From News Services and Staff Reports
Saturday, March 24, 2007
The New York Knicks signed free agent center Randolph Morris to a two-year contract yesterday, about a week after he played for Kentucky in the NCAA tournament.
The Knicks made the signing thanks to an unusual provision in the NBA's collective bargaining agreement.
Morris, Kentucky's leading scorer this season, declared himself eligible for the 2005 draft following his freshman year but was not selected. He decided to return to school and played two more seasons.
Because of a condition in the bargaining agreement, Morris was not eligible to reenter another draft. He had free agent status throughout his junior season but decided to play out the year with the Wildcats, who were eliminated from the NCAA tournament last weekend by Kansas.
The Knicks are battling for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and jumped at the chance to add a player for the future.
"We said all along that in terms of building this team we would have to find unconventional ways to try and find talent and get out and beat the bushes," said Isiah Thomas, the Knicks' coach and director of basketball operations. "This is a very unique situation and I don't know if there has been something similar to this. The rules allowed it, and here we are."
Thomas said Morris will soon join and practice with the Knicks, who love his potential -- and his size (he is 6 feet 11, 260 pounds).
"It's another guy we can add to our young core," Thomas said.
Oden: A Big Target
Greg Oden was 6-6 in sixth grade, so he long ago learned that being tall in basketball can sometimes be a disadvantage.
"When you're 7 feet and you're under the basket and you get a foul called on you just because the other guy is 6-9, there's definitely a big difference," Oden said. "When you stand in the lane and the guy is little and he takes it in there and he bounces off you, that's not your fault. I mean, it's a big man's game."
Oden's size -- and the NCAA tournament referees' unfamiliarity with it -- has led to a rash of foul trouble for him. He fouled out of Ohio State's second-round overtime win over Xavier in the final seconds of regulation. Then, in an 85-84 victory over Tennessee on Thursday, Oden played only 18 minutes after he was called for four fouls.
Oden scored just nine points to go with a season-low three rebounds against the Volunteers. His foul trouble stems from two sources. First, the referees are typically not used to officiating a player with such size. Second, Oden is used to the physical style of the Big Ten.
Opponents are "just being more physical with me, and me being more physical back, just putting the refs in a position to call those fouls," Oden said. "The thing with me is, I just can't put myself in those positions."
But his size makes him a target of opponents and officials.
After the Xavier victory, OSU Coach Thad Matta spoke with Xavier Coach Sean Miller, his former assistant. Miller recalled the advice he received about guarding Oden from fellow coaches.
"Just foul him," Miller said. "They won't call them all."
UNC Student HospitalizedThe student who wears the North Carolina mascot uniform was in critical condition last night after being hit by a car while walking on a highway shoulder outside a New Jersey hotel.
Jason Ray, a senior from Concord, N.C., was to have performed in the Rameses costume during the East Region semifinal between the Tar Heels and Southern California.
He was injured while walking in the afternoon in Fort Lee, a few miles from the Meadowlands complex where the game was played.
Ray was taken to Hackensack Medical Center, the school said. His parents were en route to the hospital.
"We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident," North Carolina Athletic Director Dick Baddour said. "Our hearts go out to Jason and his family and our prayers are with them."
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