NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/15/16
Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
- The Raptors assigned point guard Fred VanVleet and forward Bruno Caboclo to their affiliate, Raptors 905, according to the team’s Twitter feed (Twitter links). They both played against the Oklahoma City Blue on Thursday, with VanVleet scoring nine points and dishing out 12 assists, while Caboclo had 13 points. VanVleet has seen action in six games with Toronto this season, while Caboclo has appeared in three games.
- The Magic assigned guard C.J. Wilcox and center Stephen Zimmerman to the Erie BayHawks, the team announced on its website. Wilcox has played in 10 games this season with the Magic. Zimmerman has appeared in four games this season with the Magic. He was previously assigned to Erie on November 28th.
- The Suns recalled point guard Tyler Ulis and big man Alan Williams from the Northern Arizona Suns, the team tweets. Ulis, an early second-rounder, has played in 14 games with Phoenix this season. Williams has played nine games with the NBA club.
- The Jazz assigned forward Joel Bolomboy to their affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, the team announced. This marks the fifth assignment this season for Bolomboy, who has played eight games this season with the Jazz.
- The Grizzlies assigned guard Wade Baldwin IV to their affiliate, the Iowa Energy. Baldwin, who has appeared in 20 games with Memphis, played two games for the Energy last month.
Woj: Raptors Open To Dealing Pick, Young Players
- The Raptors appear to be willing to give up a draft pick and at least one of their young prospects to improve their current roster, but there aren’t many options out there right now for Toronto. According to Wojnarowski, the club can afford to be patient and opportunistic since it has so many young players who are still improving. The Vertical scribe points to Denver’s 2012 acquisition of Andre Iguodala (the Nuggets gave up Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, a future first-round pick, and a second-rounder) as the type of deal Masai Ujiri might be open to making again.
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Rudy Gay Trade Transformed Raptors
The Raptors continue to enjoy the benefits of the Rudy Gay trade from 2013, writes Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. Three years ago, Toronto sent Gay to Sacramento, along with Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray in exchange for Chuck Hayes, Patrick Patterson, John Salmons and Greivis Vasquez. Since then, the Raptors have the fourth best record in the NBA, while the Kings haven’t challenged for a playoff spot. While none of the players Toronto received turned into stars, the deal created greater opportunities for DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, who have become one of the league’s best backcourts. “I don’t think anybody expected it, even us players, but the unexpected is always the best,” Patterson said. “I think everyone is happy and proud of how far along we have come.”
Community Shootaround: Jonas Valanciunas
After Jonas Valanciunas was a non-factor in another Raptors loss to the Cavaliers earlier this week, Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun wrote that he was no longer convinced about the big man’s fit in Toronto. As talented as Valanciunas is, and as much promise as he is, the Raptors’ system runs through Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, meaning the club isn’t necessarily getting as much as it could out of Valanciunas.
Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca echoes this sentiment in a piece on Wednesday night, suggesting that Valanciunas’ development “has stalled some.” As Lewenberg observes, the Raptors have been playing some of their best ball lately without the young center playing a major role.
“I think a lot of it, and probably I’ll take the blame for it, is being in and out of the lineup because of the match-up situations,” Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said, per Lewenberg. “It doesn’t garner a lot of confidence and that probably has jerked him around a little bit. Every player goes through a situation where they’re not shooting the ball well, not scoring the way they’d like to. He’s not going to forget how to score, he’ll bounce back. At the same time, we’ve got to continue to try and win games, that’s our mission, our goal as he fights through it.”
According to Lewenberg, there’s no indication that the Raptors are exploring a potential trade involving Valanciunas, or even considering such a move at this point. The team won’t mortgage its future in an attempt for a short-term fix, and the former fifth overall pick is still just 24 years old and is under contract at a reasonable rate through at least 2018/19.
Still, Valanciunas’ age, potential, and contract would all make him a valuable trade chip as well, and if the Raptors like their current roster and believe they’re just one piece away from taking the next step and posing a serious challenge to the Cavaliers in the playoffs, it could make sense to explore a possible deal.
What do you think? Does it make sense for the Raptors to explore a possible Valanciunas trade to see if they could add a more compatible piece or two to their roster? Or should the team hang onto him, doing everything it can to continue his development and make him a long-term fit in Toronto? Jump into the comments section below to share your thoughts!
