Malcolm Thomas

Western Notes: Jazz, Warriors, Evans

Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group provides an update on the Oakland stadium project that could affect the future of the Warriors. The stadium plans could link Golden State’s fate to that of the NFL’s Raiders and MLB’s Athletics, and Raiders owner Mark Davis is growing frustrated with the city’s slowness in moving them along. Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

  • Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin is planning on opening up playing time for some rarely-used youngsters to see where they are developmentally, per Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. This is good news for Malcolm Thomas and Ian Clark. Both have rarely been used, and are working on multi-year contracts that aren’t guaranteed beyond this season.
  • Thomas, who has only played in four games with Utah this season, tells Falk that he’s more than ready for the opportunity. “Very anxious,” the power forward said of awaiting his time on the court. “I’ve been working hard on just staying positive and waiting for my turn. It seems like it’s coming now. I just have to be ready when my name is called.”
  • Clark hasn’t seen much more burn than Thomas, averaging 7.9 MPG in 12 appearances. “It’s difficult,” the shooting guard said. “Anybody who’s been in my position would say the same thing. You just find ways to deal with it. My way is to not worry about it and just keep working.”
  • Falk later tweeted that he envisions the two players alternating active spots in the lineup from here on out. Tonight, Thomas was inactive while Clark received a DNP-Coach’s Decision.
  • Former Nets forward Reggie Evans isn’t upset about getting traded away from a playoff contender to the 22-40 Kings, he tells Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Instead, he’s embracing his role as a veteran mentor for a young team. “At the end of the day, I’m still living out my dream,” Evans said. “We’ve got a good coaching staff that allows me to do my best to bring some leadership in here. I was in that position when I first got in the league where Rashard (Lewis), Gary Payton and Elden Campbell had to be that leader for me. Now it’s like they’ve passed that torch, and now I can be a leader on a young team. I’m the oldest by age and the oldest by years, and they kind of look for that leadership.”

Jazz Claim Malcolm Thomas Off Waivers

The Jazz have claimed forward Malcolm Thomas off waivers reports Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Thomas was waived by the Spurs two days ago. Since the Spurs waived him after his contract was guaranteed for the season, by claiming Thomas off waivers the Jazz will take over responsibility for paying the remainder of his minimum-salary contract.

Thomas appeared in only one game for the Spurs this season but did play 10 games for their D-League affiliate. During his time with the Austin Toros he averaged 15.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per contest. Over his three year span in the league, Thomas has appeared in only 16 games, averaging 1.1 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 0.3 BPG.

The motivation behind this move puzzles the Deseret News’ Jazz beat writer Jody Genessy but Wojnarowski claims Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey “has long been intrigued with Thomas.”

Prior to claiming Thomas, the Jazz had 14 players on their roster. Being one shy of the NBA roster limit, there is no need for the Jazz to make a concurrent roster cut.

Spurs Waive Malcolm Thomas

The Spurs have waived Malcolm Thomas, the team announced. His release appears to be a precursor to the signing of Othyus Jeffers to a 10-day contract, a move that the team is considering, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported earlier today. San Antonio had been carrying 15 players before cutting Thomas, requiring the team to waive someone before it could add to its injury-depleted roster.

I surmised when the Jeffers report surfaced that Thomas would be the one to go, since he’s only appeared in a single game for the Spurs, even though he signed a minimum-salary contract on December 3rd. He’s instead played in 10 games on D-League assignment with the Austin Toros, for whom he’s averaged 15.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per contest.

It was somewhat surprising when the Spurs kept Thomas past the leaguewide guarantee date earlier this month, given his lack of playing time with the big club. As a result of that decision, San Antonio will have to pay Thomas his entire salary for this season unless another team claims the Aaron Mintz client off waivers.

The Spurs appear to have a more pressing need on the wing, where Jeffers, a shooting guard, fits the bill better than Thomas, who plays power forward. Shooting guard Danny Green is out for another three weeks or so with a broken finger and, according to Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link), small forward Kawhi Leonard will miss three to four weeks with the hand he broke during last night’s game. The Spurs are also without center Tiago Splitter, though the early portion of his initial timetable for a return is a few days away.

