D-League Notes: Goodwin, Smith, Jerrett
The D-League has become an integral part of the NBA’s process of developing younger players, as well as a source for locating hidden gems to bolster rosters during the course of the season. You can easily stay on top of which players are coming and going from the D-League all season by checking out our 2014/15 D-League Assignments, Recalls tracker, which is updated daily. You can also find this page anytime on the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.”
Here are the latest D-League moves:
- The Warriors have recalled Ognjen Kuzmic from the Santa Cruz Warriors, their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. This completes Kuzmic’s fourth stint of the season with Santa Cruz.
- Russ Smith was recalled from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA D-League, the Grizzlies announced in a press release. Smith was in the midst his third D-League assignment of the season for the Pelicans when he was included in the trade for Jeff Green.
- The Thunder have recalled Grant Jerrett from the Oklahoma City Blue, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This was Jerrett’s seventh jaunt of the season to the D-League.
- Archie Goodwin has been assigned to the Bakersfield Jam, the Suns’ D-League affiliate,the team has announced. This is Goodwin’s second trip to the D-League this season.
Pistons Shop Gigi Datome
The Pistons are seeking a trade partner who’ll take on Gigi Datome, reports Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link). The second-year small forward has appeared in only one game for Detroit this season, and the Pistons sent him to the D-League today along with Spencer Dinwiddie, the team announced (on Twitter). Datome is making $1.75MM this season in the final year of a two-year deal he signed with former Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars.
Detroit gave the Italian sharpshooter limited playing time as a rookie, but though he averaged only 7.0 minutes per contest, he appeared in 34 games even as he struggled with his normally reliable outside shot, going 7 for 39 from behind the arc. New coach/executive Stan Van Gundy hasn’t afforded him more than a 12-minute appearance in a loss to the Lakers in early December.
Datome went undrafted in 2009, but after developing overseas, the Grizzlies, Celtics, Bucks, Rockets, Suns and Spurs were among the teams to show interest in him before he signed with the Pistons, and former Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo apparently scouted him, too. The Pistons reportedly viewed the Heat as the most significant threat to sign him. Datome said the Pistons didn’t make him the most lucrative offer but that he inked with them because he felt they’d give him the best opportunity to play, which seems like a miscalculation at this point.
Western Notes: Joseph, Jerrett, Smith
Cory Joseph, cognizant that he was an afterthought as a deep reserve on the Spurs, didn’t even ask his agent about a rookie scale extension before the October deadline because he assumed the team wouldn’t give him one, as he tells Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. Now, amid a breakthrough year for the point guard, it seems like the Spurs will be hard-pressed to afford the raise he’ll likely merit, McDonald writes. “He always impressed me with the way he plays,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “He is not blessed with the most talent in the world, but I don’t think there is anybody on the planet who gets more out of what he’s got.”
Here’s more out of the Western Conference:
- The Thunder have once again assigned Grant Jerrett to the Oklahoma City Blue, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This will be Jerrett’s seventh sojourn of the season with the Blue. The 21-year-old has only appeared in four games with the Thunder this season, and has averaged 1.8 points and 1.0 rebound in 5.9 minutes per contest.
- When the Thunder inked Ish Smith to a deal using a hardship exception back in November, he was looked at as little more than a short-term insurance policy, but Smith turned that audition into a guaranteed contract for the remainder of the season, Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman writes. Smith’s work ethic impressed the coaching staff, and with Reggie Jackson‘s future with the team cloudy, Smith remains an important part of Oklahoma City’s roster, Slater adds.
- The Pelicans created a traded player exception worth $507K for Russ Smith, and the Grizzlies created one valued at $3.15MM for Quincy Pondexter, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). Both players were part of the three-team deal with the Celtics for Jeff Green.
- Pondexter is overjoyed with the trade that brought him back to the Pelicans, Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com writes. “It’s unbelievable,” Pondexter said. “This game takes you full circle sometimes. To be back with [coach] Monty [Williams] and [GM] Dell [Demps] and the guys, there’s no place I’d rather be right now. [New Orleans] was always a second home in the league. I’m glad to be back.” Pondexter spent his rookie season in New Orleans and then was dealt to the Grizzlies for Greivis Vasquez.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Tyrus Thomas To Join Grizzlies D-League Team
TUESDAY, 12:33pm: The Iowa Energy, the D-League affiliate of the Grizzlies, has claimed Thomas, sources tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). The club has yet to make an official announcement. Thomas will remain free to sign with any NBA team no matter the D-League club he plays for.
FRIDAY, 6:11pm: Former lottery pick Tyrus Thomas is set to enter the NBA D-League, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest reports (Twitter link). Thomas has been out of the NBA since the Hornets (then the Bobcats) put him on amnesty waivers back in July of 2013. The 28-year-old will go through the D-League’s waiver process to determine which team he will play for. The 6’10” forward out of LSU is trying to work his way back to the NBA, and had reportedly worked out for the Grizzlies and the Lakers back in November, but failed to generate a contract offer from either franchise.
