Free Agents

[EricaLubarsky]

Michael Harris is a Texas native, a scrapper like Howard that fits the bill (and the team mentality) as a long, young, athletic guy that pounds the boards. He wasnt playing against top competition but the guy can score in droves and rebound like a man posessed.He's also known for his energy ball which matches his basketball philosophy

UTEP-- 19points, 14rebounds, 53.8% FG
SMU-- 24points, 8rebounds, 66.7% FG
SMU-- 23 points, 10 rebounds, 61.6% FG
Louisiana Tech-- 14points, 12 rebounds, 45.4% FG
Hawaii-- 30points, 24rebounds, 8-9 FT, 78.7% FG (11-14)
San Jose State-- 15points, 18rebounds, 46.2% FG
Fresno State--30points, 11rebounds, 59.1%
Murray State-- 24points, 8rebounds, 68.8% FG
Nevada-- 15points, 5rebounds, 4-4FT, 45.4% FG
Tulsa-- 26points, 13rebounds, 10-11 FT, 50% FG
Rockhurst-- 17points, 11rebounds, 88.8% FG (8-9)
UTEP-- 10points, 7rebounds, 6-6 FT, 40% FG
Boise State-- 23points, 12rebounds, 81.8%
San Jose State-- 24points, 17rebounds, 76.9%
Nevada-- 19points, 12rebounds, 46.7%
Fresno State-- 17points, 7rebounds, 58.3% FG in 25 minutes
Tulsa-- 19points, 18rebounds, 58,3%
Boise State-- 25points, 9rebounds, 7-8 FT, 81.8% FG (9-11)
UTEP-- 10points, 15rebounds, 45.4% FG
SMU-- 16points, 13 rebounds, 58.3% FG
Syracuse-- 25points, 8 rebounds, 9-11 FT, 53.3% FG
UConn-- 22points, 9 rebounds, 2-2FT, 50% FG
Lamar-- 21points, 10rebounds, 5-7FT, 53.3% FG
Grambling-- 31points, 10rebounds, 9-12 FT, 84.6% FG (11-13)
Houston-- 20points, 10rebounds, 8-9 FT, 46.1% FG
Lafayette-- 13points, 17rebounds, 3-4 Ft, 71.4% FG
Middle Tenn. state-- 10points, 8rebounds, 5-6 FT, 50% FG, in only 17 minutes
Mobile-- 21points, 11rebounds, 5-6 FT, 61.5% FG

"Who to Watch: Michael Harris is one of the most underrated players in the nation. He won’t be for long if Rice can make some noise in March. He led the Owls last year with 17.5 points and 8.9 rebounds, in fact he’s led the team in those two categories all three years he’s been an Owl. Harris is only 6-6, but plays much bigger in the paint. He usually has his back to the basket but when turned around Harris has a smooth short jumper. He nearly made half of his 33 attempts from behind the arc last season. This is the type of player that can explode for 30 points on any given day and he should do just that multiple times for his senior season."college hoops net preview to last season

"A leading candidate for the WAC Player of the Year... An explosive inside player who posesses a soft perimeter touch... "

From everything I've read he sounds like a Josh Howard/Quentin Richardson hybrid.

[bcrav4]

[bcrav4]

How about this for athleticism...







Rawle is raw!

[Dalvi]

As probably all of you guys know that Donnie has been the assistant coach of the Lithuanian national team, has anyone thought about how Sarunas Jasikevicius would prove himself if he goes to the NBA?? He has won probably everything there is in Europe. I believe he is now a free agent.
What do you guys think? Would he fit a team like Dallas??
I recall he is a very good shooter and has an excellent court vision.

pg/sg, 6-4 age 29

Played school basketball at Solanco High School, Quarryville, Pa
played college basketball at University of Maryland (1994-98)
back to Lithuania for the 1998-99 season.

Miscellaneous
Won the 2000-01 and 2002-03 Spanish National Championship with F C Barcelona
won the 2003-04 and 2004-05 Israeli National Championship with Maccabi Tel Aviv
won the 2000 Slovenian National Cup with BC Olimpija Ljubljana
won the 2001 and 2003 Spanish National Cup (King's Cup) with F C Barcelona
won the 2004 and 2005 Israeli National Cup with Maccabi Tel Aviv
won the 2003 Euroleague with FC Barcelona
won the 2004 and 2005 Euroleague with Maccabi Tel Aviv
named the 2002-03 Spanish League Finals MVP
named the 2005 Euroleague Final MVP
named to the 2003-04 and 2004-05 All-Euroleague 1st Team
led the 1999-00 Euroleague in assists (4.9 apg.)
won the gold medal at the 2003 European Championship......named the 2003 European Championship MVP
won the gold medal at the 1996 European Under-22 Championship
won the bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games...played at the 2004 Olympic Games.
led the 2003-04 Euroleague in free throws shooting percentage (92,5%)...led the 2003-04 Israeli League RS in three points shooting percentage (57,0%)

washington post article

"Indiana, Portland, Boston, Dallas, Utah and Cleveland are interested in the point guard-shooting guard, according to league sources."

