Marquis Teague

Bulls Notes: Thibodeau, Augustin, Teague

Last week’s Luol Deng trade has done nothing to worsen the relationship between Tom Thibodeau and Bulls GM Gar Forman, since the coach understands owner Jerry Reinsdorf must approve every move, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Thibodeau feels that Reinsdorf appreciates him, and the owner is usually supportive of his employees, writes Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald, so it appears as though Reinsdorf’s blessing of the trade has been key to Thibodeau’s acceptance of it. There’s more from Cowley, McGraw and other reporters on the Bulls beat here:

  • Thibodeau is unlikely to try to force his way out of his contract, and the fact that the Bulls gave him his first shot to be an NBA coach weighs heavily on his thinking, a source close to Thibodeau tells Cowley. On top of that, Reinsdorf wants to keep Thibodeau around, according to McGraw.
  • Recent signee D.J. Augustin has lived through Hurricane Katrina, so his NBA struggles don’t bother him much, and he doesn’t resent the way his tenures with the Bobcats, Pacers and Raptors ended, as he tells Sam Smith of Bulls.com. “Toronto, I really don’t know what happened there,” Augustin said. “When I signed with them I thought it would be a good opportunity. It just didn’t work out. Coming here [to Chicago], it’s been a blessing. I love being here, love the city, love coach Thibs, love my teammates.”
  • The Bulls recalled Marquis Teague from the D-League, the team announced. The point guard averaged 12.0 points and 4.8 assists per game in eight contests for the Iowa Energy.
  • Cowley writes that the Bulls “would love to nab Lance Stephenson” in free agency, but that probably represents a general observation rather than a reflection of the team’s plans for the summer.

Bulls Send Marquis Teague To D-League

The Bulls announced this morning via press release that Marquis Teague has been assigned to the D-League’s Iowa Energy. Teague has seen limited minutes for Chicago this season and figures to get more playing time as a member of the Energy. This is Teague’s second D-League assignment this season. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes that efforts to trade the 20-year-old Kentucky product have yielded little interest from around the league. However, Nick Friedell from ESPNChicago.com notes that Bulls GM Gar Forman spoke on ESPN Chicago 1000’s “Waddle & Silvy Show” and revealed he hasn’t lost faith in Teague:

“He’s 20 now. And I think we’ve seen potential; he’s a talented kid, he had a really good summer…  And our thought was let’s get him to our D-League affiliate and give him some time on the floor. But in our minds, it’s not a long-term thing. And it’s something we may do several times throughout the season.”

Meanwhile, Bob Cooney from the Daily News tweets that a source tells him the 76ers have plans to assign Lorenzo Brown to the Delaware 87ers of the D-League. Brown hasn’t been seeing much playing time in Philadelphia, and with Michael Carter-Williams returning from his injury, there’s not much of a spot for him in the 76ers’ rotation. Brown, a product of North Carolina State, was selected 52nd overall by the Timberwolves last June but was waived and eventually signed on with in Philly during the season.

Eastern Notes: Bulls, Waiters, Nene, Pistons

After losing in Indiana last Tuesday, the Heat will get another shot at the Pacers tonight, this time in Miami. As we look forward to the evening’s showdown between the only two Eastern teams that look like title contenders, let’s round up a few notes from around the conference….

Central Notes: Neal, Teague, Cavs

This past offseason, the Spurs extended then-restricted free agent Gary Neal a qualifying offer worth about $1.1MM, which was significantly below the two-year, $7.5MM agreement he eventually reached with the Bucks. According to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio-Express News, Neal believes he got a fair shake from Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford and understood that he wouldn’t be retained if he wanted more than what San Antonio was initially offering:

“I figured after three years, the Spurs benefitted me, and I benefitted the Spurs…But it’s a business. I kind of knew after Game 7 in the Finals, unless I signed a qualifying offer, I wouldn’t be back…I have no complaints…If (they didn’t give me the opportunity), they could have found another guy one of those summers to shoot 40 percent from three,..I thank Coach Pop a thousand times for that.”

Here’s more out of the Central Division:

  • The rest of the league is confused why the Bulls aren’t willing to give Marquis Teague more playing time, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. Chicago reportedly dangled Teague in trade talks during the preseason.
  • The Cavaliers have recalled Carrick Felix, Sergey Karasev, and Henry Sims from the D-League, as per the team’s official website.
  • Pistons forward Gigi Datome is determined to play for the Italian national team next summer, whether it’d be during the FIBA World Cup or the Eurobasket Qualifying Round, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (hat tip to Tuttosport).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post. 

