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The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has waived guard Jannero Pargo.
Pargo (6-1, 185) signed with the Bulls last season (03/20/11) and did not appear in a game following his arrival. He spent 14 games on Chicago’s Inactive List.
In 379 regular season contests in the NBA, Pargo has averaged 6.6 ppg, 2.0 apg and 1.5 rpg in 15.7 mpg.
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The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has waived guard Keith Bogans.
Bogans (6-5, 215) started all 82 games for Chicago last season and posted averages of 4.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.2 apg in 17.8 mpg. He also shot .404 from the field, .380 from downtown and .656 from the line.
With the addition of shooting guard Rip Hamilton, the Bulls obviously felt that Bogans’ services were no longer required.
The Golden State Warriors have been awarded guard Ish Smith off of waivers, the team announced today.
Smith, 23, spent last season with the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies, appearing in 43 games (three starts) and averaging 2.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 10.3 minutes per contest. In three starting assignments, the 6’0” guard averaged 6.3 points, 3.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.00 steals in 27.0 minutes.
Originally signed by Houston after a four-year career at Wake Forest, Smith was traded to Memphis along with Shane Battier in exchange for DeMarre Carroll, Hasheem Thabeet and a first-round draft pick on February 24, 2011. The Charlotte, NC, native appeared in five playoff games for Memphis.
Prior to being traded, Smith appeared in eight games (five starts) for Houston’s D-League affiliate, posting averages of 12.5 points, 7.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.50 steals and 1.25 blocks in 32.9 minutes for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
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Charlotte Bobcats forward Eduardo Najera underwent successful surgery this morning to repair a cartilage tear in his left knee that was discovered during an MRI earlier this week. The surgery was performed by Bobcats team physician Dr. Glenn Perry at Midtown Medical Plaza in Charlotte.
He is expected to be sidelined for approximately 6-8 weeks.
Najera saw action in 31 games for the Bobcats last season, averaging 2.2 points and 1.4 rebounds in 12.0 minutes per game.
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The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have re-signed forward Steve Novak. Per club policy details of the contract were not released.
Novak, a 6-10 forward, was signed to two 10-day contracts last season before signing for the remainder of the season on March 4. In 23 games with the Spurs, he averaged 4.0 points and 1.0 rebound in 8.6 minutes while shooting .525 (31-59) from the field, .548 (23-42) from three-point range and 1.000 (8-8) from the free throw line. Novak posted a season-high 19 points (6-10 FG, 5-8 3FG, 2-2 FT) and 4 rebounds in 18 minutes vs. Charlotte on March 19. Prior to signing with the Spurs he appeared in two games with the Reno Bighorns in the NBA Development League, averaging 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in 29.5 minutes. Novak started the season with the Dallas Mavericks appearing in seven games, averaging 1.6 points in 2.6 minutes.
Novak has appeared in 225 regular season games with Houston, the L.A. Clippers, Dallas and San Antonio in his five-year NBA career, averaging 4.0 points and 1.1 rebounds in 9.7 minutes per game. For his career he is shooting .443 (320-723) from the field and .417 (214-513) from three-point range.
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The Portland Trail Blazers have agreed to terms with forward Craig Smith. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. We’ll post contract details here tonight.
Smith, 28, has averaged 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in five seasons with Minnesota and the L.A. Clippers.
“Craig is a guy who will bring us some interior scoring and toughness around the hole,” said Trail Blazers Acting General Manager Chad Buchanan. “He is a player who is hungry to experience the playoffs and we hope that Craig can help us get back to the postseason again this year.”
A Los Angeles native, Smith (6-7, 265) spent the past two seasons with the Clippers, posting averages of 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 2010-11.
Originally selected by Minnesota with the 36th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft out of Boston College, Smith was a member of the 2006-07 NBA All-Rookie Second Team along with fellow Trail Blazer LaMarcus Aldridge.
Los Angeles D-Fenders Associate Head Coach Clay Moser has been hired by the Los Angeles Lakers to serve as an Advance Scout on Head Coach Mike Brown’s staff, it was announced today.
