Odds & Ends: Garnett, Randolph, Kings, Warriors
Don't look now, but the playoffs begin just one month from today. Most NBA teams are in action tonight with 10 games on the schedule, so let's dive in and check on the news from around The Association:
- Kevin Garnett will be a free agent this summer, but a return to the Wolves might not be at the top of his wish list. He gave a nod to Minnesota fans, but says he had "nothing positive to say" about the franchise, tweets Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
- Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee noticed Shavlik Randolph walking through the Kings' locker room tonight, though there's no word if the team is looking to sign him (Twitter link). Randolph reportedly worked out for the Heat earlier this month and has apparently spoken to at least two clubs regarding a deal.
- Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com looks ahead to next year for the Warriors and concludes they need to get a solid third guard, a quality backup for David Lee and Andrew Bogut, and an upgrade at small forward:
- Don Nelson, the NBA's all-time winningest coach, says he's been informed he'll be inducted into the Hall of Fame, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas. Nelson coached the Bucks, Warriors, Knicks and Mavs after a playing career spent mostly with the Celtics. The official announcement of the 2012 Hall class will come Monday.
- Chris Broussard of ESPN.com takes a look at stars who've changed teams in recent years and says what's happened to them since should be a cautionary tale to Dwight Howard and others who could be looking to make a move (Insider link).
- A year after the Jazz parted ways with Jerry Sloan in the wake of a rift between the coach and Deron Williams, new coach Tyrone Corbin has established rapport with his players, which has been key to the team's playoff push this year, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
- The Nets have an open roster spot and might look to fill it after finishing tonight's 100-84 victory over the Pacers with only eight healthy players, as the Associated Press reports, via The New York Times. Centers Shelden Williams and Jordan Williams went down, so if those two are to miss any time, the team may target a big man.
- Rookie Malcolm Lee is adjusting to life as an NBA point guard as he finds his way into the Wolves' rotation, writes Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune.
Odds & Ends: Powell, Lakers, Azubuike, Curry
Here are a few Wednesday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Josh Powell, who was thought to be drawing interest from a handful of NBA teams, has decided to play in Puerto Rico, as he announced on his Twitter account. According to Sportando, Powell will play for Brujos de Guayama.
- Lakers legend Magic Johnson will become the face of Los Angeles Dodgers ownership, after his bidding group reached an agreement to buy the MLB franchise for a staggering $2.15 billion. Check out MLB Trade Rumors' story for more details.
- Current Laker Andrew Bynum stirred up some drama when he was benched following a misguided three-point attempt, says Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Bynum, who will have his 2012/13 option exercised by the team, didn't seem to have any regrets: "I guess 'don't take threes' is the message, but I'm going to take another one and I'm going to take some more, so I just hope it's not the same result."
- Kelenna Azubuike won't play a significant role on the Mavericks' 2011/12 squad, but Dallas intends to exercise its team option for next season, barring a setback, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes.
- Jonathan Abrams of Grantland.com takes an interesting look at the next step for an NBA player when he finds out he's been traded.
- Byron Mullens is becoming a larger part of the Bobcats' future plans, according to an Associated Press report (via NBA.com).
- The Warriors will re-evaluate Stephen Curry in two weeks to determine if he's ready to ready to return to action, the team announced today. There's been speculation that Golden State would prefer Curry not play this season, in part because the team would like to retain its top-seven-protected pick that's ticketed for Utah. Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group hears that Warriors management wouldn't mind Curry sitting out the season, though they'd be happy to have him return to the lineup if he's healthy.
Kobe Preparing To Recruit Fisher, Odom?
Kobe Bryant is "planning a hard push" to try to bring Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom back to the Lakers this summer, a source tells Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Fisher and Odom were both traded by the Lakers over the last few months, but could become free agents in the offseason.
Fisher, who was traded to and then bought him by Houston, signed with the Thunder on a rest-of-season contract. Odom, meanwhile, was dealt to the Mavericks in December and has one more season left on his deal. His final year is only partially guaranteed though, and his play this season makes it unlikely the Mavs would want to pay him $8.9MM to return.
It's unclear whether returning to the Lakers is something either player wants, and team management would have to be on board as well. However, Howard-Cooper hears that Bryant will use his friendship with both players to try to convince them a return is in everyone's best interests. Asked about a potential reunion, Bryant remained fairly noncommittal.
"I don’t know," Bryant told NBA.com. "I would hope so. But I don’t know. When Fish and I talk, it’s about personal things because we’ve known each other for so long. Lamar too. We keep that other stuff out of it. It’s family, how are you doing, stuff like that."
