Houston Rockets waive Terrence Williams

Terrence Williams

The Houston Rockets have decided they no longer require the services of one of their bench reserves.

Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has waived guard/forward Terrence Williams.

Williams (6-6, 220, Louisville) averaged 4.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 12 games with the Rockets this season.

The Rockets are currently 24-20 and are 7th in the Western conference. They are led by  Kevin Martin (17.1 ppg), Kyle Lowry (15.9 ppg, 7.2 apg) and Luis Scola (15.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg).

Danny Ainge says he was involved in lots of trade talk

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said Thursday night that he worked on deals of all varieties — big and small; for now and for the future — but ultimately couldn’t hammer out a swap that made sense for Boston and its potential trade partner(s) before the NBA’s 3 p.m. deadline passed.

“I guess what prevented any trade was making at least two teams in a deal happy, or satisfied that a deal was worthwhile,” said Ainge. “But as late as 2:57, there was still trades that were possible and being negotiated. We were close to handful of different types of trades — small to bigger — that just couldn’t be resolved. That happens often.”

Asked later if he approached the deadline as a buyer or a seller, Ainge added, “I was looking at both opportunities, to strengthen our team for the playoff run this year and/or build some chips and some assets for future. We actually had a lot of conversation on both sides, but nothing seemed good enough to do.”

— Reported by Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston

Melo doesn’t want to be called a coach-killer

carmelo anthony

The day after receiving most of the blame for Mike D’Antoni’s resignation as Knicks coach, Carmelo Anthony tried to defend himself and his reputation.

Anthony said he did what D’Antoni asked of him and doesn’t want to be known as a coach-killer.

“That bothers me because I never want that label on me,” Anthony said Thursdayafter Mike Woodson’s first practice as Knicks interim coach. “I did everything in my power to try and communicate with coach Mike, talk with coach Mike, have a great relationship with coach Mike. Even right now, I feel we have a great relationship.”

Amar’e Stoudemire said D’Antoni left because he became “frustrated” that “everyone wasn’t buying into his system,” but Anthony denied that there was division in the locker room.

Anthony also became very defensive when a reporter said he proved not everyone can thrive in D’Antoni’s offense. The Knicks went 26-37, playoffs included, with Anthony in the lineup under D’Antoni. His defensive stance continued when he was asked to react to his ex-coach reportedly feeling he couldn’t get the best out of him.

— Reported by Al Iannazzone of New York Newsday

Lakers almost traded for Michael Beasley

michael beasley

The Lakers were seven minutes from acquiring Minnesota forward Michael Beasley, but Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor blocked an agreed-upon three-team trade right before the deadline that would have sent Fisher to Minnesota, not Houston, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The trade also would have involved Portland.

“It was whisker-close,” said the person, who did not want to be identified.

The Lakers responded by quickly sending Fisher to the Rockets, barely beating the noon deadline. They are not expected to re-sign Fisher if he takes a buyout with the Rockets.

Sessions, 25, is a quick penetrator with an unremarkable outside shot. He lost playing time to rookie Kyrie Irving, the top pick in last year’s draft, and was averaging 10.5 points and 5.2 assists but shooting only 39.8%.

— Reported by Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times

Cavs sign Donald Sloan for rest of season

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Donald Sloan from the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League for the remainder of the 2011-12 season, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today. The signing of Sloan marks the 34th GATORADE Call-Up of the 2011-12 season.

In eight games (all starts), Sloan has averaged 22.8 points on .496 shooting, 5.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.4 steals in 38.6 minutes per game with the BayHawks. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound guard from Texas A&M has appeared in eight NBA games this season, playing five games for the Atlanta Hawks and three games for the New Orleans Hornets. In eight NBA games, Sloan averaged 2.3 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.6 assists in 7.4 minutes per game.

The 24-year-old spent the 2010-11 season with the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League, playing in 49 games (33 starts) and posting averages of 10.7 points on .483 shooting, 3.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 27.7 minutes per game.

