Odds & Ends: Smith, Olympics, Anthony
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel took some time to shed some light on Magic guard Ishmael Smith after his standout performance against the Pistons on Monday. In a separate piece, Schmitz outlines the uphill battle Orlando faces as they look to clinch a playoff spot. Six of their last eight games are against above-.500 teams, and four of those games are on the road.
- If Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade could have things their way, players on the USA basketball team would be compensated for their participation in the Olympics. While Allen sees it as a matter of opportunity cost, Wade focused more on the jersey sales and summer commitment aspect of it (Scott Gleeson of USA Today reports). According to Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports, Team USA Chairman Jerry Colangelo responded to their comments, saying: "It’s never been discussed and it’s not even feasible in the reality of economics."
- Jim Cavan of the New York Times examines the emergence of Carmelo Anthony after being moved to the power forward slot as well as the role it has played in the Knicks' recent success. If New York can hang onto a playoff spot and Amare Stoudemire is cleared to play, it will be interesting to see how Anthony will translate that success at the small forward position with Amare in the lineup.
- The Kings team owners will make a case to the NBA Board of Governors in New York that the plan to finance a new arena in Sacramento needs more negotiating, writes Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee.
- Gilbert Arenas tells J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today that he is happy to be out of the spotlight in Memphis as he looks to move forward from his troubled past.
Kidd Plans To Play Another Year
In an article by ESPN.com's Marc Stein, Jason Kidd was quoted as saying that he wants to play another year.The 39-year old Kidd, who has played in at least 80 games each year for the Mavericks from 2008 to 2011, has missed a total of 15 games for Dallas this season.
While the Oakland native returned to action against the Kings yesterday, he was limited to just 22 minutes. Kidd claimed it had been the "best he's felt all season," although coach Rick Carlisle will likely continue limiting his minutes in order to preserve him as much as possible before the playoffs start. Kidd's minutes per game average has dipped from 33.2 to 28, and his 34.7% field goal percentage marks the lowest of his 17-year career.
Stein mentions a source that says the Mavericks would "absolutely" have Kidd in their plans should he choose to return, and mentions sources that are confident that he would happily accept a back up role if the Mavericks were to sign Deron Williams this summer.
Barkley On Bulls, Thibodeau, Nowitzki, Odom
- In an ESPN Chicago report, Barkley says that he liked what he saw from Chicago in their win over the Knicks on Tuesday night, and breaks down why he feels that they can beat the Heat if they meet in the Eastern Conference Finals.
- According to Charles, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau should be one of the top five paid coaches in the league. Thibodeau may soon get that opportunity, as his contract expires this summer. (ESPNChicago.com link)
- He isn't sold on the notion that Dirk Nowitzki can return to form as a dependable go-to guy, and asserts that he is "never wrong on Father Time" (Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas reports).
- SportsDayDFW highlighted a few notes from Barkley's visit with Galloway and Company of KESN-FM 103.3 in Dallas, most notably his feeling that Lamar Odom does not deserve to get paid for his disappointing lack of productivity this year.
Odds & Ends: Williams, Miller, Gordon, D-League
Wednesday afternoon links from around the Association:
- Terrence Williams reiterated a desire to re-sign with the Kings this offseason, telling Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld that coach Keith Smart is a major reason he's interested in staying in Sacramento.
- According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, Andre Miller has yet to give any serious thought to retirement: "I want to keep playing until my legs don’t work anymore," said the Nuggets point guard.
- Eric Gordon won't be the cornerstone of the Hornets' rebuilding efforts, but he'll be a key building block, writes Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com lists the best executives available for teams searching for new management this summer.
- Justin Dentmon (MVP) and Greg Smith (Rookie of the Year) highlight Scott Schroeder's picks for the D-League's award winners at Ridiculous Upside. Both players are currently on NBA rosters — Dentmon with the Raptors, and Smith with the Rockets.
Jamal Crawford Expected To Decline Option
Jamal Crawford was the subject of a ton of trade rumors prior to March's deadline, but both the Blazers and teams interested in Crawford were unsure about whether the veteran scorer planned to exercise his $5.23MM player option for 2012/13. Teams wanting to clear cap room were hoping Crawford would decline the option, while teams not wanting to acquire Crawford as a two-month rental were hoping he'd pick it up.
The Trail Blazers ultimately ended up hanging on to Crawford, and Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports that the 32-year-old is expected to turn down his option for next season. While Crawford didn't confirm that report, he did talk to Kennedy about the upcoming offseason:
"If I opt out, I think it'll be really cool to have a traditional free agency," Crawford said. "Last year, everything was so rushed. A lot of people didn't even think we’d have a season and then, all of sudden, everything was thrown together. It happened so fast. If I choose to opt out, this year will be much different and more traditional."
