NBA G League

And-Ones: Ball Brothers, Seattle, Mexico, World Cup

LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball may end up playing together in Lithuania, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony of ESPN, who report that the Ball brothers are in “serious discussions” with Prienu Vytautas. The Lithuanian team intends to decide within the next day or two whether to officially sign Lonzo Ball‘s two younger brothers, sources tell Wojnarowski and Givony.

LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball, who are looking to play together for a professional team after officially hiring an agent and forgoing their NCAA eligibility, likely wouldn’t get a chance to play many minutes in the Lithuanian (LKL) league, per ESPN’s report. According to Wojnarowski and Givony, the Ball brothers would likely see more action – perhaps 20 to 25 minutes per game – in the less competitive Baltic League. As Givony tweets, the pay for the Balls would almost certainly be minimal, and the small Lithuanian town of Prienai would hardly be a “glamorous” place to continue their careers.

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

  • TNT’s David Aldridge is the latest reporter to examine the possibility of the NBA returning to Seattle. While the city looks like a good bet to be awarded an NHL franchise, the NBA and its team owners are less gung-ho about the idea of expansion, according to Aldridge, who notes that team owners wouldn’t want to further split the money from the league’s $24 billion TV deal.
  • In a separate – and interesting – piece for NBA.com, Aldridge takes an in-depth look at the range of emotions experienced by NBA head coaches who get fired.
  • With the NBA making a concerted effort to grow its brand in Mexico, this season’s G League All-Star Game will be replaced by a contest that pits G League All-Stars against the Mexican national team, per The Associated Press.
  • FIBA officially announced on Monday that the 2023 Basketball World Cup will be staged in multiple countries, with Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines earning hosting rights..

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/10/17

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

  • The Spurs announced on Sunday that guard Derrick White has been assigned to the team’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. Through six games with San Antonio, White averaged 1.5 PPG and 1.5 RPG in less than eight minutes per game.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/9/17

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

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/8/17

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

  • The Hornets have assigned point guard Julyan Stone to the G League, the team announced today in a press release. Stone appeared in Charlotte’s first two games this season, but has battled a hamstring injury since then and it’s not clear if there’s room for him in the rotation anymore.
  • Second-year guard Isaiah Whitehead has been recalled from the G League by the Nets, according to a press release from the club. Whitehead, who will join the Nets in Mexico City, has played in eight NBA games and three G League games so far this season.
  • Rookie guard Furkan Korkmaz continues to bounce back and forth between the NBA and the G League, with the Sixers sending him back to Delaware today (link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer). Korkmaz will suit up for the 87ers – Philadelphia’s G League affiliate – in Canton tonight.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/7/17

Here are the G League transactions from around the NBA today:

  • The Sixers assigned Furkan Korkmaz to the Delaware 87ers and then recalled him later in the day, the team announced in a pair of press releases (via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer). Korkmaz has played seven games with the G League affiliate so far this season, averaging 16.3 points per contest.

NBA Plans To Establish G League Team In Mexico City

The NBA intends to “move quickly” toward establishing an NBA G League franchise in Mexico City, league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter links). According to Stein, the NBA wants to get a team up and running as soon as it’s feasible, which could happen as early as next season.

This isn’t the first we’ve heard of the NBA’s interest in an expansion G League franchise in Mexico City. Last month, when Jonathan Givony of ESPN reported that the league was set to announce the opening of a basketball academy in Mexico, he noted that Mexico City was a candidate to emerge as the location for a G League franchise.

Although not all of the NBA’s 30 teams have G League affiliates of their own yet, a G League franchise in Mexico City is unlikely to be affiliated with any specific NBA team, per Stein’s full report on the plan. Stein indicates the club would be owned and operated locally, while Givony’s report last month suggested that top prospects from the NBA’s training academies could graduate to that G League team in Mexico.

For now, 26 NBA teams either own and operate their own G League teams or have a direct affiliation with a G League squad. The Wizards and Pelicans are good bets to join that group next season, with the Trail Blazers and Nuggets looming as the potential final two holdouts.

If the NBA installs a G League franchise in Mexico City and it thrives, it could be the first step toward eventually establishing an NBA franchise in the largest market in Latin America. As Stein notes, the league isn’t currently looking to expand or to relocate any of its teams, but commissioner Adam Silver views Mexico City as a logical candidate for a franchise in the event of relocation or expansion. A G League team could help generate more interest in basketball in Mexico, helping to pave the way for an eventual NBA franchise.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/6/17

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

  • The Jazz have re-assigned rookie center Tony Bradley to their G League affiliate, the team announced today (via Twitter). It’s the seventh G League assignment of the season already for Bradley, who has seen limited action in seven games for the Jazz, but has posted 20.0 PPG and 8.5 RPG in four games for the Salt Lake City Stars.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/5/17

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

3:10pm:

  • After assigning him to the G League for today’s Raptors 905 game, as detailed below, Toronto has recalled Alfonzo McKinnie to the NBA, according to the team (Twitter link).

