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Tony Mitchell To Play In Puerto Rico

February 5th, 2015 at 10:07am CST by Chuck Myron

Former Pistons and Suns power forward Tony Mitchell will play for Atleticos de San German in Puerto Rico, agent Christian Santaella tweets (hat tip to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The Suns released Mitchell last month to accommodate their trade for Brandan Wright a little more than two weeks after acquiring him from the Pistons in a one-for-one swap for Anthony Tolliver. Mitchell, a 22-year-old who was the 37th overall pick in 2013 out of North Texas, is not to be confused with the undrafted small forward by the same name who signed a 10-day contract with the Bucks in April.

The Mitchell who’s headed to Puerto Rico didn’t appear in an NBA game this season with either Detroit or Phoenix in spite of a guaranteed minimum salary. He saw just 3.8 minutes per game as a rookie in the NBA last year, spread over 21 appearances. The Pistons assigned him to the D-League on four occasions this season, but he put up modest numbers with Detroit’s affiliate, averaging 8.2 points and 7.2 rebounds in 24.8 minutes per game.

It’s unclear if his arrangement to play in Puerto Rico would allow him to return to the NBA this season. Mitchell had been drawing offers from European teams shortly after his release from the Suns, as David Pick of Eurobasket.com reported last month.

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Pacific Notes: Goodwin, Green, Jordan

January 20th, 2015 at 10:04am CST by Chuck Myron

Suns reserve shooting guard Archie Goodwin is frustrated with his lack of playing time amid Phoenix’s continued addition of guards, as he tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Goodwin cautioned that he understands all the guys ahead of him on the team are talented players and that he wants to maintain a professional attitude. Still, the 20-year-old is putting up a strong performance while on D-League assignment, and he tells Deveney that he won’t tolerate a limited NBA role next season.

“I don’t know what they’re doing,” Goodwin said. “Honestly, I really don’t. I guess they know what they’re doing — I can just play ball and let them make the decisions. I don’t know what the purpose is for it, but there is nothing I can do about it.”

Indeed, there isn’t much recourse for Goodwin, since his rookie scale contract runs through 2016/17, but he’s not the only one dissatisfied in Phoenix, even as the Suns have won 13 out of their last 17. Here’s more from Phoenix and elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

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Suns Acquire Brandan Wright

January 9th, 2015 at 5:57pm CST by Eddie Scarito

NBA: Boston Celtics at Miami Heat

5:57pm: The Suns have officially waived Mitchell, the team announced in its press release.

5:27: The trade is official, the Celtics have announced in a press release.

5:07pm: The Suns will waive Tony Mitchell in order to clear a roster spot for Wright, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic reports (Twitter link).

4:39pm: The Suns are set to acquire center Brandan Wright from the Celtics, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter links). Phoenix will be sending Boston the first-round pick that it owns from Minnesota, Wojnarowski adds. The pick is top 12 protected this season, and top 12 protected in 2015/16, and if it does not convey by the 2016 NBA draft, then the pick will turn into two second-rounders. Boston will also create a $5MM trade exception in the deal, an amount equivalent to Wright’s salary. Phoenix currently has 15 players on its roster, so a corresponding move will need to be made prior to completing the deal.

Wright was the centerpiece player in the trade with Dallas for Rajon Rondo, though Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge had recently informed Wright that he was on the trading block. Trading the 27-year-old big man out of North Carolina is the latest step in Ainge’s rebuilding plan in Boston, and the team is obviously valuing the future over the present with its moves this season.

In 320 career games, Wright has averaged 7.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.0 block per game. His career slash line is .609/.000/.685.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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Pistons, Suns Swap Tolliver, Mitchell

December 24th, 2014 at 11:40am CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons have acquired Anthony Tolliver from the Suns in exchange for Tony Mitchell, the teams announced via press release. It’s a straight one-for-one swap. The Suns are expected to waive Mitchell, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Both teams had cap space going into the deal, and both remain under the cap, so there was no salary matching necessary. Detroit is just a sliver under the cap after taking on Tolliver’s $3MM salary, while the Suns open up nearly $2.184MM in additional cap room in the exchange, even though Mitchell’s guaranteed minimum salary will stick on Phoenix’s books if he indeed hits waivers.

Tolliver, a 6’8″ combo forward, helps make up for the loss of Josh Smith, whom the Pistons shockingly waived Monday. He’s a much more proficient outside shooter than Smith is, having nailed 38.5% of his three-point attempts so far this season and 35.5% for his career. He shot 41.3% on three-pointers last season, helping him earn a two-year, $6MM deal with the Suns, who needed to replace Magic signee Channing Frye. Tolliver nonetheless saw only 11.3 minutes per game for Phoenix, which clearly saw him as expendable. Only $400K of next season’s $3MM salary is guaranteed for Tolliver, so the Pistons largely preserve their cap flexibility for the summer ahead.