The Timberwolves were one team that seemed on the verge of acquiring Crawford at the trade deadline, and the former Michigan Wolverine didn't rule out the possibility of joining the T-Wolves this summer.
"Anything is possible in the future," Crawford said. "Minnesota was a team that I almost signed with before I decided to come to Portland. I’m sure the interest is still there. I’ve always been a fan of coach [Rick] Adelman and how he goes about things. That’s a little ways away though. We’ll see what happens this summer. Right now, I’m just focused on Portland and trying to get as many wins as possible before the season is over."
The Blazers may be hoping Crawford turns down the option, since they're expected to have a ton of cap space to work with this summer, and taking Crawford off their books would clear an extra $5MM+.
Southeast Notes: Silas, Wade, Wizards, Seraphin
The Hawks head into Boston tonight on a three-game winning streak and a half-game ahead of the Magic in the Southeast Division. As Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes, it may not be a bad thing for the Magic if the standings hold their current position. Currently the East's sixth seed, the Magic would face the third-place Pacers if the season ended today, and Robbins figures the Pacers are the best matchup for Orlando among the East's present playoff squads.
While we wait to see how the playoff seeding shakes out, let's check in on the latest from the Southeast….
- Bobcats coach Paul Silas hasn't heard indications from Charlotte management whether he'll be back on the team's bench next season. Silas tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer that he's okay with the uncertainty, but would like to continue coaching the club because he "wouldn't want to leave things as they are" (Twitter links).
- Echoing comments made by Ray Allen, Heat star Dwyane Wade told Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that he also believes players should be compensated for playing in the Olympics.
- Discussing the recent contributions from Cartier Martin and James Singleton, Wizards coach Randy Wittman joked that next year all his players will be on 10-day contracts, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Earlier this afternoon, I named Martin and Singleton as two of the best 10-day signings of 2012.
- Wizards majority owner Ted Leonsis wrote the following on his blog, Ted's Take: "A lot of general managers around the league are now asking; 'How did we not draft Kevin Seraphin and how did he fall so far in the draft?' Kudos to our scouts. And congratulations to Kevin Seraphin for taking advantage of his minutes and playing with hustle and showing off his gifts. Both Kevin Seraphin and Jordan Crawford were a part of our series of transactions around the Kirk Hinrich trades."
Lamar Odom’s Trade Value
We heard this morning that the Warriors have Lamar Odom on their radar as a potential offseason addition, but Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com questions whether Odom would be a wise investment for Golden State. The Warriors need sure-things, Steinmetz argues, and they don't want to bring in a player that could be a locker-room distraction.
Noting that even trying to sign Odom to the mid-level exception might be ill-advised, Steinmetz all but rules out the possibility of giving up any assets to trade for the veteran. One GM tells Chris Mannix of SI.com that different teams may value the 32-year-old differently, since he's only tradeable to teams for whom he'd want to play (Twitter link). That makes his trade value limited, at best.
Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com is even more pessimistic about what Odom could bring the Mavericks in a trade. The most likely scenario, in MacMahon's opinion, is Dallas essentially paying a team to execute Odom's buyout. If the Mavs dealt Odom, cash, and a second-round pick to a team with enough cap room to absorb Odom's salary, they'd save $2.4MM in 2012/13 cap space and create a trade exception worth $8.2MM. The team acquiring Odom, meanwhile, would sacrifice a small amount of cap room, but could ultimately come out even as far as cash goes, and gain a second-rounder in the deal.
It wouldn't surprise me if a team was able to talk itself into rolling the dice on Odom, and traded for him before or during the June draft. His upside is tantalizing, and perhaps a year removed from this season's drama, he'll bounce back to his previous level of production. But the Lakers are the only team that can be reasonably confident in what they're getting in Odom, and they're the only NBA club that can't acquire him until next season.
It may not have the same amount of intrigue as the draft-lottery balls or Deron Williams' impending free agency, but Odom's fate will be an offseason subplot worth tracking. If he can recapture the form that earned him the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2010/11, Odom has the potential to be a huge bargain for his new team. If not, he could be a waste of $8MM+ for one more year.
Draft Links: Davis, MKG, Robinson, Sleepers
Chad Ford of ESPN.com has released the third version of his NBA mock draft (Insider only), and Kentucky's Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist continue to occupy the top two spots. Of course, those two players haven't even officially entered the draft yet, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer notes (via Twitter). Kentucky coach John Calipari is only paying attention to the NBA's early-entry deadline, so Kentucky players will have until April 29th to make a decision on their futures.
Here are a few more of today's draft-related links:
- Chad Ford and FOX Sports Ohio's Sam Amico both answered plenty of draft questions in their respective chats today.
