SB Nation - Andre Brown

Waive Goodbye, Part 1

Jon L — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:00:35 -0000

by Haraz N. Ghanbari - AP

Paul Davis poses for trading card photo. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

Here it is; the long-awaited (okay maybe not), oft-promised look at who got waived and who made an NBA roster. I'm breaking this up into three parts, and here's what they'll look like: for each team, there will be a list of who got cut and who got kept (and yes I know the grammar isn't great, but that's what I've decided to go with). To make it interesting, I'll look at one Eastern Conference team and one Western Conference team each day. I probably won't discuss every player, since at this point in his career Juan Dixon can do whatever as far as I'm concerned, but I'll try to hit most of the players who either previously spent time in the D-League or might be considering it as an option this season. I'm also operating under the assumption that the vast majority of guys that I talk about will be playing in Europe. The season's already started over there in a lot of places, but there's usually room for one more skilled American player. Nonetheless, I'll try to keep the D-League optimism up. Okay? Okay. So here we go. First up: the Southeast and Pacific Divisions, below the jump.

Atlanta Hawks

Who got cut: Juan Dixon, Mike Wilks, Courtney Sims, Garrett Siler, Mario West

Who got kept: No one.

Sims and Siler are the main guys to know here, as Dixon, Wilks and West are all veterans at this point who will jump into the pool of emergency guards for less thoughtful teams to sign in case, I dunno, Eric Gordon gets hurt or something. Sims has admirers around the team, and he's showed off his scoring in the preseason, but the rebounding that was so good in the D-League last year has been largely absent thus far. That kind of game (among other reasons) makes me think he's bound for overseas despite the fact that he intrigues front offices. If they really cared, he'd have a contract by now. Siler, on the other hand, is just coming onto the scene and has nice touch and solid rebounding ability. He's just, let's call it "large." If I had to guess I'd say he's a more likely candidate for the D-League, where getting "large" guys into shape seems to be the stock in trade. He's already pretty effective as it is, and he doesn't seem have the foul problems that plague other "large" gentlemen like Mike Sweetney or Kentrell Gransberry, so if he can shed the weight then he might start garnering more serious interest.

Charlotte Bobcats

Who got cut: Dontell Jefferson, Antonio Anderson

Who got kept: Stephen Graham

I was actually kind of shocked at this one. Jefferson is a great man defender (and an all-aaround good guy) who the Bobcats seemed to like (they called him up last year), plus one of their better (if not their best) perimeter defenders with a guaranteed contract just got hurt. So why wouldn't they keep him? Stephen Graham is fine as a player, and he's a D-League success story of sorts so I shouldn't knock him too hard, but while he's a better rebounder than Jefferson, he's not as good of a defender. Hopefully Jefferson comes to the D-League and gets called up quickly, but either of those happening is unlikely, let alone both of them.

Golden State Warriors

Who got cut: Diamon Simpson, Shaun Pruitt

Who got kept: No one

Simpson is raw. Really, really, really raw. But intriguing (at least to me). I thought so when he was on Washington's Summer League team, but he got cut before they played any games and I don't think he played any in the preseason for Golden State, either. It would behoove him to go to the D-League, but who knows if that will happen. He's a Dominic McGuire-type, if McGuire is good enough to have his own type, but it boils down to this: a lot of hustle, the tools to be a very good defender, a very good rebounder, undersized as a PF but no offensive game to make up for it. Who doesn't like that kind of player? Anyway, he'll need to learn some offense somewhere, so why not the D-League? ASSUMING he enters the draft, I could see Rio Grande Valley drafting him and developing him for the Rockets, who are enamored with 6'7" power forwards who rebound really, really well. But what I think should happen and what does happen are usually two different things. Example: Fernwood 2Nite is still not on DVD.

Los Angeles Clippers

Who got cut: Anthony Roberson, Taj Gray, Jerel McNeal

Who got kept: Kareem Rush

Sorry Mike Wilks, Juan Dixon and Mario West, your fellow Brotherhood of Mediocre Shooting Guards member Kareem Rush got this. Roberson is likely headed back to Europe, with all the rest of the good three-point shooters. So is Gray. Jerel McNeal could stick around this neck of the woods, because he's a.) younger and b.) still could use some work on his offensive game. His DraftExpress "best case" is supposedly Shannon Brown, so there's some D-League-to-NBA precedent for a guy like McNeal, and he's solid enough all-around that if he continues to cut down on his turnovers he could draw some real interest.

Los Angeles Lakers

Who got cut: Mickael Gelabale, David Monds, Tony Gaffney, Michael Fey, Thomas Kelati

Who got kept: No one

Somewhat off-topic, but at this point I'm wondering what the point of the Lakers having their own D-League affiliate is. I know I'm not supposed to say that, but...who was the last player they developed in-house? Jordan Farmar, I guess? Does Josh Powell count since he never plays? I know that they're in "win-now" mode as long as Kobe Bryant is on the team, but heck, trading for Adam Morrison? They could've found someone else, put him on the D-Fenders for two years, and still eventually have gotten more out of him than Morrison will end up giving them. And no, this isn't about cutting Sun Yue. Okay, maybe it's partially about cutting Sun Yue. But that was the plan with Mickael Gelabale, I assume, who has a lot of talent and a knack for scoring. But he couldn't earn a deal and DJ Mbenga could? Mbenga is good for something, right? I mean, he is, right? I could've sworn he did something well at some point. David Monds played very well for the Lakers' Summer League team, so that likely got him some attention even if his preseason didn't. I'm willing to bet that he comes back to the D-League, just not heavily.

Miami Heat

Who got cut: John Lucas, Alade Aminu, Andre Brown, Anthony Tolliver

Who got kept: Carlos Arroyo, Shavlik Randolph

Sigh. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. Not that Arroyo is still around, I guess, since he's not the worst option out there and can run the pick and roll adequately, but Lucas really can play, size notwithstanding. I'm pretty sure Lucas has had some problems with not being paid by his European employers in the past, so it could be that he's soured on the enterprise, and if he comes back to the D-League he'll join the Maine Red Claws, but my best guess is that he'll try going overseas again and hope to get his check on time. Aminu may try his hand at the D-League, since his younger (and more talented) brother is still in college. Aminu played some decent defense for Washington's Summer League team, and he's pretty athletic along with being a decent ball-handler for a 6'10" guy. He needs to work on not turning the ball over and acquiring some post moves, and the D-League is as good a place as any to do that.

