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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/7/17

January 7th, 2017 at 10:11pm CST by Austin Kent

Here are the D-League assignments and recalls from Saturday:

10:11pm:

The Bulls have recalled forward Bobby Portis from their Windy City affiliate, the team announced in a press release. Portis had 32 points and nine rebounds in Friday’s game.
The Spurs have recalled rookie guard Dejounte Murray from their affiliate in Austin, the team posted on its website. Murray is coming off a 25-point performance Friday and is averaging 16.6 points per game in 12 D-League contests. He has played 18 games for San Antonio, getting 5.6 minutes per night.
The Pacers have recalled Georges Niang from their Fort Wayne affiliate, according to the team’s website. He connected on five 3-pointers and scored 23 points in his last game for the Mad Ants.

2:07pm:

The Suns have recalled Derrick Jones Jr., according to a team-issued press release. Jones comes off of his fourth assignment to the club’s D-League affiliate this season.
The Lakers have assigned center Ivica Zubac to the D-League, reports Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times via a team press release. Zubac has already played 11 games for the team’s affiliate, averaging 15.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
The Nuggets have recalled Juan Hernangomez from their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. Hernangomez appeared in just one game for the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

11:30am:

The Sixers have reassigned Richaun Holmes to their D-League affiliate, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Holmes, who hasn’t played since mid-December, was recalled from the Delaware 87ers on Thursday morning.
The Thunder have recalled guard Cameron Payne, the team announced on Twitter. The second year man will look to make his season debut after missing the first two months with a broken foot.

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

January 1st, 2017 at 8:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

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

8:45pm:

The Hawks assigned Mike Scott to the Long Island Nets, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Because Atlanta doesn’t have a direct D-League affiliate, he was sent to Long Island through the flexible assignment rule. Scott missed training camp and the start of the regular season with a knee injury, so the Hawks want to get him some playing time. The Nets have games on Monday, Wednesday and Friday this week. This is Scott’s third D-League assignment this season.
The Thunder are hoping to get playing time for Cameron Payne, who was assigned to Oklahoma City Blue today, the team announced on its website. Payne hasn’t played yet this season because of a broken foot.

Injury Notes: Stephenson, Payne, Black

January 1st, 2017 at 4:53pm CST by Will Joseph

Free agent guard Lance Stephenson is ahead of his schedule and could be ready from a groin tear by mid-January, barring a setback, Chris Haynes of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The Pelicans waived Stephenson in early November after he suffered the injury. The Pelicans drew criticism at the time for the move, but it seemed like the team would be open to re-signing him when he gets healthy. Stephenson was expected to miss about 10 weeks following his groin surgery in early November, so Haynes’ reports suggests his return is a couple weeks ahead of schedule. Stephenson, who won a roster spot after the preseason, averaged 9.7 points and 4.8 assists in 27 minutes per game in six contests this season.

Here is more from around the league:

Cameron Payne has been assigned to the D-League for the next few days to complete his rehab and his unofficial targeted return date is January 7th, Royce Young of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Payne has yet to make his 2016/17 debut for the Thunder because of a broken foot.
Lakers backup center Tarik Black is available to play, but has not been on the court since mostly recovering from an ankle injury suffered in early December because coach Luke Walton wants to ease him into the rotation, Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times relays. Black was was an integral part of the Lakers’ second unit before his injury, as Ganguli points out, so once Black is fully healthy, it would seem reasonable to expect a return to action.

Victor Oladipo Won’t Require Surgery

December 20th, 2016 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

Victor Oladipo injured his right wrist when he took a hard fall to the court during the Thunder’s December 11 game against Boston, and hasn’t played since then, with the team losing three of its four games in his absence. According to head coach Billy Donovan, Oladipo still “can’t do anything with his right hand right now,” but he won’t need to go under the knife to fix the problem, per Erik Horne of The Oklahoman.

“Based on the MRI he went through, based on our medical team consulting with the doctor, there’s no need for surgery,” Donovan said. “He’s got swelling. He’s got discomfort. He has a lack of mobility. He has pain when he’s in certain positions. … My understanding is that if he really forces this thing and tries to come back too fast, it could be something that’s going to be prolonged.”

As the Thunder wait for one of their primary backcourt playmakers to get healthy, they also may getting closer to welcoming back another. A weekend report indicated that Cameron Payne, who has yet to make his 2016/17 debut due to a broken foot, has a chance to return before the end of the calendar year, perhaps on December 29 against his hometown Grizzlies. However, Donovan responded to that report by telling reporters, including Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman, that there’s still no specific timetable for Payne’s return.

“I’ve not heard [that Payne will debut on December 29] or anything else like that, and I know that our medical staff wouldn’t do that, because there’s steps that he has to go through in order ever to be cleared to play,” Donovan said on Sunday, per Dawson. “He’s at a point where he’s doing more. Certainly he’s feeling fine. I think that the recovery and rehabilitation is going well. There’s been no setbacks to where we want him to be.”

