igor Kokoskov is the new coach of the Serbian National Team, which still must qualify after a disappointing showing at the FIBA World Cup. Sixers head coach Brett Brown is finalizing a deal to become head coach of the Australian National Team.
- Jamal Crawford admits to being “baffled” that he hasn’t received an NBA opportunity this season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Zach LaVine, Jim Boylen Address Trust Issue
Head coach Jim Boylen met with Zach LaVine today after the Bulls’ star complained about a lack of trust in last night’s game, tweets K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
In comments relayed by Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, LaVine believed he was being singled out when Boylen removed him from Friday’s game after Miami built a 13-0 lead in the first 3:27. It was the latest in a series of slow starts that have contributed to Chicago’s disappointing 5-11 record.
“I thought, ‘He needs a break,’” Boylen said to reporters. “I thought he needed to come in and think about it. I felt there were some defensive mistakes that didn’t need to be made. I thought he needed to come over and think about it for a minute.”
But that’s not how it was interpreted by LaVine, who has experienced an uneven relationship with Boylen since he took over as head coach last December. LaVine saw the move as a personal slight and an indication that he doesn’t have the trust of the coaching staff.
“I feel I earned that trust, but I guess he feels differently,” LaVine said. “Other players around the league — and everybody’s situation isn’t the same — I feel other players around the league have that trust. I guess we haven’t got there.”
Along with the team’s poor record, it has been a difficult season on a personal level for LaVine, who doesn’t look comfortable in a new system that emphasizes three-point shooting. After putting up career-high numbers last year with 23.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per night, LaVine’s scoring average has fallen to 19.8 PPG this season and his shooting percentage from the field has dropped to 40.9%.
LaVine said he’s “trying my best” to maintain a good relationship with Boylen, but incidents like Friday’s make it challenging.
“I’m playing my minutes and trying to do the best I can do,” LaVine said. “It’s tough, especially when you’re in a rut. If he doesn’t trust me, it’s hard to trust someone who doesn’t trust you.”
Boylen told Johnson that he and LaVine had a “great talk” about the situation today and they share the “same goals” for the team. He added that “everything was explained” about what happened last night and LaVine was shown clips of the defensive mistakes that led to his brief benching. Boylen added that trust isn’t an issue (Twitter link).
LaVine said he was candid with Boylen in their meeting, stating, “I let him know how I felt. We had a misunderstanding. We still have a lot to work on as a team — personal, coaching. We all have to be accountable for our actions.” (Twitter link).
After being told that Boylen is holding him to a higher standard because he cares for him, LaVine responded, “That’s what he told me. To each his own. If that’s how he feels he has to coach me, that’s his prerogative. I can be coached any way. I don’t backlash a lot (Twitter link). But when I feel disrespected, sometimes I have to stand up for myself. We talked about the offense, the defense, personal stuff. I think it was good. We both want to win. If I’m not doing as good as I can do, it’s not gonna be good for team (Twitter link).
“If he feels he has to get on me to help that, I’m all for that. I want to be a winning guy. I haven’t won anything in the NBA. That’s why it gets frustrating (Twitter link).”
Hoops Rumors Originals: 11/16/19 – 11/23/19
Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our original segments and features from the past seven days:
- Luke Adams looked at which protected 2020 first-round picks are likely to change hands.
- We released our first Free Agent Power Rankings for 2020.
- In a poll, we asked if James Harden will average 40 PPG.
- Our Free Agent Stock Watch focused on the Northwest Division.
- Our Trade Candidate Watch series examined the Atlantic and Northwest divisions.
- In this week’s Community Shootarounds, we asked:
Early Results Reduce Market For Chris Paul
If the Thunder are hoping to trade Chris Paul soon, the first month of the NBA season hasn’t done them any favors, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman, who notes that the teams most likely to be interested have all gotten off to strong starts.
The Heat were the focus of trade rumors after Oklahoma City acquired Paul from the Rockets in July, but Miami sits at 10-3 after winning tonight. Offseason addition Jimmy Butler is the team’s assist leader at 7.2 per game as they are succeeding without a traditional point guard. The Heat have already made it clear that their interest in Paul is tied to a return of the draft picks they owe OKC, and they may be even more reluctant now to break up a winning combination.
The Lakers have also been mentioned as a possibility because of Paul’s friendship with LeBron James. However, they hold the NBA’s best record at 12-2 and James leads the league in assists at 11.1 per game as he has developed an instant chemistry with Anthony Davis.
The Timberwolves, who chased D’Angelo Russell in the offseason, are off to a better-than-expected 8-7 start, Tramel notes, while the Bucks, who have incentive to gamble for a title before Giannis Antetokounmpo can become a free agent in 2021, are 11-3 and are reluctant to become a taxpaying team.
