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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/5/16

November 5th, 2016 at 9:35pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Here are Saturday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the league:

The Knicks assigned Ron Baker, Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee to their D-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, earlier today so they could practice with the team, according to their Twitter feed. New York has since recalled all three players.
The Pistons have assigned Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije to the Grand Rapids Drive, the team’s D-League affiliate, according to a team press release. Ellenson has only appeared in two games for Detroit, while Gbiniji has only seen action in one.
The Thunder assigned Josh Huestis to the Oklahoma City Blue earlier today so he could participate in practice, per a team press release. The practice has commenced and the team has subsequently recalled the forward.

Pistons Notes: Gbinije, Caldwell-Pope, Smith

September 29th, 2016 at 4:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

To help ease Michael Gbinije‘s transition to the NBA, the Pistons won’t be playing him at point guard during camp, according to Keith Langlois of NBA.com. The 49th overall pick out of Syracuse, Gbinije brings great versatility to Detroit, both on offense and defense. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said the decision to use Gbinije solely as as a swingman in the early going was made after summer league. That’s why the Pistons signed Ray McCallum to compete with Lorenzo Brown for the No. 3 point guard slot. Gbinije, who may get to hone his point guard skills with the Pistons’ D-League affiliate in Grand Rapids, said he accepts the decision. “I can just focus on one position at a time,” Gbinije said. “I’m sure the more comfortable I get, I might experience other positions. But right now, it’s good that I’m just limited.”

There’s more news from the Pistons’ training camp:

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope doesn’t mind waiting until next summer for a new contract if that becomes necessary, writes Aaron McMann of MLive. The fourth-year shooting guard is eligible for a rookie extension through October 31st, and his agent, Rich Paul, is now negotiating with the team after a quiet summer. No word has leaked about how close they may be to an agreement. If they can’t reach a deal before the deadline, Caldwell-Pope will enter next summer as a restricted free agent. “That’s all on the organization here, if they would like to keep me or let me go into free agency,” he said. “Right now, my focus is on the season. I can’t worry too much about that.”
The decision on Caldwell-Pope is the most important one the franchise will face in the immediate future, contends David Mayo of MLive. Mayo estimates the Pistons could probably re-sign Caldwell-Pope to a contract starting at $15MM-$16MM annually if they hammer out an extension before the deadline. But if he has another good season, that price might be closer to $20MM in free agency.
Ish Smith was the first free agent the Pistons targeted over the summer, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News. At 28, Smith is one of the oldest players on the roster and is expected to provide steady veteran leadership as the backup point guard. “It’s so much better than I thought,” Smith said of the situation in Detroit. “When I was in Philly, we played them four times and you see [the chemistry] from the outside looking in. When you get here and see the hard work everybody puts in and the dedication to win.”

Central Notes: Cavaliers, Smith, Pistons, Allen

September 10th, 2016 at 5:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers are looking at a reduction in their luxury tax of about 35%, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Cleveland’s luxury-tax payment last season was a hefty $54MM, a figure that was $34MM more than the next-highest team. Even factoring in LeBron James‘ league-high $31MM salary for the upcoming season and the expected re-signing of free agent J.R. Smith, the Cavs are looking at a luxury tax payment closer to $35MM.

Much of the drop corresponds to the huge rise in the salary cap for 2016/17, with an accompanying increase in the luxury-tax threshold to $113.3MM. The threshold was just $84.7MM last season, and the Cavs were joined by the Clippers, Warriors and Thunder with luxury-tax payments topping $14.5MM. Between salary and taxes, Cleveland spent about $160MM to secure its first-ever NBA championship.

There’s more news from the Central Division:

In a summer where virtually every big-name unrestricted free agent cashed in, the Cavaliers‘ Smith remains an exception. Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders examines why there has been so little interest in the veteran shooting guard and whether his return to Cleveland is inevitable.
The battle between Lorenzo Brown and Ray McCallum to become the Pistons‘ third-string point guard will be among the highlights of camp, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Brown, who joined the team in April, is the favorite because of an impressive summer league performance and his 6’5″ size, Langlois states. But McCallum, who signed a one-year deal with Detroit in July, is expected to put up a fight. Other camp storylines will include fitting new additions Ish Smith and Jon Leuer into the bench unit, developing new leaders after the departure of Anthony Tolliver, Joel Anthony and Steve Blake, and determining how soon second-round pick Michael Gbinije will be ready for the NBA.
Lavoy Allen has beaten the odds by carving out a career as a late second-round pick, writes Jake Rauchbach of Basketball Insiders. After being selected 50th overall by the Sixers in 2011, the 6’9″ power forward/center has become a rotation player, first in Philadelphia and now in Indiana. Allen will make $4MM this season, and the Pacers have a team option for $4.3MM in 2017/18.