[grndmstr_c]

Michael Harris is a Texas native, and a skinny, long scrapper like Howard that fits the bill (and the team mentality) as a long, young, super-athletic guy that pounds the boards.

That's pretty funny. He's not skinny anymore (listed at 240 currently).

[EricaLubarsky]

from the most recent pictures I've seen, he's bigger than Howard but significantly smaller than Q


couple of months ago

[V]

Rawle Marshall started his NCAA career at Ball State University in 2000-01. He only played in 13 games and averaged 2.4 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. After that season he decided to transfer to Oakland and redshirted a year because of that.

Over the last three seasons, Marshall played for Oakland in the Mid-Continent (Mid-con) conference, a fairly average mid-major conference whose best teams this year were Oral Roberts and UMKC. He made an immediate impact as a redshirt sophomore, averaging 18 points, 6 and a half rebounds, nearly 3 assists, 3 steals and a block and a half per game in 35 minutes of action. He came down to earth a bit as a junior, averaging 17.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2 assists in similar playing time.

This year, Oakland scheduled one of the toughest out of conference schedules of any team in the country, going up against Xavier, Illinois, Marquette, Texas A&M, Missouri and others. They started off the season 0-7, with Marshall putting up decent numbers on poor percentages against these teams. Despite going into their conference tournament with a 7-18 record, they won five straight games to miraculously secure themselves a spot in the NCAA tournament, with the last three wins coming by a combined 8 points. Their improbable run continued after beating Alabama State in the play-in game (where Marshall was extremely impressive on national television), and Oakland became the toast of the national media. They were matched up with eventual national champions North Carolina in the first round of the tournament, and were handedly dismissed 96-68. Marshall had 16 points and 5 rebounds on 5-17 shooting. On the year he finished up with 20 points per game, nearly 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block and a half on 44% shooting from the field.

[grndmstr_c]

Well, Q's listed 230, and like I said Harris is listed 240. I guess we'll get a better idea going forward where the Mavs are thinking he might be able to fit positionally and if the weight needs to come down.

[freestyle]

Not bad. Harris' lowest FG% came as a freshman: .574. That's nutz for a 6-6 guy.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally posted by: grndmstr_c
Well, Q's listed 230, and like I said Harris is listed 240. I guess we'll get a better idea going forward where the Mavs are thinking he might be able to fit positionally and if the weight needs to come down.

I was reading earlier that he was aware of his weight and was bringing it down. I dont know if he was just covereing for a weight problem, but he was saying that in college he was playing power forward and needed the weight to throw around and that in the NBA he'd need to be sleeker. I guess we'll see.

[LRB]

Doesn't Artest go about 6'6" and 240lbs?

[V]

Harris is the very definition of a guy too small to play in the post, yet he does. Super quick reactions and hands allow him to give fits to the bigger guys he guards. …And he is a back-to-the-basket player. He doesn't move well without the ball. He CAN stick a set shot from deep, and certainly has the athletic ability to get much better at his face-up game. NBA body, lean and muscular. 73% free throw shooter for his career. Gets a lot of boards from good position because he doesn't always box-out. Most of his FGA's are from within 10 feet of the basket, including dunks. Calm, and cool demeanor. He just works. He is from Hillsboro, which is between Waco and Dallas, and is a sports management major. http://www.basslinespin.com/HarrisMichael.htm

[grndmstr_c]

I doubt it's a weight problem. He looks well defined - nothing like May.

[grndmstr_c]

Doesn't Artest go about 6'6" and 240lbs?

6'7", 246 on his nba.com profile. I can see how dropping 10-20 pounds could be beneficial for Harris.

[foglemann]

I like the sound of both these guys. We could use some end of the bench guys or guys to develope in the NBDL. I would love to see both these guys make the team and play next season with DJ and Pavel. The guy Harris looks impressive with those stats.

Did he win WAC player of the year? Cause if he did, its a win for us. Since Josh has become so good, I'm all for getting award winners from any conference. They have shown to provide leadership to there team, win, and put up great stats.

The Rawle guy looks and reads like a Marion type player, or should I say Granger type player. A larger 3, with incredible athletic ability.
Did anyone watch the play-in game this past year, cause I can't remember which guy he was. If someone has the memory of this game, please give us details on how Rawle looked.

