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.
Kings, Sacramento Fail To Reach Arena Agreement
10:50pm: NBA commissioner David Stern released a statement responding to news that the city of Sacramento and the Kings have failed to reach an arena agreement, reports USA Today's J. Michael Falgoust (via Twitter).
"We are disappointed for the city, its businesses and the supportive fans of the Kings, as well as team ownership , that this transaction, which we thought was fair has been abandoned. The Kings had the right to do that, as well as the right to continue at Power Balance Arena."
2:41pm: Johnson says Sacramento will move on to "Plan B" and try to build a downtown sports arena without the Kings. Co-owner George Maloof, meanwhile, says the Kings don't intend to seek relocation. Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee has the details.
2:08pm: After two days of meetings to see if the two sides could salvage the proposal for a new arena, the city of Sacramento and the Kings have failed to reach an agreement. The arena deal is dead, tweets Rob McAllister of KFBK in Sacramento. The Maloofs confirmed in a statement that today's talks were unsuccessful and no further discussions are scheduled (Twitter link).
"It became clear today that our differences are irreconcilable," said Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, who added that the best interests of the city and team were not aligned. According to Johnson, the two sides wanted to leave "no stone unturned," but the deal that was tentatively agreed upon in February will not be happening (all four Twitter links).
While it's too early to jump to conclusions about the Kings moving to Anaheim or anywhere else, the team's long-term future in Sacramento is hazy at the moment. We'll have to wait to see what the next move is for the Kings' owners and the city of Sacramento.
Pacific Notes: World Peace, Olshey, Smart
When the NBA announced yesterday that it had suspended Metta World Peace seven games for his elbow on James Harden, it was a lesser punishment than many expected. Chris Mannix of SI.com wrote last night that the Association missed its chance to send a strong message by hitting the Lakers veteran with a more significant penalty, perhaps banning him from the postseason.
NBA commissioner David Stern defended the league's decision today, saying that a number of factors were considered and that seven games were "larger than some people might have thought from just an elbow" (Twitter links). Stern also hinted that the suspension may have been longer during the regular season, since seven games at this time of year is more significant than it would be earlier in the season (Twitter link).
As we debate whether the punishment for the forward formerly known as Ron Artest was too lenient, too strict, or just right, here are the rest of today's notes out of the Pacific:
- World Peace will forfeit nearly $348K in salary due to the suspension, according to Mike Breshanan of the Los Angeles Times.
- Does Neil Olshey have a chance to win NBA's executive of the year award? Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com examines the case for the Clippers GM.
- Kings coach Keith Smart plans to bring back his entire coaching staff next season, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. Most of Smart's assistant coaches were in place before he took over for Paul Westphal.
Sacramento, Maloofs Will Meet To Discuss Arena
Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson and Kings co-owner George Maloof spoke on Tuesday and have agreed to meet later this week to discuss the Sacramento arena deal, reports Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee. A Maloof spokesman informed the Bee that the meeting would occur Thursday morning in Sacramento.
Johnson told reporters Tuesday that the meeting figures to be a make-or-break session, determining whether the city's arena deal is back on or whether it has fallen apart permanently. The Sacramento mayor called his outlook "hopeful rather than confident," which is the same language NBA commissioner David Stern used earlier this month when the deal initially collapsed.
Currently, the two sides seem divided on revenue projection associated with the planned downtown arena, but George Maloof insists the Kings owners are "going to do the best we can [to] try to get something done."
Pacific Notes: Warriors, World Peace, Nash, Kings
The Pacific Division hasn't been decided yet, but the magic number is down to one. If the Lakers win the final game of their season in Sacramento, or the Clippers lose in either Atlanta or New York, the Lakers will clinch the division. The consolation for the Clips? A win against either the Hawks or Knicks would at least earn them first-round homecourt advantage. Either way, the Staples Centre will be hosting of plenty of postseason contests starting next weekend.
Here's the latest out of the Pacific:
- Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News put the Warriors' odds of retaining their first-round pick at about 20-25% after they beat the Timberwolves yesterday. Golden State's pick is top-seven protected, and as our tentative draft order shows, the team is currently the league's eighth-worst.
- Warriors fans shouldn't sweat it if the team loses its first-rounder, says Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com.
- J.A. Adande of ESPN.com argues that Metta World Peace should be suspended for two games more than James Harden misses. World Peace's elbow during yesterday's game resulted in a concussion for Harden, and will certainly mean a suspension for the Lakers forward — Las Vegas has set the over/under at 7.5 games (Twitter link). In a poll yesterday, 58% of respondents said the Lakers would still win at least one playoff series without the man formerly known as Ron Artest.
- With Steve Nash facing free agency, Eric Koreen of the National Post examines the pros and cons of a few potential destinations for the Suns star.
- Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty ponders whether the Tyreke Evans era could be nearing an end for the Kings.
- Sacramento officials will return a portion of the $200K the NBA sent the city for pre-development work on the Kings' arena, reports Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee.
Pacific Notes: MVP, Clippers, Evans
With a busy Sunday on tap for all of the Pacific Division teams minus a Suns squad who blew an opportunity to shore up their muddled playoff picture, we'll head out west to check in on the latest news and headlines.
- Mike Monroe of Spurs Nation says that while LeBron James and Kevin Durant have had excellent seasons, the real MVP is Clippers point guard Chris Paul. Monroe points to Paul's ability to take the Clippers from a perennial doormat to one of the top four teams in the conference as the main reason why the former Wake Forest star deserves the nod as most valuable player. In his first season in Los Angeles, Paul is averaging 19.3 PPG, 9.0 APG and a league-leading 2.45 SPG.
