Pau Gasol Won’t Ask For Trade
Lakers forward Pau Gasol has been involved in heavy trade speculation for the bulk of the season, but the big man says that he won't encourage the Lakers to deal him. After being left on the bench for most of the fourth quarter in last night's loss to the Clippers, Gasol told reporters that he plans to stick things out with his team.
"No that's radical," said Gasol when asked if he'd request a trade, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (on Twitter). "I still believe and have faith here and I still have faith I can play a big part in helping this team succeed. Right now, I'm not able to do that very often."
Gasol added that while it was difficult for him to sit out most of the final frame, he understands coach Mike D'Antoni's reluctance to change the lineup while things are clicking. While the Lakers' comeback ultimately fell short, they did outscore the Clippers 31-20 in the final quarter.
For their part, the Lakers say they're not looking to trade the Spaniard and word is that they're not looking at deals at all. Even if they have a change of heart, it's hard to imagine them getting a strong return for Gasol given his troubles and bloated contract. Gasol is set to earn $19MM this season and $19.3MM in the final year of the deal next year.
D-League Moves: Warriors, Wroten, Samuels
Today's D-League assignments and recalls:
- Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Tyler continue to bounce back and forth between Golden State and Santa Cruz, having been re-assigned to the D-League by the Warriors. The team announced the move in a press release.
- The Grizzlies have recalled Tony Wroten from their D-League affiliate, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). The rookie guard had just been sent to the Reno Bighorns last Wednesday.
- The Cavs announced that they have recalled Samardo Samuels from the D-League's Canton Charge. Samuels, who turns 24 in January, has seen time in 18 games for Cleveland so far this year.
- The Mavericks announced today that they have recalled Jared Cunningham from the Texas Legends of the D-League. During his seven game stint with the Legends he averaged 18.1 points, 3.0 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 37 minutes per contest.
- The Hornets announced that they have assigned forward Darius Miller to the D-League's Iowa Energy. Miller has appeared in 23 games this season for the Hornets, averaging 2.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. New Orleans drafted the 6'8" Kentucky product with the 46th overall pick in the 2012 draft.
Odds & Ends: Millsap, Jackson, Cousins, Holiday
Last night at the Staples Center, the Clippers topped the Jazz 107-96 to complete a perfect 16-0 December. The Jazz were within three points heading into the fourth quarter, but left forward Paul Millsap on the bench for all twelve minutes. When asked if he was frustrated by that after the game, Millsap responded, "What you think? I'll let you answer that," according to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (on Twitter). Millsap has been a rumored trade candidate for some time as he plays out the final year of his deal in Utah. Here's more from around the Association..
- Most executives that Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio spoke to seem to think Phil Jackson will consider coaching the Nets. “With Phil, it’s all about how much control he has,” said one GM. “I think he’s probably OK with not winning another championship. It’s more about getting the most from his team without a bunch of annoying interferences.”
- Amico also writes that even though the Kings have denied they’re trying to trade DeMarcus Cousins, multiple sources say they have taken Sacramento's calls. The asking price, however, "is way too high right now," according to one opposing GM.
- Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (on Twitter) asked a handful of NBA GMs to "re-do" the 2009 Draft knowing what they know now. The collective results had Clippers forward Blake Griffin still at No. 1, James Harden going second instead of third, and Jrue Holiday jumping from 17th to third.
Wolves Sign Lazar Hayward
12:58pm: It's a non-guaranteed deal, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter). The forward's deal could be guaranteed in a matter of days, however.
11:46am: The Timberwolves announced that they have signed forward Lazar Hayward. Terms of the deal are not yet known but it is likely a non-guaranteed contract.
Minnesota auditioned the Marquette product on December 21st following Josh Howard's ACL tear and subsequent release. The Wolves would like to replace Howard's production off of the bench as he averaged 6.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and nearly 1 steal per game in 18.8 MPG. Hayward agreed to join the Los Angeles D-Fenders just yesterday but hopefully he didn't put his snow boots in storage.
The T'Wolves originally acquired Hayward in a 2010 draft night trade with the Wizards. Hayward played in 42 games as rookie and averaged 3.8 points per contest.
Bobcats Deny Making Offer For Cousins
Last night, Sam Amico of FOX Sports heard from an NBA GM that the Bobcats put together a very tempting offer for Kings’ big man DeMarcus Cousins. However, a Charlotte official texted Amico (Twitter link) this morning to deny that the team has put together “any sort of package” with Cousins in mind.