Orlando Magic

Who got cut: Morris Almond

Who got kept: Linton Johnson

I'm a little surprised that Johnson is still around, although Adonal Foyle got hurt so there's room for another frontcourt player. Sort of. I mean with Brandon Bass, Ryan Anderson, Rashard Lewis, Mickael Pietrus, Vince Carter and Matt Barnes around I'm not really sure how much playing time Johnson will get, even in practice. Some of those guys can play guard, true, but this team is apparently committed to the Jason Williams Reclamation Project and not, you know, keeping a guard who can actually help the team out. It's a good question where Almond goes from here, as he's "done with the D-League." Maybe he joins Dixon, et al. or maybe he just cuts his losses and heads yonder, but either way I can't shake the feeling that he never really got a fair look this offseason.

Phoenix Suns

Who got cut: Carlos Powell, Dan Dickau, Raymond Sykes

Who got kept: No one.

Well, at least our long national Dan Dickau nightmare is over. Powell played very well in the preseason, and the team spoke well of him which should help combat some old on-court character issues. He's a strong call-up candidate this season should he go to the D-League, and he's been working hard to get to the NBA so he may go that route. I've already linked to it once, but for more on Powell's play I recommend this Bright Side of the Sun post.

Sacramento Kings

Who got cut: Lanny Smith, Melvin Ely

Who got kept: No one.

I would bet that Smith returns to the D-League. He's not that far removed from breaking his foot in college, and he was a backup in Idaho last year, so he still has a lot to show. He can play, though, and it shouldn't be too surprising if he becomes a top point guard in the D-League this year. That's assuming he goes there, however, and not overseas. He played for the "NBA Generations" team that played in Korea and the Philippines, so he's gotten some international exposure, and non-US teams could come calling.

Washington Wizards

Who got cut: Vincent Grier

Who got kept: Paul Davis

Grier never really played, so this isn't a shock. He's a pretty good combo guard and scorer, but the Wizards have a ton of shooting guards on the team so this was always going to be a longshot. Paul Davis is sticking around because Antawn Jamison will be out for at least a month, and the team was already thin up front. As in, Fabricio Oberto who was signed to be the end-of-bench veteran presence, is now the starting power forward. Davis is now the fifth big, and he's defied my expectations by playing pretty well this preseason, averaging about 18 points and nine rebounds per 36 minutes while staying out of foul trouble. He shot 5-10 from the floor, and I have no idea where those shots came from exactly, but one reason I was skeptical is that last season his eFG percentages were .333 on "close" shots and .344 on jump shots (as determined by 82games.com), which are pretty bad. As long as the Wizards don't expect much from Davis on the offensive end other than dunks and tip-ins, they should be fine.

Ridiculous Transactions: 10/5-10/11

Jon L — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:47:43 -0000

More photos » by Al Goldis - AP

8 months ago: Miami's Jack McClinton shoots during the men's 3-point contest, which he won Thursday, April 2, 2009, at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

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"We don't do many encores and, well, this is why."

If you're wondering why the training camp invite series sputtered to a finish, I encourage you to read on! A lot of guys are starting to get waived, so I didn't see much point to talking about a player who's only going to be around for a few days afterwards. I'll talk a little bit about those players I didn't get to but are listed here, but they won't get the full treatment.

October 6: Denver Nuggets - waived Keith Brumbaugh; Phoenix Suns - waived Raymond Sykes; Minnesota Timberwolves - requested waivers on Jack McClinton and Alonzo Gee

See what I mean? Starting with Minnesota, McClinton's waiver is unfortunate in that there should be a place for him in the NBA, even as a rookie. It's possible that that sentiment is based on the myth of San Antonio draft picks and how they almost universally end up as contributors, even if it takes them a few years, but McClinton's collegiate three-point shooting and overall scoring efficiency is real, and I hope he decides to go the D-League route (big surprise) and figure out how to improve his scoring closer to the basket. Gee is almost the opposite of McClinton in that he's a slasher with no real outside shot to speak of. There are so many guys either in the NBA or trying to get into the NBA that fit that profile that an additional skill would be helpful, but Gee's defense leaves a lot to be desired as well.

Brumbaugh is a guy I hadn't gotten to yet, and while he once had a history of off-court stuff, it's been a few years since any of that came up (I guess the history is still there, just further in the background) and Brumbaugh has some scoring ability, and he's a pretty good three-point shooter (he shot .375 last season for Sioux Falls). He wasn't very consistent, though, and while he's listed anywhere from 6'8" to 6'10" his rebounding comes and goes. There's definitely talent there, but it may be Europe for Brumbaugh.

I don't know a whole lot about Sykes, but he's apparently a powerful dunker. His per-36 minute averages as a senior at Clemson were around nine points and six rebounds, which isn't really enough to be considered for the NBA. Frankly, with those numbers and not much other information available about the guy, I'm a little surprised he got a training camp invite.

October 7: Idaho Stampede - retained Joel Abelson as an assistant coach; Bakersfield Jam - named Greg Minor, Mark Strickland and Chris Leazier as assistant coaches.

I'm already (briefly) discussed the Jam hires here, but more broadly it's an interesting staff. Woolpert is a pretty good coach, so Minor likely learned a bit working for him last year even though that team was terrible (and injuries played a part in that, etc.) But other than that you have two college assistants, guys who will be figuring out how the D-League works along with their boss. I know I talk about how D-League coaching experience is important for understanding the league's quirks, and who knows, maybe I overstate it. But having an entire (or nearly entire) coaching staff essentially starting from scratch could make it tough for Bakersfield this season. Greg Minor was an assistant in the CBA as well, so watch for him in the future for a head coaching job (or an NBA assistant job). As far as Abelson is concerned, he did a solid job as an assistant to Bryan Gates last season, even if he didn't get his own Day like colleague Randy Livingston.

October 8: New York Knicks - waived Sun Yue, Ron Howard, Warren Carter and Gabe Pruitt; Rio Grande Valley Vipers - named Gersson Rosas as general manager and Paul Mokeski as assistant coach.