And-Ones: Stackhouse, Labor, Olympics, Garnett

August 1st, 2016 at 10:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors are expected to name former All-Star Jerry Stackhouse as head coach of their D-League affiliate, Raptors 905, sources told Chris Reichert of UpsideMotor.com. Stackhouse, who played for eight teams during a career that lasted from 1995-2013, spent last season on Dwane Casey’s staff. He would replace Jesse Mermuys, who is now an assistant to new Los Angeles Lakers coach Luke Walton. Stackhouse coached the Raptors’ Summer League team in Las Vegas last month. Raptors 905 was an expansion team last season and had several players that also saw action in the NBA, including Anthony Bennett, Bruno Caboclo, Delon Wright and Lucas Nogueira, Reichert adds.

In other news around the league:

NBPA executive director Michele Roberts is optimistic a new labor agreement will be reached before a potential lockout, she told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. “Our teams have been in discussions for some months now and we have made progress and we’re inclined to continue along those lines,” she said. “We have meetings this summer and we’re meeting next week and [consistently] after that. We’re trying to get a deal as quickly as we can, ideally before the start of the season.” Roberts added that if an agreement isn’t reached by the Dec. 15th deadline, the union would likely opt out, triggering the possible lockout following the season.
American fans will get their first look at a lot of foreign players during the Summer Olympics, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. There will be many players whose names are familiar because teams hold their draft rights, such as Croatian star Dario Saric, who recently signed to play for the Sixers next season. Other prominent names include Lithuania’s Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Spain’s Willy Hernangomez, who will both be part of the Knicks; Nigeria’s Michael Gbinije, a second-round pick of the Pistons; China’s Zhou Qi, a Rockets’ second-rounder; Spain’s Sergio Llull, who the Rockets have been trying to convince to come to the NBA, Lithuania’s Domantas Sabonis, who was traded to the Thunder on draft night; and Spain’s Alex Abrines, who recently signed with the Thunder.
Kevin Garnett met with Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor but no final decision materialized regarding Garnett’s future, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets. The 40-year-old Garnett, who appeared in 38 games last season, has one year and $8MM remaining on his contract.
CAA Sports signed NBA free agent guards Sergio Rodriguez and Ish Smith and negotiated deals with their new clubs, Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal tweets. The Sixers signed the 30-year-old Rodriguez to a one-year, $8MM contract. Smith received a three-year, $18MM deal from the Pistons.

Pistons Sign Second-Rounder Michael Gbinije

July 14th, 2016 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

1:41pm: The Pistons have officially signed Gbinije, the team announced in a press release.

1:29pm: The Pistons have agreed to terms on a deal with Michael Gbinije, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter). Gbinije, who was the 49th overall pick in this year’s draft, will sign a three-year contract with Detroit, per Charania.

While the terms of Gbinije’s first NBA contract aren’t yet known, the Pistons have the flexibility to offer him three years because the team has yet to use all of its cap room. Andre Drummond‘s new maximum-salary deal will eventually eat up Detroit’s remaining cap room when it’s made official, but for now, Drummond’s cap hold only counts for about $8MM, giving the team some flexibility.

Gbinije, who turned 24 this year, averaged 17.5 PPG, 4.3 APG, 4.1 RPG, and 1.9 SPG during his senior year at Syracuse, making 39.1% of his three-point attempts. Given his extensive college experience, the rookie wing could be ready to contribute to the Pistons immediately as a part of the team’s regular-season rotation.

For the full breakdown of which of this year’s 60 draftees have agreed to NBA deals and which ones are set to play overseas, be sure to check out our list of 2016 draft pick signings.

Eastern Rumors: Butler, James, Jack, Wall

June 30th, 2016 at 10:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

In an appearance Wednesday on ESPN’s “The Jump,” Bulls guard Jimmy Butler said he expected his partnership with Derrick Rose to be broken up, relays Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. It happened last week when Rose was shipped to the Knicks in exchange for three players. “I can’t say that I was surprised, but I knew that it had to be one of us, to tell you the truth,” Butler said. “Obviously, I enjoyed playing with him. I came into the league when he was the MVP. I’ve got so much respect for the guy. I have no bad things to say about him and I wish him the best moving forward.” Butler, who was the focus of draft night trade rumors involving the Celtics and Timberwolves, said he’s not certain he will still be with Chicago when the season opens.

