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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/11/20

March 11th, 2020 at 5:00pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Here are today’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Trail Blazers assigned Jusuf Nurkic to the G League, per the team. Portland doesn’t have a G League team, so Nurkic reported to the Santa Cruz Warriors.
The Raptors assigned Stanley Johnson to the Raptors 905 for today’s game, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Johnson, who is the former No. 8 overall pick, signed with the team this past offseason.
There were also a handful of other assignments today, per the G League’s official log. They are as follows:
- Nuggets assign Keita Bates-Diop (to Windy City Bulls).
- Sixers assign Norvel Pelle (recalled).
- Spurs assign Luka Samanic.
- Wizards assign Anzejs Pasecniks (recalled), Gary Payton II (recalled), and Admiral Schofield.

Raptors On Verge Of Finally Getting Fully Healthy

March 9th, 2020 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

After dealing with injuries all long, often to multiple starters or rotation players at a time, the Raptors‘ next challenge may be a welcome one, according to Doug Smith of The Toronto Star, who writes that head coach Nick Nurse will have to figure out how to balance playing time for a fully healthy roster.
Although most of the injured Raptors players – including Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka – have now returned to the court, Fred VanVleet has yet to do so. Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca examines how experience has taught VanVleet, who has a sprained left shoulder, to be patient and avoid rushing back from a health issue.

Bulls Notes: Presti, Paxson, Boylen, Markkanen

March 5th, 2020 at 11:04am CST by Arthur Hill

Sam Presti has been mentioned as a possible target in the Bulls‘ front office shakeup, but K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago doesn’t believe the organization is willing to spend heavily on a new executive. He estimates it would take an offer in the neighborhood of $10MM a year to get the attention of Presti, the current president of basketball operations for the Thunder.

Johnson adds that Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf is exploring multiple options, which likely include both Presti and Raptors executive Masai Ujiri. Toronto isn’t expected to let Ujiri leave while he still has a year left on his contract, but because Presti is a close friend with Oklahoma City owner Clay Bennett, the feeling around the league is that Bennett wouldn’t stand in his way if he wanted to leave the organization. Even so, Johnson expects the Bulls to make several hires for the new front office, rather than investing so much in a single executive.

Johnson believes John Paxson will accept whatever role ownership wants him to and speculates that Paxson is actually behind the management restructuring plan. The Bulls also intend to revamp their scouting department, which Paxson originally proposed.

There’s more from Chicago:

Front office candidates will likely be asked to keep an open mind about the future of coach Jim Boylen, Johnson relays in the same piece. Boylen received a contract extension after last season and has kept the support of management despite a poor win-loss record. He recently objected to senior advisor Doug Collins’ presence at coaches meetings, Johnson adds, so Collins’ role in that area has been reduced.
Lauri Markkanen played nearly 21 minutes last night after being sidelined since January 21 with a stress reaction in his pelvis, Johnson writes in a separate story. Markkanen posted 13 points and four rebounds and believes he’s ready for more time once he’s cleared by the medical staff. “I thought he tried. I thought he was active. I thought he was moving pretty good. I thought he showed his whole game — inside, outside,” Boylen said. “… He showed his full game in the minutes he played. I think it was a good first showing for him.”
Last night’s game between the Bulls and Timberwolves matches two franchises that are currently linked by bad decisions, states Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Those include the shared choices to get rid of Jimmy Butler and coach Tom Thibodeau.

Norman Powell Practices, Questionable For Friday

February 27th, 2020 at 2:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Raptors swingman Norman Powell (finger) has been cleared to practice and will be listed as questionable for Friday’s game vs. Charlotte, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Head coach Nick Nurse had said on Tuesday that Powell was scheduled for a check-up next week, but it sounds like the 26-year-old could make it back this weekend.

Terence Davis Q&A; Raptors Sought Scoring At Deadline

February 26th, 2020 at 12:39pm CST by Luke Adams

In a Q&A with Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype, Raptors guard Terence Davis talked about his rookie season and his first impressions of living in Toronto, declaring that he’s “in love with the city.”
The Raptors were searching for more scoring at this month’s trade deadline, sources tell Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Besides its 2020 first-round pick, Toronto didn’t really have any expendable trade assets of value, so the club ultimately ended up standing pat.

Norm Powell Due For Check-Up Next Week

February 26th, 2020 at 11:35am CST by Luke Adams

Raptors swingman Norman Powell, sidelined for nearly a month with a broken finger, is scheduled for a check-up in about a week, head coach Nick Nurse said on Tuesday evening (Twitter link via Blake Murphy of The Athletic).

And-Ones: Pistons, Morris, Harris, Gasol

February 21st, 2020 at 3:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pistons have made some interesting moves over the past few weeks, trading away Andre Drummond and agreeing to buyouts with both Reggie Jackson and Markieff Morris. The franchise appears to be in the midst of a tear-down, and as ESPN’s Bobby Marks explains (Twitter link), this offseason will be a test to see if the team has the stomach to be patient and rebuild.

Detroit is projected to have approximately $36MM in cap space this summer and what the organization does with that flexibility will go a long way toward identifying the team’s actual plans.

