Derrick Caracter

International Notes: Richards, Marshall, Caracter

Just as the NBA's free agent frenzy is largely behind us, most significant international signings have already taken place as well. Still, there are a few players and teams making news overseas, and Mark Porcaro of Secret Rival has the latest:

  • Spurs "draft-and-stash" player Ryan Richards has signed to play for Al Nasr Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Porcaro tweets. San Antonio retains the British-born forward/center's NBA rights should he come stateside at some point.
  • Zeke Marshall played for the Sixers in summer league after going undrafted this June, but he'll be headed overseas for the season. He's joining Slask Wroclaw of Poland, which released Derrick Caracter just a week or so after finalizing a deal with the former Lakers big man (Twitter link). Caracter's knee and shoulder issues prompted the team to cut ties, according to Porcaro.
  • Julian Wright was a lottery pick in 2007, but he hasn't played in the NBA since 2010/11, and it looks like a return to the Association isn't in the cards right now. He's signed with Krasnye Krylya in Russia (Twitter link).

International Notes: Collins, Joseph, McCamey

A day after we heard that former NBA first-rounder Mardy Collins was nearing an agreement in Italy, Sutor Montegranaro has officially announced the signing (hat tip to Sportando). As players continue to sign with non-NBA teams, let's round up a few more of today's international notes….

  • As Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun tweets, Team Canada has finalized its summer roster, and Kris Joseph isn't on it — he has left the team to sign a deal in China. It's not clear which team Joseph is joining, but we heard last week that he had a pair of offers from CBA clubs.
  • Former Illinois guard Demetri McCamey has signed a one-year contract with Australian team Cairns Taipans, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. McCamey, who played for the Timberwolves in Summer League action last month, won't have an NBA out in the deal.
  • Italy's Mens Sans Siena has announced several new signings, including ex-Piston Kim English and Nuggets second-rounder Erick Green (hat tip to Sportando). We had previously heard that both players were heading to Italy for the 2013/14 season.
  • Former Laker Derrick Caracter has officially signed with Polish team Slask Wroclaw, according to the club (hat tip to Sportando).

Odds & Ends: Ilyasova, Lakers, Rockets, Clippers

One of the more insulting phrases in basketball circles is "sign-and-retire", a clever quip for players who ink lucrative contracts and seemingly transition into cruise control.  Today, ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Insider sub. req'd) looked at several players who have been underwhelming so far in 2012/13 after signing big money deals.  The Bucks' Ersan Ilyasova signed a five-year, $40MM deal this summer but now has a 9.69 PER to go along with 35.3% shooting from the floor.  Other disappointing players highlighted by Hollinger include the Celtics' Jeff Green, the Pacers' Roy Hibbert, and the Raptors' Landry Fields.  Here's more from around the Association..

  • Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside looked at players in the D-League who could potentially help the Lakers solve their point guard problem.  The Lakers could turn their own affiliate and call upon Darius Johnson-Odom or Courtney Fortson.  Pilato also suggests that the Lakers could re-unite with Andrew Goudelock, who is currently playing with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
  • When asked if the Clippers can turn the corner, Mavs center Chris Kaman responded, "If [owner Donald] Sterling sold the team they might be able to," Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram tweets.
  • Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said that he would like to get a new contract as coach and "be the new owners' guy" going forward, tweets Rob Fischer of Sports 560 AM.  The Grizzlies were recently purchased by 34-year-old Robert Pera, who is joined by a group of high-profile minority owners.
  • Derrick Caracter has signed a contract with Israel's Bnei Herzliya, according to David Pick of Eurobasket (via Twitter).  The former Laker spent last season in the D-League with three different teams and was on the Hawks' summer league team.

Arenas, Diogu, McCants, Williams Sign In China

10:56am: Sean Williams has also signed with a Chinese team, joining McCants on the Foshan Dralions, according to Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall.com (via Twitter). Williams was waived by the Rockets earlier this summer and drew some interest from the Timberwolves and Knicks, but didn't land an NBA deal.

