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NBA Hires Rod Strickland As Manager Of G League Professional Path Program

November 21st, 2018 at 12:22pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The NBA has hired Rod Strickland to lead its G League professional path program, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports. The program will offer elite prospects the option to bypass the NCAA and earn a salary of $125K to play in the G League.

Strickland, who played for in the NBA for 17 years, and Allison Feaster, who previously graduated from Harvard and played in the WNBA, will oversee a group that identifies high-level prospects eligible for the program. Wojnarowski notes that Feaster will also oversee the broader implementation of the program.

All graduating high school players are already able to make themselves eligible for the G League draft. However, only elite prospects will be eligible for the higher. non-traditional salary. Feaster and Strickland will be judicious when selecting prospects eligible for the program.

“First and foremost, we want to make it clear that they won’t be searching out any player already committed to school,” Feaster told Woj. “We will focus on players who are undecided. As Rod moves into the market, he’ll have interactions with organizations and potential parents. Initially, it’ll be those who reach out to us and want more information on the professional path.

“It will be elite prospects with a readiness for a professional league. We want to target players who would not be going to a university if it weren’t for the NBA eligibility rule. That’s more or less what’s going to dictate this.”

It’s not yet clear how the G League will distribute the prospects to its teams. The NBA is still considering several factors, including whether a specific team has interest in taking these players and whether it makes sense to have regional geography play a role, Wojnarowski adds.

NBA teams normally have the rights to players it drafts in the G League. These professional path players won’t be eligible to be called up to the NBA (they will have to enter the following year’s NBA draft), meaning NBAGL organizations may be tasked with developing a player they could never see suit up for their respective pro clubs. Wojnarwski notes that teams still recognize the value in getting a chance to get a closer look at top prospects.

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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/20/18

November 20th, 2018 at 9:46pm CST by ChrisCrouse

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

  • The Spurs have assigned Chimezie Metu to the team’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, according to their website. Metu has seen action in nine NBA games this season, averaging 6.0 per contest.
  • The Timberwolves have assigned Keita Bates-Diop to the Iowa Wolves, per the team’s Twitter feed. This is Bates-Diop’s second G League stint this season.
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Knicks Notes: Knox, Lee, Burke, Jenkins

November 20th, 2018 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks had some concerns about Kevin Knox‘s motor heading into the 2018 NBA draft, and while they were thrilled to land the young forward with the ninth overall pick, those concerns continue to linger 10 games into his NBA career, writes Mike Mazzeo of The New York Post.

According to head coach David Fizdale, the Knicks are working on that aspect of Knox’s game, showing him moments on film where he could have made a cut, run harder, or done something else with his athleticism. For his part, Knox agrees that there’s room for improvement in that area.

“That’s something I’m working on,” Knox said of his motor, per Mazzeo. “A lot of people told me that coming out of college, but that’s not something that’s going to fix overnight. I have to get in shape, get conditioning, compete every day in practice. I think most of it is just competing offensively and defensively. But there’s games when my motor is good, I just got to get it consistent and play at a high level.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

  • Fizdale hasn’t hesitated to shake up his starting lineup in the early going this season, having already gone through five different lineups in 17 games. With the Knicks mired in a five-game losing streak, more changes may be coming to the starting lineup soon, writes Steve Popper of Newsday.
  • Courtney Lee, who continues to recover from a neck issue, started doing contact drills this week and is getting closer to returning to action, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Lee figures to be a prime candidate this winter if he’s healthy.
  • Knicks point guard Trey Burke has changed agents, having hired Sam Permut of Roc Nation Sports for representation, per Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Burke, who is playing on a minimum salary contract this season, will be an unrestricted free agent in 2019.
  • John Jenkins was waived by New York last month after spending training camp with the club, but he has looked great in the G League for the Westchester Knicks, averaging 29.6 PPG with a scorching .526/.528/.949 shooting line. He’d love to get a shot to join the Knicks’ NBA roster, as he tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. “Anywhere I can get a real opportunity and chance to play at this stage of my career,” Jenkins said. “It would be great to be in the Knicks uniform and play at Madison Square Garden. That’s a dream come true for a lot of kids. They’re the team I want to play for. Hopefully I can make that happen.”
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And-Ones: All-Star Game, White, Holland, Carmelo

November 19th, 2018 at 9:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he would discuss holding a future All-Star Game in the city of Detroit with Arn Tellem, the vice-chairman of the Pistons, Gregg Krupa of the Detroit News reports. The Pistons are playing their second season at Little Caesars Arena, which is also the home of the NHL’s Red Wings. “I’m sure we’ll be talking about it,” Silver said during a business trip to the city. The state of Michigan hasn’t seen an All-Star Game since 1979, when it was held in the Pontiac Silverdome. The Pistons’ former home, The Palace of Auburn Hills, never hosted the event.