I don't know much about Rosas, who's also the Rockets' VP of player personnel and worked his way up through Houston's front office after being a college video coordinator and a Rockets scout. Everything you need to know about Mokeski may be found here.

October 9: Fort Wayne Mad Ants - named Michael Sanders as assistant coach; Miami Heat - waived Alade Aminu and Andre Brown; Los Angeles Clippers - waived Taj Gray; Robert Vaden - signed with Imola (Italy)

Sanders is a great hire for Fort Wayne, as he's been a head coach in the CBA and an assistant in the NBA, and combined with Joey Sanders that team has a strong, strong coaching staff. Hopefully they'll be able to turn that team around after a pretty bad season. Vaden's rights is belong to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but they have so many people on that team who are of a certain (young) age that Vaden might be "another year away from making the team" for, well, several years. He's a perimeter shooter and not much else (as far as I can tell), but he'll be in his mid-20s before he see time in either OKC or Tulsa. Gray has spent the last few years playing in Europe, and averaged around 20 and seven last year in France. He's a former University of Oklahoma player, so I wonder if he'll go for the D-League this time and try to get on the 66ers roster as a local allocation.

October 11: James Mays - signed with Beijing (China); Cedric Bozeman - signed with Beijing (China)

Both of these players are very talented, and could play in the NBA if teams gave them an honest chance. They were also both part of the expansion draft, and if they decide China's not for them and come back to the D-League, each of them will play for the Springfield Armor. That's something to keep an eye on as the season goes on, as they're both very good scorers who could give Dee Brown's team an added push towards the playoffs or, depending on how the season goes, avert a first-year disaster.

Training Camp Invites - Miami Heat

Jon L — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:00:55 -0000

Shavlik Randolph is among those trying to make the Miami roster.

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I thought I'd continue the series that JDS started by taking a team-by-team look at players who have been invited to training camp (since camp has started now, all of the invites are official). These are guys who normally would show up in Ridiculous Transactions - D-Leaguers, players who have spent time in Europe and other random NBA journeymen, all of whom are trying to either make the team they're with or impress any other team that might be paying attention. I thought I'd keep it in the Southeast Division and look at the Miami Heat.

Alade Aminu - Aminu played for Washington's Summer League team, though saying he "played" is a bit generous since he never saw more than 12 minutes on the court. He's fairly athletic and handles the ball pretty well for his size (he's 6'10", 225). He's also really, really raw. Bullets Forever's Mike Prada observed that Aminu defended Blake Griffin pretty well and showed a decent touch, but that he's "nowhere close to an NBA player." I'd be surprised if he makes the roster, but I'd like to see him spend a year or two in the D-League to hone his skills.

Shavlik Randolph - Randolph's per-minute numbers have been increasing more or less steadily the last few years, and are pretty good in the points and rebounds departments, but they've come in so few games (13 in '06-'07, nine in '07-'08, and ten last year) that I have a hard time believing them. He's a solid if unspectacular option for a third center, which essentially is what he's working for in Miami.

Andre Brown - I briefly wrote about Brown the other day. He's yet another PF/C-type who has bounced between minor league basketball, the NBA and Europe. He's a decent rebounder who usually shoots around .500 or better, though his free-throw shooting isn't great. I'd say Brown also is a longshot, but he's produced when given the chance to.

Anthony Tolliver - Tolliver saw a fair amount of playing time with the Hornets' Summer League team this year, but he didn't put up good numbers until the last few games, including the second-to-last one in which he made every single field goal and free throw. He wasn't always efficient, though, and he also fouled a little too much. DolPhanDave over at the Heat blog Peninsula is Mightier believes the team will be emphasizing defense this training camp, and Tolliver shouldn't have any problems there unless he's asked to keep up with perimeter players. Of all the big men the Heat brought in, I'd say Tolliver has the best chance to sneak onto the roster behind or in lieu of Joel Anthony, but this team apparently believes Chris Quinn is a decent backup point guard.

John Lucas - Speaking of whom, Lucas is here to give Quinn a push, and I sincerely hope he pushes Quinn off the team. Not because I like seeing people lose their jobs, but because Lucas can absolutely run an offense, and he has some experience playing off the ball as well. The Miami backcourt is what you'd call "undersized," though, and Lucas wouldn't do anything to change that. He's an excellent shooter from behind the arc and from the free-throw line, and he neither turns the ball over nor fouls very often. Lucas is probably the best player the Heat brought to their training camp.

As training camp approaches, Erik Spoelstra thinks there is a lot to be excited about with this years team

DolPhanDave — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:30:14 -0000

Erik Spoelstra thinks that the Heat are going to be a much-improved squad this season. That kind of optimism you would expect from the teams Head Coach, but Spo is backing it up with some facts that you cant help but pay attention to. We have guys coming back healthy who played much of last season hurt, or didn't play much at all. We have top-notch rookies coming back for a 2^nd season who have been working their butts off all summer.

Starting off with the youngsters, lets begin with the one who has gotten the most attention this offseason. Obviously, that's Michael Beasley, who returned to the American Airlines Arena on Monday and began working out with some of his Heat teammates. He had been working with Heat coaches, including Erik Spoelstra, while at the rehabilitation clinic in Houston, doing lots of on court exercises.

Spoelstra said Beasley (240 pounds) added 10 pounds of muscle, and "improved his perimeter skills -- he would show us something new all the time. He made dramatic improvements with individual defense. He's quicker. People will see more versatility. He can play either forward position. You'll see a different Michael Beasley. His skill level is so much more advanced than what it was. "

I'm still banking on Beasley coming off the bench this year, as Udonis Haslem is already penciled in as the teams starting power forward, and according to Spoelstra the starting small forward job is very much an open competition. It will be between Beasley, newcomer Quentin Richardson and James Jones.

Jones has come right out and said that he is back to 100% and should be playing at a high level after spending most of last season recovering from wrist surgery. When he finally returned to the lineup last year he was nowhere near his usual self, and is now very hungry to make up for a sup-par last season.

As for Richardson, I am very happy about that trade. Not only because we were able to dump the useless contract of Mark Blount, but more so because Richardson is going to fit right in with our team and add an element that we were really missing last year. Quentin can play the 2 or the 3; he can run the floor well, shoot from the outside and play the kind of defense that our coaching staff loves. Hard nosed, long armed and quick.

