Celtics Recall Kris Joseph From D-League
The Celtics have recalled Kris Joseph from their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. The move adds a little depth to the C's roster with Rajon Rondo suspended and Jeff Green questionable to play tonight.
Joseph, 23, was the 51st overall pick in June's draft. He appeared in one game for the Celtics early in the month before being sent to the Maine Red Claws along with Fab Melo. In two games for Maine, Joseph averaged 25.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG, though he shot just 35.6% from the field.
Be sure to check out our complete list of D-League assignments and recalls to keep track of the latest moves.
Rockets Assign Jones, Machado To D-League
Terrence Jones and Scott Machado are heading to the Rockets' D-League affiliate, the team announced today. Machado will join the Rio Grande Valley Vipers for the second time this season, while for Jones it's his first D-League assignment.
Jones, 20, has appeared in seven contests for the Rockets so far in his rookie season, averaging 3.6 PPG and 2.0 RPG in 10.4 MPG. The 18th overall pick in the 2012 draft is one of a handful of mid-first-rounders to be assigned to the D-League this week — No. 12 pick Jeremy Lamb and No. 13 pick Kendall Marshall have also been sent to their teams' respective D-League affiliates in the last couple days.
Machado, meanwhile, finally made his NBA regular-season debut on Wednesday night against the Thunder. He was recalled from the Valley Vipers earlier this week, along with Donatas Motiejunas.
Warriors Rumors: McGuire, Bazemore, Bogut
Of the two games on the NBA's schedule last night, the Spurs/Heat contest drew most of the headlines for Gregg Popovich's decision to send his stars home. But the evening's late contest in Golden State was arguably the more thrilling game of the two. Andre Iguodala's potential game-winning buzzer-beater left his hand a split second too late, allowing the Warriors to hang on for a one-point victory, 106-105. As the team comes off a big win against the Nuggets, here are a few Friday morning Warriors updates:
- With ex-Warrior Dominic McGuire being released by the Raptors, Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (Sulia link) says not to bank on Golden State having interest in McGuire. Sources tell Thompson that the Warriors don't want to waive Kent Bazemore, the player most likely to be cut if the team adds another player.
- Bazemore will, however, be leaving the NBA team for now, as Thompson tweets that the rookie will be assigned to the D-League's Santa Cruz Warriors today.
- The Warriors have yet to apply for a disabled player exception following Brandon Rush's season-ending injury, according to Thompson (via Twitter). Such an exception would allow the team to add a player for this season for a salary up to $2MM. With the Warriors already over the tax line, approaching a hard cap, and still holding their $1.96MM bi-annual exception, perhaps the club figures there's no point in asking for an exception that won't be used.
- Appearing on Chronicle Live, Warriors GM Bob Myers apologized for deceiving fans in regard to Andrew Bogut's injury situation, as Thompson transcribes. The team did not reveal that Bogut had undergone microfracture surgery earlier this year, news that surfaced this week. "If there was blame to be laid on how this was communicated," Myers said. "That blame ultimately rides with me as the general manager of this organization."
Odds & Ends: Maggette, Pargo, Harden, Kapono
Although he only turned 33 years old earlier this month, Corey Maggette has been around the NBA for a long time, having made his debut back in 1999. With his contract set to expire next summer, Maggette was non-committal about what his immediate future may hold, says David Mayo of MLive.com.
"Who knows what will happen? Who knows? I might be a guy that might be in a front-office position," Maggette said. "I'm already preparing myself for that as I finish this career. The biggest thing is to worry about what's going on now and let the future take care of itself. We don't even know if we're going to wake up tomorrow."
While I'd be surprised if Maggette retired as a player next year, it seems he's already considering the next stage of his career, having spoken to Pistons GM Joe Dumars and assistant GM George David about the paths they took to their current jobs. Here are a few more odds and ends as we prepare for a light Thursday evening NBA schedule:
- Speaking to USA Today's Sam Amick about his extension negotiations with the Thunder and the trade that sent him to the Rockets, James Harden says the final offer he got from Oklahoma City was for four years and $53MM.
