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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/1/20

March 1st, 2020 at 9:00pm CST by JD Shaw

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

The Pelicans have recalled Nickeil Alexander-Walker from the Erie BayHawks, announcing the news on social media. Alexander-Walker, a Virginia Tech product, was drafted with the No. 17 pick last June.
The Thunder have recalled Deonte Burton from the Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. Burton has averaged 14.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 11 G League games this season.
The Nuggets assigned Keita Bates-Diop to the Windy City Bulls, announcing the news on social media. Bates-Diop was drafted No. 48 overall in 2018 after spending four seasons at Ohio State.
The Pacers have assigned Goga Bitadze and Alize Johnson to their G League affiliate in Fort Wayne, the team announced. Both players logged double-doubles in a loss to Canton on Sunday night.
The Warriors recalled forward Alen Smailagic from their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, the team announced in a release. Smailagic has averaged 15.2 points per game in 19 contests with Santa Cruz.

Latest On Ky Bowman's Ankle Injury

March 1st, 2020 at 5:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors guard Ky Bowman, who is currently on the shelf with a sprained right ankle, will be monitored for the next few days before the team provides another update, per a press release.

Warriors: Stephen Curry On Track To Play In March

February 29th, 2020 at 11:53am CST by marksuleymanov

As he continues his recovery from hand surgery, Warriors point guard Stephen Curry remains on track to return “at some point in March,” the team announced in a press release Saturday (Twitter link).

Curry will practice with the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors on Monday, ruling him out of an originally-reported Sunday return against the Wizards. Shams Charania of The Athletic, who first reported that Curry would play on Sunday, tweets that the star guard had been preparing to do so, but the two sides ultimately agreed that he needed more practice time.

The two-time NBA MVP has missed all but four games this season after undergoing surgery to repair a broken left hand. In those games, he averaged 20.3 PPG and 6.5 APG for the reigning Western Conference champions. With Curry and Klay Thompson sidelined and Kevin Durant departed, the Warriors have endured a miserable season, sporting an NBA-worst 12-47 record.

Curry’s return will not mark a late-season addition for Golden State hoping to make a postseason push. Instead, it will be an opportunity for the three-time NBA champion to finish out a difficult season for the Warriors on a high note.

Warriors Notes: Bowman, Curry, 2020 First-Rounder

February 28th, 2020 at 8:50am CST by Luke Adams

Rookie guard Ky Bowman injured his right ankle late in the Warriors‘ blowout loss to the Lakers on Thursday night, and head coach Steve Kerr said after the game that he expects Bowman to miss some time as a result of that injury.

“He rolled his ankle pretty well,” Kerr told reporters, including Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area. “It’s not going to be a day-to-day thing. He’s going to be out a little bit. He won’t go on the trip (to Phoenix) and I think he’ll get an MRI (on Friday).”

With Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole also banged up, the Warriors’ backcourt might be extremely thin on Saturday vs. Phoenix. However, there’s a chance reinforcements could be coming by Sunday in the form of a two-time MVP.

Here’s more on that, along with a couple other Warriors-related notes:

Kerr intends to meet with general manager Bob Myers, the team’s training staff, and Stephen Curry on Friday after practice to set a concrete plan for Curry’s return from a broken left hand, per ESPN. A report earlier this week indicated that Curry is on track to get back on the court on Sunday vs. Washington, but the team has yet to confirm that decision.
Not that there has been any doubt for months, but the top-20 protected 2020 first-round pick Golden State traded to the Nets in last summer’s Kevin Durant/D’Angelo Russell sign-and-trade is now officially protected as a result of Thursday’s loss, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Instead of sending a first-rounder to Brooklyn, the Warriors will instead owe the Nets their 2025 second-round pick (unprotected).
In case you missed it, we relayed a handful of Warriors-related items on Thursday, including news of the team officially signing Mychal Mulder to a 10-day contract, along with notes on Dragan Bender and Joe Lacob.