10:20am: Gilbert Arenas has officially signed with the Shanghai Sharks, the team announced on its website (Chinese link). Reports earlier this month indicated that Arenas had agreed to sign with Yao Ming's Sharks, after a verbal agreement with the Guangdong Southern Tigers fell through.

While Arenas is the biggest name heading to China this week, he's not the only former NBA veteran signing overseas. According to a NetEase report (translation via HoopsHype), forward Ike Diogu has signed with Guangdong, with the team waiving Derrick Caracter to clear room. Diogu, the ninth overall pick in the 2005 draft, was in camp with the Suns last month before being released.

Another 2005 lottery pick will also be playing in the Chinese Basketball Association this season, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that Rashad McCants will join the Foshan Dralions. According to Stein, McCants' scoring ability has kept him on the radar of NBA teams, though the former UNC standout hasn't appeared in an NBA game since the 2008/09 season. The Pacers were one club that displayed some interest in McCants before he landed his deal in China, tweets Stein.

Arenas, Diogu, and McCants will all be eligible to return stateside and catch on with an NBA team before the playoffs begin, since the CBA regular season ends in February.

Pacific Rumors: Suns, D’Antoni, Nash, Caracter

Four of the five teams in the Pacific Division stand at least a reasonable chance to improve in 2012/13. The Lakers, last year's first-place team, brought in Steve Nash and Antawn Jamison. The Clippers will have Jamal Crawford and a healthy Chauncey Billups. The Warriors will finally get to see Andrew Bogut on the floor, and the Kings added another high lottery pick with No. 5 overall selection Thomas Robinson. The only team that figures to take a step back is the Suns, and there are a couple items of interest from Phoenix this afternoon: 

  • Suns executives believe yesterday's three-team deal that sent Robin Lopez to the Hornets and brought back Wesley Johnson represents a key point in the team's rebuilding phase, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic writes. The deal was helped along by draft picks and cash the Suns acquired when they sent Steve Nash to the Lakers, team officials said. 
  • Former Suns and Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said if he were still coaching in New York, he would have "walked to Phoenix" to persuade Nash to sign with the Knicks, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com. The Knicks were seen as frontrunners for the two-time MVP before he wound up with L.A.
  • Former Lakers reserve Derrick Caracter didn't see much playing time in the summer league for the Hawks, but Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld expects the 6'9" free agent power forward to get a training camp invite (Twitter link). 

Minor Moves: Justin Dentmon, Derrick Caracter

We'll round up today's news from the D-League and international circuits here, with the latest up top:

  • Guard Justin Dentmon has been named D-League MVP, RealGM.com reports. Dentmon, playing for the Austin Toros, was D-League's fourth-leading scorer at 22.8 PPG, and also racked up 5.5 APG and 1.6 steals a night. As our 10-day tracker shows, the University of Washington product signed a pair of 10-day deals with NBA teams this season, averaging 4.3 PPG and 1.7 APG in a total of six games with the Spurs and Raptors.
  • Former Laker Derrick Caracter has signed with the Puerto Rican team Mets de Guaynabo, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports. Caracter, a 2010 second-round pick who appeared in 41 games for the Lakers last year, was waived by the team in February and let go by the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers last month.

Minor Moves: McCants, Walker, Caracter

We'll track today's notable international and D-League-related transactions here:

  • After playing just one game for Piratas de Quebradillas in Puerto Rico, Rashad McCants was waived, according to Sportando. McCants is hoping his play in Puerto Rico will help propel an NBA comeback, but he's now been waived twice this week.
  • The D-League's Idaho Stampede have waived another comeback-hopeful, Antoine Walker, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The team needed to add a player to the roster using Walker's spot while he tends to personal matters, says Spears. The Stampede could add Walker back to the roster this weekend (Twitter link).
  • Derrick Caracter has been waived by the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers, adds Spears. Caracter, who played 41 games for the Lakers last year, was waived this year before his contract became guaranteed for the 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.