NBA G League

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/9/17

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

  • Rookie big man Diamond Stone has been recalled by the Clippers, according to Rowan Kavner of Clippers.com (via Twitter). Stone averaged 19.7 PPG in three games during his latest stint with the Salt Lake City Stars, though he also received a pair of DNP-CDs. Since the Clips don’t have a D-League team of their own, Stone has played for other teams’ affiliates this season, including Golden State’s and Utah’s.
  • Chris McCullough continues to bounce back and forth between the NBA and D-League, having been reassigned to the Long Island Nets today, the team announced in a press release. Brooklyn’s D-League affiliate isn’t in action again until Saturday, so we’ll see how long McCullough’s assignments lasts this time around.
  • We missed this announcement on Wednesday, but the Pistons have sent Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije back to the Grand Rapids Drive. Stan Van Gundy expects the duo to remain on assignment through Friday’s game, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link).

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/8/17

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

9:19 PM: 

  • The Nets have recalled McCullough, according to a team press release. He was recalled in time to suit up for the Brooklyn in tonight’s matchup against Washington.

3:47 PM:

  • The Pacers have recalled Georges Niang from their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. Niang chipped in 11 points and four rebounds for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants during Tuesday’s win.
  • Chris McCullough was assigned to the D-League this morning, according to a press release issued by the Nets. The second-year forward played for the Long Island Nets in this afternoon’s loss to Canton — we’ll see if he’s recalled to Brooklyn in time for the team’s game tonight against Washington.

Nate Robinson To Play In D-League

9:00 PM: The 87ers have officially acquired Robinson, according to a team press release.

FEBRUARY 8, 11:35 AM: Robinson has been claimed off waivers by the Delaware 87ers, Philadelphia’s D-League affiliate, per Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (via Twitter).

FEBRUARY 2: Veteran point guard Nate Robinson signed a contract with the NBA Development League on Thursday, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports. Herman Manakyan, Robinson’s agent, told Charania of Robinson’s decision to play in the league with the hope of catching someone’s eye and returning to the NBA.

Robinson played for Hapoel Tel Aviv last season and needs a letter of clearance from the team into order to enter the D-League’s player pool. Oklahoma City, Erie, Texas, Fort Wayne and Grand Rapids hold the top priorities in the D-League waiver order, according to Charania.

Robinson had a workout with the Sixers in January but they passed on the 32-year-old and instead signed a younger point man, Chasson Randle. Robinson then lobbied LeBron James to spark some interest from the Cavaliers, who are looking for a backup point. Robinson’s difficulty in landing an NBA job last summer was due in part to his dalliance with the NFL.

Robinson appeared in two games last season with the Pelicans. He played a combined 42 games with the Clippers and Nuggets the previous season.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/7/17

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

  • The Celtics have assigned Demetrius Jackson to their D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Jackson, who was the 45th overall pick in the 2016 draft, has played in 21 games for the Red Claws this season and he’s averaging 16.6 points, 5.1 assists and 1.4 steals per contest.

Bucks To Control D-League Affiliate In Oshkosh

FEBRUARY 7, 1:56pm: The Bucks will own and operate a D-League franchise in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, beginning in the 2017/18 season, sources tell Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Gardner adds that the city’s new 3,500-seat arena is expected to be ready in time for next season.

FEBRUARY 6, 6:35pm: WBAY-TV in Wisconsin has confirmed a report that the Bucks will soon make an announcement regarding an affiliate D-League team.  The announcement will be made in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Ted Miller writes for Action 2 News. Per Miller, Oshkosh is one of three cities vying for the Bucks’ D-League affiliate. According to a WBAY report in January, developers are hoping to begin work on a new basketball arena/entertainment complex by March.

Oshkosh mayor Steve Cummings expressed excitement at the prospect of a D-League team at a town meeting last month. “I think this will transform an area that has been blighted for years into the the crown jewel of this city,” Cummings told Nate Beck of USA Today.

The Bucks, who have used the flexible assignment rule throughout the 2016/17 season, would clearly benefit from having a D-League team in such close proximity to their arena in Wisconsin. The confirmation of a team in Oshkosh would be one step further toward each NBA team having an individual D-League affiliate.

Assuming Milwaukee’s affiliate comes to fruition, 25 of 30 NBA teams will no longer have to rely upon the flexible assignment rule. The Clippers, Nuggets, Wizards, Trail Blazers, and Pelicans are the five teams without their own D-League affiliate lined up for the 2017/18 season.

