Odds & Ends: Pacers, Lakers, T’Wolves, Howard
Pacers president Larry Bird has yet to decide whether he will return to the club next season but he is apparently open to staying on if he and owner Herb Simon are on the same page. Today, Bob Kravitz of the Indy Star writes that Bird's conversation with Simon will center around the owner's willingness to spend on payroll. Predictably, point guard Deron Williams would be Bird's top target if Simon is willing to open up his wallet, but landing him would appear to be a longshot. Here's more from around the league..
Blazers, Idaho Stampede Announce Partnership
The Trail Blazers will take over the basketball operations of the D-League's Idaho Stampede in a "hybrid" partnership, the Blazers announced today (Twitter link). As Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside explains (via Twitter), Idaho will still control the business side of the franchise, but the Blazers will have full control of coaching staff, player roster, and other baskebtall operations.
The Stampede had previously been the D-League affiliate for the Nuggets and Jazz, as well as the Blazers, but the new agreement will make Portland the Stampede's sole NBA affiliate. Interim Blazers GM Chad Buchanan called the move a "great opportunity" for Portland to develop young players and coaches, according to Joe Freeman of the Oregonian.
"The benefits can be great," Buchanan said. "You have a coach you hire that’s going to mirror what we’re running up here with the Blazers. You’ve got a roster that you’ve put together that you want to see. If we want to send (this year’s) draft pick down, we can send him down for two weeks and play him 48 minutes a night, get him 25 touches and 30 shots a game. We have control over that."
The Blazers become the fourth team to enter a hybrid partnership with a D-League franchise, joining the Rockets, Nets, and Knicks.
Minor Moves: Eyenga, Joseph, Wright
We'll track the latest notable international and D-League-related transactions right here, with the newest up top:
- Christian Eyenga practiced with the Lakers today and is expected to play tomorrow in Sacramento, tweets Mike Trudell of Lakers.com. Eyenga, who was acquired along with Ramon Sessions at the trade deadline, had been playing with the D-League's D-Fenders since the deal, but persumably has now been recalled.
- The Spurs have recalled Cory Joseph from their D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros, the Spurs announced today. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News first tweeted that the move was expected, noting that it wouldn't bode well for the Toros in the D-League Finals. As our log of D-League assignments and recalls shows, Joseph has been optioned to Austin three times this season, so he won't be able to rejoin the Toros again for the end of their season.
- Former 15th-overall pick Antoine Wright has signed with Venezuelan team Guaiqueries de Margarita, the team announced (hat tip to Sportando). Wright, 28, had joined the D-League earlier this season in hopes of making it back to the NBA.
Cavaliers Sign D.J. Kennedy
The Cavaliers announced that they have signed guard/forward D.J. Kennedy from the D-League for the remainder of the season. In 44 regular season games with the Erie BayHawks, the 22-year-old averaged 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 37.4 minutes per game.
The swingman played four seasons at St. John’s, putting up 11.7 PPG on .436 shooting, 6.1 RPG, and 2.4 APG in 30.4 minutes per contest. Kennedy suffered a major setback in last year's NCAA tournament when he tore his ACL in the Red Storm's quarterfinal loss to Syracuse.
Minor Moves: Luke Harangody, Jerome Jordan
We'll track the latest notable international and D-League-related transactions right here:
- Luke Harangody has been recalled from the D-League's Canton Charge, the Cavaliers announced today. Harangody was assigned to Canton on the weekend and helped lead the team to its first-ever playoff series victory. However, with the Cavs in need of healthy bodies, Harangody won't be on hand to help the Charge continue their postseason run. Having been assigned to the D-League the maximum three times already this season, the 24-year-old can't be sent down again.
- According to RealGM's transactions log, Jerome Jordan has also been recalled from the D-League, by the Knicks. New York's affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, were eliminated from the D-League playoffs on Monday, in spite of Jordan's 26 points.
Odds & Ends: Williams, Miller, Gordon, D-League
Wednesday afternoon links from around the Association:
- Terrence Williams reiterated a desire to re-sign with the Kings this offseason, telling Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld that coach Keith Smart is a major reason he's interested in staying in Sacramento.
- According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, Andre Miller has yet to give any serious thought to retirement: "I want to keep playing until my legs don’t work anymore," said the Nuggets point guard.
