Latest On Sacramento Arena Plan
The latest links surrounding the proposed arena deal to keep the Kings in Sacramento:
Draft Update: Melo, McAdoo, Canaan
The latest news about the 2012 NBA draft from around the web:
- The Associated Press reports (via ESPN) that Syracuse center Fab Melo will enter the draft, as expected.
- North Carolina forward James Michael McAdoo will return to UNC for his sophomore season, TarHeelBlue.com reports.
- Isaiah Canaan is also returning to Murray State for his senior season, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com.
- HoopsWorld's Yannis Koutroupis lists Iowa State forward Royce White, St. Bonaventure forward Andrew Nicholson, and Kentucky guard Marquis Teague among several other players who may have played themselves into first-round pick status over the course of the NCAA tournament.
Atlantic Notes: Valanciunas, Calipari, Knicks, Nets
Let's round up a few Thursday afternoon updates out of the Atlantic….
- Raptors vice president and assistant GM Maurizio Gherardini tells Aris Barkas of Europhoops.net that Toronto still intends to bring Jonas Valanciunas to North America for next season. Between last year's fifth overall pick and potentially another top-five pick in this year's draft, the Raptors appear poised to add a ton of tantalizing young talent to their roster.
- John Calipari said yesterday that he has no interest in an NBA coaching job, but Frank Isola of the New York Daily News argues that Calipari couldn't possibly say anything else at this point. Isola hears that the Knicks are still targeting the Kentucky coach for next season.
- The Knicks' current coach, Mike Woodson, would "absolutely" like to continue coaching the team next season, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes.
- Last night's game may have been a preview of the Nets' future if Deron Williams doesn't re-sign, says Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger.
- As Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes, it's no lock that the Nets will lose their lottery pick in May.
Wizards Sign James Singleton
The Wizards have signed James Singleton, according to his agency ASM Sports (via Twitter). David Devall of CSN Mid-Atlantic tweets that it will be a 10-day contract.
Singleton, 30, last played in the NBA for the Wizards in 2009/10, appearing in 32 games for Washington. In 231 career NBA games, the 6'8" forward has averaged 3.7 points and 3.6 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per contest.
The Wizards have an open roster spot, so no corresponding move is required to clear room for Singleton. As our 10-day tracker shows, the Murray State alum is the third player to sign a 10-day deal with Washington since the trade deadline.
Minor Moves: Courtney Fortson
We'll track today's international and D-League-related transactions right here:
- The Rockets are sending Courtney Fortson to their D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. As our list of D-League assignments and recalls shows, the move means three Rockets players will be playing in Rio Grande — Fortson, Greg Smith, and Malcolm Thomas.
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Southwest Rumors: Lowry, Ayon, Duncan, Cuban
Earlier today, the Rockets signed Earl Boykins to a second 10-day contract, and saw Kyle Lowry return to practice in hopes of playing again this season. What else is going on in the Southwest Division? Let's check out a few links….
- The Hornets are expected to retain Gustavo Ayon for 2012/13, reports USA Today's J. Michael Falgoust. Ayon will have two more seasons ($1.5MM) left on his three-year deal at season's end, but neither is guaranteed yet. You can find our full list of 2012/13 non-guaranteed contracts here.
- Spurs veteran Tim Duncan doesn't have a contract for next year, guaranteed or otherwise, but he's not thinking about his future until after the season, as he tells Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News.
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has a number of ideas about how the NBA draft and eligibility rules should be changed, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Cuban would like to see players not become draft-eligible until three years after they've graduated high school, and would like to expand the draft from two rounds to four.
Bulls Sign Mike James For Rest Of Season
The Bulls have signed Mike James to a contract for the remainder of the season, the team officially announced today. The addition of James brings Chicago's roster to 14 players, so the club still has room to sign another player before the end of the season.
James, 36, started the season with the Bulls, was waived by the team in late January, and later signed a pair of 10-day deals. Chicago didn't re-sign him immediately after the second contract expired, but planned to bring him back in April.
In eight games with the Bulls this season, James has scored 5.4 points and handed out 3.1 assists in 11.4 minutes per contest.
Kyler’s Latest: Williams, Nash, Nelson, Hibbert
Within his preview of a few of the summer's top free agents, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld shares some rumors on the potential landing spots for those players. Let's check out the highlights….
- The Deron Williams sweepstakes are the Nets' to lose. If the team can't surround Williams with satisfactory talent, expect the point guard to sign elsewhere.
- Kyler hears the Suns have "put the idea of a two-year, $20MM offer on the table" for Steve Nash. Nash is said to be seeking a three-year deal, and if Phoenix were to add an extra year, it would almost certainly be the best offer the veteran would receive. Still, Kyler points out that Nash has earned well over $100MM in his NBA career, so he won't necessarily just take the highest salary.
- Jameer Nelson has yet to decide on his player option for next season. While he's very unlikely to find a higher salary for 2012/13 on the open market, Nelson could potentially land a larger guarantee over multiple years. Declining the option would also give him more agency in determining where he plays, since he'd be a trade candidate with the Magic.
- The Nets' Gerald Wallace is also undecided on his 2012/13 player option, though opting in seems more likely at this point.
- It's very unlikely that another team poaches restricted free agent Roy Hibbert from the Pacers.
- The Nuggets will probably match any offer for JaVale McGee of $7MM or less annually, but it's unclear whether they'd go much higher than that.
Rockets Re-Sign Earl Boykins
The Rockets have re-signed Earl Boykins to a second 10-day contract, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Houston won't need to make a corresponding roster move to make room for Boykins, whose first 10-day deal expired last night.
There was no doubt the Rockets would be re-signing Boykins. The only question was whether it would be for another 10 days or the rest of the season. The Rockets are currently tied for the seventh seed in the Western Conference, so I imagine if they're still in the thick of the playoff race, they'll retain Boykins when this deal expires. This just gives them another 10 days to make their final decision.
Boykins, 35, has played 16.1 minutes per game in his five contests with Houston, averaging 6.4 points and 3.0 assists per game.