D-League Notes: Roberson, Thomas, Hairston

The Thunder announced that they have recalled forward Andre Roberson from the Tulsa 66ers of the D-League.  During his most recent stint with the 66ers, Roberson averaged 17.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 3.0 steals, 2.5 blocks and 40.5 minutes while helping the team to a pair of road wins at Bakersfield and Los Angeles. Over three assignments this season, the forward is averaging 16.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.9 steals and 1.3 blocks in 37.1 minutes in seven games (all starts).  Here’s more out of the NBADL..

  • The Spurs today announced that they have recalled forward Malcolm Thomas from the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League.  In 10 games with the Toros this season, Thomas is averaging 15.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.40 blocks in 32.6 minutes.  The San Diego State product was signed by the Spurs on Dec. 3.
  • Scott Rafferty of Ridiculous Upside recaps P.J. Hairston‘s D-League debut.  The former UNC forward led the way with a team-high 22 points in 28 minutes off the bench.
  • Dakota Schmidt of Ridiculous Upside checked in with Red Claws coach Mike Taylor to discuss Rajon Rondo‘s recent workout with the team, his relationship with Celtics coach Brad Stevens, and some of Maine’s impact players.

Players Whose Contracts Will Be Guaranteed

As we outlined earlier today, players on non-guaranteed contracts who aren’t released by 4:00pm central time will have their full 2013/14 salaries guaranteed. We’ll be keeping tabs in this post on players who have been informed they’ll remain on their respective teams’ rosters, with new updates added to the top of the list throughout the afternoon:

  • Barring an unexpected development, the Pacers will guarantee Rasual Butler‘s contract today, tweets Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star.

Earlier updates:

D-League Notes: Muhammad, N’Diaye, De Colo

Here’s today’s D-League assignments and recalls..

  • The T’Wolves informed rookie Shabazz Muhammad that he’s being assigned to their D-League affiliate in Des Moines, Iowa, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.  “He can play more minutes in those four or five games down there than he might play here all year,” team president Flip Saunders said.  The 14th overall pick has played sparingly in just 11 of 32 games so far this season.  Meanwhile, Saunders says he hasn’t considered asking Robbie Hummel and rookie center Gorgui Dieng to do the same because both have been part of coach Rick Adelman‘s rotation.
  • The Kings announced that they have assigned center Hamady N’Diaye to the team’s D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns.  The 7-foot Rutgers product is averaging 0.4 points (3-9 FG, 0-1 FT), 1.3 rebounds and 5.3 minutes per game in 14 appearances this season for the Kings.  He will be in the Bighorns lineup tonight when Reno faces the Santa Cruz Warriors.
  • The Spurs announced that they have assigned guard Nando De Colo and forward Malcolm Thomas to the Austin Toros of the D-League.  This will mark De Colo’s fifth assignment to the Toros this season and Thomas’ fourth.  In four games in Austin, De Colo has averaged 25.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 3.25 steals in 38.8 minutes.  In his four games with the Toros, Thomas has averaged 15.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.25 blocks in 30.3 minutes.
  • The Raptors announced that they have assigned guard Dwight Buycks to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League.  Buycks will continue to be included on the Raptors’ roster and will be placed on the team’s inactive list.  Buycks has appeared in 12 games for the Raptors this season recording a total of 41 points, 10 assists, 20 rebounds and six steals in 121 minutes. He posted a season-best ten points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals December 10th versus San Antonio.
  • To keep up with all of this season’s D-League assignments and recalls, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.

Western Notes: Dudley, Thompson, Spurs

Jared Dudley was the glue that helped hold the Suns together and this season he’s brought his chemistry-boosting power to the Clippers, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.  Meanwhile, the Suns’ acquisition of Eric Bledsoe has made them a surprisingly solid team this season and turned them into a much more athletic squad.  More from the Western Conference..

