Kyler On Rose, Gasol, Martin, Gordon
As we covered this morning, Steve Kyler shared a few Dwight Howard rumors in his NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld. Here's the latest from Kyler on a few more topics:
- Bulls sources vehemently denied having contact with the Lakers regarding Pau Gasol, and said Chris Sheridan's report about Derrick Rose giving his blessing for the Bulls to pursue Gasol didn't originate from Rose. Kyler himself is skeptical about the rumor, noting that it would be out of character for Rose, who has avoided recruiting players.
- Replying to a question about the Rockets trading Kevin Martin, perhaps to the Timberwolves, Kyler tweets that there is "real interest." It's unclear whether he's referring to the Rockets being interested in dealing Martin or the T-Wolves being interested in acquiring him, but you could make an argument that both teams would be motivated to pursue such a deal.
- The Hornets are open to moving Eric Gordon, but only if he could bring back a "legit star," tweets Kyler.
Sheridan On Gasol, Bulls
Since the moment he was actually traded–only to later have it rescinded by David Stern–there have been many rumors on possible destinations for Los Angeles Lakers big man Pau Gasol.
Over at Sheridan Hoops, Chris Sheridan reports that Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose has let his front office know that he would like to play with Gasol should the Bulls be able to build a package around Carlos Boozer and another player.
The Bulls have enviable front court depth and team chemistry, though Gasol might just be the type of player worth the risk of breaking that up. Gasol has a very versatile skill set and off the charts basketball IQ, though is being underutilized in the Lakers offense as almost exclusively a high post option when paired with Andrew Bynum and release valve for Bryant.
On paper Gasol would seem to be a perfect pairing with Joakim Noah. Unlike Bynum, Noah does not need touches to affect a game. This cedes the low block to Gasol to fully utilize his game. The intelligence and passing of both players should make for some interesting high-low passing.
Rose and Gasol would be a dynamic and intelligent pick and roll pairing, and Gasol's ability to draw and pass out of double teams would open up driving lanes for Rose.
The tandem of Gasol and Noah would upgrade an already stingy Bulls defense, consolidating Boozer's offensive game with a quality defender.
The question is why the Lakers would want to trade Gasol for a similar but lesser offensive skill set that diminishes their greatest strength, defense. The Lakers need a point guard, and while steady this season, backup C.J. Watson probably is not a significant enough upgrade at the position to warrant downgrading to Boozer.
A possibility that checks out on the ESPN Trade Machine that makes some sense is a deal sending forwards Boozer and Luol Deng for Gasol and Matt Barnes.
Minor Moves: Smith, Mirotic
Far more attention will be focused on next Sunday's All-Star Game and the competitions the night before, but the D-League also has a major event planned, with its All-Star Game slated for a week from today. Here's the rest of what's going on around the fringes of pro basketball:
- Jordan Hill went down with a knee injury in practice today, and the Rockets have called up center Greg Smith from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League to take his place, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Smith, who was putting up 16.7 PPG and 7.9 RPG for the Vipers, signed a three-year contract with the Rockets earlier this month. Hill, averaging 5.0 PPG and 4.9 RPG for Houston this year, is expected to be out through the All-Star break.
- Nikola Mirotic, a 6'10", 220-pound forward who the Bulls acquired at the 2011 draft after he was taken 23rd overall by the Rockets, is playing well for Real Madrid. He could wind up being a steal for Chicago, writes Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
Odds & Ends: Nuggets, Suns, Jazz, Bulls
While we wait for official word on the Knicks' pending roster moves, let's round up a few odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post looks ahead to Wilson Chandler's expected return to the Nuggets, which could happen sooner than expected.
- Free agent Al Thornton will work out for the Suns today, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Michael Finley and Jermaine Taylor worked out for Phoenix yesterday, and Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic adds Elijah Millsap to the workout list as well (Twitter link).
