Kennedy On Crawford, Allen
Hoopsworld.com writer Alex Kennedy just sent a couple tweets out that some may find interesting. Here they are:
- Minnesota is apparently making a strong push at acquiring Jamal Crawford. With the Trail Blazers beginning to slide out of the playoff picture, the shooting guard has had his name floated in several trade rumors in recent days. It'd be interesting to see what Portland would want from Minnesota. One financial match would be a straight up swap involving Michael Beasley, but apart from them saving about $4MM, not sure why Portland does that deal.
- According to a league executive, Boston is not actively shopping Ray Allen, but they are fielding calls. One team that's reportedly shown interest in his services is the Clippers, but it remains to be seen whether they'd be willing to include Eric Bledsoe in the deal, and that's probably who the Celtics are holding out for.
Smith: Six To Eight Teams Calling About Howard
Before Orlando defeated Toronto tonight by a score of 92-88, Magic General Manager Otis Smith told reporters that there were six to eight teams that still believe they have a shot at acquiring Dwight Howard in a trade before March 15, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Since the season began, the Magic has spoken to "everybody in the league" regarding Dwight's availability, Smith said, but there's nothing new to report on whether there are any front runners, or even if the team is willing to strike a deal at all.
Magic CEO Alex Martins has been talking to Howard directly, trying to convince him that staying with the only team he's ever known is the right decision.
Rotation Notes: Udoh, Fields, Turner
- Despite playing a season-low 15 minutes in Boston yesterday, and often times struggling with assertiveness in his sophomore season, Landry Fields will remain in New York's starting lineup for the foreseeable future, according to Calvin Watkins at ESPNNY.com. However, in a tweet, the New York Post's Marc Berman says rookie Iman Shumpert could replace him sooner than later if he keeps playing as well as he's been.
- In an attempt to shake things up, Golden State head coach Mark Jackson has removed the deplorable Andris Biedrins from his starting lineup and replaced him with defensive savant Ekpe Udoh, Warriors beatwriter Marcus Thompson said in a tweet. Biedrins says he's "fine" with the decision.
- Philadelphia's Director of Public Relations, Michael Preston, mentioned on Twitter that Evan Turner and Nikola Vucevic would start tonight against the Bucks. Lavoy Allen and Jodie Meeks have been downgraded to the bench.
Poll: Who Is The Least Tradeable Point Guard?
Yesterday, Rajon Rondo and Deron Williams both put on historic performances that won’t soon be forgotten. Yet, funny as it may be, there’s a small possibility both of them could be traded before the trade deadline passes on March 15th. And so, as we ponder big names with franchise altering talent, let’s take a look at the point guard position (currently the deepest in the league) and ask which floor general do you consider to be the least tradeable; which guy would shock you the most if you heard his name switching teams sometime in the next 10 days.
Who Is The Least Tradeable Point Guard?
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Derrick Rose 73% (1,674)
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Chris Paul 9% (206)
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Russell Westbrook 6% (145)
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Rajon Rondo 5% (109)
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Other 4% (84)
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Deron Williams 3% (72)
Total votes: 2,290
Kings Exercise 2012/13 Option On Keith Smart
MONDAY, 4:27pm: The Kings have officially picked up Smart's option for 2012/13, the team announced today. In the press release, Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie praised the job Smart has done "taking control of the direction of the team."
FRIDAY, 11:00am: Not only does the future of the Kings in Sacramento look much more stable than it did a week ago, but the team's future coaching situation is taking shape as well. Kings co-owner Joe Maloof tells SI.com's Sam Amick that the team will exercise coach Keith Smart's option for the 2012/13 season.
Smart, who has a 10-18 record as Sacramento's head coach, was promoted to replace the fired Paul Westphal earlier this season. According to Amick, the team had been leaving the door open to potentially pursue a bigger-name coach this summer, but has decided to retain Smart going forward.
"With no disrespect to our past coaches," Maloof said. "We really have someone who everybody likes now. The players like him, the basketball staff likes him, we trust him, and he knows the game. Keith Smart is a wonderful coach, and we're lucky to have him…. Yes, we'll pick it up (Smart's option). We want him to be our coach forever."
The Kings' coach has another fan in second-year forward DeMarcus Cousins, who clashed with Westphal but has nothing but praise for Smart. When Cousins expressed a desire to remain in Sacramento long-term a couple weeks ago, he credited Smart for helping to make him a better player.
Dwight Howard Rumors: Monday
Earlier today, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld reported that the Magic think their chances of retaining Dwight Howard for at least one more season are at least 50/50. As long as the team continues to feel that way, it's unlikely we see Howard traded before the deadline. For now, it appears any moves the Magic make will intended to improve the roster around Howard, though the club doesn't have many appealing assets to offer in any deals. Here are the rest of today's Howard-related updates, with the newest up top:
- The Nets announced today that Brook Lopez has suffered a sprained right ankle and will be sidelined for three weeks (Twitter links). If New Jersey hopes to acquire Howard by March 15th, Lopez would almost certainly need to be involved, so Lopez's continued injury woes make a D12 deal look less and less likely for New Jersey. As Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record tweets, Lopez's injury doesn't mean he can't be traded, but it certainly complicates negotiations for the Nets.
