Week In Review: 2/5/12 – 2/11/12
Here's a look back at some important stories that were covered last week:
- Former Nuggets guard J.R. Smith will be returning from China this week after playing professional basketball in China for several months.
- Chuck Myron went in depth with several links on Jeremy Lin's mystical journey.
- Bucks guard Brandon Jennings caused a minor—and silly— uproar after announcing with reason that he would explore all of his available options upon becoming a free agent.
- We heard that the Cavaliers were not shopping Anderson Varejao, who later fractured his wrist.
- Keith Bogans was lost for the season after fracturing his ankle, while Chauncey Billups went down for the year with a torn Achilles.
- The Rockets signed Greg Smith to a three-year deal.
- The Jazz signed DeMarre Carroll for the remainder of the season.
- The Hawks signed Erick Dampier to a 10-day contract. Other 10-day contracts included Ben Uzoh to the Cavs, Donald Sloan to the Hornets, and Lance Thomas to the Hornets.
- In a rare interview, Magic owner Rich DeVos announced he has no intentions of trading Dwight Howard.
- According to Stephen A. Smith, there were conversations between the Lakers and Allen Iverson about bringing in the future Hall of Fame guard to add some backcourt depth. Iverson appears ticketed for Venezuela or Puerto Rico though.
- After having his heart broken by David Stern's decision to revoke the original deal that would send Chris Paul to the Lakers, Rockets GM Daryl Morey still has his eyes set on acquiring Pau Gasol.
- Former NBA veterans Jerome James and Kareem Rush both signed with the D-League in hopes of making NBA comebacks.
- A number of players on non-guaranteed contracts were either cut or had their contracts guaranteed on Tuesday. We tracked all the decisions right here.
Trade Candidate: Ryan Anderson
Should the Magic choose to keep Dwight Howard for the rest of this season and allow him to test the waters of free agency this summer, a massive domino effect involving several organizations and players will take place. Teams like the Rockets, Nets, Celtics, and Mavericks have all cleared cap space and will scramble for the perennial All-Star's services, but only one will be able to walk away with the number one prize.
If Howard does leave, which is likely, Orlando will be forced to come to terms with a roster that was built to accommodate its superstar's strengths. The stock for the team's three-point shooters and defensively liable swingmen who are enabled by Howard's presence may plummet. The most notable example would be the team's second best player, Ryan Anderson.
As we covered on Friday, the Magic chose not to offer Anderson a contract extension earlier this season—a decision that acknowledges the team's willingness to accept its unknown future—and right now he's playing to show the league his worth once he becomes a restricted free agent in the offseason. With the chances of Anderson accepting the team's qualifying offer of $3.23MM in the offseason nonexistent, the Magic could be wise to sell high and trade their best asset. Anderson is a young, improving sharpshooter having a borderline All-Star season, but his success may be predicated on the play of Howard. If he's going to walk anyway, why not get something for him while you can?
With the type of game to either come off a bench or start for a playoff team, someone like the Nuggets or Pacers would be wise to seek his services in a trade involving multiple draft picks.
Odds & Ends: Trail Blazers, Mavericks
The Trail Blazers and Mavericks competed in one of the season's more entertaining games last night, with Dallas eventually squeaking out with a double overtime victory. Here's some developments regarding both those teams.
- With the aformentioned loss to Dallas serving as their fifth in the last eight games, Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan is looking into changing his starting lineup, says Jason Quick of The Oregonian. The team's most inconsistent player happens to be their starting point guard, Raymond Felton, who's in the midst of a slump so severe it may soon be referred to as a decline in skill. The seven-year veteran is averaging a career low 10.5 PPG on 37.3% shooting from the floor (20% from the three-point line), which is also a career worst. Replacing him with Jamal Crawford is a possibility, as is exchanging Wesley Matthews with Nicolas Batum.
- The Mavericks will hold their 2012/13 training camp in Europe, according to Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas. The official preseason schedule is yet to be finalized, but Dallas will spend about a week traveling through Europe, playing at least one game in Germany and another in Spain.
Odds & Ends: Nash, Knicks, Blake, Durant
The 18 rookies and sophomores who will compete in All-Star weekend's Rising Stars Challenge were announced today. Blake Griffin, Ricky Rubio, and John Wall will all participate in the premier event, with teams being selected by Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal on February 16th.
- With a 23-point, 10-assist performance in the Knicks win over the Wizards tonight, Jeremy Lin remains one of the league's most interesting story lines, says the New York Daily News' Frank Isola. Lin will have to keep it going without teammates Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, who according to Newsday's Al Iannazzone are scheduled to miss at least two more games. Where Baron Davis fits in with all of this is anybody's guess.
- ESPN recently deemed Kevin Durant as the league's best player under the age of 25. ESPNChicago.com responded by asking whether the correct answer might be Derrick Rose instead.
- As reported by ESPNLA's Dave McMenamin, Laker guard Steve Blake returned to practice today and will be a game time decision for tomorrow night's showdown against the Celtics. His return would bring a calming influence to one of the league's shakier back courts. The addition would also allow rookie Andrew Goudelock to focus more on creating shots for himself as opposed to faciliating for others as the team's backup point guard.
- Bob Young of the Arizona Republic presents a detailed case as to why Steve Nash deserves to be an All-Star now more than ever before. With his numbers still teetering on excellent at the age of 38, wherever Nash chooses to go after his days in Phoenix are up should shift the odds for next year's championship race.
