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Southwest Notes: Parker, Pelicans, Selden, Mavs

March 20th, 2017 at 10:16pm CST by Milo Taibi

Tony Parker spoke about his role on the Spurs with Jabari Young of MySanAntonio.com, saying he’s “blessed” to still have fun playing the game.

“Guys have worse (injuries); you know? Knees, Achilles, stuff like that,” Parker said. “I’ve been playing for 16 years. All season long for the Spurs, and then all summer internationally. And the way I play, with speed and going into the trees (the paint), getting hit so many times and going to the ground so many times, I feel very blessed to still be out there.”

Parker realizes his limitations at 34 years old, unable to fill the stat sheet the way he did in 2008/09, when he averaged 22 PPG with 6.9 APG. Nevertheless, Parker occupies an important spot in Gregg Popovich‘s rotation, and will be relied upon as San Antonio continues its march toward the postseason.

“It obviously helps if I play well,” said Parker. “I love it. I think the evolution in anybody’s career is, as you get older, you have to adjust to who is the main guys on your team. Try to be a factor just like Manu (Ginobili) did. Just like Timmy (Duncan] did. I just try and do the same thing.”

More from around the Southwest…

  • Having now won four of their last five, the Pelicans are starting to gel offensively, William Guillory of NOLA.com writes. The Pels have reason for optimism following their winning stretch, but must keep up their pace with only 12 games left in the regular season. “When all three of us are playing well like that, we’re tough to beat,” said Anthony Davis, referring to himself, DeMarcus Cousins, and Jrue Holiday. “Guys are stepping up and making big plays, especially at the right time. Guys are doing things that we need them to do. I just feel like we’re gelling and clicking at the right time.”
  • Grizzlies coach David Fizdale told Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal that Memphis’ signing of Wayne Selden was a result of Chandler Parsons‘ season-ending injury. Selden, who had most recently received NBA minutes with the Pelicans, was signed to a multiyear contract.
  • While there’s no “magic wand” to fix the Mavericks‘ problems, there are adjustments Rick Carlisle can make, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas News writes. “Philly’s a team you can learn from,” Carlisle said of Dallas’ recent blowout loss to the Sixers. “They win their games on sheer persistence and hard play. And that’s what’s gotten us wins when we’ve been successful over the last two months. We took a pretty significant step back last night. We watched film. We saw the nightmare of last night. It’s pretty clear we’ve got to adjust our disposition. And we’ve got to move the ball better.”
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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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Chandler Parsons To Have Season-Ending Surgery

March 19th, 2017 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Memphis forward Chandler Parsons will have season-ending knee surgery on Monday, tweets Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com.

The meniscectomy will be his third knee operation in three years and will come nearly a year after a procedure to fix his right knee last March (Twitter link). Wallace says the Grizzlies still have “high hopes and optimism” about Parsons’ future with the team (Twitter link).

Parsons was the focal point of the Grizzlies’ offseason, signing a four-year deal worth $94,438,523. But issues with both knees limited him to 34 games in which he averaged 6.2 points and 2.5 rebounds per night.

The latest setback came last week when he was diagnosed with a partial tear of the meniscus in his left knee.

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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/18/17

March 18th, 2017 at 10:45pm CST by Austin Kent

Here are the D-League transactions for Saturday:

10:45pm:

  • The Knicks have assigned forward Maurice Ndour to their Westchester affiliate, the team tweeted.
  • The Grizzlies have recalled center Deyonta Davis from Iowa, the team announced in an email.

2:17pm:

  • The Raptors have assigned forward Bruno Caboclo and center Pascal Siakam to their D-League affiliate, the team’s media department reports on Twitter. Caboclo has seen limited action in just seven games with Toronto this season while Siakam has averaged 4.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in 52 contests at the big league level.
  • The Thunder have assigned forward Josh Huestis to their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. Huestis has played 27 games with the OKC Blue already this season.
  • The Cavaliers recalled rookie guard Kay Felder from their D-League affiliate, the team reports on its official site. Felder has played 37 games  with the franchise already this season.
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Grizzlies Sign Selden, Release Douglas

March 18th, 2017 at 4:11pm CST by Austin Kent

4:11 pm: According to a press release on the team’s official website, the Grizzlies have signed Selden to a multi-year contract.

12:32 pm: The Grizzlies are planning to sign guard Wayne Selden whose ten-day contract with the Pelicans expired overnight, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. To make room, the club will waive Toney Douglas.

In three games for the Pelicans, all starts, Selden averaged 15.7 minutes and 5.3 points per game but the club didn’t extend the offer of a second 10-day contract, opening the door for Memphis to swoop in and add the undrafted rookie.

Though this will be Selden’s first taste of in-season action with the Grizzlies, it’s not his first stint with the franchise. The forward signed with the club in July but was one of  the final roster cuts in training camp.

