Hornets Assign Darius Miller to D-League

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Published: December 31, 2012

From the team:

The New Orleans Hornets have assigned forward Darius Miller to the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Hornets Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Dell Demps.

Miller has appeared in 23 games this season for the Hornets, averaging 2.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.

Players sent the D-League are still under their NBA contract, so no team can poach Mr. Miller from the Hornets. Miller still receives his NBA salary, as well.

This move comes 2 days after Eric Gordon’s 2012-2013 debut with the team. This gave the Hornets 14 healthy players. Since only 13 can be on the active list, the Hornets had to place a healthy player on the list for the first time this season. They chose Miller.

Rather than keep Miller around as a practice body, the move to the D-League is likely an attempt to get the second round pick some minutes. The Energy will determine the minutes Miller receives, if any.

Players with 0, 1, or 2 years can be assigned to the D-League at the whims of their NBA team for as long as the team wants. Typical D-League assignments range from a few days to a few weeks.

Miller has 48 hours to report, and is expected to do so. I’m not sure what the consequences for not reporting are, but it could end up with lost salary and suspension or a voided contract. We may find out if Royce White continues to refuse to report.

Also, one could infer from this move that neither Eric Gordon nor Jason Smith has suffered no ill-effects of which the team is aware, otherwise they would be on the inactive list and Miller would be around if needed, as has been the case all season. It may not be true, of course, but it’s a possible sign of good things.

Update:

From Monty Williams:

“We didn’t like him just sitting. I think it’s beneficial for him to go out and play, and get some reps in games. He’s a young player. He’s got some skill for sure. He just wasn’t in the rotation. In the Minnesota game, I just felt like he wasn’t ready to play on a night in and night out basis. Just watching him in that game. That doesn’t mean we don’t watch him making sure his craft is getting better every day. That’s why we sent him to the D-League, so he can play and be in game-time situations.”

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