Northwest Notes: Crawford, Thunder, Nuggets
Despite a rough night for some of its teams, the Northwest Division is the NBA's best division from top to bottom. The 31-9 Thunder trail only the Bulls for the league's best record despite a loss to the Cavs tonight, and the last-place Blazers, at 19-21, are just two games below .500 even though they've been struggling lately. Here's a look around the division:
- Blazers guard Jamal Crawford says if teams who are thinking of trading for him hesitate because they're worried he'll turn down his $5.225MM player option next year, those teams can simply ask him whether he'd like to stay next year, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Haynes tweets that he interprets this as Crawford saying he's open to a trade.
- The Thunder could be in the mix for a backup point guard, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. The team likes Reggie Jackson, but they're not sure if they want to continue to go with the rookie in that role.
- Nuggets.com writer Aaron J. Lopez sat down for an interview with team president Josh Kroenke, son of owner Stan Kroenke. The younger Kroenke says the team is "still in active talks" with restricted free agent Wilson Chandler, and that they're "working hard on trying to add him." Unlike last year, the Nuggets don't need to make a move at the deadline, Kroenke says, though GM Masai Ujiri will be ready should a deal arise.
Odds & Ends: Felton, Simmons, Chandler, Pistons
With ten days left until the 2012 NBA trade deadline, most columnists are looking ahead to next Thursday, exploring every possible scenario for moves contenders and non-contenders could make. Amidst all the trade speculation, Derek Page of HoopsWorld decides to look back at the offseason, assessing which trades and free agent signings have worked out best and worst so far this year, placing Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler atop the list of successes. Here are a few more Monday links from around the NBA:
- Raymond Felton, who Page named one of the season's worst acquisitions, will start for the Blazers tonight, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Given Jamal Crawford's success as a starter, it's unclear why Felton has been re-inserted into the starting five, but coach Nate McMillan insists it's not about showcasing Felton, tweets Joe Freeman of the Oregonian. I'm skeptical.
- The Clippers expect to sign Bobby Simmons to a second 10-day contract, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
- At SheridanHoops, Chris Sheridan lists a number of traded draft picks that could be important at this season's deadline.
- Wilson Chandler and the Nuggets are still talking about a contract for the restricted free agent, but there's nothing new to report, says Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post (via Twitter).
- Keith Langlois fields a handful of questions about potential Pistons trades in a Pistons.com mailbag.
Odds & Ends: Stern, Hawks, Clippers
Leave it to LeBron James to wind up in the spotlight again amidst Linsanity and the impending trade deadline. He passed up a potential game-winning shot against Utah to give the ball to Udonis Haslem instead, and Haslem missed to give the Jazz a 99-98 win. Still, as Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida points out, it was the first time James has ever gone back-to-back games without committing a turnover. James will surely be with the Heat for a while, but here are a few notes on more fluid situations:
- Changes are afoot for slumping Cleveland, where Cavs coach Byron Scott is giving thought to juggling his rotation and starting lineup after his team lost its fourth straight tonight, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. With the trade deadline approaching, the team must soon decide what to do with Ramon Sessions and Antawn Jamison, Amico says.
- Bucks backup point guard Beno Udrih would be on board with a trade if one happens, notes Lang Greene of HoopsWorld.
- ESPN's John Hollinger, writing from the Sloan Sports Analytics Conferences, says the numbers don't add up in the Kings arena deal. He believes the league provided financial support to the cash-strapped Maloof brothers so they could make their $73MM contribution to the deal. (Insider link)
- John Schuhmann of NBA.com rounded up Celtics coach Doc Rivers' irritated pregame remarks about the trade rumors swirling around his team. In particular, he took aim at the belief the Celtics are shopping Rajon Rondo and the "ridiculous" idea that Pau Gasol may be headed to Boston. For Rondo, whose name has come up in trade talks many times before, it feels like "deja vu," notes Andrew Perna of RealGM.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com looks at Celtics free agent signee Mickael Pietrus, who's finally displaying his all-around game now that he's healthy, Blakely says.
- Marc Gasol, used to fielding rumors involving his brother Pau, is surprised that Raptors point guard Jose Calderon, another Spanish Olympic teammate, is coming up in trade talk as well, reports Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun.
- Frank Isola of the New York Daily News believes the Knicks have assembled their most talented roster in 12 years.
