Western Notes: Evans, Bryant, Grizzlies
Kings guard Tyreke Evans is playing his best ball of the past few years right now, and he's doing so all the while not showing concern with his free agency situation, writes CSNPhilly.com's Jabari Young. Sacramento chose not to extend Evans earlier this season, and there's much speculation around the league regarding whether or not he could be traded before the deadline.
- As ESPN.com reporter Marc Stein wrote earlier in his Weekend Dime column, the Grizzlies showed great interest in Tyreke Evans' services before moving Rudy Gay.
- Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant is enjoying his time as the team's prime facilitator, writes the Los Angeles Daily News' Mark Medina.
- The Commercial Appeal's Geoff Calkins gives his impression of Tayshaun Prince's debut with the Grizzlies, and what it could mean for the team moving forward.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Barbosa, Brooks
As a heavy slate of NBA basketball games are already underway on this Saturday evening, here's a closer look at the Atlantic Division.
- ESPNNY.com's Jared Zwerling talks about a lot of Knicks related things, including the health of point guard Raymond Felton and the chances head coach Mike Woodson has at coaching the Eastern Conference All-Star team in Houston later this month.
- With Rajon Rondo out for the rest of the season, Celtics guard Leandro Barbosa now has the opportunity step in and fill a ball-handling/scoring void that the team seriously needs, writes ESPNBoston.com's Greg Payne.
- Nets guard MarShon Brooks is looking to increase his playing time, writes Newsday's Roderick Boone.
Draft Notes: Bennett, Smart
NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper interviewed one NBA executive who believes UNLV's freshman forward Anthony Bennett could end up as the number one pick in the 2013 draft, and that several decision makers believe it could happen.
- In the same Sulia link, Howard-Cooper goes on to discuss the number one pick, and how it's expanded beyond three players (Nerlens Noel, Shabazz Muhammad, and Ben McLemore) to include Bennett.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com tweets that Oklahoma State freshman point guard Marcus Smart has established himself as the top point guard in the draft after an impressive performance against Kansas.
Central Notes: Cavs, Ellington, Young, Calderon
No division race is tighter than the Central, where the Bulls hold a half-game lead over the Pacers, while he Bucks sit three back in the loss column. Derrick Rose and Danny Granger will soon return to Chicago and Indiana, respectively, so we’ll see how that affects the dynamics of the race. In the meantime, here’s what’s happening around the division:
- The Cavs are open to using their $4MM in cap space to absorb an otherwise unwanted player in exchange for a draft pick, but Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal believes the team is done dealing this year. Signing Greg Oden is another possibility for that cap space, as Lloyd notes as he answers more questions from his Twitter followers.
- Cavs shooting guard Wayne Ellington, acquired in last week’s trade with the Grizzlies, will be a restricted free agent this summer, and though he didn’t address his future plans, he spoke to Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer about his Charlotte connections and mentioned that he’s best friends with Bobcats swingman Gerald Henderson, who’s also set to hit restricted free agency.
- Sam Young demonstrated why the Pacers re-signed him this week with his defense against LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in last night’s blowout of the Heat, observes Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. Wells writes that Young will have an impact the rest of the season, which suggests he isn’t merely on a 10-day contract; when Young signed, the terms were unclear.
- MLive’s David Mayo, in a pair of features, breaks down the impact that new starting point guard Jose Calderon will have on Detroit’s rotation, and Matt Moore of CBSSports.com wonders why the Pistons aren’t shopping Jonas Jerebko, who’s struggled to find a role.
- Hunter Atkins of The New York Times looks at the rapid improvement of Larry Sanders, whom Atkins compares to Tyson Chandler. Sanders will be up for an extension on his rookie deal with the Bucks this summer.
2012 Trade Deadline: One Year Later
We've had an early start to the NBA's midseason swap meet this year, as Rudy Gay went to the Raptors as part of a three-team deal in a rare January trade of significance. Before we get wrapped up in this year's movement, let's look back at the activity that took place in the days before last year's March 15th trade deadline. With the advantage of a year (or almost 11 months, to be precise) of hindsight, we'll judge the deals accordingly. Feel free to give your own take on the trades by leaving a comment.
The Warriors traded Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown to the Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.
- This one can't really be judged until Andrew Bogut is back on the floor at full health, though he notched 12 points and eight rebounds in less than 24 minutes during his first game back this week. The Bucks' new backcourt hasn't been a rousing success, and coach Scott Skiles is gone, but the deal was apparently sufficient enough for GM John Hammond and assistant GM Jeff Weltman to receive three-year extensions. The Warriors flipped Jackson to the Spurs, and have gotten only four games out of Bogut. First-year winner: Bucks
The Warriors traded Jackson to the Spurs for Richard Jefferson, T.J. Ford and a first-round pick.
- Jackson experienced a renaissance in San Antonio, while Ford had retired before the trade and was included merely to make the salaries match. The Warriors turned the first-rounder into Festus Ezeli, who was starting in place of Bogut, and Jefferson has re-entered the rotation of late. Jackson's numbers are down this season, with a PER of 9.0 that nearly matches the number from his forgettable stint in Milwaukee. Two contributors are better than one. First-year winner: Warriors
The Grizzlies traded Sam Young to the 76ers for the rights to former second-round draft pick Ricky Sanchez.
