Trail Blazers Waive Armon Johnson
The Trail Blazers have waived Armon Johnson, the team announced today (hat tip to Ben Golliver of Blazers Edge). The move clears a spot on the roster for Joel Przybilla, who passed a physical yesterday and should officially join the Blazers today.
Portland was said to be deciding between waiving Johnson or Greg Oden, who is out for the year after undergoing microfracture surgery on his knee. As Jason Quick of the Oregonian points out (via Twitter), the Blazers may believe another team will claim Johnson on waivers, freeing Portland of his salary.
Johnson, who turned 23 last Thursday, only appeared in one game this season for the Blazers after playing in 38 a season ago. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) believes that Johnson's youth and athleticism will attract interest, and wonders if the Lakers could make a play for the 6'3" guard. According to Golliver, the Blazers "aggressively shopped" Johnson last month, seeking a second-round pick, but didn't find a taker (Twitter link). If he's not claimed on waivers, Johnson would become a free agent later this week.
Minor Moves: Jeremy Tyler
In a tweet, Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski says that Golden State will send rookie Jeremy Tyler down to the D-league’s Dakota Wizards after the All-Star break.
Tyler, who was taken 39th overall by the Bobcats in last year’s draft before being traded to Golden State for cash, was averaging 1.9 PPG and 1.0 RPG in 14 games with the Warriors this season.
Minor Moves: Wright, N’Diaye
The D-League All-Star game will be a part of festivities tomorrow in Orlando, and we'll track any news coming out of the lead-up tonight here:
- Julian Wright, the 13th pick in the 2007 draft, has signed a D-League contract and will be assigned to a team by Monday, according to Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside. Wright hasn't played in the NBA this year after spending his first three years with the Hornets and last year with the Raptors. The 6'8", 225-pound small forward was a part of the playoff rotation in New Orleans when the Hornets pushed the Spurs to seven games in the conference semifinals in 2008, but never developed beyond that point. He's averaged 3.9 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 14.7 MPG in his NBA career.
- Schroeder says in the same piece that Hamady N'Diaye has signed with the D-League as well. N'Diaye was a second-round pick of the Timberwolves in 2010 who has spent time with the Wizards the last two seasons. He's played a total of 19 NBA games, averaging 0.7 PPG and 0.4 RPG in limited minutes. The Wizards waived the 7'0", 235-pound center earlier this month.
Hornets Re-Sign Donald Sloan
The Hornets have re-signed Donald Sloan to a second 10-day contract, the team announced. The contract became official on Monday, so the Hornets will have to sign Sloan for the rest of the season if they want to hang onto him past March 1st.
Sloan, 24, has not played in the team's last three games, and a good chunk of this 10-day deal will be consumed by the All-Star break. After playing the Cavs in Cleveland tonight, the Hornets won't see action again until next Tuesday in Chicago.
John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune first reported that the Hornets were expected to re-sign Sloan.
Cavs Sign Manny Harris To 10-Day Contract
The Cavaliers have signed Manny Harris to a 10-day contract, according to Tom Reed and Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). Owner Dan Gilbert first broke the news, tweeting "Manny back in the house! Welcome back Wolverine….."
Harris, who was just named the D-League's Performer of the Week for a second time this season, has averaged 21.4 points and 7.9 rebounds in 17 games (32.9 MPG) for the Canton Charge. He was on the Cavs' roster for most of last season, logging 17.3 minutes per game in 54 contests for the club, but was released just before this season began.
D-League expert Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside questions whether Harris was the best candidate for a call-up, noting that the Cavs know what Harris is capable of and already waived him once (Twitter links).
Minor Moves: Earl Barron, Marcus Morris
We'll track the days notable D-League and international moves right here, with the latest up top….
- Two weeks after being waived by the Warriors, Earl Barron has signed with the Meralco Bolts of the Philippine Basketball Association, according to Jeric Lopez of the Manila Standard Today. Hat tip to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, who are keeping tabs on the well-traveled former Memphis Tiger.
- The Rockets recalled Marcus Morris from their D-League affiliate, tweets Jason Friedman of Rockets.com. Morris, 22, only played limited minutes in three early games this season for Houston, but posted big numbers for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers during his two D-League stints, averaging 20.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in 30 minutes per game. The Rockets had assigned the 14th overall pick to Rio Grande on February 3rd.
Spurs Sign Eric Dawson
The Spurs have signed Eric Dawson to a 10-day contract, the team announced today. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter) first reported that San Antonio would sign the 27-year-old.
Manu Ginobli (strained oblique) and Tiago Splitter (sprained calf) both suffered injuries this week, so Dawson will provide some depth while the Spurs get healthy. The 6'9" forward had been playing for the D-League's Austin Toros, averaging 15.9 PPG and 10.1 RPG on 56.3% shooting in 18 games. Dawson has yet to make his NBA debut.
Hawks Re-Sign Erick Dampier
The Hawks have re-signed Erick Dampier on a second 10-day contract, according to a team release last night.
Atlanta signed Dampier to a 10-day deal earlier this month to shore up a frontcourt that has been hit by injuries, including pectoral surgery that has sidelined Al Horford for most of the season. In four games for the Hawks, Dampier played just under 26 minutes, recording 10 boards and a blocked shot, though he didn't score a single point.
Odds & Ends: Lopez, Seattle, Jackson
Some notes from around the league on Friday night:
- Andy Vasquez of The Record reports that Brook Lopez may make his 2011/12 season debut tomorrow against the Bulls. Lopez has not played this year and is often mentioned as the centerpiece of a potential Dwight Howard deal for the Nets.
- The proposal is in place for a new NBA arena in Seattle, but the AP's Tim Booth points out that there are still hurdles to be cleared before the plan can progress.
- Stephen Jackson tells HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy that he is frustrated with his playing time in Milwaukee and does not foresee sticking around with the Bucks long-term.
- Journeyman Jeff Adrien, who has bounced around the Warriors, Rockets, and D-League since 2010, has signed a deal to play in Russia with Khimki Moscow.
Knicks Sign J.R. Smith
The New York Knicks have officially announced the signing of J.R. Smith to a two-year contract. An agreement between the Knicks and the veteran guard was announced earlier today. The deal is reportedly worth a pro-rated version of the Knicks' mini mid-level exception, with a player option for the 2012/13 season worth $2.5MM.
Smith played for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association during the NBA lockout, signing a one-year, $3MM contract. He played well, averaging 34.4 PPG, but his team underperformed and did not make the playoffs. Upon announcing his return to the NBA, Smith was linked to the Clippers and Lakers before ultimately deciding on the Knicks.