Eastern Notes: Babb, Onuaku, LeBron
Chris Babb‘s 10-day contract ends on Monday, but the Celtics are high on him, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. Coach Brad Stevens said, “He’s a perfect fit for what we need as far as, he’s not going to play 38 minutes a game — he’s going to come in, get open shots, hopefully knock those open shots down, play off of other people, and then be a feisty defender for us. He really is an outstanding defender for a young guy.” There has been no official word on if the Celtics plan to re-sign Babb.
More from around the east:
- The Cavs have assigned Arinze Onuaku to the Canton Charge of the NBA D-League, tweets Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer. Onuaku hasn’t scored in 2 appearances for the Cavs and was re-signed for a second 10-day contract on Wednesday.
- The Cavs were planning on using the ceremony to retire Zydrunas Ilgauskas‘ jersey as one means to recruit LeBron James back to Cleveland, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. But what little chance the team had to that possibility might have ended with the firing of former GM Chris Grant. Grant was one of the team executives who had the best relationship with James, according to Windhorst.
- Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News also weighs in on how unlikely the chances are that James returns to Cleveland this summer. The team’s lack of a proven winner in the front office is the main deterrent to attracting James, writes Lawrence.
- Michael Lee of The Washington Post takes a look at how the Wizards trade for Andre Miller is working out for him and for the team. So far, the pairing is paying dividends for both, opines Lee. The Wizards offer Miller a clean slate and a playoff opportunity, and Miller gives the team a proven veteran.
D-League Notes: Cuban, West, Bowles
Mark Cuban continues to argue that the D-League is a more honest and effective developmental system than college hoops. SportsDayDFW quotes the owner’s response to Larry Brown‘s defense of the college system: “I don’t think it’s a coincidence when a dad, uncle, cousin, an AAU coach and six other relatives find themselves at a university. And it seems like there are a lot of guys taking the easiest classes they can to get through, or correspondence or on-line classes and then get to the second semester,” said Cuban. “It’s a business that, when you look at it, it’s ripe for disruption. When you look for a business to disrupt, you look for one that’s done the same thing for years and everybody knows it’s dysfunctional but nobody’s done anything about it. We happen to be in that industry.”
More from the D-League:
- Count Jerry West amongst the fans of what the D-League can do for the future of the NBA game, writes Keith Schlosser of SBNation. Last month West criticized the quality of this year’s draft, as well as expressed his disdain for the one-and-done college system. In Schlosser’s article, West goes into detail on why the D-League is a crucial component for developing young players.
- According to Gino Pilato of D-League Digest, Denzel Bowles has entered the D-League’s player pool. Bowles most recently played for the CBA’s Jilin Northeast Tigers. In 34 games for the Tigers, he averaged 26.0 PPG, and 8.5 RPG. Bowles played on Pelicans’ Summer League team in 2012/2013. He averaged 7.2 PPG, and 6.6 RPG in 16.1 minutes.
- Kevin Jones has accepted a buyout from the Canton Charge to go play in the Philippines, according to Bob Finnan of The News-Herald (Twitter link). Jones last saw NBA action in 32 games with the Cavs during the 2012/2013 season, and averaged 3.0 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 0.3 APG in 10.4 minutes. Jones was a 2013/14 NBA D-League All-Star with Canton, averaging 16.9 PPG, and 8.0 RPG in 30.5 minutes per game. The Charge will retain Jones’ player rights in the D-League for the next two seasons, according to Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer.
Cray Allred contributed to this post.
Clippers Interested In Bobby Brown
According to Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link), the Clippers have expressed interest in signing Bobby Brown. Brown was previously linked to the team, but this was when Chris Paul was out with an injury. He would not be allowed to sign an agreement with an NBA team until his team is eliminated from the Chinese league, but it’s on the verge of elimination, Amick tweets. The Clippers have one spot left on their 15-man roster.
