While a report surfaced last night suggesting that the Knicks may be reluctant to match a backloaded offer to Jeremy Lin, it doesn't appear that such an offer will come from Brooklyn. According to TNT's David Aldridge, the Nets haven't reached out to Lin, and appear to be viewing Steve Nash as Plan B if they can't lock up Deron Williams. Let's round up a few more free agent tidbits from around the league….
- While an earlier report (linked below) from K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune suggests the Bulls will only offer the minimum to Kirk Hinrich, Johnson says he's now emerging as the team's top target (Twitter link).
- Chris Kaman had a "positive" meeting with the Pacers today, but no offer was made, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
- Frank Isola of the New York Daily News believes Lin and Nash may be an either/or proposition for the Knicks.
Earlier updates:
Earlier today, we heard that Gerald Wallace will seek a multiyear guarantee this summer. Here's a few more items out of the Atlantic Division:
- Deron Williams told reporters, including Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record, that he hopes to sign a new contract before the Olympics, which will get underway in late July (Twitter link).
- Brook Lopez "made it very clear" to the same group of reporters that he loves being a Net and hopes to re-sign with the team (Twitter link).
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star thinks the Raptors should trade their first-rounder if they don't land the first overall pick. He argues that the team will have a lottery pick arriving in Jonas Valanciunas, and would be better off with a veteran player rather than another rookie.
- Chris Wilcox, recovering from heart surgery, was waived by the Celtics a few weeks ago, but plans to attend the team's playoff games against the Hawks. Wilcox told Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com that he'd like to be a Celtic next season: "I want to finish what I’ve started here. I thought this was a great opportunity for me and things were working out well, and I went to the doctor to get a check up and things just changed."
- Asked by Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times if he'd exercise his early termination option this summer, Lou Williams said he has yet to decide. John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported last weekend that the Sixers guard would opt out of his deal.
The Celtics announced today that Jermaine O'Neal underwent successful surgery on his injured left wrist. And as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets, all went well with Chris Wilcox's heart surgery yesterday too. Wilcox was waived by the Celtics earlier this month, and Boston could choose to let O'Neal go as well if the team needs to use his roster spot. For now though, the Celtics don't appear to be eyeing any free agents.
Here are a few more Friday afternoon updates out of the Atlantic Division:
- Celtics big man Kevin Garnett appeared on WEEI's Mutt and Merloni show yesterday, and made some interesting comments, as Rich Levine of CSNNE.com writes. "I never wanted to be pieced around, or treated like a pawn, or a piece on the board," Garnett said. "Loyalty in this game has been depleted on both sides. The business of this game is terrible for players. It's all over the place. I have to choose and make a decision to whether to be part of the future of that. I wish players would take more of a stand in our league and understand that it's a player's league." Reading between the lines, Levine surmises that Garnett may have been referring to the lockout, the trade deadline, or both.
- The NBA's D-League has turned into more of a true minor league system and is helping players reach the NBA, writes Jorge Castillo of the Star-Ledger. Castillo's piece is an interesting read, with a focus on the Nets' D-League call-ups, including Gerald Green and Jerry Smith.
- The Knicks' offseason addition of Baron Davis fell under the radar following Jeremy Lin's emergence, but Lin's injury has given Davis a chance to re-enter the spotlight, says Keith Schlosser of the New York Times.
The Celtics have officially signed Ryan Hollins and waived Chris Wilcox, according a team release. The moves leave Boston with a full roster of 15 players.
Hollins, 27, was waived by Cleveland earlier this week. The 7'0" center has struggled this season, averaging 3.7 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 24 games for the Cavaliers. However, the Celtics were in need of frontcourt depth, having lost Wilcox to a heart condition and Jermaine O'Neal to season-ending wrist surgery. Wilcox was facing unrestricted free agency at season's end, so Boston will just have to pay his salary for the rest of 2011/12.
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com first reported that the Celtics were expected to land Hollins, while USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt reported an agreement had been reached.
2:54pm: The Celtics will sign Hollins after he clears waivers and passes a physical, tweets USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt. If Hollins still needs to pass through waivers, the signing is far from official, as we learned with J.J. Hickson. But it appears Boston will land Hollins later today.
1:43pm: The Celtics are working on a contract for the recently waived Ryan Hollins, and are expected to cut Chris Wilcox if they land Hollins, reports A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (via Twitter).
Hollins, 27, parted ways with the Cavaliers earlier this week in a move Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal characterized as a mutual decision. The Celtics, in need of a big man after losing Jermaine O’Neal for the season and missing out on Ronny Turiaf, were reported to be the frontrunners to land Hollins. Blakely adds that the Celtics may continue to search for a big man even if they sign Hollins (Twitter link).
Wilcox is sidelined for the rest of the season due to a heart issue which required surgery. Cutting him would open up a roster spot for the Celtics, though his $3MM cap figure for this year would remain on the team’s books. Wilcox is an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
As first reported by Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (via Twitter), Chris Wilcox won't return to action for the Celtics this season.
Wilcox, who was sidelined with a possible heart condition, was ruled out for the season after undergoing additional tests. For Wilcox's sake, we hope the move is precautionary, and that the tests didn't reveal a serious health issue.
As for the Celtics, Wilcox's absence means the team will almost certainly have to add another big man, whether it's via trade or free agency.
Danny Granger‘s status as Indiana’s best player has gone into question over the course of this season. With his drop in scoring and overall contribution not matching up with his significant salary, there’s a growing chance that he could be traded. According to Fox Sports’ Chris Tomasson, when asked if he could be dealt before this Thursday’s trade deadline, Granger said, “possibly.”
Here’s a look at a few other notes from around the league:
- In a tweet from ESPNBoston’s Chris Forsberg, Doc Rivers said that Chris Wilcox‘s heart issue could be similar to Jeff Green‘s in that it might end his season. Boston was already looking for more front court depth before news of this injury was revealed, and it could now ratchet up their hunt. CSNNE.com’s A. Sherrod Blakely added in another tweet that Wilcox used to receive monthly check-ups when he was in Detroit. Right now he’s officially listed as out indefinitely.
- According to The Denver Post’s Benjamin Hochman’s twitter feed, Wilson Chandler is currently working out in Denver, waiting for his agent to negotiate a contract with the Nuggets.