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Month: November 2024

Clippers Waive Trey Thompkins

March 14th, 2013 at 4:59pm CST by Luke Adams

4:59pm: Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com is hearing that the Clippers opened up a roster spot because they want to sign a "youngish point guard" (Twitter link).

3:06pm: The Clippers have released big man Trey Thompkins, the team announced today in a press release. Taking into account Maalik Wayns, who is on a 10-day contract, the team had been carrying 15 players, so the move opens up a roster spot.

"We want to thank Trey for his contribution to the Clippers," Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro said in the release. "Unfortunately, he was never able to truly showcase his talents this season due to injuries. We wish him all the best and believe he has a bright future."

Thompkins, 22, has been sidelined for the entire 2012/13 season with what we heard was a bone bruise in his left knee. The Georgia product appeared in 24 games last season for the Clippers after being drafted by the team 37th overall in the 2011 draft. He had a non-guaranteed season on his deal for 2013/14, but it appears the team either knew it wouldn't be bringing him back or wanted to open up a roster spot for another signing — or both.

Assuming Thompkins clears waivers, the Clippers will be on the hook for the remainder of his minimum salary for '12/13.

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Odds & Ends: Scola, Grizzlies, Kobe, Telfair

March 14th, 2013 at 4:29pm CST by Luke Adams

It's been a relatively quiet day as far as NBA rumors and transactions go, but a year ago today, things were heating up in anticipation of a later-than-usual March 15th trade deadline. No deals were consummated on the 14th, but the Bucks and Warriors had finalized a five-player blockbuster the day before, and plenty of rumors were swirling in advance of a deadline day that saw nine more trades completed. We won't be seeing any trades happen on March 14th this year, but while we wait to see if the evening brings any more minor deals or major rumors, let's round up a few odds and ends….

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Update On Tentative 2013 NBA Draft Order

March 14th, 2013 at 1:40pm CST by Luke Adams

With just over a month remaining in the regular season, some NBA teams are already being officially eliminated from the postseason, and plenty more will follow in the coming weeks. Fans of those lottery-bound teams, or readers who already have an eye on this June's draft, will want to keep an eye on a Hoops Rumors feature that's updated daily: Our tentative NBA draft order.

The list is based on this year's "reverse standings" and will be updated every morning for the rest of the season. Draft pick trades have been included via footnotes, and teams who are tied in the standings are marked with asterisks (tiebreakers are eventually determined via coin flip). A lottery team's odds to land the first overall pick are also included in the chart.

While it may not be getting as much attention as the race for the Western Conference playoffs, there's plenty of intrigue to be found in the current lottery order. Seven teams, from the Wizards at No. 3 to the Timberwolves at No. 9, are currently separated by a game and a half, meaning we could see plenty of fluctuation in the reverse standings over the next several weeks.

Besides the likely changes that are still to come in the standings, May's draft lottery also figures to shake things up a little at the top of the draft, but our tentative draft order represents how things will look next June 27th if everything holds to form. You can check out the up-to-date list anytime using the link under Hoops Rumors Features on the right sidebar.

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Poll: Should Derrick Rose Play This Season?

March 14th, 2013 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The last time we saw Derrick Rose in an NBA game was during Game One of the Bulls' opening playoff series against the 76ers last April. After tearing his ACL in that contest, Rose has been rehabbing all year, and has reportedly been medically cleared to return to action. Still, Rose remains uncertain that he'll play this season.

Even though Rose hasn't had any physical setbacks, he still must overcome a number of mental hurdles before he returns to the court. Few, if any, NBA players were able to replicate Rose's explosiveness and aggressiveness in the past, and recapturing that style of play on a surgically-repaired knee won't be easy, if it's possible at all. With just 18 games remaining in the regular season for the Bulls, it's unlikely we'd see Rose back to 100% in time for the postseason, no matter when he makes his 2012/13 debut.

Although the Bulls have publicly stated they aren't pressuring Rose to play, which he confirms, a number of executives around the league have questioned where the story on Rose's medical clearance came from, if not the Bulls. ESPN.com's Chris Broussard spoke to a number of execs about Rose's return, and the general consensus was that Chicago should be deferring to Rose's timetable. If he wants to return for the playoffs, one executive said, he should be given the opportunity, but if anything doesn't feel right, he should be shut down for the season. Another executive suggested that if Rose doesn't return by April 1st, he should probably be shut down.