With Oladipo and Payne out of the lineup, the Thunder have been leaning even more heavily on Russell Westbrook, who poured in 46 points on Monday night after recording a triple-double with 22 assists on Saturday.

Northwest Notes: Payne, Westbrook, Arthur, Wolves

December 18th, 2016 at 11:39am CST by Arthur Hill

The Thunder are nearly ready to bring back Cameron Payne from a fractured foot, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN. Haynes mentions December 29th in Memphis as a possible season debut for the second-year point guard. Payne suffered the injury to the fifth metatarsal on his right foot early in training camp. He had Jones fracture surgery on the foot in July, but opted to let it heal on its own this time. Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan said there is still no set date for Payne to return. “Part of the reason I haven’t given a timetable is because they can’t give me a timetable,” Donovan said of the team’s medical staff. “And to be honest with you, I don’t really ask them a lot of that stuff. I trust what’s going on. They give me an update of how guys are progressing and where they’re at, what they’re doing. I try to be supportive of the player, try to spend time with the player.” Payne averaged 5.0 points and 1.9 assists in 57 games during his rookie season.

There’s more news from the Northwest Division:

Russell Westbrook is ESPN’s Marc Stein’s choice as Most Valuable Player in the Western Conference. Westbrook has taken on an expanded role in the wake of Kevin Durant‘s departure for Golden State and is averaging a triple double per night through the first third of the season. He leads the league in scoring at 30.4 points per game to go along with 11.0 assists and 10.5 rebounds. Westbrook’s stellar play has helped the Thunder remain playoff contenders, just one game back of Utah in the Northwest standings.
With the Nuggets now fully healthy, coach Michael Malone wants to shorten his rotation, according to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Malone plans a limit of 10 players per game, and the first casualty of that decision is Darrell Arthur, who was informed this week that he will no longer receive regular playing time. “The word that Darrell used, and it hits the point, is sacrifice,” Malone said. “Can’t play 15 guys, and Darrell Arthur is a guy that’s proven to be a very good player in this league, but he sacrifices for his team and supports everybody that is playing. So you have to be selfless and support each other along the way.” The 28-year-old forward is in his eighth year in the league and his fourth in Denver. He is under contract for $7,464,912 next season and has a player option for the same amount in 2018/19.
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is preaching patience in the face of a disappointing start, relays Sid Hartman of The Star Tribune. Minnesota made a coaching change and overhauled its front office during the offseason, but has a 7-19 record after Saturday night’s collapse in the final minutes against Houston. “Well, let’s say that I was hopeful they would get off to a better start,” said Taylor. “Even in all the games they have played, you can see the exceptional talent that we have, and the ability to win. But for some reason or another, which I don’t have an answer for, we just have a terrible quarter in each game and get ourselves so far behind that it’s hard to pull it out. I’m hopeful that we’re getting it figured out.”

Latest On Rudy Gay

December 14th, 2016 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder, Pacers, and Rockets are among the teams that have expressed interest in trading for Rudy Gay, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who weighed in on Gay during a podcast with Bobby Marks.

Within a discussion on trade candidates and possibilities, Wojnarowski suggested that the Kings are “going to have to move” Gay before the 2017 deadline, comparing the situation to Ryan Anderson‘s in New Orleans a year ago. Anderson made it clear that he wouldn’t be re-signing with the Pelicans, but the team kept him anyway, and ultimately lost him for nothing — Sacramento can’t afford to do the same thing with Gay, in Wojnarowski’s view.

According to Wojnarowski, the Thunder had fairly serious talks with the Kings about Gay earlier in the year, and “maybe got pretty close to something” involving Cameron Payne. However, Payne suffered a major foot injury in early October, derailing – or at least postponing – those talks. The Pacers have also shown interest in Gay, while Wojnarowski classifies the Rockets’ interest as “periphery,” which makes it sound as if they’re monitoring the situation but perhaps haven’t actively pursued the veteran forward.

The odds of a Gay deal happening before the deadline seem good, and as of Thursday, more than 120 players around the NBA will become trade-eligible, leading to more discussions. Still, nothing is imminent at this point, and the veteran forward will have to get healthy first. He’s listed as out for tonight’s game due to a right hip flexor strain.

Thunder Exercise Options On Huestis, Payne

October 29th, 2016 at 5:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Thunder have exercised their third-year options on Josh Huestis and Cameron Payne, according to RealGM.

Huestis, a 6’7″ power forward, was the 29th pick in the 2014 draft. He spent almost the entire past two seasons in the D-League, appearing in just five games for the Thunder, averaging 2.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 11.0 minutes per night.

