Garrett Temple

Wizards Waive Shelvin Mack

The Wizards have released Shelvin Mack, the team announced today in a press release. It's the second time Mack has been cut by Washington this season, and it ensures that his salary won't become guaranteed.

Mack inititally received a $300K guaranteed on a minimum-salary contract from the Wizards, but was waived prior to the start of the regular season. He rejoined the team just before Christmas on a non-guaranteed deal and appeared in seven games, averaging 5.3 PPG and 3.3 APG in just over 20 minutes per contest.

The Wizards now have 14 players remaining on their roster, including Garrett Temple, whose contract will become guaranteed for the remainder of the season, according to Michael Lee of the Washington Post (via Twitter).

Odds & Ends: Guaranteed Contracts, Nowitzki, Lakers

Tomorrow at 5PM EST marks a significant deadline in the NBA, as players who are currently on non-guaranteed contracts kept after that point will have their deals guaranteed for the rest of the season. While the official deadline for contracts to become fully guaranteed is listed as January 10, ESPN's Marc Stein pointed out yesterday that teams who decide to release a player on a non-guaranteed contract will have to do so by tomorrow in order for them to clear waivers by Thursday. We've seen quite a handful of teams release some of their non-guaranteed pacts today, and with less than 24 hours left to go, there could be more of those types of transactions to come. With that in mind, you can find tonight's miscellaneous links from around the NBA here: 

  • Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune talks about the need for Minnesota's Derrick Williams to step up and contribute with Kevin Love sidelined by a hand injury. 
  • Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas notes Dirk Nowitzki's feelings of uncertainty with the direction of the Mavericks' franchise and expressed thoughts on whether or not he should be traded. After acknowledging the team's failed attempt of luring Deron Williams or Dwight Howard, Nowitzki didn't seem too enthused about Dallas' chances of adding a marquee name of that caliber in the near future. 
  • HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler thinks that Lakers' rookies Robert Sacre and Darius Johnson-Odom could be the next in line to be waived in order to avoid paying more luxury tax on their deals. He also thinks that Johnson-Odom would be more likely to be released than Sacre (Twitter links).
  • Michael Lee of The Washington Post wrote that tonight's matchup with the Heat and tomorrow's game against the Thunder are critical for Wizards guards Garrett Temple and Shelvin Mack, who are both currently on non-guaranteed contracts. 
  • During an interview on NBC's Chris Mannix Show, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports said that there is a very good chance that the Grizzlies move Rudy Gay or one of their high-salaried contracts by the February trade deadline. Also, he does not believe Royce White will ever play in the NBA (Twitter links). 
  • Mark Deeks of ShamSports tweets that it's not unusual for teams to waive a player before their contract becomes guaranteed before subsequently re-signing him for the rest of the season. 
  • After last night's win at the Target Center, Trail Blazers swingman Nicolas Batum admitted that he drew some motivation from wanting to prove to the Timberwolves and their fans that he was worth the offer sheet that Minnesota presented to him last summer (Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com reports).

Wizards Sign Shelvin Mack, Garrett Temple

The Wizards have officially signed Shelvin Mack and Garrett Temple, the team announced today in a press release. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first reported that Washington would bring back Mack, while ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported that Temple was expected to sign with the Wizards.

Both Mack and Temple had been playing in the D-League, for the Maine Red Claws and Reno Bighorns, respectively. In 10 starts for Maine, Mack had averaged 20.2 PPG and 7.1 APG while playing over 40 minutes per contest. Temple, meanwhile, has started nine games for the Bighorns, averaging 14.7 PPG and 5.8 APG.

The Wizards released Earl Barron and Shaun Livingston over the weekend, clearing a pair of roster spots. At the time, Michael Lee of the Washington Post indicated that Washington would likely bring in backcourt reinforcements to fill those roster spots. Barron's and Livingston's deals were non-guaranteed, and I would expect Mack's and Temple's will be as well, meaning the team will have a couple weeks to decide whether to keep the duo on board, guaranteeing their contracts.

Southeast Notes: Bosh, Wizards, Varnado, Heat

An early roundup of links from around the Southeast Division on Christmas Eve:

Wizards To Sign Garrett Temple?

The Wizards signed Shelvin Mack out of the D-League earlier today and they may go back to the well for another guard.  Word is that the Wizards are getting ready to ink Garrett Temple of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

The 26-year-old has been around the block in his two years of NBA experience, having seen time with the Rockets, Kings, Spurs, Bucks, and Bobcats from 2009/10-2010/11.  In parts of four D-League seasons, Temple has averaged 14.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.6 APG, and 1.2 SPG in 34.8 minutes per contest.

