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NBA PM: The Remaining Free Agents

Posted By Alex Kennedy On March 28, 2012 @ 5:00 pm In All,Main Page,NBA | No Comments

The trade deadline has passed and most bought-out players have found homes. Now, teams looking to bolster their roster for a postseason run will turn to the pool of remaining free agents.

The list of available players will continue to grow as players return home from overseas stints. Even in late March, there are still plenty of notable names on the market.

Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the remaining free agents:

Point Guards: Allen Iverson, Eddie House, Mike James, Anthony Carter, Antonio Daniels, Luther Head, Will Conroy, Marcus Banks, Mike Wilks, Mardy Collins, Sherron Collins, Zabian Dowdell, Lester Hudson, Armon Johnson, Gabe Pruitt and Terrico White.

Shooting Guards: Michael Finley, Rasual Butler, Keith Bogans, Larry Hughes, Stephen Graham, Othyus Jeffers, Willie Warren, Jermaine Taylor, Darington Hobson, Durrell Summers, Xavier Silas, Quinton Ross, Morris Peterson, Derrick Byars and Flip Murray.

Small Forwards: James Posey, Al Thornton, Jason Kapono, Renaldo Balkman, Jamario Moon, Joey Graham, Da’Sean Butler, Darius Miles, Julian Wright, Devean George, Gilbert Brown, DaJuan Summers, Marqus Blakely and Bonzi Wells.

Power Forwards: Jeff Green, Rasheed Wallace, Derrick Caracter, Josh Powell, Leon Powe, Jeff Adrien, Solomon Jones, Mikki Moore, Joe Smith, Sean Williams, Brian Skinner, Michael Ruffin, Ryan Reid, Darnell Jackson, Joey Dorsey and Ike Diogu.

Centers: Mehmet Okur, Dan Gadzuric, Earl Barron, Francisco Elson, D.J. Mbenga, Hamady Ndiaye, Fabricio Oberto, Jarron Collins, Melvin Ely, Chris Hunter, Dwayne Jones, Sean Marks, Garret Siler, Darius Songaila, Etan Thomas and Jake Voskuhl.

Teams can sign free agents up until April 26, the final day of the regular season.

Hickson Enjoying Change of Scenery: Since being waived by the Sacramento Kings, J.J. Hickson has emerged as a significant contributor for the Portland Trail Blazers. The 23-year-old is averaging 13 points off the bench and shooting 65.4 percent from the field. Last night, against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Hickson had a season-high 21 points in 26 minutes, making nine of 10 shots.

In Sacramento, Hickson was buried on the depth chart. Now, in Portland, he’s playing a considerable amount of minutes, sometimes alongside the team’s starters.

“I’m comfortable,” Hickson told reporters after the loss to the Thunder. “I’m comfortable with what we’re doing on defense and offense. It’s a change of scenery: A different organization, different way of running things, different locker room and different players.”

“I’m new to this team so all I can do is play hard and make myself available,” Hickson told CSNNW. “The guards that we have, they’re doing a great job finding me. They know my strengths and I know their strengths. Right now, we’re just playing unselfish basketball.”

While Hickson hasn’t been in Portland long, his first impression of the city has been positive.

“There’s a lot of rain, a lot of gloomy days, but it’s a great city,” Hickson said with a laugh. “We have great fans, they’re great people. I haven’t been around the city much, but I’m looking forward to checking it out.”

When asked if he would consider remaining in Portland long-term, Hickson didn’t hesitate.

“Most definitely,” Hickson said. “But that’s something that I can’t determine or control. That’s something that the organization has to decide. I just have to go out there and play basketball.”

If Hickson can continue to produce like he did on Tuesday night, he’ll make this an easy decision for the Blazers’ front office.

NBA Draft Returns to Prudential Center: The 2012 NBA Draft will be held in the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. This marks the second straight year that Newark will host the event, which will be televised live on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET on June 28, 2012.

“We are pleased the draft is returning to the city of Newark,” NBA Commissioner David Stern said. “Prudential Center is state-of-the-art, and we look forward to working with city officials and the arena’s staff to produce another memorable event for our fans.”

“Since the opening of the Prudential Center in 2007, Newark has established itself as an all-American sports city and a premier center for basketball,” Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker said. “Newark has hosted the New Jersey Nets, Seton Hall Pirates, the WNBA Liberty, last year’s March Madness and now, for the second year in a row, we will welcome the excitement and energy of the NBA Draft. The world is recognizing that ‘Newark’s got game!’”

“We are excited to have the NBA Draft back in Newark and at Prudential Center,” said Jeff Vanderbeek, Chairman and Managing Partner Devils Arena Entertainment. “Hosting such a prestigious event for the second consecutive year is further testament to success of last year’s draft and the popularity of the Rock.”

Click here for HOOPSWORLD’s coverage of the 2012 NBA Draft.

Curry Out At Least Two More Weeks: Stephen Curry will miss two more weeks due to his injured right ankle, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Curry has already missed 10 consecutive games, but will be sidelined even longer to rehabilitate his ankle.

Wojnarowski suggests that the Warriors don’t want Curry to return this season, to be cautious with the young point guard and to ensure the team keeps the top-seven-protected draft pick they traded to the Utah Jazz. If the team continues to lose games, the Warriors won’t lose their lottery pick. The last thing the front office wants is for Curry to rush back and win a string of games to end the season.

This season, Curry has only played 28 games, averaging 14.7 points and 5.3 assists. He visited an ankle specialist in Los Angeles recently and will complete a rehab plan before returning to the court.

NBA Chats: There are two NBA chats on the schedule today. Salary cap guru Larry Coon kicked things off at 3 p.m. EST. Check out Larry’s chat transcript here. Next up, Lang Greene will be hosting his weekly chat at 8 p.m. EST. Submit your questions for Lang here. You can always find our upcoming chats here.


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