Pacific Rumors: Whiteside, Odom, Nash, Dragic
The top three teams in the Pacific Division are all scrambling for playoff position in the season's final two weeks, as the Lakers and Clippers go after the division title while the Suns, who get free-agent-to-be Grant Hill back from knee surgery tonight, are just looking to qualify for the postseason. Here's the latest from the West Coast:
- Kings reserve center Hassan Whiteside will miss the rest of the season with a severe ankle sprain, reports Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter). Whiteside has two years left on his contract at less than $1M each, but they're not guaranteed if he's waived before July 15. The 2010 second round pick has played in just 19 games for Sacramento, with much of his action coming in the past two months. He's averaged 2.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in just 6.1 MPG this season.
- Lamar Odom has close ties to Warriors assistant coach Jerry DeGregorio, who was the best man in his wedding to Khloe Kardashian, notes Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. Earlier this week we passed along that Odom is on Golden State's radar.
- Point guards Goran Dragic and Steve Nash will both hit the free agent market this summer, but they aren't letting the notion that they may be competing for dollars get in the way of their mutual admiration from their time together with the Suns, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
- Blake Griffin, who'll be a free agent after next season, has taken some criticism this year, and SI.com's Sam Amick takes a lengthy look at how the reigning Rookie of the Year is dealing with increased expectations of himself and the Clippers this season.
Atlantic Notes: Bargnani, Odom, Nets, Woodson
The Celtics look to move one step closer to clinching the Atlantic Division and first-round home-court advantage when they play the shorthanded Raptors in Toronto tonight. Here's the latest on Toronto and a few other Atlantic teams:
- Andrea Bargnani will be shut down for the season with a left calf injury, the Raptors announced today in a team release. Considering where the team sits in the standings, the decision likely has as much to do with securing a good draft pick as it does with Bargnani's calf.
- The Mavericks could potentially have avoided a good deal of drama if the Lakers' trade for Chris Paul had gone through in December. According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, Lamar Odom would have been sent to the Nets if that Paul deal had gone through. The Hornets, knowing Odom wouldn't be happy in New Orleans, had a deal in place to trade Odom for a future first-round pick, says Stein.
- Nets coach Avery Johnson had a two-hour meeting with majority owner Mikhail Prokhorov this week about the future of the team, writes Fred Kerber of the New York Post.
- Making Mike Woodson the full-time coach rather than bringing in a big-name candidate this summer would give the Knicks a chance for stability, says Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Odds & Ends: Mavs, Beasley, Bucks, Raptors
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday evening:
- Dallas radio hosts Barry Horn and Kevin Sherrington weighed in on a couple of Mavericks issues. Horn believes the Mavs are a better team without Lamar Odom, who was shut down earlier this week.
- Sherrington speculates that the Mavs are still interested in acquiring Dwight Howard, especially if they can't sign Deron Williams this summer.
- Michael Beasley told Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press that he wants to stay with the Timberwolves going forward. Beasley is set to become a restricted free agent this summer.
- Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel says the Bucks lack a clear direction for the future and will not contend with their current roster. Hunt believes the first step will be re-signing Ersan Ilyasova this summer.
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star doubts that Raptors 10-day contract signees Ben Uzoh and Justin Dentmon will be anything more than placeholders for the team.
Poll: Where Will Eric Gordon End Up?
Earlier today, Luke Adams posted a breakdown of Eric Gordon‘s free-agency outlook for the summer. Later, SI.com’s Sam Amick named the Mavericks, Pacers, Suns, and Trail Blazers as teams that could potentially compete with the Hornets for Gordon’s services. The fourth-year guard, acquired by New Orleans in the Chris Paul trade, is set to be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
Where do you think Gordon will end up: back with the Hornets, with one of these rumored suitors, or somewhere else entirely?
Where Will Eric Gordon End Up?
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Indiana 32% (198)
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Other 25% (151)
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New Orleans 15% (91)
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Dallas 11% (69)
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Phoenix 10% (60)
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Portland 7% (42)
Total votes: 611
Southwest Rumors: Gordon, Hornets, Grizz, Odom
Around the time I posted this afternoon's Free Agent Stock Watch piece on Eric Gordon, SI.com's Sam Amick published an article in which he discussed Gordon's impending free agency with the Hornets guard himself. While New Orleans has the inside track to sign Gordon this summer, Amick names the Pacers, Trail Blazers, Mavericks, and Suns as other teams with some interest. The Hornets' new ownership group could also have an impact on how aggressive New Orleans is in matching rival offers for Gordon.
Here are a few more Southwest Division links:
- Mike Dunleavy is part of the group likely to purchase the Hornets, a fact that concerns the team's current management, according to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. "Mike is going to want his own people in there, he has a reputation as a control freak," a Hornets source told Deveney. "It will be good for the team obviously to have an owner in. But I think everybody is a little on edge because of that, because you don't know what is going to happen. Or I guess you do know, you know there are going to be changes coming once there’s a new group in charge. It could be a house cleaning."
- Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins has transformed the team's rotation through minor roster moves and lineup shuffling, says Rob Mahoney of the New York Times.
- Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com wonders how much money Lamar Odom cost himself in the long-term due to his poor season with the Mavericks.
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban never believed that Odom wanted to sit out this season, writes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Southeast Notes: Maggette, Odom, Wade, Wittman
Eastern Conference playoff seeding will be on the line the next two nights, with a focus on Southeast teams. Tonight, the Heat take on the Bulls in what is a must-win game if Miami wants a shot at the East's top seed. Tomorrow night, the Hawks and Magic, who have identical 34-24 records, play in Orlando in a game Dwight Howard is expected to miss. While we await what should be some good on-court action, let's catch up on the latest off-court updates out of the Southeast Division….
