NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/17/17
Here are today’s D-League assignments and recalls:
- The Pacers have assigned Rakeem Christmas and Joe Young to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, according to the team’s website. Christmas has seen action in three games for Indiana this season, while Young has appeared in 20 contests.
- The Knicks have assigned Marshall Plumlee to the Westchester Knicks, per the team’s Twitter feed. The center has only seen 27 minutes of action for New York this season, but he’ll be recalled after Westchester’s game tonight.
- The Celtics have assigned Demetrius Jackson to the Maine Red Claws, according to the team’s Twitter feed. The point guard is averaging 17.9 points per game for the Red Claws this season.
And-Ones: 2013 Draft, Bennett, Embiid
The Cavs considered as many as six prospects for the No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft, but a number of factors led the team to pass on five of them and draft Anthony Bennett, as Sam Vecenie of The Sporting News details. Nerlens Noel and Alex Len were unable to work out for Cleveland due to injury. Otto Porter and Victor Oladipo were viewed as players with limited ceilings, which didn’t entice the team and Ben McLemore showed up to workouts overweight and unprepared, which took him out of the running for the No. 1 overall pick.
An anonymous league executive tells Vecenie that the lack of quality options at the top of the draft led the Cavs “to talk themselves into a guy they knew had flaws.”
[Related: Anthony Bennett Signs With Turkish Club]
“As they were getting down to the end, I think [GM Chris Grant] wanted to find a reason for him to be the guy,” the executive told Vecenie.
Here’s more from around the league:
- One anonymous scout within the league believes the Cavs never got the full story on Bennett when they conducted their pre-draft research, Vecenie writes in the same piece. “I don’t think they got the full scoop on [Bennett],” a scout told Vecenie “UNLV’s staff would say nice things about people. They tolerate a lot. The Cavs got a rosy version of his work ethic and attitude.”
- Joel Embiid has been impressive lately, though that doesn’t mean the Sixers will lift his minutes restriction this year, as Tom Moore of Calkins Media relays (Twitter link). “I don’t believe there is a possibility Embiid’s minutes increase from 28 minutes this season,” coach Brett Brown said today.
- The Blazers are in the midst of a disappointing season, but they are not a candidate to tank and position themselves for a better draft choice, Mike Richman of The Oregonian argues in his latest podcast. Richman believes the team has too much talent to lose enough games to make tanking a worthwhile cause.
Bulls Notes: Rondo, Gibson, Trades
Rajon Rondo‘s tenure with the Bulls hasn’t gone as planned and the point guard believes he has to do a better job of weighing his free agent options in the future, as David Aldridge of NBA.com passes along.
“I was very cautious this summer, where I chose to play,” Rondo said “What I was told in the meeting … it’s a little different [now] from what I was told. That’s all I can say. That was big for me, to come in and understand that I’m a guy that, once I learn the system, I can run the show. That’s what I do. I don’t try to come in and act like I know it all, and that’s why I put the extra work in of watching film, getting an understanding of what you want from personnel, each player.
[RELATED: Trade Candidate: Rajon Rondo]
“That’s what I do best. I managed how to get three Hall of Famers the ball and keep everybody happy. All I have is two this year and I had one last year. It’s pretty simple. That’s what I do. I run the show.”
Here’s more from Chicago:
- The Bulls simply are not a good fit for Rondo as the team is currently construction, a source close to the point guard tells Aldridge in the same piece. “Rajon has to play with guys who are more suited to the way he plays,” the source said. “If he’s with some shooters and some slashers, he’ll be fine. They’ll be fine. I think he and Butler can play together, and maybe Wade and Butler can play together. But he and Wade and Butler can’t play together.”
- Rondo’s teammates are thrilled with the way he handled his benching and his reduced role on the team, Aldridge passes along in the same piece. “One thing about that is, I’m super happy how he handled it,” Taj Gibson said. “That just speaks to how he’s grown, when you talk about it. I missed him the last couple of games, I really did. He’s a great player. He facilitates the ball. I’m just happy he didn’t overdo it. He’s a pro. He’s been great in the locker room.”
- It would be surprising if the Bulls didn’t make a move or two before the trade deadline, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com opines (Twitter link). Rondo is an obvious candidate for a change of scenery, but other players could find themselves in a trade. If the Bulls want to give second-year power forward Bobby Portis more run, they could elect to deal Gibson, although that is just my speculation.
And-Ones: Davis, Harris, Blair, Bentil
Anthony Davis left today’s game versus the Pacers after injuring his right hip and left thumb. The X-rays he received on both areas came back negative, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Davis hurt his left hip last week against the Knicks, which forced him to miss the ensuing contest against the Nets. The Pelicans won’t play again until Wednesday, so the team will have a couple of days to evaluate Davis’ latest ailment. The big man has only missed three games this season, though he missed parts of six other contests because of various injuries.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Gary Harris injured his right ankle today and he’s not expected to play on Tuesday when the Nuggets take on the Lakers, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post relays. Injuries have prevented Harris from suiting up in 21 of the team’s 38 games this season.
