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Arenas, Diogu, McCants, Williams Sign In China

November 19th, 2012 at 10:56am CST by Luke Adams

10:56am: Sean Williams has also signed with a Chinese team, joining McCants on the Foshan Dralions, according to Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall.com (via Twitter). Williams was waived by the Rockets earlier this summer and drew some interest from the Timberwolves and Knicks, but didn't land an NBA deal.

10:20am: Gilbert Arenas has officially signed with the Shanghai Sharks, the team announced on its website (Chinese link). Reports earlier this month indicated that Arenas had agreed to sign with Yao Ming's Sharks, after a verbal agreement with the Guangdong Southern Tigers fell through.

While Arenas is the biggest name heading to China this week, he's not the only former NBA veteran signing overseas. According to a NetEase report (translation via HoopsHype), forward Ike Diogu has signed with Guangdong, with the team waiving Derrick Caracter to clear room. Diogu, the ninth overall pick in the 2005 draft, was in camp with the Suns last month before being released.

Another 2005 lottery pick will also be playing in the Chinese Basketball Association this season, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that Rashad McCants will join the Foshan Dralions. According to Stein, McCants' scoring ability has kept him on the radar of NBA teams, though the former UNC standout hasn't appeared in an NBA game since the 2008/09 season. The Pacers were one club that displayed some interest in McCants before he landed his deal in China, tweets Stein.

Arenas, Diogu, and McCants will all be eligible to return stateside and catch on with an NBA team before the playoffs begin, since the CBA regular season ends in February.

Odds & Ends: D’Antoni, Roy, Fisher, Gasol, Bucks

November 18th, 2012 at 11:27pm CST by Chuck Myron

Mike D'Antoni was expected to make his debut as Lakers coach tonight, but his balky knee forced Bernie Bickerstaff to continue as interim coach for one more night. D'Antoni, who'll try to hit the sidelines again Tuesday, has told Bickerstaff he'll remain on the staff this season, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. D'Antoni did make one change to the coaching staff, however, bringing brother Dan D'Antoni aboard as expected, the team announced. Here's more from an eight-game day and night around the NBA.

Knee trouble has kept Brandon Roy out for the past 10 days, and now he'll undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, reports Jason Quick of The Oregonian (Twitter links). Quick doesn't indicate how long he'll be continue to be out, but says he'll miss what would have been his return to Portland with the Wolves on Friday.
The Mavs aren't interested in free agent point guard Derek Fisher, since owner Mark Cuban wants to see what the current roster can do, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. That means the team will continue to give backup minutes to Dominique Jones, whom the Mavs twice sought to trade earlier this season.
Larry Coon of HoopsWorld won't rule out a Pau Gasol trade, but doesn't think the Lakers are likely to pull the trigger (Twitter link).
"Everyone agreed" the Bucks needed a fast start with GM John Hammond and coach Scott Skiles in the final year of their respective deals, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and at 6-2, the team has delivered.
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star calls out Roy Hibbert for his struggles this season, just months after the big man signed a four-year, $58MM deal.
Before Damian Lillard came into the league, he watched a lot of video of fellow point guard Derrick Rose and picked up a few of the former MVP's habits, observes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com.

Atlantic Notes: Bynum, Wilcox, Banks, Felton

November 18th, 2012 at 8:53pm CST by Chuck Myron

Andrew Bynum on Sunday confirmed reports that he hurt his left knee while bowling, admitting that the activity, which isn't specifically prohibited in player contracts, probably wasn't wise. "In hindsight, I guess you really shouldn’t go bowling but it’s not anything more than what I’ve done in my rehab," Bynum said to reporters, including John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I’m kind of taking the position that if that happens bowling, what happens while dunking?" As Mitchell writes, that's the question the Sixers have been waiting to have answered all season. Here's more on Philly's Atlantic Division rivals.

Even though his conditioning is still not right after heart surgery in March, Chris Wilcox has filled a frontcourt need for the Celtics and might be the team's most pleasant surprise, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Wilcox is one of five Celtics on minimum-salary deals, as we detailed earlier.
Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside catches up with former Celtics lottery pick Marcus Banks, who recently signed to play with Panathinaikos in Greece two years after his last NBA action, which came with the Raptors in 2010/11.
Pacers president of basketball operations Donnie Walsh, formerly in charge of the Knicks front office, said Raymond Felton was the player he most regretted giving up in the Carmelo Anthony deal in 2011, and the executive is glad Felton has returned to the team, notes Mark Berman of the New York Post (Sulia link).
We passed along more from Walsh's chat with New York media today and a few other Knicks items this afternoon.