We have more news from around the basketball world:

  • Former Heat and Cavaliers big man Okaro White is close to signing with Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to a Eurobasket.com report which was relayed by Sam Amico. White appeared in six games with Miami last season after seeing action in 35 games with the Heat the previous season. The Cavaliers signed him to 10-day contracts last season but he didn’t play. He was waived by Cleveland in August and then by the Spurs in October after joining them for training camp.
  • The G League’s Austin Spurs acquired the returning rights to guard John Holland and a 2019 second-round pick from the Canton Charge, the Cavs’ affiliate, in exchange for small forward Jaron Blossomgame, according to a press release from the G League club. Holland had a two-way contract with the Cavaliers last season and played 24 games, posting an average of 2.3 PPG in 7.3 MPG. Holland appeared in one game this season with the Cavaliers before being waived on November 9th. Blossomgame, the Spurs’ second-round pick in 2017, spent the last two seasons with Austin but has yet to make his NBA debut.
  • The Warriors, Sixers, Lakers and Pelicans are the most likely landing spots for Carmelo Anthony once he’s waived by the Rockets, Matt Eppers of USA Today opines. Anthony could help each of those teams to varying degrees, mainly as a second-unit player.
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/19/18

November 19th, 2018 at 8:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

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

  • The Magic assigned rookie guard Melvin Frazier Jr. to Lakeland, the team’s PR department tweets. Frazier, a second-round selection, has appeared in two games with the Magic and three with Lakeland, where Frazier has averaged 7.3 PPG in 23.6 MPG. Lakeland plays the Austin Spurs on Tuesday.
  • The Pacers assigned center Ike Anigbogu to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, according to a team press release. The 2017 second-round pick has appeared in one game for the Pacers this season and four for the Mad Ants. He’s averaging 10.5 PPG and 10.0 RPG for the G league club.
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/18/18

November 18th, 2018 at 8:04pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

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

  • The Magic recalled rookie wing Melvin Frazier from their Lakeland affiliate, according to the team’s PR department (via Twitter). Frazier has only appeared in two games for the Magic so far this season.
  • The Pistons recalled Henry Ellenson, Khyri Thomas and Bruce Brown from the Grand Rapids Drive, according to a press release from the team.
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/17/18

November 17th, 2018 at 2:29pm CST by clarkcrum

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

  • The Bucks have assigned both guard Sterling Brown and big man Christian Wood to the Wisconsin Herd for tonight’s game against the Windy City Bulls, per the team’s official Twitter feed.
  • Nearly two weeks after being assigned to the G League, the Pacers have recalled center Ike Anigbogu back to the team, according to an official press release. Anigbogu has appeared in four games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Indiana’s G League affiliate, averaging 10.5 points and 10 rebounds per game.
  • The Suns have recalled rookie point guard Elie Okobo from their G League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns, per a release from the team. In his first-career assignment, Okobo averaged 18.5 points, 9.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals in two games.
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/16/18

November 16th, 2018 at 6:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Friday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Pistons have assigned third-year forward Henry Ellenson and rookie guards Khyri Thomas and Bruce Brown to the Grand Rapids Drive, Keith Langlois of the team’s website tweets. That will allow the trio to play in two Drive home games this weekend, Langlois notes. The Pistons are in the midst of a rare four-day layoff and there’s no need for any of them to remain with the NBA club during that stretch.
  • The Celtics have recalled center Rob Williams, forward Guerschon Yabusele and guard Brad Wanamaker from the Maine Red Claws, the team’s PR department tweets. All three started in the Red Claws’ loss to Raptors 905 on Thursday, combining for 52 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists.
  • The Magic have assigned guards Isaiah Briscoe and Melvin Frazier Jr. to Lakeland, allowing them to get some game action against Greensboro on Friday, the Magic’s PR department tweets. Briscoe, an undrafted point guard, has played five games with Orlando this season. Frazier, a second-round pick in June, has seen action in two NBA games.
  • The Grizzles recalled rookie guard Jevon Carter for the team’s morning shootaround, re-assigned him to the Memphis Hustle for afternoon practice, then recalled him once again in time for the team’s game against the Kings on Friday, the team’s PR department tweets. Carter, an early second-rounder, is still looking to make his NBA debut.
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/15/18

November 15th, 2018 at 9:57pm CST by JD Shaw

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

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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/14/18

November 14th, 2018 at 7:11pm CST by clarkcrum

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

  • The Bucks have assigned Sterling Brown to their G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, per the team’s website. Brown, who has appeared in seven of the Bucks’ 13 games so far this season, is averaging 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 5.8 minutes per game.
  • According to the team’s official Twitter account (link), the Celtics assigned rookie big man Robert Williams to their G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. In his lone career G League contest thus far, Williams scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
  • The Jazz have recalled Raul Neto one day after assigning him to the Salt Lake City Stars while he works his way back from injury, the team tweeted this evening.
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