Central Notes: Sessions, Rose, Irving, Pistons
Rookie sensation Kyrie Irving sustained a concussion against Miami on Tuesday, according to Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He is not playing tonight, and there's no timeline for his return. With averages of 18.0 PPG and 5.1 APG, Cleveland's point guard was seen by many as the front runner for Rookie of the Year before suffering this injury.
Here are some more stories from around the Central Division:
- Before tonight's game against the Nets, Detroit head coach Lawrence Frank had nothing but good things to say about guard Walker D. Russell, according to MLive.com's David Mayo. "I think his mindset is that he doesn't want this to be for just one year," he said. "So now he just has to put forth the effort and the film work and the study to stay.” Russell's contract was guaranteed yesterday afternoon.
- The Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly want a first round pick for Ramon Sessions, according to The News-Herald's Bob Finnan. With Irving out from his concussion, and there being no timetable for his return, it's likely that instead of moving him, the Cavs hang on to Sessions for the time being.
- After falling to the Miami Heat in last year's Eastern Conference Finals, Derrick Rose sought the advice of former Pistons point guard Isiah Thomas, according to Melissa Isaacson of ESPNChicago.com. Rose has played through pain this season, with notable injuries to his toe and back. The two spoke about what it takes to be the premier player on your team from the point guard position.
Jazz Sign DeMarre Carroll
Former first round pick DeMarre Carroll has signed with the Jazz, according to an official team press release. Carroll began the season in Denver, where he averaged 3.0 PPG in just four games. He was waived by the team on February 4th.
After being drafted by Memphis with the 27th overall pick in 2009, the 6' 8" Carroll has yet to find a comfortable place in the league. Last year he was traded to the Rockets (scoring 0 points in 11 minutes), splitting time between Houston and the D-League's Dakota Wizards.
During a radio interview Wednesday afternoon, Jazz president Randy Rigby said Carroll was an "insurance policy." He's the Jazz's 14th player under contract.
Terms of the deal were not released.
Magic Owner Addresses Howard Rumors
Earlier tonight, Magic owner Rich DeVos sat down for a rare interview with Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Naturally, Dwight Howard and his pending free agency were among the few topics discussed, with DeVos asserting his dedication to keeping the All-Star center in a Magic uniform for the foreseeable future. The 85-year-old owner has told Howard that leaving Orlando would be leaving behind a fan base that truly cares about him.
"You have to move in life, but the loyalty you develop in a community is always remembered. But if you leave, you don't pick it up in the next town," he said. "It's not an add-on, you know, because you lose what you had. Maybe you gain some new [loyalty], but maybe you don't. Maybe the net gain isn't as good you think."
When asked if he would veto any deal to the Los Angeles Lakers due to the bitter parallels Howard shares with Shaquille O'Neal, DeVos said he had no emotion on the decision and that he doesn't talk about where his best player will go because he doesn't want him to leave.
The 26-year-old Howard is averaging 20.9 PPG and a league-leading 15.1 RPG in 25 games so far this season.
Hornets Sign Lance Thomas To 10-Day Contract
The Hornets have officially signed Lance Thomas to a 10-day contract, the team announced today. The 23-year-old Thomas participated in New Orleans' training camp earlier this year, and was waived on December 31st.
Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune first reported that the team would sign Thomas to serve as a replacement for Carl Landry, who announced Sunday that he's suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain. Landry's injury could have a significant impact on the Hornets going forward, as Sean Highkin of Hoops Rumors wrote yesterday.
Today marks the first day of the season that teams can sign players to 10-day contracts. For an idea of what other players could sign 10-day contracts in the near future, and a refresher on how these deals work, check out our 10-day contract primer.
Atlantic Links: Garnett, Williams, Jeffries
Here's a few links to what's been going on in the Atlantic Division over the weekend.
- Tim Bontemps of the New York Post points to the Nets' pick and roll defense as a main reason in why they lost to the Knicks last night. "It's something they have struggled with time and again all season long. When you break down their defense using advanced stats, the best part of their defense actually is defending the ball handler in the pick-and-roll (16th overall in the league at 0.8 points per possession). But it's the roll man that constantly kills them."
- After New York's win, Mike D'Antoni said that Jared Jeffries played his best game of the season, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPN NewYork. Jeffries finished the game with nine points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes of action.
- After defeating the Grizzlies 98-80 on Sunday afternoon, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes that Kevin Garnett's 24 point, nine rebound performance was especially crucial for the Celtics because of backup power forward Brandon Bass' injury.
- New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams has had an uncharacteristically inconsistent year so far. Jake Appleman of the New York Times gives an in-depth account of Williams' battle with Jeremy Lin.
Hawks Eyeing Free Agent Centers
The Atlanta Hawks plan on signing a center to a 10-day contract, and have had internal discussions about bringing in Kyrylo Fesenko, Erick Dampier, or Dan Gadzuric according to Michael Cunningham of the Altanta Journal-Constitution.
With Jason Collins out at least two weeks with a sprained left elbow, the Hawks have a desire to solidify what's quickly become a thin front line.
In December, Sam Amick of SI.com reported that the Golden State Warriors had come to an agreement with Fesenko on a one-year, $1.07MM contract, but the signing never materialized. The Ukranian is 24-year-old seven-footer who might be able to give the Hawks a much needed interior defensive presence. Playing for Utah during the 2010/11 season, Fesenko averaged 2.0 PPG and 2.0 RPG in just 8.6 MPG.
The 36-year-old Erick Dampier spent the 2010/11 season in Miami, but didn't register a single minute during their postseason run to the Finals.