Nuggets Sign Swingman Alonzo Gee
WEDNESDAY, 10:55 am: The Nuggets officially announced the signing of Gee on their Twitter feed.
TUESDAY, 6:54 pm: The Nuggets are finalizing a deal to add Alonzo Gee to the team, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (Twitter link). Denver has only 14 players on the books after waiving Jarnell Stokes earlier today.
Gee spent last season with the Pelicans and nearly made New Orleans’ roster this year before being waived right before the season started. He’s previously played for Denver during the 2014/15 season, though he was traded mid-season to the Blazers in the Aaron Afflalo deal.
Wing depth is an area of concern for the Nuggets. Will Barton remains sidelined because of an ankle injury and his absence has led to Jameer Nelson playing alongside Emmanuel Mudiay in the starting lineup. Earlier today, we learned that Denver could be without Gary Harris for up to four weeks because of a foot injury.
And-Ones: Trump Backlash, Jones, Lue
The Bucks, Grizzlies and Mavericks have stopped staying at Donald Trump-branded hotels in order to avoid being associated with the businessman, Marc Stein and Zach Lowe of ESPN.com collectively report. Sources tell the duo that another Eastern Conference team set to stay at the Trumo SoHo in New York this season has already decided to switch to a different hotel once its contract expires at the end of the season. Seven other teams are currently scheduled to stay at Trump-branded hotels this season. ESPN has declined to reveal which teams will be staying at the locations.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Perry Jones III has signed with the Iowa Energy of the D-League, sources tell Chris Reichert of The Step Back (Twitter link).
- Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said he will not try to mend the fence between LeBron James and his former coach Phil Jackson, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com tweets.
- Before signing with the Hawks, Dwight Howard told his mother he was going to sign with the Jazz and she didn’t take the fake news too well, as Koster Kennard of the Deseret News relays. “I played a prank on my mom,” Howard said to Doug Gottlieb of CBS Sports Radio. “I wanted to see her reaction, so I told her, I said, ‘Mom, I just got this big contract, $150 million.’ And she was like, ‘Oh my God, from who?’ I said, ‘Utah Jazz,’ and she started crying.”
Injury Notes: Horford, Crowder, Thomas, Beal
Al Horford is still dealing with the lingering effects of a concussion and the big man isn’t sure when he will play again, Mike Petraglia of Green Street writes. “I’m just not where I want to be right now, but trying to work through it,” Horford said. “This is something very new to me, so it’s just trying to get used to this.” Horford added that he is eager to return to the court in order to help the Celtics win games, but doesn’t want to risk a setback. “We’re trying to be as smart as we can about this. I just want to make sure that when I’m ready to go, I’m good to go,” he said.
Here’s more injury notes from around the league:
- Jae Crowder took part in shooting drills today, something he hasn’t done since spraining his ankle earlier this month, Petraglia passes along in the same piece. Crowder will remain sidelined for the Celtics match-up with the Mavericks on Wednesday night.
- Lance Thomas has plantar fasciitis in both of his feet, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reports. “It’s been hard to move at the speed that I’m used to and the speed that my teammates are used to me moving, especially defensively,” Thomas said. The forward remains sidelined because of a bone bruise in his left ankle and it has limited his impact on court. The Knicks signed Thomas to a four-year, $27MM deal during the offseason and expected him to be a solid contributor off the bench, but the 28-year-old has only scored a total of 31 points during the eight games he has played this season.
- Bradley Beal‘s status for Wednesday’s game against the Sixers remains up in the air, but if he is able to play, he’ll be on a minute restriction the following night against the Knicks, J Michael of Comcast Sportsnet writes. Beal is dealing with a hamstring injury this year and it has caused him to miss the last two games. The shooting guard has struggled with an injuries to his leg during his four years in the league, but coach Scott Brooks said that the two injuries are “totally unrelated.”
Knicks Notes: Anthony, Jackson, Noah
Carmelo Anthony said he would be offended if Phil Jackson referred to his entourage as a “posse,” but added that he believes Jackson may have meant no harm by his word choice, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays.
“Do I think he meant it in any kind of way? I really don’t know. I don’t think he did.” Anthony said. “I would hope he didn’t. Sometimes Phil just says things, the first thing that comes to mind. He’s probably in his office now regretting it. When it comes to, Phil, you never know what’s going to be said.”
