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Month: November 2024

Bobcats Buy Out Boris Diaw

March 21st, 2012 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bobcats and Boris Diaw have agreed on a buyout for the remainder of his contract, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. The Bobcats confirmed in a press release that they have officially waived Diaw, so he should clear waivers on Friday.

Diaw was in the final season of a five-year, $45MM contract, having exercised his player option for this season. By buying him out of the deal, the Bobcats will save a little of his $9MM cap figure for 2011/12.

Diaw's averages of 7.4 PPG and 10.9 PER are his worst since 2004/05, while his .410 FG% is a career low. The 29-year-old didn't exactly see eye-to-eye with coach Paul Silas and has drawn criticism for his conditioning throughout the season. His agent had contacted the Bobcats about the possibility of a buyout prior to the trade deadline, and when Charlotte couldn't find a deal by last Thursday, a buyout seemed inevitable.

The move reduces the Bobcats' roster to 14 players, and will allow Diaw to maintain playoff eligibility if and when he signs elsewhere.

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Thunder Expected To Sign Derek Fisher

March 21st, 2012 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

11:48am: Fisher will sign with the Thunder when he clears waivers tonight, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.

10:03am: Derek Fisher won't clear waivers until later this afternoon, but when he does, it looks as if he'll sign with the Thunder. According to Randy Renner of NBA.com, Fisher was spotted in Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport this morning with GM Sam Presti and other members of the Thunder's front office. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported yesterday that Fisher was "very close" to commiting to the Thunder.

Fisher, 37, was bought out by the Rockets shortly after Houston acquired him in a deadline deal with the Lakers. The Thunder, Heat, and Spurs were considered potential destinations for the point guard, who also had interest in joining the Bulls. The Thunder emerged as the favorites based on their financial flexibility, the role they can offer Fisher, and the potential opportunity to face the veteran's former team in the postseason.

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Pacific Notes: Ebanks, Lakers, Clippers, Hill

March 21st, 2012 at 10:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacific Division was turned upside down last night, as the division's three playoff contenders all lost, while the last-place Kings topped Memphis behind 31 points from Marcus Thornton and Jason Thompson's fourth consecutive double-double. As the Lakers, Clippers, and Suns look to get back in the win column tonight, let's round up the latest updates on the Pacific's top three squads….

  • Devin Ebanks' agent David Bauman told the Los Angeles Times that his client likely won't return to the Lakers next season if Matt Barnes and Metta World Peace are still on the team and receiving most of the small forward minutes: "He'll find an opportunity where he'll have a better chance to break into a rotation." Ebanks, 22, will be eligible for restricted free agency if the Lakers extend him a qualifying offer worth $1.03MM, in which case L.A. would be able to match any offer sheet he received. Barnes' contract expires at season's end, while World Peace is an amnesty candidate.
  • The ongoing changes to the Clippers' roster and rotation have affected the team's offensive output, says Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
  • Suns forward Grant Hill wants to keep playing until he "can't go or it's not fun anymore," he tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. The 39-year-old, who's on a one-year, $6.5MM contract, thinks he can play for at least another season or two.
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Josh Howard To Undergo Knee Surgery

March 21st, 2012 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 10:23am: After receiving a second opinion on his knee, Howard will likely undergo surgery today, says Smith. He still hopes to be back by the end of the regular season, or at least for the playoffs, if the Jazz qualify (all Twitter links).

TUESDAY, 7:17pm: Howard says not to count him out just yet. He'll get a second opinion on his knee tomorrow, and believes he'll be out no longer than four to six weeks, Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune reports. That would get him back for the last week of the regular season at the earliest. The Jazz, however, still expect him to miss the rest of the year, Smith tweets.

6:45pm: GM Kevin O'Connor says the Jazz still don't intend to add a player, even with Howard out, according to Smith (Twitter link).

4:37pm: Josh Howard will undergo season-ending surgery on his left knee, according to Jazz radio announcer David Locke (via Twitter). Howard underwent an MRI on Monday that showed a chip in the knee, tweets Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune. Smith adds more detail in this story, including that Howard had recently said he'll give the Jazz "full consideration" as an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Howard signed a one-year deal worth $2.15MM with the Jazz prior to the season, after spending the first nine seasons of his NBA career with the Mavericks and Wizards. In 41 games for Utah, the 31-year-old averaged 8.7 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 23.4 MPG. Howard had started every game since the All-Star break.