McCullough, Caboclo Leaders In D-League Assignments
More NBA teams than ever have their own D-League affiliates in 2016/17, with three expansion D-League clubs joining the mix this year to bring the league’s count to 22 total teams. The NBA’s other eight teams can still send players to the D-League using the flexible assignment rule, but they may not be as inclined to do so as the clubs that operate and control their affiliates.
As expected, during the first month of the D-League’s season, the NBA teams most frequently assigning and recalling players from their affiliates generally met two criteria:
- They have young players on their roster who aren’t necessarily ready for regular NBA minutes, or can’t crack the NBA rotation.
- They’re geographically adjacent to their D-League affiliates, making it easy to send a player down for a practice, then recall him later in the day.
As Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily wrote last week, no team has taken advantage of the close proximity of a D-League affiliate quite like the Nets, who are temporarily sharing venues with the Long Island Nets, their new D-League squad. Long Island’s new building won’t be ready until the 2017/18 season, so when both teams are playing at home, it’s very easy for Brooklyn to send players back and forth between the NBA and the D-League. Chris McCullough has been the player most frequently affected, having already been assigned to Long Island nine times this season.
Like the Nets, the Raptors have a D-League affiliate that plays nearby — the Raptors 905 are based in Mississauga, a city in the Greater Toronto Area. And like McCullough with the Nets, Bruno Caboclo has been shuttled back and forth nine times between the NBA and D-League already this season, as Toronto takes advantage of having its D-League affiliate in the area.
While many NBA teams have established D-League teams – or relocated them – to ensure that sort of geographical proximity, not every club has done so. The Heat, for instance, might be more willing to assign and recall players from their D-League club more frequently if it wasn’t located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The distance between American Airlines Arena and the Sanford Pentagon (where the Skyforce play)? Over 1,800 miles.
Here are the players with the most D-League assignments early on in the 2016/17 season:
- Bruno Caboclo, Raptors (9)
- Chris McCullough, Nets (9)
- Dejounte Murray, Spurs (7)
- Josh Huestis, Thunder (6)
- Marshall Plumlee, Knicks (5)
- Fred VanVleet, Raptors (5)
- Bryn Forbes, Spurs (4)
- Demetrius Jackson, Celtics (4)
- Ron Baker, Knicks (3)
- Henry Ellenson, Pistons (3)
- Michael Gbinije, Pistons (3)
- A.J. Hammons, Mavericks (3)
- Aaron Harrison, Hornets (3)
- R.J. Hunter, Bulls (3)
- Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Sixers (3)
- Maurice Ndour, Knicks (3)
- Georgios Papagiannis, Kings (3)
- Kyle Wiltjer, Rockets (3)
Information from RealGM.com was used in the creation of this post.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Raptors, Valanciunas
The Nets pursued several restricted free agents since Sean Marks took over as the team’s GM, but they weren’t able to land any of their targets. Marks said the team’s failures will not deter the franchise from pursing those types of players in the future, as Net Income of SB Nation writes.
“The fact that we have cap space, and the cards have fallen the way they have, we’ll obviously continue to try and be as aggressive and creative as we can in building this team; and if that means going through restricted free agency, that’ll be the path we go through,” Marks said.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Marks added that the Nets won’t necessarily limit themselves to picking up a point guard if they makes any additions despite the lack of proven options on the roster, Anthony Puccio of SB Nation relays (Twitter link).
- Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun isn’t convinced that Jonas Valanciunas is a good fit with the Raptors. The scribe argues that the big man’s value lies in his offensive production, but his talents are being wasted with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan taking on such large roles. Wolstat adds that Paul Millsap would be an ideal target should the team look to make a trade.
- The Raptors wouldn’t be strong fit for DeMarcus Cousins, Wolstat contends in the same piece. Wolstat believes the team could only offer Cousins a role similar to the one it offers Valanciunas, which Cousins would likely scoff at.
Ujiri: Huge Contract Not Changing DeRozan
DeMar DeRozan didn’t take meetings with any teams besides the Raptors in free agency this summer, and has spoken since then about wanting to spend his entire career in Toronto. As Masai Ujiri tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, that sort of commitment from an All-Star like DeRozan is a big step for a franchise that historically hasn’t been a go-to destination for top free agents.
