Central Notes: Bulls, Gasol, Cavs, Jones
It wasn’t pretty, but the Pacers topped the Bulls last night 80-76 to get back to the .500 mark. The Bulls kept David West in check but Paul George more than picked up the slack with 34 points, 9 rebounds, three steals, two assists, and two blocks. Here’s more out of the Central..
- In an interview on 95.7 The Game, Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com explained how the Bulls have the goods to land Pau Gasol if they want to. Sheridan suggests a three-way deal in which the Hornets send Ryan Anderson to the Lakers, and the Bulls send Taj Gibson, a future No. 1 draft pick owed to them by the Bobcats, plus a little more to New Orleans. That little more could include the rights to Real Madrid forward Nikola Mirotic.
- Despite the optimism surrounding recent D-League callup Kevin Jones, Sam Amico of FOXSportsOhio.com doesn’t see him making a major impact with the Cavaliers this season. In five D-League games, averaged 23.6 PPG and 12.6 RPG in 41 minutes per game. The forward out of West Virginia was projected to be an early- to-mid second-round pick in the 2012 draft but plummeted after an injury forced him to miss workouts.
- The Cavs are hurting without Kyrie Irving in the lineup, but veteran wing C.J. Miles notes that the situation is giving bench players a chance to prove their worth in the league, writes Lang Greene of HoopsWorld. Jeremy Pargo and Donald Sloan have seen more minutes in Irving’s absence but the Cavs are struggling at 4-14.
Spurs Recall Cory Joseph From D-League
The Spurs announced that they have recalled Cory Joseph from the Austin Toros. Joseph, who has been assigned to the Toros twice this season, appeared in two games with Austin, averaging 12.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.0 steals in 35.5 minutes.
The University of Texas product has appeared in four games this season for the Spurs' varsity squad, averaging 1.8 points and 1.5 assists in 7.8 minutes. Joseph also spent 29 games with the Spurs in 2011/12, averaging 2.0 PPG in 9.0 minutes per contest. The shorthanded Spurs can certainly use the help as they'll be without Kawhi Leonard, Stephen Jackson, Danny Green, and Patty Mills for tonight's game against the Bucks.
Be sure to check out our complete list of D-League assignments and recalls to keep track of the latest moves.
Hawks To Recall John Jenkins
The Hawks will bring John Jenkins back from D-League today, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). Jenkins was assigned to the Bakersfield Jam along with fellow rookie Mike Scott last week. Scott is sick and will remain in Bakersfield until he gets healthy.
The 21-year-old was taken with the 23rd overall pick in the 2012 draft out of Vanderbilt. Jenkins had an enjoyable two game stint in the D-League, scoring 22 points against the Santa Cruz Warriors in his debut and 29 points against the Los Angeles D-Fenders last night. The guard saw just 13 minutes across four games this season for the Hawks.
Celtics Interested In Dampier, Not Kenyon Martin
The Celtics are in search of a rebounding big man and have considered bringing Erick Dampier in for a look, an NBA source tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. However, the club hasn't been in touch with Kenyon Martin or his representatives since July.
“We’ve done a thorough analysis of the marketplace,” said agent Andy Miller, “and at this stage, Kenyon is obviously biting at the bit for an opportunity to get back in and show his wares. So we’ve broadened our scope from where we were originally, and that was obviously on the heels of free agency opening up. We wanted to be with a playoff-bound team and have a significant role.”
Dampier, 37, hooked on with the Hawks last season on a pair of ten-day contracts before signing for the remainder of the year. The center had a 15 game stint in total and saw just 5.5 minutes of action per contest. The bruising big man could provide the Celtics with the kind of interior play that they're seeking, but he'll have to have better conditioning than he did in Atlanta. Dampier is one NBA vet who doesn't need to return for the money as he has earned roughly $98MM over the course of his 16-year career.
Martin, 34, last played with the Clippers and his rocky relationship with coach Vinny Del Negro may have something to do with his current unemployment. The forward also saw his stat sheet take a hit as he was less involved offensively on a talented Clippers team. Martin averaged 5.2 PPG and 4.3 RPG in 22.4 minutes per contest for Los Angeles.
Odds & Ends: Ilyasova, Lakers, Rockets, Clippers
One of the more insulting phrases in basketball circles is "sign-and-retire", a clever quip for players who ink lucrative contracts and seemingly transition into cruise control. Today, ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Insider sub. req'd) looked at several players who have been underwhelming so far in 2012/13 after signing big money deals. The Bucks' Ersan Ilyasova signed a five-year, $40MM deal this summer but now has a 9.69 PER to go along with 35.3% shooting from the floor. Other disappointing players highlighted by Hollinger include the Celtics' Jeff Green, the Pacers' Roy Hibbert, and the Raptors' Landry Fields. Here's more from around the Association..
- Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside looked at players in the D-League who could potentially help the Lakers solve their point guard problem. The Lakers could turn their own affiliate and call upon Darius Johnson-Odom or Courtney Fortson. Pilato also suggests that the Lakers could re-unite with Andrew Goudelock, who is currently playing with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
- When asked if the Clippers can turn the corner, Mavs center Chris Kaman responded, "If [owner Donald] Sterling sold the team they might be able to," Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram tweets.
- Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said that he would like to get a new contract as coach and "be the new owners' guy" going forward, tweets Rob Fischer of Sports 560 AM. The Grizzlies were recently purchased by 34-year-old Robert Pera, who is joined by a group of high-profile minority owners.
- Derrick Caracter has signed a contract with Israel's Bnei Herzliya, according to David Pick of Eurobasket (via Twitter). The former Laker spent last season in the D-League with three different teams and was on the Hawks' summer league team.
Pat Williams On Howard, Bynum, Nets
The Magic scored a tremendously satisfying win on Sunday when they downed Dwight Howard and the Lakers. Powered on the offensive end by Arron Afflalo and Glen Davis, the Magic employed the "Hack-A-Howard" strategy and forced the big man to try and win the game from the charity stripe. Yesterday, Magic senior vice president Pat Williams spoke with 95.7 The Game to about the post-Howard era in Orlando and Steven Cuce of Sports Radio Interviews has the goods..
How’s this year going without Dwight Howard? How’s the transition going?
Well, it cleared up very nicely [Sunday] night in Los Angeles. Oh boy, Orlando Magic fans were dancing in the street last night. That was a beautiful win for us. We’ve been struggling up to that point. The Dwight thing has calmed down. It was tumultuous for 12 months, really, and just difficult. What are you going to do when your great player and top guy says, ‘I don’t want to be here anymore?’ Move me on. It’s extremely difficult and we had to deal with it the best we could. We tried to convince Dwight to stay here and this could be his long-term home and he was … far better off being here, but he didn’t buy it. And New York or L.A. seemed to have the lure for him. We made the best deal we could and it was a big one — a four-team trade and one of the biggest in NBA history. We ended up with six players and five future draft choices. It was a massive trade, but I think it settled here and the fans’ position was if Dwight didn’t want to be here, so be it and we move on and let’s start fresh. So that’s really what we’ve done, and I think we’ve got a nice, young ball club. I think we are going to be OK.”
What made Dwight Howard change his mind last summer after he said in March he wanted to stay with the team?
“Dwight is a pleaser at heart. Deep down he really is a good guy. He had a lot invested here in eight years out of Central Florida and I think the pressure got to him. It was building and building and building. It was trade, trade and trade. As we got to the trade deadline, I think Dwight was just panic-stricken. Where was this all going to lead? The simplest way was just going to be sign this extension. I don’t think his agent had anything to do with it. I don’t think anyone would have advised him that because it was just a few months from free agency, and I just think the pressure was so great that the safest way to break it was just to sign the one-year extension and take the pressure off, and he made a little press conference and a little speech saying, ‘I love Orlando.’ Then, the next thing you know, this back injury takes place and then he disappears and we never saw him or hear from him again until the middle of the summer. We did meet with him and went out to see him and tried to convince him to stay. … It made no headway. It was not on his agenda and it turned out Brooklyn was his first choice. That all didn’t work, and finally the L.A. trade. Now he’s still a free agent after this year, so who knows what’s going to happen or where he is headed next?”
Why didn’t the deal for Dwight Howard with the Brooklyn Nets work out for Brook Lopez?
“I guess there were a lot of ins and outs with that. I just want to say that one of the fears with him was the tendency, as he got hurt, that he’s got a history with feet and ankle problems. He’s out again now. I think that was a big part of it, and then of course people say then, ‘Why not Andrew Bynum? Why didn’t you get Andrew Bynum?’ Well, I don’t think we’d be real happy with Andrew Bynum right now. If he were sitting here it would be a mess. We made the best deal we could with these other pieces that came from around the league, and I think it was the best deal we could have made based on potential of injury and what was best for our team.”
Poll: Should The Hornets Trade Ryan Anderson?
