Earl Boykins signs 1 year deal with Bucks

SPLASH

 

always liked Earl.

Hard not to cheer for a guy about your height playing with giants

 

Hope he has a great year, I think the Bucks will have a very solid year makin the playoffs.

 

one less vet pg on the market if brooks goes

 

Bucks close in on Boykins, Gallon's future in doubt

by Frank Madden

Aug 19, 2010

Charles Gardner of the JS reports the Bucks are closing in on a one year deal that would bring Earl Boykins back to Milwaukee as a third point guard behind Brandon Jennings and recent signing Keyon Dooling. At 34, Boykins' best days as a bench sparkplug are behind him, but it's also not like he'll be getting any minutes while Jennings and Dooling are upright. The Bucks are out of cap space and have already used their MLE on Drew Gooden and BAE on Dooling, so they can't offer Boykins more than the minimum ($1.352 million for 10+ year vets).

As we mentioned a couple weeks ago, the Bucks have carried at least three point guards on the opening night roster in each season of the Hammond/Skiles era, so broadly speaking it's not surprising to see them add some depth in the backcourt. That said, the Bucks now have 14 players under contract without having signed either of their second round picks, leaving just one spot for either Darington Hobson or Tiny Gallon.

Gallon would appear the likely odd man out, and his agent Marc Cornstein told Gery Woelfel this week that they're "exploring all possibilities," including Europe. That would now be an ideal scenario for the Bucks, who haven't shown any interest in coddling rookies but would probably prefer to keep the 19-year-old's rights while he develops on someone else's dime. The alternative is trying to quickly trade Gallon's rights for a future pick or letting him walk entirely, which would be a serious waste considering they only drafted him two months ago. Then again, somebody at Bucks HQ must still have some love for Tiny--he's currently on the front page of Bucks.com posing with Larry Sanders in a picture from the rookie photo shoot.


Hobson hasn't exactly given the Bucks much to go on either, missing summer league due to a groin strain. It's also a bit curious that Gallon would be at the rookie shoot while Hobson was absent, but you'd think the Bucks will have a bit more patience with the former New Mexico star considering he was their first pick in the second round (37th). Meanwhile, Gallon was taken 47th (the Bucks also passed on him with the 44th pick) and looked out of shape and a bit overwhelmed in Vegas. Hobson was probably the third string PG by default up until now, but clearly the Bucks weren't comfortable with that scenario. Makes sense--just because a 6'7" guy has PG skills on offense doesn't mean you want him defending the position.

Then again, patience isn't something the Bucks have shown much of when it comes to draft picks, though it hasn't come back to hurt them as of yet. A year ago, John Hammond made Joe Alexander the highest drafted player ever to have his first option year declined, and Jodie Meeks was flipped after half a season for the Sixers' 2010 second rounder (which they used to draft Hobson). Much of it can be attributed to high standards and a willingness on the front office's part to admit mistakes--both very good things.

Still, they can't claim ignorance with Gallon. Any scout with a pair of eyes can see he's had weight problems and transient focus on the court, but he's still a kid with the potential to be a quality NBA player. Even if Gallon is the hoops equivalent of a way-out-of-the-money call option right now, he still has value. And while signing Boykins may be the more rational short-term move, it's also not something worth getting excited over.

As for Boykins, he's one of the game's more interesting players. At 5'5" he's always had a remarkable knack for creating his own shot against players significantly bigger than him, which he did quite well for the Bucks fans in the second half of the lost 06/07. Though his assist rates aren't terrible, he's mostly a guy looking for his own shot, which wasn't a good thing last year when he posted a Jennings-esque 49.8% true shooting percentage. Still, third string PGs are by definition guys you don't want on the court, and hopefully the Bucks won't need him with any regularity. As for his contract, Woelfel just tweeted that his deal is fully guaranteed, though it's worth noting that the league office will pay for about $500k of his $1.352 million salary. To assure that teams don't shy away from signing older veterans to minimum-level deals, the NBA pays the difference between 3+ year veteran mins and the minimum for two-year vets ($854k this year). He'll still count the full amount against the cap, but the Bucks will pay him the same amount that they're paying Luc Mbah a Moute. Presuming the Bucks do sign Hobson to a two-year minimum deal, the cap situation would look like this.

http://www.brewhoop.com/2010/8/19/1632253/bucks-close-in-on-boykins-gallons#storyjump

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Bucks Salaries

https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub...ROb21xWkE&hl=en&single=true&gid=5&output=html

 

A little move for the Bucks

August 19th, 2010

Ready for some actual Bucks news leading up to the season? Here goes. From Charles F. Gardner at JSOnline:

The Bucks are near an agreement with veteran point guard Earl Boykins, a move which would complete Milwaukee’s point guard trio for the 2010-’11 season.

