Texas Notes: Westbrook, Hartenstein, Curry, Carroll
The Rockets believe Russell Westbrook‘s talents will overcome what could be an awkward fit alongside James Harden in their backcourt, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Houston and Oklahoma City agreed to terms on this offseason’s latest blockbuster Thursday night, swapping the spectacular but inefficient Westbrook for steady veteran Chris Paul.
Westbrook is only two years removed from an MVP season, but his explosiveness doesn’t always make up for poor perimeter shooting and questionable decisions in the open court. He has shot below 30% from 3-point range in four of the past five seasons and is joining a team that relies on the long ball more than anyone in league history. However, Rockets officials are confident that he can reach the 33% to 35% range because he’ll be surrounded by shooters who’ll spread the floor and will be playing with an elite passer in Harden.
Feigen adds that Harden has reportedly agreed to play off the ball more often to help Westbrook succeed. Harden will continue to operate as the point guard in many possessions, but Westbrook will also be allowed to run the offense, similar to their relationship in Oklahoma City.
There’s more tonight out of Texas:
- Rockets center Isaiah Hartenstein has agreed to extend his guarantee date beyond Monday, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic. July 15 was the original deadline for his $1,416,852 deal for next season to become fully guaranteed.
- Seth Curry said in a radio interview this week (transcribed by The Dallas Morning News) that familiarity and his respect for coach Rick Carlisle were factors in his decision to return to the Mavericks. Curry signed a four-year deal this week that brings him back to Dallas after two years away. “I played some of my best basketball when I was there a couple of years ago, so I’m excited to rejoin the team and help get them back to the playoffs,” Curry said. “… I wanted to get back to playing with guys like Luka (Doncic) and (Kristaps Porzingis). Unselfish guys. Luka’s one of the best passers in the league right now. … I’m excited about the opportunity.”
- DeMarre Carroll talked with the Bucks before joining the Spurs, but Milwaukee’s cap situation limited what the team could offer, relays Jabari Young of The Athletic. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, a former assistant in San Antonio, highly recommended the organization to Carroll, as did Nets GM Sean Marks, a former Spurs executive.
NBA G League Announces 2018/19 All-NBAGL Teams
After being named the G League’s Most Valuable Player and the Defensive Player of the Year for the 2018/19 season on Monday, Raptors 905 big man Chris Boucher – now a member of the Toronto Raptors – headlines the All-NBA G League first team, as the league announced today in a press release.
Boucher was joined on the All-NBAGL first team by teammate Jordan Loyd, as well as Capital City Go-Go guard Jordan McRae, Long Island Nets big man Alan Williams, and Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario center Angel Delgado. All four players are currently on two-way contracts with NBA teams.
That’s a common theme for this year’s All-NBAGL teams, as most of the 15 players named to the three squads aren’t currently NBA free agents, having signed two-way or NBA contracts.
The complete list of the 2018/19 All-NBA G League teams, along with the All-Rookie and All-Defensive squads, is below. Players currently on a 15-man NBA roster are marked with an asterisk (*), while players on two-way contracts are noted with a caret (^).
All-NBAGL First Team:
- Chris Boucher (Raptors 905) *
- Angel Delgado (Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario) ^
- Jordan Loyd (Raptors 905) ^
- Jordan McRae (Capital City Go-Go) ^
- Alan Williams (Long Island Nets) ^
All-NBAGL Second Team:
- Isaiah Hartenstein (Rio Grande Valley Vipers) *
- Walt Lemon (Windy City Bulls) *
- Note: Lemon wasn’t on an NBA contract for most of the season, but was recently called up by the Bulls.
- Yante Maten (Sioux Falls Skyforce) ^
- Johnathan Motley (Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario) ^
- Theo Pinson (Long Island Nets) ^
All-NBAGL Third Team:
- P.J. Dozier (Maine Red Claws) ^
- Amile Jefferson (Lakeland Magic) ^
- Kalin Lucas (Grand Rapids Drive) ^
- Duncan Robinson (Sioux Falls Skyforce) ^
- Christian Wood (Wisconsin Herd) *
- Note: Wood spent most of the season on the Bucks’ roster, but was recently released and claimed off waivers by the Pelicans.
NBAGL All-Rookie Team:
- Chris Chiozza (Capital City Go-Go) *
- Note: Chiozza wasn’t on an NBA contract for most of the season, but was recently called up by the Rockets.
