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).
E.J. Singler Accepts Blazers’ Camp Invite
WEDNESDAY, 8:03pm: The Blazers officially announced the signing, via press release.
FRIDAY, 4:34pm: Oregon's E.J. Singler has agreed to a deal with the Trail Blazers and will be in training camp with the team, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). It sounds like it'll be a fully non-guaranteed contract for the undrafted forward.
Singler, 23, took a step back in his senior year with the Ducks, with his averages falling in PPG (13.6 to 11.7) and FG% (.467 to .411), among other categories. He also didn't exactly stand out in Summer League play with the Pistons, averaging just 1.6 PPG in five games. Still, he'll get a look this fall from the Blazers, even if a regular-season roster spot is a long shot.
A year ago, the Blazers invited a few players to camp with an eye on retaining their D-League rights, and getting them onto the Idaho Stampede's roster. A stint with the Stampede could be in Singler's future, though that's just my speculation.
Magic, Mavs, Hawks Eyeing Devin Ebanks
HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy reported more than a month ago that four clubs had interest in former Laker Devin Ebanks, and while three of them appear to have dropped out of the running, two more have joined the pursuit. The Magic, Mavericks and Hawks have expressed interest in Ebanks, Kennedy tweets this evening. Atlanta is the only team repeated from the late July report that also named the Bucks and Bobcats.
Ebanks has spent his entire three-year career with the Lakers, who drafted him 43rd overall in 2010. The team initially gave him a two-year contract, so he was up for restricted free agency last summer and wound up signing his qualifying offer. The Lakers decided against extending a QO this time around, making him an unrestricted free agent. The team hasn't been linked to him since, so it appears he won't be back in purple and gold.
The former West Virginia Mountaineer enjoyed his best pro season in 2011/12, when he began the year as the starting small forward for the Lakers. That assignment didn't last, and he's otherwise struggled to find playing time, averaging 11.3 minutes per game for his career. Still, he's only appeared in nine D-League contests, and the Lakers didn't assign him to the L.A. D-Fenders, their affiliate, at all last season.
The Mavs have 15 players, all of whom are on guaranteed contracts, while the Hawks and Magic have fewer than 15 guaranteed deals, as our roster counts show. That may give Atlanta and Orlando an edge for the David Bauman client.
Western Rumors: Odom, Wolves, Kings, Lee, Mavs
Jordan Farmar tells Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com that he and other former teammates of Lamar Odom haven't heard back from the free agent forward amid ominous reports about his off-court issues. McMenamin also shares reflections on Odom from other current and former Lakers figures, and the scribe finishes with a touching personal anecdote about his interaction with the forward. Of course, Odom isn't the only NBA player dealing with trouble these days. About half of Hoops Rumors readers believe Michael Beasley is worth a look from their favorite teams, so perhaps there's a chance Odom can make it back to the NBA. Here's more from around the Western Conference:
- Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link) that the club doesn't have any interest in bringing in a veteran free agent as a 15th man, preferring to keep that last roster spot open for a young player.
- A labor agreement for the construction of a new Kings arena in Sacramento was announced today, as expected, but the head of a group that opposes such agreements says they may donate to the same anti-arena petition effort that Seattle investor Chris Hansen funded. Ryan Lillis and Dale Kasler of The Sacramento Bee have the details.
- David Lee's offseason hip surgery revealed the injury he suffered in the playoffs was even worse than previously thought, but he's already back to 100% and working out with most of his Warriors teammates, as Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group reports.
- The Mavericks have hired Wizards scout Mike Wilson in a player personnel role, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- We rounded up a few items from the Pacific Division earlier today.
Warriors Agree To Sign DeWayne Dedmon
The Warriors have reached an agreement with undrafted rookie DeWayne Dedmon, reports Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter). According to Amick, Dedmon will receive a partial guarantee on his deal with Golden State.
Dedmon, a 7'0" center, declared his intent for the draft this past spring, but wasn't one of the 60 players selected in June. After averaging 6.7 PPG and 7.0 RPG in his final year at USC, Dedmon ranked 74th among Chad Ford's list of 2013 prospects at ESPN.com. The 24-year-old worked out for a handful of teams in the weeks leading up to the draft, including the Trail Blazers, Suns, Lakers, Grizzlies, and Bucks.
The Warriors currently have 12 guaranteed contracts on their books, plus Seth Curry's non-guaranteed camp invite. Throw in partial guarantees for Dedmon and Kent Bazemore, and the club has 15 players lined up for camp, likely with more to come. Depending on how much money the team guarantees Dedmon, that commitment could give him the upper hand on earning a regular-season roster spot.
Knicks, Bucks, Heat Eyeing Hassan Whiteside
Free agent big man Hassan Whiteside hasn't appeared in an NBA game since April 2012, but is drawing some attention from NBA clubs, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Kennedy tweets that the Knicks, Bucks, and Heat have expressed interest in the former Sacramento big man.
Whiteside, 24, was drafted 33rd overall by the Kings in 2010, but only appeared in 19 games for the club before he was released. The seven-footer spent most of last season in the D-League, making the most of limited minutes for the Sioux Falls Skyforce and Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In just 11.8 minutes per contest (36 games), Whiteside averaged 6.6 PPG and 5.3 RPG.
