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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/28/19

March 28th, 2019 at 9:10pm CST by JD Shaw

Here are Thursday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:

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And-Ones: NBA Execs Poll, Mourning, Reid, Gray

March 28th, 2019 at 7:51pm CST by JD Shaw

Various NBA executives and coaches were polled this month by Tim Bontemps of ESPN, questioned on which sophomore player they’d rather have: Ben Simmons, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum or De’Aaron Fox.

All four players are considered to be among the league’s best young talent, but ranking the players is tougher than what it seems. The polling from the ESPN article largely echoed the results of the 2018 Rookie of the Year Award race, with Simmons ranking first, Mitchell second, Tatum third, and Fox fourth. Simmons received as many first-place votes (nine) as the other three players did combined.

“Simmons is in his own class,” an Eastern Conference executive told Bontemps, “because of his size and passing ability, plus his defense. Having the ability to control the game at both ends is really valuable.”

Of the four players, Simmons is the only talent without a reliable jumpshot. The thought of him one day having a consistent jumper — in addition to his already mesmerizing passing, rebounding and driving abilities — could strike fear in teams around the league.

However, not all of those polled agreed with Simmons being one of the top choices of the four players.

“Simmons doesn’t shoot,” one West executive said. “If you’re a championship-caliber team, non-shooters can’t be on the floor.”

“He’s really f—ing good,” another said. “But where do you play him?”

Here are some more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • NBA legend Alonzo Mourning is among 11 world class basketball personalities that make up FIBA Hall of Fame’s 2019 class of inductees, FIBA announced this week. Mourning joins Janeth Arcain (Brazil), Bogdan Tanjevic (Montenegro) and others to be inducted, having helped Team USA win the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 1994. He also went on to help win a gold medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
  • LSU expects to lose 19-year-old forward Naz Reid for the NBA Draft this spring, Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com writes. “Yeah, we’re expecting to lose him,” LSU assistant Greg Heiar admitted last week. “If you’re a top-20 pick in the draft, you need to go. You need to go. It’s what his dream is so we want him to chase his dream. You never want to hold a young man back.” Along with Reid, another LSU player who could garner professional interest in the coming months is Tremont Waters, an improved 5’11” point guard with impressive handles and court vision.
  • Free agent Rob Gray has agreed to a deal in France with JL Bourg, according to Sportando. Gray started the 2018/19 season with Fort Wayne in the NBA G League, with their campaign officially coming to an end this past week. Gray played summer league and later joined the Rockets for training camp last fall, getting waived before the season began.
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Atlantic Notes: Butler, Vonleh, VanVleet, Ntilikina

March 28th, 2019 at 6:19pm CST by JD Shaw

Jimmy Butler will return to Minnesota on Saturday when the Sixers visit the Timberwolves, marking his first game back in Target Center since shockingly requesting a trade from the team back in September.

Butler, who received mostly boos in the 10 games after his trade request last fall, is preparing to enter what’s sure to be a hostile environment during his return.

“They’re going to boo me,” Butler said of the Timberwolves fans, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times. “I would boo me, too. I’m not going to lie to you.”

Butler, who’s known as one of the most outspoken players in the NBA, said he’ll even consider joining in with the fans’ boos. Butler spent just one full season on the Wolves, with the 29-year-old set to reach unrestricted free agency on July 1.

“Oh, I love it,” Butler continued about the fans’ reaction to the trade, as relayed by Stein. “I love it. I love it. Who wants to be loved all the time?

“It’s O.K. It’s fine. I don’t need everybody to like me. I know who I am. I can’t say that enough. I know what I’m about. I know where my heart is. People will say, ‘He’s this way, or he’s that way,’ but nobody knows except for the people around me every day. Ask them and they’ll tell you differently.”

Let’s check in on more items from out of the Atlantic…

  • Knicks forward Noah Vonleh underwent an MRI on Wednesday that revealed a right ankle sprain with a bone bruise in his right foot, the team announced. Vonleh is expected to be re-evaluated in one week, with the 23-year-old averaging a career-high 8.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 25.3 minutes per game this season.
  • Raptors guard Fred VanVleet turned to analytics in order to improve his game while injured, Blake Murphy of The Athletic writes. VanVleet missed 12 straight games after undergoing surgery to fix ligament damage in his left thumb, returning to the court two weeks ago. “I’ve found some spots where I think I can be good. I’ve looked at my numbers. I’ve been bored outta my mind so I studied some analytics a little bit, watched a lot of film, and just seeing where I can get better,” VanVleet said. “This feels like October again for me so I’m approaching this as a new season, the end of the season, and hopefully I can come back and take another jump of improvement towards the end of the season.”
  • Knicks coach David Fizdale couldn’t commit to Frank Ntilikina returning this season, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Ntilikina re-injured his groin on Friday, an injury that cost him nearly two months of action earlier in the year. “We don’t know yet on the status of how far away he is from coming back,” Fizdale said when asked whether Ntilikina is out for the season. “I know it was a tough blow to the kid the other night. I just don’t know how severe it is. I just know that it got to a point during the game where it was really bothering him. It’s just been frustrating for the kid. It’s been frustrating for all of us, but for him it’s been tough.”
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Luc Mbah A Moute To Miss 8 Weeks After Knee Surgery

