Eastern Notes: Bucks, Nets, Cavs, Oden
The latest news and notes from around the Eastern Conference on Sunday afternoon:
- Raptors head coach Dwane Casey tells Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that he is not surprised that Scott Skiles was fired by the Bucks, noting the heavy turnover among coaches in recent years.
- Wes Szafran of the South Jersey Times writes that P.J. Carlesimo has done an excellent job since replacing Avery Johnson as head coach of the Nets.
- Cavs owner Dan Gilbert told fans to be patient with the team's rebuild in a recent television interview. Bob Finnan of the News-Herald has quotes.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer writes that Greg Oden deserves a chance to rehabilitate his NBA career, comparing his injury-plagued early years to those of former Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who was able to put together a productive NBA career.
- Michael Lee of the Washington Post wonders if top overall draft picks are cursed, citing the recent injuries to John Wall and Kyrie Irving.
- Ryan Anderson tells Fred Kerber of the New York Post that the Dwight Howard drama was a distraction for the Magic players last season.
Nets Sign Damion James To 10-Day Contract
The Brooklyn Nets have signed forward Damion James to a 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release. James had previously been playing for the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA D-League.
James, drafted 24th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in 2010 and acquired by the Nets in a draft-day trade, has played parts of two seasons with the team, averaging 4.5 PPG and 7.7 RPG.
Atlantic Notes: Martin, Knicks, Nets, Brooks
Yesterday, we learned that the Lakers have lost big man Jordan Hill for the season, leaving many to speculate that they could be interested in the services of Kenyon Martin. However, another signature franchise on the opposite end of the country could beat them to the punch. Here’s more on that and other news out of the Atlantic..
- With Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace out, it might be time for Knicks to check in on Kenyon Martin or another available power forward/center, tweets Al Iannazzone of Newsday. However, a league source said the Knicks haven’t called about Martin at this point and coach Mike Woodson says they’ll probably stand pat for now. It’s also worth noting that Tyson Chandler is still banged up and Amare Stoudemire is on a minutes limit.
- The Nets‘ new-look bench, anchored by standout Andray Blatche, has given the Nets an extra boost during their current hot streak, writes Anthony Sulla-Heffinger of the New York Post. MarShon Brooks has also shined under new head man P.J. Carlisemo, which should silence any trade speculation for the time being. Brooks averaged just 11 minutes per contest under Avery Johnson.
- Jared Sullinger may be in his first year with the Celtics, but he is defying the rookie label, writes CSNNE.com’s A. Sherrod Blakely. Sullinger has impressed as of late and will be an even greater asset for Boston if he can stay out of foul trouble.
Latest On Trade Candidates From Reno
Marc Stein of ESPN.com attended the NBA D-League Showcase in Reno, Nevada this week, where many NBA GMs and executives were present. He posted a roundup of trade-related chatter he heard during the event:
- The Raptors are making the hardest push for Rudy Gay, offering the Grizzlies a package that includes Jose Calderon and Ed Davis. Memphis is still undecided as to whether they will move Gay.
- There is a growing sense from front offices around the league that the Lakers will not ultimately trade Pau Gasol this season.
- Teams have continued to ask the Kings about DeMarcus Cousins, and were told that he is not available.
- A source told Stein that it is highly unlikely the Bucks will move Brandon Jennings before the end of the season.
- The Jazz are more likely to trade Al Jefferson than Paul Millsap, even though both are free agents this summer.
- The Hornets are not expected to trade Eric Gordon, despite previous rumors that he may be available.
- Despite his recent statement that he intends on staying retired, the Nets are still making a hard push to convince Phil Jackson to be their next head coach.
- Stein lists several players as having been made known to be available by their teams, including the Raptors' Andrea Bargnani, the Spurs' DeJuan Blair, the Cavs' Omri Casspi, the Rockets' Cole Aldrich, and the Bucks' Drew Gooden, Samuel Dalembert, and Beno Udrih.
Eastern Rumors: Knicks, Hamilton, Nets, Oden
The Eastern Conference's top two teams fell last night, as the Heat lost a nailbiter in Portland and the Carmelo Anthony-less Knicks dropped a low-scoring affair in Indiana. Thursday's results further compress the playoff picture in the East, where the top eight teams, from the No. 1 Heat to the No. 8 Celtics, are all separated by just 5.5 games. Here are a few Friday updates related to four of those eight Eastern contenders:
- Asked about the Knicks' reported interest in Kenyon Martin, coach Mike Woodson told reporters, including Al Iannazzone of Newsday, "that's news to me." If Marcus Camby is forced to miss time after aggravating a foot injury Thursday night, then the Knicks could look to sign someone, says Iannazzone.
- Richard Hamilton, who turns 35 next month, tells K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune that he doesn't expect to play past age 38. Hamilton's contract for next year is mostly non-guaranteed, and he would turn 38 during the 2015/16 season, so he'd likely have to sign at least a couple more deals to play that long.
- Nets management has been impressed with the job done so far by coach P.J. Carlesimo, who will "almost certainly" hold the job until the end of the season, a source tells Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Greg Oden's agent, Mike Conley Sr., tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that he's 100% certain his client will be playing in the NBA next season. Conley didn't talk extensively about teams that could be in play, but hinted that the Heat aren't necessarily the frontrunners, and said the Trail Blazers definitely aren't an option. I'm not sure the Heat were widely viewed as the favorites — Miami was just the only specific suitor named in Brian Windhorst's report yesterday.
Phil Jackson Has No Plans Of Coaching Again
7:37pm: According to Howard Beck of the New York Times, friends close to Phil say that while they aren't sure if he'll coach again, it's not something they would rule out. They also believe that the only way to entice Jackson out of retirement would be a situation in which he sees nothing less than a "path to the championship" (Twitter links).
