Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Garnett, Pierce, Oden, Gay
We've heard speculation about the Celtics potentially breaking up their core for a long time now, but it's starting to sound more and more like a real possibility. Earlier today, we learned that the Clippers have reached out to the Celtics about trading for Kevin Garnett, and they could certainly put together an attractive offer for Danny Ainge & Co. KG, however, is one of four players in the Association with a no-trade clause in his contract, so he'd have to give the green light to any deal that would give him a non-green uniform. More on the C's and the rest of the Atlantic..
- Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld asks if it's time for the Celtics to trade Paul Pierce. While there are good arguments for selling on Pierce before the deadline, Brotherston argues that it would be easier to find trading partners able to work deals around Jeff Green ($8.4MM), Brandon Bass ($6MM), Courtney Lee ($5MM), or Jason Terry ($5MM).
- The Celtics met with Greg Oden yesterday, but coach Doc Rivers says that he isn't dwelling on whether they will sign the big man, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. "I said hi to him," Rivers said. "We reminisced about high school days when I watched him in AAU. But other than that, I thought far more about the guys we're playing (today) than next year."
- Now that he's a member of the Raptors, forward Rudy Gay has been reunited with former teammate Kyle Lowry, writes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. Gay put up 29 points against the Heat earlier today but it wasn't enough as Toronto lost 100-85 at home.
Northwest Notes: T’Wolves, Jazz, Nuggets
Last night in Minnesota, the Timberwolves cruised to a 115-86 victory over the Hornets behind a season high 18 points from Dante Cunningham. However, the T’Wolves are eight games under .500 and are 2-8 in their last ten outings. Could a move be on the horizon? Here’s more on that and other news out of the Northwest Division..
- All is quiet on the Timberwolves for the time being but the front office will reassess things after their current six-game homestand, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. Recently, club president David Kahn stopped short of calling Nikola Pekovic “untouchable” as he did with Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love, but he did say that he hopes the big man will be part of the club for “years to come”.
- With the trade deadline right around the corner, Jazz head scout David Fredman attended Saturday night’s aforementioned T’Wolves–Hornets game, according to Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune (on Twitter).
- A lack of playing time has turned Timofey Mozgov into a trade candidate, but Nuggets coach George Karl wishes he could find more minutes for the soon-to-be restricted free agent, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 1/28/13 – 2/3/13
A look back at the original content produced by the Hoops Rumors staff over the past week..
- Luke Adams gave us all the financial details of the Rudy Gay trade.
- Chuck Myron examined Josh Smith as a trade candidate.
- Speaking of Smith, Hoops Rumors readers believe that he is more likely to be traded than Pau Gasol, Paul Pierce, Tyreke Evans, and J.J. Redick according to Michael Pina's poll.
- Luke explained why Timofey Mozgov is a trade candidate, even if he's not the most exciting one.
- Chuck revisited the 2012 trade deadline and crowned a first-year winner for each swap.
- Here is a complete list of trade exceptions set to expire at the deadline.
- If you missed out on Luke's weekly chat, you can check out the transcript here.
- Nearly 64% of Hoops Rumors readers say that we have seen the last of Allen Iverson in the NBA.
- Play nice, everyone. Here's a refresher on our commenting policy.
Hoops Links: Gay, Garnett, Stuckey, Raptors, Ellis
Earlier this week, we saw months of speculation over Rudy Gay's future in Memphis come to an end as he was shipped to the Raptors in a three-team deal involving the Pistons. In return for Gay and Hamed Haddadi, the Grizzlies got Ed Davis, Tayshaun Prince, Austin Daye, and a whole lot of cap relief to keep them out of luxury tax territory. It was rumored for months that the Grizzlies would part ways with Gay and the very notion that they would trade the small forward drew jeers from virtually everyone, including pundits, fans, and head coach Lionel Hollins.
"The reality is that we have a very versatile small forward that is 6'9". There aren't many guys out there like that. He can post up, shoot from the perimeter [and] he can attack the basket. He defends LeBron James, he defends Kevin Durant and all these guys that are tall, and strong, and quick and athletic. We don't have another player on our roster with that versatility, and most teams don't. That's the bottom line," the coach told Sports 56 WHBQ in January.