Mitchell, a power forward not to be confused with the former Bucks small forward by the same name, had been on his fourth D-League assignment of the season since December 12th. The 37th overall pick in the 2013 draft had yet to appear in a regular season game this season for new coach/executive Stan Van Gundy after seeing only 79 minutes spread over 21 games as a rookie last year.

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D-League Notes: Mitchell, Adams, Ledo

December 12th, 2014 at 6:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The D-League is becoming an integral part of the NBA’s process of developing younger players, as well as a source for locating hidden gems to bolster rosters during the course of the season. You can easily stay on top of which players are coming and going from the D-League all season by checking out our 2014/15 D-League Assignments, Recalls tracker, which is updated daily. You can also find this page anytime on the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.”

Here are the latest D-League moves:

  • The Pistons have sent Tony Mitchell to the Grand Rapids Drive, their D-League affiliate, Keith Langlois of NBA.com reports (Twitter link). This will be Mitchell’s fourth D-League assignment of the season.
  • Jordan Adams has been re-assigned to the Iowa Energy, the Grizzlies‘ affiliate, the team announced in a press release. In his three previous jaunts to Iowa, Adams has averaged 14.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 30.0 minutes per contest.
  • The Mavericks have recalled Ricky Ledo from the Texas Legends of the D-League, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com reports (Twitter link). This was Ledo’s fourth assignment of the season to the D-League. In seven appearances for the Legends, he has averaged 13.3 PPG.
  • The Kings have re-assigned Eric Moreland to their D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, the team announced via Twitter. This will be Moreland’s fourth trip to Reno of the season, and he’s averaging 14.4 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks for the Bighorns this season.
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D-League Notes: Celtics, Smith, Ledo

December 5th, 2014 at 7:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Mavs reaped a subtle benefit when the Thunder decided to keep Ish Smith instead of Sebastian Telfair when their 16th roster spot expired last week, as Gino Pilato of D-League Digest explains. The Mavs affiliate, by D-League rule, inherited top waiver priority once Smith, who left the Mavs affiliate to sign with Oklahoma City on November 7th, spent his 21st day on the Thunder’s NBA roster, as Pilato points out. Thus, the Legends were able to grab Ivan Johnson even though Dallas didn’t have his D-League rights when he signed with the league earlier this week.

Here are the latest D-League moves:

  • The Celtics have recalled James Young, Dwight Powell, and Marcus Smart from their D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, the team has announced. The trio make their return after seeing action in Maine’s victory against Fort Wayne last night. Young poured in 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Powell contributed 21 points. Smart, making his D-League debut, added six points, five boards, and dished out seven dimes.
  • Russ Smith has been assigned to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pelicans have announced. Smith has appeared in three contests for New Orleans, going scoreless in his 3.7 minutes per game. The rookie averaged 5.0 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in six preseason games for the Pelicans this year. Smith is the first player that New Orleans has assigned to the D-League this season.
  • The Pistons have assigned Tony Mitchell to their D-League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive, David Mayo of MLive reports (Twitter link). This will be Mitchell’s third trip to the D-League this season.
  • Ricky Ledo has been reassigned to the Texas Legends, the Mavs‘ D-League affiliate, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets. This is Ledo’s third such assignment, and in four games with the Legends Ledo has averaged 11.5 points and 2.8 assists.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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And-Ones: Wallace, Kirk, Pistons, Draft

November 30th, 2014 at 9:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace is glad to be back in the driver’s seat, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald writes.  “I basically stepped aside. No one told me to step back,” Wallace explained. “My role was reduced, but I intentionally stepped back from the players and the coaches. I did not want to be seen as someone that was a meddler last year. I went to games, but I did not interact with the players or coaches during that time. I stayed involved in the game. I was watching the college game closely and the NBA game and attending games at both levels, because I planned on getting back. I didn’t know it was going to be here.”  More from around the NBA..

  • The Cavs announced that they have assigned center Alex Kirk to their D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge.  Kirk averaged 23.7 PPG and 9.7 RPG in three games for the Charge this season.  He has also appeared in three games for the Cavs this season.
  • The Pistons recalled Tony Mitchell from the Grand Rapids Drive of the D-League, according to the RealGM transactions log.
  • If the draft was tomorrow, Kansas guard/forward Kelly Oubre might not be a top pick, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.  Oubre has been seeing limited minutes so far for the Jayhawks, but there’s still plenty of season ahead for the frosh.  He’s currently rated No. 5 in DraftExpress’ 2015 mock.
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And-Ones: Cobbs, Bass, Wright, Casey

