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Atlantic Notes: Bynum, Felton, Celtics

December 17th, 2012 at 2:58pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the Atlantic Division on Monday afternoon:

John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News believes no winner has emerged from the Dwight Howard/Andrew Bynum trade, but points out that while the Sixers would have plenty of flexibility if Bynum left in free agency next summer, the Lakers would still be over the cap if Howard departs.
Bynum has some advice for Howard regarding playing with Kobe Bryant, which he relays to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
Raymond Felton has bone bruises on both of his hands, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe calls for widespread contributions from players on the Celtics' roster.
Avery Bradley has returned to practice for the first time since having shoulder surgery in May, reports Washburn.

Lowe On Clippers, Celtics, Bledsoe, Jazz, Mozgov

December 17th, 2012 at 10:42am CST by Chuck Myron

Grantland's Zach Lowe looked at several players who became eligible to be traded this weekend, and shares a litany of observations based on his analysis and what he's heard from around the league. Here's a look at some of his rumors:

Ryan Hollins has fallen behind Lamar Odom and Ronny Turiaf in the Clippers rotation, and he might be available for a team looking for cheap interior players, suggesting the Celtics, for whom Hollins played last season, as a potential suitor.
Though Odom and Turiaf are ahead of Hollins, they're still "limited players," according to Lowe, who believes the Clippers could look to upgrade their frontcourt.
An Eric Bledsoe trade "feels almost inevitable," though it doesn't have to happen this season.
Lowe expects the Jazz would be more willing to trade Paul Millsap than Al Jefferson, and believes that might make them a fit with the Lakers in a potential Pau Gasol deal, piggybacking on an idea advanced by ESPN.com's Tom Haberstroh (Insider only).
Echoing a Friday report by Mark J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, Lowe hears Timofey Mozgov is "among the most available players in the league."
Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas are the only pieces the Knicks have who are both "useful and tradeable," Lowe contends, adding that the Knicks would be reluctant to unload any of their backlog of bigs onto Eastern Conference rivals.

Odds & Ends: Wizards, Ebanks, Nets, Celtics

December 14th, 2012 at 11:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis used his personal blog to address a report this week by Michael Lee of The Washington Post that the Wizards turned down a trade for James Harden. Leonsis denies that finances were a factor in the team's decision, and points out the trade wouldn't have put the team over the luxury tax. However, Lee didn't write that the trade would make Washington a taxpayer, surmising instead that the team would eventually have to pay the tax if it wanted to keep Harden, John Wall and the rest of its post-trade core together. Here's who else is making news on an 11-game night in the NBA.

Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times thinks Devin Ebanks might not be with the Lakers much longer, though he points out that he's one of a handful of players who can veto trades this season (Sulia link).
More than half of the players on the Nets roster become eligible to be traded tomorrow, but Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News tweets that the team isn't planning any moves.
Sports Illustrated's Ian Thomsen isn't high on the Celtics, but he doesn't foresee the team making changes in an effort to win a title this season, he tells CSNNE's Sports Tonight (link via CSNNE.com).
This year's class of college sophomore draft prospects is especially deep, writes Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider only). Centers Cody Zeller and Alex Len, two potential No. 1 overall picks, sit atop Ford's ranking of the top 10 sophomores.
Eddie Johnson of HoopsHype points to the shortcomings of Eric Maynor this season and speculates that the Thunder may look to add another point guard to back up Russell Westbrook.
Pacers rookie guard Orlando Johnson would have been sent down this weekend for his second D-League assignment if not for Lance Stephenson's right ankle injury, notes Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.
After passing along a pair of reports that linked Carlos Arroyo to teams in Italy and Turkey, Sportando's Emiliano Carchia believes the nine-year NBA vet is down to a single option overseas. Arroyo last played in the Association in 2010/11, splitting the season between the Heat and Celtics.

Southwest Notes: Wallace, Hollinger, Ross

December 14th, 2012 at 10:10pm CST by Chuck Myron

While previous reports have indicated that GM Chris Wallace's role with the Grizzlies wouldn't change after the hiring of John Hollinger and Stu Lash, Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports that Wallace, Hollinger and Lash are expected to have equal input with CEO Jason Levien, who'll have final say on basketball matters. While Wallace expressed a willingness to work in the new environment, Tillery wonders if this might signal the end of Wallace's tenure in Memphis, writing that "only time will tell" how long he stays on board. Here's more on the Grizzlies front office and other news from the Southwest Division.

