Odds & Ends: Howard, Magic, Odom, Celtics
Its been a rocky few weeks in Orlando, but you wouldn’t know it by the result of tonight’s contest against the Pistons. The Magic blew out Detroit, 119-89, without the services of Dwight Howard. Here’s more on the Central Florida soap opera and other items from around the Association..
- Magic senior vice president Pat Williams, who helped found the franchise in 1989, says that he believes that coach Stan Van Gundy and Howard can co-exist in Orlando, according to the Associated Press.
- Adding Lamar Odom would make the Knicks instant title contenders in 2013, but there are a number of hurdles the club will have to clear in order to make that happen, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
- In less than a month, the Celtics have gone from rebuilding mode to title contention, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News.
- Thomas Robinson would be a tremendous fit for the Bobcats, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
- Texas A&M junior Khris Middleton announced that he will enter the draft, according to the AP. The small forward started 72 games in three seasons with the Aggies.
Blazers Notes: General Manager, Dragic, Camby
The Trail Blazers are in action tonight and looking to score their first W against Houston this year as they trail 2-0 in the season series. A look at what’s happening in Portland..
- Team president Larry Miller said that he interviewed two GM candidates last week, one face-to-face and one by phone, tweets Jason Quick of The Oregonian. Miller added that he is “hearing interest from a number of people I didn’t necessarily think about” and “an interesting list” has emerged for the position (Twitter link). Longtime GM Donnie Walsh is reportedly thinking about the job.
- Rockets point guard Goran Dragic figures to be on the Blazers’ radar this summer and said that his top priorities will be to find a coaching staff that can help him grow as a player as well as an opportunity to start and “run the team”, according to Quick (all Twitter links). Houston should have roughly $18MM in cap space this offseason while Portland will have between $15-20MM (Twitter link).
- Former Blazer Marcus Camby said that former coach Nate McMillan never lost the team and was surprised to see him let go, tweets Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Camby also admitted that he was a little bitter to learn that Portland traded him to the Rockets (Twitter link).
Del Negro Says Job Was Never In Danger
Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro told J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today that reports that he lost his locker room and was on the verge of being fired were "ridiculous" and unfounded. Los Angeles limped their way through the bulk of March but have now won eight of their last nine games.
"Everyone goes through rough patches," the coach said. "Teams are losing games. The Western Conference is very difficult. You're dealing with a lot of things with this season, a whole new team. People that [coach] understand how difficult it is. If you haven't gone through it, you don't know."
Del Negro added that he speaks with upper management on an almost daily basis and had never been told that his job was in jeopardy. The Clips now sit at 34-22 and would have the fourth seed in the Western Conference if the playoffs started today.
Knicks Notes: Point Guards, Douglas, Thomas
The Knicks find themselves with a mini-break after handling the Magic on Thursday night with a 96-80 victory. They'll be back in action on Sunday and led by a familiar face at the point. More on that and other items out of MSG..
- Coach Mike Woodson says the team will not add a point guard, reports Jacob Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. He believes the combination of Baron Davis, Toney Douglas and Mike Bibby, along with Iman Shumpert if necessary, is "plenty."
- General Manager Glen Grunwald looked to trade point guard Toney Douglas at the deadline but couldn’t find value for him as his stock had plummeted, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Douglas has a year left on his pact at $2MM and is the only Knicks one-guard who isn’t a free agent after this season. The Florida State product is now seeing regular time due to Jeremy Lin's season-ending injury.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com wonders if the Knicks might consider bringing Isiah Thomas back to New York now that he has been let go as coach of Florida International University. Begley points to owner James Dolan's admiration for the former Knicks coach/exec and his attempt to hire him as a consultant less than two years ago.
- Meanwhile, Berman doesn't expect the Knicks to offer Thomas a gig. According to sources, Dolan isn’t ready to name Thomas to a formal position, even with Donnie Walsh’s position soon coming to an end. Walsh has been granted permission by the club to explore GM opportunities elsewhere.
Odds & Ends: Williams, Mavericks, Howard, Cavs
We've got nine games on the docket tonight, including Magic–Sixers in Philadelphia. Orlando will look to put the heightened drama of this past week behind them and snap a five-game losing skid. Here's a look around the league on this Saturday afternoon..
