DeAndre Daniels Joining Raptors D-League Team
The D-League affiliate of the Raptors has acquired DeAndre Daniels, whom Toronto selected 37th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, a source tells Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor (Twitter link). NBA teams are allowed to bring draftees directly onto the rosters of their D-League teams without them being subject to the D-League’s waiver system. The small forward from the University of Connecticut spent last season, when the Raptors didn’t have a one-to-one D-League affiliate, playing for the Perth Wildcats in Australia.
The Raptors weren’t ruling out the idea of adding Daniels to the NBA roster for this season, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca reported in June, but the small forward has instead remained unsigned since suffering a Jones fracture in his right foot during preparations for summer league in July. His numbers in Australia last season weren’t overwhelming, as he averaged 14.8 points and 7.7 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game with 34.1% 3-point shooting.
Toronto is also adding four-year NBA veteran center Greg Smith to its D-League roster, as Reichert also reports and as we detail here. Daniels, who turns 24 in April, isn’t allowed to sign with any NBA team other than the Raptors, unlike Smith and most of his soon-to-be D-League teammates, since Toronto still owns his NBA draft rights. The Raptors don’t have much flexibility on their NBA roster, with 15 fully guaranteed contracts, so it appears Daniels has a lengthy D-League stay ahead of him.
Greg Smith To Play For Raptors D-League Team
TUESDAY, 11:36am: Smith is joining the affiliate of the Raptors, a league source tells Reichert (Twitter link).
SUNDAY, 4:36pm: Four-year NBA veteran Greg Smith, who played on the Mavs last season, has signed with the D-League, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor reports (Twitter link). The D-League has yet to make an announcement, but Reichert indicates Smith has put pen to paper. The Mavs’ affiliate, the Texas Legends, hold waiver priority so it would get the first chance to land Smith, Reichert tweets.
Smith, a center, had signed with the Pelicans in October, but the deal was voided after he failed his physical. Smith, who will turn 25 this week, did not generate much interest in free agency this summer after he saw little playing time for the Mavs. He then failed to impress in a workout last month for China’s Guangdong Southern Tigers, as international journalist David Pick reported.
Smith spent most of his career so far with the Rockets, but they waived him shortly before the 2014 playoffs. He saw 15.9 minutes per game with Houston in the 2012/13 season and scored six points per game. Both numbers remain career highs.
And-Ones: McCalebb, Looney, Chandler
Bo McCalebb, who was cut by the Pelicans during the preseason, has signed with the French club Limoges CSP, the team announced (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). McCalebb, 30, has played overseas since going undrafted in 2008, save for a summer league stint with the Kings in July of that year and his time this fall with the Pelicans. He was the top scorer in the Euroleague in 2011/12, notching 16.9 points per game for Siena of Italy. McCalebb played for FC Bayern Muenchen of Germany last season, when he averaged 4.8 assists per game to go along with 12.4 points in 25.7 minutes per contest.
Here’s more from around the league:
- In light of the season-ending injury that point guard Eric Bledsoe suffered, the Suns need to focus on developing younger players like Devin Booker, T.J. Warren and Alex Len, Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM writes. Phoenix should consider trading center Tyson Chandler, whose signing made sense when the team was pursing LaMarcus Aldridge over the summer, but now the veteran only serves to cut into Len’s playing time, Tjarks adds.
- The Warriors have assigned combo forward Kevon Looney to their D-League affiliate, the team announced via a press release. The rookie becomes the first player Golden State has sent to Santa Cruz on the season.
- Sixers coach Brett Brown noted that new team executive Jerry Colangelo was the one who orchestrated the signing of veteran forward Elton Brand, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports relays (on Twitter).
- The Raptors plan on utilizing their D-League affiliate to help Anthony Bennett work through the back issues he is currently experiencing, Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net tweets. The combo forward has made two trips to the Raptors 905 on the season thus far.
Texas Notes: Aldridge, McCallum, Williams
Despite LaMarcus Aldridge‘s numbers being down from recent seasons, the Spurs are pleased with how well the power forward is adapting to the organization and its system, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News writes. “It’s difficult to do in your first year,” coach Gregg Popovich said of Aldridge. “A lot of guys take a whole year to get used to us. He’s been remarkable in catching on this quickly.”
Speaking about Aldridge’s production in San Antonio, point guard Tony Parker told McDonald, “You can’t judge LaMarcus compared to his numbers from last year. It’s not fair. Any Spur, you can’t judge by their numbers. The way we play, it’s for everybody. We’re not going to have a guy who is going to score 30 points or take 25 shots. It’s just not going to happen with this team.” In 33 appearances for the Spurs this season Aldridge is averaging 15.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, down from his 2014/15 numbers with Portland of 23.4 PPG and 10.2 RPG.
