Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Ike Diogu

Knicks Sign Ike Diogu

September 27th, 2013 at 4:32pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 4:32pm: The Knicks have officially signed Diogu, the team announced today (Twitter link).

MONDAY, 10:42am: The Knicks will add veteran forward Ike Diogu to their training camp roster, according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday (Twitter link). Diogu will occupy one of the three remaining open spots on New York's offseason roster.

Diogu, 30, was one of several free agents who worked out for the Knicks last week in the hopes of landing a camp invitation. New York is also expected to bring another one of the participants in that audition, Josh Powell, to camp, as we heard over the weekend.

Diogu was drafted ninth overall in 2005 by the Warriors and had a solid rookie season, including 7.0 PPG and a 15.8 PER. However, early in his second NBA season, he was sent to Indiana in an eight-player swap that landed Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson in Golden State. Diogu was traded twice more in the next two years, and never had another season as productive as his rookie year. He last appeared in two games for the Spurs during the 2011/12 campaign.

With Diogu on board, the Knicks will have six players on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed deals, to go along with their 12 guaranteed contracts. C.J. Leslie, who has a $200K guarantee, figures to be a lock for a regular-season roster spot, while Diogu, Powell, Chris Smith, Toure Murry, and Jeremy Tyler will compete for the last two openings.

Read more

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Ike Diogu To Join Knicks For Camp

September 23rd, 2013 at 10:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks will add veteran forward Ike Diogu to their training camp roster, according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday (Twitter link). Diogu will occupy one of the three remaining open spots on New York's offseason roster.

Diogu, 30, was one of several free agents who worked out for the Knicks last week in the hopes of landing a camp invitation. New York is also expected to bring another one of the participants in that audition, Josh Powell, to camp, as we heard over the weekend.

Diogu was drafted ninth overall in 2005 by the Warriors and had a solid rookie season, including 7.0 PPG and a 15.8 PER. However, early in his second NBA season, he was sent to Indiana in an eight-player swap that landed Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson in Golden State. Diogu was traded twice more in the next two years, and never had another season as productive as his rookie year. He last appeared in two games for the Spurs during the 2011/12 campaign.

With Diogu on board, the Knicks will have six players on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed deals, to go along with their 12 guaranteed contracts. C.J. Leslie, who has a $200K guarantee, figures to be a lock for a regular-season roster spot, while Diogu, Powell, Chris Smith, Toure Murry, and Jeremy Tyler will compete for the last two openings.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Knicks Worked Out Diop, Aldrich, Others

September 17th, 2013 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

2:29pm: Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Reports adds DeSagana Diop to the list of players who participated in the Knicks' workouts this week (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld isn't sure if Hassan Whiteside worked out for the Knicks, but says the team has expressed interest in the former King (Twitter link).

1:47pm: The Knicks may have 16 players under contract, but the team is still eyeing free agents and weighing the possibility of adding a few more bodies to its camp roster. The club has conducted mini-camp workouts this week, and according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter links), Ike Diogu, Cole Aldrich, and Josh Powell are among the players who have auditioned.

Reports yesterday indicated that Ricky Davis and Justin Brownlee were also working out as part of the Knicks' mini-camp, so the team seems to be casting a wide net as it searches for potential contributors.

Despite the fact that the Knicks are already carrying more than 15 players, only 12 of those contracts are fully guaranteed. C.J. Leslie and Jeremy Tyler have small guarantees – $200K and $100K, respectively – which could give them an inside track at roster spots, but Tyler is recovering from foot surgery, so it's no surprise that New York is still auditioning big men.

If we assume Leslie will earn a roster spot, that would leave two possible openings for Tyler, Chris Smith, Toure Murry, and up to four more camp invitees.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Pacific Notes: Paul, Clippers, Kings, Jackson

April 21st, 2013 at 5:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Chris Paul has kept mum on his future so far, but he may have dropped some very telling hints when speaking to reporters this afternoon.  The Clippers star remarked that guard Eric Bledsoe is likely going to wind up elsewhere next year because the club won't have enough money to sign him, tweets Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com.  The way that Paul spoke of Bledsoe's future leads Markazi to believe (link) that Paul intends on staying in L.A. for the long-term.  It's also worth noting that Bledsoe isn't a free agent this summer – he's under contract next season for $2.6MM.  However, the Clippers are expected to shop him when/if Paul re-signs (link).  Here's more out of the Pacific.. 