Spolelstra said Richardson ``is in the best shape of his life, 230 pounds. He hasn't weighed that since he was at DePaul 11 years ago. He's got defensive toughness, can post up guards and some small forwards.''

We'll move on to the guy who I see as this year's wild card, Jermaine O'Neal. Going into a contract year, J-O is out to prove he can still play at a high level, looking to regain his all-star form that would demand a high paying contract next summer. He is already going to be competing with other UFA's who are better and younger, so a great season would really help his cause.

Apparently, O'Neal is well on his way to having that kind of season. His main goal has been to regain the strength in his knees and regain some of the stamina he prided himself on while playing for Indiana. Should all the work he put forth this offseason translate into Jermaine being a 15 point 10 board kinda guy for us, while playing in around 70-75 games, I think that's a huge success. Says Spo about J-O:

``He's as healthy as he's ever been. We rewound the clock and brought him back to 26. He spent seven weeks with us'' working on strength and conditioning, then eight weeks with Chicago-based trainer Tim Grover. ``I went to Chicago and saw him in pickup games. He looks quick, jumping well. He looked like the guy I remembered with the Pacers, but stronger.''

You have got to love the way things are sounding, as well as the optimism that Coach Spoelstra is showing for his team. Apparently, the Heat organization holds a similar optimistic feeling about their coach, as it was announced earlier this week that Miami had extended the contract of Spoelstra. The teams of the extension have yet to be released, but it's believed to be for a year. That will be added to the reported 3-year contract that he received before last season, after he had been named the teams new Head Coach.

HEAT ADDING PLAYERS TO TRAINING CAMP ROSTER

As of now nothing has been confirmed, but it appears the Heat are going to add some players to their training camp roster. John Lucas III is a 6' point guard who went undrafted out of Oklahoma State is 2005. He spent two years playing for the Rockets, but after the 06-07 season he headed east to play in Italy, and since then he's spent time in the Spanish league as well as the NBA's D-League.

Lucas has been working out with fellow free agent Shavlik Randolph, and both are expected to receive contracts to join the Heat in training camp. Randolph, also undrafted in 05 (Duke), began his career in Philly. It was just beginning to get good when he broke his ankle during a late November practice. He spent one more year with Philly, then last year he signed a non-guaranteed contract with Portland. He did spend the season on their roster, but only played in 10 games and didn't do much to stand out.

Someone who worked out with the Heat a few weeks ago is also on the verge of returning for training camp. 6'9" power forward Andre Brown will compete with Shavlik Randolph for minutes behind Udonis Haslem. How much playing time and what kind of roles they are needed for will depend on whether Coach Spoelstra uses Michael Beasley as a power forward or a small forward. Brown is also a member of the undrafted club, coming out of DePaul in 2004.

All three will get non-guaranteed contracts, and its possible that none of them make the final roster, though unlikely. The Heat can carry up to 20 players on their roster until the regular season, at which time they must trim the roster down to 15.

These moves would leave the Heat's training camp roster looking like this:

Center- Jermaine O'Neal, Jamaal Magloire, Joel Anthony

Power Forward- Udonis Haslem, Michael Beasley, Shavlik Randolph, Andre Brown

Small Forward- James Jones, Yakhouba Diawara, Dorell Wright

Shooting Guard- Dwyane Wade, Daequan Cook, Quentin Richardson

Point Guard- Mario Chalmers, Chris Quinn, John Lucas III

That's 16 players, meaning should the Heat like what they see from everyone, only one player will have to be cut in time for Opening Night (Oct 28^th) against the Knicks. However, Pat Riley has said that its possible the Heat may end up carrying as few as the NBA minimum 13 players. Training camp begins in just 4 days on Tuesday the 29th.

I'd like to send out a thank you to everyone on this site for your patience during my recent health issues. Your kind words, comments and e-mails were amazing to read, and I fully appreciate everything. Thank you so much, it's refreshing to know what good people we have in our little online community.

Poll

How many games do you think the Heat will win this season?

60 or more

26 votes

55-60

34 votes

50-55

82 votes

45-50

117 votes

40-45

42 votes

35-40

10 votes

35 or less

13 votes

324 votes | Poll has closed

Training Camp Invite Round-Em-Up

Jon L — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:00:18 -0000

John Lucas will be attending the Miami Heat's upcoming training camp.

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This is something that qualifies as a transactions post as well, but a lot of NBA teams are finalizing their training camp rosters, so I thought it would be worth compiling the news into semi-regular (or maybe it'll just be this one, who knows) posts rather than fanshotting every single story. (And also because I'm trying my best to ignore Brandt Anderon's latest harebrained scheme.) Because this is RU I'm just covering those players who are at the end of the roster, invited on non-guaranteed deals basically as either longshots or "why not" guys. As always, some teams seem to know what they're doing, and some...well...

Phoenix Suns: Dan Dickau

Really, Phoenix? Dan Dickau? Look, I get that you need a third point guard, at least for training camp, and I get that Zabian Dowdell's rehabbing an injury. But there's really no other way to describe Dickau at this point other than "terrible." Several of the better options aren't available either, having signed with other teams or gone off to Europe, but off the top of my head Eddie Gill, Walker russell and Cliff Clinkscales are all still around and would be better options. You say that Goran Dragic and Dan Dickau are currently your backup point guards? And that your starter is 35 years old with semi-serious back problems? Yeah, good luck with that.

Oklahoma City: Michael Ruffin, Ryan Bowen, Tre Kelley, Michael Harris

As much as the Thunder have used their D-League affiliate in Tulsa, I get the sneaking suspicion that they've recently started to lean towards "crusty veterans." Kevin Ollie being exhibit A, Ruffin here being exhibit B. Ruffin never had an offensive game, and in his heyday (if you can call it that) with the Wizards he didn't do much other than rebound. He was decent at it for a few years, and while the per-minute numbers are still there he hasn't been able to stay on the court long enough over the past three seasons or so for it to really matter. He's mostly here, much like Etan Thomas, because he played college ball in the state. How's that working out for the Bobcats? Bowen is known as a "hustle guy," which teams always like to have. I do wonder, though, what these two signings might reveal about Oklahoma City's thoughts about D.J. White and Serge Ibaka. White had some injury trouble last year but looked pretty good in the D-League when he was able to play, while if there's one center in the league who can keep up with Russell Westbrook, it's probably Ibaka. Oddly enough, Kelley was dropped from the Miami Heat's roster last year when they signed Shaun Livingston, who's now with the Thunder. Harris spent 17 games with the Houston Rockets a few years ago and put up some pretty good per-minute rebounding numbers. The season before that he played for Colorado in the D-League, where he made almost 62 percent of his field goals. Kelley and Harris are both unlikely to make the team, I think, since the Thunder have so many players on their roster already.