- Angel Delgado (Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario) ^
- Yante Maten (Sioux Falls Skyforce) ^
- Theo Pinson (Long Islands Nets) ^
- Duncan Robinson (Sioux Falls Skyforce) ^
NBAGL All-Defensive Team:
- Kadeem Allen (Westchester Knicks) ^
- Chris Boucher (Raptors 905) *
- Amida Brimah (Austin Spurs)
- Gary Payton II (Rio Grande Valley Vipers)
- Norvel Pelle (Delaware Blue Coats)
The All-Defensive team is the only squad that features players who are currently NBA free agents — Brimah and Pelle haven’t been on an NBA roster this season, while Payton only briefly spent time with an NBA team, signing a 10-day contract with the Wizards in January.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 4/1/19
Here are Monday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Rockets assigned big man Isaiah Hartenstein to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Hartenstein will play in the G League conference finals game against the Santa Cruz Warriors on Tuesday. Hartenstein is averaging 19.5 PPG, 14.7 RPG and 3.8 APG in 26 G League appearances this season.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/30/19
Here are Saturday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Rockets recalled forward Gary Clark and center Isaiah Hartenstein from Rio Grande Valley after Friday’s G League playoff victory, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. They will likely rejoin the Vipers Tuesday for the start of the conference finals.
- The Grizzlies recalled rookie guard Jevon Carter from the Memphis Hustle, according to a tweet from the team. Memphis lost its playoff game last night, so Carter’s G League season is over.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/27/19
Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Thunder have recalled Deonte Burton from the Oklahoma City Blue, according to the team’s website. Burton accumulated 17 points, four rebounds, four assists, and one block during Monday’s G League playoff game against the Salt Lake City Stars.
- The Rockets have assigned Isaiah Hartenstein to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The Vipers are in the G League Western Conference Finals.
- The Knicks have assigned Luke Kornet to the Westchester Knicks, per the team’s Twitter feed. The big man will be available for the G League squad’s playoff game tonight.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/9/19
Here are today’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Jazz assigned Dante Exum, who has been sidelined since January 5 with an ankle injury, to their Salt Lake affiliate, along with Grayson Allen and Georges Niang, the team announced on Twitter. All three players were recalled after today’s practice.
- The Jazz also recalled Tony Bradley, according to a tweet from the team.
- The Bucks assigned Christian Wood to the Wisconsin Herd for tonight’s game with Canton (Twitter link).
- The Rockets recalled Isaiah Hartenstein from Rio Grande Valley to add some center depth heading into a back-to-back, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.
- The Sixers assigned Amir Johnson and Justin Patton to play for Delaware in tonight’s game, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Both will be recalled after the game.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/20/19
Here are Wednesday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Rockets assigned Isaiah Hartenstein to their Rio Grande Valley affiliate, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Clint Capela‘s expected return from injury tomorrow night reduces the need to have Hartenstein with the NBA team.
- The Kings sent Caleb Swanigan to their affiliate in Stockton, tweets James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area. Swanigan was acquired from the Trail Blazers at the trade deadline and hasn’t played yet for Sacramento.
- The Suns assigned rookie guard De’Anthony Melton to Northern Arizona, the team announced on its website. This is the fourth G League assignment for Melton, who has been sidelined since January 24 with a sprained right ankle.
- The Heat shipped newly signed Emanuel Terry to their Sioux Falls affiliate, according to a press release from the team. Terry inked a 10-day contract with Miami earlier today.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/11/19
Here are Monday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Spurs recalled rookie forward Chimezie Metu from the Austin Spurs, according to a team press release. In 19 games with Austin, Metu has averaged 13.9 PPG, 7.6 RPG and 1.53 BPG in 28.4 MPG. He has appeared in 26 games for San Antonio and will be available when the NBA Spurs face Memphis on Tuesday.
- The Rockets recalled 7-footer Isaiah Hartenstein and forward Gary Clark from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Hartenstein has averaged 18.8 PPG, 14.8 RPG and 2.2 BPG in 32.4 MPG in 19 G League appearances. Clark has averaged 13.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 3.5 APG in 29.7 MPG over four games with the Vipers.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/7/19
Here are Thursday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Rockets have assigned center Isaiah Hartenstein to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, G League affiliate of the team. Hartenstein was drafted by Houston with the No. 43 pick in 2017.
- The Nets assigned Mitch Creek to their G League team in Long Island, the team announced. Brooklyn waived Creek later in the day, with the 26-year-old being re-acquired by Long Island shortly afterward.
- The Hornets have assigned Dwayne Bacon and Devonte’ Graham to the Greensboro Swarm, general manager Mitch Kupchak announced today. Both players have bounced back and forth from the G League and the Hornets this season.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/31/19
Here are Thursday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Hornets have assigned guard Dwayne Bacon to the Greensboro Swarm, general manager Mitch Kupchak announced. Bacon is averaging 4.6 points and 1.6 rebounds per game in 24 appearances with the Hornets this season.
- The Cavaliers have recalled Kobi Simmons from the Canton Charge, the team announced in a press release. Simmons has seen action in 31 games with the Charge this season, holding per-game averages of 16.7 points and four rebounds.
- The Rockets recalled center Isaiah Hartenstein today, according to the team’s public relations department. Hartenstein was drafted by the Rockets with the No. 43 pick back in 2017.
- The Blazers have recalled Anfernee Simons from the Agua Caliente Clippers, president of basketball operations Neil Olshey announced. Simons was originally assigned to Agua Caliente on January 20.