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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/30/18

November 30th, 2018 at 6:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

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

The Rockets assigned veteran point guard Brandon Knight to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Knight is close to making his Houston debut after sitting out since April 2017 with a torn ACL. He’ll play for the Vipers on Friday when they host the Salt Lake City Stars. We have more details here.
The Celtics recalled Brad Wanamaker from the Maine Red Claws, the team’s PR department tweets. Boston wanted a little more backcourt depth with Jaylen Brown declared out for Friday’s game against the Cavaliers. Wanamaker has appeared in five games with the Celtics, averaging 3.2 PPG in 6.2 MPG.
The Bucks recalled big man Christian Wood from the Wisconsin Herd, according to a team press release. Wood has appeared in three games for the Herd, averaging 23.0 PPG, 10.7 RPG and 1.7 BPG in 33.4 MPG. He’s seen action in five Bucks games, averaging 3.8 PPG in 6.8 MPG.

Rockets’ Brandon Knight Nearing Return

November 30th, 2018 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

Rockets guard Brandon Knight is nearing a return to action, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Knight will join the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s G League affiliate, on a rehab assignment.

It’s not clear whether the Rockets and Knight have a specific date in mind for him to make his NBA season debut, but he’ll suit up for the Vipers on Friday night when they host the Salt Lake City Stars. We previously heard that a December return was possible for the veteran, who will turn 27 on Sunday.

Knight, who tore his ACL last summer and missed the entire 2017/18 season, hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since April of 2017. He struggled during his last full season with the Suns, recording a career-low 11.0 PPG on .398/.324/.857 shooting. The former eighth overall pick had averaged 15.9 PPG in his first five NBA seasons.

The Rockets have had some issues with depth lately, but it’s not clear if there will be much a role available for Knight in the Houston backcourt as long as James Harden, Chris Paul, and Eric Gordon are all healthy. Still, if he can earn some minutes and show that he’s back to 100% health before February’s trade deadline, he could become an interesting trade chip for the Rockets.

Knight’s contract, which features a $14.63MM cap hit this season and a $15.64MM salary for 2019/20, isn’t exactly team-friendly, but if the Rockets were to attach a draft pick to it in an offer for a wing player, it shouldn’t be unmovable. Kent Bazemore and J.R. Smith could be among Houston’s potential targets.

Mike D’Antoni Concerned About Rockets’ Depth

November 29th, 2018 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Following another loss on Wednesday to the Mavericks, Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni admitted that Houston’s lack of depth has been an issue for the club, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com relays.

“Obviously, it’s a problem,” D’Antoni said. “It’s something that I know that the front office tried to address. They’re going to do the best they can. No blame going around; it’s just the way it is.”

While we’ve focused at length on the players the Rockets lost in the offseason, including Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute, the club was further hamstrung on Wednesday by the fact that Chris Paul, Gerald Green, and Nene were all sidelined with injuries. D’Antoni indicated that he expects Paul and Green to be ready to go on Friday, and Nene is getting closer to a return as well. When Houston gets healthier, D’Antoni will feel much more comfortable with the roster.

“Then our depth is pretty good,” D’Antoni said, per MacMahon. “We’ve got everybody a couple of rungs up. We’ve got rookies playing as the sixth or seventh man. They should be ninth, 10th men. They would be OK every once in a while, but when you rely on them, it’s tough. And it’s not their fault. They’re going to develop. Again, we’re just going to have to knock on wood and make sure they stay healthy.”

The Rockets recently signed free agent swingman Danuel House to provide a little more depth off the bench, but that likely won’t be the last of their in-season moves. General manager Daryl Morey has long been in the market for more help on the wing, something we heard again this week.

Houston had hoped that offseason additions Carmelo Anthony, Michael Carter-Williams, and James Ennis would help replace the production the club lost when Ariza, Mbah a Moute, and Ryan Anderson departed. While Ennis has been solid, Carter-Williams has fallen out of the rotation and Anthony is expected to be waived or traded soon.

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Houston Rockets

Rockets Looking For Wing Help

November 27th, 2018 at 7:30pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Rockets‘ primary focus is acquiring wing talent, sources tell Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Iko’s source described Houston’s intensity in searching for a trade as “not in emergency mode, but not sitting back either.”

The Rockets have spoken to the Wizards about potential, trades but no player has been involved in “deep discussions” yet. Iko speculates that Markieff Morris, Jeff Green, and Kelly Oubre would fit what Houston is looking for.

Houston is also keeping an eye on the Cavaliers‘ situation. Cleveland guard J.R. Smith is currently on the trade block and the Cavs could look to move other veterans before the trade deadline.

House Discusses Playing For Hometown Rockets; Bzdelik Back In Full-Time Role

November 27th, 2018 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Just hours after signing with the Rockets on Monday, Danuel House was thrown into the fire, logging 28 minutes in the team’s overtime loss to Washington. While House only posted four points in his first game as a Rocket and the club couldn’t get a victory, the Houston native is excited to be playing for his hometown team, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.