Here’s more from the Lone Star State:
- Mavericks point guard Deron Williams has come off the team’s bench the past two games, a role that the veteran says he doesn’t mind, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com tweets (ESPN Now link). “It doesn’t matter to me,” Williams said. “When I was out and missed those four games, we won all four and J.J. Barea was rolling, so you don’t want to shake up something like that. Coach said, Do you have a problem coming off the bench?’ I said no. I’ve done it a little the last couple of seasons. It’s not a big deal to me. If it helps the team, I’m all for it.“
- Montrezl Harrell‘s role with the Rockets will expand while Donatas Motiejunas deals with back issues, and despite the rookie being the leading scorer for Houston’s D-League affiliate, the power forward is willing to do whatever the coaching staff asks of him, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle relays. “Every time I go down, I don’t focus anything offensive-wise,” Harrell said. “I know that will come. Those are great guys down there I played [with] in summer league. Every time I go down there I focus on playing defense and make sure my rotations are right. Going into the game, I have a scouting report on who I will be guarding and make sure I take great pride in making sure I do my job defending that person.”
- The Spurs have recalled point guard Ray McCallum from their D-League affiliate, the team announced. McCallum is averaging 17.1 points, 4.9 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 37.7 minutes of action through seven total appearances for Austin this season.
Western Notes: Pierce, Knight, Morris, Jackson
Paul Pierce has re-emerged as a starter for the Clippers, save for his game off for rest Saturday, and his basketball IQ is helping fuel a resurgence for a team that struggled to start the season, even with Blake Griffin injured, as TNT’s David Aldridge examines in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Pierce enjoyed his time with the Wizards last season, but the chance to play in his hometown was too enticing for him to pass up the chance to sign with the Clips in the summer, as he tells Aldridge.
“I think that I looked at the team and I thought that they really had the chance to win the championship, and for me, on top of that, my family,” Pierce said. “It was a combination of things.”
The Clippers have won six straight have only a Wednesday game at Portland before a five-game homestand that begins Saturday. See more from the Western Conference:
- The Suns erred when they put Brandon Knight and Markieff Morris in leadership positions and should have made retaining Goran Dragic a greater priority, Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding argues.
- Players on D-League teams affiliated with Pacific Division clubs dominate the list of 10-day contract candidates that Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders compiled. Elliot Williams (Warriors), Earl Clark (Suns), Erick Green (Kings), Terrico White (Suns), Darington Hobson (Warriors) and Vince Hunter (Kings) are among the names on Taylor’s list. We went in-depth on 10-day contracts earlier today in advance of Tuesday’s start of the 10-day signing period.
- Former NBA second-round pick Pierre Jackson has signed with the D-League, where the Jazz affiliate holds his rights, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Jackson impressed in the D-League during the 2013/14 season but suffered a torn Achilles tendon the following summer. The Sixers, who picked him 42nd overall in 2013, have signed him each of the past two offseasons, but he’s failed to appear on Philly’s regular season roster.
And-Ones: Jackson, D-League, Draft
Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson has developed leadership qualities both on and off the court this season and has responded well to the pressures of living up to the five-year, $80MM deal he signed in July, Rod Beard of the Detroit News details. With Jackson growing from a maturity standpoint as well as playing at a high level on a consistent basis, it can be argued that Jackson is very much worth the money for the Pistons, Beard surmises.
“We said at the time — and people were criticizing us — that we thought down the road that deal would look like a bargain,” Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said. “When you look at [Jackson], his numbers say he’s in the top seven or eight point guards in the league and you’d have to say that’s true.”
Here’s more news from around the basketball world:
- The Clippers assigned rookie Branden Dawson to the D-League, as the team announced in an emailed press release and as Dan Woike of the Orange County Register relays (on Twitter). Dawson will join the Grand Rapids Drive, the Pistons’ affiliate, pursuant to the flexible assignment rule. The Clippers don’t have their own affiliate.
- The Hawks recalled Tim Hardaway Jr. from the D-League, Atlanta announced in an emailed press release. Hardaway returns after his second stint in the D-League this season.
- The Mavs announced that they recalled rookie center Salah Mejri from their D-League affiliate. Mejri has appeared in five games for Dallas.
- LSU’s Ben Simmons still projects as the top pick in this year’s draft, but Duke’s Brandon Ingram reminds Chris Mannix of SI.com of a less developed version of Kevin Durant (Twitter link).
And-Ones: Knicks, Rondo, Oubre
The Knicks currently sit three and a half games behind the Celtics for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and Ian Begley of ESPN.com examines what the team needs to do in order to reach the playoffs this season. Begley suggests that the team add help in the backcourt, and he names Tony Wroten as a possibility, as the team has interest in the former Sixer.
Brandon Jennings is on the team’s radar, but the franchise wasn’t impressed with Jennings’ play during a game against the Knicks earlier this week, Begley adds. In addition to the trade market, Begley notes that the team is keeping an eye on the D-League for a potential addition.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Rajon Rondo has played extremely well this season and his success may have the Kings viewing him as a long-term piece, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders speculates.
- Kelly Oubre has become a key contributor for the Wizards this season and his intensity is a major reason why, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post writes. “He’s a kid that has to go out there and just play one way,” coach Randy Wittman said. “And that’s getting after it defensively. Rebound the ball. Running the floor. All the other things will come. … Those things will come if you play with that intensity and energy.”
