D-League Moves: Thunder, Mavs, Rockets, Suns
Here are today's D-League assignments and recalls, with the latest moves at the top of the page:
- Jeremy Lamb and Daniel Orton, who have been shuttled back and forth between the Thunder and the Tulsa 66ers all season, were recalled from the D-League, the club announced today in a press release.
- The Mavericks have re-assigned Jared Cunningham to the D-League, according to a team release. The move will give Cunningham a chance to play more minutes, as he'd only appeared briefly in one game for the Mavs since being recalled from the Texas Legends on December 31st.
- The Rockets have recalled rookie big man Donatas Motiejunas from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team announced in a press release. Motiejunas had been on his third assignment to the D-League, where he has averaged 20.3 PPG and 9.7 RPG for the Vipers in seven games this season.
- Diante Garrett has been recalled from the D-League by the Suns, the team announced today (Twitter link). In seven games for the Bakersfield Jam since being assigned to the team earlier this month, Garrett averaged 15.1 PPG and 7.4 APG, shooting a blistering 62.5% on three-pointers.
- The Nets have recalled Tornike Shengelia and Tyshawn Taylor from the Springfield Armor, the team announced today in a press release. Both players have played extremely well in their two D-League stints this season, with Shengelia averaging 28.3 PPG, 13.7 RPG, and 7.0 APG in three games, while Taylor has recorded 26.5 PPG and 7.5 APG in four contests. However, Shengelia is currently out indefinitely with concussion symptoms.
Odds & Ends: Grizzlies, Bucks, Mike James, Suns
The Jazz were on the wrong end of one of the Lakers' better performances of the season last night, and now they have to turn around tonight and take on the Pacers, who are just one of two teams in the league giving up fewer than 90 points a game (the Grizzlies are the other). Utah, sitting seventh in the West, is only a game and a half in front of the ninth-place Rockets, and with only five players with guaranteed money on the books for next season, the Jazz will be an interesting team to watch as the trade deadline draws near.
As we await a 10-game night in the NBA, here's more from around the Association:
- The Grizzlies owe a pair of future first-round picks to other teams, and would look for at least one, and preferably two, first-rounders in any deal for Rudy Gay or Zach Randolph, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Memphis would also make such a deal with the idea of freeing up space to re-sign Tony Allen, an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- The Bucks have given assistant GM Jeff Weltman a three-year extension, matching the length of the extension GM John Hammond received this week, reports Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. Weltman has drawn interest from the Clippers and Suns about their GM jobs in recent years, Woelfel adds.
- With Mike James' second 10-day contract expiring Sunday night, Mavs owner Mark Cuban was asked whether the team would sign him for the rest of the season, and Cuban indicated that was the plan, notes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "So far, so good," Cuban said of James. "No reason to think otherwise at this point."
- Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News hears that former Suns coach Alvin Gentry had player development coordinator Lindsey Hunter removed from practices on multiple occasions, and feared that Hunter, his eventual successor, was a "spy" for the front office.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel downplays the idea of Jermaine O'Neal rejoining the Heat, pointing out that the center didn't leave Miami on good terms in 2010, and opining that the Suns are unlikely to buy out his minimum-salary contract.
Stein’s Latest: Celtics, Grizzlies, Cavs, Suns, McCants
Marc Stein of ESPN.com has posted his latest Weekend Dime column, which features updates on a variety of trade-related topics from around the NBA. Here are the highlights:
- GMs around the league view the Celtics as likely to make a move. They have interest in J.J. Redick, and executives speculate that they may finally decide to move Paul Pierce or Rajon Rondo.
- Some GMs believe a three-team trade is possible that would send Pierce to the Grizzlies, Rudy Gay to the Lakers, and Pau Gasol to Boston.
- After their trade with the Cavs this week, the Grizzlies' roster is down to 11 players and they have 14 days to sign at least two players to meet the minimum requirement of 13. Memphis looked at Delonte West but decided against signing the veteran guard, Stein reports.
- Stein notes that Memphis received three separate trade exceptions in the trade. Marreese Speights landed them an exception worth $4.2MM, while Wayne Ellington's was worth $2MM and Josh Selby's was worth $762,195.
