J.J. Hickson on Blazers, Canales, Kings, Future
J.J. Hickson's disappointing performance this season with the Kings surely made GM Geoff Petrie regret trading Omri Casspi and a first-round pick to get him this past offseason. Petrie and company were quick to cut bait, buying him out shortly after the trade deadline. The Blazers swooped in and claimed him off waivers, and in a dozen games with Portland, Hickson has suddenly returned to the form that made him a promising young commodity with the Cavs. He's averaging 13.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG and shooting 55% from the floor, and will see plenty of time down the stretch with LaMarcus Aldridge out. He spoke with Brendan Bowers of Slam Online and shared his thoughts on what's changed since he switched teams, and his upcoming restricted free agency:
- Hickson has indicated before he'd like to remain in Portland, but seemed to express a much stronger desire to do so in his comments to Bowers. "Of course, I would love it," Hickson said of returning to the Blazers. "I’ve been getting some positive feedback from Coach, and from the organization as a whole, and I would love to re-sign here. As far as the guys on the court, as far as my teammates go, we all like each other off the court and we all get along too. Guys hang out off the court, and I think that builds a chemistry that leads to winning basketball. So I would love to come back here, continue to be a Portland Trailblazer, and help be part of something special that we’re building here."
- Hickson harbors no ill will toward the Kings, against whom he scored 10 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in Portland's loss yesterday, saying it just simply wasn't the right fit.
- He credits coach Kaleb Canales and a better mix of personnel with his Portland renaissance. Hickson said a ball-sharing offense and a heavy dose of pick-and-rolls have put him in a position to succeed.
- Hickson also shares how Canales has motivated the entire team. "Coach is a great coach, man," Hickson said. "He’s young and he’s very energetic; he’s just like me. He’s very hands on, but at the same time he’s a great coach who’s going to tell you when you’re messing up, and he’s also going to tell you what you’re doing well. He’s definitely a defensive minded coach too. I’ve only known Coach for a couple weeks or so, but I’ll run through a wall for him already. I think I speak for the whole team when I say that."
Draft Notes: Mitchell, Hummel, Rivers, Sullinger
It's already been an eventful day for draft updates, with news that the University of Kentucky has scheduled a press conference for Tuesday afternoon, likely to announce that five underclassmen will officially enter the draft. While we await that formal announcement, let's check in on a few other draft-related items….
- Junior forward Tony Mitchell has elected to enter the NBA draft, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Mitchell, not to be confused with the North Texas player of the same name, was averaging 13.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game for Alabama this season before he was suspended indefinitely in February. Mitchell is ranked 71st by DraftExpress.com.
- A number of NBA scouts and executives help TNT's David Aldridge break down the shooting guards in this year's draft class. Aldridge's piece is chock-full of interesting quotes and comes highly recommended.
- Purdue senior Robbie Hummel has hired agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports in hopes of being drafted, writes Cliff Brunt of the Associated Press. DraftExpress ranks Hummel 81st among this year's draft prospects.
- In other agent news, Austin Rivers and Jared Sullinger have signed with David Falk, Moe Harkless will hire Happy Walters, and William Buford has hired Herb Rudoy and Ron Shade.
Raptors Re-Sign Ben Uzoh, Alan Anderson
The Raptors have officially re-signed Ben Uzoh and Alan Anderson, according to a team press release. Both players saw their second 10-day contracts expire today, so their new deals will keep them with the team for the remainder of the season.
With a number of Raptors regulars missing time with injuries, both Uzoh and Anderson have entered the starting lineup, with Anderson starting the seven games and Uzoh starting the last two. Overall, Anderson, who I named one of the best 10-day signings of 2012, is averaging 8.4 points and 1.4 threes in 22.4 minutes per game. Uzoh has averages of 4.1 PPG, 2.8 APG, and 2.6 RPG in 11 contests with Toronto.
As our 10-day contract tracker shows, Justin Dentmon also had his deal with Toronto expire today, but the team chose not to bring him back. The series of moves leaves the Raptors with 14 players on their roster.
Wizards Sign Morris Almond
3:03pm: The Wizards officially announced the signing of Almond this afternoon in a press release.
10:59am: Following the release of Roger Mason Jr., the Wizards will sign Morris Almond from the D-League, according to Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside. Almond spent most of the season for the Maine Red Claws, who failed to qualify for the D-League playoffs last week.
In 29 D-League games this season, Almond averaged 23.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, along with shooting percentages of .543/.464/.794. The 27-year-old was a former first-round pick by the Jazz, but appeared in only 34 games for Utah from 2007 to 2009.
Since the Wizards re-signed James Singleton, this move will give the team a full roster of 15 players.
Wizards Waive Roger Mason
MONDAY, 3:02pm: The Wizards have officially waived Mason, the team announced today.
SUNDAY, 7:22pm: Michael Lee of the Washington Post tweets that the Wizards plan to add another player to reinforce their lack of depth in the back court.
2:13pm: In a tweet from Yahoo! Sports' Marc J. Spears, Wizards guard Roger Mason Jr. will have season ending finger surgery on Monday, and because of it, the team will waive him.
The 31-year-old guard signed as a free agent with the team last December, and is averaging 5.5 PPG in 52 games this season. With his contract scheduled to come off the books after this season, it's his third straight year with a field goal percentage below 40%.
Pacific Notes: Del Negro, Kings, Petrie, Warriors
Today's updates out of the Pacific Division focus primarily on off-court situations, including potential relocations or managerial changes. Let's round them up….
- During the stretch earlier this season when the Clippers lost 11 of 19, there was some internal discussion about replacing coach Vinny Del Negro, says Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. However, owner Donald Sterling continued to support Del Negro and the team wanted to let him work through the team's struggles.
