Josh Huestis Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Leonard, Durant, Gallinari

March 25th, 2016 at 4:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

Meyers Leonard plans to re-sign with the Trail Blazers as a restricted free agent this summer, observes Jason Quick of Comcast Sports Northwest. Soon-to-be free agents more often than not say they intend to return to their incumbent teams, but Leonard also plans to rehabilitate his season-ending dislocated left shoulder with the Blazers medical staff, as Quick also points out. The injury is expected to keep him out six to eight months, which threatens his availability for the start of next season. The 2016/17 regular season begins in seven months. “It just hurts because I feel like I could help this team win,’’ Leonard said. “I feel like I can be a big piece of what we can do.” Quick examines the close bond Leonard feels with Damian Lillard, a fellow 2012 lottery pick who signed a five-year extension last summer, when Leonard bet on himself and turned down what Quick heard was a considerable extension offer. The scribe guesses that the big man will command a new contract in the neighborhood of $44MM over four years (Twitter link). See more from the Northwest Division:

University of Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie, a former teammate of Kevin Durant and a rumored candidate for the Thunder coaching vacancy that Billy Donovan filled last year, believes it’ll take a major effort for any team to pry Durant away from Oklahoma City in free agency this year, as Ollie tells Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype. Ollie describes Durant and Russell Westbrook as two of his best friends. “I know he’s going to make a decision with his heart,” Ollie said of Durant. “I know he’s gonna do that, choose the best situation for his family, the best position to win a championship. And OKC has a great team, I know he loves Russell Westbrook, I know he loves playing in front of the Thunder fans, so it’s going to take a team to do a great recruiting job to get him away from OKC.”
Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post thinks the Nuggets aren’t quite as opposed to the idea of trading Danilo Gallinari as they are with Emmanuel Mudiay and Nikola Jokic, but the team still envisions Gallinari as a driving force on a team with a legitimate shot at the playoffs next season, as Dempsey writes in a mailbag column.
The Thunder has assigned Josh Huestis to the D-League, the team announced. It’s the 14th time the team has sent the No. 29 pick from 2014 to the D-League this season.

Western Notes: Mitchell, Parsons, D-League

March 22nd, 2016 at 10:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor sees a number of similarities with his current roster and the team he inherited upon purchasing the franchise in 1995, Sid Hartman of The Star Tribune relays. “I just think when we first bought it, we had a franchise that was pretty down and hadn’t done very well,” Taylor said. “We put a plan to get some young guys in here. That’s when we went out and took a gamble on KG [Kevin Garnett] and Stephon Marbury and our goal was to build for the long run and get a better team. We did that. It took us a while to get a championship team. In one sense we’re sort of like that again. We have a lot of young guys and we have to be patient, and I’m hopeful we’ll have a chance for the championship again, just like we did during those earlier years. So I’d say we’re similar.”

The owner was non-committal when asked if he would retain interim coach Sam Mitchell and his staff, though he did express his appreciation for the job Mitchell and GM Milt Newton have done, Hartman notes. “I like my coach, I like my general manager, they’re really nice people,” Taylor said. “We’re working together. What I told them is in this business of basketball, we’re going to do the whole season first and then at the end of the season we’ll do the evaluation.”

Here’s more from out west:

Mavericks small forward Chandler Parsons is reportedly set to undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, a procedure that would end his season. The 27-year-old is still expected to opt out and hit free agency this summer, but his history of knee woes may give a number of potential suitors pause. A league executive was asked recently if he would consider inking Parsons this offseason, to which he responded “nope” and pointed at his knee to indicate his reasoning, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com tweets.
Kevin Martin has seen limited action for the Spurs thus far, but coach Gregg Popovich is pleased with how the veteran is fitting in with the team, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio-Express News writes. “He’s been around long enough where he’s fit in pretty well,” Popovich said of Martin. “That was good to see, because he hadn’t played for a while and we didn’t know what was going to happen.” The 33-year-old shooting guard has appeared in six games for San Antonio and is averaging 4.2 points in 9.7 minutes per outing.
The Spurs have recalled center Boban Marjanovic and small forward Jonathon Simmons from their D-League affiliate, the team announced. Marjanovic is averaging 23.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 blocks in 26.4 minutes over three games with the Austin this season, while Simmons has logged 16.0 points, 3.5 assists and 2.8 rebounds over four D-League appearances.
The Thunder recalled small forward Josh Huestis from their D-League affiliate, the team announced via press release.

And-Ones: Lakers, Kilpatrick, Meeks

March 14th, 2016 at 9:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Point guard D’Angelo Russell has star potential, but rival executives have doubts about power forward Julius Randle’s ceiling, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reports. Polling a dozen front office executives, Berger found that Russell is the more highly regarded of the Lakers’ duo. Randle, their 2014 lottery pick, is viewed more as a piece to the puzzle or an energy guy, Berger continues. It’s conceivable the Lakers deal one or both for a proven star, Berger adds, but a lot of the their decision-making this offseason is contingent on whether they keep their lottery pick. They must convey their pick to the Sixers if they fall out of the top three.

