D-League Moves: Pittman, Miller, Stone
We'll keep track of today's D-League assignments and recalls right here, with any additional moves added to the top of the page:
- Dexter Pittman has been recalled from the D-League by the Heat, according to a team release. Pittman averaged 9.0 PPG and 7.3 RPG in three games during his most recent stint with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
- The Nuggets have recalled Quincy Miller and Julyan Stone from their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. While Miller has averaged 11.3 PPG for the Iowa Energy in 23 D-League games, Stone struggled during his stint with the club, going scoreless in his last four contests. Neither player figures to see much action with the Nuggets, but they'll provide depth for tonight's game in Brooklyn, particularly if Andre Iguodala, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, and JaVale McGee remain sidelined.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Smith, Celtics, Sixers, Turner
Earlier tonight, we learned that things are heating up between the Nets and the Hawks as Brooklyn eyes forward Josh Smith. The Nets may not have all the assets to get a deal done, however, and it may behoove them to get a third team involved in the trade talks. Brooklyn would reportedly part ways with Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks to bring the high-flyer further up the east coast, but it's going to take more than that to make the Hawks release him from their talons. The Hawks almost certainly would like to trade Smith rather than lose him for nothing this summer, but they can find plenty of suitors around the league. Here's more on the Nets and the rest of the Atlantic..
- Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov must really not care about luxury tax penalties if he is willing to take on another max deal in Smith on top of an already expensive roster, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Prokhorov has made it clear that winning is his top priority and with the highest net worth of any owner in the league, he has the resources to make that a reality.
- In a deal slightly less glamorous than the rumored Smith swap, the Nets' D-League affiliate (Springfield Armor) sent power forward James Mays to the Celtics' affiliate (Maine Red Claws) for swingman Kris Joseph, a source tells Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Both players were in camp with the respective NBA clubs and Joseph was said to impress over the summer.
- John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer warns Sixers fans not to hold their breath on an Evan Turner trade. Turner is allegedly on the block as Philly considers a shakeup.
D-League Moves: Melo, Smith, Lamb
We'll round up today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with the latest movement on top of the page.
- Two days after re-assigning him to the Maine Red Claws, the Celtics have recalled Fab Melo, the team announced today in a press release. The rookie big man had six points and five rebounds in his lone game for the Red Claws this weekend.
- Rockets center Greg Smith has been sent to the D-League, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Smith will join the Rio Grande Valley Vipers for the first time this season after spending 26 games with the Vipers last year. The 6'10" Smith is averaging 5.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 13.9 minutes with the Rockets this season, but lost his spot in the rotation to Cole Aldrich over the past two games.
- The Bucks have recalled rookie Doron Lamb from the D-League, the team announced via Twitter. Milwaukee sent him down to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants a week ago, and the 6'4" shooting guard has had mixed results in four games since, going scoreless on Wednesday against Sioux Falls and hitting for 24 points last night versus Iowa. In six D-League games over two separate stints, Lamb is averaging 10.3 points in 25.5 minutes per game. He's put up 3.4 PPG in 12.2 MPG with the Bucks, but hasn't seen action in an NBA contest since January 5th, the final game before Jim Boylan took over for Scott Skiles as coach.
NBA Players Making Impact In D-League
While many of the well-publicized changes to the new collective bargaining agreement relate to the salary cap and luxury tax, the post-lockout CBA also features a number of modifications to the relationship between the NBA and the D-League. With more flexible regulations for D-League assignments in effect this season, a record 52 players have been assigned to the D-League so far.
For veterans such as Amare Stoudemire or Kawhi Leonard, those assignments were simply for injury rehab purposes, and didn't last long. But for many young players, the D-League has provided an opportunity to earn the kind of minutes they wouldn't be seeing for their NBA teams.
One example of how that opportunity is paying off came earlier this week, when the D-League announced its All-Star rosters. Three of the players on the rosters (Jeremy Lamb, Cory Joseph, and Terrence Jones) were on assignments from their respective NBA teams, while another D-League All-Star, Shelvin Mack, is currently playing for the 76ers.
Here's a look at a few players on NBA rosters who have played at least 10 D-League games this year and are making an impact for their respective affiliates:
- Terrence Jones (Rio Grande Valley Vipers): While the Rockets are still waiting to see Royce White on the court, Jones, the player selected two spots after White in the 2012 draft, is averaging nearly 20 and 10 in the D-League. Jones' 19.7 PPG and 9.6 RPG (in 14 contests) both rank among the league leaders, and coming into today, the Vipers had won the last seven games in which Jones played.
- Cory Joseph (Austin Toros): A second-year guard, Joseph has played more minutes for the Toros this year than he has in total for the Spurs since being selected 29th overall in 2011. So far this season, he's been one of the D-League's most effective scorers, averaging 19.8 PPG in 19 contests, aided by a .458 3PT%.
