Eastern Rumors: Cavs, Speights, Casspi, Lowry
Much has been said about this week's three-team swap that sent Rudy Gay to the Raptors, and it's understandably overshadowed the three-for-one deal the Grizzlies and Cavaliers pulled off a couple of weeks ago. Still, the effects of that one persist, and GMs around the league believe it was a steal for the Cavs, reports Bob Finnan of The News-Herald. Finnan has more on the Cavs, and we'll round that up along with other rumors from the Eastern Conference right here:
- Most around the league believe Marreese Speights will decline his $4.5MM option for next season, Finnan hears, motivating Cleveland to entertain offers for him between now and the trade deadline.
- Omri Casspi isn't expected to re-sign with the Cavs this summer, and he may return to his native Israel to play, according to Finnan.
- While Jose Calderon's departure doesn't necessarily mean Kyle Lowry is untouchable in Toronto, the point guard tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld he isn't worried about getting traded at the deadline, even though he's finally feeling comfortable with the Raptors after coming aboard this past summer.
- Trade speculation hasn't fazed MarShon Brooks either, notes Fred Kerber of the New York Post.
- Answering reader questions in his mailbag, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star doesn't think there's any chance the Raptors and Calderon would entertain a reunion in free agency this summer.
Central Notes: Cavs, Ellington, Young, Calderon
No division race is tighter than the Central, where the Bulls hold a half-game lead over the Pacers, while he Bucks sit three back in the loss column. Derrick Rose and Danny Granger will soon return to Chicago and Indiana, respectively, so we’ll see how that affects the dynamics of the race. In the meantime, here’s what’s happening around the division:
- The Cavs are open to using their $4MM in cap space to absorb an otherwise unwanted player in exchange for a draft pick, but Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal believes the team is done dealing this year. Signing Greg Oden is another possibility for that cap space, as Lloyd notes as he answers more questions from his Twitter followers.
- Cavs shooting guard Wayne Ellington, acquired in last week’s trade with the Grizzlies, will be a restricted free agent this summer, and though he didn’t address his future plans, he spoke to Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer about his Charlotte connections and mentioned that he’s best friends with Bobcats swingman Gerald Henderson, who’s also set to hit restricted free agency.
- Sam Young demonstrated why the Pacers re-signed him this week with his defense against LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in last night’s blowout of the Heat, observes Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. Wells writes that Young will have an impact the rest of the season, which suggests he isn’t merely on a 10-day contract; when Young signed, the terms were unclear.
- MLive’s David Mayo, in a pair of features, breaks down the impact that new starting point guard Jose Calderon will have on Detroit’s rotation, and Matt Moore of CBSSports.com wonders why the Pistons aren’t shopping Jonas Jerebko, who’s struggled to find a role.
- Hunter Atkins of The New York Times looks at the rapid improvement of Larry Sanders, whom Atkins compares to Tyson Chandler. Sanders will be up for an extension on his rookie deal with the Bucks this summer.
Odds & Ends: Amare, White, Gee, Beasley
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday evening:
- Al Iannazzone of Newsday.com is impressed with Amare Stoudemire for accepting a reduced role for the Knicks this season.
- Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports writes that the Rockets and Royce White are beginning to come to terms on a plan for managing the rookie forward's anxiety disorder.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer praises forward Alonzo Gee's improvement as a defender.
- Stefan Swiat of Suns.com writes that Michael Beasley is beginning to reach his potential with the Suns.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times praises Bulls GM Gar Forman for the team's bench.
D-League Moves: Miles Plumlee, Kevin Jones
Here are Thursday's D-League assignments and recalls, with the latest moves at the top of the page:
- The Pacers have re-assigned Miles Plumlee to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team announced today in a press release. Plumlee has averaged a double-double for Indiana's D-League affiliate in 11 games with the Mad Ants this year, posting 12.8 PPG and 11.2 RPG.
- A day after assigning him to the D-League, the Cavaliers have recalled Kevin Jones, the team announced in a press release. Jones recorded 18 points and 14 rebounds in the Canton Charge's loss to the Erie BayHawks last night, and will rejoin the Cavs for their game tomorrow in Detroit.
