Spurs Sign Justin Dentmon To Ten-Day Contract
The Spurs have announced that they signed guard Justin Dentmon from the D-League's Austin Toros to a 10-day contract. To make room for Dentmon, the Spurs released Eric Dawson two days before his ten-day deal was set to expire, tweets Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
Dentmon, 26, averaged 22.9 PPG and 5.3 RPG for the Toros while shooting 42% from long range. Dentmon should give the Spurs some depth in the backcourt as they wait for Patrick Mills' situation to be resolved.
Dawson, 27, played a total of 39 minutes for the Spurs in four games this season.
Bulls Plan To Re-Sign Mike James In April
Mike James‘ second ten-day contract with the Bulls expired on Friday and the veteran guard wasn’t present at the team’s morning shootaround. The team’s plan for James now is to re-sign him at some point next month, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
Until then, the Bulls are left with two vacant roster spots and could use one to sign Rasual Butler. James, 36, saw time in eight games for Chicago this season and averaged 5.4 PPG and 3.1 APG in 11.4 minutes per contest.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Hollins, Garnett, Knicks
Last night the Sixers took care of the Celtics at home, winning 99-86 thanks in large part to a 37 point outburst in the third quarter. More importantly, Mickael Pietrus has been cleared to travel after his scare in Philly. Here's more out of the Atlantic division..
- Celtics coach Doc Rivers is pushing the newly acquired Ryan Hollins to improve his rebounding, writes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. For his part, the 7-footer said that joining the C's was a no-brainer upon released by Cleveland.
- Rivers told CSNNE's Greg Dickerson that he absolutely wants to see Kevin Garnett back with the Celtics next season. The soon-to-be 36-year-old has surprised many with his strong play this season as he's averaging 15.3 PPG and 8.3 RPG.
- Knicks big man Tyson Chandler says that the team didn't quit on coach Mike D'Antoni, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. As for the Knicks' recently improved play under Mike Woodson? "Sometimes you hear the same message from a different person,'' the center said, "and for whatever reason it registers."
Hoops Links: Hickson, Dunleavy, Amare, Miller
Thirty-three years and one day ago, the 76ers and Nets replayed the final 17:50 of their game that began on November 8, 1978. The Sixers won the November contest in double overtime, but there was one problem: referee Richie Powers called three technicals on Nets coach Kevin Loughery and star Bernard King rather than the limit of two.
During this five month gap, the Nets sent Harvey Catchings and Ralph Simpson to the Sixers for Eric Money and Al Skinner. Simpson and Money played in both the original contest and the March continuation, marking the only time in the history of professional sports that any player played for both teams in the same game. And before you ask, no, we're not counting Rock N' Jock Basketball.
Today at Hoops Rumors, we're making our own bit of history with our inaugural edition of Hoops Links. If you have a great basketball blog piece that you think we should feature, send me an email at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
- Blazersedge spoke with J.J. Hickson about joining the Trail Blazers.
- Bucksketball isn't quite sure how, but Mike Dunleavy has been outstanding in March.
- TheKnicksBlog wonders if Amare Stoudemire is getting back to his old form.
- DepressedFan writes that the 76ers trade for Sam Young isn't a home run but isn't a strikeout either.
- KnowHitter runs down the trade deadline and gives the Nets a thumbs-up for their acquisition of Gerald Wallace.
- BrightSideOfTheSun expects to see Steve Nash and Grant Hill in Phoenix next season.
- WarriorsWorld hopes that Warriors owner Joe Lacob doesn't try to win back his fans by playing veterans and winning as it could cost the team their top-seven-protected pick.
- TheBasketballJones looks back fondly on the career of center Brad Miller, who announced that he will retire at the end of the season.
- Salt City Hoops had to give rookie center Alec Burks some dap.
- Orlando Pinstriped Post says that Ryan Anderson's strong play is about more than just playing with Dwight Howard.
- Dime Magazine reflects on the three best rivalries of Bruce Bowen's career.
- Forum Blue & Gold writes that Ramon Sessions is reminiscent of a young Nick Van Exel.
- Pounding The Rock reminds you that advanced statistics are your friend.
- Stepien Rules sent an e-mail to Ryan Hollins after he was waived by Cleveland.
- RedsArmy believes that the Sixers' problems could be a major help to the Celtics.
- CelticsBlog knows that Boris Diaw's best days are behind him, but the forward could be a solid fit in Boston.
- PistonPowered sees Syracuse big man Fab Melo as a good fit in Detroit.
- SBNation DC says that you shouldn't expect the Wizards to tank.
- SLC Dunk tries to figure out what's next for Mehmet Okur.
- Welcome To Loud City is less-than-thrilled about the Thunder signing Derek Fisher.
- Chasing 23 wishes that Dwight Howard handled things differently in March.
- RufusOnFire provides Bobcats fans with a guide for who to keep an eye on during March Madness.
- RealGM previews some interesting decisions for young players.