- Ken Berger of CBS Sports hears from sources that serious trade talks around the league are on hold while teams wait for the Magic to decide whether or not they'll keep Howard.
- While Howard's list of preferred destinations only includes three teams, Magic GM Otis Smith could try to work out a trade with a club not on Howard's list. But are there any teams that would be willing to acquire Howard without assurances that he'd stay long-term? Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel looks at a few clubs who might take that risk, though none of his hypothetical deals are particularly appealing for the Magic.
Odds & Ends: Felton, Simmons, Chandler, Pistons
With ten days left until the 2012 NBA trade deadline, most columnists are looking ahead to next Thursday, exploring every possible scenario for moves contenders and non-contenders could make. Amidst all the trade speculation, Derek Page of HoopsWorld decides to look back at the offseason, assessing which trades and free agent signings have worked out best and worst so far this year, placing Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler atop the list of successes. Here are a few more Monday links from around the NBA:
- Raymond Felton, who Page named one of the season's worst acquisitions, will start for the Blazers tonight, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Given Jamal Crawford's success as a starter, it's unclear why Felton has been re-inserted into the starting five, but coach Nate McMillan insists it's not about showcasing Felton, tweets Joe Freeman of the Oregonian. I'm skeptical.
- The Clippers expect to sign Bobby Simmons to a second 10-day contract, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
- At SheridanHoops, Chris Sheridan lists a number of traded draft picks that could be important at this season's deadline.
- Wilson Chandler and the Nuggets are still talking about a contract for the restricted free agent, but there's nothing new to report, says Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post (via Twitter).
- Keith Langlois fields a handful of questions about potential Pistons trades in a Pistons.com mailbag.
Smith’s Latest: Celtics, DeRozan, Daye, Beaubois
After previewing the Bulls' upcoming matchups with Eastern Conference contenders, Sam Smith of Bulls.com checks in on some rumors from around the league. Here are a few highlights from Smith's latest column:
- Celtics talk should pick up over the next week and a half, but Smith wonders if, rather than trading Rajon Rondo or the Big Three, GM Danny Ainge could try to move Brandon Bass to clear more cap space for two major free agents this summer.
- DeMar DeRozan "isn't as untouchable as once believed," writes Smith. Given DeRozan's lack of improvement this season, that isn't a huge surprise, but I doubt the Raptors would sell low on him.
- Austin Daye has played just over six minutes in the Pistons' last eight games, and Smith thinks he could be an intriguing gamble for some team, if Detroit makes him available.
- According to Smith, if the Mavericks want to create summer cap space by moving Shawn Marion's contract either during or after the season, packaging him with Rodrigue Beaubois could make it easier to find a taker. The 24-year-old Beaubois has averaged 13.8 points and 2.0 steals per game in four games since the All-Star break.
Minor Moves: T.J. Ford
We'll round up any notable international and D-League-related moves here throughout the day:
- The Spurs announced they've assigned T.J. Ford to the Austin Toros for a one-day rehab stint. The Spurs' D-League affiliate doesn't play its next game until Thursday, so Ford will simply practice with the team before rejoining San Antonio on Tuesday. Ford tore his left hamstring earlier in the new year and has missed nearly two months of action.
Aldridge On Sacramento, Scott Brooks, Rondo
While the city of Sacramento, the Kings, and the NBA have reached a tentative deal to keep the team in Sacramento, the franchise isn't quite out of the woods yet, as David Aldridge of NBA.com writes. Sacramento city council will vote Tuesday on whether or not to approve the framework of the arena deal, and councilman Robert King Fong is confident they'll get the required votes:
"I think we certainly have enough votes to pass it," Fong said. "I think it would be nice to have more than enough. It would be good optics. But I think we'll pass it."
Here are some other notes from Aldridge's column:
- There are some questions about how the Maloof brothers will come up with their contribution to the Sacramento arena. "I don't think anybody expected they had that kind of money," said Jack Robinson, editor of the Sacramento Business Journal. "But we presume that since David Stern was sitting right next to them that the NBA is going to make sure that they have that kind of money… the NBA seems to be satisfied and seems to be putting its weight behind the Maloofs."
- It's surprising that the Thunder have yet to extend the contract of coach Scott Brooks, says Aldridge. GM Sam Presti says he hopes Brooks will coach the team for "many, many years," but declined to comment further on the coach's contract status. However, Brooks' agent, Warren LeGarie, suggested that extension talks may not be revisited until after the season.
- While acknowledging that he was told Rajon Rondo is "a personality challenge," Aldridge questions the logic of trading the star point guard. Aldridge spoke to one GM who thinks Celtics GM Danny Ainge was only seriously interested in trading Rondo when Chris Paul was on the table, but hasn't delved too deeply into talks since then.