2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Raptors
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.
This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.
We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue with the Toronto Raptors, whose D-League affiliate is the Raptors 905:
The Raptors made a whopping 47 assignments for the 2015/16 season, sending five players to the D-League for a total of 155 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Toronto for the 2015/16 campaign:
- November 13th: Assigned Lucas Nogueira (1st) — Recalled November 21st
- November 13th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (1st) — Recalled November 29th
- November 24th: Assigned Delon Wright (1st) — Recalled November 27th
- November 27th: Assigned Delon Wright (2nd) — Recalled November 29th
- December 4th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (2nd) — Recalled December 5th
- December 4th: Assigned Delon Wright (3rd) — Recalled December 5th
- December 7th Assigned Bruno Caboclo (3rd) — Recalled December 7th
- December 7th Assigned Delon Wright (4th) — Recalled December 5th
- December 12th: Assigned Delon Wright (5th) — Recalled December 20th
- December 12th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (4th) — Recalled December 20th
- December 19th: Assigned Norman Powell (1st) — Recalled December 20th
- December 20th: Assigned Anthony Bennett (1st) — Recalled December 20th
- December 21st: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (5th) — Recalled December 23rd
- December 21st: Assigned Norman Powell (2nd) — Recalled December 23rd
- December 29th: Assigned Norman Powell (3rd) — Recalled January 1st
- December 30th: Assigned Anthony Bennett (2nd) — Recalled January 1st
- December 30th: Assigned Delon Wright (5th) — Recalled January 1st
- January 16th: Assigned Anthony Bennett (3rd) — Recalled January 19th
- January 16th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (6th) — Recalled January 19th
- January 16th: Assigned Delon Wright (6th) — Recalled January 19th
- January 22nd: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (7th) — Recalled January 26th
- January 22nd: Assigned Norman Powell (4th) — Recalled January 26th
- January 22nd: Assigned Lucas Nogueira (2nd) — Recalled January 26th
- January 26th: Assigned Delon Wright (7th) — Recalled January 27th
- January 26th: Assigned Norman Powell (5th) — Recalled January 27th
- January 26th: Assigned Lucas Nogueira (3rd) — Recalled January 27th
- January 27th: Assigned Anthony Bennett (4th) — Recalled January 30th
- January 27th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (8th) — Recalled January 30th
- February 2nd: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (9th) — Recalled February 7th
- February 21st: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (10th) — Recalled February 28th
- February 29th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (11th) — Recalled March 2nd
- March 3rd: Assigned Norman Powell (6th) — Recalled March 4th
- March 3rd: Assigned Lucas Nogueira (4th) — Recalled March 4th
- March 3rd: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (12th) — Recalled March 4th
- March 5th: Assigned Delon Wright (8th) — Recalled March 6th
- March 5th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (13th) — Recalled March 6th
- March 5th: Assigned Lucas Nogueira (5th) — Recalled March 6th
- March 10th: Assigned Delon Wright (9th) — Recalled March 10th
- March 10th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (14th) — Recalled March 10th
- March 10th: Assigned Lucas Nogueira (6th) — Recalled March 10th
- March 11th: Assigned Delon Wright (10th) — Recalled March 12th
- March 11th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (15th) — Recalled March 13th
- March 11th: Assigned Lucas Nogueira (7th) — Recalled March 12th
- March 14th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (16th) — Recalled March 14th
- March 14th: Assigned Delon Wright (11th) — Recalled March 14th
- March 14th: Assigned Lucas Nogueira (8th) — Recalled March 14th
- March 18th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (17th) — Recalled March 20th
Here’s how Toronto’s players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:
- Anthony Bennett: In six appearances Bennett averaged 9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 17.9 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .339/.250/.786.
- Bruno Caboclo: In 37 appearances Caboclo averaged 14.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 34.3 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers were .403/.335/.727.
- Lucas Nogueira: In 11 appearances Nogueira averaged 9.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 25.2 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .570/.250/.762.
- Norman Powell: In eight games Powell averaged 24.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 39.6 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers were .500/.333/.796.
- Delon Wright: In 15 appearances Wright averaged 17.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 35.7 minutes per night. His slash line was .536/.360/.806.
2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Spurs
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.
This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.
We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue with the San Antonio Spurs, whose D-League affiliate is the Austin Spurs:
The Spurs made 12 assignments for the 2015/16 season, sending three players to the D-League for a total of 32 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by San Antonio for the 2015/16 campaign:
- November 7th: Assigned Jonathon Simmons (1st) — Recalled November 14th
- November 16th: Assigned Jonathon Simmons (2nd) — Recalled November 18th
- December 4th: Assigned Boban Marjanovic (1st) — Recalled December 6th
- December 4th Assigned Ray McCallum (1st) — Recalled December December 5th
- December 16th: Assigned Ray McCallum (2nd) — Recalled December 21st
- December 27th: Assigned Ray McCallum (3rd) — Recalled December 28th
- December 29th: Assigned Ray McCallum (4th) — Recalled December 30th
- January 2nd: Assigned Ray McCallum (5th) — Recalled January 4th
- January 30th: Assigned Ray McCallum (6th) — Recalled February 1st
- March 17th: Assigned Jonathon Simmons (3rd) — Recalled March 19th
- March 20th: Assigned Boban Marjanovic (2nd) — Recalled March 22nd
- March 20th: Assigned Jonathon Simmons (4th) — Recalled March 22nd
Here’s how San Antonio’s players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:
- Boban Marjanovic: In three appearances the big man averaged 23.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocs in 26.4 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .805/.000/.625.