Douglas, in contrast, signed a pair of 10-day contracts with Memphis prior to the All-Star Break this year and was subsequently inked for the remainder of the season with a team option for 2017/18.

Though featured heavily in February and early March, the 31-year-old veteran had fallen out of Memphis’ rotation of late.

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Casspi Cleared To Play, Talking With Contenders

March 14th, 2017 at 10:11am CST by Arthur Hill

Less than three weeks after breaking his right thumb, Omri Casspi has received medical clearance to “resume basketball activities,” tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

Casspi suffered the injury in his first game with the Pelicans after being traded from the Kings as part of the DeMarcus Cousins deal. New Orleans waived Casspi to open a roster spot rather than wait for him to heal. Casspi’s original prognosis put his recovery time at four to six weeks.

Now a free agent, Casspi has been contacted by several contending teams, according to Stein, who names the Clippers and Grizzlies among them (Twitter link). Memphis may need to find a replacement for Chandler Parsons, who could be shut down for the rest of the season with a partial meniscus tear in his left knee.

Casspi played just 22 games with Sacramento before the deal, averaging 5.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per night. He missed more than a month in January and February with a strained plantaris tendon in his right calf.

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Chandler Parsons Diagnosed With Meniscus Tear

March 13th, 2017 at 6:34pm CST by Milo Taibi

6:34pm: Parsons has been diagnosed with a “partial tear of the meniscus in his left knee,” the Grizzlies announced via team press release (link). Parsons will be out indefinitely, all but closing the book on his 2016/17 campaign. GM Chris Wallace expressed his sympathy for Parsons in a written statement.

“To suffer a setback like this after working so diligently to rebound from the injury to his right knee is obviously tough. That said, we know he will continue to work tirelessly to return to the court with his teammates and contribute,” Wallace said. “Chandler has the full support of myself, Coach Fizz and the entire team and we are all focused on getting him healthy.”

6:28pm: Chandler Parsons will sit out for the second time in three games tonight due to soreness in his left knee. While injuries have plagued Parsons throughout his first season in Memphis, the team is reportedly considering shutting him down in midst of a playoff run.

According to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, the Grizzlies are “contemplating” shutting Parsons down for the season (Twitter link). If Tillery’s report comes to fruition, it remains to be seen whether Parsons would be shut down for merely the regular season or the postseason as well.

Parsons simply hasn’t been on the court enough to have the type of impact he had with the Rockets and Mavs. After missing 24 of the season’s first 30 games due to a knee injury, Parsons has struggled in his return to the lineup. In a nine-game stretch from February 13 to March 11, Parsons averaged five points per game on 30.8% shooting.

Having inked a four-year, $94,438,523 contract over the offseason, Parsons recognizes the long-term commitment GM Chris Wallace made with him.

“I suck right now. There’s no sugarcoating it. It is what it is,” Parsons told Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “Look, I signed a four-year deal. I didn’t sign a one-year deal. The team expectations for me are to go very slow. It’s going to be a long process…you see the contract I signed with the salary I make. People expect a lot better than I’m performing right now.”

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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/10/17

March 10th, 2017 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

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

  • Having signed him to a 10-day contract, the Mavericks have now recalled Manny Harris from their D-League affiliate, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Harris, assigned to the Texas Legends for one more game after signing with the Mavs on Thursday, put up 31 points last month in a loss to Northern Arizona.
  • The Pistons have sent Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije back to their D-League affiliate for the weekend, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. The Grand Rapids Drive will play games in Erie tonight and tomorrow.
  • Rookie guard Malik Beasley is headed to the Sioux Falls Skyforce on an assignment, the Nuggets announced today in a press release. Denver doesn’t have its own D-League squad yet, so this is Beasley’s fifth assignment to Miami’s affiliate.
  • The Lakers have assigned Ivica Zubac to the D-League for tonight’s game against Reno, per Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link). Zubac has had a more regular role for the Lakers over the last month, and will get a chance to suit up for the D-Fenders today with the NBA club not in action until Sunday.
  • The Knicks have assigned Maurice Ndour to Westchester, the team announced today (via Twitter). The rookie forward has averaged 14.3 PPG and 6.7 RPG in 12 D-League games this season.
  • The Grizzlies have assigned Deyonta Davis to the Iowa Energy, the team announced in a press release. The No. 31 overall pick in the 2016 draft, Davis has been used sparingly in David Fizdale’s rotation; accumulating four DNP’s over Memphis’ last seven games. Davis has averaged 8.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks over five games with the Energy in 2016/17.
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Marc Gasol Currently Without An Agent

March 8th, 2017 at 4:21pm CST by Luke Adams
  • After signing with Octagon Sports last year, Grizzlies center Marc Gasol has left that agency and is currently without representation, reports Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (via Twitter). Gasol’s max contract won’t expire until at least 2019, so he won’t need to negotiate a new contract anytime soon.
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