Paul’s contract remains an impediment to any deal, as he is signed for $41.3MM next season with a $44.2MM player option for 2021/22. He has played well for OKC, averaging 15.8 points and 5.6 assists through 14 games, but the Thunder appear to need at least one prospective trade partner to stumble before any progress can be made on a deal.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/20/2019
Here are Wednesday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Wizards recalled Admiral Schofield and Justin Robinson from their Capital City affiliate, according to a tweet from the team.
- The Nuggets assigned Jarred Vanderbilt to Rio Grande Valley, the team tweeted. Denver doesn’t have a direct G League affiliate.
- The Raptors sent Malcolm Miller to Raptors 905, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic. The assignment was optional, but Miller accepted it for the chance to get more playing time.
- In leftover moves from Tuesday, the Sixers assigned Shake Milton to Delaware and the Rockets sent Gary Clark to Rio Grande Valley, according to the G League website.
And-Ones: Wiseman, One-And-Dones, Australia, Kings
Memphis center James Wiseman lost several games of his college career because of the aggressive stance that he and the university took with the NCAA, writes Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News. The potential top pick in next year’s draft has been suspended for an additional 11 games and won’t take the court until mid-January, although the university plans to file an appeal.
DeCourcy states that Wiseman likely could have been playing before Christmas if he hadn’t elected to challenge the NCAA’s authority in the case. When the original penalty was announced, Wiseman filed a lawsuit against the organization and obtained a restraining order that enabled him to play against UIC and Oregon. Memphis president David Rudd and athletic director Laird Veatch were both vocal in their support of Wiseman’s suit, with Veatch saying, “It is clear to me in my short time here that Memphians will stand up and fight, both for each other and for what is right, and I am proud to stand with them.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated identifies five freshmen who have put themselves into consideration for one-and-done status with their early-season play. The players are Isaac Okoro of Auburn, Samuell Williamson of Louisville, Onyeka Okongwu of USC, Jahmi’us Ramsey of Texas Tech and Zeke Nnaji of Arizona. Woo adds that NBA executives still see the 2020 draft class as underwhelming.
- The presence of potential lottery picks LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton has lifted Australia’s National Basketball League to a new level of popularity, relays Bill Shea of The Athletic. With its Next Stars program, the NBL is offering an alternative to the NCAA for young players.
- In an entertaining story, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN examines how former Kings chief revenue officer Jeff David was able to embezzle $13MM before being caught.
Celtics Notes: Rivers, Tatum, Brown, Irving
The Celtics are off to the best start in the East, and even Clippers coach Doc Rivers has noticed how much better the atmosphere surrounding the team has been, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. Rivers, whose team hosts the Celtics tonight, attributes the difference to personnel changes.
“Last year you had Gordon (Hayward) and Kyrie (Irving) both coming back from being out,” Rivers said. “Gordon hadn’t played the whole year before, and Kyrie hadn’t played in a while either, so they hadn’t really played together. And they just never could get their traction. The rest of it, I stay out of. I’ll let y’all deal with that.”
Rivers was referring to locker room differences that sabotaged a team that entered the season as a favorite to reach the NBA Finals. He noted that coach Brad Stevens seems much happier on the sidelines this year.
“It’s a great lesson for all of us. Chemistry is so important,” Rivers said. “Chemistry and youth, you know, they had both going at them. They were expecting guys in their second year to just take over, and sometimes that takes a little while. It’s just good to see them playing well now.”
There’s more from Boston:
- The Celtics have been enjoying success with smaller lineups, but that might not work in the playoffs against Joel Embiid and the Sixers or other tall teams like the Bucks and Raptors, states Brian Windhorst of ESPN. A source tells Windhorst that Boston won’t offer its core players in any deal, including Marcus Smart and Hayward, who have been mentioned as trade possibilities before. Outside of their top five, the only players making more than $4MM are centers Daniel Theis and Enes Kanter, which becomes challenging for matching salaries.
- President of basketball operations Danny Ainge addressed the possibility of adding another big man in an interview with Bulpett. “It’s always about who,” Ainge said. “It’s not, like, how tall they are. It’s not like you can just go find any seven-foot guy and put him out there and all of a sudden you’re going to be better. It depends on who that is and whether they’re better than Marcus Smart guarding the center. So I don’t worry so much about that. I mean, obviously we have stars at every other position and we really don’t have stars at our big positions. So everybody thinks that that’s what we need to do, but it all depends on who that is.”
- Roster changes have allowed Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to expand their roles, giving the Celtics two big wings that most teams can’t match up with, observes Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer.
