Hassan Whiteside Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Felton, Wizards, Thunder, Leuer

July 19th, 2012 at 10:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today on the MSG Network, newly acquired Knicks point guard Raymond Felton said he still would have wanted to come to New York even if they matched Jeremy Lin's offer, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Felton knows that there will automatically be comparisons between his performance and Lin's, but as a competitor he believes that he is the superior player. Here's more from around the Association..

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis told Mike Wise of the Washington Post that JaVale McGee and Nick Young were less-than-beneficial to the club's locker room atmosphere. "I don’t think Nick and JaVale were bad people. But they wanted stats. I understand that, relate and get it. But they weren’t playing as a team," said Leonsis.
The staff at DailyThunder.com agrees that James Harden will likely have a new deal worked out with the Thunder by the end of summer but they are less optimistic for Serge Ibaka and Eric Maynor.
John Hollinger of ESPN.com (via Twitter) will be surprised if a team like the Bobcats or Hornets doesn't claim Jon Leuer. Earlier tonight we learned that the T'Wolves are also interested.
After being waived by the Kings earlier this week, Hassan Whiteside has received interest from several NBA teams, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.

Kings Waive Hassan Whiteside

July 16th, 2012 at 4:38pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have waived Hassan Whiteside in order to clear a little more cap room to finalize the Aaron Brooks signing, tweets SI.com's Sam Amick. Whiteside's minimum-salary contract was non-guaranteed for this season.

While some contract databases suggest the deadline to waive Whiteside without guaranteeing his 2012/13 salary was yesterday, I would assume Sacramento let him go in time to avoid paying him for the coming season. The 23-year-old was drafted with the 33rd overall pick by the Kings in 2010, but barely saw any NBA playing time in his two seasons with the team, appearing in a total of just 19 games.

Petrie On Thompson, Free Agency, Draft, Whiteside

May 5th, 2012 at 2:08pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee sat down for a Q&A with Geoff Petrie, president of basketball operations for the Kings, and discussed a number of topics. Here are the highlights of the two–part interview:

Restricted free agent power forward Jason Thompson is "somebody we will definitely give the qualifying offer to and look to re-sign," Petrie says.
The team will look to make roster changes that add interior defense, three-point shooting and offensive efficiency this summer.
The draft lottery will help decide how the team allocates its resources with regard to free agents. The Kings currently sit in the fifth slot, with a 7.6% chance of grabbing the No. 1 pick.
The deepest positions in the draft are power forward and center, Petrie believes, and he says the team will not pick a player from overseas in the first round.
With the team already about $15MM under the cap and no plans to spend major money in the offseason, Petrie says there's no pressing need to use the amnesty clause.
It's been hard to assess second-year center Hassan Whiteside, who's been limited to only 19 career NBA games in large part because of injuries. His minimum-salary deal becomes guaranteed for next season if he's not waived by July 15. Petrie said the team will work with him over the summer, so that seems like a sign they'll keep him around.
Petrie has one year left on his contract, and was noncommittal when asked how much longer he would stay in his position. "I honestly don't think about that," he said. "I think about next year and what we do. Whatever the future holds after that, personally or collectively, I really don't spend much time pondering that."

Pacific Rumors: Barnes, Kings, Udoh, Hill

April 14th, 2012 at 5:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

Three of the five Pacific Division teams are in action today, as the Clippers and Warriors clash in a matinee while the Suns travel to San Antonio for a game tonight. Let's check the pulse of the Pacific:

Matt Barnes is in the waning days of his two-year, $3.67MM contract with the Lakers, but his ability to step up while Kobe Bryant has missed games with a shin injury has helped keep the team afloat, write Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times and Mike Trudell of Lakers.com.
Kings coach Keith Smart is trying to keep his players focused amidst all the arena-related upheaval in Sacramento, and speaks favorably of the progress center Hassan Whiteside made this year before getting knocked out for the rest of the season with a sprained right ankle, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. The team must decide by July 15 whether to guarantee his $854K contract for next season.
Ekpe Udoh was caught off guard when he found out from a television report that the Warriors had dealt him to the Bucks, reports Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. "Coming off the court in Sacramento, I will never forget seeing on TV that I had been traded," Udoh said. "It's surreal, really. But it's a business, and I got a firsthand glimpse of that. I understand that now, and now I'm with the Bucks, and I'm going to give it my all."
Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News talked to a few Spurs players who are impressed with the way 39-year-old Grant Hill continues to perform as one of the league's top perimeter defenders for the Suns. Hill will be a free agent this summer.

Pacific Rumors: Whiteside, Odom, Nash, Dragic

April 13th, 2012 at 7:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

The top three teams in the Pacific Division are all scrambling for playoff position in the season's final two weeks, as the Lakers and Clippers go after the division title while the Suns, who get free-agent-to-be Grant Hill back from knee surgery tonight, are just looking to qualify for the postseason. Here's the latest from the West Coast:

Kings reserve center Hassan Whiteside will miss the rest of the season with a severe ankle sprain, reports Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter). Whiteside has two years left on his contract at less than $1M each, but they're not guaranteed if he's waived before July 15. The 2010 second round pick has played in just 19 games for Sacramento, with much of his action coming in the past two months. He's averaged 2.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in just 6.1 MPG this season.
Lamar Odom has close ties to Warriors assistant coach Jerry DeGregorio, who was the best man in his wedding to Khloe Kardashian, notes Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. Earlier this week we passed along that Odom is on Golden State's radar.
Point guards Goran Dragic and Steve Nash will both hit the free agent market this summer, but they aren't letting the notion that they may be competing for dollars get in the way of their mutual admiration from their time together with the Suns, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
Blake Griffin, who'll be a free agent after next season, has taken some criticism this year, and SI.com's Sam Amick takes a lengthy look at how the reigning Rookie of the Year is dealing with increased expectations of himself and the Clippers this season.