Odds & Ends: Hickson, Nets, Spurs, Granger
J.J. Hickson has rebounded from the ups and downs of off-court life, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. Hickson inked a three-year, $16.15MM deal – the full mid-level exception – with the Nuggets over the summer. More from around the league..
- Howard Beck of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) hears that it’s “highly doubtful” that the Nets will wind up using the Disabled Player’s Exception if they are granted it by the league. The Nets, of course, have lost Brook Lopez for the year.
- Now on assignment from the Spurs, Malcolm Thomas is still impressing in the D-League, writes Scott Rafferty of Ridiculous Upside. Thomas was averaging 33.5 points on 62.2% shooting from the floor in his memorable two game stint for the D-Fenders before being picked up by San Antonio. Now with the Austin Toros, Thomas isn’t putting up numbers that are quite as gaudy, but he’s still looking strong.
- Pacers president Larry Bird is less-than-thrilled with Danny Granger‘s work ethic during the offseason, writes Bob Kravitz of the Indy Star. “He doesn’t work hard enough (in the offseason),” Bird said. “He’s not a guy who’ll push himself to the brink like a lot of our guys do. He works hard but he doesn’t push himself. That’s why he starts slow every year and he just works his way back. Now this year, he’s been hurt, so it’s a different deal.“
- Jazz rookie Trey Burke spoke with Sekou Smith of NBA.com about dealing with expectations, patience, and what he learned from his time spent with Jazz legend John Stockton.
- David Alarcon of HoopsHype catches up with Italian prospect Alessandro Gentile. Gentile is pegged to go in the middle of the second round in DraftExpress‘ 2014 mock.
Pacific Notes: Young, Lakers, Suns, Kings
Tonight’s look at the Pacific Division..
- Jabari Davis of HoopsWorld wonders if Swaggy P – also known as Nick Young – has found a home with the Lakers. Although each of the Lakers’ ten players set to be free agents at season’s end realize they could very well be playing for contracts with other teams, Young is a player in particular that could find himself being offered a favorable deal to stay. While the organization has yet to discuss future plans publicly, if paired with a defensive-minded presence, Young could be seen as someone that can provide exactly the type of support the Lakers will continue to need.
- Sam Amick of USA Today looks at how the Suns went from being picked as cellar-dwellers to the NBA’s biggest surprise.
- Steve Weigand of the Sacramento Bee makes the case for a new arena in Sacramento for the Kings.
Hoops Links: Wroten, Asik, Dwight
On this date in 1949, in his 13th game as a Celtic, Tony Lavelli scored 26 points as Boston beat the Minneapolis Lakers, who were on their way to a second straight NBA title. At halftime, the versatile Lavelli treated the 5,206 fans at Boston Garden to an accordion mini-concert, one of about two dozen performances he gave around the league for which he was paid $125 per concert by the NBA.
Here at Hoops Links, we wish Shaquille O’Neal would have done the same with rap concerts during his playing career. Got a great basketball blog post that you think is Hoops Links worthy? Send it to me at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. This week’s links..
- Hoop76 makes the case for Tony Wroten playing the two next to Michael Carter-Williams.
- Keep It Cavalier wants the Cavs to land Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin.
- Red94 discusses the development of Dwight Howard.
- Bucksketball wonders if Herb Kohl will find the investor he’s looking for in the Milwaukee area.
- 48 Minutes Of Hell praises Gregg Popovich.
- Gothic Ginobili asks: What if the Spurs traded Manu Ginobili?
Got a suggestion for this feature? Email Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com
Hoops Rumors Originals
A look back at the original analysis produced by the Hoops Rumors staff this week..
- Chuck Myron examined Ryan Anderson as a trade candidate.
- A Jason Thompson deal would make sense for the Kings, Luke Adams writes.
- Luke explained the Rockets’ reasoning for their Omer Asik deadline.
- Here’s a primer for the upcoming trade season, courtesy of Luke.
- A slight majority of you think the Nets should make a trade to replace Brook Lopez.
- Hoops Rumors readers believe that Kyle Lowry is the next impact player to get moved.
- Readers say the Lakers will win between 31-41 games.
- A refresher on the rules for trading future picks.
- Mike Woodson will be the first coach to go, readers say.
- Did you miss Luke’s weekly chat on Monday at 4pm CT? Really dude? I’m starting to feel like you’re sort of a flake. This is why we don’t call you to hang out as often as we used to. Anyway, you can get caught up with the transcript here.
