NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/14/18
Here are Wednesday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Bucks have assigned Sterling Brown to their G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, per the team’s website. Brown, who has appeared in seven of the Bucks’ 13 games so far this season, is averaging 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 5.8 minutes per game.
- According to the team’s official Twitter account (link), the Celtics assigned rookie big man Robert Williams to their G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. In his lone career G League contest thus far, Williams scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
- The Jazz have recalled Raul Neto one day after assigning him to the Salt Lake City Stars while he works his way back from injury, the team tweeted this evening.
Markelle Fultz Moved To Bench Role
Tim Bontemps of ESPN is reporting that the Sixers, fresh off a trade for All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler, will start Butler, Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, J.J. Redick, and Wilson Chandler against the Magic in tonight’s game in Orlando, meaning last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Markelle Fultz, is now officially coming off the bench after starting the team’s first 15 games.
However, head coach Brett Brown is still maintaining an outward showing of support for Fultz, saying “He’s great, he’s great. He understands, and we can’t say this enough, [Sixers general manager Elton Brand] said this … He’s got so many people in this program that genuinely care for him… He’s done nothing wrong. He’s done nothing wrong.”
Per Bontemps, Fultz will now serve as Simmons’ primary backup, likely getting somewhere in the range of 10 to 15 minutes per night. Fultz has played better when not playing without Simmons and therefore having the ball in his hands more, so it will be interesting to see how he handles this new role.
Fultz remains positive, saying “my mindset, as soon as I step on the court, is to help my team win. Every time I step on the court, every time I go in the game, my goal is to be a great teammate and help my team get the W.”
And-Ones: G League Draft, Chemistry, Trade Demands, Smith
With the NBA G League continuing to grow season by season, there are now more ways than ever (e.g. two-way players, affiliate players, etc.) for a G League franchise to build its roster. Accordingly, Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days asks whether the NBA’s G League draft has ultimately already run its course.
As Johnson notes, 11 of the 27 players selected in the first round of the G League draft this season were waived before opening night, including three top-10 picks, while 18 of the 25 players selected in the second round have also been waived.
Because G League teams already have enough players committed to the season before the draft is even conducted, it’s an uphill battle for drafted players to make the team. Johnson ultimately opines that the draft should now only consist of two-to-three rounds, with only one required pick per team.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- In an ESPN piece from multiple writers, team chemistry is analyzed for nine different franchises that made major offseason adjustments this summer or so far this season. Among other storylines, the fit of Kawhi Leonard for the Raptors and how both the Sixers and Timberwolves move on from the Jimmy Butler saga are discussed.
- In light of the Butler storyline, Brian Windhorst of ESPN explores the dynamics created when a star player demands a trade, referencing Butler, Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard in the process. As Windhorst ultimately opines, we shouldn’t expect to stop seeing players demand trades who have one year left on their contracts and are looking to go elsewhere in free agency.
- In an interview with Ben Stinar of Amico Hoops, NBA veteran forward Josh Smith talks about his career thus far, his continued willingness to play, and his readiness to return to the NBA should the opportunity arise.
Lonzo Ball To Remain Starter Over Rondo
According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the Lakers will keep Lonzo Ball in the starting lineup – where he has excelled during the suspension of Rajon Rondo – when Rondo returns from his three-game absence this evening against the Spurs.
The Lakers, who were 0-2 in Rondo’s starts to begin the season, went 2-1 in Rondo’s absence with Ball averaging 12.7 points on 53.6 percent shooting (40 percent from 3), 7.3 assists, 7.0 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game.
Meanwhile, Rondo, 32, averaged 13 points on 57.1 percent shooting (50 percent from 3), 10.5 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in the Lakers’ first two games. So, it’s not like Rondo wasn’t playing well. But, evidently Luke Walton has liked what he’s seen from Ball and wants to continue with the momentum his team has going.
It’s unclear from McMenamin’s report whether this is a permanent move with an eye to the future, or just a temporary one subject to change based on how both players perform moving forward.
