Carlisle Says Odom Testing Mavs’ Patience
Everything surrounding Lamar Odom in Dallas seemed to be getting smoothed out earlier today, as we learned about his voluntary D-League rehab assignment ahead of his impending return. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, however, is getting tired of the saga that began when the Mavs acquired Odom from the Lakers before the season. Carlisle had some pointed comments on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM's Galloway & Co. radio show, as rounded up by Jeff Caplan.
"I'm disappointed with the way the whole thing's gone," Carlisle said. "We've worked hard with this kid. I'm a patient guy, Mark [Cuban] is a patient guy, [Mavs president of basketball operations] Donnie [Nelson] is a patient guy, our team is a patient team, but patience has worn thin here."
Carlisle also said the team will quickly find out "where things are at" with Odom when he returns, but still believes he can have a positive impact on the team if he competes the way he's capable. Odom will play Saturday for the D-League's Texas Legends, and Sunday, as Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News reports, he will return to the Mavs. (Twitter link)
Odom, 32, is averaging career lows in just about every major statistical category, including minutes played. He's making $8.9MM this year and is scheduled to earn $8.2MM next year, although only $2.4 of his 2012/13 salary is guaranteed.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Turner, Dolan
The Sixers continue to control the Atlantic Division, and Jeremy Lin is still amazing Knicks fans, but most of the talk around the division this week has centered around the Celtics and what they'll do with Rajon Rondo their aging "big three." Here's more on them as well as the other playoff contenders on the Eastern seaboard.
- The Hawks have had exploratory talks with the Celtics about Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Hawks are reluctant to move Josh Smith for an expiring deal, so that precludes swapping him for Allen or Garnett. The Celtics wouldn't want to flip either of them for the likes of Marvin Williams, and unless they get quality players with favorable contracts in return, they're inclined to hang on to them for the rest of the season. (All Twitter links)
- Wojnarowski also appeared on the Dennis & Callahan show on WEEI radio today, and told the hosts he doesn't see the Celtics trading Rondo. He said the team has been reaching out to other teams to assess his value on the trade market, but not actively shopping him. The Celtics view his contract, which has approximately $35.86MM spread over three years after this season, as favorable, and would only trade him for a major star.
- There's no truth to the idea that agent David Falk is pressuring Sixers coach Doug Collins to give client Evan Turner, the second pick in the 2010 draft, more playing time, writes John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Turner has averaged 23.7 MPG in 35 games this year, all of them off the bench.
- The emergence of Jeremy Lin and hot second-unit play for the Knicks vindicate James Dolan for pushing hard to trade for Carmelo Anthony last year, observes Moke Hamilton on Sheridan Hoops.
Josh Smith Rumors: Friday
A report this morning suggested the Celtics have interest in acquiring Josh Smith, perhaps in a deal that includes Kevin Garnett. Following up on that rumor, here are the latest Friday updates on Smith, with the newest up top:
- The Hawks are getting inquiries on Smith, but Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution says (via Twitter) he hasn't heard anything about the team wanting to move him.
- According to Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo! Sports, Smith has wanted a trade for the last year, but the Hawks haven't aggressively tried to move him. Wojnarowski adds that the Hawks spoke to the Timberwolves about a deal involving Smith during last year's draft, and that Atlanta GM Rick Sund has "always been partial" to Ray Allen rather than Garnett (Twitter links).
- SI.com's Chris Mannix spoke to rival execs who believe the Hawks would move Smith, but not simply for an expiring contract like Garnett's (Twitter link).
Players Who Can’t Be Traded Yet
As of March 1st, most players who signed free agent contracts during the offseason became eligible to be traded. However, there are still a handful of players who can't be included in any deals, due to CBA restrictions.
Unrestricted free agents who signed later than January 1st cannot be dealt until two months after their signing date. Restricted free agents who signed for more than 120% what they made last season and whose teams are over the salary cap cannot be traded for three months after their signing date. In some cases, those restrictions will be lifted after the March 15th trade deadline, in which case the player is ineligible to be dealt this season.