- Jeremy Lamb (Tulsa 66ers): The 12th overall pick last June, Lamb may be viewed as a core asset for the Thunder down the road, but for now he's seeing the majority of his minutes in Tulsa, and making the most of them. In 14 D-League games, he has averaged 21.1 PPG on .462/.356/.915 shooting.
- Miles Plumlee (Fort Wayne Mad Ants): Plumlee has barely seen the floor this season in Indiana, appearing briefly in just three games since November 18th. But in the D-League, he's one of only a handful of players averaging a double-double, with 12.3 PPG and 11.1 RPG to go along with 1.9 BPG in 13 games. Of course, there's still plenty for Plumlee to work on while he's in Fort Wayne, such as his abysmal 43.8% mark from the free-throw line.
- Honorable mentions: Kevin Jones (23.0 PPG, 12.6 RPG in seven games), Perry Jones III (14.1 PPG, 7.0 RPG), Scott Machado (11.4 PPG, 6.6 APG), Quincy Miller (12.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG)
D-League Moves: Aron Baynes, Miles Plumlee
Here are Monday's D-League assignments and recalls, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- Aron Baynes has been recalled from the Austin Toros, the Spurs announced in a press release. Baynes played in a pair of Toros' losses over the weekend, excelling in his first D-League contest on Friday, with 30 points and 10 boards.
- The Pacers have re-assigned Miles Plumlee to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. It's the sixth time this season that the 2012 first-round pick has been assigned to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. In his previous five stints, Plumlee has appeared in 12 games for the team, averaging 12.7 PPG and 11.1 RPG.
D-League Moves: Machado, Jones, Baynes
We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls here along with signings, with the latest transactions added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- Scott Machado has signed with the Rockets' D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, writes Keith Schosser of Ridiculous Upside. The former Iona point guard played for the Vipers earlier in the season where he averaged 12 PPG and 7.1 APG in 11 contests.
- Terrence Jones has been re-assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers by the Rockets, the team announced today in a press release. In 12 games with the Vipers this season, Jones ranks among the D-League leaders in PPG (19.1) and RPG (9.8).
- The Spurs have assigned the newest member of the team, Aron Baynes, to the D-League, according to a press release. The Australian big man had appeared in two games for San Antonio since signing with the club last week. He'll join the Austin Toros in time for the team's game against the Bakersfield Jam tonight.
Odds & Ends: Hudson, Garnett, Heat, Bulls
Ex-NBA veteran Troy Hudson has officially ended his playing career, Sioux Falls Skyforce president Mike Heineman announced on Thursday (link via Terry Vandrovec of the Argus Leader). While Hudson hasn't appeared in the NBA since the 2007/08 season, he started this year with the D-League's Skyforce. In 517 career NBA games for five teams, the 6'1" guard averaged 9.0 PPG and 3.4 APG.
Here are a few more Friday odds and ends from around the league:
- Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game clarifies (via Sulia) that his report earlier this week on Kevin Garnett simply meant to convey that trade interest in Garnett may not be as strong as expected, since rival general managers aren't convinced he'll play out his contract. Bucher also notes that while those GMs don't expect KG to finish his contract, that doesn't mean they expect him to retire this summer.
- In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel discusses the Heat's trade options and the team's signing of Jarvis Varnado to a rest-of-season contract.
- Sam Smith of Bulls.com has his own mailbag up, which includes his thoughts on the Bulls' potential interest in Greg Oden and the possibility of the team re-signing Nate Robinson this summer.
- Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld takes a look at which players may be on the move next.
D-League Moves: Miles Plumlee, Kevin Jones
Here are Thursday's D-League assignments and recalls, with the latest moves at the top of the page:
- The Pacers have re-assigned Miles Plumlee to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team announced today in a press release. Plumlee has averaged a double-double for Indiana's D-League affiliate in 11 games with the Mad Ants this year, posting 12.8 PPG and 11.2 RPG.
- A day after assigning him to the D-League, the Cavaliers have recalled Kevin Jones, the team announced in a press release. Jones recorded 18 points and 14 rebounds in the Canton Charge's loss to the Erie BayHawks last night, and will rejoin the Cavs for their game tomorrow in Detroit.
D-League Moves: Kevin Jones, Julyan Stone
We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls right here, with any further moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- Rookie forward Kevin Jones has been re-assigned to the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers announced today in a press release. Jones didn't see any action during his recent stint with Cleveland, but has appeared in 15 NBA games so far. He has also excelled in his six contests with the Charge, averaging 23.8 PPG and 12.3 RPG.
- The Nuggets have assigned Julyan Stone to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. Stone, who missed more than two months of the season while recovering from right hip surgery, will join Quincy Miller, the other Nugget currently playing for the D-League's Iowa Energy.
Celtics Recall Fab Melo From D-League
Here are Tuesday's D-League assignments and recalls, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Celtics have recalled Fab Melo from the Maine Red Claws, the team announced today in a press release. The last time Melo was recalled from the D-League, it was so his concussion could be treated by Celtics doctors. The rookie big man reportedly sat out Maine's most recent game with a quad strain, so the C's may have similar intentions this time around.