- There has been tons of speculation about Deron Williams joining the Mavericks this summer but Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld points out that several things have to happen in order to facilitate that homecoming. For starters, Dallas will have to get creative in order to have enough cap space to sign the Nets guard.
- The latest drama between Magic coach Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard feels like a repeat of the clash of Van Gundy and Shaquille O'Neal in Miami, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.
- Lester Hudson has likely bought himself more time with the Cavaliers after helping the club top the Raptors in Toronto, writes Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer. The 27-year-old is on day eight of his ten-day contract.
- Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall.com (via Twitter) points out that the Wizards' James Singleton makes it ten players who have signed in the NBA after playing in China this season.
Hoops Links: Hornets, Howard, Wizards, Nash
On this day in 2001, the Rockets defeated the Hawks 110-97 to become the first NBA team in 18 years to sweep an entire division. The Rockets won all 16 games against Central Division opponents, becoming the first team to sweep a division since the 1982/83 Lakers swept all 12 intra-divisional games. Unfortunately for Houston, they couldn't play all 82 games against the Central as they finished two games behind the T'Wolves for the eighth playoff seed.
If you have a great basketball blog piece that you think we should feature in our weekly installment of Hoops Links, send me an email at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here's this week's look around the basketball blogosphere..
- At The Hive looks at the Hornets' history with lottery picks.
- MagicBasketball.net played a round of Fact Or Fiction with a healthy dose of D12.
- Bullets Forever catalogs the evolution of the Wizards.
- Bright Side Of The Sun thinks Steve Nash can still play at a high level after the big 4-0.
- The Basketball Post celebrates the validation of Kentucky coach John Calipari.
- Truth About It wonders if the Wizards are in better position going forward than the Nets.
- Blog A Bull knows that C.J. Watson needs a rest, but the Bulls need him more.
- Euro-Step looks at the rise of the Germans.
- Straight Outta Vancouver comes to the defense of Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph.
- Sactown Royalty isn't sure of what the Maloofs are trying to prove.
- Hoop Speak tips their e-cap to Lakers coach Mike Brown.
- Pounding The Rock checks out the new-look Spurs.
- Detroit Bad Boys asks if the NBA is ready for advertising on jerseys.
- SB Nation breaks down our long national Dwightmare.
- Mavs Moneyball salutes Delonte West.
- Clips Nation looks at Chris Paul & Co. down the stretch.
- NBA Playbook looks at Miami's failed experiment.
- The Dream Shake tries to figure out Patrick Patterson.
- Silver Screen And Roll breaks down The Sessions Effect.
- Liberty Ballers peaks inside the mind of Doug Collins.
- Cowbell Kingdom wonders about Keith Smart's rotation.
- Hoop Idea looks at Bill Simmons' thoughts on tanking over the years.
- Ballin Europe gave their take on the Euroleague Women Final Eight.
- RealGM peers into the crystal ball for a look at the future of the Thunder.
- The Classical isn't quite sure what Dwight Howard is going for.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Knicks, Woodson, Lin
We'll have to wait until next season until the Knicks and Nets are forced to play nice with each other in the same city, but for now we'll put items on both clubs in the same post and see how they get along..
- While some might be wondering if the Nets' recent slide will put them into tank mode, coach Avery Johnson said today that the team will play "to the very end," writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. The Nets, of course, only retain their first-round pick this year if it falls inside of the top three. Otherwise, it becomes property of the Trail Blazers thanks to the Gerald Wallace trade.
- Should the Knicks retain head coach Mike Woodson? Bob Knight certainly thinks so, writes Ian O'Connor of ESPNNewYork.com. "You'd have to be an absolute idiot not to see [Mike Woodson's success]. Not that the NBA is without its absolute idiots," Knight said.
- While a report claimed that the Knicks kept Jeremy Lin's knee surgery under wraps in order to sell playoff tickets, the club was quick to squash such speculation, writes Royce Young of CBSSports.com.
- After the Nets move across the river to Brooklyn, Shaquille O'Neal hopes to bring an NBA team to Newark, New Jersey, writes Mike Vorkunov of the Star-Ledger. However, the big man kept mum when pressed for details on how he would make that happen or where the financial support might come from.
