Carmelo Anthony Rumors: Thursday
With Carmelo Anthony not yet a real trade candidate, and still months from free agency, we’re not likely to have daily rumor posts about him anytime soon. However, both the New York Post and the New York Daily News have intriguing updates on the Knicks star today, so we’ll round up the highlights from the two pieces below:
- Seeing Stephon Marbury get heckled on Christmas Day during his first visit to Madison Square Garden in three years may stick with Carmelo, a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post. “He doesn’t want to be the next Marbury. He’s very sensitive,” the source said, referring to the fact that the former Knicks guard is viewed as the poster boy of a losing era for the team.
- Anthony not only wants to play for a winner, but also “desperately” wants to continue playing in a big market, according to Berman, who says that in addition to New York, Los Angeles (both teams) and even Chicago are on Carmelo’s short list. Berman adds that the Bulls would intrigue Anthony in part because he has a lot of respect for coach Tom Thibodeau. Still, the Knicks remain Carmelo’s top choice, assuming he sees that the club has a solid plan for the future in place, writes Berman.
- A source who has played with Anthony spoke to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, expressing a belief that his former teammate will sign elsewhere in free agency. “I think he’s leaving,” said Carmelo’s unnamed ex-teammate. “I’ve played with Melo for a long time and he knows he can’t win [in New York]. At this stage, all he wants to do is win. That’s why he’ll leave.”
- According to Isola, those comments echo the thoughts of “several people close to Anthony who believe he’s ready to leave.”
Latest On Hedo Turkoglu
As the Cavaliers call “virtually every team in the league” to gauge interest in Andrew Bynum‘s pseudo-expiring contract, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reminds us that the Magic hold a similar trade chip in Hedo Turkoglu. Like Bynum, Turkoglu is on a $12MM contract that is currently only partially guaranteed for $6MM. His salary would become fully guaranteed if he’s not released on or before next Tuesday.
While the two players’ salaries may be similar, there are a few differences in the two situations, as Stein writes. Besides the fact that Bynum, two years removed from an All-Star appearance, has more upside, the Cavs also appear much more willing to take on salary in any trade. Depending on how much time Kyrie Irving misses with his knee injury, the Cavs still seem interested in pushing for a playoff spot, while the Magic would be less inclined to pursue a short-team piece earning significantly more than Turkoglu, such as Pau Gasol.
As for Turkoglu himself, even though he and the Magic mutually agreed he wouldn’t join the squad this year, he continues to work out on his own and remains committed to contributing to an NBA team. According to Stein, the veteran forward “badly wants the chance” to earn minutes somewhere once his situation is resolved. Assuming the Magic can’t find a trade partner within the next few days and waive Turkoglu by Tuesday, the 34-year-old will seek out a new team upon clearing waivers, Stein tweets.
Odds & Ends: Irving, Raptors, Trade Talk
As the Andrew Bynum rumors continue to pour in, the Cavaliers got some very good news today. Currently sitting only three games out of the East’s eight seed, the Cavs announced that star guard Kyrie Irving‘s left knee sustained no structural damage on Tuesday when he had to be helped off the court after an awkward fall.
Let’s take a look at what else is happening around the NBA on Wednesday:
- As Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM writes, the rebuild that the Raptors appeared to be destined for a month or two ago may have already happened in the form of the Rudy Gay trade, which has galvanized the remaining Raptors and given Dwane Casey a bench to work with.
- For Insiders, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton outlines what to watch for in the NBA in 2014, including whether flawed but dangerous teams like the Clippers, Blazers and Rockets will load up for a playoff run as well as if one of the top prospects for the 2014 NBA Draft separates himself from the pack by June.
- There are some players that will still be off limits for that trio of teams via trade, as well as the rest of the NBA, as Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld writes. Pincus outlines every player not yet eligible to be traded because of a variety of NBA rules.
- Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld lists Ben Gordon, Paul Pierce, Danny Granger, Kris Humphries and Amar’e Stoudemire as soon-to-be free agents that will likely have to deal with significant pay cuts in their new deals this summer. Brigham designates Andris Biedrins, Emeka Okafor and Richard Jefferson as honorable mentions.
