Dwight Powell Rumors | Hoops Rumors

D-League Notes: Vonleh, Young, Ledo

December 28th, 2014 at 5:10pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Hornets have assigned first round pick Noah Vonleh to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the D-League, according to the team’s twitter feed. The ninth overall pick of the 2014 draft will become one of the higher-profile players to play in the D-League. “We believe Noah would benefit greatly from additional game experience,” GM Rich Cho said in a press release. “He will be able to get that playing time through this D-League assignment.” Vonleh has only seen 8.0 minutes per game this season for Charlotte.

Here’s more from the D-League:

The Hornets are assigning Jeffery Taylor to the Austin Spurs for a D-League stint, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). The team has since confirmed the move in a press release. “As with [Vonleh’s] situation, we think that Jeffery will benefit greatly by getting additional game action,” Cho said in the release. “Our depth at the wing position has limited his minutes and this D-League assignment will allow him to get some valuable playing time.”
The Celtics have assigned James Young to the Maine Red Claws of the D-League, according to the team’s twitter feed. Young has battled a shoulder injury recently and the playing time for the Red Claws should help determine whether his body is ready for significant minutes. Young has only seen action in five games this season for Boston but has been efficient during his time, shooting 62.5% from the field.
The Mavs have recalled Ricky Ledo and Dwight Powell from the Texas Legends, the team announced via press release. Both players saw court time for the Legends during their one game D-League assignment. Ledo nearly recorded a triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in 35 minutes of action. Powell was impressive as well, recording 26 points in 38 minutes.
The Hawks have assigned Mike Muscala to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the D-League, the team announced via press release. This will be Muscala’s third assignment to the D-League this season. The second-year center has seen 9.4 minutes per game this season for Atlanta.

D-League Notes: Capela, Ledo, Powell, Magic

December 27th, 2014 at 3:18pm CST by Charlie Adams

As we wait to see if D-League standout Brady Heslip gets signed by an NBA club before he accepts an offer from a team overseas, let’s round up the latest from the NBA’s official minor league:

The Rockets have sent Clint Capela to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team announced on Twitter. The 25th overall pick from last June’s draft hasn’t been able to get much burn in Houston’s crowded frontcourt, tallying just 12 minutes of action this season, so he’ll have a better shot to demonstrate his skills in the D-League.
Ricky Ledo and Dwight Powell have been assigned to the Texas Legends, the Mavs announced. The pair will have a chance to see more time in the D-League than they otherwise would with the title hopeful group of veterans in Dallas.
Magic coach Jacque Vaughn made it clear that Orlando values the one-to-one affiliation that the team has with the Erie BayHawks, its D-League club, as John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com details. The Magic assigned Devyn Marble to the D-League yesterday in order to get him some playing time while recovering from an injury.

Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Sixers, Powell, Nets

December 20th, 2014 at 10:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Carmelo Anthony gave a familiar answer to a familiar question Saturday, insisting that the Knicks‘ losing won’t drive him out of New York, according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday. The Knicks are off to a disastrous 5-24 start, but Anthony says he isn’t second-guessing his decision to re-sign with the team as a free agent last summer and won’t demand to be traded. “I won’t do that,” he said. “As long as I can go out there and play, I always feel like any game that I’m in, we have a chance to win the basketball game. So I would never start thinking like that.”

There’s more from around the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers will continue their strategy of winning by losing, especially if they can keep collecting draft picks, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Pompey defends the team’s two most recent deals, which brought Philadelphia more second-round picks but cost the team Alexey Shved and Brandon Davies. He notes that Shved had been unhappy because of decreased playing time, while Davies was likely to lose minutes to the now-healthy Jerami Grant and the newly signed Furkan Aldemir.
Rajon Rondo wasn’t the only player the Mavericks coveted from the Celtics in Thursday’s blockbuster trade, reports A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. After watching center Dwight Powell in draft workouts last season, Dallas was determined to get him on the roster. “He can shoot threes, he can rebound, he can defend,” said Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. “He’s a stretch four in a lot of respects, a stretch five in a lot of respects, … and so that’s why he’s here. That’s why we wanted him.”
He might be the only one who considers it “fun,” but Nets coach Lionel Hollins is embracing the challenge of trying to win with an injury-limited lineup, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Brook Lopez is expected to miss his eighth straight game Sunday against the Pistons with a strained lower back, while Deron Williams is out with a right calf strain. “We’re working hard, we’re playing together, we’re laying a foundation,” Hollins said. “We’re just [shooting] ourselves in the foot sometimes with poor decisions. We got to get better at that, more disciplined on defense in our schemes, but I’m happy with our effort.”

