D-League Moves: Jackson, Joseph, Lamb, Orton
We're keeping track of all of the D-League assignments and recalls of 2012/13 right here, and we'll round up today's moves in this post, with the latest on top.
- The Thunder have assigned Reggie Jackson to the Tulsa 66ers, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman (Twitter link). The second-year point guard has seen only 56 minutes of action across 10 games for Oklahoma City this year after losing to Eric Maynor in the battle to become the team's primary backup point guard. Jackson is the fifth player the Thunder has sent to the D-League at different points this season, and he'll join Jeremy Lamb and Daniel Orton, who were demoted earlier today.
- The Celtics announced forward Kris Joseph has been assigned to the Maine Red Claws of the D-League for a third time this season. The 6'7" Joseph has averaged 21.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 39.0 minutes over three contests for the Red Claws this season. He's also hit the floor for three times with the big club in Boston, but has totaled only nine NBA minutes.
- The Thunder announced that they have sent guard Jeremy Lamb and center Daniel Orton back to the Tulsa 66ers of the D-League. Both players were recalled just yesterday along with Perry Jones III. Lamb and Orton are presently the only Thunder players on the 66ers' roster with Jones remaining in Oklahoma City and DeAndre Liggins having been recalled last week.
Odds & Ends: Cavs, Bargnani, Green, Wolves
Now is not the right time for the Raptors to trade Andrea Bargnani, but it might be the right move to make anyway, writes Eric Koreen of the Toronto Star. The big man doesn't fit the culture that Dwane Casey is trying to instill in Toronto and moving him could help get the locker room back on track. The Raptors have spent years trying to make the team work around Bargnani and Koreen argues that the relationship should have been working the other way around. Here's more from around the league..
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders if the Cavaliers made the right call in sending Jon Leuer to the D-League. The move should give Leuer plenty of playing time but the 4-16 Cavs can probably afford to give him significant minutes at the NBA level.
- The Celtics need more efficiency from Jeff Green this season, writes Rich Levine of CSNNE.com. The C's re-signed Green to a four-year, $36MM deal this summer, a surprising commitmentgiven his health concerns.
- The Timberwolves got the short end of the stick in last year's three-team Carmelo Anthony trade, tweets Mark Deeks of Sham Sports. The Wolves gave up Corey Brewer and Kosta Koufos and received Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph in return. Minnesota also took on a great deal of salary in the trade.
- Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel doesn't think that the Heat need to make a trade to return to the form of last season.
Odds & Ends: Raptors, Blatche, Rubio, Kings
While the Raptors might not be willing to part with Andrea Bargnani just yet, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com notes that there is plenty of pressure on Bryan Colangelo to win, which might fuel him to pull the trigger on a deal. The Raptors have a lot that makes sense for the Lakers in a Pau Gasol deal beyond the forward too in Jose Calderon and Linas Kleiza. The question is whether Raptors believe Gasol will make them contenders and whether he’s worth taking on $19MM next season. Here’s more Friday night linkage..
- In this week’s mailbag, CSNNE’s Tommy Heinsohn said that Jason Terry knew that he would have a significant role with the Celtics when he signed on this summer.
- Nets forward Andray Blatche is clearly one of the best late offseason signings in the entire league, tweets Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. The athletic big man signed a minimum salary deal with the Nets over the summer and earlier today he said that he would like to re-sign with Brooklyn.
- T’Wolves guard Ricky Rubio said that if he had to rate his happiness in Minnesota on a scale from 1-10, he’d give it a ten, tweets Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press. Rubio will be extension-eligible in 2014 and can become a restricted free agent in 2015.
