NBA G League

And-Ones: BIG3, G League, Quarterman, J. Brown

Two more former NBA players have signed on with the BIG3, including one that just formally announced his retirement from the NBA this past summer. Veteran big man Jason Maxiell was one of those players joining the BIG3 player pool this week, according to the league (Twitter link). After playing more than 600 NBA regular season games and another 35 postseason contests, Maxiell signed a one-day contract in August and retired as a Piston. Now, he’ll have a chance to compete against – or team up with – former teammate Chauncey Billups in the BIG3.

Veteran forward Jamario Moon, who played in 286 total games for the Raptors, Heat, Cavaliers, Clippers, and Hornets from 2007 to 2012, also signed a BIG3 contract this week, according to an announcement from the league (Twitter link).

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Multiple 2018 NBA draft prospects who aren’t currently playing NCAA ball have been informed that they’re ineligible to play in the G League this season, a league source tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN. As Givony explains, players who were enrolled in college during an academic calendar year are ineligible to sign a G League contract in the same season unless they’ve been ruled permanently NCAA-ineligible. Mitchell Robinson, De’Anthony Melton, and Brian Bowen are among the potential 2018 first-rounders currently in limbo.
  • Former Trail Blazers guard Tim Quarterman had been set to join the Jiangsu Dragons in China, but passport complications prevented him from finalizing his deal, per international basketball reporter David Pick (Twitter link). According to Pick, the Chinese club signed ex-Lakers guard Jabari Brown instead.
  • Former first-round pick Archie Goodwin is back in the Suns‘ system, having been traded to Phoenix’s G League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns, earlier this week. Northern Arizona sent out a first-round pick and a second-round pick for the 2018 G League draft in the three-team deal.
  • The NBA’s next wave of international stars appears to have arrived, Michael Lee writes in an interesting feature for Yahoo Sports.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/11/18

Here are the G League moves from Thursday:

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/10/18

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

  • The Magic assigned center Khem Birch to their Lakeland affiliate, the team announced in a tweet. The rookie has played seven games for Orlando, averaging three minutes per night.
  • The Kings assigned Georgios Papagiannis and Malachi Richardson to their affiliate in Reno, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.

Central Notes: Terry, Dinwiddie, Pistons, Bolomboy

At 40 years old, Bucks guard Jason Terry is the NBA’s third-oldest player behind Vince Carter and Manu Ginobili. However, like Carter and former teammate Dirk Nowitzki, Terry wants to play at least 20 NBA seasons, which would mean continuing his career for one more year beyond 2017/18.

“Oh, yeah, I’m going to keep playing,” Terry said recently, per Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times. “Next season would be No. 20. I want to play 20 years. That’s the goal I set for myself. I’m a very goal-oriented guy and I’m going to make sure that happens.”

Terry’s desire to hit the two-decade mark in his NBA career is nothing new — he expressed the same sentiment last February. Still, it remains to be seen whether he’ll receive an NBA contract in 2018/19. This season in Milwaukee, Terry is playing less than ever, averaging just 1.3 PPG on 32.0% shooting in 15 games (9.7 MPG). Those numbers are all career worsts by a large margin.

Despite his extremely limited role, Terry has still received rave reviews from many of his younger Bucks teammates, with Rashad Vaughn telling Woelfel that the veteran guard has “helped me a lot,” while Thon Maker says Terry’s presence is like having another coach on the bench. “He’s a true professional in terms of letting us young guys know what we need to do to continue playing in this league,” Maker said. “He’ll talk to us whenever we need help.”

Here’s more from around the Central division:

  • Spencer Dinwiddie is having a breakout season in Brooklyn, but Stan Van Gundy, the Pistons‘ president of basketball operations, isn’t ready to concede that his front office made a mistake by letting Dinwiddie go, suggesting that the young guard isn’t the same player he was when Detroit traded him in 2016. “I’m not saying we didn’t make a mistake, but it’s not simple,” Van Gundy said, per Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. “I don’t know or not. I just know he’s playing well and I’m happy for him.”
  • With trade rumors swirling around the Pistons, Rod Beard of The Detroit News writes that the club’s ability to earn a playoff spot and make some noise in the postseason may hinge on its ability to bolster the roster before the trade deadline.
  • Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days digs up a rule that helps explain why the Bucks‘ G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, will have first dibs on Joel Bolomboy if and when he returns to the G League.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/9/18

Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Jazz have recalled Tony Bradley from the Salt Lake City Stars, according to the team’s Twitter feed. The no. 28 overall pick from the 2017 draft has played in eight games with Utah this season, posting a total of eight points in 28 minutes of action.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/8/18

Here are Monday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

3:50pm:

  • The Celtics have recalled Abdel Nader and Guerschon Yabusele from the G League, according to the team (Twitter link). Nader and Yabusele played for the Maine Red Claws during Sunday’s loss to the Raptors 905.
  • The Hornets have assigned Dwayne Bacon to the G League for the third time this season, the team announced today in a press release. Bacon has played two games for the Greensboro Swarm so far this season, averaging an eye-popping 38.5 PPG.