David Stern On New CBA, Seattle, Replay, NCAA
NBA commissioner David Stern met with reporters in Phoenix before last night's game between the Suns and Spurs, addressing a number of topics. Reports from the Associated Press and Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic relayed some of Stern's more interesting comments, so let's check out the highlights:
- Stern says we're already starting to witness the positive effects of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement: "As we watch in baseball and we see ten-year contracts and nine-year contracts, ten years for huge amounts… Those players would only get four-year contracts in our sport. We've aligned pay with performance in an important way."
- The commissioner pointed to the Lakers, Mavericks, and Pacers as a few teams who have already made roster moves with an eye on future tax restrictions.
- The league is trying to keep its franchises in their current locations, so it would be unwise for the city of Seattle build an arena thinking it would earn them an NBA team, says Stern: "It's a chicken and egg. We don't have any plans to expand and we're working arduously with Sacramento and New Orleans both to keep the teams that are there."
- The NBA will look into adding goaltending calls to the list of plays that can be reviewed by video replay. Stern wants to ensure the calls are accurate without compromising the flow of the game.
- Stern was critical of the NCAA's new withdrawal deadline, which has been moved up by about a month and precedes the NBA's deadline, as we outlined here: "If the NCAA would spend a little less time talking about whether players should stay in school for one or two years and enforce their rules equally…. I think the most important thing is to get kids in college the most informed advice they can get without losing their eligibility."
Latest On Lamar Odom
In the midst of a one-point, one-rebound, one-assist performance in last Wednesday's game against the Lakers, Lamar Odom was booed by the hometown crowd in Dallas. He told reporters today that hearing those boos was "a little confusing and little hurtful," as Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas writes.
"I admitted I was out of shape for different reasons when I came into camp. I admitted what I had been through," Odom said. "I was honest about how my summer went, how I almost left the game with everything I went through, and I think people just took it the wrong way, like I had a reason not to be here or if I didn't want to be here…. I think people took that the wrong way and the next thing I know I'm trying to come out of a slump and I check into a game and I'm getting booed. I'm not really used to that."
Odom has been mired in a season-long slump since being traded to Dallas, prompting Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas to write over the weekend that the Mavericks need to cut ties with with the ex-Laker. While a buyout may have made sense at one point, Odom would lose his playoff eligiblity if he was bought out and waived now, so he has little incentive to agree to a pay cut. The Mavs could still simply waive the veteran, eating the guaranteed money left on his contract this year and next. That also seems unlikely though, since the team still hopes he can turn things around.
Owner Mark Cuban has insisted that the Mavs don't care about Odom's point totals or other traditional stats, if he can help them in other ways: "When he comes in, does the lead go up or down?" Cuban said over the weekend. "That’s all I care about." Of course, as MacMahon points out, the team's commitment to Odom makes even less sense given that stance — his plus-minus over the last ten games is minus-67.
There's still time for Odom to regain the form that earned him the Sixth Man of the Year award in Los Angeles a season ago, but it's looking less and less likely to happen this season. At this point, I think it's almost a certainty that Odom won't be a Maverick in 2012/13. Whether or not he finishes the year with the team and earns playoff minutes is the more pressing question.
Mavericks Notes: Title Hopes, Cardinal, Nowitzki
The Mavs pulled off a stunning overtime victory Saturday night over the Rockets that saw gutsy play from the likes of Jason Terry (who apparently was signing autographs when Vince Carter was pulled for foul trouble) and Dirk Nowitzki, who seemingly willed the team to victory. In what is shaping up to be an incredibly competitive race for the bottom half of the Western Conference playoff picture, the Mavs would have dropped to ninth place with a loss against Houston. Instead, the defending NBA champions currently occupy the fifth seed with mere percentage points separating them from the slumping Clippers.
- There are doubters who don't believe the Mavs have the ability to replicate the same success that they achieved last season against Miami, says ESPN.com's Marc Stein, who cites an NBA scout as his source.
- In what can only be perceived as a bit of refreshing news, Mavs forward Brian Cardinal laughed off criticism about his rough play from newly-acquired Spurs forward Stephen Jackson by stating he was pleased to hear that Jackson actually thought Cardinal could actually once play in the league, writes Tim Griffin of Spurs Nation.