Utah GM Kevin O'Connor said earlier today that the Jazz didn't intend to use their open roster spot to add a player this season. Perhaps that stance will be reconsidered with Howard out for the year.

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Atlantic Notes: Williams, D’Antoni, Celtics, Diaw

March 21st, 2012 at 9:31am CST by Luke Adams

Dwight Howard's decision to waive his early termination option and remain in Orlando may have surprised his agent, writes Ken Berger of CBS Sports. According to Berger, Dan Fegan was "telling anyone and everyone that Dwight was Brooklyn-bound." D12's unexpected decision is a reminder that no one knows exactly what a player is thinking, Berger says, pointing out that the same goes for Deron Williams, who will explore free agency this summer.

Here are a few more notes out of the Atlantic Division:

  • Speaking of Williams, he told reporters, including Anthony Sulla-Heffinger of the New York Post, that he's looking forward to the Nets' new arena in Brooklyn: "[The Barclays Center] is going to be state of the art, it's going to be the best arena in the NBA hands down. I’m excited to see it when it’s complete and hopefully play there."
  • Nothing that happens for the rest of this season will affect Williams' decision on whether or not to sign with the Nets this summer, tweets Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger.
  • Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo thinks Mike D'Antoni will return to the sidelines soon, but says it won't happen for his team, according to Mark Hale and Marc Berman of the New York Post. Colangelo says the Raptors are "in the first year of what I hope will be a long-term relationship" with coach Dwane Casey.
  • Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com fields reader questions in a mailbag focused on potential free agent pickups for the Celtics.
  • Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com wonders if Boris Diaw, who agreed to a buyout with the Bobcats, could be a candidate to sign with the Celtics.
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Elliot Williams Out For Season

March 21st, 2012 at 8:07am CST by Luke Adams

Elliot Williams will undergo surgery on his injured left shoulder in the near future, he told reporters last night (including Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com). The surgery will sideline the 21-year-old guard for the remainder of the season.

Williams, the Blazers' 22nd overall pick in 2010, saw his first NBA action this season. In 24 games, he averaged 3.7 points on 50% shooting in 6.2 minutes per contest. He's expected to be 100% healthy for next season.

The Trail Blazers' trade deadline activity resulted in the team waiving one player (Greg Oden) who was out for the year, and acquiring two more in Mehmet Okur and Shawne Williams. With Okur and the two Williams' out for the season, perhaps Portland will look into adding a player for depth. The team currently has a full roster of 15 players, so they'd likely have to waive Okur or buy out Shawne Williams to make room.

Williams' surgery will take place on March 30th, according to the team (via Twitter).

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Lessons From The 2009 Draft

March 20th, 2012 at 11:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

Only about five weeks remain until the end of the regular season, and with the NCAA Tournament in full swing, NBA teams are beginning to look at draft prospects for next year. With that in mind, it's helpful to look back at previous drafts to see what we can learn. Three years after a draft offers a fairly relevant sample size to judge teams on their selections and players on their performances. It also offers a look ahead to next season, when some of the 2009 draftees will be extension candidates ahead of a chance at restricted free agency in the summer of 2013. Here are the top five overachieving picks from 2009, and the top five underachievers, with the team that drafted them, draft position, and relevant career stats in parentheses.

Overachievers

  • Brandon Jennings (Bucks, 10th overall: 16.5 PPG, 5.4 APG, 15.9 PER) He's a lottery pick with a career 38.6 shooting percentage, but when he scored 55 points in his seventh NBA game, he showed why he's got more talent than the average 10th selection. He's improved his field-goal percentage and PPG in each of his three seasons, and the 22-year-old is the Bucks leading scorer this year.
  • Marcus Thornton (Heat, 43rd overall: 14.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 17.1 PER) The Heat traded him on draft night to the Hornets, but it's been in Sacramento where Thornton has truly flourished, putting up 21.3 PPG after arriving last year and 18.6 this season. Credit former Kings coach Paul Westphal with putting him in the starting lineup and getting the best out of this former second-round pick. 
  • Ty Lawson (Timberwolves, 18th overall: 11.3 PPG, 4.6 APG, 17.6 PER) Of all the point guards the Wolves drafted that year, he might be the best. Unfortunately for Minnesota fans, GM David Kahn traded Lawson to Denver on draft night. Lawson served as an understudy to Chauncey Billups his first year and a half, but was picked to start over Raymond Felton after the Carmelo Anthony trade last year and has held the job ever since. He's averaging a career-high 15.2 PPG and 6.8 APG this season.
  • Taj Gibson (Bulls, 26th overall: 7.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 14.6 PER) He became a bench player after starting 70 games in his rookie season, but he often plays the crunch-time minutes of a starter. He's earned coach Tom Thibodeau's trust, which speaks to his defense, and he's tough to handle on boards, averaging 9.7 RPG per 36 minutes for his career.
  • DeJuan Blair (Spurs, 37th overall: 8.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 17.3 PER) There aren't many second-rounders who start for contending teams in their third seasons, and fewer still who do it without ACLs in their knees. He plays less than half the game for the Spurs these days, even though he starts, but is efficient in his time, averaging 15.8 PPG and 9.7 RPG per 36 minutes this season.