- After Seattle officially unveiled its arena proposal yesterday, Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson tells the Sacramento Bee he doesn't blame Seattle for pursuing an NBA franchise (potentially the Kings): "If we were without a team, I would be doing the same thing. But we have laser focus, we control our own destiny and we're closer than we've ever been."
- The Jazz should listen to trade proposals over the next few weeks, but refrain from acting on anything unless they're blown away, opines Patrick Kinahan of 1320 KFAN at NBA.com.
- Sam Smith answered a number of Bulls-related trade and roster questions in his latest mailbag at Bulls.com. Smith says the delay on a Joel Przybilla signing may stem from whether or not the big man wants to continue his NBA career.
Bucks Rumors: Jackson, Skiles, Fesenko
Here are a few Bucks updates, as Milwaukee tries to snap a three-game losing streak tonight in Orlando….
- It's "a given" that the Bucks will try to deal Stephen Jackson before the trade deadline, but the $10MM+ he's guaranteed next year won't make it easy, says Gery Woefel of the Racine Journal Times.
- Woelfel spoke to NBA officials who believe Jackson could be moved if he were part of a package that included a player like Ersan Ilyasova or Brandon Jennings. Ilyasova, I could see, but I'd be pretty shocked if the Bucks traded Jennings.
- Jackson's relationship with coach Scott Skiles is one reason the Bucks will try to find a suitor for the 6'8" shooter. According to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, the two have had "numerous run-ins" relating to Jackson's professionalism and impact on young players.
- Jackson on Skiles, in an interview with Milwaukee's NBC affiliate: "We don't have no relationship like I've had with other coaches and I don't expect to have one. Too much stuff has happened."
- Within Woelfel's column for the Journal Times, he notes that the Bucks hope to set up a meeting with free agent big man Kyrylo Fesenko next week. The Heat, Bulls, and Hawks are also showing interest in Fesenko, says Woelfel.
Free Agent Rumors: Iverson, Przybilla, Taylor
J.R. Smith's potential deal with the Knicks is the biggest free agent story of the day, but there are plenty of players out there hoping to land contracts of their own. Let's round up a few of the day's free agent updates….
- Allen Iverson is still drawing international interest, though there are conflicting reports on whether A.I. has received official contract offers. According to Sportando, Iverson has offers on the table from Puerto Rican and Venezuelan teams, but ESPN.com's Chris Broussard hears no formal offers have been extended so far. Broussard says Iverson would sign in the Caribbean, South America, or even the D-League, if it could lead to another shot at the NBA.
- Both Iverson reports agree that the next week will be crucial. According to Broussard's source, Iverson will "accept that his forced retirement is permanent" if he hasn't signed by the All-Star break.
- Some teams are backing off of Joel Przybilla, concerned that he's not fully healthy, tweets Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. Przybilla was thought to be deciding between the Heat and Bulls, but perhaps those clubs are wary of extending formal offers.
- Jermaine Taylor, who appeared in 34 games for the Kings and Rockets last season, has signed with the D-League, according to Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside. Perhaps Taylor's time in the D-League will be short-lived though — Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld says (via Twitter) the Suns will work out Taylor today, while Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets that the 25-year-old will work out for the Clippers tomorrow..
J.R. Smith Rumors: Wednesday
9:56 p.m.: Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports (via Twitter) that Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro has reached out to Smith.
1:00 p.m.: J.R. Smith's Chinese team played its final game today, which means Smith's should be returning to America any time now. While he still needs a letter of clearance from FIBA before he can become an unrestricted free agent and sign with an NBA team, Smith figures to make his NBA debut shortly after the All-Star break at the latest. Yesterday, Chris Paul expressed confidence in the Clippers' chances of signing Smith, while Lakers coach Mike Brown confirmed he and Smith had talked. Here's the latest on the CBA's scoring champ:
- The Bulls aren't in the mix for Smith, according to Larry Coon of HoopsWorld and ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- It's anyone's guess how much we should trust Smith's Twitter feed, but for what it's worth, he tweeted yesterday that he hasn't been in contact with the Timberwolves at all.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel doesn't expect the Magic to sign Smith (Twitter link).