- Most of you said Asik was Boston-bound. Only a few predicted that he would stay in Houston. He could still conceivably get moved between now and the February deadline, however.
- Here’s how you can follow Hoops Rumors on Facebook, Twitter, and RSS.
- Hoops Rumors is seeking part-time writers.
Week In Review: 12/16/13 – 12/22/13
Could this year get any worse for the Nets? Yesterday, we learned that Brook Lopez is done for the year after breaking his right foot – again. It’s the second lost season in three years for the Nets’ big man and barring a creative move, it’s hard to see Brooklyn climbing out of their current hole. More from the week that was..
- After all of that, the Rockets say that they didn’t get a deal good enough to pry away Omer Asik by their self-imposed deadline. The Sixers and Celtics were both linked to the disgruntled big man.
- The Nets will explore a Disabled Player Exception to replace Lopez.
- The Bulls want to hang on to Luol Deng.
- The Rockets and Nets discussed Asik and Jeremy Lin.
- The Celtics aren’t interested in a Rajon Rondo trade.
- Thaddeus Young denies requesting a trade.
- The Pacers are open to trade offers for Danny Granger.
- The Lakers aren’t seeking a Pau Gasol deal.
- The Lakers signed Kendall Marshall.
- Dion Waiters wants out of Cleveland.
- Metta World Peace wants to play five more seasons.
- The Raptors are working to move DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.
- Jeff Taylor is also done for the year.
- The Pelicans signed Alexis Ajinca.
- The Sixers might consider moving to Newark, New Jersey.
- The Grizzlies signed James Johnson.
- Wesley Johnson hopes to stick around in L.A.
- The Knicks are still expected to re-sign Jeremy Tyler.
- The Bulls said deuces to Mike James.
- The Grizzlies will sign Seth Curry.
- Chris Smith thinks his spot on the Knicks’ roster is safe. Why wouldn’t he? He earned it.
Draft Notes: Hawks, Bennett, Craft, Ross
Is your favorite team looking to deal future draft choices to make things brighter today? Not so fast. There are rules and regulations to follow. You can get yourself all caught up on the rules for dealing future picks thanks to Luke Adams’ handy guide, published last week. Here’s today’s draft links..
- It may be bad times in Brooklyn but the Nets’ troubles are giving the Hawks reason to smile, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- Everyone feared that the 2013 Draft would be historically bad and the early returns support that, writes Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer. “It’s very early,” ESPN.com analyst Chad Ford said of No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett, “but right now, he’s looking like the worst in the past 20 years. That includes Greg Oden. Oden was injured all the time, but when he played, he at least looked like a No. 1 pick.“
- Dan Kelly of SNY.tv asks if Ohio State’s Aaron Craft and LaQuinton Ross have NBA futures. Craft figures to be the best perimeter defender in this year’s class and is currently slated to go in the second round. Ross, who stands at 6’7″ and boasts a 7’1″ wingspan, has a good build for the two-guard position and can shoot well, but his effort isn’t consistent from game to game. He’s also projected to go in the second round.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Pierce, Celtics, Brooks
Earlier today, Nets GM Billy King confirmed that the Nets will apply for the Disabled Player Exception in a bid to replace injured big man Brook Lopez with outside help. Meanwhile, the Nets have also reportedly discussed Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin with the Rockets. Here’s a look at the Atlantic as the Nets look to salvage their season..
- Howard Beck of Bleacher Report wonders aloud if the Nets should consider dealing Paul Pierce before the February deadline. PIerce can leave as a free agent at the end of the season and if they feel that they can’t regroup in time to make a title run this year, it would make sense to shop the veteran as a short-term rental.
- There is a constant evaluation process happening with the Celtics and no one should be surprised if they make a move that feels like one step forward, or even two steps back, writes SBNation’s Paul Flannery. Meanwhile, Flannery says that it’s telling that the C’s didn’t up their offer of Brandon Bass, Courtney Lee, and a protected future first-round pick for Asik. Boston was only interested in Asik if they could secure him for two contracts that extend beyond this season and once rebuffed, they were okay with walking away.
