Wolves Waive Jermaine Taylor
The Timberwolves waived guard Jermaine Taylor following last night’s preseason game against the Bulls, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (via Twitter). Minnesota now has 17 players remaining on the roster with Taylor out of the picture.
The Wolves have 14 players with guaranteed deals for 2012/13, essentially leaving Mike Harris, Chris Johnson, and Will Conroy to battle over one remaining spot. Harris and Johnson are on make-good contracts while Conroy’s comes with a modest partial guarantee of $100K.
Taylor, 25, last appeared in the NBA in 2010/11 when he spent 34 games with the Rockets and Kings, averaging 6.6 PPG in 14.2 minutes per contest. The former UCF star also had a cup of coffee with the D-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers last season, averaging 14.2 PPG in 14 games.
Central Notes: Cavs, Pargo, Bulls, Pacers
The latest out of the Central Division..
- Cavs coach Byron Scott says that he could conceivably carry three point guards on the roster, but it would appear that he will only keep either Jeremy Pargo or Donald Sloan, writes Jason Lloyd of the Beacon Journal. The Cavs still have to cut two more players before the start of the season, but those cuts aren't expected to come until after Tuesday's preseason finale. Sloan is on a non-guaranteed deal while Pargo is guaranteed $1MM.
- Meanwhile, in Chicago, Marko Jaric appears to be a long shot to make the Bulls, writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. The guard saw just 52 seconds of playing time in the team's preseason win over his former team, the Timberwolves.
- The Pacers are young and have a promising future ahead of them, but it's also not difficult to see them finishing second in the Eastern Conference this season, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. With intriguing pickups such as Gerald Green, Danny Granger & Co. will look to improve on a team which had the Heat on the ropes in last year's conference semifinals.
Hoops Links: Jennings, Spurs, Wizards, Jazz
On this date in 1976, the Philadelphia 76ers made the best purchase since Peter Minuit bought the island of Manhattan for $24. The New Jersey Nets were set to join the NBA as a part of the ABA merger and had promised star Julius Erving a pay raise as they made the transition. However, the Knicks demanded $4.8MM in territorial fees, meaning that owner Roy Boe could no longer afford the pay bump for his star player. The Sixers seized the opportunity and when they offered the Nets $3MM for Dr. J's contract, they had no choice but to accept.
Great deals like that are hard to come by, but here at Hoops Links, we have a pretty good offer of our own for quality basketball bloggers. If you have a great piece that you feel is worthy of inclusion, then you can email it to me at HoopsLinks@gmail.com and be a part of next week's feature. Here's this week's look around the blogosphere..
- Bucksketball has an interesting take on the Brandon Jennings situation.
- Wages of Wins has some bad news about the Spurs.
- Truth About It isn't sweating the preseason too much.
- The NBA Geek attempts to simplify the game a bit.
- SLC Dunk runs down their reasons for loving the Jazz.
- Raptors Republic wonders if Toronto should run with two point guard units.
- Basketball Prospectus explains the SCHOENE system in detail.
- Hoops Addict sees a big opportunity for John Lucas III.
- At The Hive wonders if Darius Miller can contribute this year.
- Bright Side Of The Sun has high hopes for the Suns' wing players.
- Canis Hoopus thinks that Andrei Kirilenko can be a nice complement to Kevin Love.
- Saving The Skyhook believes that Russell Westbrook is just outside the top 10 in the NBA.
- Secret Rival updates us on training camp rosters.
- Fear The Sword has some concerns over Dion Waiters.
- Brew Hoop sees the Bucks in the playoff mix this year.
- Hardwood Paroxysm peers into the future of basketball stats.
- NBA 24 7 365 expects more out of eight players this year.
- RealGM has five teams for you to watch on League Pass.
- Basketbawful breaks down Shaquille O'Neal's smack talk.
- Bullets Forever is anxious to see Kevin Seraphin this season.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Odds & Ends: Harden, Fields, Mack, Harris
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Friday evening:
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports that James Harden's contract situation is in danger of becoming a distraction at Thunder training camp.
- Al Iannazzone of Newsday.com catches up with former Knick Landry Fields, who is excited for a fresh start in Toronto. Fields signed a three-year, $20MM contract with the Raptors this summer.
- Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld.com has a feature on Shelvin Mack, who is fighting for backup point guard minutes in Wizards training camp.
- Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel talks to Bucks forward Tobias Harris, who is hoping to land a starting job this season.
Fraley On Dirk, Beaubois, Crowder, Mayo
On Friday morning, the Dallas Mavericks announced that Dirk Nowitzki had undergone arthroscopic knee surgery, which will sideline him for up to six weeks. Gerry Fraley of SportsDayDFW.com has posted several new articles outlining various aspects of this Mavs season, including how the team will move forward after Nowitzki's injury and various new members of the roster.
- Fraley and Brad Townsend write that new signees Chris Kaman and Elton Brand, as well as rookie Bernard James, are among the players who will be expected to step up in Nowitzki's absence.
- Rodrigue Beaubois sprained his right ankle on Oct. 6 in an exhibition game, but is making progress in his recovery and has begun practicing again, Fraley writes.
