Luther Head

Odds & Ends: Head, Corbin, Exum, Mavericks

As we get ready for a Monday evening slate that features nine NBA games, let’s round up a few odds and ends from around the league….

  • Luther Head, who last played in the NBA with the Kings prior to the 2011 lockout, is fielding interest from teams in Turkey, Ukraine, and Australia, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. While Head is hoping to return to the NBA at some point, it looks like a trip overseas might be his next move.
  • Tyrone Corbin has faced difficult circumstances ever since he took over as Jazz head coach in 2011, and he deserves a chance to coach the current roster after Trey Burke gets healthy, writes Kurt Kragthorpe of the Salt Lake Tribune. Still, Kragthorpe suggests that if things don’t get any better on the court, the team may eventually have to consider making a change.
  • ESPN.com’s Chad Ford fielded both NBA and NCAA questions in his latest chat, discussing some of the early-season developments as well as looking ahead to next year’s draft and free agent period. Within the chat, Ford notes that 2014 prospect Dante Exum is strongly leaning toward entering the draft rather than attending college.
  • The Mavericks‘ offseason additions are meshing very well with Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas so far, says Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
  • In his latest piece, Sam Smith of Bulls.com proposes some trade scenarios involving Pau Gasol, Omer Asik, and Evan Turner.

International Moves: Aminu, Summers, Head

Hoops Rumors' international player movement tracker continues to be added to daily by Mark Porcaro of Secret Rival, who updated more than two dozen entries today. As we've mentioned before, we won't pass along word of every single one of these international moves in posts on the site itself, but here are a few of the latest NBA-relevant signings:

  • Alade Aminu, the older brother of Pelicans forward Al-Farouq Aminu, has agreed to terms with Italian club Enel Brindisi, a source told Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
  • The Wollongong Hawks, of Australia's National Basketball League, have announced the signing of Durrell Summers, according to the team's website. Summers played for the D-League's Idaho Stampede last season, averaging 16.0 PPG in 50 games with the team.
  • Illinois product and former first-round pick Luther Head is headed to Spain for the coming season, agreeing to sign with CB Valladolid (link via Sportando). As our tracker shows, Head, who last played in the NBA with the Kings in 2010/11, finished last season with the D-League's Texas Legends.

D-League Links: Draft, Cavs, Dentmon, Head

The annual NBA D-League draft takes place tonight, as the league's 16 teams look to stock up their rosters for the coming season. Former first-round pick JaJuan Johnson is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick, but there are plenty of familiar names among the list of players eligible to be drafted. Let's round up a few D-League updates as the draft approaches….

  • The D-League's official site has the complete list of draft-eligible players, with its picks for the top 25 prospects in bold.
  • As we've discussed in previous posts, NBA teams are permitted to retain the rights to three camp invitees and assign them to their D-League affiliates. For instance, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal tweets, the Cavaliers protected the rights to Micheal Eric, Kevin Jones, and Kevin Anderson. These players are ineligible to be drafted by a rival team tonight, though they could still be signed by another NBA team, if the club was willing to use one of its 15-man roster spots.
  • D-League teams have announced their camp invitees in advance of the draft, as Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside writes. Among the notable names: Justin Dentmon and Luther Head of the Austin Toros, Seth Tarver of the Idaho Stampede, Troy Hudson and Keith Benson of the Sioux Falls Skyforce, and D.J. Kennedy of the Erie BayHawks.

Luther Head Opts Out Of Agreement In Israel

FRIDAY, 7:54am: Head has unexpectedly opted out of his agreement with Hapoel Holon, according to David Pick (via Twitter). The former Illinois star will return to the open market, though it's unlikely he finds his way back to the NBA.

MONDAY, 8:43am: Former NBA first-round pick Luther Head has officially signed overseas with Hapoel Holon, according to the Israeli Basketball League (Twitter link). David Pick of Sportando first reported that Head had agreed to terms with the Israeli team.

According to Pick, Head received several offers from Chinese clubs, worth up to $500K, but eventually turned down larger offers and agreed to a one-year deal with Hapoel Holon. Pick hears from a source that Head's decision was influenced by his good friend Will Bynum, who played in Israel earlier in his career.

The 29-year-old Head was selected 24th overall by the Rockets in the 2005 draft, and has appeared in 348 games in six NBA seasons, for Houston, Miami, Indiana, and Sacramento. The former University of Illinois star, who last played in the NBA during the 2010/11 season, has career averages of 8.2 PPG and 12.3 PER.