Eastern Notes: Pacers, Stephenson, Raptors
The latest from the Eastern Conference..
- Keeping Lance Stephenson will be an expensive problem for the Pacers, writes Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM. Still only 23, he’s already a better shooter than Dwyane Wade, a better defender than James Harden and a better passer than Paul George. Stephenson may not have gaudy numbers, but he’ll be worth more to a franchise without established stars, one who can make him the primary option on the first team.
- Raptors guard Kyle Lowry is growing as a player and a person this season, writes HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy. “Kyle’s approach has been exceptional,” said trainer Joe Abunassar of Impact Basketball. “I think that has really translated to helping his game. He has been focused and he understands what being a top player in the NBA takes. It’s more than just basketball – it’s how he’s carrying himself and working.” As he shines in Toronto, Lowry has seen his name pop up in trade rumors all year long. He was very close to joining the Knicks, but those trade talks are apparently dead now.
- John Salmons is having a huge impact on the Raptors, writes Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun. Toronto fans may not have had a great impression of the forward back in 2006 when he backed away from a verbal agreement to sign with the Raptors because – according to him – god told him not to go there. Meanwhile, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun recently reported that Salmons was a prime candidate to be traded.
Pacific Notes: Iguodala, Warriors, Bledsoe
Here’s tonight’s look at the Pacific Division as the Lakers face the Suns, the Kings take on the Pelicans, and Andre Iguodala faces his old team when his Warriors meet the Nuggets..
- Iguodala says he didn’t see the Nuggets contract offer over the summer as more lucrative than the Warriors deal because of the non-guaranteed portions, tweets Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post. The small forward inked a four-year, $48MM deal with Golden State in July while Denver reportedly made him a four-year, $52MM offer and also proposed five-year scenarios.
- The Eric Bledsoe trade that almost didn’t happen changed the future of the Suns, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. “It was close [to falling through],” Suns president Lon Babby said. “But Eric is someone we had long pined for here, and we saw the opportunity. When we saw that we could formulate a scenario that would work for everyone, we really felt like we had to keep pushing for it and fortunately, it all worked out.”
- The Lakers have to be strong and not rush Kobe Bryant back this season, writes David Aldridge of NBA.com.
Bulls Rumors: Trades, Deng, Mirotic
The Bulls will kick off a full day of NBA action on Wednesday by facing the Nets in Brooklyn, but the matchup won’t be the marquee contest that the NBA was expecting and hoping for when it was scheduled for Christmas Day. The two teams have combined to go 19-33 and both currently fall outside of the East’s playoff picture. As we look forward to seeing whether either underachieving club will impress on Wednesday, let’s round up a few Bulls-related items….
- We passed along several updates from Chad Ford’s Monday chat earlier this afternoon, but Ford also tucked one notable tidbit in his weekly Tank Rank piece at ESPN.com (Insider link). According to Ford, while the Bulls don’t want to trade Luol Deng, the team also isn’t exploring any trades that would improve the team in the short-term.
- Given the lack of realistic upgrades available in the summer of 2014, Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld thinks it’s inevitable that Deng ends up re-signing with the Bulls when his current deal expires.
- The Bulls are reportedly intent on bringing Nikola Mirotic stateside in 2014, but his current club in Spain doesn’t sound totally on board with that plan. According to a Marca.com report (translation via HoopsHype), Real Madrid is already trying to extend Mirotic’s contract, which runs through 2016.
Knicks’ Talks For Kyle Lowry Dead
Attempts to revive discussions on a trade that would have sent Kyle Lowry to the Knicks died a few days ago, says Howard Beck of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). According to Beck, despite injuries to multiple point guards, the Knicks were unwilling to offer a first-round pick for Lowry. It’s not clear which side was more interested in revisiting negotiations, but either way, it looks like no deal is coming.
Trade talks involving Lowry appeared to be heating up earlier in the month, but Knicks owner James Dolan is believed to have vetoed a swap that would have sent Lowry to New York in exchange for Raymond Felton, Metta World Peace, and a 2018 first-round pick. While the Nets were also linked to Lowry, they were reportedly equally unwilling to include a future first-rounder in their offer.
