July 2012 – Page 21 – NBA Blog

Timberwolves waive Darko Milicic via amnesty clause

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has waived center Darko Milicic, designating him as the team’s amnesty player. The one-time amnesty provision allows a team to waive a player and not have his salary count against the salary cap or luxury tax.

Milicic spent parts of three seasons as Minnesota’s starting center, averaging 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks over 122 games, 110 starts with the Wolves. The Wolves originally acquired the 7-0 center from the New York Knicks on Feb. 17, 2012.

Spurs re-sign Boris Diaw

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they re-signed forward Boris Diaw. Per club policy details of the contract were not released.

“Boris was a key addition to our team late last season and we are happy to have him back,” Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said. “The depth of his game and his basketball IQ make him a special player.”

Diaw, signed last season by the Spurs on March 23, played in 20 games (seven starts) with the Silver and Black, averaging 4.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 20.3 minutes while shooting .588 (40-68) from the field. In the postseason, Diaw started all 14 games for the Spurs and averaged 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 24.7 minutes.

The 6-8, 235-pound Diaw started the 2011-12 season with the Charlotte Bobcats before being placed on waivers on March 21. In 37 games with the Bobcats, Diaw averaged 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 27.5 minutes.

A nine-year NBA veteran, Diaw was originally drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the 21st overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. He was traded to the Phoenix Suns on Aug. 19, 2005. In his first season with the Suns, Diaw won the 2006 Most Improved Player Award, after averaging 13.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 35.5 minutes over 81 games.

For his career, Diaw has appeared in 680 NBA games, averaging 9.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 30.1 minutes while shooting .492 (2,685-5,457) from the field, .333 (301-904) from three-point territory and .708 (785-1,109) from the foul line. He has posted six triple-doubles during his career. Diaw has seen action in 53 playoff games, averaging 11.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 32.2 minutes.

Photo: Vegas, baby

Photo from InsideHoops.com: Vegas, baby

Hornets trade Jarrett Jack to Warriors, Sixers get Dorell Wright in 3-team deal

Hornets trade Jarrett Jack to Warriors in 3-team deal

The Golden State Warriors have acquired veteran guard Jarrett Jack from the New Orleans Hornets as part of a three-team trade, it was announced this evening. As part of the deal, the Warriors send forward Dorell Wright to the Philadelphia 76ers, who also receive center Darryl Watkins from New Orleans, while the Hornets receive the draft rights to forward Edin Bavcic from Philadelphia.

Jack, 28, is coming off his best NBA season, one in which he appeared in 45 games (39 starts) for New Orleans and averaged career-highs of 15.6 points, 6.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 34.0 minutes per game. A team captain for the Hornets, Jack shot 45.6% from the field, 34.8% from three-point range and a career-high 87.2% from the free throw line, which ranked 11th in the NBA. The 6’3” guard scored 20-or-more points on 11 occasions, dished out eight-or-more assists 16 times and would have ranked 13th in the NBA in assists per game had he appeared in enough games to qualify. Additionally, he posted five point/assist double-doubles on the season, including a triple-double against the Warriors on March 21, recording 17 points, a career-high 10 rebounds and 11 assists (with zero turnovers).

A seven-year NBA veteran, Jack owns career averages of 10.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists over 532 career regular-season games combined with Portland, Indiana, Toronto and New Orleans. He appeared in 79-or-more games in each of his first six NBA seasons (including every game from 2007-08 to 2010-11) prior to missing 21 games this past season. A native of Fort Washington, Maryland, he was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft after playing three seasons at Georgia Tech.

“We’re extremely pleased to acquire a player the quality of Jarrett Jack to help supplement our backcourt,” said Warriors’ General Manager Bob Myers. “One of our goals this off-season was to improve our depth at various positions and we think we accomplished that task with this trade. Jarrett recently completed his most productive season in the NBA and, in addition to providing us with additional veteran leadership, his ability to run an offense, score and a variety of other things will be a tremendous asset. I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Dorell Wright for his contributions to our team the last two years. He was a compete professional both on and off the floor and someone that I have a great deal of admiration for as a player and person.”

“We’re very happy to get a player like Dorell Wright,” said Sixers President of Basketball Operations Rod Thorn. “We think his outside shooting and all-around game will be a great addition to our team and we look forward to having him in Philadelphia.”

