- Lance Stephenson, who was recently waived by the Pelicans after sustaining an injury, was a “model citizen” during his time in New Orleans, team sources told Stein in a separate article.
Jrue Holiday has yet to make his debut for the Pelicans this season, having spent the early part of the season caring for his wife, who underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor last month, and his newborn daughter. However, Holiday’s return to the court is imminent, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter).
According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the Pelicans are expected to welcome Holiday back to their lineup at some point next week. While the point guard’s debut could take place on Wednesday against the Magic, it’s more likely to happen next Friday, when New Orleans faces Portland.
Holiday, 26, has spent the last three seasons with the Pelicans, and has been a key part of the club’s offensive attack during that time. In 2015/16, he averaged 16.8 PPG and 6.0 APG in 65 regular season contests (28.2 MPG). Injuries have limited Holiday’s playing time since he arrived in New Orleans, however — he appeared in a total of just 74 games in his first two years with the Pelicans before playing in 65 last season.
Having struggled out of the gate this season, the Pelicans will be happy to get Holiday back in their rotation. The club lost its first eight games before finally getting in the win column on Thursday night against the Bucks.
New Orleans has also been hit hard by backcourt injuries in the early going — Tyreke Evans and Quincy Pondexter have not played yet this season due to health issues, and the team had to waive Lance Stephenson‘s non-guaranteed contract when he suffered a groin injury, in order to add a healthy body (Archie Goodwin).
Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Knicks have recalled guard Ron Baker and center Marshall Plumlee from Westchester, the club announced today (via Twitter). The duo participated in a D-League exhibition game on Wednesday against Brooklyn’s affiliate, with Baker scoring 26 points en route to a Knicks win.
- The Celtics have assigned rookie guard Demetrius Jackson to the Maine Red Claws, the club announced today (via Twitter). Like most assignments so far this season, Jackson’s will likely be a brief one, designed to get him some extra practice time.
- The Pelicans have assigned forward Cheick Diallo to the Austin Spurs via the flex assignment rule, according to Chris Reichert of The Step Back.
- The Nets assigned forward Chris McCullough to the Long Island Nets, the club announced via press release. McCullough has appeared in three games for Brooklyn this season, averaging 0.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 5.7 minutes per game.
The NBA will team with Basketball Australia to create a youth academy in Canberra, according to A.J. Neuhart-Keusch of USA Today. Known as NBA Global Academy, the facility will be an elite training center for young players. Located at the Centre of Excellence at the Australian Institute of Sport, the academy is designed to be a “global hub” for international prospects. The NBA has three similar facilities in China. “NBA Global Academy will allow top prospects from around the world to train with and compete against their peers in a structured environment under the supervision of NBA-trained coaches and in collaboration with BA’s internationally recognized coaches,” said Brooks Meek, NBA vice president of international basketball operations.
There’s more basketball news tonight:
- Barcelona has confirmed its interest in 39-year-old point guard Pablo Prigioni, relays Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. Head coach Georgios Bartzokas said the team has its eye on Prigioni, who was waived by the Rockets last month, but cautioned that it’s far from a done deal. “Every guard in the market with European passport interests us,” Bartzokas said. “Prigioni, with his great career and potential is one of them. But the most important thing is to bring a player that fits into our system. It’s not just about the potential, quality or level of the player. It’s about whether he fits with us and whether he’s able to play well with our players.”
- The Pelicans top a list of teams that should be very worried by their slow starts, writes Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. New Orleans has an 0-8 record and is hampered by injuries to Tyreke Evans, Quincy Pondexter and Lance Stephenson, who was waived over the weekend. The Pelicans are also without starting point guard Jrue Holiday, who remains on a leave of absence to care for his ailing wife. Bontemps says there are whispers that coach Alvin Gentry may be fired if the team doesn’t start winning soon. The other teams on Bontemps’ list are the Wizards, Knicks, Mavericks and Timberwolves.
- Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard is the latest player to incorporate strobe lights into his training, according to Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com. The flashing lights, which simulate photographers’ flashes, were first incorporated by Michael Jordan in the 1990s.
The Pelicans have gotten some negative feedback from around the league for their decision to waive Lance Stephenson, writes Scott Kushner of The Advocate. Stephenson was let go after suffering a serious groin injury on Saturday that is expected to sideline him for several weeks. With New Orleans already missing Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans and Quincy Pondexter, the team needed to open a roster spot to sign Archie Goodwin. With only $100K of his contract guaranteed, Stephenson was an obvious candidate.
The Pelicans are obligated to pay Stephenson his full salary while he is injured and have pledged to help with his recovery, but they haven’t escaped criticism for the way they handled the situation. “Remember this is a business,” Kings forward Matt Barnes posted on Instagram. “When you can no longer serve your purpose, these teams cut you, trade you or bury you on the bench. Case in point, Lance gets hurt playing and needs surgery now, so instead of supporting him and helping him get healthy, they cut him.”
