Pacers Remain Confident They Can Keep Paul George
- Within a look at potential trade candidates for 15 NBA teams, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders drops a handful of notable nuggets. Among them: Kyler notes that sources close to the situation in Indiana say that the Pacers are optimistic that the league’s new designated veteran extension will give them a good chance to keep Paul George. Of course, to qualify for that extension in 2017/18, George will first have to make an All-NBA team in 2016/17.
Al Jefferson A Good Fit With Pacers So Far
- Al Jefferson, who signed a three-year deal with the Pacers in July, viewed Indiana as an ideal fit and has been proven right so far, according to Jordan J. Wilson of The Indianapolis Star.
George 'Living In The Past'
- Pacers star Paul George calls this “one of the most frustrating seasons” that he has been through in a video posted on the team’s website. The Pacers were expected to be contenders after adding Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young and Al Jefferson during the offseason, but have stumbled to a 15-18 start and are 10th in the Eastern Conference. “Maybe I’m just living in the past of how good we used to be, the personnel, the guys I had around,” George said. “I’m still living in that moment, maybe. I gotta put myself into a different team and maybe I have to do more, maybe that’s just what it is, maybe I have to do more now. But whatever is, I’m going to figure it out.”
And-Ones: Thunder, CBA, Lee, Smith-Rivera
Although the Thunder have put together a reasonably strong supporting cast around Russell Westbrook, there’s no simple way for the team to add a second star to complement the standout point guard, writes Chris Mannix of The Vertical. According to Mannix, Oklahoma City has received zero indications that Blake Griffin is interested in coming home in free agency next summer, and the team would be hard-pressed to create the cap room for another max player anyway.
Still, with players like Victor Oladipo, Steven Adams, and Domantas Sabonis locked up on long-term deals, it makes plenty of sense for Westbrook to stick with the Thunder, particularly if the team takes advantage of the designated veteran extension to offer him a five-year pact next summer, Mannix writes.
Here’s more from around the NBA:
- In an informative piece for The Vertical, former NBA front office executive Bobby Marks takes an in-depth look at how the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement will affect salary and cap situations for teams around the league next summer.
- Damion Lee, who was one of the Celtics‘ training camp invitees and D-League affiliate players this fall, has torn his ACL and will miss the rest of the season, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. After going undrafted out of Louisville this year, Lee had been averaging 17.8 PPG and 6.3 RPG in 16 games with the Maine Red Claws.
- Speaking of training camp invitees, D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, who was in camp with the Bulls this fall, has a new home. As Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com details, Smith-Rivera was acquired from the D-League player pool by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers‘ NBADL affiliate.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/21/16
Here are Wednesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
10:51pm:
- The Thunder have recalled forward Josh Huestis from OKC Blue, the team announced in an email. Huestis is averaging 12.1 points and 6.1 rebounds in 10 D-League games this season.
- The Hawks have assigned DeAndre’ Bembry to the Salt Lake City Stars, according to a tweet from the team. Atlanta doesn’t have a direct D-League affiliate.
1:26pm:
- A day after sending them down, the Knicks have recalled Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee from the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Ndour scored 22 points for the Westchester Knicks in Tuesday night’s loss, while Plumlee chipped in with nine points and 10 rebounds.
- Rakeem Christmas has been recalled from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers announced today in a press release. In five games for Indiana’s D-League affiliate this season, Christmas has averaged 13.0 PPG to go along with 6.8 RPG and 1.6 BPG.
Robinson Making Most Of Starting Role
- Pacers guard Monta Ellis might be out another week, which will give Glenn Robinson III more time to prove he should be a starter, according to Jordan J. Wilson of The Indianapolis Star. Robinson has impressed his coaches while filling in for Ellis, who is suffering from a right groin sprain. “I think when another role guy goes down, this opportunity that I’m given, I’m really trying to keep it,” Robinson said. “That’s my job [to] come in competitive and to come in wanting to keep that spot. Like I said from the beginning of the season, I’ve been on the bench way too long [and I’m] trying to get back [in the starting lineup].”
Latest On Rudy Gay
The Thunder, Pacers, and Rockets are among the teams that have expressed interest in trading for Rudy Gay, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who weighed in on Gay during a podcast with Bobby Marks.
Within a discussion on trade candidates and possibilities, Wojnarowski suggested that the Kings are “going to have to move” Gay before the 2017 deadline, comparing the situation to Ryan Anderson‘s in New Orleans a year ago. Anderson made it clear that he wouldn’t be re-signing with the Pelicans, but the team kept him anyway, and ultimately lost him for nothing — Sacramento can’t afford to do the same thing with Gay, in Wojnarowski’s view.