Lacob Still Can't Figure Out KD's Decision

February 27th, 2020 at 6:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors ought to give Dragan Bender a longer look than 10 days, Anthony Slater of The Athletic opines. Golden State officially signed the power forward to a 10-day contract on Sunday. Golden State doesn’t have any to lose by giving Bender another 10-day and then a rest-of-the-season deal to see if he can fill a second-unit role as a stretch four and rim protector for next season.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob remains baffled by Kevin Durant‘s decision to bolt the organization, he recently expressed in a radio interview with 95.7-FM The Game (hat tip to Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area). “I can’t get mad when Kevin Durant — who I felt pretty close with — decides he’s going to leave. Which to me, made no sense,” Lacob said. “You’re (with) the best organization — I hope he thinks — in the world. Winning, other great players, the new arena. To me, there was every reason in the world to stay.”

Warriors Sign Mychal Mulder To 10-Day Deal

February 27th, 2020 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 27: Mulder has officially signed his 10-day contract with the Warriors, the team confirmed today in a press release. It will run through March 7.

FEBRUARY 26: The Warriors will use one of the open spots on their 15-man roster to sign G League guard Mychal Mulder to a 10-day contract, league sources tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Mulder, 25, has been a G League mainstay since going undrafted out of Kentucky in 2017, appearing in a total of 134 games for the Windy City Bulls and Sioux Falls Skyforce over the last three seasons. In 39 games (33.2 MPG) with the Heat’s NBAGL affiliate in 2019/20, the Canadian has averaged a career-best 17.0 PPG with 4.5 RPG on .451/.399/.700 shooting.

Mulder sign an Exhibit 10 contract with Miami last fall and spent training camp and the preseason with the club, but has never been on an NBA roster during the regular season.

Since clearing several roster spots in trades before the deadline, the Warriors have been auditioning a variety of players on 10-day deals. After signing Jeremy Pargo and Zach Norvell earlier in the month, Golden State will now have Dragan Bender and Mulder on 10-day contracts.

The Warriors, who are being careful to stay below the tax line, currently have two openings on their 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be required to make room for Mulder. As our breakdown of 10-day salaries shows, he’ll earn nearly $51K on his new deal. If he signs it on Thursday, rather than today, it will cover Golden State’s next six games instead of just five.

Steph Curry Expected To Return For Warriors On Sunday

February 26th, 2020 at 3:41pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 26: After Curry went through his second full-speed scrimmage today, head coach Steve Kerr said he’d like to see the star guard scrimmage a little more, downplaying the notion that a Sunday return is locked in (video link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic).

“If it’s Sunday, great,” Kerr said. “If it’s not, that’s fine too.”

FEBRUARY 25: Warriors star Stephen Curry will return to action on Sunday following his four-month recovery from a broken left hand, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

The March 1 contest, a home game vs. the Wizards, is the one Curry has been eyeing as a potential target date for more than a month. Now, barring an unexpected setback within the next few days, it appears he’ll meet that target date.

At 12-45, the Warriors rank dead last in the NBA, 4.5 games behind the Timberwolves, the next-worst team in the Western Conference. Although the team has no playoff hopes at this point, getting Curry back for the last month-and-a-half of the season will give the Dubs an opportunity to see how the two-time MVP meshes with some of the team’s new contributors.

Andrew Wiggins is the most notable of the Warriors’ newest additions, but Curry has also seen little to no playing time alongside youngsters like Eric Paschall, Ky Bowman, and Marquese Chriss, all of whom look like good bets to be part of next year’s squad.

Curry’s presence will add some extra intrigue to the Warriors’ matchups vs. contenders down the stretch. Following Sunday’s game against Washington, six of Golden State’s next seven contests will be against the Nuggets, Raptors, Sixers, Clippers, and Bucks.