- Jeremy Lin isn't the only waiver pickup exceeding expectations for the Knicks, as Steve Novak has been a major beneficiary of his more famous teammate's play, as Ben Bolch examines in the Chicago Tribune.
- Former Clippers and current Suns coach Alvin Gentry admires the team the Clips have put together this year, writes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
- Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic points out that Suns guard Shannon Brown, who'll hit the free agent market this summer, has a deceptive career high of 8.9 PPG this year. This has also been one of his worst shooting seasons.
- Maturity is the difference between the Gerald Green who flamed out with the Celtics a few years ago and the player who just returned to the league with the Nets, observes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
Latest On Chandler, Sessions, Odom
Wilson Chandler, Ramon Sessions, and Lamar Odom have been in the news for a handful of reasons lately — one's a restricted free agent, one's a trade candidate, and one… well, it's hard to succinctly summarize Odom's current situation. Regardless, we have Friday updates on all three players, so let's round them up right here:
- Wilson Chandler: With the deadline to obtain an offer sheet from another team having passed, Chandler can only sign with the Nuggets if he wants to play in the NBA this season. Agent Chris Luchey tells Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post that he's still negotiating with the Nuggets, who are only interested in a multiyear deal. If the two sides don't reach an agreement, Chandler could sit out the rest of this NBA season and become a restricted free agent again in July.
- Ramon Sessions: Sessions' agent, Jared Karnes, tells Bob Finnan of the News-Herald that he and his client haven't asked the Cavaliers for a trade, though they're aware it's a possibility. According to Finnan, the Lakers and Hawks are the teams most interested in Sessions.
- Lamar Odom: As we heard yesterday, Odom will indeed join the Mavericks' D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, before he returns to the Mavs. The team confirmed the assignment in a press release. According to Dallas president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson, the assignment was Odom's idea, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas. The 32-year-old will work out today with Mavs consultant Tim Grgurich, then join the Legends tomorrow.
Wilson Chandler Offer Sheet Deadline Passes
HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy reports (via Twitter) that the deadline for forward Wilson Chandler to sign an offer sheet with a team other than Denver has passed. Chandler, a restricted free agent, may now either re-sign with the Nuggets or sit out the remainder of the 2011/12 season and become a restricted free agent this summer.
Chandler signed with the Chinese Basketball Association's Zhejiang Guangsha Lions during the NBA lockout and recently received FIBA clearance to return to the NBA. The Raptors were rumored to be interested in signing Chandler, but any team besides Denver that wants to pursue him will have to wait until after the season.
Northwest Notes: Przybilla, Roy, Nuggets, Wolves
The newest Trail Blazer, Joel Przybilla, won't suit up for the team's game against the Nuggets tonight, but he expects to be on the court soon. Przybilla told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that he hopes to make his 2011/12 debut Saturday night against the Timberwolves. As Przybilla gets in a little more practice time, let's check in on what else is going on with the Blazers, Nuggets, and T-Wolves in our latest Northwest Division update…
- Trail Blazers players and coaches were surprised to hear that Brandon Roy is considering attempting a comeback, according to Joe Freeman of the Oregonian. Having amnestied Roy prior to this season, Portland wouldn't be able to bring the 27-year-old back right away if he were to come out of retirement.
- In a mailbag for the Denver Post, Benjamin Hochman provides the latest on Wilson Chandler and addresses the likelihood of the Nuggets adding a star player this summer.
- Tom Ziller of SBNation wonders if it would be worth it in the long run for the Timberwolves to give up Derrick Williams and other assets to acquire Pau Gasol.
Atlantic Rumors: Williams, Chandler, Celtics
Seeking to clarify comments he made on Monday, Nets coach Avery Johnson reiterated last night that, while he views the Mavericks and Mark Cuban as a threat to sign Deron Williams this summer, he still expects his point guard to return to the Nets.
"I think somebody kind of got it twisted where the focus was more on the threat and saying that I said that I think he’s going to Dallas, which I never said, never said that," Johnson told reporters, including Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record. "I said that [Cuban was a threat] because anybody that’s under the cap would be a threat to get a guy that’s a unbelievable point guard. But I said I believe he has every intention to re-sign."
Here are a few more morning rumors on Williams and the rest of the Atlantic Division:
- Talking to Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld, Williams admitted he isn't sure whether he'll be a Net next year.
