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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/4/18

November 4th, 2018 at 8:39pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

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

The Pistons have recalled forward Henry Ellenson and rookie guard Khyri Thomas from the Grand Rapids Drive, per Rod Beard of The Detroit News (via Twitter).
The Hornets announced in a press release that they recalled rookie guard Devonte’ Graham from their Greensboro affiliate.
Ahead of their matchup with the Grizzlies, the Suns announced that they recalled rookie point guard De’Anthony Melton from the Northern Arizona Suns.
The Hawks have recalled wing Daniel Hamilton from the Erie BayHawks, according to a press release from the team.

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Walton, Chandler

November 4th, 2018 at 8:58am CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James made a strong statement in support of Luke Walton and the Lakers’ coaching staff following last night’s win in Portland, relays Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Walton started to feel some heat after a 2-5 start and was “admonished” this week by team president Magic Johnson. The team has responded with two straight wins, and James left no doubt that he is in Walton’s corner.

“Listen, coaching staff put us in a position to win, and it’s up to us to go up and execute,” he told reporters after the game. “Luke can care less about what’s going on outside. We could as well. I’m the last person to ask about scrutiny or anything of that nature. So none of that stuff matters to me. The only thing that matters to me is what goes on inside this locker room, both home and away.”

James has clashed with coaches in both Miami and Cleveland and reportedly played a large role in getting David Blatt fired a year after he took the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals. James’ endorsement of Walton should carry a lot of weight with the Lakers’ front office.

There’s more this morning out of Los Angeles:

Johnson was less upset about the team’s won-loss record than what he perceived as a lack of identity at both ends of the court, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. A source tells Amick that Walton’s job wasn’t threatened and that Johnson hasn’t lost confidence in his coach, even though he was hired by the previous administration. Amick also notes that owner Jeanie Buss viewed frequent coaching changes as a weakness of the management team that was in place before Johnson and GM Rob Pelinka were hired.
In that meeting, Walton appealed for another big man to back up starting center JaVale McGee, Amick adds in the same piece. That request appears to have been answered with the expected addition of Tyson Chandler, who is nearing a buyout with the Suns.
Chandler may not be enough to solve the Lakers’ issues on defense when McGee is off the court, suggests Kevin Pelton of ESPN. Pelton runs the numbers on Chandler and finds that his ability to protect the rim has been on a steady decline over the past six seasons. He states that the Lakers might have been better off waiting for another center to become available, such as the Bulls’ Robin Lopez or the Hawks’ Dewayne Dedmon.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 10/31/18

October 31st, 2018 at 9:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

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

The Wizards have assigned Chasson Randle to their Capital City affiliate, the team announced on Twitter. Washington waived Randle in training camp, but he signed with the team yesterday because the 14th roster spot needed to be filled.
The Hawks assigned swingman Daniel Hamilton to their affiliate in Erie, according to the team’s website. He returned to practice last week after recovering from a tear in his right rotator cuff and has yet to play this season.
The Sixers announced that Jonah Bolden has been sent to their Delaware affiliate. A draft-and-stash player who played in Israel last season, Bolden has appeared in four games for Philadelphia.

Ressler Cites 'Dysfunction' In Past Management Team

October 27th, 2018 at 5:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hawks owner Tony Ressler tells Jeff Schultz of The Athletic that he takes the blame for the team’s recent collapse and describes his former management team of Mike Budenholzer and Wes Wilcox as “total dysfunction.” They frequently disagreed on personnel moves, with Budenholzer, who also served as coach, being focused on a win-now approach. “Bud was not the right coach for us,” Ressler said. “He was desperate to coach a superstar. I don’t know where Bud’s head was; you’ll have to ask him. But I do think when some people have a very short life as the decision-maker, and they no longer have it, sometimes they miss it.”

Poythress Sidelined At Least Three Games

October 26th, 2018 at 9:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hawks forward Alex Poythress will miss at least three games due to a left knee injury, according to a team press release. He was diagnosed with a capsular sprain and bone bruise and will miss the team’s upcoming road trip. Poythress averaged 5.3 PPG and 3.8 RPG in 18.0 MPG in his first four appearances with Atlanta. Poythress is one of the team’s two-way players after seeing action in 25 games with the Pacers last season.