Tillery notes the Grizzlies hiring of Hollinger isn't the first time the team has employed an analytics specialist in the front office. Aaron Barzilai, who's now with the Sixers, worked for the Grizzlies as a consultant for several years.
Beckley Mason of The New York Times wonders if the Spurs have been sitting Matt Bonner, with whom they're more efficient than when he's not on the floor, to give more minutes to DeJuan Blair in an effort to showcase Blair for a trade.
The Mavericks had interest in Terrence Ross before the Raptors took him eighth overall this June, reveals Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com (Twitter link). The Mavs held the 17th pick in the draft before trading it to the Cavaliers, so that means they were either thinking of trading up or believed Ross might slip out of the lottery.
Chandler Parsons was a steal for the Rockets in the second round of the 2011 draft, but the 6'9" small forward was convinced he was headed elsewhere, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle details. "I thought I was going to go to the Celtics, 100 percent," Parsons said. "That was probably my best workout. I killed it."
We went in-depth on the summer moves made by the Mavs and Hornets today as part of the Hoops Rumors Offseason in Review series.

Stein On Pau, Raptors, Varejao, Jazz, Gentry

December 14th, 2012 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN.com's Marc Stein has published his Weekend Dime, and leads off the jam-packed column with a look at a handful of players that are candidates to be dealt before February 21st's trade deadline. Here are the highlights on those guys, and from the rest of Stein's piece:

The Lakers continue to recognize that they're unlikely to get fair value for Pau Gasol, given his health, salary, and performance, and would prefer to avoid another major shakeup anyway. So for now, they're still not seriously considering a Pau trade.
Multiple front-office sources view the Raptors as the team most motivated to make a move. The team would like to make Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon in tandem, but Bargnani's elbow injury may force Toronto to deal Calderon on his own. The Lakers and Mavericks have interest, though neither team is an obvious match for Calderon's $10.5MM+ salary.
NBA teams believe Anderson Varejao is "highly available," but are skeptical he'll be dealt, since the Cavaliers' high asking price is only increasing. Cleveland is seeking multiple young assets for Varejao, according to Stern, who says the Thunder, a potential match, have exhibited little interest.
Teams around the league aren't sure whether the Jazz would be more inclined to trade Paul Millsap or Al Jefferson, but the general consensus suggests one of the two will be dealt by the deadline for a front-line point guard.
Stein lists a few other names that come up repeatedly in talks with sources as trade candidates: Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings, Derrick Williams, Luke Ridnour, J.J. Barea, Michael Beasley, Courtney Lee, and D.J. Augustin.
Former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley may already be interested in buying another team, with the Bucks as a potential target, according to Stein.
Robert Sarver's assurances that Alvin Gentry will keep his job as Suns head coach shouldn't be viewed as a "dreaded" vote of confidence. Sources tell Stein that Sarver likes Gentry "too much personally to make an in-season change."

Eastern Notes: Hawks, Celtics, Asik, Blatche

December 14th, 2012 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

After rounding up a few Raptors updates earlier this afternoon, let's take a look around the rest of the Eastern Conference:

One opposing GM points out to Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (Sulia link) that a successful season for the Hawks would make it difficult for new GM Danny Ferry to bring in his own head coach to replace Larry Drew next year, if that's what Ferry wants to do. League sources also question whether Josh Smith fits the profile of a player Ferry would want to retain long-term, according to Bucher.
The Celtics inquired on Omer Asik over the summer, head coach Doc Rivers tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (Twitter link). However, the team quickly moved on when it heard Asik's price tag.
It's looking more and more like Andray Blatche might be this summer's "one [free agent] that got away" from the Heat, says Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Following up on comments he made last month, Mike D'Antoni clarified to reporters, including Fred Kerber of the New York Post, that he had no regrets about coaching the Knicks, but that he regretted leaving Steve Nash and the Suns.
In a piece for the Detroit Free Press, Dan Feldman of PistonPowered wonders if Charlie Villanueva is playing well enough to avoid being amnestied next summer.

Odds & Ends: Mayo, Terry, Pacers, Knicks

December 13th, 2012 at 12:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Reports last season suggested the Celtics were involved in serious trade talks with the Grizzlies that would have sent to O.J. Mayo to Boston. According to one subsequent story, it was Mayo's unwillingness to play for the C's that led to the deal falling apart, but with the Mavericks in Boston last night, Mayo addressed that rumor. The 25-year-old's understanding was that an internal debate in Boston about Ray Allen resulted in the trade not happening.

"I was pretty much set to come here and something fell through at the very last second," Mayo said. "A couple of the guys wanted to keep Ray, and management wanted to make the trade."