3:12pm:

  • The Nets have assigned injured guard D’Angelo Russell to the G League, the club announced today in a press release. As first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), Russell is practicing with Brooklyn’s affiliate today as he rehabs the knee issue that his kept him out of action for several weeks. He’ll be recalled to the NBA after that practice.
  • Rookie guard Davon Reed has been re-assigned to the G League by the Suns, according to an announcement from the team. Reed, who recently made his G League debut after recovering from a torn meniscus, has yet to appear in an NBA game.
  • The Kings have recalled Justin Jackson and Georgios Papagiannis from the Reno Bighorns, tweets James Ham of NBC Sports California. The two youngsters have yo-yo’d back and forth between Sacramento and Reno over the last few days, appearing in a pair of games for the Bighorns since Friday.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/7/2018

Here are Sunday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Lakers recalled rookie center Thomas Bryant from their G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers so he could play in tonight’s game, per a press release. Bryant has appeared in two NBA games this season. Bryant has appeared in two games for the Lakers this season. With South Bay, Bryant has averaged  21.3 PPG and 7.5 RPG  in 29.7 minutes per game.
  • The Bucks have recalled D.J. Wilson from their G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, the team announced in a press release. Wilson has appeared in 12 games with Milwaukee this season.
  • After recalling the duo on Saturday, the Kings re-assigned Justin Jackson and Georgios Papagiannis to the G League on Sunday, per RealGM’s transactions log. The duo helped lead the Reno Bighorns to a victory, combining for 43 points and 20 rebounds.
  • A pair of Celtics, Abdel Nader and Guerschon Yabusele, headed to the G League on Sunday, according to RealGM’s transactions log. The two youngsters suited up for the Maine Red Claws in Sunday’s loss to the Raptors 905.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/6/2018

Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Kings have recalled forward Justin Jackson and center Georgios Papagiannis from their affiliate in Reno, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.
  • The Suns have recalled second-round pick Davon Reed from their Northern Arizona affiliate, according to Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Reed, who is recovering from meniscus surgery in August, may play in Sunday’s game.
  • The Magic have recalled Wesley Iwundu and Khem Birch from the G League, per RealGM’s transactions log. Birch posted a double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds) for the Lakeland Magic on Friday night, but Iwundu struggled mightily, putting up just two points on 1-of-9 shooting.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/5/2018

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

7:08pm:

12:52pm:

  • Bulls power forward Cristiano Felicio signed a four-year, $32MM deal in July, but he has been seeing more action in the G League than the NBA as of late. The club announced today (via Twitter) that Felicio has been assigned to the Windy City Bulls for the fifth time in the last month. The 25-year-old figures to suit up for Chicago’s affiliate in tonight’s game against Fort Wayne before being recalled to the NBA.
  • The Magic have re-assigned Khem Birch and Wesley Iwundu to the G League, the team announced today (Twitter link). The duo will get a chance to play for the Lakeland Magic tonight as they host Santa Cruz.
  • Justin Jackson and Georgios Papagiannis have been sent to the Reno Bighorns by the Kings, tweets James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area. Sacramento’s affiliate hosts Northern Arizona tonight.

Pacific Notes: Ball, Rivers, Reno Bighorns

The Lakers have struggled in the absence of Lonzo Ball but the first-year guard whose playing style has already impacted the young team’s pace and flow could be back in the lineup as early as Friday, Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet tweets.

While it’s not definitive that Ball will return, it’s the tentative plan barring any setbacks. Ball has been sidelined with a shoulder injury since December 23 and the Lakers have gone 0-and-6 in his absence.

The rookie fell at a time just as his shooting stroke had started to heat up. In 33.8 minutes per game for the Lakers, Ball has posted 10.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game.

There’s more from the Pacific Division tonight:

  • A foot injury suffered last week has kept Austin Rivers out of action for the Clippers. Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets that the guard has undergone testing and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
  • The Kings plan to relocate their G League affiliate closer to Sacramento, Adam Johnson of Two Ways, 10 Days writes. Although the team hasn’t commented on such a move, one option for the franchise currently based out of Reno, Nevada is Stockton, California, 50 miles away from the big league squad.