Free Agent Rumors: Iverson, Przybilla, Taylor
J.R. Smith's potential deal with the Knicks is the biggest free agent story of the day, but there are plenty of players out there hoping to land contracts of their own. Let's round up a few of the day's free agent updates….
- Allen Iverson is still drawing international interest, though there are conflicting reports on whether A.I. has received official contract offers. According to Sportando, Iverson has offers on the table from Puerto Rican and Venezuelan teams, but ESPN.com's Chris Broussard hears no formal offers have been extended so far. Broussard says Iverson would sign in the Caribbean, South America, or even the D-League, if it could lead to another shot at the NBA.
- Both Iverson reports agree that the next week will be crucial. According to Broussard's source, Iverson will "accept that his forced retirement is permanent" if he hasn't signed by the All-Star break.
- Some teams are backing off of Joel Przybilla, concerned that he's not fully healthy, tweets Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. Przybilla was thought to be deciding between the Heat and Bulls, but perhaps those clubs are wary of extending formal offers.
- Jermaine Taylor, who appeared in 34 games for the Kings and Rockets last season, has signed with the D-League, according to Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside. Perhaps Taylor's time in the D-League will be short-lived though — Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld says (via Twitter) the Suns will work out Taylor today, while Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets that the 25-year-old will work out for the Clippers tomorrow..
Minor Moves: Devin Ebanks
We'll update todays news about the D-League here.
- The Lakers' official Twitter account announced today that 6'9 forward Devin Ebanks will be assigned to the Los Angeles Defenders. After beginning the season in the starting lineup, Ebanks gradually fell out of the rotation and had not seen action since January 31 in a game against the Bobcats.
Kareem Rush To Sign With D-League
One more ex-NBA veteran is on the comeback trail. Kareem Rush announced today on Twitter that he'll sign with the D-League in hopes of making his way back to the Association (hat tip to Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside).
Rush, a former standout scorer at the University of Missouri, last saw NBA action in 2009/10, when he played in seven games for the Clippers before being released. For his NBA career, the 31-year-old averaged 6.4 PPG on 40% shooting in 346 games with the Lakers, Bobcats, Pacers, Sixers, and Clippers.
Rush, the older brother of the Warriors' Brandon Rush, is the latest former player to head to the D-League in hopes of returning to the NBA. Greg Ostertag, Rafer Alston, and Jerome James are among the other familiar names to sign with the D-League this season.
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.
Jerome James Signs With D-League
Former NBA big man Jerome James is attempting a comeback. James has signed with the D-League in hopes of returning to the NBA, reports Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside. The 36-year-old will join a D-League team after he clears waivers.
James, who made his NBA debut for the Kings in 1998, hasn't logged significant minutes in the Association since 2006/07. He appeared in a total of four games for the Knicks in the following two seasons before he was traded to the Bulls in 2009 and eventually waived in 2010, the final year of his contract.
As James' career averages of 4.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per game suggest, he was never more than a part-time contributor in Sacramento, Seattle, or New York. The best stretch of his career, as Schroeder recalls, came in 2005 with the Sonics, when the seven-footer parlayed a strong postseason performance into a five-year deal with the Knicks.
According to Basketball-Reference, James earned nearly $45MM in his NBA career, but it's hard to imagine this comeback attempt earning him another NBA paycheck.
Notable Former NBA Players In The D-League
After signing with the D-League earlier this week, Rafer Alston has joined the Los Angeles D-Fenders. Alston's name will be familiar to fans of the Bucks, Heat, Raptors, Rockets, Magic, and Nets — the 35-year-old spent time on the floor for each of those teams during his 11-year NBA career. However, "Skip to My Lou" hasn't logged NBA minutes since the 2009/10 season, and signed with the D-League hoping to make it back to the Association.
For a league whose ostensible goal is to develop young talent, the D-League is becoming increasingly populated with former NBA players hoping to play their way to another shot at NBA minutes. Let's check out a few of the notable veterans currently on D-League rosters:
- Marcus Banks (Idaho Stampede): The 6'2" guard was selected 13th overall in 2003 and played 348 games for the Celtics, Timberwolves, Suns, Heat, and Raptors. He just signed with the D-League last week.
