Odds & Ends: Dell Demps, Chris Paul, Mark Cuban
Here's the latest news and headlines from around the league with a weekend chock full of games awaiting…
- Hornets GM Dell Demps says not making a trade at the deadline stems from his belief in his core players even if they struggle to accumulate wins, says Terrance Harris of The Times-Picayune. Demps was presented with a variety of different offers but none of them made sense for his team's future.
- Clippers point guard Chris Paul believes his team is capable of winning a championship even without making a splash at the trade deadline, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. “Let me tell you right now,” he said. “If I didn’t feel like it was, I wouldn’t be playing. I don’t play just for fun. We’re playing to win a championship.”
- Mavs owner Mark Cuban made comments on Friday insinuating that the Lakers should consider using their amnesty clause to rid themselves of Kobe Bryant's contract for next season. Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter) points out Bryant's brand value means even more to the Lakers than his contributions on the court and that Cuban would never amnesty a player like the Black Mamba for that reason.
Free Agent Notes: White, Bell, Fisher
- Doc Rivers says the Celtics are close to signing D.J. White to a deal in hopes of providing depth off the bench as a big man, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter). The team would like to bring in one more frontcourt player to add to the roster.
- The Lakers remain hopeful the Jazz buy out the remainder of Raja Bell's contract so that the veteran can sign with Los Angeles, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). The 36-year-old shooting guard would be counted on to provide strong defense and long-distance shooting.
- Derek Fisher remains another option available for the Lakers as the long-time veteran is eager to return to the court, writes Kennedy (on Twitter). Fisher continues to work out regularly in Las Vegas and has stayed in close contact with Kobe Bryant since being traded to the Rockets last season.
New York Notes: Grunwald, Adjustments, King
One day removed from the trade deadline and both New York teams find themselves in the midst of a battle for playoff positioning. The Knicks seem poised to finish with top three seed while the Nets' future remains uncertain given the unsteady play of the roster. Here's a look at the latest news and notes from Manhattan to Brooklyn.
- Knicks GM Glen Grunwald says that teams have adjusted to the Knicks offense over the course of the season, which is a major reason why New York has cooled off in recent weeks after a strong start, writes Marc Raimondi of the New York Post. “If we start to play like we did the beginning of the year offensively and the way we did defensively last year, we have the ability to compete for a champ,” Grunwald said.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPN.com points out eight changes the Knicks need to make on both sides of the ball if they want to continue to chase the Heat for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Zwerling considers preventing transition as a major factor for future success as the team continues to get beat getting back to the basket.
- Nets GM Billy King denies having a conversation with team owner Mikhail Prokhorov on Brooklyn reaching the conference finals as the goal for the season, writes Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press (via Twitter). King believes the media is responsible for constructing the rumor.
Eastern Notes: Bucks, Warrick, Ohlbrecht
The calm after the deadline storm has teams reconfiguring lineups and making minor moves to fill out open roster spots for the remainder of the season or simply the next 10 days. Let's catch up around the Eastern Conference for the latest news and stories making headlines.
- The Bucks made the move to acquire J.J. Redick with the mindset of winning this season, according to ESPN.com (courtesy of the Associated Press). With a deep backcourt, Milwaukee will look to secure the seventh or eighth seed and shoot its way beyond the first round of the playoffs.
- Don't expect Hakim Warrick to be out of work long if the Magic decide to release the former Syracuse star, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). Bonnell points to the Celtics as a possible landing spot to help provide depth off the bench.
- D-League big man Tim Ohlbrecht reportedly turned down a 10-day contract from the Celtics, says Sportando. The German center has spent the season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers where he has averaged 13.3 PPG and 7.3 PPG.
- Nets GM Billy King denies having had any interest in signing the newest member of the Knicks, Kenyon Martin, as the team already has enough frontcourt players at this point in the season, says Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Bulls Exploring Boozer Trade For Bargnani
FRIDAY, 7:58am: The discussions between the Raptors and Bulls happened over a week ago, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, who says talks were initiated by the Bulls. Talks aren't currently active, but could be revisited by the Raps and could also expand to include Nate Robinson and John Lucas III.
Both Johnson and Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times suggest a deal is unlikely, since Toronto would be reluctant to take on Boozer's contract. According to Johnson, the Bulls are also not likely to amnesty Boozer this summer, assuming they hang on to him through February 21st.
THURSDAY, 5:09pm: The Bulls are looking into a potential trade with the Raptors that would send big man Carlos Boozer to Toronto in exchange for Andrea Bargnani, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. More pieces will need to be added to any prospective deal as Boozer makes $5MM more than Bargnani this season.
While the Bulls could seemingly save money with the deal, the Raptors do not have an expiring contract to send to Chicago, thus making financial flexibility less likely for the Bulls. Conversely, the addition of Boozer to the Toronto roster would likely put the Raptors well into the luxury tax for next season. If traded, neither player would be eligible to be amnestied by their new team as an amnesty candidate must be on his pre-lockout team under a pre-lockout contract.