Taking into account the CBA rules, here's a rundown of when the league's more recent signees can included in trades:
March 4th
Nate Robinson (Warriors)
March 6th
Yi Jianlian (Mavericks)
March 10th
Mario Chalmers (Heat)
Jonas Jerebko (Pistons)
Thaddeus Young (76ers)
March 11th
Luc Mbah a Moute (Bucks)
March 13th
Marc Gasol (Grizzlies)
DeAndre Jordan (Clippers)
Can't be traded this season
Arron Afflalo (Nuggets)
DeMarre Carroll (Jazz)
Erick Dampier (Hawks)
Kenyon Martin (Clippers)
Joel Przybilla (Trail Blazers)
Walker Russell Jr. (Pistons)
Greg Smith (Rockets)
Ishmael Smith (Magic)
J.R. Smith (Knicks)
Rodney Stuckey (Pistons)
Lance Thomas (Hornets)
Wallace Hopes To Sign Long-Term With Blazers
Gerald Wallace's future as a Trail Blazer is uncertain. The 29-year-old could be traded before the March 15th deadline, and he's indicated that he'll opt out of his contract at season's end rather than exercise his player option. However, Wallace would like to remain with Portland long-term, as he tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
"I want to finish my career in Portland," Wallace said. "This is where I want to be, but at the same time, I know this is a business."
While Wallace says he intends to decline his option this summer, he hopes to renegotiate a deal with the Blazers. Wallace's 13.4 PPG and 15.4 PER are his lowest marks since 2004/05, but he's still productive enough to earn long-term contract offers this summer. So while he may have trouble matching the $9.5MM his option is worth for 2012/13, he should easily be able to exceed that guarantee on a multiyear deal, whether or not Portland is interested in bringing him back.
Wallace's name came up in trade rumors involving the Magic and Nets prior to the season, and ESPN.com's Chris Broussard said earlier this week that the Blazers are open to discussing the forward again as the deadline approaches.
Minor Moves: Leslie, Jordan, Ely, Hayward
Here are today's notable international and D-League-related transactions:
- Travis Leslie has been assigned to the D-League by the Clippers, according to Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles. The Clips' second-round pick has played in just eight games this season.
- The Knicks announced that they've assigned Jerome Jordan to their D-League affiliate in Erie, tweets Zach Lowe of SI.com. The return of Josh Harrellson made the decision a no-brainer, says Marc Berman of the New York Post (on Twitter).
- Another former NBA player signed in Puerto Rico, as Melvin Ely joined Brujos de Guayama, according to Sportando. Ely, the 12th overall pick in the 2002 draft, played 12.2 MPG in 30 contests for the Nuggets last season.
- The Thunder have assigned Lazar Hayward to their D-League affiliate in Tulsa, according to the team (Twitter link). Hayward, who has appeared in 12 games for Oklahoma City this season, suffered a fractured orbital floor on his left eye last month.
- Craig Brackins has been recalled from the D-League by the 76ers, according to a team press release. The 24-year-old was assigned to the Maine Red Claws on February 7th, and averaged 18.9 points and 9.3 rebounds in seven games with the club.
Stein On Lakers, Raptors, Marion, Hickson, Kaman
It's Friday afternoon, which means another installment of Marc Stein's Weekend Dime at ESPN.com. In addition to writing about the 50th anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game, Stein shares a few trade rumors. Let's check them out….
- If the Lakers were to acquire Kirk Hinrich or Leandro Barbosa, they would want the Hawks or Raptors, respectively, to take on salary. However, neither Atlanta or Toronto is interested in doing so. The Lakers would have to use their $8.9MM trade exception and accept the luxury-tax consequences if they were to deal for either player.
- The Raptors are also unwilling to take on salary in a deal for Jose Calderon.
- The Mavericks aren't currently shopping Shawn Marion, and don't intend to start clearing out the necessary cap space to make a run at top free agents until after the season. One source told Stein there's "no chance" the Mavs trade Marion this month, even though there may be potential suitors.
- J.J. Hickson is being aggressively shopped by the Kings.
- The Hornets have been telling teams that Chris Kaman won't be bought out after March 15th if the club can't find a trade partner. Since New Orleans is still owned by the league, that may not be an idle threat. A number of teams, including the Heat, are hoping Kaman is bought out, since they don't have the trade assets necessary to acquire the big center.
