Latest On NBA Draft From Ford, Givony
A pair of NBA draft experts, ESPN.com's Chad Ford and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, shared a number of draft-related lists and previews today, so let's round them up here….
- Both Ford and Givony have updated their mock drafts to reflect the latest standings and the players they expect to declare for 2012.
- Both scribes also have plenty of new additions to their top 100 prospects at ESPN and DraftExpress respectively. Of course, Kentucky's Anthony Davis continues to hold the top spot on both lists.
- The play of Weber State guard Damian Lillard has earned him lottery consideration, says Ford in an Insider-only ESPN piece.
Cousins Hopes To Remain Long-Term With Kings
DeMarcus Cousins made headlines earlier this season when he found himself at odds with Kings coach Paul Westphal over whether or not the second-year big man had asked the team for a trade. However, since Westphal was fired early in January, Cousins has adjusted admirably to new coach Keith Smart. Cousins is so comfortable with the team and its new coach that he told Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida he hopes to stay with the Kings long-term.
"Absolutely, this is where I want to be," Cousins said. "I'm loyal to the city. I'm loyal to my fans. I'm loyal to my team. I'm loyal to the organization."
After struggling a little early in the year under Westphal, Cousins has blossomed into a double-double machine, boosting his season averages to 16.7 PPG, 11.3 RPG, and 1.2 BPG. While the Kings have gone just 10-21 so far, the 2010 fifth overall pick has been a bright spot for the team, and he gives Smart credit for his development.
"It's been incredible," Cousins said. "I've learned a lot. I've become a better player just from him taking over some things, and I enjoy playing in the system. … Everything is great. Everything has been positive."
The Kings have picked up Cousins' $3.88MM option for next season, and figure to exercise their $4.92MM option for 2013/14 as well. Cousins will be eligible for restricted free agency following that season if he hasn't signed a long-term extension with the Kings.
Poll: Will The Lakers Trade Pau Gasol?
Player-only meetings often happen as the result of a lengthy losing streak or a particularly embarrassing defeat, but this wasn't the case for the Lakers, who called a players-only meeting after a resounding win over the Trail Blazers yesterday. According to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard, Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant gathered the team to try to set the tone for the rest of the season, making sure no one was distracted by trade rumors.
Many of those trade rumors have involved Pau Gasol, who has been linked to the Rockets, Timberwolves, Magic, and Celtics, among other teams. While we continue to follow today's Pau-related updates here, today's poll question is simple: Will Gasol be traded? Whether or not the Lakers should trade the Spaniard is another discussion altogether, one which you can weigh in on in the comments section. But will the Lakers trade Gasol before this season's trade deadline?
Pau Gasol Rumors: Tuesday
While Pau Gasol appeared a little more at ease last night with the trade rumors swirling around Los Angeles, relations between Kobe Bryant and GM Mitch Kupchak still seem tense. After Kupchak released a statement that essentially said he wasn't going to give in to Kobe's request for the team to make a decision quickly on Gasol, Bryant told reporters, "I already said what I had to say. I'm done."
Kobe's public frustration may be a result of the team's lack of private communication with him, says Ken Berger of CBS Sports.
"Kobe's exploding, and he should," a source with ties to the Lakers told Berger. "Your lead player, you should always have communication with him let him know what's going on. There's no communication, and that's ridiculous."
As drama continues to surround the Lakers, here are today's updates on Gasol, with the newest items up top:
- Los Angeles won't send Gasol to Minnesota if Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio are off-limits, according to Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld. Pincus says the Lakers may have trouble finding a two-team deal for Gasol, though the Rockets and Timberwolves make some sense in three-team deals.
- The Lakers have resolved not to trade Gasol unless they get a "young star" in return, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
- Peter Vecsey of the New York Post explains why the Knicks should deal Carmelo Anthony for Pau Gasol. Not sure I can get behind that argument.
- Vecsey also hears that the Timberwolves and Lakers haven't discussed any deals in two months, including anything involving Gasol and Derrick Williams.
- Bryant's public rant hurts the Lakers and Gasol, says T.J. Simers of the L.A. Times.
Warriors Pursuing Trade Before Deadline
As the All-Star break approaches, the Warriors' current place in the standings represents a worst-case scenario for the 2011/12 season. Golden State is tied for 12th place in the Western Conference, well out of the playoff picture, but its 12-17 record is only the ninth-worst in the NBA. If the season ended today, the Warriors would be watching the postseason at home and sending their top-seven protected draft pick to Utah.
Golden State needs to make a move one way or the other, and its front office is ready to do so, as GM Larry Riley tells Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
"We're working day and night and we're hopeful," Riley said. "But what will not happen is, we won't do something that sets us back just to do a deal. We want to find the right deal, and if we get one of those we'll do it. I don't know what the odds of it are right now."
Riley sounds committed to making a move to improve the team's playoff chances this year, as reports on the Warriors ongoing interest in Dwight Howard would suggest. But the best move for the club's long-term future may be trading a veteran for a draft pick or a young, inexpensive player. The Warriors have a challenging second-half schedule, and falling into the league's bottom seven teams to keep its draft pick could be a huge boon for the team in the long run. Talking to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, Riley acknowledged that the Warriors may have to look toward their future soon, but still believes they have time to turn this season around.
Jesse Blanchard of Hoops Rumors examined the Warriors' assets on Sunday, noting that a backcourt which includes Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis, and Klay Thompson is the team's strength. Ellis, who is owed $11MM annually through 2013/14, is probably the likeliest trade candidate of the three, with Curry close to untouchable and Thompson still young and cheap. Whatever the Warriors decide to do, they're making it clear they're open for business as March 15th approaches.