Nets shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick, who has signed two 10-day contracts, hopes he can stick around for the remainder of the season and beyond, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com writes. Kilpatrick is averaging 13.6 points in his last five games with the club. “I’ve been living out of a suitcase I would say for the past six months. It’s crazy, man,” Kilpatrick told Mazzeo. “That’s why when you ask, ‘Do I want to be here?’ Like, I’m tired of living out of a suitcase.”
Shooting guard Jodie Meeks is back in uniform but will have a tough time cracking the Pistons rotation, according to David Mayo of MLive. Meeks broke his right foot in the team’s home opener and required a lengthy recovery. Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy prefers to utilize no more than nine players, and swingman Stanley Johnson and power forward Anthony Tolliver have recently returned to the rotation after recovering from injuries. “I can’t control that,” Meeks told Mayo. “So whenever my number’s called, I’ll be ready.”
The Celtics recalled rookie power forward Jordan Mickey from their D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, the team tweets. Mickey has made 11 appearances with Boston this season.
The Thunder assigned small forward Josh Huestis to their D-League team, the Oklahoma City Blue, according to the Thunder’s website. Huestis has already started 19 games for the Blue this season, averaging 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds in 32.5 minutes per contest.

And-Ones: Noah, Pressey, D-League

March 12th, 2016 at 10:00pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg confirmed that Joakim Noah will not return to the court this season as he recovers from surgery that that repaired his dislocated left shoulder, Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune tweets. Noah has not played since the middle of January.

Here’s more from around the league:

Phil Pressey will head to the Idaho Stampede of the D-League after the Suns declined to bring the point guard back after consecutive 10-day contracts, Chris Reichert of Upside Motor tweets.
The Thunder have recalled Josh Huestis from their D-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, according to the team’s website. Huestis averaged 12.2 points and 1.32 blocks in 19 D-League games this season.
The Warriors have assigned Kevon Looney to their D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, according to Golden State’s website.
The Clippers have recalled Branden Dawson from the D-League, per a team press release. Dawson was on assignment with the Erie BayHawks.

Western Notes: Russell, Gasol, Freeland

March 10th, 2016 at 8:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Spanish national team coach Sergio Scariolo believes there is still a chance that Grizzlies center Marc Gasol will play in this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio, as he told the Spanish media outlet ACB.com (translation via Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype). “Marc is hoping to be there, but health comes first and the main thing is he recovers 100%,” Scariolo said. “When the time comes, he will tell us what’s his situation and his club’s opinion because with Marc there’s a lot of factors at play. I wish it was only up to him to make the decision.” While Scariolo’s comments were likely tinged with a dose of optimism, the mere possibility of Gasol being able to suit up and play this summer bodes well for the big man being able to be on the court for Memphis come opening night next season. Gasol is out for the remainder of the 2015/16 after undergoing surgery in February to repair damage to his broken right foot.

Here’s more from out West:

D’Angelo Russell tries not to think about the implications his performance could have for the future of the Lakers, but he believes that as he, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle play better, it helps the team’s case for free agents this summer, notes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. “If we keep playing at a high level, the sky is the limit,” Russell said. “That could dictate who wants to come here and who feels like we don’t need to bring this guy here because we have such and such. We can play a certain part.”
Joel Freeland, who signed a two-year deal with the Russian club CSKA Moscow this past summer, said he had a number of NBA offers, including one from the Mavericks, but chose to head overseas because of the playing time that doing so would provide, Mark Woods of MVP247.com relays. “I wanted to play. I probably had four or five offers from the NBA, but at the end of the day, nobody would guarantee me minutes,” Freeland told Woods. “And I never knew what my situation was going to be, going to those teams. So I felt like this was my best option, especially coming to a team with a great heritage, a great organization and a team that’s hopefully going to be fighting for championships.” Freeland became a free agent last offseason after his rookie deal expired and the Trail Blazers declined to submit a qualifying offer to him.
The Thunder have assigned Josh Huestis and Mitch McGary to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. Huestis has appeared in 18 games with the Blue this season, averaging 11.9 points and 5.7 rebounds in 32.9 minutes per night, while McGary has made 19 appearances and is averaging 15.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 25.6 minutes per contest.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Weems, Mirotic, Augustin

March 7th, 2016 at 10:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers acquired swingman Sonny Weems to reach the salary floor but they plan to take a hard look at him, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The Sixers claimed Weems from the Suns on Monday, allowing them to reach the minimum team salary requirement for the season since they’ll get credit for his full $2.814MM salary, even though they’ll only have to pay less than $700K, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders points out (Twitter link). The Sixers made similar moves to reach the floor last season, including a claim of power forward Thomas Robinson, whom they did not re-sign, Pompey notes. Weems may be a different case. Robert Covington, Nik Stauskas and Hollis Thompson are the only true wing players on the roster, and thus Weems should get some opportunities to play, Pompey adds. A league source conceded to Pompey that it looks unseemly for the Sixers to work the system to meet the salary floor two years in a row but argued that the team has a legitimate need for a wing player that Weems can fulfill.

