2012 February | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Fredette, Curry

February 28th, 2012 at 7:49pm CST by Michael Pina

With Golden State currently battling Indiana, and Sacramento doing battle with Utah later tonight, here are a couple quick notes from the Pacific Division:

While he's struggled mightily in the first half of his rookie year, Kings head coach Keith Smart believes Jimmer Fredette just needs to make a few adjustments in order to find actual success in the league. In a lengthy interview with the Salt Lake Tribune's Brian T. Smith, Smart goes on to compare Fredette with J.J. Redick and says he can someday contribute in a positive way like the former Duke product is doing in Orlando.
MercuryNews.com's Monte Poole gives what will surely be received as an unpopular opinion regarding what Golden State should do with its most valuable asset, Stephen Curry, who missed tonight's game against the Pacers with a strained tendon in his right foot. With half a season left to play, Poole thinks the Warriors should sit Curry from here on out in order to increase draft position and get a look at rookies such as Charles Jenkins and Klay Thompson. In essence, he wants the team to tank the season.

Odds & Ends: Howard, Wallace, Lopez, Ellis

February 28th, 2012 at 5:55pm CST by Michael Pina

While everyone is busy discussing possible deals that would ship Dwight Howard out of Orlando, Magic GM Otis Smith is probably thinking of trades that will bring in talent to convince his franchise piece that staying is the best option for everybody. With a roster full of bad contracts and young assets not worth enough to bring back immediate value, this could ultimately pose as an impossible task. Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel takes a crack at it anyway, offering a few ideas that could get the team some enticing players, such as Monta Ellis and Amare Stoudemire.

Here's a look across the league at some other rumors that are being batted around:

Matt Steinmentz of CSNBayArea.com gives his views on the rumored deal between Golden State and New Jersey centered around Brook Lopez and Monta Ellis. He argues from the Warriors viewpoint that giving up your best player for a center who does not rebound wouldn't be a smart decision. Especially since they already have David Lee, a big man who's able to face up with the ball, just like Lopez.
The New York Times NBA blog, Off The Dribble, takes a stab at analyzing how effective Rasheed Wallace could be if Los Angeles did in fact sign him to come aboard for the rest of 2012. The consensus feeling is that if Wallace does in fact come back, defense would be the one thing in his game he's guaranteed to bring with him. Meanwhile, the Lakers still need someone small and athletic to create off the dribble and defend the pick and roll.
The next super team may be in Dallas, but only if they can fit everyone in at an appropriate financial number. Zach Lowe of SI.com's The Point Forward gives a brilliant breakdown of what the Mavericks would have to do, exactly, if they wanted to lock up both Dwight Howard and Deron Williams this summer. In the end, it's not as easy as it seems.
In his preview piece for tonight's game between Boston and Cleveland, Sam Amico from Fox Sports Ohio writes that a Jermaine O'Neal for Michael Beasley trade has been making the rounds lately. In terms of salary and production the deal makes moderate sense, but if you're Minnesota there must be more you could get back than a hobbled big man. Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors recently wrote about Beasley as a possible trade candidate.

Wilson Chandler Receives FIBA Clearance

February 28th, 2012 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

4:58pm: The Raptors are "highly unlikely" to sign Chandler this week, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. If Chandler is a restricted free agent again this summer, Toronto could get involved, but would probably need his asking price to come down (Twitter link).

12:06pm: Wilson Chandler has received a FIBA letter of clearance and is now officially eligible for restricted NBA free agency, according to agent Chris Luchey (Twitter link via Sportando).

Restricted free agents aren't eligible to sign offer sheets as of March 1st, so Chandler will have just two days to try to secure an offer from a team besides the Nuggets. Denver would then have three days to match any offer.

If Chandler doesn't sign an offer sheet before Thursday, he could either sign with the Nuggets or sit out the season and become a restricted free agent again in the summer, when more teams could have interest (and money). A rest-of-season contract with the Nuggets would allow Chandler to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but Denver has indicated it doesn't plan to negotiate such a deal.

