NBA Transactions

[Karma]

Clippers sign six free agents

October 1, 2005
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Clippers signed six free agents Saturday, including four with NBA experience: Jan Jagla, Amal McCaskill, Boniface NDong, Jared Reiner, Fred Vinson and Frank Williams.

Jagla averaged 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in Germany last season after three years at Penn State.

McCaskill has averaged 1.8 points and 1.9 rebounds in four seasons with Orlando, San Antonio, Atlanta and Philadelphia. He played in Lebanon last season.

Amal McCaskill / Jared Reiner / Frank Williams​

NDong averaged 14.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 blocks in France last season. The 7-footer played for the Denver Nuggets' summer league team.

Reiner averaged 1.1 points and 2.0 rebounds in 19 games with the Chicago Bulls last season after signing as a free agent out of Iowa.

Vinson averaged 19.8 points, 1.0 rebounds and 2.4 steals in Venezuela last season. He has played in 13 NBA games over two seasons with Atlanta and Seattle.

Williams has averaged 2.9 points and 1.9 assists in his first three NBA seasons after being selected by Denver with the 25th selection in the 2002 draft. He also had stints with New York and Chicago, where he played last season.

Clips add to Training Camp Roster

 

[Karma]

Milwaukee Bucks sign forward Josh Davis

October 2, 2005
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The Milwaukee Bucks have signed forward Josh Davis to a free-agent contract, general manager Larry Harris said Sunday.

The 6-foot-8 Davis played 42 games with the Philadelphia 76ers last season, averaging 2.8 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.

The 25-year-old Davis was with the Idaho Stampede during the 2003-04 regular season after 10 days with the Atlanta Hawks. He finished the season as the CBA's most valuable player, averaging 18.7 points and 9.6 rebounds in 40 games.

Bucks Sign Former Sixer

 

[Karma]

Wolves invite Lucas to camp

From staff and news reports
October 3, 2005

The Timberwolves have invited undrafted point guard John Lucas III to participate in training camp, which opens Tuesday.

Lucas averaged 9.2 points and three assists during five summer league games for the Wolves in July. He has been in the Twin Cities for the past month taking part in informal workouts with the Wolves. Lucas averaged 17.7 points a game at Oklahoma State his senior season.

The Wolves also are believed to have issued a training camp invitation to guard Marlon Parmer, who played last season in the Continental Basketball Association and in Israel. He averaged 5.3 points in three games during Minnesota's summer league.

The Wolves will hold media day today at their Target Center practice facility.

Wolves Invite Lucas

 

[Karma]

Mavericks sign G Erick Strickland

October 3, 2005
DALLAS (Ticker) - Guard Erick Strickland is back with the Dallas Mavericks.

Strickland, who played with the Mavericks from 1996-2000, signed with the team on Monday.

Dallas also signed forward Kaniel Dickens and guard Samo Udrih to round out its training camp roster.

Strickland, 31, has played in 501 NBA games, 196 of them with Dallas where he averaged 9.8 points and 3.4 assists. Last season, the 6-3 Strickland averaged 4.9 points and 1.9 assists in 62 games with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The nine-year veteran also played with New York, Vancouver, Boston and Indiana.

Dickens played in 11 games with New Jersey last season and averaged 1.2 points.

Udrih is the older brother of San Antonio Spurs guard Beno Udrih. A two-time Slovenian All-Star, Samo Udrih averaged 13.6 points and 2.4 assists while shooting nearly 57 percent from the floor for Hopoel Tel-Aviv of the FIBA Europe League.

Mavericks sign 3!

 

[Karma]

Rockets sign G Glover

October 3, 2005
HOUSTON (Ticker) - The Houston Rockets rounded out their training camp roster Monday, signing guard Dion Glover.

A 1999 first-round pick of Atlanta, Glover played in seven games for the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs last season, averaging 3.6 points.

The 6-5 Glover spent his first five seasons with Atlanta before playing one campaign with Toronto. He has career averages of 8.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 294 games.

The Rockets on Monday also signed a pair of undrafted rookies - guard Keith Langford and forward Chuck Hayes.

Houston begins training camp on Tuesday.

Glover inks with Houston

 

[Karma]

Bobcats decline to match offer sheet to F Kapono

October 3, 2005
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) - Jason Kapono played in all but one game for the expansion Charlotte Bobcats last season. But he will not return in 2005-06.

The Bobcats on Monday declined to match an offer sheet tendered to Kapono by the Miami Heat.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"This is a great opportunity for him (Kapono) to play for a team that is vying for a championship," Bobcats coach-general manager Bernie Bickerstaff said. "We don't want to stand in his way and we appreciate the professionalism and commitment he gave to our franchise last season."

The Heat have been shopping for a 3-point shooting threat since losing free agent guards Damon Jones and Keyon Dooling. Last season, Kapono ranked 13th in the NBA in 3-point shooting at 41.2 percent.

