Al Harrington Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: LeBron, Miles, Harrington

January 19th, 2013 at 11:33pm CST by Ryan Raroque

With LeBron James currently slated to become a free agent in 2014, Mary Schmitt-Boyer of The Plain Dealer thinks that speculation about a possible return to the Cavaliers could become a hot topic over the next 18 months. Don't count former Cleveland guard Mo Williams among those who thinks about the notion much, telling Schmitt-Boyer when asked about the possibility of LeBron's homecoming: "I don't know, I don't know. I think that is a question for him only." Here's more links from the rest of the NBA tonight:

In another article, Schmitt-Boyer extracts thoughts from C.J. Miles' former coach Tyrone Corbin about the shooting guard's solid development in Cleveland.
In what is considered a big step in the right direction during his recovery, Al Harrington participated in 3-on-3 scrimmages with the Magic at the end of Saturday's practice (Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports).
Rockets coach Kevin McHale, who says that he hasn't seen or spoken with Royce White in over a month, responded with "Out of sight, out of mind" when asked about the rookie forward's current status with the team, notes Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press.
In another article regarding the Timberwolves' newly signed wing player Mickael Gelabale, Richardson writes that the Frenchman garnered recommendations from fellow Olympic teammates Tony Parker, Nicolas Batum, and Ronny Turiaf. Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune says that Gelabale looks at his opportunity at an NBA comeback as something that has been on his mind for the last five years.
Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida delves into Vince Carter's goal of someday making it into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Al Harrington Not Considering Retirement

December 17th, 2012 at 6:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today it was reported that Magic forward Al Harrington was thinking about calling it a career thanks to complications from knee surgery. However, the veteran took to Twitter tonight to make it known that he has no plans to retire.

“The report that I’m considering Retirement is completely False and has absolutely no Truth to the article that’s being circulated!,” Harrington tweeted (sic).

Harrington has missed the entire season to date thanks to a staph infection that developed in his knee following surgery. Last week, it was reported that the 32-year-old planned on returning to action before the trade deadline in February and hoped to play for five more years. The big man is making $6.687MM this year and has two half-guaranteed seasons remaining on his deal for roughly $14.7MM. For his career, Harrington has averaged 13.8 PPG with 5.7 RPG over 14 years in the league.

Al Harrington Likely Out For The Year, May Retire

December 17th, 2012 at 10:05am CST by Chuck Myron

Magic power forward Al Harrington has been out all season recovering from a staph infection in his right knee, and Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld hears that he probably won't play this season and is considering retirement because of the knee issue (Twitter link). Harrington underwent routine arthroscopic surgery in May to repair torn meniscus cartilege in the knee, and was expected to return to the court within six weeks, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel documented last month. Instead, he began feeling sick two days after the procedure, and has since undergone four more surgeries. He's considering suing the doctors who performed the original surgery, Kyler tweets.

Just last week, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel reported that Harrington was intent on returning before the February 21st trade deadline, and had expressed a desire to play five more seasons. Kyler notes that the latest news about Harrington hasn't been confirmed by the team or Harrington himself (Twitter link). The Magic acquired the 32-year-old power forward as part of the Dwight Howard trade this summer. Harrington is making $6.687MM this year and has two seasons and more than $14.7MM left on his deal through 2015, though the final two years are only 50% guaranteed.

If Harrington retires, the Magic may be ineligible to apply to have Harrington's salary taken off their books, as teams can do in cases of medical retirement, because the infection first occurred while he was still a member of the Nuggets. The same could be true if the Magic try to pursue a disabled player exception, which would allow them to sign a replacement for Harrington at 50% of his salary this season if he is to miss the entire year. It would be up to the league to determine whether the severity of the issue was known, or should have been known, at the time of the trade.

Magic Rumors: Harrington, Turkoglu, Nicholson

December 11th, 2012 at 9:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Magic finished off a five-game West Coast road trip having gone 3-2, with impressive victories against the Lakers and Warriors. Orlando is 8-12, not too shabby for a team that was supposed to go into full-scale rebuilding following the Dwight Howard trade this summer. There are a few items of interest as the Magic prepare to play host to the Hawks tomorrow, most of them courtesy of Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.

Power forward Al Harrington hasn't played a game yet for the Magic as he recovers from a staph infection in his right knee, but he insists he'll be back before the February 21st trade deadline. Harrington acknowledges his Magic tenure could be a brief one, since he's rumored to be on the trading block, and Schmitz notes that Harrington is holding off on buying a house in Central Florida.
Harrington, 32, is in his 15th NBA season, but isn't considering hanging it up soon, saying he wants to make it through 20 seasons.
While Harrington said he has a target date for his return, but wouldn't reveal it, Hedo Turkoglu doesn't know when he'll be back from a broken left hand suffered in the season opener.
John Denton of Magic.com chronicles the development of rookie power forward Andrew Nicholson, the 19th pick in this year's draft.