Underachievers

  • Hasheem Thabeet (Grizzlies, 2nd overall: 2.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 10.6 PER) It's not a positive sign for a No. 2 overall pick when he goes down to the D-League in each of his first two seasons, but that's exactly what happened here. Memphis GM Chris Wallace has avoided too much criticism for this one because the spectre of the Blazers' wasted pick of Greg Oden two years prior overshadows it, the Grizzlies have been winning, and the team was able to trade Thabeet in a package that netted Shane Battier, a key figure in their playoff run last year.
  • Terrence Williams (Nets, 11th overall: 7.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 10.5 PER) After being waived by the Rockets last week, he's headed for his third NBA team, this time on a 10-day contract with the Kings. That's a long fall for a lottery pick.
  • Jordan Hill (Knicks, 8th overall: 5.4 PPG, 4.2 PPG, 14.1 PER) He was traded to Houston midway through his rookie season, and now finds himself with the Lakers after another deadline deal this year. Still, since L.A. gave up trusty Derek Fisher to get him, the Lakers may see enough in Hill to think he can at least carve out a niche as a solid contributor.
  • Jonny Flynn (Timberwolves, 6th overall: 9.7 PPG, 3.9 APG, 11.2 PER) David Kahn raised plenty of eyebrows when he followed up his pick of Ricky Rubio at No. 5 with another point guard. He was a reliable insurance policy in his first year as Rubio played overseas, starting 81 games and averaging 13.5 PPG and 4.4 APG. He's started only eight games since, but could see time with his new team in Portland, as the Blazers look at some of their younger players.
  • Earl Clark (Suns, 14th overall: 3.0 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 8.7 PER) Buried on the bench with the Suns, Clark got a look as the backup to Dwight Howard after being traded to Orlando last year. His 4.1 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 11.9 MPG was underwhelming enough for the Magic to give his minutes to Glen Davis this year, and Clark is once more out of the rotation.

 

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Latest On Buyouts: O’Neal, Powell, Heat

March 20th, 2012 at 10:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

Earlier tonight we took a look at last year's buyout recipients and how they've fared since. Now let's dive into some of the buyout rumblings from this evening:

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Pacific Notes: Hill, Wallace, Trade

March 20th, 2012 at 9:23pm CST by Chuck Myron

Fewer than half of the NBA's 30 teams are involved in a seven-game slate tonight, but four of the five Pacific Division clubs are in action. Let's take a look at what's happening out west:

 

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Cavaliers Waive Ryan Hollins

March 20th, 2012 at 8:16pm CST by Luke Adams

8:16 pm: The decision to part ways was mutual, writes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Lloyd also characterizes the move as a buyout, meaning Hollins was motivated enough to leave the team that he was willing to give back a part of his $2.48MM salary.

11:56am: The Cavaliers have placed Ryan Hollins on waivers, the team announced today. The move reduces Cleveland's roster to 14 players.

The Cavs have been busy since Thursday's trade deadline, adding guards Donald Sloan and Manny Harris on rest-of-season contracts, and waiving Jason Kapono. The Hollins move is a little surprising — although the 27-year-old wasn't a key contributor for Cleveland, he was averaging 15+ MPG this season, and has a cap figure of $2.48MM in the final season of a three-year contract.

Hollins will join J.J. Hickson and Ronny Turiaf on the big man market as a potential target for contenders. Though he's shown flashes of promise in the past, the 7'0" center struggled this season, averaging 3.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and just 7.0 PER in his 24 games.

Cleveland will look for another big man to fill out its roster, according to the Plain Dealer (Twitter link).

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