Odds & Ends: Gasol, Pelicans, Buyers/Sellers
Earlier today, we heard that the Suns’ interest in continuing talks with the Lakers about a potential Pau Gasol deal hinges on the 7’1 Spaniard’s recovery from a strained groin injury. With news from InsideSoCal.com’s Mark Medina that Gasol’s rehab will keep him out of action for at least another two weeks, this most likely creates another hurdle in trying to complete a potential deal.
Here’s plenty more from around the Association:
- Kevin Ding of the Bleacher Report (via Twitter) says that because of the injury, Gasol may or may not have played his final game for the Lakers. One certainty, however, is that the Lakers are now more motivated to deal him than before.
- The Pelicans have been “extremely active” in trade talks over the past few days, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. It’s unclear exactly what sort of deals they’re working on, but they announced last night that center Jason Smith is lost for the season, and they’ve reportedly been seeking a trade for a big man.
- Regardless of whether or not Andrew Bynum can produce for the Pacers, the decision to bring him aboard represents a pledge from team management to the players that they’re willing to do whatever it takes to win a championship, says Jared Zwerling of the Bleacher Report.
- In the same piece, Zwerling lists several teams who could be among the league’s buyers and sellers at the trade deadline this season, labeling the 76ers, Jazz, Bucks, Lakers and Bulls are potential sellers, while the Bobcats, Warriors, Knicks, Nets, Cavaliers, Wizards, Suns, Mavericks, and Pistons are potential buyers. According to one executive, the Timberwolves and Nuggets could fall into either group depending on what transpires in the next week or so.
- Cedevita of Croatia has waived Josh Selby after the former Grizzlies guard suffered an injury, tweets David Pick of Eurobasket.com. Selby played 10 games in the NBA last season.
- The NBDL’s Texas Legends’ close proximity to their NBA-affiliate Mavericks has made it easy for both to enjoy a highly active partnership as far as developing the Mavs’ young players, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. Frisco, Texas – where the Legends are based – is located about 30 miles north of downtown Dallas, conveniently allowing the Mavs an option to send someone to play for the Legends one night and then head back for NBA practice the next day.
- The 76ers announced that they’ve assigned big man Arnett Moultrie and guard Lorenzo Brown to the Delaware 87ers (Twitter link).
- The Hawks have sent guard Jared Cunningham to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBDL, according to a team press release earlier this afternoon.
- The Celtics announced that center Vitor Faverani was assigned to their D-League affiliate Maine Red Claws earlier today.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Cavs Brass Feels Mike Brown Has Lost Team?
11:07pm: Amico has been told there’s no fear that Brown has lost the team, in addition to the Cavs strongly refuting the report. When asked by a Twitter follower about the quick contradiction of the earlier report, Amico responded with “different sources say different things” (Twitter links).
9:51pm: According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio, although Cavaliers brass is concerned that Mike Brown has lost his team, league sources say there aren’t any plans to fire him at the moment. Amico also relays that there isn’t much hope for Brown re-gaining command of the locker room without a “significant occurrence” (Twitter links).
These tweets come along shortly after the Cavs were dealt a 31-point drubbing to the Knicks tonight and on a day that includes a report of Kyrie Irving telling confidants of his displeasure in Cleveland. At 16-30, the team has dropped 17 of its last 22 games and have lost three straight. Earlier this season, GM Chris Grant was reportedly on “shaky ground” with the franchise, and the Cavs’ performance thus far certainly doesn’t help his case. As we relayed earlier today, there’s widespread belief among NBA executives that Grant won’t last in Cleveland beyond this season if the team can’t turn things around.
Things haven’t gone very smoothly for the Cavs this season, and despite the fact that Grant was able to conclude a rocky situation with Andrew Bynum by trading for Luol Deng, the concern about Brown losing his grip on the roster, speculation of Irving wanting to leave, a more-disappointing-than-not season for number one overall pick Anthony Bennett, and the possibility that Deng has the option of bolting this summer to explore free agency only further complicates things.
