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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/27/16

November 27th, 2016 at 7:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

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

Forwards Anthony Bennett and Chris McCullough were recalled by the Nets after being assigned to Long Island earlier today for the D-League team’s game against Grand Rapids, the team announced in an email. Bennett had 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while McCullough put up 15 points and nine rebounds.
The Raptors have recalled Jakob Poeltl, Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet from Raptors 905, according to The Toronto Sun. All three had been sent down to participate in Satuday’s game against Maine.
The Spurs assigned rookie guards Dejounte Murray, Bryn Forbes and Nicolas Laprovittola to Austin, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio News-Express. They are expected to be recalled in time for San Antonio’s game on Tuesday.
The Pelicans have recalled rookie forward Cheick Diallo from Austin, the team announced in an email. He has played six games in the D-League and just one for New Orleans.
The Mavericks recalled rookie center A.J. Hammons from the Texas Legends, according to an email from the team. He was assigned Saturday for a game against Salt Lake in which he scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds.
The Bulls have recalled forward/center Cristiano Felicio and guards Jerian Grant and R.J. Hunter from their Windy City affiliate, the team announced in an email.

Atlantic Notes: Davis, Ainge, Brown, Poeltl

November 16th, 2016 at 3:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics play-by-play announcer Mike Gorman isn’t a believer in the Anthony Davis to Boston trade rumors. Speaking on the Toucher and Rich radio show, Gorman said neither Davis or the Pelicans are interested in a trade. “Joel Meyers, who’s been around the league forever and is a great play-by-play guy who does New Orleans, [told Brian Scalabrine] and I . . . ‘No shot [Davis is] leaving.’ There’s no shot he’s leaving. He is anchored to New Orleans, loves New Orleans, loves living there and wants to ultimately be the leader of a good team in New Orleans,'” Gorman said. “Well, good luck to him if that’s the case, because that’s going to take a while.” Gorman also doesn’t think DeMarcus Cousins or James Harden would be a good fit with the Celtics.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge speeded up the rebuilding process by making 19 trades since coach Brad Stevens was hired in July of 2013, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com. Forsberg analyzes all 19 deals and finds that Ainge got at least equal value in return every time.
A coaching change in Philadelphia would be a mistake, argues Marcus Hayes of The Philadelphia Daily News. Hayes states that Brett Brown can’t be judged fairly until Joel Embiid has time to develop his game, the minutes restrictions are lifted on Embiid and Jahlil Okafor and the Sixers acquire a decent starting point guard.
Jakob Poeltl and fellow rookie Pascal Siakam have already been used as starters by the Raptors, notes Spencer Davies of Amicohoops. It’s a unique position for young players to get that opportunity on a team coming off the conference finals, and Poeltl addresses that topic in a wide-ranging interview. “It’s great for us to be out there and get the chance to learn,” he said. “Obviously, we had some injury problems — like, that played into it — but it’s great for [coach Dwane Casey] to be like, ‘Okay you know, I’ll give these young guys a chance. Let’s see what they’ve got.’ I think that shows a lot about him.”

Atlantic Notes: Poeltl, Rose, Noel, Olynyk

November 6th, 2016 at 6:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jakob Poeltl got his first NBA start tonight, but the Raptors rookie was already ahead of schedule, writes Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. The ninth pick in the NBA draft, Poeltl quickly moved up in the rotation after injuries to Jared Sullinger and Lucas Nogueira. A knee contusion to center Jonas Valanciunas pushed Poeltl into emergency starting duty, but the 7-footer has shown signs that he’s ready for the challenge. “How hard he plays, his physicality, how big his hands are once he gets the ball on his hands, his IQ is definitely there and the more experience he gets, the better he is going to be,” said teammate DeMar DeRozan. “He’s got that toughness when he’s out there playing, it’s great. That resilience and (he’s) willing to learn.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Knicks newcomer Courtney Lee questioned the team’s defensive practice habits last week, and now his backcourt partner is blasting the game effort, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Derrick Rose cited poor communication on defense after New York let a 13-point lead get away in this afternoon’s loss to Utah. “I always said it’s our defense with our team that will spark everything,’’ Rose said. “Our defense is everything. Offensively we’re going to be fine. It’s definitely everybody being on a string, everybody communicating, everybody on the same page.’’ Lee claimed the Knicks are weak on defending pick-and-rolls because they only practice against the triangle.
Now that Sixers power forward Nerlens Noel is assured of being a restricted free agent next summer, he could be a tempting target for the Celtics, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Washburn says the Boston front office has been fans of Noel for some time and likes the idea of pairing him with Al Horford.
The Celtics decided against giving an extension to Kelly Olynyk because they want to see if he can stay healthy for a whole season and if he responds to having a defined role, Washburn notes in the same piece.
The Celtics let R.J. Hunter go before the start of the season in part because of a crowded roster, but some of his former teammates in Boston believe he will develop as a sharpshooter if given the opportunity, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald writes. Hunter signed with the Bulls in late October after the Celtics waived him. The 23-year-old appeared in 36 games for the Celtics last year and made several trips to the D-League.

