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Lowe On Lin, Anderson, Suns, Lee, Thompson

December 11th, 2012 at 11:21am CST by Luke Adams

Most players that signed new contracts over the summer will become eligible to be traded as of this coming Saturday, so Grantland's Zach Lowe took the opportunity to take a look around the league at some potential trade candidates. Here are a few of the highlights from Lowe's piece:

Even though the Rockets didn't expect to land Jeremy Lin this summer, and didn't expect to acquire another star ballhandler in James Harden, it's still "extremely unlikely" that they'd move Lin.
There's no indication that the Hornets would consider dealing Ryan Anderson, who Lowe clarifies (via Twitter) becomes trade-eligible this month rather than next month, as we'd previously thought.
Teams around the league are eyeing the Suns to see if they can extract some value there, but Phoenix almost certainly won't move Goran Dragic and can't trade amnesty pickup Luis Scola. Lowe also notes that "you can count on zero hands" the number of clubs interested in acquiring Michael Beasley.
It's not out of the question that Courtney Lee could become a trade candidate if the Celtics are seeking a big man.
Jason Thompson is "coveted around the league" due to his reasonable long-term salary, and is blocking Thomas Robinson in Sacramento, so the Kings could attempt to gauge his value.
The Mavericks may be a buyer rather than a seller, but they'll be wary of adding any salary that would affect their cap flexibility next summer.
The Sixers will be in the market for a big man once trade talks pick up.
Rival executives are wondering if it's too early for GM Neil Olshey and the Trail Blazers to explore the trade market for LaMarcus Aldridge.

D-League Moves: Lamb, Orton, Melo

December 10th, 2012 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

We'll track the day's D-League assignments and recalls right here:

Jeremy Lamb and Daniel Orton have been recalled from the D-League by the Thunder, tweets Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman. The duo have been up and down between the Thunder and the Tulsa 66ers so far this season, having just been assigned to the 66ers on Saturday.
The Celtics have recalled Fab Melo from the Maine Red Claws, the team announced today in a press release. Melo had been assigned to Boston's D-League affiliate back on November 14th. Although the C's have assigned and recalled Kris Joseph to the Red Claws multiple times already, this is Melo's first recall of the season. For Maine, he averaged 6.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 2.2 BPG in five contests.

Pacific Notes: Gortat, Curry, Gasol, Jamison

December 9th, 2012 at 10:54pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, Suns starting center Marcin Gortat might be becoming "restless" in Phoenix, noting that he has tallied a total of just 50 minutes over the last two games despite not being in foul trouble. While Robbins references a "Polish-language publication" that suggested Gortat would welcome a trade to the Celtics, Bulls, Mavericks, or even back to the Magic, he also mentions that Phoenix hasn't given the impression that they're willing to deal him at this point. With that aside, here's the rest of tonight's tidbits coming from the Pacific Division:

Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles looks at the success and production of the Clippers' second unit, which has started to gain some popularity with the nickname "A Tribe Called Bench."
Warriors coach Mark Jackson firmly believes that Stephen Curry is an All-Star based on his performance after 20 games this season. It's hard to disagree, as the 24-year-old Davidson product is averaging 19.7 PPG, 6.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, and nearly 4 RPG for the fifth-seeded team in the Western Conference. Jeff Zillgit of USA Today also mentions that Curry has been worry-free about the ankle problems that had sidelined him for all but 16 games last year.
Mike D'Antoni hints that Pau Gasol could play on Tuesday if his pain has lessened enough (Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer tweets).
Compared to his experiences in Cleveland and Washington, 15-year-veteran Antawn Jamison isn't rattled by the Lakers' slow start. As of late, he has been one of the team's most consistent performers, hitting double figure scoring in six of the last eight games: "I'm comfortable, not thinking at all, having fun, competing and doing the things I normally do. So it's a lot easier. I was getting frustrated, but now I'm just out there playing" (Schmitt Boyer reports).
Mike Monroe of Spurs Nation revisits the 1996 trade that sent then Charlotte-draft pick Kobe Bryant to the Lakers in exchange for Vlade Divac.
In addition to the Rockets and Nuggets, the Lakers cracked HoopsWorld's list of most surprising teams this season from the Western Conference.

Eastern Notes: Cavaliers, Green, Lopez

December 9th, 2012 at 10:39pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Jason Lloyd of the Beacon Journal debunks the misconception that the Cavaliers will be forced to spend big in free agency this summer as a result of the NBA's minimum team salary floor requirement. Next season, teams will be required to spend at least 90 percent of the league's salary cap number next year. Although Cleveland's total amount of committed salaries could fall short of that number, Lloyd points out that the Cavs will be allowed to make up for the difference by dispersing the remaining required amount to its players. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

After initial struggles, Jeff Green appears to be looking more like the player the Celtics envisioned when they inked him to a 4-year, $36MM deal this summer, says A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com
Brook Lopez's recovery from a sprained right foot hasn't progressed as quickly as the Nets have hoped, writes Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York.
Count George Karl among those who thinks that Knicks star Carmelo Anthony is primed to eventually win an NBA title (Matt Ehalt of ESPN New York reports).
Pacers head coach Frank Vogel is considering more playing time for guard Ben Hansbrough and forward Jeff Pendergraph at the expense of those who have been struggling in Indiana's current second unit lately.
Several of HoopsWorld's analysts weighed in on who they feel are the most surprising teams in the NBA thus far. Out of the Eastern conference, they referenced the Knicks' dominance, the Bobcats' improvement compared to last season, and the Raptors' difficulty in living up to expectations.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times says that the ticket to Bulls forward Jimmy Butler earning playing time has been his defensive versatility.
John Denton of NBA.com examines the niche that Moe Harkless has found with coach Jacque Vaughn, who likes the progression his rookie has made in the starting rotation. Denton also provides a minor update the current statuses of Hedo Turkoglu and Al Harrington, saying that while Turkoglu still appears to be out indefinitely, Harrington could return in the next two weeks.
Raptors guard Alan Anderson went through his workout today without any pain and believes that he is one practice away from returning (Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun reports).