- If they don't win the lottery and land Davis, the Bobcats' best pick would be Thomas Robinson, according to ESPN.com's David Thorpe.
- Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld identifies five potential sleepers in this year's draft: Darius Miller, Jae Crowder, Will Barton, Khris Middleton, and Kevin Jones.
Best 10-Day Contracts Of 2012
As Hoops Rumors' 10-day contract tracker shows, 30 different players have signed at least one 10-day contract this season. In many cases, that first deal led to a second 10-day contract or a rest-of-season signing.
Many of these players see their 10-day auditions pass without getting the opportunity to make much of an impact — in Keith Benson's brief stint with the Warriors, he played about nine total minutes in three games, totaling two rebounds and failing to score a point.
For other players though, that first 10-day deal gives them the chance to show they deserve to be part of an NBA rotation. The players listed below started out this season on a 10-day contract, and are either still on a 10-day deal or received a rest-of-season contract due to their strong play. These are my picks for the best 10-day signings of the season, but if you think I've missed any notable ones, feel free to point them out in the comments section.
- Gerald Green, Nets: Watching Green tear up the D-League, it was clear the former 18th overall pick deserved another shot at the NBA. He earned that chance from the Nets, and made a great first impression by scoring double-digit points in his first two games. Green's production has been up and down since then, but his play earned him a rest-of-season guarantee, and it doesn't look like he'll be heading back to the D-League anytime soon. The 26-year-old poured in a season-high 32 points against Cleveland on Sunday and appears poised to draw interest in free agency this summer.
- Terrence Williams, Kings: Playing for his third NBA team in three seasons, the former 11th overall pick looks better in Sacramento than he did in New Jersey or Houston. Williams has been filling up the stat sheet in 11 games for the Kings, averaging 9.4 PPG on 47.8% shooting to go along with 4.5 RPG, 3.0 APG, and 1.3 SPG. The 24-year-old has expressed interest in returning to the Kings next season.
- Alan Anderson, Raptors: Anderson's numbers with Toronto aren't exactly eye-popping. In nine contests, he's averaging just 6.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in 18.9 minutes per game. But what's been impressive is Anderson's shooting efficiency — his .465/.556/.833 rates all represent career highs, albeit in a small sample size. Anderson is on his second 10-day contract, so it'll be interesting to see if the Raptors re-sign him, perhaps with an additional non-guaranteed year, when his deal expires with a week and a half left in the season.
- Lester Hudson, Cavaliers: Another player on his second 10-day deal, Hudson has been tearing it up recently, scoring 24.7 PPG in 32.4 MPG over his last three contests. In his seven games with the Cavs, Hudson has averaged 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, for a PER of 19.5. If the Cavs don't hang on to him for next season, I'd be surprised if his late-season surge doesn't earn him an NBA job elsewhere.
- Cartier Martin and James Singleton, Wizards: Martin and Singleton have propelled the Wizards to a pair of wins this week, averaging a combined 30.5 points and 14.5 rebounds off the bench against the Magic and Bobcats. Both players are on 10-day contracts (Martin's second and Singleton's first), but at the very least, they'll stay on the Wizards' radar this offseason if they keep playing like this.
Blazers GM Search Continues, Kerr Not Interested
11:13am: The Blazers' top choice for their GM vacancy, Steve Kerr, has told the team he's not interested in the job, according to Jason Quick of the Oregonian. Kerr, who was approached by the Blazers last year when the team was seeking a GM, had an informal phone interview with Portland last week, but has decided to continue working with TNT and spending time with his family.
"[Kerr] likes Larry [Miller], and certainly isn’t closing any doors, but right now he loves his life at TNT," said Mark Bartelstein, Kerr’s agent. "He will come back to the NBA in the future, whether it’s as a coach or in the front office, but that’s a few years down the road."
9:01am: Former Hornets general manager Jeff Bower is "very intrigued" by the Trail Blazers' GM opening, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Haynes hears that Bower would definitely be interested in interviewing for the position if the Blazers were to call him. Bower drafted players such as Chris Paul, David West, and Darren Collison when he was with the Hornets.
Portland recently resumed its search for a permanent general manager. At least two candidates have already received interviews, and an "interesting list" has emerged for the position, says team president Larry Miller. Miller didn't confirm a report suggesting agent Noah Croom was the most recent Blazers interviewee, but said he has yet to reach out to candidates currently with NBA teams. I imagine that will happen when the regular season comes to an end.
The team's acting general manager, Chad Buchanan, may not be among the most high-profile candidates, but he also wouldn't mind the chance to interview for the permanent position, according to Haynes.
"I'm not going to ask, but if they want to interview me, I will," Buchanan said. "I love being a part of this organization and I hope to be here for a long time."