- Ray McCallum: In nine appearances McCallum averaged 17.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 38.6 minutes per outing. His shooting numbers were .431/.375/.750.
- Jonathon Simmons: Simmons made four appearances and averaged 16.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 34.6 minutes per night. His slash line was .431/.231/.773.
2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Kings
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.
This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.
We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue with the Sacramento Kings, whose D-League affiliate is the Reno Bighorns:
The Kings made 8 assignments for the 2015/16 season, sending two players to the D-League for a total of 98 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Sacramento for the 2015/16 campaign:
- November 13th: Assigned Duje Dukan (1st) — Recalled November 23rd
- November 30th: Assigned Duje Dukan (2nd) — Recalled December 7th
- December 9th: Assigned Duje Dukan (3rd) — Recalled December 10th
- December 17th: Assigned Duje Dukan (4th) — Recalled December 27th
- February 4th: Assigned Duje Dukan (5th) — Recalled February 24th
- February 25th: Assigned Duje Dukan (6th) — Recalled April 1st
- March 19th: Assigned Eric Moreland (1st) — Recalled April 1st
- April 7th: Assigned Duje Dukan (7th) — Recalled April 8th
Here’s how Sacramento’s players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:
- Duje Dukan: In 27 appearances Dukan averaged 14.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 28.9 minutes per outing. His slash line was .403/.371/.722.
- Eric Moreland: In five appearances Moreland averaged 9.6 points, 14.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 27.0 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers were .553/.000/.286.
2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Trail Blazers
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.
This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.
We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue with the Portland Trail Blazers, one of the 11 NBA franchises without their own D-League affiliate:
The Blazers made 2 assignments for the 2015/16 season, sending two players to the D-League for a total of 20 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Portland for the 2015/16 campaign:
- March 10th: Assigned Cliff Alexander (1st) [Santa Cruz Warriors] — Recalled March 20th
- March 10th: Assigned Luis Montero (1st) [Santa Cruz Warriors] — Recalled March 20th
Here’s how Portland’s players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:
- Cliff Alexander: Alexander appeared in four games and averaged 15.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 27.0 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .521/.000/.714.
- Luis Montero: Montero appeared in four contests and averaged 16.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 28.3 minutes per night. His shooting numbers were .412/.385/.783.
And-Ones: Player Values, Trade Kickers, D-League
With the NBA salary cap set to jump by about $22MM this summer, it’s time to re-evaluate how players are valued, says Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. As Kennedy points, 24 teams are on track to have the ability to offer at least one maximum-salary contract this offseason, so while it’s easy to argue that a player isn’t “worth” the significant salary he’ll land in free agency, it makes more sense to adjust our expectations and get used to the new normal.
In my opinion, a good way to make that adjustment is to consider what percentage of his team’s salary cap a player’s salary takes up, rather than simply looking at the dollar amount. For instance, some executives believe Bismack Biyombo will command $16MM+ per year in free agency. That may seem outrageous, but consider that a $16MM salary in 2017/18 (when the cap is projected to rise to $107MM) would only represent about 15% of the cap. In 2013/14, when the salary cap was $58.68MM, a player taking up the same percentage of his team’s cap would have been earning just $8.77MM.
Here are a few more odds and ends from across the NBA:
- As Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders details, timing is crucial for many players’ trade kickers, which could affect teams’ plans this offseason. For instance, players like Marc Gasol, Blake Griffin, and Carmelo Anthony would be owed significantly more money if their current teams trade them in July rather than June. That’s not to say any of those players will be dealt, but for veterans with trade kickers who are on the block, teams may want to finalize deals this month.
- Both the NBA and the D-League have been adamant about wanting 30 D-League affiliates for the NBA’s 30 teams, but there are still eight NBA franchises without them. Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor examines those eight teams, estimating the odds that they’ll land D-League affiliates within the next few years.
- Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders identifies several pending free agents who will be seeking redemption and looking to bounce back on their next contracts, including Ty Lawson, Lance Stephenson, and Roy Hibbert.
2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Suns
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.
This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.
We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue on with the Phoenix Suns, whose D-League affiliate is the Bakersfield Jam:
The Suns made just one assignment for the 2015/16 season, sending one player to the D-League for a total of seven days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Phoenix for the 2015/16 campaign:
February 10th: Assigned Jordan McRae (1st) — Recalled February 16th
Here’s how Phoenix’s players performed in the D-League this season:
- Jordan McRae: He appeared in a total of 29 D-League games this season and averaged 23.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 35.4 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .459/.318/.799.
