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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/18/16

November 18th, 2016 at 10:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:

11:35pm

The Knicks assigned Ron Baker and Marshall Plumlee to their D-League affiliate in Westchester, the team announced (Twitter link). The duo will play in the team’s contest in White Plains on Saturday.
The Clippers have assigned rookie big man Diamond Stone to the D-League, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor relays (via Twitter). Since Los Angeles does not have a D-League affiliate of its own, Stone will report to the Santa Cruz Warriors via the flexible assignment rule, Reichert adds.

2:31pm

The Kings have recalled rookie center Georgios Papagiannis from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. The first-rounder’s assignment lasted three games, during which he averaged 10.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 2.3 BPG for the Reno Bighorns. His fellow first-rounders, Malachi Richardson and Skal Labissiere, remain in the D-League for now.
Rookie big man Ivica Zubac has been recalled by the Lakers from the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the club confirmed in a press release. Zubac, who has appeared in three games for the Lakers, saw 23 minutes of action in his D-League debut on Thursday, and recorded 13 points, three boards, and a pair of blocked shots.

Hornacek's Adjustments Are Paying Off

November 18th, 2016 at 5:22pm CST by Eddie Scarito

A number of in-season adjustments made by Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek are paying off for the club, notes Marc Berman of The New York Post. The scribe notes that the team’s defensive focus has been much improved since assistant coach Kurt Rambis was placed in charge of the defense and increasing Kristaps Porzingis‘ role on offense has made the team much tougher to defend.
Knicks point guard Derrick Rose says he isn’t concerned about the appeal that was filed by the woman who accused the player and his friends of raping her, Berman writes in a separate piece. “I didn’t know about the appeal,’’ Rose said . “I’ll let my legal team deal with it. I didn’t expect to be sued in the first place but I’ll let my legal team deal with it.’’

Derrick Rose's Accuser Files Appeal

November 17th, 2016 at 10:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

An appeal has been filed in the civil lawsuit that accused Knicks guard Derrick Rose and two of his friends of sexual assault, according to the Associated Press. A jury ruled against Rose’s ex-girlfriend, who was seeking $21.5MM over the alleged gang rape, the AP story continues. The appeal filed Thursday with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals claims that pertinent evidence was excluded and jury instructions were tainted, the AP report adds.

Forward Lance Thomas Has Bone Bruise

November 17th, 2016 at 9:08pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks forward Lance Thomas has a bone bruise in his left ankle and is out indefinitely, Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets. Thomas has played in eight games off the bench, averaging 3.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 17.5 minutes. Justin Holiday will likely pick up most of his minutes.

Westchester Knicks Sign Quincy Douby

November 16th, 2016 at 10:57pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Quincy Douby has signed in the D-League and will play for the Westchester Knicks, Chris Reichert of The Step Back reports (Twitter link).

Knicks Notes: Jackson, Anthony, Noah, Rose

November 16th, 2016 at 1:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks president Phil Jackson took to social media in an attempt to diffuse the reaction to his controversial comments regarding LeBron James, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Jackson has taken criticism for referring to James’ entourage as a “posse,” drawing reactions not only from James, but also from Knicks star Carmelo Anthony. Jackson re-tweeted a post from team advisor, Clarence Gaines, an African-American, who was promoting the “Posse Foundation,” which was set up to help black students succeed. Jackson refused to discuss the situation with reporters on Tuesday.

There’s more today out of New York:

Jackson’s statements were part of a continued effort to take the focus off the job he has done with the Knicks, contends Mike Vacarro of The New York Post. The writer called Jackson “petty” for focusing on James and Heat president Pat Riley in recent public comments and blasted Jackson for not talking to New York media since September 22nd.
Joakim Noah, one of the team’s prize offseason additions, will continue to start, but may not play much during fourth quarters, Berman writes in a separate piece. The Knicks have been more successful lately with coach Jeff Hornacek’s “small-ball” lineup that has Kristaps Porzingis playing center. Hornacek said Noah, who hasn’t scored in three games and is averaging just 4.3 points per contest, needs to become more “aggressive” on offense. “We don’t mind him taking the little mid-range shot, keeping teams honest if they’re going to stay back,’’ Hornacek said. “We want him to continue rolling to the basket, get low in the dunk area if guys penetrate and a big helps, he gets the dump and can just dunk it. If he stays outside, that’s what another team wants. We want for him to be more aggressive when he does get the ball around the basket.’’
Derrick Rose is seeking $70K in court costs related to his civil trial that concluded last month, according to ESPN. A woman’s $21.5MM suit alleging rape was rejected by a jury, and the law permits winners of civil trials to ask the court to have some of their costs covered by the losers.

Injury Notes: Horford, Crowder, Thomas, Beal

November 15th, 2016 at 9:45pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Al Horford is still dealing with the lingering effects of a concussion and the big man isn’t sure when he will play again, Mike Petraglia of Green Street writes. “I’m just not where I want to be right now, but trying to work through it,” Horford said. “This is something very new to me, so it’s just trying to get used to this.” Horford added that he is eager to return to the court in order to help the Celtics win games, but doesn’t want to risk a setback. “We’re trying to be as smart as we can about this. I just want to make sure that when I’m ready to go, I’m good to go,” he said.