Cleveland: Rob Kurz

I like this move for Cleveland, as Kurz is a three-point shooting power forward which means that a.) he won't be trying to share space with Shaquille O'Neal or a driving LeBron James, and b.) he's another person for James or whomever to kick out to. It makes even more sense in the wake of Delonte West's recent...thing, and all the uncertainty around his status now. West is a guard, true, but Kurz might help the team replace some of his offense. Kurz not going to Denver (as he had been considering) also means that James White now has a better chance to take Linas Kleiza's old rotation spot.

Philadelphia: Dionte Christmas, Sean Singletary, Brandon Bowman, Jared Reiner (possible)

Christmas isn't a surprise, as he's a local "make-good" story, and he played for that 76ers/Nets combined Summer League team. He had one pretty good game a in Orlando, though from what I remember he struggled in the rest of them. Singletary has been traded a lot, though he's managed to play in 30-some odd NBA games and a few D-League games, but he's probably best served going to play in Europe. He's a point guard who averaged 3.4 assists per 36 minutes in those NBA games, which isn't what you'd call "good." He was more of a scorer in college, anyway, and he remains an alright three-point shooter. Bowman played for Bakersfield for two seasons before spending last year in Germany, but he didn't score very efficiently in the D-League. Reiner played for Philadelphia in last year's pre-season as well, but was cut before the actual season started. He was a second team All D-League player a few seasons ago with Sioux Falls, and he's a decent rebounder. What we have here is a collection of players with notable college careers, but who all have reasons they haven't stuck in the NBA (prove me wrong, Dionte!)

Sacramento: Lanny Smith

This is a good move for the Kings, as Smith is a solid point guard who most recently played on the "NBA Generations" team. If there's one thing Kings fans aren't satisfied with (one thing?) it's the point guard spot, as Beno Udrih had a pretty miserable season last year. The team then drafted Tyreke Evans and traded for Sergio Rodriguez, though, so it'll be tough for Smith to crack that rotation, but he played for new Kings assistant Bryan Gates in Idaho, so maybe that will give him an advantage on Udrih, who doesn't have the best recent history, or Rodriguez, who's still mostly an unknown.

Miami: John Lucas, Andre Brown

I really, really hope that Lucas makes the team, not just because it's nice to see D-League players succeed, and not just because he's a talented player, but because Miami's backup was and is Chris Quinn. Miami has a history of rotating D-League players in and out without really committing to the idea (and also they haven't exactly signed the cream of the D-League crop anyway), but I would certainly hope they give Lucas every chance to beat out Quinn, because he can. Lucas played a fair amount of shooting guard alongside Eddie Gill last season, but he's a point guard who ran the offense well, and while he's not the biggest guy around, he's found a way to fight through screens pretty effectively. Brown has bounced around a few training camps the last few years after playing in the D-League in 2006. He also spent about two dozen games with the Toros last year. His rebounding has held but his shooting percentage, free throw shooting and overall scoring have gone down the last few years.

San Antonio: Curtis Jerrells, Dwayne Jones

I'm assuming Jerrells was signed to push Marcus Williams for the third point guard spot (and also because he both went to Baylor and is from Austin), which is fine and probably good for Williams, but I don't see Jerrells making the roster. He may, as 48 Minutes predicts, end up with the Toros, who will need another point guard with Williams going to the Spurs and Stanley Burrell headed to Europe. I was not optimistic about Jones making the roster until I saw that the team waived Jack McClinton in order to sign him. My overall thoughts on Jones can be found here (short version: I like him a lot). I'm still not sure he'll be with the Spurs coming out of the preseason, but Theo Ratliff's 70-year-old body could break down any day now, and I expect several of their players to see some time in Austin (such as James Gist). It's also about that time for Ian Mahinmi to show the team that he can play, and after recovering from an injury this offseason, he still might be behind development-wise.

Vegas Summer League Recap: Day 7

Jon L — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:00:19 -0000

We had two Summer League records fall yesterday. Anthony Morrow is now the SL single-game scoring record holder with, and Joey Dorsey the SL single-game rebounding record holder with 20. On the whole, though, a lot of guys played pretty terribly. I don't know if players are spending time seeing Vegas, if they're tired by day seven or whether it was just an off day. The first game was at 1 PM local time, which seems early for Las Vegas, but the rest of them were at the normal times so who knows. In honor of yesterday's "action" I'm going to leave this terrible intro and just go to the recaps.

Golden State Warriors 104, New Orleans Hornets 84

The story here for everyone is that Anthony Morrow set a new Summer League scoring record with 47 points. It actually came out of efficient shooting as well, as Morrowneeded only 26 shots to get that point total and shot 7-9 on threes. Morrow may have felt he needed to take a larger scoring role with Anthony Randolph and Cartier Marting getting DNPs (also Jared Jordan, who I had forgotten was on Golden State's roster). He also had seven rebounds, which I was somewhat surprised to see as I figured he wouldn't have done much other than shoot. Acie Law had a decent game running the point for the Warriors with nine points on 4-7 shooting and five assists in a little under 21 minutes. Neither Joe Ingles nor Connor Atchley shot the ball well (Ingles didn't make a single field goal), but they each had seven rebounds in 18 minutes for Ingles and 21 for Atchley. Almost no one played well for New Orleans. Well, that's not strictly true. Earl Calloway had 17 points on 7-10 shooting, seven rebounds and a pair of steals. Other than Anthony Tolliver's six rebounds and 3-5 shooting from Larry Owens, though, the rest of the Hornets weren't very impressive. Guess what? That's a recurring theme, as you'll see after the jump.