Boozer, 31, would provide the Raptors with a strong post presence as he's averaged 15.7 PPG and 9.6 RPG in 45 appearances. Toronto originally had interest in acquiring Pau Gasol from the Lakers until the Spaniard injured his foot earlier this week.
Bargnani, 27, offers the Bulls perimeter shooting that the team believes it so desperately lacks. The former overall number one pick has averaged 15.9 PPG and 4.3 RPG in 22 games this season.
Odds & Ends: Eric Bledsoe, Draft, Players Abroad
On this date in 1987, Michael Jordan won his first NBA Slam Dunk contest in Seattle with his famous leap from the foul line maneuver that wowed the sold-out crowd and viewers across the country. Let's catch up on the latest news and stories making headlines from around the league.
- Clippers point guard Eric Bledsoe hasn't let himself get too concerned about trade rumors involving his name, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. “Right now, I’m focused on Miami,” Bledsoe said. “We play Miami next and I’m thinking about Miami. I’m just worried about winning. Everything else is going to happen.”
- Unlike in 2012 when the whole world knew Anthony Davis would be selected number one overall in the NBA draft, there is a lack of certainty surrounding the pick in 2013, says Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd). Ford analyzes six different potential selections, including Kentucky star Nerlens Noel, who he considers to be the closest thing to a top pick at this point in the year.
- Max Ogden of Sheridan Hoops looks at the current situations of former NBA stars such as Gilbert Arenas and Tracy McGrady as they continue their careers overseas.
Poll: Will Lakers Make A Trade Before Deadline?
The Lakers face a difficult situation heading into the All-Star Break with the trade deadline less than two weeks away. With the news of Pau Gasol's lack of availability for the next 6-8 weeks and Dwight Howard's inability to stay 100 percent healthy, Los Angeles must determine if being active in the trade market may make sense for the team.
Some pundits have argued that the Lakers's system under head coach Mike D'Antoni would be a bad fit for incoming players at this point in the season. Additionally, the Lakers' best trade piece, Gasol, no longer has any value so long as he is recovering from his foot injury. Internally, Earl Clark has emerged as a key contributor for the Lakers after merely being a throw-in in the Howard trade last year, but Los Angeles may need more if it hopes to reach the playoffs.
As mentioned earlier today, D'Antoni plans to speak with Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak regarding the team roster while in Miami on Sunday. The Lakers will be able to make a trade thanks to the disabled player exception which gives them the opportunity to acquire a player making up to $1.88MM this season. While Los Angeles may not have a wealth of financial flexibility to make a trade before the deadline, the question still remains whether they will make it.
Odds & Ends: West, Moore, Durant
With the last of the late games of the evening close to being in the books, let's catch up on the latest news and stories from around the league…
- Delonte West will not be joining the Texas Legends of the D-League as the oft-troubled veteran looks to return to the NBA, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. The decision may lead to a severing of ties between the player and his representation.
- E'Twaun Moore has demonstrated growth in his all-around game after being traded by the Celtics this past offseason as he's become a steady contributor for the Magic, says Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com.
- Much issue has been made about Kevin Durant's height around the Thunder locker room as the player himself swears he's no taller than 6-foot-9, writes Caplan. While he's not exactly Hasheem Thabeet's size, many players on the team believed Durant to be taller than his listed height.
Eastern Notes: Trade Rumors, Calderon, Bobcats
LeBron James began the month of February by learning he had won Eastern Conference Player of the Month for January. James has earned the honor each month this season. Here's the latest news and stories making headlines around the conference.
- With the first major trade in the books, it's time to consider who else will be changing teams before the trade deadline, write Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports. Both writers point to Josh Smith as the top candidate to be moved in the coming weeks.
- Pistons GM Joe Dumars says his team would be interested in retaining newly-acquired Jose Calderon's services beyond this season, writes David Mayo of MLive.com. Calderon, 31, will become a free agent this summer.
- The Bobcats may enter the summer $20MM under the salary cap and in search of max-level free agents, says Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Look for Charlotte to address depth at the power forward and center positions with its financial flexibility after the season.
Western Notes: Jazz, Lakers, Pelicans, Suns
Kyrie Irving, Paul George and Jrue Holiday (all Eastern Conference players) all have become the first players born in the 1990s to make an NBA All-Star Game. Here's what's happening right now in the Western Conference.
- The Jazz and the Lakers are headed in different directions in the standings even though Los Angeles boasts a vastly more talented roster than Utah, writes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News.
- There's much more to the story of why the Benson family elected to change the name of New Orleans' professional basketball team from the Hornets to the Pelicans, says Henry Abbott of ESPN.com.
- Suns GM Lance Blanks faces a franchise in turmoil after making a head coaching change that saw the departure of two assistant coaches, writes Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports. "In this business, you can't wiggle your nose and manufacture success, or rub rocks together. You've got to roll up your sleeves and do the things that are necessary to be successful."