In other news around the league:

Bulls power forward Nikola Mirotic has to prove he’s part of their future, now that he’s returned from an appendectomy, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times opines. He endured major growing pains during his second season with the team prior to the injury and he now has to work his way back into shape and be productive, Cowley continues. “You can’t play scared that if you get hit, something may happen, or you’ll have a setback,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg told Cowley and other members of the Chicago media. “You just have to go out there and react and play. I think it was big step for Niko. Now it’s a matter of getting his lungs in shape and getting his wind back.’
Point guard D.J. Augustin has revived his career with the Nuggets, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman writes. Augustin averaged 12.8 points and shot 54.3% on 3-point attempts in his first nine games with Denver after he was acquired in a trade deadline deal from the Thunder. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City has averaged 16.4 turnovers, fourth-most in the league, since the trade, Horne notes.
The Warriors recalled power forward Kevon Looney from their D-League affiliate, as the Santa Cruz Warriors tweet.
The Thunder assigned forwards Josh Huestis and Mitch McGary to their D-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, according to the team’s website. Huestis has already appeared in 16 D-League games this season, while McGary has played 17 games with the Blue.

Western Notes: Griffin, D-League, Conley

March 5th, 2016 at 8:55am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Clippers are awaiting the return of Blake Griffin and point guard Chris Paul asserts the team can’t contend for a title without the high-flying power forward, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com relays. Griffin, who will have a four-game suspension to serve once he returns from his broken hand, hasn’t played since December 25th. “I don’t care if he gets back the day before the playoffs.” Paul said regarding Griffin. “We’re playing for a championship and there’s no championship without Blake Griffin. There’s not one.” When coach/executive Doc Rivers was asked how long it would take to Griffin to ready himself for the postseason, Rivers told Howard-Cooper, “We don’t know. As soon as he’s ready, we’re going to go from there. But do we need him? We’d be crazy to say, ‘No, no,’ you know what I mean? It’s ‘Yeah, yeah.’ We’re just going to take it day by day.”

Here’s the latest from out West:

Injuries have hit the Grizzlies hard this season, but point guard Mike Conley insists that it’s part of the game and the team can’t use its missing personnel as a crutch, Peter Edmiston of The Commercial Appeal writes. “It can get frustrating at some times, but you can’t let it bother you in these situations, because these are the cards we’ve been dealt,” Conley told reporters. “We didn’t count on Marc Gasol getting hurt, we didn’t count on Brandan Wright getting hurt, these things happen and new guys come in, trades happen, we’re here with the guys we have and we have to make the best of the situation.“
Conley, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, understands patience will be required as new players are worked into roles in the rotation, Edmiston relays in the same piece. “It takes time for guys like Lance Stephenson, Birdman [Chris Andersen] and P.J. Hairston to understand that. I’m telling them after almost every play that we’re basically in that flex stuff — just set a screen, pin down, it’s gonna be in that situation, but it’s easy to forget when you’re going full speed, so it’s tough on them to grasp that in only a week’s time.“
The Thunder assigned Josh Huestis and Mitch McGary to their D-League affiliate Friday, the team announced via press release. Huestis has appeared in 16 games for the Blue this season, notching 11.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.19 blocks in 32.7 minutes per game, while McGary has made 17 D-League appearances and is averaging 14.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 25.1 minutes per night.

Northwest Notes: Martin, Sampson, Thunder

February 27th, 2016 at 10:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wolves will probably reach a buyout agreement with shooting guard Kevin Martin before Tuesday, according to Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. The Spurs were reported earlier today as the front-runner to land Martin if a buyout occurs. However, San Antonio already has a full roster and is expected to sign point guard Andre Miller, who was waived by Minnesota on Thursday, so it’s uncertain how that will affect their pursuit of Martin.

