Okur waived by Trail Blazers: According to NBA.com, the Trail Blazers have waived center Mehmet Okur after claiming J.J. Hickson off waivers on Wednesday. Okur had been ruled out for the rest of the season because of a lingering back injury. (Updated 03/21/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/25/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Okur, a veteran center who played the last seven seasons for Utah before being traded to New Jersey this season, has no Fantasy value for the rest of this season. Fantasy owners should keep an eye on what Okur's next move is during the offseason and track where he ends up. No matter where he lands, Okur should be a considered a low-end center option for next season. (Updated 03/21/2012).
03/15/2012 20:05 Grade the Trade: Blazers trade Gerald Wallace to Nets
Here's how we broke down the Portland Trail Blazers' trade of forward Gerald Wallace to the New Jersey Nets for center Mehmet Okur, forward Shawne Williams and a 2012 first round pick at the NBA trade deadline.
Mehmet Okur was plagued by an Achilles' injury and back issues last season, limiting him to just 13 games. In none of those was Okur even near 100 percent. He went home to Turkey to rehab and claims to be going into the season in much better condition. However, the 32-year-old is no longer looking at a starting job and will likely have to settle for around 20-25 minutes off the bench unless he can earn his way into a more prominent role. A solid perimeter scorer at 6-11, he can create matchup problems for opponents and will still be a useful weapon for his team. Do not write him completely off. He is unlikely to return to the 17-2-8 level of production he enjoyed in 2008-09, but could still be a double-digit scorer and decent rebounder if given enough playing time. Target him in the later rounds as a reserve center option. (Updated 8/30/11)