D-League Notes: McCollum, Cunningham, Brooks
At this point, 18 of the 30 NBA teams have sent players on D-League assignments this season and we have three more today. Below are the details. Don’t forget to reference our D-League assignment tracker to keep tabs of all of the moves this year.
- The Blazers have assigned C.J. McCollum to the Idaho Stampede, their D-League affiliate, the team announced today via press release. Portland selected McCollum with the No. 10 pick in June’s NBA Draft and the rookie fractured his left foot in training camp in October. He was just cleared to resume practice, and will play for the Stampede on Friday and Saturday, according to the team.
- The Hawks have assigned guard Jared Cunningham back to the Bakersfield Jam, the team announced today via news release. Cunningham, who has appeared in three games for Atlanta this season, was recalled from Bakersfield on December 29. This is the third time the team has assigned him to the Jam this season.
- We heard earlier today that the Celtics assigned MarShon Brooks to the Maine Red Claws. While many will assume the move represents a demotion, Brad Stevens and the Celtics don’t see it that way, writes Marc D’Amico of Celtics.com. Brooks hasn’t been playing much in Boston, and with a busy game schedule in the near future, the assignment will allow Brooks to get on the court somewhere.
Andrew Bynum Rumors: Wednesday
Since the Cavaliers suspended Andrew Bynum last Saturday, numerous rumors have circulated about what kind of action Cleveland will take with their disgruntled center. Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today breaks down three options the club has in regards to Bynum and suggests that holding on to the big man might be the best move if the Cavs can’t find a suitable trade partner. According to Zillgitt, rival executives believe waiving Bynum is the last route Cleveland should take. Let’s have a look at the latest Bynum rumors:
- TNT’s David Aldridge agrees with Kyler, tweeting that the rumored swap of Bynum and Gasol is not likely to happen.
- Zillgitt checks back in on Twitter to confirm another piece of the Kyler report: that rival executives believe the Cavs are reaching in trade discussions because of the lack of a market for Bynum.
- Meanwhile, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio cites a source that thinks the deal could still happen, but concedes that the Lakers are downplaying talks (via Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- In the same piece, Zillgitt notes that the Cavs reached out to the Bulls and inquired on a trade that would send Luol Deng to Cleveland in exchange for Bynum. However, a source confirmed that Chicago wasn’t interested.
- Zillgitt echoes earlier reports that the Clippers would have interest in Bynum if the Cavs were to release him.
- The Heat wouldn’t have interest in signing the center, despite earlier reports suggesting otherwise, Zillgitt hears from an anonymous source.
- Fittingly, Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report outlines reasons why Bynum wouldn’t be a good fit for the Heat. The primary reason Skolnick cites is Bynum’s lack of passion for the game, a trait which doesn’t align with Miami’s fundamental principles.
- The rumored Pau Gasol/Bynum swap that would send Bynum to the Lakers is unlikely to happen, opines Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. He believes the Cavaliers are trying to get “something for nothing” with Bynum’s contract and hears the Lakers intend on keeping Gasol for now. (Twitter links)
Lakers Notes: Farmar, Young, Gasol, Bynum
The Lakers have dropped six straight games after hovering around the .500 mark for much of the season. With nine of their next 13 games set to take place outside of Los Angeles, the club is going to have a hard time clawing their way back up in the Pacific Division. Here’s the latest on the Lakers:
- New broke today that Jordan Farmar will miss at least four weeks with a torn hamstring. With Steve Blake and Steve Nash sidelined, this means that the recently signed Kendall Marshall will be the only healthy point guard on the team, as Mike Trudell of Lakers.com points out via Twitter.
- Offseason acquisition Nick Young has been a bright spot for the Lakers this season, and Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times notes that despite his sometimes questionable shot selection, the veteran guard has far exceeded expectations.
- Pau Gasol is being affected by the trade rumors implicating him in a potential swap with Andrew Bynum, reports J.A. Adande of ESPN.com. Adande passes along several remarks made by Gasol indicating that the big man would like to stay in Los Angeles: “It’s kind of out of my control. I’d like to continue to be here. It’s been my home for the good and the bad and everything else… We’re struggling right now, and that doesn’t help.”