- Although the Cavaliers think highly of Speights and have wanted him for years, the forward is already drawing interest from other teams and could be moved before the February 21 trading deadline. Stein identifies Daniel Gibson and Omri Casspi as the other two Cleveland players most likely to be traded.
- The Suns are said to be shopping Jared Dudley, Marcin Gortat, and Luis Scola in light of the team's struggles this season. It should be noted that Scola, having been claimed after being waived with the amnesty clause, cannot be traded until after this season.
- Stein's column also featured a Q&A with 28-year-old former lottery pick Rashad McCants, who is playing with the Texas Legends of the NBA D-League in hopes of eventually making another run at an NBA career.
Ingram On Howard, Grizzlies, Celtics, Boozer, Bargnani
The latest from around the NBA as reported by Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.com:
- The Lakers are keeping their options open with regards to Dwight Howard, but as of now they are determined to keep him in Los Angeles.
- Ingram doesn't think the Grizzlies should trade Rudy Gay or Zach Randolph this season, writing that they are close enough to title contention to keep the core together in the short term.
- The Celtics need to find younger players to build around Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley, Ingram writes.
- Given Carlos Boozer's recent stretch of excellent play, Ingram doesn't see the Bulls trading him.
- While the Raptors would love to trade Andrea Bargnani, it is unlikely that any player he could net in return is worth trading him for.
- Ingram talk to Rockets rookie Patrick Beverley about his transition from the D-League to the NBA.
- Ingram writes that the firing of head coach Alvin Gentry has injected a sense of urgency into the Suns locker room.
Berger’s Latest: Lakers, Lowry, Gay, Suns, Seattle
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com has a new column in which he examines the Lakers' options at the trading deadline. Berger attributes at least some of Dwight Howard's struggles this season to having only had a limited amount of time playing in the pick-and-roll with Steve Nash, and suggests that standing pat could be an option. He goes into further depth about the Lakers' options as well as some other topics from around the NBA as the deadline approaches.
- The Jazz, Raptors, Hawks, and Timberwolves are among the teams Berger says have interest in trading for Pau Gasol, although none of them have an ideal set of pieces to make a deal with the Lakers.
- Berger doesn't believe the Lakers will trade Howard because they have a lot of leverage to keep him in the form of a bigger contract they can offer him than any competitor.
- Kyle Lowry may be on the trade market, as people within the Raptors organization are not pleased with him. Berger lists the Mavericks and Hawks as two teams that could be interested in trading for him.
- Although talk has cooled in recent weeks, Berger hears from executives around the league that the Grizzlies are still open to trading Rudy Gay, either before the trade deadline or during the summer.
- Suns GM Lance Blanks and president Lon Babby could have their job security depend on Lindsey Hunter's success as interim head coach over the rest of the season.
- A bankruptcy lawyer is claiming that Kings minority owners should be given an opportunity to match the offer the Maloof family accepted to sell the team to the Chris Hansen-led Seattle ownership group.
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Bulls, NBPA, Suns
So far, the 2012/13 Lakers season has been packed with one low point after another, with repeated promises of fresh starts and silver linings. However, according to Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register, the nadir may still be on the way for the Lakers, if not this season, then down the road. Ding reports that Jerry Buss' children, Jim and Jeanie, haven't been on speaking terms since the Lakers chose to hire Mike D'Antoni rather than pursue a reunion with Phil Jackson. Jerry Buss turns 79 this weekend and won't be around forever, making the long-term future of the Lakers' ownership, which includes Buss' 66% share, uncertain, writes Ding.
Here are a few more Friday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Appearing on ESPN Chicago 1000, Bulls executive VP John Paxson said he remains open to exploring potential trades, but expects the return of Derrick Rose to be the team's impact "move" (link via ESPNChicago.com).
- Bulls fans still have plenty of ideas about possible deals for the team, and Sam Smith of Bulls.com addressed many of them in his latest mailbag.
- The New York Attorney General's office is looking into the reports released last week on Billy Hunter and the NBPA, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
- ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) examines possible targets for the Suns in June's draft, concluding that Ben McLemore of Kansas may be the perfect fit.
Western Notes: Jazz, Lakers, Pelicans, Suns
Kyrie Irving, Paul George and Jrue Holiday (all Eastern Conference players) all have become the first players born in the 1990s to make an NBA All-Star Game. Here's what's happening right now in the Western Conference.
