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Eastern Notes: Biyombo, Rozier, Portis

January 2nd, 2016 at 4:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Raptors center Bismack Biyombo has stepped up his play while filling in for Jonas Valanciunas, and the player is also beginning to find his niche in the league after being labeled a disappointment during his time in Charlotte, Jessica Patton of The Toronto Sun writes. “I think he understands now too who he is and what he is,” coach Dwane Casey told Patton. “He’s a rebounder and a defender. He doesn’t have to worry about scoring. He’s an opportunity scorer. [Before] everyone was kind of ‘ah, he can’t catch the ball, he can’t do that, he can’t do this,’ and they were concentrating on what he couldn’t do rather than what he can do.”

Discussing the pressure being a lottery pick placed on Biyombo, Casey said, “It’s tough, but again there is no shame in having a role as an elite defender and an elite rebounder in the league. As long as Bismack is playing the way he is playing and playing with that confidence, you can erase seven, two, three, 10 [draft number] or whatever, he’s going to have an impact on the game.” The 23-year-old was the No. 7 overall pick back in the 2011 NBA draft.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The emergence of rookie power forward Bobby Portis will give Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg some difficult choices to make once Joakim Noah returns from his shoulder injury, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes. “Absolutely,” Hoiberg responded when asked if Portis has cemented himself in the rotation. “We’re going to continue to find minutes for Bobby and there’s no doubt about it. He’s playing too well, he’s playing with so much confidence. He rebounds the ball, he plays with a toughness and a swagger, and that’s what you want. We’ve talked all along; Bobby’s not going to back down from anybody and he continues to show that night after night.“
The Celtics have re-assigned point guard Terry Rozier to their D-League affiliate in Maine, the team announced. This will be Rozier’s fifth stint with the Red Claws on the season.

Eastern Notes: Crowder, D-League, Parker

January 1st, 2016 at 3:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Celtics small forward Jae Crowder has earned Kobe Bryant‘s respect, with the Lakers shooting guard noting how impressed he is with Crowder’s development since arriving in Boston via a trade last season, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. “I’ve seen him develop from his days in Dallas,” Bryant said. “There was one night where we got in late to Dallas, and I went straight to the practice facility to get some shots up and workout,” Bryant recalled. “And he [Crowder] was there. He was in there working out. He was in there working on his game. And when I see that, I have nothing but respect for him. And watching how he’s developed.”

Crowder continues to work hard, even after inking a five-year, $35MM deal with Boston this past offseason, Blakely adds. “I just try to bring it every night, do what I do well each and every night. Do my part, do my job,” Crowder said. “It’s not about the contract. Contract makes you feel comfortable, helps your game. I don’t think I should relax. I don’t think I should do anything differently.”

Here’s more from out of the Eastern Conference:

Bucks combo forward Jabari Parker is still experiencing growing pains, though, as interim coach Joe Prunty points out, Parker hasn’t even played a full season’s worth of games yet, Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel writes. “What you could argue is until a guy plays 82 games, is he still in his rookie season?” Prunty said. “He hasn’t even played in every arena. There are things that seem like little details to other people, but the reality is it’s a different environment. There’s a lot he’s going to be learning for quite a while.” There has been some measure of debate regarding what Parker’s NBA position should be, but the player feels that power forward is indeed a good fit for his skillset, Gardner adds.
The Celtics have recalled guards Terry Rozier and R.J. Hunter from the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team announced.
The Pacers have re-assigned Rakeem Christmas and Shayne Whittington to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Christmas’ second stint in the D-League on the season and Whittington’s third.

Atlantic Notes: Early, D-League, Sixers

December 31st, 2015 at 8:46am CST by Eddie Scarito

With the shooting of Knicks forward Cleanthony Early on Wednesday, plus a number of other unfortunate player incidents over the past year, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News opined that free agents may avoid signing with New York based franchises going forward. Nets point guard Jarrett Jack acknowledged that living and playing in New York is different than many other NBA locales, and believes players are targets because of the popularity of the sport in the area, Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes. “Since being in New York for a couple years, and how seriously sports are taken in this city, you’re a lot more visible than your typical team. When the Knicks draft somebody it’s headline news, or when they trade for somebody it’s headline news,’’ said Jack.