- Eric Gordon won't be the cornerstone of the Hornets' rebuilding efforts, but he'll be a key building block, writes Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com lists the best executives available for teams searching for new management this summer.
- Justin Dentmon (MVP) and Greg Smith (Rookie of the Year) highlight Scott Schroeder's picks for the D-League's award winners at Ridiculous Upside. Both players are currently on NBA rosters — Dentmon with the Raptors, and Smith with the Rockets.
Odds & Ends: Trail Blazers, Przybilla, Warriors
Let's round up a few Tuesday links from around the NBA….
- The Trail Blazers have interviewed agent Noah Croom for their general manager opening, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Blazers president Larry Miller didn't confirm that Croom was interviewed, but told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that Portland has yet to reach out to any candidates currently with NBA teams.
- Joel Przybilla told Jason Quick of the Oregonian that he plans to play in the NBA next season, but hasn't decided where yet. Przybilla added that he's "had fun" playing with the Blazers and doesn't regret choosing Portland over the Bulls and Heat (Twitter links).
- Warriors assistant coach Michael Malone could draw interest for teams looking for a head coach this offseason, writes Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com.
- ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) previews this year's Portsmouth Invitational, naming Jet Chang as his sleeper prospect in the tournament.
- The NBA announced today that the Las Vegas Summer League will return to action this July, after having been cancelled due to the lockout last summer.
- The league also announced that the NBA D-League has set new records this season for both assignments and call-ups.
Minor Moves: Chris Wright, Jerome Jordan
We'll track today's notable international and D-League-related transactions right here:
- Chris Wright has been assigned by the Warriors to the D-League's Dakota Wizards, according to a team press release. Golden State recalled Wright for a second time last Wednesday, but he'll head back to Dakota to join the team for its playoff series against the Bakersfield Jam.
- The Knicks have reassigned Jerome Jordan to the Erie BayHawks, their D-League affiliate, according to the team's official Twitter account. New York has previously assigned Jordan to Erie in January and March, so this is the last time this season he can be sent down this year. The BayHawks' season could be nearing its end anyway — they'll face the Austin Toros in the playoffs starting this weekend.
Minor Moves: Wright, Williams, Murray
We'll track the latest international and D-League-related transactions here:
- The Warriors have recalled Chris Wright from their D-League affiliate, according to a team release. Wright had been assigned to the Dakota Wizards on March 24th for the second time this season.
- Sean Williams is rejoining the Texas Legends for the rest of the D-League season, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Williams was waived by the Mavericks in March to make room for Kelenna Azubuike, but will return to the team's D-League affiliate, where he spent time earlier this season.
- Former NBA veteran Flip Murray will sign with the D-League's Austin Toros, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter). Murray played for eight NBA teams in eight seasons, last seeing NBA action with the Bulls in the 2010 playoffs. The 32-year-old averaged 9.9 points in 22.7 minutes per contest over the course of 487 career games.
Atlantic Notes: O’Neal, Garnett, D-League, Davis
The Celtics announced today that Jermaine O'Neal underwent successful surgery on his injured left wrist. And as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets, all went well with Chris Wilcox's heart surgery yesterday too. Wilcox was waived by the Celtics earlier this month, and Boston could choose to let O'Neal go as well if the team needs to use his roster spot. For now though, the Celtics don't appear to be eyeing any free agents.
Here are a few more Friday afternoon updates out of the Atlantic Division:
- Celtics big man Kevin Garnett appeared on WEEI's Mutt and Merloni show yesterday, and made some interesting comments, as Rich Levine of CSNNE.com writes. "I never wanted to be pieced around, or treated like a pawn, or a piece on the board," Garnett said. "Loyalty in this game has been depleted on both sides. The business of this game is terrible for players. It's all over the place. I have to choose and make a decision to whether to be part of the future of that. I wish players would take more of a stand in our league and understand that it's a player's league." Reading between the lines, Levine surmises that Garnett may have been referring to the lockout, the trade deadline, or both.
- The NBA's D-League has turned into more of a true minor league system and is helping players reach the NBA, writes Jorge Castillo of the Star-Ledger. Castillo's piece is an interesting read, with a focus on the Nets' D-League call-ups, including Gerald Green and Jerry Smith.
- The Knicks' offseason addition of Baron Davis fell under the radar following Jeremy Lin's emergence, but Lin's injury has given Davis a chance to re-enter the spotlight, says Keith Schlosser of the New York Times.