Ebi waived; Dupree traded to Wolves

[usckk]

By DAVE CAMPBELL
AP SPORTS WRITER

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Timberwolves gave up on former first-round draft pick Ndudi Ebi, waiving the 21-year-old forward on Monday after acknowledging two years of work wasn't enough to prepare him for NBA competition.

Ebi's $803,600 salary for this season is guaranteed, but the Timberwolves saw little hope of him getting any playing time.

"That didn't sit very well with him," said vice president Kevin McHale, who made Ebi the 26th overall selection in the 2003 draft out of Westbury Christian High School in Houston. "He really needs to play."

Regrets?

"It didn't work out the way I wanted to," McHale said.

Minnesota also traded a future second-round pick to the Detroit Pistons for 6-foot-7 swingman Ronald Dupree, who averaged 3.2 points and 10.0 minutes over 47 games last season.


Coach Dwane Casey and his staff wanted another player capable of defending big shooting guards and small forwards, so they targeted Dupree - who went undrafted out of Louisiana State and spent his rookie season with the Chicago Bulls.

After two-plus years of exhaustive, post-practice workouts with McHale, the 6-foot-9 Ebi was still not nearly polished enough for Casey to even consider bringing him off the bench. He's nimble and athletic, with a knack for blocking shots, but often looks lost on the court and has shown little instinct for playing consistent defense.

The Wolves recently asked for an exception that would allow them to send Ebi to the NBA's developmental league, but they were denied. Their request surprised Ebi, who has always been defiant about his ability to play with the big boys.

"I'm not a development league player. I'm an NBA player," he said earlier this month.

In two seasons with Minnesota, Ebi appeared in only 19 games - averaging 2.1 points, 1.0 rebounds and 4.5 minutes. His career highlight came last April in a meaningless season finale against San Antonio, when he scored 18 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds in 28 minutes.

"He's a great kid," McHale said Monday night on a conference call with reporters. "We spent a lot of time, so it's tough. But it's a basketball decision. You've got to do what's best for the team."

[genghisrex]

I think he gets nabbed off waivers, but a Spurs fan can hope he lands here, can't he? Not that Ebi would necessarily want to ride the pine in San Antonio anymore than he wanted to in Minny, of course.

[GoSpurs21]

kid sounds like he needs to learn humility in addition to defense...not really Spurs material now is he

[JMarkJohns]

Kinda sucks, because I think the Suns have interest, but are the last team able to make a claim.

[Pistons < Spurs]

Why all the interest in this kid? From all the reports I read, it sounds like he's still a few years away from being NBA ready.

Perhaps him playing in Houston in high school, you all have seen him play? and have seen something special in this guy? that the rest of us haven't.

[Marcus Bryant]

This will be a straight up test for how much Holt Cat is limiting personnel moves. If Ebi is available off waivers to the Spurs and they pass, despite management's longstanding interest in the kid, that will say enough.

[picnroll]

Ebi sounds like he's one of those uber-athletes with an uber-low basketball IQ.

[Mr. Peabody]

This will be a straight up test for how much Holt Cat is limiting personnel moves. If Ebi is available off waivers to the Spurs and they pass, despite management's longstanding interest in the kid, that will say enough.

Screw Holt. We need some real ownership around here. Is Paul Allen still available?
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[JMarkJohns]

Ebi sounds like he's one of those uber-athletes with an uber-low basketball IQ.

no...just inexperienced.

He's young and raw, but not dumb.

[FromWayDowntown]

I guess it will be a test of front office hubris. Does a team think that it can get more out of Ebi than the T'Wolves did? Arguably, that wouldn't be that hard though, since the T'Wolves have not exactly set the world on fire with their ability to develop marginal players.

[coopdogg3]

Sounds promising, but it seems like what he needs most - playing time - is the one thing the Spurs are least able to give him. Maybe if the Spurs get a lot of blow-out wins they can throw him some garbage time, but I don't know how his attitude will work with warming the bench. Pop could handle him fairly well of course, just don't know if the Spurs are the teams that can get the most out of him.

coopdogg3

[Mr. Peabody]

Ebi sounds like he's one of those uber-athletes with an uber-low basketball IQ.

There was another young man that was taken in by the Spurs after people said he was immature and didn't have a very high basketball IQ. This player was doubted by the fans, but later developed with the Spurs and went on to make a name for himself with another team. That young man's name was Lloyd "Sweet Pea" Daniels.

And now you have the rest of the story.....Mr. Peabody, good day.
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[picnroll]

There's not an absolute correlation between basketballl IQ and academic IQ. Jack for instance had a pretty good basketball IQ, he was starting in NJ.


Ebi has the maturity and self-discipline apparently but he can't seem to make it on a team in desperate need of talent, including at the position he plays. They've said he continually is getting lost on plays, that's after two years. Maybe he'll pan out but the Spurs aren't a team or a system built with players of below average or even average BBall IQ.

[Marcus Bryant]

The Spurs took a supposedly uncoachable Stephen Jackson into their system and turned him into a starting 2 who could knock down championship clinching shots. I would hope that any decision made on Ebi by the Spurs would be based on his potential. It's not like his price is anywhere close to being obscene. Shit, they paid LJ3 $600K to sit on IR for virtually the entire season.

[SequSpur]

Ebi sucks. WTF.

Just because he averages more points, rebounds and assists than a blind man on crack, doesn't make him worthy of a Spur.

Spurs have enough.

If they need anyone, they should just sign G Robinson and Massenburg.

WTF.

[Notorious H.O.P.]

