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

November 11th, 2016 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA, as the D-League enters the opening weekend of its regular season:

The Kings have assigned their three 2016 first-round picks to the D-League, announcing today in a press release that center Georgios Papagiannis, forward Skal Labissiere, and guard Malachi Richardson were all sent to the Reno Bighorns. The trio has combined to play just 29 total minutes for Sacramento so far, so it makes sense that the club would send them to Reno, where they should have a chance to log plenty of game action.
The Thunder have assigned former first-rounder Josh Huestis to the Oklahoma City Blue, the club confirmed today in a press release. Huestis is expected to suit up for OKC’s D-League squad for its season opener Friday night against the Maine Red Claws.

Kings Open To Moving Willie Cauley-Stein?

November 11th, 2016 at 12:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings made Willie Cauley-Stein the sixth overall pick in the 2015 draft less than a year and a half ago, but there already appears to be some uncertainty about his long-term future in Sacramento. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, word is that the Kings are “open to moving” Cauley-Stein, who would like a larger role than he currently has in Sacramento.

After averaging 21.4 minutes per contest in his rookie season, Cauley-Stein is playing just 14.5 MPG early on for the Kings. The 23-year-old big man hasn’t seen the floor at all in two of Sacramento’s 10 games so far under new head coach Dave Joerger, who has often leaned toward playing his veterans over his young players during the first 10 games of the season.

At this point in the season, with offseason signees still ineligible to be traded for at least another five weeks or so, the Kings likely won’t seriously consider any major moves involving Cauley-Stein or any of their other top trade candidates. However, Sacramento is certainly a team worth keeping an eye on as the season progresses, particularly if the club slips out of playoff contention.

In addition to Cauley-Stein, players like Rudy Gay, Kosta Koufos, Ben McLemore, and DeMarcus Cousins have been mentioned as potential trade candidates for Sacramento. Gay and Koufos still appear to be available, though it sounds as if the Kings would like to keep McLemore.

As for Cousins, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com, the consensus among multiple league sources he spoke to was that it would be smart for the Kings to move the big man before the deadline. In the view of those sources, Cousins is unlikely to re-up with the franchise when he becomes eligible for free agency in 2018, so it makes sense to extract as much value as possible for him by dealing him this season, rather than trying to do so in a contract year.

During TNT’s Inside the NBA studio show on Thursday night, Shaquille O’Neal – who has a small ownership stake in the Kings – referred to Cousins as “hot-headed,” suggesting that the veteran center “hasn’t shown great leadership qualities yet.” O’Neal added that he’s hearing the club could be looking to go “in a different direction” if the Kings don’t show signs of improvement.

Cauley-Stein Tries To Contribute Effort

November 9th, 2016 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Effort is the main thing the Kings are expecting from second-year big man Willie Cauley-Stein, relays Matt Kawahara of The Sacramento Bee. Cauley-Stein has seen his minutes cut from 21.4 per game to 14.9, but new coach Dave Joerger just wants to see him play hard while he’s on the court. “The energy that he brought is the biggest deal,” Joerger said after Cauley-Stein scored nine points in 12 minutes Tuesday. “When he … gets to the rim, [it] seems like it gets all those guys going a little bit. But he’s up there fullcourt, shadowing the other team’s point guard. He’s fronting a guy, comes over and gets a blocked shot. He’s running the floor.”

Kings Trying To Find Playing-Time Balance For Youngsters, Vets

November 9th, 2016 at 11:41am CST by Luke Adams

The Kings added multiple rookies to their roster in this year’s draft, but supplemented those additions by signing a handful of veteran free agents. As Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee writes, Sacramento’s win-now approach results in those veterans getting the brunt of the minutes, and could hinder the development of the team’s younger players. Those youngsters should have opportunities in certain games, but on Sunday, Ben McLemore, Willie Cauley-Stein, and the team’s three first-round rookies saw a combined total of zero minutes.

The Kings’ performance this season could dictate the direction the team goes at the trade deadline — if the team is in playoff contention, perhaps it will move one or two of its young players for immediate help. If not, guys like Rudy Gay, McLemore, and even DeMarcus Cousins will be trade candidates.

Kings Waive Jordan Farmar

November 7th, 2016 at 1:08pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, Jordan Farmar‘s latest stint with the Kings came to an end today after less than a week. As James Ham of CSNBayArea.com tweets, Sacramento has waived Farmar, clearing the way for Darren Collison to come off the suspended list and rejoin the team. The Kings confirmed Farmar’s release in an announcement on their website.

