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Sixers Confirm Doug Collins Won’t Return

April 18th, 2013 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

Doug Collins won't return as the Sixers' head coach next season, owner Josh Harris confirmed today, according to Michael Preston, the team's director of public relations (Twitter link). According to TNT's David Aldridge (Twitter link), Harris made it clear at the press conference that he wanted Collins to stay, and that it was the coach's decision to step down.

For Collins, it was his fourth head coaching stint that lasted three seasons or less. He also previously spent three years coaching the Pistons, three years coaching the Bulls, and two years coaching the Wizards. During his time in Philadelphia, he led the team to a 110-120 record, and a pair of playoff berths.

According to Harris, Collins will stay on as an advisor to the team (Twitter link via Jason Wolf of USA Today). However, stepping down will allow Collins to spend more time with his grandkids and help his son Chris, who will be the head coach at Northwestern, tweets Aldridge. Collins told reporters, including Aldridge that he decided back around Christmas that he would likely step down at season's end. Collins approached GM Tony DiLeo and president Rod Thorn about two months ago to try to determine an exit strategy (Twitter links).

DiLeo will remain in his role with the Sixers, and will work with ownership in selecting a new coach for the club, Harris confirmed (Twitter link via Aldridge). Collins said today that he'd like the team to consider assistant Michael Curry for the position (Twitter link via Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com). Back in February, we heard that Curry would be viewed as a legitimate long-term candidate if and when Collins stepped down.

Warriors Sign Dwayne Jones

April 17th, 2013 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

3:31pm: The Warriors have officially signed Jones, the team announced today in a press release.

2:19pm: The Warriors will sign big man Dwayne Jones for the remainder of the season, agent Joel Bell tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com (Twitter link). Jones had been playing with the D-League's Texas Legends.

Jones, who will turn 30 in June, played for four different teams in parts of five NBA seasons, but hasn't seen regular-season action in the Association since appearing in two games for the Suns in 2009/10. In 21 games for the Legends this season, Jones has averaged 8.8 PPG and 12.6 RPG.

For the Warriors, it will be their second signing of the day, after they inked Scott Machado to a rest-of-season deal. Machado is the team's 14th man, so there's still a roster spot open for Jones, meaning no corresponding move is required.

Machado also remains assigned to the team's D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, as the D-League squad prepares to begin its second-round playoff series against Austin tonight. It's not clear whether Machado and Jones will be part of the NBA Warriors' postseason roster when the playoffs begin this weekend, or whether both players will remain with Santa Cruz. In any case, it looks like Machado and Jones were added with an eye toward next season, or at least July's Summer League. I would guess both players have non-guaranteed options for 2013/14.

Grizzlies Sign Donte Greene

April 17th, 2013 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 2:02pm: The Grizzlies have officially signed Greene, according to a team release.

TUESDAY, 12:14pm: After agreeing to sign Willie Reed and waiving Dexter Pittman on the weekend, the Grizzlies are expected to make one more roster move before the regular season ends, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Tillery tweets that the team will likely sign free agent forward Donte Greene.

Greene, 25, had been set to sign with the Nets last August before a fractured ankle sidelined him for several months, voiding his agreement with Brooklyn. Upon getting healthy, he reportedly drew NBA interest, but failed to land a contract. Last we heard, Greene was preparing to join a team in Puerto Rico earlier this month.

Like Reed's deal with the Grizzlies, Greene's contract is expected to include a non-guaranteed option for 2013/14, according to Tillery (Twitter link). That makes sense, since I would guess the club is getting a headstart on its Summer League squad and training camp roster for next season, rather than expecting Reed and Greene to play a role in this spring's playoff run.

Having waived Pittman, the Grizzlies won't need to make any further roster moves to clear room. Adding both Reed and Greene would give the team the maximum 15 players.

Grizzlies Sign Willie Reed

April 17th, 2013 at 2:01pm CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 2:01pm: The Grizzlies have officially signed Reed, the team announced in a press release.

SUNDAY, 5:27pm: Reed's deal will be a multi-year, non-guaranteed pact, according to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (on Twitter).

3:17pm: The Grizzlies have signed Willie Reed for the remainder of the season, agent Joel Bell tells Shams Charania of RealGM (via Twitter). Reed, 22, played two seasons at St. Louis before going undrafted in the 2011 NBA draft.

Reed averaged 14.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks for the Springfield Armor of the NBA Developmental League. Terms of Reed's deal beyond the 2012/13 season are currently being worked on between the Grizzlies and Bell.

Warriors Re-Sign Scott Machado

April 17th, 2013 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 12:55pm: The Warriors have officially re-signed Machado for the season (and playoffs), the team announced today in a press release. For now, Machado remains with the team's D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, so it's unclear whether he'll be playing in the postseason in the D-League or NBA.

MONDAY, 1:17pm: Once Scott Machado's 10-day contract expires, the Warriors will re-sign him for the season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Machado's deal is set to expire tomorrow night, so his new contract will technically only be for one day, though it will allow him to play in the postseason, and could include an option for next year.

Machado, 22, has yet to appear in a game for the Warriors since joining the team last weekend. Prior to signing with Golden State, he had been playing for the team's D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. A rest-of-season contract for Machado seems to suggest that Warriors management liked what it saw from the 6'1" guard at Santa Cruz, and wanted the opportunity to secure his rights for Summer League and possibly training camp.

