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Teams Signing The Most 10-Day Contracts

April 3rd, 2012 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Teams have different motives for bringing players in on 10-day contracts. In the case of a lottery-bound team with little to play for in the immediate future, signing a player to a 10-day deal allows for an affordable, first-hand look at a young player to determine whether or not he might be a long-term asset (think Gerald Green with the Nets). For a contender, a 10-day deal allows a team to bring in a veteran to temporarily provide bench help in case of injuries or questionable depth (ie. Mike James and the Bulls).

As our 10-day contract tracker shows, however, some teams like taking advantage of these deals more than others. While a number of clubs have yet to sign a single player to a 10-day deals, a handful have brought in multiple players on temporary contracts, renewing some and letting others expire. Here's a quick look at which teams have taken advantage of the 10-day contracts the most this season, handing them out to multiple players:

Cavaliers:
Manny Harris (two 10-day contracts followed by rest-of-season contract)
Lester Hudson
Ben Uzoh

Hornets:
Jeff Foote
Solomon Jones (two 10-day contracts)
Donald Sloan (two 10-day contracts)
Lance Thomas (two 10-day contracts followed by rest-of-season contract)

Nets:
Andre Emmett
Gerald Green (two 10-day contracts followed by rest-of-season contract)
Dennis Horner
Jerry Smith

Raptors:
Alan Anderson
Ben Uzoh

Rockets:
Earl Boykins
Courtney Fortson (10-day contract followed by rest-of-season contract)
Malcolm Thomas

Spurs:
Eric Dawson (two 10-day contracts)
Justin Dentmon

Warriors:
Keith Benson
Mickell Gladness (10-day contract followed by rest-of-season contract)

Wizards:
Cartier Martin
Edwin Ubiles

Odds & Ends: Bulls, Davis, Pistons, Spurs

April 1st, 2012 at 4:44pm CST by Michael Pina

The Bulls are doing battle with the Thunder today in another possible Finals match-up. Chicago is once again without their best player, Derrick Rose. In an Insider piece on ESPN.com, Basketball-Reference's Neil Paine explains that despite the team experiencing recent success without Rose, they have no chance at winning a title if he doesn't play.

Tim Griffin from Spurs Nation has a piece on San Antonio's probable decision to change their lineups as the playoffs grow near.
ESPNNY.com's Ian Begley writes about the importance of Baron Davis now that Jeremy Lin will have knee surgery.
Vincent Goodwill from The Detroit News thinks Joe Dumars needs to take the Pistons in a new direction.
Since Ray Allen went down with an ankle injury, and Mickael Pietrus suffered a concussion, Avery Bradley's insertion in Boston's starting lineup has been a revelation for the team's playoff chances, writes The Sporting News' Sean Deveney.
CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes poses an interesting question regarding a difficult decision Portland might have this offseason. With both J.J. Hickson and Nicolas Batum being restricted free agents, which one should the team set as a priority for keeping? For reference, here's a look at our list of 2012/13 free agents.
The Sacramento Bee's Stephen Magagnini wrote a piece about the impact rookie Isaiah Thomas has had both on the court and in the community.
The Indianapolis Star's Mike Wells writes about the relationship Pacers guard George Hill still shares with Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. Also, Indiana head coach Frank Vogel talks about why he's decided it isn't worth it to rest his veterans despite the season's hectic schedule.

Southwest Notes: Johnson, Gordon, Hornets, Ford

March 31st, 2012 at 5:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Jarrett Jack gave the Hornets 18 points and ten dimes this afternoon but it wasn't enough as they fell to the Lakers 88-85. Here's more out of the Southwest division..

The last 15 games of the season will determine whether the Hornets re-sign center Chris Johnson in the offseason, team officials tell John Reid of The Times-Picayune. Coach Monty Williams said he's still trying to figure out what the 6'11", 210-pound journeyman from LSU can do.
The Hornets expect shooting guard Eric Gordon to return from right-knee surgery Wednesday against the Nuggets, writes Reid. Earlier this week, Luke Adams pegged Gordon as the prize of the restricted free agent market in his look at this summer's available shooting guards.
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star checks in with former Spurs guard T.J. Ford, who's now a volunteer assistant with the Austin Toros after bringing his playing career to an end earlier this season. "I'm healthy, that's the whole purpose of me retiring," he said. "There really wasn't much else I could prove with my circumstances. I became more a role player coming off the bench. I'd rather now move on to the next phase in my life."

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Southwest Links: Boykins, Thomas, Hornets, Mavs

March 30th, 2012 at 7:18pm CST by Alex Lee

With the Mavericks in action in Orlando and the Rockets hosting the Grizzlies, here is a look at some links from the Southwest division:

Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News provides some interesting Spurs tidbits centering on how the international play of Patrick Mills and Boris Diaw helped to lead the two recent additions to San Antonio.
NBA sources have told Fox 26 in Houston that the Rockets are likely to retain guard Earl Boykins and forward Malcolm Thomas after their 10-day contracts expire, tweets Mark Berman. Boykins signed his contract on March 26 and Thomas signed his on March 27.
Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated thoroughly examines the state of the Hornets franchise, which is expected to be sold by the NBA in the coming weeks in a deal that will keep the team in New Orleans until at least 2024. Thomsen says the Hornets are headed towards profitability and he also delves into the vetoed Chris Paul trade.
Jason Terry's comments aside, there was some other news after the Mavericks Thursday night loss in Miami. ESPN Dallas' Tim MacMahon writes that Lamar Odom has shown signs of effectiveness lately for Dallas. With Delonte West back in the lineup, the duo could provide a much needed boost down the stretch.

