Raptors Re-Sign Alan Anderson, Ben Uzoh
The Raptors have re-signed guards Ben Uzoh and Alan Anderson to 10-day contracts, according to releases from the team. It's the second 10-day contract from the team for both players. Toronto also signed Justin Dentmon to a 10-day deal this morning, so the team has three players on the shortest of contracts as it looks to bolster its backcourt.
Anderson has seen significant playing time in his six games for the Raptors, getting the start against the Sixers the other night and averaging 5.8 PPG and 2.0 RPG in 16 minutes a game. Uzoh has somewhat better numbers, though, putting up 3.2 PPG and 2.6 APG in 12 minutes a game.
Minor Moves: Josh Selby
Keep an eye on this post throughout the day as we track D-League and international movement:
- The Grizzlies have sent rookie guard Josh Selby to the D-League, according to the D-League website. It's the third time the rookie has been assigned to the Reno Bighorns this year, meaning that if he's recalled to the big club, he can't be sent back down again this season. The 6'2", 183-pound Kansas University product has averaged 2.5 PPG and 1.2 APG in 8.8 minutes a game for the Grizzlies this year.
Assessing Marquee Free Agents Who Re-Signed
A while back we looked at some of the biggest names to switch teams in free agency this past offseason. Now, let's take a look at some of the top free agents from the class of 2011 who wound up back with their teams and see how the deals have paid off so far:
- Marc Gasol signed a four-year, $57.5MM offer sheet with the Rockets, but the Grizzlies matched it even though it meant they'd be well over the cap and flirting with luxury tax territory this year. So far it looks like it was worth it, as he's averaging career highs in virtually every relevant statistical category and made his first All-Star Game this year. The 27-year-old's improvement helped mitigate the absence of fellow post player Zach Randolph for much of the season. The only negative has been his 48.8% shooting from the floor, which barring improvement will represent his first season shooting below 50%. Still, the struggles of Nene Hilario and DeAndre Jordan, the market's other top centers this past offseason, make Gasol's deal look smart.
- The Nuggets did an about-face on Nene Hilario's signing so quickly that team president Josh Kroenke had to deny they weren't looking to get rid of him all along. Nene missed most of training camp as he and the team hammered out a five-year, $65MM deal. That missed time, coupled with injuries, helps explain a dip in scoring and a jump in turnovers in his play for Denver this year. Since his trade to the Wizards, he's shown signs of breaking out of the funk, averaging 14.8 PPG and 9.3 RPG. Though the numbers are from a tiny sample size of six games, they would be career highs if extended out over an entire season.
- The Warriors had to have thought they were sure to have DeAndre Jordan this season when he inked a four-year, $43.04MM offer sheet with the team in December. Clippers GM Neil Olshey swallowed hard and matched the offer, however, locking up the 23-year-old long-term despite more promise than production in three previous seasons. His averages in points (7.7), rebounds (8.4) and blocks (2.2) are up, but that's largely been the result of increased minutes, as his per-36-minute numbers are mostly consistent with where they've been throughout his career. His PER, though, is at 17.2, well above the 14.8 PER he posted last year, so his progress seems to be a matter of which stats you trust. The question of whether the Clippers can trust Jordan to deliver on his contract, however, is yet to be resolved.
- Tayshaun Prince might have fit in well with a contending team looking to add a veteran with championship experience. Instead, he re-signed with the Pistons for four years and $28MM. He's responded with 12.8 PPG, his worst scoring average in eight years, even though he's taking a career-high 13 shots a game. His PER of 12.6 suggests he's having his worst season since his rookie year, when he was only on the floor for 10 minutes a night. The only consolation for GM Joe Dumars on this one is he's making less per season than Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, his much-maligned signings from the summer of 2010, as well as Rodney Stuckey, who's become a more efficient scorer after inking a three-year, $25.5MM deal before the season.
- Compounding the misery for Dumars is the play of former Pistons draftee Arron Afflalo, whose points per game number is up for the fourth straight season after re-signing with the Nuggets for $36.75MM for five years. He's been a fixture in the starting lineup for Denver ever since coming over from Detroit three years ago for the bargain price of just a second-round pick, and Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri was willing to pay a premium to keep Afflalo even though he's not a top-tier shooting guard. His 14.2 PPG this year reflects the increased offensive load he's been carrying as the team deals with a multitude of injuries and another shakeup at the trade deadline. His steady improvement and willingness to commit to the team long-term may prove worth the price.