2:03pm:

  • The Raptors assigned Alfonzo McKinnie to the G League this morning, per the team (Twitter link). Toronto’s G League affiliate, the Raptors 905, played a day game today, and McKinnie was excellent, racking up 23 points and 16 rebounds (nine offensive).
  • The Jazz have recalled rookie big man Tony Bradley from their G League squad, the team announced today (via Twitter). Bradley had a double-double (24 points, 10 rebounds) in a win for the Salt Lake City Stars on Monday.
  • After practicing with the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario on Monday, Danilo Gallinari, Milos Teodosic, and Brice Johnson were recalled by the Clippers, as Robert Flom of Clips Nation details. Gallinari and Teodosic are close to returning from their respective injuries, with Gallinari hoping to play on Wednesday.
  • The Bulls have sent second-year guard Kay Felder back to the G League, according to the team (Twitter link). Felder will soon be joined by Zach LaVine, who will continue rehabbing his ACL injury with the Windy City Bulls.
  • Rookie center Ike Anigbogu has been recalled from the G League by the Pacers, the club announced in a press release. The 19-year-old struggled in his most recent game for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, recording just two points and two rebounds in 22 minutes on Monday.
  • The Sixers have recalled Furkan Korkmaz from the Delaware 87ers, tweets Jessica Camerato of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Korkmaz has yo-yo’d back and forth between Philadelphia and Delaware all season — his most recent G League assignment was his seventh.
  • The Kings have made a pair of G League moves, assigning Skal Labissiere to the Reno Bighorns and recalling Georgios Papagiannis, according to the team. Of the two 2016 first-rounders, Labissiere has been the more regular fixture in Sacramento’s rotation this season, averaging 17.1 MPG in 23 contests.

And-Ones: 2018 Draft, Ball Bros, Two-Way Deals

A pair of NCAA freshmen, Duke’s Marvin Bagley III and Arizona’s DeAndre Ayton, are making strong cases to become the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. For now though, Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Insider link) still has Real Madrid point guard Luka Doncic coming off the board first, writing that the international star would be a nice fit for the Bulls.

Givony’s mock draft also features Michael Porter Jr., who recently underwent back surgery, slotting in as the No. 4 overall pick. There was some concern in the wake of Porter’s injury that his stock might fall precipitously, but Givony’s blurb on Porter going to the Hawks doesn’t even mention the young forward’s health situation, which suggests that it’s not viewed as a major red flag at this point. NBA teams will get a closer look at Porter’s back in the spring, at which point it will become clearer whether or not he’s still a top-five pick.

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

  • Lonzo Ball‘s younger brothers, LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball, are exploring the possibility of signing with a team overseas, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical, who reports that representative Harrison Gaines has initiated contact with international teams. LiAngelo, who was pulled out of UCLA’s program this week, isn’t considered an NBA prospect. LaMelo is viewed as a probable pick in the 2019 draft, but he’s still just 16 years old and probably isn’t ready to compete at a professional level, says Evan Daniels of 247Sports.com.
  • Players on two-way contracts aren’t allowed to spend more than 45 days with their respective NBA clubs. However, the criteria for a day spent in the NBA are complicated, and most teams aren’t making service time information publicly available. That makes it difficult to keep tabs on how close two-way players are to their 45-day limits, as Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days details. One thing we know: Wednesday will mark Mike James‘ 45th day in the NBA, so the Suns will have to clear a roster spot in order to convert his contract to a standard NBA deal.
  • Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders spent time with the Northern Arizona Suns, Phoenix’s G League affiliate, and provides an all-access look at what a day in the G League looks like.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/4/17

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

3:51pm:

  • The Grizzlies have sent rookie forward Ivan Rabb back to the G League, the team announced today in a press release. In eight games for the Memphis Hustle this season, Rabb has posted 17.6 PPG, 9.1 RPG, and 1.8 BPG.

3:01pm:

  • The Clippers have assigned Danilo Gallinari, Milos Teodosic, and Brice Johnson to the G League, the team announced today in a press release. While Johnson’s assignment is likely just meant to get him some extra reps, Gallinari and Teodosic are rehabbing injuries and will practice with the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario as they near their respective returns.
  • Rookie big man Thomas Bryant has been assigned to the G League by the Lakers, according to the club (Twitter link). Bryant has yet to appear in a regular season NBA game, but has played well for the South Bay Lakers, averaging 21.1 PPG and 7.7 RPG with a blistering .604/.462/.737 shooting line in seven contests.