Caleb Cattivera
03/28/06, 07:17 PM
NBA Insider...Mar 28:Playoff help, Intelligence Report
Playoff help is just a call away
By Chris Sheridan
Latrell Sprewell isn't the only unrestricted free agent out there who can sign with an NBA team and still be eligible for the playoffs. Most can even sign after the 82nd game, as long as it's done before playoff rosters are due.
Also available are Shawn Kemp, Wesley Person, Darvin Ham, Glenn Robinson and a handful of others who have sat out the current season without being on any team's active roster.
Under NBA rules, players who were active prior to March 1 had to be waived before that date in order to retain their postseason eligibility. That rule affected Tony Delk, who was waived by Atlanta and signed with the Detroit Pistons; Tim Thomas, who left Chicago and joined the Phoenix Suns; and Jim Jackson, who was waived in Phoenix and signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Players waived after March 1 cannot compete in the postseason, which is one of the factors contributing to Antonio Davis's remaining unsigned after the Toronto Raptors waived him last week. If a team fighting for a playoff spot, such as Utah or Chicago, wanted to add Davis, it would be able to use him only until the regular season ends. With the 37-year-old recovering from a back strain, don't count on it.
Here is a position-by-position look at who is available before the playoffs arrive:
Centers
Let's say you're an Eastern Conference team that stands a fairly good chance of running into Shaquille O'Neal and the Miami Heat in the playoffs. You need another six fouls, but where do you find them?
The pickings are slim, but 43-year-old Kevin Willis has been out there all season just waiting for a call from what would be his seventh NBA team. Zendon Hamilton spent time with the 76ers and Cavs this season on 10-day contracts, and Elden Campbell, a Shaq-stopper specialist with the Pistons each of the past two seasons, has been on the shelf all year.
Others: Jahidi White, Andrew Declercq, Vladimir Stepania.
Power forwards
Ham has been sitting in Dallas all season wondering why the phone hasn't rung, while Kemp claims to have dropped 50 pounds after being as high as 320.
Robert "Tractor" Traylor failed a physical with the Nets last summer because of an enlarged aorta that he underwent surgery to correct, but he turned down a chance for a tryout with New Jersey earlier this month. Marcus Fizer played for Seattle under a 10-day contract after March 1, making him ineligible for the postseason.
Others: Christian Laettner, Marcus Haislip, Jerome Moiso, Clarence Weatherspoon.
Small forwards
Robinson has not been heard from since making a cameo for the San Antonio Spurs last season and winning a ring, and defensive specialist George Lynch has been gathering dust since the Hornets waived him at the end of training camp.
Bryon Russell plans to be a coach someday, but he can still return for the playoffs if someone wants him. The Sonics cut Russell after acquiring him in the trade deadline day deal that sent Reggie Evans and Ruben Patterson to Denver. Another player who was traded and cut was Lee Nailon.
Others: Kaniel Dickens, Terence Morris, Rodney Rogers, Eddie Robinson.
Shooting guards
Sprewell is the cream of the crop, but nobody knows whether he'll ever play again, and he isn't saying. The Nuggets had some interest in Person, but opted to sign Howard Eisley for the remainder of the season instead.
Fred Hoiberg tried out for the Suns and was considering trying to become the first NBA player to play with a pacemaker, but ultimately decided against it. Penny Hardaway has been idle since being waived by Orlando after it acquired him from New York in the Steve Francis deal.
Others: Dajuan Wagner, Rodney Buford, Ron Mercer, Dion Glover, Lucious Harris, Anthony Peeler.
Point guards
The cupboard is pretty bare here now that Eisley will be remaining with the Nuggets. Most of the available free agents are players who couldn't cut it in the NBA, including Frank Williams, Mateen Cleaves, Gerald Fitch and Troy Bell.
Jay Williams, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 draft, worked out earlier this season for Cleveland, Toronto and Miami before deciding he wasn't healed enough from injuries sustained in a motorcycle crash to play full-time in the NBA -- although he'll likely attempt another comeback next season.
Others: Tierre Brown, Anthony Goldwire, Erick Strickland, Kareem Reid.