Southeast Links: Biyombo, Davis, Nene

November 25th, 2012 at 9:46pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer says that during the pre-season, the Bobcats' coaches may have overloaded Bismack Biyombo with so much detail to think about that it had hindered his instincts and effectiveness. Now, coach Mike Dunlap and Charlotte brass have placed an importance on letting the second year big man play through his mistakes, which is a significant part of the team's plan to foster his development in the NBA. Here's more out of the Southeast Division:

Although Magic forward Glen Davis has been known in years past to be a highly emotional player, A. Sherrod Blakeley of CSNNE.com hones in on the leadership role that Davis has taken as a co-captain in Orlando and how the forward's experiences with the veteran-laden Celtics helped prepare him for this situation.
Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today says that while the Wizards have been winless, Nene's return is expected to help steer the team's ship in the right direction.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel thinks that Magic rookies Maurice Harkless and Andrew Nicholson should keep their roles once Al Harrington and Hedo Turkoglu are healthy enough to return from injury. Harkless has been averaging 16.2 MPG, while Nicholson has been averaging 13 MPG this season.

Odds & Ends: Harrington, Heat, Celtics, Christmas

October 24th, 2012 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Six days from today, we'll be gearing up for an opening night that includes a showdown in Miami between the two odds-on favorites in the Eastern Conference. As we continue to count down the days until the 2012/13 regular season tips off, let's round up a few links from around the NBA, including some Heat and Celtics notes….

Al Harrington probably doesn't fit into the Magic's long-term plans, but his recovery from knee surgery is important for Orlando, since the team likely wants to showcase him in advance of the trade deadline, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida spoke to a few former Celtics stars about Ray Allen's decision to leave Boston for the Heat.
While the decisions at the back of the roster may be difficult, the Heat are unlikely to cut a player with a guaranteed contract to make room for a non-guaranteed player, says Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe takes a look at the acclimation process for the Celtics' offseason acquisitions.
Dionte Christmas, recently released by the Celtics, is drawing interest from Greek team Olympiacos, according to a Sports24.gr report (translation via Sportando).
At ESPN.com, David Thorpe makes his picks for the NBA's top five most potent duos (Insider link), while Kevin Arnovitz examines five teams he believes are at a crossroads.

Southeast Rumors: Heat, Dooling, Carter, Magic

September 22nd, 2012 at 2:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

The defending champion Heat have been in the news a lot over the summer, and today is no exception, as the agent for former Celtics guard Keyon Dooling denied a report that his client is reconsidering his decision to retire and wants to play with Miami. If that report were true, and Dooling wound up joining the Heat, it's safe to say the Boston-Miami rivalry would become the league's most intense, if it isn't already at that point. Ira Winderman points out that Udonis Haslem has already reached out to new teammate Ray Allen to smooth over any hard feelings that might have been lingering from Allen's time with the Celtics (Sulia link). While the Heat might look out of the Southeast Division for their chief rivalry, the rest of the division's teams would probably like nothing more than to score at least one win against the Heat this year. Here's the latest from the Southeast.

Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida says he's received an email from Dooling that seconds his agent's denial of the report that he might come back (Sulia link). "No truth!'' Dooling wrote. "I will never play NBA ball again.''

Earlier updates:

Amidst notes on the Raptors, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star reveals that the Magic interviewed former Toronto head man Butch Carter for the coaching job that wound up going to Jacque Vaughn.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel, in the same report that links Dooling to the Heat, says some of the Magic's veterans, principally Al Harrington, will be on the trading block. He says the team will likely try to move Harrington at the deadline for an expiring contract, draft picks or both as it continues its rebuild.
GM Rob Hennigan has also been retooling the Magic basketball operations department, as Schmitz writes in the same piece, having hired 23 new employees.
HoopsWorld writers preview the Hawks, and while they conclude the team figures to be the second best in the division, Atlanta will remain in transition as GM Danny Ferry plots how to manage the financial flexibility he obtained this summer.

Eastern Notes: Magic, Sixers, Nets, Celtics

September 21st, 2012 at 5:24pm CST by Luke Adams

The biggest NBA news of the day so far has come out of Philadelphia, where the 76ers are announced Tony DiLeo's promotion to general manger. SI.com's Sam Amick has a few additional details on the move, including some other names that the Sixers pursued. According to Amick, the Sixers were turned down when they asked permission to speak to Jazz executive Kevin O'Connor and Thunder exec Troy Weaver. Here are a few more Friday notes out of the Eastern Conference:

Harkless' and Smith's injuries will not be healed in time for the regular season, keeping them out of the Magic lineup until mid-November, Schmitz writes, updating his earlier tweet (below).