“It means a lot coming from a player like him,” the Raptors president said. “When DeMar came here, he dedicated himself to Toronto. He’s giving it his all. Everyone was saying, ‘Oh, when DeMar makes all that money,’ and blah, blah, blah. It’s not like it’s going to change that guy. All that guy knows is basketball. DeMar got his contract in the summer and he is performing and playing even better than before. But that is who DeMar is. We all know he is a phenomenal person and basketball player.”
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Knicks, Celtics
The Raptors have raced to an impressive start this season, prompting Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun to wonder if Toronto should pull the trigger on a significant deal to improve its chances of winning a title. Wolstat clearly relays that no deal is imminent. He points out that Paul Millsap would make for an “intriguing” addition, but also cautions such a deal with the Hawks would likely risk key parts of the Raptors future. Again, this is speculation, but the Raptors look like a team to watch as the trade deadline rumor mill starts to ramp up.
Here is more out of the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks will have a dilemma on their hands on whether or not to re-sign Derrick Rose, assuming he stays healthy, and will have to weigh how it impacts Kristaps Porzingis, Micah Adams of ESPN.com writes (Insider subscription needed). The Knicks have been better with Rose on the floor than him off it, but in losses he has often failed to get teammates involved, Adams writes in a deep-dive piece involving analytics.
- Jaylen Brown, who was thought of as a possible trade candidate earlier this season, is learning to make the most out of opportunities as a rookie on a deep team like the Celtics, Taylor Snow of NBA.com relays.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/1/16
Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
8:36pm:
- The Nets recalled point guard Yogi Ferrell and forward Chris McCullough from the Long Island Nets in time for their game against the Bucks, according to a team press release. Ferrell and McCullough started for Long Island earlier in the day in the team’s 114-104 victory over Santa Cruz in Brooklyn. Ferrell recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists, while McCullough totaled 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
2:34pm:
- As expected, Nerlens Noel was recalled from the D-League today by the Sixers, the team announced in a press release. Noel figures to go back and forth between the NBA club and the Delaware 87ers as he continues to rehab his knee injury and works toward a return.
- Speaking of going back and forth between the NBA and the D-League, the Raptors once again assigned Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet to their NBADL affiliate today, per the team (Twitter link). Given the close proximity the Raptors and Raptors 905, Caboclo and VanVleet are among the league leaders in D-League assignments so far this season.
- The Bucks have recalled guard Rashad Vaughn from the Westchester Knicks, according to a press release from the club. Milwaukee doesn’t control its own NBADL affiliate, so Vaughn played for New York’s affiliate, and has averaged just 16.6 minutes per game for the quad in three games this year — if the Bucks had their own D-League team, Vaughn likely would have seen more playing time.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/29/16
Here are Tuesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
10:35pm:
- The Spurs have recalled Bryn Forbes, Nicolas Laprovittola and Dejounte Murray from their Austin affiliate, the team announced on its website.
- The Nets have recalled forwards Anthony Bennett and Chris McCullough from their Long Island affiliate, the team announced in a press release. Both started Long Island’s game today and were available for Brooklyn’s game with the Clippers.
- The Raptors have quickly recalled Caboclo and VanVleet, whose assignments to the D-League were noted below (Twitter link).
2:07pm:
- After getting a rare shot at playing time for the Raptors on Monday night in the team’s blowout of the 76ers, Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet have been re-assigned to Raptors 905, according to Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic. As Murphy writes, the schedules for Toronto’s NBA and D-League teams overlap neatly this week, so Caboclo and VanVleet could be up and down a couple more times.
- Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, who received some playing time on the other side of that blowout in Toronto on Monday, has been assigned to the Delaware 87ers in advance of the team’s Tuesday night contest, according to a press release issued by the Sixers. The 2016 first-rounder has appeared in 11 games for Philadelphia so far, and one for Delaware.
- Former first-round pick Josh Huestis has been re-assigned to the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder announced today in a press release. Huestis has appeared in a pair of games for the D-League squad so far, averaging a modest 9.0 PPG and 6.5 RPG.