November 29th, 2014 at 3:40pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Justin Cobbs has signed a deal with the Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports (Twitter link). Cobbs was released yesterday by the German club VEF Riga after a one-month tryout. The 23-year-old point guard signed with Riga earlier this month shortly after the Hornets released him in advance of opening night.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • Brandon Bass‘ minutes are down this season to 18.5 minutes per game from 27.6 last season, but the Celtics big man is still determined to be productive, Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com writes. “My mindset? It’s the same,” Bass said. “I’m just trying to get better, try to make the best of my opportunities. I try to be efficient and see how it goes.”
  • The Mavs’ Brandan Wright is on a record-breaking pace for field goal percentage in a season thus far, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. This increase in production comes at a good time for Wright, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. “Brandan’s come a long way,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s worked very hard since getting here. He’s gotten stronger, his shooting has gotten better. His free throw shooting has come light years. And he’s a smart player. He knows how to play within our system very well. And this year, he’s playing the four [power forward] pretty well, too. And that’s challenging without the spacing of a stretch-four out there beside him. We just need him to continue on the path he’s on, because he’s a very important guy for us.”
  • Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, whom the team re-signed to a three-year deal this offseason, has been garnering nothing but praise around the league for his work in Toronto the last two seasons, Eric Koreen of The National Post writes.
  • The Pistons have re-assigned forward Tony Mitchell to the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA D-League, the team announced in a press release. This will be Mitchell’s second trip to the D-League this season.
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Central Notes: Butler, Sanders, Pistons

November 28th, 2014 at 10:22am CST by Chuck Myron

The Bucks can move into first place in the Central Division tonight if they beat the Pistons and the Bulls lose on the road to the Celtics. It’s early, of course, but new coach Jason Kidd is making a case for Coach of the Year honors, though he’s receiving an assist from the arrival of Jabari Parker and the improved play of others. There’s more on Milwaukee amid the latest from the Central:

  • A source tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that the Bulls offered Jimmy Butler a four-year extension worth more than $40MM. That largely falls in line with the $11MM annual salaries that an earlier report from K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune indicated the Bulls had put on the table.
  • Larry Sanders is only playing 22.2 minutes per game, but Kidd is pleased with his play not just on defense but on offense as well, and the center credits Kidd and the new Bucks owners for a culture change, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel details. The revival of Sanders, whose poor performance last season had him in trade rumors shortly after he signed a four-year, $44MM extension, has helped the surprising Bucks to a 9-7 record.
  • The Pistons have recalled Tony Mitchell from the D-League, the team announced (Twitter link). He had 12 points and 12 rebounds in his lone appearance with the Grand Rapids Drive this week after Detroit sent him down Wednesday.
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Eastern Notes: Smart, Sixers, Mitchell

November 26th, 2014 at 10:12pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Celtics rookie Marcus Smart has begun practicing but is still limited in what he is able to do on the court, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com reports. Head coach Brad Stevens is eager for Smart to return to action but stressed that Smart would only return when the player felt comfortable, notes Forsberg. “I think, obviously, you want him to be as close to pre-injury [health] as possible, otherwise he shouldn’t be full-go,” Stevens said. “Is there a transition period? Absolutely. But sometimes in those first couple days, you’re so excited to be back out that you actually play pretty darn well. So it’s just a matter of him getting back out here and it’s more about the conditioning than anything else right now, just because he hasn’t done anything on the court, physically, as far as 5-on-5, in the last three weeks.”

Here’s more from the east:

  • With the Celtics‘ early-season record a disappointing 4-8, Stevens said that he doesn’t sense any overwhelming frustration among his players, Forsberg writes in a separate article. “I don’t sense the frustration level to be as high as maybe it’s made out to be, because a lot of that is made out after a game where you lose close and, that soon after, everybody’s disappointed, everybody is — you lose a little perspective immediately after a game,” said Stevens.
  • “Everyone in the league knows” that some sort of lottery reform is on its way, even though the owners rejected the league’s last proposal, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. The widespread negative perception of the Sixers‘ radical rebuilding hasn’t changed in front offices around the league, as Berger notes. One GM told Berger that aside from Nerlens Noel, Michael Carter-Williams and Joel Embiid, the majority of Philly’s players wouldn’t be claimed off waivers if the Sixers were to release them.
  • When Detroit assigned Tony Mitchell to the Grand Rapids Drive earlier today he became the first player that the Pistons have sent to their new D-league affiliate, as Peter J. Wallner of MLive.com examines. Mitchell is expected to return to Detroit on Thursday.
  • Michael Carter-Williams has been struggling for the Sixers since returning to the lineup after his preseason injury. If the young point guard hopes to remain a part of the team’s future he’ll need to improve his decision-making with the ball and his body language when things don’t go well, Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Philly.com writes.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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