There’s more tonight from the Eastern Conference:

The NBA’s “over 36 rule” is behind LeBron James‘ decision to decline his player option, explains Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. James would be subject to that rule if he signs a two-year deal just as he did last summer with the intention of opting out after one season. For players who have turned 36, their final annual salary in a four- or five-year contract is counted proportionally against the team’s cap each season. The rule was adopted to discourage teams from giving long-term contracts to players who are unlikely to be in the league for the entirety of them. The rule prohibits James from accepting a five-year, $200MM contract from the Cavaliers after this offseason because the pro-rated part would put him above the maximum salary. However, Zillgitt points out that the rule could be amended if the players or the league opts out of the current collective bargaining agreement in December.
The Cavaliers aren’t concerned about losing their stars, but they have decisions to make on six free agents, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Cleveland will have to determine how many years it wants to commit to J.R. Smith and whether it wants to outbid competitors to keep Matthew Dellavedova. Also, Richard Jefferson and James Jones have to decide if they want to play another season at the veterans minimum.
The Nets stretched the $500K in guaranteed salary owed to point guard Jarrett Jack when they waived him earlier today, tweets NetsDaily. The move will save the team $333,333 in cap space this offseason.
John Wall wants to see the Wizards adopt an aggressive attitude toward free agency, tweets Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post. “The organization’s got to be willing to step up to the plate and get what needs to be done, done,” Wall said.
The Pistons would like to add two more big men this offseason, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said starting power forward Tobias Harris doesn’t really fit that description, and he wants to be sure the team isn’t short on size next year. “I think I wouldn’t be comfortable going with fewer than five, so we’ve got to go out and get two bigs – four, five, whatever,” Van Gundy said. “We need two bigger guys, even though Marcus [Morris] and Tobias will play there a lot. You just get into certain matchups.”
The performance of second-round pick Michael Gbinije in summer league will help determine the fate of Phil Pressey, Langlois writes in the same piece. Pressey is also on the Pistons‘ summer league roster, but his chances at winning a backup point guard spot for next season will decrease if Gbinije shows he can handle the position.
A stress fracture in his lower back will sideline Detroit’s Darrun Hilliard for the summer league and possibly longer, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News. A 6’6″ reserve guard, Hilliard played in 38 games last summer and was projected to have a significant role on the Pistons‘ summer league team. “I just thought my back was tight and I just thought that I wasn’t stretching enough,” he said. “I was stretching and stretching and stretching, thinking it would get better and it never got better.”
Free agent swingman Evan Fournier said he wants to stay with the Magic, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Fournier, whose role likely increased with last week’s trade of Victor Oladipo to the Thunder, said he isn’t sure if his agent lined up meetings with any other teams. “Obviously, our priority is the Magic,” Fournier said. “I’ve said it many times: I feel great here.”

Pistons Notes: Ellenson, Free Agency, Gbinije

June 26th, 2016 at 7:01pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pistons aren’t counting on Henry Ellenson to contribute immediately, but his presence on the roster may alter the team’s strategy in free agency, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. Executive/coach Stan Van Gundy indicated that as a result of the draft, back-up point guard will be “a little more of the priority” once free agency begins.

Here’s more out of Detroit:

Van Gundy said on Detroit’s 97.1 radio station that the Pistons will look to add a younger veteran point guard in free agency, as Rod Beard of The Detroit News passes along on Twitter.
The Pistons had a first-round grade on Yogi Ferrell, but they had No.49 overall pick Michael Gbinije higher on their board due to his versatility, Beard writes in a full-length piece. “The trade-off is Michael can play three different positions, we think, and his size and everything else,” Van Gundy said. “How much point guard he can play and to the question of whether we only sign one point guard [in free agency], that’s something we’ll decide in summer league.”
Van Gundy believes prospects should be allowed to go to the draft and still return to college if they are not taken as high as expected, Beard adds in the same piece. Van Gundy also believes the prospects should be able to hire agents while still in college.

