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Month: November 2024

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls 3/11/17

March 11th, 2017 at 8:35pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Here are Saturday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Mavericks have assigned Manny Harris and Jarrod Uthoff to their D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, according to a team press release. Dallas signed both players to 10-day deals earlier this week.
  • The Warriors have recalled Damian Jones from the Santa Cruz Warriors, their D-League affiliate, per a team press release. Jones is seeing court time for Golden State tonight, as coach Steve Kerr decided to rest several of the team’s top players.
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Community Shootaround: Minnesota Timberwolves

March 11th, 2017 at 6:45pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Wolves beat the Warriors on Friday night in a game that came down to a missed Stephen Curry jumper in the remaining seconds of regulation. Minnesota is 7-3 over its last 10 contests (only the Spurs can claim a better record) and the team’s defense deserves credit for the stretch. The team held Curry to just one made 3-pointer on his eight attempts and as a team, Golden State shot just 29.3% from behind the arc.

Entering their game with the Warriors, the Wolves had the highest defensive rating in the league post All-Star break, as I recently mentioned. It takes time to learn defensive schemes in the NBA and it appears that the team’s young talent is starting to grasp Tom Thibodeau’s playbook.

The franchise enters the day just 2.5 games behind the Nuggets for the eighth seed in the Western Conference, though the Wolves would also have to jump the Blazers and Mavs to punch a ticket to the NBA’s second season.

That leads us to tonight’s shootaround topic: Can the Wolves make a run over the last quarter of the season and make the playoffs or are they a piece or two away from being a playoff team? Let us know if you think Minnesota can climb in the standings or what the team should do this offseason to complement Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. We look forward to what you have to say!

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Monty Williams Expected To Coach In 2017

March 11th, 2017 at 5:23pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Monty Williams is expected to be one of the “elite candidates” on the NBA coaching market once the season concludes, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (Twitter links). The University of Illinois offered Williams its head coaching gig and was willing to make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the NCAA. Williams turned down the offer, as he focuses his attention on making a return to an NBA sideline.

Williams is currently working in the Spurs’ front office. He’s had various roles in the organization over his lifetime, ranging from player to coaching intern.

He was an associate head coach with the Thunder during the 2015/16 campaign. Prior to his time in Oklahoma City, he spent five years as the coach of the Pelicans, where he made the playoffs on two occasions. He owns a 173-221 record as a head coach.

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Week In Review: 3/4/17 – 3/11/17

March 11th, 2017 at 3:57pm CST by Austin Kent

It was a relatively quiet week in the NBA, at least compared to the flurries leading up to and immediately after the trade deadline. Still there were some significant headlines that will impact contenders over the course of the next little while. Take a look through the transactions, injuries and rumors that popped up over the last seven days.

Signed

Injured

News

  • The Lakers formally announced the hiring of Rob Pelinka as general manager of the franchise. Pelinka has fully divested from his sports agency.
  • Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer was suspended one game for making incidental contact with an official.
  • Acclaimed draft prospect Markelle Fultz has announced that he’ll enter the NBA Draft this summer.

Rumors

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Comprehensive BIG3 Rosters/Player List

March 11th, 2017 at 1:57pm CST by Austin Kent

The BIG3 Draft is in the rearview mirror and now we can get a sense of the players that will play on each of the eight squads.

Below the rosters is a list of players who were announced to be available for the draft but who ultimately went undrafted.

(Note: Mobile and Trade Rumors app users, be sure to turn your phone sideways to view the tables in full).

Read more

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Lakers Sign David Nwaba To Second 10-Day Deal

March 11th, 2017 at 11:39am CST by Austin Kent

The Lakers have signed guard David Nwaba to a second 10-day contract, the team announced via press release on its official website. The move was announced by recently (formally) appointed general manager Rob Pelinka.

In five games with the Lakers over the course of his first 10-day deal, Nwaba averaged 2.6 points in 11.2 minutes per game while showcasing good energy and defense.

In addition to his time with the Lakers this season, the 24-year-old has also played in 39 contests, starting 30 of them, for the club’s D-League affiliate. In 29.0 minutes per game with the D-Fenders, Nwaba has averaged 14.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

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LaMarcus Aldridge Out Indefinitely With Heart Arrhythmia

March 11th, 2017 at 10:56am CST by Austin Kent

The Spurs will be without forward LaMarcus Aldridge for an indefinite period of time, the team has reported on Twitter. The 31-year-old big man is suffering from a minor heart arrhythmia.

Although serious arrhythmias can be life-threatening, they aren’t necessarily always harmful. The franchise, needless to say, has taken the wise approach to sit Aldridge until further examination can be conducted.

In 58 games with the Spurs so far this season, Aldridge has posted 17.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

We will provide updates as they come in from the Spurs organization.

Of note is that, per Jeff Stotts of Rotowire, Aldridge suffers from Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome and has undergone at least two procedures to address the issue since his rookie campaign in 2006.

In 2007, Casey Holdahl of the Oregonian wrote about Aldridge’s 2006/07 campaign being cut short when the Trail Blazers announced that he would undergo treatment for the congenital condition.

