Celtics Notes: Rivers, KG, Pierce, Crawford
Carmelo Anthony recruiting Rajon Rondo to New York? Maybe it should be the other way around. The Celtics punished the Knicks at MSG this afternoon, cruising to a 114-73 victory. In the biggest rout of the 2013/14 season so far, Jordan Crawford led the way with 23 points while Melo had just 19 off of putrid 5-of-15 shooting. The latest out of Boston..
- Doc Rivers says the patience and effort needed to rebuild with the Celtics “just wasn’t in me,” but he thinks the team will recover quickly, as Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald observes. Rivers also doesn’t think the resentment that Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett harbor toward Ray Allen will last.
- After being brought in at last season’s trade deadline to be a wild card for the postseason-bound Celtics, Crawford had no real expectations on him. However, Crawford is proving to be a real force for Boston, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com.
- The rumor that the Knicks approached the Celtics about Rajon Rondo and offered Iman Shumpert caused laughter among the Boston brass because the Celtics want first-round picks, especially if they are to deal with a division rival, writes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
- Even though he’s not likely to win the award, Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) would like to see Danny Ainge get some votes for Executive of the Year for the picks he stockpiled and his bold coaching hire.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Week In Review: 12/2/13 – 12/8/13
This week, we heard a piece of good news for Knicks fans and possibly bad news for Celtics fans. Carmelo Anthony is trying to woo Rajon Rondo to the Knicks in advance of the summer of 2015, according to his old AAU coach. Melo denied the report, but if it’s true, it could be a sign that the Knicks star is planning to stay in NYC beyond this summer. More from the week that was in basketball..
- The Sixers, Hawks, and Bucks are in the mix for disgruntled Houston big man Omer Asik.
- The Rockets have lowered their demands somewhat and are looking for just one first rounder along with a good young player.
- The Knicks won’t trade Melo.
- Steve Nash acknowledged that he might not be able to play again.
- A report said that Carmelo has already made up his mind, but he says that’s not true.
- The Heat would like to make a deal and are shopping Joel Anthony.
- The Kings and Raptors may have discussed Jimmer Fredette, depending on who you ask.
- Derrick Rose won’t rule out a return in the postseason.
- Rondo doesn’t appear close to returning just yet.
- Knicks GM Steve Mills has been citing Mike Woodson‘s coaching as a reason why Iman Shumpert has struggled this season.
- Injuries may force the Clippers to make a signing.
- Warriors GM Bob Myers wants to see his team at full strength before making a move.
- In advance of hitting the open market, Pau Gasol says he will prioritize winning.
- The Warriors waived Dewayne Dedmon.
- Jeff Van Gundy shrugged off speculation that could return to the sidelines in New York.
- The Knicks might be considering Allan Houston, however.
- The Spurs signed Malcolm Thomas.
- MarShon Brooks hasn’t requested a trade.
- Charlie Westbrook is headed to the D-League.
- Kendall Marshall is also going to the D-League.
- Royce White is getting NBA interest.
- Dante Exum is meeting with agents.
Southeast Notes: Heat, Magic, Beasley
Today’s look at the Southeast Division..
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if offseason pickup Michael Beasley might bump Shane Battier in the Heat rotation. While many fans see it going in that direction, Winderman writes that Beasley won’t see the lion’s share of those minutes until he’s up to speed on the team’s defense. Offensively, however, the former No. 2 overall pick brings a lot to the table.
- As the Magic get set to do battle with Dwight Howard on Sunday, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel ranked the best and worst trades in the franchise’s 25-year history. The best deal in club history was Orlando pawning Steve Francis and the $49MM he was owed over three years on the Knicks back in 2006. The worst deal, by Schmitz’s measure, was the acquisition of Gilbert Arenas from the Wizards. Orlando is still on the hook for Arenas through 2016 after using the amnesty clause on him. The Howard deal, meanwhile, ranks as the third-best swap in club history.
- Even after moving on to the Grizzlies, Mike Miller says that he’s still keeping up with everything the Heat do. “I have a lot of friends over there. We went through a lot together,” he told Sam Amick of USA Today. “People don’t understand how much we went through together. We were ridiculed, had a lot of pressure on us the whole time. They’ll be fine. That’s what they do. They’ve had three long seasons over there. But they’ve got so much talent over there, and with the best player in the world, they’ll be fine.”
Atlantic Notes: Carmelo, Rondo, Shumpert
Derrick Rose refuses to recruit, but Carmelo Anthony (reportedly) might be willing to woo stars to New York. Oak Hill Academy coach Steve Smtih told USA Today’s Jason Jordan that Anthony is trying to convince Rondo to sign with the Knicks in the summer of 2015 when he is a free agent. Here’s more on that and other news out of the Atlantic Division..
- Anthony refused to discuss the report, writes ESPNNewYork.com’s Ian Begley. “C’mon, man. In my book, that’s tampering,” he said. If the report is true, however, that’s a promising sign for Knicks fans if the pending free agent is working to get stars to join him at MSG.
- Iman Shumpert is clearly uncomfortable with all of the trade talk surrounding him and Knicks teammate J.R. Smith empathizes. “Nobody wants to be traded,” Smith said, according to Begley. “To be in the situation he’s in with a hell of a team and the teammates that we have, it’s tough to go through that.” Shump took his anger out on the Magic last night, scoring 10 points in 25 minutes in the Knicks’ 38-point win.
- Despite uneven playing time in Boston, Gerald Wallace says that Celtics teammate Kris Humphries won’t be requesting a trade. “That’s not his personality,” Wallace said, according to the Boston Herald. “I think a lot of people are trying to push him to that edge, but knowing Kris, that’s not his personality. He’s not going to demand a trade. He’s not going to blow up and go all off in the media. The thing he’s going to do is keep working hard every day and continue to get better as a player and wait for his opportunity.”