The Wolves already have one open roster spot with the loss of Miller. It’s not cleaer whether he or Martin will be replaced, but coach Sam Mitchell said injuries to Nemanja Bjelica, Kevin Garnett and Nikola Pekovic have created a need for an extra big man.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Getting used to the altitude is the biggest adjustment for JaKarr Sampson as he settles in with the Nuggets, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. The Nuggets signed Sampson on Monday after Philadelphia waived him to make room for Joel Anthony in a three-way trade with the Pistons and Rockets that was later voided. “I’m blessed to be here,” Sampson said. “I think it’s a great situation for me. There’s a lot of young talent here. They are a great, young team. I feel like it’s a real good situation for me.”
Sampson could find himself in the starting lineup in the wake of Danilo Gallinari‘s ankle injury, Dempsey writes in a separate story. That’s a possibility if coach Michael Malone wants to keep his bench rotation intact. Otherwise, Will Barton could get the starting nod.
The Thunder recalled forwards Josh Huestis and Mitch McGary from Oklahoma City Blue of the D-League, the team announced today. Huestis has played 16 games for the Blue, averaging 11.8 points and 5.9 rebounds. McGary has appeared in 15 games for the D-League team, averaging 14.4 points and 9.1 rebounds.
Former Blazer Tim Frazier has joined the D-League’s Maine Red Claws as a returning player, tweets Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor. Portland waived Frazier on February 18th when it traded for Anderson Varejao, though Varejao was subsequently waived as well.

Western Notes: Durant, Jenkins, D-League

February 26th, 2016 at 9:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

If the Warriors go on to win their second consecutive NBA title this season, it may actually act as a deterrent for pending unrestricted free agent prize Kevin Durant, Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report opines. The scribe cites Durant’s disdain for playing second fiddle, which he certainly would have to do on any team Stephen Curry is a part of. The small forward is also conscious of his legacy and would possibly consider going to a ready-made championship team unseemly, Ding also opines. There’s still no guarantee that Durant will re-sign with the Thunder and he still maintains some regrets about not having a player option added on his last deal that would have afforded him a chance to hit the open market earlier in his career, Ding relays. The Warriors are reportedly well out in front as Durant’s top choice should he leave Oklahoma City this summer.

Here’s more from out West:

John Jenkins is thrilled to have been released by the Mavericks and claimed off waivers by the Suns because it will provide him a better opportunity to show what he can do on the court, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “I was praying and hoping that I’d get an opportunity,” Jenkins said. “I’m with a lot of young guys, which helps me a lot. I’m actually probably more experienced than some of them so that’s different for me. Just try to be a leader from that standpoint. But I definitely think I’m rejuvenated. A fresh start is always good.” The 24-year-old only appeared in 21 contests for Dallas on the season and averaged a meager 9.2 minutes per contest prior to being waived.
The Grizzlies should strongly consider exercising their team option for 2016/17 on Lance Stephenson, whose versatility could allow him to flourish in Memphis, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal opines. Memphis gambled on the upside of Stephenson, whom the scribe notes is only 25 years old and a little more than 18 months removed from being a nightly triple-double threat while with the Pacers. Stephenson’s option for next season is worth $9.405MM.
The Thunder have assigned Mitch McGary and Josh Huestis to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be McGary’s seventh trip to the D-League this season and Huestis’ 10th.

And-Ones: Karl, D-League, Smith

January 26th, 2016 at 10:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kings coach George Karl, a two-time cancer survivor, says that he’s healthy but his well-being is always a concern for him after his previous scares, Joe Davidson of The Sacramento Bee writes. “Cancer hangs with you,” Karl told Davidson. “You always wonder. If you wake up in the morning and your stomach hurts, you wonder if it’s stomach cancer. If your back hurts, same thing. If it’s a headache in a place you’re not used to having a headache, you wonder. Every little ache and pain makes you question your health. And you value every day that you’re healthy. No question, health has moved into my priority more than it ever has in my life. In my coaching journey, balance is becoming more important in my life.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Josh Smith feels completely comfortable as a member of the Rockets, and the team should benefit from his return to Houston, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. “We understand Josh and his teammates understand him,” interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Josh just wants to hoop. That’s where the problems come in, because if he doesn’t get to play, like any competitor, you want to play and you’ve proven you can play. So for us there’s a fit, and Josh and I go back a long way. We have a good understanding of one another. And even with Mac [former coach Kevin McHale], because of Mac’s personality, Josh could thrive with him.”
The NBA D-League is not a surefire way for aging veteran players to make their way back into the NBA, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor writes. In his analysis of D-League trends, Reichert notes that since the 2011/12 season there have been 220 NBA call ups and only 10 of those have gone to players at least 30 years old with at least 100 games of NBA experience already under their belts. As the league continues to expand, older players may have a tougher time catching on with D-League teams since NBA franchises will look to use their affiliates to develop younger players, Reichert adds.
The Thunder recalled Josh Huestis and Mitch McGary from their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This was McGary’s fifth stint with the Blue on the season and Huestis’ ninth.
The Raptors have assigned Lucas Nogueira, Norman Powell and Delon Wright to their D-League affiliate, the team announced.