Uncategorized

As we've outlined before, there are a number of different ways to follow Hoops Rumors via Facebook, Twitter, and RSS. If you don't want to follow all the site's updates, you can also follow team-specific or transaction-only Facebook, Twitter, and RSS feeds.

Although we don't have Facebook pages or Twitter feeds for specific players, you can also easily follow all our updates on your favorite player. If, for instance, you want to keep track of all the latest news and rumors on Deron Williams as he approaches potential free agency, you can visit this page.

Every player we've written about has his own rumors page. You can find your player of choice by using our search box (located in the right sidebar); by clicking his tag at the bottom of a post where he's discussed; or, by simply typing his name in your address bar after hoopsrumors.com, substituting dashes for spaces. For example, Williams' page is located at hoopsrumors.com/deron-williams.

In addition to players and teams, there are a number of other subjects you can track by clicking on the tags we use at the bottom of posts. The latest news on the job status of Vinny Del Negro, for instance, can be found on his rumors page, while all of our updates on this June's draft are available here.

With the buyout deadline having passed last Friday night, players can no longer be waived by one team and be playoff-eligible for another. While this rule is fairly straightforward, there are a few wrinkles to it, so let's run through a few scenarios that we've seen this season to explain when a player is and isn't eligible for postseason play:

A player is waived, clears waivers, and is signed by another team before March 23rd at 11:00pm
Eligible for postseason: Yes
Example: Ronny Turiaf. Turiaf was waived by the Nuggets on March 18th and signed with the Heat on March 21st, making him playoff-eligible for Miami.

A player is waived before March 23rd, but clears waivers and is signed by another team after March 23rd.
Eligible for postseason: Yes
Example: Rasual Butler. The Raptors waived Butler on the 23rd, meaning he wouldn't clear waivers until after the deadline. But he will still be eligible for the postseason if a new team signs him.

A player is waived and is signed by another team after March 23rd.
Eligible for postseason: No
Example: No one on a guaranteed contract has been waived since the 23rd, but anyone released between now and season's end won't be eligible for the playoffs with a new team.

A player on a 10-day contract has the deal expire after March 23rd and signs a rest-of-season deal with any team after March 23rd.
Eligible for postseason: Yes
Example: Mike James. James became a free agent on Saturday, when his second 10-day deal with the Bulls expired. However, because his contract wasn't guaranteed for the season, James retains playoff eligiblity if he's signed by the Bulls or another team.

A player signs with a team after March 23rd, having not played for an NBA team yet this season.
Eligible for postseason: Yes
Example: After playing in China, Patrick Mills has returned to America and signed with the Spurs. Because San Antonio is his first NBA team this season, he'll be playoff-eligible, regardless of whether he finalized his contract before or after March 23rd. A player who has been a free agent all year long, such as James Posey or Michael Finley, could also sign now and be playoff-eligible.

A slew of bought-out players, 10-day contract recipients and D-League call-ups have found new homes this past week, and many of them have signed minimum-salary contracts. That minimum is not the same for everyone, as veterans are entitled to more money based on the number of years they've been in the league, but with most of these contracts in six figures instead of seven, a productive minimum-salary player is almost always a bargain. Besides, the league compensates teams that sign minimum-salary veterans with three or more years of service for the difference above that of a second-year player's minimum deal, so qualified veterans won't be passed over for younger, cheaper talent. The most prominent minimum guy this year is, of course, Jeremy Lin, whose story has been well-documented. Let's take a look at some of the other cheap pickups who've paid off. 

• Ian Mahinmi, Mavericks: Making $916K in the final season of a two-year contract, Mahinmi is the starter at center in Dallas, putting up 6.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game and posting a 14.7 PER. 
• Nate Robinson, Warriors: Picked up for $983K in January, the 5'9" spark plug has been inserted into the starting lineup because of Stephen Curry's injury and the Monta Ellis trade. He's averaged 11.7 PPG and 4.6 assists per game in March. 
• Shelden Williams, Nets: A starter in the absence of Brook Lopez, the undersized 6'9" center pulls down 10.1 rebounds per 36 minutes, not too shabby on $993K.
• Gerald Green, Nets: He's been the jewel of the 10-day pickups so far this year. He's posted 10.6 PPG and 15.8 PER in 22 minutes a night.
• Steve Novak, Knicks: At $993K, he's another find for New York, the long-range bomber has touched on 48.1% of his three-point attempts this year, good for a career-high 8.6 PPG. 
• Landry Fields, Knicks: Not many second-round picks can say they've started all but three of the games in their career. He's putting up 9.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 47% shooting this year on $762K.
• Michael Redd, Suns: He hasn't gotten too much playing time, but that he's playing at all is a marvel, considering injuries have forced him to miss the better part of the last three seasons. This year, he's averaging 18.9 points per 36 minutes for $1.3MM. 
• Isaiah Thomas, Kings: Outplaying first-round pick Jimmer Fredette, this second-round selection has found his way into the starting lineup. His scoring has gone up in each month, and he's averaging 12.8 PPG and 4.4 APG for $474K.
• Danny Green, Spurs: San Antonio GM R.C. Buford is a master at finding value. Green makes $854K, and he's put up 8.6 PPG and 3.8 RPG while playing 23.8 minutes a game. He's made 18 starts, too.

