Othello Hunter Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Lewis, Hunter, Coon, 2024 Free Agency

September 1st, 2023 at 10:34am CST by Luke Adams

Prior to closing its investigation into referee Eric Lewis‘ social media points, the NBA hadn’t found any indications of inappropriate behavior or issues on the court for Lewis, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

The veteran official, who announced his retirement earlier this week, was being investigated due to his possible connection to an anonymous Twitter account that responded to many posts about NBA officiating to defend Lewis and other referees.

League rules prohibit referees from publicly commenting on the officiating without authorization, but even if that Twitter account belonged to Lewis, it doesn’t sound like there’s reason to believe it influenced his behavior on the court at all.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Former Ohio State forward Othello Hunter, who had a brief NBA stint with the Hawks from 2008-10, has announced his retirement as a player, per Eurohoops. Hunter, who is 37, appeared in just 23 regular season NBA games but had a successful career overseas, winning a EuroLeague championship in 2019 with CSKA Moscow, along with multiple titles in Russia, Greece, and Israel.
In an entertaining feature, Tim Cato of The Athletic explores the work that Larry Coon has done to popularize the NBA’s salary cap and Collective Bargaining Agreement and to explain them to a broader audience. Coon’s CBA FAQ has certainly been an invaluable tool for us at Hoops Rumors, particularly in the development of our glossary.
Danny Leroux of The Athletic takes an early look at the 2024 free agency landscape, examining the probable cap room teams (Magic, Spurs, Sixers, Wizards, Jazz, and Pistons), the clubs projected to be over the second apron (Suns, Celtics, Nuggets, Clippers) and everyone in between.

Samardo Samuels Signs To Play In Israel

April 7th, 2013 at 8:26am CST by Chuck Myron

Former Cavaliers power forward Samardo Samuels has signed with Israeli club Hapoel Jerusalem, David Pick of Eurobasket reports. The move had appeared close since earlier this week. Samardo's deal will cover two months and pay him $50K, excluding any extra cash he may earn with the team in postseason play. That pales in comparison to the $356,833 worth of prorated minimum salary he garnered for a partial season in the NBA with Cleveland this year.

The Cavs waived Samuels in January, right before his contract would have become fully guaranteed for the season. He was in the third year of a deal he signed with the team after going undrafted out of Louisville in 2010. Samuels averaged 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per game for Cleveland this year, a decline from the 7.8 PPG and 4.3 RPG he put up in 18.9 minutes per contest as a rookie. Despite interest from the Nets and Thunder, and later the Grizzlies, Samuels signed in the D-League shortly after his release from the Cavs and notched 19.8 PPG and 10.3 RPG in 32 games for the Reno Bighorns.

Hapoel Jerusalem had Craig Smith, another ex-NBA power forward, on its roster until he experienced a falling out with head coach Sharon Drucker, prompting the team to cut Smith loose in March. Among the other players the team considered before deciding on Samuels were Othello Hunter, who spent parts of two seasons with the Hawks in 2008/09 and 2009/10, and Rick Jackson, who was in camp this past fall with the Warriors.

Odds & Ends: Howard, Koponen, Hunter

February 23rd, 2012 at 10:54pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday night:

Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson, a champion of NBA player rights in the 1970s, told the Orlando Sentinel that Dwight Howard should stop feeding trade rumors and focus on basketball.
Sportando reports that Finnish guard Petteri Koponen is undecided as to whether to stay with Virtus Bologna or join the Mavericks, who own his draft rights. Koponen was drafted no. 30 overall in 2007 by Philadelphia and had his rights traded to Portland before being sent to Dallas in June 2011.
Sportando also reports that Othello Hunter has reached an agreement to play in the Ukraine with Azovmash Mariupol. The 26-year-old power forward played in 23 games for the Hawks between 2008 and 2010.