Here’s more from around the league:

The Lakers appear to be the favorite to sign Morris, though as Marks tweets, other teams are eligible to claim the power forward off waivers, which would void the buyout. The new team would be on the hook for his player option next season if they claim Morris. Marks adds that teams can use a trade exception to claim the veteran and the Rockets are among the teams with a large enough TPE.
Joe Harris hopes to re-sign with the Nets, as Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Harris spoke about his desire to play alongside Kevin Durant, who hasn’t suited up since signing with Brooklyn.
Marc Gasol could miss additional time with his lingering hamstring injury, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (Twitter link). The Raptors want to make sure the big man is fully healthy before putting him back out on the court.

Pistons Buy Out Markieff Morris

February 21st, 2020 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

2:49pm: The Pistons have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve bought out Morris. He’s on track to clear waivers on Sunday.

2:32pm: Just three days after buying out point guard Reggie Jackson, the Pistons have reached a buyout agreement with another veteran contributor, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the club is buying out forward Markieff Morris.

Morris, 30, has appeared in 44 games for the Pistons this season, averaging 11.0 PPG and 3.9 RPG with a .450/.397/.772 shooting line in 22.5 minutes per contest.

Morris’ two-year contract with Detroit paid him $3.2MM this season and included a $3.36MM player option for next season. Presumably, if he had finished the season with the Pistons, he would have opted out and tested the free agent market, so it’ll be interesting to see how much money he gives up as part of the buyout agreement.

According to Charania (via Twitter), the Lakers have emerged as a frontrunner for Morris. That would add a new layer of intrigue to a potential Los Angeles showdown in the Western Conference playoffs, since the Clippers added Morris’ twin Marcus Morris in a deadline deal earlier this month.

The Raptors have also expressed interest in Markieff, Charania adds.

Eastern Notes: Williams, Kyrie, Raptors

February 12th, 2020 at 5:30pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Marvin Williams is making his debut for the Bucks on Wednesday night and ESPN’s Eric Woodyard (Twitter link) passes along the team’s initial plan for the veteran’s first appearance.

“We’re going to play him a little bit and see how it goes,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I’m excited about having him be a part of our group and how he can help us.”

Williams agreed to a buyout with Charlotte last week and inked a deal with Milwaukee over the weekend. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Williams gives the Bucks another viable rotation option, making them an even deeper team, Alex Boeder of NBA.com writes. The former No. 2 overall pick’s shooting from outside should be particularly helpful for Milwaukee.
Coach Nick Nurse went on ESPN’s PTI today and was asked about one player behind the Raptors‘ success. “Kyle Lowry,” the coach said. “I’ve never seen a guy play harder on the court.”
Brian Lewis of the New York Post (Twitter link) asked Nets coach Kenny Atkinson if Kyrie Irving will return after the All-Star break and he got an interesting response. “There’s a lot of days and I don’t want to go out and say something that I’d regret later,” Atkinson said. “When we get back, those first couple practices will determine where he is.”

Cavaliers Notes: Thompson, Drummond, Sexton, Altman

February 12th, 2020 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tristan Thompson could help solve the Raptors‘ rebounding issues, but a buyout in Cleveland appears unlikely, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. The native Canadian is among 12 players averaging a double-double, with 11.8 PPG and 10.3 RPG. With an expiring contract, he was expected to moved before the deadline by the rebuilding Cavaliers, who snagged his replacement by trading for Andre Drummond.

However, a source tells Grange that neither side plans to pursue a buyout. The Cavs want to hold onto Thompson’s Bird rights for a potential sign-and-trade this summer, while the veteran center believes his best chance to secure a new contract above the mid-level exception is to play out his current deal.

There’s more from Cleveland:

Drummond made two 3-pointers in his debut with the Cavaliers, more than in any of the 591 games he played for the Pistons, but coach John Beilein doesn’t sound ready to endorse the idea of Drummond as a long distance shooter, relays Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “When they go in, it’s always OK,” Beilein said. “But I think I have to understand who he is a little more. I know he had tried a few, he didn’t shoot any against us I don’t think in any of our games, but if you have a five that can shoot it, it does help a great deal. I think it’s still under some type of watch to see whether we’re going to continue to allow it.”
Even though he wasn’t an original choice for the Rising Stars game, the decision to have Collin Sexton replace Tyler Herro on the U.S. roster validates the progress he has made this season, Fedor adds in a separate story. Sexton has been the target of criticism since he came into the league, Fedor notes, and there were suggestions that the Cavaliers should try to trade him before last week’s deadline. However, Sexton has cut down on his turnovers and leads the team in scoring at 19.7 PPG, which ranks third among second-year players behind Trae Young and Luka Doncic.
Despite a 13-40 record, general manager Koby Altman tells Fedor he considers this season to be a success because of the development by Sexton, Darius Garland and Kevin Porter Jr. “If we’re gauging the success of those guys, I’m in a good space,” Altman said. “I’m excited about our future because of where they’ve come from Day One — first game of the season to where they are now and where they’re going.”