The Blazers are ending their one-to-one affiliation with the D-League’s Idaho Stampede and will share an affiliate with other NBA teams next season, reports Joe Freeman of the Oregonian. GM Neil Olshey prefers to let Portland’s assistant coaches develop talent rather than farm the job out, as Freeman explains.
More D-League news:
- The Mavs have assigned Jae Crowder, Bernard James and Shane Larkin to the D-League, and they’ve recalled Ricky Ledo, the team announced. It’ll be a one-game stint for the trio of assignees, notes Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who first reported the moves (Twitter links).
- Xavier Henry will see those three Mavs tonight when the affiliates for Dallas and the Lakers meet up, since the Lakers have sent Henry to the D-League, the team announced. It’s a rehab assignment for Henry, who’s been out since December 29th, tweets Mike Trudell of Lakers.com.
- The Wizards Otto Porter had been mentioned as a candidate to head to the D-League, but that looks less likely to happen now, writes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Porter is needed for depth in case Martell Webster or Trevor Ariza suffer an illness or an injury. The team might also resist sending him down as not to damage his confidence, opines Michael.
- Dakota Schmidt of SB Nation profiles Sioux Falls 7-footer Justin Hamilton, and thinks that he is the most talented big man still available to make the jump to the NBA. The former second-round pick out of LSU has developed quite the offensive arsenal and could be the next player to land a 10-day contract, opines Schmidt.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
I’m not understanding why some teams dont use their D-League affiliates more, especially when they have a 1-1 affiliation. Otto Porter has seen no playing time with the Wizards and going down for a couple of games assignment could help him, and if something were to happen to one of their other wings, they could simply cal him back up…I’m in agreement on Hamilton. I’ve seen him play a bit, and he is on the Heat’s D-League roster. I like his game. He shoots the 3, has a little bit of a nice post up game, rebounds well, and I noticed that he is a pretty good passer. Defensively, he has shown a propensity for protecting the rim. I’m sure he’ll get a shot somewhere
I agree that Porter could benefit from some playing time in his development. But the issue is a confidence one. The line of thinking around the league is that being sent to the D-League for anything but a rehab assignment could harm the psyche of a young player–especially a high draft choice who has underperformed. Whether or not I agree with that stance is another matter entirely.
I just dont see what going down for a few days when you arent playing and have a chance to play and then come back up would do to someone’s confidence. If anything it should mean that they matter enough to not want them to just sit so they can be ready