Odds & Ends: Stern, Barbosa, Wallace
In an exciting night of basketball that saw the Raptors notch their third straight victory and the Heat come away with a hard-fought win over the Thunder at home, we tip our proverbial hats to the Spurs, winners of nine in a row. The Hornets were the big surprise of the evening as the squad featured six scorers in double figures in a stunning two-point upset of the Nuggets as they welcomed Eric Gordon back in the lineup. Let's take a look around the league to see what else is happening as the Lakers and Clippers battle for bragging rights (and playoff positioning) at the Staples Center.
- NBA commissioner David Stern spoke with the media on Wednesday and gave praise to the Spurs, Thunder and Jazz for being three model small-market franchises, writes Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake City Tribune. When asked about the Sacramento arena situation, Stern replied that he was more "hopeful than confident" that an agreement would be reached regarding the financial responsibilities surrounding pre-development funding. Smith also reports that Stern would like to see deputy commissioner Adam Silver succeed him upon his retirement.
- The Pacers have gone 8-3 with Leandro Barbosa on the court since acquiring him from the Raptors at the trade deadline. Barbosa has been especially effective in his last three games, all of which have featured double-digit scoring while making at least half of his shots from the field. While the Brazilian has lost fantasy value due to decreased minutes as compared to his time with the Raptors, he's played a significant role in providing depth for the surging Pacers off the bench.
- Mike Tokito of The Oregonian caught up with Gerald Wallace during his return to Portland and discussed the recent trade that saw the former Alabama forward land with the Nets. Wallace didn't see the trade coming but wasn't as affected by the move since he had been dealt last season by the Bobcats, the club he had been a member of for the majority of his career.
Poll: Did Inactivity At Trade Deadline Hurt Sixers?
On February 6th, the Sixers were 18-7 and looked poised to make a deep playoff run after beating the Lakers by five at home. Wednesday evening saw Doug Collins’ squad fall to the lowly Raptors by the score of 99-78, bringing their record to 29-25. With the Sixers’ current collapse dropping them to the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, the question becomes whether the team made the right choice to essentially keep their roster completely intact at the trade deadline.
Let us know your thoughts below.
Knicks Notes: Woodson, Lin, Playoffs
The Knicks remain the eighth seed after Tuesday night's eight-point loss to the Pacers in which Carmelo Anthony went off for 39 points. Up by as many as 17 points at one point, the Knicks were outscored 40-17 in the fourth quarter by the Pacers. Here's the latest news on the injury-riddled Knicks as they look to turn things around on Thursday with a game against the Magic in Orlando.
- The chatter about Kentucky head coach John Calipari heading to the Knicks after the season doesn't phase interim head coach Mike Woodson, writes Newsday's Al Iannazzone. "It ain't about my job, my security or where I am going to be. I'm happy with me. They'll make the right decision, whatever way they decide to go. My job right now is these guys that are in uniform and the guys that are hurt, make sure they're prepared and ready to play basketball." Woodson battled with a lack of job security for years as the head coach of the Hawks even after improving the team's record each season he was there.
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld says Jeremy Lin will attempt to return to the Knicks in four weeks, giving him a chance to make it back in time for the playoffs. Sidelined with a meniscus tear in his left knee, Lin was initially expected to miss six weeks but is optimistic that he can rehab quicker than expected after undergoing surgery on Monday. The former Harvard point guard would be making his playoff debut if able to return by the end of April.
- Ian Begley and Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com predict the Knicks will secure the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference with the Sixers plummeting to eighth place in a must-read playoff prediction piece.
Southwest Notes: Belinelli, Boykins, Hornets
Home to both the Western Conference's second-best record (Spurs) and worst record (Hornets), here's the latest news from the Southwest Division.
- In an interview with Sportal.it, Hornets shooting guard Marco Belinelli stated his desire to finish his career in the NBA rather than return to Europe to play in Italy, reports Sportando's Emiliano Carchia. While the Hornets have struggled since trading Chris Paul to the Clippers in December for a package headlined by Eric Gordon, Belinelli has flourished this season thanks to his ability to stay healthy. The former first-round pick has seen his minutes increase to over 30 per game leading to a scoring average of 11.8 PPG.
- Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle says the Rockets are expected to re-sign Earl Boykins on Thursday to either another 10-day contract or for the remainder of the season (via Twitter). Feigen tweets the Rockets will presumably sign him for the rest of the season with a non-guaranteed contract for next year, which may not be of interest to a veteran like Boykins. The former Eastern Michigan guard, 35, is averaging 6.4 PPG and 3.0 APG in five games with the Rockets.
- David Stern says the Hornets are in serious negotiations with three different ownership groups and hope to soon have a future TV deal in place as well, tweets Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Franchise Notes: Kings, Warriors, Seattle
With a full slate of NBA action about to get underway, let's first head to the Pacific Division where arena-related news is being made all the way from Oakland to Seattle.
- More financial problems continue to plague to the development of the Sacramento arena, reports Ryan Lillis of The Sacramento Bee. With the Kings refusing to pay any pre-development costs, the Sacramento City Council voted in favor of using $200,000 from the NBA to provide funding for two weeks of worth of initial site work. The Maloof family, the owners of the Kings, contend that they never agreed to provide a monetary contribution toward the pre-development costs of the arena.