HoopsWorld On Biggest Disappointments

November 18th, 2012 at 5:27pm CST by Sean Highkin

HoopsWorld.com has a new roundtable feature in which several of the site's writers weigh in on who they believe is the biggest disappointment thus far in the 2012/13 season. Here are the highlights:

Lang Greene pinpoints Roy Hibbert, signed to a four-year, $58MM contract this summer, as a major reason why the Pacers are underperforming early in the season.
Alex Kennedy believes that the Raptors' strategy of targeting Landry Fields to make it harder for the Knicks to land Steve Nash backfired. He points to Fields' disappointing start to the season as a reason why the signing is a failure for Toronto.
Stephen Brotherston writes that Ersan Ilyasova has regressed following what appeared to be a breakout season last year with the Bucks.
Bill Ingram is frustrated by the continued inconsistent play of JaVale McGee following his re-signing with the Nuggets this summer.
Derek Page points out that Pau Gasol's offensive efficiency has dropped this season, even more so than expected following the Lakers' addition of Dwight Howard.
While there is still time for him to mature, Joel Brigham writes that Jeremy Lin has been a disappointment since signing with the Rockets.

Odds & Ends: Kapono, Kidd, Muhammad, Pacers

November 15th, 2012 at 10:57am CST by Luke Adams

The owners of the D-League's Sioux Falls Skyforce received an offer from an unnamed NBA team this offseason to sell the franchise, according to Terry Vandrovec of the Argus Leader (hat tip to Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside). However, the proposal, which would have made the Skyforce a one-on-one affiliate for the unknown team, would have required the team to relocate, which didn't appeal to owners Mike and Greg Heinman.

The Skyforce are one of five D-League teams without a single affiliation, as Sioux Falls is currently the affiliate for the Heat, Magic, Timberwolves, and 76ers. With a new arena set to open next season, the Heinmans are hoping to land a hybrid single affiliation with the neighboring T-Wolves.

Here are a few more Thursday morning odds and ends from around the NBA:

After a pair of disappointing seasons with the Sixers and Lakers, Jason Kapono didn't land an NBA contract this summer. However, according to reports out of Greece, the sharpshooter could be headed overseas to join Panathinaikos. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando has the details.
Jason Kidd tells Marc Berman of the New York Post (Sulia link) that he was "very, very close" to signing with the Spurs in 2003 before he decided to return to the Nets.
Many members of the Knicks, including Kidd, Tyson Chandler, and GM Glen Grunwald, were happy to see Mike D'Antoni land the Lakers' coaching job, as Berman writes in a piece for the Post.
An overheard conversation has raised questions about whether the NCAA has prejudged the case on Shabazz Muhammad's eligibility, reports Baxter Holmes of the Los Angeles Times. Muhammad's representatives believe the revelation is enough for the NCAA to declare the UCLA freshman eligible immediately.
Discussing how to "fix" the Pacers, Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star essentially rules out the possibility of a trade, since David West's expiring contract is one of Indiana's only real assets.

Poll: Which Team Most Needs To Add A Wing?

November 14th, 2012 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the season is only a little over two weeks old, a handful of teams have already seen players go down with significant injuries. The Pacers, Timberwolves, and Warriors are among the clubs to lose players for three months or more, having all lost key contributors at shooting guard or small forward.

For the Pacers, Danny Granger is expected to miss three months with left patellar tendinosis. Minnesota's Chase Budinger will miss around the same amount of time after undergoing knee surgery. And the Warriors won't even get Brandon Rush back this season after he tore his ACL in the team's second game.

All three teams have been linked to potential replacements since their players suffered their respective injuries, with free agents like Mickael Pietrus and Josh Howard discussed as possibilities, along with trade candidates such as Raja Bell. So far, none of three teams have made a move, but each club has the flexibility to do so, with fewer than 15 fully guaranteed contracts on the books.

Today's poll question is this: Which of these three clubs most needs to add a player on the wing? Granger is the biggest star of the three, but he should be back in time for the second half for the Pacers, whereas the Warriors will be without Rush all season. Meanwhile, Budinger isn't necessarily a top scorer in Minnesota, but with a handful of players already sidelined by injuries, the T-Wolves may be the team in most immediate need of a replacement.

So which club do you think most needs to make a move?

