Jason Kidd Talks Brooklyn, Retirement, Williams
With the Nets and Mavericks set to square off in Dallas, Jason Kidd talked to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News about his former team, his future, and the point guard he'll be facing tonight. Here are the highlights:
- A free-agent-to-be, Kidd says he'd like to remain a Maverick, but conceded that signing with the Brooklyn Nets this summer is also a possibility: "You can’t rule that out…. But we’ll see what happens here in Dallas. I wouldn’t mind staying here in Dallas if that opportunity presents itself. But if Brooklyn presents itself, we’ll see."
- While Kidd doesn't think he's ready for retirement yet, he'll consider that option before signing anywhere this offseason.
- Kidd again praised Deron Williams and reiterated that he'd enjoy backing up Williams in the future: "I know he’ll play 40 minutes so I can give him an eight-minute break. Wherever he ends up – whether it’s in Brooklyn or Dallas – that franchise has a great point guard."
Latest On Lamar Odom
Having left the team last week to tend to his ill father, Lamar Odom hasn't reported to the Mavericks following the All-Star break, as we heard yesterday. SI.com's Sam Amick said on Monday that the Mavs weren't planning to buy out Odom's contract, but there's no timetable for his return at this point. Here's the latest on the former Laker:
- Odom briefly considered retiring in the offseason following the death of a cousin, but wants to keep playing, sources tell ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on a possible buyout for Odom: "It hasn't been discussed and we wouldn't do it. We think Lamar can be a huge plus for us" (via Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com).
- Peter Vecsey of the New York Post hears from a Texas source that Odom isn't happy in Dallas and would like a buyout. However, Caplan writes in a separate ESPNDallas piece that "for now, all we can assume is that Odom is caring for his dad and that he will be back with the Mavs soon."
Mavericks Don’t Plan On Odom Buyout
Lamar Odom's recent absence from the Mavericks has some wondering about his future in Dallas and there is not yet word on when he will return to the club. However, a Mavs source told Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter) that the team will not exercise its $2MM buyout on Odom for next season.
The forward is set to earn $8.2MM for 2012/13 in what will be his walk year. The 32-year-old recently took a leave of absence from the club to tend to a family matter.
Odom averaged 13.7 PPG and 9.5 RPG in his seven seasons with the Lakers but has put up just 7.7 PPG and 4.5 RPG so far this season with the Mavericks. The veteran has been seeing less playing time in 2011/12 but he has been far less productive than in years past, as evidenced by his career low PER of 9.8.
Johnson: Mavs A Threat To Sign Deron Williams
8:02pm: Williams told reporters that the Mavericks' American Airlines Center is his favorite arena in the league and praised its shooting background, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
7:09pm: As the Nets look to land Orlando center Dwight Howard, they also face the very real possibility of losing Deron Williams in free agency this summer. Head coach Avery Johnson told reporters that he expects the Mavericks to make a major play for the point guard based on his familiarity with owner Mark Cuban, tweets Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger.
Over the weekend, Williams indicated that he would be open to signing elsewhere and sacrificing earnings for an opportunity to win. The 27-year-old spent his teenage years in The Colony, Texas, just 30 miles outside of Dallas.
Odds & Ends: Celtics, Gasol, Hornets
After two furious months of nights packed with basketball, the first evening of the All-Star break has given the league a chance to exhale. As usual, the celebrity game provided comic relief, and Kyrie Irving's MVP performance in the Rising Stars game provided the only mildly competitive action of the night. Here's what's up as the All-Star rumor mill gets going:
- Celtics team president Danny Ainge, who earlier this year left the door open to a major shakeup in Boston, will "only do things that help us in the long-term," he told Paul Flannery of Sportsradio WEEI. He said he won't make a trade before the March 15th deadline just to bring about change, according to the report. Elrod Enchilada of RealGM outlines a plan for if Ainge does decide to break up the team.
- The Lakers would seek significant return for Pau Gasol, and nothing appears in the works, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
- Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com rounds up the latest on possible buyers for the Hornets. The group that appears to have the inside track is led by Los Angeles businessman Raj Bhathal and includes former NBA player, coach and executive Mike Dunleavy as well as Larry J. Benson, brother of New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson.
- Tyler Zeller of North Carolina is currently the only college senior projected by NBADraft.net to be a lottery pick this year, but Pacers All-Star Roy Hibbert demonstrates why teams shouldn't overlook four-year college players, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of Comcast Sportsnet.
- Jason Kidd, who will be a 39-year-old free agent at season's end, is already seeing the least playing time of his career, averaging 28.3 MPG. Dirk Nowitzki tells Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he doubts Kidd will play in every game during a stretch of nine games in 12 days for the Mavs after the All-Star break.
- Mavs guard Delonte West will be out on the market again this summer after signing a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum with Dallas before the season. In a piece by Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News examining West's ups and downs, including his struggle with mental illness, he admits he's been affected by unsubstantiated rumors that he had an affair with LeBron James' mother two years ago. West again denies the claims.
- Ryan Anderson, a restricted free agent this summer, was overshadowed in the Vince Carter trade three years ago, is overlooked as Orlando talk centers around Dwight Howard, and is overmatched in the race for Most Improved Player against Jeremy Lin. Still, he continues his sterling play for the Magic this season, writes Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida.
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star wonders whether the lockout achieved its purpose, as players are still using their leverage to get to large markets, a culture of haves and have-nots persists, and two franchises remain in flux.