Atlantic Notes: Humphries, Celtics, Rondo, Knicks
It appears his marriage to Kim Kardashian wasn't the only recent relationship that ended prematurely for Kris Humphries. Darren Heitner at Sports Agent Blog writes that, less than a year after firing agent Dan Fegan in favor of Pinnacle Managment's Marc Cornstein, the Nets forward has parted ways with Cornstein and returned to Fegan. The Lagardere Unlimited representative will be tasked with negotiating a new contract for Humphries when he hits unrestricted free agency this summer.
Here are a few more Tuesday updates out of the Atlantic division….
- "[Celtics GM] Danny [Ainge] is always going to look for trades," Doc Rivers tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. "You know who Danny is. But having said that, I don't think Danny is going to do anything crazy."
- The Celtics' coach also tells Blakely that he would prefer to let his injured players get healthy rather than shake up the roster at this point.
- Gerry Callahan of the Boston Herald wonders if now may be the best time for the Celtics to trade Rajon Rondo.
- The Knicks had interest in recent Cavs signee Manny Harris and may have been considering signing him to replace Jeremy Lin before Lin broke out, tweets Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
- Though he appears to be healthy, the Knicks' Baron Davis isn't a threat to take too much of Lin's playing time away, says Tim Bontemps of the New York Post.
Wilson Chandler Hopes To Sign Within Week
Wilson Chandler was in attendance last night to see Martell Webster make a questionable decision that ultimately allowed the Nuggets to escape with a 103-101 win over the Timberwolves. While Chandler was a spectator for Monday's game, he intends to be on the court for the Nuggets soon, telling Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com that he hopes to sign with Denver "in the next week or so."
Chandler, who returned from China this week, has yet to be cleared by FIBA to sign with an NBA team, but doesn't expect his clearance to be an issue. The more pressing question is whether Chandler will sign for the rest of the season with the Nuggets, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, or work out a long-term deal. According to Ken Berger of CBS Sports (via Twitter), Chandler's agent is currently negotiating a multiyear contract for his client.
The addition of Chandler would be a boost for a Nuggets team that has been slowed by injuries recently. Despite the absence of key contributors like Nene Hilario and Danilo Gallinari, GM Masai Ujiri told J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today that the team isn't looking to make any major roster moves.
"We knew going into the season that a compressed season would have this effect, regardless of injury," Ujiri said. "Guys are tired… so we knew we were going to hit a couple rough patches. Most teams know that…. We're going to be patient with our guys."
Southwest Notes: Anderson, Odom, Hornets
If the NBA season ended today, the Southwest would be the only division to send four teams to the postseason. Only the Hornets would fall short, with the Spurs, Mavericks, Rockets, and Grizzlies already a combined 31 games over .500 (81-50). Let's check in on the latest updates from one of the league's strongest divisions….
- James Anderson's agent has encouraged the Spurs to trade his client, reports Buck Harvey of the San Antonio-Express News (via Twitter). The 22-year-old has appeared in 49 career games (11.2 MPG) for the Spurs since San Antonio drafted him 20th overall in 2010. While Anderson may not be receiving as much playing time as he'd like, it's hard to imagine anyone wanting to leave a team on an 11-game winning streak.
- Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle says expectations for Lamar Odom should be kept in check, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas. "I would love for Lamar to be the kind of high-impact player that he is supposedly advertised as being," Carlisle said. "But the truth is, he has been a consistent player…. I think we’re really looking for spectacular things from him on a night-in, night-out basis; that’s not who he is." Odom's 9.8 PER since joining the Mavs in a preseason trade is a significant drop-off from his career rate entering the year (17.1).
- The Hornets are going through some growing pains, but GM Dell Demps tells John DeShazier of the Times-Picayune that he's happy to see some of the team's young players get an opportunity to play.
Cavs Sign Manny Harris To 10-Day Contract
The Cavaliers have signed Manny Harris to a 10-day contract, according to Tom Reed and Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). Owner Dan Gilbert first broke the news, tweeting "Manny back in the house! Welcome back Wolverine….."
Harris, who was just named the D-League's Performer of the Week for a second time this season, has averaged 21.4 points and 7.9 rebounds in 17 games (32.9 MPG) for the Canton Charge. He was on the Cavs' roster for most of last season, logging 17.3 minutes per game in 54 contests for the club, but was released just before this season began.
D-League expert Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside questions whether Harris was the best candidate for a call-up, noting that the Cavs know what Harris is capable of and already waived him once (Twitter links).
Broussard On Beaubois, Williams, Raps, Sessions
In addition to reporting on the Lakers' interest in Michael Beasley, ESPN.com's Chris Broussard has a number of other interesting tidbits to share in his latest column. Let's check out the highlights:
- The Mavericks are "about ready to move on" from the Rodrigue Beaubois experiment. It was only a week ago that Mark Cuban insisted Beaubois remained in the team's long-term plans, but the young guard would be an intriguing trade chip. Including him in a deal for a player on an expiring contract could improve the Mavs' roster in the short-term and help clear a little extra cap space in the long-term.
- Marvin Williams is frustrated with his role in Atlanta and would like to play somewhere where he could contribute more on offense.
- The Raptors are receiving plenty of inquiries on Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani. Bargnani isn't likely to be moved, and the team would want a point guard in return for Calderon.
- The Lakers want to see if they can trade for a point guard before giving Gilbert Arenas a shot. According to Broussard's sources, the Lakers should be able to acquire Ramon Sessions for one of their first-round picks before the deadline, if they want to pull the trigger. According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (on Twitter), the Lakers are expected to "accelerate" their pursuit of Sessions this weekend.