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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.”

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/12/16

November 12th, 2016 at 10:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Saturday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA, with the D-League’s regular season underway:

10:51pm:

The Raptors have recalled Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet from Raptors 905, the team tweeted.

2:46pm:

The Thunder recalled forward Josh Huestis from the Oklahoma City Blue, they announced via press release. Huestis played 31 minutes in the Blue’s opener on Friday night, notching eight points, 10 rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes against the Maine Red Claws.
The Mavericks assigned rookie center A.J. Hammons to the Texas Legends, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets. The 7-footer has seen spot duty in three games with Dallas. The second-round pick will be available for the Legends’ season opener Saturday night against the Red Claws.

Warriors Rumors: Durant, Curry, McGee, Jones

November 12th, 2016 at 1:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Retaining both Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant beyond this season could prove difficult for the Warriors under the next CBA agreement, Dan Feldman of NBCSports.com examines in great detail. While the provisions in the new labor deal are unclear, Durant might have to leave money on the table to re-sign with Golden State, or opt in and take the $27.7MM salary in the final year of his two-year contract, in order to keep the Super Team together. As a non-Bird free agent if he opts out, Durant would likely have to take less than the max to stay put because of cap-space constraints, Feldman continues. The amount of cap space available will depend in part on the cap hold for Curry, who will become an unrestricted free agent next summer, and the hold could be significantly greater in the new CBA, Feldman explains. Max salary tiers could also rise, complicating the process even further, Feldman adds.

In other news regarding the Warriors:

Coach Steve Kerr wants to give reserve center JaVale McGee increased playing time, Anthony Slater of the San Jose Mercury News reports. McGee sparked the team in his first chance to play rotation minutes against the Nuggets on Thursday, contributing 10 points, three rebounds and two blocks in 15 minutes. “We’re looking at the first part of the season as somewhat experimental,” Kerr told Slater and other reporters. “We haven’t really given him a chance yet. You could see he gives us a dimension that we don’t have, throwing it up to the rim for a lob, which provides you extra spacing.” McGee was signed to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract in September. His $1.4MM salary becomes fully guaranteed if he’s still on the roster January 10th.
Rookie center Damian Jones is expected to join the Warriors’ D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz on November 20th and make his season debut there five days later, according to Connor Letorneau of the San Francisco Chronicle. The late first-round pick underwent surgery in June for a torn right pectoral muscle, which he suffered during a weight-lifting session. He is one of four centers on the NBA roster, along with McGee, Zaza Pachulia and Anderson Varejao, but Jones could spend much of the season in Santa Cruz. “He’s a kid, he’s a rookie, and it takes a while to get to know this league and understand how to be productive,” Kerr told Letorneau .“We’re not being overly hopeful for him to step in and play right away.”

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

November 11th, 2016 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA, as the D-League enters the opening weekend of its regular season:

The Kings have assigned their three 2016 first-round picks to the D-League, announcing today in a press release that center Georgios Papagiannis, forward Skal Labissiere, and guard Malachi Richardson were all sent to the Reno Bighorns. The trio has combined to play just 29 total minutes for Sacramento so far, so it makes sense that the club would send them to Reno, where they should have a chance to log plenty of game action.
The Thunder have assigned former first-rounder Josh Huestis to the Oklahoma City Blue, the club confirmed today in a press release. Huestis is expected to suit up for OKC’s D-League squad for its season opener Friday night against the Maine Red Claws.

Edy Tavares To Join Raptors’ D-League Affiliate

November 11th, 2016 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Hawks big man Edy Tavares, waived by Atlanta earlier this season, is nearing an agreement to join Raptors 905, Toronto’s D-League affiliate, reports international basketball journalist David Pick (via Twitter). If and when Tavares officially signs, he’ll remain an NBA free agent, as the Raptors would only hold his D-League rights.

Players can’t sign outright with D-League teams, instead signing a D-League contract and entering the league’s player pool, where teams can claim them. As D-League Digest tweets, the Northern Arizona Suns, the club with the top waiver priority in the D-League, claimed Johnny O’Bryant today. With the move, the Raptors’ D-League squad has moved up to the top waiver spot, giving them the opportunity to land Tavares, per Chris Reichert of The Step Back (Twitter link).

The 43rd overall pick in the 2014 draft, Tavares joined the Hawks for the 2015/16 season, appearing in just 11 games and averaging 6.6 minutes per contest. The 24-year-old Cape Verde native also made 29 D-League appearances, averaging 9.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 3.3 BPG in 21.6 minutes per game. The Hawks decided to move on from him earlier this year when they needed an opening on their 15-man roster to sign Ryan Kelly.

Tavares received interest from the Spanish club FC Barcelona, according to a recent report, and likely would’ve had other opportunities overseas if he chose to pursue them. His decision to head to the D-League instead suggests he hopes to get another shot with an NBA team.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/10/16

November 10th, 2016 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

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

The Knicks have recalled guard Ron Baker and center Marshall Plumlee from Westchester, the club announced today (via Twitter). The duo participated in a D-League exhibition game on Wednesday against Brooklyn’s affiliate, with Baker scoring 26 points en route to a Knicks win.
The Celtics have assigned rookie guard Demetrius Jackson to the Maine Red Claws, the club announced today (via Twitter). Like most assignments so far this season, Jackson’s will likely be a brief one, designed to get him some extra practice time.
The Pelicans have assigned forward Cheick Diallo to the Austin Spurs via the flex assignment rule, according to Chris Reichert of The Step Back.
The Nets assigned forward Chris McCullough to the Long Island Nets, the club announced via press release. McCullough has appeared in three games for Brooklyn this season, averaging 0.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 5.7 minutes per game.