Five Key Stories: 10/20/18 – 10/27/18
In case you missed any of this past week’s biggest stories from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Listed below are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
Three players – Lakers forward Brandon Ingram, Lakers guard Rajon Rondo, and Rockets’ guard Chris Paul – were suspended for their roles in a fight between the teams last week. Ingram, who commenced the entire issue with a push to James Harden, received four games, while Rondo got three and Paul two. After the suspensions were handed down, Rondo called Paul a “horrible teammate” after Paul accused Rondo of spitting on him during the fight. Rondo denied the spitting.
The Rockets have proposed a trade offer to the Timberwolves for All-Star shooting guard Jimmy Butler that consists of four first-round draft picks in 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025. However, the T-Wolves are apparently showing no inclination to accept the offer, choosing instead to re-open negotiations with the Heat.
Nuggets swingman Will Barton, who was off to a solid start this season as the team’s starting small forward, suffered an adductor muscle injury in his right hip and core and is expected to miss a couple months. Barton has since undergone successful surgery to repair the injury and he will be re-evaluated in six weeks.
The Pelicans will launch a G League affiliate that will begin play during the 2019/20 season. The team will eventually call Birmingham, AL its permanent home, but will start in Erie, PA while arena renovations are completed. The team isn’t expected to begin play in Birmingham until 2022/23, meaning it will spend three seasons in Erie. The Pelicans will become the 28th of 30 NBA teams with their own affiliate, with only the Nuggets and Trail Blazers still holding out.
The Kings have exercised the rookie scale options on five of their players. Guards De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield, small forward Justin Jackson, and big men Harry Giles and Skal Labissiere will all now have guaranteed contracts for the 2019/20 season. Fox, the highest pick of the five, will have a salary just shy of $6.44MM next season.
Here are 10 more notable NBA headlines from the last week:
- Grizzlies starting power forward JaMychal Green suffered a broken jaw and is out indefinitely, with no time table for his return.
- Bulls swingman Denzel Valentine remains out of action with a bone bruise in his left ankle.
- Celtics’ point guard Kyrie Irving says he would’ve considered his hometown Knicks in free agency next summer had he not been traded to such a good situation in Boston.
- Free agent guard Shaquille Harrison signed a standard NBA contract with the Bulls, who waived veteran center Omer Asik to make room for Harrison.
- Potential 2019 lottery pick Jontay Porter will miss the entire season for Missouri after tearing his ACL and MCL in his right knee during a scrimmage.
- In more injury news, Hawks big man John Collins is still weeks away from returning to action from an ankle injury.
- Nets’ guard Treveon Graham has been diagnosed with a torn left hamstring and is expected to be sidelined for the next two months.
- Bulls starting point guard Kris Dunn will be sidelined for the next four to six weeks after suffering a sprained MCL.
- Former NBA Commissioner David Stern called Pelicans GM Dell Demps a “lousy general manager.”
- In more Bulls injury news, Bobby Portis has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL in his right knee and is expected to miss several weeks of action.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 10/20/18 – 10/27/18
Every week, our writing team here at Hoops Rumors creates original content to complement our news feed. Below are the original segments and features from the past seven days, including an exclusive interview with an NBA veteran:
- Chris Crouse sat down for an interview with Sixers’ forward Wilson Chandler. Check out what the veteran had to say here.
- Luke Adams went through each club’s NBA G League affiliate players to start the 2018/19 season.
- We finished our 2018 Offseason in Review with the following franchises:
- 2019/20 rookie option decisions are due by October 31. Luke Adams takes a look at the decisions still to be made.
- In our four Community Shootaround posts, we asked:
- Did the Lakers actually dodge a bullet by missing out on Paul George in free agency this summer?
- Will the Cavaliers move on from Kevin Love before the trade deadline?
- Is the scoring spike we’re seeing so far this season good for the league?
- Should the Hornets be looking to trade All-Star point guard Kemba Walker?
- In his latest weekly mailbag, Arthur Hill answered readers’ questions regarding Joakim Noah, the one-and-done rule, and Nuggets’ head coach Mike Malone.