Knicks Won’t Trade Carmelo Anthony
Even with some serious struggling to open the 2013/14 season and their star player calling them the “laughingstock” of the NBA, the Knicks have zero intention of trading Carmelo Anthony, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Aside from the fact that owner Jim Dolan personally sealed the deal to bring Anthony to New York, the front office realizes it won’t be able to get fair value in return for one of the most talented players in the league.
Even with the Knicks’ losing this season, they still have a major chip in negotiations this summer as they can give Melo roughly $33MM more than any other club over the course of a five-year deal. Anthony, as Jonathan Nehring of Hoops Rumors touched on last night, has a history of going with the green.
Besides, rebuilding isn’t Dolan’s style. The Knicks have never made rebuilding trades and Windhorst reasons that they’re not going to start with the biggest star they’ve had since Patrick Ewing.
Cavs Notes: Sims, Felix, Shaw, Bennett
Here’s today’s look at the Cavs..
- The Cavs announced that they have assigned center Henry Sims and guard/forward Carrick Felix to their D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge. Sims has appeared in six games for the Cavs this season, averaging 1.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 5.8 minutes per game and Felix has appeared in three games, averaging 1.3 points in 5.0 minutes per game. To keep up on all of this year’s D-League assignments, take a look at Hoops Rumors’ running list.
- Bob Finnan of the Plain Dealer look at how Nuggets coach Brian Shaw nearly became Cleveland’s head man.
- Former Cavalier J.J. Hickson can empathize with struggling No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett and has some advice for him, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports.
Mavs Notes: Dalembert, Cuban, James, Draft
When Mark Cuban talks, we all listen. Here’s a look at the latest thoughts from the mind of the league’s most charismatic owner..
- The Mavericks need more from offseason acquisition Samuel Dalembert, Cuban said before last night’s win over the Pelicans, writes ESPNDallas.com’s Tim MacMahon. They signed him to a two-year, $7.6MM deal with a partial guarantee for the second season because they needed a big man who could serve as a defensive anchor. It has been said that Dallas’ front office has long coveted the big man as well.
- Cuban said the Mavs have thought about sending center Bernard James down to play for the D-League’s Texas Legends, tweets Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram.
- Cuban pointed out that if the Eastern Conference’s struggles continue, it will mean that better draft picks will be coming to the West, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. “As unbalanced as it seems, it means that worse teams will make the playoffs in the East, which hurts their draft position, which means that better teams in the West will get better players out of the draft since this is a good draft,” Cuban said. “So the law of unintended consequences comes into play. So many teams in the East weren’t really out there to be the best possible. They’ll win games against each other, have better records, get into the playoffs, which means they won’t be in the lottery, so they’ll end up hurting [themselves].”
Derrick Rose Won’t Rule Out Return For Playoffs
This afternoon, Derrick Rose sat down and addressed the media for the first time since undergoing surgery on his right knee. The Bulls’ star guard, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the regular season, says that he could potentially return for the postseason, tweets Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com (on Twitter). Rose says that if he’s “healthy and the situation is right” he would come back and play in the playoffs, but if he doesn’t feel ready, he won’t.
Last season, Rose took a good deal of criticism from people around basketball after he opted to sit out of the playoffs despite having his left knee cleared by doctors. This time around, Rose says that he’s confident the rehab will be quicker (Friedell tweets).
Bulls fans are concerned about much more than the 2013/14 season, however. With mounting speculation that the team could look to rebuild or go in another direction, Rose fired back at naysayers, warning that “you can be a fool if you want to, I know I’m going to be all right,” (link). Some have wondered if the Bulls might be willing to move Luol Deng, a pending free agent, for the right package between now and the All-Star break.
One thing is for sure though, Rose is still insistent that he won’t recruit other players to come to Chicago (Twitter link). It’s a curious stance for the former MVP to take considering what other superstars have accomplished by working the phones in the summer months.
Pau Gasol On Future Beyond This Season
After enduring years of trade rumors and constant change in Los Angeles, Pau Gasol finds himself on the final year of his deal with the Lakers. After earning more than $156MM over the course of his career, the forward told Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo that he’ll be looking for more than money in his next contract.
“In the last years of my career I want to enjoy, I want to have the chance of winning, aside from being financially compensated,” Gasol said. “If you have to choose, best thing is to be in a situation where you can win another ring. [This]team there’s a lot of ifs with our team: We don’t know how Kobe will be. There’s a lot of things we don’t know about this team,” said Gasol (translation courtesy of HoopsWorld’s Steve Kyler).
Gasol is earning $19.2MM in his walk year and whlle the Lakers have said repeatedly that they won’t be trading him, one has to wonder if they might consider moving him if they can get something of value for the pending free agent. Through 18 games this season, the Spaniard is averaging 14.3 PPG and 9.9 RPG.
Warriors Waive Dewayne Dedmon
The Warriors announced that they have waived center Dewayne Dedmon. The 24-year-old was originally signed as a D-League callup on November 18th.
The 7’0” center appeared in four games with Golden State, logging a grand total of six minutes. During his time with the Warriors, Dedmon also appeared in one game with Santa Cruz while on assignment to the D-League club, registering 23 points and a game-high 14 rebounds in a 117-103 victory over the Austin Toros on November 24th.
The Warriors inked Dedmon at a time when they were desperate for frontcourt help in the wake of Jermaine O’Neal‘s injury. The club even considered asking assistant coach Brian Scalabrine if he would come out of retirement to give the club an extra big.