According to Kennedy, Pacers center Al Jefferson, Wizards center Ian Mahinmi, and Magic big man Serge Ibaka are among the players believed to be available. Ibaka’s name recently surfaced in trade rumors, and it comes as no surprise that Jefferson and Mahinmi could be had in the right deal as well — Jefferson has seen his role significantly reduced this season in Indiana, while Mahinmi has barely played for Washington due to health problems.
Here are Monday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the league:
2:26pm:
- The Spurs have assigned guard Bryn Forbes to Austin, according to a press release from the club. Forbes has been impressive in D-League action this season, averaging 23.0 PPG in 12 contests.
- Rookie big man Deyonta Davis has been assigned to the Iowa Energy, the Grizzlies announced today in a press release. Memphis has used its D-League affiliate sparingly this season — this will be Davis’ first assignment to Iowa.
12:06pm:
- The Pistons have recalled rookies Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije from the D-League, according to a press release issued by the team. The duo played a significant role in Grand Rapids’ Saturday win over the Raptors 905, with Gbinije scoring a team-high 29 points, while Ellenson added 25.
- Speaking of the Raptors, they’ve sent point guard Delon Wright to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today (via Twitter).
- Rookie forward Georges Niang has been assigned to the D-League by the Pacers, the team announced in a press release. Niang, who has played sparingly in 21 games for Indiana, has averaged 17.8 PPG in four games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
- With their D-League affiliate not in action until Wednesday, the Nets have recalled Chris McCullough, per a team release. It’s already the 17th time this season that Brooklyn has recalled McCullough from Long Island.
While oddsmakers – and most NBA fans – still expect to see a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals this June, there’s no guarantee that the Warriors and Cavaliers will come out of their respective conferences once again. The Cavs, in particular, looked ordinary in January, finishing one game below .500 for the month, with a 7-8 record.
Last spring, it was the Raptors who battled the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals, pushing LeBron James and company to six games before eventually losing the series. And for most of the first half of this season, Toronto appeared to be Cleveland’s top challenger in the conference once again.
However, the Raptors’ January struggles (8-9) mirrored the Cavs’, and Toronto has already compiled an 0-3 record this year against the defending champions. Injuries to Patrick Patterson and DeMar DeRozan have played a part in the Raptors’ swoon, but there’s still reason to question whether they’ll be the biggest threat out of the East to the Cavs in the postseason.
Led by Eastern Conference Player of the Month Isaiah Thomas, the Celtics have moved into second place in the East, pulling within just two and a half games of the Cavs. The Wizards have also surged in recent weeks — the team is 26-12 since its 2-8 start, and has matched the Celtics’ current five-game winning streak.
Behind those top four teams in the standings, the Hawks have continued to play well even after trading Kyle Korver, and the Pacers have looked very impressive at times, including on their current four-game winning streak.
The Cavs may ultimately make it out of the East once again, but these clubs – and others – will look to give the champs all they can handle in the series leading up to the Finals. Teams like the Raptors and Celtics also have plenty of assets available to potentially fortify their rosters in the coming weeks, making them even more dangerous.
What do you think? Which of the Eastern Conference contenders has the best chance to knock off the Cavs this spring?
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
- Rodney Stuckey returned to the Pacers tonight after a 15-game absence with a hamstring injury, write Jordan J. Wilson and Nate Taylor of the Lafayette Journal and Courier. Stuckey had been participating in practice and said he felt “back to normal” since last Monday, but team trainers remained cautious. Stuckey suffered a right hamstring strain during the second game of the season and sat out the next 10. He came back November 18th, but it started hurting again less than a month later. “Coming into the season, my body felt great,” Stuckey said. “It felt like I was in great shape. Mentally I was ready and then all of the sudden, boom, a hamstring. Then boom, another hamstring. I’ve never had hamstring problems in my career.”
- Al Jefferson is enjoying his role as a mentor with the Pacers, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune writes. “Thirteen years in the league, I feel like I’m at the teaching point. I like that. I really do,” Jefferson said. The big man signed a two-year, $20MM deal with Indiana during the offseason.
Monta Ellis‘ role with the Pacers keeps declining, notes Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. The 31-year-old shooting guard has been replaced in the starting lineup by Glenn Robinson III and has struggled to contribute off the bench. Ellis is averaging just 8.3 points per game, the lowest since his rookie season, and shoots just 29% from 3-point range. He’s also taking a career-low 9.3 shots per 36 minutes and his free throw and assist rates have both fallen. Ellis is signed for $11.23MM next season and has an $11.7MM player option that Lowe expects him to exercise in 2018/19.
