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Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has waived guard D.J. Strawberry.
Strawberry (6-5, 201, Maryland) averaged 8.2 points and 1.0 steals in five preseason games this year. Strawberry was acquired by the Rockets from the Phoenix Suns on August 25, 2008 after a rookie campaign with the Suns in which he averaged 2.2 points on .315 (29-92) shooting in 33 games.
The Rockets roster now stands at 14 players.
The Milwaukee Bucks have requested waivers on forward Matt Freije, General Manager John Hammond announced today.
Freije, 27, signed a free agent contract with Milwaukee on October 1. He appeared in five preseason games, averaging 7.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 12.0 minutes.
The Bucks roster currently stands at 15 entering tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls (7:30 p.m., WTMJ 620 AM).
The Chicago Bulls announced today the team has picked up the options for the 2009-10 season for forward Tyrus Thomas, guard Thabo Sefolosha and forward/center Joakim Noah. The announcement means that all three players will be under contract for the Bulls for the 2009-10 season.
In two seasons with Chicago, Thomas (6-9, 215) has appeared in 146 games (31 starts) and averaged 6.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg and 1.01 bpg in 15.7 mpg; he has shot .443 from the field and .673 from the line. Selected to the 2006-07 T-Mobile NBA All-Rookie Second Team, Thomas was drafted in the first round (fourth overall) by Portland in NBA Draft 2006 and was traded to the Bulls, along with Viktor Khryapa, for the draft rights to LaMarcus Aldridge.
Sefolosha (6-7, 215) has played in 140 games (26 starts) the last two years for the Bulls and posted averages of 5.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.4 apg in 16.5 mpg and shot .427 from the field, .338 from behind the arc and .658 from the line. Sefolosha was selected in the first round (13th overall) by Philadelphia in NBA Draft 2006 and was traded to the Bulls in a draft-day deal for the draft rights to Rodney Carney and cash considerations.
Noah (6-11, 232) enters his second season with the Bulls, after appearing in 74 games (31 starts) his rookie year. In 2007-08, he compiled averages of 6.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.92 spg and 0.86 bpg in 20.7 mpg; he shot .482 from the field and .691 from the line. The Bulls selected Noah in the first round (ninth overall) in NBA Draft 2007.
The San Antonio Spurs announced Thursday that they have waived guard/forward Devin Green, guard Salim Stoudamire and center Darryl Watkins.
Green appeared in four games during the preseason, averaging 7.0 points, 2.8 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 1.25 steals in 21.8 minutes per game.
Stoudamire played in two preseason games, averaging 5.5 points, 2.5 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 19.0 minutes of action.
Green saw action in five preseason games, averaging 3.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 15.0 minutes of action.
The Spurs roster now stands at 16.
The New Jersey Nets have requested waivers on Eddie Gill, Brian Hamilton, Julius Hodge and Keith Van Horn, Nets President Rod Thorn announced Thursday. Gill, Hamilton and Hodge each signed as free agents with the Nets on September 27, 2008, while Van Horn was obtained on February 19, 2008 in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks.
Gill appeared in six games for the Nets during the preseason, averaging 4.5 points and 1.0 assists in 13.7 minutes per game. The five-year NBA veteran has averaged 3.1 points and 1.1 assists in 181 career games with New Jersey, Memphis, Portland and Indiana.
Hamilton played in three preseason contests, totaling one point and five rebounds in 21 minutes of action.
Hodge posted averages of 3.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in four preseason games with the Nets. In two NBA seasons with Denver and Milwaukee, Hodge has appeared in 23 games, averaging 1.2 points and 0.7 rebounds in 4.2 minutes per game.
Van Horn, who was acquired by New Jersey as part of an eight player trade with the Dallas Mavericks on February 19, 2008, has not appeared in an NBA game since the 2005-06 season.
The Nets roster now stands at 15 players.
The Indiana Pacers announced Thursday they have waived forwards Austin Croshere and Josh Davis. The Pacers roster now stands at 15.
“This was an extremely difficult decision to waive Austin,” said Pacers General Manager David Morway. “Austin’s a terrific professional and has represented this franchise extremely well and we appreciate his passion, dedication and commitment to the Pacers over the years.”
Croshere played for the Pacers from 1997-2006. In those nine seasons he averaged 7.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. He was traded to Dallas in 2006 for Marquis Daniels and played for Golden State in 2007-08. Davis is a three-year veteran of the NBA, having played for Atlanta, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Houston and Phoenix. He has career averages of 2.5 ppg and 1.7 rpg. Morway added, “both Austin and Josh had very good camps and we think both players will find a place in the NBA this season.”
The Phoenix Suns today exercised the team’s option on swingman Alando Tucker for the 2009-10 season.
The 6-6, 205-pound Tucker enters his second season with the Suns after originally being selected by Phoenix with the 29th overall pick in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft. In his rookie campaign last season, Tucker split time between the Suns and the club’s then-NBA Development League affiliate in Albuquerque. In 21 games (19 starts) in the D-League, Tucker averaged 27.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists and was named the D-League.com Performer of the Week for the week of Dec. 10. Tucker averaged 3.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in six games with the Suns in 2007-08.
Despite missing three games, Tucker is the Suns’ third-leading scorer this preseason, posting averages of 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 45.2 percent from the field.
A native of Lockport, Ill., Tucker played five seasons at the University of Wisconsin after receiving a medical redshirt, where he averaged 16.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 134 collegiate games from 2002-07. Tucker finished as the Badgers’ all-time leading scorer and was named a consensus All-American and the Big 10 Player of the Year in his senior season. Tucker was also one of four finalists for the Naismith Trophy given to the national player of the year in 2007.
The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has requested waivers on guard Blake Ahearn, forward Chris Richard and center David Harrison. The preseason roster now stands at 15 players.
Ahearn, signed as a free agent on Sept. 29, appeared in five preseason games for the Wolves, averaging 7.8 points and 1.2 assists in 11.6 minutes per game.
Minnesota selected Richard in the second round (41st overall pick) of the 2007 NBA Draft. The Florida alum appeared in five games this preseason, averaging 1.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per game. In his rookie season with the Wolves, Richard appeared in 52 games, averaging 1.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.
Harrison, signed as a free agent on Oct. 9, has been sidelined throughout the preseason with a strained right calf.
The Los Angeles Clippers today waived forward Jelani McCoy. McCoy appeared in six preseason games for the Clippers and averaged 3.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per game. The former UCLA star signed with the Clippers on Sept. 23, 2008.
The Clippers roster now stands at 14 players.
The Phoenix Suns have waived guard Robert Hite, the team announced today.
Hite appeared in six exhibition contests for the Suns this preseason without a start, averaging 7.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 14.8 minutes.
The Suns’ roster currently stands at 13.