Ryan Anderson sure has come a long way since his humble beginnings with the Nets in 2008. The Nets “reached” for the California product with the 21st overall pick in that year’s draft and plugged him in to the rotation of a weakened team that had recently jettisoned Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson. When it came time for the Nets to start their rebuilding effort in earnest and move Vince Carter, the Magic pushed to have Anderson included in the deal. The forward was more than a throw-in but far from the focal point of the five-player swap.
A few years and a sign-and-trade later, Anderson is shining in New Orleans as he breaks in his four-year, $36MM deal. So far this year, Anderson is averaging career-highs across the board with 17.5 PPG and 7.9 RPG while shooting 42.3% from the outside. The 24-year-old figures to be on the fast track to All-Star Weekend in Houston and the Lakers reportedly see him as the solution to their frontcourt problems. The Hornets are obviously a long way from contention and could net a nice package of young players and draft picks in exchange for last year’s Most Improved Player.
However, the Hornets say they have no interest in parting ways with Anderson. The club is enthused by his early season play and is eager to see how the team looks when Anthony Davis and Eric Gordon return to action. It’s hard to argue with that reasoning – this green (no pun intended) Hornets squad won’t get near the playoff chase this season but they certainly play the role of spoiler for other clubs late in the year. More importantly, the trio could blossom into a legitimate force with time.
If you were in General Manager Dell Demps‘ shoes, would you trade Anderson or hold on to him?
Should The Hornets Trade Ryan Anderson?
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No 51% (309)
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Yes 49% (300)
Total votes: 609
Latest On Pau Gasol
2:17pm: League executives believe that Los Angeles won't have any real discussions for Gasol until Steve Nash returns, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated tweets. They also believe that they Lakers will hold off until after December 15th, when players who signed contracts over the summer can be traded.
1:32pm: Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak recently spoke with Gasol's representatives and explained that the team will have no choice but to explore trade possibilities if Gasol is unable to adjust to Mike D'Antoni's system, multiple league sources tell ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin. Gasol, who has been the subject of heavy trade speculation for weeks, will miss tonight's game due to tendinitis in both knees. However, the resting has to do specifically with the big man's injury and isn't being prompted by a forthcoming trade
The former four-time All-Star has career low numbers so far in 2012/13, averaging 12.6 PPG and 8.8 RPG in 34.8 minutes per contest. From a team standpoint, the Spaniard doesn't seem to mesh well in the club's offensive system or make a strong complement to center Dwight Howard. Gasol's mental lapses on the court have also been well documented and have been a recurring problem for the club over the last couple of years.
Cavs Recall Kevin Jones
The Cavaliers have recalled power forward Kevin Jones from the D-League's Canton Charge, according to Sam Amico of FOXSports.com. The undrafted rookie out of West Virginia hooked on with the Cavs in summer camp and was one of three players to be assigned to their D-League affiliate.
Jones was on a tear for the Charge and the Cavs thought enough of Jones to waive Luke Harangody in order to sign him last week. The former Celtic beat Jones out for a spot on the Cavs' roster this offseason but never actually appeared in a game. The Cavs are on the hook for Harangody's full $1.05MM guaranteed salary for 2012/13.
In five D-League games, Jones has averaged 23.6 PPG and 12.6 RPG in 41 minutes per contest. The 6'8" forward was projected to be an early or mid-second-round pick in the 2012 draft before a bone bruise took him out of the pre-draft circuit and kept him out of summer league play.
Kyler On Lakers, Hornets, Anderson, Pietrus
A few tidbits of news courtesy of HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler..
- There has been a lot of speculation that the Lakers are looking to make a move as they sit at 8-9. However, league sources and agents close to players that have been linked to the team say that they haven't been very active or aggressive about making a move. Other teams looking for help have started sending out feelers as free agents signed over the summer can be traded starting December 15th.
- The Lakers have also been linked to free agent point guards following injuries to Steve Nash and Steve Blake, but that doesn't appear to be in the cards as Nash is likely to return in the next few weeks. A signing might not be a good idea for the team's chemistry either and one insider near the situation remarked, “How much more change does that team need?”
- Hornets forward Ryan Anderson has been playing well for a less-than-stellar New Orleans team, fueling speculation that he could be traded. However, the club emphatically denies that he has been talked about in a trade. One Hornets exec pointed out that Anderson's play could get even better alongside a healthy Eric Gordon and Anthony Davis. While the club is obviously zeroed in on its young players for this season, they also see Anderson as a leader for the team this year and beyond. Earlier today we learned that the Lakers would like to land Anderson in a Pau Gasol deal.
- The Lakers were linked to Mickael Pietrus, but his agent says they never reached out to him. Pietrus signed with the Raptors for the minimum salary last week.