Spurs Assign Aron Baynes To D-League
We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Spurs have sent Aron Baynes back to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. The Austin Toros, San Antonio's D-League affiliate, have just two games left on their regular-season schedule, tonight and tomorrow. I'd expect Baynes to play in both of those contests, though it's not clear if he'd remain with the Toros for the D-League playoffs.
Lakers Assign Sacre, Morris To D-League
We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls right here, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day….
- The Lakers have assigned a pair of players to the Los Angeles D-Fenders, according to the D-Fenders' official Twitter account. Robert Sacre and Darius Morris are headed back to the Lakers' D-League affiliate. Despite having been assigned to the D-League multiple times this season, neither player has logged much time with the D-Fenders. Sacre has averaged 11.0 PPG and 8.8 RPG in his six contests with the club, while Morris recorded 21 points in his lone game with the D-Fenders.
Odds & Ends: Sims, Babby, Aminu, Robinson
Although the Mavericks/Lakers game tonight will have a serious impact on the race for the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference, it's not the only noteworthy game on the schedule. The Knicks and Heat have comfortably clinched playoff spots, but New York is still vying for the second seed in the East, while the Heat are looking for a split of the season series with the Knicks. As we wait for those teams to tip off in Miami, let's round up a few odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside passes along word that Henry Sims will leave the D-League's Erie BayHawks to play in the Philippines. The Hornets signed Sims to a 10-day contract a month ago, but decided not to re-sign him when the deal expired.
- Suns president Lon Babby is in the final year of his contract, and Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic wonders whether he'll be back in Phoenix next season, since Babby's future with the team may be linked to the futures of head coach Lindsey Hunter and GM Lance Blanks.
- Grantland's Zach Lowe unveils his "I can't believe he's this relevant" All-Stars, which includes a number of players who will hit free agency this summer, including Luke Walton, Marco Belinelli, and Kenyon Martin.
- With Al-Farouq Aminu headed for unrestricted free agency in July, John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune asks Hornets fans whether the team ought to re-sign him to a new contract for 2013/14.
- Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald makes the case for why it may make sense for the Bulls to re-sign Nate Robinson this summer.
- In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel discusses whether the Heat will have the flexibility to bring back Chris Andersen next season.
Rockets Recall Terrence Jones From D-League
We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with any additional moves added to the top throughout the day.
- The Rockets have recalled Terrence Jones from the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers, tweets Jason Friedman of Rockets.com. The rookie power forward had been with the Vipers since March 21st on his sixth D-League assignment of the season. He's averaging 19.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in 24 contests with Rio Grande Valley. The 6'9" Kentucky product has only appeared in 11 NBA games for a total of 91 minutes for Houston, which made him the 18th overall pick in June.
Mavs Recall Jared Cunningham
We'll keep track of today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with any additional moves added to the top:
- The Mavs have recalled Jared Cunningham from the D-League, the team announced via press release. Cunningham had been with the Texas Legends ever since his January 28th assignment, and he's produced 15.3 points in 34.5 minutes per game over 15 D-League contests in two stints with the Legends this season. The 24th overall pick last June has barely seen action for the big club in Dallas, appearing in eight games for a total of 26 minutes.
Nets To Sign Kris Joseph
The Nets are set to sign Kris Joseph from their D-League affiliate Springfield Armor, a source tells Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. The Armor acquired Joseph from the Maine Red Claws earlier this year in exchange for James Mays.
Joseph was selected in the second round of last year's draft by the Celtics and was cut loose by the team in January. In 14 games for Springfield, the forward averaged 19.4 points prior to Friday's 12 point performance.
The 6-foot-7 wing player spent four years at Syracuse, where he was named to the All-Big East First-Team as a senior.
Nets Recall Shengelia, Taylor 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 and Tyshawn Taylor from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. The two rookies played well in their most recent stint with the Springfield Armor — in three D-League contests, Shengelia averaged 22.3 PPG and 7.3 RPG, while Taylor recorded 23.3 PPG and 7.3 APG. The duo will rejoin the Nets tomorrow.
D-League Moves: Acy, Liggins, Orton
We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- Quincy Acy has been recalled from the Bakersfield Jam by the Raptors, the club announced today in a press release. In 13 D-League games this season, Acy has averaged 13.0 PPG and 7.7 RPG.
- The Thunder have once again assigned DeAndre Liggins and Daniel Orton to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. When I looked at D-League assignment trends last week, Orton and Liggins ranked among the most-assigned players of the season, and this is the second time both players have been sent to the Tulsa 66ers since then. The 66ers will play the Rio Grande Valley Vipers tonight and tomorrow as they look to lock up a D-League playoff spot.
Royce White Returning To D-League
Last week, Royce White announced on his Twitter feed that he'd be leaving the Rockets' D-League affiliate for the rest of the season, returning to Houston to work out. It seems the team wasn't on board with that plan, however, so White will be rejoining the Rio Grande Valley Vipers this week, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Wojnarowski adds that White could return to game action as soon as Tuesday.
When White announced his decision last Thursday, he cited the "team physician," but the Rockets didn't, and still haven't, commented on the subject, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle notes (via Twitter). Feigen reported last week that the club wasn't a part of White's decision to leave the Vipers.
Including tomorrow night's game, the Vipers have six more regular-season contests before the D-League postseason gets underway. Rio Grande Valley has clinched a playoff spot, so White figures to be a part of the team's postseason roster next month.
Mavericks Sign Justin Dentmon
MONDAY, 11:06am: The Mavericks have officially signed Dentmon to a 10-day deal, the team announced today in a press release.
SATURDAY, 11:45am: The Mavericks are set to sign Justin Dentmon to a 10-day contract, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (on Twitter). Dentmon will fill the spot left by Chris Wright since the Mavs are not going to re-sign him to a second 10-day deal.
The Mavs are quite familiar with Dentmon, who plays for their D-League affiliate Texas Legends. The 27-year-old has been strong in 2012/13, averaging 22.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 3.7 APG this season for the Legends and the Austin Toros. Last year, Dentmon received 10-day contracts with the Spurs and Raptors and was named the MVP of the D-League.
Dallas is apparently looking to audition multiple guards between now and the end of the season. After Dentmon they'll likely test out one more backcourt option before making a final determination.