Felton is expected to be a game-time decision for tonight’s contest, and Prigioni could return in time for the new year, so the Knicks shouldn’t be shorthanded at the point for much longer. While an upgrade at the position could help New York make a playoff push, it seems for now that the team is unwilling to mortgage more of its future for a short-term gain.
Ford On Randolph, Raptors, Cavs, Suns, Draft
Recent reports have downplayed the Grizzlies‘ and Raptors‘ interest in moving Zach Randolph and DeMar DeRozan, but in his latest chat, ESPN.com’s Chad Ford suggests both teams would still be open to moving their respective highest-paid players in the right deal. Here’s more from ESPN’s draft guru:
- Jonas Valanciunas and perhaps Amir Johnson are the only players the Raptors “really want to keep,” according to Ford.
- The Cavaliers are working the phones in an effort to add impact players, and are still very much trying to make the playoffs this season, says Ford.
- Ford believes that anyone on the Suns except for Eric Bledsoe could be had, suggesting that Goran Dragic, who is drawing interest from the Kings, is “the most likely to go.” I’d assume the Suns would require a pretty nice package to seriously consider moving Dragic, given how well he and Bledsoe have played together so far.
- In a 2013 re-draft, Ford would have Giannis Antetokounmpo at No. 1, followed by Victor Oladipo and Michael Carter-Williams.
- There’s no clear consensus on who will be picked first overall in 2014. According to Ford, conservative GMs will lean toward Julius Randle or Jabari Parker, while risk-taking teams will likely opt for Andrew Wiggins, Dante Exum, or Joel Embiid.
Poll: Is Wheel System Ideal Solution For Draft?
Earlier today, we passed along a piece from Grantland’s Zach Lowe that outlined a proposal to overhaul the draft system, by abolishing the lottery and introducing a “wheel” system. The proposal, which is in the very early stages of being considered by the league office, would ensure that every NBA team drafted once in each spot between 1 and 30 over a period of 30 seasons. Teams would receive a top-six pick once every five years, under the proposed cycle.
There would be plenty of pros for such a system, which would entirely disincentivize tanking and would provide each team with an equal opportunity to add young talent. However, you could argue there’d be just as many cons. Bottom-dwelling teams would only be guaranteed one high pick every few years, which could make for a significant uphill climb, and may result in years of apathy from fans. It’s also not hard to imagine college players deciding whether or not to enter the draft based on which teams are known to have high picks for that year.
Our earlier post and Lowe’s original article detail plenty more pros and cons, and if the NBA ever became serious about implementing the idea, it’s possible that it would undergo several modifications before taking effect. Still, based on the general concept, do you like the idea of the wheel system? Is it improvement on the current draft lottery, or would it simply create a new and equally problematic set of issues? And if you don’t think either system is ideal, what would your preference be?
Southwest Links: Asik, Lin, Spurs, Evans
Let’s round up a few of Monday’s notes out of the Southwest Division….
- Following up on a weekend report, Howard Beck of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) confirms that the Rockets and Nets discussed Omer Asik, Jeremy Lin, and Deron Williams. However, a source tells Beck that nothing came of the talks, which appear to be dead.
- In a piece for SBNation.com, Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com argues that the Rockets‘ leverage in Asik trade talks could actually improve as the trade deadline approaches, as rival teams feel more pressure to make a move. Deeks also points out that keeping Asik and giving him minutes that may otherwise have gone to Greg Smith will help keep Smith’s value down as he approaches restricted free agency, which should help the Rockets keep him.
- The Spurs have recalled Malcolm Thomas and Nando De Colo from the D-League, according to a press release from the team. Thomas and De Colo appeared in just one game during their stint with Austin, combining for 53 points to help the Toros blow out the Delaware 87ers on Saturday.
- Although he’s a Pelican now, Tyreke Evans keeps an eye on his old team, and tells Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee that he was happy to see the Kings remain in Sacramento “after all the uncertainty.”
