Sam Smith On Howard, Bulls, Gasol, Lowry
Bulls.com scribe Sam Smith has a new column up today, which includes plenty of news, notes, and rumors from around the NBA. Let's dive in….
- Brooklyn is still considered the likeliest destination for Dwight Howard, though teams like the Rockets, Trail Blazers, and Warriors may be willing to risk renting D12 for a year. The Magic are expected to make another run at retaining Howard once the team has a new GM in place.
- Smith hears from "Lakers insiders" that Pau Gasol would be interested in playing for the Bulls. He adds that Gasol and Kobe Bryant were "constantly at odds" in Los Angeles this season.
- If the Bulls and Lakers were to discuss a Gasol deal, Luol Deng would have to be the centerpiece rather than Carlos Boozer, says Smith.
- NBA general managers previously rejected a rule that would allow players to touch the ball on the rim, but that idea could be revisited now that the league has introduced a new competition comittee.
- Kyle Lowry appears on his way out of Houston, according to Smith, who says the Rockets were "quietly shopping" the point guard before his injury this season. The Rockets would like to re-sign Goran Dragic, who isn't interested in returning as a backup.
Draft Notes: Marshall, Lillard, Nets
- North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall says that he broke his elbow, but hopes to be cleared for contact in time for the NBA combine, as documented by Dan Tierney of the IMG Basketball Academy Blog. Zach Links took a look at Marshall's draft stock as a part of our Prospect Profile series earlier this week.
- Marshall's competition for top point guard honors in the draft is Damian Lillard, who looked impressive in a public workout today, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (All Twitter links).
- Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News believes landing the top pick in the draft could be transformative for the Nets. Lawrence says adding presumptive No. 1 pick Anthony Davis could persuade Deron Williams to re-sign and would eliminate the need to pursue Dwight Howard.
New York Rumors: Nash, Dragic, Woodson, Nets
It still doesn't feel entirely natural to group the Nets with the Knicks as the NBA's New York teams, but Brooklyn's new residents are a part of the Big Apple going forward, so let's round up the latest rumors on both clubs:
- Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York tweets that he's hearing Steve Nash won't want to sign with the Knicks this summer. Whether or not that's true, this always seemed like a long-shot to me, since Nash will get offers that greatly exceed what New York could give him.
- In a piece for ESPNNewYork.com, Zwerling compares Jeremy Lin to Goran Dragic, noting that the Rockets free agent could be an alternative to Lin for the Knicks.
- Mike Woodson's new contract will be for three years and could be worth more than $10MM, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- There is mutual interest between Mirza Teletovic and the Nets, according to NetsDaily.com (via Twitter). Teletovic, a 26-year-old Bosnian power forward, led the Euroleague in scoring this season.
Odds & Ends: Iverson, Clippers, Mavericks, Shaq
The 76ers defeated the Celtics tonight in an ugly, defensive affair to force a Game 7 on Saturday night in Boston. Early in the game, an ESPN reporter spoke with Allen Iverson who was in town to deliver the game ball to tonight's referees. Iverson said he still wants to play basketball, whether in the NBA or elsewhere. Here are other links from late Wednesday night:
- Arash Markazi and Pedro Moura from ESPN Los Angeles give their differing takes on whether Clippers stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin will be teamed up in LA for the remainder of their careers.
- Derek Page of HoopsWorld says that for the Mavericks, in lieu of letting key pieces of their championship team leave via free agency, anything in the offseason short of Deron Williams would deem that decision a "momentous mistake." Meanwhile, Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News says via chat that Pau Gasol would not be a good fit in Dallas.
- Speaking of Deron Williams, Colin Stephenson of the Newark Star Ledger examined the Nets offseason uncertainties outside of their potential free-agent-to-be point guard. The Nets have only four players that are guaranteed to be under contact for next year's Brooklyn debut.
- The Bird Rights hearing between the NBA and NBA Players Association will be in mid-June, says Ian Begley of ESPN New York, citing an unnamed source. Begley notes that the Knicks will be particularly impacted due to waiver pickups of Steve Novak and Jeremy Lin.
- The 2012 Olympic schedule for Team USA was unveiled, according to Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops.
- ESPN's Chris Broussard and Marc Stein offer their takes on Shaq as a potential fit as the future general manager of the Magic. Broussard says Shaq has acted as a mentor to Dwight Howard throughout the season as they apparently bonded over their dislike for Stan Van Gundy. Hiring O'Neal could be an attempt to persuade Howard to stay. Meanwhile, despite previous reports, Broussard adds that the Bobcats will in fact reach out to Van Gundy.
Odds & Ends: Shaq, Howard, Nets, Bobcats
As the Celtics prepare to try to eliminate the Sixers tonight in Philadelphia, let's check out a few links from around the NBA:
- Chris Broussard said on ESPN's NBA Countdown that Shaquille O'Neal could meet with the Magic brass next week about their general manager opening, via Marc Stein's Twitter. That would certainly be an interesting scenario given the Howard situation.
- Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com wonders if the Magic/Dwight Howard mess has become about saving face for the team. Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, meanwhile, thinks the Magic need to give Howard a draft-day deadline to decide on his future.
- Nets GM Billy King spoke to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News about former Magic GM Otis Smith, Dwight Howard, and the upcoming draft lottery.
- In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, John Hollinger lists a few players whose free agent stock has declined in the postseason. Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors has been tracking playoff performances by free agents in his Money Time feature, and many of the players he names overlap with Hollinger's picks.
