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Thunder waive Joe Smith

Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has waived forward Joe Smith.

Smith was acquired by the Thunder on August 13, 2008 along with guard Desmond Mason in a three-team trade that sent guards Luke Ridnour and Adrian Griffin to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Smith appeared in 36 games for the Thunder this season averaging 6.6 points and 4.5 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per contest.

The Thunder roster now stands at 14 players.

Smith may now choose to sign with a playoff contender in need of help at the power forward and center spots. The Cavaliers have been reported by multiple media outlets as a possibility, especially with Ben Wallace out for an extended period with a major injury.

Read NBA fan reaction and discuss your own opinions in this forum topic.

Luol Deng’s leg not broken

Bulls.com (Sam Smith) reports: The Bulls got some good news Sunday when the x-rays for Luol Deng and Tim Thomas were negative. Both will be listed as day to day and uncertain about playing Tuesday in Charlotte. Deng and coach Vinny Del Negro had speculated after Saturday’s win over Houston that Deng could have a season ending stress fracture. Though that also raises the question of who will play and when. One of the big questions coming into Saturday’s game was the status of the starting lineup after the poor effort and big loss in Washington Friday, then the third loss in four games.

Grizzlies waive Adonal Foyle

The Memphis Grizzlies reached a buyout agreement and waived center Adonal Foyle, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

The 6-10, 270-pound center appeared in one game with the Grizzlies, logging three minutes on Feb. 24 at Cleveland, after the team acquired him from Orlando along with the Magic’s unprotected 2009 first round draft pick on Feb. 19.

As part of the three-team trade, also involving the Houston Rockets, the Grizzlies also received guard Mike Wilks and cash considerations, the Rockets acquired guard Kyle Lowry and forward Brian Cook, and the Magic received guard Rafer Alston.

A 12-year NBA veteran, Foyle is averaging 1.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.67 blocks in 5.3 minutes in six games with Memphis and Orlando this season.  The Canouan native holds career averages of 4.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.63 blocks in 729 career games (269 starts) with Memphis, Orlando and the Golden State Warriors, who originally selected him in the first round (eighth overall) of the 1997 NBA Draft.

The Grizzlies’ roster now stands at 14 players.

Knicks dislike Jermaine O’Neal’s bulky knee brace

This from Saturday’s Knicks vs Heat game in Miami – The New York Times (Howard Beck) reports: The game was delayed for several minutes in the second quarter after the Knicks complained about Jermaine O’Neal’s bulky knee brace. Wilson Chandler, Jared Jeffries and Nate Robinson all hurt themselves banging into the brace’s hard plastic. Ken Mauer, the lead referee, initially signaled for the Heat to replace O’Neal, but O’Neal chose to ditch the brace instead. He put it back on for the second half, with a sleeve over it.

Euroleague Top 16 Week 4 MVP: Tiago Splitter

Euroleague.net reports: A triumphant return from personal misfortune and family tragedy saw a signature Euroleague superstar earn MVP honors for Top 16, Week 4. All-Euroleague center Tiago Splitter put on a near-perfect performance as Tau Ceramica moved nearer to Quarterfinal Playoffs qualification by dominating Armani Jeans Milano 74-107 on the road Wednesday in Group D. It was Splitter’s first Top 16 game after an injury and the tragic passing of his teenage sister earlier in February as she lost a long battle with leukemia… Carlos Arroyo of Maccabi Electra was the best scorer of Top 16 Week 4 with 26 points in a losing effort against Real Madrid. Three players – Louis Bullock of Real Madrid, Igor Rakocevic of Tau Ceramica and Mirsad Turkcan of Fenerbahce Ulker – tie as the Top 16’s overall scoring leaders with 19 points per game each.

How LeBron can make the most money

The Cleveland Plain Dealer (Brian Windhorst) reports:  Purely from a financial perspective, LeBron James would probably be best to pick up his option for the 2010-11 season and then extend that contract this summer to 2013 or 2014 to protect himself from the expected salary cap drop and subsequent reduction in max salary. By setting the start of the extension at 2011, James would be in position to reap the rewards of a favorable new CBA for max contracts because his deal would be automatically revised to meet the new max level. But if the cap collapses he’d also be assured of getting a raise on his $17 million salary in 2010-11 and there’s a chance he could actually be above the max contract level after the cap goes down. He would also be wise to build in a series of termination options to continue to apply pressure to the Cavs to surround him with talent while protecting a massive salary for many years. In his position, he will get whatever he asks for as long as it is allowed under the CBA.

Okafor, Bell lead Bobcats over Clippers 100-95

The AP reports: The Charlotte Bobcats lost an inordinate amount of close games early in the season. They just hope it won’t come back to haunt them, now that they’re within striking distance of the franchise’s first playoff berth. Emeka Okafor had 28 points and nine rebounds, Raja Bell scored nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, and Charlotte beat the Los Angeles Clippers 100-95 on Saturday night for their third straight victory… Okafor made 11 of 17 shots, while Diaw added 15 points. Zach Randolph had 33 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles, coming off a 98-86 loss at Sacramento that followed Wednesday’s stunning 93-91 upset of the NBA champion Boston Celtics.

Brewer scores 26, Jazz beat Kings 102-89

The AP reports: Ronnie Brewer scored a career-high 26 points and Utah increased its winning streak to seven straight with a 102-89 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night, hours after Jazz owner Larry Miller’s funeral in the same building. Mehmet Okur also scored 26 and Deron Williams added 16 points and 11 assists for the Jazz, who went 10-1 in February. The day started somberly for the Jazz with the funeral for Miller, who died eight days before of complications from diabetes, but ended with another win—a fitting send-off for their longtime owner. Kevin Martin had 19 points to lead the Kings, who haven’t won back-to-back games since November. Rashad McCants had 17 points and Bobby Jackson scored 14 for Sacramento.