Assessing The 2011/12 Waiver Claims
The vast majority of players placed on waivers go unclaimed and become free agents, but this year, there have been more waiver claims than usual, including a pair of players claimed after their previous teams waived them using the amnesty clause. Last month, Luke Adams provided a rundown on how teams can claim players off waivers, so now let's take a look at how this season's waiver claims have worked out.
- The most prominent example is Jeremy Lin, who was twice claimed off waivers this season after originally being let go by the Warriors. The Rockets claimed him December 11th, waived him a couple weeks later, and the Knicks made their claim December 27th. Left knee surgery will likely keep him out for the rest of the season unless the Knicks make a deep playoff run, but he'll wind up averaging 14.6 PPG and 6.2 APG, not too shabby for a player twice on the NBA scrapheap.
- Knicks GM Glen Grunwald struck gold with yet another waiver claim in Steve Novak, whom they picked up December 21st. Novak’s rise coincided with Lin’s, as he broke loose for 19 points in Lin’s first start, and has kept up his consistent long-range bombing even without Lin on the floor. He led the league in three-point percentage at 47.2%, but his shooting has never been in question. The difference this year was that he did enough in other phases of the game to warrant significant playing time. A career 4.9 PPG scorer, he averaged 10.4 PPG in 21.7 MPG beginning with that 19-point game on February 6th. We can only imagine how much better the Spurs would have been had they not waived him December 19th.
- Waiver claims are so infrequent that teams will sometimes agree to terms with players before they clear waivers. That’s what appeared to happen in March, when J.J. Hickson was dressed in Warriors gear and ready for a shootaround with Golden State when word hit that the Blazers had claimed him. We’ll never know how it would have worked out for him with the Warriors, but Hickson has thrived since joining Portland on March 21st, more than tripling the scoring average he put up in the first half of the season with the Kings (15.1 PPG to 4.7 PPG). He averaged 17.6 PPG and 10.6 RPG as a starter over the final eight games, and will be a sought-after commodity this summer, particularly if the Blazers fail to extend a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
- Chauncey Billups warned teams not to claim him when the Knicks amnestied him before the season, hoping he could sign with a contender as a free agent, but the Clippers claimed him anyway December 12th. It all worked out, as the Clippers became the sort of contending team Billups wanted to play for anyway when they traded for Chris Paul a few days later. Billups slid over to shooting guard and adjusted smoothly to his new position, averaging 15.0 PPG before going down with a season-ending Achilles’ tendon tear on February 6th.
- The Kings had much less success with claiming an amnestied player, saddling themselves on Dec. 17th with Travis Outlaw for $12MM over the remaining four years of his contract. He was even less of a factor in Sacramento than he was for the Nets before they waived him, averaging just 4.3 PPG in 12.8 MPG, his worst numbers since he was a rookie in 2003/04.
- The Warriors tried to replace Jeremy Lin when they claimed Ish Smith, another backup point guard, off waivers from the Grizzlies on December 16th. Smith was there for only six games and 63 total minutes before the Warriors put him back on waivers on January 14th. He went unclaimed this time, and was signed as a free agent February 2nd by the Magic, with whom he’s played the rest of the season.
- The Blazers quietly let go of backup big man Chris Johnson at the trade deadline, and amid rumors the Celtics were interested, the Hornets snapped him up off waivers March 19th. Depleted as the Hornets were along the front line this year, Johnson still only saw 82 total minutes over seven games before New Orleans put him back out on waivers April 18th. He remains unsigned since.
- Rod Higgins, the president of basketball operations for the Bobcats, gave son Cory Higgins quite a present on Christmas Day when the team claimed him off waivers from the Nuggets. The undrafted 22-year-old rookie from Colorado stayed on the Bobcats roster the entire season, averaging 3.9 PPG in 11.1 MPG.
Draft Updates: Mitchell, Robinson, Hornets
With just two nights left in the 2011/12 regular season, the draft lottery waters are still fairly murky. While the Bobcats and Wizards are locked in with the league's worst and second-worst records, six teams have between 21 and 23 wins. Games like tonight's Wizards/Cavaliers matchup and tomorrow's Nets/Raptors contest will go a long way to clearing up the lottery picture, with tiebreaking coin flips coming on Friday. Until then, be sure to check out our tentative draft order and our breakdown of just how the lottery works.
Here are today's draft-related items:
- Two Tony Mitchells were candidates to be drafted this season, and while Tony Mitchell of Alabama has declared his intent, Tony Mitchell of North Texas will return to school, tweets Jonathon Givony of DraftExpress.com. It was first reported earlier in April that Mitchell had decided to return to North Texas, but he seemed to be wavering after coach Johnny Jones was hired away by LSU. The North Texas freshman had been ranked 26th by DraftExpress' among this year's top 100 prospects.
- Thomas Robinson has hired agent Tony Dutt and Rivals Sports Group, according to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (via Twitter). Robinson will almost certainly be a top five pick in June, and could go as high as number two overall.