Michael Jordan May Sell Bobcats
Michael Jordan intends to sell the Bobcats if the team doesn't improve in the standings and make a profit in the next three or four years, Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News reports. Lawrence also says Rod Higgins, the team's president of basketball operations, is on the outs, with GM Rich Cho taking more responsibility.
This represents a change of plans for Jordan, who has been seeking someone to buy half the team for several months, according to the report. Lawrence notes the Bobcats lost $20MM last year, and are again losing money as they struggle through a 7-42 campaign. Jordan has told Cho to rebuild and "follow the Oklahoma City model," the report states.
Jordan invested $275MM to become majority owner of the Bobcats a little more than two years ago. The franchise made the playoffs for the first time that spring, but the team failed to keep its cornerstones together. The Bobcats didn't re-sign Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler in free agency during the summer of 2010, and traded away Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson last year.
Cho spent last season as the Blazers' GM, but was let go after only one season. The Bobcats quickly snapped him up and promoted Higgins, who had held the GM title since 2007.
Warriors ‘Very Likely’ To Re-Sign Mickell Gladness
3:50pm: Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com reports the deal is likely to be for the rest of the season, and not another 10-day contract. Thompson is reporting it this way now, too.
2:25pm: Mickell Gladness is "very likely" to get another 10-day contract with the Warriors, a source tells Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link). He's on the last day of a 10-day deal he signed earlier with the team.
The 6'11", 220-pound Gladness has played a total of 44 minutes in six games with Golden State, hitting on six of 12 shots from the floor and recording six blocks. The Warriors are short on big men with Andris Biedrins out with a groin injury, and have signed both Gladness and Keith Benson to 10-day deals in the last two weeks, as our 10-day tracker shows.
Gladness began the season with the Heat, and appeared in just eight games before getting waived February 7. He then signed a pair of 10-day deals with Miami, despite interest from the Warriors when he signed the last one. If he re-ups with the Warriors as expected, it will be his fourth 10-day deal this season.
Pacific Notes: Cousins, Warriors, Brooks
The Pacific Division's top two teams are both in action at Staples Center today, and if the first-place Lakers get upset by the Hornets the afternoon and the Clippers beat the Jazz tonight, there will be a tie atop the division. Here's the rest of the news from the West Coast:
- The Kings picked up DeMarcus Cousins' $3.88MM option for 2012/13 this past offseason, and the investment looks smarter as the center matures and develops, writes Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.
- Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com criticizes the Warriors' approach to the season, reasoning that the caliber of player the team is likely to get in the draft probably won't be enough to make Golden State a contender.
- Suns GM Lance Blanks blogged about his trip to China to see Aaron Brooks for Suns.com. Blanks' comment that Brooks is "eager to get back home to the States, see his family and begin his off season training to prepare himself for a return to NBA" seems to indicate that the point guard will not play in the league this season, and instead test restricted free agency this summer. The Suns hold the right to match any offer Brooks gets.
- The Clippers have started winning again, but the heat is still on coach Vinny Del Negro, writes Sam Amick of SI.com. Amick says Del Negro has been told to heighten the team's offensive pace, get them to play more aggressive defense, and regard stars and role players with the same level of scrutiny.
- The Kings, who've signed Terrence Williams for the rest of the season, have quickly come to trust him in the 10 days he's spent with the team, giving the former 11th overall pick key fourth-quarter minutes, notes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
Southwest Notes: Lee, Hornets, Odom
As it stands now, four of the five Southwest Division teams would make the playoffs, with the league-owned Hornets the only exception. Still, only the Spurs seem assured of a spot, as the Mavs, Grizzlies and Rockets are all no more than two games above the Suns, who are occupy ninth place in the Western Conference. Here's the latest from the Southwest:
- Courtney Lee of the Rockets will be a restricted free agent this summer, and with Kevin Martin out, he's getting a chance to show teams he can handle the starting shooting guard spot, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes.
- The Hornets acquired Al-Farouq Aminu and Jason Smith before the season, and are committed to both through 2012/13. Neither has provided much of a lift this season, but Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com points to some encouraging numbers for both of them (Twitter links).
- Kobe Bryant has some advice on how to coach Lamar Odom and also suggested he may recruit the free agent to return to the Lakers this summer, but Mavs coach Rick Carlisle isn't paying much attention to what Bryant has to say, notes HoopsWorld's Derek Page.
- Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star Telegram isn't optimistic the struggling Odom will be able to turn it around.
