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D-League Moves: Pacers, Warriors, Cavaliers

December 28th, 2012 at 9:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Friday's D-League assignments and recalls:

Miles Plumlee is headed to the D-League, while fellow rookie Orlando Johnson has been recalled to the Pacers, the team announced. It's the third assignment to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants for Plumlee this year, who's averaged 14.4 points and 10.4 rebounds in five D-League contests so far. Johnson led the Mad Ants to victory tonight with a game-high 24 points.
The Warriors have recalled Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Tyler to the D-League after being assigned to the Santa Cruz Warriors yesterday, the team announced today in a press release. The duo combined for 49 points in Santa Cruz's 113-101 win last night.
The Cavaliers have assigned Samardo Samuels to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. Samuels will join the Canton Charge in time for tonight's game against the Tulsa 66ers. Samuels, 23, has seen his playing time in Cleveland reduced this season, as he's averaging career-lows in MPG (10.9), PPG (3.2), and PER (6.4), among other categories.

Jermaine O’Neal Wants To Retire With Pacers

December 28th, 2012 at 8:43pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jermaine O'Neal's heyday with the Pacers is far behind him, but the 34-year-old center still carries fond memories of his time in Indiana, and he'd like to end his playing career in a Pacers uniform, reports Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. O'Neal is on a one-year deal with the Suns for the minimum salary.

"I would be honored if the organization would allow me to (retire with them), the city allowed me to do that," said O'Neal, who played with Indiana from 2000 until 2008. "I can go anywhere in the world and people recognize me from my Pacers days. My heart and soul is here, and if I can get an opportunity to retire as a Pacer that would be fantastic."

A Pacers return doesn't seem likely any time soon, since Indiana already has a pair of centers on long-term contracts in Roy Hibbert and Ian Mahinmi. O'Neal, a 17-year veteran, has never won a title, but said he isn't interested in chasing a championship, and just wants to "go somewhere and have fun." O'Neal feels like he's accomplished that so far with the Suns this season.

"The spirit here is great, (though) we’re not where we want to be with the record," he said. "It’s a great atmosphere and makes you feel young all over again."

O'Neal didn't say when he wanted to retire, so he might be interested in returning to Phoenix next season before pursuing a return to the Pacers, as long as the rebuilding Suns would want him back. He's played well in his limited playing time for Phoenix, posting an 18.5 PER and 7.1 points per game in 16.8 minutes per contest. Still, the Suns might want to go with a younger option next year, and O'Neal will be hard-pressed to get more than the minimum wherever he winds up.

D-League Moves: Thursday

December 27th, 2012 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

We'll keep track of today's D-League assignments and recalls right here:

The Pacers have re-assigned Orlando Johnson to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, according to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter). Johnson had a brief stint in the D-League last month before he was recalled to Indiana on November 26th.
The Warriors have re-assigned Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Tyler to the D-League just three days after recalling them, the team announced today in a press release. Both players appeared briefly in Golden State's game last night against the Jazz.
Quincy Miller is heading back to the Iowa Energy for his second D-League stint of the season, the Nuggets announced today in a press release. Miller, who was originally assigned to the D-League on November 13th, has been back with the Nuggets since December 2nd. He's only appeared briefly in three games with Denver, however.
Three Thunder players are becoming increasingly familiar with the route between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Perry Jones III, DeAndre Liggins, and Daniel Orton have been re-assigned to the Tulsa 66ers, the Thunder's D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. It's the fourth D-League assignment of the season for Orton, and the third for both Jones and Liggins. Starting this season, there are no restrictions on the number of times that NBA teams are allowed to assign players to the D-League, so the Thunder have been taking full advantage of the geographical proximity of their Tulsa affiliate.

Central Notes: Henson, Robinson, Pistons, George

December 21st, 2012 at 9:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

With the Bucks hanging on for an overtime win against the Celtics, it was a successful night for the Central Division. The only team to endure a loss this evening was the Cavs, and that came at the hands of the division rival Pacers. Here's the scoop from off the court in the Central.

Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel checks in with Bucks rookie John Henson, whose lack of consistent playing time belies the team's enthusiasm about the chance to draft him with the 14th overall pick. "I think everybody was surprised he was there," assistant coach Jim Boylan said. "Everybody had him in the top 10 somewhere. But in the draft that happens all the time."
Nate Robinson's minimum-salary contract is only partially guaranteed for $400K so that it's easier for the Bulls to include him in trades, a source tells K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. It becomes fully guaranteed on or before New Year's Day. The Bulls aren't likely to trade him by then, and the team probably won't cut him either, according to Johnson.
MLive's David Mayo answers reader questions about the Pistons, and delves into why the team hasn't sent rookie Slava Kravtsov to the D-League, despite Kravtsov failing to have played a minute this season until tonight's blowout win over the Wizards. Mayo theorizes that having to share their affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, with the Pacers and two other clubs might keep Kravtsov from getting enough minutes. Mayo also says the Pistons, like most teams, prefer having their players practice with the big club rather than rack up minutes in the D-League.
Ben Golliver of SI.com breaks down Paul George's hot streak, concluding that George, due for an extension on his rookie deal this summer, could become a pricey commodity.

