Timberwolves sign Ryan Hollins to offer sheet

Timberwolves sign Ryan Hollins to offer sheet

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed restricted free-agent center Ryan Hollins to an offer sheet. Under the terms of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Dallas Mavericks will have seven days upon receiving the offer sheet to match Minnesota’s offer. Several media outlets report that the deal may be for three years and a total of $7 million.

“We are excited about the opportunity to have Ryan Hollins on our team,” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “He is a lengthy, athletic center, with a lot of upside, who should complement Al and Kevin really well. We’ve had our eye on him the past several weeks and we are optimistic we can acquire him through this process.”

Hollins, a 7-0 center from UCLA, was originally selected with the 50th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats. He spent two-plus seasons with Charlotte before being traded to Dallas on Jan. 16, 2009. In 132 career games with the Bobcats and Mavericks, Hollins has averaged 2.7 points and 1.8 rebounds per game while shooting 51.8 percent from the field. He also appeared in nine playoff games for the Mavericks this spring, grabbing 24 total rebounds while shooting 57.1 percent from the field as Dallas advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals.

Jermaine O’Neal working hard

jermaine o'neal workouts

Talented veteran Miami Heat big-man Jermaine O’Neal has been more known for injury than anything else these past few years. But he’s been working hard to change that. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports (via blog):

O’Neal, who has been a regular in the weight room and on the court at AmericanAirlines Arena the past two months, showing up about four times a week, is poised to take the next step, with eight weeks of work planned with noted Chicago trainer Tim Grover. Yes, the same Tim Grover who last summer so reinvigorated Dwyane Wade.

While appearances can be deceiving, O’Neal has impressed those in the weight room with his physique and appearance. Granted, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll ever be able to again explode off both knees.

It’s safe to say O’Neal will not ever return to being the player he once was, but there’s definite room for improvement over the level of his play the past few seasons, so good news that he’s working hard to make it happen.

Lamar Odom came close to joining Miami Heat

lamar odom almost re-joined miami heat

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Ira Winderman) reports: In an emotional, candid and introspective radio interview Friday, Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom revealed that he, indeed, stood on the verge of returning to South Florida as a free agent this week and insisted that he never attempted to use the Miami Heat as leverage. “I was really close,” Odom told ESPN-760 host Evan Cohen. “I weighed and I balanced every option. I did it 50 times, 60 times.” … “It was a tough decision,” he told the West Palm Beach station. “It was hard. Pat, Micky and Dwyane, I love those guys. Micky is an incredible owner. Of course, D-Wade is my friend. Pat? I don’t know what Pat is to me; he’s a little bit more special to me than just a coach. I look up to him tremendously. “It was hard.” … That, Odom said, made it difficult for him to inform Riley and Wade of his Thursday decision. “It was tough,” he said. “I sent them a text and let them know how appreciative I was, and I’ll probably get to speak to them face to face when I get down to Miami at the end of the month and I get set in my home and just relax and take some time out and reflect.”

OKC Thunder sign Kevin Ollie

OKC Thunder sign Kevin Ollie

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed free agent guard Kevin Ollie to a contract, Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not announced. We’ll post contract details later today, here.

“We are excited to welcome Kevin Ollie to Oklahoma City,” Presti said. “He brings experience, leadership and professionalism to our team as we continue to develop our roster on and off the floor.”

Ollie, 36, has appeared in 637 NBA games over 12 seasons, averaging 3.8 points, 2.3 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per contest with Dallas, Orlando, Sacramento, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Chicago, Indiana, Milwaukee, Seattle, Cleveland and Minnesota. Last season, the 6-2 guard, averaged 4.0 points 2.3 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 17.0 minutes in 50 games (21 starts) with the Timberwolves.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Ollie is inexpensive, veteran point guard depth. He can teach Russell Westbrook some tricks of the trade.

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Milwaukee Bucks sign Hakim Warrick

Milwaukee Bucks sign Hakim Warrick

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed forward Hakim Warrick (pronounced ha-KEEM) to a contract, General Manager John Hammond announced today.  Warrick, 27, was the 19th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft by Memphis and spent all four of his NBA seasons with the Grizzlies.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that the contract was expected to be a one-year deal in the $3 million to $3.5 million range.

Warrick (6-9, 219) owns career averages of 10.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game over 307 NBA contests.  He is a career 50 percent shooter from the field while connecting on 72.5 percent from the free throw line.

Last season, Warrick, averaged 11.6 points and 5.0 rebounds in 24.7 minutes per game.  He appeared in all 82 games (7 starts) for the second time in his career (2006-07) and recorded career-highs in both steals (48) and blocked shots (39).