“It’s huge,” House said of his new contract with the Rockets. “I didn’t want to break the news to my family quite yet. Going back home, I’m from Houston, it’s going to be huge. It’s an honor. Showing my little cousins and the people around me to never give up and continue to fight. Life can throw you down, but you have to be judged by how you stand up.”

Although House has now appeared in regular season games for three NBA teams since going undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2016, he has spent a good chunk of his professional career in the G League, playing last season and this year for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s NBAGL affiliate. This is the first time he has been under contract with the Rockets.

Rockets assistant coach Jeff Bzdelik officially returned to the team on a full-time basis last Friday, as Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle details. The return of Houston’s defensive specialist hasn’t exactly had an immediate impact — the Rockets have lost all three games since Bzdelik has been back on the bench, surrendering 122.7 PPG in Detroit, Cleveland, and Washington.

Rockets Sign Danuel House

November 26th, 2018 at 3:44pm CST by Luke Adams

3:44pm: The Rockets have officially signed House, the team announced today in a press release. Houston now has a full 15-man roster, with Anthony still technically under contract.

12:02pm: The Rockets plan to sign Danuel House to a contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the veteran swingman traveled to meet the team in Washington, where the Rockets are set to play the Wizards on Monday night.

House, 25, has appeared in a total of 24 regular season games for the Suns and Wizards since going undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2016. He has spent most of his professional career in the G League, playing for Delaware, Northern Arizona, and Rio Grande Valley.

This fall, House spent time in training camp with the Warriors, but was cut by Golden State before the regular season began and returned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s G League affiliate. He has averaged a team-high 20.4 PPG in seven games for the Vipers.

It’s not clear if the Rockets intend to officially make a move with Carmelo Anthony at the same time they formalize their deal with House. Even with Anthony still under contract, Houston has room on its roster for House, so Carmelo may remain in limbo even after the club fills its 15th and final roster slot.

If he were to sign a minimum salary contract today, House would have a cap hit of approximately $1.2MM, increasing Houston’s projected tax bill by another $2MM+. However, he’ll likely get a non-guaranteed contract, which would give the Rockets the flexibility to avoid his full cap charge if they cut him by January 7.

Two-Way Players Making Bids For Promotions

November 26th, 2018 at 9:54am CST by Luke Adams

Players on two-way contracts are free to appear in NBA games, but there are limitations on the amount of time they can spend with their respective NBA teams. Each two-way player can spend up to 45 days with his NBA club, assuming he signed his two-way deal before the season began.

With some creative transferring back and forth between an NBA team and its G League affiliate, a franchise can make the most of those 45 days. Still, with the clock having started on October 22, the first day of G League training camp, we could see some two-way players reach that 45-day mark as early as December.

Teams can sign players to two-way contracts through mid-January, so during the 2017/18 season, some clubs simply moved onto a new player once their original two-way players neared that 45-day limit. However, many players who used up their 45 days subsequently received a promotion – signing a standard NBA contract and taking a spot on the 15-man roster – to ensure that their NBA teams didn’t lose them.

It’s a little early in the 2018/19 season to determine which two-way players will ultimately end up being promoted to 15-man rosters, but a handful of players on two-way deals have made strong cases for standard contracts in the early going.

Here are the top candidates to receive promotions among this year’s two-way players:

Gary Clark (Rockets): Clark went undrafted in June, but has shown so far this season why he was one of the first rookie free agents to reach a deal with an NBA team once the draft ended. While his offensive numbers (3.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, .333/.293/1.000 shooting) aren’t great, Clark has been very good defensively, and the Rockets have been a better team when he plays — their net rating is +2.9 when he’s on the court and -2.2 when he isn’t. Clark’s early-season play has helped make Carmelo Anthony expendable, and once Houston officially parts ways with Anthony, the rookie forward looks like the odds-on favorite to take his roster spot.
Allonzo Trier (Knicks): Another undrafted free agent, Trier has been one of the early brights spots for the lottery-bound Knicks. Appearing in all 21 of the team’s games, the former Arizona shooting guard has scored 11.4 PPG in just 23.7 minutes per contest, posting an ultra-efficient shooting line of .491/.459/.826. It seems like a given that he’ll sign a standard contract with New York at some point — it’s just a matter of how the club will create room for him. If they haven’t been able to trade veterans like Enes Kanter or Courtney Lee to open up a roster spot, the Knicks could consider cutting Ron Baker or Luke Kornet, neither of whom has any guaranteed money due beyond this season.
Troy Williams (Kings): Williams’ playing time in 10 games for the Kings has been somewhat sporadic, but he’s made the most of his limited minutes, shooting 50.0% from the field and 40.0% from beyond the arc while using his athleticism to make a handful of highlight-reel plays. Williams may not be as strong a bet for a 15-man roster spot as Clark or Trier, but Sacramento has a number of veterans – Zach Randolph, Kosta Koufos, and Ben McLemore – who seem likely to be traded or bought out by the end of the season. Williams would be one of the candidates to replace them on the roster.

