D-League Moves: Thunder, Mavs, Rockets, Suns
Here are today's D-League assignments and recalls, with the latest moves at the top of the page:
- Jeremy Lamb and Daniel Orton, who have been shuttled back and forth between the Thunder and the Tulsa 66ers all season, were recalled from the D-League, the club announced today in a press release.
- The Mavericks have re-assigned Jared Cunningham to the D-League, according to a team release. The move will give Cunningham a chance to play more minutes, as he'd only appeared briefly in one game for the Mavs since being recalled from the Texas Legends on December 31st.
- The Rockets have recalled rookie big man Donatas Motiejunas from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team announced in a press release. Motiejunas had been on his third assignment to the D-League, where he has averaged 20.3 PPG and 9.7 RPG for the Vipers in seven games this season.
- Diante Garrett has been recalled from the D-League by the Suns, the team announced today (Twitter link). In seven games for the Bakersfield Jam since being assigned to the team earlier this month, Garrett averaged 15.1 PPG and 7.4 APG, shooting a blistering 62.5% on three-pointers.
- The Nets have recalled Tornike Shengelia and Tyshawn Taylor from the Springfield Armor, the team announced today in a press release. Both players have played extremely well in their two D-League stints this season, with Shengelia averaging 28.3 PPG, 13.7 RPG, and 7.0 APG in three games, while Taylor has recorded 26.5 PPG and 7.5 APG in four contests. However, Shengelia is currently out indefinitely with concussion symptoms.
Pacers Re-Sign Sam Young
The Pacers have officially re-signed Sam Young, the team announced today in a press release. Indiana had waived Young earlier in January after he sprained his ankle and before his contract could become guaranteed for the season.
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reported (via Twitter) that the Pacers were expected to re-add Young to the roster to replace Dominic McGuire, whose second 10-day contract has expired. While Young takes McGuire's place as the team's 15th man, it's not clear whether the 27-year-old is back on a 10-day contract or rest-of-season deal.
Young was averaging 3.6 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 16.0 minutes per game earlier this season with the Pacers, before he went down with the ankle injury. Presumably, since the team is comfortable re-signing him at this point, Young's ankle has healed and he'll be available immediately.
Mavs Sign Mike James For Rest Of Season
MONDAY, 11:07am: The Mavs officially announced, via press release, that they have signed James for the rest of the season.
SUNDAY, 9:14pm: The Mavericks have guaranteed the contract of Mike James for the remainder of the 2012/13 season, tweets Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Telegram. James' second 10-day deal, signed January 18, was set to expire on Sunday night. The Mavericks made no secret of their plan to sign James for the rest of the year. The veteran point guard has averaged 3.3 points and 11 minutes in 9 games in Dallas.
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News wrote earlier today that the decision on James was expected to come down tonight, and that the perception of Rodrigue Beaubois would likely play a part in the decision. Marc Stein of ESPN confirms the deal, via Twitter, and says that the Celtics would have had interest if the Mavs passed.
Sixers Re-Sign Shelvin Mack
The Sixers have re-signed Shelvin Mack to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. Mack's initial 10-day deal, signed on January 17th, expired over the weekend.
Mack didn't play much during his first 10 days with the Sixers, only appearing briefly in last Monday's loss to the Spurs and Saturday's victory against the Knicks. The 22-year-old saw more extended action earlier in the season during his time with the Wizards, but was cut by Washington before his contract became guaranteed earlier this month.
The Sixers had been carrying 13 players, so no corresponding move is necessary to clear room for Mack, who will be the 14th man. If Philadelphia wants to keep the point guard around past his second 10-day contract, the club would need to ink him to a rest-of-season deal.
Hornets Recall Darius Miller From D-League
We'll round up the day's D-League assignments and recalls in this post, with the latest moves on top.
- The Hornets announced they've recalled rookie Darius Miller from the D-League's Iowa Energy. In his nearly monthlong assignment, the 6'8" small forward didn't exactly light it up for Iowa, averaging 9.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in 27.2 per game over 11 contests. Still, the Kentucky product has seen a fair amount of playing time for the big club this year, getting in 23 games and posting 2.0 PPG in 13.6 MPG.