  • An NBA owner expressed his doubts to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com about Sacramento's bid for the Kings, saying, "The check's in the mail, and that's not good enough. The check's got to arrive."  Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson nonetheless believes most owners were "blown away" by the competitiveness of the city's offer, as well as the fast pace at which its come together.
  • Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News (on Twitter) notes that the three-year, $28MM extension that Stephen Jackson signed with the Warriors is just expiring now after four trades and one release.
  • Ike Diogu began the season in training camp with the Suns and played 41 games with the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China.  Now, he's headed to Puerto Rico to play with Leones de Ponce, Sportando's Emiliano Carchia reports. 
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

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.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Suns Waive Ike Diogu, Solomon Jones

October 24th, 2012 at 7:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns have waived Ike Diogu and Solomon Jones, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Both were on non-guaranteed deals. Coro says the moves mean fellow camp invitees Diante Garrett and Luke Zeller will likely make the team, as Coro predicted earlier today. Phoenix has 15 players remaining on the roster, so they're down to the regular season limit.

The Warriors selected Diogu with the ninth overall pick in the 2005 draft, but traded him midway through his second season with the team, and he's been a journeyman ever since. He's averaged 6.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in parts of six NBA seasons, including a brief two-game stint with the Spurs last year, and also spent time playing in China and Puerto Rico during 2011/12. 

Jones was the first camp invitee for the Suns this season after 21 total games with the Clippers and Hornets last year. The former second-round pick hasn't made much impact in his six seasons in the league, but he did notch career highs in points (5.5), rebounds (3.7) and minutes per game (17.8) last year.

Coro believes that the fact Zeller and Garrett would make only the rookie minimum salary of $473,604, almost half of the veteran's amount of $854,389 the Suns would owe Diogu and Jones, is playing a role in the club's decision on which of its camp invitees to keep for the regular season. Though the team is well below the salary cap, owner Robert Sarver is notorious for pinching pennies.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Pacific Notes: Suns, D12, Paul, Lakers, Fredette

October 16th, 2012 at 1:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's head to the west coast and round up a few of Tuesday's items out of the Pacific Division….

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Suns Sign Ike Diogu

October 1st, 2012 at 10:29am CST by Luke Adams

After we heard earlier today that the Suns had added a handful of players to their training camp roster, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic adds another name to the list. According to Coro, Ike Diogu will also be part of the team's camp roster and will compete for a regular-season roster spot.

Diogu, the ninth overall pick in 2005, has appeared in 225 games over his NBA career, averaging 6.0 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 12.4 MPG for the Warriors, Pacers, Blazers, Kings, Clippers, and Spurs. The former Arizona State star also played for Nigeria at this summer's Olympics, averaging 14.8 PPG and 9.0 RPG for his country.

The signing brings the Suns' roster count to 18 players, including six who are on non- or partially-guaranteed contracts, so Diogu should have a reasonable chance at earning a roster spot.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Diogu, McCants Sign In Puerto Rico

February 8th, 2012 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

Caciques de Humacao of the Puerto Rican basketball league has signed former NBA players Ike Diogu and Rashad McCants, the team officially announced this week (hat tip to Sportando). The league will get underway in March, with Diogu and McCants expected to arrive later this month.

Diogu, the ninth overall pick in the 2005 draft, played briefly for the Spurs earlier this season before being released. Over the course of his NBA career, the 28-year-old has posted 6.0 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and a 15.6 PER in 225 games.

McCants, 27, was selected just five picks after Diogu in 2005, going 14th overall to the Timberwolves. The former UNC star hasn't played in the NBA since he was waived by the Kings in January 2010. McCants averaged 10.0 PPG on 43.1% shooting in 249 career NBA games.

The signings of Diogu and McCants were mentioned by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports earlier this week when he discussed the Puerto Rican league's interest in Allen Iverson.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0