The Raptors appear to have interest in Chandler, but only have about $4.3MM in cap space, so the Nuggets wouldn't have much trouble matching any offer Toronto made. Yesterday, we heard Chandler and Luchey were in contact with an Italian team about the possibility of a rest-of-season deal.

Trade Candidate: Michael Beasley

February 28th, 2012 at 4:39pm CST by Luke Adams

A few years after the fact, the Derrick Rose vs. Michael Beasley debate that headlined the NBA draft in June 2008 seems laughable. Rose already has an MVP award under his belt, while Beasley has been inconsistent at best — he has switched teams once already and could potentially be on the move again before March 15th.

The Timberwolves acquired Beasley from the Heat in the summer of 2010, essentially giving up just a second-round pick in a deal that freed up cap space for Miami to sign its big three. While acquiring a former second overall pick for virtually nothing seemed like a coup, the Wolves have seen Beasley's production continue to slip during his time in Minnesota. Beasley's PER has declined in each of his four NBA seasons, from 17.2 in his rookie year to 13.0 this season.

The frontcourt in Minnesota is a crowded one, featuring Kevin Love, Derrick Williams, Nikola Pekovic, and a trio of former lottery picks in Beasley, Darko Milicic, and Anthony Randolph. Beasley doesn't seem to be in the team's long-term plans, having reportedly been offered to Golden State last June in a package for Monta Ellis. If the T-Wolves can find a deal that sends Beasley out of town and lands them a solid two guard, they'll likely pull the trigger.

Although Beasley hasn't developed in the way that many were expecting, he's still at least a useful rotation piece. He's shooting more three-pointers than ever this year, and hitting them at a career-best rate of 42.6%. And even though his scoring is down, this year's career-worst rate of 17.1 points per 36 minutes isn't bad. In addition to his play on the court, Beasley's contract situation makes him a useful asset. Whichever team holds Beasley at year's end would have the option of extending him a qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent, or simply letting his $6.26MM salary come off its books.

The Lakers reportedly have some interest in Beasley, though they may prefer to use their $8.9MM trade exception to acquire a point guard. According to Peter Vecsey of the New York Post, the Celtics and Nets are also interested. Boston makes some sense, since Beasley could help out in the short-term and be added to the team's lengthy list of expiring contracts. New Jersey is a less logical short-term fit for Beasley, though his expiring deal could help the team clear cap room to make a run at Dwight Howard — plus, Anthony Morrow is a shooting guard that may interest Minnesota. Michael Pina of Hoops Rumors suggested a swap with the Mavericks that sends Shawn Marion to Minnesota could help both teams, and I think there's something to that idea, though Marion's contract (which includes a 15% trade kicker) likely wouldn't appeal to the T-Wolves.

There are enough conceivable fits for Beasley that I think the Timberwolves will be able to find a deal before the deadline, if they so choose. The offers for Beasley may not seem like much for a former second overall pick, but one thing's for certain — they'll be better than the Rockets can expect for Hasheem Thabeet.

Northwest Notes: T-Wolves, Morrow, Blazers, Jazz

February 28th, 2012 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of Northwest teams are on the road tonight to open the second half — the Jazz play the Kings in Sacramento, while the Timberwolves head to the Staples Center to face the Clippers. As we wait for the season to resume following the All-Star break, let's check in on some updates out of the Northwest Division….

The Timberwolves inquired on Anthony Morrow but were told the Nets intend to keep him, reports Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 Twin Cities (via Twitter).
Acting Blazers GM Chad Buchanan talked to Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge about why Portland waived Armon Johnson and what the team expects from Joel Przybilla.
The Jazz are open to making a trade to improve their roster, but nothing is imminent, tweets Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune. The club doesn't feel any pressure to move Al Jefferson or Paul Millsap, though Devin Harris and C.J. Miles could be had, Smith adds.
Gordon Monson of the Salt Lake Tribune says the Jazz need to find a way to add a star or two if they want to become serious contenders.