Chris Sheridan, a national NBA reporter for the past decade, covers the league for ESPN Insider. To e-mail Chris, click here.
Playoff help is just a call away
By Chris Sheridan
Latrell Sprewell isn't the only unrestricted free agent out there who can sign with an NBA team and still be eligible for the playoffs. Most can even sign after the 82nd game, as long as it's done before playoff rosters are due.
Also available are Shawn Kemp, Wesley Person, Darvin Ham, Glenn Robinson and a handful of others who have sat out the current season without being on any team's active roster.
Under NBA rules, players who were active prior to March 1 had to be waived before that date in order to retain their postseason eligibility. That rule affected Tony Delk, who was waived by Atlanta and signed with the Detroit Pistons; Tim Thomas, who left Chicago and joined the Phoenix Suns; and Jim Jackson, who was waived in Phoenix and signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Players waived after March 1 cannot compete in the postseason, which is one of the factors contributing to Antonio Davis's remaining unsigned after the Toronto Raptors waived him last week. If a team fighting for a playoff spot, such as Utah or Chicago, wanted to add Davis, it would be able to use him only until the regular season ends. With the 37-year-old recovering from a back strain, don't count on it.
Here is a position-by-position look at who is available before the playoffs arrive:
Centers
Let's say you're an Eastern Conference team that stands a fairly good chance of running into Shaquille O'Neal and the Miami Heat in the playoffs. You need another six fouls, but where do you find them?
The pickings are slim, but 43-year-old Kevin Willis has been out there all season just waiting for a call from what would be his seventh NBA team. Zendon Hamilton spent time with the 76ers and Cavs this season on 10-day contracts, and Elden Campbell, a Shaq-stopper specialist with the Pistons each of the past two seasons, has been on the shelf all year.
Others: Jahidi White, Andrew Declercq, Vladimir Stepania.
Power forwards
Ham has been sitting in Dallas all season wondering why the phone hasn't rung, while Kemp claims to have dropped 50 pounds after being as high as 320.
Robert "Tractor" Traylor failed a physical with the Nets last summer because of an enlarged aorta that he underwent surgery to correct, but he turned down a chance for a tryout with New Jersey earlier this month. Marcus Fizer played for Seattle under a 10-day contract after March 1, making him ineligible for the postseason.
Others: Christian Laettner, Marcus Haislip, Jerome Moiso, Clarence Weatherspoon.
Small forwards
Robinson has not been heard from since making a cameo for the San Antonio Spurs last season and winning a ring, and defensive specialist George Lynch has been gathering dust since the Hornets waived him at the end of training camp.
Bryon Russell plans to be a coach someday, but he can still return for the playoffs if someone wants him. The Sonics cut Russell after acquiring him in the trade deadline day deal that sent Reggie Evans and Ruben Patterson to Denver. Another player who was traded and cut was Lee Nailon.
Others: Kaniel Dickens, Terence Morris, Rodney Rogers, Eddie Robinson.
Shooting guards
Sprewell is the cream of the crop, but nobody knows whether he'll ever play again, and he isn't saying. The Nuggets had some interest in Person, but opted to sign Howard Eisley for the remainder of the season instead.
Fred Hoiberg tried out for the Suns and was considering trying to become the first NBA player to play with a pacemaker, but ultimately decided against it. Penny Hardaway has been idle since being waived by Orlando after it acquired him from New York in the Steve Francis deal.
Others: Dajuan Wagner, Rodney Buford, Ron Mercer, Dion Glover, Lucious Harris, Anthony Peeler.
Point guards
The cupboard is pretty bare here now that Eisley will be remaining with the Nuggets. Most of the available free agents are players who couldn't cut it in the NBA, including Frank Williams, Mateen Cleaves, Gerald Fitch and Troy Bell.
Jay Williams, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 draft, worked out earlier this season for Cleveland, Toronto and Miami before deciding he wasn't healed enough from injuries sustained in a motorcycle crash to play full-time in the NBA -- although he'll likely attempt another comeback next season.
Others: Tierre Brown, Anthony Goldwire, Erick Strickland, Kareem Reid.
Chris Sheridan, a national NBA reporter for the past decade, covers the league for ESPN Insider. To e-mail Chris, click here.