Odds & Ends: Noel, D’Antoni, Smith, Lopez, Russell

The Knicks suffered another tough loss last night as they fell to the Celtics, 91-89.  Here's more on New York and other items from around the league..

  • Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak doesn't regret trading Lamar Odom to the Mavericks in December, writes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.
  • Kyle Singler isn't sure if he'll play for the Pistons next season, writes Justin Rogers of MLive.com.  The Duke product, who was taken in the second round by Detroit in 2011, says he's enjoying his time with Real Madrid in Spain.
  • Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star asked Andrea Bargnani if he'll consider leaving the Raptors at the end of his deal in 2015.  The former No. 1 overall pick said that he has made it "pretty clear" that he wants to remain in Toronto.
  • Chauncey Billups recruited Kenyon Martin heavily to join the Clippers, tweets J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today.   Martin and Billups are both represented by agent Andy Miller.
  • Massachusetts high school center Nerlens Noel now appears to be in line for the 2013 NBA Draft rather than 2014 after reclassification, writes Adam Zagoria for Sheridan Hoops.  Earlier this week, Noel told Dave Telep of ESPN.com that he's now set to graduate with the class of '12 rather than '13.  The center now projects as the top pick in the 2013 draft according to DraftExpress.com.
  • Despite uncertainty surrounding his job, Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni will not be fired today despite back-to-back, last-second losses to the Bulls and Celtics, NBA sources tell Marc Berman of the New York Post.  
  • Even though the Knicks were linked to Kenyon Martin, the guy that they've really had their eye on is J.R. Smith, writes Moke Hamilton of Sheridan Hoops.  Smith said to be considering five teams, including New York.  The Clippers are also in that group but they can only make Smith a minimum offer after agreeing to sign Martin using their room exception.
  • Six weeks after undergoing surgery on his right foot, Nets center Brook Lopez still isn't sure when he'll be able to return, writes Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger.  The Nets will likely need a healthy Lopez in order to put together a package for Orlando's Dwight Howard.
  • Friday marks the league deadline for teams to either release players with non-guaranteed contracts or guarantee their deals for the rest of the season.  Pistons 29-year-old rookie Walker Russell is making a strong case to stay with Detroit, writes David Mayo of MLive.com.
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