Wright was originally the 19th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by Miami out of South Kent Prep in Connecticut. In eight seasons, the 26-year-old has appeared in 354 games with 199 starts and is averaging 9.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 25.2 minutes per game while shooting 43.8% from the floor, 36.5% from 3-point range and 80.1% from the line.

After playing his first six seasons with Miami, and winning a championship with the HEAT in 2006, Wright signed as a free agent with Golden State on July 12, 2010. Over the past two seasons, he started 143 of a possible 148 games for the Warriors, averaging 13.8 points.

Wright’s best season came with Golden State in 2010-11. He started all 82 games, averaging career-highs of 16.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.51 steals. Wright led the NBA with 194 3-pointers made that season and ranked tied for 21st with 105 3FGM in 2011-12.

Watkins was not selected in the 2007 NBA Draft following his senior year at Syracuse but played nine games for Sacramento early into the 2007-08 season before being waived. He signed with the Hornets back in April and appeared in five games, averaging 4.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per game while shooting 50.0% from the floor. Watkins had 13 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals and a block in the final game of the season at Houston on April 26.

A native of New Jersey, Watkins attended Paterson Catholic. In between his stints with the Kings in 2007-08 and Hornets this past season, Watkins competed in summer leagues, training camps and preseason games for numerous teams, including the L.A. Clippers, San Antonio, Houston, Cleveland, Dallas, Indiana and New Orleans. Watkins has also spent time in the D-League and has played internationally in China, Lebanon and most recently, Greece.

Bavcic, originally drafted by the Toronto Raptors in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft, played for Vanoli-Braga Cremona and Bennet Cantu of the Italy’s top division (Serie A) last season, as well as for KAO Dramas in Greece where he averaged 10.9 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 55.2% from the field in 18 games. The 6’11’’ forward/center played for Philadelphia in three consecutive Summer Leagues from 2006-08. Bavcic, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, was named Greek A1 League All-Bosmans Team in 2011 and won both the Slovenian Cup and the Slovenian Super Cup in 2010.

Brooklyn Nets re-sign Brook Lopez

The Brooklyn Nets have re-signed center Brook Lopez, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today. According to multiple reports, the deal is a four-year, $60 million max contract.

“Brook Lopez is one of the top young centers in the NBA,” said King. “We have witnessed his growth as a player over the past four years, and are very pleased that he will remain in a Nets uniform as we begin our new era in Brooklyn.”

Lopez, selected 10th overall by the Nets in the 2008 NBA Draft, holds career averages of 17.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per games. Over his four NBA seasons, the seven-footer is shooting .504 from the field and .796 from the free throw line in 251 games. Lopez played in all 82 games in each of his first three seasons in the NBA, averaging a career-high 20.4 points per game in 2010-11. In 2011-12, Lopez was limited to five games of action due to a broken right foot. He posted averages of 19.2 points per game, including a 38- point performance at Dallas on February 28. Over the past three seasons, Lopez ranks 2nd among NBA centers in scoring, averaging 19.6 points per game.

Clippers trade Reggie Evans to Nets

The Brooklyn Nets have acquired forward Reggie Evans from the Los Angeles Clippers, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today. In exchange for Evans, Los Angeles will have the right to swap second round draft picks with Brooklyn in 2016.

“Reggie Evans is one of the most tenacious rebounders in the league,” said King. “He is a proven NBA veteran and will be an important addition to our front court rotation.”

Evans played in 56 games for the L.A. Clippers in 2011-12, averaging 1.9 points and 4.8 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game. He appeared in all 11 of Los Angeles’ 2012 playoff games where he averaged 3.0 points and 7.3 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per contest. Evan ranked 6th in the NBA last season in rebounds per minute, averaging one rebound every 2.8 minutes.

The 6-8 forward out of Iowa began his career in Seattle after going unselected in the 2002 NBA Draft. A 10-year NBA veteran, Evans holds career averages of 4.0 points and 6.8 rebounds in 19.0 minutes per game. In 628 career games, including 289 starts, with Seattle, Denver, Philadelphia, Toronto and the Clippers, he has shot .466 (853-1,831) from the field and .522 (829-1,587) from the line. In 38 career postseason games, Evans has averaged 3.7 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting .436 (41-94) from the field. Evans averaged a career-best 11.5 rebounds per game in 2010-11, while playing in 30 games with the Raptors.