Despite Cousins’ clashes with Kings coach Keith Smart and members of the front office, it appears that he still has multiple suitors interested in him. The Nuggets and Rockets have shown interest in Cousins in the past and the Pistons and Celtics have both expressed their interest to the Kings recently. Sam Amick of USA Today heard from multiple sources that new agent Dan Fegan would like to steer Cousins to the Wizards since it would reunite him with Kentucky teammate and Fegan client John Wall.
Kyler On Bargnani, Gasol, Jamison, Hamilton
In this morning’s column, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld looks at the top trade candidates in the league. Let’s dive in..
- League sources say it would be almost impossible for the Raptors to move Andrea Bargnani and the three years and $32.25MM remaining on his deal until he returns and proves his elbow isn’t going to be a problem. Toronto hopes that he can return sometime in early February so teams can get a good look at him before the February 21st trade deadline and won’t seek much in return. However, club sources say they don’t want a ton of long-term salary unless they’re getting exactly the right player.
- The stance from the Lakers is that they are not looking at deals for Pau Gasol and word is that they’re not looking at deals at all. The Lakers have taken stock of the marketplace for the big man and have found it to be somewhat disappointing. There are deals for Gasol, but all of them either have the Lakers taking back multiple assets, which they cannot do without eating some contracts or taking on bad deals. Team sources say the goal is to compete for a championship this year and that Gasol, at this point, gives them the best chance for that.
- On January 7th, the Lakers will need to decide on guaranteeing the non-guaranteed contracts of rookies Robert Sacre and Darius Johnson-Odom. The Lakers could opt to cut one or both and open roster spots for free agents, other cut players with non-guaranteed deals, or 10-day contracts (which begin on January 10th).
- There has been speculation that Antawn Jamison wants off of the Lakers because of his decreased playing time, but the forward and sources close to him say that’s not the case.
- League sources say Anderson Varejao is one of the more talked about trade targets in the league, but the Cavs are asking the moon for the big man. If they cling to their evaluation of Varejao as an All-Star type talent, they may not find many buyers.
- League sources openly question if there is a marketplace for Richard Hamilton, who has had a lot of injuries since joining the Bulls and question whether or not he’ll be anything more than a role player on another team.
Roy Has Setback In Rehab, Considering Retirement?
6:30pm: Via the official Timberwolves' PR Twitter account, Roy issued a statement saying that his goal has been, and continues to be, to return to the court as healthy as possible. The Star Tribune's Jerry Zgoda (Twitter link) interprets this as Roy holding off retirement for now.
1:10pm: "All signs are pointing toward retirement" for Roy, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press. Roy has spent the last two days deciding between hanging it up and undergoing one more medical procedure to help his knees, according to Krawczynski (Twitter link).
12:39pm: Timberwolves guard Brandon Roy has had setbacks in rehabilitation from his knee injury and his return date is now uncertain, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Roy returned to Minnesota to practice before issues with knees forced him to step away again in past 48 hours.
The Wolves rolled the dice on Roy this offseason, giving him a two-year, $10.4MM deal. However, the second year of the deal is not guaranteed if Roy does not play in 65 games or log 1,400 minutes this season. Roy obviously won't reach 65 games this year and the 1,400 minute milestone is a virtual impossibility.
If the injury forces Roy to retire, the Collective Bargaining Agreement would allow for the Wolves to wipe the guard's $5.1MM salary from the books on January 9th, 60 days from the last game that Roy played. Roy is eligible for the injury exclusion as he played in less than ten games in 2012/13.
Nets Notes: Sampson, Van Gundy, Jackson
The Nets handed the Bobcats their 17th straight loss last night under newly-minted interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo. Here's a look at the latest out of Brooklyn as we wonder how long the former Seton Hall head man will get to keep that mantle..
- Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson is not among the candidates to coach the Nets this season, reports Sam Amick of SI.com, despite earlier indication that he was receiving strong consideration. Amick also notes that Jeff Van Gundy, who doesn't want to lobby for the job while Carlesimo is in place, would prefer to stay out of coaching while his daughter finishes her senior year of high school.
Earlier updates:
- If Phil Jackson doesn't agree to coach the Nets this season, as he is reportedly relucntant to do, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that the Nets may decide to finish the season with Carlesimo on the bench and renew their coaching search in the offseason, when Jackson would be more willing to come aboard. The list of coaching hopefuls could be longer by then, but at the moment, GM Billy King is expected to propose Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, Nate McMillan and Mike Dunleavy as candidates to owner Mikhail Prokhorov.
