Odds & Ends: Williams, T’Wolves, Mirotic, Gasol
On this date in 1995, the (Vancouver) Grizzlies lost to the Raptors 93-81 in the first ever meeting between Canadian NBA franchises. That Grizzlies squad went 15-67 on the year and finished 14-68 in their sophomore campaign. Today, they play 2,500 miles away from Vancouver and are lightyears ahead of where they once were as they boast the third-best record in the Western Conference. Here's more from around the Association..
- T'Wolves forward Derrick Williams says that president David Kahn hasn't mentioned talk of a Pau Gasol trade to him, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. "I don’t think we necessarily need to talk like that. Myself and [Nikola Pekovic] are big part of the team," said Williams.
- The Bulls should make Nikola Mirotic untouchable as one NBA front office source says that he is the best prospect still playing in Europe, writes Nick Gibson of Sheridan Hoops. The Hornets have so far rejected the idea of parting with 24-year-old Ryan Anderson and Gibson opines that Chicago should take the same stance on the Real Madrid star.
- Kyrie Irving will have a greater impact for the Cavs upon his return than Pau Gasol will for the Lakers, opines Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops. GM Mitch Kupchak recently told Gasol's representatives that he will be forced to explore a trade if things do not improve for the forward and the team as a whole.
- The Lakers are playing about as well as they can given what they have available, writes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.
Eastern Notes: Bynum, Higgins, Pacers, Knicks
Here’s a look at the latest out of the Eastern Conference..
- Sixers big man Andrew Bynum says that he never considered the possibility that he might not play this season, despite recent word that he is out indefinitely, writes Dee Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. Philadelphia’s prized offseason acquisition has an MRI scheduled for December 20th and seems to have an optimistic lookout on things. “Worst-case scenario, it will be another month,” Bynum said. “Best-case scenario, I can ramp [up the workouts].”
- With Cory Higgins waived, Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap says that Reggie Williams and/or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will fill in as the third point guard, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Charlotte cut Higgins loose yesterday in order to sign Jeff Adrien.
- Pacers coach Frank Vogel has demoted D.J. Augustin to the third-string point guard and promoted offseason signing Ben Hansbrough to backup one-guard, writes Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. The brother of teammate Tyler Hansbrough was the only player to make the club’s roster off of a non-guaranteed deal.
- Jason Kidd is set to take on the Nets for the first time as a member of the rival Knicks, but he says that he will approach it like he would any other game, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
Suns Owner Says Alvin Gentry’s Job Is Safe
Earlier today we learned that there could be a "major shakeup" on the horizon for the Suns, but it won't involve an outster of Alvin Gentry. Owner Robert Sarver told Chris Broussard of ESPN.com that he is not considering making a coaching change.
"It's still early in the season," Sarver said via phone. "We're playing worse than our talent, and a lot of that has to do with confidence. It's up to the coaches and players to start playing better and to get that swagger back and turn things around. Things can turn quickly in this league."
The Suns have now dropped seven straight games and have the second-worst record in the Western Conference at 7-15. After sending Steve Nash to the Lakers in a sign-and-trade, the Suns attempted to kick off their rebuilding effort with pickups of Goran Dragic, Michael Beasley, and Luis Scola in free agency. However, the club is still lacking firepower on offense and their push to have Beasley shoot more from the perimeter has not yielded results.
Raptors Notes: Bargnani, Colangelo, Gasol
Earlier tonight, I asked Hoops Rumors readers if the Raptors should end the Andrea Bargnani era in Toronto and nearly 85% of you said that he should be traded south of the border. Here’s more on the former No. 1 overall pick and the Raptors..
- General Manager Bryan Colangelo says that he’s as disappointed in the club’s 4-16 start as anyone, writes Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. “This situation is, from all standards, unacceptable,” Colangelo said. “It’s disappointing, it’s embarrassing but this is where we find ourselves.” Colangelo is meeting with members of the team and coaching staff tonight off of the heels of their 131-99 loss to the Jazz.
