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Joel Przybilla To Decide Between Bulls, Heat

February 1st, 2012 at 1:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Kenyon Martin isn't the only player expected to decide on a team by this weekend. Joel Przybilla's agent, Bill Duffy, tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (Twitter link) that Przybilla will choose between the Bulls and the Heat by the end of the week. Duffy adds that the proximity of Chicago to Przybilla's family in Wisconsin won't be a factor in his decision (Twitter link).

Limited by knee injuries a year ago, Przybilla played in 36 games for the Trail Blazers and Bobcats. The 32-year-old's 2010/11 rates of 4.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per 36 minutes were down slightly from his career averages of 7.2 and 11.3. Przybilla reportedly considered retiring in the offseason, but ultimately decided against it. Last Thursday, Duffy said his client probably wouldn't sign for "a few more weeks," so it appears that timetable has been moved up a little.

The Heat have no exceptions or cap space available, so they'd only be able to offer Przybilla the veteran's minimum. The Bulls, on the other hand, could use their bi-annual exception on the former ninth overall pick, if they so choose. I'm guessing they're also offering the minimum and will save their BAE for next season.

The Celtics, Bucks, and Blazers also had interest in Przybilla, but are now out of the running, tweets Deveney.

2011/12 Taxpayer Mid-Level Exceptions Update

January 31st, 2012 at 1:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA's latest Collective Bargaining Agreement introduced a new kind of mid-level exception for teams who are paying the luxury tax. Rather than the four-year contract starting at $5MM (with 4.5% raises) available to non-taxpayers, teams over the tax line can offer a "mini" MLE of up to three years, starting at $3MM (4.5% raises).

Let's check in the status of those exceptions, and see which teams can still offer a pro-rated portion of that $3MM maximum to free agents:

Available

Spurs: Though waiving the retired Antonio McDyess reduced the Spurs' cap figure somewhat, the team still only has access to the mini mid-level exception rather than the full MLE. They could use it to attempt to sign a front-court player like Kenyon Martin, though it doesn't sound like they're overly interested in him. As close to the tax line as they are, it's possible San Antonio tries to get under it by season's end, rather than adding more salary. Here's the uninspiring list of current free agents the Spurs could be eyeing.

Used

Celtics: They used their mini MLE on December 9th, signing Chris Wilcox to a one-year deal worth $3MM.
Heat: They used their full mini MLE on December 9th, signing Shane Battier to a three-year deal.
Lakers: They used their mini MLE on December 14th, signing Josh McRoberts to a two-year deal. He'll receive $3MM this season and a 4.5% raise for 2012/13.
Mavericks: They used their mini MLE on December 12th, signing Vince Carter to a three-year deal. While Carter will receive the max ($3MM) this season, his subsequent raises are just 3%, and years two and three are only partially guaranteed.

Odds & Ends: Wizards, Adelman, Irving

January 30th, 2012 at 10:19pm CST by Chuck Myron

Notes from around the league on Monday night:

Washington's rebuilding efforts must begin with buying out Rashard Lewis and using the amnesty clause on Andray Blatche, writes Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com. Blatche will be out three to five weeks with a strained calf muscle, coach Randy Wittman reported. The Wizards announced they're recalling center Hamady Ndiaye from the Iowa Energy, the team's D-League affiliate.
Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman, formerly with the Rockets, says there was a lack of communication between himself and Houston owner Leslie Alexander, reports Jonathan Feigan of the Houston Chronicle.
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio analyzes the progress of top-pick Kyrie Irving.
Ben Rohrbach of WEEI's Celtics Blog says Boston's struggles this season can't be pinned on the team's bench play.
The injury-depleted Nets may be primed to make a move. They figure to have only 10 players available for Tuesday's game with Indiana, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Teams in need of depth on the wing won't be able to turn to Sonny Weems. His Lithuanian team told Sportando they won't be letting him out of his contract before the team's season is over.