- Within the same HoopsWorld piece, Pincus says that the Nuggets have offered a multiyear deal to Wilson Chandler, but that it's not as lucrative as Chandler hoped. Still, the Raptors likely won't sign the 24-year-old to an offer sheet, says Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. Although Toronto hasn't moved on entirely, the club is currently put off by Chandler's asking price.
- Wolstat adds that it appears the Raptors are listening to trade inquiries made by other teams rather than actively seeking deals themselves.
- Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski, appearing on NBC's SportsTalk, says the Celtics have been actively pursuing trades, and won't hesitate to break up their core in the right deal. Wojnarowski speculates that, of Boston's "big three," Paul Pierce may be the most likely trade candidate, since Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett have contracts that Boston could simply let expire.
Wilson Chandler Receives FIBA Clearance
4:58pm: The Raptors are "highly unlikely" to sign Chandler this week, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. If Chandler is a restricted free agent again this summer, Toronto could get involved, but would probably need his asking price to come down (Twitter link).
12:06pm: Wilson Chandler has received a FIBA letter of clearance and is now officially eligible for restricted NBA free agency, according to agent Chris Luchey (Twitter link via Sportando).
Restricted free agents aren't eligible to sign offer sheets as of March 1st, so Chandler will have just two days to try to secure an offer from a team besides the Nuggets. Denver would then have three days to match any offer.
If Chandler doesn't sign an offer sheet before Thursday, he could either sign with the Nuggets or sit out the season and become a restricted free agent again in the summer, when more teams could have interest (and money). A rest-of-season contract with the Nuggets would allow Chandler to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but Denver has indicated it doesn't plan to negotiate such a deal.
The Raptors appear to have interest in Chandler, but only have about $4.3MM in cap space, so the Nuggets wouldn't have much trouble matching any offer Toronto made. Yesterday, we heard Chandler and Luchey were in contact with an Italian team about the possibility of a rest-of-season deal.
Wilson Chandler Rumors: Monday
Earlier today, we heard that the Raptors may be looking to move Leandro Barbosa in order to make a contract offer to Wilson Chandler. While Chandler is drawing interest, two major obstacles stand in his way: He needs to receive FIBA clearance to officially become a restricted free agent, and he needs to be cleared before March 1st if he hopes to sign an offer sheet with a team besides the Nuggets. Here's the latest on Chandler:
- Agent Chris Luchey tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando that Chandler is in talks with an Italian team about a rest-of-season deal (Twitter link). If the 24-year-old were to play elsewhere and not return to the NBA this season, he'd be a restricted free agent again this summer, potentially scoring larger offers from teams with cap space. Perhaps Chandler and Luchey are trying to regain some leverage over the Nuggets by seriously weighing that option.
Odds & Ends: Bogut, Gasol, Kings
Peter Vecsey, in the same column in which he revealed the Knicks as potential suitors for Dwight Howard, hears that the Bucks are "definitely open to offers" for Andrew Bogut, who's currently out with a fractured left ankle. He also says the rumored signing of Rasheed Wallace by the Lakers lends credibility to the idea that the team could send Pau Gasol to the Celtics for Rajon Rondo and Jermaine O'Neal. Here's the rest of what's being whispered around All-Star weekend.
- Restricted free agent Wilson Chandler's Chinese team has been eliminated from the playoffs, and he's expecting FIBA clearance soon, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Yesterday we noted that Chandler's clearance has been delayed. He's been a target of the Nuggets, his former team, and the Raptors of late.
- A meeting today between Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, the Maloof brothers and league officials could be make-or-break for the city's hopes to keep the Kings, writes Sacramento Bee columnist Ailene Voisin.
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com delves into the finer points of the lockout negotiations, and notes how close the league came to canceling the entire season.
- Celtics team president Danny Ainge and coach Doc Rivers must turn into salesmen to attract top free agent talent to Boston as the team looks to replace its aging core, writes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
- To get the Hornets to trade Chris Kaman to the Heat, it would take Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller, a price Miami is unwilling to pay, observes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- Swingman Mike Dunleavy, who signed a two-year, $7.5MM free-agent deal with the Bucks this past offseason, is getting comfortable in what was already familiar territory in Wisconsin, writes Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It's worth noting, though, that Dunleavy's dad is part of what's reportedly the leading potential ownership group for the Hornets.
- Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside chronicles the fall of one-time top prospect Reeves Nelson.
- Fred Kerber of the New York Post looks at how free-agent-to-be Deron Williams is showcasing his talents with little help in New Jersey.