Warrick played four seasons at Syracuse University (2001-05), and as a sophomore started in all 35 games for the NCAA Champion Orange.  As a senior, he was named First Team All-America by the Associated Press, awarded Big East Conference Player of the Year and named First Team All-Big East after averaging 21.4 points and 8.6 rebounds in 34 games.  He finished his degree in three-and-one-half years and left Syracuse ranked second in free throws made (529) and attempted (803), and fourth in scoring (2,073 points) and rebounds (1,025).

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Milwaukee Bucks waive Bruce Bowen

Milwaukee Bucks waive Bruce Bowen

The Milwaukee Bucks have requested waivers on guard/forward Bruce Bowen, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

Bowen was acquired from San Antonio on June 23 as part of the three-team trade that also brought the Bucks Kurt Thomas from San Antonio and Amir Johnson from Detroit. Richard Jefferson was sent to San Antonio while Fabricio Oberto went to Detroit to complete the trade.

Bowen, 38, is a 13-year NBA veteran who spent the previous eight seasons with San Antonio.

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Milwaukee Bucks waive Salim Stoudamire

The Milwaukee Bucks have requested waivers on guard Salim Stoudamire, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

Stoudamire, 26, was signed as a free agent on April 3, but did not appear in a game with Milwaukee.  He appeared in 157 games with Atlanta from 2005-08 with career averages of 8.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.0 assist.  Stoudamire was selected by the Hawks with the 31st pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.

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Lakers waive Sun Yue

Lakers waive Sun Yue

The Los Angeles Lakers have waived guard Sun Yue, it was announced today.

“With the talent level and depth of our roster, the situation simply doesn’t provide an opportunity for Sun Yue to get the chance to play that he deserves,” said General Manager Mitch Kupchak.  “We feel it is in Sun’s best interests to be able to go to a team where he can get the minutes to play and showcase his considerable talents.  We appreciate Sun’s contributions to last season’s championship team, and wish him the best of luck with the rest of his career.”

“I want to thank Sun Yue for his professionalism and for the contributions he made to our team last season,” said Lakers Head Coach Phil Jackson.  “Although Sun did not get an opportunity to play many minutes, he worked hard in practice and was a joy to be around.  We also enjoyed the cultural influence he brought to our players, coaches and organization.  Sun is a young player who will no doubt continue to improve in the coming years, and I wish him the best of luck.”

Originally selected by the Lakers in the second round (40th overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft, Sun signed with the Lakers the following summer (August 25, 2008) shortly after representing China as a member of the Men’s Olympic Basketball Team in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Making his NBA debut on December 7 versus Milwaukee with four points on 2-of-3 shooting in five minutes, Sun appeared in 10 games with the Lakers last season, totaling six points, two assists, a steal and a blocked shot in 28 minutes.

Sun, who became the 25th NBA player assigned to a D-League affiliate last season, also played 6 games in two stints with the D-Fenders, averaging 9.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.33 blocks in 33.3 minutes.

InsideHoops.com editor says: The Sun Yue era was a dominant one for the Lakers. That it has come to an end is indeed sad, especially for players like Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, who Sun carried on his back. How the Lakers can move on from this difficult time is unknown, but hopefully they can pull together… But seriously folks: The kid is young and will simply have to keep working hard and claw his way onto another team’s bench and prove to the league that he is worth having on a roster. He’s versatile.

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Milwaukee Bucks trade Malik Allen to Denver Nuggets for Walter Sharpe, Sonny Weems and cash

The Milwaukee Bucks have acquired forward Walter Sharpe, guard/forward Sonny Weems and cash considerations from the Denver Nuggets for forward Malik Allen, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

Sharpe (6-9, 245) was originally drafted by Seattle (Oklahoma City Thunder) in the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft (32nd overall) and traded to Detroit along with Trent Plaisted (46th overall) for the draft rights to D.J. White (29th overall).  The 23-year-old appeared in eight games for the Pistons last season and averaged 1.0 point in 2.4 minutes per game.  He also played in four games for the Ft. Wayne Mad Ants of the D-League and tallied 10.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.  Sharpe was traded to Denver with Arron Afflalo and cash considerations from Detroit for a future second round draft choice on July 13, 2009.

Weems (6-6, 203) appeared in 12 games for the Nuggets as a rookie and averaged 1.6 points in 4.6 minutes per game.  He also saw action in 21 contests for the Colorado 14ers of the D-League where he posted 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.  Weems was the 39th overall pick by Chicago in the 2008 NBA Draft and traded to Denver for a second round pick in the most recent 2009 Draft.

An eight-year NBA veteran, Allen (6-10, 255) played in 49 games (3 starts) for Milwaukee last season and averaged 3.2 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.  In 409 career NBA games, Allen has averages of 5.4 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 77.4 percent from the free throw line.

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