Here’s more injury notes from around the league:

Jae Crowder took part in shooting drills today, something he hasn’t done since spraining his ankle earlier this month, Petraglia passes along in the same piece. Crowder will remain sidelined for the Celtics match-up with the Mavericks on Wednesday night.
Lance Thomas has plantar fasciitis in both of his feet, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reports. “It’s been hard to move at the speed that I’m used to and the speed that my teammates are used to me moving, especially defensively,” Thomas said. The forward remains sidelined because of a bone bruise in his left ankle and it has limited his impact on court. The Knicks signed Thomas to a four-year, $27MM deal during the offseason and expected him to be a solid contributor off the bench, but the 28-year-old has only scored a total of 31 points during the eight games he has played this season.
Bradley Beal‘s status for Wednesday’s game against the Sixers remains up in the air, but if he is able to play, he’ll be on a minute restriction the following night against the Knicks, J Michael of Comcast Sportsnet writes. Beal is dealing with a hamstring injury this year and it has caused him to miss the last two games. The shooting guard has struggled with an injuries to his leg during his four years in the league, but coach Scott Brooks said that the two injuries are “totally unrelated.”

Knicks Notes: Anthony, Jackson, Noah

November 15th, 2016 at 8:36pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Carmelo Anthony said he would be offended if Phil Jackson referred to his entourage as a “posse,” but added that he believes Jackson may have meant no harm by his word choice, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays.

“Do I think he meant it in any kind of way? I really don’t know. I don’t think he did.” Anthony said. “I would hope he didn’t. Sometimes Phil just says things, the first thing that comes to mind. He’s probably in his office now regretting it. When it comes to, Phil, you never know what’s going to be said.”

Here’s more from New York:

Anthony also added that he can’t understand why LeBron James is the topic of Jackson’s conversation, as Berman passes along in the same piece. “I don’t think we play them anytime soon,” Anthony said. “It’s a whole month away. I just don’t understand Phil talking about LeBron right now. In November. I don’t understand that.”
Jackson’s insecurities about running a franchise are prompting him to take shots at his successful counterparts, Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical argues in a video essay (Twitter link). The scribe details all of Jackson’s failed moves, including his decision to trade J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cavs for practically nothing in return.
The Knicks signed Joakim Noah to a four-year, $72MM contract during the offseason, but the team’s best lineup doesn’t included the big man, as Stefan Bondy of the Daily News details. In Monday’s win over the Mavericks, Kristaps Porzingis was moved to the center position and the team enjoyed great success, including a 30-10 run. Noah admitted that he has to find his offensive game and said he would be looking at the film to “figure it out.”

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/15/16

November 15th, 2016 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Tuesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

One of the Sixers‘ two first-round picks this year – Ben Simmons – has yet to make his debut with the team due to a foot injury, and now Philadelphia’s other first-rounder is headed to the D-League. The 76ers announced today in a press release that they’ve assigned rookie Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to the Delaware 87ers.
The Spurs assigned Dejounte Murray to the D-League today, just in time for the rookie guard to play in the Austin Spurs’ Tuesday afternoon victory over the Reno Bighorns. Murray flirted with a triple-double in the win, posting 14 points, 10 rebounds, and a team-high seven assists. He was recalled by San Antonio after the game.
Former first-round pick Josh Huestis was assigned to the Oklahoma City Blue again today by the Thunder, the team announced in a press release. Huestis is expected to suit up for OKC’s D-League squad tonight against the Salt Lake City Stars.
The Knicks have assigned rookie big man Marshall Plumlee to their D-League affiliate in Westchester, and he’s expected to play for the team on Wednesday night against Greensboro (Twitter link).

LeBron James: I “Had” Respect For Phil Jackson

November 15th, 2016 at 11:37am CST by Luke Adams

When we passed along some of the highlights from Phil Jackson‘s interview with ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan on Monday, we didn’t include a comment from the Knicks president on LeBron James. Jackson suggested that the reigning NBA Finals MVP “likes special treatment” and “needs things his way” when he discussed LeBron’s 2014 departure from Miami.

“There were a lot of little things that came out of that,” Jackson said. “When LeBron was playing with the Heat, they went to Cleveland, and he wanted to spend the night. They don’t do overnights. Teams just don’t. So now [head coach Erik] Spoelstra has to text [president Pat] Riley and say, ‘What do I do in this situation?’ And Pat, who has iron-fist rules, answers, ‘You are on the plane. You are with this team.’ You can’t hold up the whole team because you and your mom and your posse want to spend an extra night in Cleveland.”

As Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com tweets, James addressed those comments today, telling reporters that he “had nothing but respect” for Jackson as a coach. Asked to clarify his use of the past tense, LeBron confirmed that he no longer has that same level of respect for the Knicks president. The Cavs star also took exception with Jackson’s use of the word “posse” to describe James’ camp.

“To use that label, and if you go and read the definition of what the word ‘posse’ is, it’s not what I’ve built over my career,” James said, per Jordan Heck of The Sporting News (Twitter link). “It’s not what I stand for. It’s not what my family stands for. And I believe the only reason he used that word is because it’s young African-Americans trying to make a difference.”

Maverick Carter, one of LeBron’s business partners, also took exception to Jackson’s comments, according to McMenamin: “It’s the word ‘posse’ and the characterization I take offense to. If he would have said LeBron and his agent, LeBron and his business partners, or LeBron and his friends, that’s one thing. Yet because you’re young and black, he can use that word. We’re grown men.”

While a conflict with a rival player won’t necessarily have any short-term negative impact on Jackson and the Knicks, it’s not a great look for a team executive who will be trying to recruit players in free agency in the summer. It’s also worth noting that Knicks star Carmelo Anthony is close friends with James, and probably wouldn’t be thrilled to be caught between the two.