Yes, the one time commercial star and household favorite little man, Earl Boykins is apparently going to be suiting up for the Bucks again in 2010-11. Boykins previously played for Milwaukee in the 2006-07 season, arriving for the second half of the season in a deal which landed Steve Blake in Denver. Twice with Milwaukee Boykins scored 36 points, his career high and thrilled crowds with his scoring proficiency despite his diminutive stature.

The NBA’s second smallest player of all-time declined his player option for the 2007-08 season, apparently thinking a strong performance in Milwaukee had elevated his status enough that his $3 million option could be topped in a new deal.

But that didn’t go so well.

Boykins played for Charlotte the next season for what I’m assuming was either the veteran’s minimum or close at $533,572 and then spent a year overseas before returning last season with the Wizards. Boykins had one of his finest moments of the season against Milwaukee last year, drawing a last second foul on Brandon Jennings early in the season and icing the game with two free throws.

Boykins will likely be Milwaukee’s third point guard and the last option at guard off the bench behind Jennings, Keyon Dooling, John Salmons and Chris Douglas-Roberts.

His arrival leaves the Bucks with 14 players under contract for the 2010-11 season, leaving Tiny Gallon’s future with Milwaukee especially up in the air.

Reports surfaced recently from Gery Woelfel, that Gallon and his agent are exploring all of his options for the coming season, even if that involves a trip to Europe. Unlike the last two seasons in which Milwaukee signed Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Jodie Meeks on the first day they could, the Bucks have been slow to sign their two second round picks this summer. As of today, neither Gallon or the Bucks first second round pick, Darington Hobson, have signed with the team. In addition, Hobson missed summer league with an injury.

If Gallon decides to head to Europe, Milwaukee would retain his rights and he would not count against the cap for the team. Essentially, it would be no different than when Ersan Ilyasova made his trip back to Europe for a couple years to develop. For the Bucks, it would be free development for Tiny Gallon without having to use up a roster spot for him the way they would if he were in the D-League. The negative would be that he could not be called upon during the season as a call-up. But given the glut Milwaukee has at the four, it’s unlikely they’d need him this year anyway.

There hasn’t been much word on the delay involving Hobson.

Jeremy Schmidt writes the Milwaukee Bucks blog Bucksketball.com

http://www.bucksketball.com/2010/08/a-little-move-for-the-bucks/#more-1878

 

Guess he's ridnour's replacement.

 

I think that Keyon Dooling is Ridnour's replacement. Earl Boykins will likely be replacing Royal Ivey...

 

Is it really worth a new thread when a team nobody cares about signs a 3rd-string PG?

 

yes. i didnt know the guy was still playing and he was always fun to watch.

you dont say anything when we have threads about tmac or kevin martin trades.

ok your right who cares.

 

relevance? other than him being short, this doesn't really matter

 

No. I've said plenty about there being too many McGrady threads. Regarding Kevin Martin, I rarely read the GARM.

I get that Boykins is a sympathetic figure in the NBA because of his stature, but that doesn't phase me one bit. I remember one year he declined a player option of about $5-6 million and ended up sitting out the year because nobody wanted him.

 

Um no offense, but ya it is. He had a decent season for the Wiz last year and helped them win a few extra games. Not to mention he can be a mentor of sorts to Brandon Jennings while still giving the Bucks a few solid minutes of pure energy.

 

Is it really worth a new post to complain about a new thread about Earl Boykins when there are wonderful, thought-provoking threads on page 1 like "Baron Davis Celebrity Kick Ball Game"?

 

I really like the way the Bucks looks this year

 

the bucks have quietly had a nice off season. they've turned into a deep team with 2 potential all stars, almost overnight. i'd rank them 6th in the east right now.

 

Stop moaning.

 

The Bucks are quietly having a REALLY solid offseason. They added depth to their frontcourt with Gooden and the rookies Tiny Gallon/Larry Sanders, scoring on the wing with Maggette and CDR, and two veteran PG's in Boykins/Dooling. All they need now is for Redd and Bogut to be healthy.