Day: February 29, 2008

Sonics sign Mike Wilks to 10-day contract

Sonics General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has signed Mike Wilks to a 10-day contract.
 
The 5-10 guard appeared in eight games with the Denver Nuggets and four games with the Washington Wizards earlier this season.
 
Last season, Wilks appeared in 47 games with Seattle and averaged 3.6 points and 1.7 assists per game. In 2005-06, he averaged 4.4 ppg and 1.4 apg in 10 games with the Sonics.

Kings waive Tyronn Lue

The Sacramento Kings today requested waivers on guard Tyronn Lue, according to Kings’ President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie.
 
Since coming over in the February 16th trade with guard Anthony Johnson, centers Sheldon Williams and Lorenzen Wright, and a 2008 second-round draft choice from Atlanta, Lue has not played for the Kings, missing six games with a left calf strain. Lue averaged 6.8 ppg (.439 FG%, .435 3pt%, .857 FT%), 1.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, and 17.1 mpg in 33 games (started 3) for the Hawks this season.
 
The Kings’ updated roster now stands at 14 players.

Bobcats waive Jeff McInnis

Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has waived guard Jeff McInnis.  Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
 
McInnis played in 92 games for the Bobcats over parts of the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons, averaging 4.4 points and 3.1 assists.  The Charlotte native was acquired from New Jersey on January 3, 2007, in exchange for Bernard Robinson.
 
This season, McInnis averaged 4.5 points and 4.1 assists in 54 games, including 26 starts.
 
The Bobcats return to action tonight when they visit the Boston Celtics in a 7:30pm ET game that can be seen on WMYT-MyTV12 and heard on WOLS Oldies 106.1.

Raptors hire John Lucas

The Toronto Raptors announced Friday they have hired John Lucas as a basketball development consultant for the remainder of the 2007-08 season. He will assist the coaching staff with the development of the players’ on-court skills.

Lucas, 54, was the first overall pick in the 1976 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. He played with six teams during his 14-year NBA career from 1976-90. He has also served as a head coach with San Antonio, Philadelphia and Cleveland, as well as an assistant coach with Denver.

Sonics waive Ira Newble

The Seattle SuperSonics have waived forward Ira Newble. Newble was acquired by the Sonics in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Feb. 21. He logged 17 minutes in two games for Seattle.

Sonics center Robert Swift met with Dr. Steve Lombardo in Los Angeles yesterday after suffering a torn lateral meniscus in the Feb. 21 game at Portland. Swift will undergo surgery on Tuesday, March 4. He is not expected to return to action this season following surgery.

Danny Granger suspended one game for striking Andres Nocioni

Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger has been suspended  for  one game without pay for striking the Chicago Bulls’ Andres Nocioni  in  the face, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 7:10 remaining in the fourth period of Indiana’s 113-107  loss  to  the  Bulls  on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at Conseco Fieldhouse. Granger will serve the suspension tonight when the Pacers visit the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre.D

76ers waive Gordan Giricek

InsideHoops.com NewsWire: Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski announced today that the team has waived guard Gordan Giricek. Per team policy, terms of the agreement are not disclosed.

In 12 games with the Sixers, Giricek averaged 3.1 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 9.2 minutes, while shooting 31.7% (13-47) from the floor.

Several Phoenix-area newspapers had reported in recent days that, should the Sixers buy Giricek out, the Suns would be interested in adding him.

I think if the Suns do add him, his playing time would probably be very limited.

Bulls assign Demetris Nichols to D-League

The Chicago Bulls announced today the team has assigned rookie forward Demetris Nichols to the Iowa Energy of the D-League.

Nichols (6-8, 216) has appeared in four games with the Bulls since the team claimed him on waivers on Dec. 7, 2007. He has also spent time this season in New York and Cleveland, having appeared in three games with the Cavaliers before his stint with Chicago.

Nichols was originally selected by Portland in the second round (53rd overall) of NBA Draft 2007 after a four-year standout career at Syracuse.

Timberwolves waive Theo Ratliff

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has requested waivers on center Theo Ratliff after reaching a contractual buyout agreement. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Several newspapers in Detroit have reported that Ratliff may sign with the Pistons.

“Theo indicated to us that he wasn’t sure of his plans in the future – whether he was going to play or not – and there was an indication that he would not re-sign with us if he did choose to continue playing,” said Timberwolves Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale. “This provides us an opportunity to play our younger post players – Craig Smith and Chris Richard – and give us more time to continue to evaluate them. I cannot say enough about Theo’s professionalism throughout the entire season and we wish him the best of luck in the future.”

Ratliff, in his first season with the Wolves, appeared in 10 games (six starts) for the Timberwolves this season, and posted averages of 6.3 points (.511 FG%), 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 21.4 minutes per game. He missed 45 games this year due to soreness in his right knee, and underwent arthroscopic surgery on Dec. 18. The 13-year NBA veteran has career averages of 8.0 points (.497 FG%), 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game in 689 career NBA contests. The 6-10 center was acquired by Minnesota in a trade with Boston on July 31, 2007.