According to Wojnarowski, the Thunder had fairly serious talks with the Kings about Gay earlier in the year, and “maybe got pretty close to something” involving Cameron Payne. However, Payne suffered a major foot injury in early October, derailing – or at least postponing – those talks. The Pacers have also shown interest in Gay, while Wojnarowski classifies the Rockets’ interest as “periphery,” which makes it sound as if they’re monitoring the situation but perhaps haven’t actively pursued the veteran forward.
The odds of a Gay deal happening before the deadline seem good, and as of Thursday, more than 120 players around the NBA will become trade-eligible, leading to more discussions. Still, nothing is imminent at this point, and the veteran forward will have to get healthy first. He’s listed as out for tonight’s game due to a right hip flexor strain.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/14/16
Here are Wednesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
- The Suns have sent Tyler Ulis and Alan Williams to the Northern Arizona Suns, the team announced today in a press release. It will be the first D-League assignment of the season for both players, who are likely to be recalled to the NBA following tonight’s game against Santa Cruz.
- Rookie swingman Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot is back from the D-League, with the Sixers announcing his recall today in a press release. Luwawu-Cabarrot was assigned for Tuesday night’s game, and helped the Delaware 87ers get a win, posting 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
- The Rockets have recalled rookie forward Kyle Wiltjer from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, according to the team (Twitter link). Wiltjer has been the second-leading scorer for the Vipers so far this season, averaging 19.7 PPG in 10 games.
- Rakeem Christmas is headed back to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers announced today in a press release. Indiana’s D-League affiliate doesn’t play until Friday, so it’s not clear if Christmas will stick with the team for that game, or if he’s just being sent down for practice.
Pacers Rebuffing Inquiries On Paul George
As we approach NBA trade season, teams around the league are keeping an eye out for star players who could hit the market before this year’s deadline. That search has led multiple teams to check in with the Pacers about the potential availability of Paul George, but the Pacers are strongly rebuffing those clubs, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
“I know teams have been calling Indiana, and they’re going to ask about Paul George, and the answer is absolutely, positively no,” Wojnarowski said in a conversation with Bobby Marks on The Vertical’s podcast. “He is not available. There is no conversation to be had. Don’t even make offers to us, we are not moving Paul George.”
According to Wojnarowski, the Pacers’ current plan is to build their roster around George and second-year big man Myles Turner. The goal is to find complementary players who will fit in with those two core pieces and who will make George want to stay in Indiana when he becomes eligible for free agency in the summer of 2018. Woj’s report is similar to one from ESPN’s Zach Lowe last month — Lowe suggested Larry Bird would likely “take it to the end” with George, avoiding a trade at all costs.
George is eligible for a contract extension, and Indiana has expressed interest in locking him up to a max deal, but there’s little incentive for him to get something done this early, as I noted when I explored his extension candidacy. George’s contract runs through 2018/19, though that final year is a player option.
While George and Turner aren’t going anywhere, the Pacers are “open for business” on virtually anyone else on their roster, says Wojnarowski. Indiana was expected to vie for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference this season, but has been up and down so far, and currently sit just a game above .500 (13-12). Of course, with several other Eastern teams struggling, that record puts the Pacers just a game out of a tie for the No. 3 seed, so it still makes sense for the team to explore win-now moves.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Robinson Shines With Ellis Injured
- It might be time for the Pacers to look for a taker for Monta Ellis, writes Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star. The team was sharp Monday night in a lopsided win over the Hornets as Ellis was sidelined with an injury. Ellis is having his worst season since he was a rookie, but the Pacers have been reluctant to pull him from the starting lineup after signing him to a four-year, $48MM deal in 2015. But Ellis, Paul George, Jeff Teague and Myles Turner all need to control the ball to be effective, and coach Nate McMillan said Monday, “There’s only one ball.”
- Glenn Robinson III made a strong case to replace Ellis in the starting lineup, according to Mark Montieth of Pacers.com. Robinson scored just three points Monday, but had six rebounds, three blocks and no turnovers. He said his goal is to earn a regular spot as a starter. “It’s sad to see Monta out, you never want to see anyone injured, but I want to take advantage of this opportunity again,” Robinson said. “I definitely want to be a starter in this league and I think I can help this team out, bringing energy and being ready to play every tonight. Energy is the biggest thing we need in the starting lineup.”