Sixers Claim, Waive Mo Williams
5:13pm: The Sixers have waived Williams, according to Tom Moore of the Courier Times (Twitter link). This maneuver allows the team to add Randle to the roster without needing to clear an additional spot.
4:29pm: Mo Williams has been claimed off waivers by the Sixers, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter link). The 76ers will have to clear a roster spot to accommodate Williams, as the team reportedly just re-signed Chasson Randle to a second 10-day contract as well. Adding both players would bring the roster count to 16, one over the 15-man limit.
The Sixers’ reasons for picking up Williams are financially motivated. The point guard’s $2.2MM cap hit will bring Philadelphia that much closer to the salary floor, but the team will only be on the hook for about half of that salary, since he has already been paid more than $1MM of it. Williams, who indicated in the fall that he would retire, has yet to appear in an NBA game this season.
This will be the third transaction Williams has been involved in since January 6th, when the well-traveled point guard was shipped to Atlanta in the Kyle Korver trade. Williams was then dealt to the Nuggets in exchange for the rights to 2005 draft pick Cenk Akyol. It remains to be seen whether Williams, who has suited up for seven different teams during his 13-year career, will return to the court with Philadelphia. Williams hasn’t filed his retirement papers, and underwent a surgical procedure on his left knee in October.
The Nuggets now have a vacant roster spot, which they may use to re-sign Alonzo Gee to a second 10-day contract. Gee, whose 10-day contract expired on Wednesday, has appeared in 10 games this season with Denver, scoring 11 points with 14 rebounds in that span. A 29-year-old veteran of six NBA teams, Gee averaged 22.4 MPG in 73 games with the Pelicans last season.
Community Shootaround: NBA’s Presence in Mexico
The NBA’s two-game foray in Mexico City this month may only be a small sign of things to come, as commissioner Adam Silver sounds bullish on the league’s future in Mexico, citing a competitive market and “state-of-the-art arena” to hold NBA games. Prior to Saturday’s match-up between the Suns and Spurs, Silver addressed opportunities to expand in Mexico.
“In terms of a franchise in Mexico City, it’s something that we’re going to look at,” Silver told reporters, including Michael C. Wright of ESPN. “While we have no immediate plans to expand the NBA, one of the things that we look at is whether expanding would be additive to the league as a whole…of course we’ve had these two regular-season games, and whether we bring additional regular-season games in the next season or do some sort of tournament where you bring over a group of teams and they all play each other in some format — that’s something that we’re looking at.”
The league’s two-game excursion to Mexico City was undoubtedly a success. 20-year-old Devin Booker raised his international profile by recording back-to-back 39-point games, leading Phoenix to an upset win over the Spurs. What’s more, players didn’t have to deal with burdensome time changes as they do for games in Europe. While the NBA’s market has been slow to develop in the UK (Brits have an “ambivalent attitude” toward U.S. sport, Ian Chadbank of ESPN writes), it seems there is immediate potential for growth in Mexico.
So what do you think: would the NBA benefit from their second non-U.S. team? Would tournament format games in Mexico City make sense for the 2017/18 season?
Let us know in the comments section!
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/16/17
Here are the D-League assignments and recalls so far today:
- Chris McCullough was assigned to the Long Island Nets, according to a team-issued press release. McCullough was recalled prior to Brooklyn’s game against the Rockets on Sunday, scoring three points in six minutes. While McCullough has only seen garbage time minutes with Brooklyn, he’s excelled in the D-League; he scored 37 points against the Greensboro Swarm on January 12.
- The Warriors recalled Damian Jones from Santa Cruz, Golden State announced via its team website. The former Vanderbilt Commodore has appeared in just one NBA game so far this season, logging nine minutes in a December 10 match-up against the Grizzlies. Jones, who is averaging 6.8 rebounds with 1.9 blocks in the D-League, will be hard-pressed to see minutes in Monday’s marquee match-up between Golden State and Cleveland.
Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Bradley, Okafor, Noel
Carmelo Anthony followed up today on recent remarks about his situation in New York, telling reporters, including Mike Vorkunov, that he hasn’t spoken to management and hopes to remain with the Knicks. It’s been a slog for Jeff Hornacek‘s squad, as a myriad of on-and-off the court issues have resulted in a 2-11 record since December 25. Following a matinee loss to the Hawks at MSG, the Knicks slipped to 11th-place in the Eastern Conference; a far cry from expectations entering the season.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- The Knicks aren’t guaranteeing court time for veterans during their swoon, recently replacing Courtney Lee in the lineup with undrafted rookie Ron Baker. Lee, who signed a $50MM deal during the offseason, has shot just 17.6% on 3-pointers over his last five games. “You’re looking for little things. Who is going to do the little things on this team? Who is going to take charges? Who is going to make the extra pass?” Hornacek told Stefan Bondy of the Daily News. The first-year Knicks coach also requested his team take more charges.
- The Celtics are being careful not to rush Avery Bradley in his return from an Achilles strain, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. As coach Brad Stevens pointed out, several Celtics have excelled in Bradley’s place, including Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart. Having participated in a full practice Sunday, Bradley is listed as questionable to participate in tonight’s game against Charlotte.
- Jahlil Okafor‘s 26-point game against the Wizards functioned as a showcase, Keith Pompey of Philly.com writes. Filling in for the resting Joel Embiid, Okafor connected on 10-of-16 shots from the field with nine rebounds. The trade deadline is just over a month away, Pompey noted, and the time is now to recruit possible trade partners. The Sixers‘ logjam of centers has been a well-publicized issue this season.
- Sixers center Nerlens Noel won’t participate in Monday’s game against the Bucks due to a sprained ankle, the team announced today (via Twitter). A left ankle sprain cut into Noel’s minutes in mid-December, limiting the former Kentucky Wildcat to 7.6 MPG over a five-game span. While Noel is sidelined, Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor will split time at the five.