- Despite owner Mark Cuban‘s declaration that the team isn’t interested in tanking, the Mavericks would be wise to trade Andrew Bogut with the future in mind, O’Connor argues in the same piece. O’Connor lists several teams, including the Blazers and the Celtics, that could use the big man’s defense.
Here are Wednesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
8:35pm
- The Grizzlies have recalled Wade Baldwin from the Iowa Energy, according to the team’s website. The rookie has appeared in 20 games for the Memphis this season, and he’s seeing 14.5 minutes per contest.
3:41pm
- The Cavaliers have sent rookie point guard Kay Felder to the Canton Charge, according to a press release issued by the team. It’s the first D-League assignment of the season for Felder, who has appeared in 14 games for Cleveland.
- A day after being assigned to the D-League, rookie center Damian Jones was recalled by the Warriors, the team announced today in a press release. Jones contributed to Santa Cruz’ win on Tuesday night, chipping in eight points and four boards before fouling out.
- The Celtics have re-assigned Jordan Mickey to the NBADL, the team announced today (via Twitter). Mickey, who has played sparingly for Boston this season, has averaged 16.0 PPG and 12.0 RPG in his two contests with the Maine Red Claws.
- Ivica Zubac will suit up for the Los Angeles D-Fenders tonight, having been assigned to the Lakers‘ D-League affiliate today (Twitter link via Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News). The 2016 second-rounder has played well in eight D-League games this year, averaging 16.8 PPG and 9.5 RPG.
Gerald Green has racked up nine DNPs in December, but he got the opportunity to play on Tuesday night against the Grizzlies and responded with 19 points, his best mark since signing a one-year contract with the Celtics this past summer. It’s not clear if Green will be a permanent part of Boston’s rotation going forward, but the veteran swingman “has a clear value” to the club, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com.
“The one thing I’ve really been impressed with with Gerald, through the ups and downs of injuries and not playing, he’s very consistent in his support of his team,” Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said on Tuesday. “Not only there and quiet in the locker room, but also loud on the bench, active on the bench, and I knew that coming in. I had watched that pretty close in Miami last year, and things tend to work out when you’ve got that kind of spirit about you.”
Here’s more from out of Boston:
- Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald also examined Green’s big night, writing that the player who showed up last night was the one the Celtics were hoping for when they signed him in the offseason.
- In a conversation with Sas Ozmo of SportKlub.rs (translation via Sportando), agent Misko Raznatovic said that Ante Zizic‘s recent move to Darussafaka Dogus won’t prevent the draft-and-stash prospect from potentially joining the Celtics in 2017. “If it were [an obstacle], the transfer wouldn’t have happened,” Raznatovic said. “Zizic will be dominant in the NBA and I want him to go there as soon as possible.”
- Stevens was also asked about Zizic’s development, telling Forsberg that the team’s 2016 first-rounder has a “high motor” and is “tough” (Twitter link). “We’re excited about him being a part of our future,” said the Celtics’ head coach.
- With the Grizzlies in town on Tuesday, Tony Allen spoke to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (Twitter link) about the Celtics’ decision not to re-sign him back in 2010, when the team was reluctant to offer a third guaranteed year.
Gerald Green had his best game of the season for the Celtics in Sunday’s win over the Knicks, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. Green hasn’t seen many opportunities since signing with Boston over the summer for his second tour of duty with the franchise. He has played in just 14 games and is averaging 9.9 minutes per night. But he had eight points Sunday, scoring five in the second quarter as the Celtics pulled away. “It’s tough at times,” Green said. “You just have to stay motivated. I give a lot of praise to the coaches and the players keeping me ready, keeping me engaged at all times.”
Ante Zizic, Boston’s 23rd overall pick from the 2016 NBA Draft, is said to be changing teams overseas. EuroHoops.net reports via Hrvoje Sliskovic that the draft-and-stash big man is notably joining Euroleague club Darussafaka in Turkey after years with KK Cibona in Croatia.
The move will pair Zizic with former NBA coach David Blatt – a native of Boston – and will give the 19-year-old an opportunity to develop against new competition. In 24 games with KK Cibona so far this season, Zizic has averaged 18.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Zizic’s stellar play in 2016/17 comes on the heels of his being named the Adriatic League’s top prospect just last year.
The six-month contract, as reported by David Pick over Twitter, will give the Celtics an opportunity to see how their young big man holds up against Euroleague caliber talent. According to Trevor Magnotti of Fansided’s The Step Back, Zizic profiles as a high-energy role player that thrives on the glass and in the pick-and-roll.
- The Celtics could be a top-three team in the Eastern Conference and their solid, come-from-behind showing on Christmas Day served as a perfect reminder of it. According to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk, Al Horford‘s contributions both tangible and otherwise, will play a major role in how the rest of the 2016/17 campaign pans out.
The Celtics made a major push for two top free agents last summer, and while the team couldn’t lure Kevin Durant to Boston, Al Horford signed a long-term deal with the club. To some observers, it represented a significant step forward for the Celtics, since they traditionally haven’t done well recruiting top free agents. However, Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony tells Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald that he has always viewed Boston as a favorable destination.