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Hoops Rumors Originals: 3/4/17 – 3/11/17

March 11th, 2017 at 10:15am CST by Austin Kent
  • Fresh off of a Mark Cuban appearance at this year’s MIT Sloan Conference, Chris Crouse wrote about how the Mavericks built around Dirk Nowitzki in a must-read feature.
  • Luke Adams broke down the early decisions dates for individuals like Rudy Gay with player options for the 2017/18 season.
  • Did you know that you can follow specific players on Hoops Rumors? Here’s how you can tap into a dedicated stream of content specifically for your favorite player.
  • Several young players due for rookie-scale extensions have been hit hard by injuries. Luke Adams takes a closer look at the cases of Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker and Zach LaVine.
  • Amid one of the most hotly debated MVP races in recent memory, we decided to ask our readers who they thought should win the year-end award. If we learned anything from the results, it’s that this is a good year to be an NBA fan.
  • The NBA blogosphere is a powerful thing. This week Milo Taibi scoured the internet for some of the best blog features online.
  • Looking for help from the waiver wire in your fantasy basketball league? Chris Crouse examined some of the most valuable free agents that could still be available
  • Missed Luke Adams’ live chat with fans on Monday? Check out a transcript of the conversation and don’t forget to participate for yourself next time he goes live.
  • Every year the D-League gains ground as a valuable development system for NBA teams and this year has been no different. As Luke Adams explains, an impressive 16 of this year’s 30 first-round picks have already been on assignment this year.
  • Have a question for Hoops Rumors? Looking for somebody to validate (or quash) your outlandish fan theory? Don’t hesitate to send your inquiries for a chance to be featured in our weekly mailbag series.
  • Five pending free agents have seen their values impacted by recent trades. Luke Adams wrote about what recently moved players like Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson will be able to expect this offseason.
  • Every week we like to turn the floor over to our readers so that they can weigh in on pressing issues relevant to the league. This week was no different, below are our Community Shootaround posts.
    • Does the NBA need a better system in place for handling “buyout season“?
    • The Knicks caused a stir when they decided to forgo in-game music in a game at Madison Square Garden this week. What do you think about the a capella approach?
  • Don’t forget to check out last week’s Hoops Rumors Originals if you didn’t catch them the first time around.
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Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Yabusele, Triangle Offense

March 11th, 2017 at 9:09am CST by Austin Kent

Confirmed out for the season earlier this month, the next step in the recovery process for Sixers rookie Joel Embiid is figuring out what approach to take with regard to his torn meniscus. Embiid and the organization took the club’s west coast road trip as a chance to discuss surgery options with Los Angeles doctors, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.

“We are trying to study his path and go about it meticulously,” head coach Brett Brown sqaid, adding that they’re actively trying to keep him a part of the Sixers team even though he may not be suiting up.

As Pompey writes, there are three major types of surgeries for a torn meniscus and the Sixers now face the challenge of finding an option that works best for Embiid. “He’s got an inner circle around him that’s helping guide him. We are just taking all the information in. Ultimately, he’s the one that has to feel comfortable with it,” added Brown.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

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Northwest Notes: Eighth Seed, Denver’s Defense, Towns

March 10th, 2017 at 11:11pm CST by Milo Taibi

Jazz coach Quin Snyder is receiving contributions from seldom-used players Jeff Withey and Raul Neto, Jody Genessy of Deseret News writes.

“To be honest, we’ve been in these situations a lot, so there are different guys each night,” Snyder said. “When you have the right spirit, the game rewards you and that’s what happened with those two guys tonight. It’s easy to say, ‘Stay ready,’ and we say that stuff as coaches, but it’s hard to do. For those guys to literally be ready and contribute like they did, it was pretty good.”

The Jazz have won seven of their last 10, enjoying a successful 2016/17 campaign despite occasional injuries to George Hill, Derrick Favors, and Gordon Hayward.

“It’s tough because you never know when your name will be called, so you have to be ready,” Withey said. “On days off, I’m always in the gym running, trying to stay in shape, get shots up and stuff. It’s tough mentally also. It’s part of the business. It’s part of the job.”

More from the Northwest…

  • The Nuggets still hold the eighth seed of the Western Conference, but the team’s defense must improve to sustain a playoff run, Nick Kosmider of the Denver Post writes. Denver’s opponent field goal percentage ranks 28th in the league since the All-Star break, Kosmider writes, and 24th in defensive rating. Coach Michael Malone is well-aware of the problem. “You go back to the start of the regular season, and we were playing good defense the first 10, close to 15 games. Obviously, the wheels have fallen off,” Malone said. Interestingly, Darrell Arthur was hesitant to blame his teammates for the defensive shortcomings: “We’re still learning. We’ve got a young team. It takes a while to go from a mediocre team to a good team to a great team. We’re trying to be great. We’re right there around good, but not so consistent.”
  • Karl-Anthony Towns has taken charge of the “desperate” Timberwolves, Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press writes. Towns has been the key to Minnesota’s recent playoff push; winning seven of their last 10, climbing to within two games of the eighth seed. Following tonight’s crucial win over the Warriors, hopes are high for the young Wolves. “Desperation makes you do a lot of things you couldn’t normally do,” Towns said. “Being so close to the playoffs, I have a lot of desperation trying to play the best that I can so I can try to help us get to the playoffs and get that eighth spot.”
  • Tom Thibodeau praised his team’s defensive improvements, saying they’ve taken a “quantum leap” in the right direction. “We’re not where we need to be, but when you look at the past couple of years and where we are now, (the point differential) says we’ve made a big jump,” Thibodeau told AJ Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today. “I believe we’re down to 13th now in points allowed (on the season), so that’s a quantum leap, and it’s still not where it needs to be, and we have to understand that.”
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