7:17pm: Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com reports that Phil Jackson has no interest in returning to the NBA to coach, which quells any notion of the 67-year-old replacing P.J. Carlesimo on the Nets for now. Jackson gave an exclusive statement, saying: "I have no intention of ever coaching again.” Regardless, Sheridan believes Jackson's admittance to be more of a hedge and anticipates that the 11-time champion guru will still be contacted by teams in the future.
Interestingly enough, Jackson's words had no implication on whether or not he'd be open to joining a team in another capacity. In that case, Sheridan thinks that the Nets could thrust themselves back into the radar if they were to offer a top executive job.
This season, there have been ample rumblings of a potential comeback. In November, Jackson had been strongly linked to the Lakers before being turned away in favor of Mike D'Antoni. After Avery Johnson's exit in Brooklyn, the former New York Knick player had widely been reported to be the Nets' top target. According to Sheridan, Jackson did not elaborate on nor address Brooklyn's efforts to try to lure him to their organization either. It is also mentioned that as recently as today, the Zen Master was still drawing interest and that another team had recently been in touch to inquire about his availability.
Atlantic Rumors: Draft Picks, Lopez, Rasheed
The Celtics have won the Atlantic Division the last five years, but they find themselves seven games back of the first-place Knicks entering the night. They have a chance to make up some of that deficit as they travel to Madison Square Garden this evening, but they'll have to do so without Rajon Rondo, who was suspended for one game after bumping an official in Atlanta last night and failing to cooperate with the league's investigation. Hawks GM Danny Ferry was perhaps a little too eager to help the investigation along, however, having drawn a $15K fine from the league, apparently for handing referees a DVD of the incident after the game, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution details. We have more on Ferry's interaction with another Atlantic Division club right here.
- A source confirmed to NetsDaily that RealGM.com accurately lists a previously unreported detail of last summer's Joe Johnson trade. The Hawks received the right to swap first-round picks with the Nets in both 2014 and 2015.
- Brook Lopez isn't concerned about the idea he'd be included in a trade for Dwight Howard if the Lakers can't get their act together, as Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger documents.
- It appears as though Rasheed Wallace has survived today's deadline and will have his contract guaranteed for the rest of the season, as expected, and his renaissance with the Knicks this season is no surprise to Celtics coach Doc Rivers. Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv notes that Rivers thinks Wallace shouldn't have retired after his lone season with the Celtics in 2009/10.
Odds & Ends: Pargo, Celtics, Gordon, Carlesimo
With the contract guarantee deadline looming and the 10-day-contract period underway, there have been plenty of roster moves made around the NBA today. We don't want to let anything slip through the cracks though, so while we await word of the next signing or cut, we'll check out a few odds and ends:
- Jannero Pargo is drawing fresh interest from multiple teams and is talking about a potential 10-day contract with two of them, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com.
- Sources tell Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld that DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay, and Marcin Gortat are all potential trade targets for the Celtics. Gortat makes more sense to me than the other two, who seem like long shots for Boston.
- Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld speculates that Andrea Bargnani could be another possible target for the Celtics. The HoopsWorld scribe also writes that Eric Gordon is talking like someone who expects to be with the Hornets long-term.
- Tom Ziller of SBNation.com questions how the Celtics could possibly acquire Cousins without giving up Rajon Rondo, and explores the trade rumors surrounding Gay.
- Nets head coach P.J. Carlesimo appeared on WFAN in New York last week to discuss shedding the interim tag and working for Mikhail Prokhorov, among other topics. Steven Cuce of Sports Radio Interviews has the quotes.
Donte Greene Drawing Interest
Donte Greene was close to signing a contract with the Nets back in August when he suffered an ankle fracture during a workout, postponing his 2012/13 debut. Now, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, Greene has recovered from the injury, and is drawing interest from a number of teams.
Kennedy reports that Greene will begin working out for clubs on January 11th, with the Nets, Spurs, Timberwolves, Hornets, Bulls, and Rockets among his potential suitors. Greene's summer deal with the Nets was expected to be for the minimum salary, so even teams with no cap space or exception money should be in play for the former King. According to Kennedy, Greene will work out for teams for a week or two and, if all goes as planned, sign somewhere shortly thereafter.
Greene, 24, spent the first four seasons of his NBA career in Sacramento, averaging 6.1 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 16.8 minutes per contest. The former 28th overall pick had his best season in 2009/10, scoring 8.5 PPG on 44.1% shooting and making 50 starts for the Kings.
Cavs Waive Samardo Samuels, Nets And Thunder Interested?
3:49pm: Sam Amico of FoxSportsOhio.com reports that the Brooklyn Nets and Oklahoma City Thunder may have interest in signing Samuels.
12:14pm: The Cavs have waived power forward Samardo Samuels, the team announced. The team had until Monday to place him on waivers in order to avoid paying his minimum-salary contract for the rest of the season. The move leaves the Cavs with 14 players, 11 of whom are on fully guaranteed deals. Daniel Gibson's contract is partially guaranteed for $2.49MM, while Shaun Livingston and Kevin Jones are without any guarantee.
Samuels' deal included a partial guarantee of $200K, but since he's already earned more than that amount this season, Cleveland doesn't owe him any more money. He was in the final season of a three-year pact he signed with the team after going undrafted in 2010 out of Louisville. The 6'9" native of Jamaica averaged 5.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game for his career, but his numbers have steadily declined since his rookie season. This year, he's down to 3.2PPG, 1.2RPG and 10.9MPG.
Samuels was caught up in a minutes crunch at his position, where he was competing with Jones, Luke Walton and Jon Leuer for playing time behind starter Tristan Thompson. If they want to give him another shot without committing to him for the entire season, the Cavs could opt to bring him back on a 10-day contract, which can be signed starting Monday.