Spurs sign Eric Dawson to second 10-day contract

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed Eric Dawson from the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League to a second 10-day contract. Dawson signed his first 10-day contract with the Silver and Black on Feb. 20.

Dawson saw action in two games in his first stint with the Spurs, averaging 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 17.0 minutes.

A 6-9 forward, Dawson has appeared in 24 games with the Toros this season, averaging 16.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.71 blocks and 1.29 steals in 29.1 minutes while shooting .556 (165-297) from the field and .779 (74-95) from the foul line. Since returning to the Toros on March 1, Dawson has averaged 19.8 points and 11.3 rebounds in six games. In his most recent game he finished with 25 points (10-19 FG, 5-7 FT), a season-high 17 rebounds and 4 steals in 35 minutes vs. Rio Grande on March 14. Dawson has posted 18 double doubles (second in the D-League) and has scored 20-or-more six times.

Born and raised in San Antonio, Dawson attended Sam Houston High School and attended Midwestern State University. Dawson was named a Division II Second Team All-American in 2007 and earned Lone Star Conference First Team honors in 2006 and 2007. He is the Mustangs all-time leader in blocked shots with 170.

Jeremy Lin may have limited role under coach Mike Woodson

jeremy lin

Jeremy Lin may be a global phenomenon, but he is no longer a Knicks phenomenon. Linsanity was the flavor of February, but he appears not to be new interim coach Mike Woodson’s favorite dish.

Woodson, calling Lin “in a learning stage,’’ said yesterday he is turning the focus of his new deliberate offense to his bread and butter: Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, the Knicks’ two stars who combine to make $37 million this season.

Lin is expected to remain the starting point guard for now, but Woodson indicated he’s all about veterans. That could mean backup point guard Baron Davis or even his former Hawks favorite Mike Bibby, who has been out of the rotation, could supplant Lin eventually as the starter.

In fact, the de-emphasis of Mike D’Antoni’s speedball system that relies heavily on a penetrating point guard could affect whether the Knicks want to spend all or part of their $5 million mid-level exception on keeping their cash cow, Lin, next season.

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Nets sign Jerry Smith to 10-day contract

The New Jersey Nets have signed free agent guard Jerry Smith from the D-League’s Springfield Armor to a 10-day contract, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

Smith, who is the Nets’ fifth D-League call-up to sign with the team this season, has played 32 games with the Armor in 2011-12.  He is averaging 19.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 35 minutes per game.

The 6-2 point guard from Louisville was signed to the Nets’ 2011-12 training camp roster, and he participated in one of the team’s two preseason games, scoring one point in three minutes against the Knicks.  Smith took part in the 2012 D-League All-Star Game, where he scored 14 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out six assists in 23 minutes.

He was named D-League Player of the Month for February, leading the Armor to a perfect 8-0 record while averaging 22.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 35.4 minutes.  Smith scored in double figures in all eight games, recording back-to-back double-doubles on Feb. 2 and Feb. 3 and finished with more than 20 points in five contests.  In 78 career D-League games, Smith holds averages of 15.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.

Blazers trade Marcus Camby to Rockets for Thabeet, Flynn

marcus camby

The Portland Trail Blazers have acquired guard Jonny Flynn, center Hasheem Thabeet and a second round pick from Houston in exchange for center Marcus Camby, it was announced today.

The second round pick is Minnesota’s selection, acquired by the Rockets in a trade last season.

“We’re looking forward to what Jonny and Thabeet can bring to our team at two positions we can use help at and we’ve added an additional asset with the second-round draft pick,” said Blazers Acting General Manager Chad Buchanan . “We appreciate Marcus’s contributions over the past three seasons and we wish him the best for the future.”

Flynn, 23, has career averages of 9.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists in three seasons with Minnesota and Houston. The sixth overall selection out of Syracuse in the 2009 NBA Draft, Flynn was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2010.