San Antonio Spurs 85, Oklahoma City Thunder 76

DeJuan Blair focused on his scoring more than rebounding this game, and he did fairly well with 20 points on 11 shots (with five rebounds), though I would imagine that in the future he'll ask to stay in his rebounding lane a little more. Ian Mahinmi did a great job of getting to the free throw line and shot 7-8 there, allowing him to score 13 points on four shots. Malik Hairston finally showed his rebounding ability with six, and he shot 7-13 as well, but he also had four turnovers. George Hill is still a little rough around the edges, getting 20 points on 11 shots, nine assists, five rebounds and three steals but also six turnovers. DJ White had a decent game doing what DJ White does, with 17 points on 7-12 shooting and five rebounds in 18 and a half minutes, though he also had six fouls and three turnovers.

Houston Rockets 92, Los Angeles Lakers

In a world where we're pretending that these games matter, I really have no idea how the Rockets won. Sure, Joey Dorsey got the Summer League rebounding record, and he also shot 5-7 and had (a game-high) five assists, three steals and two blocks, but other than Aisander's favorite Rocket Chase Budinger the team shot really, really poorly. And while Budinger was solid scoring-wise, with 25 points on 7-9 shooting, including 3-3 shooting from behind the arc and 8-8 from the line, other than a pair of steals he really did nothing else. Will Conroy shot the ball well too, 3-4, but he missed four of his six free throws and had only one assist. Adam Morrison was the story of the first few games, but he's been tailing off the last few and he didn't even play yesterday (injury?). 14 points on 14 shots is generally considered inefficient, but I'll defend David Monds a little here in that he shot 50 percent and had six rebounds and no turnovers in 18 minutes. The problem was that he didn't get to the free throw line at all. Ben McCauley had 10 rebounds but was terrible from the field. Chinemelu Elonu had a decent game, 16 points on 10 shots and eight rebounds, but he also had eight fouls in 25 and a half minutes.

Cleveland Cavaliers 75, Dallas Mavericks 62

Another game where a lot of guys were terrible. Jawad Williams had one of the best performances, both of all the players in the game yesterday and for him personally throughout Summer League - he scored 18 points on 10 shots and had nine assists with only one turnover, though he shot only 6-11 from the free-throw line. Tarence Kinsey also played well, getting to the line a fair amount and shooting 16-18 there, ending up with 20 points on five shots, and he had four rebounds and three steals, but also six fouls and four turnovers. Darnell Jackson played okay, nine points on six shots and six rebounds, and Andre Brown shot 5-7 with four rebounds and three steals, though he also had seven fouls.

Toronto Raptors 84, Milwaukee Bucks 83

Jodie Meeks had a very strong game for Milwaukee, with 29 points on 23 shots (including 4-8 on three-pointers), as well as four rebounds. Joe Alexander also played fairly well, with 19 points on 14 shots and eight rebounds. Brandon Jennings' performance has steadily declined since the beginning of Summer League, and while he had seven assists yesterday it came with eight turnovers. It was the usual suspects doing it for the Raptors. DeMar DeRozan has gotten a lot of people talking this past week, and yesterday he had 20 points on 13 shots, six rebounds, three assists and only one turnover. Quincy Douby had 17 points on 13 shots, seven assists and four rebounds. That assist number is a little unusual for Douby, but perhaps it's a sign of his further development. Patrick O'Bryant has actually had a quietly decent Summer League, and yesterday he made all five of his field goals and finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block, though he shot only 1-4 from the free-throw line.

Memphis Grizzlies 86, Los Angeles Clippers 68

Someone on Twitter said that Blake Griffin has been dominating Summer League, and while I wouldn't go that far he's been fairly solid. 15 rebounds and five assists yesterday, though it came with five fouls, five turnovers, and needing 20 shots to get 18 points. Marcus Williams got to the free-throw line a lot, shooting 16-20 there, though he shot only 3-9 from the field. He also had five assists and four rebounds, which is fine, but didn't he have a lot more assists earlier on? Nik Caner-Medley had another decent shooting day, going 6-9 for 15 points, and he also had four rebounds. DeMarre Carroll shot 7-9, though the rest of his game wasn't overly impressive. Hamed Haddadi had three rebounds in a little over 10 minutes, which is solid, but he didn't do much else. Greg Stiemsma shot 3-4 for eight points and added three blocks in 11 minutes.

2009 NBA Draft Coverage: In Sam Presti We Trust (Thunder GM)

Mr Pappagiorgio — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:00:21 -0000

As we inch closer and closer to the 2009 NBA Draft, I thought it would be fitting to make very clear of one thing, In Sam Presti We Trust. The moves he's made since joining the organization have been cold and calculated as he attempts to completely rebuild this team, for the long haul, and from the ground up. He hasn't been afraid to trade superstars (Ray Allen), walk away from pricey re-signings (Rashard Lewis), or even walk away from completed trades involving stud players because his future became a little cloudy after Thunder trainers evaluated him (Tyson Chandler). He did all that and more, much more, in just 2 years since being hired by the Sonics. Its a pretty long list that you'll see after you make the jump.

Sam Presti became the General Manager of the Seattle Sonics on June 7, 2007 and since then, not only has he made those tough decisions/big deals listed above, but he's also turned over nearly the entire roster. Just take a look at these names: Ray Allen, Andre Brown, Desmon Farmer, Danny Fortson, Mickael Gelabale, Andreas Glyniadakis, Rashard Lewis, Randy Livingston, Johan Petro, Luke Ridnour, Mo Sene, Chris Wilcox, and Mike Wilks. In addition to those guys, Earl Watson, Nick Collison, and Damien Wilkins were also on the roster when Sam Presti took over the club, however, before the end of the summer, or before the trade deadline next year, its not out of the realm of possibilities for one, two, or even all three of those guys to be moved. Of the three remaining Pre-Presti players, only Nick Collison figures to be around past next year, at least in our estimation.

We've all been exhausting ourselves discussing what the Thunder will do with their #3 pick in next weeks draft, and while all the possibilities are intriguing, one thing we can bank on is that Thunder General Manager Sam Presti will undoubtedly make the smartest move for Oklahoma City with respect towards building this team for the future. He and his staff are looking at all sorts of players, and discussing potential moves with all sorts of teams. By the time the Thunder officially make/trade their pick come draft day, you can trust that the staff will have done their homework, carefully plotted out their move, and figured out the best way to make the most of our draft choice. It could come by using the 3rd pick to select a guy like James Harden (Which we love), Hasheem Thabeet, or even a guy like Tyreke Evens (whom you'll likely be hearing from, fictitiously of course, this week in our continued "My Name Is Series"). Or perhaps it could come by trading that third pick away, possibly with expiring contracts (Earl Watson anyone....please?), or with draft picks, and could be used to add a veteran player from another team in addition to dropping down a few slots and drafting a player like Stephen Curry to help maximize the value of our 3rd overall pick.