- The Lakers have assigned Tarik Black, Anthony Brown and Ryan Kelly to their D-League affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders, per Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor (Twitter link).
Mavericks Notes: Barea, Mejri, Parsons
J.J. Barea has performed admirably as the team’s starting point guard while Deron Williams recovers from a hamstring injury and his teammates are lauding his unselfishness, Eddie Sefko of SportsDay writes.
“J.J.’s been great,” Devin Harris said. “He’s shooting the ball incredibly well, but taking good shots. Typically, when guys get hot, they just start to let it fly. He’s done a great job of letting the shots come to him.”
While it’s unlikely that Barea remains the starter long-term, Coach Rick Carlisle won’t ignore the success of the team during Williams’ absence when making a decision.
“That’s a situation we’ll deal with when it happens,” Carlisle said of the situation when Williams returns to the lineup. “Whatever we do, it’ll be what’s best for the team.”
Dallas re-signed Barea during the offseason to a pact that will pay him slightly more than $16MM over four seasons. The team signed Williams to a two year, $11MM deal, which contains a player option for the 2016/17 season.
Here’s more from Dallas:
- The Mavericks have assigned Salah Mejri to the Texas Legends, the team’s D-League affiliate, according to a team press release. The center is averaging 8.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in 23.9 minutes for the Legends this season.
- Chandler Parsons is starting to look like his old self again, but he is still not 100%, which is something the team understands, Sefko writes in a separate piece. “I just think the rhythm is going to take some time,” Carlisle said. “I think physically, he’s there. But the rhythm on his shot is going to keep coming. And I just think two weeks from now you’re going to see a guy who even looks better than now. And he looks damn good right now.”
Eastern Notes: Biyombo, Rozier, Portis
Raptors center Bismack Biyombo has stepped up his play while filling in for Jonas Valanciunas, and the player is also beginning to find his niche in the league after being labeled a disappointment during his time in Charlotte, Jessica Patton of The Toronto Sun writes. “I think he understands now too who he is and what he is,” coach Dwane Casey told Patton. “He’s a rebounder and a defender. He doesn’t have to worry about scoring. He’s an opportunity scorer. [Before] everyone was kind of ‘ah, he can’t catch the ball, he can’t do that, he can’t do this,’ and they were concentrating on what he couldn’t do rather than what he can do.”
Discussing the pressure being a lottery pick placed on Biyombo, Casey said, “It’s tough, but again there is no shame in having a role as an elite defender and an elite rebounder in the league. As long as Bismack is playing the way he is playing and playing with that confidence, you can erase seven, two, three, 10 [draft number] or whatever, he’s going to have an impact on the game.” The 23-year-old was the No. 7 overall pick back in the 2011 NBA draft.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- The emergence of rookie power forward Bobby Portis will give Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg some difficult choices to make once Joakim Noah returns from his shoulder injury, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes. “Absolutely,” Hoiberg responded when asked if Portis has cemented himself in the rotation. “We’re going to continue to find minutes for Bobby and there’s no doubt about it. He’s playing too well, he’s playing with so much confidence. He rebounds the ball, he plays with a toughness and a swagger, and that’s what you want. We’ve talked all along; Bobby’s not going to back down from anybody and he continues to show that night after night.“
- The Celtics have re-assigned point guard Terry Rozier to their D-League affiliate in Maine, the team announced. This will be Rozier’s fifth stint with the Red Claws on the season.
Eastern Notes: Crowder, D-League, Parker
Celtics small forward Jae Crowder has earned Kobe Bryant‘s respect, with the Lakers shooting guard noting how impressed he is with Crowder’s development since arriving in Boston via a trade last season, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. “I’ve seen him develop from his days in Dallas,” Bryant said. “There was one night where we got in late to Dallas, and I went straight to the practice facility to get some shots up and workout,” Bryant recalled. “And he [Crowder] was there. He was in there working out. He was in there working on his game. And when I see that, I have nothing but respect for him. And watching how he’s developed.”
Crowder continues to work hard, even after inking a five-year, $35MM deal with Boston this past offseason, Blakely adds. “I just try to bring it every night, do what I do well each and every night. Do my part, do my job,” Crowder said. “It’s not about the contract. Contract makes you feel comfortable, helps your game. I don’t think I should relax. I don’t think I should do anything differently.”
Here’s more from out of the Eastern Conference:
- Bucks combo forward Jabari Parker is still experiencing growing pains, though, as interim coach Joe Prunty points out, Parker hasn’t even played a full season’s worth of games yet, Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel writes. “What you could argue is until a guy plays 82 games, is he still in his rookie season?” Prunty said. “He hasn’t even played in every arena. There are things that seem like little details to other people, but the reality is it’s a different environment. There’s a lot he’s going to be learning for quite a while.” There has been some measure of debate regarding what Parker’s NBA position should be, but the player feels that power forward is indeed a good fit for his skillset, Gardner adds.
- The Celtics have recalled guards Terry Rozier and R.J. Hunter from the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team announced.
- The Pacers have re-assigned Rakeem Christmas and Shayne Whittington to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Christmas’ second stint in the D-League on the season and Whittington’s third.