There was another young man that was taken in by the Spurs after people said he was immature and didn't have a very high basketball IQ. This player was doubted by the fans, but later developed with the Spurs and went on to make a name for himself with another team. That young man's name was Lloyd "Sweet Pea" Daniels.

And now you have the rest of the story.....Mr. Peabody, good day.

Peabody, I'm assuming you're joking right? Lloyd "Couldn't Guard A Mannequin" Daniels? He played like 58 games after he left the Spurs. Daniels was one of the players I really wanted to hit big. It helps that we were a perennial loser and we all wanted some type of savior. But just when Daniels looked like he was going to take the next step, he never did. I remember he was tearing it up in the preseason before his second season. But once the regular season came, he fizzled just like the first.

[Kori Ellis]

Why all the interest in this kid? From all the reports I read, it sounds like he's still a few years away from being NBA ready.

Perhaps him playing in Houston in high school, you all have seen him play? and have seen something special in this guy? that the rest of us haven't.

The Spurs wanted to draft him and missed out. So that's why many people believe the Spurs will still have interest.

[Mr. Peabody]

Peabody, I'm assuming you're joking right? Lloyd "Couldn't Guard A Mannequin" Daniels? He played like 58 games after he left the Spurs. Daniels was one of the players I really wanted to hit big. It helps that we were a perennial loser and we all wanted some type of savior. But just when Daniels looked like he was going to take the next step, he never did. I remember he was tearing it up in the preseason before his second season. But once the regular season came, he fizzled just like the first.

No, I am joking. Just doing my best (still not very good) Paul Harvey imitation.

I am another one who was dissapointed in Lloyd Daniels. After hearing all the hype about this playground legend, I thought he would be the next Michael Jordan. Last I heard he was playing in the ABA.
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[Notorious H.O.P.]

No, I am joking. Just doing my best (still not very good) Paul Harvey imitation.

I am another one who was dissapointed in Lloyd Daniels. After hearing all the hype about this playground legend, I thought he would be the next Michael Jordan. Last I heard he was playing in the ABA.

I rooted for him and it looked like he was ready to turn the corner but it didn't happen. He had a good shot but he looked lost on the court most of the time.

Ebi sounds like he'd be a great test of the Spurs ability to stash and grow. If playing with Garnett and being tutored by McHale doesn't do the job, it is a stretch that anyone would be able to do it. Plus, he sounds like he would want to some place to get some time so sitting on the Spurs IR doesn't seem like something he'd want to do despite it might be his "other" best chance to make himself into a player.

[Despot]

Sorry, didn't have time to read the entire thread, but what's the real story with this guy? I was under the impression that he had tons of talent, maybe his bulb is a little dim??

[wildbill2u]

This will be a straight up test for how much Holt Cat is limiting personnel moves. If Ebi is available off waivers to the Spurs and they pass, despite management's longstanding interest in the kid, that will say enough.

If McHale worked with the kid for two years and gave up on such a high pick with high expectations, then you know Ebi isn't ready.

I'd say it means he won't be ready for any floor time for more years and what team can waste money on that these days. He ought to go to Europe or the CBA where he can play every day.

[exstatic]

This will be a straight up test for how much Holt Cat is limiting personnel moves. If Ebi is available off waivers to the Spurs and they pass, despite management's longstanding interest in the kid, that will say enough.

According to Kori, managment also has a longstanding disinterest in his agent, maybe the guy who fucked us on Lamond Murray? Anyway, someone Pop refused to deal with in the past, even when he was GM. I wouldn't read anything into the Spurs taking a pass on him. With his goofball agent and desire for PT, he'd probably take a pass on US.

[Notorious H.O.P.]

According to Kori, managment also has a longstanding disinterest in his agent, maybe the guy who fucked us on Lamond Murray? Anyway, someone Pop refused to deal with in the past, even when he was GM. I wouldn't read anything into the Spurs taking a pass on him. With his goofball agent and desire for PT, he'd probably take a pass on US.


His agent is Dan Fegan and Pop refuses to even talk to him. He is the one that convinced Stephen Jackson to hold out for more cash when SJ had been stating from the get go that he was going to sign with the Spurs. He has a reputation for being difficult to deal with but guys that sign with him probably like him because he puts the screws to teams and milks them for every last dollar.

[sickdsm]

Europe doesn't take projects. If your considered a project in the NBA, you should be able to excel in Europe, Ebi isn't there yet. The guy WILL make it in the NBA, i imagined him to be where Darius Miles was the last two years. Well, he SHOULD be at that point but the light hasn't clicked. The guy tries real hard, he has raw talent but its just not clicking yet.

[ChumpDumper]

Europe doesn't take projects.Sure they do, but Ebi would probably serve himself better by going the CBA route.

[SenorSpur]

Maybe we can send word to him to "fire his agent" and then we'll take a look.

[baseline bum]

I'm getting sick of this constant bashing on Holt. Dude paid Parker $66 million last offseason when he probably could have had him more cheaply this summer after the horrible Finals he had. He paid to keep Manu. He spent $24 million on Brent Barry. He could have said screw it... this team won a title and was on pace for 65 wins before the Duncan injury... so why sign Finley when Devin Brown can be had for 1/2 the price? He could have easily justified it by saying why split up a title team. But instead he paid Finley $2.7 million starting while allowing Buford to give Fin an option on a third year. He reupped Horry for 3 years. This is the same guy who gave AJ $8 million one year as a thank you for all he has meant to this franchise.

You people calling Holt cheap need to check yourself, because he's stepped up to the plate every time for this team, and he has 3 O'Briens to show for it.