Whatever the case, In Sam Presti We Trust, and In Sam Presti You Can Trust. If you don't believe us, just take a look at the entire history of moves he's made since joining the club. Its quite a long list, especially when you consider he only took the job just a little over two years ago, but one thing is for sure, he isn't afraid of wheeling and dealing. So take a few minutes, look over this list, form your opinion about any/all of the moves he's made, and let us know if you Trust in Presti as much as we do.

Also, it's recently been announced that the state of Oklahoma will be releasing a limited edition State specific Nickel for use in the state of Oklahoma only, as part of an advertising campaign to raise awareness about our professional basketball team. The tails side is of course the Thunder logo, but the heads side features our very own Sam Presti, with the words In Sam We Trust. You can see the head side of the Nickel below Presti's transaction history on this post. Of course this is all complete malarkey and isn't actually true, I just had to make something up so that my post header made more sense, or cents. I mean not everybody would have made the connection between In Sam We Trust and In God We Trust which is most commonly found on all forms of American Money. And no, in no way does this post, or post title have anything to do with God or Religion, its just my new catch phrase for anytime someone posts or makes comments in reference to our wunderkind general manager.

Sam Presti's Transaction History (2007-09) Seattle Sonics / Oklahoma City Thunder

(Transaction History From HoopsHype, although any links contained inside stay in the SBNation Network)

TRANSACTIONS:
SEASON 2008-09
March 31 2009 Signed guard Shaun Livingston. March 1 2009 Waived forward Joe Smith. February 20 2009 Waived center Saer Sene. February 19 2009 Traded forward Chris Wilcox to the New York Knicks for forward Malik Rose and cash. Traded a conditional 2009 first-round pick to the Chicago Bulls for guard Thabo Sefolosha. February 17 2009 Traded forwards Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox and the draft rights to forward DeVon Hardin to the New Orleans Hornets for center Tyson Chandler. The trade was voided the following day. January 7 2009 Traded center Johan Petro and a second-round pick to the Denver Nuggets for guard Chucky Atkins. December 31 2008 Signed center Nenad Krstic. December 30 2008 Waived center Steven Hill. December 22 2008 Signed center Nenad Krstic to an offer sheet. November 22 2008 Fired head coach PJ Carlesimo and assistant coach Paul Westhead and named Scott Brooks interim head coach. November 4 2008 Signed center Steven Hill. November 3 2008 Waived guard John Lucas. October 21 2008 Waived forward Derrick Byars and center Chris Alexander. October 16 2008 Exercised the contract options on forwards Kevin Durant and Jeff Green through 2009-10. September 29 2008 Signed guard John Lucas, forward Derrick Byars and center Chris Alexander. September 11 2008 Re-signed center Robert Swift. August 27 2008 Signed guard Kyle Weaver. August 20 2008 Waived forward Donyell Marshall. August 13 2008 Traded guard Luke Ridnour and forward Adrian Griffin to the Milwaukee Bucks for guard Desmond Mason from the Milwaukee Bucks and forward Joe Smith from the Cleveland Cavaliers. August 11 2008 Traded a second-round pick to the Charlotte Bobcats for the draft rights to guard Kyle Weaver. July 18 2008 Signed guard CJ Miles to an offer sheet. July 4 2008 Signed guard Russell Westbrook and forward DJ White. June 28 2008 Tendered a qualifying offer to forward Robert Swift. Draft 2008 Selected guard Russell Westbrook (4th overall pick), forwards Serge Ibaka (24th overall pick) and Walter Sharpe (32nd overall pick) and centers Trent Plaisted (46th overall pick), Devon Hardin (50th overall pick) and Sasha Kaun (56th overall pick). Traded the draft rights to forward Walter Sharpe and center Trent Plaisted to the Detroit Pistons for the draft rights to forward DJ White; traded the draft rights to center Sasha Kaun to the Cleveland Cavaliers for cash. May 8 2008 Named Troy Weaver assistant general manager.
SEASON 2007-08
April 13 2008 Signed forward Ronald Dupree for the remainder of the season. April 3 2008 Signed forward Ronald Dupree to a 10-day contract. March 24 2008 Signed guard Eddie Gill to a 10-day contract. March 11 2008 Signed guard Mike Wilks to a second 10-day contract. February 29 2008 Signed guard Mike Wilks to a 10-day contract and waived forward Ira Newble. February 21 2008 Traded guards Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West to the Cleveland Cavaliers for forwards Donyell Marshall and Ira Newble and forward Adrian Griffin from the Chicago Bulls; waived guard Brent Barry. February 20 2008 Traded forward Kurt Thomas to the San Antonio Spurs for guard Brent Barry, center Francisco Elson and a 2009 first-round pick. October 26 2007 Exercised the contract options of centers Johan Petro and Saer Sene through 2008-09. October 22 2007 Waived guard Jermaine Jackson. October 1 2007 Signed guard Jermaine Jackson. September 27 2007 Named Paul Westhead assistant coach. August 29 2007 Named Bill Branch director of pro player personnel and Gerald Madkins and Frank Ross scouts. August 23 2007 Named Scott Brooks, Mark Bryant and Ralph Lewis assistant coaches and Brian Keefe player development assistant. July 20 2007 Traded a future conditional second-round pick and cash to the Phoenix Suns for forward Kurt Thomas and the first-round picks of 2008 and 2010. July 11 2007 Signed forward Rashard Lewis and traded him to the Orlando Magic for a conditional second-round pick and cash. July 5 2007 Named PJ Carlesimo head coach. July 4 2007 Signed forwards Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. Draft 2007 Selected forwards Kevin Durant (2nd overall pick) and Carl Landry (31st overall pick overall pick), center Glen Davis (35th overall pick). June 28 2007 Traded guard Ray Allen and the 35th overall pick to the Boston Celtics for guards Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak and the 5th overall pick.