  • Kings forward Jason Thompson is struggling in his sixth NBA season and while his name has been involved in trade rumors, he’s determined not to let them become another roadblock.  “All of my teammates over the years give you different advice and tell you how other organizations are,” Thompson said in a conversation with Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times. “I have been on this team a good amount of years, so there’s nothing — like trade rumors — I haven’t seen before. “If a team wants to get rid of you, another team wants you. It’s good that you’re wanted. You only control what you can control. We’ll see what happens. I’ll play to the best of my abilities no matter how the situation goes.
  • The Spurs announced that they have recalled guard Nando De Colo and forward Malcolm Thomas from the Austin Toros of the D-League.  Both players made their fourth appearance for the Toros this season on Sunday when they led Austin to a 96-93 home victory over the Tulsa 66ers.
  • In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com if Andrew Bynum is worth the risk for the Mavs if he becomes available.

Odds & Ends: Spurs, De Colo, Suns, Lottery

The NBA is thinking about doing away with divisions and it doesn’t sound like Cavs coach Mike Brown would be too upset if that happens.  “I don’t necessarily look at a division foe as any more important than anybody else,” Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said, according to Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer. “I think it’s natural that you look at just your conference teams a little bit more than you do the other conference. You try not to, but I think it’s natural that you do.”  More from around the Association..

  • The Spurs announced that they have assigned guard Nando De Colo and forward Malcolm Thomas to the Austin Toros.  Both players have had multiple trips to the D-League affiliate.  In three games in Austin, De Colo has averaged 30.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 4.33 steals in 38.0 minutes.  In his three games with the Toros, Thomas has averaged 20.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 4.33 blocks in 37.3 minutes.  Keep up with all of this year’s D-League assignments with Hoops Rumors’ running list.
  • Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks denies that he’s at odds with offseason pickup Josh Smith, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
  • The Suns are catching teams off-guard under first-year head coach Jeff Hornacek, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
  • Marc J. Spears and Evan Doherty of Yahoo Sports (video link) discuss the pros of the NBA potentially getting rid of the draft lottery.  The league is reportedly considering a wheel system.

Southwest Links: Asik, Lin, Spurs, Evans

Let’s round up a few of Monday’s notes out of the Southwest Division….

  • Following up on a weekend report, Howard Beck of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) confirms that the Rockets and Nets discussed Omer Asik, Jeremy Lin, and Deron Williams. However, a source tells Beck that nothing came of the talks, which appear to be dead.
  • In a piece for SBNation.com, Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com argues that the Rockets‘ leverage in Asik trade talks could actually improve as the trade deadline approaches, as rival teams feel more pressure to make a move. Deeks also points out that keeping Asik and giving him minutes that may otherwise have gone to Greg Smith will help keep Smith’s value down as he approaches restricted free agency, which should help the Rockets keep him.
  • The Spurs have recalled Malcolm Thomas and Nando De Colo from the D-League, according to a press release from the team. Thomas and De Colo appeared in just one game during their stint with Austin, combining for 53 points to help the Toros blow out the Delaware 87ers on Saturday.
  • Although he’s a Pelican now, Tyreke Evans keeps an eye on his old team, and tells Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee that he was happy to see the Kings remain in Sacramento “after all the uncertainty.”

D-League Moves: Jazz, Spurs, Nets

Today marks the end of the first month of the D-League season, and so far 13 NBA teams have sent players on assignment, as our tracker shows. Four of those 13 made moves involving seven players today, as we detail:

  • Ian Clark and Rudy Gobert are back from their D-League assignments, the Jazz announced. Utah sent both to the Bakersfield Jam a week ago, and Gobert had the more impressive performance, averaging 14.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 4.3 blocks over three games.
  • The Spurs have sent Nando De Colo and Malcolm Thomas to the D-League, according to the team. De Colo is making his third trek to the Austin Toros this season, while Thomas, whom the Spurs signed less than three weeks ago, heads to Austin for the second time.
  • Tyshawn Taylor and Tornike Shengelia are back on D-League assignment, the Nets announced. Both second-year players are familiar with the Springfield Armor, having spent time there last season and during training camp this year.
  • The Warriors recalled Nemanja Nedovic from the D-League today, as we noted earlier.