He has had two previous NBA stints. In 2008/09 he appeared in 68 games for the Timberwolves where he averaged 5.31 PPG, 0.76 RPG, and 1.72 APG. Then in 2009/10, Brown played in 45 games for the Clippers, and averaged 4.78 PPG, 0.84 RPG, and 1.96 APG.
Brown is averaging 30.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 5.8 APG, and 1.6 SPG for Dongguan this season. His slash line is .439/.324/.799.
Kings Sign Johnson To Second 10-Day Contract
The Kings signed guard Orlando Johnson to a second 10-day contract, according to Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro (Press Release). After signing a 10-day contract with the team on February 26, Johnson appeared in five games and is averaging 1.8 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.6 APG in 9.0 minutes per game. This comes after rumors that the team might sign him for the remainder of the season. The Kings could still elect to do so after this second 10-day contract runs out.
Johnson averaged 2.4 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.4 APG and 9.0 minutes per game with the Pacers before being waived hours after the trade deadline. For the season, he is averaging 2.3 PPG , 1.3 RPG, 0.4 APG and 9.0 minutes per game in 43 appearances as a reserve with the Pacers and the Kings.
Originally drafted by the Kings in the second round (36th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft, Johnson’s draft rights were traded to the Pacers for cash considerations that same night.
Carl Landry Out For Season
Kings forward Carl Landry will miss the remainder of the season with a medial meniscus tear in his right knee, reports Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). He will undergo season ending surgery in the near future (twitter link).The 30-year old forward has missed the team’s previous five games with what was originally called a sprained right knee.
This is the second major injury this year for the seven-year veteran. In training camp, Landry had sustained a torn hip flexor that required surgery and four months of rehab work. He made his return to action on January 19th.
In 18 games this season, Landry has averaged 4.2 PPG, and 3.2 RPG in 13 MPG. This was after signing a four-year, $26 MM deal over the summer.
Kings Sign Royce White To 10-Day Contract
THURSDAY, 12:10pm: Sacramento has made the deal official, the team announced. The statement also notes that the team has assigned White to the D-League, as expected.
WEDNESDAY, 8:21pm: The Kings are expected to sign Royce White to a 10-day contract on Thursday, according to Marc. J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The team is giving him an NBA opportunity through their D-League affiliate, a source told Yahoo! Sports. The reported plan is to assign him to the Reno Big Horns, where he will be evaluated over four games. The former Iowa State star has battled an anxiety disorder and has a fear of flying. If White’s D-League stint goes well, the Kings will likely sign him to a second 10-day contract and add him to their active roster. The team has one open spot after waiving Jimmer Fredette.
White was taken 16th overall by the Rockets in the 2012 NBA draft. He had difficulties right off the bat because of his anxiety about flying. He missed the entire training camp and thought the Rockets weren’t treating his mental health issues effectively, according to the article. He was eventually suspended by the team for “refusal to provide services” stipulated by his contract.
White never ended up playing for the Rockets and was traded to the Sixers along with the rights to Turkish forward Furkan Aldemir and cash in July 2013, for a conditional second -round draft pick. White played for the Sixers this preseason, but was waived before the season’s start. The Sixers are on the hook for White’s $1,719,480 salary this season.
Nets Likely To Sign Jorge Gutierrez
10:58pm: Stein tweets that he’s hearing Gutierrez is the player likely to be signed, his good training camp showing with the team giving him the edge.
7:06pm: The Nets, who just inked Jason Collins to his second 10-day contract may be planning on bringing in another body on a 10-day contract, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The team has just recently worked out both Jorge Gutierrez and Darius Johnson-Odom. The team currently has 14 players on the roster, with one open slot.
Gutierrez has been playing with the Canton Charge this year after being in camp with the Nets back in October. In 35 games in the D-League, he’s averaged 13.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 6.9 APG in 32.7 MPG. Gutierrez went undrafted in 2012, and has also played for the Nuggets Summer League team.