Oklahoma City drafted Payne with the 14th pick in 2015. The 6’3″ point guard played in 57 games for OKC during his rookie season, averaging 5.0 points and 1.9 rebounds in 12.2 minutes of action.

Huestis will make $1,242,840 in 2017/18, and Payne’s salary will be $2,203,440. They were the Thunder’s final two rookie scale option decisions for this season.

Wolves Keeping Ricky Rubio For Now

October 19th, 2016 at 7:06pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Wolves are turning away trade offers for Ricky Rubio until they see how Kris Dunn performs, Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical reports. Coach Tom Thibodeau doesn’t anticipate Dunn taking over as the starting point guard position until approximately 20 games into the season, Wojnarowski adds. Until then, Rubio will be the team’s starter and remain on the roster, barring a substantial offer.

Several teams have expressed interest in Rubio, with the Kings being the most determined to land the 25-year-old. Sacramento has been looking to acquire a young point guard to lead the team for some time. It’s not clear what the Kings are willing to offer, but the team was engaged in serious trade talks with the Thunder on a deal that would have sent Rudy Gay to Oklahoma City in exchange for Cameron Payne. Those talks broke down after Payne injured his foot last month, sources tell Wojnarowski.

Thibodeau is determined to win games and make the playoffs this season. Such thinking could factor into what transactions the franchise makes this year.

Rubio, who has three years and slightly under $43MM left on his contract, has been solid during his time in Minnesota. Yet, Dunn has a much higher upside and it’s only a matter of time before Rubio takes a backseat to the rookie, as I discussed in Minnesota’s Offseason In Review.

Injury Updates On Ben Simmons, Cameron Payne

October 4th, 2016 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

First overall pick Ben Simmons underwent successful surgery to repair an acute Jones fracture on the fifth metatarsal of his right foot, the Sixers announced today in a press release. Word of Simmons’ foot injury first broke on Friday, with reports over the weekend suggesting the forward was likely to undergo surgery.

Within their announcement today, the Sixers didn’t provide a timetable for Simmons’ recovery and potential return, suggesting that additional information will “be provided as available and when appropriate.” However, reports have indicated that the 20-year-old will likely be sidelined for three months, and there are whispers that agent Rich Paul may want his client to sit out the entire season to be safe.

Meanwhile, another young prospect with a foot injury, Thunder guard Cameron Payne, won’t go under the knife. According to Royce Young of ESPN.com (Twitter links), the Thunder will have Payne sit for six to eight weeks before being re-evaluated. though surgery could still be an option if the bone isn’t healing properly.

Payne underwent Jones fracture surgery to his right foot in July but recovered quickly and was cleared to practice when training camp opened. He went through full contact during Oklahoma City’s first two days of practice before suffering another foot fracture during a scrimmage last Tuesday.

Atlantic Notes: Simmons, VanVleet, Rose

October 1st, 2016 at 9:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers should consider sitting out Ben Simmons for the entire season while he recovers from foot surgery, argues Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. It would be the same strategy the team used for Nerlens Noel and twice for Joel Embiid, and it would ensure that Simmons is fully recovered before making his NBA debut. An X-ray revealed that Simmons has a Zone 2 fracture, which is more commonly called a Jones fracture. With that type of break comes a greater chance of another fracture occurring. Pompey compares Simmons’ situation to that of Oklahoma City guard Cameron Payne, who had surgery on a Jones fracture July 25th, then got hurt again Tuesday in training camp, breaking the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. A similar injury cost Kevin Durant most of the 2014/15 season.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Fred VanVleet is trying to forget about his draft snub as he works to earn a spot on the Raptors‘ roster, relays Mike Ganter of The Toronto Sun. VanVleet was a leader on some very successful teams at Wichita State, but didn’t have the standout athletic ability that impresses scouts. “When you line me up as an athletic prospect against the best guys in the world, I’m not going be very high on that board,” he said. “But when we are taking about basketball players? I’ll just say sometimes you have to evaluate what you are looking for. I don’t trust that everybody knows what they are talking about. Those guys get paid to do what they do and I’m not questioning anybody who didn’t draft me. It is what it is. I ended up in a great place in a great situation.” With Delon Wright still recovering from a shoulder injury in summer league, VanVleet has a chance to make the Raptors as a backup point guard.
Derrick Rose‘s $21.5MM civil sex assault trial begins Tuesday, but he plans to be with the Knicks for a preseason game in Houston, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. “I’ll figure out anything a little bit later when I get into the city, but for right now they are allowing me to just be with the team,” Rose said. “I haven’t heard anything legal-wise.” In his first year with the Knicks after a summer trade, Rose said he had his best camp ever.
Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek has been impressed by Spanish center Willy Hernangomez, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Hornacek said the 22-year-old Hernangomez, who signed with the team in July, “looks like he’s a 10-year vet out there in terms of his calmness when he’s playing.”