Odds & Ends: Garnett, Spurs, Randolph, Howard

March 29th, 2012 at 4:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The top of this year's draft figures to be particularly UNC-heavy, with three Tar Heel underclassmen declaring their intentions to enter the draft earlier today. Harrison Barnes, John Henson, and Kendall Marshall will join senior Tyler Zeller as potential North Carolina lottery picks. And as ESPN.com's Chad Ford writes, the Tar Heels could make it five first-rounders if James McAdoo decides to enter the draft as well (Insider link).

Here are a few more afternoon links from around the Association:

Kevin Garnett seems open to returning to the Celtics next year and it's hard to argue Boston would be better off without him, writes Paul Flannery of WEEI.com.
Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News breaks down the contract details for Boris Diaw and Patrick Mills. Each of the new Spurs signed a minimum deal, with Diaw's expiring at season's end and Mills holding a minimum-salary player option for next season.
The Kings worked out Shavlik Randolph yesterday, but didn't sign him to a contract, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. Jones adds that Randolph may be an option for Sacramento later.
According to Jeff Van Gundy, "only the most gullible fans" would believe Dwight Howard's decision to play another season with the Magic was about loyalty. Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel has the details and more quotes from Van Gundy.

Southwest Notes: Spurs, Thomas, Hornets

March 27th, 2012 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

Spurs Sign Patrick Mills

March 27th, 2012 at 1:02pm CST by Zachary Links

The Spurs have officially signed former Blazer Patrick Mills, the team announced today. The two sides had reached an agreement earlier, but visa issues held up Mills' arrival. The deal will reportedly include a player option in the second year, worth about $1MM.

According to a tweet from Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, the Pistons also wanted to sign Mills. The Rockets were interested in the guard as well, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reported. San Antonio had been searching for a point guard after the abrupt retirement of T.J. Ford, who was subsequently shipped to Golden State for financial reasons in the Stephen Jackson–Richard Jefferson deal.

Mills, a 2009 second-round pick out of St. Mary's College, averaged 5.1 points and 1.5 assists in two seasons as a backup in Portland. He signed with a Chinese team earlier this season, but received FIBA clearance to join an NBA team. The Blazers held Mills' rights as a restricted free agent, but renounced them, allowing him to sign with any team.

The agreement was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, Sam Amick of SI.com, and Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News added details.

Chuck Myron and Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Odds & Ends: Sloan, Azubuike, Sessions, Heat

March 24th, 2012 at 2:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

The deadline for players to be waived in order to be eligible for the playoffs with another team passed last night, and Chris Kaman, who would have been on the radar of just about every team needing a big man had he been bought out, is still with the Hornets. New Orleans "desperately" tried to trade him before last week's trade deadline, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, but didn't get a worthy offer. He'll be a free agent at season's end, and wants to sign with a contender then, Kennedy said. Here's the rest of what's shaking around the NBA:

Guard Donald Sloan, who signed last week with the Cavs, gave reporters a little insight on his contract, as the end of this video on Cavs.com shows. His deal extends into next year, but is guaranteed only until the end of this season.
Newest Mav Kelenna Azubuike, who drew raves from owner Mark Cuban last night, will start off with the Texas Legends, the Mavs D-League affiliate, notes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.
The Hawks expressed interest in trading for Ramon Sessions before the Cavs wound up dealing him to the Lakers, Kennedy tweets.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel answered reader questions about the Heat. Despite this week's signing of Ronny Turiaf, much of the talk still revolves around the center position.
Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld rounds up the players who could sign contracts worth as much as $10MM a year as free agents this summer.
Syracuse sophomore guard Dion Waiters hasn't made up his mind about whether he'll enter the NBA Draft just yet, but he says the Spurs, Thunder and Jazz have called him in case he wants to give it a go, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY. He's projected to go in the middle of the first round, and could climb into the lottery, Zagoria writes.

Spurs Sign Justin Dentmon To Ten-Day Contract

March 24th, 2012 at 12:07pm CST by Zachary Links

The Spurs have announced that they signed guard Justin Dentmon from the D-League's Austin Toros to a 10-day contract. To make room for Dentmon, the Spurs released Eric Dawson two days before his ten-day deal was set to expire, tweets Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.

Dentmon, 26, averaged 22.9 PPG and 5.3 RPG for the Toros while shooting 42% from long range. Dentmon should give the Spurs some depth in the backcourt as they wait for Patrick Mills' situation to be resolved.

Dawson, 27, played a total of 39 minutes for the Spurs in four games this season.

Spurs Expected To Sign Justin Dentmon

March 23rd, 2012 at 10:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Spurs plan to sign guard Justin Dentmon to a 10-day contract, Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside reports. Dentmon had been playing with the Austin Toros, San Antonio's D-League affiliate, where he put up 22.9 points and 5.3 rebounds a night to go along with 42% three-point shooting.

The move gives the Spurs depth at point guard, as Tony Parker missed tonight's game with hamstring soreness and Patrick Mills is still finalizing his work visa. The Diaw signing put the Spurs roster at the maximum 15 players, so they'll have to drop someone before Dentmon can officially join the team. Eric Dawson's 10-day contract is up in a couple days, so the team may simply elect not to re-sign him. Cory Joseph was sent down to the Toros earlier this week, so he could be let go instead.