[V]

CBS SportsLine.com

Contrary to common belief, reigning player of the year Kirk Snyder didn't leave the WAC after leading Nevada into the Sweet 16. He just left Nevada. You'll see him this season at Rice, playing under the pseudonym "Michael Harris."

Don't be fooled.

Harris is another Snyder, from his muscular body to his deceptively advanced perimeter game (48.5 percent on 3-pointers last season) to his role as the best player on what should be one of the bigger surprise teams of the season. And like Snyder, who is -- in fact -- in the NBA this season, you'll see Harris playing for pay at this time next season.

[Pirate]

NOT well defined. NOT lean. Even he admits he is chunky, thick-legged, and needs to drop some pounds. 240 is too stout for 6-6 in the NBA.

Here's a pic that shows the real build.

[grndmstr_c]

He doesn't look chunky to me (and I'd seen that pic before), but whatever you want to call it. 240 at 6'6" probably is a little too heavy, but there's clearly precedent for SF's close to that height weighing somewhere in that range and being good players.

[dirno2000]

I saw this guy play at SMU late in the season. In retrospect I wish I would have payed more attention to him but at the time he just struck me as a good college player. I just didn't see the athleticism at his size to play in the league. That being said, we're in two summer leagues, both starting late next week so it doesn't hurt to sign as many players as possible and see who stands out.

[V]

Keith Langford a 6-4 215 Guard out of Kansas....
An underrated player who contended for All-America honors ...
A slashing guard/forward who can pour in points in a hurry...
Has steadily improved his three-point shooting during his tenure in Lawrence to become more of an outside threat...
A smooth lefty who is deceptively quick and has an uncanny knack for getting to the rim, even in traffic...
One of the best leapers at Kansas...
Solid at defending on the perimeter...
An impressive rebounder for his size...
A reliable free throw shooter...
A clutch performer, Langford often saves his best games for the biggest stage, as he has been named to three NCAA all-tournament teams.

[V]

Q&A with Filiberto Rivera

What's one thing people should know about you, aside from basketball?
I don’t know. Basketball is pretty much it. I’ve been playing since I was four years old in Puerto Rico, that’s where I’m from. I started playing ball then and I don’t think I’m going to stop until I’m 30 or 40, that’s my goal. People might not have known that I started when I was four.

How have your workouts been going?
This (Milwaukee) is my seventh workout already. I just came from Seattle and I have to go to Phoenix tomorrow. I’ll probably have 12 before the draft. It’s been good. I’ve gotten a good workout everywhere I’ve gone.

Do you have any basketball idols?
Not really, I just saw guys on TV. It’s good to know those people in person because they’re really good people. Joe Dumars in Detroit, that’s one I’ve never seen before, he’s a super star, in the hall of fame. That’s the one I model myself after.

[V]

A capable scorer throughout his career, Langford prefers to drive to the basket, or keep his defender off balance for a pull-up jumper. Once thought to be a liability from deep, he converted over 35 percent of his threes in his final two seasons combined, but his free-throw shooting is below-average. Defensively, he also contributes with his one-on-one pressure. He lacks ideal size to play the shooting guard position, but can occasionally run the point. Don't be surprised if a team picks him up in the second round.

Rivera was a two-time all-WAC performer and a heady offensive leader who will have no problem adjusting to the NBA style of point-guard play. His 3.2-1 assist-to-tunrover ratio is great, and is a capable outside shooter, though he rarely looked for his own shot. Rivera is an aggressive and disruptive player on defense. His size is an issue; he might get backed down or bumped off the dribble. His overall lack of offensive aggressiveness will land in the mid-late second round.

[alby]

How does Harris's shot look?

[Filth]

A big sf would allow the mavs to play another style? you gotta be joking. josh howard plays as big as anyone in the league at the sf spot and is one of the best defenders in the league. Hell, he regularly battles the big centers for boards - and dunks on em too. So unless you wanna take bradley outta retirement and put him at sf then i doubt that a big sf would change the way the mavs play.

[LRB]

Originally posted by: grndmstr_c
He doesn't look chunky to me (and I'd seen that pic before), but whatever you want to call it. 240 at 6'6" probably is a little too heavy, but there's clearly precedent for SF's close to that height weighing somewhere in that range and being good players.

So long as the weight is muscle, doesn't slow him down, and he still has very good hops I think that it's OK. But that is a few if's that have to be answered. I think it would be great to have a guy at SF who can physicaly abuse other SF's. And who knows maybe this guy could turn out to be our answer to at least slowing Amare down.