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The Sacramento Kings today requested waivers on guard Will Solomon, according to Kings’ President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie.
Solomon, who is currently in his second NBA season, averaged 5.0 points (.406 FGs, .448 3FGs, .500 FTs) and 1.5 rebounds per game through 14 outings off the bench for the Kings.
The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed guard Marcus Williams. Per team policy terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Williams was an All-League First Team Selection this season with the Austin Toros, the Spurs affiliate in the NBA Development League. In 45 games with the Toros, Williams averaged 23.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists. He was named the D-League Performer of the Week for the week of 3/30 after averaging a triple-double with 27.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 11.5 assists in three games.
Williams, who is in his second year, appeared in 11 NBA games last season (10 with the L.A. Clippers and one with San Antonio) where he averaged 0.9 points and 1.1 rebounds in 3.3 minutes. He also spent 36 games with the Toros where he averaged 19.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Williams was drafted by San Antonio with the 33rd overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
The 22-year-old Williams was an early entry candidate for the 2007 NBA Draft. He played two years at the University of Arizona, earning First Team All-Pac-10 honors after averaging 16.6 points and 6.7 rebounds as a sophomore.
At the same time, the Spurs announced that they have waived guard/forward Malik Hairston.
The Akron Beacon Journal (George Thomas) reports (via blog): Cavaliers rookie J.J. Hickson will miss the next 2-3 weeks with a stress-related back injury, it was revealed today. The Cavs decided to shut down the rookie, who had a flare up approximately three months ago, after he began suffering symptoms 7-10 days ago.
Thunder fans will have a unique opportunity Friday night to bid on jerseys worn by Thunder players during this historic first season in the Ford Center. The “Jersey Off Our Backs” auction will benefit the Oklahoma City Thunder Community Foundation Fund. Fans are invited to bid on game-worn jerseys from all 15 Thunder players at a silent auction table on the concourse during Friday night’s home finale vs.. Charlotte. The winning bidders will receive their jerseys at the conclusion of the game. Many of the jerseys will actually be worn by Thunder players during that final game.
Bidding for the jerseys will begin when doors open at 5:30 p.m. outside of section 101 on the concourse level of the Ford Center, right outside the Thunder Shop. Bids will be taken throughout the night, ending ten minutes following the conclusion of the game.
There’s a new Eminem song out called “We made you.”
Word is, Eminem is going to release a full studio album. This will be on it.
The InsideHoops.com opinion of this song is that it’s catchy, but sounds exactly like lots of his stuff we’ve already heard in the past.
For those of you at work, bits of this video aren’t particularly work-safe. Nothing too crazy, though.
Here’s the video for Eminem’s new song. It’s cut off after just under 3 minutes, but you get the idea:
The AP reports: Ryan Gomes had 24 points and 13 rebounds, Craig Smith added 16 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Clippers 87-77 on Tuesday night in a matchup of short-handed teams. Eric Gordon scored 28 for the Clippers, who went without a basket for four-plus minutes to start the fourth quarter. Smith had seven consecutive points in the period to give the Timberwolves their biggest lead of the game, 78-62, with 10:18 remaining. Both teams were missing at least three starters because of injuries and a suspension. Kevin Love, who finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds, scored the first seven points of the third quarter to give Minnesota a 54-41 lead it never relinquished.
The AP reports: Pau Gasol scored 26 points, Kobe Bryant added 22 and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame a sluggish start to beat the Sacramento Kings 122-104 Tuesday night and move within a half-game of Cleveland for the best record in the NBA. Los Angeles fell behind by 12 points midway through the first quarter before finding its stride against the NBA’s worst team and avenging a surprising loss earlier this season to the Kings at Arco Arena… Lamar Odom added 15 points and 11 rebounds, Trevor Ariza scored 14 points and Gasol had 12 rebounds to go with his 11-for-16 shooting against overmatched Sacramento. Los Angeles has won four straight since losing back-to-back games in Charlotte and Atlanta. Spencer Hawes had 21 points and 15 rebounds, Jason Thompson added 18 points and 11 boards, and Francisco Garcia scored 19 for the Kings (16-61), who lost their fifth straight game and have already set a franchise record for most losses in a season.
The AP reports: Yao Ming scored 20 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, outplaying Dwight Howard and leading the Houston Rockets to a 93-83 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night. The 7-foot-6 Yao went 8-for-13 from the field and also blocked two shots. He played 38 minutes and got some help from 7-2 Dikembe Mutombo in handling Howard, the NBA’s leading rebounder and shot blocker… Ron Artest had 16 points and matched a season high with seven assists, and reserve Von Wafer scored 14 points for the Rockets, who stayed a half-game behind San Antonio in the race for the Southwest Division… Howard had 13 points and 10 rebounds, but went 3-for-9 from the free-throw line for the Magic, who slipped one game behind second-place Boston in the Eastern Conference standings.
The AP reports: Kirk Hinrich scored 25 points to lead five players in double figures as the Bulls beat the upset-minded New York Knicks 110-103 Tuesday night. Chicago has won five straight and 12 of 13 at home—26 of 38 overall—and has a half-game edge on idle Detroit for the seventh playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls also have a three-game lead on ninth-place Charlotte with four games left, including three at home… John Salmons scored 19 with six assists and six rebounds, Derrick Rose had 18 points and six assists, Tyrus Thomas had 18 points and four blocks, and Ben Gordon 17 points for the Bulls’ balanced scoring attack… Wilson Chandler scored 26 points to lead the Knicks, who were trying to win consecutive games for the first time since taking three in a row March 10-13. Al Harrington had 23 points, and David Lee added 17 points and 13 rebounds.
The AP reports: Brandon Roy keyed the rally, Travis Outlaw hit the go-ahead shot and the Portland Trail Blazers kept their fight alive for home court in the Western Conference playoffs. Outlaw banked in a 14-footer with 13 seconds left to complete Portland’s comeback, and the Trail Blazers beat the Memphis Grizzlies 96-93 on Tuesday night. Roy, who scored 13 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, stole the ball from Memphis guard Mike Conley with 8 seconds left, then hit the ensuing two free throws to preserve the win… Rudy Fernandez and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 15 apiece for the Trail Blazers. Outlaw finished with 11 points and Greg Oden scored 10… Mayo led Memphis with 31 points, hitting 13 of his 21 shots, going 5-of-7 outside the arc. Rudy Gay had 19 before fouling out on Outlaw’s go-ahead basket. Hakim Warrick added 13 points and Conley 12.