Atlantic Notes: Carmelo, Lopez, Patterson
Carmelo Anthony brushed off rumors of trade talks involving him and Blake Griffin, calling the reports “silly and stupid” to gathered media today, including Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). That doesn’t mean that he and Chris Paul wouldn’t like to join forces, Isola notes, and Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com wrote yesterday that their desire to play together hasn’t waned since Paul first raised the idea in 2010. Anthony addressed the latest talk linking him to Paul, pointing out that, “It never happens,” as Isola also tweets. Of course, there’s wiggle room with that statement, too, since Anthony didn’t say it will never happen. As cryptic messages and conflicting reports abound, here’s the latest from the Knicks and their Atlantic Division rivals:
- The Nets believe Brook Lopez will recover fully from the latest surgery on his right foot, but if the procedure designed to make the foot more resistant to injury doesn’t prove successful, the 25-year-old’s career is probably in jeopardy, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
- Patrick Patterson‘s strong play has helped fuel the resurgence of the Raptors following his acquisition as part of the Rudy Gay trade, observes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
- The Knicks and Clippers are denying that they’ve had internal discussions about an Anthony/CP3 trade, but with the Knicks far adrift from their title aspirations, Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal thinks New York’s front office should be open to such a deal.
- Tom Moore of The Intelligencer wonders how the Sixers would have fared if they hadn’t traded Jrue Holiday this past summer.
Notable NBA Veterans Signing In D-League
The D-League showcase runs today through Thursday in Reno, Nevada, where scouts from NBA teams have gathered to see veteran and youthful prospects alike. All 17 D-League clubs are competing, giving talent evaluators a chance to do some one-stop shopping. It’s also an opportunity for players to make a positive impression in a conspicuous forum, and several NBA veterans have entered the D-League in the past few days with eyes on doing just that.
Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors put together a complete register of D-League players with NBA experience when the D-League season began in late November, but several noteworthy names have joined the developmental circuit since then. We’ll run them down here, with their last regular season NBA action detailed in parentheses. This list also includes a bit of news, as CSNBayArea.com noted last night that the Santa Cruz Warriors, the affiliate of the Golden State Warriors, have acquired Dominic McGuire. Players commonly sign with the D-League itself rather than with individual teams, so a few of the most recent signees have yet to be placed on a club, as we note below:
- Ike Diogu, Bakersfield Jam (Spurs, 2011/12)
- Kyrylo Fesenko, D-League team TBA (Pacers, 2011/12)
- Dominic McGuire, Santa Cruz Warriors (Pacers, 2012/13)
- Chris Smith, D-League team TBA (Knicks, 2013/14)
- Von Wafer, D-League team TBA
- Reggie Williams, Tulsa 66ers (Bobcats, 2012/13)
- Terrence Williams, Los Angeles D-Fenders (Celtics, 2012/13)
Pacific Notes: Warriors, Suns, Brown, Kings
The Warriors have let the WNBA know that they’re interested in taking over a franchise, a day after the Los Angeles Sparks’ ownership ceased operations, writes Michelle Smith of ESPNW. “Our ownership group has maintained their interest in operating a WNBA team in the Bay Area since acquiring the Warriors three years ago,” Warriors team spokesman Raymond Ridder said. “We’ve had exploratory conversations relating to this topic with the WNBA on several occasions since 2010, including most recently regarding the Los Angeles franchise. At this point, our dialogue remains in the exploratory stage as we evaluate the complexities of any such acquisition now or in the future.”
A few other notes around the Pacific Division.
- The Suns, rookie GM Ryan McDonough, and Coach of the Month Jeff Hornacek are exceeding expectations, writes Jan Hubbard of Sheridan Hoops. While many thought the Suns would be one of the teams tanking for the first overall draft pick, it appears the Suns will now pursue rebuilding through other means. Hubbard believes the Suns will be able to continue being successful this season without hurting their chances at being successful in the near future. Hubbard believes the Suns holding six first-round picks and max cap space will allow them to successfully rebuild in the near future.
- Former Lakers and Suns player Shannon Brown is continuing to talk to NBA teams but according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo, he is becoming more engaged with offers in China. (Twitter Link) Brown hasn’t played in the NBA this season since being traded in October from the Suns to the Wizards and then waived shortly thereafter.
- The Kings have recalled Hamady N’Diaye from their D-League affiliate after assigning him yesterday. This is the second time the Kings have sent N’Diaye to the D-League for only a day. N’Diaye has appeared in 14 games for the Kings this season, averaging 5.3 minutes in those appearances.
- Although it appeared all was going well for Derrick Williams during the seven games he started for the Kings, things have gone downhill since he has been sent to the bench. Williams started the seven games following his trade from the Timberwolves but was benched shortly after the Kings acquired Rudy Gay from the Raptors. According to James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom, Kings’ coach Michael Malone thinks Williams has been the player affected the most by the Gay trade. Malone has informed Williams, though, to keep his head up and that there is currently no pressure on him.
