Odds & Ends: Celtics, Rose, Paul
With the All-Star game taking place later tonight in Orlando, all eyes will be on the best players in the world. Next year's consensus number one overall draft pick, Anthony Davis, could participate in the game sooner than later. CBS Sports columnist Gregg Doyel wrote a piece on why Davis may be the most impactful college basketball player since Shaquille O'Neal.
Here's a look into what else is happening on the last day of All-Star weekend:
- To continue a theme that's run through their organization since last year's Kendrick Perkins deal, the Celtics are in search of a big man. According to CSNNE.com's A. Sherrod Blakely, Boston should be interested in D-league center Jeff Foote, a seven-foot, 265 pound Cornell graduate. It's been reported that New Jersey and Milwaukee have also shown interest in adding Foote.
- Yannis Koutroupis of Hoopsworld talked with Chris Paul about his immediate future with the Clippers.
- Derrick Rose's recent 14-year, $250MM deal with Adidas has opened speculation that the magnitude of shoe contracts could influence a player's decision regarding which market they'd like to play in. Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times says the worry is big-market teams could avoid the harsh luxury tax by paying less for players but getting help from shoe companies to draw them in.
- Golden State owner Joe Lacob tells Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee that he wants the Kings to stay in Sacramento.
Minor Moves: Jeremy Tyler
In a tweet, Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski says that Golden State will send rookie Jeremy Tyler down to the D-league’s Dakota Wizards after the All-Star break.
Tyler, who was taken 39th overall by the Bobcats in last year’s draft before being traded to Golden State for cash, was averaging 1.9 PPG and 1.0 RPG in 14 games with the Warriors this season.
Eddie Sefko On The Mavericks
Dallas Morning News writer Eddie Sefko conducted a chat with readers today covering all things Mavericks. Here are the highlights:
- Sefko says he asked Mark Cuban if the team ever made a run at J.R. Smith. Cuban responded, "No offense to J.R., but we weren't interested."
- He believes Dallas is the number one destination for Nets guard Deron Williams, adding that "it wouldn't surprise" him if the team adds both Williams and Dwight Howard.
- Despite Lamar Odom's poor play throughout the season, Sefko doesn't believe he will be traded because of his valuable contract situation.
- Regarding the consistent play of Vince Carter and Delonte West (before his finger injury), Sefko says no Maverick will receive a new deal this summer until situations are resolved with Dwight Howard and Deron Williams.
- The team's most likely trade candidates are Brendan Haywood, Shawn Marion, Rodrigue Beaubois, and Dominique Jones because all have contracts running beyond this season. Sefko also reiterated that he's heard whispers of Beaubois being on the trade block, but that they'd only deal him if no guaranteed money beyond this season were coming back.
Odds & Ends: Richardson, Favors, Novak, Nocioni
After missing Monday night's game against the Bucks with chest pains, Magic guard Jason Richardson says he could be seeking a second opinion on what hopefully isn't too serious of an injury, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
Here are a few other notes from around the league:
- Jeremy Lin's been the at the center of the world these last couple of weeks, but the Knicks have seen other unlikely contributions throughout their roster. Most notably from fellow journeyman Steve Novak. The two played alongside one another in the D-league last February and the results were fantastic, writes Mark Viera of The New York Times.
- The league has announced that due to Spurs center Tiago Splitter's right calf strain, Jazz forward Derrick Favors will replace him in this weekend's Rising Stars Challenge.
- With Elton Brand held out of tonight's game against Memphis with a sprained right thumb, Sixers coach Doug Collins chose to name the seldom used Andres Nocioni his starting power forward. With Philadelphia's bench and depth serving as their main advantage throughout this shortened season, the decision to start Nocioni over Thaddeus Young shows Philadelphia's need to keep their rotation as normal as possible. Brand will be out through the All-Star break.
Trade Candidate: Shawn Marion
Over the weekend, ESPN's Bill Simmons reiterated a point worth mentioning on his B.S. Report podcast: In order for the Dallas Mavericks to acquire both Dwight Howard and Deron Williams in free agency this summer, Shawn Marion and the $8.39MM due to him next season will have to be moved. With Jason Terry and Jason Kidd's combined $19.2MM salary coming off the books next season, and Lamar Odom and Vince Carter accounting for $11.3MM in non-guaranteed money, the team has done a wonderful job of staying competitive in the present while leaving open the possibility that two of the league's top players could come aboard in the near future.
