Week In Review: 12/23/13 – 12/29/13
The Cavs’ gamble on Andrew Bynum isn’t exactly paying off. The big man started off the year by saying that he isn’t the same player that he used to be and it was evident in his output. Lately, Bynum’s motivation has been called into question and the Cavs opted to suspend him indefinitely. His suspension technically only held him out of Saturday’s game against the Celtics and he’ll continue to get paid, but he has been excused from all team activities until he’s released or traded. Bynum reportedly wants to go to a contender and it seems possible that playing for a winner could restore his fire. Here’s more from the week that was..
- The Nets’ patience with Jason Kidd is running low.
- The NBA might dump the ping pong balls for the wheel system.
- The Clippers are a possible suitor for Carmelo Anthony.
- The Knicks want to trade for Rajon Rondo.
- Even though Danny Ainge says the Celtics aren’t moving Rondo, not everyone is convinced.
- The Russell Westbrook injury could prompt a roster move.
- Several teams like Luol Deng.
- The Blazers and Bulls discussed a swap of Joakim Noah and LaMarcus Aldridge.
- The Knicks are talking about signing Jeremy Tyler.
- The Bucks are open to moving Larry Sanders.
- The Knicks could cut Chris Smith to free up a roster spot, rather than Cole Aldrich.
- The Pelicans may trade the rights to Pierre Jackson.
- The Grizzlies offered Jerryd Bayless to the Lakers in return for Jodie Meeks.
- Gilbert Arenas is trying to make a comeback.
- Thaddeus Young made a soft trade request.
- Nets GM Billy King says he won’t blow it up.
- The Grizzlies want to trade for a wing.
- The Knicks’ talks for Kyle Lowry are dead.
- Knicks owner James Dolan told his club there won’t be any major changes, including coaching decisions, but that may not be the case.
- Carlos Morais is playing back in his native Angola.
Northwest Notes: Jazz, Garrett, Koufos, Jefferson
Today’s look at the Northwest Division..
- Jazz guards Diante Garrett and Ian Clark along with forward Mike Harris have January 10th -the date that non-guaranteed deals become guaranteed – circled on their calendars, writes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. Of the three, Garrett has logged the most serious minutes, though they’ve been in shorter supply of late.
- As he plies his craft with the Grizzlies, Kosta Koufos says he’s not thinking about what could have been with the Nuggets, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. “It’s a business,” Koufos said. “I understand that. It’s a new chapter in my life. I was very fortunate to be a Denver Nugget at the time. I enjoyed my experience there. At the same time, move on with a new team, the Memphis Grizzlies, and I’m here 100 percent to try to help them win games.” Koufos became the Nuggets’ starting center last year, averaging 8.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game. He has similar averages for the Grizzlies this season: 7.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots per contest.
- Al Jefferson also moved on from the Northwest Division this year. After anchoring the Jazz, Jefferson is now the veteran big man in Charlotte, writes Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Cavs Suspend Andrew Bynum, Trade Possible
1:45pm: The Cavs had planned to cut Bynum’s playing time, and he expressed displeasure about that, according to Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer. The center has also been upset with Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters, believing they hogged the ball and didn’t look for him down low, Pluto writes. The Plain Dealer’s Mary Schmitt Boyer and Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe pass along Irving’s input on Bynum. (Twitter link).
“It’s just a terrible situation internally with our team,” Irving said. “It’s just something we have to get over. Coach’s decision, came from management. That’s kind of where it stays is with management.”
1:25pm: The Cavaliers are “determined” to trade Andrew Bynum, as Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports write, adding that he’s almost certainly played his final game as a Cavalier. Wojnarowski and Spears hear that Bynum has lost his motivation to play and that the Cavs had to talk him out of quitting. The Yahoo! report also raises the notion that Bynum may seek a buyout so he can sign elsewhere. That possibility seems unlikely, since the Cavs appear ready to waive him on or before January 7th to avoid guaranteeing his full $12.25MM salary, even if they don’t find a trade partner.
Tension between the Cavs and Bynum has been building for the last month, and his lack of commitment to the team reached a tipping point in Friday’s practice, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
11:47am: After he didn’t travel with the Cavs for their game in Boston on Friday afternoon, the club announced that Andrew Bynum has been suspended indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team. This certainly isn’t how Cleveland hoped their Bynum deal would work out. Luckily for the Cavs, his deal is only partially guaranteed, and they can cut ties with him by January 7th to recoup $6MM of what he’s owed for this season.
The Cavs believe that the New jersey native has been a “disruptive” presence in the locker room and have lost hope that their partnership can be salvaged, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Teams that looked at Bynum over the offseason were equally as concerned with his motivation as his knee troubles, Wojnarowski tweets.