Thomas has gone through some tough times since he was last in the NBA, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes. In addition to losing his job in the league, Thomas also went through a divorce and what could have been a career-ending surgery to remove a cyst from his back, Kennedy notes. “I can’t begin to tell you what was going through my mind,” Thomas told Kennedy. “It all felt overwhelming – being released, going through a divorce and then the injury that led to me ultimately having to have surgery. I would wake up, pick my basketball up off the floor, bounce it around the house and say, ‘I want to play. I have something to prove to everyone who believed in me. I have something to prove to myself. I can do this. Then, I’d wake up the next day not feeling good physically and I’d think, ‘This surgery isn’t worth it.’ I had good days and I had bad days.”
The big man had his share of maturity issues during his career, something that he is eager to show is behind him, Kennedy writes. “I was 19 years old when I first entered the NBA; it’s no excuse and I’ve owned my mistakes, but whew have I grown a lot,” Thomas said. “Over the last two years, I’ve grown not only as a player but as a person. I now realize the opportunities that, at times, I took for granted. I look back now and I was just a poor kid from South Baton Rouge. I didn’t understand then what I understand now. Everything happened at once: getting amnestied, going through a divorce and making the decision if I wanted to come back and play basketball because of the severity of the surgery. Going through all of that, I definitely grew up.”
In 400 career games, Thomas has averaged 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks. His career slash line is .438/.235/.732.
Southeast Notes: Magic, Whiteside, Payne
Three Southeast Division teams would make the playoffs if they started today, and a fourth, the Hornets, are but two games out of the final postseason spot. The fifth-place Magic are within hailing distance at four and a half games out, but key decision-makers in Orlando appear to be getting antsy, as we detail amid the latest from the Southeast:
- Magic officials feel as though the team has lost its way over the past few weeks, and while they believe that the inexperience of the roster is responsible for the team’s struggles, they’re looking deeper to find the genesis of the problems, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Speculation surrounds the job security of Jacque Vaughn, but Vaughn says he’s not concerned and many players tell Robbins that the coach is not to blame. Vaughn’s contract runs through 2015/16 after the team picked up his option this past offseason.
- Hassan Whiteside had a one-day stint with the Grizzlies in November but says that no one else wanted him when the Heat picked him up shortly thereafter, observes Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald. “It’s different because I got a coach who will play me, so I get to play,” Whiteside said. “You can’t get on the court without a contract. I called the Clippers for a workout, they said no. I called every team for a workout, they said no, except the Heat. The Heat gave me a chance and, I mean, it’s only right for me to give 110% effort every time.” Whiteside’s 23-point, 16-rebound performance Sunday seemed like a turning point for him and the Heat, as Goodman and Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel examine.
- The Hawks have recalled Adreian Payne from the D-League, the team announced via press release. The 15th overall pick of the 2014 draft had been on his fourth assignment of the season since December 30th with the D-League affiliate of the Spurs, who took him in under the new rules in place for the Hawks and the 12 other NBA teams who share a D-League affiliate.
And-Ones: Drummond, Monroe, Prince
The idea of waiving Josh Smith didn’t catch Pistons owner Tom Gores off guard when coach/executive Stan Van Gundy presented it to him, given the frequent communication Gores and Van Gundy share, as TNT’s David Aldridge writes within his Morning Tip column for NBA.com.
“We didn’t really toy around with it,” Gores said. “We knew that’s what we wanted to do. We could have negotiated for more. We just said we don’t think this is the best thing to do. And after the decision was made, I think, early that morning, Stan met right away with Josh.”
Aldridge has more on the Pistons, who are up to 8-1 since parting with Smith, as we detail amid the latest from around the league:
- There have been whispers about Andre Drummond‘s level of contentment in Detroit over the past year or so, Aldridge writes in the same piece. The Pistons center will be up for a rookie scale extension this summer.
- Gores isn’t giving up on the notion of a long-term future for Greg Monroe in Detroit, as the Pistons owner tells Aldridge. Monroe will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. “We’ve always wanted Greg. We weren’t able to make the deal in the summer, but we always have,” Gores said. “He, by the way, has great character. He’s a true professional. Even though we weren’t able to make the deal, he’s been there every day. Given the new culture with Stan, I think we have a great shot with Greg. Of course, it’ll be his choice.”
- A buyout deal involving Tayshaun Prince and the Celtics is a possibility, but not a foregone conclusion, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com, who adds that Prince and Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge will discuss the veteran forward’s situation.
- The Thunder recalled Grant Jerrett from the D-League, the team announced Sunday (on Twitter). Jerrett averaged 16.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in two D-League games on his weekend assignment, the sixth time Thunder sent him down this season.
- The Rockets assigned Isaiah Canaan to the D-League on Sunday, the team announced (Twitter link). It’s the first trip to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers this season for Canaan, who’s averaged 15.6 minutes per game in 23 appearances for Houston this year.
Glen Rice Jr. To Play For Rockets D-League Team
Glen Rice Jr. has joined the D-League affiliate of the Rockets, the team announced. Rice remains eligible to sign with any NBA club after clearing waivers last week following his release from the Wizards. The 24-year-old rejoins the same D-League club that he played for prior to entering the NBA draft in 2013.
