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Western Notes: Lakers Assistants, Maynor, Watson

November 25th, 2012 at 10:36pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Comcast's Ric Bucher tweets that the Lakers are expected to keep their coaching staff intact, as many of the players have personal favorites among the current assistants. A few days ago, head coach Mike D'Antoni spoke favorably of the coaches that had carried over after Mike Brown's firing, telling ESPN LA: "They're good coaches. I know almost all of them anyway. They work extremely hard. We are in a lot. I just felt like, 'They're here, they're good, why change it?" The list includes former interim-head coach Bernie Bickerstaff, Steve Clifford, Chuck Person, and most notably Eddie Jordan, who had been originally hired by Brown to install the Princeton offense. Here's the rest of what we're hearing out of the Western Conference tonight:

Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK focuses on the struggles of Eric Maynor and wonders if it will open up an opportunity for the Thunder's Reggie Jackson at back-up point guard.
Jazz point guard Earl Watson told reporters that he's been feeling more comfortable and is getting his rhythm back after returning from a seven month recovery following knee surgery (Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune reports). Head coach Tyrone Corbin remains focused on limiting Watson's minutes accordingly.
In this video from CSNNW.com, Damian Lillard acknowledged that there are "multiple leaders" on the Trail Blazers when asked if he considered himself the leader of the team.
Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes about how the Spurs have been able to adapt to the league as their core players have gotten older.
Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times has taken notice of the Lakers' increased production from their second unit led by the emergence of Antawn Jamison.
While Kelvin Sampson and several Rockets players offered their condolences to Kevin McHale after the tragic passing of his daughter during today's practice, Jonathan Feigen of Ultimate Rockets also took note that McHale had been constantly in touch with the team over the last several weeks to check on them and offer his guidance.
Yannis Koutroupis of Hoopsworld discusses the promise that Donatas Motiejunas has been showing in the with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and writes that Rockets GM Daryl Morey has to make a decision on whether or not the rookie big man is ready to be a contributor in Houston.

Southwest Notes: McHale, Livingston, Mavs, Rivers

November 25th, 2012 at 1:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Rockets announced that coach Kevin McHale's daughter Sasha died Saturday afternoon, and Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports the 23-year-old had recently been hospitalized with a condition related to lupus, a disease she had long battled. Assistant coach Kelvin Sampson has been in charge of the team since McHale took a leave of absence on November 10th to tend to his daughter. The news is especially jarring, considering Sampson indicated a few days ago that the situation was improving. Hoops Rumors sends its sincere condolences to the McHale family. Here's more from the Southwest Division.

Anthony Davis could be out two more weeks while recovering from a stress reaction in his ankle, reports Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune.
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports hears Wizards point guard Shaun Livingston, who was in camp with the Rockets, often outplayed Jeremy Lin while in Houston, where several Rockets players and coaches tried to convince the front office not to let Livingston go.
Mavs coach Rick Carlisle has shuttled offseason acquisitions Elton Brand and Chris Kaman in and out of the starting lineup, but neither player is pouting as they've put their trust in the coach, observes Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
Paul Flannery of SB Nation examines the struggles of Hornets rookie Austin Rivers, and agrees with coach Monty Williams that it's too soon to judge this year's 10th overall pick.
Flannery also passes along Williams' praise of former Hornets power forward David West, who's playing improved ball for the Pacers, and points to the emergence of Marcus Morris for the Rockets this year as a sign the D-League's true value is in the seasoning and development it provides for NBA first-round picks.

Rockets Recall Donatas Motiejunas From D-League

November 25th, 2012 at 12:48pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Rockets recalled seven-footer Donatas Motiejunas from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers this morning, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The Lithuanian rookie was sent down earlier this month along with Scott Machado, who remains with the Vipers. It appeared at the time of their assignments that Royce White would be joining them as well, but that turned out not to be the case, as Rockets GM Daryl Morey later said the team never intended to demote the troubled White.

Motiejunas started games on back-to-back nights for the Vipers, who tipped off their season Friday. He averaged 24.0 points and 9.5 rebounds in 37.0 minutes per contest. He has also appeared in one game for the Rockets this season, logging five minutes. Motiejunas was the 20th overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Timberwolves, who immediately traded him to the Rockets. He spent last season playing for Asseco Prokom Gdynia in Poland.

The recall opens up a spot for the Rockets to send down White or another player, if they choose, since NBA teams can only send down two players at a time. Morey recently spoke about the development of Motiejunas and Machado, and how he wants to use the D-League to facilitate that. For a complete list of D-League comings and goings this season, check out our updated list.