- This morning we heard that the outcome of Kyrie Irving‘s MRI would impact the chances of a potential Gasol/Bynum swap. I’d imagine Farmar’s injury could play a role on the Lakers’ side of the possible deal, but there’s no word yet on just how much it will affect the reported discussion.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Tyler, Celtics, Brooks
It’s a new year, and both the Knicks and the Nets will be looking for fresh starts. The two New York clubs have failed to meet expectations after being preseason favorites to compete for the Atlantic Division title. While there’s plenty of time left to make a run, the solid play from the Raptors since Rudy Gay‘s departure has many believing both NYC teams will fall short of making the postseason. Let’s take a look at some notes from the Atlantic Division..
- Tim Bontemps of the New York Post discusses whether the Nets are a bad team, or just one riddled with injuries. While it’s tough to draw any definite conclusions, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich seems to believe that latter: “They’ve had everything hit them,” Popovich said. “They’ve had a gazillion new players. They’ve had injuries that are ridiculous. You can almost not even begin to deal with that. You have to have all your bodies there.”
- It’s been a turbulent professional career for the recently signed Knicks big man Jeremy Tyler, and the latest piece from Scott Cacciola of the New York Times revisits the events that led up to New York signing the once promising center.
- The Celtics will have quite a bit of financial flexibility this summer, and Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com predicts that the C’s are going to have a good opportunity to beef up their already surprisingly solid roster.
- Speaking of the Celtics, the team announced via press release this morning that they’ve assigned MarShon Brooks to their D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. Yesterday, Chuck Myron labeled Brooks as a possible candidate to see a D-League assignment.
Eastern Notes: Wizards, Beasley, Salmons
The Wizards have won five of their last six and are fourth in the Eastern Conference, but they’re not about to get complacent. “We just got to continue to move forward . . . not get complacent with the wins,” Beal said, according to Michael Lee of the Washington Post. “We’ve got to continue to play as a team and move forward. We’re back where we want to be, but we have to get over that hump and I think we have a great opportunity in front of us to be able to do something.” More from the East..
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if he sees offseason pickup Michael Beasley expanding his role even more this season. Ultimately, Winderman writes, it comes down to whether coach Erik Spoelstra grows confident enough to start him, which doesn’t seem that likely at the moment. Otherwise, he still sets up behind Ray Allen, Chris Andersen, Norris Cole, and possibly even Rashard Lewis in the reserve rotation.
- John Salmons is turning into quite the closer for the Raptors, even if they don’t call his number for the big shots at the big moments, writes Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. Toronto acquired Salmons in December’s Rudy Gay trade with Sacramento. Meanwhile, the forward is considered by some to be a trade candidate.
- The Bulls want to keep recent pickup D.J. Augustin in a backup role, writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. He was starting at the one in place of Kirk Hinrich when he was injured, but Hinrich will continue to stay in the first rotation. The Bulls signed Augustin back in mid-December and, so far, he has impressed.
- DeMar DeRozan‘s solid play has mirrored the Raptors‘ late-season surge, writes Eric Koreen of the National Post. Meanwhile, despite Gay’s absence, DeRozan is actually averaging slightly fewer field-goal attempts per game than he was before the trade.
Suns Will Do “Whatever It Takes” To Keep Bledsoe
The Suns decided against trying to hammer out an extension with guard Eric Bledsoe before this year’s Halloween deadline. The rationale from Phoenix over the offseason was that they wanted to know for sure that the athletic Kentucky product would shine in his first full year as a starter. Now that he’s left no doubt, GM Ryan McDonough says there’s no way he’ll let Bledsoe walk as a restricted free agent.
“Obviously we don’t have a whole lot of money committed for the future, we don’t have a lot of long-term contracts on our books. So we’ll have no problem stepping up and paying Eric whatever it takes to keep him,” McDonough told Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.
In addition to the built-in advantages that Phoenix has in their effort to re-sign him (five contract years versus four from others, high percentage increases), McDonough points out that Bledsoe is also happy with the Suns. Meanwhile, Bledsoe isn’t bitter over not getting a contract before the season. The guard told his agent back in October that he was fully prepared to play without a deal beyond the 2013/14 season.
