Odds & Ends: Lin, Knicks, Lillard, Bargnani
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Saturday afternoon:
- Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes that Jeremy Lin is thriving with the Rockets.
- Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal takes a look at the Knicks' roster's defensive weaknesses, especially defending reserve scorers.
- USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that Damian Lillard is on his radar for an invite to this summer's Team USA mini-camp.
- Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun writes that Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo still intends to take a patient approach with Andrea Bargnani.
Deadline Notes: Redick, Robinson, Luxury Tax
Reactions continue to pour in following the trades made at Thursday's deadline, especially now that players are beginning to make their debuts with their new teams. Here is the latest post-deadline buzz:
- Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has quotes from J.J. Redick and Bucks GM John Hammond, both of whom believe Redick can fit in with Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis in Milwaukee's backcourt.
- Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld thinks the acquisition of Redick will help Milwaukee extend their playoff run.
- Thomas Robinson tells Ryne Nelson of SLAM Magazine that he is excited for a fresh start with the Rockets after an uneven beginning to his rookie season.
- Michael Lee of the Washington Post writes that the Collective Bargaining Agreement contributed to the decreased amount of moves made at the deadline.
Knicks Sign Kenyon Martin To 10-Day Contract
SATURDAY, 10:53pm: The Knicks have officially added Martin, per John Schuhmann of NBA.com (via Twitter).
THURSDAY, 4:20pm: The New York Knicks will sign veteran forward Kenyon Martin to a 10-day contract, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (via Twitter). The team had cleared a roster spot earlier Thursday by moving forward Ronnie Brewer to the Thunder for a future second-round pick.
Martin, 35, last played in the NBA for the Clippers in 2011/12, averaging 5.2 PPG and 4.3 RPG in 42 games.
Brigham On Future Contenders
Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld has a new column examining which teams have a chance to be title contenders five seasons from now, taking into account possible moves in free agency and the ages of the teams' core players.
- Brigham believes the Thunder still have the brightest future, given that Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka will all be under 30 in five seasons.
- LeBron James' free agency will play a major role in determining the next title contender, Brigham writes. The health and effectiveness of Dwyane Wade will determine whether James stays with the Heat, but the Cavaliers and Lakers are also possible destinations.
- On that note, Brigham writes that, although Kyrie Irving is blossoming into a superstar, the Cavs will not be a contender unless James signs in Cleveland.
- The Bulls will still be contenders if Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah stay healthy, Brigham writes. He also notes that Nikola Mirotic will have come over to the NBA by then.
- The trade for Thomas Robinson added another young piece to the James Harden/Jeremy Lin core the Rockets have built, Brigham writes. Additionally, the team is still well under the cap and can add another high-level player via free agency.
- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge give the Blazers a solid core to build around, writes Brigham.
- Brigham writes that there will be uncertainty every year for the next five as to whether Chris Paul will still be with the Clippers.
- Even if Stephen Curry's ankles don't hold up, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes give the Warriors a good young core, Brigham says.
- Brigham writes that the Pacers have excellent cornerstone players in Roy Hibbert and Paul George.
Latest On Kings, Seattle
Dale Kasler, Ryan Lillis, and Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee report that a Seattle judge has rejected a lawsuit that would have challenged the legality of the arena plan the Chris Hansen-led ownership group has in place in the event that the Kings are sold to them and allowed to relocate. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, would have challenged the proposed arena's location, as well as the environmental regulations that it may have bypassed.
The report indicates, however, that those connected with the efforts to keep the Kings in Sacramento did not take this lawsuit seriously, and instead are relying on their own forthcoming offer to purchase the team from the Maloof family and prevent it from moving to Seattle. There has been no definitive announcement as to who is involved with the Sacramento group, but heavy speculation persisits that the primary investors are Ron Burkle and Mark Mastrov.
The Seattle group still faces a prospective lawsuit on behalf of Seattle taxpayers, questioning whether the city will make a profit on the publicly funded arena.
Odds & Ends: Deadline, Nets, Colangelo, Hibbert
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday evening:
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes that the Collective Bargaining Agreement has restricted player movement, resulting in an underwhelming trade deadline.
- Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News laments the Nets' inability to find Deron Williams more help at the deadline.
- Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun writes that Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo deserves a contract extension.
- Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star writes that Roy Hibbert is looking to ramp up his performance as the Pacers gear up for a playoff run.
- The Oklahoman has a primer on Georgios Printezis, acquired by the Thunder on Thursday.
- Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel praises the Bucks' acquisition of J.J. Redick.
- Tim Cowlishaw of SportsDayDFW.com writes that the Mavericks' relative inactivity at the trade deadline puts increased pressure on the team to have a successful offseason.
