NBA G League Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Ben Bentil To Play In China

November 18th, 2016 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

After appearing in just a single D-League game for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, rookie power forward Ben Bentil is headed to China as an injury replacement, according to Adam Johnson of D-League Digest, who adds (via Twitter) that Fort Wayne is expecting Bentil back later in the season.

It has been an eventful offseason for Bentil, who left Providence after his sophomore year to enter the NBA draft, then was selected 51st overall by the Celtics. Boston, however, had a crowded roster and didn’t have room for Bentil — the team hoped to send him to its D-League affiliate in Maine after giving him a $250K guarantee. Instead, Bentil briefly signed with the Pacers – who gave him a $50K guarantee – and joined Indiana’s D-League affiliate in Fort Wayne.

In his first and only contest with the Mad Ants, Bentil led the club to a blowout victory with a team-high 27 points and 10 rebounds in 45 minutes. Just a few days later though, it appears he has received a more enticing offer from a Chinese team.

Terms of Bentil’s new deal aren’t known, but if it’s a standard CBA contract, he’ll be in China until at least February, and potentially longer than that if his team makes a postseason run. Dakota Schmidt of Ridiculous Upside tweets that Fort Wayne expects Bentil back in about two months, so the 21-year-old may not play the full CBA season.

Because he was waived by Celtics, Bentil’s NBA rights are no longer held by Boston, meaning he could be picked up by any of the league’s 30 teams upon his return if he impresses overseas.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/17/16

November 17th, 2016 at 2:21pm CST by Luke Adams

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

The Hornets have assigned a pair of players to the D-League, announcing today in a press release that guard Aaron Harrison and forward Christian Wood have been sent to the Greensboro Swarm. Harrison and Wood have each only appeared in a single game for Charlotte this season, but if they remain with the D-League squad until Friday night, they should get plenty of minutes for Greensboro in the team’s game against the Raptors 905.
Rakeem Christmas, who spent a good chunk of his rookie season in 2015/16 with Fort Wayne, has been assigned to the Mad Ants for the first time this season, the Pacers announced today in a press release. It’s not clear how long the assignment will last.
The Raptors have once again assigned Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet to their D-League affiliate, and with the NBA team headed on a nine-day road trip, Caboclo and VanVleet could have a longer stay with the Raptors 905 this time around, writes Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic.

Bucks’ D-League Decision Expected Soon

November 17th, 2016 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks recently announced that they’ll purchase and control a D-League franchise, making them the 23rd NBA team to get an affiliate. An announcement on a 24th D-League team could come soon, according to Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times. Bucks president Peter Feigin tells Woeflel that the club is expected to make a decision on a home for its D-League affiliate “before Thanksgiving.”

As Woefel details, the Wisconsin cities of Racine, Oshkosh, and Sheboygan have been cited as the candidates to become the home of the Bucks’ potential D-League affiliate, so the chosen city won’t be far from Milwaukee. Feigin confirmed that all three locations remain in the mix.

According to Woelfel, Racine officials – including Mayor John Dickert – have been negotiating with the Bucks for more than a year about the possibility of the team’s D-League squad playing in the city. Dickert, who says that Racine native Caron Butler could get involved as an investor if the Bucks decide to move forward with the city, intends to pursue an arena project regardless of the club’s decision, since he hopes to attract a minor league hockey team.

[RELATED: D-League affiliations for 2016/17]

Over the summer, Adam Johnson of D-League Digest made a case for why the Bucks should strongly consider Sheboygan for the home of their D-League affiliate.

And-Ones: Gee, Douby, Favors, Love

November 16th, 2016 at 10:57pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Nuggets coach Mike Malone believes the addition of Alonzo Gee brings “defensive versatility”, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. “I’ve been a fan of him from afar for many years,” Malone said. The team signed Gee on Tuesday.