With all eyes looking forward to Sunday’s matchup between the Heat and the Thunder, the question of whether the game is a preview of things to come this June continues to be raised. The Heat, currently the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference, have won their last four games thanks to balanced play from the team’s ‘Big 3’. Out in the Western Conference, the dynamic duo of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant have the Thunder in a comfortable position as the top seed with 3.5 games separating the squad from the Spurs.

Will Sunday give fans a taste of what to expect when the Larry O’Brien Trophy is on the line later this spring? Let us know what you think.

With the Final Four set to be determined this weekend and many NBA teams gearing up for the draft, let's take a quick glance at how some players who've had success at the college level have stacked up in the pros. Below is a list of each player currently on an NBA roster who has won an NCAA championship, along with the player's NBA career PER in parentheses. As we can see, guiding your team to a college championship doesn't mean you're going to succeed in the NBA. There are a lot of good, but not great, players here, and Carmelo Anthony is likely the only true superstar talent on this list. He was the only one to play in the All-Star Game this season. So when you hear about a player's draft stock improving as his team advances through the tourney this week and next, take it with a grain of salt.  

Grant Hill, Duke 1991, 1992 (19.2)
Nazr Mohammed, Kentucky 1996, 1998 (15.5)
Mike Bibby, Arizona 1997 (16.1)
Jason Terry, Arizona 1997 (17.5)
Jamaal Magloire, Kentucky 1998 (13.5)
Richard Hamilton, Connecticut 1999 (16.7)
Jason Richardson, Michigan State 2000 (16.5)
Carlos Boozer, Duke 2001 (20.6)
Shane Battier, Duke 2001 (13.0)
Chris Duhon, Duke 2001 (11.0)
Mike Dunleavy, Duke 2001 (14.6)
Steve Blake, Maryland 2002 (11.3)
Chris Wilcox, Maryland 2002 (15.5)
Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse 2003 (20.2)
Hakim Warrick, Syracuse 2003 (15.7)
Ben Gordon, Connecticut 2004 (15.3)
Emeka Okafor, Connecticut 2004 (17.1)
Charlie Villanueva, Connecticut 2004 (16.4)
Raymond Felton, North Carolina 2005 (14.3)
Marvin Williams, North Carolina 2005 (13.7)
Corey Brewer, Florida 2006, 2007 (11.2)
Al Horford, Florida 2006, 2007 (18.1)
Joakim Noah, Florida 2006, 2007 (17.5)
Marreese Speights, Florida 2007 (16.6) 
Darrell Arthur, Kansas 2008 (13.2)
Mario Chalmers, Kansas 2008 (12.1)
Brandon Rush, Kansas 2008 (10.4)
Cole Aldrich, Kansas 2008 (13.4)
Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina 2009 (15.8)
Ty Lawson, North Carolina 2009 (17.5)
Wayne Ellington, North Carolina 2009 (9.2)
Ed Davis, North Carolina 2009 (15.0)
Danny Green, North Carolina 2009 (14.1)
Nolan Smith, Duke 2010 (7.1)
Lance Thomas, Duke 2010 (11.5)
Kemba Walker, Connecticut 2011 (15.4)

With teams making some final tweaks to their rosters heading into the final weeks of the season, let’s take a look at one of the most interesting wrinkles in the NBA salary cap. The cap hold exists primarily to close a loophole. Without cap holds, a team could structure a bunch of its contracts to end simultaneously, giving them cap room to pursue other teams’ free agents while still possessing Bird rights on its own free agents.  Almost every team in the NBA has a cap hold on someone. There are free agent cap holds and draft pick cap holds, but the largest ones fall into the free agent category. Whenever a player’s contract with a team ends, it creates a cap hold (see Larry Coon’s CBA FAQ for how the amount of the cap hold is determined).

