Central Notes: James, Anthony, Vasquez, Bulls

LeBron James is dismissing rumors of a three-team deal that would bring Carmelo Anthony to Cleveland, according to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net“It’s false. That’s the only thing I can look at and see — it’s false,” James told reporters today at All-Star practice in Toronto. James added that he’s not concerned with trade talks involving the Cavaliers. Anthony, also in Toronto for All-Star weekend, said he won’t waive his no-trade clause. “There’s always some trade [stuff] going, I don’t pay attention to those rumors,” Anthony told SiriusXM NBA Radio. “I’m not going anywhere.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

  • The rumored deal doesn’t make sense for the Cavaliers, argues Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Fedor notes that since Tyronn Lue took over as coach, he has been emphasizing ball movement and trying to get away from isolation plays. Fedor says Anthony won’t help with that transition. The trade would send Kevin Love to the Celtics, who have been chasing the power forward for years. Love could be made available, Fedor writes, because his production has been up and down and he has been a poor fit with James and Kyrie Irving.
  • Bucks point guard Greivis Vasquez, who has been sidelined since having ankle surgery in December, expects to be back on the floor in three to four weeks, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Vasquez has appeared in just 16 games this season, averaging 7.1 points and 4.4 assists. Making $6.6MM this year, Vasquez will be a free agent this summer after being acquired from the Raptors in a trade last June.
  • The Bulls couldn’t expect to get equal value back in a trade for Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol or Taj Gibson, writes Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. He notes that Gasol is likely to opt out of his contract this summer, but adds that dealing away the 35-year-old center would doom Chicago’s playoff hopes.
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