Hawks trade Marvin Williams to Jazz for Devin Harris

Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today that the team has acquired forward Marvin Williams from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for guard Devin Harris, pending the outcome of physicals.

Williams (6-9, 245, North Carolina) is entering his eighth NBA season and has played in 487 career games (379 starts), all with Atlanta, owning career averages of 11.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 30.4 minutes. He helped the Hawks advance to the playoffs for the last five seasons, appearing in 42 playoff games (27 starts), after the franchise had failed to make the postseason the previous eight years. Williams saw action in 57 games (37 starts) for the Hawks in 2011-12, averaging 10.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 26.3 minutes while shooting a career-high .389 (58-149) from three-point range. He averaged double-figure scoring for the sixth straight season, posting 32 games with 10-plus points including 20-plus twice, and registered two double-doubles.

Originally selected by the Hawks in the first-round (second overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft, Williams was selected to the NBA’s 2006 All-Rookie Second Team. He was also a two-time recipient (2008, 2011) of the Hawks’ Jason Collier Memorial Trophy for his work as a community ambassador.

Prior to the NBA, the 26-year-old Bremerton, Wash., native played one season at the University of North Carolina (2004-05), where he was a member of the Tar Heels’ 2005 NCAA Championship team. Williams’ tip-in with 1:26 remaining in the 2005 NCAA title game vs. Illinois broke a 70-70 tie, propelling UNC to a 75-70 victory. He earned ACC Rookie of the Year honors and was a unanimous selection to the ACC All-Freshman Team in his lone college season.

An eight-year veteran, Harris’ tenure in Utah consisted of 80 games after he was traded by the Nets (along with Derrick Favors and other considerations) on February 23, 2011. He helped lead the Jazz to the first round of the playoffs before they were eliminated in four games by Dallas. In 63 games this year, Harris tallied 11.3 points and 5.0 assists, and made 44.5% of his FG attempts while shooting 75 percent from the free throw line.

Selected as a reserve on the Eastern Conference’s All-Star team in 2009, Atlanta will be Harris’ fourth team since coming into the NBA in 2004. Picked fifth overall by Washington, he was traded to Dallas on draft night and played three and a half seasons for the Mavericks before he was traded to New Jersey on February 19, 2008.

In three-plus seasons with the Nets, Harris’ career numbers continued to improve, topped by a personal-best 21.3 ppg average in 2008-09. It was the fifth straight season in which his scoring totals increased, to go along with career highs in rebounds (3.3 rpg) and steals (1.6 spg). Harris brings career averages of 13.1 points, 5.0 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals to Atlanta, and he has connected on .441 FG%, .315 3FG% and 80.1 percent of his FTs.

Clippers sign Jamal Crawford

The Los Angeles Clippers today signed free agent guard Jamal Crawford. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.

A 12-year NBA veteran, Crawford tallied 13.9 points, 3.2 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 26.9 minutes in 60 games played for the Portland Trail Blazers last season. Crawford also connected on 38 percent of his field goals, 31 percent of his three-point field goal attempts and 93 percent of his free throws on the year. Crawford finished the season ranked first in the NBA in free throw percentage.

Named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2009-10 while with the Atlanta Hawks, Crawford has averaged 15.3 points, 3.9 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 31.8 minutes over his career. He turned out his most productive NBA season in 2007-08 while with the New York Knicks, tallying 20.6 points, 5.0 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 39.9 minutes in 80 games played.

The eighth overall selection in the 2000 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Crawford was part of a draft day trade that sent him to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for the draft rights to Chris Mihm. After four seasons in Chicago, Crawford was traded to the New York Knicks, where he remained until being traded to the Golden State Warriors in 2008. Crawford was traded to the Atlanta Hawks prior to the start of the 2009 season, remaining there until signing with Portland as a free agent prior to the start of last season.