The coach went on to say that people tend to get "hung up on statistics too much", which appeared to be a subtle jab at the club's hiring of former ESPN scribe John Hollinger. While it's true that Gay's PER of 14.45 (good for 26th amongst small forwards) is underwhelming, the trade had a lot to do with numbers of a different variety. By moving Gay, the Grizzlies are now $8MM under the luxury tax, which could give them more flexibility to make other moves before the deadline or this summer.
The Grizzlies locker room may not be thrilled about Gay's departure, but it was absolutely vital in order for the franchise to stay competitive in the years to come. In the short-term, the Grizzlies are 30-16 and can head into the postseason with home court advantage if they can stave off the Warriors and Nuggets in the standings. Hollins may not be wild about the number crunching going on in Memphis, but there are a couple of figures he needs to zero in on over the next few months – 14 and 4. As in, if they can finish 14 games or more above .500, they'll likely have a top 4 seed and a chance to make some serious noise in the playoffs. Even sans Gay, this Zach Randolph-led team is more than capable of doing that.
If you have a great blog piece that you think we should feature next week, then send it to me at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here's this week's look around the blogosphere..
- Bleed Green explains why Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce aren't going anywhere.
- Beale Street Bears reflects on the Rudy Gay era in Memphis.
- Raptors Republic wonders if Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo is gambling to save his job.
- Life On Dumars has some constructive criticism for Rodney Stuckey.
- Behind The Buck Pass tries to help Monta Ellis fix his poor field goal percentage.
- The Basketball Post talks Tiago Splitter.
- The NBA Geek applauds the Pistons for landing Jose Calderon in the Rudy Gay deal.
- Hardwood Houdini likes the play of Jeff Green.
- Three Shades Of Blue got Steve Kyler's thoughts on the Gay trade.
- Hardwood Paroxysm continues their midseason roundtable.
- The Sixer Sense approves of Thaddeus Young's hustle.
- Red94 examines James Harden's defense.
- Pippen Ain't Easy breaks down the Bulls' best set play.
- Right Down Euclid pits the rookies against the sophomores.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Week In Review: 1/28/13 – 2/3/13
Here's a look back at the week that was as we approach the trade deadline..
- Of course, the biggest story of the week was the three-team deal that shipped Rudy Gay from the Grizzlies to the Raptors. Ultimately, Memphis got Tayshaun Prince, Austin Daye, Ed Davis, and a whole lot of cap relief. The Raptors, meanwhile, add Gay to the mix as they look to turn things around. The Pistons came away with point guard Jose Calderon in the deal and are open to re-signing him.
- Meanwhile, the Raptors may not be done dealing as Andrea Bargnani would be open to a trade.
- The Clippers and Celtics have engaged in talks about Kevin Garnett. The C's haven't decided yet if they want to break up their core, however. Two GMs say that there's no way that KG finishes out his contract.
- Teams are also inquiring on Jason Terry.
- The NBPA has placed Billy Hunter on indefinite leave after his alleged misappropriation of funds.
- Josh Smith could very well be traded, but the Suns aren't interested.
- The Warriors aren't likely to make a move before the deadline.
- Delonte West has yet to report to the Texas Legends of the D-League.
- Pau Gasol won't request a trade.
- The Lakers got a disabled player exception for Jordan Hill.
- The Heat inked Chris Andersen to a second ten-day deal and signed Jarvis Varnado for the rest of the year.
- The Celtics met with Greg Oden. The Heat and Cavs are said to be frontrunners.
- Brandon Roy may call it quits after this season.
- The Mavs signed Mike James for the rest of the year.
- The Pacers re-signed Sam Young.
- The T'Wolves re-signed center Chris Johnson to a second 10-day contract and also inked Mickael Gelabale to a second 10-day deal.
- The 76ers re-signed Shelvin Mack.
Hoops Links: Celtics, D’Antoni, Splitter, Rockets
On this date in 1993, Chuck Daly became the 15th coach in NBA history to register 500 career victories, after his Nets defeated the visiting Lakers 106-91. Daly, who passed away in 2009, enjoyed a remarkable coaching career punctuated by back-to-back world titles with the Pistons and winning the gold medal with the 1992 Dream Team.
If you have a great blog piece that you think we should feature next week, then send it to me at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here's this week's look around the blogosphere..
- Bleed Green looks at trade candidates that can help the Celtics.
- True Sports Blog turns in their breakout players for 2012/13.
- NBA247365 turns in their Eastern Conference All-Star team.