Will Joseph contributed to this posting.

Atlantic Notes: Dudley, Nets, LeVert, Poeltl

September 25th, 2016 at 10:57am CST by Arthur Hill

Jared Dudley was interested in joining the Celtics in free agency this summer, but the team didn’t reach out to him, relays Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. Dudley, who averaged 7.9 points per game and shot 42% from 3-point range last season with the Wizards, has ties to the area as a Boston College alumnus. Instead, he accepted a three-year, $30MM offer from Phoenix. “Boston never contacted me, but I made it known I was interested in them,” Dudley said. He added that the Celtics may not have believed they had a role for him because they want to give playing time to first-round pick Jaylen Brown.

There’s more news this morning from the Atlantic Division:

Power forward shapes up as the Nets‘ best position battle heading into training camp, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Free agent additions Trevor Booker and Luis Scola will compete for time at the position, along with second-year player Chris McCullough. “A good thing about our situation, I think we have versatile bigs,” said new coach Kenny Atkinson. “I don’t think [of] Scola simply as a four. I’m thinking of Luis Scola as a four and five. I’d even say that with Trevor Booker. Trevor Booker, why can’t he take another step as a player with more responsibility and the talent he has? We look at these guys, we’re looking upside.”
The Nets plan to be very patient with the health of rookie Caris LeVert, Lewis adds in the same piece. The first-round pick out of Michigan has broken his left foot multiple times and is still recovering from a Jones fracture. LeVert wasn’t able to use a treadmill until July and is limited to strengthening exercises as camp opens. “We’ll be progressing him slowly and building him in,’’ said GM Sean Marks. “He hasn’t played in six months, so it’s been intermittent for the last couple years with him. … He has a long, long road ahead of him.”
Jakob Poeltl should be part of the Raptors‘ rotation at the start of the season, writes Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders. In the site’s season preview for Toronto, Hamilton calls Poeltl the team’s best offseason acquisition, citing his footwork, rebounding instincts and international experience.

Raptors Sign Jakob Poeltl, Pascal Siakam

July 9th, 2016 at 1:07pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Raptors announced via press release that they have signed 2016 draftees, Jakob Poeltl (No. 9 overall) and Pascal Siakam (No. 27 overall). Both players inked rookie scale deals that have them under contract through the 2017/18 season, with two team option years to follow. The exact financial terms of the arrangements were not relayed by Toronto in the release.

Poeltl spent two seasons at the University of Utah before making the jump to the pros. He was the 2016 Pac-12 Player of the Year and an Associated Press second-team All-American. Poeltl averaged 17.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 36 games this past season.

Siakam, 6’9″, played two seasons at New Mexico State. He averaged 20.3 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 34 games in 2015/16 and was a unanimous choice as Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year this past season.

Atlantic Notes: Rose, Noah, Crawford, Rodriguez

June 25th, 2016 at 7:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

Now that Derrick Rose is with the Knicks, his first priority will be convincing former Chicago teammate Joakim Noah to join him, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Noah is a New York City native who will become an unrestricted free agent Friday, and the Knicks have an obvious need at center after trading Robin Lopez to the Bulls to acquire Rose. “Oh, I want him, he knows that,” Rose said of Noah. “I think his family knows that. I think everyone knows that. Even [Thursday] night I was talking to him about it and it’s the same way. He’s in a position where he got injured twice last year. It was his contract year and he’s got to figure what he wants to do, so I can’t get mad with the decision he will make soon or whenever he makes it. He knows that I would want to play with him.”

Rose said he may change his policy about free agents in general and become an active recruiter for the Knicks. He also alluded to his own free agency next summer, saying, “I hope I’ll be able to play the rest of my career here, but we’ll have to see how this one year goes.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Returning to the Knicks is becoming a viable option for Clippers free agent Jamal Crawford, according to Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year has supporters inside the Knicks organization and he has interest in joining the team. “I’m not talking about any one team, but everyone knows how I feel about New York,” Crawford said. “I really enjoyed my time there.” He was with the Knicks from 2004 to 2008, before being traded to Golden State. Crawford, 36, earned $5.675MM last season with the Clippers, who own his Bird Rights and have expressed a desire to re-sign him.
The Nets are the favorites to reach a deal with Spanish point guard Sergio Rodriguez, tweets international journalist David Pick. The 30-year-old Rodriguez has prior NBA experience with the Blazers, Kings and Knicks.
The Raptors will continue their search for a power forward, either through free agency or trades, writes Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. Toronto gained depth in the front court by drafting Jakob Poeltl at No. 9 and Pascal Siakam at No. 27, but the team still doesn’t believe it has its starting power forward on the roster. Thirty-six-year-old Luis Scola, who started 76 games this season, will be an unrestricted free agent. The Raptors would also like to pick up more outside shooters, Wolstat notes, especially if they have to trade Terrence Ross to get a power forward.
Poeltl was a back-to-the basket center in college, but he’s trying to improve his shooting range to fit the modern NBA game, Wolstat relays in the same piece. “I’ve started shooting a lot more, and I’ve noticed some quick improvement,” Poeltl said. “So I really hope I can be or become a better shooter fast and stretch the floor a little more.”

