D-League Moves: Selby, Lakers, Thunder, Jerrells
We'll track today's D-League moves, including assignments and recalls, right here, with any new items added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- Josh Selby, who was released by the Cavaliers over the weekend, has been acquired by the D-League's Maine Red Claws, according to RealGM.com. The Celtics' affiliate sent a 2013 D-League draft pick to the Canton Charge in exchange for Selby.
- Darius Morris and Robert Sacre have been assigned to the D-League by the Lakers, the team announced today in a press release. It's Sacre's third assignment and Morris' first assignment with the D-Fenders this season.
- The Thunder have re-assigned DeAndre Liggins and Daniel Orton to the Tulsa 66ers, according to a team release. Liggins was recently assigned to the D-League along with Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones, but for Orton, it's his first assignment since being recalled in late January. Both players are expected to be active tonight for Tulsa's game against the Iowa Energy.
- Curtis Jerrells, who had been playing in Turkey, is set to join the Maine Red Claws, tweets David Pick. The former Baylor point guard has never appeared in an NBA regular-season game, though he has spent time with the Spurs and Hornets.
Southeast Notes: Oden, Heat, Magic, Scott
The NBA's longest current winning and losing streaks both belong to Southeast Division teams, and will be on the line tonight. The Heat are hosting the Magic, in search of their 16th straight win, while the Bobcats will look to snap a seven-game losing streak at home against the Nets. As we wait for the Eastern Conference's best and worst clubs to get underway tonight, let's round up a few notes out of the Southeast….
- Agent Mike Conley Sr. doesn't expect Greg Oden to sign anywhere until July, suggesting to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that teams will have more financial flexibility to pursue his client after the season. According to Conley, there is mutual interest between Oden and the Heat, and the two sides expect to talk again in the summer. The Cavs, Bobcats, and Spurs are other potential suitors for the former first overall pick, according to Tomasson.
- Responding to Dwight Howard's suggestion that his Magic teams were "full of people nobody wanted," Jameer Nelson shot back at his former teammate, as Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel documents. "At some point, when are you [Dwight] gonna as a man, when are you going to take ownership and stay out of the media in a professional manner?" Nelson said.
- Mike Scott has returned to Atlanta to rejoin the Hawks after a brief stint with the team's D-League affiliate, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Hawks officially announced in a press release that Scott has been recalled from the Bakersfield Jam and will be available for tonight's game against the Sixers.
Cavaliers Waive Josh Selby
The Cavs have waived Josh Selby, the team announced on its website. The swingman had yet to appear in a game for Cleveland after coming over as part of a three-for-one deal with the Grizzlies in January. Instead, he spent time with the Cavs' D-League affiliate, notching 15.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 32.9 minutes per game over 11 contests with the Canton Charge.
The move leaves the Cavs with a 14-man roster, enabling them to bring in players on 10-day contracts. Last year Cleveland brought in Ben Uzoh, Lester Hudson and Manny Harris on 10-day deals, eventually signing Harris for the rest of the season. Cleveland could also use its open spot to bring in a bigger name, as they've been linked to Greg Oden and Donte Greene of late.
The 6'2" Selby, a second-round pick by Memphis in 2011, has seen little playing time in his two NBA seasons. He's appeared in 38 career games, all of them for the Grizzlies, averaging 2.2 PPG and 7.8 MPG. Still, the Kansas product has shown flashes of his promise, sharing Las Vegas Summer League MVP honors with Damian Lillard this past offseason.
Selby had been making the one-year veteran's minimum salary of $762,195, a figure that will remain on Cleveland's books unless he's claimed off waivers. In the unlikely event he signs elsewhere for more money this season, the Cavs will get to subtract a portion of his salary using set-off rights. Selby's contract includes a minimum-salary team option for next season, but that will disappear unless another team submits a waiver claim.
Odds & Ends: Davis, Cavs, Gibson, Heat, Saunders
It looked like we might have had an early commitment for the NBA draft yesterday, when UCLA coach Ben Howland said there was no doubt shooting guard Shabazz Muhammad would leave the Bruins after his freshman year. But Muhammad said he isn't ready to commit one way or another, as Peter Yoon of ESPNLosAngeles notes, leaving open the possibility, however slim, that the DraftExpress.com No. 3 prospect for 2013 won't be available until next year. While we wait for more definitive word from Muhammad, here's more from around the Association:
- Power forward Josh Davis, who appeared in 15 games last season for the Grizzlies, has signed for the rest of the season with the Spanish club Assignia Manresa, Sportando's Emiliano Carchia reports. Davis had been playing in Venezuela, for Gaiqueries de Margarita.
- Dion Waiters' ability to take over at point guard lately for the injured Kyrie Irving means the Cavaliers don't have to go looking for a backup at the position, observes Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer.
- Whatever the Cavs do, don't expect them to bring back Daniel Gibson as a free agent this summer, as the veteran guard is no longer in the team's plans, according to Bob Finnan of The News-Herald.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel argues the Heat would have been better off signing a point guard instead of Juwan Howard, but coach Erik Spoelstra is comfortable relying upon his wing players to shift to the point should the need arise, as Winderman notes.
- Yesterday, Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune mentioned Flip Saunders' name in connection with the Wolves, and Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities notes the close relationship between Saunders and Wolves owner Glen Taylor (Twitter link).