Here’s more from New York:
- Anthony also added that he can’t understand why LeBron James is the topic of Jackson’s conversation, as Berman passes along in the same piece. “I don’t think we play them anytime soon,” Anthony said. “It’s a whole month away. I just don’t understand Phil talking about LeBron right now. In November. I don’t understand that.”
- Jackson’s insecurities about running a franchise are prompting him to take shots at his successful counterparts, Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical argues in a video essay (Twitter link). The scribe details all of Jackson’s failed moves, including his decision to trade J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cavs for practically nothing in return.
- The Knicks signed Joakim Noah to a four-year, $72MM contract during the offseason, but the team’s best lineup doesn’t included the big man, as Stefan Bondy of the Daily News details. In Monday’s win over the Mavericks, Kristaps Porzingis was moved to the center position and the team enjoyed great success, including a 30-10 run. Noah admitted that he has to find his offensive game and said he would be looking at the film to “figure it out.”
And-Ones: Oden, Durant, DeRozan
Kevin Durant doesn’t believe Greg Oden should be considered the biggest bust in NBA history, as he tells Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. “Nonsense. That’s nonsense,” Durant exclaimed. “In order for you to be a bust, you have to actually play and show people that you progressed as a player. He didn’t get a chance to.” Oden was the only player selected ahead of Durant in the 2007 draft.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Durant added that he initially wanted to be drafted by the Blazers, Haynes writes in the same piece. “I definitely wanted to be the No. 1 pick, but I landed in a great situation,” Durant said. “I couldn’t ask for anything better. I would love to play with LaMarcus [Aldridge] and Brandon Roy, but when I was the second pick, I was very excited to get to Seattle. We had traded Ray Allen, like, two picks later, and I was like, ‘Wow. They’re really opening it up for me and really allowing me to grow as a player.’ So I didn’t even worry about being the No. 1 pick after that. Once we traded Ray Allen, I was like, ‘This is my team.’ They’re going to allow me to grow and make my mistakes. So I was looking forward to it.”
- DeMar DeRozan has been sensational this season and he credits his summer dedication for the elevation in his game, Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun writes. “I didn’t get to enjoy the summer,” DeRozan said. “It was really one of them summers where it was just a sickening dedication to where I had a lot of days where it was [difficult]. It was really tough to be that self-motivated. It was all on me. It was no one saying you have to do it. I wanted to do it.” The shooting guard re-signed with the Raptors over the summer on a deal that will pay him $139MM over five years.
Southeast Notes: Gortat, Beal, Hornets
Marcin Gortat apologized to his team earlier today for his negative comments about the Wizards‘ bench unit. He and Scott Brooks addressed the team before practice with the coach stressing unity, Ava Wallace of The Washington Post relays. “I look at things from a whole, because this is how — when I played, I was a backup, and I didn’t like to be divided,” Brooks said. “We don’t have two teams here, we have one basketball team, and right now we’re not happy and content on being 2-7.” Gortat previously said that the team has “one of the worst benches in the league.”
Here’s more from Southeast Division:
- Brooks added that Gortat’s comments will have no lingering effect on the team, Wallace writes in the same piece. “We all make mistakes at times, but we have to move on, and we will,” Brooks exclaimed. “We’re not happy, and that’s a good thing. If we were happy and we’re 2-7, I would be really concerned. And if we haven’t had good practices, I would be really concerned. But we’re not having any of that.”
- Bradley Beal shed some light on his latest injury, as J. Michael of Comcast Sportnet relays. “Jumping doesn’t bother me. I can jump, shoot jumpers,” Beal said. “[Singly] jumping off this leg is a little difficult, hitting my stride. I have a long stride. Limits me a litte in that area. For the most part I’m able to do some [practice]. Not exactly 100 percent full speed.” Beal has missed the last two games for the Wizards because of tightness in his hamstring.
- The Hornets‘ bench is full of new faces and despite some inconsistent play so far this season, the team believes its second unit can be a strength, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. “I think early we’ve shown flashes of that good chemistry. That’s something we’ve got to build on in limited [practice] time,” Spencer Hawes said.