- The Jazz and the Lakers are headed in different directions in the standings even though Los Angeles boasts a vastly more talented roster than Utah, writes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News.
- There's much more to the story of why the Benson family elected to change the name of New Orleans' professional basketball team from the Hornets to the Pelicans, says Henry Abbott of ESPN.com.
- Suns GM Lance Blanks faces a franchise in turmoil after making a head coaching change that saw the departure of two assistant coaches, writes Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports. "In this business, you can't wiggle your nose and manufacture success, or rub rocks together. You've got to roll up your sleeves and do the things that are necessary to be successful."
Western Notes: Suns, Turner, Clark, Baynes, Mavs
The Suns' decision to name Lindsey Hunter their interim head coach after letting Alvin Gentry go has now resulted in the team losing two assistant coaches. According to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, lead assistant Elston Turner and the Suns have agreed to part ways. The decision came on the heels of assistant Dan Majerle, upset that he didn't receive a shot at the head coaching job, leaving the organization.
Let's check in on a few more updates on the Suns and a handful of other Western Conference clubs….
- Suns owner Robert Sarver remains confident in his staff and his long-term plan for the team, as Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic writes.
- Earl Clark, who is in the last year of his contract, has raised his stock with his recent play for the Lakers, but he's not looking ahead to the summer quite yet, as he tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. "It's not like I'm this big free agent where I'll be at SportsCenter and people are asking me where I'm going," Clark said. "I'm focusing on the game and trying to continue to play well."
- The newest Spur, Australian center Aron Baynes, spoke to David Pick of Sportando about his decision to sign with San Antonio and what Spurs fans should expect from him.
- In his latest column for the Dallas Morning News, Eddie Sefko explores whether coach Rick Carlisle's ability to connect with players could help the Mavericks in recruiting free agents.
Suns Notes: Majerle, Turner, O’Neal, Hunter
It seems as if there has been some unease in the Suns' coaching ranks since Alvin Gentry and the club parted ways last week, with three assistant coaches having been worthy candidates for the interim job. Here's the latest on that situation, along with other notes out of Phoenix:
- Although assistant coach Dan Majerle has left the Suns, GM Lance Blanks doesn't think that relationship is in disrepair, telling Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic that he had "positive" discussions with Majerle. "Dan told [Lindsey Hunter] and me that he wanted to move on," Blanks said. "Change is hard for people, and I understand that."
- According to Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (via Sulia), Majerle, rather than Hunter, likely would have been the players' choice for interim coach had they been given a vote. Elston Turner, who also hoped to land the interim job, has been counseled to remain on the team's staff in hopes that "being a good soldier in this situation" will result in a chance at a head coaching job in the future.
- While Blanks and Jermaine O'Neal both downplayed reports of an altercation between the two, Bucher says (via Sulia) O'Neal is upset that the Suns plan to diminish his role. Bucher wonders if the Suns may eventually trade or release O'Neal, speculating that the Celtics, Heat, and Sixers would have interest.
- Hunter appeared on KTAR in Phoenix, admitting that he was surprised to be named the team's interim head coach. Chris Fedor of Sports Radio Interviews has the quotes.
Suns Notes: Gentry, O’Neal, Blanks
The Suns are at the bottom of the Western Conference, but like the Lakers and Kings, the other sub-.500 teams in the Pacific Division, they've had no trouble generating headlines of late. Here's the latest out of Phoenix:
- The end of Alvin Gentry's tenure with the Suns was characterized as a mutual parting of ways, but Gentry indicated that wasn't so in his comments Tuesday to Arizona Sports 620's Burns and Gambo. Adrian Martinez of ArizonaSports.com has the story. "Decisions are made that you don't agree with," Gentry said. "They have the right to do that."
- Jermaine O'Neal denied via Twitter that he and GM Lance Blanks took part in an altercation, and said they didn't exchange words over the team's coaching situation (hat tip to Matt Moore of CBSSports.com). Blanks acknowledged the two had an argument, but downplayed the incident, also saying it wasn't about the coaches, as Sam Amick of USA Today documents.
- I looked at the trade candidacy of Marcin Gortat earlier this evening, arguing that a combination of market demand and the Suns' need to move forward with rebuilding will lead to the departure of the Polish Hammer.