Western Notes: Sloan, Phil, Nash
During Friday night’s game against Golden State, the Jazz will honor former head coach Jerry Sloan by raising a banner with the number “1223” embroidered on it, which denotes the total number of wins (regular season and playoffs) he helped deliver to Utah over his coaching career. Kurt Kragthorpe of The Salt Lake Tribune caught up with former Jazz and current Nets guard Deron Williams to get his current thoughts on Sloan:
“A big part of my success early in my career was due to him and the things he kind of instilled in me…So I’m definitely happy for him, and it’s going to be a special moment. The fans there just love him to death.” Williams also elaborated on the halftime argument with Sloan several years ago which reportedly triggered the former coach’s resignation:
“We got into a little argument — nothing more than we’ve ever done…So the way the fans perceive it is just one thing I can’t really control. Like I said, there’s no hard feelings on my end, and I enjoyed playing for him. I miss playing for him.”
Here’s more out of the Western Conference tonight:
- During an appearance on NBA TV, former Lakers coach Phil Jackson said that while he agreed with the decision to give Kobe Bryant a two-year extension, he also thinks the team “paid him more than I would have gone for” (Bill Oram of the OC Register via Twitter).
- Oram also wrote about Steve Nash‘s return to practice today, noting that the former MVP is eight days away from celebrating his 40th birthday. Nash hasn’t had much to celebrate about since arriving in Los Angeles, and was candid about his frustration with injuries: “This is the toughest thing I’ve been through in my career…I came to L.A. with nothing but the highest hopes and expectations, and it’s been nothing but personal disappointment.”
- Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles has more from Nash: “Ever since I broke my leg, nothing’s been the same. Nothing’s been easy. But I also look for challenges in life, so this is a great opportunity for me to learn about myself and try to fight through it and hopefully on the other side, I’ll be a better person.”
- Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune discussed his thoughts on the Timberwolves’ struggles: “At times they have no energy whatsoever…They need a great point guard, and (Ricky Rubio) is not a great point guard.” Rubio is averaging 8.5 PPG, 8.2 APG, 4.6 RPG, and 2.6 SPG on the season, but Hartman appeared to imply that Rubio’s struggle to score points in the fourth quarter is a glaring weakness.
- Grizzlies guard Mike Conley may not have been selected to the All-Star team this year, but opposing coaches know his value, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal (Subscribers only).
- Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders presents his list of this year’s All-Star snubs from the Western Conference.
Eastern Notes: Irving, Rondo, 76ers
Earlier today, we made note of the rumblings that Kyrie Irving privately wants out of Cleveland. Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown told Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer that Irving has never approached him to complain about the team or wanting out (Twitter link). Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio may not be sure of what Irving has or hasn’t said behind-the-scenes, but he does know that Drederick Irving – Kyrie’s father – has been very vocal about his irritation with how the Cavaliers are utilizing his son this year. As the plot thickens in Ohio, you can read more of what’s going on elsewhere in the Eastern Conference tonight:
- As recently as Tuesday, Schmitt Boyer writes that Irving came to Brown’s defense when reporters asked if Cavs players were starting to tune out their head coach: “I’m leaving my trust with coach Brown…I’m riding and dying with coach Brown. We’re going through ups and downs together. We’re all in this together, everybody in the locker room. We’re all going through this together. I have my teammates backs and I know they have mine.”
- Howard Beck and Ric Bucher of the Bleacher Report discuss Rajon Rondo‘s future and tackle the topic of whether the Celtics should trade or build around the four-time All-Star.
- Marc Narducci and Keith Pompey of the Inquirer talk about Michael Carter-Williams‘ historic rookie season and the mood of the 76ers locker room as the team has gone 3-10 over their last thirteen games. More from Pompey about the roster: “A lot of these (guys) are marginal NBA players and they came here for the opportunity to (showcase themselves) for next year…they know it’s not about wins and losses at the end of the day, it’s about attracting the eye of another GM so you can get another job somewhere else.”
- The Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett says to look for Vitor Faverani to have a two-day stint with the Red Claws on Friday and Saturday before being called up again to the Celtics on Sunday (Twitter link).
Draft Rumors: Harrison Twins, Wiggins, Parker
In studying NBA history, one would be hard-pressed to find a championship team that didn’t draft and develop at least one star player who eventually led them to the Larry O’Brien trophy. As far as recent history is concerned, the 2003/04 Pistons appear to be an exception and Kobe Bryant technically wasn’t selected by the Lakers (he was traded for on draft night), but for the most part, fostering homegrown talent has been an undeniable component of the title equation.