“That’s where New York separates itself from a lot of cities. That can be good and bad, but I think you’ve just got to understand what it is and just take it for what it’s worth. Whenever I go somewhere … day or night, we always survey the crowd,” Jack continued. “We always understand what the crowd is wherever we’re going. Like I said, no matter where you go, no one deserves for that to happen. A lot of people want to say ‘It’s his fault, he [Early] shouldn’t have been [out]. How is it his fault?”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Sixers coach Brett Brown is still trying to figure out how too best utilize Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, and admits the answer to this particular riddle still eludes him, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays.”The four-five, five-four you know it’s still a mystery right now,” Brown said of deciding where to play the two big men. “It really is. And I think we are going to have this conversation throughout the whole year. Trying to grow those two guys is a challenge. So for me, it ends up more matchups than this overwhelming responsibility where it hurts the team. You know we want to win games. How I navigate that is a challenge.“
The Celtics have assigned power forward Jordan Mickey, point guard Terry Rozier and shooting guard R.J. Hunter to their D-League affiliate in Maine, the team announced. This will be Mickey’s ninth stint with the Red Claws on the season, the fourth for Rozier and the first for Hunter.

And-Ones: Millsap, Lin, D-League

December 20th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Will Joseph

The Magic offered Paul Millsap a max contract on July 1st and the power forward told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel that Orlando’s pitch was impressive before he ultimately decided to re-sign with the Hawks.

“I was their first priority, and everything about their team was looking good at the time,” Millsap told Robbins. “It intrigued me. The presentation was great.”

Millsap, per Robbins, chose to stay in Atlanta, however, because he grew a fondness for the area and he got used to calling it home. Millsap added that his teammates and the Hawks’ coaching staff had a lot to do with his decision to re-sign because he believes Atlanta has “built something special thus far.”

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

The non-guaranteed minimum salary of recent Wizards signee Ryan Hollins becomes fully guaranteed if the team doesn’t waive him by the end of December 27th, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders in a roundup of guarantee dates. Pincus also reveals that Bryce Cotton, who signed with the Suns last month, is on a non-guaranteed contract for the minimum salary that covers just this season and wouldn’t become guaranteed until next month’s leaguewide guarantee date.
Hawks big man Mike Muscala, previously thought to have a $473,638 partial guarantee on his $947,276 minimum salary, has no guarantee at all, Pincus shows in the same post and on Twitter.
Jeremy Lin, who signed a two-year, $4.4MM contract with the Hornets in July, said his new team is a very good fit for his style and strengths, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle relays.
The Mavs recalled Justin Anderson, Jeremy Evans and Salah Mejri from their D-League affiliate, the team announced in an emailed press release. Evans has appeared in 19 games with the Mavs while Anderson has played in 17 and Mejri has seen action in five.
The Thunder assigned Josh Huestis to the D-League, the team announced. Huestis has appeared in nine games this season for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s D-League affiliate.
The Celtics recalled Terry Rozier and Jordan Mickey from their D-League affiliate, the team announced in an emailed press release.

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Martin, D-League

December 19th, 2015 at 10:13pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Carmelo Anthony has been key to Kristaps Porzingis‘ transition to the NBA, as Ian Begley of ESPN.com passes along via Twitter. “From the first moment we met, he’s been like a mentor to me,” Porzingis said of Anthony. Through the first two months of the season, the 19-year-old has cemented himself in the rookie of the year conversation, averaging 17.4 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per 36 minutes.

Here are some notes from around the Eastern Conference:

Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel admits that Kevin Martin would make the Heat better, but he doesn’t believe a trade for shooting guard would be best for the team. Martin is reportedly available in trade discussions.
The Cavs have assigned Joe Harris to the Canton Charge, the team’s D-League affiliate, according to the team’s website. Harris is averaging 17.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists in nine games with the Charge this season.
The Celtics have assigned Terry Rozier to the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s D-League affiliate, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Rozier has only played a total of 95 minutes for the Celtics this season, scoring a total of 27 points.

Atlantic Notes: Valanciunas, McConnell, Porzingis

November 21st, 2015 at 2:49pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Undrafted rookie point guard T.J. McConnell has been one of the early season’s pleasant surprises for the Sixers, something that even McConnell didn’t anticipate, Andy Jasner of NBA.com writes. “Did I expect to play this much so early in the season?,” McConnell asked. “I would have to say, ‘no.’ Like I’ve said, weird things have gone on. My number has been called and I’m going in to compete and fight for minutes. It’s every day that you have to compete and play hard and learn. To keep this dream going, it’s keeping that work ethic going and continuing to play well. I just want to take advantage of this amazing opportunity.”

