Geoff Petrie Talks Kings, Offseason
Jason Jones from the Sacramento Bee talked to Kings president Geoff Petrie about the hectic offseason as well as the Kings plans as we get deeper into the summer. Petrie had the following to say:
"A lot of the hot money goes out early. There still players out there who are quality players and there’s still the possibility for trades are certainly still pretty active. We’ve had quite a few conversations on different things and I’m hopeful we’ll get some things done in the next few days."
Wolves Officially Sign Batum To Offer Sheet
The Blazers have officially received the offer sheet from Minnesota for restricted free agent Nicolas Batum, tweets Jason Quick of the Oregonian. Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com confirms that it is for four years and $46.5MM with incentives that can take it up to $50MM, as well as a 15% trade kicker.
Sixers Waive Darryl Watkins
The Sixers have waived center Darryl Watkins, tweets SI's Sam Amick. Philadelphia acquired Watkins as a throw-in in their trade for swingman Dorell Wright, but after then signing Kwame Brown the team apparently had no need for him. The 27-year-old Syracuse product had only played in 14 NBA games and will now become a free agent looking to latch on with another team.
Malone No Longer Candidate For Magic Job
Only several hours after we learned that Brian Shaw withdrew his name from the Magic head coaching search, now there is word that Warriors assistant Michael Malone is also no longer a possibility for the job. Malone's agent told the Orlando Sentinel that he is no longer under consideration, tweets Josh Robbins.
Donte Greene To Become Unrestricted Free Agent
Two days after extending a qualifying offer to restricted free agent Jason Thompson, the Kings have decided not to do the same for Donte Greene, effectively making the former Syracuse Orangeman an unrestricted free agent come July 1st. Greene tweeted on Wednesday night, thanking the Sacramento fans for their support.
Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee posted a reaction to the decision to let Greene walk. Greene spent four seasons in Sacramento, averaging 6.1 PPG in limited minutes. Similar to his time at Syracuse, Greene was never able to fulfill the potential that his 6'11" frame promised. Still only 24, Greene is still a good bet to land an NBA job this offseason.
Odds & Ends: Magic, Ellis, Turiaf, Bulls, Garnett
Earlier today we heard that the Magic general manager Rob Hennigan spoke with the media and addressed the plethora of issues he has on his plate in his first few weeks on the job. Following Hennigan's availability, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel put together a comprehensive story on the rapid rate of change with which the Magic have overhauled their organization. By Schmitz's count, the Magic have dispatched of 17 important pieces of the organization since December. Starting as early as tomorrow night's draft, it is Orlando roster's turn for a makeover.
Here are some some odds and ends from around the NBA on this Wednesday night:
Anthony Parker Set To Retire
Cavaliers shooting guard Anthony Parker has announced his retirement, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. This is no surprise to Cavs fans, as the 37-year-old hinted that this would be his last season as recently as April. Parker played nine seasons in the NBA with the last three coming in Cleveland. Parker also spent time playing overseas from 2000-2006. His final career averages are 9.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Parker said the following through an e-mail:
"I wanted to make that decision after the season and make sure that is what I wanted to do. I'm at peace with it and excited for whatever the future has for me."
Rockets Rumors: Howard, Gay, Smith, Lowry
The amount of rumors circulating around the Houston Rockets is dizzying to say the least. They currently have picks 12, 16 and 18 after making two draft-related trades in the past few days. There are multiple rumors about them trying to move into the top five of tomorrow night's draft, most frequently being connected with the Kings at 5. They could plan to use that pick or they could be trying to stockpile picks to make a run at Dwight Howard. Right now, for us, it's a waiting game. Let's round up the latest Rockets rumors here:
Jason Maxiell To Remain With Detroit
Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News tweets that Jason Maxiell has decided not to opt out of the final year of his contract, locking him into a $5MM salary in Detroit next year. Last we heard from Maxiell, the Pistons big man and his agent were considering testing free agency.
Maxiell has been limited in his effectiveness over seven seasons on the Detroit bench and probably assumed that leaving $5MM on the table would not be very prudent. He signed a four-year, $20MM extension with the Pistons that took effect in the 2008/09 season. Maxiell will hit free agency after next season.
Hoops Rumors Mock Draft 2.0
Draft week is finally here. On Thursday night, all 30 NBA teams will descend on the Prudential Center in downtown Newark in hopes of supplementing their rosters with the best that the college and international games have to offer. One first-round pick has already been traded and there are rumors circulating about several others, so expect plenty of action leading up to Thursday night.
Last week we published our first ever mock draft, which you can see here. Below is our second and final version. Just as before, these selections are based on what we are hearing around the league combined with our player evaluations and what we perceive to be a team's draft needs. These guidelines are important to remember, especially considering the immense amount of trade speculation floating around. Each pick is based on the assumption that the team will not trade its selection and will draft accordingly, though there is a fair amount of trade talk mixed in.