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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/29/17

March 29th, 2017 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Wednesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • Point guard Cameron Payne is back with the Bulls, having been recalled from the D-League following Windy City’s win on Tuesday, the club announced today in a press release. Payne was instrumental in last night’s win, scoring a team-high 20 points to go along with nine assists, five rebounds, and five steals.
  • The Rockets have sent Troy Williams and Isaiah Taylor to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle, who notes (via Twitter) that rookie big man Chinanu Onuaku will stay on the NBA roster to start the team’s road trip.
  • The Raptors have recalled Bruno Caboclo and Pascal Siakam from their D-League affiliate, the team announced today (via Twitter). Neither the Raptors nor the Raptors 905 are in action until Thursday, so we’ll see if the duo sticks with the NBA club for that game.
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Southwest Notes: Motiejunas, Davis, Anderson

March 26th, 2017 at 4:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Donatas Motiejunas passed up on a contract that could have paid him as much as $37MM over four years with the Rockets, deciding instead to sign a one-year minimum salary arrangement with the Pelicans. The power forward hasn’t played much in New Orleans, but he doesn’t regret his decision, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle writes.

“Life is too short to regret for something,” Motiejunas said. “We’ll move aside and look forward. I try not to look at it. At the end, everything is going to be cleared up. Everyone’s going to forget that situation. I try not to think about it.”

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

  • Motiejunas was “fighting for his rights,” for a fair deal, according to his agent, B.J. Armstrong, as Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com relays (ESPN Now link). At the time, Motiejunas was considering options outside the NBA.  “It was a long time for me not playing basketball of course,” Motiejunas said. “There were a lot of options, I thought about playing in Europe, a lot of teams were offering me a contract.”
  • Although the Pelicans‘ February acquisition of DeMarcus Cousins was a good step forward in building a competitive roster around Anthony Davis, the team still has a ways to go, and doesn’t have a ton of flexibility, writes Kevin O’ Connor of The Ringer. Anthony Davis can’t become a free agent until 2020, but if New Orleans doesn’t take steps toward contention soon, speculation about an eventual departure will grow louder.
  • Ryan Anderson will miss the next two weeks with an ankle injury, Walkins passes along in a full-length piece. The power forward is expected to be back before the end of the season. “The important thing is he can play two or three games before we get into the playoffs,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “And it looks like he will be on that timetable, we won’t push it, and we’ll deal with whatever and hopefully he’ll be back sooner rather than later.”

Milo Taibi contributed to this post

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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/26/17

March 26th, 2017 at 3:50pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Check out Sunday’s D-League assignment and recalls:

  • The Pistons have recalled Henry Ellenson from their D-League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive, Rod Beard of The Detroit News tweets. Beard notes that the rookie will be available for Detroit’s matchup with the Knicks on Monday.
  • The Cavaliers have assigned Larry Sanders to the Canton Charge, per Sam Amico of Amico Hoops (Twitter link). Sanders has only seen two minutes of action for Cleveland this season.
  • The Spurs have assigned Davis Bertans and Bryn Forbes to the Austin Spurs, according to the team’s website. Bertans has appeared in three games for San Antonio’s D-League affiliate, while Forbes has seen action in 18 contests.
  • The Mavericks have recalled Manny Harris and Jarrod Uthoff from the Texas Legends, Earl K. Sneed of Fox Sports tweets. Both players will see their respective 10-day contracts with Dallas expire at the end of the day on Tuesday.
  • The Rockets have recalled Chinanu Onuaku, Isaiah Taylor and Troy Williams from their D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, per the team’s Twitter feed.
  • The Grizzlies have recall Wade Baldwin and Deyonta Davis from the Iowa Energy, according to the team’s website. Baldwin has played in 33 D-League games this season, while Davis has seen action in 11 contests.
  • The Pelicans recalled Cheick Diallo from Greensboro, the team announced through a press release. Diallo, who has averaged 22.3 points over his last three D-League games, will be available for tonight’s match-up with Denver.
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James Harden “Put A Word In” To Acquire Lou Williams

March 24th, 2017 at 11:28am CST by Milo Taibi

According to a report from Shams Charania of The Vertical, James Harden was instrumental in Houston’s acquisition of Lou Williams. A former Sixth Man award recipient, Williams was enjoying a productive season with the Lakers- averaging a career-best 18.6 points on 44.4% shooting over 58 games. Two weeks before the deadline, Harden made his pitch to Williams.

“When James called, he asked me if I was interested in playing with them,” Williams told Charania. “I told him that I loved the Lakers, but James and them have a group that fit my personality, fit how I play. He said he was going to make it happen. I’ve heard that before, so I didn’t really put stock into it. I guess James did put the word in, and the team made it happen.”

The task of trading for Williams was a challenging one, Charania notes, due to the ongoing transition period in the Lakers’ front office. The deal was eventually completed, with Lou heading to Houston in exchange for Corey Brewer and the projected 27th overall draft pick. Williams, who has given the Rockets “some punch off the bench,” has earned the praise of coach Mike D’Antoni.

“We needed one more guy that could create, and Lou is perfect,” D’Antoni told The Vertical. “Lou is a professional scorer. In case someone is off, if someone is injured, Lou brings another 15 to 20 points. We still need to incorporate everything. You can never have enough shooters and playmakers, and he does both.”

Showing no signs of slowing down in his age-30 season, Williams compared himself to Jamal Crawford of the Clippers. Crawford, 37, has remained a featured member of Doc Rivers‘ rotation in his 17th season.

