D-League Notes: Jones, Brackins, Warriors, Acy
In addition to the usual assignments and recalls, we've got a couple more D-League links of note to share. Let's round them up….
- Perry Jones III has been recalled from the Tulsa 66ers, the Thunder announced today in a press release. The 2012 first-round pick will be available for tonight's game in Oklahoma City vs. the Jazz.
- The Los Angeles D-Fenders have acquired former first-round pick Craig Brackins, the D-League squad formally announced today (Twitter link). Brackins, who played in Italy earlier this season, was the 21st overall pick in 2010, but only appeared in 17 games over two season for the Sixers before failing to find an NBA job last summer.
Earlier updates:
- The Warriors have recalled Kent Bazemore and Malcolm Thomas from the D-League, a day after their respective assignments, the team announced today in a press release. Bazemore and Thomas combined for 24 points and 26 rebounds in Santa Cruz's 110-103 win over Reno last night.
- Kevin Jones has been re-assigned once again to the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers announced today in a press release. Jones' D-League assignments this season have typically just lasted one game, so I imagine he'll return to the Cavs after playing for the Charge in tonight's game against the Bakersfield Jam.
- With Andrea Bargnani officially ruled out for the season by the Raptors, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun anticipates that the team will recall Quincy Acy from the D-League (Twitter link).
- Warriors assistant general manager Kirk Lacob, who is also the GM of the team's D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, spoke to Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside about developing players and the relationship between the organization's D-League and NBA teams.
- Ken Rodriguez of Spurs.com takes a look at Cory Joseph's journey to the D-League and back to the Spurs.
Mavericks Sign Chris Wright To 10-Day Contract
12:50pm: The Mavs have officially signed Wright to a 10-day contract, according to a team release.
WEDNESDAY, 7:52am: Mavs GM Donnie Nelson tells Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he signed his portion of Wright's contract on Tuesday. Wright is expected to officially sign and finalize the deal today, says Price (Twitter links).
SUNDAY, 6:53pm: The Mavericks are set to sign guard Chris Wright to a 10-day contract this week, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Wright will take the place of the recently waived Dominique Jones on the Mavs' roster.
Wright, 23, was a standout at Georgetown but injuries slowed him down along the way with the most notable being a broken bone in his left hand during his senior year. The 6'1" point guard would then travel overseas to Turkey before landing with the D-League's Iowa Energy this season.
Wright has been amongst the most talked about players in the D-League this year and has been connected to several teams looking for a fill-in at guard. In 2012/13, Wright averaged 15.5 points, 7.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game for the Energy.
The Mavs' decision to waive Jones came as a surprise last week but it is believed that they cut him loose over his unwillingness to go to the D-League. Jones has only seen time in five games for the Mavericks in this calendar year.
Warriors Assign Bazemore, Thomas To D-League
Here are today's D-League assignments and recalls, with any further moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Warriors have assigned Kent Bazemore and Malcolm Thomas to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. Thomas is on a 10-day contract with Golden State, so either his D-League stint will be brief or the team has a longer-term plan for him — perhaps both. For Bazemore, it's his fifth assignment to the Santa Cruz Warriors this season.
D-League Moves: Thunder, Heat, Lamb, Varnado
We'll keep track of today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with any additional moves added to the top of the page.
- The Heat announced that they have recalled Jarvis Varnado from the Sioux Falls Skyforce after a stay that lasted less than two weeks. In 15 D-League games this year, Varnado has averaged 12.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.67 blocks, 1.1 assists and 29.9 minutes while shooting 52.2 percent from the field.
- The Thunder continue to make liberal use of their nearby D-League affiliate, announcing they've assigned forward Perry Jones III and shooting guard Jeremy Lamb to the Tulsa 66ers. It's the sixth time Jones has been sent down this season, and the seventh assignment for Lamb, who's put up slightly better numbers over his time in Tulsa. Lamb is averaging 21.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in the D-League, while Jones has posted 14.8 PPG and 6.9 RPG.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Sixers, Martin, Bynum
Here's a look at the latest out of the Atlantic..
- Ten-day signee Kenyon Martin will almost assuredly remain with the Knicks for the rest of the season, and as long as he performs well in the absence of Amare Stoudemire, New York might not feel compelled to waive the injured Rasheed Wallace to pursue another healthy big man, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com surmises.
- A sign-and-trade of Andrew Bynum might be the best option for the Sixers, who probably won't be as eager as other teams to roll the dice on the big man's health once more, argues John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Former Celtics and Knicks guard Bill Walker has resurfaced in the D-League and is hoping to show that his inconsistent tendencies are behind him, writes Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside. Walker is with the guard-heavy Austin Toros who often have the Spurs' Cory Joseph suiting up for them, so he will have to work hard to be a regular part of their rotation.
Lakers Assign Morris, Sacre To D-League
The Los Angeles Lakers have assigned center Robert Sacre and guard Darius Morris to the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA D-League, the team announced.