- The Pelicans plan to send rookie power forward Cheick Diallo to the D-League this week for more playing time, tweets Jennifer Hale of WVUE Fox 8 in New Orleans. Diallo has appeared in just one game so far, getting six minutes of action.
NOVEMBER 7:
12:50pm: The Pelicans have announced their deal with Goodwin, signing him using their newly-opened 15th roster spot. Per Scott Kushner of The Advocate (via Twitter), it’ll be a two-year contract that won’t be guaranteed in the second year.
11:49am: The Pelicans have officially waived Stephenson, the team announced today in a press release. A report this morning suggested the team will be open to re-signing him when he gets healthy. Meanwhile, Goodwin’s signing has yet to be confirmed, but it’s expected to happen soon.
NOVEMBER 6:
7:53pm: The Pelicans are finalizing a deal with Goodwin, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical, and the contract will be for two seasons (Twitter link). Stephenson will be waived to create the roster opening (Twitter link).
7:33pm: The Pelicans have interest in adding former Suns guard Archie Goodwin, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein describes Goodwin, who was waived by Phoenix last month, as a “likely potential signee.”
New Orleans lost Lance Stephenson Saturday night to a groin injury that is expected to require surgery. Doctors project his recovery time at several weeks. The Pelicans are already missing Tyreke Evans and Quincy Pondexter, who both have knee issues, along with Jrue Holiday, who is on a leave of absence to care for his ailing wife.
New Orleans could apply to the league for a hardship waiver to add a 16th player to its roster. A more likely option, tweets Scott Kushner of The Advocate, is simply to waive Stephenson, who only has a $100K guarantee on his minimum-salary contract. However, the Pelicans would be required to pay Stephenson’s full salary until he recovers from the injury.
11:12am: Stephenson is expected to miss between six and 10 weeks following his groin surgery tomorrow, sources tell Scott Kushner of The Advocate (Twitter link).
10:26am: While it’s not official yet, the Pelicans are expected to formally sign Archie Goodwin today, waiving Lance Stephenson to open up a roster spot. However, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter links), New Orleans isn’t expected to sever its relationship with Stephenson upon his release.
As Stein details, the Pelicans intend to “participate fully” in Stephenson’s rehab from his groin injury and have told the veteran swingman that they’re open to the idea of re-signing him when he gets healthy. According to Stein, New Orleans didn’t want to cut Stephenson but didn’t see a viable alternative solution.
The Pelicans are currently carrying 14 players on guaranteed contracts, with Stephenson’s deal as the only one that isn’t fully guaranteed. Since they have multiple backcourt players sidelined, the Pelicans needed to make a move in a timely fashion, and according to Stein (via Twitter), the club’s case for a hardship waiver isn’t automatic, since Jrue Holiday is away from the team for personal reasons.
While New Orleans received criticism from some observers, including Stephenson’s former teammate Matt Barnes, for deciding to waive the 26-year-old following his injury, it seems the club is doing everything it can to accommodate his recovery, short of actually keeping him on the roster. Stein tweets that the Pelicans have told Stephenson they’re willing to participate in his injury rehab even if he wants to do it somewhere besides New Orleans.
Lance Stephenson will be re-evaluated after the Pelicans announced Saturday he suffered a groin injury and would need surgery, and the expectation is for the shooting guard/small forward to miss weeks — not days, a source told Justin Verrier of ESPN.com.
The Pelicans are 0-6 and are already without Jrue Holiday (personal), Tyreke Evans (right knee) and Quincy Pondexter (left knee). They can apply for an injury hardship waiver, which allows a team to temporarily add a 16th player to the roster, but New Orleans is currently unlikely to do that, according to Verrier.
Stephenson’s contract is for the minimum, but is only guaranteed for $100K. Stephenson, who won a roster spot after the preseason, has averaged 9.7 points and 4.8 assists in 27 minutes per game during the team’s six contests this season.
- Solomon Hill signed with the Pelicans over the offseason, but coach Alvin Gentry had his eye on the fourth-year small forward for a long time, relays Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Hill played college ball at Arizona while Gentry was the head coach in Phoenix, and Gentry wanted to trade for him last season. “I just think he’s a good, solid guy,” Gentry said. “He’s a guy who is trying to find himself in what we’re doing. I told him I think he’s trying to fit in too much. He’s a guy who just needs to be who he is. That’s why we signed him.”
Lance Stephenson has suffered a groin injury and he will need surgery, according to a team press release. Stephenson had an MRI earlier today and a timetable for his return has not yet been established.
Stephenson’s contract is for the minimum, but is only guaranteed for $100K. However, the team will be on the hook for his salary while he recovers from the injury, Bobby Marks of The Vertical notes (Twitter links). Marks adds that the Pelicans could be granted the hardship exception, allowing them to add a 16th player as soon as next Friday. New Orleans is already without point guard Jrue Holiday, who is out of the lineup indefinitely while caring for his wife.
Stephenson signed with the Pelicans during the offseason and beat out Alonzo Gee for a roster spot at the conclusion of the preseason. He averaged 9.7 points and 4.8 assists in 27 minutes per game during the team’s six contests this season.