- In an Insider piece, David Thorpe of ESPN.com examines the Hornets' needs as the team heads into the draft armed with a pair of lottery picks.
Southwest Notes: Gordon, Hornets, Rockets
The Spurs clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for the second year in a row with their victory over the Blazers tonight. Now they'll concentrate on trying to avoid another upset like the one they suffered against the eighth-seeded Grizzlies last year. Here's the rest of the news from the Southwest Division:
- Eric Gordon will be a restricted free agent this summer, and is showing glimpses of why he'll be a commodity even as he's working his way back from injury for the Hornets, writes John Reid of The Times-Picayune.
- The company that operates the New Orleans Arena is seeking an extra $10MM from the Louisiana state government for upgrades to the building or other Hornets expenses, Ed Anderson of The Times-Picayune reports.
- With the Rockets eliminated from playoff contention, owner Leslie Alexander and coach Kevin McHale had little to say about where the team goes from here, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, who also takes a look at the team's muddied backcourt situation.
Odds & Ends: Heat, Benson, Pacers, Williams
The Knicks and Hawks are underway in Atlanta with Tyson Chandler receiving the afternoon off in hopes of getting himself healthier for the playoffs. In making his decision to give his center an opportunity to take a breathier, Knicks head coach Mike Woodson decided that there was little chance of catching the Magic for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. With a full slate of Sunday NBA action ahead, let's first take a look around the league to catch up on the latest news and headlines.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel says the Heat should consider signing a point guard for the playoffs and cut Eddy Curry to make room on the roster. Winderman suggests Anthony Carter or Antonio Daniels as viable options to solidify the Heat's backcourt. Carter, 36, was waived by the Raptors on March 15 after posting 2.0 PPG and 1.4 APG in limited action.
- Tom Benson's decision to purchase the Hornets is nothing short of a blessing for the city of New Orleans, writes Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post. The Saints owner will ensure the franchise remains in New Orleans, is given a nickname more reflective of the culture of the Crescent City and will foster a commitment to winning thanks to his deep pockets and love for his hometown. Hochman does concede, however, that the team must improve the New Orleans Arena and sign a more favorable television deal in order to reach profitability in what is still a small-market NBA city.
- Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star wonders if the Pacers can win an NBA championship without having a superstar on their roster. While the Pistons were able to win it all with a star-less starting lineup in 2004, Kravitz mentions that the 1979 SuperSonics were the most recent team prior to Detroit that didn't feature at least one truly dominant player like a Tim Duncan or Kobe Bryant. The Pacers should be able to knock off a Magic squad riddled with injuries, but will be tested if they face the Heat in the second round of the playoffs.
- Calling this season the toughest of his career, Deron Williams chats with Andy Vasquez of The Bergen Record about free agency and his future with the Nets.
Western Notes: Hornets, Salary Cap, Bryant
The Suns set themselves back in what was once a four-team race for the two remaining playoff spots in the Western Conference by falling at home to the Nuggets, who are now playoff-bound with the win. The Jazz, left to compete with the Suns and the Rockets for the final spot, take on the Dwight Howard-less Magic in Salt Lake City later tonight. Let's check in with the rest of the conference to see what else is making headlines on this Saturday evening.
- Hornets head coach Monty Williams plans to give his younger players more playing time in team's final three games of the season, writes John Reid of The Times Picayune. Williams hopes the extra minutes will give players such as forward Gustavo Ayon and guard Greivis Vasquez an extensive opportunity to work on fundamentals in an in-game setting rather than practice. The Hornets may be able to get a better sense of their myriad roster needs with a potentially busy offseason looming as the team looks to rebound from an especially trying season.
- Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld considers the best and worst case salary cap scenarios for all of the teams in the Western Conference heading into the offseason.
- Kobe Bryant and Steve Blake vocally demonstrated their support for current National Basketball Players Association president Derek Fisher as he faces scrutiny for demanding an independent audit of the union's business practices, reports The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry. “What’s wrong with doing an audit?” Bryant asked. “I’m very curious about that. Extremely. We all should be.” Blake, the Lakers' player representative, reiterated Bryant's sentiments by expressing his confidence in Fisher's leadership skills both on and off the court.
Southwest Links: Rockets, Hornets, Carlisle
With the Spurs, Mavericks and Grizzlies in action tonight, here are a few links regarding the Southwest division:
- Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle says that the down-the-stretch pressure was simply too much for the Rockets, who have folded in April essentially closing the door at any hopes for postseason play.
- Bill Ingram of Hoopsworld examines the Rockets' offseason needs, specifically replacing Yao Ming at center. With the futures of Marcus Camby and Samuel Dalembert uncertain in Houston, Ingram says that Houston could turn to Hornets' potential free agents Chris Kaman and/or Houston-born Emeka Okafor this summer. Kaman is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent and while Okafor is under contract, he is considered a viable amnesty candidate.