“We are extremely happy for Clay to receive such a tremendous opportunity with the Lakers,” D-Fenders Head Coach Eric Musselman said. “Clay is a great basketball mind and I am confident he will serve the Lakers well.”
Moser brings more than a decade of NBA and NBA Development League experience with him to the Lakers, most recently from the D-Fenders where he helped coach the team to a 7-3 start. Formerly serving on USA Basketball’s board of directors, Moser has also spent extensive time evaluating NBA-caliber talent as an advance scout for the Cleveland Cavaliers (2009-10), Orlando Magic (2007-08), Sacramento Kings (2006-07) and Golden State Warriors (2002-03). His other NBA experience includes time as Vice President of Business Development for the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (2005-06), as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs 2005 Summer League Team and as a business consultant for the NBA (2005).
In 2010-11, Moser assisted on Musselman’s staff as Associate Head Coach with the Reno Bighorns, helping lead the team to a Western Conference best 34-16 record. Prior to his time with the Bighorns, Moser was tabbed by the Houston Rockets to be Head Coach of their D-League affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, going 21-29 with the Vipers during the 2008-09 campaign. In addition to his Reno and Rio Grande Valley D-League experience, Moser has also worked for CBA teams that later would join the D-League; serving as an assistant coach, vice president and general manager with the Sioux Falls Skyforce (1989-94) and as CEO and general manager of the Idaho Stampede (1997-2001).
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Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today that the team has agreed in principle to a deal with free-agent forward/guard Josh Howard, pending the outcome of a successful physical. It is a one-year deal.
A 2007 All-Star, Howard holds career averages of 15.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in 453 games (381 starts) over eight professional seasons in Dallas and Washington, including career highs of 19.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists during the 2007-08 season. Howard initially joined the Wizards via trade from Dallas on February 13, 2010, and appeared in four games (three starts) for Washington in 2009-10. In his first three contests as a Wizard, he averaged 17.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game before a knee injury on February 22, 2010 vs. Chicago caused him to miss the final 28 games of the season. In 2010-11, he appeared in 18 games (10 starts) for Washington, averaging 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
Howard was originally acquired by the Mavericks in the first round (29th pick) of the 2003 Draft, and later appeared in 62 career playoff games (57 starts) for Dallas, with averages of 15.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in postseason play. Howard averaged 16.7 points and 7.4 rebounds in 23 playoff games (all starts) for the Mavericks during their run to the 2006 NBA Finals. He was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2004. Howard was teammates with current Jazz guard Devin Harris in Dallas from 2004-08.
A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Howard played four seasons at Wake Forest. As a senior, he was named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press and was a unanimous selection as Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year after averaging 19.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 blocks. Howard was also the top vote-getter for the ACC All-Defensive Team as a senior.
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The New Jersey Nets have signed free agent forward Shawne Williams, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today. The contract is for two years and $6.1 million, reported the New York Post.
“Shawne is a versatile player who will add a needed dimension to our frontcourt,” said King. “He can play inside as well as shoot the three, and is a welcome addition to our roster.”
Williams, a 6-9 forward, comes to the Nets following a one-year stint with the New York Knicks where he played in 64 games and posted career-best averages of 7.1 points and 3.7 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per game, while shooting .401 from three point range. The University of Memphis product was chosen by Indiana in the first round (17th overall) in the 2006 NBA Draft.
Williams played two seasons in Indiana before being traded to Dallas prior to the 2008-09 season.
In January of 2010, Williams was acquired by New Jersey in a multi-player trade with Dallas, although he did not appear in any games with the Nets. Over his four-year NBA career, Williams holds career averages of 5.9 points and 2.9 rebounds over 190 games. He appeared in four postseason games with New York last season, averaging 8.0 points and 3.5 rebounds, while shooting .429 from three point range.
The Memphis Grizzlies waived center Mikki Moore, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.
Moore (6-11, 225) holds career averages of 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 557 games (181 starts) over a 12-year NBA career (1998-2010) with the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, Seattle SuperSonics, Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors.
The 36-year-old University of Nebraska product was originally signed by Memphis on Dec. 10, 2011.