McConnell is a realist and understands that his future with the team is unclear once Kendall Marshall and Tony Wroten return to action, Jasner adds. “I hope so,” McConnell responded when asked if he had a future in Philly. “I’ve already had such a great experience here. The coaches and my teammates are amazing to be around every day. My teammates are always encouraging me and the coaches are teaching all the time. I’m here to learn and get better. I don’t ever want to look down the road. Sure, I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t think about it. But my job is to stay in the moment and improve as much as possible.”

Here’s more from out of the Atlantic Division:

Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas fractured the fourth metacarpal in his non-shooting hand on Friday night, and will be evaluated to determine just how long he’ll be out of action, the team announced via a press release (h/t to ESPN.com). Valanciunas broke a similar bone in his right hand during his 2012/13 rookie season and missed 18 games as a result.
Kristaps Porzingis has taken New York by storm, as well as surprised many around the league with his solid start, but the Knicks rookie isn’t shocked that he has been able to contribute immediately, Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post writes. “Everybody [was] saying project, few years,” Porzingis said. “I will get better in a few years, but I knew I’d be able to play right now.”
The Celtics have recalled Terry Rozier and James Young from the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team announced.

Atlantic Notes: Joseph, McHale, D-League

November 19th, 2015 at 3:47pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Cory Joseph has exceeded all expectations that the Raptors had for him when they inked him to a four-year, $30MM deal this offseason, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca writes. “When you do these things, you try to get good players and you try to figure out,” said GM Masai Ujiri of Joseph. “You do your scouting, you do your analytics, and you try to figure out if the team will fit together. But honestly, until they start playing, we [don’t know]. When we looked at it, we tried to look at two-way players who bring us some kind of toughness and that’s what he is. He’s a two-way player that will pick up the ball full court and put pressure on opposing guards. He knows how to fight people and make people better and score a little bit too. So you hope that it translates to the basketball court.”

Coach Dwane Casey is also a fan of Joseph’s, but he also admits the play of the 24-year-old playmaker has exceeded expectation, Lewenberg adds. “He has [been a pleasant surprise],” said Casey. “His energy, his toughness wasn’t a surprise but it’s really been glaring. He’s really filled in. I didn’t know how much we could play the two [point] guards together but he plays bigger than he is. He’s not the typical point guard, he can guard twos, he can get down there and wrestle with some threes. If he gets switched off he gets into the big guys’ knees and boxes them out. So he is better than expected.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge would like to bring former teammate and fired Rockets coach Kevin McHale to the Celtics in some capacity, even if it’s just in a consultant’s role, Ainge told Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. The Mavericks are also interested, league sources said to Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
The Nets have respect for the coaching of Randy Ayers, whom they recently hired as a scout, though team officials say the organization doesn’t regard him as a coach-in-waiting in case Lionel Hollins is fired, reports Chris Mannix of SI.com.
The Celtics have assigned Jordan Mickey, Terry Rozier and James Young to the D-League, the team announced (Twitter link).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Galloway, Mickey, Rozier, Young

November 15th, 2015 at 4:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

Langston Galloway draws motivation from having begun his pro career as an unheralded D-Leaguer, but the comfort of knowing he would play with the Knicks this season on the two-year contract he signed at midseason last year helped him concentrate on improving in the offseason, he told Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.

“I think this summer I was more settled because I knew where I was going, where I was going back to,” Galloway said. “And I knew the staff. So it helped out. I could focus on being there. I wouldn’t have to worry about 10 different other things. Like, ‘I might be here, I might be there.’ It definitely helped out, made me more comfortable. [It] made me just work at a more consistent pace.”

Galloway’s salary is only partially guaranteed this season, but he seems in no danger of hitting waivers. He’s set for restricted free agency in the summer ahead. See more on the Knicks and the rest of the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks won a fairly tight game against the Pelicans today, but they’ve otherwise struggled down the stretch, a problem their high roster turnover helps explain, Begley notes in a separate piece. The Knicks and Nets opened the season with eight newcomers apiece, most than any other Eastern Conference team.
The Celtics recalled all three of the players they had on D-League assignment today, bringing Jordan Mickey, Terry Rozier and James Young back to the big club in advance of today’s game against the Thunder, the team announced (Twitter link). Mickey and Young went to the D-League on Thursday, while the C’s had just assigned Rozier on Saturday.
The Sixers are well-positioned with lots of draft assets, but luck will play a prominent role in how well their rebuilding plan works, as Tom Moore of Calkins Media examines. Lottery picks and success aren’t necessarily correlated, as I observed earlier today.