- Gerald Wallace, who was said to be one of Avery Johnson's biggest supporters, isn't thrilled with how his tenure came to an end, according to the Associated Press. "To me, it's kind of frustrating and sad because that's the first time in my career that a coach's been let go in the middle of the season like that," Wallace said. "But I understand the business part of it. We move on and obviously regardless of who's sitting at the head of the chair, we know what we got to do as players."
- Avery Johnson was said to be surprised by the Nets' move to fire him, but he shouldn't be, writes HoopsHype's Peter May. Johnson should have seen the writing on the wall when Prokhorov denied his request for a contract extension, May opines.
- Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) spoke with guard MarShon Brooks, who is excited about a new opportunity to play after being buried on the bench by Johnson. Brooks and Kris Humphries both seemed to be strong trade candidates as their roles were significantly reduced this season.
Pistons, Celtics Interested In DeMarcus Cousins
The Celtics and Pistons have both made it known that they are highly interested in Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins if he becomes available, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein expects to see many more to inquire between now and the February trade deadline.
Cousins has had a tumultuous year in Sacramento to say the least. The center was suspended from the team after a run-in with head coach Keith Smart but was quickly reinstated. Cousins also dropped agent John Greig in favor of Dan Fegan. Fegan doesn't have the greatest history with the Kings' front office, leading some to speculate that the move is a precursor to a trade request.
This isn't the first time we've heard that Boston and Detroit are possible fits for Cousins, but it is the first word of them directly expressing interest. For their part, the Kings say they're not pushing Cousins out of the door, but they are reportedly listening to offers.
Hoops Links: Nets, Love, Jazz, Spurs, Hamilton
Earlier this week, the Nets decided that the NBA's Coach of the Month in November was no longer deserving of his job in December. Yes, the Nets skidded to a 14-14 record behind repetitive play calling and questionable lineups in recent weeks, but a few missteps from Avery Johnson shouldn't have cost him his job just past the quarter-mark of the season. The dismissal of Johnson is also a dismissal of the club's 11-4 record in the opening month and quality wins over the Celtics (twice), Knicks, and Clippers.
The Nets' offseason acquisition of Joe Johnson not only raised expectations for the club, it completely changed the dynamic of the team's offense. Johnson is best served by a good dose of isolation sets, allowing him to get a clean look at the basket. Deron Williams voiced his displeasure over the playcalling, but even he publicly admitted (albeit, after the firing) that Johnson's game demanded extra space on the floor.
Johnson is just one player, but it was obvious from the get-go that his addition would drastically alter the look of the offense. We all knew that adding him to the mix meant less pick-and-roll plays, less touches for former staples of the offense (like Kris Humphries), and much more shooting from the outside. The Nets didn't tune the offense to Johnson at the start of the year, and his play suffered. When the rest of the team's play started to dip, the Nets swung the pendulum back towards their sweet-shooting two-guard. One has to think that given some more time, Johnson and his staff would have found the happy medium and found the right mix to get all of the main offensive contributors in sync.
Now the Nets reportedly see Phil Jackson as the answer and, as I outlined on Thursday, this isn't their first flirtation with the Zen Master. Plenty of things have changed for the Nets in the last 13 years – they now have a new home, new color scheme, and, hey, they actually draw a decent crowd. But they shouldn't be surprised when they get the same answer as they did in 1999: No.
If you've had your fill of Nets talk for the week, you're in luck – this week's edition of Hoops Links covers issues from every corner of the Association. 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..
- The Brooklyn Game reflects on Johnson's tenure with the Nets.
- The True Fan's Sports Blog looks at four trade candidates, including Kevin Love.
- The Basketball Post says its decision time in Utah.
- Pounding The Rock breaks down the Spurs' D.
- Bright Side Of The Sun wonders if Phoenix is a good fit for Richard Hamilton.
- 3 Shades Of Blue talks Grizzlies and references my favorite comedy of all-time.
- Long Distance Jayhawk comes to the aid of Jim Boeheim.
- NBA 24 7 365 appreciates a good windmill.
- Red 94 has a holiday wish list for the Rockets.
- Celtics Life looks at the dynamic between Rajon Rondo and Jason Terry.
- The NBA Geek has a bone to pick with DeMarcus Cousins.
- SLC Dunk has perfect Christmas gift ideas for the Jazz player in your life.
- Hoops Addict discusses the Rockets' strong play as of late.
- Hardwood Paroxysm doesn't think Avery was the problem in Brooklyn.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.