Cuban: Mavs Not Looking To Deal, But Will Listen
While the Mavericks' plan to clear as much cap space as possible this summer isn't exactly a well-concealed secret, owner Mark Cuban says the team could make a move that would compromise that approach, under one circumstance:
"Priority number one is to win a championship,'' Cuban told reporters, including Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. "If there's something that takes up cap room, but puts us over the top, I'm in. We're going to be opportunistic. If it's something good, we'll take advantage of it."
Cuban added that the team isn't looking to make a move, but that the Mavs would certainly be listening if a team made them the right offer. As Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas writes, the Mavs owner also dismissed a recent rumor suggesting Rodrigue Beaubois could be available: "That’s what people in New Orleans say because they’ve always liked him."
In a trade candidate piece from earlier this week, Michael Pina of Hoops Rumors explained how Shawn Marion factored into the team's cap considerations going forward.
Eddie Sefko On The Mavericks
Dallas Morning News writer Eddie Sefko conducted a chat with readers today covering all things Mavericks. Here are the highlights:
- Sefko says he asked Mark Cuban if the team ever made a run at J.R. Smith. Cuban responded, "No offense to J.R., but we weren't interested."
- He believes Dallas is the number one destination for Nets guard Deron Williams, adding that "it wouldn't surprise" him if the team adds both Williams and Dwight Howard.
- Despite Lamar Odom's poor play throughout the season, Sefko doesn't believe he will be traded because of his valuable contract situation.
- Regarding the consistent play of Vince Carter and Delonte West (before his finger injury), Sefko says no Maverick will receive a new deal this summer until situations are resolved with Dwight Howard and Deron Williams.
- The team's most likely trade candidates are Brendan Haywood, Shawn Marion, Rodrigue Beaubois, and Dominique Jones because all have contracts running beyond this season. Sefko also reiterated that he's heard whispers of Beaubois being on the trade block, but that they'd only deal him if no guaranteed money beyond this season were coming back.
Southwest Notes: Anderson, Odom, Hornets
If the NBA season ended today, the Southwest would be the only division to send four teams to the postseason. Only the Hornets would fall short, with the Spurs, Mavericks, Rockets, and Grizzlies already a combined 31 games over .500 (81-50). Let's check in on the latest updates from one of the league's strongest divisions….
- James Anderson's agent has encouraged the Spurs to trade his client, reports Buck Harvey of the San Antonio-Express News (via Twitter). The 22-year-old has appeared in 49 career games (11.2 MPG) for the Spurs since San Antonio drafted him 20th overall in 2010. While Anderson may not be receiving as much playing time as he'd like, it's hard to imagine anyone wanting to leave a team on an 11-game winning streak.
- Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle says expectations for Lamar Odom should be kept in check, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas. "I would love for Lamar to be the kind of high-impact player that he is supposedly advertised as being," Carlisle said. "But the truth is, he has been a consistent player…. I think we’re really looking for spectacular things from him on a night-in, night-out basis; that’s not who he is." Odom's 9.8 PER since joining the Mavs in a preseason trade is a significant drop-off from his career rate entering the year (17.1).
- The Hornets are going through some growing pains, but GM Dell Demps tells John DeShazier of the Times-Picayune that he's happy to see some of the team's young players get an opportunity to play.
Broussard On Beaubois, Williams, Raps, Sessions
In addition to reporting on the Lakers' interest in Michael Beasley, ESPN.com's Chris Broussard has a number of other interesting tidbits to share in his latest column. Let's check out the highlights:
- The Mavericks are "about ready to move on" from the Rodrigue Beaubois experiment. It was only a week ago that Mark Cuban insisted Beaubois remained in the team's long-term plans, but the young guard would be an intriguing trade chip. Including him in a deal for a player on an expiring contract could improve the Mavs' roster in the short-term and help clear a little extra cap space in the long-term.
- Marvin Williams is frustrated with his role in Atlanta and would like to play somewhere where he could contribute more on offense.
- The Raptors are receiving plenty of inquiries on Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani. Bargnani isn't likely to be moved, and the team would want a point guard in return for Calderon.
- The Lakers want to see if they can trade for a point guard before giving Gilbert Arenas a shot. According to Broussard's sources, the Lakers should be able to acquire Ramon Sessions for one of their first-round picks before the deadline, if they want to pull the trigger. According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (on Twitter), the Lakers are expected to "accelerate" their pursuit of Sessions this weekend.
Odds & Ends: Pistons, Kings, Iverson
- According to Marc Stein's Twitter, coach Doc Rivers does not expect any big deals for the Celtics near the trade deadline.
- Keith Langlois of Pistons.com chatted with fans about the current state of the team and entertains the feasibility of their trade proposal ideas. Also, Pistons coach Lawrence Frank seemed annoyed at the notion of draft talk at this point in the season, as reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
- Even with the possibility of the Kings re-locating to Anaheim or Seattle, the team could have the help of another billionaire in the effort to stay in Sacramento, according to Dale Kasler of The Sacramento Bee.
- Allen Iverson has been offered a contract to play soccer for the Rochester Lancers of the Major Indoor Soccer League. The team's official website made the announcement this past Saturday.
- Warriors coach Mark Jackson tells Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com that he's in no rush to give his young players more playing time.
- Though Tyson Chandler believed he would re-sign with the Mavericks, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning news writes about how the situation unfolded over the summer.