- Bargnani says that the constant trade talk is having zero effect on him and his mental state, writes Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun. The big man says that he made peace with the reality that he can always be traded from his first day in the league.
- Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun wonders if Colangelo is motivated to make moves to prioritize the short-term over the long-term, like acquiring Pau Gasol, because of his own contract situation. Colangelo’s contract is not guaranteed beyond this year.
Odds & Ends: Meeks, Lakers, Virginia Beach
In recent years, many NBA players have opted to take their talents to the other side of the Atlantic and sign for bigger bucks overseas. Max Blau of Grantland spoke with several players who have plied their craft in Europe or Asia and found mixed reviews. Guard Chris Douglas-Roberts spent last season in Europe with uncertainty surrounding the NBA season and gave the experience a thumbs up. “I lived in a different culture for a whole year. I met great people from all sides of the world,” Douglas-Roberts said. “I can actually say I lived a year in Italy. Guys from my neighborhood in the west side of Detroit cannot say that." Here's more from around the Association..
- Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times notes the radical jump in shooting percentage Lakers offseason signee Jodie Meeks has experienced under new coach Mike D'Antoni. He's connecting on 43.8% of his field goals and 50% of his three-point attempts since D'Antoni took over, but shot just 28.6% from the floor and 22.7% from long distance over his first nine games.
- The budget proposed by Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell doesn't include the $150MM that officials from the City of Virginia Beach were seeking to assist with the construction of a new arena, reports Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee. The governor's spokesman said further study is required before the state commits to funding the arena, which would ostensibly become the new home of the Kings.
- When compared to the max contracts of big men such as Brook Lopez, Pau Gasol, and Roy Hibbert, Bulls big man Joakim Noah looks like an especially good value at $12MM, tweets Mark Deeks of ShamSports.
Poll: Should The Raptors Trade Andrea Bargnani?
The early word on the 2013 NBA Draft is that it'll be rather thin at the top and likely one of the weakest classes in recent years. The last draft class to elicit such a tepid reaction was 2006, a year in which there was no real consensus number one pick. Many fans saw Texas forward LaMarcus Aldridge as the top choice, but Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo was smitten with Italy's Andrea Bargnani.
It's easy to see why Colangelo and other GMs had Bargnani pegged as the best talent in the draft – his combination of athleticism and outside shooting is wildly impressive for a 7-footer. In recent years, the Raptors have worked to build an offense and a roster around Bargnani and his unusual skill set. At this point, however, the plan isn't working as well as Colangelo would have hoped. Toronto hasn't seen the postseason since 2007/08 and they're not likely to return this year as they sit in the cellar of the Atlantic at 4-16.
Bargnani hasn't been playing up to his ability in the first 20 games of this campaign and his stat line shows it. The big man's numbers are down across the board as he is averaging 17.0 PPG and just 4.6 boards. Bargnani was never confused for Rick Mahorn on the court, but his rebounding ability appears to have regressed even further. His trade value obviously isn't what it once was, but it might be time for the Raptors to cut the cord and start fresh. At the very least, the Raptors know that there's still a fan of Bargnani's in Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni. Bargnani is the perfect forward for D'Antoni's trigger-happy offense and can help detract pressure away from center Dwight Howard. The Raptors might not be as excited about Pau Gasol given his current woes, but they could explore a three-way trade to get the right mix of NBA-ready talent in return.
Should The Raptors Move Bargnani?
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Yes 86% (546)
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No 14% (90)
Total votes: 636
D-League Moves: Jackson, Joseph, Lamb, Orton
We're keeping track of all of the D-League assignments and recalls of 2012/13 right here, and we'll round up today's moves in this post, with the latest on top.
- The Thunder have assigned Reggie Jackson to the Tulsa 66ers, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman (Twitter link). The second-year point guard has seen only 56 minutes of action across 10 games for Oklahoma City this year after losing to Eric Maynor in the battle to become the team's primary backup point guard. Jackson is the fifth player the Thunder has sent to the D-League at different points this season, and he'll join Jeremy Lamb and Daniel Orton, who were demoted earlier today.