Johnson-Odom was selected 55th overall in the the 2012 draft by the Mavs, who immediately traded him to the Lakers. He was waived by the team after appearing in only four games, back in January of 2013. Johnson-Odom then spent the remainder of last year playing in Russia with Spartak St. Petersburg. He then played summer league ball for the Celtics, before signing and later being released by the Lakers. Johnson-Odom has been playing for the Springfield Armor since January 3rd. In 25 games he’s averaged 22.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 6.0 APG in 36.3 MPG.
Western Links: Bledsoe, Watson, Carter
Eric Bledsoe is scheduled to return to game action for the Suns sometime in the next week, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. He will be back on the court either Monday at the Clippers, or Wednesday at home against the Cavs. Before he went down with an injury, the future restricted free agent averaged 18.0 PPG and 5.8 APG. After starting the season 19-11, the team has cooled slightly and gone 16-14 without Bledsoe.
More from the west:
- Chris Haynes of of CSNNW.com details the choice that Blazers guard Earl Watson will have to make this off season between continuing his playing career or coaching.
- 37 year-old Vince Carter believes he can play two more seasons, according to Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link). The Mavs swingman is averaging 11.9 PPG in 24.3 minutes per contest this year. Carter will be an unrestricted free-agent after the season.
- Mike Trudell of NBA.com looks at the dividends the recently acquired Kent Bazemore is paying for the Lakers. Since being picked up, he has averaged 15.8 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 2.5 APG while playing 32.5 MPG. Trudell also looks at whether this production is worth the team considering keeping him around beyond this season.
Eastern Notes: Dumars, Turner, Rondo
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com looks at a recent report from Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report about the future of Joe Dumars in Detroit. Dumars is weary of the criticism he has received in trying to rebuild the Pistons after constructing a franchise that went to the Eastern Conference Finals six years in a row. The criticism fails to account for the dismal Detroit economy and restraints placed on Dumars while the team was up for sale and changing ownership, as Bucher notes, and Moore points to the success the team had early in Dumars’ tenure. Still, Moore advocates for a change. The Pistons are currently 24-36, three games out of the 8th spot in the East.
More from around the league:
- During a rough season, Bucks GM John Hammond is being praised for drafting a “gem” in Giannis Antetokounmpo, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com. The “Greek Freak” is averaging 7.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.9 APG over 24.5 MPG.
- Evan Turner is still getting acclimated with the Pacers, but both he and the team think it’s been a good fit so far, writes Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Turner has played in five games with the team, and has averaged 9.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 1.6 APG in 22.2 MPG. How Turner adjusts to the Pacers will impact if he is in their plans going forward when he becomes a free-agent after the season, writes Kennedy.
- Danny Ainge said that the Celtics had asked Rajon Rondo to travel with the team last week, but instead Rondo chose to stay in Los Angeles to celebrate his 28th birthday, writes Royce Young of CBSSports.com. Ainge said, “In the end, him and I had a long talk about it. He planned it before and he had reason to believe it would be OK. I understand his reason because of what he’s grown up with and what he’s witnessed. You won’t see it happen again, and we’ve just moved on from it.” This isn’t expected to change the team’s immediate plans regarding keeping Rondo, according to Young.
D-League Notes: Byars, Karasev, Buycks
Derrick Byars has been acquired as a returning player by the Bakersfield Jam, according to Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. Byars’ last NBA action came during a call up by the Spurs during the 2011/2012 season. He attended training camp with the Grizzlies this season, and most recently had signed with the Russian club Krasny Oktybr, but left the team prior to ever playing in a game.
More from the D-League:
- Former Knicks and Erie Bayhawks guard Chris Smith tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link) that he left Erie for “personal reasons” and intends to catch on with a team during the Summer League.
- The Cavaliers have assigned Sergey Karasev to the Canton Charge of the D-League they announced via press release. Karasev has appeared in 12 games for the Charge and has averaged 13.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.4 APG, and 1.2 SPG while logging 30 MPG.
- The Raptors have reassigned Dwight Buycks to the Bakersfield Jam of the D-League (Twitter link). Buycks has appeared in 13 games for the Raptors this year, averaging 3.2 PPG, 1.5 RPG, and 0.8 APG in 9.5 minutes per game.