- Raptors Rapture remembers T.J. Ford's time in Toronto.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Odds & Ends: Blazers, Bulls, Hornets, Lakers
With the Bulls' 85-59 victory over the Magic this evening, Tom Thibodeau reached 100 victories and hit that mark in the least time of any coach in NBA history. Here's more on Chicago and the rest of the league..
- Blazers interim GM Chad Buchanan originally wanted the Nets 2012 first-round pick sans protection in the Gerald Wallace deal but compromised in the end for top-three protection, tweets Ben Golliver of BlazersEdge.com.
- Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com spoke to a number of Bulls players and people around the team about the prospect of picking up a free agent. The general feeling around the club is that while they would gladly welcome a new acquisition, they don't feel as though they need one to win.
- David Aldridge of NBA.com takes a look back at the deadline deals that went down and also the ones that didn't. Aldridge opines that the Hornets, Wolves, and Hawks all should have made moves rather than stand pat.
- Most of the big names in this summer's free agent class are veterans on the downslope of their career, writes Sam Amico of FOXSportsOhio.com.
- The Celtics, Suns, and Pacers will all be flush with cash this summer, writes Larry Coon for ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd). Teams with limited cap flexibility going forward include the Bulls, Heat, and Lakers.
Turiaf To Decide On New Team By Wednesday
Free agent Ronny Turiaf will decide on a new team by Wednesday, agent Mark Bartelstein told Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The Celtics and Heat lead the pack of interested teams.
The Nuggets waived Turiaf yesterday, just days after receiving him from the Wizards in the deal that brought them JaVale McGee. The 6’10” big man has the unique distinction of being involved in two three-team deals inside of four months.
Brad Miller To Retire After Season
Two-time All-Star Brad Miller intends on retiring at season's end, according to Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). The Timberwolves center plans to turn his attention to his hunting TV show after walking away from the game.
In 14 NBA seasons, Miller has suited up for six different clubs and had two separate stints with the Bulls. The soon-to-be 36-year-old averaged 11.3 PPG and 7.2 RPG for his career.
Miller has a $5.1MM team option for next season that comes with a very small buyout, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. If Miller is interested, Wolves president David Kahn would like to see him remain with the organization in some capacity after he's done playing, Zgoda tweets.
Southeast Notes: Heat, Fisher, Magic, Diaw
Let's get you caught up on some items out of the Southeast division on a busy night in the Association..
- Count Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel among those who thinks the Heat should make a play for both Derek Fisher and Ronny Turiaf. Earlier today, LeBron James told reporters that he wouldn't mind playing alongside Fisher.
- However, Winderman (via Twitter) doesn't see J.J. Hickson as a good fit for the Heat. He believes that the forward would be redundant for the team and while he has upside, Miami is likely looking to make a move for the present rather than the future.
- DeSagana Diop was activated in favor of Boris Diaw tonight, but there's nothing new regarding Diaw's potential buyout, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. The Bobcats would like to rid themselves of the forward's contract.
- Even without a major acquisition at the trade deadline, are the Magic still good enough to contend this season? The players seem to think so, writes Chris Tomasson of FOXSportsFlorida.com.
- Forward Brian Cook says that he'll play hard for however long he's with the Wizards, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Washington is willing to accomodate Cook if he wants to play elsewhere and his agent Mark Bartelstein is set to have buyout discussions with the club this week.
Warriors Expect To Sign Hickson
6:36pm: The Warriors are expected to sign J.J. Hickson, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.com. Golden State has two open roster spots and could finalize a deal with Hickson as early as Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter) that the Warriors and Suns are frontrunners Hickson if he clears waivers.
6:09pm: Forward J.J. Hickson is likely committed to an NBA team and it's not the Celtics, a source told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Hickson received a buyout from the Kings earlier today.
The C's seemed to be a likely destination for the 23-year-old as they had talks with Sacramento about Hickson before the trade deadline. The 6'9" forward put up 13.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in Cleveland last year but has averaged just 4.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest with the Kings.
Hickson still has to clear waivers before he can sign with a club and it's conceivable that he'll be claimed given his potential.
Heat Looking For Free Agent Pickup
As Luke noted earlier today, Miami is currently carrying 14 players on their roster leaving them with one vacancy. Recently released point guard Derek Fisher has interest in joining the Heat and LeBron James wouldn't mind playing with the seasoned veteran, but J.J. Hickson's emergence on the open market could be an even better fit for the club, writes Chris Tomasson of FOXSportsFlorida.com.
It's also possible that the Heat won't have to choose. Tomasson points out that rookie guard Terrel Harris and center Eddy Curry are signed to minimum contracts and could easily be cut loose, giving Miami another open spot.
The Heat have also talked to agent Mark Bartelstein about client Mikki Moore, Tomasson tweets. The 36-year-old big man currently plays for the Idaho Stampede of the D-League and last appeared in the NBA in December of 2009 with Golden State. The 6'11" center had an up-and-down career in the league but enjoyed a handful of standout seasons including his 2006/07 campaign with the Nets in which he he averaged 9.8 PPG and 5.1 RPG off of 61% shooting .