While Curry’s return is around the corner, his fellow Splash Brother won’t be suiting up for the Warriors this season. The club publicly ruled out Klay Thompson for the season last week.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jonathon Simmons Eyes NBA Return

February 24th, 2020 at 10:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Guard Jonathon Simmons will sign with Warriors‘ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz in an effort to gain another NBA contract, Jabari Young of CNBC tweets.

Simmons had two 10-day contact offers with NBA teams on the table but chose a different path to revive his career, Young adds.

There’s been little news regarding Simmons since he was waived by the Wizards over the summer. Washington averted paying his full $5.7MM salary for this season by cutting ties with him, though Simmons did receive a $1MM guarantee.

Washington acquired Simmons along with the 42nd pick in a draft-day trade with the Sixers, sending cash considerations in return. The Wizards used that pick to select Admiral Schofield of Tennessee.

Simmons appeared in 15 games with Philadelphia after being acquired last February in a deadline deal, along with two draft picks, for Markelle Fultz.

Simmons, 30, went undrafted out of Houston in 2012, but was able to earn a spot on the Spurs‘ roster in 2015. He played two seasons with San Antonio before signing a three-year, $20MM contract from the Magic in 2017. Simmons enjoyed a career year in his first season with Orlando, averaging 13.9 PPG in 29.4 MPG.

He played a combined 56 games last season between Orlando and Philadelphia, averaging 6.5 PPG. Overall, Simmons has averaged 8.3 PPG in 258 career games.

And-Ones: Buford, Wiseman, Okafor, Bibby

February 24th, 2020 at 9:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Wisconsin Herd coach Chase Buford has been suspended two games without pay for a direct and extended public attack on the integrity and credibility of the game officials, according to a league press release. Among other comments, Buford called one of the officials a “clown” after his team, the Bucks’ G League affiliate, got outscored 48-20 in the fourth quarter and lost 126-117 to the Grand Rapids Drive on Sunday. Buford subsequently apologized for his tirade.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Projected lottery pick James Wiseman felt he was treated unfairly by the NCAA before he decided to leave Memphis during his freshman season, as he told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. He left the Tigers during a 12-game suspension for rules violations. His family accepted $11,500 in moving expenses in 2017 from Penny Hardaway, who became the team’s coach a year later. “I was really in the middle of a hurricane,” Wiseman said. “That’s like the worst place you could possibly be.” Wiseman is currently rated No. 3 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
Pelicans center Jahlil Okafor has agreed to play for Nigeria in this year’s Tokyo Olympics, Marc Spears of The Undefeated tweets. The team will be coached by Warriors assistant Mike Brown. Okafor’s grandfather Chicko was born in Nigeria.
Mike Bibby will coach the Aliens in the BIG3 this season, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets. The former Kings guard was the Ghost Ballers’ team captain last season.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/24/20

February 24th, 2020 at 8:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

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

The Pistons recalled guard Khyri Thomas from the Grand Rapids Drive, according to a team press release. In two games with the Drive, Thomas averaged 17.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 1.5 APG in 22.0 MPG. Thomas, a second-round pick in 2018, played two early-season games with the Pistons before undergoing foot surgery.
The Warriors assigned big man Alen Smailagic to their Santa Cruz affiliate, the team’s PR department tweets. He has averaged 15.8 PPG and 6.2 RPG in 18 games with the G League club. The rookie has also seen action in 14 Golden State games.
The Timberwolves recalled swingman Jacob Evans III and forward Jarred Vanderbilt from their Iowa affiliate, according to a team press release. Evans was acquired from Golden State and Vanderbilt was acquired from Denver earlier this month.
The Pacers assigned forward Alize Johnson to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team’s PR department tweets. The 2018 second-round pick has appeared in 12 games with the NBA club this season.
The Spurs assigned Keldon Johnson and Chimezie Metu to their Austin affiliate, according to the G League transactions log. Johnson, the team’s first-round pick last June, has played five NBA games. Metu, a second-year forward, has appeared in 16 games for San Antonio this season.