- Kings assistant coach Bobby Jackson wondered aloud if the club should thinking about breaking up their logjam of guards with Aaron Brooks, Isaiah Thomas, and Jimmer Fredette in the fold, writes Blake Ellington of Bleed Black and Purple
Celtics Links: Pierce, Roster, Bradley, Ainge
The Celtics will jockey for early-season Atlantic Division position tonight when they play the Sixers in Philadelphia, as both teams enter the game with 10-8 records. In advance of the evening's contest, here are a few C's notes:
- Appearing on WEEI in Boston, Paul Pierce discussed the Celtics' slow start, the effect Jason Terry has had on the locker room, and the value of Rajon Rondo, among other topics. Steven Cuce of Sports Radio Interviews has the quotes.
- Within his ESPNBoston.com mailbag, Chris Forsberg says there's no rush for the Celtics to fill their 15th roster spot, and that the best opportunity for an addition likely won't happen until the trade or waiver deadline.
- Although Danny Ainge didn't commit to a specific timetable, he said yesterday that Avery Bradley is "getting closer" to returning, writes Greg Payne of ESPBoston.com. Bradley is still unlikely to play for the C's before the new year.
- Jerry Spar of WEEI.com examines the moves Ainge has made since the Celtics' last title, suggesting that the Celtics president's moves have missed more than they've hit over the last few years.
Atlantic Notes: Holiday, Blatche, Stiemsma, Sixers
With the first full month of the NBA season in the books, the Sixers' Jrue Holiday looks like the frontrunner for this year' Most Improved Player award, writes Justin Kubatko for the New York Times. After receiving a four-year, $41MM extension from the club on Halloween, the 6'3" guard has been earning his pay bump with 18.2 PPG and 9.3 RPG per game, a significant bump from last season's numbers (13.5 PPG, 4.5 APG). Here's more out of the Atlantic..
- The Nets took a chance on Andray Blatche this offseason when they gave him a one-year deal, and there's no doubt that the gamble is paying off, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Blatche is averaging 10.6 PPG and 6.1 RPG while shooting nearly 47 percent from the field this season. Those numbers have improved since Blatche stepped into the starting lineup in place of Brook Lopez three games ago with 17.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and over 51 percent shooting.
- Former Celtics big man Greg Stiemsma told Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com that he left Boston because he felt that he had a better opportunity with the Timberwolves. It also helped that Stiemsma got a $3MM committment for 2012/13 with the possibility of a second year at $2.575MM.
- The Sixers have had to play without summer acquisitions Andrew Bynum, Jason Richardson, and Nick Young, but head coach Doug Collins isn't making excuses, writes Bob Cooney of the Daily News.
Odds & Ends: Howard, Robinson, Kaman, Bradley
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Wednesday evening:
- SportsDayDFW.com's Kevin Sherrington doesn't believe Dwight Howard would leave the Lakers for the Mavericks despite LA's current struggles.
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes that Bulls guard Nate Robinson is working on improving his consistency this season.
- Mavericks center Chris Kaman tells Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram that his former team, the Clippers, have a bright future.
- Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com reports that Celtics guard Avery Bradley is making progress towards a return.
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star praises Raptors forward Amir Johnson for his energy and effort.
- Al Iannazzone of Newsday reports that Knicks center Marcus Camby will miss time with plantar fasciitis in his left foot.
Celtics Recall Kris Joseph
The Boston Celtics have recalled rookie forward Kris Joseph from the Maine Red Claws of the NBA D-League, the team announced in a press release. This is the second time Joseph has been assigned and recalled in his rookie season.
In his three games with the Red Claws this season, he has averaged 21.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.0 APG. He has appeared minimally in two games for the Celtics.
Be sure to check out our complete list of D-League assignments and recalls to keep track of the latest moves.
Celtics Interested In Dampier, Not Kenyon Martin
The Celtics are in search of a rebounding big man and have considered bringing Erick Dampier in for a look, an NBA source tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. However, the club hasn't been in touch with Kenyon Martin or his representatives since July.
“We’ve done a thorough analysis of the marketplace,” said agent Andy Miller, “and at this stage, Kenyon is obviously biting at the bit for an opportunity to get back in and show his wares. So we’ve broadened our scope from where we were originally, and that was obviously on the heels of free agency opening up. We wanted to be with a playoff-bound team and have a significant role.”