- Devin Brown (Erie BayHawks): Never more than a part-time NBA player, Brown's best season came in 2006/07 when he averaged 11.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 28.7 minutes per game for the Hornets. He was waived by his European team earlier this year for reportedly arriving out of shape.
- Antonio Daniels (Texas Legends): The former fourth overall pick appeared in four games last season for the Sixers on a 10-day contract, but otherwise hasn't played in the NBA since 2008/09. He performed well for the Legends last year (14.5 PPG, 8.6 APG) and is playing for them once again this season.
- Gerald Green (Los Angeles D-Fenders): Green, the former Celtic, was drafted out of high school in 2005. He's long been considered a first-round bust, but he's still only 26 years old, and he's been on fire for the D-Fenders lately, averaging 24.4 points on 52.2% shooting in his last five contests. I'd be surprised if Green didn't spend some time on an NBA roster before the end of the season.
- Damon Jones (Reno Bighorns): Jones only stuck with an NBA team for longer than year once, when he played three consecutive seasons in Cleveland. The journeyman was a part of ten teams in 11 seasons, but his NBA career is likely over. He hasn't been productive in limited minutes in the D-League.
- Mikki Moore (Idaho Stampede): A 12-year veteran, the 36-year-old center joined the Stampede earlier this month. He's putting up solid rebounding numbers in the playing time he's received so far.
- Bobby Simmons (Reno Bighorns): Coming off a 2004/05 season in which he averaged 16.4 PPG and 5.9 RPG for the Clippers, Simmons inked a five-year, $47MM pact with the Bucks. His subsequent production steadily dropped off until he found himself out of the league last year. Still, he's only 31 and has shot well in Reno — he could get another crack at the NBA later this season.
- Antoine Walker (Idaho Stampede): A teammate of Banks and Moore, Walker is playing his second season in Idaho. While he had the best NBA career of anyone else on this list, scoring over 15,000 points and earning over $100MM, the 35-year-old hasn't played in an NBA game since 2008. The numbers he's putting up for the Stampede this year, including a .367 FG%, aren't about to earn him another shot either.
- A few more ex-NBAers who signed with the D-League this season, but are no longer in the league: Ricky Davis, Luther Head, Mike James, and Greg Ostertag (really!)
Odds & Ends: Nowitzki, Noah, Heat, Wizards
This year's later-than-usual trade deadline means we shouldn't expect the same amount of February player movement we'd normally see. Still, flipping the calendar page from to January to February means we're that much closer to seeing a few deals go down. While we wait to see where Dwight Howard, Chris Kaman, and the rest of this year's trade candidates land, let's round up today's odds and ends from around the league:
- Asked about his future in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Dirk Nowitzki said he plans to play "at least two more years" in the NBA (hat tip to BallinEurope.com). I wouldn't read too much into that statement — even when Dirk's current contract with the Mavericks expires in 2014, he'll be just 36. I'd be surprised to see him retire at that point, barring a major injury or drop-off in the next couple seasons.
- Joakim Noah admitted to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune that the pressure he felt after signing a $60MM contract extension with the Bulls contributed to his struggles early this season.
- The Heat have kept their expectations for the Eddy Curry experiment in check, and still may look to add another center, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sentinel. Their first choice is presumably Joel Przybilla, who will reportedly decide between the Heat and Bulls this week.
- Despite the team's struggles this season, president Ernie Grunfeld doesn't intend to abandon the Wizards' long-term strategy, as he tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
- Chris Paul's departure has left something of a leadership void in New Orleans, writes Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
- Marcus Banks has officially joined the D-League's Idaho Stampede, tweets Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside. The eight-year NBA veteran signed with the D-League last week.
Ishmael Smith Signs With D-League
Free agent point guard Ishmael Smith has signed a contract with the NBA D-League, according to Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside.
Smith, 23, appeared in six games earlier this season for the Warriors, earning a start in December against the Knicks as an injury replacement for Stephen Curry. As an undrafted rookie a year ago, Smith saw part-time action in 43 combined games for the Rockets and Grizzlies. The Wake Forest product will find a team after he clears waivers tomorrow, reports Schroeder.