- Mark Cuban says that he would like to retain head coach Rick Carlisle, tweets the Star-Telegram's Dwain Price. Carlisle's contract is up at the end of the season. In his fourth year with the Mavs, Carlisle has led the team to the playoffs every year, winning the Southwest division in 2009-2010 and the NBA title in 2010-2011.
Odds & Ends: Curry, Hornets, Hollins, Bulls
As the NBA season enters its final week, the race for playoff berths and the jockeying for seeding will be the primary storylines. For out-of-contention teams though, the jockeying for draft spots and lottery balls will be the main focus of these last few games. Be sure to check out Hoops Rumors' tentative draft order to keep tabs on the shuffling standings this week.
Here's a grab-bag of links from around the Association:
- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is interesting in having Eddy Curry return to Miami next season, but Curry isn't sure whether he'll re-sign with the team, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.
- John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune examines a number of decisions facing the Hornets in the offseason, including the free agencies of Chris Kaman and Carl Landry and the possibility of amnestying Emeka Okafor.
- Both the Grizzlies and Bobcats passed on Lionel Hollins after he interviewed for their coaching openings in 2007, but Memphis didn't make the same mistake twice, writes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- Sam Smith fielded a number of questions on the Bulls and the rest of the league in a lengthy mailbag for Bulls.com.
Odds & Ends: Magloire, Curry, Hudson, Stiemsma
A few Thursday odds and ends from around the Association….
- The Raptors hope to bring Jamaal Magloire back next season, coach Dwane Casey tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.
- Stephen Curry told reporters, including Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, that "it would be great" if he and the Warriors could work out a contract extension this year. However, he acknowledged that it may be difficult for the two sides to agree on his value right now, given his injury-plagued 2011/12 campaign.
- Lester Hudson's second 10-day contract with the Cavaliers has expired and Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain Dealer wonders if he'll be re-signed. It's believed that Hudson is drawing interest from teams besides Cleveland, says Reed.
- If you're going to tank to score a good draft position, this is the year to do it, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News.
- Greg Stiemsma is "absolutely" interested in returning to the Celtics next season, as he tells Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com.
- Hornets GM Dell Demps and coach Monty Williams deserve to be retained by new ownership, writes John DeShazier of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Odds & Ends: George, Chandler, Pistons
- Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reports that the Pacers' Paul George has signed with Creative Artists Agency, the same organization that represents LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul to name a few (Sulia link).
- Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler is expected to miss the rest of the season, says Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post. Chandler had tried to play through pain on Sunday, but decided after the game that it would be best to shut himself down for the rest of the season.
- Don't expect to see the Pistons participating in the annual Las Vegas Summer League this year, as coach Lawrence Frank has opted to send his team to Orlando Magic Summer League instead (David Mayo of MLive reports). Frank cites the organizational structure and condensed schedule as the deciding factors.
- Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune writes that Jazz guard Blake Ahearn hopes to earn a second contract with the team and finish the rest of the season, as his initial contract is set to expire today. GM Kevin O'Connor says that he won't make a decision until after tonight's game against Portland.
- Lang Greene of HoopsWorld engaged in his weekly chat with fans tonight. A few thought provoking points included his assessment of Harrison Barnes as a player who won't be a franchise changer for a lottery team, the possibility that Austin Rivers slips in the draft, and Kendall Marshall as a player who belongs in the 16-20 pick range, among other topics.
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune examines the emergence of Nikola Mirotic, a 6'10 sharpshooting forward for Real Madrid whose draft rights are currently owned by the Bulls. Johnson also writes that Mirotic could have a legitimate shot to make the Spanish team for this year's Olympics.
- Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune reports that the Louisiana State of Exposition District board of commissioners has approved a long-term lease extension for the Hornets through 2024.
- Billy Witz of Fox Sports takes a closer look at Jerry Colangelo's criteria for assembling Team USA amidst a season of injuries and uncertainty for a number of players who are in his selection pool. Colangelo doesn't appear fazed, implying that the pool is deep enough to counter the potential unavailability of some of his choices for summer.
Hornets Sign Darryl Watkins, Waive Chris Johnson
The Hornets have signed Darryl Watkins to a 10-day contract and waived Chris Johnson, according to Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com (via Twitter). John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported earlier today that the injury-ravaged Hornets were expected to replace Johnson with another big man.
Watkins, 27, only played nine regular-season games in his NBA career, way back in the 2007/08 season with the Kings. He has received training-camp invites from a few teams, including the Hornets in 2010. In recent seasons, Watkins has played in the D-League and in various leagues overseas. With less than 10 days remaining in the regular season, The Syracuse product will be eligible for the rest of the Hornets' games, with Chris Kaman and Emeka Okafor out of the lineup with injuries.
Johnson was released by the Trail Blazers along with Greg Oden at the trade deadline to make room for Portland's incoming players. The Hornets claimed Johnson off waivers, but the big man appeared in just seven games for New Orleans before suffering a concussion on April 1st. He hasn't played since.
As Hoops Rumors' 10-day contract tracker shows, Watkins is the sixth player to receive at least one 10-day contract from the Hornets this season.