Mehmet Okur will soon be on the open market as he was released Wednesday by the Portland Trail Blazers, who signed J.J. Hickson. Okur was acquired last week in the deal that sent Gerald Wallace to the New Jersey Nets. He never took the court for Portland. Okur can be claimed on waivers, but the claiming team must honor his contract. If he clears waivers, he becomes a free agent. A 7-footer with 3-point range who can rebound a little, Okur would be
A year ago, J.J. Hickson was in the running for the NBA’s Most Improved Player. Now he’s not even an NBA player. Hickson, 23, was waived Monday by the Sacramento Kings, the team announced. Yahoo! Sports reported that Hickson received a buyout. The 6-9 Hickson was a 2008 first-round pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers and was primarily a starter in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons. He was one of the few bright spots in Cleveland’s dismal campaign a year ago, averaging career
For so many years, Monta Ellis had been the subject of trade rumors. Although he was always in discussions, the team could never find the guts to trade the face of its franchise. Until this season. Under the new leadership of owner Joe Lacob, changes were finally made when the Warriors broke up the small back court of Stephen Curry and Ellis. One of the final pieces of the Cohen era, Ellis was traded along with Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown to the
Rajon Rondo had 18 points, 17 rebounds and 20 assists Sunday against the Knicks. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last player to record a triple-double with at least 17 in each category was Magic Johnson, who had 24 points, 17 assists and 17 rebounds on April 18, 1989. The last player to exceed Rondo’s performance in each category was Wilt Chamberlain, who had 22 points, 25 rebounds and 21 assists on Feb. 2, 1968. With performances like the one
While the swirl around Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo has calmed down to something less than a tornado, it is picking up elsewhere, specifically around the Portland Trail Blazers. After a quick start that saw the Blazers win at Oklahoma City and briefly hold the best record in the Western Conference, Portland has fallen to 18-18 and is on the outside looking in at the playoff picture. The Blazers have movable parts – the expiring contracts of Raymond Felton ($7.5 million) and Marcus Camby
The first pick and the last pick in the 2011 NBA draft were named Rookies of the Month for February, the league announced Thursday. Top overall pick Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers was the Eastern Conference winner for the second straight month. He averaged 19.3 points – most among rookies – and added 6.8 assists, 44 percent shooting from 3-point range and 95 percent from the foul line. Sacramento Kings point guard Isaiah Thomas, the 60th and final pick in the
The Kings are staying in Sacramento. With a league-imposed deadline looming Thursday, city, team and league officials emerged from a meeting in Orlando, Fla. on Monday where a tentative agreement was reached. Tearful Kings owner Gavin Maloof told the Sacramento Bee, “I’m still emotional. It’s been a long time.” The Kings and the city of Sacramento – which boasts former NBA All-Star Kevin Johnson as its mayor – have been negotiating for more than a year on financing for a new arena. The
Lakers forward Pau Gasol received news right before the game that he was not selected for the All-Star Game. He let the Celtics know how he felt about the snub with 25 points, 14 rebounds and a game-saving block to help beat the Lakers escape Boston with an 88-87 overtime win. Kobe Bryant scored 27 points and made a handful of tough shots but was generally ineffective down the stretch. He missed a potential game-tying shot at the end of the fourth