Although not every team finds their future franchise cornerstone in every draft, the possibility of finding a young prospect who shows promise or presents a skill set that fills a need is enough to make the event an important one for the development of every NBA franchise. Sean Deveney of the Sporting News passes along the latest of what he’s heard regarding the 2014 Draft, and you can find it below:
- Kentucky coach John Calipari has been telling people from around the NBA that his twin recruits, Aaron Harrison and Andrew Harrison, won’t be entering the 2014 NBA Draft. Deveney adds that many of the mock drafts worth reading have already moved the two to their 2015 projection.
- With that being said, a source with knowledge of the situation doesn’t think the Harrison twins should be counted out of this year’s draft just yet. Both are still reportedly giving strong consideration to entering their names for 2014, and while Calipari will be influential, their family – who played a big part in their commitment to Kentucky last year – will help make the final decision.
- Although there are restrictions against college players accepting anything from agents, there is no rule prohibiting them from forming relationships, even during the college season. According to Deveney, it’s no secret that potential number one pick Andrew Wiggins has been tied with Rich Paul of LRMR Marketing, the same agency that represents LeBron James. Most fellow agents expect the Kansas star to sign with Paul once he declares for the draft.
- Paul is also believed to be a candidate to represent Duke’s Jabari Parker, although Deveney writes that former Bulls guard B.J. Armstrong – an associate of reputable longtime NBA agent Arm Tellem – is also in the mix, especially since Parker is a Chicago native.
- Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State – currently projected to be a top five pick – has been linked to Aaron Mintz of the CAA, who represents Pacers star Paul George among others.
Odds & Ends: Durant, ‘Melo, Rockets
There are plenty of things to look forward to tonight in the NBA, including the announcement of the All-Star game reserves as well as the follow-up showdown between the Warriors and Clippers, whose Christmas Day match-up gave us a taste of how intriguing the playoff atmosphere in the Western Conference could be come April. Shortly after the 105-103 loss, Clippers forward Blake Griffin spoke about being ejected and didn’t seem too happy with Golden State:
“If you look at it, I didn’t do anything and I got thrown out of the game. It all boils down to they (referees) fell for it…To me, it’s cowardly basketball. I don’t know their intentions, but it worked…If I knew the answer I’d probably be in a different position. Tonight I got two technicals for nothing.”
Although Warriors coach Mark Jackson continues to insist that LAC-GSW isn’t a rivalry, Matt Moore of CBS Sports provides the evidence which suggests otherwise. In the meantime, here are some links to pass along from around the Association this afternoon:
- Kevin Durant‘s decision this summer to sign with Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports agency came from a desire to enhance his off-court marketing, and it had nothing to do with his feelings about Oklahoma City, sources tell Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
- An agent with ties to the Knicks tells Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling that he thinks Carmelo Anthony is “too Hollywood” to choose the Bulls in free agency and prefers New York or Los Angeles instead.
- Some executives around the league were put off by the public negotiating the Rockets did when Omer Asik was on the block, and other front-office types were annoyed with Houston’s boasts after the Dwight Howard signing, as Zwerling reports in the same piece.
- The Bulls would be “ecstatic” if Nikola Mirotic signed this summer for the mid-level exception, tweets Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. He’s almost certainly referring to the non-taxpayer’s mid-level, which would allow for a starting salary of $5.305MM.
- Marco Belinelli says the Bulls didn’t make an offer to re-sign him this past summer, and he finds that surprising, as Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com observes. The Bulls chose to sign Mike Dunleavy instead, reportedly because they felt he was a better fit with Derrick Rose.
- Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays a report from El Mundo Deportivo that China and Russia have decided to withdraw their bids from the FIFA World Cup Wild Card. Ryan Wosltat of the Toronto Sun (via Twitter) says that with those two teams out of the picture and Brazil, Greece, and Turkey locks for the tournament, then Canada should have a shot to make it as well.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Shawne Williams Signs With D-League
3:34pm: The team officially announced the move via Twitter, moments after Wojnarowski broke the story.
JANUARY 27TH, 2:27pm: Williams will play for the Los Angeles D-Fenders, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The D-Fenders are the affiliate of the Lakers.
JANUARY 23RD: Gino Pilato of DLeagueDigest.com reports that former Lakers forward Shawne Williams is heading to the NBDL. Williams had been waived by Los Angeles earlier this month, and likely figures that showcasing himself in the D-League will help him eventually land another 10-day contract with an NBA team.