- The Texas Legends, the D-League affiliate of the Mavs, have acquired DeJuan Blair, according to Chris Reichert of The Step Back (Twitter link). Blair played for the Wizards last season before the team traded him to the Suns in the Markieff Morris deal. Phoenix waived the power forward just days after the trade.
- Ben Bentil has rejoined the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the D-League, Reichert reports (Twitter link). Bentil played for the Mad Ants earlier in the season before taking a deal in China.
David Griffin Talks Cavs, Roster Moves
When the Cavs decide to sign or trade for a player, LeBron James is often credited with the orchestration of the roster move. GM David Griffin isn’t upset by the notion that a player is doing his job, though he does believe it’s unfair for outsiders to paint James as someone who is constantly pushing the buttons behind the scenes, as he tells Michael Lee of The Vertical.
“I take offense to it on [James’] behalf at times,” Griffin said. “He doesn’t like that image. I don’t think he wants that image. He wants to lead his troops. He wants to be a player. He wants to lead the guys from within. He never tried to do any more than that. I think for him, it’s almost an unfair characterization of him, that he’s some kind of overlord. That’s not at all what he does.”
James has publicly lobbied for the organization to add a veteran point guard with his most recent request coming after the team traded for Kyle Korver. Griffin knows the team can get better, despite sitting atop the Eastern Conference.
“We like our group. We think we’ve got a group that belongs together, that fits together,” Griffin told Lee. “But if we can improve and continue to further the cause, then we will. We’ve got that same small window to capitalize in and we’re going to do what we need to, when we can.”
Griffin is well-versed in mid-season moves. Within months of taking the GM position, he traded for Spencer Hawes in hopes of competing for the eighth seed in the conference. During the 2014/15 season, he made a bold move in acquiring J.R. Smith along with Iman Shumpert. Last year, he made an even bolder move by firing David Blatt, a coach who had taken the team to the NBA Finals in the previous season.
“Our ownership has something they fell back on as a saying: ‘Nothing clarifies like clarity.’ We know what we’re about. Our only goal is to win championships. Sometimes, when that’s true, decisions make themselves,” Griffin said of the decision to fire Blatt. “It was not an overly difficult decision to make the move we made; it was just difficult to execute. We had a conversation like, ‘Nobody ever does this.’ And my response was, ‘You don’t know how many teams should have and where they’d be had they done it. I know no one has done it, but I can tell you somebody should have.”
The decision turned out to be the right call, as the Cavs won the championship under new coach Tyronn Lue. This year, the team is looking to go back-to-back and Griffin understands the unique situation he’s in, as he tells Lee in the same piece.
“I’ve said this several times since, but you’re basically charged with the legacy of Babe Ruth, and it’s our responsibility to allow that legacy to grow and evolve,” Griffin told Lee. “So it’s almost like a sacred trust that the kid gives you. He’s so good, in his own right, by himself, that he sort of mandates you have to be a title contender just by his presence alone … and if you don’t capitalize on the years he has left, then shame on us.”
Lee’s piece contains several other quotes from Griffin. It’s worth a read for both Cavs fans and fans of the league in general.
Northwest Notes: Hayward, Bolomboy, Crabbe
The Jazz are thriving this season, which is something that could bode well for their chances of re-signing Gordon Hayward this offseason, Brad Rock of the Deseret News writes. Utah owns a record of 24-16 and is within striking range of a top-4 seed. “I think we expected it,” Hayward said of the team’s success. “I think going into [the season] we had high expectations for ourselves. There’s a long way to go … so it’s important not to get too high on the highs, but not too low on the lows.”
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- The Wolves have hired Dwight Lutz and Nick Restifo as Basketball Operation Analysts, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune passes along via Twitter. Lutz previously worked for the NBA as a Senior Manager of Game Analytics and Strategy. Restifo, who was a contributor to Nylon Calculus, previously worked as an Associate Data Scientist at Darden Restaurants.
- Joel Bolomboy made it through Monday without the Jazz waiving him, which means his salary for next season has become guaranteed, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical notes on Twitter. The rookie will make $600K this season and slightly over $905K next year.
- Allen Crabbe, who re-signed with the Blazers on a four-year, $75MM deal over the summer, struggled to begin the season, but now he’s starting to find his groove, as Jason Quick of Comcast Sportsnet details. Crabbe’s player efficiency rating sits at 10.8, a figure which is well-below the league average of 15.0.
Pierre Jackson To Rejoin D-League
Pierre Jackson will head back to the D-League to play for the Texas Legends, the D-League affiliate of the Mavericks, Chris Reichert of The Step Back reports (Twitter link). Dallas waived the point guard last week, though it was reported that the team was considering him for a 10-day contract.
Jackson played just four games for the Mavs, scoring 12 points in 28 minutes of action. He played with the Legends this season prior to being called up to the NBA.