Here’s more from around the league:

Quincy Douby has signed in the D-League and will play for the Westchester Knicks, Chris Reichert of The Step Back reports (Twitter link).
Derrick Favors‘ MRI confirmed a bone contusion on his left knee and he won’t play for the Jazz in Thursday’s game, according to the team’s website. Utah didn’t provide a concrete timetable for Favors’ return.
Kevin Love has no regrets about signing his five-year contract with the Cavs, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal writes. Love could have signed a one-year deal during the summer of 2015 and positioned himself to take advantage of this past summer’s exploding salary cap. Instead, Love chose security over taking a risk to maximize his earnings. “When it’s your time [to sign], it’s your time. You’ve got to figure it out,” Love said. “Maybe the shoulder had something to do with it, but you’ve got to think about risk adversity. How much risk do you want to take? Knowing I could be with this team, locking in for five years, it was an easy choice.”

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/16/16

November 16th, 2016 at 4:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

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

The Sixers have recalled Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Jerryd Bayless from the Delaware 87ers, tweets Derek Bodner of PhillyMag. Luwawu-Cabarrot, a first-round pick, was sent down Tuesday, and Bayless was assigned Monday as part of an “ongoing rehabilitation program” as he recovers from a left wrist injury.
The Wizards will be sending rookie guard Danuel House to the 87ers, according to J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. Washington doesn’t have a direct affiliate in the D-League.
The Thunder have recalled rookie power forward Josh Huestis from the Oklahoma City Blue, tweets Fred Katz of The Norman Transcript. Huestis has appeared in five games with the Thunder.
The Celtics have announced that they’re bringing back point guard Demetrius Jackson from the Maine Red Claws (Twitter link). Jackson played three games with Maine, averaging 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.3 steals.
The Lakers have assigned rookie center Ivica Zubac to the L.A. D-Fenders, the D-League team announced (Twitter link). He is expected to play Thursday night.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/15/16

November 15th, 2016 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

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

One of the Sixers‘ two first-round picks this year – Ben Simmons – has yet to make his debut with the team due to a foot injury, and now Philadelphia’s other first-rounder is headed to the D-League. The 76ers announced today in a press release that they’ve assigned rookie Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to the Delaware 87ers.
The Spurs assigned Dejounte Murray to the D-League today, just in time for the rookie guard to play in the Austin Spurs’ Tuesday afternoon victory over the Reno Bighorns. Murray flirted with a triple-double in the win, posting 14 points, 10 rebounds, and a team-high seven assists. He was recalled by San Antonio after the game.
Former first-round pick Josh Huestis was assigned to the Oklahoma City Blue again today by the Thunder, the team announced in a press release. Huestis is expected to suit up for OKC’s D-League squad tonight against the Salt Lake City Stars.
The Knicks have assigned rookie big man Marshall Plumlee to their D-League affiliate in Westchester, and he’s expected to play for the team on Wednesday night against Greensboro (Twitter link).

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/14/16

November 14th, 2016 at 11:55am CST by Luke Adams

Here are Monday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA. This list will be updated throughout the day as new moves are reported or announced.

11:55am:

The Spurs have recalled Davis Bertans, Bryn Forbes, and Dejounte Murray from the Austin Spurs, the team announced today in a press release. All three players appeared in Austin’s season opener on Sunday, with Bertans and Murray combining for 40 points.
R.J. Hunter has been recalled from the D-League by the Bulls, according to a press release from the team. Hunter averaged 17.0 PPG in two games for the Windy City Bulls this weekend, but will likely travel with Chicago on the team’s upcoming road trip.
The Raptors have recalled Bruno Caboclo from the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Toronto’s D-League affiliate, Raptors 905, doesn’t open its season until this Friday, but once the team’s schedule begins, Caboclo could start spending more time in the D-League.

