Odds & Ends: Gobert, Pelicans, Gasol, Leonard
The Jazz sent Rudy Gobert and Ian Clark to their D-League affiliate for some badly needed playing time, writes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. Both players impressed in their D-League debuts last night. Gobert put up 16 points, 14 boards, and six blocks. Clark had 14 points and six rebounds. More from around the Association..
- Some may have expected the Pelicans to fold in the wake of Anthony Davis‘ injury, but coach Monty Williams told Matt Moore of CBSSports.com that you won’t see that out of New Orleans. “I don’t buy into this idea of tanking and teams who quit when things don’t go their way. To me, that’s what is bad about the NBA. Guys are still getting paid, guys are still getting shoe contract money, all those things are still in play. So when things don’t go your way, you can’t tuck tail and run. And we just don’t bring in guys who are susceptible to that,” the coach said.
- Pau Gasol says that he’s accustomed to trade talk and isn’t letting the latest round of speculation get to him, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Lakers star has been on the pages of Hoops Rumors quite a bit ever since his reported dust-up with coach Mike D’Antoni.
- Blazers big man Meyers Leonard shouldn’t be shipped to the D-League even though he’s struggling, writes CSNNW.com’s Dwight Jaynes.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld takes a quick look around the league at the teams that could be active in the trade market over the next few months.
Eastern Notes: Celtics, Thibodeau, Knicks
If the Celtics trade for Omer Asik and get Rajon Rondo back they’ll probably win the Atlantic while still in their rebuilding process, opines Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). Yesterday, Marc Stein of ESPN.com cautioned that the C’s are a team to watch in the Asik sweepstakes. More out of the East..
- It would be foolish of the Bulls to entertain parting ways with coach Tom Thibodeau, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. For his part, the defensive wizard reiterated his desire to stay in Chicago. “I got a great job here, I got a team that I love, and all I think about is our team,” Thibodeau said. “I look forward to this challenge.”
- “[J.R. Smith] would have a market if playing well and showing he is healthy,’’ one NBA general manager told Marc Berman of the New York Post. The Knicks aren’t allowed to trade the troubled guard before January 15th.
- It was recently reported that the Lakers are weighing whether to propose a swap of Pau Gasol for Knicks big man Tyson Chandler and Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com looked at the pros and cons from New York’s perspective.
- Bucks owner Herb Kohl announced that he’s seeking additional investors to create an ownership group committed to keeping his club in Milwaukee, writes Rich Kirchen of The Business Journal. Kohl has retained the services of Allen & Co., the same New York City firm that he had in 2003 when he ultimately decided to spurn an offer to sell the Bucks to Michael Jordan.
- Commissioner David Stern issued a statement in support of Kohl and his bid to get a new arena for the Bucks and keep them in Milwaukee (via Eric PIncus of the Los Angeles Times on Sulia).
- Without a new arena, the Bucks are a prime target for the city of Seattle as they look to replace their Sonics, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Southeast Notes: Oden, Crawford, Celtics
Newly acquired Wizards big man Marcin Gortat expressed some frustrations last night with his role in Washington, according to Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Despite being quoted directly for the story, Gortat took to Twitter this afternoon to combat the report. “That’s BS …. People trying create drama within our team! I know my role and I’m not [frustrated]!!!,” tweeted the big man. Here’s more out of the Southeast Division..
- In this weekend’s mailbag, a reader asked Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if the Heat will bring in someone with size in advance of the playoffs. Winderman notes that they won’t need that big presence if Greg Oden is on track. If Oden isn’t, it’s in Miami’s best interest to keep that under their hat to avoid the price of frontcourt insurance getting jacked up. There’s also the buyout market, where they’ve done well in recent years.
- Mitch Lawrence of the Daily News reported over the weekend that multiple GMs identified Jordan Crawford of the Celtics as a potential trade target for the Heat, but Winderman isn’t sure if Miami and Boston can line up for a deal.
- The Hawks recalled rookie Dennis Schröder from the NBA Development League today. The point guard played six games for the Hawks’ affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam, and averaged 17.0 points, 6.7 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 turnovers in 34.0 minutes. Schroder appeared in eleven games for the Hawks before being assigned to the D-League earlier this month. Jared Cunningham is headed back to Bakersfield to take his place. To keep track of all of this year’s D-League assignments, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.
- As Oden looks to get healthy, he has a fan in Pacers assistant coach Nate McMillan, Winderman writes. McMillan was the only coach Oden played for in the NBA while the two were together with the Trail Blazers.
Bulls Waive Mike James
The Bulls announced that they have officially released Mike James. Chicago’s roster now stands at 13.
The veteran guard signed with the Bulls on September 27th and appeared in seven games with Chicago, averaging 0.3 ppg, 0.9 apg in 5.4 mpg. It would appear that the Bulls let James go so that they could give more burn to younger guards Marquis Teague and the recently-signed D.J. Augustin.
Even though the Bulls are struggling without star guard Derrick Rose, their 9-13 record would still be good for the No. 8 seed in the East if the playoffs started today. However, today’s move could be a sign that Chicago is more concerned with next season than the current campaign.
Grizzlies Sign James Johnson
11:49am: The Grizzlies confirmed the signing via press release.
10:03am: The Grizzlies are on the verge of signing small forward James Johnson from the D-League, according to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). Johnson has spent the 2013/14 season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, affiliate to the Rockets, where they are experimenting with an exceptionally high three point shot rate.
The Vipers tapped Johnson with the second-overall pick in this year’s D-League draft. The four-year NBA veteran averaged 6.3 PPG and 3.2 RPG across four seasons with the Bulls, Raptors, and Kings. Johnson, 26, was in camp with the Hawks over the offseason before being waived in October.
