Whitehead Becoming Vocal Leader
- Rookie point guard Isaiah Whitehead is becoming more of a vocal leader for the Nets, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Brooklyn has needed Whitehead to develop quickly after an injury to Jeremy Lin, and coach Kenny Atkinson is encouraged by how he has responded. “There’s on-court technical development and physical development,” Atkinson said. “But leadership development, all the players are commenting, he’s changing, he’s talking to us, he’s opening up, he’s asking us questions. It’s big.”
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/28/16
Here are Monday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
11:00pm:
- The Nets have assigned forward Anthony Bennett to their Long Island affiliate, the team announced in a press release. He has played 10 games for Brooklyn, averaging 5.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per night.
2:32pm:
- The Warriors have recalled rookie center Damian Jones from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. It’s not clear if Jones is ready to make his NBA debut quite yet, or if he’s just being called up to practice with Golden State for now.
- A day after he was on the receiving end of an emphatic dunk by Wayne Selden, forward Rakeem Christmas has been recalled by the Pacers, according to a team release. Christmas contributed 18 points and seven boards to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants’ win on Sunday.
- The Magic have assigned rookie center Stephen Zimmerman to the Erie BayHawks, the team announced today (via Twitter). A second-round pick in June, Zimmerman has only appeared in two regular season games so far for Orlando.
- Chris McCullough continues to be shuttled back and forth between the Brooklyn Nets and the Long Island Nets. The team announced today in a press release that he has been sent back to the D-League, where he has appeared in four games so far for Long Island, averaging 17.5 PPG and 6.5 RPG.
Nets' Taking Advantage Of Shared Venue With D-League Team
- Although the Nets‘ D-League affiliate is still in its first year, the franchise has a leg up on many teams around the NBA, since the Brooklyn Nets and Long Island Nets share a venue. Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily explains how it has been a “blessing in disguise” so far for the Nets that their Long Island D-League arena won’t be ready until the 2017/18 season.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/27/16
Here are Sunday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- Forwards Anthony Bennett and Chris McCullough were recalled by the Nets after being assigned to Long Island earlier today for the D-League team’s game against Grand Rapids, the team announced in an email. Bennett had 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while McCullough put up 15 points and nine rebounds.
- The Raptors have recalled Jakob Poeltl, Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet from Raptors 905, according to The Toronto Sun. All three had been sent down to participate in Satuday’s game against Maine.
- The Spurs assigned rookie guards Dejounte Murray, Bryn Forbes and Nicolas Laprovittola to Austin, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio News-Express. They are expected to be recalled in time for San Antonio’s game on Tuesday.
- The Pelicans have recalled rookie forward Cheick Diallo from Austin, the team announced in an email. He has played six games in the D-League and just one for New Orleans.
- The Mavericks recalled rookie center A.J. Hammons from the Texas Legends, according to an email from the team. He was assigned Saturday for a game against Salt Lake in which he scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds.
- The Bulls have recalled forward/center Cristiano Felicio and guards Jerian Grant and R.J. Hunter from their Windy City affiliate, the team announced in an email.
Nets Suffering Without Lin
- The Nets have nosedived since Jeremy Lin‘s injury, notes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. After a 2-3 start, Brooklyn has just two victories since Lin went down with a strained hamstring in early November. The Nets’ offensive and defensive ratings are both significantly worse without Lin. “Offensively it’s just the challenges with different lineups and different stuff just getting on the same page,’’ coach Kenny Atkinson said. “But we’ve done it before with different lineups, so [we have to] focus in on our execution, making sure that we’re doing all the little things, in the right spots and making the right pass and making the right play.” There is still no timetable for Lin to return.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/23/16
Here are Wednesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
6:24pm:
- Chris McCullough will have a chance to be the fourth player to appear in a D-League game and an NBA game in the same day. He was recalled by the Nets today after starting for the Long Island Nets in their home opener this afternoon, Brooklyn announced in a press release. The NBA Nets host the Celtics tonight.
3:16pm
- The Kings have recalled a trio of 2016 first-rounders, Malachi Richardson, Georgios Papagiannis, and Skal Labissiere, from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. The trio helped lead the Kings’ affiliate – the Reno Bighorns – to a narrow victory over the Texas Legends on Tuesday, combining for 57 points.