You can view every D-League assignment and recall of the 2012/13 season Hoops Rumors' D-League assignment tracker.
D-League Moves: Selby, Lakers, Thunder, Jerrells
We'll track today's D-League moves, including assignments and recalls, right here, with any new items added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- Josh Selby, who was released by the Cavaliers over the weekend, has been acquired by the D-League's Maine Red Claws, according to RealGM.com. The Celtics' affiliate sent a 2013 D-League draft pick to the Canton Charge in exchange for Selby.
- Darius Morris and Robert Sacre have been assigned to the D-League by the Lakers, the team announced today in a press release. It's Sacre's third assignment and Morris' first assignment with the D-Fenders this season.
- The Thunder have re-assigned DeAndre Liggins and Daniel Orton to the Tulsa 66ers, according to a team release. Liggins was recently assigned to the D-League along with Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones, but for Orton, it's his first assignment since being recalled in late January. Both players are expected to be active tonight for Tulsa's game against the Iowa Energy.
- Curtis Jerrells, who had been playing in Turkey, is set to join the Maine Red Claws, tweets David Pick. The former Baylor point guard has never appeared in an NBA regular-season game, though he has spent time with the Spurs and Hornets.
Southeast Notes: Oden, Heat, Magic, Scott
The NBA's longest current winning and losing streaks both belong to Southeast Division teams, and will be on the line tonight. The Heat are hosting the Magic, in search of their 16th straight win, while the Bobcats will look to snap a seven-game losing streak at home against the Nets. As we wait for the Eastern Conference's best and worst clubs to get underway tonight, let's round up a few notes out of the Southeast….
- Agent Mike Conley Sr. doesn't expect Greg Oden to sign anywhere until July, suggesting to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that teams will have more financial flexibility to pursue his client after the season. According to Conley, there is mutual interest between Oden and the Heat, and the two sides expect to talk again in the summer. The Cavs, Bobcats, and Spurs are other potential suitors for the former first overall pick, according to Tomasson.
- Responding to Dwight Howard's suggestion that his Magic teams were "full of people nobody wanted," Jameer Nelson shot back at his former teammate, as Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel documents. "At some point, when are you [Dwight] gonna as a man, when are you going to take ownership and stay out of the media in a professional manner?" Nelson said.
- Mike Scott has returned to Atlanta to rejoin the Hawks after a brief stint with the team's D-League affiliate, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Hawks officially announced in a press release that Scott has been recalled from the Bakersfield Jam and will be available for tonight's game against the Sixers.
Odds & Ends: Dieng, Iguodala, Howard, Kennedy
With the NCAA tournament approaching, it won't be long before we begin to receive reports on college underclassmen declaring their intent to enter this year's NBA draft. One player who may leave school early is Louisville junior Gorgui Dieng, who I profiled back in December. As Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com reports, Louisville coach Rick Pitino is nearly certain that Dieng will enter this June's draft class.
"If he is projected as a first-rounder, he is leaving," Pitino said. "And I'm almost sure he'll be taken in the first round."
Here are a few more Wednesday afternoon odds and ends:
- "Every indication" is that if Andre Iguodala opts out of his contract this season, he'll do so to lock up a long-term deal with the Nuggets, according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Iguodala has a 2013/14 player option worth about $16.15MM.
- Count George Karl among those who is hoping the Kings remain in Sacramento, as Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes. "I think everybody knows I'm a Seattle guy and I want basketball back in Seattle, but I don't want basketball out of Sacramento," the Nuggets coach said. "It's a politically correct answer, but it's a truthful answer on how I feel."
- Dwight Howard told reporters, including Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com, that he'd thought "plenty of times" about how the season may have played out if he hadn't returned from back surgery so quickly. However, Howard doesn't regret his decision to come back early. D12 also mentioned that he has received encouragement from Phil Jackson via text messages.
- Ian Thomsen of SI.com ranks the top ten most powerful people in the NBA, with David Stern beating out LeBron James for the No. 1 spot.
- The Rio Grande Valley Vipers (the Rockets' D-League affiliate) have acquired D.J. Kennedy in a five-player trade, as Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside details. Kennedy, who had a brief NBA stint at the end of last season with the Cavaliers, had been having an excellent year for the Erie BayHawks, averaging 18.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 5.5 APG.
- ESPN.com's Chad Ford fielded exclusively draft-related questions in his usual Wednesday chat.
Nets Recall Tornike Shengelia From D-League
Here are today's D-League assignments and recalls, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Nets have recalled Tornike Shengelia from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Shengelia's recent three-game stint with the Springfield Armor wasn't as impressive as his first run with the team in December, in which he recorded a triple-double, as well as a 39-point, 18-rebound game. Nonetheless, the rookie posted averages of 25.3 PPG and 6.0 RPG in his most recent three games with the Armor.