“Until the wheels fall off for us,” Williams said. “I already have 12 [seasons] in the can. Forty for me probably would be a little farfetched, because of being in my 12th season, being 30. Forty would be, what, 22 seasons? I don’t know if I got 22 seasons in me, but God willing, I’ll get close.”

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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/20/17

March 20th, 2017 at 4:01pm CST by Austin Kent

Here are the D-League transactions from Monday:

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Rockets Sign Troy Williams For Rest Of Season

March 20th, 2017 at 2:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

March 20: According to Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports, the Rockets officially signed Williams for the rest of the 2016/17 campaign today.

March 18: The Rockets plan to sign Troy Williams for the remainder of the season when his current 10-day contract expires, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.

The 6’7″ swingman hasn’t seen any action for Houston since signing that deal on March 10th. He was immediately assigned to the Rockets’ D-League affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, where he has averaged 18.5 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 53.2 % from the field (Twitter link).

A 22-year-old undrafted rookie out of Indiana, Williams won a roster spot with the Grizzlies in training camp. He appeared in 24 games for Memphis and started 13 before being waived in late January to open a roster spot for Toney Douglas. Williams averaged 5.3 points and 1.9 rebounds during his time with the Grizzlies.

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Harden To Hire Pelinka's Assistant As Agent

March 16th, 2017 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder
  • Rockets guard James Harden said he will hire Diana Day as his agent, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. Day previously handled marketing and public relations for his former agent, Rob Pelinka. Day must first receive certification from the players association, Feigen adds. Pelinka relinquished his duties as an agent to become the Lakers’ GM.
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Sergio Llull To Spend Another Year In Spain

March 14th, 2017 at 1:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sergio Llull, a Spanish combo guard whose NBA rights are owned by the Rockets, plans to play for Real Madrid again next season. In an interview with the Spanish language site Marca.com, Llull cites the six-year extension he signed with his current team in 2015.

“In the future you never know,” Llull said, “but I’ve renewed for six years and I’m not going to go next summer.”

The announcement adds to the doubt that the 29-year-old will ever have an NBA future. The Rockets have owned his draft rights since purchasing them from the Nuggets in 2009. Over that time, Llull has sent mixed signals about coming to the United States, raising the hopes of Houston management and fans, before deciding to stay in Spain. A report in October said the Rockets were hopeful about bringing Llull over next season, but his comments today seem to rule that out.

Llull’s Real Madrid teammates tell international basketball writer David Pick there’s “zero chance” he will leave the Spanish club (Twitter link).

There have been conflicting reports about the size of the buyout Llull would have to pay to escape his deal with Real Madrid. Some sources said it increased to 12 million euros when he signed the extension, but others indicated it’s far less. Llull wouldn’t be subject to the NBA’s rookie scale if he were to sign with Houston because he was a second-round pick and was taken so long ago. The Rockets would have to use cap room or an exception to fit him on their roster.

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Rockets Notes: Harden, Capela, Beverley

March 12th, 2017 at 2:21pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Rockets are headed for a top-3 seed in the Western Conference just a season after the team underachieved and barely made the playoffs. James Harden, who is in the discussion for the MVP award, credits coach Mike D’Antoni and his staff for the improvements, as Mark Berman of Fox 26 relays (Twitter link).

“The coaching staff did a really good job of helping us fix the culture that we had last year, the addition of new players, the same players that we had, we’ve meshed really well together,” Harden said.

Here’s more from Houston:

  • Clint Capela echoes Harden’s sentiment on the Rockets‘ culture, as Jonathan Feigan of the Houston Chronicle writes. “Since last year, it’s a different team,” Capela said. “Of course, we’re better than last year. We play every game to win. Tonight, we don’t think about if we win we go to the playoffs. We have the mindset to come into the game to win, play hard, be aware of the tendencies of each player. But of course, since 11 months, our team is way different.”
  • Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle details Patrick Beverley‘s journey from playing outdoors in Chicago as an adolescent to finding his niche on the Rockets. The point guard was a high school star but had to go overseas and through the D-League to get his opportunity in the NBA.
  • Harden believes that many factors should go into deciding who wins the MVP award, but he adds that winning is at the top of the list, Feigen writes in a separate piece. While Harden didn’t come out and say he should win the award, his teammates weren’t as bashful. “No matter what the media say, no matter what the people say, everybody in the league knows who the MVP is,” Beverley said. “James Harden.”
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Rockets Sign Troy Williams To 10-Day Contract

March 10th, 2017 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 10: Houston has made it official with Williams, as GM Daryl Morey tweeted out a welcome today to the newest Rocket. Morey added in a follow-up tweet that Williams has been sent to the D-League to play for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers tonight.

MARCH 9: The Rockets intend to fill their open 15th roster spot by signing D-League swingman Troy Williams to a 10-day contract, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Houston’s next game is on Friday in Chicago, so the Rockets may wait until tomorrow to make things official with Williams.

An undrafted free agent out of Indiana, Williams caught on with the Grizzlies last summer and actually earned a regular season roster spot with the club. The 22-year-old appeared in 24 games for Memphis earlier this season, starting 13 of them and averaging 5.3 PPG. However, he was cut by the Grizzlies at the end of January in order to make room for Toney Douglas.

In 22 D-League games for the Iowa Energy this season, Williams has averaged 13.1 PPG and 4.1 RPG, with a .459/.330/.696 shooting line.

The Rockets opened up two spots on their roster by trading K.J. McDaniels and waiving Marcelo Huertas last month. The team filled one of those openings by signing Isaiah Taylor to a multiyear contract, and will now have a full roster again once Williams’ deal is finalized.

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