- In Larry Nance’s absence, the Lakers have explored using Thomas Robinson and Tarik Black on the floor at the same time, and are intrigued by the pairing, per Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. Both Robinson and Black signed new contracts with Los Angeles during the offseason.
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak indicated in mid-December that he expects to look at trade opportunities that arise before February’s deadline, but that he would be fine with standing pat and not making an in-season move. According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), that seems to be the team’s private stance as well as its public one. Kyler suggests that the Lakers aren’t “overly interested in change,” and if they make a major trade, it’s more likely to happen during the offseason than at the deadline.
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Kupchak has been staying patient with the development of some of the Lakers’ promising young players, and he’s pleased with what he has seen so far, writes Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News.
- After missing some time with a hamstring problem, veteran point guard Jose Calderon returned to the Lakers’ active roster in late December. However, he has received a few DNP-CDs in a row, and head coach Luke Walton says it has been “tricky” to integrate Calderon into the lineup. Medina has the details and the quotes in another Daily News report.
- The Lakers have lost 15 of 17 games since the start of December, prompting Bill Oram of The Orange County Register to suggest that the team’s lack of fight may stem from an absence of on-court leadership on the young roster.
Free agent guard Lance Stephenson is ahead of his schedule and could be ready from a groin tear by mid-January, barring a setback, Chris Haynes of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The Pelicans waived Stephenson in early November after he suffered the injury. The Pelicans drew criticism at the time for the move, but it seemed like the team would be open to re-signing him when he gets healthy. Stephenson was expected to miss about 10 weeks following his groin surgery in early November, so Haynes’ reports suggests his return is a couple weeks ahead of schedule. Stephenson, who won a roster spot after the preseason, averaged 9.7 points and 4.8 assists in 27 minutes per game in six contests this season.
Here is more from around the league:
- Cameron Payne has been assigned to the D-League for the next few days to complete his rehab and his unofficial targeted return date is January 7th, Royce Young of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Payne has yet to make his 2016/17 debut for the Thunder because of a broken foot.
- Lakers backup center Tarik Black is available to play, but has not been on the court since mostly recovering from an ankle injury suffered in early December because coach Luke Walton wants to ease him into the rotation, Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times relays. Black was was an integral part of the Lakers’ second unit before his injury, as Ganguli points out, so once Black is fully healthy, it would seem reasonable to expect a return to action.
Here are Saturday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Magic assigned center Stephen Zimmerman to the Erie BayHawks, the team tweets. The 7’0” center has appeared in eight games this season with the Magic, averaging 1.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in 4.0 minutes. This is his third assignment to the BayHawks. He’s averaged 17.3 points, 13.5 rebounds 1.5 blocks in 34.2 minutes over six games with them.
- The Suns recalled forward Derrick Jones Jr. from the Northern Arizona Suns, eight days after he was assigned to the D-League for the third time, the team tweets (Twitter link). He has averaged 14.0 points and 6.1 rebounds in 32.1 minutes over 14 games with Northern Arizona.
- The Knicks recalled guard Ron Baker and center Marshall Plumlee and they will rejoin the team in Houston, according to their Twitter feed. They were assigned to the Westchester Knicks on Friday and started their game against Fort Wayne. Baker had nine points, four assists and four steals in 30 minutes, while Plumlee posted 16 points and six rebounds in the same amount of action.
- The Hornets recalled guard Aaron Harrison and forward Christian Wood from the Greensboro Swarm, they announced in a press release. Harrison has appeared in 13 Swarm games over three assignments, recording averages of 20.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals in 36.5 minutes per game. Wood has appeared in 11 Swarm games during two D-League stints, averaging 17.2 points, 9.3 boards and 2.1 blocks in 29.3 minutes.
- The Lakers recalled Ivica Zubac from the D-Fenders, one day after assigning him to the D-League, Harrison Faigen of SB Nation tweets. The 7’1” center had 17 points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes against Northern Arizona on Friday.
- The Jazz recalled forward Joel Bolomboy after he appeared in one game with the Salt Lake City Stars during his latest assignment. the team announced in a press release. He recorded 18 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes against Sioux Falls on Friday.
Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- After being sent down to the D-League on Thursday, Patrick McCaw and Damian Jones were recalled by the Warriors today, the team announced in a press release. The duo played in Santa Cruz’s win over Northern Arizona last night, though neither player was particularly productive — Jones had just two points and four boards in 23 minutes, while McCaw made only six of his team-high 17 shots.
- The Jazz continue to shuttle Joel Bolomboy back and forth between the NBA and the D-League, announcing today in a press release that he has been re-assigned to Salt Lake City. The rookie forward figures to suit up for Utah’s NBADL affiliate tonight against Sioux Falls.