So even though a player is no longer getting paid, he can still be on the books for a large number. The cap hold doesn’t go away unless the team waives the player or renounces its rights to him, or until the player signs with another team or formally files retirement papers with the league. Players are often slow to file that paperwork, as there’s no real impetus to do so until they’re eligible for a pension. Teams often won’t renounce the rights to retired players so they can throw them into trades, as with the Keith Van Horn deal a few years ago, and because there’s little reason to do so if the team is over the cap anyway, since cap holds don’t count for luxury tax purposes.

For more on cap holds, check out this post on ShamSports. Here are the largest current cap holds, according to Storytellers Contracts:

Andrei Kirilenko, Jazz: $18,091,250
Wally Szczerbiak, Cavs: $18,091,250
Jeff Green, Celtics:  $11,139,970
Marcus Banks, Hornets: $9,210,413
Darius Songaila, 76ers: $9,154,200
Richard Hamilton, Pistons: $8,430,293
Nenad Krstic, Celtics: $8,314,674
Pat Garrity, Magic: $7,342,075
Julian Wright, Raptors: $7,145,143
Steven Hunter, Grizzlies: $7,022,400
Robert Horry, Spurs $6,897,000
Greg Ostertag, Jazz: $6,305,000
Aaron Brooks, Suns: $5,041,730

If you want to keep tabs on all of Hoops Rumors' stories and updates, you can follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our feed through your RSS reader of choice. However, if you prefer to only receive news about your favorite NBA team, we have you covered. Below are links to our Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds for all 30 teams.

Atlantic

• 76ers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Celtics: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Knicks: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Nets: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Raptors: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Central

• Bucks: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Bulls: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Cavaliers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Pacers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Pistons: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Southeast

• Bobcats: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Hawks: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Heat: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Magic: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Wizards: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Southwest

• Grizzlies: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Hornets: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Mavericks: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Rockets: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Spurs: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Northwest

• Jazz: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Nuggets: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Thunder: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Timberwolves: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Trail Blazers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Pacific

• Clippers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Kings: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Lakers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Suns: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Warriors: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Transactions only: Twitter / RSS

The trade deadline often means expiring contracts receive increased attention, and we listed the largest expiring contracts of 2011/12 last month. With the deadline behind us and the focus eventually shifting to the summer, it's worth taking a look at which teams may have their cap flexibility handicapped by expensive long-term deals.

In many cases, these contracts are ones teams are happy to pay, if it means locking up a top-10 or top-15 NBA player. But some of these deals have the potential to become albatrosses before they expire, if they aren't already. Here's a look at the contracts with the most money remaining on them after this season (minimum $40MM):

* Derrick Rose (Bulls): Five years, $94MM
Joe Johnson (Hawks): Four years, $89.3MM
LeBron James (Heat): Four years, $79.32MM (third-year ETO; fourth-year player option)
Chris Bosh (Heat): Four years, $79.32MM (third-year ETO; fourth-year player option)
Dwyane Wade (Heat): Four years, $77.67MM (third-year ETO; fourth-year player option)
* Russell Westbrook (Thunder): Five years, $78MM
Kevin Durant (Thunder): Four years, $73.69MM
Carmelo Anthony (Knicks): Three years, $67.22MM (third-year ETO)
Amare Stoudemire (Knicks): Three years, $65.04MM (third-year ETO)
Kobe Bryant (Lakers): Two years, $58.3MM
* Kevin Love (Timberwolves): Four years, $58MM (fourth-year ETO)
David Lee (Warriors): Four years, $57.13MM
Rudy Gay (Grizzlies): Three years, $53.67MM (third-year player option)
Nene (Wizards): Four years, $52MM
Zach Randolph (Grizzlies): Three years, $50.8MM (third-year player option)
Al Horford (Hawks): Four years, $48MM
Joakim Noah (Bulls): Four years, $48MM
Carlos Boozer (Bulls): Three years, $47.1MM
LaMarcus Aldridge (Trail Blazers): Three years, $45.38MM
Marc Gasol (Grizzlies): Three years, $44.58MM
Dirk Nowitzki (Mavericks): Two years, $43.63MM
Tyson Chandler (Knicks): Three years, $42.3MM
Danilo Gallinari (Nuggets): Four years, $42MM

Note: Players marked with an asterisk signed extensions that will go into effect next season. Their exact contract figures have yet to be determined, so the totals listed are based on various reports.

Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this post.

Only about five weeks remain until the end of the regular season, and with the NCAA Tournament in full swing, NBA teams are beginning to look at draft prospects for next year. With that in mind, it's helpful to look back at previous drafts to see what we can learn. Three years after a draft offers a fairly relevant sample size to judge teams on their selections and players on their performances. It also offers a look ahead to next season, when some of the 2009 draftees will be extension candidates ahead of a chance at restricted free agency in the summer of 2013. Here are the top five overachieving picks from 2009, and the top five underachievers, with the team that drafted them, draft position, and relevant career stats in parentheses.