Deveney: Dedmon A Potential Trade Candidate

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

Robin Lopez (Bulls) and Dewayne Dedmon (Hawks) are unlikely to net first-round picks on the trade market, but they could be decent rental options for teams seeking depth up front, Deveney writes.

[SOURCE LINK]

Trae Young Starts Season On Red-Hot Note

October 25th, 2018 at 10:57pm CST by JD Shaw

Despite being heavily criticized for trading the rights to Luka Doncic for Trae Young on draft night, the Hawks may have secured a long-term building block in Young, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor writes. Young is making a good early impression, averaging 21.5 points and 7.5 assists through four games.

Injury Updates

October 24th, 2018 at 7:34pm CST by clarkcrum

The Hawks have provided some detail regarding some of the injuries that have been plaguing their roster to begin the 2018/19 season.

Swingman Justin Anderson, who was traded to the Hawks from the Sixers back in July, is still rehabilitating from a pre-trade surgery to address recurring tibial stress syndrome in his left leg. There is still no timetable for his return.

Big man John Collins, who may expect to have a breakout sophomore campaign in 2018/19, is also still rehabilitating from mild inflammation and soreness in his left ankle. He is still out, but his return is clearer. His rehab will be reviewed in eleven days with an update from the Hawks to follow.

Fellow big man Dewayne Dedmon is returning after participating in his first full live practice with the team yesterday. He was re-assessed today and is playing for the Hawks in their game against Dallas this evening.

Finally, Hawks swingman Daniel Hamilton has returned to modified practice following rehab for a tear in his right rotator cuff. There is no timetable for his return to game action.

Pelicans To Get G League Affiliate For 2019/20

October 24th, 2018 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 24: In their press release officially announcing their new G League affiliate, the Pelicans indicate that the club isn’t expected to begin play in Birmingham until 2022/23, meaning it will spend three seasons in Erie.

OCTOBER 23: The Pelicans will launch a G League affiliate that will begin play in the 2019/20 season, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, the new G League franchise will eventually play in Birmingham, Alabama, but will start in Erie, Pennsylvania, while arena renovations are completed in Birmingham.

Rumors of a potential G League affiliate for the Pelicans have persisted for multiple years now. Back in March 2017, we heard that New Orleans was expected to have an NBAGL team of its own in place for the 2018/19 season, but the club took longer than anticipated to finalize the location and the details.

Later in 2017, the Pelicans were said to be leaning toward Shreveport, Louisiana or Pensacola, Florida as the eventual home of their G League team, having apparently ruled out various cities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. However, Alabama will be the home of the new franchise after all, once Birmingham’s arena is ready to go.

Currently, Erie is home to the BayHawks, Atlanta’s G League affiliate. The Hawks, who took over the Erie squad in 2017/18, are spending one more year in Pennsylvania while work on their new G League arena in College Park, Georgia is completed. When the Hawks’ affiliate moves out of Erie at the end of the 2018/19 campaign, the Pelicans’ new expansion affiliate will be ready to move in.

The Pelicans will become the 28th of 30 NBA teams with their own NBAGL affiliate. The Nuggets and Trail Blazers are the only other NBA clubs without G League teams of their own, though ESPN’s Jonathan Givony suggests (via Twitter) that the Nuggets may also look to have an affiliate in place for the 2019/20 season, perhaps in the northwest suburbs of Denver. If that happens, Portland would be the lone holdout.

John Collins Still Weeks Away From Returning

October 23rd, 2018 at 10:02am CST by Luke Adams

Hawks big man John Collins, who has yet to make his 2018/19 debut, is still weeks away from returning to action, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Collins, currently recovering from a non-surgical procedure on his ankle, was initially ruled out for the start of the season and was scheduled for a re-evaluation this week. Now, according to Vivlamore, who cites a person familiar with the situation, the Hawks aren’t expecting to get Collins back in their lineup until sometime in the first half of November.

Vivlamore, noting that Collins has yet to resume on-court activity and will need to work his way into playing shape, estimates that the second-year power forward will miss another nine games. That would put him on track to return on Sunday, November 11 in Los Angeles against the Lakers, though that date is hardly set in stone.

With Collins unavailable to start the season, the Hawks have leaned on smaller lineups, with Taurean Prince, DeAndre’ Bembry, and Vince Carter seeing time at the four. Two-way player Alex Poythress has also averaged 22.0 minutes per game in the early going, and may see his role cut back substantially when Collins is healthy.