- In a press release, the Bobcats announced that Corey Maggette will miss the rest of the season with an ongoing right Achilles injury. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer wonders if Maggette has played his last game for the Bobcats, identifying the veteran as a potential amnesty candidate.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel thinks the Heat could be a good fit for Lamar Odom, if Odom was willing to accept a significant pay cut to come to Miami next season.
- After saying yesterday that he believed players should be compensated for playing in the Olympics, Dwyane Wade backtracked on those comments today. The Heat star released a statement clarifying that he didn't want to be paid to play for Team USA in London this summer.
- Wizards coach Randy Wittman isn't worried about his fate for next season, telling Michael Lee of the Washington Post that "whatever happens, happens."
Odds & Ends: Smith, Olympics, Anthony
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel took some time to shed some light on Magic guard Ishmael Smith after his standout performance against the Pistons on Monday. In a separate piece, Schmitz outlines the uphill battle Orlando faces as they look to clinch a playoff spot. Six of their last eight games are against above-.500 teams, and four of those games are on the road.
- If Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade could have things their way, players on the USA basketball team would be compensated for their participation in the Olympics. While Allen sees it as a matter of opportunity cost, Wade focused more on the jersey sales and summer commitment aspect of it (Scott Gleeson of USA Today reports). According to Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports, Team USA Chairman Jerry Colangelo responded to their comments, saying: "It’s never been discussed and it’s not even feasible in the reality of economics."
- Jim Cavan of the New York Times examines the emergence of Carmelo Anthony after being moved to the power forward slot as well as the role it has played in the Knicks' recent success. If New York can hang onto a playoff spot and Amare Stoudemire is cleared to play, it will be interesting to see how Anthony will translate that success at the small forward position with Amare in the lineup.
- The Kings team owners will make a case to the NBA Board of Governors in New York that the plan to finance a new arena in Sacramento needs more negotiating, writes Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee.
- Gilbert Arenas tells J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today that he is happy to be out of the spotlight in Memphis as he looks to move forward from his troubled past.
Kidd Plans To Play Another Year
In an article by ESPN.com's Marc Stein, Jason Kidd was quoted as saying that he wants to play another year.The 39-year old Kidd, who has played in at least 80 games each year for the Mavericks from 2008 to 2011, has missed a total of 15 games for Dallas this season.
While the Oakland native returned to action against the Kings yesterday, he was limited to just 22 minutes. Kidd claimed it had been the "best he's felt all season," although coach Rick Carlisle will likely continue limiting his minutes in order to preserve him as much as possible before the playoffs start. Kidd's minutes per game average has dipped from 33.2 to 28, and his 34.7% field goal percentage marks the lowest of his 17-year career.
Stein mentions a source that says the Mavericks would "absolutely" have Kidd in their plans should he choose to return, and mentions sources that are confident that he would happily accept a back up role if the Mavericks were to sign Deron Williams this summer.
Barkley On Bulls, Thibodeau, Nowitzki, Odom
- In an ESPN Chicago report, Barkley says that he liked what he saw from Chicago in their win over the Knicks on Tuesday night, and breaks down why he feels that they can beat the Heat if they meet in the Eastern Conference Finals.
- According to Charles, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau should be one of the top five paid coaches in the league. Thibodeau may soon get that opportunity, as his contract expires this summer. (ESPNChicago.com link)
- He isn't sold on the notion that Dirk Nowitzki can return to form as a dependable go-to guy, and asserts that he is "never wrong on Father Time" (Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas reports).
- SportsDayDFW highlighted a few notes from Barkley's visit with Galloway and Company of KESN-FM 103.3 in Dallas, most notably his feeling that Lamar Odom does not deserve to get paid for his disappointing lack of productivity this year.
Lamar Odom’s Trade Value
We heard this morning that the Warriors have Lamar Odom on their radar as a potential offseason addition, but Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com questions whether Odom would be a wise investment for Golden State. The Warriors need sure-things, Steinmetz argues, and they don't want to bring in a player that could be a locker-room distraction.
Noting that even trying to sign Odom to the mid-level exception might be ill-advised, Steinmetz all but rules out the possibility of giving up any assets to trade for the veteran. One GM tells Chris Mannix of SI.com that different teams may value the 32-year-old differently, since he's only tradeable to teams for whom he'd want to play (Twitter link). That makes his trade value limited, at best.
Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com is even more pessimistic about what Odom could bring the Mavericks in a trade. The most likely scenario, in MacMahon's opinion, is Dallas essentially paying a team to execute Odom's buyout. If the Mavs dealt Odom, cash, and a second-round pick to a team with enough cap room to absorb Odom's salary, they'd save $2.4MM in 2012/13 cap space and create a trade exception worth $8.2MM. The team acquiring Odom, meanwhile, would sacrifice a small amount of cap room, but could ultimately come out even as far as cash goes, and gain a second-rounder in the deal.
It wouldn't surprise me if a team was able to talk itself into rolling the dice on Odom, and traded for him before or during the June draft. His upside is tantalizing, and perhaps a year removed from this season's drama, he'll bounce back to his previous level of production. But the Lakers are the only team that can be reasonably confident in what they're getting in Odom, and they're the only NBA club that can't acquire him until next season.
It may not have the same amount of intrigue as the draft-lottery balls or Deron Williams' impending free agency, but Odom's fate will be an offseason subplot worth tracking. If he can recapture the form that earned him the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2010/11, Odom has the potential to be a huge bargain for his new team. If not, he could be a waste of $8MM+ for one more year.