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Wizards Sign Drew Gooden To 10-Day Contract

February 26th, 2014 at 10:38am CST by Ryan Raroque

WEDNESDAY, 10:38am: The Wizards have officially announced the signing, via press release.

TUESDAY, 6:59pm: Drew Gooden has agreed to sign a 10-day contract with the Wizards, according to Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Yesterday, ESPN’s Marc Stein reported the likelihood that the Wizards would look to bring the 6’10 forward on board, and Yahoo’s Marc J. Spears said that Gooden would be in Washington D.C. today to ink a deal.

With big man Nene sidelined for the next four-to-six weeks in addition to nagging injury issues affecting Kevin Seraphin and Trevor Booker, it’s not surprising that Washington – currently at fifth place in the Eastern Conference and a game and a half out of fourth – would look to add some frontcourt help.

Gooden last played during the 2012/13 season for the Bucks, but only appeared in 16 games and was eventually amnestied in July of 2013. In 2011/12, he appeared in 56 games with 46 starts for Milwaukee, averaging 13.7 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and shot 43.7% from the field in 26.2 MPG.

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Odds & Ends: Shaw, Vesely, Singleton

February 25th, 2014 at 6:45pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Nuggets coach Brian Shaw refuted the idea that he hates his roster and vice-versa, writes Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post. Dempsey says that the potentially harmful narrative arose out of a few radio interviews that the rookie head coach had done earlier this week. Shaw addressed the topic earlier today:

“I can’t remember who it was that asked me yesterday; he said ‘Would you have taken this job with the roster, if it was just the guys who are healthy and playing right now would you have taken this job?’…I said ‘Yeah, I most likely would have taken it.’ But the expectation and everything else would have been different, knowing if there wasn’t going to be (Danilo Gallinari, JaVale McGee, and Nate Robinson) for half the season and the situation be what it is…I don’t hate the roster. What I hate is having to beg guys to play. That simple. That shouldn’t be a part of what coaching should be. And circumstances are what they are. None of us asked for it.”

Here are some more miscellaneous news and notes to pass along this evening:

  • Forward Jan Vesely intends to continue playing in the NBA rather than returning to Europe after his rookie scale contract runs out at season’s end, agent Alex Raskovic tweets.
  • Chris Singleton will hit unrestricted free agency after the Wizards declined his fourth-year option before the season, so he knows his next contract is at stake as he attempts to fill in for an injured Nene Hilario, as J. Michael of CSNWashington.com examines.
  • The Thunder were prepared to give up their own 2014 first-rounder in a deadline deal, but Zach Lowe of Grantland hasn’t heard any suggestion that they were ready to part with the first-rounder the Mavericks owe them. That Dallas pick will likely come higher in the draft order.
  • Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown was complimentary about Earl Clark, who is reportedly finalizing a contract to join the Knicks: “He’s a good player…He’s going to help (New York), especially in that system playing pick-and-roll and spreading the floor.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post. 

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Wizards Likely To Sign Drew Gooden

February 25th, 2014 at 8:23am CST by Zachary Links

TUESDAY, 8:23am: J. Michael of CSNWashington adds Antawn Jamison and Justin Hamilton to the list of others the Wizards are considering, but Michael confirms that Gooden is the favorite to land a 10-day deal. The team may also hold off on signing anyone to give Chris Singleton a shot at playing time, Michael writes.

MONDAY, 5:11pm: Gooden will be in D.C. tomorrow to ink his deal with the Wizards, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports.  Meanwhile, Michael Lee of the Washington Post (on Twitter) hears that it’s “unlikely” that Washington will sign anyone before tomorrow night’s game against the Magic.  He cites Lou Amundson and DeSagana Diop as other 10-day possibilities for the Wizards.

4:11pm: It’s likely that the Wizards will sign Drew Gooden to a 10-day deal, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter).  The 32-year-old hasn’t stepped foot on an NBA court since April of last year but he could help fortify Washington’s frontcourt depth in the wake of Nene‘s injury.

We learned last month that Gooden was working out in hopes of landing an NBA deal.  Over his 16 games in Milwaukee last season, the 11-year veteran averaged 13.7 points and 6.5 rebounds in 26.2 minutes per game, which added up to a PER of 18.88.  The Bucks wound up using the amnesty clause on the 6’11” big man over the summer, taking his $13.37MM salary between this season and next off of their books.

While other amnesty victims from this past summer like Metta World Peace and Mike Miller were able to hook on elsewhere, there were few, if any, nibbles on Gooden.

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Southeast Notes: Muscala, Thomas, Chalmers

February 24th, 2014 at 5:05pm CST by Zachary Links

The Hawks put in a call last week to Obradoiro of Spain about Mike Muscala, whose NBA rights belong to Atlanta, reports Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. Still, the Hawks made no offer for the 44th overall pick from the 2013 draft, Sierra notes, adding that Obradoiro has rejected entreaties from other European clubs for the center from Bucknell (Twitter links).  More out of the Southeast..