“I think it’s always been that,” Anthony said of the Celtics’ appeal. “I mean, when you think about basketball, Boston is one of the top places that you think of. … I think it’s always been that; it was just a matter of who was a free agent and if they had the money and the (cap) space here to pay them.”
As Bulpett details, Anthony also praised the job Danny Ainge and the Celtics have done with the roster over the last few years, suggesting that the front office has done a “hell of a job” rebuilding the team since moving Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.
Gerald Green, who signed a one-year contract with the Celtics this offseason, has battled nagging injuries and has fallen out of the rotation in Boston less than two months into the season, as Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald details. Although Green refuses to “second-guess” head coach Brad Stevens, he admits he’s not used to sitting so frequently.
“It’s hard to get in a rhythm when you don’t even know when you’re getting to play,” Green said. “And then it’s kind of tough to get in a rhythm when you do play, you’re only playing, you know, you can count your minutes on one hand. So it’s tough. I’m not really used to it, but it’s something I’ve got to go through right now.”
While Green waits for his shot to contribute, let’s round up a few more notes out of Boston…
- In an appearance on CSNNE, veteran reporter Jackie MacMullen says that if the Celtics want to trade for Sixers center Nerlens Noel, they wouldn’t have much trouble doing so, but suggests that it still makes sense for the team to wait and see if any better opportunities materialize by the deadline.
- If the Celtics were given the opportunity to pry DeMarcus Cousins away from the Kings, there would be plenty of risk to consider, but it’s intriguing to imagine what he could do in Stevens’ system, says ESPN’s Chris Forsberg during an appearance of his own on CSNNE.
- As much as they’d like to bolster their roster, the Celtics don’t appear to be in any rush to move Amir Johnson to make that happen, according to a CSNNE.com report. Johnson, who has been something of an underappreciated contributor for the C’s, is in a contract year and will hit unrestricted free agency in 2017.
Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
1:05pm:
- The Suns have sent forward Derrick Jones to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). It will be the third assignment of the season for Jones, who will get a chance to play in the D-League’s lone Christmas Day game on Sunday, assuming he isn’t back with Phoenix by then.
- The Knicks have assigned Ron Baker, Maurice Ndour, and Marshall Plumlee to the NBADL, according to the team (Twitter link). They’ll play for the Westchester Knicks tonight, in their game against the Raptors 905.
10:34am:
- After recording 16 points and 10 assists for the Raptors 905 on Thursday, Fred VanVleet has been recalled to the NBA, according to the Raptors (Twitter link). Bruno Caboclo, who was assigned to the D-League on Thursday along with VanVleet, remains with Toronto’s affiliate for now.
- The Celtics have assigned rookie guard Demetrius Jackson to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). The Maine Red Claws, Boston’s NBADL affiliate, is in action tonight against Grand Rapids, so Jackson figures to suit up for that game.
- Following a quick stint with the Salt Lake City Stars, Hawks rookie DeAndre’ Bembry has been recalled to Atlanta, according to a press release issued by the team. Bembry struggled in his latest D-League game, scoring just seven points on 2-of-8 shooting for the Stars in Thursday night’s loss.
- While Bembry was ineffective on Thursday night, his Salt Lake City teammate Joel Bolomboy had another big game, putting up 23 points and 23 rebounds. The Jazz announced today in a press release that they’ve recalled Bolomboy from their D-League affiliate.
The Celtics will include one of their main backcourt pieces if they make a major trade, Chris Mannix of The Vertical anticipates. Boston will have trouble affording the quartet of Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier in the long run and can’t add an impact player without shedding one or more of them, Mannix continues. Smart is eligible for an extension next summer and will command a starting salary of at least $10MM, while Thomas and Bradley can become free agents in the summer of 2018. It will take a good chunk of the salary cap to retain both, in Mannix’s view. The starting backcourt can also have their contracts renegotiated this summer but Mannix is skeptical that GM Danny Ainge would eat into future cap space to make that happen.
In other developments around the Atlantic Division:
- Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis and other players with rookie contracts will get a significant boost in pay once the new CBA is ratified, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Porzingis will receive a 15% increase next season and a 30% bump in the final year of his four-year rookie-scale deal, Berman continues. Sources informed Berman that Porzingis’ revised salary will increase from $4.5MM to $5.1MM next season and from $5.6MM to $7.3MM in 2018/19.
- The Raptors need another elite player to become true title contenders but they should try to hold onto shooting guard Norm Powell, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun opines. Powell has the ability to play three positions and could play some minutes at point guard if Toronto includes current backup Cory Joseph in a blockbuster deal, Wolstat continues. In any case, coach Dwane Casey should try to give Powell, 23, more consistent minutes, Wolstat adds.
- Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor will continue to start together in the Sixers’ frontcourt during their upcoming West Coast swing, Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com reports. According to Seltzer’s research, that duo has 52 shared minutes over the Sixers’ last four contests, producing an offensive rating of 95.0 points per 100 possessions, and a defensive rating of 113.3 points per 100 possessions.