Mavs Acquire Rajon Rondo

December 18th, 2014 at 8:52pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Mavericks have acquired Rajon Rondo from the Celtics, the teams announced in a pair of press releases. Also heading to Dallas in the swap is Dwight Powell. Boston receives Brandan Wright, Jae Crowder, Jameer Nelson, the Mavs’ 2015 first-rounder if it falls anywhere from No. 4 to No. 14, as well as a 2016 second-round pick. If Dallas doesn’t send out the first-round pick in 2015, it’ll be top-seven protected from 2016 through 2020. The Celtics create a trade exception worth $12,909,090, the equivalent of Rondo’s salary. To accommodate the transaction, which otherwise would have left the Celtics with 15 players, the Celtics waived Vitor Faverani. The unbalanced deal leaves the Mavs with an open roster spot.

“We would like to thank Rajon for everything that he has done for the Celtics organization and the success we have experienced during his tenure with us,” Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said in the team’s statement.

This deal came together rather quickly after a report revealed last night that Ainge was willing to deal Rondo. Numerous teams, including the Lakers, Rockets, Knicks, Kings, and Pacers showed immediate interest, though Ainge was said to be looking to deal Rondo to a Western Conference team if at all possible.

With Rondo set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and 2014 first-rounder Marcus Smart showing quite a bit of promise, trading Rondo instead of running the risk of losing him for nothing became Ainge’s best option. The Celtics had been hesitant to commit to the idea of a maximum-salary deal for Rondo, something he will likely be seeking in free agency. Rondo and his representatives have reportedly told the Mavericks that the Bill Duffy client would be inclined to sign a new deal with the team this summer, something that was likely a priority for Dallas before the team agreed to the swap.

The trade marks the end of Rondo’s eight-plus seasons in Boston, and signals that the Celtics are heading into a rebuilding phase rather than trying to retool and find another star player to pair alongside the 28-year-old guard out of Kentucky. Rondo’s career averages, all with the Celtics, are 11.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 1.9 steals. His career slash line is .473/.252/.614.

In adding Wright, the Celtics address one of their biggest weaknesses, which is interior defense. The 27-year-old big man is averaging 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game this season. His career numbers are 7.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 1.0 blocks per contest. His career shooting numbers are .610/.000/.686. Wright, who is making $5MM this season, will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Losing the 6’10” Wright leaves Dallas dangerously thin behind Tyson Chandler, which will be a concern going forward, and it could require the Mavs to make another roster move to correct the problem.

Crowder is a 24-year-old wing who is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. In a little over two seasons in the league, the former Cavs second-rounder has averaged 4.6 PPG and 2.3 RPG. His slash line is .411/.331/.710. He’ll likely compete with rookie James Young for playing time. There could be more minutes available if Ainge decides to deal Jeff Green, as he is reportedly contemplating, though Ainge has issued a denial about shopping him.

The 32-year-old Nelson has been nursing a strained shoulder this season, but has still appeared in 23 contests, all as a starter. He is making $2,732,000 this season and has a player option for 2015/16 for $2,854,940. It remains to be seen if he’ll assume the starting duties in Boston or if the team will hand over the reigns to Smart, whom they drafted with the No. 6 overall pick in this year’s NBA draft. Nelson’s career numbers are 12.4 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 5.3 APG. His career slash line is .441/.374/.817.

Receiving the 6’11” Powell isn’t likely to solidify the Mavs’ depth in the frontcourt. He is signed through next season, but his $845,059 salary for 2015/16 is non-guaranteed. In five games this season, the rookie is averaging 1.8 points in 1.8 minutes per game. Powell has spent more time in the D-League this year than with the big club in Dallas.

Faverani hadn’t appeared in a game this season, as he is still recovering from offseason surgery on his knee. The 26-year-old big man from Brazil is still at least a month away from being able to practice, and even further away from being ready for game action. In 37 career appearances, all with the Celtics, Faverani has averaged 4.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest. Faverani’s $2.09MM salary for this season will stick on Boston’s books, but the Celtics avoid paying his non-guaranteed salary of $2.18MM for next year.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images. Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link) first reported the deal. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports added that Powell would head to Dallas and that the Celtics would waive Faverani, as well as details about the protection on the first-rounder headed to Boston (All Twitter links). Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders noted that the Celtics would be able to create a trade exception (Twitter link).

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, De Colo, Celtics

December 11th, 2014 at 6:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

It might be time for the Knicks to end any thoughts of rebuilding the franchise around their existing core, and change their focus to completely tearing down their roster instead, Harvey Araton of The New York Times writes. The only thing that should prevent New York from doing so is if it can add a premier free agent next summer to partner with Carmelo Anthony, notes Araton. But team president Phil Jackson had admitted that he worries that this season’s disastrous turn will make New York an unattractive option to potential free agents like Marc Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge, both of whom the Knicks would love to sign, Araton adds.

Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Despite losing their last 10 games, the Knicks‘ biggest concern right now is Anthony’s left knee, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. According to Anthony, surgery is the last option that he will consider, Begley notes. “I’m not even looking forward to even discussing the surgery or anything like that,” Anthony said. “I’ll explore as many other options as I can before I go under the knife and get surgery. We really don’t know exactly what’s the problem.”
The Celtics have recalled James Young and Dwight Powell from the Maine Red Claws, their D-League Affiliate, the team announced. In Maine’s win over Delaware last night, Powell contributed 19 points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes of action. Young also dropped 19 points, including nailing five three-pointers in seven attempts.
The bad news regarding Young’s latest trip to the D-League is that he injured his shoulder and will be out indefinitely, Julian Edlow of WEEI 93.7 FM reports. “I guess his shoulder subluxed and they’re doing more tests to see the extent of the injury,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “Those can be very, very short-term things or they can be a little bit longer, but that’s the extent of what I know. He’s getting X-rays right now.”
The Raptors and other NBA teams reached out last summer to express their interest in Nando De Colo, who wanted to re-sign with Toronto, but those clubs were too late, since he’d already committed to sign with CSKA Moscow, David Pick Of Basketball Insiders reports.
The Knicks are unlikely to make any deals that would impact their cap space for next season unless they can acquire All-Star level player, Chad Ford of ESPN.com reports in his weekly chat.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Rondo, Celtics, Knicks

December 9th, 2014 at 11:05am CST by Chuck Myron

Raptors GM Masai Ujiri believes that he should let his team continue to grow, stocked as it is with plenty of young players around 28-year-old Kyle Lowry, as he tells Sportsnet’s Michael Grange. It’s more or less the same stance he’s taken ever since the Rudy Gay trade, which went down one year ago today,

“This is the time to let it sit and play itself out,” Ujiri said to Grange. “It’s not the time to play poker, not now.”

Of course, deception is often the key to a skilled poker player, and the Raptors have reason to act now if they’re going to make a move, since a trade exception worth more than $4.583MM that’s left over from the Gay trade expires at the end of today. Nonetheless, it seems only logical to take Ujiri at his word with the Raptors at 16-5 heading into tonight’s clash with the Cavs. Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:

Scouts and player personnel officials tell Shaun Powell of NBA.com that Rajon Rondo is no longer the sort of player who can command a blockbuster return in a trade. That’s mostly because of a market flooded with quality point guards, Powell writes, wondering if the Celtics would have received more if they had traded Rondo around the time of this year’s draft.
The Celtics have sent rookies James Young and Dwight Powell to the D-League again, the team announced (Twitter link). It’s the fifth time that each has been on assignment to the Maine Red Claws this season. Young and Powell are the top two scorers for Boston’s D-League affiliate, checking in at 23.3 and 22.3 points per game, respectively.
Phil Jackson is being careful not to step into coach Derek Fisher‘s territory, but closer interaction between the Zen Master and Knicks players couldn’t hurt, opines Marc Berman of the New York Post.

Atlantic Notes: Pierce, Covington, Knicks

December 7th, 2014 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Paul Pierce will always be a Celtic, no matter what uniform he wears, Clippers coach Doc Rivers told Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. Pierce will make his first trip to Boston today as a member of the Wizards. He spent last season with the Nets before accepting a $5.3MM offer from the Wizards with a $5.5MM player option for next year. “He’s a Celtic playing for other teams,” said Rivers, who coached Pierce for nine years in Boston. “That’s exactly the way I look at Paul. I’ll never look at him as a Wizard. That’s just not going to happen. He’s just a Celtic playing for the Wizards, and we all know that.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics have recalled Dwight Powell and James Young from the D-league, the team announced in a press release. Powell is averaging 22.3 points and 11.0 rebounds in three games with the Maine Red Claws, while Young is averaging 23.3 points and 6.8 rebounds.
The Sixers‘ Robert Covington is seizing the opportunity he has in Philadelphia, writes Max Rappaport of Sixers.com. The second-year forward had 25 points in Detroit Saturday as Philadelphia picked up its second win of the season. Covington signed with the Sixers November 15th after being waived by the Rockets before the season started. “I have my sights set on everything that I want to do to prove that I belong here,” he said. Covington is under the Sixers’ control through the 2017/18 season.
There’s plenty of blame to be shared for the Knicks‘ 4-17 start, opines Al Iannazzone of Newsday. He cites a mediocre roster assembled by team president Phil Jackson, questionable decisions from first-year coach Derek Fisher and a lack of production at the point guard, power forward and center positions.