In ten games for the Vipers this season, Johnson is averaging 18.5 PPG and 9.1 RPG in 29.9 minutes per contest.
Central Notes: Granger, Cavs, Leuer, Rose
Josh Smith enjoyed his best game as a member of the Pistons last night but it was all for naught as Detroit fell to the Trail Blazers in overtime. Smith had 31 points and seven rebounds, but he was a non-factor in the fourth quarter and OT as the Pistons collapsed in a 111-109 loss. Here’s today’s look at the Central Division..
- The Pacers are targeting next Friday as a return date for Danny Granger, tweets Candace D. Buckner of the Indianapolis Star. Granger, a pending free agent, could become a trade chip for Indiana if he proves to be both healthy and redundant for the Pacers over the next few months.
- As of today, the Cavs-Grizzlies trade involving Jon Leuer, Mo Speights, Wayne Ellington, and a draft pick favors the Grizzlies based on the way Leuer is playing, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. The big man is averaging 9.4 PPG and 4.9 RPG in 14 games for Memphis this season.
- Sam Smith of NBA.com argues that coming into the NBA as a teenager, for the most part, stunts your development because you have not had as much chance to develop as a player and have your body develop to play against men. In his view, it’s one possible reason why recent No. 1 overall picks, like Bulls star Derrick Rose, have had injury troubles.
- Earlier today, I rounded up the latest on the Cavs.
Raptors Notes: Casey, Gay, Lowry
A look at the latest out of Toronto as the Raptors enjoy some time off before Wednesday night’s game against the Bobcats..
- Whether coach Dwane Casey wants to admit it or not, the Raptors appear to be a better team without Rudy Gay, writes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. Sans Gay, Toronto has won three of four while garnering a third more assists per game. In Wolstat’s view, this current squad has a far better shot of competing for the Atlantic Division title than it did with Gay, who, on paper, was its premier singular talent.
- More from Wolstat, who opines that the Raptors have to get worse before they can get better. The Raptors have failed to land a superstar via free agency and will need to find a transcendent talent through the draft instead. When looking at recent NBA history, it’s clear that a team needs one (or more) top five picks to help lift them to the Finals. However, Wolstat doesn’t think they should make that happen by giving away assets.
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star argues against trading Kyle Lowry or other desirable trade chips for draft picks since selections in 2017, ’18, or ’19 are far away and aren’t guaranteed to work out.
Cavs Notes: Waiters, Varejao, Dellavedova
The Cavs aren’t looking to deal but they’re always willing to listen, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Cleveland isn’t working hard to make any sort of trade, especially any involving big man Anderson Varejao or guard Dion Waiters. The Cavs have won five of seven since their 4-12 start and both players have had a significant role in that. Here’s more out of Cleveland..
- In this week’s Twitter mailbag, a reader asks Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal if Waiters is on his way out of Cleveland. While Cavs officials continue to say that they want to hang on to the guard, Lloyd gets the feeling that they will move him based on the conversations that he has had lately. The Cavs will stand pat if they don’t get an offer that they like, but it would seem that plenty of teams from around the league are fans.
- If the Cavs are set on dealing Varejao now is the time to do it, writes Bob Finnan of The Morning Journal. The big man is healthy and playing well and some think it’s only a matter of time before he is injured. Varejao played a total of 81 games in the previous three seasons.
- Rookie Matthew Dellavedova is a mini-Varejao who has had a major impact on the Cavs, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Lakers, Gay, Gasol
Tonight’s look at the Pacific Division, as the Warriors and Suns do battle..
- The Kings are being roasted by many for dealing for Rudy Gay, but James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom comes to Sacramento’s defense. The Kings didn’t mortgage their future by throwing a pick into the deal or taking on a Joe Johnson-type contract that could potentially cripple the franchise for four or five seasons. They took a stab with a talented, young, healthy athlete with a proven track record of success.
- As Ramon Sessions finishes out his two-year, $10MM deal with the Bobcats, he reflected on how things might have played out if he stayed with the Lakers. “I think about it at times,” Sessions said Saturday, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. “It’s one of those things that when I opted out, I wasn’t expecting to leave. I was expecting to work something out. But you know how the NBA business is.” Sessions turned down a one-year, $4.55MM player option with L.A. after the 2011/12 sesaon.
- Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com wonders if the Kobe Bryant–Pau Gasol narrative will end happily again. Many have speculated that Gasol’s future in L.A. could be in jeopardy once again as he is in his walk year and is butting heads with coach Mike D’Antoni.
Latest On Omer Asik
While there are strong rumbles that the Sixers, led by former Houston exec Sam Hinkie, will be the team to land Omer Asik, Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears that the Celtics are worth keeping an eye on as well. The Celtics have two players in Jeff Green and Brandon Bass that at different salary ranges could fit next to Dwight Howard.
Boston also has a spare first-round draft pick or two to plug into any trade equation to sweeten the deal for the Rockets, a big deal considering that GM Daryl Morey wants to come away with at least one future first. It also helps that the Morey and coach Kevin McHale have longstanding relationships with Celts president Danny Ainge.
Stein wonders openly if the Rockets can afford to take on someone like Green ($18.4MM over two seasons after this one) or Philly’s Thaddeus Young ($19.4MM over same span) when they know they’ll have to give an extension bump to Chandler Parsons when he becomes eligible. That means it’s likely that a third team will get involved in an Asik swap.
Meanwhile, it’s believed that the Cavs like the thought of keeping Anderson Varejao better than the prospect of trading him for Asik. Word is the Cavs would prefer to join in as a third-team facilitator that helps Asik land in a different city. The Hawks also have an attractive frontcourt piece in Paul Millsap, but it’s believed that GM Danny Ferry is holding on to him for a better prize than the disgruntled Houston center.