Zach Links and Charlie Adams contributed to this post.
Lakers, Cavs Rekindle Bynum/Gasol Talks
Although it was rumored two days ago that the trade talks between the Cavaliers and Lakers had stalled, Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com are reporting that talks between the teams have started back up and progressed throughout the day today.
In fact, according to the ESPN report, the talks have progressed so rapidly the Cavaliers are hoping to have the trade completed by tomorrow. The reasoning for the deadline tomorrow is because a trade needs 48 hours to be finalized and Andrew Bynum‘s contract becomes fully guaranteed if he’s not released by Tuesday. The Lakers (and other teams) are looking at trading for Bynum as an easy way to lower their payroll (via immediately waiving Bynum) in the middle of a season. This is especially important to the Lakers as they are trying to avoid the dreaded repeater tax.
According to Windhorst and Shelburne, the Lakers desire to obtain a young player or a draft pick in exchange for Pau Gasol appears to be what has been stalling the trade talks all along.
Clippers Looking Outside NBA For Point Guard
With Chris Paul separating his shoulder Friday night against the Mavericks it appears the point guard will spend a substantial amount of time on the bench. Head coach and Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Doc Rivers hinted that the Clippers may be looking as far as players outside the NBA to fill this hole. Rivers told Eric Patten of Clippers.com they “aren’t going to do much right now” and will just “wait and see what the report is on Chris and how Maalik Wayns is coming along.”
Wayns hasn’t played since the preseason when he tore his meniscus but was activated January 1st shortly before the Clippers played the Bobcats. Rivers told Patten that Wayns still isn’t ready to join the rotation and as we have noted, the Clippers have to make a decision on whether they even want to keep Maalik before his contract becomes fully guaranteed on January 10th.
With only Darren Collison guaranteed to play at point guard for the next few weeks, Doc Rivers told Patten they are looking at a few guys that could get out of their contracts in China. Rivers did also hint that they may not sign a point guard and may look for a shooting guard that could handle the ball.
According to ESPN’s Arash Markazi, two point guards currently playing in China that could be options for LA are Delonte West and Bobby Brown. (Twitter Link) West last played in the NBA for the Mavericks in 2011/12 and Brown last saw regular season NBA action with the Clippers back in 2009/10. West seems to have the advantage to get Clipper consideration over Brown as he played for Rivers two separate times in Boston.
The Clippers are at the 15-man maximum roster limit so any signing will subsequently require a player to be waived. The two players most likely to be waived would be those playing with non-guaranteed contracts, previously mentioned Wayns and 13 year veteran Stephen Jackson.
Kurt Thomas Considering NBA Return
Kurt Thomas is interested in returning to the NBA to play for a championship-caliber team, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. Thomas most recently saw action as a member of last year’s Knicks team that lost to Indiana in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The action he saw for New York was sparse, playing in just 39 contests and averaging about 10 minutes per game.
Despite his recent stint with the Knicks, Thomas’ agent Jerry Hicks said that his client won’t have any interest in playing for New York: “If the right call comes, he’d come back,’’ Hicks told The New York Post. “He’d only play for a club that has a legitimate chance at winning a championship. Not the Knicks, I can tell you that.” When asked why Thomas wasn’t interested in playing for the Knicks, Hicks replied that it was “not the right situation.”
Teams are eligible to offer players 10-day contracts on Monday, as Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron detailed earlier today. If Thomas is to sign on with a club, it will probably be through such a deal since Thomas, 41, is on the last leg of his long NBA career. We’ve yet to hear him implicated in talks with any particular club, but should he see multiple offers, it sounds like he’s likely to ink a pact with whichever squad he sees with the highest potential of winning a title. Thomas hasn’t won a championship in his 18 seasons as a pro.
Knicks, Clippers Deny ‘Melo-For-Griffin Talks
7:44pm: Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld took to Sulia and expanded on the quotation that Woelfel tweeted earlier. Rivers’ full comment on the alleged deal:
“Please, please, let’s move on. That’s so stupid. Let’s move on. It really is, it’s just so stupid. You know how I rarely read stuff, but someone told me to read that. … It’s just stupid. My issue with any of that crap is that network (ESPN), to me, reports a story that they created and then they do reports on it for the next two days, on a story that they created! It’s stupid. [Griffin’s] name isn’t out there. I mean, if you’re the Knicks or whoever, wouldn’t you want Blake Griffin? I would! I don’t see what the story is, I really don’t. I just thought it was such a non-story.”
The Knicks have echoed Rivers’ sentiment and haven’t considered a deal involving Anthony and Griffin, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. According to Berman, the only way the Knicks would attempt to deal for Griffin is if New York was facing a situation where they lost Anthony to another club this summer without compensation.