D-League Moves: Jackson, Joseph, Lamb, Orton

December 8th, 2012 at 4:47pm CST by Zachary Links

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.

Odds & Ends: Cavs, Bargnani, Green, Wolves

December 8th, 2012 at 12:08pm CST by Zachary Links

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.

Odds & Ends: Raptors, Blatche, Rubio, Kings

December 7th, 2012 at 10:05pm CST by Zachary Links

While the Raptors might not be willing to part with Andrea Bargnani just yet, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com notes that there is plenty of pressure on Bryan Colangelo to win, which might fuel him to pull the trigger on a deal. The Raptors have a lot that makes sense for the Lakers in a Pau Gasol deal beyond the forward too in Jose Calderon and Linas Kleiza. The question is whether Raptors believe Gasol will make them contenders and whether he’s worth taking on $19MM next season. Here’s more Friday night linkage..

In this week’s mailbag, CSNNE’s Tommy Heinsohn said that Jason Terry knew that he would have a significant role with the Celtics when he signed on this summer.
Nets forward Andray Blatche is clearly one of the best late offseason signings in the entire league, tweets Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. The athletic big man signed a minimum salary deal with the Nets over the summer and earlier today he said that he would like to re-sign with Brooklyn.
T’Wolves guard Ricky Rubio said that if he had to rate his happiness in Minnesota on a scale from 1-10, he’d give it a ten, tweets Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press. Rubio will be extension-eligible in 2014 and can become a restricted free agent in 2015.
Kings assistant coach Bobby Jackson wondered aloud if the club should thinking about breaking up their logjam of guards with Aaron Brooks, Isaiah Thomas, and Jimmer Fredette in the fold, writes Blake Ellington of Bleed Black and Purple

Celtics Links: Pierce, Roster, Bradley, Ainge

December 7th, 2012 at 8:45am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics will jockey for early-season Atlantic Division position tonight when they play the Sixers in Philadelphia, as both teams enter the game with 10-8 records. In advance of the evening's contest, here are a few C's notes:

Appearing on WEEI in Boston, Paul Pierce discussed the Celtics' slow start, the effect Jason Terry has had on the locker room, and the value of Rajon Rondo, among other topics. Steven Cuce of Sports Radio Interviews has the quotes.
Within his ESPNBoston.com mailbag, Chris Forsberg says there's no rush for the Celtics to fill their 15th roster spot, and that the best opportunity for an addition likely won't happen until the trade or waiver deadline.
Although Danny Ainge didn't commit to a specific timetable, he said yesterday that Avery Bradley is "getting closer" to returning, writes Greg Payne of ESPBoston.com. Bradley is still unlikely to play for the C's before the new year.
Jerry Spar of WEEI.com examines the moves Ainge has made since the Celtics' last title, suggesting that the Celtics president's moves have missed more than they've hit over the last few years.

Atlantic Notes: Holiday, Blatche, Stiemsma, Sixers

December 6th, 2012 at 12:47pm CST by Zachary Links

With the first full month of the NBA season in the books, the Sixers' Jrue Holiday looks like the frontrunner for this year' Most Improved Player award, writes Justin Kubatko for the New York Times. After receiving a four-year, $41MM extension from the club on Halloween, the 6'3" guard has been earning his pay bump with 18.2 PPG and 9.3 RPG per game, a significant bump from last season's numbers (13.5 PPG, 4.5 APG). Here's more out of the Atlantic..

The Nets took a chance on Andray Blatche this offseason when they gave him a one-year deal, and there's no doubt that the gamble is paying off, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Blatche is averaging 10.6 PPG and 6.1 RPG while shooting nearly 47 percent from the field this season. Those numbers have improved since Blatche stepped into the starting lineup in place of Brook Lopez three games ago with 17.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and over 51 percent shooting.
Former Celtics big man Greg Stiemsma told Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com that he left Boston because he felt that he had a better opportunity with the Timberwolves. It also helped that Stiemsma got a $3MM committment for 2012/13 with the possibility of a second year at $2.575MM.
The Sixers have had to play without summer acquisitions Andrew Bynum, Jason Richardson, and Nick Young, but head coach Doug Collins isn't making excuses, writes Bob Cooney of the Daily News.

Odds & Ends: Howard, Robinson, Kaman, Bradley

December 5th, 2012 at 10:55pm CST by Sean Highkin

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

SportsDayDFW.com's Kevin Sherrington doesn't believe Dwight Howard would leave the Lakers for the Mavericks despite LA's current struggles.
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes that Bulls guard Nate Robinson is working on improving his consistency this season.
Mavericks center Chris Kaman tells Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram that his former team, the Clippers, have a bright future.
Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com reports that Celtics guard Avery Bradley is making progress towards a return.
Doug Smith of the Toronto Star praises Raptors forward Amir Johnson for his energy and effort.
Al Iannazzone of Newsday reports that Knicks center Marcus Camby will miss time with plantar fasciitis in his left foot.