The Cavs will “aggressively” look to ship Bynum out of town, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. In what was perhaps a telling moment, coach Mike Brown would not respond when asked if Bynum had played his last game with Cleveland.
League sources tell Sam Amico of FOX Sports (on Twitter) that a deal will be challenging, but possible for the Cavs. The Clippers are one club that would have interest in Bynum, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today, if he’s released outright and there should be several more in that line. Bill Simmons of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that he would consider the Celtics, but the Heat and Clippers would be his preferred destinations. For Bynum to land with the latter two, he’d have to be released, and the Cavs want to trade him. The Celtics have the right combo of expiring deals and assets to get a deal done.
Even though the Nets are in need of a big man in the wake of Brook Lopez‘s injury, they are not interested in Bynum, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com. With an already unstable locker room in Brooklyn, that might be for the best.
Southeast Notes: LeBron, Maxiell, Heat, Bosh
We should all deal with injuries the way that Heat star LeBron James does. With a badly strained groin, James still managed to put up 33 points on 12-for-23 shooting) with eight rebounds and eight assists while passing Larry Bird and Gary Payton on the all-time scoring list in last night’s loss to the Kings. The injury is nagging LeBron, however, and he might sit out the upcoming contest against the Trail Blazers. More out of the Southeast Division..
- Jason Maxiell has assumed a mentor role with his young Magic team, writes Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. After spending his entire career with the Pistons, it has been something of an adjustment for the forward. “Different all the way around,” Maxiell said. “First time I’ve been away from Detroit in nine years. Organization’s different, atmosphere is different, players are different, but it’s not bad at all.”
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if LeBron and Chris Bosh are less likely to re-sign with Dwyane Wade being held out of games at age 31. Quite the opposite, Winderman says, since the Heat are showing that they have a long-term plan to help keep Wade fresh for the most critical games.
- The Magic aren’t actively shopping for trades and they are especially not making Arron Afflalo available and have turned away calls for the guard, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. Orlando is high on Afflalo and it’s hard to see them moving him even as they look to build for the future.
- With several upcoming free agents, the Wizards should use this as an opportunity to rebuild with a more balanced roster, Kyler tweets.
Atlantic Notes: Noel, Kidd, Knicks, Woodson
Today’s look at the Atlantic Division..
- Nerlens Noel is steadily progressing in his rehabilitation from a torn ACL, a source told Shams Charania of RealGM. The Kentucky product has added muscle and weighed in at 223 pounds late last week. However, there doesn’t’ appear to be any urgency to get Noel onto the court this season within the 76ers organization. It wouldn’t make sense to rush Noel back given the club’s current position and the upside that the big man has.
- Andy Vasquez of The Bergen Record wonders if the Nets‘ victory over the Bucks was a product of coach Jason Kidd‘s message finally getting through or the Bucks just being a weaker opponent. Yesterday, it was reported that Kidd is losing the locker room as Brooklyn continues to struggle. If Kidd can’t right the ship, he might be ousted before the February All-Star break.
- Kidd’s not the only New York coach in trouble, of course. Mike Woodson needs to save the Knicks‘ season to save his job, writes Filip Bondy of the New York Daily News. Tyson Chandler points to team fatigue, but Knicks’ management might not give Woodson the benefit of the doubt.
Thaddeus Young Made “Soft” Trade Request
While Thaddeus Young has denied making a trade request to Sixers brass, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports hears that’s not exactly the case. The forward has made a “soft request” to get moved before the upcoming February trade deadline.
Young hasn’t really “pushed the button” for a trade demand, Spears says, which could explain the 25-year-old denying that he has asked out of Philadelphia. Young isn’t overly enthused about the Sixers’ rebuilding process and while he plans to play hard and be respectful, he would like to elsewhere and play for a winner. In Spears’ view, Young is as good as gone.
The 6’8″ forward is averaging a career high 16.8 PPG with 6.7 RPG in 33.1 minutes per contest. His PER of 17.2 is down slightly from his previous three seasons, but the former No. 12 overall pick is still a strong athlete and a capable scorer that most contenders would love to add.
Young might not be the only one on the move, of course. Evan Turner could also be moved before the trade deadline and while he seems like the type of player a young club would like to build around, the Philly front office might have different ideas for how they want to move forward.
Odds & Ends: Draft, Shaw, Mavs, Williams
Switzerland’s Clint Capela may enter his name in the 2014 Draft, according to a report from Catch and Shoot, translated by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. “If I had to decide today, I think I’d add my name in the next NBA draft,” said Capela. The young big man born in 1994 is averaging 5.3 PPG and 4.8 RPG in Pro A with Chalon, while in Eurocup he scored 11.2 PPG with 6.5 RPG in 10 games. Capela has been followed by several NBA scouts over the last months. Here’s more from around the Association..