- Utah Sports Net brings the entertainment.
- The NBA Geek stands up for Mike D'Antoni.
- The Basketball Post talks Tiago Splitter.
- Red94 asks if the Rockets should make a run at a prominent big man.
- Hoops Addict is worried about DeMar DeRozan.
- 3 Shades Of Blue feels for Marc Gasol.
- Bucksketball doesn't see a great deal of difference between Jim Boylan and Scott Skiles.
- Hardwood Paroxysm delivers some dual point guard analysis.
- Bright Side Of The Sun gets philosophical.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Delonte West Joins Texas Legends
FRIDAY, 12:15pm: The Texas Legends have officially added West to their roster, the team announced today in a press release. Despite the fact that the Legends are the Mavericks' D-League affiliate, we probably shouldn't assume West will return to the Mavs after the way the two sides parted ways earlier in the season. Still, if West impresses in the D-League, he could earn an NBA contract before season's end.
WEDNESDAY, 7:05pm: Free agent guard Delonte West has filed paperwork to join the NBA Developmental League, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Ironically, the Texas Legends, affiliate of the Mavericks, are the first team in the waiver line (Twitter link). Dallas cut West loose in November.
Earlier this week it was reported that the Grizzlies were giving serious consideration to signing West as they look to fill out their roster. However, Stein (via Twitter) hears that Memphis is likely to pass on him. The Lakers gave some thought to signing West at one point this season but they opted against it in an effort to maintain some level of stability.
Grizzlies Notes: Speights, Gay, Randolph, Wallace
The Grizzlies appeared to be on the cusp of signing troubled guard Delonte West, but earlier tonight we learned that they have apparently passed on him. Instead, the former Celtic is set to dive into the D-League player pool in hopes of finding another NBA opportunity. Here’s more out of Memphis..
- The Marreese Speights trade was necessary for the Grizzlies to avoid becoming a perennial tax team in the long-term, writes Ben Baroff of Sheridan Hoops. It’s the kind of move that Memphis wouldn’t have had to make under the dollar-for-dollar tax system of the old CBA but the harsher tax penalties of the new CBA have almost forced them to make a trade like this.
- When asked if he sees himself finishing the season with the Grizzlies, Rudy Gay gave reporters a no comment, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Meanwhile, some believe that the Speights deal means that the Grizzlies will be able to hang on to both Gay and Zach Randolph.
- “We considered all options, every team does, but this was a deal that we felt was very favorable for us,” Wallace said of the trade, according to Kennedy. “You can’t count on this type of situation still being there later on closer to the trade deadline because Cleveland is a team with cap room and not every team has that.”
Odds & Ends: Howard, Lakers, Nachbar, Gomes
Here's tonight's look around the Association as the Heat find themselves in a battle with the 15-26 Raptors..
- When asked about his impending free agency earlier today, Dwight Howard said "We're not discussing that," tweets Brian K. Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak might start feeling uneasy if the star big man has the same stance a few weeks from now when the trade deadline comes and goes.
- Bostjan Nachbar told Beko BBL that he will likely stay with his team in Germany next season, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The forward was a prominent bench player for the Nets in 2006/07 and 2007/08.
- Former NBA forward Ryan Gomes has parted ways with Germany's Artland Dragons, according to David Pick of Sportando (on Twitter). Gomes, who played for the Celtics, Wolves, and Clippers, averaged 11 PPG in ten games for the German club.
Northwest Notes: McCants, T’Wolves, Thunder
Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that former Timberwolves first-round pick Rashad McCants might be on his way back to the D-League's Texas Legends. The 28-year-old, who averaged nearly 20 PPG in China this year, played for the Mavericks affiliate in their debut season. Here's more on the T'Wolves and the rest of the Northwest..
- The Thunder will pursue small forward Pete Mickeal when his contract with FC Barcelona is over, according to a report from TuBasket.com passed along by HoopsHype. Mickeal was drafted by Dallas in the second-round of the 2000 Draft but was waived that summer.
- The T'Wolves were in on Australian center Aron Baynes early on before the Spurs scooped him up, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. San Antonio won out thanks to their personal connections with the big man in conjunction with their offer of a guaranteed deal.
- The Raja Bell saga has gone on for months in Utah but his reps are hopeful that a settlement can be struck at some point, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM. The Jazz and Bell haven't made much progress on a buyout over the last month.