- The Pistons have sent rookies Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije to the Grand Rapids Drive, according to a press release issued today by the club. Neither player has seen much action for Detroit this season, but they should both suit up and play major roles tonight for the Drive against the Iowa Energy.
- The Bucks, who don’t have a D-League affiliate of their own, recalled Rashad Vaughn from the Westchester Knicks today, the team announced in a press release. Assigned to the Knicks’ D-League squad, Vaughn only saw 15.9 minutes per contest in a pair of games, but managed to score 11.5 PPG.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/22/16
Here are Tuesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Sixers have recalled Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot from the D-League, according to a press release issued by the club. The first-round rookie helped the Delaware 87ers get past the Greensboro Swarm on Monday, contributing 14 points, six rebounds, and three steals.
- After sending him to the Salt Lake City Stars on Monday, the Jazz have recalled forward Joel Bolomboy from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Bolomboy scored nine points and grabbed 12 rebounds against the Oklahoma City Blue on Monday.
- The Nets have sent Chris McCullough back to the D-League, the team announced today. McCullough will get a chance to play for the Long Island Nets on Wednesday afternoon, then should be recalled to Brooklyn for the team’s Wednesday night game.
New York Notes: LeVert, Plumlee, Knicks, Jackson
Nets rookie Caris LeVert participated in his first practice today, writes Cory Wright of NBA.com. LeVert continues to rehab from foot surgery that has kept him off the court since February 13th. Coach Kenny Atkinson plans to bring LeVert along slowly to make sure the foot doesn’t give him any more trouble. LeVert, who has spent his time doing conditioning work and learning the team’s offense, said it felt good to be back on the court. “It’s been a long time since I’ve practiced full go and competed in live drills,” he said, “so it was a great experience for me.”
There’s more news tonight out of New York:
- Marshall Plumlee‘s NBA debut was memorable even before Sunday’s game started, relays Al Iannazzone of Newsday. Plumlee was preparing to play for the Knicks‘ D-League affiliate in Westchester when he was notified that Joakim Noah was sick and the NBA club needed him. Plumlee took a train to Grand Central Station, hailed a cab and paid the driver to run a red light, then got stuck in traffic and sprinted the final few blocks to Madison Square Garden. He got there during the first quarter and wound up playing more than five minutes. “It was crazy,” he said. “I feel like I could write a book about it. Just imagine being woken up, saying like, ‘Hey, we need you to guard Dwight Howard.’”
- Knicks players insist the team meeting they had Saturday wasn’t a revolt against president Phil Jackson or coach Jeff Hornacek, according to Fred Kerber of The New York Post. Some players have complained that Jackson’s triangle offense is outdated and it results in the team not practicing against pick-and-rolls. However, the meeting was described as a productive exchange of ideas about the team’s slow start. Jackson reportedly attended but did not speak. “It was a positive meeting,” said Courtney Lee, one of 10 new players on the Knicks’ roster. “Just everybody voicing their opinion and trying to get on the same page with the coaches and Phil. Guys left in good spirits, and it carried over into the game.”
- Jackson’s “posse” controversy from last week left him appearing out of touch, contends Harvey Araton of The New York Times. Jackson was discussing the many favors the Heat were willing to do for LeBron James, but Araton points out that Jackson has received similar treatment, as did the stars he coached, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
No Timetable For Lin's Return
- There is still no timetable for when Jeremy Lin will take the court once again for the Nets, as coach Kenny Atkinson told Bryan Fonseca of NetsDaily (Twitter link). The point guard is recovering from a hamstring injury he suffered earlier this month.
Offer Sheet DIdn't Seem Real To Crabbe
- Trail Blazers shooting guard Allen Crabbe didn’t believe the Nets’ $75MM offer sheet was real when he first heard about it, relays Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily. Portland matched the four-year deal, keeping Crabbe in a Blazers uniform, but he would have been happy to come to Brooklyn if things had worked out differently. “When I met with them, they were straightforward and told me, ‘Look we’ve got a lot of young guys here that are looking to compete. We’re going to try and build from here,’” Crabbe said. “So you know, I felt like that was a positive first step going into something good being built here. I liked everything about how they were going to use me. But you know, everything happens for a reason and I’m back here and I’m happy with that.”