Atlanta Hawks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hawks Sign Erick Dampier To 10-Day Contract

February 9th, 2012 at 10:52am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have signed Erick Dampier to a 10-day contract, according to a team press release.

It was reported over the weekend that Atlanta was eyeing free agent centers, including Dampier, Kyrylo Fesenko, and Dan Gadzuric. The team announced on Saturday that Jason Collins would miss at least two weeks with a sprained elbow. Considering the Hawks are also without Al Horford, it makes sense that they'd add some frontcourt depth.

Dampier, 36, played in 51 games for the Heat last season, averaging 2.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 16 minutes per contest. The 6'11" center has also played for the Pacers, Warriors, and Mavericks since making his NBA debut in 1996.

Decisions On Non-Guaranteed Contracts

February 7th, 2012 at 10:24pm CST by Luke Adams

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:

Other players who will have their contracts guaranteed for the remainder of the year: Ivan Johnson, Jannero Pargo, Jerry Stackhouse (Hawks), Cory Higgins (Bobcats), Brian Scalabrine, John Lucas (Bulls), Samardo Samuels, Alonzo Gee (Cavaliers), Sean Williams (Mavericks), Julyan Stone (Nuggets), Vernon Macklin, Damien Wilkins (Pistons), Dominic McGuire, Chris Wright (Warriors), Sundiata Gaines, Keith Bogans (Nets), Steve Novak, Jerome Jordan (Knicks), Ryan Reid (Thunder), DeAndre Liggins (Magic), Lavoy Allen, Francisco Elson (Sixers), Danny Green, Gary Neal (Spurs), Jeremy Evans (Jazz).
The Jazz will guarantee Jamaal Tinsley's contract, according to Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter).
The Pistons are keeping guard Walker Russell, agent Giovanni Funicello told HoopsHype (via Twitter).
The Hornets have waived DaJuan Summers and Carldell Johnson, league sources tell Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
The Rockets waived Jeff Adrien, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). The move clears a roster spot for Greg Smith.
The Wizards have waived Hamady N'Diaye, according to a team release.
Chris Johnson received a call from Trail Blazers GM Chad Buchanan this morning saying his contract would be guaranteed, tweets Mike Tokito of The Oregonian.
The Celtics will hang on to Greg Stiemsma and guarantee his deal, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
The Lakers have waived Derrick Caracter. Caracter broke the news himself, tweeting "It's over before it begun!!! …. On to the next chapter of my life" (Twitter links). The Lakers will hang on to Devin Ebanks, Andrew Goudelock, and Darius Morris, tweets Mike Breshnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
The Clippers have cut Solomon Jones, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
The Heat have waived Mickell Gladness, the team announced (Twitter link). Miami's other two players on non-guaranteed deals, Eddy Curry and Terrel Harris, look safe, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
The Grizzlies have waived Josh Davis, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
The Spurs announced they've waived Malcolm Thomas, who was assigned to the team's D-League affiliate last week.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/02/07/steve-nashs-birthday-wish-should-be-a-trade/

Hawks Eyeing Free Agent Centers

February 5th, 2012 at 1:54pm CST by Michael Pina

The Atlanta Hawks plan on signing a center to a 10-day contract, and have had internal discussions about bringing in Kyrylo Fesenko, Erick Dampier, or Dan Gadzuric according to Michael Cunningham of the Altanta Journal-Constitution.

With Jason Collins out at least two weeks with a sprained left elbow, the Hawks have a desire to solidify what's quickly become a thin front line.

In December, Sam Amick of SI.com reported that the Golden State Warriors had come to an agreement with Fesenko on a one-year, $1.07MM contract, but the signing never materialized. The Ukranian is 24-year-old seven-footer who might be able to give the Hawks a much needed interior defensive presence. Playing for Utah during the 2010/11 season, Fesenko averaged 2.0 PPG and 2.0 RPG in just 8.6 MPG.

The 36-year-old Erick Dampier spent the 2010/11 season in Miami, but didn't register a single minute during their postseason run to the Finals.

Kenyon Martin Granted Unrestricted Free Agency

February 2nd, 2012 at 1:18pm CST by Luke Adams

NBA teams were informed today that Kenyon Martin has become an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Martin's former Chinese team, the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, failed to reply to a request for a letter of clearance, so FIBA made the decision to clear him, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

The Heat have already extended an offer to Martin, while the Clippers intend to make him a formal offer as well. The Hawks also met with the the 34-year-old's representatives this week, reports Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Stein hears that West teams probably have an edge based on the minutes they could offer (Twitter link), and the Clips "like their chances," according to Broderick Turner of the L.A. Times. However, Martin is intrigued by the role he could play in Atlanta, Wojnarowski tweets.

