Bucks Waive Tucker, Gill, Farrakhan, Greene
The Bucks have waived Alando Tucker, Eddie Gill, Mustapha Farrakhan, and Orien Greene, according to C.F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter). Milwaukee is now at the regular season roster limit of 15.
Tucker was a former first-round pick of the Suns in the 2007 draft but was never able to live up to expectations. The 6’6″ forward out of Wisconsin has been absent from the league since being cut by the Timberwolves in December of 2009.
Gill, 34, has been out of the Association since his last go-round with the Bucks in 2008/09. Farrakhan played for the Knicks’ summer league squad this season before hooking on with Milwaukee on October 1st. Greene, 30, spent last season in the D-League and averaged 9.2 PPG and 3.4 RPG for the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
Odds & Ends: Mavs, Brooks, Suns, Bucks
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News believes the Mavs will go "hard" after Chris Paul, and perhaps Dwight Howard, in free agency next summer. That would be no surprise, given the team's effort to position itself to pursue another marquee name next summer after its push to sign Deron Williams fell through. It's hard to envision either turning down a five-year deal in L.A. for a four-year contract in Dallas, especially considering Paul's involvement in the Clippers' offseason moves and Howard's enthusiasm about being with the Lakers, but plenty can happen between now and July. In the meantime, here's a late night look around the Association:
- Before signing with the Kings this summer, Aaron Brooks was expecting to return to the Suns, who held the right to match offers for him until they pulled their qualifying offer to him in July, as Paul Coro and Zach Buchanan of the Arizona Republic report.
- P.J. Tucker, whose contract with the Suns is partially guaranteed for $150K, has emerged as the team's best perimeter defender, coach Alvin Gentry said, according to Coro and Buchanan.
- Camp invitee Alando Tucker is "nearly certain" to be let go by the Bucks, who have 15 other players on fully guaranteed deals, and is considering playing in Europe this season, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes.
- Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal argues that incoming Grizzlies owner Robert Pera should keep GM Chris Wallace around.
- After the Spurs ran counter to coach Gregg Popovich's previous indication and cut both Eddy Curry and Derrick Brown today, Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News does his best to size up the remaining competitors for the end of the Spurs bench.
- HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy identifies 15 players who have surprised with their performances in the preseason.
- Alexey Shved will see significant minutes backing up Brandon Roy at shooting guard for the Wolves, but life in the NBA has been an adjustment on and off the court for the offseason signee from Russia, as Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune details.
- The Clippers' signing of Matt Barnes looks shrewd now that Grant Hill is out with a bone bruise in his right knee, Ben Golliver of SI.com believes.
Bucks Notes: D-League, Gooden
Here are a couple notes on the Bucks, a team that begins the 2012/13 season with playoff expectations.
- Ridiculous Upside's Keith Schlosser takes a look at three players in the D-League who could make Milwaukee's roster. They are Alando Tucker, Orien Greene, and Eddie Gill. A major reason for why these guards have a chance is their collective experience in the NBA, which could be useful as they go through preseason.
- Not all veterans are willing to accept the "mentor" role once their career begins to wind down. However, the Bucks are fortunate in that they have more than one veteran looking to make life easier for the younger guys, writes JSOnline.com's Charles F. Gardner. Players such as Drew Gooden, Mike Dunleavy, and Samuel Dalembert should be great for the Bucks' chemistry as they try to make the postseason.
Bucks Sign Four To Camp Roster
The Bucks have added four players to their training camp roster on non-guaranteed deals, according to various reports. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando first reported (via Twitter) that the team had signed Orien Greene, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reported (via Twitter) the signing of Mustapha Farrakhan, and Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel added Alando Tucker and Eddie Gill to the list of new Bucks (Twitter link).
We had previously heard that Greene, a four-year NBA veteran, and Tucker, a former Wisconsin standout and first-round pick, were auditioning for the Bucks in hopes of landing training camp invites. Farrakhan, meanwhile, played for the Knicks' summer league squad, while Gill hasn't appeared in an NBA game since he played for Milwaukee in the 2008/09 season.
The Bucks already have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, so it will be an uphill battle for any of these four players to earn a regular-season roster spot with the team. The team's roster now stands at 19 players.
Odds & Ends: Bucks, Wolves, McGee, Cook, Mavs
Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel checks in with several Bucks who are working out prior to the opening of training camp. Joining the workout are a few hopefuls who are auditioning for a formal invitation to camp, and that group includes Alando Tucker, the 29th overall pick in the 2007 draft, and Orien Greene, a four-year NBA vet who last played with the Nets in 2010/11. It's been a busy night as teams make their final moves before training camp, and we've got several more tidbits here:
- Chase Budinger might be new to Minnesota, but he's no stranger to the Wolves coaching staff, having played under coach Rick Adelman and some of his assistants while they were together with the Rockets, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune writes.
- In the same piece, Zgoda adds Anthony Tolliver to the list of players whose agents remain in contact with Wolves GM David Kahn. Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 reported earlier that Kahn was talking to the representatives of Hassan Whiteside and Sean Williams.
- Hakeem Olajuwon has worked with several NBA players, but none have spent more time under his tutelage than JaVale McGee, who re-signed with the Nuggets this summer on a four-year, $44MM deal, as Chris Broussard of ESPN.com writes (Insider only).
- Brian Cook, who re-signed with the Wizards today, was initially apprehensive about getting sent to Washington from the playoff-bound Clippers in a deadline deal last season, but was quickly sold on the move when he realized his new teammates wanted to win, as Michael Lee of The Washington Post notes.
- Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside looks at Josh Akognon's circuitous journey to Mavericks training camp. The 5'11" point guard is set to join the Mavs, likely on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal.
- Mark Montieth of Pacers.com examines the basketball roots of Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard, an Indiana native who played under former Pacers coach Larry Brown in college.
- Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel gives his take on the alliance of Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard, who are supporting the same local political issue in Orlando months after their acrimonious departures from the Magic.
- The company that owns the Staples Center, home of the Lakers and Clippers, is up for sale, as Walter Hamilton of the Los Angeles Times writes.
Free Agent Rumors: Oguchi, Howard, Tucker
Over two and a half months since 2012's free agent period began, a number of players are still seeking contracts with NBA teams, even if those deals are just non-guaranteed camp invites. Here's the latest updates on a few of the players still on the market:
- Nigerian swingman Chamberlain Oguchi, who was said last month to be drawing NBA interest, has been updating his Twitter account with news on his workouts. Oguchi has worked out for the Spurs and Heat, and recently had a second workout with Miami, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel notes (Sulia link). According to George Akpayen of SuperSport.com, Oguchi could be nearing an agreement with the Heat on a non-guaranteed contract.
- The Heat also haven't ruled out a camp invite for Juwan Howard, who continues to work out with the team, says Winderman (Sulia link).
- Former first-round pick Alando Tucker is working out with the Bucks today and tomorrow, according to Tucker's Twitter feed (hat tip to Sportando).
- Agent Tyler Glass tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Twitter link) that free agent guard Lester Hudson was dropped by his agency after failing to show up for a workout with the Bobcats.
- Mark Deeks of ShamSports shares an interesting new detail on a free agent contract signed earlier this offseason: Nate Robinson's deal with the Bulls isn't fully guaranteed, tweets Deeks. In a second tweet, Deeks explains that $400K is guaranteed, with Robinson receiving his full salary if he's not waived by January 1st.