Rice played mostly in the D-League even while he was on Washington’s roster the past season and a half, as the Wizards sent him on multiple D-League assignments while affording him infrequent appearances on NBA hardwoods. The shooting guard made it into only 19 NBA games, averaging just 9.5 minutes per contest, while he saw 26.2 MPG across 33 D-League games since joining the Wizards.
The Wizards gave the Jeffrey Wechsler client a $400K partial guarantee for this season, so there wasn’t as much incentive for him to seek a lucrative overseas deal. Rice joins fellow recent former NBA player Toure’ Murry, whom Houston’s affiliate also added this week.
Western Notes: Brooks, Clippers, Waiters
Though he’s unlikely to be fired mid-season, Thunder coach Scott Brooks‘ job is definitely on the line this year, Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman writes. Tramel cites the Thunder’s disappointing record, and how the team has regressed even after getting Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook back from injuries, as major reasons why Brooks’ days in OKC could be numbered.
Here’s the latest out of the Western Conference:
- Toure’ Murry, who was waived by the Jazz earlier this month, was acquired by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA D-League, the team announced. Rio Grande Valley is the D-League affiliate of the Rockets.
- The Warriors were one of the Wolves‘ most aggressive suitors for Kevin Love prior to him being dealt to Cleveland, but Love still isn’t sure how close he was to heading to Oakland, Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle writes. “I know that they were a team that was in talks,” Love said. “But that’s really as far as it got.” Love definitely appreciates just how talented a squad Golden State has, Simmons adds. “They’re a great team,” Love said. “They’re a fun team to watch. They get up and down the floor. They shoot the three ball really well. They have a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things.”
- Dion Waiters said that he learned that he had been traded to the Thunder after the starting lineup had been announced and the Cavs’ game against the Sixers was just about to begin, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports notes (Twitter link). Waiters still wanted to play in the game, but wasn’t permitted to for obvious reasons, Spears adds.
- In light of president of basketball operations Neil Olshey‘s brand new contract extension, Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders looks at the success that Olshey has had during his tenure with the Blazers.
- The Clippers sent $300K to the Sixers as part of the Jared Cunningham deal, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link).
- Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger isn’t happy that trade talks have leaked to the media, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal tweets. “It’s a major distraction,” Joerger said. “Things like that should be kept behind closed doors. It ticks me off.“
Eastern Notes: Wroten, Taylor, Butler
CSNPhilly.com’s John Gonzalez took an in-depth look at the potential trade value of Tony Wroten, who was rumored to be the subject of trade discussions between the Clippers and the Sixers earlier this week. A pair of league executives told Gonzalez that Wroten could possibly net GM Sam Hinkie two second-rounders, and another said that it would be difficult to get fair value for Wroten, so it would be wiser to hang on to the guard. Philadelphia currently owns a whopping 15 second round draft picks between now and 2020.
Here’s more from the East:
- The Hornets have recalled Jeffery Taylor from the Austin Spurs of the NBA D-League, the team has announced. In four games with the Spurs he averaged 11.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 26.2 minutes per contest. This was Taylor’s initial jaunt of the season to the D-League.
- Rasual Butler had the remainder of his contract guaranteed for the season when he remained on the Wizards’ roster past Wednesday’s deadline. The veteran swingman’s play has made him an integral part of Washington’s rotation, and Butler also has a fan in Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post writes. Thibodeau, who briefly coached Butler in Chicago, said of his former player, “I think it’s the perfect fit for him and he’s a great pro. He’s a guy who plays year-round and stays in great shape. And I think when you look at what John Wall does and you look at what Andre Miller does, he’s the perfect fit because he creates space and his career says how well he can shoot the three. But to be doing it at this stage of his career is a real credit to him. But we always felt strongly about his professionalism, his attitude, how much he loved he game. And the shooting part, that’s never going to go away.”
- Despite all of the Knicks‘ struggles this season, first year coach Derek Fisher‘s confidence hasn’t wavered, and he believes this turbulent campaign will help him become a better coach, Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes.
D-League Moves: Mavs, Thunder, Pelicans
The weekend usually brings about D-League assignments for a handful of NBA players, many of whom are more familiar with D-League gyms than they are with NBA arenas. That’s the case for a trio of first- and second-year players again today, as we detail:
- The Mavericks have assigned Ricky Ledo to the D-League for the eighth time this season, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com reports (on Twitter). The shooting guard has seen just two minutes total for Dallas this season, but he’s averaging 14.3 points in 34.0 minutes per game across 10 appearances for the D-League’s Texas Legends.
- Grant Jerrett is going on D-League assignment No. 6 this season, the Thunder announced (Twitter link). He’s seen 24 minutes total of NBA action this season, and he hasn’t received particularly heavy minutes in the D-League, either. He’s put up 11.2 PPG in 22.0 MPG over five D-League games.
- The Pelicans have sent Russ Smith to the D-League for the third time, the team announced. The rookie has totaled 29 NBA minutes in six NBA games, but he’s averaged 16.5 PPG in 26.0 MPG in the D-League. He’s going once more to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the affiliate that New Orleans shares with a dozen other teams.