- Celtics guard MarShon Brooks is anxiously awaiting an opportunity to prove himself in Boston, writes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. The Celtics turned down their fourth-year option on Brooks, making him a free agent at the end of this season.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com tries to read between the lines of Carmelo Anthony‘s recent assertion on NBA TV that LeBron James and Chris Bosh were “smart” to join Dwyane Wade with the Heat in free agency three years ago. Of course, the Knicks star is headed for free agency after this season.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Central Notes: Pacers, Varejao, Deng
The Pacers aren’t looking for Danny Granger trades, but they wouldn’t be averse to such a move if they came across the right deal, as we passed along yesterday. Team president Larry Bird can envision re-signing both Granger and Lance Stephenson in free agency this summer, as Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star noted in his piece, but that could be a tight squeeze unless owner Herb Simon relents on his no-tax pledge, a change of heart Bird seems to hope for. Here’s more on the teams looking up at the first-place Pacers in the Central Division standings:
- The Cavs would have had to relinquish either Anderson Varejao or a first-round pick to acquire Jeff Green if they had acted as a facilitator in a rumored three-way trade, and that’s a price they were unwilling to pay, as Bob Finnan of The News-Herald notes in his weekly column. Finnan also suggests that Asik’s agent, Arn Tellem, wouldn’t have been on board with any trade that sent Omer Asik to Cleveland, where he would back up Andrew Bynum.
- Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com is convinced the Bulls will trade Luol Deng before the deadline if the right offer comes along, in spite of a report that the team is determined not to deal him. Still, Friedell admits Deng’s $14.275MM salary makes him tough to fit into a swap.
- The Bulls are giving recent signee D.J. Augustin heavy minutes, and that indicates that the team will keep him around as the backup point guard this season, Friedell writes in a separate piece.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer checks in with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who’s emerging as a contributor for the Bucks just months after Milwaukee used the 15th overall pick on the then-18-year-old small forward.
- Schmitt Boyer talks trades and other Cavs-related topics in her latest mailbag column.
Nets To Apply For Disabled Player Exception
SUNDAY, 11:48am: The Nets will indeed apply for the disabled player exception, GM Billy King confirms to reporters, including Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Several agents and opposing teams have contacted the Nets to shop their big men, King says, adding that tax concerns won’t preclude the team from making a trade, according to Newsday’s Roderick Boone (Twitter links). The Nets could use the DPE to absorb a player on an expiring deal of no more than $5.25MM, or they could sign a player for as much as $5.15MM to replace Lopez. Still, King cautions that no trade is imminent, as Boone tweets.
SATURDAY, 11:57am: Indications are that the Nets will at least explore using the Disabled Players Exception to replace the injured Brook Lopez, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). David Aldridge of NBA.com, meanwhile, hears that the Nets don’t have plans to go outside at present (link). Earlier today, we learned that the Nets will lose the big man for the season thanks to a broken foot, though the Nets say they’re waiting on official word.
In the short term, the Nets are unlikely to rush out and find a Lopez replacement, Stein tweets. Instead, they’ll rely on Kevin Garnett, Andray Blatche, Mason Plumlee, Mirza Teletovic, and Reggie Evans to pick things up and help fill the void. That could be a tall order given the offensive limitations of Evans, Blatche’s inconsistency, Teletovic’s defensive shortcomings, and Garnett’s overall decline. Brooklyn will also hope to get Andrei Kirilenko back in the fold to help across the board, particularly with rebounding.
The exception would be worth the amount of the non-taxpayer MLE, as explained in Hoops Rumors glossary entry on the DPE.
Southwest Rumors: Mavs, Ajinca, Rockets
Southwest Division teams have been at the center of headlines this weekend, as the Grizzlies have added the younger brother of Stephen Curry while news about the Rockets‘ attempts to trade Omer Asik continues to leak. Here’s the latest from the Southwest:
- Point guard Devin Harris suffered another toe injury and won’t return for at least a couple more weeks, but Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said the team isn’t looking to add a replacement, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News observes.
- The Pelicans are optimistic about Alexis Ajinca‘s upside after signing him this week, but the 25-year-old acknowledges he has to deliver on his promise soon to have a lengthy NBA career, writes Nakia Hogan of The Times-Picayune. “This is my second chance,” Ajinca said. “I know there is not going to be a third chance. I know for sure that it is going to have to happen this year or next year. I’ve been working real hard overseas to get back here. Now I can’t wait to have that opportunity to be on the court and show the world that I have been improving those couple of years.”
- Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley will miss four to six weeks with a broken hand suffered last night against the Pistons, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle notes via Twitter. Even though Jeremy Lin appears ready to return from back spasms, the team plans to call up Isaiah Canaan from the D-League to bolster its depth, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston (Twitter link). Canaan has been on D-League assignment for more than six weeks.