Temple spent the summer with the Heat but wound up being their final roster cut with Terrel Harris, Josh Harrellson, Dexter Pittman, and James Jones all securing spots instead.  Temple would have served as extra insurance for guard Mario Chalmers, but Miami felt confident enough in Chalmers’ health to move on without Temple.

Heat Cut Garrett Temple

The Heat have waived point guard Garrett Temple, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports (Twitter link). The move brings Miami's roster to the regular-season limit of 15. Terrel Harris, Josh Harrellson, Dexter Pittman and James Jones, all thought to be competing for a roster spot at one time or another, appear as though they've made it to opening night. Winderman believes the good health of starting point guard Mario Chalmers made Temple expendable (Twitter link).

Heat Waive Rodney Carney, Jarvis Varnado

The Heat have cut a pair of camp invitees, waiving Rodney Carney and Jarvis Varnado, according to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (via Twitter). The move reduces Miami's roster to 16 players, meaning at least one more player will have to be released before Monday.

As Tomasson adds in a second tweet, the news bodes well for Josh Harrellson, who appears to have made the roster. Guards Terrel Harris and Garrett Temple will likely be battling for the final roster spot, with the odd man out being the last player cut. Nothing is set in stone yet, however, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets, noting not to rule out Juwan Howard.

Carney looked strong at times during the preseason with the Heat, finishing with 6.8 PPG in five games. Varnado didn't appear in any of the team's preseason contests due to a hamstring issue. Both players will become unrestricted free agents when they clear waivers.

Odds & Ends: Possible Cavs/Heat Cuts, Olshey

Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott said that two of the team's cuts could come from Luke HarangodyMichael Eric, and Kevin Jones (Bob Finnan of The News Herald via Sulia link). Finnan thinks that Jones will be one of the cuts and also says that the team "likes Harangody too much." When Scott was asked about potential cuts from the point guard position, he replied that he would prefer to be able to keep both Jeremy Pargo and Donald Sloan.                                                                                                                                                                                       
Earlier today, Chuck Myron relayed some stories surrounding training camp rosters. We've got a few more noteworthy links to share on that front, as well as this evening's miscellaneous NBA news: 

Eastern Notes: Heat, Irving, Rasheed, Pistons

We looked at news from the Western Conference already, so here's a trip around Eastern Conference camps, with the start of the regular season just a dozen nights away.

  • Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald thought a few days ago that Terrel Harris was a shoo-in for a spot on the Heat roster, but now believes Garrett Temple has a legitimate chance to beat him out (Twitter link). Both guards are on non-guaranteed deals.
  • Kyrie Irving did plenty to justify his position as the top pick in the 2011 draft last season, when he won Rookie of the Year honors, but Cavs coach Byron Scott still believes he has a long way to go to realize his potential, as Steve Aschburner of NBA.com writes.
  • Marc Berman of the New York Post has details on Rasheed Wallace's contract with the Knicks, and confirms that it's without even a partial guarantee.
  • Joe Dumars is the league's third-longest tenured executive in charge of player personnel decisions, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors pointed out yesterday, and the Pistons president of basketball operations told Keith Langlois of Pistons.com he's never been as impressed with his players' offseason work as he is this year (Twitter link).
  • Nets coach Avery Johnson said he expects free agent signee Jerry Stackhouse, a few weeks shy of his 38th birthday, to make his primary contribution as a locker room presence, a la Juwan Howard with the Heat the past two seasons, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News tweets.

Heat Rumors: Harrellson, Gladness, Howard

Coming off a championship season and a summer in which they didn't lose any significant pieces, the Heat appear to have less uncertainty heading into the 2012/13 season than any other team in the NBA. Still, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel is able to identify 10 questions facing the Heat as they get set to open training camp. Here are the rest of the morning's notes from out of Miami:

  • In his latest mailbag, Winderman says he wouldn't mind seeing the Heat add a little more depth at point guard, perhaps a defensive-minded player.
  • The Heat are expected to keep two of Dexter Pittman, Josh Harrellson, Mickell Gladness, and Jarvis Varnado, says Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Of those four, Pittman has a leg up since his contract is guaranteed.
  • One Eastern Conference scout on a couple of Miami's options: "Harrellson can be exposed defensively, but he’s a better player than Gladness and more skilled. Gladness is athletic and long but has no offensive game. Harrellson can shoot it and plays his butt off."
  • Juwan Howard is still working out with the Heat and hopes to earn a one-year deal from the team, according to Jackson.
  • Terrel Harris and Garrett Temple will likely compete for the final perimeter spot, says Jackson.
  • Shane Battier tells Jackson that he thinks he could get away with playing primarily at power forward this season, if the team needs him there: "The regular season is not as physical as the playoffs. Guys aren’t hitting as hard."