- Jannero Pargo is on top of "several NBA teams' radars," Pargo's agent Mark Bartelstein tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com (Twitter link). Considering the source of the info, it's not clear how much stock we should put in it, but Pargo was recently said to be drawing interest from the Bulls and others, and is hoping to get a deal done soon.
- Jason Kapono, whose agreement with Panathinaikos has been on hold, is expected to join the Greek team on December 10th, according to a Gazzetta.gr report (English translation via Sportando).
- Thunder coach Scott Brooks thinks Jeremy Lamb's D-League assignment is a great opportunity for the rookie to earn some playing time, according to Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman. "He's going to get great work on the practice floor and game floor," Brooks said. "But we like what he does. He has a very high skill set. He definitely needs to continue to develop his body and his game, but that’s a great position for him to be in."
- If you're curious about which D-League players may be in line for a shot from an NBA team in the coming weeks, keep an eye on four players Ryan Ripley of Ridiculous Upside identifies as hot starters.
- Offseason signee Randy Foye has found a home in the starting lineup for the Jazz, as Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune chronicles.
Thunder Assign Jeremy Lamb To D-League
The Thunder have assigned Jeremy Lamb to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. Lamb will be in uniform for the Tulsa 66ers when the team hosts the Rio Grande Valley Vipers tomorrow night.
A week ago, Oklahoma City assigned Daniel Orton and DeAndre Liggins to the 66ers. As Larry Coon writes in his CBA FAQ, NBA teams are believed to be able to assign up to two players to the D-League at any one time, so it's unclear whether that rule has been modified or whether one of the previous assignees is rejoining the Thunder. Assuming there's no corresponding announcement, it seems Lamb, Orton, and Liggins will all be on the 66ers' roster.
Lamb, the 12th overall pick in June's draft, was sent to Oklahoma City in last month's James Harden trade. The 20-year-old has appeared briefly in eight games for the Thunder, scoring a total of 17 points and making four of his eight shots from three-point range.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Virginia Beach, Billups
The latest update on Virginia Beach's arena proposal comes from Dale Kasler, Tony Bizjak, and Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee. According to the Bee report, the arena proposal would include commitments of $150MM from the state of Virginia, $195MM from the city of Virginia Beach, and just $35MM from Comcast-Spectator. Part of that cost would be put toward relocating a professional sports team, presumably the Sacramento Kings, to Virginia Beach.
Given that the proposal calls for 90% public funding, it's already drawing opposition from some public officials, according to the Bee report — city councilman Bill DeSteph suggested that Virginia Beach "can't afford" to put $195MM into the project.
As we wait to see if Virginia Beach's arena plan continues to move forward, here are a few more notes from around the Pacific Division:
- Rob McAllister of Cowbell Kingdom is skeptical that Virginia Beach is really a viable relocation option for the Kings, contending that the Maloofs are playing the city in order to boost the value of the franchise.
- Chauncey Billups' return to the Clippers lineup was timely, writes Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game, who says Billups helped quell a locker-room revolt last season and could be instrumental in convincing Chris Paul to remain long-term with the Clips.
- Young Warriors players like Jeremy Tyler and Kent Bazemore could be shuttled back and forth between the NBA and the D-League this season, given the proximity of the team's Santa Cruz affiliate, writes Carl Steward of the Oakland Tribune.
- Making his case for why the Lakers should trade Pau Gasol, Sean Deveney of the Sporting News writes that it's "becoming obvious that the rumor mill may know something the Lakers and Gasol don’t seem to know — he would be better off elsewhere."
Odds & Ends: Billups, Collison, Draft, Raptors
A deep Clippers roster will add even more depth as of tonight, when Chauncey Billups makes his 2012/13 debut against the Timberwolves. Billups tore his Achilles tendon last February, but re-signed with the Clips in the offseason, and will rejoin a backcourt that already includes Chris Paul, Eric Bledsoe, and Jamal Crawford, among others.