Eastern Notes: DeRozan, Magic, Nets, Heat
The Raptors‘ decision to trade Rudy Gay earlier this month may have looked on the surface like a signal that the team was giving up its shot at the playoffs. Instead, the new-look Raps have reeled off their best stretch of the year, handing the Thunder their first home loss of the season last night. Toronto may not be done making moves, but ESPN.com’s Marc Stein says that the latest indications suggest DeMar DeRozan isn’t being “overtly shopped.”
Here’s more from around the East:
- According to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, league sources characterize the Magic as “value shoppers” in the trade market. The team wouldn’t be opposed to moving players like Jameer Nelson and Glen Davis, but doesn’t appear to be actively engaged in finding deals. As we heard earlier today, the Magic also continue to turn away inquiries on Arron Afflalo.
- The Nets have recalled Tornike Shengelia and Tyshawn Taylor from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. The duo appeared in a pair of games for the Springfield Armor this weekend, with Shengelia’s 23 points on Sunday helping to lead the Armor to a victory over the Maine Red Claws.
- Since the Nets may not have their own first-round pick for the next five years, it doesn’t make sense to bottom out, meaning the team will need to find a way to field a competitive roster, writes Tom Ziller of SBNation.com.
- Responding to an inquiry on whether the Heat should explore trading for Kyle Lowry as an upgrade on Mario Chalmers, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel suggests Chalmers represents an ideal fit for the team, since he understands his role and doesn’t push for more minutes or shots.
NBA Mulling Proposal To End Draft Lottery
While the concept of tanking has become more prevalent than ever leading up to the 2014 draft, the NBA is in the early stages of considering a proposal that would disincentivize bottoming out and eliminate the draft lottery, according to Zach Lowe of Grantland. The proposal, submitted to the league by a team official, has gained traction among some high-level NBA officials, though other top officials have expressed early opposition, says Lowe.
The proposed plan would no longer assign draft picks to teams based on records, but rather would lock clubs into draft positions years in advance. Each of the league’s 30 franchises would pick once in every spot from 1 to 30 over the course of 30 seasons. Lowe’s piece includes a “wheel” image that demonstrates the order in which teams would cycle through the draft slots. That proposed order, determined by “all sorts of complex algorithms,” would ensure that each team receives a top-six pick once every five seasons.
As Lowe notes, there are plenty of potential arguments against the system, including the fact that it would make it more difficult for bad teams to improve. That could prompt fans to lose interest if their favorite team whiffs on a high pick and then doesn’t get another top-five selection for several years. Deciding where each club would start on the wheel could also be problematic, and putting protection on traded draft picks would no longer be permitted under this system, since there would be no uncertainty about where picks would fall.
In any case, Lowe stresses that the proposal is in the very early stages. The league may float the idea to owners at some point in 2014, but even if it were formally submitted, it would require the approval of 75% of those owners, and would take years to put in place — all current traded picks would have to change hands before the new system could be implemented. Nonetheless, it’s a signal that the NBA isn’t necessarily content to continue on indefinitely with the lottery system that has been in place for several decades.
Spears’ Latest: Asik, Raptors, Afflalo, Young
As usual, Marc Spears’ power rankings for Yahoo! Sports include some noteworthy tidbits on trade possibilities for a handful of clubs. Let’s check in on the latest from Spears….
- Even after the Rockets let their self-imposed December 19th deadline pass without moving Omer Asik, the Celtics continue to have discussions about acquiring the big man, according to Spears. With Houston’s unofficial deadline in the rear-view mirror, there’s no rush for the team to make a move, since the actual trade deadline is nearly two months away.
- After sending Rudy Gay and two other players to Sacramento, the Raptors aren’t done making deals, a source tells Spears. Kyle Lowry continues to be the most logical trade candidate on the roster.
- NBA teams continue to ask the Magic about Arron Afflalo‘s availability, but Orlando continues to turn away potential suitors, telling clubs that Afflalo is not on the trade block.
- While Thaddeus Young denied last week that he has asked the Sixers to trade him, the veteran forward remains a candidate to be moved, says Spears.