Central Notes: Varejao, Gilbert, West

December 18th, 2012 at 6:07pm CST by Alex Lee

With the Cavaliers about to tip off and the Bulls, Bucks and Pacers slated to play later tonight, the Pistons are the only Central division team not playing tonight. Let's keep all the links from the Central division within this post tonight:

Jim Cavan of The New York Times explains
some of the reasons why Cavs center and trade candidate Anderson Varejao has shown marked
improvement this year.
Todd Jones, for SI.com, writes a long feature on Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who is still trying to dig his team out of the hole that LeBron James' departure left. Gilbert has no regrets about the letter he wrote after James' decision, despite LeBron proving him wrong in his second year in Miami.
David West, who'll
be an unrestricted free agent at season's end, is the "backbone" of
the Pacers, asserts Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star, who looks
at how West has continually disproved the doubters (link via USA Today).

Bucher On Granger, CP3, Raptors, Cavs, McGuire

December 18th, 2012 at 4:16pm CST by Chuck Myron

Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game is covering the Warriors these days, but the former ESPN reporter still comes across plenty of leaguewide news, as he did with his story today on the Magic, who are in no hurry to trade J.J. Redick, as Bucher reports. He shared a few more tidbits in a chat for CSNBayArea.com, and we'll round up the highlights:

The Pacers "desperately" want Paul George to emerge as their No. 1 option so they can trade Danny Granger, who's out for the first half of the season. The problem is George hasn't exactly distinguished himself as such this year. Many of his numbers are up, but that's partly because of his increased responsibilties with Granger out. George's field goal percentage is down, as are his win shares per 48 minutes, while his PER is up only slightly, to 16.7 from 16.5 last season. Granger is due about $13MM this year and $14MM for the final year of his deal in 2013/14.
Executives on teams other than the Clippers have told Bucher that Chris Paul isn't as satisfied in L.A., or playing with Blake Griffin, as he seems, though Bucher isn't sure whether the executives might be spinning that information in the hopes Paul will turn his attention elsewhere in free agency next summer.
The Raptors and Cavs are eager to make a trade, according to Bucher, who adds that he thinks at least one deal will get done either this month or next. Aside from that, most teams are playing it cool with still more than two months to go before the trade deadline.
Dominic McGuire signed with the Hornets this weekend, but Bucher says he really wanted to go back to the Warriors, for whom he played last season. Golden State, off to a 16-8 start, is content with its roster, which is at the 15-player limit.

Odds & Ends: Kings, Evans, Augustin, Draft

December 17th, 2012 at 9:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Two of the league's premier franchises received good news this afternoon. Knicks coach Mike Woodson announced that Amare Stoudemire was cleared for practice and will practice with the club's D-League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks. Meanwhile, sources told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports that Lakers guard Steve Nash is eyeing a return to the Lakers' lineup Saturday against the Warriors if practice goes well this week. The Lakers have considered trading Pau Gasol, but reports have indicated that they are waiting to see what the club looks like with Nash in the fold before making a drastic change. Here's more from around the Association..

The Kings are still saying that they plan on holding on to Tyreke Evans, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). Evans and General Manager Geoff Petrie recently had a productive meeting, but a source close to the guard told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports that the club will move him if they don't think they can afford to re-sign him. Evans will be a restricted free agent this summer.
More from Kyler (via Twitter), who was asked if Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard might look to trade guard D.J. Augustin. It seems like a possibility, but Kyler writes that his weak play as of late may mean that no one wants him. Meanwhile, the one-guard's name is coming up frequently as a trade candidate.
Jay Bilas and Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) run down the top players in the 2013 NBA Draft. Neither analyst sees a franchise-changing superstar in the class but both agree that Kentucky's Nerlens Noel is the top talent in the draft, not Maryland's Alex Len.

D-League Moves: Selby, Wroten, Plumlee, Joseph

December 17th, 2012 at 12:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

We'll keep track of all the day's D-League comings and goings with this post. Catch up on all the season's D-League movement with our roundup here.