The Bulls are currently fifth in the Eastern Conference, and with no other teams in the conference currently looming as a legit threat to the Heat, it's easy to argue that a Chicago club with a healthy Rose would immediately become the East's second-best team. But this late in the season, it's unlikely we'll see a Rose that's 100% healthy, so there's certainly some risk in bringing back a franchise player that's signed through 2017.

What do you think? Should Rose try to play before season's end, or should he focus on getting back to full health for 2013/14?

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Playoff Eligibility For Late-Season Signings

March 14th, 2013 at 10:28am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA's buyout deadline passed on March 1st, meaning players can no longer be waived by one team and be playoff-eligible for another. While this rule is fairly straightforward, there are a few wrinkles to it, so let's run through a few scenarios that we've seen this season to explain when a player is and isn't eligible for postseason play:

Scenario: A player was waived on or before March 1st, but cleared waivers and is signed by another team after March 1st.
Eligible for postseason: Yes
Example: The Kings reached a buyout agreement with Aaron Brooks on March 1st, officially waiving him that day. Brooks cleared waivers a couple days later and eventually signed with the Rockets. Because Brooks was waived before 11:00pm CST on March 1st, he can play in the postseason for Houston.

Scenario: A player is waived and is signed by another team after March 1st.
Eligible for postseason: No
Example: Raja Bell and Dominique Jones are among the players that have been released by their respective teams since March 1st. Those guys haven't found new clubs yet, and may find it trickier than usual, since being waived after March 1st cost them their postseason eligibility.

Scenario: A player on a 10-day contract has the deal expire after March 1st and signs a rest-of-season deal with the same team or another team.
Eligible for postseason: Yes
Example: After being released from his guaranteed contract by the Timberwolves in early February, Louis Amundson finalized a 10-day contract with the Bulls on March 2nd. When that contract expired, he retained his postseason eligibility, since he hadn't been released from a guaranteed deal since March 1st. Amundson signed a rest-of-season deal with the Hornets this week, so he won't be participating in the playoffs because of New Orleans' place in the standings, but he remains postseason-eligible. If the Hornets were to waive him, however, he would be ineligible to play in the postseason with another club.

Scenario: A player signs a rest-of-season contract with a team after March 1st, having not played for an NBA team yet this season.
Eligible for postseason: Yes
Example: Players like Gilbert Arenas and Tracy McGrady, who played in China all season and haven't been on an NBA roster, would be postseason-eligible if they signed with an NBA team today, however unlikely that may be.

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Bobcats Sign Jannero Pargo

March 14th, 2013 at 9:11am CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 9:11am: The Bobcats have officially signed Pargo to a 10-day contract, according to Bobcats VP of communications B.J. Evans (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 10:34am: The Bobcats will likely wait until tomorrow to finalize the agreement with Pargo, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Since Charlotte isn't practicing or playing a game today, waiting until tomorrow will allow the team to maximize Pargo's 10 days.

8:25am: The Bobcats will sign Jannero Pargo today to add depth to their backcourt, reports Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Pargo's deal with Charlotte is expected to be a 10-day contract, according to Bonnell.

Pargo, 33, has had stints with the Wizards and Hawks this season, though neither lasted long. Pargo was cut by the Wizards just a couple weeks into the season, and later inked a pair of 10-day deals with the Hawks, who elected not to retain his services for the remainder of the season. In a small sample size (14 games), Pargo has posted career-lows in FG% (.300) and PER (5.3), among other categories. However, he had a solid season in Atlanta a year ago, recording a career-best 13.6 PER.

For the Bobcats, Ramon Sessions has been sidelined with a sprained left knee, leaving the team thin at point guard, so Pargo is expected to back up starter Kemba Walker. Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors suggested last Friday that Pargo might be a fit for the Bobcats in the wake of Sessions' injury.

Charlotte currently has 14 players on its roster, so a corresponding move won't be necessary to clear a roster spot for Pargo.

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Atlantic Notes: Bargnani, Pietrus, Celtics, Felton

March 14th, 2013 at 8:49am CST by Luke Adams

Following blowout losses in Golden State and Denver, the Knicks' current five-game road trip managed to get even worse when Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler left last night's game against the Nuggets with knee injuries. While Chandler downplayed the severity of his left knee contusion and could play tonight, Anthony will head back to New York to get his troublesome right knee drained. Here's more out of the Atlantic Division:

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Hawks Likely To Re-Sign Shelvin Mack

March 14th, 2013 at 5:05am CST by Chuck Myron

There's a "good chance" the Hawks will re-sign point guard Shelvin Mack to a second 10-day contract after his first deal expires this weekend, a source tells Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). Vivlamore says Mack's contract is up Sunday, but the Hawks announced his signing on March 6th, meaning the 10-day deal would expire after tonight. Either way, it appears the point guard will be with Atlanta for at least a little while longer.