Overachievers

• Brandon Jennings (Bucks, 10th overall: 16.5 PPG, 5.4 APG, 15.9 PER) He's a lottery pick with a career 38.6 shooting percentage, but when he scored 55 points in his seventh NBA game, he showed why he's got more talent than the average 10th selection. He's improved his field-goal percentage and PPG in each of his three seasons, and the 22-year-old is the Bucks leading scorer this year.
• Marcus Thornton (Heat, 43rd overall: 14.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 17.1 PER) The Heat traded him on draft night to the Hornets, but it's been in Sacramento where Thornton has truly flourished, putting up 21.3 PPG after arriving last year and 18.6 this season. Credit former Kings coach Paul Westphal with putting him in the starting lineup and getting the best out of this former second-round pick. 
• Ty Lawson (Timberwolves, 18th overall: 11.3 PPG, 4.6 APG, 17.6 PER) Of all the point guards the Wolves drafted that year, he might be the best. Unfortunately for Minnesota fans, GM David Kahn traded Lawson to Denver on draft night. Lawson served as an understudy to Chauncey Billups his first year and a half, but was picked to start over Raymond Felton after the Carmelo Anthony trade last year and has held the job ever since. He's averaging a career-high 15.2 PPG and 6.8 APG this season.
• Taj Gibson (Bulls, 26th overall: 7.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 14.6 PER) He became a bench player after starting 70 games in his rookie season, but he often plays the crunch-time minutes of a starter. He's earned coach Tom Thibodeau's trust, which speaks to his defense, and he's tough to handle on boards, averaging 9.7 RPG per 36 minutes for his career.
• DeJuan Blair (Spurs, 37th overall: 8.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 17.3 PER) There aren't many second-rounders who start for contending teams in their third seasons, and fewer still who do it without ACLs in their knees. He plays less than half the game for the Spurs these days, even though he starts, but is efficient in his time, averaging 15.8 PPG and 9.7 RPG per 36 minutes this season.

Underachievers

• Hasheem Thabeet (Grizzlies, 2nd overall: 2.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 10.6 PER) It's not a positive sign for a No. 2 overall pick when he goes down to the D-League in each of his first two seasons, but that's exactly what happened here. Memphis GM Chris Wallace has avoided too much criticism for this one because the spectre of the Blazers' wasted pick of Greg Oden two years prior overshadows it, the Grizzlies have been winning, and the team was able to trade Thabeet in a package that netted Shane Battier, a key figure in their playoff run last year.
• Terrence Williams (Nets, 11th overall: 7.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 10.5 PER) After being waived by the Rockets last week, he's headed for his third NBA team, this time on a 10-day contract with the Kings. That's a long fall for a lottery pick.
• Jordan Hill (Knicks, 8th overall: 5.4 PPG, 4.2 PPG, 14.1 PER) He was traded to Houston midway through his rookie season, and now finds himself with the Lakers after another deadline deal this year. Still, since L.A. gave up trusty Derek Fisher to get him, the Lakers may see enough in Hill to think he can at least carve out a niche as a solid contributor.
• Jonny Flynn (Timberwolves, 6th overall: 9.7 PPG, 3.9 APG, 11.2 PER) David Kahn raised plenty of eyebrows when he followed up his pick of Ricky Rubio at No. 5 with another point guard. He was a reliable insurance policy in his first year as Rubio played overseas, starting 81 games and averaging 13.5 PPG and 4.4 APG. He's started only eight games since, but could see time with his new team in Portland, as the Blazers look at some of their younger players.
• Earl Clark (Suns, 14th overall: 3.0 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 8.7 PER) Buried on the bench with the Suns, Clark got a look as the backup to Dwight Howard after being traded to Orlando last year. His 4.1 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 11.9 MPG was underwhelming enough for the Magic to give his minutes to Glen Davis this year, and Clark is once more out of the rotation.

Buyouts, waived players and guys returning from China are keeping the NBA rumor mill interesting even after the trade deadline. Several teams have the chance to improve themselves by picking up a contributor for the final weeks and the playoffs. So, we ask which player with a new team after the trade deadline will have the greatest impact. This list includes a mix of guys who are already on their new teams and some who are still negotiating. We'll include Chris Kaman, as even though the Hornets seem to want to keep him, the notion that the No. 1 buyout candidate will hit the open market remains at least a slight possibility.