7:06pm: Before Saturday night’s game against the Spurs, Clippers coach Doc Rivers called the rumors suggesting such a deal between his team and the Knicks “so stupid,” tweets Gary Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.
11:37am: A source tells Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com that the mutual desire Anthony and Paul have to play together is just as strong as it was in 2010, when Paul suggested at Anthony’s wedding that he’d join the Knicks.
8:04am: As Carmelo Anthony plays out the final year of his contract with the Knicks, club officials have discussed proposing a trade to the Clippers for Blake Griffin, league sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. Sources say the Clippers front office has also had internal discussions about such a deal ,but the two sides haven’t talked to each other about a potential deal yet.
As of now, neither team is certain it would pull the trigger. The Clippers appear to be the more reluctant party, however, because of the season Griffin is having. He’s really turned it up as of late, averaging 26 points and nearly 11 rebounds in his past ten games. One source close to the situation said the Clippers’ latest round of talks ended in favor of keeping the 24-year-old.
Meanwhile, New York’s top priority appears to be re-signing Anthony to a long-term deal. Unfortunately for them, the team’s struggles and Melo’s unwillingness to make a commitment to the club mean that they have to explore other possibilities. The Clippers are one possibility for the Knicks since Anthony and Clippers point guard Chris Paul have wanted to play together since 2010 and that sentiment apparently has not changed.
Lakers Might Emerge As Hedo Turkoglu Suitor
The Lakers look to be a team that could have interest in acquiring the recently waived Hedo Turkoglu, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld over at Sulia. We heard earlier that the Lakers reached out to the Magic about the veteran forward before the 34-year-old was waived yesterday. The club reportedly might have interest in signing Turkoglu once he clears waivers.
Kennedy suggests the move would be logical for Los Angeles. The Lakers have been ravaged by backcourt injuries this year, and although he’s not a guard, Turkoglu was often relied upon to run the offense in Orlando as a point forward. The recently signed Kendall Marshall has played well in his short time in LA, and a versatile Turkoglu would provide even more depth for the team that’s currently without Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Jordan Farmar, and Steve Blake.
Turkoglu last saw action in 2012/13, when he struggled mightily for the Magic. In 11 contests and 17 minutes per game, he averaged 2.9 PPG and shot 26% from the floor. Despite his recent struggles, the small forward has had varying levels of success throughout the course of his career and could prove to be a valuable pickup for a team desperately seeking depth.
Bulls Plan To Trade Deng, Amnesty Boozer
In his latest column for the New York Daily News, Mitch Lawrence reveals some interesting tidbits about the Bulls’ future. Lawrence hears from a source with knowledge of the club’s plans that the team wants to move Luol Deng before the trade deadline and plans to amnesty Carlos Boozer this offseason.
We’ve heard that several teams have interest in Deng. His name has been brought up in rumors as part of a potential Andrew Bynum deal, but it’s been reported that the Bulls aren’t interested in such a move. It’s worth noting that many clubs might be unwilling to part with valuable assets for Deng, since he’s on an expiring contract and set to be a big name in free agency come next summer. Earlier reports indicated that the Bulls wanted to retain the veteran forward, but Lawrence’s source says Chicago isn’t willing to pay top dollar for him.
Lawrence also hears that the Bulls plan to amnesty Boozer next summer. Boozer, 32, is set to make $16.8MM in 2014/15, and his on-court production has taken a hit across the board. He’s still playing 30 minutes per game, but his averages in points, rebounds, and field goal percentage are below his career marks. Earlier this month, we passed along a piece that depicted Boozer and Kendrick Perkins as the last players that looked like realistic candidates to be amnestied.
These potential moves, should they come to fruition, would show that the Bulls intend to rebuild the club after losing Derrick Rose to yet another season ending injury. At 13-18, Chicago would still make the postseason as the seventh seed in the weak Eastern Conference if the season ended today. However, it would appear the team is interested in building a squad that could contend for a title down the road rather than just a putting together a club that will finish as a lower-tier playoff group year after year. Lawrence hears neither Rose nor Tom Thibodeau is thrilled with the prospect of rebuilding, but it might be the only way the Bulls can craft a team with realistic title hopes.
Magic Waive Solomon Jones
TUESDAY, 4:29pm: Jones has cleared waivers, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
SATURDAY, 9:04pm: According to a team announcement, the Magic have waived center Solomon Jones. Jones had not seen much time this season due to tearing his meniscus in late October. He only had the chance to play in 11 games for the Magic and averaged 7.7 minutes in those games, averaging 1.3 points and 1.5 rebounds.
It appears the Magic did not need until Tuesday’s deadline to decide how they would handle their non-guaranteed contracts. Orlando’s roster is now down to 13 players, all on guaranteed contracts.