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside has a primer on Henry Sims, who signed a 10-day contract with the Hornets today.
- Ronnie Brewer is glad to be with the Thunder, and the team appears pleased with its trade deadline acquisition, having placed a priority on bringing in defense, as HoopsWorld's Susan Bible documents.
Cavs Recall Kevin Jones From D-League
We'll keep track of today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with any additional moves added to the top:
- The Cavs have recalled Kevin Jones from the D-League after a one-day stint, the team announced on its website. Jones has bounced back and forth between the Cavs and the Canton Charge this week, as it's the fourth straight day the team has either assigned or recalled the power forward. Jones put up 17 points and 12 rebounds in 27 minutes for Canton last night, and is averaging 22.4 PPG and 12.1 RPG in nine games for the Charge this season. The Cavs, sole owners of the Charge, have taken advantage of the geographic proximity of their affiliate, sending Jones down on five occasions this season after signing him November 29th.
Cavs Notes: Waiters, Zeller, Varejao
A roundup of the latest updates on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday evening:
- Dion Waiters praises the development and chemistry of his teammates after being named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for February, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer.
- Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal writes that the rising value of first-round draft picks under the new CBA increases the likelihood the Cavs can pull off a trade similar to the one they made for Tyler Zeller.
- Injured big man Anderson Varejao discusses his relationship with former Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas with Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer.
Brigham On Brooks, Buyouts, Bynum
Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld has a new column that surveys several topics from around the NBA, including info on several buyout candidates. Here are the highlights:
- Brigham writes that Aaron Brooks was frustrated with his minutes with the Kings, leading to Sacramento's decision to buy him out. Brooks is expected to sign with the Rockets when he clears waivers.
- The only team that showed interest in Omri Casspi was the Rockets, meaning a buyout did not make sense for Casspi and the Cavaliers.
- Brigham disputes rumors that the Lakers were interested in Raja Bell, writing that although Bell has a relationship with Mike D'Antoni and Steve Nash, the front office was hesitant to add yet more salary to the team's payroll.
- Brigham writes that Andrew Bynum will command a max contract this summer, and it may be best for the Sixers to cut their losses rather than re-up with the oft-injured big man.
D-League Moves: Jones, West
Today's NBA D-League assignments and recalls all in one place:
- Veteran guard Delonte West, who remains unsigned by any NBA team, will report to the Texas Legends on Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports.
- The Cleveland Cavaliers have assigned rookie forward Kevin Jones to the Canton Charge of the D-League, the team announced in a press release. Jones has appeared in 19 games for the Cavs and is averaging 2.1 PPG and 1.7 RPG. He was recalled from the D-League on Friday.
Cavs Won’t Buy Out Omri Casspi Before Deadline
11:59pm: The Rockets' agreement to sign Brooks scuttled Casspi's willingness to accept a buyout from the Cavs, since it took away a likely destination, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
7:55pm: The Cavs won't buy out the remainder of Omri Casspi's contract before tonight's playoff-eligibility deadline, reports Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. The forward is unpleased with his scant playing time this season, a source tells Lloyd, and his representatives have been engaged in buyout talks with the team.
Bob Finnan of The News-Herald indicated this weekend that Casspi was no longer in the team's plans, and a report from the Israeli website Walla Sport indicated Casspi wanted to wait to have an offer lined up with another team before agreeing to a buyout, just like Raja Bell of the Jazz. That report from Casspi's native Israel pointed to the Grizzlies and Rockets as potential destinations, and ESPN's Marc Stein named the Rockets as a legitimate candidate to sign him if he were released, though Houston might be reluctant to do so now that they're set to sign Aaron Brooks.
Casspi is averaging a career-low 11.4 minutes per game this year, and his numbers have declined virtually across the board in each season since his rookie campaign in 2009/10. That year he put up 10.3 points in 25.1 minutes per game for the Kings, who made him the 23rd overall pick in the 2009 draft. Casspi's currently making $2.277MM in the final year of his rookie-scale contract, but it's no certainty that the Cavs will tender him the $3.3MM qualifying offer required for the team to match offers for him this summer. Without that qualifying offer, Casspi would become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
D-League Moves: Varnado, Scott, Jones, Baynes
We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- Jarvis Varnado has been sent to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat announced today in a press release. Varnado averaged a double-double in the D-League earlier this season, recording 14.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 3.9 BPG for Sioux Falls.
- The Hawks have assigned rookie Mike Scott to the D-League, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Consitution. Scott will join the Bakersfield Jam, who have a home-and-home set against the Los Angeles D-Fenders on Saturday and Sunday this weekend.
Earlier updates:
- The Cavaliers have recalled Kevin Jones from the D-League just a day after re-assigning him, the team announced in a press release. Jones led the Canton Charge with 24 points and nine rebounds in last night's game, helping the team defeat the Idaho Stampede, 115-109. The rookie forward will be available for the Cavs tonight against the Clippers.
- Aron Baynes also led his D-League team to victory last night during his one-game assignment. The Spurs announced today in a press release that Baynes had been recalled from the Austin Toros after recording 16 points and nine boards in the club's Thursday win.
- The Celtics have assigned Fab Melo to the Maine Red Claws, according to a team press release. With D.J. White and Shavlik Randolph expected to be ready to play tonight, the C's didn't need Melo on the bench in Boston.