Darius Johnson-Odom Signs In Russia
Former Lakers guard Darius Johnson-Odom has signed to play for the Russian club Spartak St. Petersburg, Sportando's Emiliano Carchia reports. The deal covers the rest of this season and includes an option for 2013/14, though it's unclear whether that's a player or team option.
The Lakers waived Johnson-Odom earlier this month after making him the 55th pick in the draft this past June. He appeared in only four NBA games and failed to score a point in six total minutes. He saw more extensive action with the Lakers' D-League affiliate, notching 20.6 points, 5.3 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game in 12 contests with the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
Tbe 6'3" product of Marquette replaces Patrick Beverley, who left Spartak to sign with the Rockets. Coincidentally, Beverley finalized his deal with Houston the same day the Lakers let go of Johnson-Odom.
Delonte West Joins Texas Legends
FRIDAY, 12:15pm: The Texas Legends have officially added West to their roster, the team announced today in a press release. Despite the fact that the Legends are the Mavericks' D-League affiliate, we probably shouldn't assume West will return to the Mavs after the way the two sides parted ways earlier in the season. Still, if West impresses in the D-League, he could earn an NBA contract before season's end.
WEDNESDAY, 7:05pm: Free agent guard Delonte West has filed paperwork to join the NBA Developmental League, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Ironically, the Texas Legends, affiliate of the Mavericks, are the first team in the waiver line (Twitter link). Dallas cut West loose in November.
Earlier this week it was reported that the Grizzlies were giving serious consideration to signing West as they look to fill out their roster. However, Stein (via Twitter) hears that Memphis is likely to pass on him. The Lakers gave some thought to signing West at one point this season but they opted against it in an effort to maintain some level of stability.
Kris Joseph Signs In France
Former Celtic forward Kris Joseph has signed a six-week deal to play for Orleans in France, according to David Pick of Sportando (Twitter link). We'd heard earlier in January that Joseph was receiving several offers from teams overseas.
Joseph, 24, was selected 51st overall by the Celtics in the 2012 draft, and began the season on Boston's roster. However, the Syracuse alum played just six games for the C's, ultimately seeing more playing time for the team's D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. In 10 games with Maine, Joseph averaged 17.7 PPG.
Because Joseph's contract was non-guaranteed, the Celtics elected to release him before this month's guarantee deadline.
Odds & Ends: Cavs, Blazers, Grizzlies, McCants
Even after pulling off one deal that used up a chunk of their leftover cap space, the Cavaliers are still aggressively exploring the trade market, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Of course, as Amico adds, about 20 other teams are doing the same thing, and there's no guarantee the Cavs will make another move before February 21st. Here are a few more odds and ends from around the Association:
- When weighing trade possibilities, Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey is looking for players who are good influences in the locker room as well as good fits on the court, as he tells Ian Thomsen of SI.com.
- Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien isn't expecting the Grizzlies to make another deal before the trade deadline, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- The Mavericks' D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, officially announced today that they've added former UNC standout Rashad McCants. We heard yesterday that McCants may be on his way back to the Legends.
- Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld examines the teams that will have the most cap flexibility going forward.
- Robert Dozier, who was in camp with the Heat during the preseason, has signed with the Alaska Aces in the Philippines, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
D-League Moves: Josh Selby, Cory Joseph
Here are today's D-League assignments and recalls, with additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Cavaliers have assigned newly-acquired Josh Selby to the Canton Charge, according to a team release. Selby was one of three players the Cavs landed from the Grizzlies, along with Marreese Speights and Wayne Ellington, in exchange for Jon Leuer.
- Involved in his third transaction in the last two days, Cory Joseph has been re-assigned to the Austin Toros, the Spurs announced today in a press release. When Joseph was assigned to the D-League yesterday, I noted that the timing was unusual, considering the Spurs were set to be without Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard last night. The team apparently reached the same conclusion, quickly recalling Joseph in time to dress against the Hornets, though he didn't appear in the game.