Darington Hobson

Eastern Notes: Heat, Thornton, Plumlee

Despite the loss of LeBron James and the failure to bring in a superstar to replace him, the Heat did extremely well in free agency, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. Winderman believes that the signing of Luol Deng was the best possible consolation prize, and the veteran small forward will be especially motivated to perform this season after the Danny Ferry controversy in Atlanta.

Here’s more from the east:

  • With the Celtics in rebuilding mode and the franchise focusing on developing their younger backcourt players including first round pick Marcus Smart, some have called for Boston to trade the recently acquired Marcus Thornton. But despite the presence of Smart, Avery Bradley, and Evan Turner, after his deal is finalized, Kevin O’Connor of SB Nation thinks the team should consider holding onto the 27 year-old, and provides five reasons why.
  • Mason Plumlee is poised for a breakout season according to SB Nation, who believe the departure of Andray Blatche and the advancing age of Kevin Garnett will open the door for the second year player to shine this season for the Nets.
  • Former Bucks second-rounder Darington Hobson has signed with Brasilia of the Brazilian League, David Pick of Eurobasket reports (Twitter link). The contract includes outs for both the NBA and the Euroleague, according to Pick. Hobson played one season for Milwaukee, appearing in five games and averaging 0.8 PPG.

Bucks Rumors: Trades, Sanders, Smart

The Bucks are the only team in the league without at least 10 wins, and they sit atop our Reverse Standings with the NBA’s worst record. Teams in their position usually start thinking about the future at this point in the season, but that’s not the case for Milwaukee, which notoriously avoids bottoming out. The Bucks would be “more than willing” to trade for vets who could help them sneak into the playoffs in the moribund Eastern Conference, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, who has more from Milwaukee:

  • Bucks management is still “very open” to trading Larry Sanders before the deadline, Amico writes in the same piece, echoing his report from last month. Milwaukee would want to make draft picks the centerpiece of the package it receives in exchange. The team would still have to absorb a significant amount of salary in a deal for Sanders, thanks to the Poison Pill Provision that was triggered when the Bucks signed Sanders to his extension this past summer.
  • Milwaukee is enamored with Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart, Amico says, adding that it would nonetheless be tough to envision the Bucks taking him first overall.
  • O.J. Mayo, like many on the Bucks, has seen his minutes go up and down, and he tells Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel that the inconsistent rotation is partly to blame for the team’s struggles. “It’s hard to get a rhythm when you don’t know what’s going to happen for you night in and night out,” Mayo said. “You may get six minutes, 30 minutes. There’s no staple to what we’re doing. You can hang in there, compete and keep it close.”
  • Gary Neal left San Antonio this past summer to sign a two-year, $6.5MM deal with the Bucks, but he misses the winning he enjoyed with the Spurs, as he says to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News“When you’re evaluating job choices, the financial aspect comes into it,” Neal said. “I think I made the best decision for me and my family.”
  • Darington Hobson, whom the Bucks selected 37th overall in the 2010 draft, has reached a deal with Migdal Haemek, a team in an Israeli minor league, tweets David Pick of Eurobasket.com. Hobson has appeared in just five regular season NBA games, all with the Bucks in 2011/12.

D-League Moves: Hobson, Thomas

Earlier today, we learned Jerome James signed with the D-League in an attempt to make an NBA comeback. We'll track the rest of the day's D-League assignments, recalls, and notable signings here:

  • Darington Hobson has signed with the D-League, according to Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside (via Twitter). Hobson was waived by the Bucks last Friday.
  • Malcolm Thomas will re-join the D-League's Los Angeles D-Fenders, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Thomas, who was cut yesterday by the Spurs, averaged 14.3 PPG and 8.3 RPG with a .673 FG% in six games for the D-Fenders earlier this season.

Bucks Waive Darington Hobson

The Bucks have waived Darington Hobson, the team announced today (via Twitter). Hobson will become a free agent when he clears waivers.

Hobson, 24, has shuttled back and forth between Milwaukee and the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the D-League this season. The five games he played for the Bucks represented the first NBA action of his career. In 39 total minutes, the 6'7" guard recorded four points and six assists.

Milwaukee's roster now stands at 14 players, but coach Scott Skiles tells Bucks broadcaster Jim Paschke that there are no moves imminent to fill the open spot (Twitter link).