In 120 games over three seasons with Memphis and Houston, Thabeet, 25, has career averages of 2.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 10.7 minutes. A native of Tanzania, Thabeet was selected by Memphis with the second overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. At 7-3, he is the tallest player in theNBA.

Camby, 37, is averaging 3.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.40 blocks in 40 games with the Trail Blazers this season. Acquired by the Trail Blazers in a 2010 trade deadline move, Camby holds career averages of 9.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.46 blocked shots in 16 seasons with Toronto, New York, Denver, the L.A. Clippers and Portland.

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3-team trade sends Nene to Wizards, JaVale McGee to Nuggets, Nick Young to Clippers

nene

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has acquired Nene (neh-NAY), forward Brian Cook and a 2015 second-round pick (from the Los Angeles Clippers via the New Orleans Hornets) in a three-team trade with the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Wizards traded centers JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf to the Nuggets and guard Nick Young to the Clippers.

In his 10th NBA season, Nene has averaged 12.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 555 career games (451 starts) with Denver. The 29-year-old Brazilian is averaging 13.4 points,7.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals this season. His best season came in 2008-2009 after returning from a bout with testicular cancer. During that year, he averaged career highs of 14.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.31 blocks.

The 6-11, 250-pound forward/center has posted 79 double-doubles in his career. He holds the second-highest career field goal percentage (.560) in Nuggets’ history and led the NBA in field goal percentage shooting (.615) in 2010-2011. Nene has appeared in the postseason with the Nuggets six times, averaging 10.8 points and 6.6 rebounds in 44 games (36 starts). In 2009, Nene helped lead Denver to the Western Conference Finals while averaging 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 16 postseason games.

“Nene is a versatile player who will bring experience and a physical presence to our frontcourt,” said Grunfeld. “He is a strong rebounder, tough defender and a fierce competitor. His veteran leadership and postseason experience will be a positive influence in our locker room.”

Nene originally entered the NBA in 2002 as a first round draft pick (7 th overall) of the New York Knicks and was traded on draft night to the Denver Nuggets. In his first year,Nene earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors while averaging 10.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. In addition, Nene played for the Brazilian National Team in the 2007 FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament and helped Brazil secure a Bronze medal in the 2001 Goodwill Games.

In his ninth NBA season, Cook has averaged 5.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in 405 career games (74 starts). Cook has played with five NBA teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers (2003-08), Orlando (2007-09), Houston (2009-10) and the Los Angeles Clippers (2010-2012). He was originally selected by the Lakers in the first round (24 th overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft.

javale mcgee

McGee, 7-0, 252, has appeared in 41 games (40 starts) this season, averaging career-highs with 11.9 ppg, 8.8 rpg and 2.46 bpg in 27.4 minutes. The big man’s 2.46 blocks ranks 2nd in the NBA, while his .535 field goal percentage ranks 9th in the league.

The 24-year-old McGee has appeared in 255 career games (148 starts) over four seasons with Washington, averaging 8.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 1.84 bpg. The University of Nevada-Reno product was drafted by the Washington Wizards with the 18th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.

Young has tallied 16.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 30.3 minutes in 40 games played so far this season, connecting on 41% of his field goal attempts, 37% of his three-point field goal attempts and 86% of his attempts from the free throw line.

In his 5th NBA season, Young returns to Los Angeles where he starred for the University of Southern California from 2004-2007. He carries career averages of 11.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 22.9 minutes per game.

The Wizards made Young the 16th overall selection in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft after he led USC to the Sweet Sixteen of the 2007 NCAA Tournament and was named First Team All-Pac Ten in both 2006 and 2007.

Turiaf, acquired by Washington via trade from the New York Knicks on December 10,2011, appeared in just four games before fracturing his hand against Boston on January 1, 2012. He has averaged 5.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in 362 career games (90 starts).

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