Central Notes: Speights, Cavs, Plumlee
With Derrick Rose returning to the Bulls soon, the Pacers rounding into a serious challenger to the Heat in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and the Bucks looking like a late-seed sleeper, here's a look at the happenings around the Central Division.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer has a new mailbag column in which she discusses the possibility that Marreese Speights will be traded before the February 21 deadline. She believes it's possible if the team believes he will opt out of his $4.5MM option for next season, but says his veteran experience makes him worth keeping around.
- Schmitt Boyer does not know when Lucas Nogueira and Augusto Lima, two Brazilian draft prospects represented by Anderson Varejao's agent, Dan Fegan, plan to enter the NBA draft.
- Schmitt Boyer writes that the Cavs did not make an attempt to trade for Rudy Gay because his contract would have limited their options in future years of free agency.
- Schmitt Boyer breaks down the protections on the Lakers' first-round pick the Cavs own, explaining that Cleveland only gets to swap their own pick with the Lakers if Los Angeles makes the playoffs.
- Schmitt Boyer writes in a separate column that Cavs GM Chris Grant is known to make a lot of moves at the deadline, and she expects him to be active again this year.
- Curt Cavin of the Indianapolis Star has a feature on Pacers rookie Miles Plumlee, who is currently playing in the D-League.
Nelson Says Mavs Unlikely To Make Trades
Dallas Mavericks president Donnie Nelson tells Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he doesn't expect the team to make any major trades before the February 21 deadline, saying they would prefer to keep their current roster together to make a run at the playoffs.
"I don't think this team needs more change unless there's good reasons for it,'' said Nelson, the Mavs' president of basketball operations. "We've got nine new faces and Dirk [Nowitzki] kind of in the lineup, then out of the lineup, then in the lineup.
"We need to really kind of settle things down if we're going to make a real solid run at (the playoffs). We'll be opportunistic and educated on what's going on out there and if there's something that's an over the top type move, you know us, we're not afraid to pull the trigger around here.''
Mavs owner Mark Cuban has previously stated that the team is looking to make trades with their many moveable assets before the deadline.
Eastern Notes: Knicks, Heat, Pistons, Harkless
The latest news and notes from around the Eastern Conference on Saturday morning:
- Al Iannazzone of Newsday.com talks to a longtime NBA coach about the difficulty of gameplanning for the Knicks because of their depth. The coach cites Amare Stoudemire, J.R. Smith, and Steve Novak as bench players teams have to plan for in addition to New York's starters.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes that the Heat will be faced with a challenge posed by the new CBA when it comes to keeping their big three together in the future.
- David Mayo of MLive.com takes a look at the ways in which the Pistons will compensate for Andre Drummond's absence.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel talks to Magic guard Arron Afflalo about rookie Maurice Harkless' impressive play.
Bucks Mulling Run At Redick
The Milwaukee Bucks are the latest team to show interest in trading for Magic sharpshooter J.J. Redick before the February 21 trade deadline, ESPN.com's Marc Stein tweets. Orlando is reportedly asking for a package of expiring contracts and a future first-round pick.
Stein tweets that the Bucks have the assets to offer, but would like to gauge Redick's interest in re-signing beyond this season before making an offer. The deal would likely include Beno Udrih's expiring contract, a pick, and a young talent such as Tobias Harris.
Redick has said he would like to stay in Orlando if the Magic do not trade him before the deadine, Stein tweets. This is why the Bucks would like to evaluate their chances of keeping him long-term.
Brigham On Humphries, Gordon, Lucas, Oden, Leonard
Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld.com has a new column touching on a few trade rumors as well as some other topics from around the NBA on Saturday morning:
- Brigham writes that the rumored swap of Kris Humphries for Ben Gordon is a move that makes sense for both the Nets and Bobcats, given the needs each player fills on their roster.
- John Lucas enjoys playing for the Raptors, but he misses the Bulls.
- Following yesterday's report that the Cavaliers are preparing a multiyear offer for Greg Oden, Brigham writes that they are the frontrunners to land him.
- Brigham talks to Trail Blazers rookie center Meyers Leonard about his adjustment to the NBA lifestyle and the difference between the college and pro games.
Knicks Eyeing Jared Dudley
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports (via Twitter) that the New York Knicks are interested in trading for Suns swingman Jared Dudley before the February 21 trade deadline. It is unclear what sort of package the Knicks could offer.
Dudley was previously rumored to be part of a package the Suns were offering to the Grizzlies for Rudy Gay. Gay was ultimately dealt to the Toronto Raptors in January. Dudley is making $4.25MM this season, which would make it difficult for New York to put together an attractive enough package to land Dudley. It is doubtful Phoenix would be interested in veterans such as Steve Novak or Marcus Camby, and the Knicks have already traded away many of their future first-round draft picks.
Odds & Ends: NBPA, Joseph, Lakers, Burks
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Wednesday evening:
- Agent David Falk tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype that the NBPA needs to band together to force a change in union leadership.
- Kris Joseph is returning to the D-League, reports Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
- Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes that Dwight Howard should look to Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant as an example of how to play through injuries.
- Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune writes that Alec Burks is succeeding in playing out of position at point guard to replace Earl Watson for the Jazz.
- The Bulls' rash of injuries have forced Tom Thibodeau to improvise his rotations, writes Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that J.J. Hickson has been a smart pickup for the Blazers.
Wolves Notes: Love, Gelabale, Spurs
Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press has several updates on Wednesday concerning the Minnesota Timberwolves:
- Kevin Love is back practicing with the team after fracturing his hand on January 3. He is not expected to return to action until mid-March.
- The San Antonio Spurs seriously considered signing swingman Mickael Gelabale, whom the Timberwolves ultimately added to their roster.
Sixers Waive Shelvin Mack
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that the Philadelphia 76ers have waived guard Shelvin Mack after signing him to two consecutive 10-day contracts. Mack's second deal expired on Wednesday, and the Sixers were forced to choose between signing him for the remainder of the 2012/13 season and waiving him.
Mack appeared in four games for Philadelphia over the course of his two 10-day contracts, and scored a total of 2 points.
DiLeo On Sixers, Bynum, Trade Deadline
The Philadelphia 76ers were dealt a blow on Wednesday when it was announced that guard Jason Richardson would miss the remainder of the season after undergoing knee surgery. Sixers GM Tony DiLeo spoke to media before Wednesday's game and touched on several areas of interest concerning the team. Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com has quotes.
On the progress of Andrew Bynum's rehab:
“When he practices, bangs, jumps, moves — that’s really the most critical part,” DiLeo said on the court prior to Wednesday’s game against the Pacers. “We’ll just have to see how he reacts during that phase.”
On whether the team will look to make a deal before the February 21 trade deadline:
“We haven’t seen our team out there yet,” DiLeo said. “It’s hard to really plan because we don’t have all the answers. Hopefully, we’ll have all the answers by the end of the year and be able to go forward.”
On taking the long view with regards to the roster:
“We don’t want to jeopardize anything short term,” DiLeo said. “We’re looking to build.”