Odds & Ends: Lin, Crawford, Heat, Cavaliers

November 14th, 2012 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Pistons and Wizards hit the road in search of their first wins of the season, let's round up the latest odds and ends from around the NBA:

After his time with the Knicks came to an unexpected and disappointing end, Jeremy Lin is building a better relationship with the Rockets, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes.
When he was navigating free agency this summer, Jamal Crawford was advised to take his time and consider all his options. But, as he tells Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com, Crawford had his eye on the Clippers from the start: "When I came here, I don’t know if I should say this or not, but they told me I was their first option at lunch. And I told them at the same lunch that they were my first option. My agent didn’t want me to say that, but I was just being honest and we made it happen."
In his latest mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman fields questions on the possibility of the Heat signing Kenyon Martin and trading Mike Miller.
If the Cavaliers hope to contend for the playoffs this season, they may need to trade for outside bench help at some point, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
Yesterday's trade between the Bobcats and Hornets that sent Matt Carroll to New Orleans wasn't overlooked in Dallas by the Mavericks, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com.
Within his NBA AM piece at HoopsWorld, Lang Greene speaks to Ian Mahinmi about the sign-and-trade deal that sent him from the Mavericks to the Pacers.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com discussed the Lakers, Royce White, the 2013 draft, and plenty more in a chat with fans earlier this afternoon.

Central Notes: Ilyasova, Stephenson, Scott

November 11th, 2012 at 9:28pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the Central Division on Sunday evening:

Ersan Ilyasova, re-signed by the Bucks this offseason, is off to a slow start, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Curt Cavin of the Indianapolis Star discusses Lance Stephenson, one of the wing players the Pacers will count on to fill the void left by Danny Granger's injury.
John Rhode of the Oklahoman examines the success Cavs coach Byron Scott is having with Kyrie Irving, and points out that Scott has had success with elite point guards both during his playing and coaching career.

Odds & Ends: West, Allen, Garnett, Stiemsma

November 11th, 2012 at 1:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Reaction has been largely negative to FIBA's announcement of changes to the basketball World Cup. John Hollinger of ESPN.com characterizes the moves as a "money grab" that degrades the tournament (Twitter link). With qualifiers taking place in the middle of the season instead of during summer, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com believes Team USA may only have non-NBA pros at its disposal for those games (Twitter link). Tom Ziller of SB Nation tweets that Team USA could simply circumvent the qualifiers by winning the World Cup and Olympic gold every time, though that might prove a difficult standard to maintain. While we await more fallout on the international basketball scene, here's what's going on around NBA. circles.

David West wants to remain with the Pacers after this year, but he acknowledges the team's other financial commitments could make that difficult, reports HoopsWorld's Lang Greene.
Ray Allen was open to signing an extension with the Celtics during last season, writes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Washburn also notes the $12MM final season of the three-year contract Kevin Garnett signed this summer is only guaranteed for $6MM, per ShamSports.
Greg Stiemsma credits his work with Al Jefferson and Garnett for helping him establish his NBA career, notes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside runs down a list of seven-footers in D-League camps, while fellow Ridiculous Upside scribe Keith Schlosser observes that the Warriors affiliate is well-stocked with talent.
Omer Asik is the primary reason for the strong defensive play of the Rockets so far this season, concludes Jason Friedman of Rockets.com.
A source tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that the "odds aren't great" that top 2013 draft prospect Shabazz Muhammad will play for UCLA anytime soon. The NCAA has declared Muhammad ineligible for an unspecified number of games.

Odds & Ends: Lazenby, O’Bryant, Hibbert

November 10th, 2012 at 11:08pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Jabari Davis of Sheridan Hoops noted a few highlights from a roundtable discussion between longtime personal friend of Phil Jackson/NBA author Roland Lazenby and the hosts of a blog talk radio show called TheOpinioNationNetwork. Most notably, Lazenby feels that Jackson's return to the Lakers is a foregone conclusion and went on to briefly talk about how Jackson would be able to handle the team's schedule, Nash's fit within the triangle offense, and where he currently stands with Jerry Buss.

While the head coaching situation in Los Angeles currently appears to be the most polarizing topic of the basketball world, we'll keep track of tonight's other rumblings from around the Association here:

There is no timetable for Clippers guard/forward Grant Hill's return to action (he has been out after suffering a bone bruise in his right knee on October 14th), although an MRI on Friday revealed that his condition hadn't worsened (Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports).
Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune mentions that Timberwolves guard Alexey Shved is starting to become more comfortable playing in the NBA: "It's so different here from Europe, it takes time…I feel pretty good. Now I'm starting to know what I can do."
Eric Patten of NBA.com makes note of DeAndre Jordan's development and it has been an important cog in the Clippers' offense.
Greg Stiemsma credits Al Jefferson and Kevin Garnett as two players who have helped with his development as an NBA player, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
Although Timberwolves guard Brandon Roy was removed from the lineup tonight because of knee soreness, coach Rick Adelman says that he won't be overly concerned for now and hopes that it's just a minor setback (Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago reports).
Former Warriors lottery-pick Patrick O'Bryant is headed abroad, as Sportando.net reports that he has been officially signed by Tiburones de Vargas of the National Basketball League of Venezuela.