- Beyond leading the charge in a must-win game over the Rockets, Dirk Nowitzki surpassed his hero Charles Barkley to become the 19th-leading scorer in NBA history, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
Odds & Ends: Sloan, Azubuike, Sessions, Heat
The deadline for players to be waived in order to be eligible for the playoffs with another team passed last night, and Chris Kaman, who would have been on the radar of just about every team needing a big man had he been bought out, is still with the Hornets. New Orleans "desperately" tried to trade him before last week's trade deadline, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, but didn't get a worthy offer. He'll be a free agent at season's end, and wants to sign with a contender then, Kennedy said. Here's the rest of what's shaking around the NBA:
- Guard Donald Sloan, who signed last week with the Cavs, gave reporters a little insight on his contract, as the end of this video on Cavs.com shows. His deal extends into next year, but is guaranteed only until the end of this season.
- Newest Mav Kelenna Azubuike, who drew raves from owner Mark Cuban last night, will start off with the Texas Legends, the Mavs D-League affiliate, notes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.
- The Hawks expressed interest in trading for Ramon Sessions before the Cavs wound up dealing him to the Lakers, Kennedy tweets.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel answered reader questions about the Heat. Despite this week's signing of Ronny Turiaf, much of the talk still revolves around the center position.
- Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld rounds up the players who could sign contracts worth as much as $10MM a year as free agents this summer.
- Syracuse sophomore guard Dion Waiters hasn't made up his mind about whether he'll enter the NBA Draft just yet, but he says the Spurs, Thunder and Jazz have called him in case he wants to give it a go, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY. He's projected to go in the middle of the first round, and could climb into the lottery, Zagoria writes.
Southwest Rumors: Azubuike, Carlisle, Diaw
The defending Southwest Division champs met the defending NBA champs tonight, with the first-place Spurs coming away with a 104-87 win, padding their lead as they seek a second straight division title. Here's more on two of the Southwest's top teams:
- Mavs owner Mark Cuban thinks his team's signing of Kelenna Azubuike will be a steal if his knee holds up, according to Mavs.com writer Earl K. Sneed. Cuban isn't sure if Azubuike will help the team this year, but has his eyes on the future, calling the team option for the second year "pretty much a lock" to be exercised (All Twitter links).
- Mavs coach Rick Carlisle didn't respond to questions about his future when asked about his contract, which expires at the end of the year, on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM’s Galloway and Company. While Mavs GM Donnie Nelson indicated that the team intends to retain the coach, Tim McMahon of ESPN Dallas cites rumors linking Carlisle to the Blazers and suggests the Knicks and Clippers as possible destinations.
- The recent moves the Spurs have made aren't surprising to Carlisle, who's particularly intrigued by the acquisition of Patrick Mills and Boris Diaw, Tim Griffin of the Express-News writes.
- Diaw had to wait a week to sign with the Spurs because of visa issues, but he's been waiting much longer to fulfill his childhood dream of playing with fellow frenchman Tony Parker, according to Griffin. Diaw is Parker's best friend in the NBA, but the point guard didn't push the team to sign his buddy.
- ESPN's Marc Stein spoke with new Spur Stephen Jackson, who shared some revelations about his time with the Bucks and says he "never should have left" San Antonio after 2003.
Mavericks Sign Kelenna Azubuike
The Mavericks have officially signed Kelenna Azubuike, the team announced today in a press release. Azubuike will receive a minimum-salary contract for the rest of this season, with a team option for next year.
Azubuike, 28, is attempting a comeback after having not played in an NBA game since November 2009. He underwent patella surgery in 2009, and attempted to play last season with the Knicks, but never fully recovered and required additional surgery. The Mavs are intrigued enough by his rehab that they'll take a minimum-salary flier on him and start him out at their D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends.
In 205 career games over four seasons for the Warriors, Azubuike averaged 10.6 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 24.4 MPG. He'll take Sean Williams' place on the Mavericks' roster, after Williams was waived by the team.
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News first reported the Mavs were closing in on Azubuike, with ESPN.com's Marc Stein adding details.
Mavericks Close To Signing Kelenna Azubuike
9:23am: If he passes his physical, Azubuike will sign a minimum-salary contract for the rest of this season and will receive a team option for next season, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein. The initial plan is for Azubuike to join the Mavs' D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends.
9:08am: The Mavericks are closing in on a deal with Kelenna Azubuike, according to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. Azubuike will need to pass a physical, which as Sefko points out, is no sure thing, given the 28-year-old's multiple surgeries in recent seasons.
Azubuike played four seasons with the Warriors, but has not appeared in an NBA game since the 2009/2010 season. In 205 career games in Golden State, the 6'5" shooting guard averaged 10.6 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 24.4 MPG.
The Mavericks waived Sean Williams yesterday, so if they finalize a deal with Azubuike, they have an open roster spot.