Western Notes: D’Antoni, Arseneault Jr., Spangler
The Rockets officially announced the hiring of Mike D’Antoni as head coach today, a move that team owner Leslie Alexander called a mutual decision between he and GM Daryl Morey, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com relays. “Daryl and I made this choice together,” Alexander said. “I’ve always wanted to play this way.” The team owner is also excited by D’Antoni’s up-tempo style of offense, Watkins notes. “Mike always says players love to play for him,” Alexander said. “Not only because they get better but they get paid. He’ll be a lucrative source for us in free agency.”
Here’s more from out West:
- The Kings will not renew the contract of Reno Bighorns head coach, David Arseneault Jr., Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor relays (via Twitter). Sacramento’s D-League affiliate went 33-17 under Arseneault this past season.
- The Trail Blazers have finalized their coaching staff for the 2016/17 campaign, with the team announcing that Dale Osbourne has been promoted to lead assistant and scout John McCullough has been moved to assistant coach.
- The Rockets‘ new defensive coach, Jeff Bzdelik, discussing the criticism levied against James Harden‘s defense, noted that the shooting guard is a capable stopper, provided he demonstrates commitment on that end of the court, Watkins relays in a separate piece (ESPN Now link). “He can defend as all of them can when they want to and that goes back to everybody needs to be committed and there needs to be a trust,” Bzdelik said of Harden.
- The Timberwolves worked out former Oklahoma power forward Ryan Spangler today, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (via Twitter). The 24-year-old is a longshot to be selected this June, with Spangler not appearing among the top 100 prospects according to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
- Mavs power forward Dirk Nowitzki hasn’t made a decision regarding his player option for 2016/17 yet, but has met with members of the front office to discuss his future, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets.
2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Sixers
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.
This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.
We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue with the Philadelphia 76ers, whose D-League affiliate is the Delaware 87ers:
The Sixers made 6 assignments for the 2015/16 season, sending four players to the D-League for a total of 86 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Philadelphia for the 2015/16 campaign:
- November 11th: Assigned Kendall Marshall (1st) — Recalled December 4th
- November 11th: Assigned Tony Wroten (1st) — Recalled December 4th
- December 1st: Assigned Christian Wood (1st) — Recalled December 1st
- December 8th: Assigned Carl Landry (1st) — Recalled December 14th
- December 8th: Assigned Christian Wood (2nd) — Recalled December 14th
- December 18th: Assigned Christian Wood (3rd) — Waived on January 5th
Here’s how Philadelphia’s players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:
- Carl Landry: Landry was sent to the D-League for rehab purposes and did not appear in any games.
- Kendall Marshall: Marshall was sent to the D-League for rehab purposes and did not appear in any games.
- Christian Wood: In 32 appearances Wood averaged 17.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 28.8 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .529/.253/.707.
- Tony Wroten: Wroten was sent to the D-League for rehab purposes and did not appear in any games.
2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Magic
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.
This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.
We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue with the Orlando Magic, whose D-League affiliate is the Erie BayHawks:
The Magic made 3 assignments for the 2015/16 season, sending two players to the D-League for a total of 42 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Orlando for the 2015/16 campaign:
- November 30th: Assigned Devyn Marble (1st) — Recalled December 23rd
- January 1st: Assigned Devyn Marble (2nd) — Recalled January 17th
- March 5th: Assigned Dewayne Dedmon (1st) —Recalled March 7th
Here’s how Orlando’s players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:
- Dewayne Dedmon: In one appearance Dedmon scored 17 points, grabbed 22 rebounds and blocked three shots. He connected on seven of his 13 field goal attempts.
- Devyn Marble: In 14 games he averaged 14.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 30.9 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .398/.353/.795.
Eastern Notes: Bucks, 76ers, Okafor, Heat
While an Oshkosh wealth management firm is in talks with the Bucks about potentially bringing a D-League team to the city, Milwaukee doesn’t expect to have a D-League franchise in place until at least the fall of 2017, and other midwestern cities are in play, writes Nate Beck of USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. The firm, along with local stakeholders, will submit plans to the Bucks by the end of June, and the plan is to fund the project entirely with private money. If Oshkosh is ultimately chosen as the location for the Bucks’ D-League team, it would be the first professional sports team to play in the city since the Wisconsin Flyers, a minor league basketball team, disbanded in 1987.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Appearing on 97.3 ESPN, Chad Ford of ESPN.com (link via Andrew Kulp of CSNPhilly.com) suggested that he doesn’t expect to see Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor both return to Philadelphia next season. In Ford’s view, the 76ers will gauge the trade value of both players, perhaps with a slight preference to keep Noel over Okafor.
- With the possibility of an Okafor trade in mind, John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com examines potential destinations for the Sixers big man, concluding that Boston, Phoenix, Denver, and the Lakers would probably be the best fits.
- In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel explains why he doesn’t see Mike Conley as a great fit for the Heat, and why Mario Chalmers probably isn’t all that likely to return to Miami.
- The odds of Kevin Durant joining the Celtics in free agency this offseason are long, but New England Patriots defensive lineman Terrance Knighton, who is friends with the Thunder star, says he’ll be “in [Durant’s] ear a lot” once the season ends, trying to encourage him to come to Boston. Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com has the quotes and the details on Knighton’s recruiting efforts.