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

February 3rd, 2017 at 5:49pm CST by Milo Taibi

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

February 2nd, 2017 at 10:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

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.

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

February 2nd, 2017 at 5:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

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

The Pistons recalled forward Henry Ellenson and guards Michael Gbinije and Darrun Hilliard from their affiliate in Grand Rapids, Rod Beard of the Detroit News tweets. That trio was assigned to the Drive on Wednesday to get some game action. Hilliard scored 29 points against Westchester, while first-round pick Ellenson racked up 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Gbinije, a 2016 second-rounder, went scoreless in 30 minutes.
The Thunder once again assigned forward Josh Huestis to the Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. Huestis has started 21 games for the Blue, averaging 13.9 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 32.4 MPG. Huestis made his season debut with the Thunder on Wednesday, scoring seven points in seven minutes against the Bulls.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/1/17

February 1st, 2017 at 10:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

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

The Pistons sent Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije to their Grand Rapids affiliate, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Shooting guard Darrun Hilliard, who has appeared in just 26 games this season, was also sent down after requesting the move as a way to see game action (Twitter link). “He just wanted to play,” said coach Stan Van Gundy.

John Jenkins To Play In D-League

February 1st, 2017 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After being waived by the Suns last month, veteran shooting guard John Jenkins has reportedly signed a D-League contract. According to Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (Twitter link), the Westchester Knicks, New York’s NBADL affiliate, have claimed Jenkins off waivers.

When an intriguing player become available in the D-League, a team with a high waiver priority will sometimes claim that player with the intention of flipping him to another club for an asset, so it’s not clear if Jenkins will remain with Westchester. So far, the club has not officially confirmed the move, so we’ll have to wait and see whether he remains a D-League Knick.

Wherever he ends up, it appears Jenkins will get an opportunity for more playing time than he ever received in the NBA. A first-round pick in 2012, Jenkins spent three seasons with the Hawks before splitting time between Dallas and Phoenix over the last couple years. In 145 career NBA games (12.8 MPG), the former Vanderbilt standout averaged 5.1 PPG on .448/.364/.849 shooting. He was cut by the Suns this season before his full 2016/17 salary became guaranteed.

Jenkins, who will turn 26 next month, received more minutes and put up better numbers during brief D-League stints with the Bakersfield Jam, Fort Wayne Mad Ants, and Idaho Stampede throughout his career — in 17 D-League games, he averaged 19.7 PPG and 4.3 RPG.

And-Ones: Draft, Doncic, Villanueva, BIG3

February 1st, 2017 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

In the view of NBA general managers and scouts, The league’s 2017 draft is poised to be the strongest in a decade, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider-only link), who has updated his big board with profiles of this year’s top 30 prospects. Washington guard Markelle Fultz remains atop Ford’s board, though he acknowledges that it’s no slam dunk that Fultz will be the No. 1 pick in June. Lonzo Ball and Josh Jackson, other candidates for that top spot, held their respective positions at Nos. 2 and 3, while Dennis Smith and Jonathan Isaac moved up to round out Ford’s top five.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Givony’s latest prospect profiles for The Vertical include a player who may be the early frontrunner to come off the board first in the 2018 draft. According to Givony, 17-year-old Luka Doncic is making waves in Europe with his play for Real Madrid this season, having become the youngest player to secure a rotation spot for a Euroleague team since Ricky Rubio in 2007. And so far, Doncic’s production is blowing away Rubio’s, Givony writes.

Let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world…

After appearing in 62 games last season for the Mavericks, longtime NBA big man Charlie Villanueva didn’t re-sign with Dallas or land with a new team in free agency. However, Villanueva doesn’t appear to be ready for retirement yet. The 11-year veteran issued the following tweet on Tuesday: “I want back in #NBAcomeback.”
Rashard Lewis and Jason Williams will co-captain one of the eight BIG3 teams this summer, according to a press release from the league. The team featuring Lewis, Williams, and three additional players will be known as the 3 Headed Monsters.
Cliff Alexander, who was in camp with the Magic in the fall and has spent the season with Orlando’s D-League affiliate, was traded on Tuesday. According to a press release, the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s NBADL affiliate, acquired Alexander from the Erie BayHawks in exchange for Long Island’s third-round pick in 2017. In 22 D-League games this season for Erie, the Kansas product has recorded 11.9 PPG and 8.0 RPG.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/31/17