Wojnarowski On LeBron, Cavs, Grizzlies
The Grizzlies' decision to trade Rudy Gay is the latest sign that the NBA's era of three-star "super-teams" is coming to an end, writes Adrian Wojnarowski in his latest piece for Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski had harsh words for the Grizzlies' new ownership and management groups following the Gay deal, arguing that the new CBA ensures that team owner Robert Pera can "mismanage the Grizzlies into oblivion and still make money on the enterprise." Here are the rest of the notable items from Woj's piece:
- LeBron James' agent, Rich Paul, has been privately discussing the idea of LeBron returning to Cleveland as a free agent in 2014 for the last two years. Wojnarowski notes that James will ultimately make his own free-agent decision, but says Paul figures to be one of the most important voices in his ear.
- As one "high-level associate" of LeBron's inner circle tells Wojnarowski: "[Heat president Pat] Riley has never given them the run of the place in Miami, and they could all be back in business together in Cleveland. For Rich and [business manager] Maverick [Carter], they all see the benefits of getting the credit for bringing LeBron home again."
- Front offices around the NBA were "incredulous" after the Grizzlies dealt Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington, and Josh Selby, along with a future first-rounder, for cap relief, says Wojnarowski. Many league executives believed Memphis could have waited until closer to the deadline and potentially received a better return on Speights and Ellington individually.
- Said one Eastern Conference GM on the Grizzlies' trade with the Cavs: "Beyond a panic move. Cleveland would always be there with that deal."
- Although GM Chris Wallace made a statement in the Grizzlies' press release announcing the Gay trade, Wallace had little to do with the process, according to Wojnarowski. Wallace isn't making calls to teams and isn't consulted by the new management group — he's simply waiting until they reach an agreement on his "inevitable parting," says Wojnarowski.
Heat, Cavs Frontrunners For Greg Oden
9:40pm: There's mutual interest between the Cavs and Oden, Conley tells Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer. The agent noted that the proximity of the Cleveland Clinic helps the Cavs, as Conley wants to make sure that there's proper care for his oft-injured client wherever he winds up.
3:09pm: In addition to the potential Oden suitors we've already heard about (including the Spurs and Mavericks), the Pacers, Hornets, and Bobcats also have interest, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). According to Broussard, Oden is expected to make his decision in three or four weeks.
WEDNESDAY, 1:26pm: Speaking to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida, agent Mike Conley essentially confirmed Goodman's report, referring to both Miami and Cleveland as potential fits for his client. He also confirmed that he and Oden would like to go down to Miami and meet with the Heat soon, noting that he has been in touch recently with team president Pat Riley.
TUESDAY, 11:08am: As Greg Oden continues to eye an NBA comeback, the Heat and the Cavaliers have emerged as the favorites to land the former first overall pick, reports Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. According to Goodman, Oden is hoping to visit Pat Riley and the Heat in Miami within the next week or so.
We heard earlier this month that Oden is considering signing an NBA deal this season, with the intention of rehabbing with the club this year and then returning to the court for the 2013/14 season. Multiple reports have identified the Heat as a possible landing spot for the seven-footer, but the Cavaliers have a couple factors working in their favor — Oden has a history in the area, having attended Ohio State, and the Cavs could also offer a higher salary. While the Heat only have minimum-salary deals at their disposal, Cleveland still has about $3-4MM in cap space.
Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio reported last week that Oden was hoping to sign with a team shortly after the All-Star break or trade deadline, which means we could get resolution within the next few weeks. Besides Miami and Cleveland, the Celtics, Mavericks, and Spurs are among the teams that have been linked to Oden.
Kyler’s Latest: Pierce, Josh Smith, Redick, Lakers
HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler chimed in with roundup of trade rumors in advance of the Rudy Gay deal, and though his info about that swap quickly became outdated, he delivered much more from around the league. Let's hit the highlights here:
- The Celtics were entertaining offers for Paul Pierce before Rajon Rondo went down with a torn ACL, but for the moment they want to evaluate their team in the wake of the injury before making a move. Pierce wants to retire with Boston, and Celtics basketball president Danny Ainge and company will consider his special place in the team's history in deciding whether to move him. The C's will seek deals for their other players first.