- One of many salary dumps the Grizzlies have participated in over the past year. Young played only 135 total minutes for the Sixers before leaving in free agency, while Sanchez doesn't seem likely to land in the States anytime soon. Since it saved the Grizzlies from paying the tax and Young probably couldn't have helped them get any farther in the playoffs, the move was worth it. First-year winner: Grizzlies
The Raptors traded Leandro Barbosa to the Pacers for a second-round pick and cash.
- Toronto was well under the cap and didn't really need the short-term financial help. The Pacers had plenty of cap room to accomodate Barbosa's expiring contract, but he didn't play particularly well with Indiana. The Brazilian Blur recorded a 13.4 PER, which would have been his lowest since 2004/05 if it were a full-season figure. That might explain why it took so long for him to find a home in free agency this season. The Raptors used the pick on Tomislav Zubcic, who's playing overseas. First-year winner: Push
The Blazers traded Gerald Wallace to the Nets for Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams and a first-round draft pick.
- The pick turned out to be Rookie of the Year candidate Damian Lillard, making this move a steal for Portland. There's no telling if the Nets would have taken Lillard in the draft, and perhaps doing so would have led to the departure of Deron Williams. The trade might not have hurt Brooklyn as much in the short term as it's helped the Blazers, who wound up with a quality point guard on a rookie contract and opened up the small forward spot for Nicolas Batum, who's having his best season. First-year winner: Blazers
The Blazers traded Marcus Camby to the Rockets for Jonny Flynn, Hasheem Thabeet, and a second-round pick.
- This deal was of significantly less importance than Portland's other move. Camby was remarkably efficient for Houston in his stint there last season, posting a 19.6 PER, but he couldn't get them into the playoffs, and the Rockets flipped him to the Knicks for a pair of second-round draft picks and players who are no longer on the roster. The Blazers let Flynn and Thabeet go and used the draft pick on Will Barton, on whom the jury's still out. First-year winner: Rockets
The Lakers traded Derek Fisher and a first-round draft pick to the Rockets for Jordan Hill.
- This one looked like a wash for both teams for much of last season. The Rockets bought out Fisher, allowing him to go to the Thunder, while Hill languished on the bench for the Lakers. That changed when Hill emerged in a huge Lakers comeback against the Thunder, and he became L.A.'s first big man off the bench for the playoffs. Hill re-signed with the Lakers in the summer, but he's out for the season with a hip injury. The Rockets used that draft pick as part of the James Harden trade. First-year winner: Rockets (but only because Hill is hurt)
The Lakers traded Luke Walton, Jason Kapono and a 2012 first-round pick to the Cavs, along with the ability for the Cavs to switch first-round picks in 2013, for Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga.
- This trade was all about an upgrade at point guard for L.A., and cap space and future considerations for Cleveland. Sessions' shortcomings were exposed in the playoffs against the Thunder, leading the Lakers to pursue Steve Nash in the summer. The Cavs parlayed the Lakers' 2012 first-rounder in a deal for 17th pick Tyler Zeller, and with L.A.'s surprising struggles this year, they could be in line for another draft choice in the middle of the first round. This deadline swap did get Walton's $6.1MM salary for this season of L.A.'s books, and Eyenga was used as fodder in the Dwight Howard blockbuster, but Cleveland got more of what it wanted. First-year winner: Cavs
In a three-team trade, the Nuggets sent Nene to the Wizards for JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf. The Wizards sent Nick Young to the Clippers for Brian Cook and a 2015 second-round pick.
- This essentially was a pair of two-team deals, the most notable of which was Denver's surprising reversal of course on Nene, who had just signed a five-year, $65MM deal with the Nuggets before the season began. Though McGee, whom Denver signed to another costly deal this summer, averages only 18.8 minutes per game, he's still played more total minutes this season than the oft-injured Nene. None of the other players involved in the transaction remain with the teams that acquired them last year, including Young, whose 9.9 PER during his stint with the Clippers was well below his 12.8 career average. First-year winner: Nuggets
Celtics Meet With Greg Oden
We heard a couple of weeks ago that the Celtics were keeping an eye on former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden, and today the oft-injured center met with team officials, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The meeting took place in Waltham, Mass., the site of the C's practice facility. Though the Celtics could use some healthy bodies with Rajon Rondo and Jared Sullinger out for the season, Oden isn't looking to return until 2013/14. Celtics basketball president Danny Ainge told Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that nothing is imminent.
"We're just finding out as much as we can and letting Greg know what we have here," Ainge said. "He's not ready to play now, but he's someone who's very interesting."
Ainge said he wanted to ask Oden about his physical condition, and refuted a report that the 7-footer wasn't interest in the Celtics, pointing to the meeting as proof. The Heat and Cavs have been the frontrunners for Oden's services, but he's been linked to several other teams, including the Pacers, Hornets, Bobcats, Spurs and Mavericks. The Wolves are the only team that appears to be definitely out on Oden.