Here are the other D-League affiliate changes on the horizon:

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/6/17

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

2:26pm:

12:06pm:

  • The Pistons have recalled rookies Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije from the D-League, according to a press release issued by the team. The duo played a significant role in Grand Rapids’ Saturday win over the Raptors 905, with Gbinije scoring a team-high 29 points, while Ellenson added 25.
  • Speaking of the Raptors, they’ve sent point guard Delon Wright to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today (via Twitter).
  • Rookie forward Georges Niang has been assigned to the D-League by the Pacers, the team announced in a press release. Niang, who has played sparingly in 21 games for Indiana, has averaged 17.8 PPG in four games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
  • With their D-League affiliate not in action until Wednesday, the Nets have recalled Chris McCullough, per a team release. It’s already the 17th time this season that Brooklyn has recalled McCullough from Long Island.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/5/17

Here are the D-League assignments and recalls on Super Bowl Sunday:

  • The Celtics have recalled Jordan Mickey and Demetrius Jackson from their D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, the team announced via Twitter. Jackson has played sparingly with Boston, last appearing in a game on December 7 against the Magic. He’s shown promise with Maine, however, averaging 16.4 points on 45% shooting through 20 games. Mickey receives the promotion on the heels of a 27-point night for the Red Claws; he’s appeared in 14 games with the Celtics this season.
  • The Thunder recalled Josh Huestis from the Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. Huestis, who will be active for this afternoon’s match-up against Portland, has made his just one NBA appearance in 2016/17, scoring seven points with four rebounds against the Bulls on February 1.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/4/17

Here are Saturday’s D-League assignments and recalls:

  • The Celtics assigned power forward Jordan Mickey to their affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Mickey has appeared in 14 games with the Celtics but didn’t get any playing time in the last three games.
  • The Hawks recalled rookie forward Taurean Prince from the Long Island Nets, according to a press release from the D-League team. Prince played for the Nets’ affiliate on Friday under the flexible assignment rule and tallied 16 points, four rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes at Greensboro. He’s played five games for the Nets’ D-League club and 29 games for the Hawks, averaging 3.4 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 10.1 MPG.
  • The Kings recalled center Georgios Papagiannis from their affiliate in Reno, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee tweets. The 7’2” center is averaging 12.9 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 2.3 BPG in 18 D-League games.
  • The Spurs recalled guards Bryn Forbes and Dejounte Murray from their affiliate in Austin, according to a team press release. The duo was sent down to get some game action. Forbes had 20 points and seven rebounds against Rio Grande on Friday night, while Murray racked up 19 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
  • The Bulls recalled rookie guard Denzel Valentine from the Windy City Bulls, according to a team release. Valentine averaged 30.5 PPG, 12.0 RPG and 7.0 APG in two games with Windy City.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/3/17

Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls:

  • The Hawks assigned Taurean Prince to the Long Island Nets via the flexible assignment rule, the team announced on its official website. The Nets have games scheduled tonight and tomorrow against the Greensboro Swarm, allowing Prince to pick up additional minutes before returning to Atlanta.
  • According to a team-issued press release, the Pistons assigned Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije to their D-League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive. Ellenson and Gbinije were each recalled on January 31, though neither player appeared in Wednesday’s game against the Pelicans. The Drive have games scheduled tonight and tomorrow against the Canton Charge and Raptors 905.

Eastern Notes: Plumlee, Baynes, Farmar, House

The Hornets took a major risk by acquiring center Miles Plumlee from the Bucks, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer opines. Charlotte needed to do something to improve its playoff chances but taking on Plumlee’s contract was a questionable move, Bonnell continues. Plumlee signed  four-year, $50MM contract with Milwaukee last summer and that’s a steep price for a backup center to Cody Zeller, Bonnell adds. The Hornets traded two other big men, Roy Hibbert and Spencer Hawes, in the deal. Hornets coach Steve Clifford and his staff have done well with reclamation projects such as Nicolas Batum and Jeremy Lin, Bonnell points out, providing some reason for optimism that the trade will pan out.

In other doings around the Eastern Conference:

  • Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said it’s “hardly a surprise” that backup center Aron Baynes intends to opt out of his contract this summer, Aaron McMann of MLive.com reports. Baynes holds a $6.5MM option and reportedly has been shopped, in part because he’s expected to enter the free agent market this summer. “We don’t want to lose him,” Van Gundy told McMann and other beat writers. “I would love to be able to bring him back here, I really would. But at the same time, we knew going into the summer that was going to be a possibility — and that’s why we went out and signed Boban (Marjanovic) a year in advance and we had money, because we anticipated it.”
  • Point guard Jordan Farmar stood out during the Cavaliers’ tryout of free agent playmakers on Wednesday and he’s willing to sign a 10-day contract to join the team, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon also reported that Farmar made the biggest impression. Farmar received assurances that if anyone from the workout would get an offer, he would be the choice, a source told McMenamin. Lance Stephenson, Mario Chalmers and Kirk Hinrich also participated in the workout and the latter two were looking for a contract for the remainder of the season, McMenamin continues. The Cavs would prefer to keep their options open prior to the trade deadline, rather than offering a guaranteed deal at this point, McMenamin adds.
  • Wizards swingman Danuel House will be assigned to the D-League if he’s cleared for full contact, J. Michael of CSNmidatlantic.com tweets. House, who has appeared in just one game with Washington this season, is progressing from a right wrist fracture that he suffered in November.