Odds & Ends: Crawford, Smith, Knicks, Miller
J.R. Smith‘s production so far this season clearly outweighs his pay this season and the guard looks like a mortal lock to opt out of his $2.9MM option for 2013/14. However, Smith tells Sam Amick of USA Today that he hopes to stay in New York beyond this season. “Right now, I’m just trying to play it out and do the best I can throughout this year and hopefully I’ll be back here. That’s my plan. I don’t want to play anywhere else. I love it here,” said Smith. Here’s more (non-Nets) news from around the Association..
- The Celtics could have had Jamal Crawford for the right offer, but they were still going after Ray Allen when Crawford inked his deal with the Clippers, tweets Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
- Amick also spoke with guard Andre Miller about his reasons for re-signing with the Nuggets despite his desire to be a starter. The 36-year-old explained that at this stage in his life, stability was a major factor for him and his children.
- Blazers center J.J. Hickson is playing exceptionally well as of late and Sam Amico of FOX Sports (on Twitter) sees him as a a trade candidate. The big man, who is set to hit the open market at the end of the season, has nine straight double-doubles.
- Blazers veterans Sasha Pavlovic, Ronnie Price, and Jared Jeffries have been good soldiers in taking a backseat to Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Hickson, and Nicolas Batum, writes Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
Nets Notes: Jackson, King, Johnson
Within hours of Avery Johnson‘s dismissal as head coach, there was instantly speculation that the Nets would reach out to Phil Jackson about the vacancy. If they do, it won’t be the first time that the Nets have made a bid for the Hall of Fame coach. In the summer of 1999, the Nets offered Jackson what would have been the most lucrative deal in the NBA – a three-year contract worth $21MM – to take over for John Calipari‘s interim replacement, Don Casey. Jackson spoke with Lewis Katz, the charismatic principal owner of the Nets for about a month leading up to that but ultimately turned them down. Based on comments from Jackson’s rep Todd Musberger earlier today, it sounds like they can expect a similar outcome if they go down that road again. Here’s more out of Brooklyn..
- Johnson speculated that players went above his head to ownership to get him fired, tweets Stefan Bondy of the Daily News (on Twitter). Johnson’s biggest supporters on the team included Jerry Stackhouse, Gerald Wallace, and Joe Johnson, Bondy tweets.
- In today’s press conference to announce Johnson’s dismissal and P.J. Carlisemo‘s promotion to interim coach, General Manager Billy King made it known that he’s willing to make a move in order to turn things around, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. “I’m not one to shy away from a trade… its figuring out what pieces to change,” King said.
- Charley Rosen of Sheridan Hoops isn’t so sure that Jackson won’t entertain the idea of coaching in Brooklyn. Rosen argues that the Zen Master isn’t the type to rush into any decisions and is likely to consider any interesting oppportunity that comes his way.
- Johnson has a history of clashing with point guards, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. Johnson butted heads with Devin Harris in Dallas, leading to him being traded to the Nets for Jason Kidd. Kidd and Johnson lasted together just three months before the coach was let go.
Nets Have Phil Jackson Atop Their Wishlist
The Nets have Phil Jackson atop their list of potential replacements for Avery Johnson and will make a hard push for him, sources told Marc Stein and Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. Jackson's longtime rep Todd Musberger says that his client has "no interest" in the job at this time, but a source says that Jackson would indeed entertain an approach from Brooklyn.
That same source said that Jackson's flirtation with the Lakers after Mike Brown's dismissal got him "thinking about coaching again." The 67-year-old Jackson appeared close to returning for a third stint in November before L.A. unexpectedly gave the job to Mike D'Antoni.
Meanwhile, Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops (on Twitter) reports that the Nets have already made contact with Jackson through back channels. However, sources say that the reaching out hasn't been from CEO Brett Yormark or General Manager Billy King. We know that Nets brass isn't terribly patient when it comes to reaching out to their desired targets from their dealings with Dwight Howard. King and owner Mikhail Prokhorov reportedly met face-to-face with Howard in Miami one year ago when he was still a member of the Magic.
One coaching source told Stein and Broussard that an approach for Southern Methodist University's Larry Brown could not be ruled out because of Brown's close relationship with Nets general manager Billy King. Brown is in his first season at SMU, but he hasn't had any difficulty in moving from job-to-job over the course of his career. That would include Brown's stint as Nets coach in the early 1980s, which ended when he took the head coaching gig at the University of Kansas rather than guide his playoff-bound NBA team.
