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Celtics Notes: Thomas, Yabusele, Stevens, Ball

March 16th, 2017 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Celtics look to make a push for the top seed in the Eastern Conference, they’ll have to do so this weekend without star point guard Isaiah Thomas. The C’s announced today (via Twitter) that Thomas, who is dealing with a right knee bone bruise, won’t join the club on its road trip to Brooklyn and Philadelphia.

The Celtics are scheduled to play the Nets on Friday and the Sixers on Sunday, so Thomas will miss those two games. It’s not clear if his absence will extend beyond that. Boston has a big game on tap for Monday with the Wizards, who will be looking to gain ground in the standings and win their season series with the C’s, so Thomas is likely aiming to get back on the court for that contest.

Here’s more on the Celtics:

The 16th pick of the 2016 draft, French forward Guerschon Yabusele, has signed a D-League contract and will join the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s NBADL affiliate, tweets Chris Reichert of The Step Back. As we noted on Wednesday, Yabusele has arrived in America following a season with the Shanghai Sharks, and the Celtics will get a chance to take a closer look at him in the D-League down the stretch, as long as his sprained ankle cooperates.
With the NCAA tournament getting underway today, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens was asked about the possibility of colleges attempting to pry him away from Boston. As Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe details, Stevens suggested that NCAA programs know better than to think he’d leave the Celtics anytime soon. “The only thing people usually call me for is to ask questions about candidates,” Stevens said. “Everybody has a pretty good idea of where I stand, and I think ultimately I’m going to be here. I think that’s pretty well known.”
There have been questions recently about whether Lonzo Ball‘s outspoken father, LaVar Ball, would negatively impact the UCLA guard’s draft stock among NBA teams. For his part, Celtics GM Danny Ainge said this week that he would “never hold a player’s family against a player if I like a player,” per A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The Celtics may be in position this spring to draft a player like Ball, since they’ll have a top-four pick.
For more Celtics news and rumors, be sure to check out their team feed, which includes an item from earlier this week on Yabusele’s fellow 2016 first-rounder, Ante Zizic.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls 3/15/17

March 15th, 2017 at 10:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

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

The Grizzlies assigned center Deyonta Davis to their affiliate in Iowa, the team announced on its website. The rookie has played 29 games for Memphis, averaging just 6.6 minutes per night.

And-Ones: BIG3, Hairston, Jefferson, Extensions

March 15th, 2017 at 5:09pm CST by Luke Adams

A number of players who have been traded at the trade deadline or during the NBA season spoke to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype about the experience, with Cavaliers wing Iman Shumpert providing some of the more interesting quotes. As Shumpert explains, he was injured when he was sent to Cleveland by the Knicks, and had mixed feelings about the move.

“I just remember the feeling [sucked],” Shumpert said. “It was like, ‘Ah, I’m hurt, we’ve lost a bunch of games in a row and then I’m traded.’ Then, shortly after we walk in and we get to playing with the Cavs, we go on a long winning streak. I kept thinking back to my old teammates like, ‘Damn, I was hurt and we were losing. Now I come here and I’m playing well and the energy is great.’ I just felt like they kind of grabbed me out of hell. And every game was being showcased on TV and we’re winning. It was just crazy. I was happy, but I felt bad too.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from across the league:

As first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter), former NBA star Julius Erving has committed to coaching a team in the BIG3 this summer, the league confirmed in a press release. Erving will join Gary Payton, George Gervin, Clyde Drexler, and others as BIG3 coaches. Check out our comprehensive players/coaches list for the full breakdown.
Former NBA wing P.J. Hairston, who was in camp with the Rockets last fall, has been suspended for five NBADL games for violating the D-League’s anti-drug policy, according to a press release. Hairston is currently playing for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s affiliate.
In other D-League news, former NBA power forward Cory Jefferson has left the Austin Spurs to play in the Philippines, tweets Chris Reichert of The Step Back. International basketball journalist David Pick adds (via Twitter) that Jefferson, who is signing with the Alaska Aces, has multiple Euroleague offers for the 2017/18 season.
Keith Smith of RealGM takes an early look at the market for rookie-scale extensions this coming offseason, making his predictions on which players will get new deals before they reach restricted free agency. As I outlined last week, a few of this year’s key rookie-scale extension negotiations will be complicated by major injuries.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/14/17

March 14th, 2017 at 10:12pm CST by Milo Taibi

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

10:12 pm:

The Cavaliers have assigned Larry Sanders to the Canton Charge, according to the D-League Digest (Twitter link). Cleveland signed Sanders on Monday.
The Hawks have assigned DeAndre’ Bembry to the Salt Lake City Stars, according to the team’s website. Atlanta doesn’t have its own D-League affiliate, so the rookie will play for Utah’s affiliate, per the league’s flex assignment rule.