Mayo added that he got a call from the Celtics during free agency this summer, but was happy with the way things ultimately worked out. Here are a few more Thursday odds and ends from around the NBA:

Current Celtic and former Maverick Jason Terry told reporters, including Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, that he would like to take Mark Cuban up on his offer to bring Terry back to the organization once his playing career ends.
The changes the Pacers made to the bench over the offseason haven't been upgrades, and the team will need to make more moves if it hopes to contend in the playoffs, opines Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star.
Steve Nash was close to making a decision to sign with the Knicks in July, which would likely have meant the team re-signing Jeremy Lin as well, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. However, as Berman notes, the team's point guard Plan B of Jason Kidd and Raymond Felton has worked out pretty well so far.
ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (Insider link) identifies a few potential landing spots for Dwight Howard next summer if D12 decides he doesn't want to return to the Lakers.

Odds & Ends: Knicks, Harden, Terry, Draft

December 12th, 2012 at 10:57pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Wednesday night:

Al Iannazzone of Newsday.com writes that Mike Woodson has been more successful at coaching Carmelo Anthony than Mike D'Antoni was.
James Harden was indifferent in his reaction to reports that the Wizards had rejected an offer from the Thunder to send him to Washington.
Jason Terry did not rule out a return to the Mavericks later in his career, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford took a variety of questions from fans relating to the 2013 NBA Draft in a live chat.
SNY.com's Adam Zagoria reports that Jabari Parker, the second-rated prospect of the 2014 Draft, is down to Duke and Michigan State in his choice of colleges.
Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reports that John Wall will have his knee re-examined on Friday.
Sam Amico of FoxSportsOhio.com writes that youth is not an excuse for the Cavs' poor play.
D.J. Augustin has been a disappointment since signing with the Pacers this summer.
Sean Michael Meager of the Oregonian has an interview with Trail Blazers rookie Will Barton about his recent D-League assignment and the adjustment from college to the NBA.
Brandon Jennings was perhaps the best player up for a rookie-scale extension who didn't get one, but he's drawing comparisons to Chris Paul and Mike Conley from Bucks coach Scott Skiles for his play this season, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel documents.
Stephen Curry is feeling happy with his level of play this season and is not disappointed with his contract extension, he tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

D-League Moves: Acy, Melo, English, Middleton

December 12th, 2012 at 3:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Wednesday's D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Raptors have recalled Quincy Acy from their D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam, the team announced today in a press release. Toronto is short-handed, with Kyle Lowry, Andrea Bargnani, Landry Fields, and Mickael Pietrus among the players suffering from injuries, so Acy will provide some depth.
Fab Melo, who was recalled from the D-League by the Celtics on Monday, has been assigned back to the Maine Red Claws, the team announced today in a press release. The 22nd overall pick has yet to make his NBA debut.
The Pistons have assigned rookies Kim English and Khris Middleton to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today. The duo is expected to spend a three-game stint with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. English, the 44th overall pick in this year's draft, has appeared in ten games for Detroit, averaging 3.2 PPG in 9.2 minutes per contest. Middleton, the 39th pick, has played in just three games for the club.

Odds & Ends: Terry, Mayo, Belinelli, Crawford

December 11th, 2012 at 11:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

We heard earlier today that Mavs owner Mark Cuban would have liked to have kept Jason Terry, who signed with the Celtics. Terry said he was disappointed that the first call he fielded this summer wasn't from the Mavs, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram details. Cuban also claims that he vetoed a deal former Mavs coach Don Nelson had set up during the 2004/05 season that would have sent Terry to the Jazz for Raul Lopez, Price notes. That one seems far-fetched, but if it's true, you'd have to give Cuban credit for quite a save. Here's the rest from a busy day and night in the NBA.

O.J. Mayo can opt out of his contract this summer, but Cuban hopes he'll stay with the Mavs even longer than the eight years Terry was around, Price tweets.
Chris Paul and former Hornets teammate Marco Belinelli are close friends, but Paul didn't recruit Belinelli to join the Clippers this summer because he thought the Bulls would be a better fit for the Italian sharpshooter, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune observes (Sulia link).
The Bulls went hard after Jamal Crawford before last season, but wound up giving the money they had set aside for him to Richard Hamilton instead, according to Johnson (Sulia link).
Though Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo was telling reporters Monday that coach Dwane Casey's job is not in jeopardy, Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun wonders whether that will be Colangelo's call to make, surmising everyone in the organization except Jonas Valanciunas shouldn't get too cozy.
Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times corrects his earlier statement about the draft pick the Lakers owe the Suns, detailing the protections on that and other draft picks that will prevent L.A. from drafting in the first round next June.
Sean Deveney of The Sporting News gauges the early returns on the rookie-scale extensions handed out before the season, and believes Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday and DeMar DeRozan are the steals of the bunch.
SB Nation's Tom Ziller goes in depth on the Maloof family dynamics at play as the fate of the Kings, the team they own, hangs in the balance.