Hoops Rumors On Facebook/Twitter/RSS

February 28th, 2012 at 2:33pm CST by Luke Adams

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Warriors Continue To Pursue Dwight Howard

February 28th, 2012 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors are continuing their push for a Dwight Howard deal, despite not being on Howard's list of preferred destinations, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. While they'd have no assurances that Howard would remain in Golden State past this season, the Warriors aren't backing down from any potentially risky move, says Howard-Cooper.

Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle reported ten days ago that the Warriors felt they were still in the hunt for Howard. Golden State would presumably offer a package centered around Monta Ellis that also includes some combination of Klay Thompson, David Lee, and Ekpe Udoh. The idea would be to attempt to convince Howard to stay, and build the roster around D12 and Stephen Curry. Still, as Howard-Cooper points out in a second tweet, it would be a disaster for the Warriors to part with a handful of key assets to acquire Howard, only to see him leave via free agency this summer.

I still believe a Howard trade before the deadline is far from a sure thing, and I wouldn't consider the Warriors a frontrunner, but it appears they're staying the hunt for the Magic superstar for now.

Heat Re-Sign Mickell Gladness

February 28th, 2012 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Mickell Gladness has signed sign a second 10-day contract with the Heat, the team confirmed today (hat tip to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel). Gladness had been offered a 10-day deal by the Warriors, but preferred to stay with the Heat.

Gladness was waived by the Heat earlier this month, before his contract became guaranteed for the season, but signed a 10-day contract shortly thereafter. If the Heat intend to keep the 25-year-old for longer than ten more days, they'll have to sign him to a rest-of-season deal after March 9th.

In eight games for the Heat this year, Gladness has logged 28 minutes, recording two points and 11 rebounds. Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida first reported that the big man would sign a second 10-day contract with Miami.

Odds & Ends: Lakers, Mavs, Raptors, Kidd-Gilchrist

February 28th, 2012 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Rounding up a few Tuesday odds and ends from around the NBA…

The Lakers are "determined" to acquire a point guard sooner rather than later, according to Peter Vecsey of the New York Post. The Lakers appear to be the most active team in pursuing trades, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas wonders if the Mavericks have a legit shot at landing Dwight Howard, and talks to owner Mark Cuban about his past investments in big men.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey says no moves are on the horizon for his club and that he hopes his players don't get distracted by trade rumors. Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun has the details.
Hunter Atkins of the New York Times explores the 10-day journey of recent Nets signee Andre Emmett, who was told New Jersey would not sign him to a second 10-day deal.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist insisted to reporters, including Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal, that he intends to stay at Kentucky and graduate, a stance that surprises even coach John Calipari. Kidd-Gilchrist could be a top-five pick if he enters the NBA draft this year, as ESPN.com's Chad Ford suggests in his latest Insider-only piece on the draft class.

Brandon Roy Contemplating Comeback

February 28th, 2012 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

A seemingly career-ending knee condition pushed Brandon Roy into an early retirement in December, but the longtime Blazers guard tells David Pick of Eurobasket that he misses the game and is considering attempting a comeback.

"I've been doing some treatment and I'm trying to leave the window open to returning to basketball," Roy said. "It's really hard being so far away from the game…. If the treatment I've been looking into can work, I believe there's a good chance you will see Brandon Roy back hoopin'."

As much as Roy may miss the game, he'd have a long road back to an NBA roster. It's unclear whether it would even be possible for him to work his knees back into game shape, but we'll certainly be rooting for him. His promising career was cut short after just five seasons, during which he averaged 19.0 PPG and 20.1 PER in 321 career games.

When it became clear before the season that Roy would retire, the Blazers amnestied him to clear his $15.03MM cap figure.

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