Since the restrictions on Martin's availability were lifted earlier than expected, Monday's report suggesting he'll decide where to sign by this weekend seems more logical. The Lakers, Spurs, and Knicks are among the other teams who have some interest in the power forward.

Rockets, Pacers Frontrunners For Kaman?

February 2nd, 2012 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 8:42am: A source tells Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune that the Pacers, rather than the Rockets, may actually be the leading candidates to land Kaman.

WEDNESDAY, 4:36pm: Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston tweets that, while the Rockets have discussed Kaman with the Hornets, chances of the two sides working out a deal are low.

1:54pm: The Hornets continue to shop Chris Kaman, and according to SI.com's Sam Amick, a frontrunner has emerged in the sweepstakes. The Rockets have had "extensive discussions" with New Orleans about Kaman and appear to be in the lead for the center, Amick reports.

According to Amick, no deal is close, but certain pieces have been discussed, including Hasheem Thabeet and Jordan Hill. Both former first-round picks are in the last year of their contracts, which would give the Hornets the opportunity to clear Thabeet's $5.13MM salary and Hill's $2.86MM off their books in the offseason. Houston also has plenty of other assets that could interest the Hornets, including Jonny Flynn's expiring contract and a handful of draft picks. When NBA.com's David Aldridge and SI.com's Zach Lowe examined Kaman's possible destinations this week, both concluded that the Rockets are among the best fits.

A number of clubs have been linked to Kaman since the 29-year-old asked to be traded. Of those teams, the Hawks and Warriors don't appear to be serious suitors, a source tells Amick. The 76ers are also thought to be out of the running, as we heard this morning.

Kenyon Martin Decision Expected This Week

February 1st, 2012 at 8:33am CST by Luke Adams

Kenyon Martin is expected to make a decision on where he'll sign by this weekend, reports Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports. Spears mentions that the Lakers, Clippers, Heat, Spurs, Hawks, and Knicks have expressed interest in adding Martin, though it's not clear if Martin's choices are limited to those teams or if others could get involved. For his part, the former first overall pick would like to sign with a winning team that can offer him consistent minutes.

Martin signed with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in China during the lockout, but reached an agreement on a buyout in December. Although the 34-year-old was bought out before the American season got underway, he can't officially sign with an NBA team until the Flying Tigers' season ends, which could happen as soon as February 16th. If the Tigers make the CBA postseason, however, Martin would be in for a longer wait. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com points out (via Twitter) that Xinjiang is currently a half-game out of the playoff race.

While the Clippers, Spurs, Hawks, and Knicks all retain some form of exception they could put toward Martin, none of those teams appear to have the full MLE, a pro-rated portion of $5MM, available. Still, they can offer more than the Lakers or Heat, who have already used their mini MLEs, as I outlined yesterday. The Lakers acquired an $8.9MM trade exception when they dealt Lamar Odom to Dallas, but it can't be used on a free agent signing. If Martin were to sign with the Lakers or Heat, it would have to be for the veteran's minimum.

If Martin decides to sign elsewhere, the Lakers may have some interest in Rasheed Wallace, according to Spears. Wallace, who officially retired in 2010, is said to be considering a comeback.

Southwest Links: Kaman, Thomas, Green, Carter

January 30th, 2012 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Chris Kaman's availability has dominated headlines out of the Southwest division in recent days, as potential suitors contact the Hornets to discuss the seven-footer. Today, NBA.com's David Aldridge and SI.com's Zach Lowe each took the opportunity to run down the list of possible destinations for Kaman, concluding indepenently that the Hawks and Rockets are among the best matches. Let's check out a few more updates out of the Southwest….

Continuing the Kaman discussion, Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com asks Warriors fans whether they'd be okay with sending Monta Ellis to the Hornets in exchange for Kaman and a first-round pick.
The Spurs have assigned Malcolm Thomas to the D-League's Austin Toros, according to the Spurs' official Twitter account. Thomas, who was signed earlier this month, appeared in just 15 minutes over three games for San Antonio.
Hornets head coach Monty Williams told John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he regrets not bringing back Willie Green, who ended up signing with the Hawks: "[Green] was somebody I was in contact with, and we were waiting for the right time… If I could do it over again, I’d probably would have pressed the issue more."
Vince Carter, who signed for the mini mid-level exception introduced in the new CBA, tells Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that he's starting to get comfortable with the Mavericks.