Southwest Notes: Grizzlies, Mavericks, Jones
In a piece for HoopsWorld, Jason Fleming examines five teams, debating whether they'd be better off rebuilding or simply retooling. For the Mavericks, Fleming recommends a complete rebuild, but he believes the rival Spurs just need to retool. Here are a few more items out of the Southwest Division:
- The Grizzlies may make a trade before March 15th, but don't feel the pressure they have in past seasons to get something done. "We've talked to teams, and we'll continue to talk," GM Chris Wallace told Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "The frequency of these discussions will get ratcheted up over the next two weeks. But I don't have a deal we would do today. I don't feel like we have to do a deal."
- Even though the Mavericks are committed to their offseason plans, that doesn't necessarily mean they have to stand pat at the trade deadline, says Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
- Solomon Jones is hoping to follow in Lance Thomas' footsteps rather than Donald Sloan's, as he tells John Reid of the Times-Picayune. The Hornets signed Thomas for the remainder of the season after giving him a pair of 10-day contracts, but let Sloan go after his second 10-day deal expired.
Dwight Howard Rumors: Friday
The Magic appear to be more interested in acquiring players to surround Dwight Howard than trading Howard himself, as we learned in yesterday's round-up of Howard rumors. With less than two weeks remaining until the trade deadline, we'll see if the team maintains that stance or starts exploring D12 deals in earnest. For now, here are Friday's updates on Howard, with the latest on top:
- Magic CEO Alex Martins tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), "We’ve had good conversations with [Howard], and with his people. That gives me hope." Martins reiterated that the team is still trying to convince Howard to re-sign (Twitter link).
- Josh Ireland of ESPN Radio (audio link) hears that Howard's agent, Dan Fegan, has told the Lakers his client wouldn't sign an extension if he's traded to Los Angeles. I don't think this is particularly revelatory, since I don't expect Howard to sign an extension anywhere before he hits free agency, due to restrictions on in-season extensions. Whichever team has Howard at season's end would certainly have a leg up in the summer though, being able to offer D12 an extra year and larger raises on a long-term deal.
- Martins doesn't intend to try to trade Howard until he's exhausted every last effort to convince the star center to stay in Orlando, writes Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel. "We’ve continued to to have a daily dialogue with Dwight since December," Martins said. "He feels that he is being heard as far as what his goals are. And, by the way, the goals are the same: We both want to win."
- More Martins on Howard: "We'll continue those dialogues over the next couple of weeks and hopefully we’ll get to a point where we both believe that the best place to win a championship is Orlando and we’ll work out the details to make sure Dwight is a part of that for years to come."
- Howard said he spoke to Martins yesterday about where things stand, but "we didn't talk like we need to talk." Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel has the details.
Latest On Chandler, Sessions, Odom
Wilson Chandler, Ramon Sessions, and Lamar Odom have been in the news for a handful of reasons lately — one's a restricted free agent, one's a trade candidate, and one… well, it's hard to succinctly summarize Odom's current situation. Regardless, we have Friday updates on all three players, so let's round them up right here:
- Wilson Chandler: With the deadline to obtain an offer sheet from another team having passed, Chandler can only sign with the Nuggets if he wants to play in the NBA this season. Agent Chris Luchey tells Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post that he's still negotiating with the Nuggets, who are only interested in a multiyear deal. If the two sides don't reach an agreement, Chandler could sit out the rest of this NBA season and become a restricted free agent again in July.
- Ramon Sessions: Sessions' agent, Jared Karnes, tells Bob Finnan of the News-Herald that he and his client haven't asked the Cavaliers for a trade, though they're aware it's a possibility. According to Finnan, the Lakers and Hawks are the teams most interested in Sessions.
- Lamar Odom: As we heard yesterday, Odom will indeed join the Mavericks' D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, before he returns to the Mavs. The team confirmed the assignment in a press release. According to Dallas president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson, the assignment was Odom's idea, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas. The 32-year-old will work out today with Mavs consultant Tim Grgurich, then join the Legends tomorrow.