The Sixers drafted the point guard out of Baylor with the No. 42 overall pick in the 2013 draft, but immediately dealt his rights to the Pelicans in the Nerlens Noel deal. New Orleans owned his draft rights, but never signed him to a contract and having been placed in NBA-limbo, Jackson ended up playing in the D-League. Playing for Idaho Stampede, he showed promise as a scorer, averaging 29.1 points per game. The Pelicans never opened up a roster spot for him, so he remained in the D-League throughout that season.
Philadelphia reacquired the point guard in a 2014 draft night trade and he played for Philly’s summer league team that year without having signed an NBA contract. In his first game, he ruptured his Achilles, but the team still signed him to a contract with $400K in guarantees before waiving him prior to the 2014/15 season. He remained out of basketball until returning to the D-League midway through the 2015/16 season.
Heat Notes: Whiteside, Durant, Spoelstra
Hassan Whiteside said he doesn’t pay attention to the rumors and trade speculation surrounding his name, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel relays. “If I pay attention to it, I wouldn’t be back in the league. There’s all kind of rumors. A lot of people said a lot of things to keep me from being back in the league,” Whiteside said.
It was previously reported that no member of the Heat was off-limits in trade talks, but on Tuesday, a team spokesman shot down that report.
Here’s more from Miami:
- Dealing Whiteside just six months after signing him to a four-year, $98MM contract would be troublesome for the franchise, Winderman argues in his weekly mailbag. Part of the value in retaining Whiteside was not letting an asset leave without getting anything back in return, Winderman adds before stressing that the team should be patient when evaluating possible trades.
- If Whiteside is going to be the team’s franchise player, he needs to be more consistent, Winderman writes in the same piece. The scribe calls for more performances like the one against the Warriors on Tuesday, where the center pulled down 20 rebounds and scored 28 points.
- The Heat always thought they had a chance to sign Kevin Durant in free agency up until the 2013/14 MVP signed with the Warriors, Winderman writes in a separate piece. “We’re all wired to think that we always have a chance,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of the Heat. Spoelstra added that he was impressed with how Durant handled himself when the small-forward met with the team over the summer. “Big fan before I met him. That was the only time I had ever met him. Bigger fan after that, even after he chose Golden State,” he said of Durant.
International Notes: Bennett, Greene, Kelly
Anthony Bennett, who was recently waived by the Nets, may head overseas to pursue his next basketball opportunity, sources tell Sam Amico of Pro Basketball Digest. Amico adds that the former No.1 overall pick is also considering the D-League as an option with an eye on signing a few 10-day contracts with NBA clubs.
Bennett flashed promise at UNLV but struggled mightily during his three stops in the NBA. Amico notes that Bennett’s poor performance during his rookie season played a role in Cleveland’s decision to fire then-GM Chris Grant during the middle of the 2013/14 campaign.
Here are a few more international updates on players with NBA ties:
- Former Kings big man Donte Greene, a 2008 first-rounder who last played in 2012, has joined Puerto Rican team Capitanes de Arecibo, according to an announcement from the club (hat tip to Sportando). Greene, who turns 29 next month, said back in August that he continues to hope for one more shot from an NBA team.
- Maccabi Kiryat Gat of Israel has released former Nets guard Tyshawn Taylor, according to international journalist David Pick (Twitter links). The team will use the roster spot to bring Josh Selby aboard. Selby, who was the No. 49 pick in the 2011 draft, previously played in Israel for Bnei Herzliya.
- Sasha Djordjevic, the coach of Bayern Munich, is recruiting Nicolas Laprovittola to play for his team, Pick reports (Twitter link). Laprovittola was waived by the Spurs last month.
- Ryan Kelly has garnered interest from Reggio Emilia, a team in Italy, but it’s unlikely he joins the club as he prefers to pursue NBA opportunities, according to Emilio Carchia of Sportando. The Hawks waived Kelly last week.
Luke Adams contributed to this post
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Noel, Simmons
The Raptors have the assets to pull off a substantial trade, but Nick Faris of the National Post wonders if GM Masai Ujiri is willing to sacrifice the long-term view in order to go all-in this season. The team has two first-round picks in the upcoming draft and it has tremendous depth, which could allow it to give up multiple pieces in exchange for a high-quality player. Faris believes Paul Millsap, who was told by the Hawks that he wasn’t going to be traded, would be an excellent addition should Atlanta change its stance.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- During free agency. the Raptors promised Jared Sullinger their starting power forward spot and once the big man is healthy enough to play, he’ll take that role, Josh Lewenberg of TSN writes. Sullinger had more lucrative offers on the table but decided to join Toronto because of that promise, Lewenberg notes. There is still no timetable for his return to the court.
- Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) hears that Nerlens Noel would still like to change teams in the offseason, barring a maximum salary offer from the Sixers. Noel will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
- There remains no official timeline for Ben Simmons to return to the Sixers‘ lineup, but he continues to make progress, as Dane Carbaugh of NBC Sports relays. Simmons played point guard during practice in five-one-zero drills and coach Brett Brown has previously said that he intends to play the rookie at that position.