Mack has appeared in four games for a total of 28 minutes so far with the Hawks, his third NBA team this season. He was with the Sixers on a pair of 10-day contracts, but Philadelphia opted not to keep him for the rest of the year after he totaled just seven minutes during stay there. The Wizards, who drafted him 34th overall in 2011, waived him at the end of training camp and brought him back on Christmas. The 23-year-old Butler product averaged 5.3 points and 3.3 assists in 20.1 minutes per game in seven contests this year for Washington, which dropped him in January, just before his contract would have become guaranteed for the rest of the season. 

Mack is occupying the 15th and final roster spot for Atlanta, so if the Hawks do what the Sixers and Wizards have resisted doing and keep him for the rest of the season, they couldn't pick up anyone else this year without waiving someone on a guaranteed contract.

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Odds & Ends: Blazers, Williams, Sampson

March 13th, 2013 at 10:34pm CST by Alex Lee

Miami's win streak has reached 20 after they survived a spirited effort from the 76ers in Philly.  Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant is out "indefinitely" after he suffered a severe left ankle sprain late in the Lakers loss in Atlanta.  With Carmelo Anthony's return to Denver nearing halftime, let's round up the final links from around the league on Wednesday night here:

  • The Blazers, who have a top-12 protected first round pick, are in a conflicting position at 3.5 games out of a playoff spot, writes Jason Quick of the Oregonian.  If the season ended today they would retain their selection, and Blazers scouts are spread across the country accordingly, taking in the NCAA conference tournaments.  Portland GM Neil Olshey implemented a new draft strategy in Portland, which consists of each scout watching a targeted group of 15 to 18 college players at least three times.  The Blazers would currently pick 12th. 
  • Blazers guard Elliot Williams plans on using the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas as an audition this summer to prove his health, writes Chris Haynes of CSN Northwest.  Williams tore his left Achilles in September in a voluntary team workout, but claims to be nearing a full recovery.  Portland declined the fourth-year option on Williams in October, making him an unrestricted free agent come summer.
  • St. John's freshman Jakarr Sampson, who is considering entering June's NBA draft, had a tough night against Villanova in the Big East Tournament on Wednesday, going 5-of-18 from the field.  The performance prompted Jonathan Givony of Draft Express to hope, via Twitter, that Sampson stays in school, opining that there is no guarantee that the 6-foot-8 swingman would even be drafted.  Maurice Harkless left St. John's after his freshman season just under a year ago, before being drafted 15th by the Sixers and moved to the Magic in the Andrew Bynum deal.
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Knicks Eyeing Another Point Guard

March 13th, 2013 at 8:13pm CST by Alex Lee

Citing a source close to the team, ESPN New York's Jared Zwerling reports that the Knicks are considering adding a veteran point guard to supplement Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni.  While injuries have decimated their frontcourt, Zwerling says a lack of free agent options has led the Knicks to consider opting for guard help.

Zwerling indicates that the Knicks are ideally looking for a point guard that has some speed and quickness, in contrast to the wisdom and decision making of the older Kidd and Prigioni.  The source points to Delonte West, Sundiata Gaines and Jannero Pargo as options, with West being the most likely.  While West has some issues – as evidenced by his absence from the NBA this year – the Saint Joseph's product would join a veteran roster in New York.  Meanwhile, all signs point towards Pargo signing a 10-day contract with Charlotte tomorrow.  So unless that deal falls through, the Knicks would have to hope the Bobcats let him walk once his contract expires if they want to pursue him.

Two of those veterans are injured big men Amare Stoudemire and Rasheed Wallace, both out for the remainder of the regular season.  Zwerling says Mike Woodson remains committed to Wallace, probably making James White the odd man out should the team decide it needs a roster spot. 

Should the Knicks decide their need for frontcourt help is too pressing to consider anything else, Zwerling lists Henry Sims, Tony Battie, Josh Boone, Brian Cook, Dan Gadzuric, Troy Murphy, Ben Wallace, Hassan Whiteside and Sean Williams as potential targets.  While Sims provides the most intrigue of the bunch, Zwerling says the Knicks would prefer a veteran.

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