Thunder Assign Jones, Lamb, Liggins To D-League
The Thunder have assigned Perry Jones, Jeremy Lamb, and DeAndre Liggins to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. The trio will join the Tulsa 66ers in time for the first game of Tulsa's playoff series with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers tonight.
When Jones, Lamb, and Liggins were recalled to the Thunder on Monday after the 66ers defeated the Canton Charge in the first round of the D-League playoffs, I speculated that they could rejoin OKC's D-League affiliate for the second round. We'll see if the three youngsters are recalled for the Thunder's series against the Rockets, or whether the team prefers to have them continue playing major minutes in the D-League postseason.
Trail Blazers Waive Jared Jeffries
The Trail Blazers have officially released Jared Jeffries, the team announced today (Twitter link). While the timing of the move may seem unusual, considering the Blazers' season is over, Jeffries' contract for next season would have become guaranteed had the team not cut him within the next five days.
Jeffries, 31, was acquired by the Blazers last July as part of the sign-and-trade deal that sent Raymond Felton to the Knicks. Jeffries also had to be signed-and-traded as part of the transaction, which meant he had to be signed to at least a three-year contract, although the Blazers only had to guarantee the first year.
Earlier this week, Jeffries told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that he didn't expect to be retained by Portland, and would likely seek another team that would have more playing time for him. With the Blazers this season, Jeffries appeared in less than half the team's games and set career-lows in many statistical categories, including PPG (1.2) and MPG (9.2).
Lawrence Frank Out As Pistons Coach
The Pistons have notified Lawrence Frank that he won't be retained as the team's head coach for the 2013/14 season, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com first tweeted word that Frank was out as coach of the Pistons.
The decision had been expected for some time, particularly after Pistons owner Tom Gores expressed his disappointment earlier this week about how the club's season had played out. Gores did praise the way Joe Dumars and basketball operations had set the franchise up financially, but his comments didn't include many accolades for Frank's performance.
In two seasons with the Pistons, Frank led the team to a 54-94 record, failing to qualify for the playoffs either year. He'll still receive his salary for the 2013/14 season, since it was guaranteed for an amount in the neighborhood of $3.5-4MM.
We heard yesterday that Frank had informed the Pistons he didn't want to return to the club unless the team exercised its 2014/15 option on him as well. Frank didn't want to commit to the Pistons going forward unless the team was willing to commit long-term to him, due in part to the fact that his wife has been ill, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reported today.
Cavaliers Fire Byron Scott
The Cavaliers have parted ways with head coach Byron Scott, a source tells Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. The move, which the Cavs confirmed in a press release, comes a day after Scott completed his third season with the team.
Cleveland exercised its 2013/14 option on Scott back in October, at which point the head coach expressed a desire to remain with the Cavs long-term. Scott won't stay with the club for the "five more years" he was hoping for, but he'll still be paid his salary for next season, which is rumored to be $4MM+.
During his three seasons in Cleveland, Scott led the team to a 64-166 record. That's good for a .278 winning percentage, which is the lowest in Cavs' history for anyone that coached at least one full season. According to Lloyd, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert had been unhappy with the team's lack of defensive improvement during Scott's tenure. Gilbert was the "driving force" behind the decision to let Scott go, a source tells Lloyd.
It's not clear yet who might replace Scott in Cleveland, but as Grantland's Zach Lowe notes (via Twitter), a combination of cap space, draft picks, and Kyrie Irving makes the job fairly appealing. ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne suggested yesterday that the Cavs could pursue Phil Jackson this offseason, though Jackson may be more interested in a front-office role rather than a coaching position.
Sixers Confirm Doug Collins Won’t Return
Doug Collins won't return as the Sixers' head coach next season, owner Josh Harris confirmed today, according to Michael Preston, the team's director of public relations (Twitter link). According to TNT's David Aldridge (Twitter link), Harris made it clear at the press conference that he wanted Collins to stay, and that it was the coach's decision to step down.
For Collins, it was his fourth head coaching stint that lasted three seasons or less. He also previously spent three years coaching the Pistons, three years coaching the Bulls, and two years coaching the Wizards. During his time in Philadelphia, he led the team to a 110-120 record, and a pair of playoff berths.
According to Harris, Collins will stay on as an advisor to the team (Twitter link via Jason Wolf of USA Today). However, stepping down will allow Collins to spend more time with his grandkids and help his son Chris, who will be the head coach at Northwestern, tweets Aldridge. Collins told reporters, including Aldridge that he decided back around Christmas that he would likely step down at season's end. Collins approached GM Tony DiLeo and president Rod Thorn about two months ago to try to determine an exit strategy (Twitter links).
DiLeo will remain in his role with the Sixers, and will work with ownership in selecting a new coach for the club, Harris confirmed (Twitter link via Aldridge). Collins said today that he'd like the team to consider assistant Michael Curry for the position (Twitter link via Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com). Back in February, we heard that Curry would be viewed as a legitimate long-term candidate if and when Collins stepped down.
