Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Grizz, Rockets

Three of the ten NBA teams in action tonight are in the league’s Southwest division, which also seems to be having a busy night in the rumors department. Let’s take a look at the latest coming out of the division:

  • He’s been mentioned frequently in trade rumors and speculation, but Ryan Anderson isn’t going anywhere, says John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. According to Reid, the Pelicans aren’t discussing Anderson in any trade scenarios, and the NBA’s three-point leader (3.5 per game) remains “critical” to the club’s plans.
  • Speaking of the Pelicans, ESPN’s Marc Stein chimes in on the news that Alexis Ajinca is returning stateside to sign with New Orleans, tweeting that he has continuously been told that the improved Frenchman is not the same disappointing player that we last saw in the NBA.
  • In an Insider-only piece, Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com questions whether or not the Grizzlies – ravaged by injuries and part of a ridiculously deep Western Conference – should throw in the towel on this season. Haberstroh says that Memphis is statistically more likely to win the No. 1 selection in June’s draft than they are to make the playoffs, and that “tanking” would undoubtedly include trading grit-and-grind staple Zach Randolph.
  • At the end of his Waiters story, Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report also confirms that the Rockets could trade Omer Asik by Thursday, citing a source familiar with the situation and reiterating potential destinations that we’ve heard about in recent weeks. In addition to the Asik stuff, Zwerling spoke to a source close to Jeremy Lin who said the recent buzz that the point guard could be traded is just rumors for now and that nothing is “imminent.”
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