- The Bobcats haven't approached Stan Van Gundy about their head coach opening and he's unlikely to be interested anyway, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
- Josh Cohen of OrlandoMagic.com proposes a few trade ideas he thinks could make sense this summer.
- Salary cap expert Larry Coon fielded a numer of readers' questions in a HoopsWorld chat today.
Amick On Bynum, Howard, Deron Williams
Like Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News did last night, SI.com's Sam Amick argues that the Lakers and Magic should explore swapping Andrew Bynum and Dwight Howard. Within his piece, Amick drops a few interesting details to support his argument, and touches on Deron Williams' free agent options as well. Here are some highlights:
- When Howard included the Lakers in his list of preferred destinations, it was more a leverage play than a statement he'd sign long-term there, sources tells Amick.
- At the trade deadline, according to Amick, Howard to the Lakers didn't seem like a fit because Howard didn't want to play third-fiddle to Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. However, Amick says the dynamic for the Lakers, the Magic, and Howard has changed, and that all involved parties are more desperate for a shake-up now.
- According to a Lakers source, Bynum grew more vocal about his frustrations and was more prone to "acting out" as the season progressed.
- Magic CEO Alex Martins is still confident that Howard can be persuaded to remain in Orlando.
- Amick hears that Deron Williams has some interest in joining the Lakers, though that would only be possible through a sign-and-trade. Williams' preference is for the Nets to improve the roster sufficiently enough that he can feel good about re-signing in Brooklyn.
- Dallas is still a possibility for Williams, but a source tells Amick that there's "no longevity" when it comes to the Mavericks and their roster.
Odds & Ends: Magic, Van Gundy, Nets
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Tuesday night:
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel speculates that the Magic will look for an experienced, patient general manager to replace Otis Smith.
- The Oregonian's John Canzano likes the idea of Stan Van Gundy as the coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, but cautions that on-court talent should be the team's main focus.
- Fred Kerber of the New York Post relays Nets coach Avery Johnson's optimism that the team will make the playoffs in 2012/13.
Odds & Ends: Howard, Lin, Butler, Belinelli
A few Tuesday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:
- After reporting yesterday that Dwight Howard still wants to be traded out of Orlando, Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com outlines why the Nets and Knicks may be the most logical trade partners for the Magic.
- If Howard is dealt this summer, it's probably bad news for the Mavericks, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com. The Mavs could have the cap space for Howard next summer, but don't have the trade chips to get him right now.
- In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, David Thorpe examines some potential landing spots for Jeremy Lin, concluding that the Raptors, Nets, and Suns might be the best fits besides the Knicks.
- Rasual Butler has heard from several teams and plans to be ready to sign in July, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. The Raptors released Butler in March, in time for him to catch on with another team for the postseason, but the 33-year-old didn't sign another contract before season's end.
- In an interview with Gazzetta.it, Marco Belinelli said he expects to receive offers from the Hornets and other NBA teams, and wants to determine where he'll sign before trying to join the Italian national team for the Olympics. Hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando for the translation.
Deron Williams Still Undecided On Future
Deron Williams has traveled to Turkey and Russia since the Nets' regular season ended, crossing paths with Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov and GM Billy King during his vacation. But Williams stressed to reporters today that they shouldn't read into the trip, and that he's no closer to deciding on where he'll sign than he was a month ago (link via Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record).
"I want to reiterate, I don’t know what I’m doing next year," Williams said. "Still. Nobody does but me. Not even my mom, my brother, my uncle, my cousin. I haven’t talked to anybody about where I’m going next year."
Williams explained his trip to Russia by saying he'd never been there before, and suggested that when he visits his hometown of Dallas later this week, it shouldn't be interpreted as a clue either. The 27-year-old also had an answer for why he continued to work out at the Nets' practice facility in New Jersey.
"I’m here right now because I sold my house in San Diego so I can’t go there," Williams said. "I have a house in Utah that I’m trying to sell, but it has no furniture in it, so I can’t go there. Plus my kids are in school till June 28th, so I have to stay here. Then I leave on July 5th for the Olympic training. So it doesn’t really make sense for me to go anywhere."
The top free agent on the market this offseason, Williams is expected to be heavily courted by the Nets and Mavericks, among other teams. As I explained last week, the Nets can offer the most money, but the difference may not be significant enough to be the deciding factor in the point guard's decision.
Adam Morrison Seeking NBA Comeback
Former third overall pick Adam Morrison hasn't played an NBA game since April 2010, but he hopes to change that this fall, as he tells Fred Kerber of the New York Post. Morrison is participating in a Nets' mini-camp this week, in an attempt to earn an NBA contract.
"I understand I’m never going to shake being a bust or being a failure in some people’s eyes," Morrison told Kerber. "I’ve experienced a lot of highs in basketball, so I guess you could call it a hardship, but it’s really not. I get to play basketball for money. That’s pretty good."
After being drafted by the Bobcats, Morrison also saw some playing time with the Lakers, but failed to crack the Wizards' roster in the 2010/11 preseason. Most recently, the Gonzaga product played overseas for Besiktas in Turkey.
The Nets expressed interest in Morrison two years ago, but an ankle injury derailed any chance he had of signing in New Jersey. However, Nets GM Billy King watched Morrison at the team's mini-camp yesterday, and offered a few encouraging comments.
"He knows how to play. Unfortunately he didn’t have a point guard who could find him because he came off screens open," King said. "But he knows how to set himself up, come off screens. He didn’t make some shots early, but he got them to go. One thing, we know he can do that."