- Luke Adams analyzed how the Bulls surrendered a potentially valuable trade piece when they waived Omer Asik.
- In addition to his interview with Chandler, Chris Crouse gave us some early-season fantasy basketball analysis.
- In three different polls, we asked:
- Which team will stay undefeated the longest? It’s down to the Raptors, Bucks, Pistons, and Pelicans.
- Will Kyrie Irving keep his word and re-sign with the Celtics in 2019?
- Are the Rockets still the second-best team in the Western Conference?
- We began a new series, the NBA Trade Candidate Watch, beginning with the Central Division.
- In light of the report that the Rockets offered four first-round picks for Jimmy Butler, Luke Adams looked at how the mechanics of such an offer would work under the CBA.
- The Bulls are already looking at the hardship provision, just four games into the new season. Find out why/how here.
- As part our Hoops Rumors Glossary, Luke Adams explained for our readers how the poison poll provision works in the CBA.
Atlantic Notes: Hayward, Celtics, Embiid, Redick
Celtics forward Gordon Hayward has admitted that he’s still feeling the ill effects of the horrific ankle injury he suffered on opening night that season, writes Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. As a result, he recently sat out the second night of a back-to-back.
“There’s soreness in my ankle every time I play right now. I think there will be soreness for a little while,” said Hayward. “That’s why I’m on a minutes restriction… they don’t want any overloading issues, so there is some load management stuff basically.”
That being said, Hayward still hopes that he won’t be forced to miss any future back-to-backs. “That was just the plan for that game. I want to play in every single game and every single minute but my game is not there yet. I trust our staff.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division this evening:
- In another piece for NBC Sports Boston, Forsberg writes how head coach Brad Stevens gave a blunt assessment of the Celtics after the team’s recent loss to the Magic. “I’ve said it, that we’re not as good as everybody thinks we are. (This is) just another reminder how much we have to work.”
- Sixers All-Star big man Joel Embiid has been issued a warning from the league office for flopping against Andre Drummond and the Pistons last night, reports Ian Begley of ESPN. There is no fine involved, but there will be if violates the NBA’s anti-flopping rules again.
- Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that J.J. Redick is an even more integral piece of this year’s Sixers team than last year’s because of the lack of quality shooting around him with the losses of Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli in free agency.
Pelicans Respond To Stern’s Comments On Demps
Earlier today, we shared snippets of a conversation between former NBA Commissioner David Stern and Chris Ballard of SI.com, wherein Stern spoke on numerous issues involving the NBA. Among them was his role in the Lakers’ near trade for Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets in 2011. In elaborating on that deal and its eventual breakdown, Stern was quoted as saying:
“But Dell Demps (GM of the then Hornets and current Pelicans since 2010) is a lousy general manager and none of those players are currently with the team anymore, and he may lose Anthony Davis.”
Well, the Pelicans apparently weren’t willing to take those comments lying down, responding with a statement earlier tonight, which reads, in pertinent part:
“We are very disappointed to read the inappropriate and inaccurate comments from the former NBA Commissioner regarding the New Orleans Pelicans. Our organization has the utmost confidence in our General Manager, Dell Demps. He is part of our family, the NBA family… Our organization is excited and proud to be part of the NBA with the progressive and innovative leadership of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.”
Of course, Stern and Silver share a relationship stemming from Silver serving as Stern’s deputy commissioner for eight years. Stern even endorsed Silver to become his successor. Accordingly, it’s interesting that the Pelicans chose to use Silver to backhandedly cast aspersions on Stern. Silver and the NBA have yet to comment.
Southeast Notes: Hawks, Morris, Whiteside, Parker
The Hawks have provided some detail regarding some of the injuries that have been plaguing their roster to begin the 2018/19 season.
Swingman Justin Anderson, who was traded to the Hawks from the Sixers back in July, is still rehabilitating from a pre-trade surgery to address recurring tibial stress syndrome in his left leg. There is still no timetable for his return.
