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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/11/18

November 11th, 2018 at 8:41pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

Here are Sunday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Kings assigned rookie big man Harry Giles to their G League affiliate in Stockton, according to a press release from the team.
The Hornets recalled rookie point guard Devonte’ Graham from the Greensboro Swarm, per a press release from the team.
The Magic recalled Isaiah Briscoe and Melvin Frazier Jr. from their Lakeland affiliate, according to a tweet from the team’s PR department.
According to a tweet from the Clippers‘ PR department, the team has assigned rookie guard Jerome Robinson and Sindarius Thornwell to the Agua Caliente Clippers.
The Timberwolves recalled rookie Keita Bates-Diop from their G League affiliate in Iowa, according to a press release from the team.
The Grizzlies assigned rookie point guard Jevon Carter to the Memphis Hustle, per a tweet from Grizzlies’ PR.
The Wizards have assigned Chasson Randle to their G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go.
The Thunder announced in an email that they have assigned Abdel Nader to the Oklahoma City Blue.
The Pistons recalled both Henry Ellenson and rookie guard Khryi Thomas, according to an email sent from the team.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/10/18

November 10th, 2018 at 8:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

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

Grizzlies rookie Jevon Carter was on the move today, being recalled from the Memphis Hustle, reassigned for the G League team’s practice, then recalled again for tonight’s NBA game, according to a tweet from the Grizzlies.
The Thunder recalled Abdel Nader from Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in an email.
The Magic sent rookies Isaiah Briscoe and Melvin Frazier to their Lakeland affiliate for tonight’s home opener, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
The Pistons recalled Henry Ellenson and Khyri Thomas from their Grand Rapids affiliate, according to an email from the team.
The Suns recalled rookie De’Anthony Melton from their affiliate in Northern Arizona, the team announced on its website.
Jacob Evans has been recalled from Santa Cruz, according to a story on the Warriors‘ website.

Clifford Keeps Team's Spirits Up

November 5th, 2018 at 10:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Magic have gotten off to another slow start but first-year coach Steve Clifford is keeping the team’s spirits up with stories of how other teams he’s coached have gone through similar stretches, John Denton of the team’s website writes. “He was telling us that in his first year in Charlotte they were under (eight) games from .500, but they stuck together, kept fighting, made the playoffs and was a top-10 defensive team,’’ Magic swingman Evan Fournier said. “When a guy like that has seen it all, it gives you confidence and belief.”

Magic Not Looking To Trade Vucevic

October 26th, 2018 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

With Mohamed Bamba‘s NBA career off to a promising start and Nikola Vucevic on an expiring contract, the prevailing wisdom suggests that Vucevic’s days with the Magic may be numbered, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. However, multiple league sources tell Deveney that Orlando isn’t looking to move the veteran center at this point.

While the Magic have explored the trade market for Vucevic in past years, they’ve yet to entertain offers this season and have been happy with how he has looked so far, per Deveney. The club also doesn’t want to put too much pressure on Bamba before he’s ready. Of course, if Orlando falls out of playoff contention by February and is offered a first-round pick for Vucevic, the team’s stance could change. For now though, he’s not being shopped.

Eastern Notes: Nets, Bamba, Griffin

October 23rd, 2018 at 11:03pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Joe Harris, who re-signed with the Nets on a two-year, $16MM deal this past offseason, is helping Brooklyn play a better offensive game, Tom Dowd of NBA.com writes. The team’s shooting has helped keep the paint open and entering Tuesday, the Nets led the league in drives per game.