Eastern Notes: Noah, Butler, Beal

June 25th, 2016 at 9:00am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Wizards have interest in adding Joakim Noah in free agency and it was reported on Friday that the team may be willing to offer Noah a maximum-salary contract. However, a league source tells J.Michael of Comcast Sportsnet (Twitter links) that the team will not be offering him the max, calling the rumor “absolutely ridiculous.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Bradley Beal will not participate in the Olympic games this summer, as he explains on his Twitter Feed. Beal only appeared in 55 games for the Wizards this past season due to an injury to his right fibula.
The Bulls received several proposals for Jimmy Butler on draft night including the Celtics‘ package of Jae Crowder, the No. 3 pick and the No. 16 pick for the All-Star, sources tell K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
The Raptors had Jakob Poeltl higher on their draft board than roughly half of the prospects whom were selected ahead of him, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. Toronto selected Poeltl with the No.9 pick in Thursday’s draft, meaning the team presumably had the center within its top-5.

Hawks Shopping First Round Picks

June 22nd, 2016 at 3:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Hawks, who now hold the No. 12 and No. 21 overall picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft, are shopping both selections in an effort to free up more cap flexibility to re-sign center Al Horford this summer, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). Horford, 30, is set to become an unrestricted free agent and is likely to be in high-demand around the league.

Atlanta acquired the No. 12 selection earlier today in a three-way trade involving the Pacers and Jazz. In the deal the team shipped out point guard Jeff Teague, signaling that it is handing the reigns of the offense over to the younger Dennis Schröder, who had made no secret about his desire to be the starter going forward. If the team deals away the two picks, it can free up in excess of $3.7MM in cap flexibility based on the current projected salaries of NBA first round picks.

If the franchise is unable to move the picks, it could look to nab a big man, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress tweets. The scribe mentions Jakob Poeltl, Deyonta Davis and Domantas Sabonis as potential targets for Atlanta.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Draft, Sixers

June 21st, 2016 at 9:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Raptors own the No. 9 overall pick in Thursday night’s NBA draft, but the team doesn’t expect to land a player who can provide immediate help at that slot, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. “I don’t know if it’s a draft where we can go and get somebody who will impact our team right away,” GM Masai Ujiri said. “And we have to take that . . . and look at it a different way. Is it a player that’s three, four years down the road and that player has a high upside? We have to look out for the organization that way.”

The team also holds the No. 27 overall pick and Ujiri is pleased with the opportunities owning two first-rounders will provide, Smith adds. “You continue to narrow and narrow [list of possible suggestions] and when you have a bunch of guys you have different options,” Ujiri said. “You can look at trading the pick, you can look at drafting a guy who doesn’t come right away, you can look at a player you can draft and develop slowly. We just feel it’s a great position for us to be in.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers have a group workout scheduled for Wednesday with Trevor Cooney (Syracuse), Quenton DeCosey (Temple), Alex Hamilton (Louisiana Tech), Brice Johnson (North Carolina), Devonta Pollard (Houston) and Kyle Wiltjer (Gonzaga), the team announced via press release.
Former Arizona big man Kaleb Tarczewski will work out for the Celtics on Wednesday, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter).
The Raptors held a group workout on Friday that included potential lottery picks Jakob Poeltl and Skal Labissiere, the team announced.
While many have suggested that the Sixers trade away a number of their big men, Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Inquirer argues that Philly should instead look to build around Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor. The scribe cites the small sample size of pairing Noel alongside Okafor, as well as Embiid’s in jury history as reason for his stance.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Poeltl, Thunder, Jazz

June 17th, 2016 at 7:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Utah big man Jakob Poeltl worked out for the Timberwolves earlier this week, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link), who notes that the club has done its homework on every possible top-five prospect. Poeltl currently ranks eighth on DraftExpress.com’s big board and 12th on Chad Ford’s at ESPN.com.

Here’s more from around the NBA’s Northwest division:

With the NBA increasing its salary cap projection for 2016/17 to $94MM, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman explores what that would mean for the Thunder and Kevin Durant.
The Nuggets and Jazz are both holding pre-draft workouts on Saturday, according to announcements issued by the teams. Denver will be hosting Furkan Korkmaz (Turkey) and Tanner Samson (Elon Phoenix), while the Jazz (Twitter link) are taking a look at Ante Zizic (Croatia), Jordan Tolbert (SMU), and Gracin Bakumanya (Democratic Republic of Congo).
Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune examines why it has been a challenge for the Jazz to attract top-level prospects for pre-draft workouts over the last couple years.
Timberwolves CEO Rob Moor has stepped down from his position, the team announced today. Kent Youngblood of The Star Tribune discusses the move, which shouldn’t have a real impact on Minnesota’s basketball operations.