- The Clippers have received the better end of the deal that saw the Hornets send Paul to Los Angeles in exchange for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and the Timberwolves' unprotected first-round pick, writes John Reid of The Times Picayune. Paul's MVP-level play aside, the Hornets spent most of the season without Gordon, the centerpiece of the trade, who has only played in eight games this season. As a result, the Clippers and Hornets have nearly swapped roles from a season ago as Los Angeles is playoff-bound with New Orleans looking to continue to rebuild through the draft.
- Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee suggests Kings guard-turned-small forward Tyreke Evans is at a crossroads in his young career. Sacramento will consider trading the former Memphis star, not because of his lack of production, but because the team has struggled mightily over the past six seasons. Regardless of where he ends up this offseason, Evans has to figure out if he is willing to do whatever it takes to elevate his play to the next level given his boundless talent.
Odds & Ends: Evans, Lewis, McGee, Bradley
On this day in 1996, the Bulls defeated the Bullets 103-93 to finish the season with a 72-10 record, which eclipsed the 1972 Lakers‘ 69-13 mark. The W also earned Chicago their 33rd road victory, the most ever in a season by an NBA team. Here’s a look at today’s items from around the Association..
- Tyreke Evans‘ agent, Arn Tellem, was in town yesterday for a meeting with Kings president Geoff Petrie and management about his client, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. The two sides didn’t talk about a contract extension or a potential trade for Evans but did discuss where he stands with the team going forward.
- Wizards forward Rashard Lewis is a likely candidate to be bought out this summer, but the 32-year-old believes that he has plenty of basketball left in him, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
- There are still times when JaVale McGee misses Washington, but the big man is happy to be with the Nuggets, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. McGee won’t say much about his impending free agency but says that he wouldn’t mind coming back to Denver.
- Avery Bradley has gone from question mark to future cornerstone for the Celtics’ long-term rebuilding project, writes Paul Flannery of WEEI.com.
Odds & Ends: Amnesty, Magic, Pistons, Blazers
With only six games on the schedule on Friday night, lets take a look at what else is going on in the Association:
- Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson flew to Las Vegas to meet with the Kings' ownership in an attempt to revive arena discussions, says the Sacramento Bee. According to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com via Twitter, a George Maloof spokesman said the talks were "cordial" but "nothing definitive resulted."
- RealGM has published their helpful "2012 Amnesty 2.0 Primer" which outlines every team's amnesty situation, including which players are eligible as well as which are reasonable candidates. Players are only eligible if they are still under contract with the same team when the CBA was reached.
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel tweets that Stan Van Gundy has received no indication from GM Otis Smith that the Magic will sign a free agent center to help deal with the loss of Dwight Howard.
- Joel Brigham from Hoopsworld offers a detailed analysis of the Pistons' roster, and their offseason outlook at improving it. Brigham says that while they have some young building blocks, Detroit also has enough overpaid veterans getting enough minutes to impede their progress.
- Dr. Jack Ramsay was on 1080 The Fan in Portland and discussed the Blazers coaching and GM situations as well as their roster. Ramsay was skeptical that they could land a big-time coach and isn't confident that they can improve significantly.
Pacific Notes: Nash, Robinson, Kings, Williams
It appears 2012 will be yet another year without a Pacific Division title for the Clippers, who fell to the Suns last night to slip a half-game in the standings. While the Clippers are only a game behind the Lakers, the Lakers hold the tiebreaker, so with just three games left, the Clips look ticketed for a second-place finish in the Pacific. Still, as Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes, one more win would clinch the Clippers' best winning percentage in team history.
Here are a few more Friday morning notes out of the Pacific:
- TNT's David Aldridge told Arizona Sports 620 that he believes there's a good chance Steve Nash stays with the Suns next season. Vince Marotta of ArizonaSports.com has the details.
- Nate Robinson would like to re-sign with his Warriors but isn't getting his hopes up, says Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group.
- Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee has the latest details on why the Kings' owners rejected the Sacramento arena proposal.
- Terrence Williams has impressed in his late-season audition with the Kings, writes Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee. Williams, who was waived by the Rockets last month, will be a restricted free agent this summer if the Kings decide to extend him a $1.06MM qualifying offer.
Pacific Notes: Bynum, Warriors, McGuire, Kings
The Lakers are on a four-game winning streak, but haven't been able to pull away from their cross-town rivals — the Clippers have won four straight too, remaining within a single game of first place in the Pacific Division. The Clips have five games to make up the ground and potentially avoid a first-round matchup with the Grizzlies, but it won't be easy. The Lakers hold the tiebreaker, so their lead is essentially two games. Still, the Lakers face the Spurs twice and the Thunder once in the next week, so the Pacific race is far from over.
Here are a few of the latest updates out of the division:
- Taking an in-depth look at Andrew Bynum's recent "youthful rebellion," Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com says locking up the young center long-term won't necessarily be an automatic decision for the Lakers.
- Warriors coach Mark Jackson would like to solidify the small forward position heading into next season, writes Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. The Warriors have Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, David Lee, and Andrew Bogut locked in as starters at the other four positions.
- Dominic McGuire believes his all-around game makes him a strong candidate to start for the Warriors next year, assuming they re-sign him, as he tells Thompson: "You put me around four scorers like that, you’ll see more from me."
- Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee and Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty continue to provide updates on the Kings' arena situation, which doesn't have a clear direction at this point.