Derrick

Byars

He’ll fill out the Spurs’ roster and could play heavy minutes on Wednesday and Thursday, as the Spurs have nothing to play for and the Big 3 won’t play.

Evan after waiving Byars, the Heat still have their roster size at 16, meaning there is still one more cut to come from Miami before Opening Day.

Byars was added to the roster at the very end of the 2011-12 season, averaging 18.5 minutes in two appearances while the Spurs rested their veterans. He never had a realistic shot of making the Spurs’ regular season roster.

It was believed that Byars or Hill might play overseas, but King said he expected both to be in training camp when it begins on Oct. 2. Neither player is expected to have fantasy value, but both should get some run with the Sixers this season.

Hill is suddenly an important piece of the Sixers’ puzzle after they traded backup center Steven Hunter to the Nuggets on Monday. Starter Samuel Dalembert’s foot is in a cast and it’s possible Hill could play many more minutes this season than the team imagined. Byars will back up the shooting guard and small forward position, but neither player is expected to offer fantasy value this season.

Byars, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound swingman out of Vanderbilt, was drafted with the 42nd overall pick in the June draft by the Portland Trail Blazers and traded to the Sixers for the rights to Petteri Koponen, the 30th overall pick.

The Blazers continue to pull off fantastic draft-day trades, and while we think Byars has a chance to stick in the league, the Blazers obviously have their sights set on Koponen.

Byars could stick with the Sixers while the Blazers have three young point guards in their stable, including Koponen, Jarrett Jack and Sergio Rodriguez. Needless to say, the future looks extremely bright for the Blazers.

The injury has been bothering Byars for three days.

The 6'7" Vanderbilt swingman was the SEC player of the year and his improvements as a senior really put him on the map this offseason. The Knicks would love to move their pick if they can land someone like Pau Gasol, Jermaine O’Neal or Rashard Lewis, but failing that, they are looking at Byars, Josh McRoberts and Sean Williams, all three of whom have been invited for private workouts with the Knicks.