The 24-year-old has been nothing short of stellar in his first year with the Suns, averaging 18.0 PPG and 5.8 APG with a PER of 20.2.
Cavs, Lakers Discussing Bynum, Gasol
WEDNESDAY, 8:45am: The outcome of Kyrie Irving‘s forthcoming MRI exam is likely to have a big impact on how the talks proceed from here, according to the latest update from Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
Irving told reporters Tuesday night that he felt a “pop” in his left knee after suffering the injury during Cleveland’s loss to the Pacers and an MRI is scheduled for Wednesday. If Irving is out for a substantial length of time, it’s believed that the Cavaliers’ appetite to take on additional salary in pursuit of a playoff push would be diminished. Still, talks between the two sides continued yesterday and a deal still seems possible, provided that the Cavs’ star guard won’t miss a significant length of time.
TUESDAY, 2:37pm: Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times seems to back up Medina’s report, hearing from a source that the idea of the Lakers taking on Bynum would be a stretch.
2:25pm: Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News throws cold water on the idea of such a deal, writing that “the Lakers would never under any circumstances” accept the proposal that Windhorst and Shelburne reported overnight. The Lakers don’t want Bynum back, and they wouldn’t even be interested in acquiring his contract just so they could waive him before the deal becomes guaranteed next week, according to Medina. The Lakers are also holding out hope that Gasol will improve his play as the season goes on.
2:19pm: The Lakers are seeking a first-round pick in a Bynum-Gasol deal, but the Cavaliers are balking at that idea, according to the Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto. If they were to trade a pick, the Cavs would be more willing to give up the Heat’s 2015 first-rounder acquired through a previous trade than surrender one of their own selections. Nonetheless, both teams are serious about striking some kind of compromise, Pluto writes.
7:51am: Nearly 17 months after they sent him to the Sixers, the Lakers are mulling the possibility of reacquiring Andrew Bynum, according to Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. The ESPN duo reports that the Lakers and Cavaliers have had discussions about a trade that would sent Bynum back to Los Angeles in a package for Pau Gasol. No deal is imminent, but the two sides are weighing their options in advance of January 7th, this season’s contract guarantee deadline.
By trading Gasol for Bynum, and subsequently waiving Bynum before his full 2013/14 salary becomes guaranteed in January, the Lakers could potentially get out of luxury-tax territory for this season, depending on what other pieces were included in the deal. At the very least, it would significantly reduce the team’s payroll and tax bill, and would give L.A. more financial flexibility going forward. Since Gasol’s full-season salary is worth about $7MM more than Bynum’s, the Cavs would have to include at least one other player in the hypothetical swap for it to work under CBA rules. Adding C.J. Miles, or any player or combination of players earning more money than Miles’ $2.25MM, would make a Gasol/Bynum trade legal.
Still, the Lakers would have a hard time parting with Gasol without receiving some assets of value in return, according to Windhorst and Sherburne. Given the club’s storied history, a simple salary dump likely isn’t in the cards, even if the ability to avoid the repeater tax would be extremely beneficial. The ESPN duo notes that there’s still a strong organizational sentiment within the Lakers to let the current group get healthy and try to contend before the front office does anything drastic.
As for the Cavs, they also pursued Gasol in the summer, conducting extensive discussions with the Lakers before Dwight Howard signed with the Rockets, according to the ESPN report. Windhorst and Shelburne also suggest that Cleveland has engaged in talks with the Bulls about a similar deal that would involve Bynum and Luol Deng. Like the Lakers, the Bulls could get out of tax territory, or at least very close to it, by swapping Deng in a package for Bynum, then cutting the big man before his $12.25MM salary becomes guaranteed. However, Chicago still doesn’t seem inclined to move Deng at this point.
Cost-cutting moves by teams like the Lakers and Bulls, who are typically perennial contenders, may not have even been considered if not for the new CBA. As Windhorst points out (via Twitter), the new luxury tax, and the repeater tax in particular, is far more punitive than it was a few years ago, so clubs with expensive, non-contending rosters may be more inclined to cut their losses. Whether or not the Lakers or Bulls opt for that route, it’ll be something to watch closely as 2014’s trade deadline approaches.