The Celtics have the minimum 13 players on their roster, but Ainge has said he'll fill the two available spots before the trade deadline. Boston could use a prorated portion of its $1.957MM biannual exception to exceed the minimum salary on a two-year deal. Signing Oden wouldn't help them lock down the final playoff spot this year, but it could give them a boost once Rondo and Sullinger return for next season. Still, it remains to be seen just how much Oden can give any team at this point, and even when healthy, he hasn't been particularly productive. He's averaged 9.4 points and 7.3 rebounds in 22.1 minutes per game in 82 NBA contests, the last of which came on December 5th, 2009.
Eastern Rumors: Josh Smith, Lowry, Lucas, Bulls
It doesn't look like anything will derail a trip to the postseason for the teams currently in the top seven of the Eastern Conference, but with Rajon Rondo and Jared Sullinger both lost for the year, the Celtics appear more vulnerable than their three-game lead for the eighth spot would suggest. The Sixers, who could get Andrew Bynum back soon, are ninth, and the Pistons and Raptors, a pair of teams that could get a boost from this week's trade, are next in line. Here's more from the East:
- Though other reports have contradicted Alex Kennedy's recent dispatch that the Suns have interest in Josh Smith, the HoopsWorld scribe stands by his story, and says the Rockets and Bobcats have had exploratory talks with the Hawks as well (Twitter links).
- While Marc Stein of ESPN.com has heard the suggestion that the Raptors might have intended to get rid of Kyle Lowry as well as Jose Calderon, he doesn't see that happening now, especially given the close friendship between Lowry and new acquisiton Rudy Gay.
- The Raptors signed John Lucas III last summer with the idea that he would slide into the rotation if a Calderon trade went down, Stein points out. Lucas responded with 17 points in less than 19 minutes during last night's upset of the Clippers.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times wonders about the possibility LeBron James could sign with the Bulls in 2014, when the team is set to have plenty of cap space to accomodate King James and others.
- Cowley also notes that Bulls GM Gar Forman is likely to sign free agents primarily to one-year contracts this summer, just as he did in 2012, as last year's free agent tracker shows.
- HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham provides an update on Bynum, Derrick Rose, Danny Granger, and other key injured players due back around the All-Star break, speculating that their returns might make it less likely that their teams participate in trade deadline deals.
Kyler On Gay, Magic, Smith
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.com took questions from his followers on his Twitter account on Saturday morning, covering the Raptors' acquisition of Rudy Gay along with other topics.
- Until they see how Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan play together, the Raptors plan to keep both on the roster.
- Bryan Colangelo's next move should be to get out of Andrea Bargnani's contract, Kyler writes.
- The Grizzlies offered Gay to the Magic for J.J. Redick, and were rejected.
- The Magic would be willing to trade any player on their roster for the right price, Kyler writes, although they value players like Maurice Harkless very highly.
- The Hawks would prefer to keep Josh Smith, but they are exploring their options before the trade deadline.
- Kyler thinks everybody on the Mavericks is available at the trade deadline, with the exception of Dirk Nowitzki.
- The Celtics are very active in trade talks, but don't have many assets to offer.
- Given the Kings' ownership situation, Kyler doubts they move Tyreke Evans or any other player before the deadline.
- Kyler doesn't think the Jazz will trade Paul Millsap or Al Jefferson unless they can preserve flexibility.
Amick And Zillgitt On Smith, Gasol, Gay Trade
Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today have posted a new column in which they take turns speculating on which marquee player will be the next to be traded, and also react to the Rudy Gay trade:
- Amick writes that it's well-known around the league that Josh Smith is unhappy in Atlanta and that the team is open to trading him. He wants a max deal, and new Hawks GM Danny Ferry wants to take a more financially responsible approach to building his roster.
- Zillgitt thinks that, despite reports to the contrary, the Lakers could move Pau Gasol before the deadline. He points to the Celtics as a possible destination, writing that they need size following Jared Sullinger's injury.
- Both Amick and Zillgitt think positively of the Raptors' acquisition of Gay. Zillgitt adds that the move was a financially smart move for the Grizzlies, and likes the fit of Tayshaun Prince on their roster. He also praises the acquisition of Jose Calderon for the Pistons.
Celtics Notes: Pierce, Hunter, Melo, Green
The Boston Celtics have suffered two major setbacks in the past week, as Rajon Rondo's torn ACL and Jared Sullinger's back surgery will keep them both out the remainder of the 2012/13 season. Here are the latest rumors and notes surrounding the team on Saturday morning:
- Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes that Paul Pierce wants new leadership for the NBPA. After Derek Fisher placed executive director Billy Hunter on indefinite leave on Friday, Pierce told Washburn that the recent NBPA drama indicates that the current administration is not working.
- The Celtics have activated Fab Melo, and he should see some playing time in the wake of Sullinger's injury, Washburn writes. Melo has only appeared in one game for the Celtics this season.
- GM Danny Ainge told Washburn that the team will fill the two roster spots that formerly belonged to Jarvis Varnado and Kris Joseph before the trade deadline.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes that Jeff Green has stepped up for Boston following their recent injury woes and become a consistent contributor.