- Fraley says that the Mavs are impressed with the play of second-round pick Jae Crowder.
- New guards O.J. Mayo and Darren Collison are having trouble getting to the free-throw line, Fraley writes.
Pacific Notes: Crawford, Hill, Mayo
The latest notes from around the Pacific Division on Friday evening:
- Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times talks to new Clippers signee Jamal Crawford, who reveals that he worked on his shot during the offseason for the first time this summer.
- Grant Hill is excited about his first season with the Clippers, writes Mirin Fader of NBA.com.
- Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic writes that the Suns showed interest in O.J. Mayo this summer, but Mayo wanted a starting job. He eventually signed with the Mavericks.
Poll: Will Love Or Dirk Injury Have Bigger Impact?
Earlier today, the Dallas Mavericks announced that Dirk Nowitzki had undergone arthroscopic knee surgery and was expected to miss up to six weeks of the season. This comes just days after the Minnesota Timberwolves were also hit with the loss of their All-Star power forward. Kevin Love suffered a broken hand earlier this week and is likewise expected to be sidelined for around six weeks.
The Mavs and Wolves were both expected to be in the race for a playoff spot in the loaded Western Conference. However, losing their respective best players for the start of the season would seem to put a damper on those plans. Whose injury do you believe will have a larger impact on their team?
Whose Loss Will Be Felt More By Their Team?
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Kevin Love 65% (341)
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Dirk Nowitzki 35% (181)
Total votes: 522
Ingram On Beasley, Carter, Martin
Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld has a new column which covers several issues around the Western Conference. Here are the highlights:
- Michael Beasley is looking to silence doubters this season, Ingram writes. Beasley praises fellow new Suns acquisition Goran Dragic, saying the team has a good foundation for the future.
- Anthony Carter reveals that George Karl offered him a job as an assistant coach, which Carter turned down, saying he wants to play one more year. However, he is leaving the door open to join the Nuggets' front office in some capacity after the season.
- Following the news that Dirk Nowitzki will miss six weeks after having knee surgery, Ingram wonders if the Mavericks will pursue free-agent power forward Kenyon Martin.
Players With Partial Guarantees
Our list of non-guaranteed contracts for 2012/13 is fairly detailed, including not only players whose deals are fully non-guaranteed, but also those who have a partial guarantee on their contracts. If those players are waived by their respective teams, they'll still receive a portion of their salaries, though the club won't have to pay the entire amount.
To save you from sifting through our list of non-guaranteed deals, we've taken all the players believed to have partial guarantees on their contracts and listed them below. In many cases, these players will have the edge over non-guaranteed camp invitees when it comes to landing the final spot or two on their team's roster, since the club will have to pay them either way.
Based on the contract details reported to date, with a major assist from ShamSports, here are the players with partial guarantees, along with the amount of that guarantee. These players are assumed to be on minimum-salary contracts unless otherwise indicated:
- 76ers: Maalik Wayns ($75K)
- Bulls: Nate Robinson ($400K)
- Cavaliers: Micheal Eric ($300K), Daniel Gibson ($2.49MM; $4.79MM total salary), Kevin Jones ($50K), Samardo Samuels ($200K)
- Hawks: Kyle Korver ($500K; $5MM total salary)
- Hornets: Brian Roberts ($100K)
- Jazz: Kevin Murphy ($200K)
- Knicks: John Shurna ($50K), Henry Sims ($50K)
- Magic: E'Twaun Moore ($90K)
- Nuggets: Julyan Stone ($100K)
- Pacers: Blake Ahearn ($25K), Sundiata Gaines ($25K), Sam Young ($25K)
- Raptors: Jamaal Magloire (unknown amount), Dominic McGuire (unknown amount)
- Rockets: Shaun Livingston ($1MM; $3.5MM total salary), Scott Machado ($237K), Greg Smith ($381K)
- Suns: P.J. Tucker ($150K)
- Thunder: DeAndre Liggins ($25K), Daniel Orton ($100K), Andy Rautins ($25K), Hollis Thompson ($75K)
- Timberwolves: Will Conroy ($100K)
- Warriors: Kent Bazemore ($25K)
- Wizards: Shelvin Mack ($300K buyout), Jannero Pargo (unknown amount)
ShamSports was used in the creation of this list.
Nets Exercise Option On MarShon Brooks
The Nets have officially picked up their 2013/14 option on MarShon Brooks, the team announced today (Twitter link). Brooks, who will earn about $1.21MM in '13/14, will have one more team option on his contract for 2014/15.
Brooks, 23, had a strong rookie season for the Nets, averaging 12.6 points in 56 contests. His upside and his inexpensive rookie-scale contract made him an attractive trade target this summer, and he'd likely be playing elsewhere in 2012/13 if Brooklyn had been able to land Dwight Howard from the Magic. He remains under contract with the Nets though, flying under the radar as an important bench piece after a busy offseason in Brooklyn.
As our rookie contract option tracker shows, Brooks is the 15th player to have a 2013/14 option exercised by his team this offseason.