D-League Updates: Teague, Schröder, Marshall

The Rockets were upset by the Jazz on Monday, but had won eight of their previous nine games before that, and are comfortably in the playoff picture in a competitive Western Conference. So far though, Houston’s D-League affiliate is off to an even better start. Led by Rockets camp invitee Troy Daniels, as well as assignees Isaiah Canaan and Robert Covington, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers sit atop the D-League standings with a 5-0 record, and have averaged an incredible 133.4 points per game so far.

Here are a few more Wednesday notes from around the D-League:

  • Bulls GM Gar Forman indicated yesterday that Marquis Teague wouldn’t have a long-term stay in the D-League, but Forman probably didn’t expect to recall Teague quite so early. The Bulls guard has been recalled from the Iowa Energy due to Mike James‘ knee injury, according to the team. “As soon as I landed they told me to come right back,” Teague told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
  • The Hawks have assigned rookie guard Dennis Schröder to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. The 20-year-old has appeared in just 11 of 19 games for Atlanta this season, so he should see more playing time in the D-League. Schröder will join Hawks teammate Jared Cunningham on the Bakersfield Jam.
  • The Delaware 87ers made their acquisition of Kendall Marshall official today, sending out a press release to formally announce the addition of last year’s 13th overall pick.

Odds & Ends: Nets, Shaw, Odom, Hansbrough

Divergent coaching styles and philosophies ultimately prompted Jason Kidd to demote Nets assistant coach Lawrence Frank, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com, but that doesn’t appear to be the only reason for the move. Frank has been badmouthing Kidd around the league, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports has additional details on the troubled relationship between the two coaches. Here’s more on the Nets soap opera and the rest of the NBA:

  • The Nets maintain their strong support of Kidd, and they still believe he’ll develop into an effective head coach, Mannix writes. Brian Shaw, whom the Nets passed on when they hired Kidd, has “thrilled” Nuggets brass so far, Mannix notes via Twitter.
  • Lamar Odom isn’t yet performing basketball drills in workouts, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. The earliest he could be ready to play is mid-January, Berger hears. The Clippers appear in no rush to sign him, even with other teams in the mix.
  • Tyler Hansbrough wasn’t pleased with his limited role on the Pacers last season, and while he signed with the Raptors hoping to be a more integral part of his team, he never expected to become the starter he is now, as Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun details.
  • A short-term injury to Mike James will force the Bulls to cut Marquis Teague‘s D-League assignment short, reports K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The Bulls are down to 10 healthy players, but they don’t plan on signing anyone, Johnson says.
  • Amid a rough week for the top four college prospects, Kansas center Joel Embiid‘s performance made him a legitimate candidate to become the No. 1 overall pick in June, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes in his latest Insider piece on the draft landscape.

Eastern Rumors: Knicks, Nets, Frank, Bulls

This morning, we rounded up several of the latest rumors out of New York, with both the Nets and Knicks off to brutal starts to the 2013/14 season. Throughout the day, a few more Nets and Knicks items have trickled in, along with a few updates on their Eastern Conference rivals. Let’s dive in and check in on the latest….

  • Ian Begley of ESPN New York hears from league sources with knowledge of Knicks trade talks that GM Steve Mills has been citing Mike Woodson‘s coaching as a reason why Iman Shumpert has struggled this season. According to one source: “They’re saying that Shumpert’s a better player [than he’s shown], but Woodson isn’t using him right.”
  • Carmelo Anthony acknowledged that Knicks players are concerned about Woodson’s job security, but stressed that the blame should fall on the players rather than on the coach. Begley has the details and quotes in a separate piece.
  • Asked about a report that indicated he wants to be traded, Mirza Teletovic denied knowing anything about it, according to Newsday’s Rod Boone (via Twitter).
  • Nets assistant Lawrence Frank has been re-assigned, and will no longer be on the bench for games, Jason Kidd told reporters today, citing “different philosophies” (Twitter links via Howard Beck of Bleacher Report).
  • GM Gar Forman told ESPN Radio in Chicago that he still hopes to work out a new deal with Luol Deng next summer, but Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com believes the Bulls will want Deng to accept a hometown discount. In a column, Friedell explains why there’s no better time than the present for Forman and the Bulls to trade deng.
  • The Bulls assigned Marquis Teague to the Iowa Energy earlier today, but according to Forman, Teague’s stint won’t be long-term — the young point guard could be assigned and recalled occasionally throughout the season (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune).
  • Examining the Wizards in a column for The Score, Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com suggests the acquisition of Marcin Gortat should be the last move the team makes this year that involves adding a veteran with little upside. In fact, Washington shouldn’t rule out trading away a veteran like Trevor Ariza in the right deal, says Deeks.

