Henson Regains Role As Starter
- Bucks big man John Henson recently regained his spot in the team’s starting lineup, but the player noted that coach Jason Kidd‘s decision to have him come off the bench didn’t affect his attitude, John Raoux of The Associated Press writes. “It’s a long season with too many opportunities to get stressed about it,” Henson said. “[Kidd] said all the roles are open and you’ve got to be ready for whatever comes at you. Hopefully, I can keep this going.”
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/26/16
Here are Saturday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
10:22pm:
- The Hornets have recalled Aaron Harrison from their D-League affiliate, the team announced on its website. A second-year guard, Harrison has appeared in two games for Charlotte this season.
- The Mavericks have sent rookie center A.J. Hammons to the Texas Legends, the team announced through email. Hammons has played seven games for the Mavericks, averaging 1.3 points and 1.1 rebounds in 3.4 minutes.
2:42pm:
- The Suns assigned Derrick Jones Jr. to Northern Arizona, their D-League affiliate, according to the team’s website. This is his second D-League assignment, as Jones has averaged 15.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in two games with the NAZ Suns. The undrafted 6’7” small forward made his NBA debut on November 19th, playing three minutes against the Sixers.
- The Bulls assigned big man Cristiano Felício, and guards Jerian Grant and R.J. Hunter to their D-League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, the D-League team tweets. After defeating the Sixers on Friday, the NBA Bulls have a gap in their schedule, as they don’t play again until Wednesday. The assignments will allow those three reserves to get playing time and stay sharp. All are expected to see action in Windy City’s game against Delaware on Saturday. Felicio has appeared in 11 games with Chicago, while Grant has played in 10 games — including two starts. Hunter has seen action in just two games.
- The Bucks assigned guard Rashad Vaughn to the Westchester Knicks under the flexible assignment rule, according to a team press release. Vaughn was previously assigned to Westchester from November 19-23, appearing in two games and averaging 11.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 15.9 minutes. Vaughn has appeared in nine games for the Bucks, averaging 6.0 points and 1.2 rebounds in 14.5 minutes.
Stein, Lowe Discuss Greg Monroe's Future
- Lowe confirms a couple trade rumors that have been reported in the past, noting that the Raptors and Sixers discussed a possible deal that would have sent Nerlens Noel to Toronto for Terrence Ross and at least one other piece. The Pelicans have also had “semi-serious talks” with the Bucks about Greg Monroe over the course of the last six to 12 months. Nothing is imminent on either front though, and Lowe isn’t sure exactly what New Orleans would give up for Monroe.
- Stein and Lowe both agree that Monroe’s trade value is very low, with Stein observing that there’s more supply than demand for big men on the trade market right now. Lowe also wonders how Monroe will handle his 2017/18 player option (worth nearly $18MM) if the Bucks keep him and continue to bury him in the rotation, crushing his value — he could exercise it out of spite, or opt out if he badly wants to find a better situation.
[SOURCE LINK]
Mavericks Notes: Felton, Nowitzki, Matthews, Harris
Clippers point guard Raymond Felton returned to Dallas tonight, and the shorthanded Mavericks may be wishing they had kept him, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. The team is playing without Deron Williams, J.J. Barea and Devin Harris, who have all been sidelined by injuries. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle called it a “franchise decision” to let Felton go, but he clearly misses having the veteran guard. “Felton played great for us, and I wish we would have brought him back,” Carlisle said. “He was a big difference-maker for us last year and probably one of the big reasons we got to the playoffs. You look at the whole year and everything that happened start to finish, Ray was filling in and starting. And we were winning a lot of those games because of what he was giving us. He’s a winner and was an ultimate pro here for two years. And the Clippers are very lucky to have him.” Felton, who got a one-year, minimum-salary deal from L.A., said the Mavericks were always his first choice. “I made it clear where I wanted to be,” he said. “Sometimes, things just don’t work out.”
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.
Bucks’ D-League Decision Delayed
Less than a week ago, Bucks president Peter Feigin told Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times that he expected the franchise to make a decision on a location for a future D-League affiliate “before Thanksgiving.” However, Feigin is less optimistic about that happening now, as Woelfel writes in a new piece for the Journal Times.
Although Feigin didn’t provide an explanation for the delay in the process or a new timeline for a potential announcement, Woelfel suggests that all three cities in contention to become the home of the Bucks’ future D-League affiliate – Racine, Oshkosh, and Sheboygan – are facing roadblocks.
According to Woelfel, Racine wants to move forward with a $46MM arena and hotel project, but funding remains up in the air. Racine County likely won’t contribute much – if any – money to the project, meaning it will rely on private investors. Mayor John Dickert said on Tuesday that he hopes to announce a financing plan for the proposed arena within the “next couple of weeks.”
Oshkosh officials would also like to build a new arena in their city which could house a D-League squad. However, an agreement with the land-owner for the proposed location has not yet been reached, and there may be environmental problems with the site, writes Woelfel.
As for Sheboygan, local leaders and officials want to renovate and expand the Sheboygan Armory, a venue built back in 1942. The city’s push to land Milwaukee’s D-League affiliate is being led by former NBA player and assistant coach Joe Wolf, but it’s not clear whether the Bucks view the antiquated arena as a viable option.
As Woelfel points out, it would likely take at least a year for any of the three cities to build or upgrade an arena, so the odds of the Bucks adding a D-League franchise for the 2017/18 season are growing increasingly slim. The club may have its eye on the 2018/19 or ’19/20 campaign instead. Currently, Milwaukee is one of eight NBA teams without an active D-League squad — another of those eight teams, Atlanta, has a deal in place to get an affiliate for the ’19/20 season.
No Room For Monroe?
- Greg Monroe hasn’t lived up to expectations since joining the Bucks during the summer of 2015 and his role could be further marginalized going forward, Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. The team has used more small-ball lineups lately, leaving Monroe on the court for only about 10 minutes over the last three games.
Beasley Still Feels Young
- Bucks forward Michael Beasley still considers himself a young player because of the time he spent out of the NBA, relays Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Now 27, Beasley is getting used to a new team after being traded from Houston to Milwaukee in September. “My first step is really what I’ve built my game on, if you’ve watched my career,” he said. “That’s how I get my offense going, because a lot of people can’t stay in front of me. And a lot of people have trouble guarding left-handed players.”
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/19/16
Listed below are Saturday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA. This post will be updated throughout the day if and when other teams announce moves.
6:47pm:
- The Suns have recalled Derrick Jones Jr. from the Northern Arizona Suns, the team’s D-League affiliate, according to their Twitter feed.
- The Clippers have assigned Diamond Stone to the D-League and he will play for the Santa Cruz Warriors, Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Bucks have assigned Rashad Vaughn to the D-League and he will play for the Westchester Knicks, Chris Reichert of The Step Back reports (Twitter link).
1:11pm
- The Spurs have assigned Dejounte Murray and Bryn Forbes to the D-League, according to the team. While the headline of San Antonio’s press release indicates Murray has been recalled from the Austin Spurs, the rookie had already been with the NBA club, and the release itself says he and Forbes are being sent to Austin, where they’ll be available for tonight’s game against the Erie Bayhawks. It’s already the fifth assignment of the season for Murray, and the third for Forbes.
Jabari Parker Living Up To Potential
- Keith P. Smith of RealGM chronicles Jabari Parker‘s first couple seasons in the league and details what the forward has done to reach his potential this season. The Bucks have relied heavily on Parker so far this season, as his 26.5% usage rate indicates.