- Mayor Kevin Johnson said he's not sure whether the Maloofs want to keep the Kings in Sacramento but that "this is not over, we're going to figure something out." Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee has the details.
- George Maloof spoke to both SI.com's Sam Amick and Ken Berger of CBS Sports, insisting that he hopes there's still a way the Kings can remain in Sacramento.
- Asked about the Trail Blazers' GM opening, Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie replied, "That's something I can't really comment on. I have a job." Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com writes of speculation that the Blazers could pursue Petrie, who has strong ties to Portland, and points out that Petrie didn't deny having interest.
- Warriors assistant coach Michael Malone is a good bet to land a head coaching job elsewhere this summer, according to Vittorio Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- The Warriors' lease in Oakland can be exited in 2017, and co-owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber are telling people they're open to all their options, reports Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News. Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose could all be possibilities.
Anthony Davis, Marquis Teague To Enter Draft
Kentucky's Anthony Davis and Marquis Teague will join teammate Terrence Jones in entering this year's NBA draft, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (via Twitter). Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Doron Lamb are also expected to forgo their remaining college years, though nothing is official yet.
Davis is, of course, a near-lock to be the first overall pick in June. The AP Player of the Year averaged 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 4.7 blocks per game during his first and only season at Kentucky. While Davis is considered the number one prospect by both DraftExpress and ESPN.com, his teammate Teague is ranked 18th and 25th respectively. Both freshmen helped lead the Wildcats to a national championship.
Earlier today, it was reported that Jones would enter the draft, with an official announcement coming as early as tomorrow. Players have until April 29th to formally declare their intent to enter the draft pool. Hoops Rumors' full list of early entrants can be found here.
Warriors Sign Mikki Moore
The Warriors have officially signed Mikki Moore, the team announced today. Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside reported on Saturday that Golden State was looking into calling up Moore.
Moore, 36, played in 24 games for the D-League's Idaho Stampede this season, averaging 11.7 points and 7.8 rebounds in 28.0 minutes per contest. The seven-footer has played in 557 career NBA games over the course of 12 seasons, but hasn't played in the Association since December 2009, with Golden State.
The Warriors had an extra roster spot, so they won't need to make a corresponding move.
Current Free Agents With Playoff Experience
With many playoff contenders plagued by health issues, including injuries to a handful of superstars, some teams may be thinking about adding an extra body for the postseason. There are plenty of young players available in the D-League, but for a club in need of one extra piece, a veteran with playoff experience may be the preferred candidate.
Listed below are a few free agents with extensive playoff experience who would still be eligible for the postseason if they signed with an NBA team today. Many of these players have been out of the league this season and are hardly sure bets to pick up where they left off, but for clubs with depth issues, they could be worth at least a look.
- Rasual Butler: The Raptors waived Butler last month in advance of the buyout deadline to allow him to catch on with a playoff team. Although the Bulls were thought to have some interest, Butler still hasn't landed another NBA job. The veteran forward has played in 30 postseason contests, including a handful with Chicago last season.
- Michael Finley: Having been out of the NBA since 2010, the 39-year-old Finley is probably a long shot to contribute much to a playoff team. But he was still working out for NBA squads this season, and has 129 career postseason games on his resumé. Finley appeared in the playoffs in 10 straight seasons from 2001 to 2010, averaging 11.8 PPG.
- Eddie House: The sharpshooter has appeared in 66 postseason games, with a good chunk of them coming for the 2008 champion Boston Celtics. House shot 42.6% from downtown in 35 playoff games in 2008 and 2009 for Boston. Last season, House was on the Heat's playoff roster, though his role and impact were reduced in Miami.
- Allen Iverson: Iverson racked up over 3,200 minutes played in 71 career playoff games, which included a run to the Finals with the 2000/01 76ers. Iverson has averaged a staggering 29.7 PPG in the postseason, including 24.5 PPG in his most recent playoff appearance, in 2008 with the Nuggets. We know AI still wants to play in the NBA, but it's probably too late in the season for any team to risk the sideshow that could accompany signing the former MVP.
- James Posey: After being amnestied by the Pacers prior to the season, Posey has yet to catch on anywhere, which is a little surprising. While his production had fallen off over the last two seasons, the forward still provides veteran leadership, having played in 65 postseason games in his career. Like House, Posey played a crucial role in the 2008 playoffs for the Celtics, averaging 22.0 minutes in 26 games for the eventual NBA champions.
- Joe Smith: The 36-year-old has appeared in 62 career playoff games, including brief action in five games for the Lakers last year. Still, Smith hasn't been a useful part-time contributor since the 2008/09 season, so it's questionable whether he has much left to offer a contender.
- Jarron Collins, Devean George, Morris Peterson, and Etan Thomas are among the other veteran free agents with multiple seasons of playoff experience.
Terrence Jones To Enter Draft
10:02am: The official word from Kentucky is that none of their underclassmen have finalized their decisions yet, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. The NBA's early-entry deadline is April 29th, so Jones and his fellow Wildcats still have a couple weeks to formally announce their decisions.
9:32am: Kentucky sophomore Terrence Jones will forgo his final two seasons of NCAA eligibility and declare for the NBA draft, tweets Dan Rieffer of ABC 36 in Lexington. An official announcement could come as soon as tomorrow, according to Rieffer.
Listed 11th overall among this year's draft prospects by DraftExpress.com, Jones still ranks behind two Wildcats teammates, Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Neither Davis or Kidd-Gilchrist have officially entered the draft yet, though it would be a huge surprise if either of them played another season at Kentucky.
Jones, who is ranked eighth overall by ESPN.com's Chad Ford, averaged 12.3 points and 7.2 rebounds in 29 games for the national champion Wildcats this season.