Initially, I thought Williams would find a way to replicate some of the success he displayed with Mike D’Antoni in New York two seasons ago, especially considering his 20.2 MPG this season were pretty much on par with the 20.7 MPG he received back then. With that being said, his shooting percentages from the field overall and from distance this year (.377 and .327) were noticeably less efficient than his numbers were in 2010/11 (.426 and .401).
Williams appeared in 32 games with 11 starts this season, averaging 5.2 PPG and 4.5 RPG. As Pilato notes, this will be Williams’ first stint in the NBDL.
Bucks GM On Season, Antetokounmpo, Drew
Bucks GM John Hammond participated in a Q&A with the Journal Sentinel and gave his thoughts on the current state of the team. You can find some of his more notable responses below:
On the team’s league-worst record and having to rely on young players:
“We didn’t expect (Carlos Delfino) to potentially be missing the entire season. We didn’t expect Brandon Knight in the very first game, in the first 2 minutes of the game, to go out for an extended period. We didn’t expect (Zaza Pachulia) to have the injuries. We didn’t expect (Ersan Ilyasova) to be hurt. The Larry Sanders issue, Larry being out. We’ve had 10 players, and that leads the league, in games missed. A lot of it has to do with the injury issues.
(Relying on young guys) wasn’t the plan. Sometimes you are forced to change in midstream, so to speak. That’s kind of what happened to us. We’ve put the young players out there. We’re excited about their progress. The most important thing is they continue to improve now as the season progresses.”
“We’re really excited. We talked before the season started that we wanted to expose him (to the league) but not overexpose him. We didn’t want him to lose confidence and have those around him lose confidence in him. Nearing the end of the exhibition season we looked at our stats and realized he was one of our leading scorers, he was one of our leading rebounders. He was our leading shot blocker. He was leading us in free throws attempted. Just little things like that, we started thinking to ourselves, is he even more ready than we realize? Even with that being said, we probably didn’t envision this happening. I know it’s a great opportunity for Giannis and it could be the right thing for our organization. There have been some ups and downs, and they’re probably going to continue. But there’s no greater teacher than actually getting the time on the floor. We feel very good we picked him at 15. I think he’s potentially a keeper piece and a piece you can build with.”
On Larry Drew‘s performance as the head coach so far:
“I think Larry has done the best job he can do in a very difficult situation. When Larry came here as coach, we didn’t hire him and say, “Oh, by the way, we’re going to go through this rebuilding process.” Our hope was to have a competitive team, a playoff team. We made some moves in the off-season and we included Larry in those decisions. Signing Carlos, signing Zaza, signing O.J. Mayo, trading for (Luke Ridnour) and (Caron Butler), you make those moves because you’re trying to put a competitive team on the floor. That was the plan going into the season. It’s easy for me to sit here and talk about changing in midstream but very difficult for the coach when he’s on the floor facing it every night. I think he’s done an excellent job in a very difficult situation.”
On how the situations of Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings turned out in addition to dealing for Knight:
“Monta was unrestricted so (leaving) was his decision. Brandon was restricted (free agent). We had a decision to make there, to bring him back, to extend him, to have him come back and play the final year, or try to find an opportunity for ourselves we think could help us. And we made the move with Detroit and acquired Brandon Knight. Brandon has been very good for us. And I’m happy for Brandon Jennings. He’s playing well in Detroit. (Knight) is a man of outstanding character, an extremely hard worker. He’s still a young player, only 22 years old. I think he’s got plenty of time to continue to develop and grow as a player.”
On some veterans recently voicing their frustration and whether or not it’s a cause for concern:
Look, I understand. I understand completely. You have guys nearing the end of their careers and they want to continue to play. You have other guys at the midpoint of their careers and they want to keep their value at a certain level. I hate the fact that some of them are going through that. But we’re not the only team in the league with these sorts of situations. It happens. It is important to have guys who want to be here and understand the process we’re going through. For the most part this season, I think the veterans, even though frustrated, have been supportive through the process.
Poll: Will Knicks Keep Woodson After 2013/14?
Since the 1946/47 season, the Knicks have topped the 50-win mark 13 times. Last year, Mike Woodson led New York to 54 wins, joining Jeff Van Gundy, Pat Riley, Rick Pitino, and Red Holzman as the only five head coaches in Knicks history to accomplish such a feat. The 2013/14 season offers nothing but a stark contrast in comparison to last season’s success, as Woodson’s club stands 15-27 and would have to go 35 and 5 over the remaining 40 games in order to reach 50 wins again.