Even after locking up Machado, the Warriors will only be carrying 14 players, leaving one open roster spot. If the team wants to use that spot before season's end, it has three days to make a move.

International Notes: Hudson, Mensah-Bonsu, Graham

April 17th, 2013 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks are ensuring that the last day of the NBA regular season features at least a couple roster moves, but there's also plenty of roster activity going on in other professional leagues around the world. Here's the latest:

Emiliano Carchia of Sportando passes along a report suggesting that Spain's Unicaja Malaga is targeting Lester Hudson, who played for the Cavs and Grizzlies last season before averaging 27.8 PPG this year in China.
Carchia also reports that former NBA forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu will join Italian team Olimpia Milano. Mensah-Bonsu had initially been set to join Italy's Cimberio Varese, but decided to accept a better offer from Milano, according to Carchia.
Joey Graham parted ways with one Puerto Rican team earlier this week, but Luis Modestti reports (via Twitter) that the Raptors' 2005 first-round pick will continue his career with another club in Puerto Rico, signing with Mets de Guaynabo (English link via Sportando).

Knicks Sign Earl Barron

April 17th, 2013 at 11:58am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks didn't waste much time replacing Rasheed Wallace on their roster, announcing in a press release that they have signed Earl Barron. The club announced earlier today that Wallace has retired.

Barron, like Quentin Richardson, who was inked to a deal yesterday by the club, is a former Knick. New York is one of seven teams Barron has played for during his seven-year NBA career. Most recently, the seven-footer appeared in 11 games for the Wizards earlier this season, averaging 2.5 PPG and 3.9 RPG with the team before he was released.

With many of the Knicks' injured bigs, including Tyson Chandler, Marcus Camby, and Kenyon Martin, expected back for the postseason, Barron is unlikely to receive significant minutes. However, he'll provide some frontcourt depth in case any of the Knicks' regulars are sidelined again.

Spurs Sign Tracy McGrady

April 16th, 2013 at 3:45pm CST by Luke Adams

3:45pm: The Spurs have officially signed McGrady, the team announced in a press release.

3:25pm: The Spurs will sign Tracy McGrady for the remainder of the regular season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Because McGrady hasn't played for an NBA team this season, he'll be playoff-eligible for the Spurs.

McGrady, 33, spent most of the 2012/13 season with China's Qingdao Double Star Eagles, averaging 25.0 PPG and 7.2 RPG in 29 games in the CBA. Despite his solid scoring totals overseas, one executive told Ian Thomsen of SI.com last month that he'd be "shocked" if McGrady signed with an NBA team this season. Zach Lowe of Grantland.com tweets that the move is one of the most "out-of-nowhere" end-of-season signings he can recall.

The agreement with McGrady comes on the heels of another surprising transaction by the Spurs, as the team waived Stephen Jackson on Friday. Jackson's release left the club with just 14 players, so a corresponding roster move won't be necessary to clear room for T-Mac.

McGrady was actually reasonably effective for a bench player in his last NBA action. He spent 2011/12 with the Hawks, putting up 5.3 PPG and a 13.6 PER in 52 contests (16.1 MPG).

Knicks Sign Quentin Richardson

April 16th, 2013 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have officially signed Quentin Richardson for the remainder of the season, the team announced today (Twitter link). Since the club released Solomon Jones yesterday, there is an open roster spot, meaning no corresponding move will be required to clear room for Richardson.

When the Knicks waived Jones, I speculated that perhaps James Singleton's CBA clearance issues had been resolved, since Singleton was the player the team initially wanted to sign. It doesn't appear that was the case, but Richardson, like Singleton, isn't a big man, so it seems the team is comfortable with its frontcourt depth heading into the postseason.

Richardson, who spent four seasons with the Knicks earlier in his career, is still being paid by the Magic, who released him prior to the start of the season. The 33-year-old spent two fairly unsuccessful seasons in Orlando, averaging just 4.5 PPG and an 8.4 PER in 105 contests for the Magic in 2010/11 and '11/12.

Because he hasn't signed with an NBA team since October, Richardson remains playoff-eligible, though I can't imagine him playing much of a role for the Knicks in the postseason.

D-League Moves: Jones, Lamb, Liggins, Melo

April 15th, 2013 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Today's D-League assignments and recalls are listed here, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day. Our complete list of 2012/13 D-League assignments and recalls can be found right here….

The Thunder have recalled Perry Jones, Jeremy Lamb, and DeAndre Liggins from the Tulsa 66ers, the team announced today in a press release. Unlike Melo's Maine Red Claws, the 66ers won their first-round series in the D-League playoffs, topping the Canton Charge in three games. The OKC trio will rejoin the NBA squad for tonight's game, but perhaps they'll be headed back to Tulsa for the next round of the D-League postseason.

Earlier updates:

The Celtics have recalled rookie center Fab Melo from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Melo almost certainly won't be a part of Boston's postseason rotation, but he'll available if needed. The 22-year-old had been playing with the Maine Red Claws for the last several weeks. However, the club was eliminated from the D-League playoffs over the weekend, losing in the first round to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets' affiliate. Melo averaged 8.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG in Maine's two postseason losses.