Bulls Sign Mike James To 10-Day Contract
With Derrick Rose's back continuing to plague him, the Bulls announced today via a team release that they've signed Mike James to a 10-day contract.
Rose's nagging injuries prompted the Bulls to sign James once already this season. The 36-year-old appeared in three games, including a nine-point, 10-assist outburst in just 16.5 minutes against the Bobcats. He was waived on January 28th.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein (Twitter links) first reported that the two sides had agreed to a 10-day contract.
Odds & Ends: Bobcats, Kaman, Lin
D.J. White, whom the Bobcats acquired from the Thunder nearly a year ago, isn't seeing much playing time, and that's because of a glut of power forwards, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. If the Bobcats are overloaded with quality players, it isn't showing up in their record, now 3-25 after a loss to the Sixers tonight. Justin Kubatko of The New York Times examines the ineptitude of the team and deems it a black mark on owner Michael Jordan's reputation. Sixers coach Doug Collins, who coached Jordan with the Bulls and Wizards, wonders how the ultra-competitive Jordan can take it, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer reports.
More notes from around the NBA on Monday night:
- Pistons center Ben Wallace, 37, is not reconsidering his decision to retire after this season, notes Eric Lacy of the Detroit News.
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is upset with the NBA over the Chris Paul trade this year, believing the league-owned Hornets would have been better off having Paul leave via free agency, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas.
- Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area tweets that Hornets center Chris Kaman could be a trade target of the Warriors.
- Warriors GM Larry Riley is one of the many who underestimated Jeremy Lin, predicting he would be a backup at best, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
- Lin is having a tangible effect on the financial value of his team. Shares of the Madison Square Garden Company, which owns the Knicks, the arena and the TV network that shows the team's games locally, have hit a record high, Ken Belson of The New York Times reports.
- Ben Uzoh, recently signed to a 10-day contract, is impressing Cavs coach Byron Scott, writes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
- Jerry Reinsdorf's son Michael has been taking a more active role with the Bulls lately, but don't assume that means he'll eventually succeed his father as owner, writes Melissa Isaacson of ESPN Chicago.
- The Heat took a flyer on Eddy Curry before the season, and so far he has contributed little. Still, his slow progress doesn't disturb coach Erik Spoelstra, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Knicks, Celtics, Bulls
Teams in three of the top markets in the NBA, the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and New York Knicks, are struggling through disappointing seasons (though the Knicks have picked up lately under the promise of Linsanity). A fourth big-market club, the Chicago Bulls, now has a potential injury problem.
- Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports officials from the Lakers attended a private workout for Gilbert Arenas. Arenas was amnestied this off-season by the Orlando Magic, and is hoping the same knee procedure that benefited Kobe Bryant in the off-season can produce similar results.
- Amare Stoudemire returns Monday and Al Iannazzone of Newsday wonders how the Knicks' offense will look when Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony return. Stoudemire seems a natural fit alongside Lin. His skill set has always been maximized alongside a pick and roll point guard. Anthony, however, is one of the best isolation scorers in the NBA and the ball tends to stop in his hands.
- Derrick Rose sat Sunday's game against the Celtics out with a back injury and will meet with some specialists Monday in Chicago reports Neil Hayes at the Chicago Sun-Times. Rose had similar back issues in high school, but this is the first time he's had trouble since. The Bulls lack the star power of some of the other team, but compensate with their depth and chemistry. That chemistry, however, still depends on Rose operating near peak form.
- Brandon Bass is ailing, and Jermaine O'Neal is often injured. The Celtics have been looking for front court depth for some time. Today they got some good minutes from rookie JuJuan Johnson and veteran Chris Wilcox writes Green Street's Mike Petraglia.
- Paul Flannery of WEEI.com wonders if Rajon Rondo is the centerpiece of the next generation of Celtics, or will he prove to be too unorthodox for a team minus three future Hall of Famers?