The Grizzlies have assigned Josh Selby to the Reno Big Horns and recalled Tony Wroten from the team, Memphis announced in a press release. Selby has seen only 15 minutes of action in five games with the Grizzlies, while Wroten, a rookie, has logged even more scant playing time — eight total minutes in three games.
Miles Plumlee is back in the NBA after the Pacers recalled him from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team announced via Twitter. The 6'10" Plumlee, the 26th pick in the draft this year, has appeared in just four games for a total of 16 minutes, and has been passed over in the team's big man mix in favor of Jeff Pendergraph, among others.
The Spurs have assigned Cory Joseph to the Austin Toros for the third time this season, the team announced. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News noted via Twitter a few minutes prior to the announcement that the team planned to send the second-year guard down so he can get some playing time. He's logged 65 total minutes over nine games for the Thunder this season, averaging 2.1 points and 1.4 assists per game.
The Thunder have brought back Jeremy Lamb and Daniel Orton from their D-League assignments, the team announced via Twitter (hat tip to John Rohde of The Oklahoman). They were sent down on Friday, and both appeared in back-to-back games for the Tulsa 66ers this weekend. Lamb notched 24 and 26 points, respectively, in the two outings while Orton averaged 12.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in the pair of D-League contests. Oklahoma City has made liberal use of relaxed D-League assignment rules this season, as this represents the third time both Lamb and Orton have been sent down and recalled this year.

Aldridge On Raptors, Varejao, LeBron, Thunder

December 17th, 2012 at 12:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

TNT's David Aldridge checks in as usual on a Monday with his Morning Tip column at NBA.com, and this week's edition is full of trade rumors as talk heats up around the league. Here's a digest of Aldridge's latest scuttlebutt, with a heavy focus on the Raptors.

While Andrea Bargnani's elbow injury will keep him out for a month, delaying trade talk, one rival GM is convinced he'll eventually be leaving the Raptors, feeling as though there's no doubt GM Bryan Colangelo will trade him.
The Raptors are leery of adding another international player, according to Aldridge, which would make them reluctant to trade for Pau Gasol.
Aldridge speculates the Raptors won't deal Jose Calderon to the Lakers, and instead ship him somewhere for a draft pick to create a massive trade exception. Aldridge writes that such a trade exception would be $15.6MM, but I believe it would be closer to $10.6MM, reflecting Calderon's salary.
A league executive speculates that the Cavs will hold on to Varejao through the summer of 2014, when LeBron James can become a free agent, so they can make a pitch to their erstwhile superstar. In any case, the Cavs have set Varejao's asking price too high for other teams' tastes, as they often do with their many of their players, according to Aldridge.
Though the Thunder are reportedly content to stand pat for now, Aldridge believes they could try to move the Raptors pick they got from the Rockets in the James Harden trade, speculating that one of their targets could be Varejao.
Aldridge spoke with a GM who joins the seeming consensus that the Jazz are more likely to deal Paul Millsap than Al Jefferson. The GM believes Jefferson is a better fit with Derrick Favors.
The Bucks want an upgrade at small forward, and Aldridge thinks the team is more likely to move "one of its undersized four or oversized threes" than trade Brandon Jennings or Monta Ellis.
The Wizards are open to trading one of their big men for veteran help at the point, where they're woefully thin in John Wall's absence.
The Pacers are willing to tinker, but aren't putting Paul George or George Hill on the table.
No one aside from Jrue Holiday is off-limits as the Sixers seek a big man, though it would take a lot to pry Thaddeus Young or Evan Turner from their hands.

Odds & Ends: Wizards, Ebanks, Nets, Celtics

December 14th, 2012 at 11:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis used his personal blog to address a report this week by Michael Lee of The Washington Post that the Wizards turned down a trade for James Harden. Leonsis denies that finances were a factor in the team's decision, and points out the trade wouldn't have put the team over the luxury tax. However, Lee didn't write that the trade would make Washington a taxpayer, surmising instead that the team would eventually have to pay the tax if it wanted to keep Harden, John Wall and the rest of its post-trade core together. Here's who else is making news on an 11-game night in the NBA.

Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times thinks Devin Ebanks might not be with the Lakers much longer, though he points out that he's one of a handful of players who can veto trades this season (Sulia link).
More than half of the players on the Nets roster become eligible to be traded tomorrow, but Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News tweets that the team isn't planning any moves.
Sports Illustrated's Ian Thomsen isn't high on the Celtics, but he doesn't foresee the team making changes in an effort to win a title this season, he tells CSNNE's Sports Tonight (link via CSNNE.com).
This year's class of college sophomore draft prospects is especially deep, writes Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider only). Centers Cody Zeller and Alex Len, two potential No. 1 overall picks, sit atop Ford's ranking of the top 10 sophomores.
Eddie Johnson of HoopsHype points to the shortcomings of Eric Maynor this season and speculates that the Thunder may look to add another point guard to back up Russell Westbrook.
Pacers rookie guard Orlando Johnson would have been sent down this weekend for his second D-League assignment if not for Lance Stephenson's right ankle injury, notes Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.
After passing along a pair of reports that linked Carlos Arroyo to teams in Italy and Turkey, Sportando's Emiliano Carchia believes the nine-year NBA vet is down to a single option overseas. Arroyo last played in the Association in 2010/11, splitting the season between the Heat and Celtics.