5:32pm:

The Cavaliers have assigned rookie guard Kay Felder to the Canton Charge, the D-League affiliate wrote in a press release on its official website. Felder has appeared in 9 games for Canton already this season.

3:58pm:

The Clippers announced they have recalled Brice Johnson from the Salt Lake City Stars (press release). Johnson, the 25th overall pick in the 2016 draft, has largely been inactive this season due to a herniated disk in his back.
The Pistons have recalled Henry Ellenson from the D-League, according to the team.

And-Ones: Tarczewski, Green, Fegan, MVP Race

March 13th, 2017 at 10:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Center Kaleb Tarczewski is leaving the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, to play for Italy’s Olimpia Milano. He is signing a three-month contract to join the Italian champions with an option for next year, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia relays via La Gazzetta dello Sport. As Chris Reichert for The Step Back tweets, this is a big loss for the Blue with the D-League playoffs on the horizon. He was averaging 10.0 PPG and 7.3 RPG for the Blue. Tarczewski went undrafted last June after he averaged 9.4 PPG and 9.3 RPG in his senior year at Arizona.

In other news around the NBA:

Former Nuggets and Jazz guard Erick Green, who is playing for the Euroleague’s Olympiacos, could get another shot with an NBA team this offseason as a backup point, Trevor Magnotti of FanSided.com reports. Backup point guards will be at a premium this summer, Magnotti continues, and Green is a solid defender who has improved his offensive play. Green is also believed to have an opt-out clause if an NBA club comes calling, Magnotti adds. Green played in a combined nine games for the Nuggets and Jazz last season and 43 with Denver in 2014/15.
Agent Dan Fegan has been sued by his former employer, Independent Sports & Entertainment, for alleged unfair business practices, according to Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Daily. One of the claims in the suit filed in Los Angeles by Independent Sports & Entertainment is that Fegan operated a side business which steered business away from ISE, Mullen continues. Howard Weitzman, Fegan’s attorney, called the side business claim “a total fabrication,” Mullen tweets.
A survey of NBA executives puts James Harden ahead of the pack for the MVP race but it’s close, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. The newspaper polled 32 executives, including 20 GMs or team presidents, and 12 voted for Harden. Russell Westbrook received eight votes, Kawhi Leonard garnered seven and LeBron James picked up five.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls 3/13/17

March 13th, 2017 at 3:13pm CST by Milo Taibi

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

The Nuggets recalled Malik Beasley from the Siux Falls Skyforce, the team announced on its official website (link). Beasley’s most recent NBA action came against Golden State on February 13, going scoreless through seven minutes.
The Raptors recalled Bruno Caboclo from Raptors 905, the team announced via Twitter (link). Caboclo has averaged 9.9 points over 31 games in the D-League this season.
The Clippers recalled Brice Johnson from the Salt Lake City Stars, the team announced via Twitter (link). Johnson, who has been sidelined with a herniated disk in his back for much of the season, has averaged nine points over three games in the D-League.

Sixers Not Re-Signing Justin Harper

March 13th, 2017 at 9:54am CST by Luke Adams

Justin Harper‘s 10-day contract with the Sixers expired overnight, and he won’t receive a second deal with the team at this time, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Following his stint in Philadelphia, Harper will rejoin the D-League’s Los Angeles D-Fenders.

“It’s a great team and a great group of guys,” Harper said of the 76ers. “I was just fortunate for the opportunity to be a part of it. If it’s not for the long term, I still enjoyed my time with the team when I was here.”

Harper, the 32nd overall pick in the 2011 draft, made his NBA debut way back in 2011 for the Magic, but was out of the league for a few years following his rookie season and had only appeared in 19 total regular season games in his career before catching on with the Sixers this month. Appearing in three games for Philadelphia during his 10-day stint with the club, Harper chipped in with 4.0 PPG and 2.0 RPG.