- Rookie big man Ivica Zubac will rejoin the Los Angeles D-Fenders, having been re-assigned to the D-League by the Lakers, tweets Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. L.A.’s affiliate will host Northern Arizona tonight, giving Zubac a chance to see some playing time.
- The Knicks assigned Ron Baker and Marshall Plumlee to the D-League earlier today, according to the team (via Twitter). It’s the fifth assignment of the season for Baker, and the eighth for Plumlee.
Thomas Robinson‘s recent production and an injury to Larry Nance Jr. are increasing his chances of remaining with the Lakers when all NBA contracts become guaranteed January 10th, writes Mark Medina of The Orange County Register.
Robinson earned a roster spot in L.A. after signing a non-guaranteed contract prior to training camp. His salary for this season is $1,050,961, but he will have to wait 11 days before being assured of getting all that money.
Robinson said he is trying to focus on his role on the court, rather than watching the calendar.
“I just control when my name gets called, and then I go play. That’s all I got to do.” he said. “I’m coming in early, leaving late and being supportive of my team. As far as the decisions the front office makes, I have no control over that.”
The Lakers have been asking Robinson to do more since Nance was sidelined last week by a bone bruise on his left knee. Nance is expected to be out of action for about another month. During the Lakers’ first four games without him, Robinson averaged 7.3 points and 8.8 rebounds and shot 72% from the field.
Coach Luke Walton called Robinson “a beast on the glass” and said he has been impressing team officials since informal workouts over the summer.
“He quickly showed how hard he works and how hard he plays every time he plays basketball,” Walton. “He filled a reputation for himself at least in my eyes right off the bat. Through his hard work and the way he competed on the floor in training camp, he earned a spot on the team.”
Robinson, the No. 5 pick in 2012, is looking for a long-term home after bouncing around the league for the past four years. After being drafted by the Kings, he has spent time with the Rockets, Trail Blazers, Sixers and Nets.
Phil Jackson announced via Twitter that he and Lakers team president Jeanie Buss have decided to end their engagement, explaining how the distance between the two has made sustaining a relationship a difficult feat. Jackson is under contract with the Knicks for two more seasons after this one, but his contract contains a mutual option that would allow either side to opt out this upcoming summer. Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post speculates that the decision to part ways with Buss could mean that Jackson is planning on staying on as New York’s team president. The Zen Master will make $12MM if he returns to the Knicks next season.
- Jackson had long been rumored to be a candidate for a role in the Lakers’ front office should Buss decide to make changes, though with the news of their break-up, it appears that door has closed, Bill Oram of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. Oram speculates that Jerry West return to the organization in some capacity should the team make organizational changes.
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.
With Larry Nance Jr. expected to be sidelined until late January, the Lakers brought in free agent big man Donatas Motiejunas for an audition, report Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN.com. According to Shelburne and Stein, Los Angeles didn’t immediately strike a deal with Motiejunas after working him out prior to Christmas Day.
It has been an odd year for Motiejunas, who was involved in both a February trade and a December free agent contract that were scuttled. A deadline deal that would have sent the 26-year-old from Houston to Detroit was vetoed due to concerns about his back. In July, D-Mo became a restricted free agent, but was unable to find a deal for about five months due to similar health concerns.
Eventually, the veteran power forward signed a four-year offer sheet with the Nets, which Houston matched. Following a dispute about the incentives in that offer sheet, Motiejunas and the Rockets came to a new agreement, but that deal fell apart as well, resulting in the team renouncing its rights to the former first-round pick and making him an unrestricted free agent. The only team Motiejunas can’t sign with now is the Nets, due to a CBA rule.
The Lakers don’t currently have any real cap room, which makes it a little surprising that Motiejunas’ camp would be seriously considering the club — he was believed to be seeking about $7-8MM per year. Los Angeles, right up against the cap, could offer its $2.898MM room exception, and perhaps Motiejunas would be willing to do a one-year deal at that price to prove that he’s healthy and get back on the market in the summer. There are only a handful of NBA teams with cap space, and one (Brooklyn) is off the table, so his options are limited.
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Still, it’s not clear yet how serious the Lakers’ interest is. Shelburne tweets that Motiejunas looked good in his workout, so the team’s decision is based more on how he would fit in the rotation, rather than his health. According to Shelburne (via Twitter), Los Angeles is weighing whether adding D-Mo would take too many minutes away from its young players like Julius Randle and Tarik Black.
The Lakers also have a full 15-man roster, so they’d need to waive a player to create an opening for Motiejunas.
- Cap expert Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report takes a closer look at how the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement will affect the Lakers. As Pincus notes, the lack of an amnesty clause this time around means that the team will have no easy out down the road if the four-year contracts for Luol Deng or Timofey Mozgov become cumbersome.