Malcolm Thomas

Rockets Sign Malcolm Thomas To 10-Day Contract

TUESDAY, 5:25pm: The Rockets made the move official, announcing (via Twitter) that they've signed Thomas to a 10-day contract.

MONDAY, 9:11pm: Los Angeles D-Fenders forward Malcolm Thomas is expected to be called up by the Rockets on Wednesday, reports Yahoo! Sports writer Marc J. Spears (via Twitter). Thomas, 23, saw limited action in three games earlier this season with the Spurs before being released in early February. The rookie out of San Diego State is currently averaging 13.8 PPG and 9.3 RPG in 19 games with the D-Fenders.

Southwest Notes: Spurs, Thomas, Hornets

San Antonio finally finalized its signing of Patrick Mills today, and while it's unclear whether the point guard will play in Phoenix tonight, he'll at least be on the Spurs' bench. Here are a few more links on the Southwest leaders and their division rivals:

  • The flurry of midseason roster moves made by the Spurs in recent weeks is unprecedented for the team, says Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. Manu Ginobli says the acquisitions of Stephen Jackson, Boris Diaw, and Mills show the Spurs are going "all-in" while Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle says San Antonio is "loading up for a run."
  • The Rockets are expected to sign Malcolm Thomas, as we heard last night. According to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link), the Rockets will assign Thomas to their D-League affiliate so he can receive more playing time as the team evaluates him.
  • Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld takes an extended look at the Hornets' current situation, with decisions on Eric Gordon and a handful of unrestricted free agents coming this summer.

D-League Moves: Hobson, Thomas

Earlier today, we learned Jerome James signed with the D-League in an attempt to make an NBA comeback. We'll track the rest of the day's D-League assignments, recalls, and notable signings here:

  • Darington Hobson has signed with the D-League, according to Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside (via Twitter). Hobson was waived by the Bucks last Friday.
  • Malcolm Thomas will re-join the D-League's Los Angeles D-Fenders, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Thomas, who was cut yesterday by the Spurs, averaged 14.3 PPG and 8.3 RPG with a .673 FG% in six games for the D-Fenders earlier this season.

Decisions On Non-Guaranteed Contracts

February 10th marks the day that all players on non-guaranteed contracts will have their deals guaranteed for the remainder of the season. However, if a team wants to meet that Friday deadline, it will need to make its decisions today, allowing its player(s) to pass through waivers in time.

Some non-guaranteed players, such as DeJuan Blair and Jeremy Lin, are in no danger of being waived. However, with a few dozen players on non-guaranteed deals across the league, there will be plenty of cuts before the day is out. Some of those players will sign 10-day contracts shortly after being cut, while others could join the D-League or find a place on our list of current unrestricted free agents.

We'll track all the day's decisions on non-guaranteed contracts right here, with the latest news up top:

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Southwest Links: Kaman, Thomas, Green, Carter

Chris Kaman's availability has dominated headlines out of the Southwest division in recent days, as potential suitors contact the Hornets to discuss the seven-footer. Today, NBA.com's David Aldridge and SI.com's Zach Lowe each took the opportunity to run down the list of possible destinations for Kaman, concluding indepenently that the Hawks and Rockets are among the best matches. Let's check out a few more updates out of the Southwest….

  • Continuing the Kaman discussion, Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com asks Warriors fans whether they'd be okay with sending Monta Ellis to the Hornets in exchange for Kaman and a first-round pick.
  • The Spurs have assigned Malcolm Thomas to the D-League's Austin Toros, according to the Spurs' official Twitter account. Thomas, who was signed earlier this month, appeared in just 15 minutes over three games for San Antonio.
  • Hornets head coach Monty Williams told John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he regrets not bringing back Willie Green, who ended up signing with the Hawks: "[Green] was somebody I was in contact with, and we were waiting for the right time… If I could do it over again, I’d probably would have pressed the issue more."
  • Vince Carter, who signed for the mini mid-level exception introduced in the new CBA, tells Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that he's starting to get comfortable with the Mavericks.