9:43am:

The Sixers have assigned Jerryd Bayless to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. Veterans typically aren’t sent to D-League squads, but Bayless is recovering from a left wrist injury, and joining the Delaware 87ers is part of the veteran guard’s “ongoing rehabilitation program,” according to the Sixers. The move signals that Bayless should be nearing a return to the court.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/13/16

November 13th, 2016 at 10:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

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

The Mavericks have recalled rookie center A.J. Hammons from the Texas Legends, the team announced today in a press release. Hammons has appeared in three games for Dallas and has nine points.
The Spurs sent Davis Bertans, Bryn Forbes and Dejounte Murray to their Austin affiliate in time for the team’s season opener today. Bertans has appeared in seven games with the Spurs, Forbes has been in six games and Murray has played in five games.
The Nets have recalled Chris McCullough from their affiliate in Long Island, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. He has appeared in three games for Brooklyn with two points and six rebounds.
The Rockets sent rookie Kyle Wiltjer to their affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. He has seen just six minutes of action in three games with Houston.

Eastern Notes: Vogel, Pistons, Wizards

November 13th, 2016 at 4:47pm CST by Will Joseph

Magic coach Frank Vogel expects the atmosphere to be emotional when he returns to Indianapolis Monday night to coach against the Pacers for the first time, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes. The Pacers decided not to renew Vogel’s contract in May after a first round exit from the playoffs, and president of basketball operations Larry Bird said at the time that the team needed a new voice. Vogel amassed a 253-187 regular-season record and a 31-30 postseason record with the Pacers. His teams twice reached the Eastern Conference finals. Orlando is 3-6 so far under Vogel.

Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference:

The Pistons recalled Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije on Sunday from the Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit’s D-League affiliate, Aaron McMann of MLive.com relays. NBA Development League affiliate on Sunday. The two rookies will re-join the Pistons on Monday for their game against the Thunder.
After spending more a good chunk of money over the summer to beef up the bench, frustration is mounting in Washington because of a lack of production from the Wizards‘ second unit, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post writes. The Wizards bench has a minus-11.2 net rating so far this season, as Buckner points out. Summer acquisitions Ian Mahinmi, who is out rehabbing from knee surgery, and Andrew Nicholson, who has not played in three of the last four games, have not helped the cause.

Central Notes: Marjanovic, Ellenson, Thompson

November 12th, 2016 at 10:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Boban Marjanovic didn’t play at all in his return to San Antonio Friday, which has been a familiar story in his time with the Pistons, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. The 7’3″ Serbian came to Detroit this summer when the Spurs elected not to match a three-year, $21MM offer sheet. He has gotten off the bench in just four of the team’s first nine games and is averaging 4.5 minutes in those. Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said the team wants to see Marjanovic become more aggressive offensively. “In the preseason, he fit well. He’s a very good offensive player and highly skilled,” Van Gundy said. “He’s unselfish, almost to a fault. There’s times he could use his size and be dominant down there offensively, but he really likes to pass the ball — which promotes good team play — but at the same time, we want him to use his offensive skills.”

There’s more tonight from the Central Division:

Van Gundy is closely monitoring the progress of rookies Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije, who were sent to the D-League during the Pistons’ western road trip, Beard notes in the same story. The organization wanted them both to get expanded playing time, at least 30 minutes per night, during their time in Grand Rapids. Ellenson was told to focus on his defensive development. “He knows [defense] is his ticket to getting on the floor [with the Pistons],” Van Gundy said. “He’s very confident, as we are, in his offensive skills.”
Tyronn Lue‘s lineup juggling is resulting in fewer fourth quarter minutes for Tristan Thompson, writes Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. Lue still recognizes Thompson’s value as a defender, but he wants to have more shooting on the floor at the end of games, so Kevin Love has been playing center alongside Channing Frye.
The Pacers’ 4-6 start may be a result of all the roster changers over the offseason, according to Jordan J. Wilson of The Indianapolis Star. Indiana traded for two new starters in Jeff Teague and Thaddeus Young and added Al Jefferson, Aaron Brooks and Kevin Seraphin as free agents. The team also hired a new coach in Nate McMillan. “We’re trying to figure out how to play with one another,” Paul George said. “We’ve got guys who don’t want to step on guys’ toes. It might call for that at this point. We need guys to step up and be confident.”