Community Shootaround: Washington Wizards
Marcin Gortat had some harsh words for the Wizards’ second unit following the team’s loss to the Bulls on Friday night. “We need energy. We need effort. We’ve got to make shots,” Gortat said (via Steve Aschburner of NBA.com). “I think there’s a lot of things we can do better. I think right now, as far as I know, I think we’ve got one of the worst benches in the league right now.”
The second unit was an area of concern heading into the season, as I detailed in the team’s Offseason In Review, and the reserves have justified the uneasiness. Journeyman Marcus Thornton has been the team’s best backcourt reserve, but that’s not a particularly impressive status, as he’s only sporting a player efficiency rating of 10.1. New addition Trey Burke hasn’t provided much of a spark. He only has 12 assists on the season and the team is being outscored by 57 points during the 125 minutes in which he was on the court.
Rookie Tomas Satoransky has been inconsistent and he’s only knocked down one of his eight heaves from behind the arc. Fellow rookie Sheldon McClellan had a solid game on Saturday and coach Scott Brooks should give him some more run as a result, but he’s not an electric play-maker who can jump-start this unit.
The problem is compounded by Bradley Beal, who was shooting an icy 29.4% from 3-point before missing the last couple games with a hamstring injury.
That leads us to tonight’s topic: Do the Wizards need to make a move in order to compete for a playoff spot?
Washington has disappointed so far this season, winning only two of its nine games. The franchise signed several big men this offseason and the signings point to a Gortat trade, as I speculated prior to the season. Should the Wizards deal Gortat for some backcourt help or should they make another move to help bolster the bench? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!
And-Ones: Embiid, Okafor, D-League
The Sixers will re-evaluate Joel Embiid‘s minutes restriction in approximately six weeks, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com relays. “As I understand it, [the medical staff] will not escalate [the restrictions] until Christmas and then it will only be judged,” Brown said before Saturday’s game against the Cavs. “It may stay the same then too.”
The team’s medical staff currently mandates that Embiid won’t play more than 24 minutes in a given game, and the Cameroon native isn’t thrilled about the restrictions. “I can only play 20 minutes,” Embiid lamented. “I felt like I could play more but you have to trust the process you have to trust those guys.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- Conditioning remains an issue for both Embiid and Jahlil Okafor, McMenamin passes along in the same piece. “I think at times going beyond 4-5 minute segments is not good for them,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said. “I feel like fatigue sets in and given the amount of time that they’ve been able to play, practice, et cetera.” Okafor also has a mandated 24-minute restriction while he recovers from a knee injury.
- The Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s D-League affiliate, have waived Maurice Creek, Damontre Harris and Rasean Simpson, according to D-League Digest (Twitter link).
- The Greensboro Swarm, the affiliate of the Hornets, have waived Ky Howard, Keala King, Ron Mvouika and Jamie Skeen, D-League Digest reports (Twitter link).
Lance Stephenson Sidelined Indefinitely
Lance Stephenson has suffered a groin injury and he will need surgery, according to a team press release. Stephenson had an MRI earlier today and a timetable for his return has not yet been established.
Stephenson’s contract is for the minimum, but is only guaranteed for $100K. However, the team will be on the hook for his salary while he recovers from the injury, Bobby Marks of The Vertical notes (Twitter links). Marks adds that the Pelicans could be granted the hardship exception, allowing them to add a 16th player as soon as next Friday. New Orleans is already without point guard Jrue Holiday, who is out of the lineup indefinitely while caring for his wife.
Stephenson signed with the Pelicans during the offseason and beat out Alonzo Gee for a roster spot at the conclusion of the preseason. He averaged 9.7 points and 4.8 assists in 27 minutes per game during the team’s six contests this season.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/5/16
Here are Saturday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the league:
- The Knicks assigned Ron Baker, Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee to their D-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, earlier today so they could practice with the team, according to their Twitter feed. New York has since recalled all three players.
- The Pistons have assigned Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije to the Grand Rapids Drive, the team’s D-League affiliate, according to a team press release. Ellenson has only appeared in two games for Detroit, while Gbiniji has only seen action in one.
- The Thunder assigned Josh Huestis to the Oklahoma City Blue earlier today so he could participate in practice, per a team press release. The practice has commenced and the team has subsequently recalled the forward.