The New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that forward Patrick Ewing, Jr. has been waived.
Originally acquired from the Houston Rockets on Aug. 29, 2008, the rookie appeared in three preseason games.
The Bergen Record (Steve Adamek) reports: Junior, meanwhile, said of the possibility of not fulfilling what he said was a “dream” since his days running around the Knicks’ old Purchase College practice floor when his father played, “I’ll just go on with my life and take the next step. I’m not one to sit around and think about things. I just get on with the next step.”
The New York Post reports: The Knicks were heavily leaning toward cutting Ewing, a swingman, before Friday night’s preseason finale, but the decision became more difficult after Ewing lit up the Garden with an electrifying 9-minute stint in the fourth quarter, when he executed two monster dunks and sank a 3-pointer against the Nets. The fans chanted his name in the final minutes.
The Los Angeles Lakers have waived free agent guard Coby Karl, it was announced today.
The Los Angeles Daily News (Elliot Teaford) report: Not to be overlooked was the play of backup guard Jordan Farmar, who ignited the second unit during the preseason. He has never lacked for confidence, dating to his days as a prep standout at Taft High of Woodland Hills and as a collegian at UCLA. But he raised his game to a new a level in October, prompting Odom to say of the 21-year-old Farmar, “At a young age, he’s found his niche.” The Lakers’ second unit, their so-called Bench Mob, was one of the best in the league last season. Coach Phil Jackson declined to stick with the status quo this season, however. He moved Odom to the bench, for instance.
The Philadelphia Daily News (Phil Jasner) reports: Lou Williams, the fourth-year guard, began building a reputation last season as an off-the-bench energy jolt, capable of not only scoring but changing the pace of a game. Thaddeus Young was the rookie who blossomed in the latter stages, starting 22 of the last 38 games, a seemingly natural small forward who had to find the bulk of his minutes as an undersized power forward… Williams came to the Sixers as a raw talent directly out of South Gwinnett (Ga.) High midway through the second round of the 2005 NBA draft, the first high school player selected by them since Darryl Dawkins in 1975. Young was the No. 12 overall pick from Georgia Tech in 2007, with just one season of college experience. “They drafted us off our potential,” said Young, who expected to be fully back practicing today after suffering a midback strain last Friday. “They don’t know [yet] what we really can do. They see bits and pieces and flashes of it, but we haven’t been that consistent, All-Star types.”
The New York Post (Mike Puma) reports: The Nets’ opening night starting lineup could include a little rookie flavoring. Though coach Lawrence Frank wasn’t ready yesterday to reveal his plans for Wednesday’s opener at Washington, it’s a safe bet that rookie Brook Lopez will get the nod at center, with Josh Boone and Sean Williams coming off the bench. Boone, who missed the Nets’ final four preseason games after he was diagnosed with a rapid heartbeat, practiced on a limited basis yesterday, sitting out the 5-on-5 drills. He might have to win back his starting job from Lopez, the 7-footer from Stanford who impressed the Nets with a strong preseason. “Coach has said a lot of times this preseason that after Vince [Carter] and Devin [Harris], three through 12 is wide open and everybody has a shot at the starting lineup,” Lopez said. “[The rookies] are all getting a little experience this preseason and we’re all really learning. We just have to be prepared when he calls on us.”
The Golden State Warriors have waived forward Rob Kurz, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin announced today.
The AP reports: The Rockets hope Ron Artest can do for them what Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen did for Boston last season, forming a trio with Paul Pierce to lead the Celtics to the NBA championship. Boston was the worst team in the Eastern Conference in 2006-07, before Garnett and Allen arrived. “For that team to go from worst to first,” Tracy McGrady said, “that gives me hope.” Yao Ming dismisses comparisons between the threesomes by pointing out the glaring difference. “Boston already got a championship. They can say they have the best three guys,” Yao said. “We are looking for that day. I have that confidence that we can do that.” The Rockets don’t have to make as big of a jump as the Celtics did. Houston went 55-27 in 2007-08, its first season under Rick Adelman, and lost to Utah in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight season.