Warriors Sign Dwayne Jones
3:31pm: The Warriors have officially signed Jones, the team announced today in a press release.
2:19pm: The Warriors will sign big man Dwayne Jones for the remainder of the season, agent Joel Bell tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com (Twitter link). Jones had been playing with the D-League's Texas Legends.
Jones, who will turn 30 in June, played for four different teams in parts of five NBA seasons, but hasn't seen regular-season action in the Association since appearing in two games for the Suns in 2009/10. In 21 games for the Legends this season, Jones has averaged 8.8 PPG and 12.6 RPG.
For the Warriors, it will be their second signing of the day, after they inked Scott Machado to a rest-of-season deal. Machado is the team's 14th man, so there's still a roster spot open for Jones, meaning no corresponding move is required.
Machado also remains assigned to the team's D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, as the D-League squad prepares to begin its second-round playoff series against Austin tonight. It's not clear whether Machado and Jones will be part of the NBA Warriors' postseason roster when the playoffs begin this weekend, or whether both players will remain with Santa Cruz. In any case, it looks like Machado and Jones were added with an eye toward next season, or at least July's Summer League. I would guess both players have non-guaranteed options for 2013/14.
Grizzlies Sign Donte Greene
WEDNESDAY, 2:02pm: The Grizzlies have officially signed Greene, according to a team release.
TUESDAY, 12:14pm: After agreeing to sign Willie Reed and waiving Dexter Pittman on the weekend, the Grizzlies are expected to make one more roster move before the regular season ends, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Tillery tweets that the team will likely sign free agent forward Donte Greene.
Greene, 25, had been set to sign with the Nets last August before a fractured ankle sidelined him for several months, voiding his agreement with Brooklyn. Upon getting healthy, he reportedly drew NBA interest, but failed to land a contract. Last we heard, Greene was preparing to join a team in Puerto Rico earlier this month.
Like Reed's deal with the Grizzlies, Greene's contract is expected to include a non-guaranteed option for 2013/14, according to Tillery (Twitter link). That makes sense, since I would guess the club is getting a headstart on its Summer League squad and training camp roster for next season, rather than expecting Reed and Greene to play a role in this spring's playoff run.
Having waived Pittman, the Grizzlies won't need to make any further roster moves to clear room. Adding both Reed and Greene would give the team the maximum 15 players.
Grizzlies Sign Willie Reed
WEDNESDAY, 2:01pm: The Grizzlies have officially signed Reed, the team announced in a press release.
SUNDAY, 5:27pm: Reed's deal will be a multi-year, non-guaranteed pact, according to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (on Twitter).
3:17pm: The Grizzlies have signed Willie Reed for the remainder of the season, agent Joel Bell tells Shams Charania of RealGM (via Twitter). Reed, 22, played two seasons at St. Louis before going undrafted in the 2011 NBA draft.
Reed averaged 14.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks for the Springfield Armor of the NBA Developmental League. Terms of Reed's deal beyond the 2012/13 season are currently being worked on between the Grizzlies and Bell.
Warriors Re-Sign Scott Machado
WEDNESDAY, 12:55pm: The Warriors have officially re-signed Machado for the season (and playoffs), the team announced today in a press release. For now, Machado remains with the team's D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, so it's unclear whether he'll be playing in the postseason in the D-League or NBA.
MONDAY, 1:17pm: Once Scott Machado's 10-day contract expires, the Warriors will re-sign him for the season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Machado's deal is set to expire tomorrow night, so his new contract will technically only be for one day, though it will allow him to play in the postseason, and could include an option for next year.
Machado, 22, has yet to appear in a game for the Warriors since joining the team last weekend. Prior to signing with Golden State, he had been playing for the team's D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. A rest-of-season contract for Machado seems to suggest that Warriors management liked what it saw from the 6'1" guard at Santa Cruz, and wanted the opportunity to secure his rights for Summer League and possibly training camp.
Even after locking up Machado, the Warriors will only be carrying 14 players, leaving one open roster spot. If the team wants to use that spot before season's end, it has three days to make a move.
International Notes: Hudson, Mensah-Bonsu, Graham
The Knicks are ensuring that the last day of the NBA regular season features at least a couple roster moves, but there's also plenty of roster activity going on in other professional leagues around the world. Here's the latest:
- Emiliano Carchia of Sportando passes along a report suggesting that Spain's Unicaja Malaga is targeting Lester Hudson, who played for the Cavs and Grizzlies last season before averaging 27.8 PPG this year in China.
- Carchia also reports that former NBA forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu will join Italian team Olimpia Milano. Mensah-Bonsu had initially been set to join Italy's Cimberio Varese, but decided to accept a better offer from Milano, according to Carchia.
- Joey Graham parted ways with one Puerto Rican team earlier this week, but Luis Modestti reports (via Twitter) that the Raptors' 2005 first-round pick will continue his career with another club in Puerto Rico, signing with Mets de Guaynabo (English link via Sportando).