Here are Monday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- Bruno Caboclo and Delon Wright have been sent to the Raptors‘ D-League affiliate, the team announced today (via Twitter). The duo figures to be in action for the Raptors 905 tonight against the Texas Legends.
- The Pacers have recalled Rakeem Christmas and Joseph Young from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, according to a press release issued by the club. Both players have played sparingly for Indiana this season.
- Rookie forward Joel Bolomboy has been recalled to the NBA by the Jazz, per a press release. Bolomboy put up 19 points and nine rebounds for the Salt Lake City Stars on Sunday.
- The Trail Blazers are sending 2016 second-rounder Jake Layman on an assignment with the Windy City Bulls, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Portland doesn’t have a D-League affiliate of its own, so Layman will play for Chicago’s team via the flexible assignment rule.
- The Nets have recalled Chris McCullough from Long Island in advance of Brooklyn’s game against San Antonio tonight, the team announced in a press release.
- Jazz point guard George Hill put up 30 points, six rebounds and five assists Saturday night in his first game against the Pacers since they traded him last summer. Hill told Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star that he wasn’t trying to send a message to his former team. “No, no statement needed,” Hill said. “I was making shots and making plays and just trying to win and do the best I can to get everyone involved and have fun out there. I’m probably my biggest critic. It’s always good to get a win and play well at the same time.”
The Pacers are prepared to give Paul George a maximum contract when he becomes a free agent in 2018, team president Larry Bird tells Nate Taylor of USA Today. Bird touches on several subjects in a wide-ranging interview, including the team’s plan to keep its three-time All-Star.
Here are some highlights:
On the future of Paul George in Indiana:
“Before the year started, I told Paul and I said, ‘Look, if you want to sign a long-term deal, we’re willing to do that max [contract] and if you want to wait, I understand.’ But this year, we’re not going to worry about it, we’re not going to talk about it and he’s going to make the decision that’s best for Paul when it comes down to it.”
On whether the new collective bargaining agreement will help the Pacers:
“Well, if you want to keep your free agents, you’re going to have an opportunity to, at least, I think, have a better chance of keeping them. If a player don’t want to be here, and he wants to go somewhere else, that’s just a part of free agency. That’s what’s in the collective bargaining for. But at least you have an opportunity to pay them a little bit more and give them an extra year and be able to keep them and sign them up earlier. I think that’s a plus.”
On the offseason coaching change that replaced Frank Vogel with Nate McMillan:
“I like Nate. I liked him when I hired him. But anything I say positive about Nate, you’re going to take it as a negative to Frank, and that’s not what it’s about. I like Frank. Frank did a hell of a job here. We wish him all the best. We made a lot of changes over the last two or three years, even when Frank was here. We changed a lot of guys on the roster. With Nate came in, we changed coach and a lot of guys on the roster. We’d like to get away from that and have guys longer term and have a team that he can build with and grow with as we go forward.”
On Glenn Robinson III replacing Monta Ellis in the starting lineup:
“Glenn hasn’t been as consistent as I think as he or we would like, but the numbers don’t lie. When he plays, we do better. Monta, I’m not going to say he’ll ever accept the role of coming off the bench because that’s his mentality. But the thing is he’s going to do whatever it takes for us to win basketball games and he’ll continue to get better. I think when [Rodney] Stuckey gets back, I think that’s going to help. … But as far as Monta, I think Monta is going to do whatever he thinks will help us win basketball games. Monta knows I have respect for him and I have respect for all veterans. We’re going to do what’s right by him and we want him to be a big part of this, whether he’s starting or coming off the bench.”
On Jeff Teague, who was acquired over the summer in exchange for George Hill:
“I hear he always wanted to play here. We gave up a hell of a player to get him. He’s two years younger than George and he’s a real point guard and he gets to the line. I think he’s going to continue to get better. I couldn’t be happier.”
Here are today’s D-League assignments and recalls:
- The Pacers have assigned Rakeem Christmas and Joe Young to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, according to the team’s website. Christmas has seen action in three games for Indiana this season, while Young has appeared in 20 contests.
- The Knicks have assigned Marshall Plumlee to the Westchester Knicks, per the team’s Twitter feed. The center has only seen 27 minutes of action for New York this season, but he’ll be recalled after Westchester’s game tonight.
- The Celtics have assigned Demetrius Jackson to the Maine Red Claws, according to the team’s Twitter feed. The point guard is averaging 17.9 points per game for the Red Claws this season.