- Celtics fans may not get a chance to welcome Irving back in his first scheduled game in Boston since leaving in free agency, tweets Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Irving missed his third straight game tonight with a shoulder impingement, and Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson refused to speculate if he will be healthy enough for next Wednesday.
Carmelo Anthony Talks About NBA Return
Carmelo Anthony‘s first NBA game in 12 months wasn’t remarkable, but being back on the court was satisfying enough for the future Hall of Famer. Anthony scored 10 points and made just four of 14 shots in a loss at New Orleans, but he showed he can still contribute to an NBA team after a year in exile.
Anthony’s long wait to return to the league ended last week when he got an offer to sign a non-guaranteed deal with Portland. It gave Anthony a shot at redemption after brief, disappointing stays with the Thunder and Rockets.
“The greatest feeling of all was to feel wanted by a group of guys who believe in me and my talent and what I can bring to the game,” Anthony said after Tuesday’s contest. “It wasn’t just the players. It was the coaching staff. They really showed a strong level of belief in me and what I can still do.” (Twitter link from Joe Freeman of The Oregonian).
Anthony’s return wasn’t just an important moment for him, notes Jason Quick of The Athletic. Many of his peers also wanted to be part of the experience. Pelicans guard Josh Hart took a picture as Anthony warmed up. Ex-players Nick Van Exel and Antonio Daniels captured it on video. Social media was filled with comments from players and celebrities welcoming Anthony back to the league.
“I think the expression is ‘game recognizes game,’” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said of the attention.
Quick adds that many players are dismayed about the way Anthony’s career has fizzled in his later years. While other stars get farewell tours, Anthony was scapegoated for a bad situation in New York, seemed to be a poor fit in Oklahoma City, then was told to leave the team after 10 games in Houston. Some believe he was blackballed around the league, and they want him to enjoy a more gracious farewell from the game.
“I feel like it’s been an unfair shake towards him,” new teammate Rodney Hood said. “Everybody knows how talented he is. But you know how it is in this league; once there is a narrative about a guy, it sticks with you and follows you. The fact that he got waived was crazy to me, and that nobody picked him up earlier than now is crazy as well. I’ve always advocated for his return.”
Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni insists Anthony doesn’t deserve to be blamed for what happened in Houston. He said last year’s team, which stumbled out of the gate, wasn’t “structurally ready” to play and had problems that extended far beyond Anthony.
“It wasn’t his fault,” D’Antoni said. “It was everybody. We just got off to a slow start and wanted to go a little different route. He did everything we asked, and he was good when he was here. I hope it works (in Portland). He’s a leader. There was nothing at all, not even a hint of him not doing what we asked or trying, or all of that. It just, for us, for whatever reason, it just wasn’t a good fit at that time.”
Anthony got a few calls from interested teams after the Rockets cut ties with him last November, but no one ever came close to an offer, according to Quick. He eventually told agent Leon Rose not to contact him unless a deal was near completion.
Anthony remained on the Rockets’ roster, although inactive, for two months. In a move to clear cap room, Houston sent him to the Bulls in January, along with enough cash to cover his salary. Ten days later, Chicago placed him on waivers.
Blazers star Damian Lillard, who tried to recruit Anthony to Portland in the summer of 2017, was shocked that he spent a whole year out of the NBA.
“It wasn’t like Melo did something crazy to get kicked out of the league,” Lillard said. “A player of his caliber, without a reputation for doing wild stuff, and there’s not a real reason for him not to get an opportunity? It was weird. And I think that’s why so many people are in support of him, because they respect him, they are a fan of him, and they know he can still play.”
James Wiseman Suspended 11 More Games
NBA teams will get about half a season to watch James Wiseman in college before deciding if he’s worthy of the No. 1 pick. The NCAA has announced that the Memphis center will be suspended for 11 additional games, making him eligible to return for a January 12 contest at South Florida.
Memphis plans to appeal the suspension, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
The punishment, which brings his suspension to 12 total games, was imposed “based on recruiting inducements his family received before he enrolled at Memphis and for competing in three games while he was ineligible,” the NCAA stated in its release.
Wiseman will also be required to make an $11,500 donation “to a charity of his choice,” tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. That’s the amount that Wiseman’s family received in moving expenses from Tigers coach Penny Hardaway to relocate to Memphis in 2017.
Jonathan Givony of ESPN notes that Wiseman will still have 16 regular season games – plus the AAC Tournament and probably the NCAA Tournament – to show scouts what he can do (Twitter link). Givony listed Wiseman as the top pick in ESPN’s mock draft earlier this month.
Wiseman was ruled ineligible on November 8, but was granted an “emergency temporary restraining order” and played that night against UIC. He has appeared in three games, averaging 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per night.