- J.Michael Falgoust of USA TODAY wonders if Sacramento is in danger of losing the Kings as a result of the Maloof family's stubbornness toward the pre-development costs associated with the construction of the arena. The NBA will meet with both sides next week with hopes of resolving the issue. Falgoust believes the arena project will lose any chance of being completed if the dispute cannot be settled.
- The Warriors are planning to relocate their D-League affiliate, the Dakota Wizards, to Santa Cruz, California in time for next season, reports Lou Babiarz of the Bismarck Tribune. The move will allow for an hour and a half drive rather than having to fly from Oakland to Bismarck.
- While MLB's Mariners are in favor of basketball returning to Seattle, they are strongly against the construction of an arena near Safeco Field, writes Lynn Thompson of The Seattle Times. The team fears adding another sports franchise to the Sodo neighborhood will bring myriad parking and scheduling issues that may potentially cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars to circumvent.
Winderman On Cole, Bosh, Free Agency
The Heat head to Boston on Sunday afternoon to take on the Celtics in what could potentially be a playoff preview. Today's game marks the first of three between the two squads during the month of April after the Heat knocked off the Celtics at the beginning of the season. Let's check in with the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman for the latest on the Heat.
- Winderman says that the Heat have made the right decision by sticking with backup point guard Norris Cole during his rough patches rather than turning to an unknown entity like Terrel Harris. Cole, a rookie out of Cleveland State, has struggled to run Erik Spoelstra's offense this season while still managing to score 7.1 PPG in just under 20 minutes per contest.
- While the Heat lack a true center, Winderman contends the easiest path to a championship is taken by accumulating the best players possible rather than considering their respective positions. As such, trading a player like Chris Bosh for a mid-level center would not be the best move the Heat could make to move them closer to achieving their goal of a winning a ring.
- There's been a great deal of talk recently from upcoming free agents expressing interest in joining the Heat. From Steve Nash to Jason Terry, the desire to come to South Beach is there, but Winderman questions whether it's really just talk once it comes down to actually signing a contract for less than market value.
Marbury Not Interested In Joining Knicks
Former Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury has no interest in returning to the Knicks even if the team reaches out to him to help their beleaguered backcourt for the remainder of the season, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. The New York Post contacted Marbury via email and asked him what he would do if the Knicks contacted him about a roster spot now that former head coach Mike D'Antoni is no longer with the team to which Marbury responded that he would do nothing.
The former Georgia Tech star led his team to the CBA championship on Friday night by scoring 42 points in the series-clinching game. While Marbury may be playing well and in great shape according to J.R. Smith, Knicks head coach Mike Woodson seems content moving forward with Baron Davis, Mike Bibby and Toney Douglas at the point. Davis will remain the starter with Bibby and Douglas competing for backup minutes as the season winds down.
Terry Expresses Offseason Interest In Heat
Mavericks shooting guard Jason Terry is interested in exploring signing with the Heat when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason, reports Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. His comments about the Heat come in the wake of the Mavericks not offering the former Arizona star a contract extension this past offseason as they attempt to clear salary cap space with hopes of making a splashy signing. Terry, 34, is currently averaging 15.2 PPG and 3.5 APG in 49 games with the Mavs.
"No question, they need a veteran shooter, a guy who can score besides LeBron (James) and (Dwyane Wade), and they know they can count on. I'm a guy that's been in this league 13 years, (averaging) 15 points a night, easy. Off the bench or the starting lineup, it doesn't matter. So I think I'd be an asset to them."
Earlier today, we looked at the free agent market for shooting guards and identified Terry as one of the top options along with Ray Allen.
Knicks Notes: Anthony, Woodson, D’Antoni
The Knicks have a well-earned night off after a 108-86 thrashing of the Magic on Wednesday evening thanks to a balanced effort led by Carmelo Anthony and Iman Shumpert. With the victory, the Knicks are now 8-1 under new head coach Mike Woodson, who took over for Mike D'Antoni, who resigned on March 14th. Let's take a look at what else is going on with the Knicks as they continue to deal with the injury bug.
- Tasked as the Knicks' top scoring option since his arrival from the Nuggets, Anthony has finally stepped up as a scorer with two consecutive 25-point performances in his last two games, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
- While Woodson once had a respectable NBA career that stretched over a decade, his foray into coaching was not something he had initially anticipated doing, says Howard Beck of The New York Times.
- By shifting away from D'Antoni's style of play to a heightened emphasis on defense, the Knicks have become more of a complete team driven by energetic play and forcing turnovers, reports Jim Cavan of The New York Times.
Poll: Will Fisher, Odom Return To Lakers?
Since December, the Lakers have parted ways with two veteran players integral to their success under Phil Jackson. Lamar Odom was sent to the Mavericks, where he's struggled mightily, after nearly landing in New Orleans as the Lakers attempted to acquire Chris Paul. More recently, the Lakers dealt Derek Fisher to the Rockets after acquiring Ramon Sessions to run the point for the squad.
Fisher worked out a deal with the Rockets to have his contract bought out and signed with the Thunder to provide backcourt depth and lockerroom leadership. With Fisher returning to Los Angeles tonight for the first time since being traded by the Lakers, much conversation has been made about Kobe Bryant's desire to bring Fisher and Odom back to the Staples Center this offseason.
Will Fisher, Odom and Bryant reunite this summer? Let us know what you think in the poll below.