Knicks Sign Earl Barron
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
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
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
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.
Knicks Waive Solomon Jones
Just three days after officially signing him, the Knicks have waived Solomon Jones, the team announced today (Twitter link). The move opens up a roster spot for the Knicks, as they are now carrying 14 players.
Jones, 28, appeared in two games for the Knicks, playing 26 total minutes. He was fairly ineffective in his limited time, racking up as many fouls and turnovers as rebounds (three each). He also didn't score a single point in either contest.
Despite the fact that a few Knicks big men could be on their way back to the lineup soon, I would guess that the team will add another player to the roster before the regular season ends on Wednesday. James Singleton could be one option — he initially reached an agreement with the club last week before it fell through due to complications relating to his letter of clearance from China. If those issues get cleared up, he would be eligible to sign with the Knicks and play in the postseason.
Lakers Sign Andrew Goudelock
7:29pm: The signing is now official, according to Mike Trudell of NBA.com (on Twitter).
7:18pm: The Lakers have not officially completed the paperwork to sign Goudelock and if they can't get his contract finalized in the next half hour, then he won't play tonight, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.
8:05am: The Lakers are expected to sign guard Andrew Goudelock this morning, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported last night that the Lakers were "lining up" a deal with Goudelock, their second-round draft pick in 2011. The 24-year-old could be with the team in time for tonight's game against the Spurs, according to Spears. Since the Lakers only have 14 players on their roster, they won't have to waive anyone to bring Goudelock on board.
Goudelock spent the 2011/12 season with the Lakers, appearing in 40 games and averaging 4.4 points and 10.5 minutes per contest, with 37.3% three-point shooting. His contract covered this season as well, but it was non-guaranteed, and L.A. waived him at the end of training camp. He turned to the D-League, and was a hot commodity in the D-League draft, going second overall. Goudelock wound up splitting the season between the Sioux Falls Skyforce and Rio Grande Valley Vipers, notching 21.1 PPG and 5.2 assists per game. His proficient three-point stroke remained, as he shot 36.9% from behind the arc.
The College of Charleston product hasn't spent time on an NBA roster since the Lakers let him go in training camp, so he'll be eligible for the postseason, unlike recently waived wing players like Stephen Jackson and Raja Bell. The Lakers had been looking for a swingman to replace Kobe Bryant, who's out six to nine months with a torn Achilles.
Grizzlies Waive Dexter Pittman
The Grizzlies announced that they have waived center Dexter Pittman. The big man totaled two points and five rebounds in 20 minutes in seven appearances with the Grizzlies. Pittman was cut loose to make room for the signing of Willie Reed.
Memphis acquired the 25-year-old along with a 2013 second round draft pick from the Heat in exchange for the draft rights to Ricky Sanchez on Feb. 21. The three-year veteran holds career averages of 2.4 points and 1.8 rebounds on .454 shooting in 7.2 minutes in 48 games with Miami and Memphis.
Mavs Re-Sign Josh Akognon
1:52pm: The Mavericks officially announced the signing in a press release.
1:15pm: The Mavs and Josh Akognon are lining up a deal that would keep him on the team for the rest of the season and include a team option for 2013/14, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Akognon's 10-day contract with the team expired last night.
The 5'11" guard made just a single four-minute appearance for Dallas during his 10-day deal, but the Mavs have apparently seen enough to settle on the 27-year-old journeyman for their final roster spot heading into the offseason. Dallas also signed Chris Wright and Justin Dentmon to 10-day contracts in recent weeks, but didn't re-sign either player.
Akognon was in training camp with the Mavs this past fall, but spent the season in China with the Liaoning Jiebao Hunters, for whom he averaged a team-high 29.0 points per game. It was the second straight year Akognon made his mark in the Chinese league, after posting 28.2 PPG for the DongGuan New Century Leopards in 2011/12.
Knicks Sign Solomon Jones
5:25pm: The Knicks have announced the signing, tweets Howard Beck of The New York Times.
5:03pm: Jones' deal covers next season as well, and becomes guaranteed for 2013/14 if he's not waived by a certain date, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com (Twitter link).
1:40pm: The Knicks are signing Jones rather than Singleton because Singleton didn't receive FIBA clearance due to a procedural delay with his Chinese team, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
11:12am: The Knicks will sign big man Solomon Jones to a contract for the remainder of the season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Jones, who played in China this year, received his FIBA letter of clearance today, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter).
Unless the Knicks intend to waive a second player in addition to Kurt Thomas, the signing of Jones may indicate that the team's agreement with James Singleton fell apart, as Frank Isola of the New York Daily News tweets. Jones, a 6'10" big man, would give New York a little more size than Singleton, a 6'8" forward, in what has become an injury-depleted frontcourt.
Jones, 28, played for the same CBA team as Josh Akognon, who is currently on a 10-day contract with the Mavericks. In 19 games for the Liaoning Jiebao Hunters, Jones averaged a double-double, recording 15.8 PPG and 10.4 RPG. The former second-round pick, who has appeared in 268 contests in parts of six NBA seasons, played for the Clippers and Hornets in 2011/12 and was in camp with the Suns in the fall.
Spurs Release Stephen Jackson
5:13pm: The Spurs have sent out a press release officially announcing that they've waived Jackson.
4:50pm: Jackson and head coach Gregg Popovich had been "sparring" about Jackson's role with the Spurs all season, according to Wojnarowski. The two sides discussed a potential release prior to the trade deadline, but agreed to move forward for the rest of the season. However, the disagreements resurfaced this week, says Wojnarowski (Twitter links).
4:24pm: With just over a week until the postseason gets underway, the Spurs have waived Stephen Jackson, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). It's not clear yet why the Spurs are parting ways with Jackson, but one source tells Wojnarowski that it's been "brewing for a few days" (Twitter link). Art Garcia of FOX Sports Southwest first tweeted word of the roster move.
Jackson, 35, hadn't been having a strong season on the court, with his averages of 6.2 PPG and 8.1 PER the lowest he has posted in over a decade. Nonetheless, given the timing of the move and his place in the Spurs' rotation, I would assume he's out of work for off-the-court rather than on-court reasons.
Jackson had been playing out the final year of his contract, earning more than $10MM this season. He won't lose any of that money by being waived, though he will hit free agency a few months earlier than expected. Since he was released after the March 1st buyout deadline though, he'd be ineligible for the postseason, making it unlikely that he catches on with another team next week.
As for the Spurs, they had been carrying a full roster of 15 players, so the move opens up a spot for a free agent, should they choose to make an addition.