- Terry Frei of the Denver Post takes a look at some of the growing pains Brian Shaw is experiencing in his first season as the Nuggets’ head coach.
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says his club has to make things easier on rookie point guards Shane Larkin and Gal Mekel, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas News.
- There’s mutual interest between former Celtics guard Terrence Williams and the D-League’s Maine Red Claws, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. That interest, however, does not guarantee that Williams will join the Red Claws, currently in second place in the East Division. Williams must sign with the D-League and then go through the waiver claim process and go untouched to land with the Red Claws. Williams played two games for a Turkish club last month before calling it quits and coming back to the states.
Eastern Notes: Pacers, Stephenson, Raptors
The latest from the Eastern Conference..
- Keeping Lance Stephenson will be an expensive problem for the Pacers, writes Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM. Still only 23, he’s already a better shooter than Dwyane Wade, a better defender than James Harden and a better passer than Paul George. Stephenson may not have gaudy numbers, but he’ll be worth more to a franchise without established stars, one who can make him the primary option on the first team.
- Raptors guard Kyle Lowry is growing as a player and a person this season, writes HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy. “Kyle’s approach has been exceptional,” said trainer Joe Abunassar of Impact Basketball. “I think that has really translated to helping his game. He has been focused and he understands what being a top player in the NBA takes. It’s more than just basketball – it’s how he’s carrying himself and working.” As he shines in Toronto, Lowry has seen his name pop up in trade rumors all year long. He was very close to joining the Knicks, but those trade talks are apparently dead now.
- John Salmons is having a huge impact on the Raptors, writes Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun. Toronto fans may not have had a great impression of the forward back in 2006 when he backed away from a verbal agreement to sign with the Raptors because – according to him – god told him not to go there. Meanwhile, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun recently reported that Salmons was a prime candidate to be traded.
Pacific Notes: Iguodala, Warriors, Bledsoe
Here’s tonight’s look at the Pacific Division as the Lakers face the Suns, the Kings take on the Pelicans, and Andre Iguodala faces his old team when his Warriors meet the Nuggets..
- Iguodala says he didn’t see the Nuggets contract offer over the summer as more lucrative than the Warriors deal because of the non-guaranteed portions, tweets Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post. The small forward inked a four-year, $48MM deal with Golden State in July while Denver reportedly made him a four-year, $52MM offer and also proposed five-year scenarios.
- The Eric Bledsoe trade that almost didn’t happen changed the future of the Suns, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. “It was close [to falling through],” Suns president Lon Babby said. “But Eric is someone we had long pined for here, and we saw the opportunity. When we saw that we could formulate a scenario that would work for everyone, we really felt like we had to keep pushing for it and fortunately, it all worked out.”
- The Lakers have to be strong and not rush Kobe Bryant back this season, writes David Aldridge of NBA.com.
Odds & Ends: Hickson, Nets, Spurs, Granger
J.J. Hickson has rebounded from the ups and downs of off-court life, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. Hickson inked a three-year, $16.15MM deal – the full mid-level exception – with the Nuggets over the summer. More from around the league..
- Howard Beck of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) hears that it’s “highly doubtful” that the Nets will wind up using the Disabled Player’s Exception if they are granted it by the league. The Nets, of course, have lost Brook Lopez for the year.
- Now on assignment from the Spurs, Malcolm Thomas is still impressing in the D-League, writes Scott Rafferty of Ridiculous Upside. Thomas was averaging 33.5 points on 62.2% shooting from the floor in his memorable two game stint for the D-Fenders before being picked up by San Antonio. Now with the Austin Toros, Thomas isn’t putting up numbers that are quite as gaudy, but he’s still looking strong.
- Pacers president Larry Bird is less-than-thrilled with Danny Granger‘s work ethic during the offseason, writes Bob Kravitz of the Indy Star. “He doesn’t work hard enough (in the offseason),” Bird said. “He’s not a guy who’ll push himself to the brink like a lot of our guys do. He works hard but he doesn’t push himself. That’s why he starts slow every year and he just works his way back. Now this year, he’s been hurt, so it’s a different deal.“
- Jazz rookie Trey Burke spoke with Sekou Smith of NBA.com about dealing with expectations, patience, and what he learned from his time spent with Jazz legend John Stockton.
- David Alarcon of HoopsHype catches up with Italian prospect Alessandro Gentile. Gentile is pegged to go in the middle of the second round in DraftExpress‘ 2014 mock.