January 31st, 2017 at 6:59pm CST by Luke Adams

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

6:59pm:

The Grizzlies have assigned Wade Baldwin to their D-League affiliate, the team announced via a press release on their official website. Baldwin has averaged 13.3 points and 5.7 assists in 26.5 minutes per game in 13 previous games for the Iowa Energy.
The Pistons have recalled Henry Ellenson, Darrun Hilliard and Michael Gbinije from their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. In eight games with the Grand Rapids Drive this season, the rookie big man has averaged 18.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

1:33pm:

The Rockets have assigned rookie forward Kyle Wiltjer to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Wiltjer had been with the NBA club for the last two and a half weeks, but has been inactive in each of Houston’s games, so he should get a chance to play with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
Joel Bolomboy has been sent back to the Salt Lake City Stars by the Jazz, the team said today in a press release. Bolomboy’s assignments this season generally haven’t lasted long, so the rookie will likely return to the Jazz soon.
The Nets have assigned Chris McCullough to the D-League, according to a press release from the team. McCullough has played sparingly for Brooklyn this season, but has been one of Long Island’s standout contributors, averaging 19.0 PPG and 8.0 RPG in 25 games.

Hawks’ NBADL Affiliate To Play In Erie For Two Years

January 31st, 2017 at 11:12am CST by Milo Taibi

JANUARY 31: The Hawks have officially announced in a press release that they’ll take control of a D-League team in Erie for the next two seasons before relocating to College Park for the 2019/20 campaign.

JANUARY 23: The Hawks are in the final stages of an agreement to operate the Erie BayHawks in the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. This development comes on the heels of a report from NBA.com’s Scott Howard-Cooper during last week’s D-League Showcase in Ontario.

The BayHawks will serve as a placeholder for Atlanta, whose permanent D-League team in College Park, Georgia is expected to begin operations in 2019/20. The Hawks will supplant the Magic as Erie’s NBA affiliate, as Orlando has a deal in place to move its D-League affiliate to Lakeland, Florida.

The Hawks, who currently use the D-League’s flexible assignment system, haven’t been tied to any one particular NBADL team this season, assigning players to the Salt Lake City Stars, Long Island Nets, and Delaware 87ers.

With the Hawks and Timberwolves expected to gain control of current D-League teams while the Grizzlies and Magic move their operations elsewhere, the NBADL should feature at least 24 teams for the 2017/18 season.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/30/17

January 30th, 2017 at 10:01pm CST by Luke Adams

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

10:01 pm:

The Bulls have assigned Denzel Valentine to their D-League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, according to a team press release. The rookie scored 24 points while adding eight assists and seven rebounds in his only D-League appearance this season.
The Clippers have assigned Diamond Stone to the Salt Lake City Stars, according to the team’s website. The franchise does not have its own D-League affiliate, so it will use the league’s flex assignment rule.

2:05 pm:

The Pelicans have taken advantage of the flexible assignment rule by sending rookie big man Cheick Diallo to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Because New Orleans doesn’t have its own NBADL affiliate, Diallo will join the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s D-League club.
The Raptors have assigned Bruno Caboclo to the D-League, according to the team (Twitter link). The Raptors 905 will play in Canton tomorrow, though it’s not clear if Caboclo’s assignment will last that long, given how often he has been shuttled up and down this season.
Pistons youngsters Henry Ellenson, Darrun Hilliard, and Michael Gbinije have been sent to the Grand Rapids Drive, per a press release issued by the club. The trio hasn’t seen a ton of action for the NBA team this season, but has combined to average 57.2 total PPG in D-League action.

And-Ones: Players Association, Campazzo, Fredette, Neal

January 30th, 2017 at 7:23pm CST by Milo Taibi

Several NBA players and coaches (including Steve Kerr, Stan Van Gundy, Kyle Lowry, and Luol Deng) have launched criticisms of President Trump’s executive order banning entry to the U.S. of all refugees. Most recently, the NBA Players Association lent their voice to the conversation, releasing the following statement to members of the press:

“Anything that might compromise our players’ freedom as members of the global basketball community is a cause of concern for the NBPA,” relayed USA Today reporter Jeff Zillgitt. “With that in mind, we have been working diligently to gather all available information regarding the recent executive order on immigration and its potential affects on our players. We’ve also been in regular contact with the players who could be impacted, and we will continue to monitor the situation very closely.”