Shawn Marion's $8.39MM, Brendan Haywood's guaranteed $8.34MM, and Dirk Nowitzki's $20.9MM are the only remaining contract figures on Dallas' cap that represent anything meaningful next season. When you consider Marion's value as a superb trade chip, along with the amnesty provision comfortably resting in its back pocket, Mark Cuban's team has the means to remain competitive this season and be a title favorite for the foreseeable future.
The plan of action would sequentially play out like this: First, the Mavericks would dangle Marion on the market as a still-valuable veteran who knows what it takes to win a championship. After dealing him for an expiring contract (it'd make no sense for them to take on anything else), the Mavericks will then amnesty Brendan Haywood once the season is over, wiping his contract from their books.
In this situation, Dallas could offer Howard the max and Williams something close. (Or both could take slightly less to join Dirk, like LeBron James and Chris Bosh did with Dwyane Wade.)
Of course, trading Marion—still one of the most capable perimeter defenders in the league—with no DeShawn Stevenson as a safety net could serve as a death blow for the team's chances of covering guys like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and LeBron/Wade should they be fortunate enough to make another trip to the Finals. His perimeter defense is integral to Dallas' title chances, and has been a key component in making the Mavericks one of the league's best defensive teams—despite Tyson Chandler's offseason departure—so far this season. In order to remain relevant in the now, Dallas would be wise to make a deal that not only brought back an expiring contract, but a player with the skill set to contribute immediately.
One possible trade partner would be Minnesota, a team that's been in the hunt for an experienced veteran for years. By offering Michael Beasley for Marion, things work out well for both sides. Dallas receives a talented offensive weapon who could still blossom if placed in the correct situation, especially on the defensive end when used in Rick Carlisle's zone based schemes (see, Brandan Wright). Beasley has fallen out of favor in Minnesota's rotation, starting just seven games in 22 appearances, and with his name in trade rumors these past few weeks it's clear David Khan would be more than happy to receive something as compensation before letting him walk out the door.
On the other end, Minnesota receives their veteran in the form of an uber-athletic and versatile Shawn Marion. Now putting up 12 PPG and 6.4 RPG in his 13th year as a pro, Marion's a player who could push the exciting Timberwolves into the playoffs as early as this season.
A deal like this could be the type of NBA rarity that benefits both teams. Now and in the future.
Odds & Ends: Howard, Iverson, Beaubois, Williams
With this weekend's All-Star game serving as a major benchmark in the Dwight Howard saga, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel breaks down what could happen, and when, once the mid-season festivities are over with. One interesting thing to note: The Magic's first game after the trade deadline is againt the Nets. If Howard is dealt there, things would get interesting in a hurry.
Here are a few other notes from around the league:
- In a tweet, Sportando reporter Emiliano Carchia is reporting that a professional team in Puerto Rico has pulled its offer for Allen Iverson off the table.
- Last night, ESPN's Chris Broussard wrote that Dallas was ready to move on from French point guard prospect Rodrigue Beaubois. Alex Raskin of Hoopsworld disputes the report by saying Beaubois still has the support of several high-ranking executives in Dallas' personnel department. Raskin cites the team's possible need to replace Jason Terry next season as a prime reason as to why the Mavericks will likely keep him.
- Nets forward Shawne Williams will undergo surgery to remove a bone fragment in his left foot on Wednesday, according to the team. In his first season in New Jersey Williams has been a major disappointment, averaging just 4.5 PPG on 28.6% shooting from the three-point line after breaking out last year with the Knicks.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 2/12/12 – 2/18/12
A look into some original content our writer's produced last week:
- We provided a full list of outstanding traded player exceptions and took a look at the trade exceptions which will expire this coming week.
- Luke Adams writes about Leandro Barbosa as a possible trade candidate.
- Zach Links believes that due to his poor situation, Deron Williams might be a possible trade candidate.