Atlantic Notes: Smith, Crowder, Scola

November 14th, 2015 at 12:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Former Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith is still upset with team president Phil Jackson for publicly discussing Smith’s personal life during an interview this past summer, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. “It was crazy to me because I try to leave my personal life on the side and when somebody sits there, sits behind a desk and tells you to open up on what’s going on with you, you’re thinking that’s going to be between the two of y’all,” Smith told Begley. “So, for me, it tells me something I already knew. But to come from someone like Phil, it’s just, it’s crazy. It makes you not want to tell anybody anything [that has] anything to do with your business. It was tough, but that’s how he handles stuff, that’s how he does it.”

Despite his negative feelings regarding Jackson’s comments, Smith still thinks back on his time in New York fondly, Begley adds. “There were ups and downs, to be expected, but I had more ups than I had downs when I was here, I think,” Smith said. “I’m just glad I was able to play here. A lot of people can’t play here, under the lights, under the pressure. I’m just glad I was one of those few who was able to.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Sixers CEO Scott O’Neil takes issue with any assertion that the team’s rebuilding process is moving along at too slow a pace, pointing to the team’s two potential cornerstones in Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, as well as the potential four first round draft picks that the franchise could have in next year’s draft, Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “I want to scream, like, ‘Are you guys kidding me?’ ” O’Neil said. “I would scream it. When people say, ‘You’re set back. You’re too slow,’ I’m like, ‘Have you guys lost your [expletive] minds?’ Like, seriously, this is it.“
Jae Crowder‘s intense focus on improving his defense is paying dividends for both the player and the Celtics, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Through the team’s first seven contests, Crowder is leading the league with 3.4 steals per game, Himmelsbach notes. “All I try to do is make an impact on the defensive end every night,” Crowder said. “It’s not going to be perfect. You’re not going to hold someone scoreless in this league, but you can make it tough on them and you can have an impact on the game.” The 25-year-old re-signed with Boston this offseason on a five-year, $35MM arrangement.
Raptors power forward Luis Scola has increased his 3-point shot attempts this season in an effort to adapt to the way big men are being utilized in today’s NBA, writes Eric Koreen of The National Post. “The NBA is moving in that direction,” Scola said. “We all know how effective the three-point shot is in the basketball game today. I’m trying to adapt. That’s the way teams are playing.” Scola has attempted 1.8 deep balls per contest thus far, which is a significant bump from the 0.4 he notched per game in 2014/15, Koreen notes.
The Celtics have assigned Terry Rozier to the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Rozier’s first trip to the D-League of the season.

Atlantic Notes: Joseph, Calderon, Rozier

October 20th, 2015 at 6:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Point guard Cory Joseph, who inked a four-year, $30MM deal with the Raptors this summer, has been impressing the team with his solid two-way game, Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun writes. Joseph said he wasn’t feeling any added pressure to perform up to his new deal, Wolstat notes. “I don’t know how to answer that because I don’t really base my game on what people think,” Joseph said. “I just try to get better every day. I try to maybe prove that I can play within the organization, but outside the organization, I don’t really look at that stuff.”

Joseph’s new teammate, Luis Scola, praises the reserve playmaker’s ability, and predicts good things for Joseph this season in Toronto, Wolstat adds. “He’s a good player, he’s trying to explore his game, take his game to the next level,” Scola said. “I think he’s going to have a lot of opportunities here. He’s in great shape right now, he looks very good, very confident, so, hopefully he can keep that momentum going into the season. We’re expecting a great year from him.”

Here’s more from out of the Atlantic Division:

Knicks point guard Jose Calderon noted that there were some teams this offseason that were interested in trading for him, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. New York was reportedly trying to find a taker for the veteran this summer as the team attempted to free up cap space.
2015 first-rounder Terry Rozier‘s place in the Celtics‘ rotation is unclear with a number of players ahead of him on the depth chart currently, but coach Brad Stevens has noted the impact that former third-string point guard Phil Pressey had on Boston teams in recent seasons, a role that Stevens hopes the rookie can fill, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes.
While injuries have kept Arron Afflalo on the shelf for the bulk of the preseason, the Knicks are banking on his skill as a post player to help him thrive in the triangle offense this season, Begley writes in a separate piece. “Post-ups aren’t as popular of a scoring opportunity in terms of efficiency and points per possession. But we still view it as penetration,” New York coach Derek Fisher said. “The ball is still closer to the basket than it is if you’re standing out by the line. And we believe we have some guys who are good enough to force teams to make a decision on how they’re going to defend us. [We] think Arron’s good enough.“