Teague, Roberson Assigned To D-League

Derrick Rose‘s season-ending knee injury was expected to result in an increased role for Bulls point guard Marquis Teague. However, for at least the short term, Teague will play for the D-League’s Iowa Energy rather than for the Bulls. Chicago announced today that the team has assigned Teague to its D-League affiliate.

Teague, 20, received a bump in minutes for the Bulls in the three games following Rose’s injury, but failed to score a single point in about 45 minutes of action in those contests, missing all 11 shots he attempted from the field. While the Bulls don’t use their D-League affiliate often, they’ll take advantage of the opportunity to get the 2012 first-round pick more developmental time, as Kirk Hinrich and Mike James handle point guard duties in Chicago.

Meanwhile, the Thunder have also made their first D-League assignment of the year, announcing that Andre Roberson will join the Tulsa 66ers. Oklahoma City used its D-League affiliate more than any other NBA team in 2012/13, so this likely won’t be the last time we see Roberson assigned to the 66ers. The 22-year-old rookie out of Colorado has appeared briefly in six games for the Thunder so far this season.

To keep tabs on all of this season’s D-League assignments, be sure to check out our full list.

Eastern Rumors: Marquis Teague, Beasley, Bosh

The Bulls and Heat were perhaps the strongest Eastern Conference title contenders to start the season, but they’ve taken divergent paths, thanks to Derrick Rose‘s injury. The Bulls probably won’t win the title this year, while the Heat appear only to have the Pacers in their way as they try for their fourth straight conference title. Here’s more from Chicago and Miami:

  • There were four teams interested in trading for Marquis Teague at the start of the season, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. The Wolves and Jazz were reportedly two of them, but it’s not clear who the other teams were or if any clubs maintain their interest. The Bulls have hoped that Teague would improve this year, with Kirk Hinrich set to hit free agency.
  • Michael Beasley‘s has assumed a “significant” role on the Heat, coach Erik Spoelstra says. It’s Spoelstra’s strongest endorsement of Beasley this year, observes Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald, who examines how the team’s minimum-salary gamble is paying dividends so far. Beasley’s deal remains non-guaranteed.
  • The Heat might be able to find a better bargain on the free agent market in the summer, but Chris Bosh‘s slow start has done nothing to affect his value to the Heat this season, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes in his mailbag column.

Eastern Rumors: Turner, Celtics, Raptors, Bulls

Two title hopefuls meet in Brooklyn tonight, as the Nets prepare to host the Heat in their home opener. While we look forward to what could be a playoff preview, here are a few of the latest items from around the Eastern Conference:

  • Although other extension candidates negotiated right up until last night’s deadline, Evan Turner told reporters, including Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, that he had no talks whatsoever with the Sixers. “I didn’t expect anything, because [Sam] Hinkie is not my GM,” Turner said. “I didn’t come up with Hinkie or anything. He has his own plan for stuff, and that’s pretty much it.”
  • The Celtics are viewed league-wide as a strong candidate to pursue Gordon Hayward next summer, given Hayward’s ties to coach Brad Stevens, writes Shams Charania of RealGM.com.
  • Following up on Marc Stein’s report about the Raptors exploring trade options, ESPN.com’s Chad Ford tweets that no one covets Canadian prospect Andrew Wiggins more than Toronto GM Masai Ujiri.
  • Within Stein’s piece on Jameer Nelson, the ESPN.com scribe also noted that the Bulls had been trying to acquire a first-round pick for Marquis Teague throughout October, to no avail.
  • Howard Beck of Bleacher Report spoke to Bucks owner Herb Kohl and GM John Hammond about Milwaukee’s roster-building model and the franchise’s aversion to tanking.
  • Solomon Jones suffered a torn meniscus and will be sidelined indefinitely after he undergoes surgery, according to a press release from the Magic. The injury is bad news for Jones, who had beat out several other camp invitees to earn a roster spot, and for the Magic, who may end up having to guarantee Jones’ non-guaranteed contract depending on how much time he misses.
    I didn’t expect anything, because Hinkie is not my GM,” Turner said. “I didn’t come up with Hinkie or anything. He has his own plan for stuff, and that’s pretty much it.
    Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/20131102_Sixers_pick_up_contract_options_on_Wroten__Moultrie.html#RdDCwEmmje8mZ2qB.99