- Luke also made note of the league's top unsigned free agents and examined Antawn Jamison as a possible trade candidate.
- Ryan Raroque questions whether a new location might be enough to invigorate Devin Harris' career.
- Daniel Seco looked at the trade candidacy of Ray Allen, while I did the same for Ryan Anderson.
- Here's a rundown of our entire Trade Candidate series.
- Jesse Blanchard continued to assess teams' stocks as we approach the trade deadline, examining the Bulls, Cavaliers, and Mavericks.
- Chuck Myron analyzed all the major free agent acquisitions from the offseason, including David West, Tyson Chandler, and Jamal Crawford.
Week In Review: 2/12/12 – 2/18/12
Here's a look back at some important stories from last week:
- After being released from the Knicks to make room for J.R. Smith, Renaldo Balkman has drawn interest from the Nets.
- The uncertainty surrounding the Kings' tenure in Sacramento seems to be increasing by the week.
- With Drew Gooden's recent injury combining with Andrew Bogut's, the Bucks are incredibly thin in the front court right now. In an effort to help stop the bleeding, the team is looking at Kyrylo Fesenko and D.J. Mbenga to come aboard.
- Allen Iverson declined an offer to play professional basketball in Venezuela.
- As mentioned earlier, the Knicks signed the much sought-after J.R. Smith.
- Wilson Chandler will join former teammates Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith by returning to the United States as early as this week. He's expected to return to Denver, although it hasn't been confirmed whether it'll be on a short or long-term contract.
- On Thursday, the Hornets re-signed Lance Thomas to a second 10-day contract.
- Lakers forward Devin Ebanks was assigned to the D-league's Los Angeles Defenders.
- After being cut by the Clippers, Solomon Jones was signed to a 10-day contract by the Hornets.
- Knowing they'd be without the reigning MVP for the immediate future, the Bulls signed 36-year-old guard Mike James to a 10-day contract.
Odds & Ends: Martin, Hickson, Ginobili
Yesterday’s game between the Clippers and Spurs was one of the most exciting endings we’ve seen this season. Here’s a bit of news regarding some of the players involved in that exciting finish, as well as some others notes from around the league.
- Clippers forward Kenyon Martin told SI.com’s Sam Amick that upon his return, Carmelo Anthony will be more than helpful in making the Knicks an even more potent team than they already are. Martin also said that he doesn’t appreciate George Karl’s remarks regarding Anthony as a selfish player.
- Even though Omri Casspi hasn’t played lights out basketball since joining the Cavaliers, FoxSportsOhio.com’s Sam Amico says the team was right to acquire him in exchange for J.J. Hickson. In Amico’s story, one Western Conference general manager said if the Kings knew exactly what they were getting with Hickson, they never would’ve made the deal.
- After suffering an oblique injury in yesterday’s win against the Clippers, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili will head back to San Antonio for treatment as his team continues on their west coast road trip, according to the San Antonio Express’ Mike Monroe. Ginobili said the injury wasn’t as bad as he originally thought, and that his anti-inflammatory medicine is already working.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 2/5/12 – 2/11/12
A look into some original content our writers produced last week:
- Zach Links looked at Chris Kaman as a trade candidate.
- Ryan Raroque examined Beno Udrih as a trade candidate.
- Chuck Myron looked at Stephen Jackson as a trade candidate.
- We explored Ryan Anderson's future, as the fourth-year player shows off for potential offseason suitors.
- Luke Adams looked at veteran contract extensions under the new CBA, explained why the Clippers won't get a disabled player exception after Chauncey Billups' injury, and explored a few potential suitors for J.R. Smith.
- Luke also looked ahead to the summer's free agent class, listing the 2012/13 unrestricted free agents, along with the outstanding team and player options.
- Jesse Blanchard assessed the stocks of Charlotte, Atlanta, and Boston.
- Daniel Seco revisited December's amnesty victims.
- Wondering if your favorite team still has any of its mid-level exception available to sign free agents? We have the answer.
- In a Saturday poll, over half of you predicted Dwight Howard will be traded after the All-Star Game but before the March 15th deadline.