Harper’s return to the D-Fenders will be a welcome one for the No. 1 seed in the NBADL’s Western Conference. The Lakers’ D-League affiliate is 29-13 for the season, but has lost three of four games since Harper joined the Sixers. The 27-year-old earned an NBADL All-Star nod a year ago, and has been arguably even better this season, averaging 16.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and a .401 3PT% in 37 D-League games.

As for the Sixers, they now have 15 players on their roster — they had been carrying an extra man, having received an injury exemption as a result of carrying four players with long-term injuries. Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Tiago Splitter, and Jerryd Bayless all remain sidelined, so the Sixers should still be able to continue taking advantage of that exemption if they so choose. Philadelphia could also open up a roster spot later this week if Shawn Long isn’t re-signed to a second 10-day contract.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls 3/12/17

March 12th, 2017 at 11:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

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

11:58pm:

The Warriors assigned Damian Jones to the D-League, writes Connor Letourneau of SFGate. Jones is expected to finish the D-League season with Santa Cruz.

5:00pm:

The Raptors have assigned Jakob Poeltl and Pascal Siakam to the Raptors 905, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Poeltl and Siakam are just two of the 2016 first-round picks who were sent down to the D-League this season, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors details.
The Mavericks have recalled Manny Harris and Jarrod Uthoff from the Texas Legends, according to a team press release. Dallas is about to embark on a 4-game road trip and each of the 15 players on the roster will make the journey, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets.
The Cavaliers have recalled Kay Felder from the Canton Charge, according to the team’s website. Felder has seen action in 37 games for Cleveland this year and he’s averaging 4.0 points per game

Central Notes: Bulls, Harris, Bucks, World Peace

March 12th, 2017 at 1:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg will have to decide soon whether to emphasize making the playoffs or developing young talent, writes Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago. Chicago is coming off a terrible week, losing four straight games and slipping to 10th in the East. Hoiberg continues to experiment with different combinations, playing everyone but Nikola Mirotic in the first half of each game.

Last month’s five-player trade that sent Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott to Oklahoma City clouded the team’s direction, Goodwill writes, with newly acquired Cameron Payne now the team’s third “point guard of the future” since Dwyane Wade signed last summer. “We’re doing everything we can to compete to win, at the same time we have some young guys we wanna get on the floor. It’s a balance,” Hoiberg said. “It’s guys, we want to get them out there and see how they play then make a decision in the second half.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

The Pistons have climbed back to .500, sparked by the insertion of Tobias Harris into the starting lineup, notes Aaron McMann of MLive. Harris scored 28 points Saturday against the Knicks and helped Detroit build a comfortable early lead. “He came out really aggressive,” said teammate Marcus Morris. “It was good to have him back in the starting lineup. We know what he can do. We know how well he can score the ball. So, it’s not really surprising to us.”
The Bucks have named Steve Brandes president of their new D-League affiliate, the team announced on its website. The Oshkosh, Wisc., franchise will begin play next season.
At age 37, Metta World Peace has assumed the role of a mentor with the young Lakers. But the former Ron Artest still has strong regrets about the effect he had on the Pacers almost 13 years ago, writes Mark Montieth of NBA.com. Artest was suspended for the season after charging into the crowd in Detroit on November 19, 2004, to confront a fan. That effectively killed Indiana’s title chances and led to the breakup of a promising young team. “We were supposed to win a ring together,” World Peace recalls. “Everything revolved around me, because I was unstable. That’s what I feel bad about to this day. That’s something I can never, ever forgive myself for. It’s something I have to recognize. We were on our way. [GM] Donnie [Walsh] put a helluva team together. I wanted to win a championship here. That was a big thing to me. And to Reggie [Miller]. At my most unstable point, it was the end of Reggie’s career.”

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls 3/11/17

March 11th, 2017 at 8:35pm CST by ChrisCrouse

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

The Mavericks have assigned Manny Harris and Jarrod Uthoff to their D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, according to a team press release. Dallas signed both players to 10-day deals earlier this week.
The Warriors have recalled Damian Jones from the Santa Cruz Warriors, their D-League affiliate, per a team press release. Jones is seeing court time for Golden State tonight, as coach Steve Kerr decided to rest several of the team’s top players.