Central Notes: Hill, Pargo, Cavs, Hinrich

November 24th, 2012 at 4:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Central Division has been the weakest in the NBA so far this year, as only the Bucks, at 6-4, have a winning record. That's encouraging news for the second-place Bulls, who are hoping to tread water until Derrick Rose returns from injury, and they can nab a high playoff seed by coming away with the division title. Chicago and Milwaukee square off tonight, and as we wait for that one, here's the day's news from the Central Division.

George Hill admits he's not a true point guard, but HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham argues that he's still played up to his five-year, $40MM contract with the Pacers so far.
Brigham also looks at the sudden emergence of Cavs offseason trade acquisition Jeremy Pargo, and lends his support to Royce White.
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio previews tonight's Cleveland-Miami matchup, and looks much farther ahead to the summer of 2014, when he thinks the Heat may begin to crumble just as the young Cavs start to deliver.
Bulls offseason signee Kirk Hinrich hasn't put up impressive numbers offensively, but Tom Thibodeau said he evaluates him instead based on how he runs the team's offense, and the coach has been pleased so far, as Scott Powers of ESPNChicago.com observes.
We wrapped up covering Central Division teams in our Offseason in Review series with a look at the Bucks today.

Daryl Morey Talks D-League, Rookies

November 24th, 2012 at 9:25am CST by Sean Highkin

Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey attended a Rio Grande Vipers game this week to scout the talent on his team's D-League squad, and talked to Yannis Kotroupis of HoopsWorld.com. Among the topics he discussed was the importance of the D-League to the Rockets' player-development system:

“We consider it one of our key assets,” Morey said to HOOPSWORLD. “We have a great partnership. I think overtime people are going to see minor league basketball like Triple A baseball. It’s not much different than Major League Baseball where most players are one step away from the pros. The first three or four guys on every D-League bench are really not different from guys 11-15 on NBA benches. The quality of basketball is super high, way higher than college basketball. Pretty much every D-League team would have a chance to challenge for a NCAA title. These are really great teams playing every night and I think over time people are going to see how high the quality is.”

Among the players on the Vipers who impressed Morey the most was Lithuanian big man Donatas Motiejunas:

“[Motiejuans] a very skilled offensive player so we’re hoping shows that and I think he really did show that in the first half here,” Morey said. “We’re focused on him a getting a lot of minutes so he can get his game shape up cause we want to see him impact in transition at our level and this level. We want to see him as he gets tired continue to impact the game defensively, rebounding wise and be solid on defense without fouling. And, it’s overtime. It’s not overnight. We want him to get stronger, deal with stronger guys in the NBA. There’s quite a few bigs down here like a Jeff Adrien on his own team, but on other teams where he can get a real good sense going against these bigger, stronger guys than he’s faced in the past.”

Morey was also happy with what he saw from undrafted rookie point guard Scott Machado, and touched on the team's plans for him:

“Scott is a guy we really believe in,” Morey said. “The highest assist guy I think in 20 years in college basketball. Really skilled passer. Obviously he has has, we look for a guy with an elite skill in one area and then see if they can round it out in other areas. I think his time with the Vipers were really going to see can he take that passing an elite skill and add to it defense, rebounding and getting his own offense, things like that. Overtime we’ll see that but we really think he’s a great prospect for us going forward.”

Morey also denied reports that the team had intended to send embattled rookie forward Royce White to the D-League, saying he's optimistic the two parties can sort out their issues.

Rockets Never Meant To Send White To D-League

November 23rd, 2012 at 9:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

Rockets GM Daryl Morey told Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld that the team never intended to send Royce White to the D-League, despite earlier indications to the contrary, and said he's optimistic about White's situation (Twitter link). The rookie has been away from the team for two weeks, and there's still no timetable for his return, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

When the report that the team would send White down surfaced, it came along with the news that the Rockets were also farming out Scott Machado and Donatas Motiejunas. That seemed to run counter to the CBA rule that an NBA team can only assign two players to the D-League at once. White went on his current leave of absence before the team could officially demote him, and now it appears such a move wasn't in the works, after all.

Feigen notes the team is expected to recall Motiejunas this weekend. That would allow the the Rockets to send White down, but it's unclear whether that would happen. White reportedly has misgivings about how playing in the D-League would jibe with his illness, and the fact that White addressed the specter of a D-League assignment suggests the team at least broached the subject with him.

Atlantic Notes: Bynum, Knicks, Lin, Celtics, Green

November 23rd, 2012 at 5:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Dwight Howard/Andrew Bynum trade, like many of the offseason's marquee moves, has yet to pay dividends for any of the teams involved, writes Michael Lee of The Washington Post. Lee thinks the Lakers and Nuggets will turn around their slow starts this season, but he's less optimistic about the Sixers, whom he believes must give Bynum a hefty contract this summer, no matter when he comes back from injury, to justify their involvement in the trade. We've already heard conflicting views on what kind of deal Bynum can expect this summer, and as we wait to find out, there's more news on Philly's Atlantic Division rivals.