Odds & Ends: Draft, Walker, Mullens, Leonard
At halftime of the National Championship game, No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis went in to the locker room with no points to his credit. However, Davis reminded all of us that you don't need to put up points to make a difference on the court. The 6'10" big man pulled down nine boards, put up three blocks, and handed out four assists as Kentucky jumped out to a 41-27 lead in the first stanza. The Wildcats saw it through to the end, capturing their first national title since 1998. Here's a look at news from around the Association and items concerning the 2012 draft..
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com is keeping track of who is in and who is out of the draft. So far, only four draft prospects have officially announced that they'll be returning to school rather than jump to the pros.
- Kemba Walker and center Byron Mullens are at the forefront of the Bobcats' youth movement, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Mullens, acquired in a December deal with the Thunder, has become more comfortable in Charlotte in part because of Paul Silas' decision to play him as a "stretch-4" rather than a center.
- Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (via Twitter) expects Illinois center Meyers Leonard to get top-20 attention in this year's draft. As one scout noted, "There are not that many bigs. He's big and long."
Free Agent Stock Watch: Kris Humphries
A little over two years ago, the Nets traded Eduardo Najera – who never quite found his groove in New Jersey thanks to various injuries – to the Mavericks for Kris Humphries and Shawne Williams. While the trade was more about moving the final two-and-a-half years of Najera's contract than making a significant acquisition, Humphries proved to be a pleasant surprise for New Jersey.
Hump gave the Nets the edge they sorely needed on the glass in 2010/11 as Brook Lopez shied away from the paint and this summer he was handsomely rewarded with a one-year, $8MM deal. However, the former 14th overall pick didn't get to put pen-to-paper until just four days prior to the start of the NBA season as the Nets wanted flexibility to be able to pull off a trade with Orlando involving Dwight Howard. Unfortunately for Humphries, he could experience flashbacks to that once again this summer. While he is having another strong season, it seems likely that the Nets will put him on the back-burner once again as they explore a deal for Howard or another mega-star that will make Deron Williams want to join the club in Brooklyn.
Despite the extra attention that he has gotten this year, both on- and off-the-court, Humphries has delivered once again this season, putting up 13.4 PPG and 10.9 RPG. It's not exactly clear who is representing the 27-year-old at the moment but whoever his agent is will likely look to get Humphries a long-term deal. Will the Nets, who are anxious to satiate their star point guard with another "max level" player, commit upwards of $8MM to the big man over three or four years? Maybe not, but it's also possible that the club will be looking at a Deron-less future in July. Hump's blue collar style may not sell out the state-of-the-art Barclays Center, but it would help keep the club competitive during yet another rebuilding phase.
While the Nets may not be ready to prioritize Humphries, there are plenty of clubs that will. The Celtics might be in the market for a power forward if they part ways with Kevin Garnett. Teams such as the Cavaliers, Suns, and Bobcats have money to spend and could all be in the mix depending on what their short- and long-term goals are. Humphries has dominated the front pages of tabloids so far in 2012 but he could transition back over to making headlines in sports sections with a lucrative new contract this summer.
Odds & Ends: Lin, Rockets, Camby, Hornets
The Bulls and Thunder square off tomorrow afternoon, but Chicago will likely be without the services of Derrick Rose for a tenth straight game. The Bulls could certainly use the help of the reigning MVP but they've found a way to win without him, going 14-5 without Rose in the lineup this season. Here's a look around the Association to close out the evening..
- Jeremy Lin's season is likely over but the popular guard says that he hopes to remain with the Knicks in 2012/13, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday.
- The acquisitions of Marcus Camby and Earl Boykins have given the Rockets some badly needed veteran leadership, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Excluding players now with the club's D-League affiliate, the Rockets have 4.69 years of NBA experience, taking them from one of the least to most experienced teams.
- Cartier Martin is already making a strong impression on the Wizards and is making a case for staying with the club beyond his current ten-day contract, writes Gene Wang of the Washington Post.
- Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer remembers the phone call that made the Hornets organization a reality 25 years ago.