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D-League Dudes Aplenty in Big D (and I do mean Dallas)

Scott Schroeder — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:53:07 -0000

Sorry to interrupt this weeks regular scheduled programming... regular scheduled programming.

Mr. Matthew Brennan has done the gentlemanly thing and started blogging about the D-League again now that I've quit blogging exclusively about the D-League (though I've heard via the e-mails that many people, inside and outside the D-League want me to continue, so I can't give it up quite yet - I give my peeps what they want).

Today he tipped the world off to something I alluded it to a couple of weeks ago, before I had all of the details - the Dallas Mavericks are holding a big ol' audition for the D-Leaguer's (and random other players that played in the league you've most likely forgotten by now).

Last seasons D-Leaguer's in Dallas are as follows: Blake Ahearn, Andre Brown, Mickael Gelabale, Brandon Heath, Herbert Hill, Trey Johnson, Trent Strickland and Anthony Tolliver. Not a bad group, not an outstanding group.

Here's the rest of the players at the tryout: Hassan Adams, Shan Foster, Sundiate Gaine, Mike Green, Quinton Hosley (is this really a basketball player?), Mike Jones (who?), Jeff McInnis, Austin Nichols, Richard Roby (Iike him), JaJuan Smith, Chris Taft and Yuta Tabuse.

My question: Which teams wins?

D-League vs. non-NBA

G: Brandon Heath vs. Jeff McInnis

G: Blake Ahearn vs. Hassan Adams

Wing: Trey Johnson vs. Shan Foster

Post: Anthony Tolliver vs. Richard Roby

Post: Andre Brown vs. Chris Taft

6th man: Herbert Hill vs. Yuta Tabuse

Poll

Which team wins?

D-League - Hooah!

37 votes

Not D-League - Boo-Yah!

45 votes

82 votes | Poll has closed

NBA GM's: Call Up Some More!

Scott Schroeder — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:34:43 -0000

Dear NBA General Managers,

Today, I'd like to go over a few more guys that deserve a call-up, even though you all have a done a fine job over the past two weeks of deciding to look to the D-League for some help. My main concern is this: If you guys don't look to the D-League, and instead look at players that have had their shot(s) and blew it, we're going to keep losing players overseas. This month, we've lost Charles Gaines, Coby Karl, Smush Parker, Alton Ford, and Andre Brown, among others. All of these guys, save for maybe Alton Ford, would have been suitable NBA pick-ups, and certainly have more upside than guys like Austin Croshere and Fred Jones, who've recently picked up 10-day contracts.

First on my list is going to Walker Russell, Jr., AKA, according to ShamSports, "I made the Knicks training camp roster only because my dad is a scout there." This, at the time, was probably true, because a kid that averages six points and four assists in 15 games, shooting less than 35% from the field in the D-League probably doesn't deserve an NBA camp invite. For some reason however, since then, he has went off! Russell is averaging 18 points and 12 assists in nearly 40 minutes of action for the Mad Ants! That he hasn't been called-up is almost as big of a traveshamockery as the time last season when Too Much Rod Benson averaged his double-doubles, including that big 28 point, 28 rebound game, and still didn't get a callup! In the month of January, Russell is averaging 19 points, 13 assists, and 2.4 steals, playing over 40 minutes per game! Tell us, NBA GM's, why isn't he called-up yet?

Next, let's talk about Will Conroy. Here's a guy that's played well in the D-League, but hasn't really had his chance in the NBA. He can score, though not really shoot, and is a great floor general that will 'D' up. Certainly someone could use him as at least a 3rd point guard. This season, Conroy is averaging 25 points, eight assists, and five rebounds, to go with two steals. He also apparently has unlimited stamina, as he's AVERAGING 45.5 MINUTES PER GAME!

A third point guard I'm going to have you look at is Dontell Jefferson. Jefferson's numbers aren't outstanding, 18, 5 and 5, but he's a floor general, a leader, that learned from one of the best point guards in the D-League the past two seasons in Maurice Baker, and now has a bit more upside. When needed, he's the best player on the floor, though this season he's been playing along side JR Giddens, Billy Walker, and Kyrylo Fesenko from the NBA, so he's just had to lead the team, and he's done that very well. When he needs to take over however, he will. In his most recent game, an overtime victory over Walker Russell Junior's Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Jefferson had 38 points, five assists, making 15 of his 27 attempts, and putting in 14 of Utah's final 15 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime!

If you're looking for a swingman, I'd say you should be looking at Marcus Williams. The good one, not the Golden State one. Williams is averaging 21 points, seven boards, and four assists, on a stacked Austin team that included Andre Brown and Charles Gaines until recently, and still includes Malik Hairston. Now that Williams is becoming more of a focal point, I'm sure his numbers will only go up. In his last game, and first without Andre Brown, Williams scored 34 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and dished six assists. I'm not really seeing the downside on this kid.

Now, on to the big men. My first choice is going to be Richard Hendrix, the 2nd round pick out of Alabama and current Dakota Wizard. Though he's not the most consistent player, when he's on, he's on, and when he's not, he's still a big man with a good body and RIDICULOUS upside. He had 25 boards in a New Years Eve game against Erie -- that's a lot! Also, over his past three games, he's averaging 17 points and 14 rebounds. A young kid who is going to work in the post and grab the boards certainly should get a look this season.

Chris Hunter is going to be my darkhorse pick. A teammate of current Phoenix Sun Courtney Sims in college, Hunter is doing work right now in the D-League. Hunter is currently averaging 17.6 points and 10 boards a game (4 offensive), shooting an efficient 55% from the field. Over his past four games, he's averaged 20 points, 10.5 boards and a block, playing less than three quarters per game. His best game of the season was Courtney Sims last in the D-League, when he matched up against his fellow Michigan alum. In that game, Hunter scored 23 points and grabbed 18 boards in 33 minutes of action. Talk about efficient!

Also, NBA GM's, if you don't like those picks, I've got a few that I'll mention in passing that probably deserve a break. If you're looking for a shooter, pick up Dakota's Blake Ahearn. Thinking about a veteran point, why not Dakota's Maurice Baker or Colorado's Eddie Gill? Looking for a defensive specialist on the wing that can play the Scottie Pippen/Stephen Jackson point-forward role, go with Renaldo Major. If you need lots of scoring and some high-flying dunks, James White is your man. Pick up Othyus Jeffers, just to make me happy.