Earlier in December, after a nine-game losing streak sent the Knicks to a 3-13 record over the first 16 games, Carmelo Anthony publicly admitted that he, along with a few other teammates, became worried about Woodson’s job security (Ian Begley of ESPN New York):
“Yeah, we’re worried about (Woodson’s job). But then again, we’ve got to worry about playing basketball…We can’t worry about the speculation that’s going on outside this building and we shouldn’t…And as a leader of this team, I’ll try my best not to allow that.”
Although a 6-1 record over the new year’s first seven games briefly brought the Knicks into the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, the team’s recent five-game losing streak erased most, if not all of that momentum. It’s also worth noting that Anthony and co-captain Tyson Chandler publicly made comments about lack of adjustments and being “out-schemed” respectively in recent losses to the Pacers and Nets (Marc Berman of the New York Post). Though Chandler would later insist that his comments weren’t a knock on Woodson, Anthony told Ian Begley of ESPN New York: “…whatever’s happening is going to happen and it’s out of my hands and it will get dealt with.”
Whether or not those comments allude to Woodson’s job security can be left to interpretation, though it doesn’t seem that the team’s current situation is any better than it was when Anthony had been worried about the Knicks head coach in early December. With the possibility that the Knicks star exercises an early termination option this summer, it can’t be too far-fetched to wonder if New York would consider severing ties with Woodson if it meant helping their chances at retaining Anthony, especially if the Knicks missed the playoffs or suffered an embarrassing playoff exit. What are your thoughts? At this rate, do you think Mike Woodson will be retained beyond this season?
Will The Knicks Keep Mike Woodson Beyond 2013/14?
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No 79% (555)
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It depends on how they finish the season. 17% (122)
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Yes 4% (26)
Total votes: 703
Odds & Ends: Butler, Woodson, LeBron
Last week, Caron Butler seemed to vent a little frustration about his role in Milwaukee after he was removed from the starting lineup recently in favor of giving more minutes to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, telling reporters:
“The information I received before coming here is that ‘You’re going to play a lot…And I want to play. I want to be out there to help the situation.”
Since then, Butler appears to have changed tune and reiterated that he wants to stay in Milwaukee, personally taking team owner Herb Kohl aside to let him know how much he values being a part of the Bucks organization:
“I had a moment with Sen. Kohl after the game because I really wanted to talk to him and express to him how excited I am to be here…I want to be here in Milwaukee and I want to be part of the process…This is home to me. I want to help these guys develop” (Gery Woelfel of JournalTimes.com). Woelfel adds that Butler also held similar discussions with GM John Hammond and head coach Larry Drew, whom Butler reportedly has a “healthy rapport with.”
Here’s more from around the Association tonight:
- Despite a disastrous season and questions of Carmelo Anthony‘s long-term future in New York as the Knicks continue to struggle, head coach Mike Woodson doesn’t think Anthony would request a trade by the February deadline: “Melo I think is on board. I know he’s on board…He’s going to be there to the bitter end if it’s a bitter end. But right now he’s going to be there. I trust he’s going to stay there. we got to make sure everybody else is on board’’ (Marc Berman of the New York Post).
- Heat superstar LeBron James thinks it’s too early to say whether or not he’ll play when Team USA participates in the 2016 Olympics: “I don’t know where I stand for 2016…Obviously, if I’m healthy in 2016 that summer, if I can get to leading our country by playing, then that would be great to be a part of that…But I can’t commit to it right now” (Charlie McCarthy of FOX Sports Florida).
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times thinks the Bulls may be better off without Luol Deng and explains why the reverse isn’t necessarily true. Cowley thinks Deng would prioritize a shot at a title rather than playing tutor on a young Cavaliers team, and that head coach Mike Brown has already shown signs of not knowing how to use the 28-year-old forward.
- Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press thinks of Dwight Howard‘s snub from starting the All-Star game this year as proof of how much damage he’s done to his reputation over the last few years and that there’s rebuilding to be done (Twitter link).
- According to Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee, the Kings have finalized a deal to buy Downtown Plaza from JMA, a San Francisco-based firm that had purchased the mall back in 2012. The Kings and the city of Sacramento plan to use the site to construct a new $448MM arena.