March 28th, 2019 at 4:50pm CST by JD Shaw

Clippers forward Luc Mbah a Moute is expected to miss eight weeks of action after undergoing knee surgery on Wednesday, the team announced in a press release. The surgery, a partial medial meniscectomy in his left knee, was performed by Dr. Riley Williams in New York.

Mbah a Moute was originally injured when the Clippers played the Pelicans on October 23, receiving various non-surgical treatment options in the months that followed. He’ll finish the 2018/19 season with just four games played.

The Clippers are gearing up for another postseason run, sporting a strong unit around the likes of Lou Williams, Danilo Gallinari and Montrezl Harrell. Mbah a Moute signed a free-agent contract to join the team last offseason, marking his second professional stint with the team.

Mbah a Moute’s estimated timetable for recovery falls in the middle of the Western Conference Finals. He’s scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, holding 11 years of NBA experience with six teams.

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Southeast Notes: Bryant, Carter-Williams, Graham

March 28th, 2019 at 4:01pm CST by Austin Kent

The Wizards have long been eliminated from playoff contention, but second-year big man Thomas Bryant is taking every late-season opportunity to establish himself as a long-term rotation piece for the club, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post writes.

Bryant recently impressed for the Wizards as the team closed out a tight contest against Phoenix. Bryant’s game-winning bucket, his second of the year, capped off a night in which he racked up 18 points and 19 rebounds, outplaying 2018 first-overall pick Deandre Ayton.

“My teammates believe in me. It’s a real big thing,” the Wizards big man told Buckner. “I give it all to my teammates, they believe in me to make that shot, time and time after I missed so many shots this month, this year. To have that confidence is great.”

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

  • While his stats don’t jump off the page, Michael Carter-Williams has made an impact during his brief stay thus far with the Magic, John Denton of the Magic’s official site writes. Carter-Williams’ length and versatility have contributed to several late-season wins but his future with the franchise is up in the air.
  • Veteran Tony Parker will cede playing time to Devonte’ Graham, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets. Hornets coach James Borrego would like to give the 24-year-old additional experience and Parker is on board.
  • If Kelly Olynyk logs 89 minutes over the final eight games of the regular season, he’ll earn a $1MM bonus built into his contract with the Heat, Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel writes. That’s likely but not necessarily guaranteed. “It’s like one of those things that if you want it too much, you’re not going to get it,” Olynyk said. “You’ve just got to focus on the team and winning and the rest will fall into place where it may.“
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Wolves Notes: Offseason, Saric, Experimentation

March 28th, 2019 at 3:14pm CST by Austin Kent

It’s been a busy year for the Timberwolves, who find themselves in a very different position now than they did this time last year. Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider) recently broke down the offseason priorities for a front office still reeling from a whirlwind few months.

Among the first tasks will be figuring out what to do with interim head coach Ryan Saunders, who took the reins after Tom Thibodeau‘s firing with predictably modest results given the circumstances. Minnesota will need to hire a general manager following Thibodeau’s departure and that individual would likely want a say in who is coaching the team.

Marks also flags Derrick Rose and Andrew Wiggins as players that Minnesota’s brass will need to mull over. Just how much of a priority should Rose be, he asks, and is it finally time to consider dramatically downgrading Wiggins’ role?

There’s more out of Minnesota today:

  • There’s a strong possibility that veteran point guard Jeff Teague opts into the final year of his contract, Michael Rand of the Star Tribune writes. Although the $19MM he’ll earn through 2019-20 may sound steep to Wolves fans eager to rebuild, Rand notes that the team was distinctly better with the 30-year-old on the court in 2018/19.
  • After an underwhelming season, Dario Saric and the Timberwolves can take solace in the fact that they’ll have another full season in which to gauge how well they fit together before a free agency decision needs to be made, Britt Robson of The Athletic writes.
  • The Timberwolves won’t be sneaking into the postseason this spring so head coach Ryan Saunders will use the final games of the campaign to tinker with different strategies. Per Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune, Sanders is particularly interested in seeing how Andrew Wiggins and rookie Keita Bates-Diop fare in unusual situations.
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Bulls Notes: Rose, Lopez, Markkanen, Harrison

March 28th, 2019 at 1:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Derrick Rose‘s latest injury decreases the chances that the Bulls will try to sign him next season, writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune in an question-and-answer column. The Chicago native and former MVP revived his career in Minnesota this season, averaging 18.0 PPG and shooting 37% from 3-point range in 51 games. However, his season ended early again due to bone chips in his right elbow that required surgery last week.