Eastern Notes: Irving, Parker, Van Gundy, Celtics

December 6th, 2014 at 2:49pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Lost amidst all the publicity surrounding the Cavs with LeBron James making his return to Cleveland was just how important it was for the team to sign Kyrie Irving to a contract extension, Terry Pluto of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. The Cavs needed Irving to be “all in” so that they could attract James and other free agents, which is why the team pushed to get Irving to re-sign for the maximum five years, Pluto adds.

Here’s the latest from the East:

If Jabari Parker continues to develop his game, the Bucks will have landed a player whose talent is on par with Paul Pierce and Carmelo Anthony, two players whom Parker’s game has been compared to, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops writes. “I think Parker will end up closer to Pierce later in his career,” an Eastern Conference scout told Scotto. “I think the comparisons fit better when Anthony is playing a small four instead of the three. I think Jabari is going to have success in the league more as a small four than a three.”
Re-signing with the Celtics is Rajon Rondo‘s free agent preference this summer, but if that scenario falls apart, then Los Angeles would move to the top of the point guard’s list, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com says in a video report.
Pistons president and head coach Stan Van Gundy wasn’t very flattering of himself when assessing the job that he has done in Detroit thus far, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “If I were only the president, I’d fire the coach,” Van Gundy said. “Clearly I’m not doing a great job. I need to coach guys. I need to make sure we’re getting to things quicker. I need to take responsibility for things going on.” Detroit is off to a 3-16 start this season, which ranks the Pistons 14th in the Eastern Conference.
James Young and Dwight Powell of the Celtics have been re-assigned to the Maine Red Claws, the team announced. This is the fourth D-League assignment of the season for both players. The Red Claws are scheduled to take on the Sioux Falls Skyforce this evening.

D-League Notes: Celtics, Smith, Ledo

December 5th, 2014 at 7:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Mavs reaped a subtle benefit when the Thunder decided to keep Ish Smith instead of Sebastian Telfair when their 16th roster spot expired last week, as Gino Pilato of D-League Digest explains. The Mavs affiliate, by D-League rule, inherited top waiver priority once Smith, who left the Mavs affiliate to sign with Oklahoma City on November 7th, spent his 21st day on the Thunder’s NBA roster, as Pilato points out. Thus, the Legends were able to grab Ivan Johnson even though Dallas didn’t have his D-League rights when he signed with the league earlier this week.

Here are the latest D-League moves:

The Celtics have recalled James Young, Dwight Powell, and Marcus Smart from their D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, the team has announced. The trio make their return after seeing action in Maine’s victory against Fort Wayne last night. Young poured in 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Powell contributed 21 points. Smart, making his D-League debut, added six points, five boards, and dished out seven dimes.
Russ Smith has been assigned to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pelicans have announced. Smith has appeared in three contests for New Orleans, going scoreless in his 3.7 minutes per game. The rookie averaged 5.0 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in six preseason games for the Pelicans this year. Smith is the first player that New Orleans has assigned to the D-League this season.
The Pistons have assigned Tony Mitchell to their D-League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive, David Mayo of MLive reports (Twitter link). This will be Mitchell’s third trip to the D-League this season.
Ricky Ledo has been reassigned to the Texas Legends, the Mavs‘ D-League affiliate, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets. This is Ledo’s third such assignment, and in four games with the Legends Ledo has averaged 11.5 points and 2.8 assists.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

D-League Notes: McGary, Ledo, Celtics

December 4th, 2014 at 7:25pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The D-League is becoming an integral part of the NBA’s process of developing younger players, as well as a source for locating hidden gems to bolster rosters during the course of the season. You can easily stay on top of which players are coming and going from the D-League all season by checking out our 2014/15 D-League Assignments, Recalls tracker, which is updated daily. You can also find this page anytime on the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.”

Here are the latest D-League moves:

The Thunder have re-assigned Mitch McGary to the Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced via Twitter. This is the big man’s second trip to the D-League this season. McGary has yet to appear in an NBA regular season game since being selected with the No. 21 pick in this year’s NBA draft.
Ricky Ledo has been recalled by the Mavericks from the Texas Legends, where he was on his second D-League assignment of the season, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com reports (Twitter link). In four appearances for the Legends, Ledo has averaged 11.5 points and 2.8 assists while logging 33.3 minutes per contest.
The Celtics have assigned Dwight Powell, James Young, and Marcus Smart to the Maine Red Claws, the team announced. This will be Powell’s and Young’s third excursion to Maine, and Smart’s first. All three rookies are likely to be recalled to Boston on Friday, notes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com.