Hawks To Purchase, Control D-League Affiliate

November 9th, 2016 at 3:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks, along with the city of College Park, are set to make a major announcement at a Thursday afternoon press conference, the team confirmed today in a press release. According to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter), the franchise is set to announce that it will purchase and control a D-League affiliate, which will play in College Park.

Currently, 22 NBA teams are affiliated with D-League squads. The remaining eight NBA clubs, including the Hawks, can still assign players to the D-League, but they don’t have control over which team of those 22 affiliates their players are sent to, and don’t have the opportunity to closely monitor and coach those players. It is expected that all 30 teams will eventually own and operate their own D-League affiliates, though that’s probably still at least a few years away.

In addition to the Hawks, the teams without their own D-League affiliates include the Nuggets, Clippers, Bucks, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Trail Blazers, and Wizards. Those eight clubs were unable to designate affiliate players from among their training camp invitees earlier this month.

Because the city of College Park doesn’t have an arena ready to be used immediately, the Hawks’ D-League team isn’t expected to begin play until the 2019/20 season, after a new arena is built.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/8/16

November 8th, 2016 at 10:35pm CST by Luke Adams

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

10:35pm:

The Knicks have assigned Ron Baker and Marshall Plumlee to their D League affiliate in Westchester, Ian Begley of ESPN.com tweets. The duo are expected to participate in the team’s scrimmage against the Nets’ affiliate on Wednesday, Begley adds.
The Thunder have recalled Huestis from their D-League affiliate, the team announced via press release.

2:51pm:

The newest member of the Bulls, R.J. Hunter, has been assigned to the team’s D-League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, according to a press release. Hunter signed with Chicago during the first week of the regular season after being cut by Boston, but has yet to appear in a game for the Bulls.
For the second time in two days, the Nets assigned Chris McCullough to the Long Island Nets to practice with the D-League squad, then recalled him later in the day, the club announced in a pair of press releases. McCullough is expected to be active for Brooklyn’s game tonight against the Timberwolves.
Josh Huestis, who recently changed agents, was assigned to the Oklahoma City Blue today by the Thunder to participate in the D-League team’s practice. The Thunder issued a press release confirming the move.

And-Ones: Fizdale, Jefferson, Thompson

November 8th, 2016 at 10:09pm CST by Eddie Scarito

New Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale has drawn rave reviews from a number of his former players, including Mike Miller, who says Memphis hit the jackpot by hiring the former Heat assistant this offseason, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post relays. “He’ll do a great job because he can communicate,” Miller said. “At this level it’s becoming that, it’s communicating with your players and obviously being organized. He’s going to take that same culture that was in Miami. He’s from the Pat Riley [coaching] tree, you know he’s going to be organized and prepared. For him, the biggest challenge will be coaching the personnel and not the system. That’s going to be his challenge, but I think he’ll do a phenomenal job.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Cory Jefferson, who was in training camp with the Cavaliers this year, has signed a contract to join the D-League, Adam Johnson of D-League Digest reports (via Twitter). Jefferson’s rights are currently held by the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s affiliate, Johnson adds.
Also signing a D-League contract is Mychel Thompson, whose rights are held by the Santa Cruz Warriors, Johnson relays (via Twitter). Thompson has played parts of the last three seasons with the Warriors’ affiliate. He also appeared in 14 games with Pallacanestro Varese of Italy last season before rejoining Santa Cruz.
Former Relativity Sports executives Happy Walters and Josh Swartz are launching a new venture, Catalyst Sports & Media, an agency that will focus on representing athletes who play basketball, soccer and esports, Ian Thomas and Liz Mullen of The Sports Business Journal report.

Southwest Notes: Stephenson, Diallo, Grizzlies

November 8th, 2016 at 6:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans have gotten some negative feedback from around the league for their decision to waive Lance Stephenson, writes Scott Kushner of The Advocate. Stephenson was let go after suffering a serious groin injury on Saturday that is expected to sideline him for several weeks. With New Orleans already missing Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans and Quincy Pondexter, the team needed to open a roster spot to sign Archie Goodwin. With only $100K of his contract guaranteed, Stephenson was an obvious candidate.

The Pelicans are obligated to pay Stephenson his full salary while he is injured and have pledged to help with his recovery, but they haven’t escaped criticism for the way they handled the situation. “Remember this is a business,” Kings forward Matt Barnes posted on Instagram. “When you can no longer serve your purpose, these teams cut you, trade you or bury you on the bench. Case in point, Lance gets hurt playing and needs surgery now, so instead of supporting him and helping him get healthy, they cut him.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Pelicans plan to send rookie power forward Cheick Diallo to the D-League this week for more playing time, tweets Jennifer Hale of WVUE Fox 8 in New Orleans. Diallo has appeared in just one game so far, getting six minutes of action.
Grizzlies coach David Fizdale is still deciding whether to give more minutes to Andrew Harrison or Wade Baldwin, tweets Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Harrison has been getting more playing time lately and has started two games with Tony Allen nursing a knee injury. “Wade had been struggling and I’ve got two young point guards,” Fizdale said. “Neither one has solidified that spot.”
The Mavericks are off to a slow start, but owner Mark Cuban has too much at stake financially to give up on this season, contends Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News. The Mavericks draw about 20,000 fans for each home game, which Gosselin believes will only keep happening if they stay in the playoff race. Dallas picked up its first win Sunday after starting the season with five straight losses.