Here are a few more two-way players to keep an eye on:

Alex Poythress (Hawks): Poythress gave the Hawks some solid minutes earlier in the season. With John Collins healthy again, Poythress’ minutes figure to be limited going forward.
Andrew Harrison (Cavaliers): Harrison is getting regular minutes for the rebuilding Cavaliers, but hasn’t made the most of them so far, shooting 33.3% from the floor and 25.0% on threes.
Damion Lee (Warriors): Lee has played at least 16 minutes in each of the Warriors‘ last five games. That streak figures to come to an abrupt end when the team gets healthier and Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Alfonzo McKinnie are back. Lee’s making a case for a longer look though, knocking down 47.6% of his three-pointers.
Johnathan Williams (Lakers): Williams briefly looked like a revelation for the Lakers earlier in the season, but hasn’t played since the team signed Tyson Chandler.

The full list of players on two-way contracts can be found right here.

Texas Notes: Rockets, Harris, Carmelo, Walker

November 25th, 2018 at 4:02pm CST by JD Shaw

Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni called on his reserves to play better after Friday’s loss against the Pistons, with the team currently sporting an underwhelming 9-8 record on the season.

“Our bench has to produce a little bit more,” D’Antoni said, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “We got to get something out of it. We’re not getting a lot of production there. It puts a lot of extra strain on the guys doing it, playing a lot of minutes with our starters.”

Houston’s bench — a group of Eric Gordon, Gary Clark, Isaiah Hartenstein and Gerald Green — scored just 13 points on 5-20 shooting in the loss against Detroit. The group gave a better effort in Chris Paul‘s absence on Saturday, but Houston still lost.

“We have Eric,” D’Antoni said, clearly expecting his bench production to be better. “We expect 20 points a game out of that. He’s been a little bit off. He’s still doing what he does. We have to get Gerald going. Gary Clark will get better as we go along. We got to get Nene back. We expect some scoring (off the bench.)”

The Rockets have coped with injuries, poor chemistry and the departure of veteran forward Carmelo Anthony this season, resulting in the team holding the 10th best record in the West a little more than a month into the season.

Here are some other notes out of Texas today:

Devin Harris discussed his return from injury with the Mavericks, as relayed by Eddie Sefko of SportsDay.com. Harris missed time this season after injuring his hamstring, but is working to regain his strength and stamina with the franchise. He scored nine points in 17 minutes against the Celtics on Saturday.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has no doubts that Carmelo Anthony will be back on an NBA roster this season, explaining his thoughts on his podcast this week (34:50 mark). Anthony and the Rockets surprisingly parted ways after just 10 games played this season, with the former NBA All-Star seeking a new home for the rest of the year.
Lonnie Walker IV will practice with the Spurs‘ G League affiliate as he continues rehab from a torn meniscus, the team announced today. Walker underwent surgery after sustaining the injury in a preseason game on October 6.

December Return Possible For Brandon Knight

November 23rd, 2018 at 2:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have been very cautious with Brandon Knight as he returns from last year’s ACL tear, according to Alykhan Bijani of The Athletic, who hears from a source that the veteran guard could be ready to play at some point in December. While we haven’t seen Knight in action since the 2016/17 season, Houston views him as a player who could help back up Chris Paul and James Harden, says Bijani.

And-Ones: All-Star Game, White, Holland, Carmelo

November 19th, 2018 at 9:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he would discuss holding a future All-Star Game in the city of Detroit with Arn Tellem, the vice-chairman of the Pistons, Gregg Krupa of the Detroit News reports. The Pistons are playing their second season at Little Caesars Arena, which is also the home of the NHL’s Red Wings. “I’m sure we’ll be talking about it,” Silver said during a business trip to the city. The state of Michigan hasn’t seen an All-Star Game since 1979, when it was held in the Pontiac Silverdome. The Pistons’ former home, The Palace of Auburn Hills, never hosted the event.

We have more news from around the basketball world:

Former Heat and Cavaliers big man Okaro White is close to signing with Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to a Eurobasket.com report which was relayed by Sam Amico. White appeared in six games with Miami last season after seeing action in 35 games with the Heat the previous season. The Cavaliers signed him to 10-day contracts last season but he didn’t play. He was waived by Cleveland in August and then by the Spurs in October after joining them for training camp.
The G League’s Austin Spurs acquired the returning rights to guard John Holland and a 2019 second-round pick from the Canton Charge, the Cavs’ affiliate, in exchange for small forward Jaron Blossomgame, according to a press release from the G League club. Holland had a two-way contract with the Cavaliers last season and played 24 games, posting an average of 2.3 PPG in 7.3 MPG. Holland appeared in one game this season with the Cavaliers before being waived on November 9th. Blossomgame, the Spurs’ second-round pick in 2017, spent the last two seasons with Austin but has yet to make his NBA debut.
The Warriors, Sixers, Lakers and Pelicans are the most likely landing spots for Carmelo Anthony once he’s waived by the Rockets, Matt Eppers of USA Today opines. Anthony could help each of those teams to varying degrees, mainly as a second-unit player.