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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 East Valley Tribune (Jerry Brown) reports: In a move that was anticipated a month ago but dragged through the entire training camp, Porter named Matt Barnes the starter at small forward over Grant Hill. The move makes sense for several reasons. Barnes brings defense, athleticism and more 3-point shooting range to help with spacing the floor for the starters. And Hill brings experience and ball-handling ability to the second unit when rookie Goran Dragic is manning the point guard spot. “Grant brings calmness to that second unit and he can help Goran — who has made a lot of strides by is still very experienced — as another person who can handle the ball. Matt fits well with the first unit as a spacer, while Grant will allow Goran and L.B. (Leandro Barbosa) to do the same thing with that second group.”
Most rookies tend to play very few minutes. But on the Pacers there’s room for almost anyone who can play to have an impact. The Indianapolis Star (Mike Wells) reports:
There were questions about them coming into training camp. Some wondered if center Roy Hibbert could make the transition from playing in a halfcourt offense at Georgetown to the up-tempo style of Indiana Pacers coach Jim O’Brien. The concern surrounding Brandon Rush was if he could crack the rotation at one of the wing positions, the Pacers’ deepest. The rookies have gone through growing pains, but they’ve also done enough to earn a place in the rotation when the regular season opens Wednesday in Detroit… Hibbert will back up starter Rasho Nesterovic and Rush will be in the mix at shooting guard and small forward. They were the first two players off the bench Thursday.
It’ll be especially interesting to see how Hibbert plays, considering he stayed in college longer than he had to.
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 Palm Beach Post (Chris Perkins) reports on the Miami Heat: Right now it appears the rotation for Wednesday’s season opener at New York will surely include the seven-man group of point guard Chris Quinn, shooting guard Dwyane Wade, small forward Shawn Marion, power forward Michael Beasley, power forward/center Udonis Haslem, center Mark Blount and point guard/shooting guard Marcus Banks. The other spots (it’s unknown whether the Heat will regularly use an eight- or nine-man rotation) could be comprised of rookie point guard Mario Chalmers, small forward Yakhouba Diawara, small forward Dorell Wright and point guard Shaun Livingston.
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.
Marcus Camby appears to have gotten over the pain that comes from having to make almost $1 million per month in Los Angeles instead of making it in Denver. The Rocky Mountain News (Aaron J. Lopez) reports:
Whatever the reason, former Nuggets center Marcus Camby no longer openly harbors the bitterness that came over him when Denver traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers in a cost-cutting move July 13. Sure, Camby still believes the Nuggets could have handled the situation better, but he appears to have moved on from the days when he felt “blindsided, distraught, disrespected.” “I was upset at the time, how things transpired out there in Denver, but after being out here, that is like a thing of the past right now,” Camby said during a telephone interview from Los Angeles. “I’m enjoying my new situation. I’m enjoying this new chapter of my career. I’m going to try to make the best of the situation, but I think the situation can be a great one and a promising one.”
To be serious, I realize that my opening line is a bit off, in that it wasn’t about the money for Camby. It was personal. He really enjoyed being in Denver. Still, I think he’ll be OK. It’ll be interesting seeing how Camby fits alongside Chris Kaman. And anything Baron Davis does is worth watching.
This is a video clip of when Rafer Alston was arrested for DWI. He’s currently on trial for it.
This took place in Houston.
The video is here.
Rafer should have gone into Skip 2 My Lou streetball mode, taken out a basketball, started dribbling through the legs of the police officer, bounced the ball off the officer’s forehead, unleashed a crossover, yanked the officer’s shirt over his head, dribbled by him, dunked the ball over a nearby tree branch, and then started moonwalking.
–Jeff
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.