Poll: Who Was The Trade Deadline’s Biggest Loser?
We recently looked at the trade deadline's big winners, now the discussion shifts towards who lost out, whether it be by no action or a bad move.
Odds & Ends: Collison, Maynor, Williams
A few random bits of news from around the league on this Saturday evening.
- Nick Collison is often overlooked as a member of the Thunder frontcourt, but The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry gives him his due as a valuable member of the team.
- Eric Maynor has much respect for the way his new team (the Trail Blazers) play, but isn't sure yet whether or not he'll re-sign with Portland this summer, writes The Oregonian's Mike Tokito.
- ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg writes about new Celtics forward Terrence Williams, and how amazing he's already been at making plays for others.
Poll: Who Was The Trade Deadline’s Biggest Winner?
Now that the trade deadline deals are all wrapped up, it's time to speculate on who the biggest winners were. Which team do you think placed themselves in the best situation?
Poll: Who’s Most Likely To Get Traded?
Going from the several bits of news from ESPN.com reporter Marc Stein's Weekend Dime report, which marquee player do you think is most likely to get traded before the deadline?
Odds & Ends: Calderon, Timberwolves, Harden, Irving
A few random notes from around the league.
- Pistons point guard Jose Calderon can't join the team until his work visa is cleared, and right now it's unclear when that will be, writes MLive.com's David Mayo. Calderon could miss Detroit's next two games.
- The Timberwolves have talent in their backcourt, but unfortunately they're too small for head coach Rick Adelman's taste, writes St. Paul Pioneer-Press' Ray Richardson.
- James Harden's ability to get to the rim is amazing, but just as incredible is his strength once he gets there, writes the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen.
- After scoring 13 points in the final three minutes of tonight's win against the Thunder, Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving is getting more than a few comparisons to Derrick Rose, writes Ohio.com's Jason Lloyd.
Western Notes: Evans, Bryant, Grizzlies
Kings guard Tyreke Evans is playing his best ball of the past few years right now, and he's doing so all the while not showing concern with his free agency situation, writes CSNPhilly.com's Jabari Young. Sacramento chose not to extend Evans earlier this season, and there's much speculation around the league regarding whether or not he could be traded before the deadline.
- As ESPN.com reporter Marc Stein wrote earlier in his Weekend Dime column, the Grizzlies showed great interest in Tyreke Evans' services before moving Rudy Gay.
- Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant is enjoying his time as the team's prime facilitator, writes the Los Angeles Daily News' Mark Medina.
- The Commercial Appeal's Geoff Calkins gives his impression of Tayshaun Prince's debut with the Grizzlies, and what it could mean for the team moving forward.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Barbosa, Brooks
As a heavy slate of NBA basketball games are already underway on this Saturday evening, here's a closer look at the Atlantic Division.
- ESPNNY.com's Jared Zwerling talks about a lot of Knicks related things, including the health of point guard Raymond Felton and the chances head coach Mike Woodson has at coaching the Eastern Conference All-Star team in Houston later this month.
- With Rajon Rondo out for the rest of the season, Celtics guard Leandro Barbosa now has the opportunity step in and fill a ball-handling/scoring void that the team seriously needs, writes ESPNBoston.com's Greg Payne.
- Nets guard MarShon Brooks is looking to increase his playing time, writes Newsday's Roderick Boone.
Draft Notes: Bennett, Smart
NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper interviewed one NBA executive who believes UNLV's freshman forward Anthony Bennett could end up as the number one pick in the 2013 draft, and that several decision makers believe it could happen.
- In the same Sulia link, Howard-Cooper goes on to discuss the number one pick, and how it's expanded beyond three players (Nerlens Noel, Shabazz Muhammad, and Ben McLemore) to include Bennett.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com tweets that Oklahoma State freshman point guard Marcus Smart has established himself as the top point guard in the draft after an impressive performance against Kansas.
Poll: Should The Lakers Trade Pau Gasol?
Earlier today it was reported that Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni would permanently bench Pau Gasol in favor of Earl Clark in an attempt to get faster and smaller. The move has obvious implications on Gasol's long term future with the team, but Yahoo! NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski has tweeted that the Lakers refuse to take back long-term money in Gasol's place, complicating things.
With the luxury tax, they don't want to tie up a chunk of their salary cap in Bryant, Howard, and another player two years from now. So, should the Lakers move Gasol before the deadline, even if they aren't able to get back anything close to equal talent? With another year on his contract, Gasol would be making $19.2MM as a bench player next year.
Western Notes: Gasol, Howard, Aminu, Grizzlies
Pau Gasol will be coming off the bench permanently, tweets Orange County Register reporter Kevin Ding. Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni believes his team plays better when they're small, and a starting frontline of Gasol and Dwight Howard obviously isn't small.
- ESPN analyst Magic Johnson believes the Mavericks would be wise to strike a trade for Lakers center Dwight Howard before the trade deadline instead of targeting him in free agency this summer, according to the Dallas Morning News.
- Hornets forward Al-Farouq Aminu is having a breakout season with the Hornets writes Nola.com's John Reid.
- The Memphis Commercial Appeal rationalizes why the Grizzlies need to make several moves before the trade deadline.