Here are a few more odds and ends for Wednesday afternoon:
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News has been impressed by Darren Collison so far, but says it's too soon to tell whether Collison is a long-term solution for the Mavericks at point guard.
- Nerlens Noel remains atop the latest version of Chris Mannix's 2013 draft board at SI.com, with Cody Zeller moving up to the No. 2 spot.
- Speaking of the '13 draft, ESPN.com's Chad Ford conducted a chat today in which he answered plenty of draft-related questions, along with a few on possible trade scenarios.
- In a pair of Sulia links, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun submits performance reviews for Raptors coach Dwane Casey and GM Bryan Colangelo, suggesting that the team shouldn't give up either of them, despite Toronto's disappointing start.
- Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News examines the Spurs' handling of their D-League affiliate, the defending champion Austin Toros.
- In front-office news out of the Northwest Division, the Nuggets announced promotions for two members of their basketball operations department, while Trail Blazers COO Sarah Mensah announced her resignation (link via CSNNW.com).
- Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside examines some first-round picks that have been assigned to the D-League, and how it affected their respective careers.
Nets Expected To Assign Taylor To D-League
The Springfield Armor may be welcoming a new player in the near future, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv reports (via Twitter) the Nets are expected to assign Tyshawn Taylor to the team's D-League affiliate. Although the Nets are the only NBA team affiliated with the Armor, Brooklyn has yet to assign a player to Springfield so far this season.
Taylor, the 41st pick in the 2012 draft, has appeared in seven games for the Nets, but has seen limited action in those contests. Since scoring five points in nine minutes against the Magic on November 9th, the 22-year-old point guard has played less than three overall minutes in four games. The assignment to Springfield should mean a significant increase in playing time for the rookie.
Odds & Ends: Saric, Draft, Murphy, Collins, Lakers
Let's check out a few items from around the Association as we prepare for an eight-game evening slate….
- Although we heard on Friday that Dario Saric's contract in Croatia wouldn't have an NBA out until 2014, Saric confirmed today that his new deal will include an NBA out after every season. Saric, who ranks 16th on DraftExpress.com's big board for 2013, indicated that he'd declare for the draft next season if he receives a top-10 guarantee, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando writes.
- NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper notes (on Twitter) that one NBA executive has Saric in his current top 10, but that he's hardly a lock, and plenty can change between now and next June.
- In an Insider piece at ESPN.com, Jay Bilas and Chad Ford debate which college prospect is the early favorite to be picked first overall next June, and discuss a few more draft topics.
- Kevin Murphy, who was assigned to the D-League today, will be with the Reno Bighorns for at least five games, according to Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey (Twitter link via Jody Genessy of the Deseret News).
- Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops fills out a hypothetical roster made up of the NBA's worst contracts.
- Mardy Collins, who played in parts of four seasons for the Knicks and Clippers after being drafted 29th overall in 2006, has reached an agreement to play for Israel's Maccabi Ashdod, reports David Pick of Sportando.
- Lakers offseason acquisitions Jodie Meeks and Antawn Jamison have begun to thrive under new coach Mike D'Antoni, says Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Medina adds that there's still no set timetable for Steve Nash's return.
Rockets Never Meant To Send White To D-League
Rockets GM Daryl Morey told Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld that the team never intended to send Royce White to the D-League, despite earlier indications to the contrary, and said he's optimistic about White's situation (Twitter link). The rookie has been away from the team for two weeks, and there's still no timetable for his return, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
When the report that the team would send White down surfaced, it came along with the news that the Rockets were also farming out Scott Machado and Donatas Motiejunas. That seemed to run counter to the CBA rule that an NBA team can only assign two players to the D-League at once. White went on his current leave of absence before the team could officially demote him, and now it appears such a move wasn't in the works, after all.
Feigen notes the team is expected to recall Motiejunas this weekend. That would allow the the Rockets to send White down, but it's unclear whether that would happen. White reportedly has misgivings about how playing in the D-League would jibe with his illness, and the fact that White addressed the specter of a D-League assignment suggests the team at least broached the subject with him.