- John Canzano of The Oregonian praises the Blazers' acquisition of Eric Maynor from the Thunder.
Trade Talk Roundup: Nuggets, Landry, Mavs, Shumpert
Shortly after the trade deadline passed at 3pm ET on Thursday, it was revealed that the Hawks pulled out of discussions with the Bucks on a deal for Josh Smith. This would-be blockbuster was not the only deal that was discussed but never came to fruition. Here is a roundup of other deals that were discussed but never came to pass:
- Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com writes that the Nuggets opted to stay the course rather than dealing a player such as Timofey Mozgov, whom they had been rumored to be shopping.
- Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News tweets that the Warriors explored the market for forward Carl Landry but ultimately did not find a deal they liked.
- Jeff Caplan of NBA.com tweets that the Mavericks received calls about rookies Jae Crowder and Bernard James, but ultimately decided not to deal either player.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com reports that Knicks GM Glen Grunwald never seriously considered trading Iman Shumpert, despite reports to the contrary.
Kennedy On Trade Deadline Winners
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld posted a new column examining the reasoning why many teams opted to stand pat at the trade deadline rather than make any major deals. He also wrote that, although the trade deadline was relatively uneventful, it could set up an exciting summer of trades and free-agent signings.
Kennedy also ran down the teams he thought improved with deadline deals:
- Kennedy thinks J.J. Redick will be valuable to the Bucks as they push for a playoff spot.
- The Thunder added Ronnie Brewer at little cost, and Kennedy believes he will form a formidable perimeter defense tandem with Thabo Sefolosha.
- Kennedy praises Rockets GM Daryl Morey for acquiring the fifth pick in the 2012 draft, and believes Thomas Robinson will flourish in a better situation than the one he was in with the Kings.
- The Raptors picked up Sebastian Telfair, giving them a serviceable backup for Kyle Lowry at little cost, Kennedy writes, also noting that Telfair has strong relationships with several players already on the team.
- Kennedy praises the Blazers for acquiring much-needed bench help in Eric Maynor.
Recap Of Deadline Trades
A complete recap of trades that were completed before Thursday's trade deadline:
- The Houston Rockets traded Marcus Morris to the Phoenix Suns and Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich, and Toney Douglas to the Sacramento Kings for Thomas Robinson, Francisco Garcia, Tyler Honeycutt, and a future second-round pick.
- The Miami Heat traded Dexter Pittman and a future second-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for the rights to Ricky Sanchez and cash considerations.
- The Washington Wizards traded Jordan Crawford to the Boston Celtics for Leandro Barbosa and Jason Collins.
- The Oklahoma City Thunder traded Eric Maynor to the Portland Trail Blazers for a trade exception and the rights to Georgios Printezis. The Blazers waived Ronnie Price to clear a roster spot for Maynor.
- The Thunder also acquired Ronnie Brewer from the New York Knicks for a future second-round pick.
- The Atlanta Hawks traded Anthony Morrow to the Dallas Mavericks for Dahntay Jones.
- The Suns traded Sebastian Telfair to the Toronto Raptors for Hamed Haddadi and a future second-round pick.
- The Orlando Magic traded J.J. Redick, Gustavo Ayon, and Ishmael Smith to the Milwaukee Bucks for Beno Udrih, Tobias Harris, and Doron Lamb.
- In a separate deal, the Magic traded Josh McRoberts to the Charlotte Bobcats for Hakim Warrick.
- The Golden State Warriors traded Jeremy Tyler to the Hawks for a second-round pick. They also traded Charles Jenkins to the Philadelphia 76ers for an additional second-round pick.
Bulls’ Inactivity Could Impact Rose’s Return
6:55pm: Rose has released a statement distancing himself from his brother's comments and backing the Bulls organization:
“I have always felt that the Bulls organization’s goals have been the same as mine and that is to bring another championship to this city.”
6:43pm: Derrick Rose's return to the court is still up in the air, but the former MVP's brother, Reggie, tells Scott Powers of ESPNChicago.com that the team's decision not to make any trades before Thursday's deadline could impact Rose's willingness to return this season.
"Joakim Noah is a great player. Luol Deng is a great player. But you need more than that. You have to put together pieces to your main piece. The players can only do so much. It's up to the organization to make them better."
"It's frustrating to see my brother play his heart and soul out for the team and them not put anything around him," Reggie Rose said.
The Bulls attempted to move Richard Hamilton and Carlos Boozer in recent weeks and were at one point linked to J.J. Redick before the deadline, but they ultimately did not make any moves.