- The Celtics announced forward Kris Joseph has been assigned to the Maine Red Claws of the D-League for a third time this season. The 6'7" Joseph has averaged 21.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 39.0 minutes over three contests for the Red Claws this season. He's also hit the floor for three times with the big club in Boston, but has totaled only nine NBA minutes.
- The Thunder announced that they have sent guard Jeremy Lamb and center Daniel Orton back to the Tulsa 66ers of the D-League. Both players were recalled just yesterday along with Perry Jones III. Lamb and Orton are presently the only Thunder players on the 66ers' roster with Jones remaining in Oklahoma City and DeAndre Liggins having been recalled last week.
Lakers Notes: Gasol, Nash, Paul
Kobe Bryant had 35 points and seven assists last night, but it wasn’t enough to power the Lakers past the Thunder last night. Here’s a look at the latest on the Lakers as they get set take on the Jazz tomorrow night..
- The Lakers are debating whether to bring Pau Gasol off the bench when he returns from knee tendinitis, a person familiar with the team’s thinking told Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. The team is trying to weigh how a demotion would affect Gasol and will keep him if the starting lineup if they feel that it would hurt his play. Last night, Steve Nash confirmed that he asked the Lakers not to trade Gasol as a prerequisite for him joining the team.
- There’s panic in L.A. over the Lakers’ 9-10 record, but their poor results have been driven by luck as much as they have by skill, argues John Hollinger of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req’d). The Lakers are just 1-9 in games decided by ten points or fewer, and have gone 8-1 in the others.
- Brian Geltzeiler of Sheridan Hoops looked back at the vetoed blockbuster that would have sent Chris Paul to the other Los Angeles team. The proposed deal would have put Paul alongside Kobe Bryant and shipped Gasol to the Rockets.
Odds & Ends: Cavs, Bargnani, Green, Wolves
Now is not the right time for the Raptors to trade Andrea Bargnani, but it might be the right move to make anyway, writes Eric Koreen of the Toronto Star. The big man doesn't fit the culture that Dwane Casey is trying to instill in Toronto and moving him could help get the locker room back on track. The Raptors have spent years trying to make the team work around Bargnani and Koreen argues that the relationship should have been working the other way around. Here's more from around the league..
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders if the Cavaliers made the right call in sending Jon Leuer to the D-League. The move should give Leuer plenty of playing time but the 4-16 Cavs can probably afford to give him significant minutes at the NBA level.
- The Celtics need more efficiency from Jeff Green this season, writes Rich Levine of CSNNE.com. The C's re-signed Green to a four-year, $36MM deal this summer, a surprising commitmentgiven his health concerns.
- The Timberwolves got the short end of the stick in last year's three-team Carmelo Anthony trade, tweets Mark Deeks of Sham Sports. The Wolves gave up Corey Brewer and Kosta Koufos and received Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph in return. Minnesota also took on a great deal of salary in the trade.
- Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel doesn't think that the Heat need to make a trade to return to the form of last season.
Southeast Notes: Heat, Magic, Vucevic, Hawks
Links out of the Southeast Division..
- After dropping two straight games, LeBron James says that there is now “a cloud” hanging over the Heat, according to the Associated Press. James explained that the club isn’t playing the type of defense that they’re capable of and it’s hard to argue after their latest outing against the Knicks. There are a few quality defensive-minded free agents that Miami could look into, including guard Delonte West and forward Kenyon Martin.
- Magic center Nikola Vucevic was overlooked in the four-team Dwight Howard trade, but he has looked great so far in Orlando, writes Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld. The 22-year-old has started every game so far this year and has posted seven double-doubles.
- Last night, our own Luke Adams reviewed the Hawks‘ offseason, a summer that brought significant changes to Atlanta. Josh Smith & Co. are off to an 11-5 start, putting them just 0.5 behind the Heat in the Southeast.