Rose will be a free agent this summer after signing a one-year deal with the Timberwolves, and there was talk that the Bulls might be interested in pursuing him to settle their issues at point guard. In light of the injury, however, Johnson suggests Ricky Rubio, Darren Collison and Patrick Beverley as better targets.

There’s more Bulls news to pass along:

  • Chicago probably won’t be able to re-sign veteran center Robin Lopez, Johnson writes in the same column. Even though there’s some mutual interest, Lopez will be seeking a situation that offers regular playing time, and Wendell Carter is the Bulls’ center of the future. Coach Jim Boylen has also mentioned the possibility of using Lauri Markkanen at center and Otto Porter at small forward against smaller lineups, which leaves few available minutes for Lopez. Johnson notes that Bulls management likes team-first veterans, so they would try to find a similar player if Lopez leaves.
  • Injuries continue to derail the Bulls’ rebuilding process, observes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Markkanen is the latest player to be shut down for the rest of the season after “an episode of rapid heart rate and fatigue.” A source told Cowley that Markkanen was experiencing a rapid heart rate in the locker room during Tuesday’s game. His condition improved after showering and eating, but he became light-headed while waiting for the bus to the airport. Markkanen was limited to 68 games as a rookie because of back issues and managed only 52 games this year after being sidelined at the start of the season with an elbow injury.
  • Shaquille Harrison has proven he belongs in the NBA during his time with the Bulls, contends Michael Walton of NBC Sports. Harrison’s defensive prowess is well known, but he has been improving as a scorer, pouring in a game-high 21 points last night. Chicago faces a decision this summer as Harrison’s $1,588,231 salary for next season will become guaranteed on August 15.
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Jazz’s Dante Exum Undergoes Knee Surgery

March 28th, 2019 at 1:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

MARCH 28: Exum underwent surgery today to fix the patellar tendon, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic. Rehab will start right away, but Exum remains out of action indefinitely.

MARCH 15: Jazz point guard Dante Exum has a partially torn patellar tendon in his right knee and will be sidelined indefinitely, according to a team press release.

Exum’s latest injury was uncovered during an MRI on Friday. He will continue to seek opinions on how best to treat the injury, according to the release, which suggests that he hopes to avoid surgery.

Exum is averaging 6.9 PPG and 2.6 APG in 15.8 MPG through 42 games this season. Exum just returned to action earlier this week after being sidelined 25 games with a sprained ankle and bone bruise. He suffered his latest injury during Utah’s game against Minnesota on Thursday.

The snakebit point guard missed all of the 2015/16 season with a torn ACL and was limited to 14 regular-season games last season after undergoing shoulder surgery in October 2017.

Raul Neto will see his minutes increase behind starter Ricky Rubio in Exum’s absence.

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Sixers Assistant Becomes Head Coach At St. Joseph’s

March 28th, 2019 at 12:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers are losing assistant coach Billy Lange to the college ranks, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojanarowski. Lange has left Philadelphia’s staff to become the next head coach at St. Joseph’s in the Atlantic 10.

Lange has been with the Sixers for the past six seasons. Prior to joining them, he served as an associate coach at Villanova and spent time at Navy, LaSalle and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

“I am proud of his appointment and he and his family will be missed as friends and Billy in a professional capacity, very much,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said in a statement tweeted by the team. “He has been with me from day one and to see where he started and now where he has ended up, is a fantastic human and basketball story. We will be following him closely. Go Hawks.” (Twitter link).

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Lakers’ Josh Hart Undergoes Knee Procedure

March 28th, 2019 at 12:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers will finish the season without Josh Hart, who had a procedure on his right knee patellar tendon today, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Doctors say Hart should be able to resume full basketball activities in 12 weeks.

This is the second operation of the month for Hart, who underwent surgery to fix a small fracture in his left hand in early March.

Hart played 67 games in his second NBA season after appearing in 63 as a rookie. He started 22 times and posted a 7.8/3.7/1.4 line for the year. He hasn’t played since logging 17 minutes against the Bucks on March 19.

The Lakers picked up Hart’s third-year option last fall, so he will return to the team next season at a salary of $1,934,160. L.A. has a team option on Hart worth nearly $3.5MM for 2020/21.

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