Odds & Ends: Garnett, Randolph, Kings, Warriors
Don't look now, but the playoffs begin just one month from today. Most NBA teams are in action tonight with 10 games on the schedule, so let's dive in and check on the news from around The Association:
- Kevin Garnett will be a free agent this summer, but a return to the Wolves might not be at the top of his wish list. He gave a nod to Minnesota fans, but says he had "nothing positive to say" about the franchise, tweets Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
- Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee noticed Shavlik Randolph walking through the Kings' locker room tonight, though there's no word if the team is looking to sign him (Twitter link). Randolph reportedly worked out for the Heat earlier this month and has apparently spoken to at least two clubs regarding a deal.
- Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com looks ahead to next year for the Warriors and concludes they need to get a solid third guard, a quality backup for David Lee and Andrew Bogut, and an upgrade at small forward:
- Don Nelson, the NBA's all-time winningest coach, says he's been informed he'll be inducted into the Hall of Fame, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas. Nelson coached the Bucks, Warriors, Knicks and Mavs after a playing career spent mostly with the Celtics. The official announcement of the 2012 Hall class will come Monday.
- Chris Broussard of ESPN.com takes a look at stars who've changed teams in recent years and says what's happened to them since should be a cautionary tale to Dwight Howard and others who could be looking to make a move (Insider link).
- A year after the Jazz parted ways with Jerry Sloan in the wake of a rift between the coach and Deron Williams, new coach Tyrone Corbin has established rapport with his players, which has been key to the team's playoff push this year, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
- The Nets have an open roster spot and might look to fill it after finishing tonight's 100-84 victory over the Pacers with only eight healthy players, as the Associated Press reports, via The New York Times. Centers Shelden Williams and Jordan Williams went down, so if those two are to miss any time, the team may target a big man.
- Rookie Malcolm Lee is adjusting to life as an NBA point guard as he finds his way into the Wolves' rotation, writes Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune.
2011/12 D-League Assignments And Recalls
The relationship NBA teams have to the D-League continues to evolve. It's a far cry from the intricate system of farm teams that baseball has, and the 16-team league has a ways to go before it grows large enough for every NBA team to have an affiliate. Still, in the D-League's 11th year, NBA teams have come to make liberal use of their ability to send players down for seasoning. While the D-League also provides a haven for players seeking NBA contracts, this post focuses on those who already have NBA deals. Here is a team-by-team list of all the in-season D-League assignments and recalls this year.
Bucks
December 28: Send down Darington Hobson
January 4: Call up Darington Hobson
January 18: Send down Darington Hobson
February 1: Call up Darington Hobson
Cavs
January 4: Send down Christian Eyenga
January 23: Call up Christian Eyenga
January 26: Send down Luke Harangody
February 1: Call up Luke Harangody
March 6: Send down Luke Harangody
March 6: Send down Christian Eyenga
March 15: Call up Christian Eyenga
April 14: Call up Luke Harangody
April 15: Send down Luke Harangody
April 18: Call up Luke Harangody
Hinrich Wouldn’t Mind Return To Bulls
Hawks guard Kirk Hinrich will be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his nine-year career this summer, and he's open to returning to the Bulls, where he spent his first seven seasons, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
"I wouldn't be opposed to it," he said. "It's still a ways away, and a lot can happen. We'll see. I have no preconceived thoughts on what will happen."
Hinrich, 31 is on the last year of a five-year, $48.75MM deal he signed the Bulls before the traded him to the Wizards in 2010 to clear cap space for that year's heralded crop of free agents. The Wizards sent him to the Hawks at the trade deadline a year ago.
Johnson points out that Hinrich will have to take a pay cut to go back to Chicago, as the Bulls' commitments will put them over the cap and close to the luxury tax line next season. That would leave only cap exceptions or a minimum-salary deal at their disposal. Hinrich also said he's enjoyed his time with the Hawks, who possess his Bird rights and only have $60.9MM on next year's payroll.
The former Kansas standout is suffering through perhaps his worst season, putting up career lows in points (9.8) and assists (3.7) per 36 minutes. The Bulls have shown they have plenty of backcourt depth this season when Derrick Rose and Richard Hamilton have been sidelined by injury, but Rose, Hamilton and rookie swingman Jimmy Butler are the only guards whose contracts are fully guaranteed next year. Bringing back Hinrich is not a move the Bulls have a pressing need for, but if Hinrich is willing to make it happen at a bargain, they may take him up on that.