- Though rumblings seem to indicate Josh Smith may be on his way out of Atlanta, the Hawks haven't considered any deal for him to this point. Still, Kyler believes that if they decide to deal Smith, they already know where they can send him. According to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, the Raptors probably aren't one of the teams that would make a deal for the power forward (Twitter link).
- More than half the league has tried to trade for J.J. Redick, but the Magic have rebuffed all offers for the soon-to-be free agent. The Magic front office has kept Redick informed about all the possible deals, and it seems more than likely he'll opt to re-sign this summer.
- The Lakers continue to discuss Pau Gasol deals, but as it stands now, they're more likely to hold off until the summer, when they'll know whether Dwight Howard, a free agent, will be back.
- Kyler also shares Lang Greene's pre-trade video interview with Raptors coach Dwane Casey, and catches up with Greivis Vasquez and new Grizzlies big man Jon Leuer, who revealed that it was former teammate Kyrie Irving who broke the news to him about last week's trade.
D-League Moves: Kevin Jones, Julyan Stone
We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls right here, with any further moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- Rookie forward Kevin Jones has been re-assigned to the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers announced today in a press release. Jones didn't see any action during his recent stint with Cleveland, but has appeared in 15 NBA games so far. He has also excelled in his six contests with the Charge, averaging 23.8 PPG and 12.3 RPG.
- The Nuggets have assigned Julyan Stone to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. Stone, who missed more than two months of the season while recovering from right hip surgery, will join Quincy Miller, the other Nugget currently playing for the D-League's Iowa Energy.
Odds & Ends: Rondo, Dragic, Speights, Rumors
With seven NBA games on the docket for Monday night, here are some odds and ends from around the Association:
- J.J. Redick has made Orlando his home and hopes to stay, he told Michael Scotto of RealGM. But Redick also realizes that trade speculation is inevitable and therefore has stayed in close contact with his agent and the Magic general manager Rob Hennigan.
- Ben Golliver of Blazers Edge provides a transcript of an interview of Neil Olshey in which the Blazers GM discusses his team's roster and potential future moves.
- Andrei Kirilenko handpicked Minnesota as his destination this offseason because he found the roster intriguing as well as conducive to his game. Unfortunately, due to the Timberwolves' long list of injuries, Kirilenko has yet to find out if his vision was as good as it seemed this offseason, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
- Danny Ainge said that he fully expect Rajon Rondo to be ready for training camp come October, tweets Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. How realistic that truly is will go a long way in determining the Celtics' next move.
- Despite sitting at 15-30 and in last place in the Pacific division, the Suns have a reason for optimism in Goran Dragic, writes Derek Page of HoopsWorld. Dragic, Page says, is the most important piece of Phoenix's rebuilding plans.
- We've already heard that Marreese Speights could be moved before the trade deadline despite rumors that the Cavaliers have coveted him for years. The Plain Dealer rounds up some Speights-related buzz, linking to a Sam Amico article that says whether the team keeps Speights depends on whether it can do so without sacrificing its financial flexibility. Amico, of Fox Sports Ohio, says that Speights will likely opt out of his deal after the season and seek a payday.
- Sean Deveney of Sporting News addresses several popular rumors that are floating around the NBA of late, the most notable of which include Rudy Gay, Paul Pierce and Pau Gasol.
Eastern Notes: Magic, Camby, Cavaliers
Jacque Vaughn, whose quiet approach has been the polar opposite of Stan Van Gundy's, has provided patience and poise to a franchise that has been looking to move on after last year's turbulent atmosphere with Dwight Howard (Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel). Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel says that although the Magic are enduring some growing pains, the young club has been showing encouraging signs of development. We have a few more miscellaneous links to share out of the Eastern Conference tonight:
- Knicks center Marcus Camby has been walking without a boot on his left foot and could be running again in the next two to three weeks, writes Ian Begley of ESPN New York. The 38-year-old center has been inactive since January 10.
- Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott liked what he saw defensively from new additions Marreese Speights and Wayne Ellington in Friday's comeback win against the Bucks, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer. In another article, Schmitt Boyer notes the warm moment between Kyrie Irving and Scott after the young guard learned he would be a reserve in the All-Star game.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston dissects the minds of the reeling Celtics as they prepare for Ray Allen's return to the TD Garden on Sunday.