Originally drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 31st overall pick in the 2003 draft, Kapono was selected by the Bobcats in the 2004 expansion draft. He started in 14 games last season and averaged 8.5 points and 2.0 rebounds.

In two seasons, Kapono has shot 40.1 percent from the field and 42.4 from the arc while averaging 6.8 points and 1.8 rebounds.

Bobcats Allow Kapono to Heat

 

[Karma]

Knicks sign two free agents

October 3, 2005
NEW YORK (AP) -- Guard Steven Barber and forward Otis George signed with the New York Knicks on Monday, joining the team as free agents after being passed over in the draft.

Barber, a 5-foot-10 rookie who played for three years at Texas-Arlington, was fifth on the school's career scoring list. The 6-foot-8 George played four years at Louisville.

Knicks Add 2 for Training Camp

 

[Karma]

Wizards sign Storey, Thomas

October 3, 2005
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Washington Wizards completed their training camp roster Monday by signing a pair of former New Jersey Nets: forward Awvee Storey and guard Billy Thomas.

Awvee Storey

Storey played in nine games and scored eight points as a rookie last season with the Nets. Thomas played in 25 games as a rookie in New Jersey, averaging 3.7 points.

Billy Thomas

Thomas also spent last year's training camp with the Wizards and was released at the end of preseason.

The moves give the Wizards 17 players on the roster as they prepare for their first practice Tuesday at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va.

Wizards Add Pair

 

[Karma]

Lakers sign Corie Blount

October 3, 2005
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) -- Forward Corie Blount, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1995-99, has signed a partially guaranteed contract with the team, spokesman John Black said Monday.

Blount, an 11-year veteran, most recently played for the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls during the 2003-04 season, averaging 4.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in 62 games.

``It's a good opportunity for me to come back here where I basically know what to expect from Phil,'' Blount said, referring to Lakers coach Phil Jackson. ``I played my first two years for Phil in Chicago.''

The Lakers begin training camp Tuesday at the University of Hawaii.

Lakers Add Veteran Big Man

 

[Karma]

Suns re-sign F-C Stoudemire to five-year extension

October 3, 2005
PHOENIX (Ticker) - The Phoenix Suns locked up one of the key pieces to their incredible run last season on Monday by re-signing forward-center Amare Stoudemire to a five-year contract extension.

The 22-year-old former Rookie of the Year will receive a maximum $72.52 million over the life of the contract.

Along with the acquisition of guard Steve Nash, who was selected Most Valuable Player last season, the maturation of Stoudemire was one of the major catalysts for the Suns' franchise-best 62-20 mark in the regular season and march to the Western Conference finals.

In his third season, Stoudemire spearheaded the top-scoring offense in the league by averaging 26 points a game - fifth-best in the NBA - while shooting .559 from the field, second best in the league.

He increased his output in the postseason, scoring an astounding 37 points a game in the conference finals against eventual champion San Antonio, a series Phoenix lost in five games.

The ninth overall pick in the 2002 draft also averaged 8.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks last season, earning All-Star honors for the first time.

Suns Extend Allstars Contract

 

[Karma]

Wolves Sign Humphrey

Minnesota Timberwolves: The team signed forward Ryan Humphrey, guard John Lucas and guard Marlon Parmer to fill out their roster for training camp.

The team also reached an agreement with Rex Chapman to serve as a scout this season. Chapman was a consultant to the Wolves for the draft this summer after working as director of basketball operations for Phoenix last year.

Humphrey, drafted by Utah out of Notre Dame in 2002, has played in 85 NBA games for Orlando and Memphis. Lucas played for Minnesota's summer league team after a college career split between Baylor and Oklahoma State. Parmer, who also played on the Wolves' summer league squad, spent the 2004-05 season in the CBA and with a team in Israel. His college career was spent at New Mexico and Kentucky Wesleyan.

Wolves Sign Forward

 

[Karma]

N’diaye Signs With Golden State

3rd October, 2005 - 6:34 pm
Warriors Press Release - The Golden State Warriors have signed free agent center Mamadou N’diaye, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.

N’diaye, 30, is a five-year NBA veteran who has averaged 3.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 69 career games with Toronto, Dallas, Atlanta and the L.A. Clippers. In 2004-05, appeared in 11 games with the L.A. Clippers, averaging 1.8 points and 1.6 rebounds in 6.5 minutes per contest. The 7-0 center was originally selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 26th overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft out of Auburn.

Warriors Add Big Man

 

[Karma]

Bulls send Curry to Knicks

By ANDREW SELIGMAN, AP Sports Writer
October 4, 2005

DEERFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Eddy Curry refused to take a DNA test to determine if he has a serious heart problem, so the Chicago Bulls cut ties with the center and sent him to the New York Knicks.