The Kings were allowed to temporarily carry a 16th player on their 15-man roster after moving Collison to the suspended list for the last three games of his eight-game ban, as we detailed last Wednesday. However, since the team played its eighth game of the season on Sunday, a roster move was required today in order to get back down to 15 players.

Farmar, who turns 30 later this month, appeared in two games for the Kings over the last few days, averaging 6.0 PPG and 4.5 APG in 17.5 minutes per contest. The veteran point guard signed a non-guaranteed contract with Sacramento, so the team will only be charged a prorated portion of the minimum salary for the few days he was on the roster.

Farmar will return to the free agent list, assuming he clears waivers on Wednesday.

Collison Ready To Return From Suspension

November 6th, 2016 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

With his eight-game suspension about to end, Darren Collison is ready to take over as the Kings‘ starting point guard, writes Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. The suspension, which concludes with tonight’s game, was imposed after Collison pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor domestic battery.Ty Lawson has struggled to run the team in his absence, and Sacramento needs Collison as a stabilizing force after a 2-5 start. “Basketball is an escape,” he said. “I’ve been able to practice and be around the team, and that has helped a lot. Being around the guys has been great. But this is definitely one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through.”

The Suns are thrilled by what they’ve seen from rookie power forward Marquese Chriss, who was acquired in a draft-day trade with the Kings, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Phoenix is bringing Chriss along slowly, giving him 15 minutes per night in his first six games, and he has responded with averages of 6.2 points and 3.3 rebounds. Although he is only 19, Chriss believes he is mature enough for the NBA. “Off the court I’ve never had any problems, I never get in conflicts or things like that,” he said. “I’m real mellow, kind of just handle my business and put my head down. I’m just adjusting like everybody else is, getting up every morning, coming to the gym with the mentality that I want to get better and every day has a purpose.”

Kings' Veterans Making Rookie Mistakes

November 5th, 2016 at 10:06am CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings added a group of veteran free agents over the offseason, but they’re still losing games because of rookie-type errors, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. “The [mistakes] that are self-inflicted are the worst ones,” said new coach Dave Joerger. “What I told them is we’re not a young, young team. We should know better. Veterans or guys that are mid-veterans, we should make some smarter plays.”

Offensive Has Become Two-Dimensional

November 3rd, 2016 at 10:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Kings have become a two-man show offensively, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee notes. DeMarcus Cousins is averaging 26.8 points and Rudy Gay is scoring at a 23.8 clip. Arron Afflalo is the next highest at 9.4, though the Kings tried to get him the ball more often in their last game. “Those are our two main guys,” Affalo told Jones. “That’s the way it’s set up right now for those guys to establish themselves on the offensive end. Guys have got to figure out how to pick their spots.”

NBA D-League Affiliate Players For 2016/17

November 3rd, 2016 at 12:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Throughout the offseason, and in the weeks leading up to the start of the regular season, NBA teams are permitted to carry 20 players, but that total must be cut down to 15 in advance of opening night. However, up to four players waived by teams before the season can be designated as affiliate players and assigned to their D-League squads.

The players have some say in the decision — if they’d prefer to sign with a team overseas, or if they get an opportunity with another NBA club, they’re free to turn down their team’s request to have them play in the D-League. Most NBA and international teams have fairly set rosters by late October though, so having the opportunity to continue playing in the same system is appealing to many of those preseason cuts. Especially since they’ll maintain NBA free agency while they play in the D-League.

There are a few other rules related to D-League affiliate players. A player whose returning rights are held by a D-League team can’t be an affiliate player for another club, which is why undrafted free agents from the current year are commonly signed and assigned. Additionally, an affiliate player must have signed with his team during the current league year, which explains why we often see players signed and quickly waived in the days leading up to the regular season. And, of course, not every NBA team has a D-League affiliate, so clubs like the Hawks, Nuggets, or Clippers have no place to send affiliate players.

With all that in mind, here are the NBA D-League affiliate players to start the 2016/17 season:

Austin Spurs (San Antonio Spurs)

Canton Charge (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Jonathan Holmes
Eric Moreland

Delaware 87ers (Philadelphia 76ers)

Jordan Farmar Salary Details

November 3rd, 2016 at 10:09am CST by Luke Adams

While the exact terms of Jordan Farmar‘s new deal with the Kings aren’t known, it’s expected to be a short-term pact, with Darren Collison due back from his suspension three games from now. Assuming it’s a non-guaranteed contract, Farmar will make a per-day salary worth about $8,300, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical tweets. And if Farmar ends up being waived when Collison is eligible to return, the deal will result in a modest cap hit of $66K for Sacramento.