Earlier tonight, Nets star Deron Williams denied playing a role in Johnson's firing. We also heard that Stan Van Gundy isn't interested in the position and Nate McMillan isn't presently on the radar.
Deron Williams Denies Role In Johnson’s Firing
There has been a great deal of speculation that star Deron Williams played a role in Avery Johnson's firing as Nets head coach, but the point guard denied that in a conversation with Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News and added that he was "surprised" by the news.
"I never had any conversation with (GM) Billy King about not liking coach, nothing about coach Johnson," Williams said. "Avery was a big reason I came back, because him and Billy. So I was surprised. We've never had an argument, we've never had a fight, any disagreements, anything. So, I think it was more kind of what happened in Utah, people still saying I got coach [Jerry] Sloan fired even though he resigned and that's going to stick with me for a while."
Williams raised eyebrows around the league last week with his criticism of Johnson's offense and his apparent pining for Sloan's offensive system in Utah. The irony in that, of course, is that Williams was widely believed to have a hand in Sloan's resignation from the Jazz in 2011. Williams says that he met with Johnson the following day to explain that he meant nothing by the comments and the coach said that he wasn't bothered by them.
Jazz Won’t Rush To Trade Millsap Or Jefferson
With Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap both headed for unrestricted free agency this summer, many have speculated that the Jazz could be looking to move one or both of the big men before the February trade deadline. However, the Jazz have trading Jefferson and/or Millsap as a low priority, so long as they remain in the playoff hunt, sources near the Jazz tell Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
If things change, General Manager Dennis Lindsey & Co. believe that it'll be easy to find a suitable deal for either player. Despite Jefferson's inconsistency and Millsap's lack of size for the power forward position, both players should still net a decent return for Utah. Jefferson is averaging 16.2 PPG with 10.2 RPG while Millsap is putting up 14.7 PPG and 8.1 RPG.
The Jazz are currently 15-14 (.517), a mark that would put them in the lottery if the playoffs were today. Utah will have to pick up the pace over the next eight weeks in order to justify holding on to their frontcourt stars.
Odds & Ends: Humphries, Anderson, Magic, Nets
Nets coach Avery Johnson has raised eyebrows around the league for his limited use of forward Kris Humphries, who is earning $12MM this season. However, we've learned today that there might be an explanation for the big man's disappointing play, decreased playing time, and yesterday's benching. Humphries missed today's practice in East Rutherford, New Jersey with an abdominal muscle issue and may require an MRI, writes Mike Gavin of Newsday. Yesterday, 86% of Hoops Rumors readers said that they expect Brooklyn to shop Humphries between now and February, but it's possible that he'll be back in the equation once he's healthy. Here's more from around the league..
- Hornets forward Ryan Anderson was caught off guard by the Magic's decision to trade him in July, writes Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. “Obviously, they were going to go in a different direction that I wasn’t really too much aware of then,’’ said the 24-year-old. “I found out afterward what their plan is. They want to build their nucleus with young talent.’’
- Johnson's decision to 86 Humphries from the rotation will come back to haunt him, opines Amit Badlani of Sheridan Hoops. It's a decision that will satisfy Deron Williams in the short-term, but the Nets need Humphries' size in order to win in the playoffs.
- Chad Ford and Jay Bilas of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) ran down the top ten players in college basketball. Both analysts have Indiana's Cody Zeller pegged as the top talent in the NCAA.
Odds & Ends: Cousins, Rockets, Humphries
With one game still in progress from tonight's docket, let's take a look around the Association..
- Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee notes that the Rockets have had interest in Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins in the past. However, Houston may not want to take on the troubled center at the cost of breaking up what they already have in place. James Harden & Co. are two games above .500 and riding a three game winning streak.
- It would not surprise Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) to see the Nets try and deal forward Kris Humphries and two-guard MarShon Brooks. The early returns on tonight's poll concerning Hump's future in Brooklyn show that 85% of Hoops Rumors readers see the Nets shopping him prior to the deadline. Humphries cannot be traded until January 15th.
- Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle watched a Texas Legends game in order to check out Jared Cunningham and wound up coming away impressed by Chris Douglas-Roberts, who signed with the club earlier today, tweets Earl K. Sneed of NBA.com. The arrival of CDR meant that Dallas had to let Derek Fisher go after his short stint with the club.
- The Knicks may be "stuck" with Amare Stoudemire, but Tommy Beer of HoopsWorld doesn't necessarily see that as a bad thing. The forward was reportedly offered around the league for next-to-nothing this summer but there were no takers due to his contract and injury woes.
- With Fisher gone, now could be the time for Rodrigue Beaubois to steal the spotlight for the Mavericks, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. The 6'0" guard has been mentioned as a trade candidate this season.
Poll: Will The Nets Shop Kris Humphries?
After a red-hot start to the season, things have cooled down rather quickly in Brooklyn. The Nets are now 14-12 following today’s ugly win over the Sixers – not quite cause for absolute panic, but it’s certainly not the kind of record the Nets hoped to have after spending major money this summer. The Nets re-upped Deron Williams on a max deal, gave Gerald Wallace $40MM over four years, and inked Brook Lopez to a four-year, $60MM pact. This offseason’s biggest addition – All-Star guard Joe Johnson – is set to earn nearly $90MM through 2015/16. But the player being most scrutinized these days is forward Kris Humphries, who re-signed with the Nets on a two-year, $24MM deal.
Of course, Avery Johnson has taken his fair share of criticism from people in recent weeks (including a certain point guard wearing No. 8), but Humphries might be the biggest scapegoat on the floor. After starting more than 100 games for the Nets over the past two seasons, Humphries saw himself demoted to the bench in the midst of the club’s five-game slide. After getting back in the starting five for back-to-back games, the 27-year-old was left in his warmups this afternoon while Keith Bogans started in a downsized lineup with Reggie Evans and Andray Blatche offering support in the frontcourt.
Johnson says that Hump isn’t in the doghouse, but it’s hard to believe based on the way that he has been phased out of the rotation. Humphries has survived adversity before, from his lack of playing time in Utah, Toronto, and Dallas to the constant heckling that he endured last season thanks to a high-profile split with a certain Page Six mainstay. However, this might be a case where a trade will benefit both the player and the team.
Will The Nets Try To Trade Kris Humphries?
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Yes 85% (386)
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No 15% (67)
Total votes: 453
New York Notes: Nets, Humphries, Amare, Knicks
We ran down some news out of the Atlantic in the afternoon, now it's time to zero in on the New York teams..
- After inking a two-year, $24MM deal with the Nets in the offseason, Kris Humphries has been pushed out of the starting lineup and to the bench. Against the Sixers today, Hump was left in his warmups for the entire 48 minutes despite being healthy. The forward admitted that the it bothered him and even though coach Avery Johnson warned him that his minutes would fluctuate, he never expected a DNP – coach's decision, Roderick Boone of Newsday tweets.
- Johnson said that Humphries isn't in the doghouse, tweets Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record (on Twitter). "Basically a coach's decision… He's healthy,he's fine,he's not in the doghouse.We just had to try something else," Johnson said. If Johnson is being diplomatic and Humphries doesn't have a place in the Nets' rotation, one has to think that he could be a valuable trade chip between now and February.
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson still says that Amare Stoudemire won't suit up for the D-League's Erie BayHawks, despite his recent assignment, tweets Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal (on Twitter). The forward worked out with the Knicks affiliate in Westchester, New York in preperation for his on-court return.
- Some have wondered if Stouemire and Carmelo Anthony will be able to play well together this time around, but Anthony has no such concerns, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
Wizards To Sign Garrett Temple?
The Wizards signed Shelvin Mack out of the D-League earlier today and they may go back to the well for another guard. Word is that the Wizards are getting ready to ink Garrett Temple of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
The 26-year-old has been around the block in his two years of NBA experience, having seen time with the Rockets, Kings, Spurs, Bucks, and Bobcats from 2009/10-2010/11. In parts of four D-League seasons, Temple has averaged 14.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.6 APG, and 1.2 SPG in 34.8 minutes per contest.
Temple spent the summer with the Heat but wound up being their final roster cut with Terrel Harris, Josh Harrellson, Dexter Pittman, and James Jones all securing spots instead. Temple would have served as extra insurance for guard Mario Chalmers, but Miami felt confident enough in Chalmers’ health to move on without Temple.