Earlier updates:

Amick adds that the 76ers may still hire a more analytically-inclined executive to work alongside DiLeo in the Philadelphia front office.
Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov had praise for GM Billy King and coach Avery Johnson, whose contracts are set to expire at season's end. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News passes along Prokhorov's quotes in a pair of tweets.
Al Harrington, Maurice Harkless, and Ish Smith, all recovering from offseason surgery, are expected to miss training camp, tweets Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. All three players were added by the Magic this summer.
J.J. Redick understands that the Magic are in a transition year, but says he loves playing in Orlando and that he and GM Rob Hennigan are "on the same page" when it comes to his future (Twitter links via John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com).
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com looks into which Celtics on non-guaranteed contracts are the best bets to earn a roster spot, concluding that Dionte Christmas is a clear-cut favourite.
Raja Bell tells Andy Slater of 640 AM Sports in Miami that the Heat would be his first choice in free agency if he can work out a buyout with the Jazz (Sulia link via Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel).
In his latest mailbag for the Sun Sentinel, Winderman debates whether the Heat or Celtics had the better offseason and examines where Miami's roster stands.

Kyler On Harrington, Thomas, Gibson, Calderon

August 30th, 2012 at 9:27am CST by Luke Adams

Sources close to the Magic deny that Al Harrington was included in this month's Dwight Howard blockbuster as a throw-in, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. However, Kyler still believes the Magic will explore the possibility of moving Harrington and his contract before the trade deadline. Harrington has three years remaining on his deal, but the last two are only partially guaranteed, and he's still a serviceable player, so Orlando could find a taker. Here are the rest of Kyler's Thursday morning updates on players that may be on the move prior to the trade deadline:

According to Kyler, the Bobcats are hoping new coach Mike Dunlap can reach Tyrus Thomas in a way that Paul Silas couldn't. Thomas' contract still looks like an albatross though, and the Bobcats would likely move it in a minute if they could find a taker.
While Kyler hears a handful of teams have been in contact with Cleveland about Daniel Gibson, the Cavs deny they're shopping the guard.
The Raptors haven't been able to find a deal they like for Jose Calderon to date, but as February's deadline approaches, the Spaniard may turn into a more viable trade chip, as his contract nears its end.
Larry Sanders could be on the trade block for the Bucks, who acquired Samuel Dalembert and Ekpe Udoh, re-signed Ersan Ilyasova, and drafted John Henson within the last few months.
Kevin Martin and the Rockets and Corey Maggette of the Pistons figure to be trade candidates this season, as veterans with $10MM+ expiring contracts.
The Spurs are expected to continue trying to find a trade partner for DeJuan Blair, but his health history raises some red flags for rival clubs.

Karl Talks Iguodala, Harrington, Afflalo, Future

August 22nd, 2012 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets coach George Karl recently joined Scott Hastings on KFFN in Denver to discuss the Nuggets' part in August's blockbuster four-team trade, how losing two veteran players would affect the team, and the next step for Denver. Sports Radio Interviews provides a transcript of a few of Karl's more interesting quotes, so let's check them out:

On acquiring Andre Iguodala:

"We didn’t want to make a trade unless we knew it was going to make us better. Iguodala was kind of rumored all last year and a little bit after the season…. I think [GM] Masai [Ujiri] just did a great job of keeping a good pulse of what was going on. The negative of the trade is giving up Arron Afflalo and Al [Harrington] who were both very, very pivotal players on our basketball team last year and they’re good leaders on our team. Everybody is saying, what is the difference of the team going to be? And I’m not afraid of the differences and I’m hoping we can get whoever, Ty Lawson or Iggy or someone, into that locker room and give us the positive leadership that Arron and Al gave us and maybe a little bit more."

On whether Harrington was an ideal fit on the Nuggets:

"I think you’re defining where Al is in his career. Al was a scorer and 35 minute player as a guy that had to touch the ball and wanted to touch the ball almost all the time and he was now coming into a team where we were going to ask him to play 25 minutes and try to open up the middle of the court for us and also do some banging inside. In the first year I thought he struggled with his identity or his role on our team but I thought last year he was super. I thought he was absolutely fantastic. I can remember five or six wins that we had that had Al Harrington written all over it."

On how the team will adjust to having Iguodala in Afflalo's place:

"Arron Afflalo is just a rock, a really solid pro. He’s not spectacular, he’s not fancy, he’s not a highlight film but at the end of the game you get a guy who is going to get you 15 to 20 points and going to give you a solid playmaking game. Most of the time he’s a good defender but we made the trade to basically get better defensively. We think Iguodala is a top 10 defender in basketball and I don’t know if he can cover big guys but I don’t think he’d be afraid of the challenge. Play [him] and Gallo (Danilo Gallinari) at three and four and see if we can get away with it but the whole thing comes down to, he fits our personality, he’s one of those players in basketball that on any given night he can get a triple double and he helps you win basketball games by doing little things and team things as much as he does statistical things."

On the next step for the Nuggets:

"It’s our young guys gaining confidence and building trust…. We are excited about this season and we think we can be a top four team in the West. If we get to a top four team in the West we should expect to try to win the first round and see what happens after that."