As our 2013/14 roster counts show, New York, Milwaukee, and Miami all have 15 players under contract, but for the Knicks and Heat, not all of those deals are fully guaranteed, meaning there could end up being roster openings. The Bucks, on the other hand, are carrying 15 guaranteed contracts, so if Whiteside receives multiple camp invites, he may opt for a situation where he has a better chance to earn a roster spot.
Lakers Have Interest In Xavier Henry
The Lakers officially announced the signing of Shawne Williams yesterday, but even if Williams earns a regular-season spot, the team should still have room for a couple more players. One potential target for L.A. is ex-Pelican Xavier Henry, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com, who tweets that the Lakers have a "level of interest" in Henry.
Henry, a 6'6" guard, remains unsigned after the Pelicans decided not to exercise the fourth-year option on his rookie contract. The Kansas product has yet to make a real impact in three NBA seasons with Memphis and New Orleans, averaging 4.5 PPG in 133 career contests. However, Henry was a lottery pick in 2010 and is still just 22 years old, so there's some potential upside there. If he were to sign with the Lakers or another team, I imagine he'd receive a non-guaranteed deal.
As the Lakers weigh camp options, one player they don't seem to be considering is Michael Beasley, according to Shelburne (via Twitter). Los Angeles has had interest in Beasley in the past, and reportedly came close to acquiring him at the 2012 trade deadline, leading to some speculation yesterday that he could be on the club's radar again. For now though, the Lakers appear to be looking elsewhere.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Mullin, Frye, Suns, Beasley
As the opening of training camps inches a little closer, let's round up the latest items out of the Pacific Division…
- After having previously acted as a consultant for the Kings, Chris Mullin will join the team's front office in a more formal capacity, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Mullin's role as a senior advisor to GM Pete D'Alessandro and owner Vivek Ranadive figures to expand once the team makes the hiring official, says Stein.
- Meanwhile, Kings ownership and local labor unions have reached an agreement related to the construction of Sacramento's new Downtown Plaza arena, as detailed by Ryan Lillis and Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee. Officials with the Kings, the city, building trades unions and Turner Construction are prepared to announce the agreement later today, according to the Bee report.
- Channing Frye tells Kris Habbas of Bright Side of the Sun that after missing last season with a heart condition, he has been cleared by "numerous doctors" and that a decision on when he'll return to the court is in the Suns' hands.
- The Suns made the right move to cut ties with Michael Beasley, and it would still have been prudent even if Beasley hadn't agreed to reduce his salary in the buyout, the Arizona Republic's Bob Young opines. Meanwhile, Tom Ziller of SBNation.com argues that Beasley is an example of why incentive-based deals should be more common in the NBA.
- Last night, we looked at a few updates relating to the Lakers and Clippers.
Poll: Would You Sign Michael Beasley?
Michael Beasley was officially released by the Suns yesterday after the two sides negotiated a buyout, meaning the 24-year-old forward will clear waivers and become an unrestricted free agent tomorrow. He'll be able to sign with any NBA team at that point, and generally a player with his talent would have no trouble landing a new contract. However, Beasley's history of off-court issues raises questions about how much NBA interest he'll receive.
As Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic details in his latest piece on Beasley, the former second overall pick was in a rehabilitation center in 2009, was arrested for marijuana possession in 2011, and was arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession again this summer, resulting in the Suns citing "standards of personal and professional conduct" when they announced the move.
As his off-court troubles have persisted throughout his NBA career, Beasley's play on the court has declined. In each of the last two seasons, the Kansas State product has established career-lows in PPG, PER, and FG%, among other categories. And during the 2012/13 season, the Suns were a significantly worse team when Beasley was on the court (-11.4 points per 100 possessions) than when he wasn't (-4.5 points per 100 possessions), according to 82games.com.
So what do you think Beasley's future holds? Would you like to see your favorite team pick him up? If you were an NBA GM, and you could sign Beasley to an inexpensive contract, would you roll the dice, or does the risk outweigh the potential reward at this point?
If you were an NBA GM, would you sign Michael Beasley?
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Yes 51% (558)
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No 49% (540)
Total votes: 1,098
Eastern Notes: Ayon, Cavs, Heat, Bucks
While the Heat, Pacers, Bulls, Nets, and Knicks are generally viewed as locks to earn postseason spots in the Eastern Conference, those final three spots are up for grabs, and Lang Greene of HoopsWorld argues that the Raptors are being overlooked as a contender. In his NBA AM piece, Greene takes a look at the Raps, writing that they'll be competing with clubs like the Pistons, Hawks, Wizards, Cavs, and Bucks for those last few playoff berths in the East. Here are a few more Wednesday items out of the conference:
- Even when he was released by the Bucks, Gustavo Ayon didn't consider returning to Europe, as he tells Gonzalo Aguirregomezcorta of ESPNDeportes.com. The Hawks ultimately claimed Ayon off waivers, and the Mexican big man is looking forward to trying to carve out a larger role in Atlanta.
- The Cavaliers are still working to finalize the details, but they'll hire Steve Hetzel to coach their D-League squad, the Canton Charge, according to Bob Finnan of the News-Herald. Hetzel has served as the Pistons' player development coach for the last several seasons.
- Ira Winderman's Wednesday mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel is an all-Michael Beasley edition, but Winderman can't fathom the Heat looking into bringing back its former second overall pick.
- The Bucks have officially announced the assistant coaches who will be a part of Larry Drew's staff in 2013/14.