“Just because the spacing that we have, even with Jarrett [Allen] being able to step out and pose a threat at the 3-point line to open stuff up, we’ve just got to do a better job making the correct reads where, the drive is there, obviously we’re taking it,” said Harris. “But if they’re not and they’re contested, especially against these heavy shift teams, we’ve got to get off it and move the ball quicker. Where we’ve gotten ourselves in trouble is getting in there, turning it over versus getting in there, making the right pass, making the simple pass and moving it from good shots to great shots.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Shabazz Napier is expected to make his debut for the Nets on Wednesday against the Cavs, Dowd relays in the same piece. “[Napier] looked good in practice yesterday, so that’s a good sign,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Don’t expect big minutes from him, but we’ll build him up. I think he’ll be that sparkplug. I think it gives us something defensively. He creates turnovers. He’s a ball-pressure guy. He gets into guys. He’s fast. And offensively he can give you a punch and come off and get 10 points in 10 minutes. His experience, right? NBA experience. He’ll help us.”
The Magic envision Mohamed Bamba becoming Orlando’s version of Joel Embiid down the road, Sean Deveney of Sporting News writes. “I said to [team president Jeff Weltman],” Hammond recalled, “‘It’s going to be interesting to see in about five years from now.’ He’s not as naturally big and thick as Joel, but just see who he is five years from now. He’s going to look a lot different. We just have to have a lot of patience.”
Blake Griffin has emerged as a leader for the Pistons, Keith Langlois of NBA.com contends. Coach Dwane Casey applauded Griffin’s mental toughness after a recent win, comparing the power forward to Gary Payton, Kevin Garnett, and Dirk Nowitzki. Casey will likely have even kinder words for his star after Griffin put up 50 points on the Sixers on Tuesday, scoring the final bucket to win to the game.

Bamba Won't Start Any Time Soon

October 19th, 2018 at 8:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Magic lottery pick Mohamed Bamba will come off the bench and have his minutes monitored, John Denton of the team’s website reports. Coach Steve Clifford doesn’t feel the 20-year-old 7-footer is ready to jump into the lineup any time soon. “I want him to play 82 (games), and he’s going to be out there and playing quality minutes,” Clifford said. “But he’s just not ready to play starter’s minutes against starting players. (A reserve role) is a big part of how you bring a player along. He’s in a role that’s ideal for him.” The unspecified minutes restriction is designed to have him “playing his best in March and April,” Clifford added.

The Magic can be expected to do their due diligence and gauge starting center Nikola Vucevic’s trade value, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic. Vucevic is in his walk year and will enter unrestricted free agency in July. Vucevic doesn’t fit president Jeff Weltman and GM John Hammond’s desire for length and versatility, Scotto adds.

Steve Clifford: Magic Talented Enough To Make Playoffs

October 18th, 2018 at 8:55pm CST by JD Shaw

Magic coach Steve Clifford believes the team has enough talent to make the postseason, Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel writes. The team features a fearsome frontcourt headlined by Aaron Gordon, Mohamed Bamba, Jonathan Isaac and Nikola Vucevic.

Weltman Explains Aaron's Gordon's New Contract

October 17th, 2018 at 8:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Magic showed their faith in Aaron Gordon with a new four-year, $76MM contract this summer, and president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman tells Josh Robbins of The Athletic that Gordon’s intangibles factored into the decision. Gordon is coming off a breakthrough season in which he raised his stats to 17.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. “Organizationally, we wouldn’t have done what we did if we didn’t have the utmost confidence that he’s going to be able to not just become a good player in his own right, but a player that lifts others,” Weltman said.

Kyler Explores Magic's Ownership Outlook

October 16th, 2018 at 3:15pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of longtime NBA owners – Richard DeVos of the Magic and Paul Allen of the Trail Blazers – have passed way in the last month and a half. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders explores what that means for the future of those two franchises.

2018/19 Over/Unders: Southeast Division

October 15th, 2018 at 10:40am CST by Luke Adams

The 2018/19 NBA regular season will get underway tomorrow, which means it’s time to get serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign. With the help of the lines from Bovada and the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division, to have you weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

Having already looked at the Atlantic, Central, Southwest, and Pacific divisions, we’re moving onto the Southeast today…

Washington Wizards

2017/18 record: 43-39
Over/under for 2018/19: 45.5 wins
Major offseason moves:
- Added: Dwight Howard, Austin Rivers, Jeff Green, Troy Brown, Thomas Bryant
- Lost: Marcin Gortat, Mike Scott, Tim Frazier, Ramon Sessions, Ty Lawson, Chris McCullough

(Trade Rumors app users, click here for Wizards poll)

Miami Heat

2017/18 record: 44-38
Over/under for 2018/19: 43.5 wins
Major offseason moves:
- Added: Duncan Robinson, Yante Maten
- Lost: Luke Babbitt, Jordan Mickey