Bucks Assign Doron Lamb To D-League
The Milwaukee Bucks have assigned rookie guard Doron Lamb to the NBA D-League's Fort Wayne Mad Ants, reports Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Lamb, drafted by the Bucks in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft, has played in 23 games and averaged 3.4 PPG for Milwaukee this season.
D-League Moves: Melo, Lamb, Wroten
We'll track Friday's D-League assignments and recalls right here, with any additional moves being added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Celtics have re-assigned Fab Melo to their D-League affiliate, the club announced today in a press release. Melo had been recalled from the Maine Red Claws last week to undergo treatment for his concussion from Boston's training staff. It appears he's been cleared to return to action for the Red Claws.
- Jeremy Lamb has been recalled from the Tulsa 66ers by the Thunder, the team announced today in a press release. In 11 games (all starts) in the D-League this season, Lamb has averaged 21.5 PPG on .422/.295/.909 shooting.
- The Grizzlies have sent Tony Wroten back to their D-League affiliate, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. For Wroten, the 25th overall pick in last June's draft, it's his third stint this season with the Reno Bighorns. In eight games with the Bighorns, the 19-year-old has averaged 13.6 PPG and 3.8 APG in 24.6 minutes per contest.
Suns To Assign Diante Garrett To D-League
We'll track Thursday's D-League assignments and recalls, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Suns will send Diante Garrett to their D-League affiliate today, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. In a move that surprised me a little, Phoenix hung on to the little-used Garrett this week, ensuring that his non-guaranteed contract became guaranteed for the season. It's the first assignment to the Bakersfield Jam this season for the Iowa State product.
Blazers Recall Smith, Barton From D-League
Here are Wednesday's D-League assignments and recalls, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- Nolan Smith and Will Barton were recalled from the D-League by the Trail Blazers, the team announced today (Twitter link). The backcourt duo had been assigned to the Idaho Stampede on Sunday. In a pair of Stampede losses during their assignments, Smith averaged 22.5 PPG and 5.5 APG, while Barton posted 14.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 4.0 APG.
Jazz Recall Kevin Murphy From D-League
The Jazz are recalling Kevin Murphy from their D-League affiliate, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Murphy had been playing for the Reno Bighorns since being assigned by Utah on November 26th.
When Murphy was assigned to the D-League by the Jazz, GM Dennis Lindsey noted that he wanted to see the second-round pick operate as a team player, rather than dominating the ball and trying to rack up points. In 14 games, including 12 starts, for the Bighorns, Murphy averaged 13.2 PPG on .446/.350/.775 shooting.
Western Notes: White, Nowitzki, Wolves, Blazers
So far, votes are virtually evenly split on whether or not the Lakers will earn a playoff spot this season in the competitive Western Conference. You can weigh in with your vote and/or comments on our afternoon poll right here. As the Lakers prepare to face the Rockets tonight in Houston, let's check in on a few Western Conference notes relating to the Rockets and a handful of other clubs….
- Royce White appeared on Slate's Hang Up and Listen podcast, and went into detail in discussing his relationship with the Rockets and the mental health protocol he's hoping to establish. You can listen to the conversation at about the 24:15 mark of the podcast or view the complete transcript over at Slate.com.
- Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson says he expects Dirk Nowitzki to remain with the Mavericks for the rest of his career, according to Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). Nowitzki recently questioned some of the Mavs' roster-building strategies, but insisted he wants to remain in Dallas and not be traded.
- Even though Kevin Love will be out for an extended period, the Timberwolves, like every other team in the NBA, aren't currently interested in Kenyon Martin, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
- Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey isn't looking to make superficial changes to his team's roster, but is ready to make a move if the right kind of deal arises, as Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld writes.
- Terrel Harris, who was cut this weekend by the Heat, will join the Rockets' D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, tweets Fran Blinebury of NBA.com. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle clarifies (via Twitter) that Harris won't be part of Houston's 15-man roster, but the Vipers are operated by the Rockets, who want to take a look at the guard.
D-League Moves: Beverley, Leuer
We'll keep track of today's D-League movement in this post, with the latest news on top. You can follow all of this season's D-League assignments and recalls right here.
- The Rockets, in a press release that officially announced the signing of Patrick Beverley, also revealed that he's been assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League. The 6'1" point guard has yet to play in either the NBA or the D-League after going undrafted in 2009. Houston brought Beverley over from Spartak St. Petersburg in Russia, for whom he was named Eurocup MVP last season.
- The Cavaliers have recalled Jon Leuer from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Leuer figures to be on the bench for the Cavs' game tonight in Chicago. Leuer was assigned to the Canton Charge last week, and played in two games for the club during his stint. The 23-year-old had double-doubles in both contests, leading the Charge to a pair of victories. Canton is now 7-1 this season with Leuer, and just 3-7 without him.
D-League Moves: Barton, Smith
The Portland Trail Blazers have assigned rookie small forward Will Barton and second-year point guard Nolan Smith to the Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League, the team announced (link via Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com). They will both be sent down in time to appear at the D-League Showcase in Reno, Nevada.
Barton has appeared in 28 games for the Blazers this season, averaging 2.9 PPG and 1.4 RPG. Smith has played in 18 games and averaged 2.5 PPG and 1.8 APG. We'll keep track of today's NBDL assignments and recalls below:
- IndyStar.com reports that the Pacers have recalled Miles Plumlee from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
- Director of 76ers PR Michael Preston tweets that Philadelphia has recalled Arnett Moultrie.
Odds & Ends: Draft, Amare, Varejao, Heat
Most people seem to think that Kentucky's Nerlens Noel will be the top pick in the 2013 Draft but Joe Kotoch of Sheridan Hoops believes that it's still wide open. UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad has the Bruins on a six-game winning streak following his return to action and the guard is impressing scouts with his outside shooting. Maryland center Alex Len has injected himself into the conversation with surprisingly strong play so far this season. Indiana big man Cody Zeller could even find himself in the mix with a strong finish to the 2012/13 season. Here's more from around the Association..
- Amare Stoudemire made waves this week when he said that Knicks coach Mike Woodson has him playing defense for the first time in his career, but the forward walked those comments back somewhat. Stoudemire told reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post, that he meant it as a compliment to Woodson and not a shot at former coach Mike D'Antoni.
- Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (on Twitter) thinks that the Cavaliers might have to give some more thought to moving Anderson Varejao given the strong play of Tristan Thompson in his place. The Cavs' asking price for Varejao at the moment is said to be quite high.
- Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel doesn't see free agent Kenyon Martin as the solution to the Heat's rebounding woes as they need a taller big man to help clean the glass.
- The D-League Showcase gets underway on Monday and Ryan Ripley of Ridiculous Upside previews some of the top players auditioning for ten-day contracts. Mike James, who hooked on with the Texas Legends this week, is among the players to watch.
D-League Notes: Sacre, De Colo
Today's D-League assignments and recalls..
- The Lakers have re-assigned Robert Sacre to the Los Angeles D-Fenders, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Sacre was just recalled from the affiliate last month.
- The Spurs announced that they have recalled Nando De Colo from the D-League. The guard's second stint with the Austin Toros lasted less than 24 hours as he was assigned Friday afternoon. The 25-year-old has seen 11.9 minutes per contest for the Spurs and averaged 3.9 PPG this season.