Dampier, 37, hooked on with the Hawks last season on a pair of ten-day contracts before signing for the remainder of the year. The center had a 15 game stint in total and saw just 5.5 minutes of action per contest. The bruising big man could provide the Celtics with the kind of interior play that they're seeking, but he'll have to have better conditioning than he did in Atlanta. Dampier is one NBA vet who doesn't need to return for the money as he has earned roughly $98MM over the course of his 16-year career.
Martin, 34, last played with the Clippers and his rocky relationship with coach Vinny Del Negro may have something to do with his current unemployment. The forward also saw his stat sheet take a hit as he was less involved offensively on a talented Clippers team. Martin averaged 5.2 PPG and 4.3 RPG in 22.4 minutes per contest for Los Angeles.
Odds & Ends: Ilyasova, Lakers, Rockets, Clippers
One of the more insulting phrases in basketball circles is "sign-and-retire", a clever quip for players who ink lucrative contracts and seemingly transition into cruise control. Today, ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Insider sub. req'd) looked at several players who have been underwhelming so far in 2012/13 after signing big money deals. The Bucks' Ersan Ilyasova signed a five-year, $40MM deal this summer but now has a 9.69 PER to go along with 35.3% shooting from the floor. Other disappointing players highlighted by Hollinger include the Celtics' Jeff Green, the Pacers' Roy Hibbert, and the Raptors' Landry Fields. Here's more from around the Association..
- Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside looked at players in the D-League who could potentially help the Lakers solve their point guard problem. The Lakers could turn their own affiliate and call upon Darius Johnson-Odom or Courtney Fortson. Pilato also suggests that the Lakers could re-unite with Andrew Goudelock, who is currently playing with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
- When asked if the Clippers can turn the corner, Mavs center Chris Kaman responded, "If [owner Donald] Sterling sold the team they might be able to," Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram tweets.
- Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said that he would like to get a new contract as coach and "be the new owners' guy" going forward, tweets Rob Fischer of Sports 560 AM. The Grizzlies were recently purchased by 34-year-old Robert Pera, who is joined by a group of high-profile minority owners.
- Derrick Caracter has signed a contract with Israel's Bnei Herzliya, according to David Pick of Eurobasket (via Twitter). The former Laker spent last season in the D-League with three different teams and was on the Hawks' summer league team.
Odds & Ends: Dwight, Shved, Hornets, Boykins
Dwight Howard opened up this weekend about his parting with the Magic, in advance of Orlando's meeting with the Lakers last night, and he talked about his willingness to change teams if that's what the pursuit of a championship requires. John Denton of Magic.com interprets that comment to mean D12 might be willing to leave the Lakers as a free agent next summer, but it seems more logical that Howard was referring to his departure from the Magic. Either way, there's plenty of room for pessimism about this year's Laker team, which takes an 8-9 record on the road for seven of its next eight games. Here's more from around the Association:
- Injuries to other Timberwolves have thrust rookie Alexey Shved into a prominent role, and the Russian guard is surprised at how quickly NBA success has come, writes Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
- Wolves coach Rick Adelman believes Shved will eventually become a mainstay in the backcourt alongside Ricky Rubio, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune documents.
- HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler, who noted earlier that the Hornets are not shopping Ryan Anderson, says the team isn't looking for an immediate solution to its troubles this season, preferring an approach predicated on draft picks and cap space (Twitter link).
- Earl Boykins, linked to the Mavericks last week before they signed Derek Fisher, has been working out in Denver and is in great shape as he awaits interest from teams, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
- DaJuan Summers, who last played in the NBA with the Hornets in 2011/12 and was a training camp invitee of the Bobcats, has signed to play with the Maine Red Claws of the D-League, tweets Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com, who notes the Red Claws let go of Brian Cusworth.