Hawks trade Joe Johnson to Nets

The Brooklyn Nets have acquired six-time All-Star guard Joe Johnson from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Jordan Farmar, Anthony Morrow, DeShawn Stevenson, Jordan Williams, Johan Petro, Houston’s 2013 first round pick and the Nets’ second round draft pick in 2017, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

“We are very pleased to add a perennial All-Star caliber player like Joe Johnson to our roster,” said King. “Joe is considered one of the premier guards in the NBA, and his skill and talent level will have a very positive impact on our team.”

Johnson, (6-7, 240), was selected 10th overall in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft by Boston. The Arkansas product is an 11-year NBA veteran and holds career averages of 17.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.0 steal in 36.7 minutes per game. In 831 career games, including 761 starts, with Boston, Phoenix and Atlanta, he has shot .444 (5,673-12,779) from the field, .368 (1,281-3,479) from three-point range and .797 (2,130-2,672) from the line. Johnson is a six-time All Star, made the All NBA Third Team in 2010, won a bronze medal as part of Team USA at the 2006 FIBA World Championships in Japan and was a member of the All-Rookie Second Team in 2002. In 60 games with the Hawks last season, Johnson averaged 18.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 35.5 minutes. He shot .454 (423-931) from the field, .388 (125-322) from behind the arc and .849 (158-186) from the line.

Farmar, (6-2, 180), appeared in 39 games, five starts, with the Nets last season and averaged a career-best 10.4 points along with 1.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 21 minutes. He shot career-bests .467 (147-315) from the field, .440 (55-125) from behind the arc (8th in the NBA), and .905 (57-63) from the line. In 413 career games, 25 starts, with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Nets, he has averaged 7.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 19.5 minutes. He has shot .427 (1,202-2,818) from the field, .367 (458-1,248) from behind the arc and .728 (321-441) from the line.

Morrow, (6-5, 210), made 62 appearances, including 18 starts, with the Nets last season and averaged 12.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 26.4 minutes. He shot .413 (272-658) from the field, .371 (106-286) from downtown and .933 (97-104) from the line. He scored a career-high 42 points, including a career-high 8-of-11 three’s vs. Minnesota on 2/3/12. In 256 career games, 119 starts, with Golden State and the Nets, Morrow has averaged 12.1 points and 3.0 rebounds in 27.4 minutes. He has shot .451 (1,135-2,515) from the field, .426 (442-1,037) from three-point range and .897 (374-417) from the line.

Williams (6-10, 260), selected in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Nets, played in 43 games as a rookie in 2011-12. The Maryland product averaged 4.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per game.

Petro, (7-0, 247), appeared in 59 games, 10 starts with the Nets last season and averaged 4.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 15.6 minutes. He shot .419 (109-260) from the field and .838 (31-37) from the line. In 442 career games, 131 starts, with Seattle/Oklahoma City, Denver and the Nets, he has averaged 4.7 points and 3.9 rebounds in 15.6 minutes.

Stevenson, (6-5, 218), appeared in 51 games, 30 starts, with the Nets last season and averaged 2.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 18.8 minutes. In 768 career games, 511 starts, with Utah, Orlando, Washington, Dallas and the Nets, he has averaged 7.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 22.5 minutes.

Raptors sign Landry Fields to offer sheet

The Toronto Raptors announced Wednesday they have signed New York Knicks restricted free-agent guard-forward Landry Fields to an offer sheet. Per team policy, financial details were not disclosed.

Under the terms of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, New York will have until Saturday to match the Raptors’ offer.

Fields, 6-foot-7, 215 pounds, has averaged 9.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 30 minutes in 148 games. He has appeared in every contest the past two seasons, making 143 starts.

Fields was a 2010-11 T-Mobile All-Rookie First Team selection and twice named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month (November and December 2010). He paced the Knicks in rebounding 22 times, and set a franchise rookie-record making 86 three-pointers. He had two 20-plus scoring games and 11 double-doubles. He scored a career-high 25 points versus Philadelphia on February 6, 2011 and recorded a career-best 17 rebounds on November 16, 2010 at Denver.

Fields scored in double figures in 25 outings last season, with a high of 21 at Sacramento on December 31. He posted double-digit scoring efforts in nine of 10 games from January 18 – February 3, averaging 13.6 points. He also contributed seven games with at least three steals,

A native of Southern California, Fields was an All-Pac-10 First Team selection as a senior at Stanford in 2009-10, with averages of 22.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 36.3 minutes in 32 games (all starts).