  • Tyrus Thomas is not an option for the Wizards due to a back injury, a person close to the situation tells J. Michael of CSNWashington.com (on Twitter).  Besides, it looks like Washington has their eye on another 2013 amnesty victim in Drew Gooden.
  • Mario Chalmers, a free agent this summer, says that he’s more comfortable than ever with the Heat, writes Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel.
  • A fun fact courtesy of Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (on Twitter): the Magic haven’t signed anyone to a 10-day contract since the team signed Seton Hall product Andre Barrett on March 31, 2005.
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Nene Averts Season-Ending Injury

February 24th, 2014 at 3:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

3:47pm: Nene has been diagnosed merely with a sprained MCL, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. He’ll be out four to six weeks, but it’s not the season-ender that had been feared, Wojnarowski adds.

10:06am: The Wizards are worried that Nene is done for the season with a left knee injury sustained in Sunday’s game, reports Michael Lee of The Washington Post. The big man will have an MRI and meet with team doctors today, and the extent of the damage to his knee won’t be known until after that. Still, a source tells Lee that, “It doesn’t look good.”

Nene left the game and didn’t return after the injury occurred during the third quarter, and the initial diagnosis is a knee sprain. The timing is particularly unfortunate for the Wizards, since the trade deadline just happened on Thursday. The January 15th deadline to apply for a disabled player exception has long since passed, and even so, the Wizards are hamstrung with a team salary that’s within $2MM of the tax line. Washington also faces a hard cap, so the Wizards couldn’t go more than $4MM into the tax even if they wanted to.

The 31-year-old struggled with plantar fasciitis for much of his first season and a half with the Wizards, but he’s played in 33 straight games, his longest such streak since a March 2012 trade that brought him from Denver. He’s averaging 14.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in 30.1 minutes per game this season, with a 16.4 PER. The Wizards outscore opponents by 2.8 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, and give up 3.9 more points per 100 possessions when he’s on the bench, according to NBA.com. Washington, at 28-28, is fifth in the Eastern Conference, a game and a half back of fourth place but just a game and a half ahead of eighth place in a tightly bunched playoff race.

The Wizards have an open roster spot, so they could pursue someone on the buyout market, as long as that player comes cheaply. They can’t sign any free agents for more than the minimum salary, and while they could use one of their trade exceptions to snag a player off waivers, that’s an unlikely proposition. Former Wizard Antawn Jamison is among a group of forwards that have either already hit free agency or have been linked to possible buyouts that includes Metta World Peace, Earl Clark and Charlie Villanueva.

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Eastern Notes: Heat, Iverson, Miller

February 23rd, 2014 at 8:51am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Heat essentially stood pat at the trade deadline. Outside of shipping Roger Mason Jr. to the Kings for a highly protected second-round pick, they didn’t do much to add to their rotation. The next few weeks could be as intriguing as some of the past offseasons have been for the Heat when it comes to personnel and rounding out the bench, as the team sorely needs to add some depth, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. Winderman believes the team needs to add another wing player amid the current shaky shooting from both Shane Battier and Ray Allen.

More from around the east:

  • The Celtics continue to keep close tabs on Colton Iverson, the team’s second round pick in 2013, writes Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe. The 7-footer is playing with Besiktas of the Turkish League, and in 18 games, he’s averaging 6.5 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 3.1 APG over 17.3 MPG. Iverson is playing overseas because the Celtics didn’t have enough room on their roster to keep him after the draft, but the team likes his aggressive play, and he still factors into their future plans, opines Holmes.
  • Carmelo Anthony was surprised at the news the Knicks would be buying out the contracts of Beno Udrih and Metta World Peace, writes Matt Winkeljohn of ESPNNewYork.com. Anthony stated, “It’s sad to see them go, but this is the business of basketball … it happened, and we’ve got to move on. The buyouts kind of surprised me because [Friday] Metta seemed like he was in a good place. He was happy, he played . . . he was a different Metta.”
  • Andre Miller scored five points, and dished out three assists in his first game with the Wizards. They’re not huge numbers, but he is already making a big impact with his new team, writes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. The team’s rotation has changed, and the offense ran smoother than it had been when John Wall was off the court, but Miller’s biggest contribution may be him mentoring Wall, opines Michael. Wall stated, “That’s a guy you can learn from. It’s a guy that loves the game and is still playing at 37. I hope I can be playing at 37.“
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Odds & Ends: Miller, Sessions, Deng, Brown

February 22nd, 2014 at 5:55pm CST by Charlie Adams

Andre Miller was excited when he got word he had been traded, reveals Michael Lee of the Washington Post. “I was ready to go,” said Miller. “I’m glad it’s over. I’ve been sitting around for about a month and a half. I’m happy to be here.” He’ll have the opportunity to help the Wizards make some noise in the East after sitting on the bench since late December. Let’s round up some news from around the NBA:

  • According to HoopsHype, 20 of the 50 most discussed trade candidates wound up being dealt by Thursday’s deadline.
  • Ramon Sessions is content being back with the Bucks, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinal. The Bucks selected Sessions 56th overall in the 2007 draft.
  • The deadline deal between the Bobcats and Bucks is now official per a tweet from Charlotte’s PR account, so Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour can now play playoff-hopefuls in Charlotte.
  • Luol Deng will be a free agent at season’s end, and if he chooses to walk away from the Cavaliers, he’s likely to be pursued by the Mavs, Lakers, Celtics, Magic and Bobcats, hears Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News.
  • The Bulls and Spurs are among the teams interested in signing the recently waived Antawn Jamison, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter).
  • Shannon Brown is coming off his second 10-day with the Spurs, and although his play for San Antonio was less than stellar, he’s drawing interest from the Rockets, Heat, Bulls, and Knicks, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
  • It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Heat sign two free agents in the coming week, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel, who notes Miami has an open spot from the Roger Mason deal, and also could waive Toney Douglas if they’re interested in more than one guy (Twitter link).
  • An official press release from the Cavaliers revealed the team has assigned Arinze Onuaku to their D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge. Onuaku had been playing for the Charge before signing a 10-day deal with Cleveland but didn’t have his rights owned by the Cavs.
  • Gino Pilato of DLeagueDigest.com explores what went wrong during Pierre Jackson‘s tenure in the D-League.
  • David Stern laid the foundation for continuing growth in the NBA, and Carol Cain of the Detroit Free Press looks back on what he was able to accomplish during his tenure as commissioner.
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Wizards Notes: Maynor, Davis, Jamison

February 21st, 2014 at 7:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Wizards saw trading Eric Maynor as an “imperative,” a source tells J. Michael of CSNWashington. That’s a strong indictment of his play, since Michael notes that Maynor didn’t cause trouble in the locker room. Maynor was never the team’s first choice last summer when they were seeking a backup for John Wall, he was just the first to accept their offer, writes Michael. Now that Andre Miller is on the roster, the team believes they have found the right player for them.

More on the Wizards:

  • The Wizards have a “lukewarm” interest in Antawn Jamison now that the Hawks have officially waived him, tweets J. Michael. The team will wait and see what other players are available prior to making a decision on Jamison.
  • J. Michael also tweeted that Glen Davis isn’t likely to be in the Wizards plans. He thinks Davis is most likely to sign with the Clippers.
  • Miller commented on his difficulties with former coach Brian Shaw, in an article by the Associated Press. Miller stated, “It was just an instance where I kind of lost my cool and was a little bit unprofessional and stepped out of character. And I apologized to my teammates for what happened. That’s not me. That’s not what I’m about.“

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Odds & Ends: Miller, Neal, Cavs, Warriors

February 21st, 2014 at 4:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

In a radio appearance this morning with William Qualkinbush on WCCP-FM in Clemson, South Carolina, I praised the Pacers‘ acquisition of Evan Turner and deemed the inability of the Suns to find a taker for Emeka Okafor and his expiring contract a missed opportunity. There’s plenty more reaction to Thursday’s trade deadline amid our latest look around the NBA:

  • The Nuggets are relieved to move on from the Andre Miller situation, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post.  For his part, GM Tim Connelly took the high road when discussing the 37-year-old guard.  “There’s always going to be issues that pop up,” said Connelly. “There’s no villain here. Unfortunately what happened, happened. We have to have the full support of our coach. I think it’s important that everyone understands that is Brian (Shaw)‘s locker room. (Miller) was out of character. He’s a pro. I’m sure he’s excited to move on to D.C. and help that team make a playoff push.“
  • Gary Neal didn’t see a whole lot of playing time with the Bucks and head coach Larry Drew acknowledged that the rapid progress of rookie Nate Wolters was partially responsible for that, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel.  Neal will now hope to see more burn with the Bobcats.
  • GM David Griffin says the Cavs will “take a swing at someone” in an effort to fill the open roster spot that Thursday’s trade created, notes Bob Finnan of The News-Journal.
  • The Warriors would have more interest in Earl Clark than Glen Davis, tweets Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. Both hit waivers today and should become free agents on Sunday.
  • The Hawks have recalled Jared Cunningham from the D-League, the team announced. The 24th overall pick in 2012 has made 22 appearances for the Bakersfield Jam this year and only five for Atlanta.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

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Odds & Ends: Pacers, Smith, Deng, Lowry

February 20th, 2014 at 11:13pm CST by Zachary Links

We saw plenty of trades go down before the deadline and Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders looked at the winners and losers.  The Pacers top the list of winners for their acquisition of former No. 2 overall pick Evan Turner.  While the Wizards and Warriors also get nods, Koutroupis says that the Lakers and Knicks should have done more.  Here’s tonight’s look around the league..

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