Presumably it's GM Glen Grunwald, if not owner James Dolan, calling the shots on Knicks personnel, but coach Mike Woodson said the decision to let Jeremy Lin go this summer was straightforward, as Newsday's Al Iannazzonne observes. "That’s a business decision," Woodson said. "I don’t think it was difficult. We just decided to go in a different direction, based on the guys I thought I liked in terms of Raymond (Felton), Jason (Kidd) and Pablo (Prigioni)."
Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, who credits Dolan with making the call on Lin, says he's come around to the owner's side on this one after initially believing the Knicks should have kept Lin.
The Celtics signed Brian Cusworth toward the end of training camp and waived him shortly thereafter so their D-League affiliate could own their rights, reports Mark Deeks of ShamSports (Twitter link). We noted earlier today that the Timberwolves carried out the same sort of transactions with Demetris Nichols and Troy Hudson. Cusworth, a 7'0" center from Harvard, is on the roster of the Maine Red Claws for opening night tonight.
Jeff Green remains friends with Kevin Durant, but he has otherwise moved on from his Thunder days as he prepares to take on his old team tonight, he told reporters, including Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
Offseason signee Mirza Teletovic, on the inactive list tonight, isn't seeing much of the court for the Nets, as Josh Newman of SNY.tv chronicles.

Odds & Ends: Lin, D-League, Ilyasova, Batum

November 22nd, 2012 at 10:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up a few more Thanksgiving Day notes from around the Association….

With Jeremy Lin and the Rockets set to face the Knicks on Friday, most Knicks players don't have much to say about their former teammate, as Howard Beck of the New York Times writes. "I thought he made a great decision for himself, his family and his basketball career," Tyson Chandler said. "I thought the Knicks made the right decision. At the end of the day, it worked out for both parties."
Lin, for his part, believes he and Carmelo Anthony could've thrived playing alongside each other with the Knicks, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
When Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype asked a number of D-League executives and coaches which D-League players would next be called up by an NBA team, JaJuan Johnson's name topped the list.
Ersan Ilyasova is at a loss to explain his early-season slump after signing a long-term deal with the Bucks this summer, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Another player that signed a lucrative long-term contract in July, Nicolas Batum is living up to his new deal so far, and tells Joe Freeman of the Oregonian that he wants to keep that up. "It’s what people say about me and what people too scared to say it think about me: ‘Yeah, he’s been good, but it’s only been 11 games. We’re going to see the old Nicolas Batum soon,'" Batum said. "But I’m going to try to avoid that. I’m not the old Nicolas Batum."
Darko Rajakovic, who is currently coaching the D-League's Tulsa 66ers, could be just the first of many European coaches to arrive stateside, says Jenni Carlson of the Oklahoman.

Southwest Notes: Anderson, Lin, Mayo

November 22nd, 2012 at 11:01am CST by Sean Highkin

The Southwest Division boasts the two best teams in the Western Conference, the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs. Here are the latest rumblings from around the division:

Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News notes (via Twitter) that the newly signed James Anderson will cost the Spurs about half as much to sign for the minimum at as it would have to pick up the option they declined after last year.
McDonald also tweets that, barring a change of plans, the Spurs plan on keeping their roster at 14 players.
Richard Dean of Newsday.com talks to Jeremy Lin, who says he is happy playing for the Rockets after being let go by the Knicks this summer.
Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes that O.J. Mayo is proving to be a major bargain for the Mavericks.

Odds & Ends: Kirilenko, Draft, Mavs, Anderson

November 21st, 2012 at 11:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

It's one of the busiest nights of the year on the hardwood in the Association, with a slate of 14 games before the league takes a one-day hiatus for Thanksgiving. There's plenty of off-court news as well, and we've got that covered here.

Mike D'Antoni will keep all the existing Lakers assistant coaches through the season, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. It looks like D'Antoni won't hire Nate McMillan, as he indicated he would do, Shelburne adds.
Nuggets coach George Karl believes the Wolves' signing of Andrei Kirilenko was a smart move, as Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune notes.
Jeremy Bauman of SheridanHoops.com breaks down the top 10 draft prospects from this week's Legends Classic tournament.
Dirk Nowitzki hopes when he comes back that he and O.J. Mayo can develop the same rhythm he had with Jason Terry, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram details.
James Anderson, brought back by the Spurs today, wants to copy Danny Green's ability to take advantage of a second chance, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News documents.
Jim Owczarski of OnMilwaukee.com checks in with Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis as the pair tries to answer questions about their ability to play together for the Bucks.
Sean Williams, who was waived by the Rockets over the summer, lasted just one preseason game with the Foshan Long Lions of the Chinese league after signing this week, tweets Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall, who translated a Weibo report. The team picked up Shavlik Randolph, a Wizards training-camp invitee this year, to replace him.