Atlantic Notes: Millsap, Gbinjie, Noah

June 22nd, 2016 at 6:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Here’s the latest happenings from out of the Atlantic Division:

The Raptors should look to trade away the No. 9 overall pick for veteran help rather than adding another young player to the roster, opines Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. The scribe notes the lack of star caliber players in this year’s draft as a primary reason to move the pick, adding that the team has enough developing players on its bench already.
Former Syracuse swingman Michael Gbinjie completed his string of pre-draft workouts this week with a showcase for the Nets, Donna Ditota of The Post Standard relays (via Twitter).
With the Knicks dealing away center Robin Lopez as part of the Derrick Rose trade, the team is now set up for a potential pursuit this summer of big men Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol or Dwight Howard, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News observes (via Twitter). Along with the Knicks, the Nets are also expected to have interest in signing Noah, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.
As a result of the Rose trade, the Knicks‘ available cap space has decreased slightly, dropping from approximately $35.4MM to $35.1MM, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes (on Twitter).
The Sixers are in the market for a veteran point guard and were involved in trade discussions for George Hill and Jeff Teague prior to the players being dealt elsewhere, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress tweets.
If the Hawks are unsuccessful in their attempt to re-sign Al Horford, and end up shifting into rebuilding mode, the Raptors would be interested in acquiring forward Paul Millsap, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports notes (Twitter links). Toronto had inquired about Millsap at the trade deadline this season but were rebuffed, Lewenberg relays, adding that the Raptors view him as ideal fit next to center Jonas Valanciunas.

Stein’s Latest: Celtics, Suns, Hayward, Sixers

June 22nd, 2016 at 8:32am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this morning, we passed along Marc Stein’s report on the Al Horford sweepstakes, which will feature the Magic, Pistons, and Lakers as suitors. With the draft around the corner and free agency to follow shortly thereafter, the ESPN.com scribe has several more tidbits of interest to pass along, so let’s round them up…

The Celtics are going after several established veterans in trade talks, offering up the No. 3 overall pick as part of their proposed packages. So far though, they have been rebuffed by the Bulls (Jimmy Butler), Jazz (Gordon Hayward), and Bucks (Jabari Parker and Khris Middleton), says Stein.
According to Stein, the Bulls have shown little interest in sending Butler to the Celtics, the Bucks regard Parker and Middleton as “untouchables,” and the Jazz are telling interested teams that Hayward isn’t available. The Suns have also made an effort to pry Hayward from Utah, Stein writes.
The 76ers have been “trying for some time” to make a deal for the Celtics‘ No. 3 pick, offering either Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel as part of that package, but Boston has resisted those pitches, according to Stein. The C’s likely wouldn’t have much interest in Philadelphia’s 24th and 26th overall picks as part of a package, since Boston already has more than enough draft picks this year.
Former Syracuse wing Michael Gbinije may be a late riser in Thursday night’s draft, per Stein, who tweets that Gbinije could come off the board early in the second round or even late in the first.

Western Draft Notes: Pelicans, Nuggets, Wolves

June 14th, 2016 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans had a large workout group in on Monday, with a dozen players earning a look from the club. According to the team (via Twitter), the following players participated in the workout: Isaia Cordinier (France), Troy Williams (Indiana), Michael Gbinije (Syracuse), Jake Layman (Maryland), Guerschon Yabusele (France), Wayne Selden (Kansas), Gary Payton II (Oregon State), Yogi Ferrell (Indiana), Thomas Walkup (Stephen F. Austin), Kaleb Tarczewski (Arizona), Prince Ibeh (Texas), and Perry Ellis (Kansas).

While none of those prospects figures to come off the board at No. 6, when the Pelicans make their first selection, many of them could be in play in the second round — New Orleans currently holds the 39th and 40th overall picks, and is doing its due diligence on potential second-round prospects.

Let’s check in on a few more draft updates from around the Western Conference…

The Nuggets, armed with three top-20 picks, will work out former Michigan State forward Deyonta Davis on Wednesday morning, the team announced today in a press release. We profiled Davis, the 10th prospect on DraftExpress.com’s big board, in April, noting that Denver could be a fit. The Nuggets are also expected to bring in Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono for a workout later this week, tweets Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post.
The Timberwolves, who have the fifth overall pick in the draft, had Jamal Murray in for an individual workout on Monday, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link).
Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops passes along a pair of updates, reporting (via Twitter) that Domantas Sabonis (Gonzaga) worked out with the Jazz on Monday, and that Xavier’s James Farr participated in a group workout with the Thunder today.
The Clippers will work out Dayton’s Dyshawn Pierre, according to Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link). Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link) adds former Kansas forward Cheick Diallo to the list of prospects that will work out with the Clips.
Former Iona guard A.J. English has a workout lined up with the Warriors, tweets Camerato.