Big man John Collins, who may expect to have a breakout sophomore campaign in 2018/19, is also still rehabilitating from mild inflammation and soreness in his left ankle. He is still out, but his return is clearer. His rehab will be reviewed in eleven days with an update from the Hawks to follow.
Fellow big man Dewayne Dedmon is returning after participating in his first full live practice with the team yesterday. He was re-assessed today and is playing for the Hawks in their game against Dallas this evening.
Finally, Hawks swingman Daniel Hamilton has returned to modified practice following rehab for a tear in his right rotator cuff. There is no timetable for his return to game action.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Per Candace Buckner of The Washington Post, the NBA has fined Wizards forward Markieff Morris $15K for unsportsmanlike conduct during Washington’s game at Portland on Monday. Morris tugged on the shorts of Seth Curry towards the end of regulation while Morris was not in the game.
- Heat big man Hassan Whiteside is bigger and a better rebounder than his backup, Bam Adebayo, but according to Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel, it’s simply the size of Whiteside’s paychecks that keep him starting over Adebayo.
- The improved play of Hornets guards Kemba Walker and Malik Monk early on this season is not a coincidence – it’s the Tony Parker effect, writes Roderick Boone of The Athletic. “His presence, it’s infectious,” Walker said. “He just understands the game so much. He’s constantly teaching guys, teaching me. He’s just helping me see the game in a whole new light. I definitely appreciate that.”
Knicks Notes: G League, Hezonja, Dotson, Lee
As was reported last week, the G League is creating a new opportunity for NBA prospects over 18 years of age to sign a contract worth $125K as an alternative to the one-and-done route in college basketball. And per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, at least two current Knicks players, both of whom had to wait a season out of high school before entering the NBA Draft, would have taken advantage of this new program if it had been offered when they were getting ready for college.
Big man Enes Kanter, who attempted to play his freshman season at Kentucky before being ruled ineligible, and his current backup, rookie big man Mitchell Robinson, both told Bondy that despite skepticism surrounding the new program (e.g. salary too low, missing out on benefits of big-time college basketball, etc.), they like the new option for young prospects.
Kanter, who turned down millions to play in his native Turkey to play at Kentucky, said in his typical brash fashion, “I turned (millions of dollars) down to play NCAA and then they say no college basketball. Are you kidding me? The NCAA rules are terrible. Write that.”
Robinson, who enrolled at Western Kentucky but quickly withdrew to take the year off to prepare for the draft through individualized workouts, was a bit more measured, saying “I probably would (go that route) because the G League helps you get developed to play at the next level. I don’t see how it would hurt. You can get all the reps you want but you also need to be on the court. A lot people think that school won’t help them so this would be the best thing for them.”
Meanwhile, both Emmanuel Mudiay and head coach David Fizdale also support the new G League initiative, with Fizdale going as far as to support the end of the ban on high schoolers jumping straight to the NBA. “Most of them aren’t (ready for the NBA). But… I’ve always looked at this issue as a regular working human being would be able to make millions of dollars when they’re 18… so how do you tell an 18-year-old who can dunk and shoot 3s that he can’t go to the league?”
Marc Berman of the New York Post has more out the Big Apple this evening:
- Mario Hezonja appears to have maybe taken it personally after being ripped on social media by former team executive Clarence Gaines Jr., the right-hand man to Phil Jackson during a forgettable era of Knicks basketball from 2014-2017. Hezonja scored 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting and was physical on defense in a loss to the Bucks one day after Gaines’ tweet went viral.
- A potential silver lining to the ankle injury suffered by prized rookie Kevin Knox is the emergence of the otherwise seldom-used Damyean Dotson, who finished with 14 points in 31 minutes on 4-of-8 shooting from long range.
- The neck injury to Courtney Lee that has sidelined the veteran since the beginning of training camp remains a mystery, with Lee planning to undergo more tests to find a remedy or the cause of the neck spasms. It remains to be seen whether the effects of the injury are in any way related to the Knicks’ efforts to trade Lee.