The Bulls also dealt veteran center Antonio Davis to the Knicks for forwards Tim Thomas, Michael Sweetney and Jermaine Jackson on Monday night. Several draft picks were also involved in the trade, according to an Eastern Conference executive who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Bulls general manager John Paxson had warned 10 days earlier that a showdown with Curry was looming, and he didn't hide his frustration Monday.

In making the announcement, Paxson didn't specify what Chicago got in return and did not field questions. But the trade was expected to be finalized Tuesday.

``All we can say right now is we traded Eddy to the Knicks,'' Bulls public relations director Sebrina Brewster said Monday night.

Knicks spokesman Jonathan Supranowitz said the team declined comment on Paxson's announcement.

The Bulls had insisted that Curry take a DNA test to determine whether he's susceptible to a potentially fatal heart problem. Curry, who missed the final 13 games of the regular season and the playoffs after experiencing an irregular heartbeat, balked, saying it violated his privacy.

Eddy Curry / Antonio Davis / Tim Thomas / Mike Sweetney / Jermaine Jackson​

``I would never put a player on the floor in a Chicago Bulls uniform if I didn't do everything in my power to find out all the information that was available,'' Paxson said. ``You can debate genetic testing 'til you're blue in the face. But from what I know, from what I've learned over the last six months, that test could have helped us determine the best course of action.''

The 22-year-old Curry, drafted out of Thornwood High School in South Holland, Ill., averaged a career-high 16.1 points in his fourth NBA season.

The standoff stemmed from a benign arrhythmia that caused Curry to miss the final 13 games of the regular season and the playoffs.

Several prominent cardiologists cleared Curry to play, but Barry Maron, a world-renowned specialist in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, suggested the DNA test.

``Think about what's at stake here,'' Alan Milstein, Curry's attorney, told the Associated Press recently. ``As far as DNA testing, we're just at the beginning of that universe. Pretty soon, though, we'll know whether someone is predisposed to cancer, alcoholism, obesity, baldness and who knows what else.

``Hand that information to an employer,'' he added, ``and imagine the implications. If the NBA were to get away with it, what about everyone else in this country looking for a job.''

Paxson, speaking to reporters during the team's media day, said he resents the notion that the Bulls had an ulterior motive; they simply did not want a situation similar to those of former Boston Celtics guard Reggie Lewis or Loyola Marymount star Hank Gathers -- players with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy who collapsed and died.

Paxson said the Bulls had offered Curry $400,000 annually for the next 50 years if he failed the genetic test.

``There have been a lot of things that have been said and implied about me and this organization and how we've tried to handle Eddy's situation,'' Paxson said. ``I take great offense to many of the points of view that have been out there.''

Curry's agent Leon Rose did not return calls seeking comment Monday.

Curry played a major role as the Bulls won 47 games and reached the playoffs for the first time since 1998 -- when Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen led them to their sixth NBA title.

``It's tough,'' said power forward Tyson Chandler, who re-signed with the Bulls for six years during the offseason. ``I'm sad to see him go.''

Big Chicago / NY Trade

 

[Karma]

Rockets acquire G Alston from Raptors for G James

October 4, 2005
HOUSTON (Ticker) - The Houston Rockets have found an insurance policy for Bob Sura.

The Rockets on Tuesday acquired disgruntled point guard Rafer Alston from the Toronto Raptors for guard Mike James.

Expected to be the Rockets' starting point guard, the oft-injured Sura underwent knee surgery last week. It is uncertain how long he will be sidelined.

In Alston, the Rockets get a player who is coming off his best season. He averaged career highs of 14.2 points and 6.4 assists in 80 games for the Raptors last season.

However, Alston clashed with Raptors coach Sam Mitchell and threatened to leave the team after a December 3 game in Boston. Alston was suspended two games for conduct detrimental to the team after walking out during a practice in January.

A 1998 second-round pick by Milwaukee, the 29-year-old Alston has career averages of 8.2 points and 4.2 assists.

James, 30, split last season between Milwaukee and Houston, averaging 11.8 points and 3.6 points. He was acquired by Houston at the trade deadline.

Joining his sixth team, James has career averages of 9.2 points and 3.5 assists.

Alston for M.James Trade

 

[Karma]

Celtics waive F Woods

October 4, 2005
BOSTON (TICKER) -- Qyntel Woods didn't make it to training camp with the Boston Celtics.

The troubled forward was waived by the team on Tuesday, two months after he was acquired in the five-team, 13-player trade that sent Antoine Walker to Miami.

Woods was on the Portland Trail Blazers' suspended list last season for allegations of animal abuse before being waived in January. He was released by the team the same day he pleaded guilty in an Oregon court for abusing his pit bull.

Last October, Woods was suspended five games for violating the league's drug program.

Miami signed Woods on January 26. But Woods played in just three games with the Heat, averaging 3.3 points and 2.0 rebounds.

A 2002 first-round pick, the 6-8 Woods has career averages of 3.1 points and 1.7 rebounds in 118 games.

Celtics Waive Woods