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Lowe On Lin, Anderson, Suns, Lee, Thompson

December 11th, 2012 at 11:21am CST by Luke Adams

Most players that signed new contracts over the summer will become eligible to be traded as of this coming Saturday, so Grantland's Zach Lowe took the opportunity to take a look around the league at some potential trade candidates. Here are a few of the highlights from Lowe's piece:

Even though the Rockets didn't expect to land Jeremy Lin this summer, and didn't expect to acquire another star ballhandler in James Harden, it's still "extremely unlikely" that they'd move Lin.
There's no indication that the Hornets would consider dealing Ryan Anderson, who Lowe clarifies (via Twitter) becomes trade-eligible this month rather than next month, as we'd previously thought.
Teams around the league are eyeing the Suns to see if they can extract some value there, but Phoenix almost certainly won't move Goran Dragic and can't trade amnesty pickup Luis Scola. Lowe also notes that "you can count on zero hands" the number of clubs interested in acquiring Michael Beasley.
It's not out of the question that Courtney Lee could become a trade candidate if the Celtics are seeking a big man.
Jason Thompson is "coveted around the league" due to his reasonable long-term salary, and is blocking Thomas Robinson in Sacramento, so the Kings could attempt to gauge his value.
The Mavericks may be a buyer rather than a seller, but they'll be wary of adding any salary that would affect their cap flexibility next summer.
The Sixers will be in the market for a big man once trade talks pick up.
Rival executives are wondering if it's too early for GM Neil Olshey and the Trail Blazers to explore the trade market for LaMarcus Aldridge.

Kevin McHale To Return To Rockets

December 8th, 2012 at 1:10pm CST by Chuck Myron

Coach Kevin McHale is expected to rejoin the Rockets soon, and could be back from his lengthy leave of absence by tonight, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26. McHale left the team on November 10th, and though no reason was officially announced, it became clear he was tending to his ailing daughter, Sasha, who passed away November 24th. Assistant coach Kelvin Sampson has been running the team in his stead.

The Rockets were 2-3 to start the season under McHale, and now sit at 9-9 after last night's loss to the Spurs. They take on the Mavs tonight in Houston. McHale went 34-32 in his first season with the Rockets last year, narrowly missing out on a playoff berth. He was 39-55 in two previous coaching stints in Minnesota, when he came down to the bench from the team's front office.

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle says via Twitter that McHale will be with the Rockets tonight, but Feigen is unsure if that means he'll be coaching the team this evening.

Stein On Gasol, Harden, Lin, Bobcats

December 7th, 2012 at 6:46pm CST by Zachary Links

In the weekend version of his column, ESPN.com's Marc Stein wonders if any of the four teams involved in the Dwight Howard blockbuster can call themselves the winner. Right now, it would seem that the Magic are the only club that can claim to feel any sort of satisfaction with its current state of affairs. Coach Jacque Vaughn has looked like a smart hire, center Nikola Vucevic is producing consistently, and last week's win over the Lakers should keep Orlando fans happy for a good while. Stein also checked in with a group of league scouts at the quarter-mark of the year to get their thoughts on this summer's player movement and moves that could be around the bend. Let's take a look..

An Eastern Conference scout believes that Steve Nash can fix the Lakers' problem upon his return. Nash can obviously run Mike D'Antoni's offense, but Pau Gasol doesn't seem to be the power forward the club needs to make everything work. Even though Gasol has helped the Lakers to two NBA titles, the scout believes they will ultimately trade him.
After seeing the way the Thunder have played without James Harden, an Eastern Conference scout says that he can understand why they opted to keep Serge Ibaka instead. Kevin Martin has played well in the No. 3 role and will be a major asset in the playoffs if he can help pull defensive attention away from Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. With the aforementioned stars both being capable of closing out games, the scout picks Oklahoma City to win the West.
A Western Conference scout gave a less-than-stellar appraisal of Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin. "On an average team, he can be a starter. On a good team, he's going to have to be a backup," said the scout.
The Bobcats may not be able to keep up this level of play all season long but new coach Mike Dunlap is showing that he can get a great deal out of his players, according to one Western Conference scout. The scout notes that Brendan Haywood is taking charges and diving after loose balls more than he was for the Mavs' championship team.
Stein hears that the Clippers' new director of basketball administration Eric Miller is being groomed for a larger role in the Clips' decision-making hierarchy.

Raptors, Wolves Interested In Pau Gasol

December 6th, 2012 at 10:51pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:51pm: The report connecting Gasol and the Timberwolves is news to the T-Wolves, tweets Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

8:07am: The Raptors and Timberwolves recently attempted to initiate trade discussions with the Lakers about Pau Gasol, but Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has convinced the club to continue to take a pass on offers until Steve Nash returns, as Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne report for ESPNLosAngeles.com.

Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon and Linas Kleiza are among those the Raptors are talking about including in a Gasol deal, according to Stein and Shelburne. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who's told by rival executives that the Raptors are the most likely destination for Gasol, hears that Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo is currently unwilling to include Bargnani in a deal. That could change, however, if Colangelo starts to feel pressure to win now.

It's an "open secret" that Wolves GM David Kahn has been after Gasol since last season in attempts to put together a core of Kevin Love and Spaniards Gasol and Ricky Rubio, Stein and Shelburne write. Kahn's trade offers have been built around Derrick Williams and Nikola Pekovic, packages that continually meet with rejection from the Lakers.

Hornets power forward Ryan Anderson, reportedly L.A.'s No. 1 target in a Gasol deal, is a "virtual untouchable" as far as New Orleans is concerned, according to the ESPNLosAngeles.com story. The Hawks, Rockets and Nuggets have no interest in obtaining Gasol, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.

The 32-year-old Gasol is making $19MM this year and is due $19.286MM next season in the final year of his deal. He's averaging 12.6 points per game on 42% shooting, both career lows, and has missed the last two games because of tendinitis in both knees.

Odds & Ends: Heat, Harden, Gasol, Lakers

December 6th, 2012 at 2:50pm CST by Zachary Links

Whether you love or hate the Heat, you should appreciate the team while it's still in place, writes Ian Thomsen of SportsIllustrated.com. In 2014/15, the "repeater" tax will kick in and bring the most severe financial penalties for high-payroll teams that the league has ever seen. One rival GM predicted that owner Micky Arison will have to break up the big three of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh before that happens. More from around the Association..

Rockets star James Harden told KGOW in Houston that he's already working towards recruiting another elite player, writes Steven Cuce of Sports Radio Interviews. “One player is not going to win a championship. Nowadays you need two or maybe more. I’ve definitely started the recruiting process. We need more guys to come over here, so we can win. For right now we are going to stick with the players we have and try to run with that,” Harden said.
Pau Gasol's trade value is falling, one GM who previously had interest in the Lakers forward tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (via Twitter). "Now you have to wonder if some of his performance issues are knee-related," said the GM.
The Lakers were right to turn down offers from Gasol from the Raptors and T'Wolves, writes Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports. Minnesota reportedly pitched former No. 2 overall pick Derrick Williams and center Nikola Pekovic while Toronto's package centers around Andrea Bargnani.
Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com (video link) looks at a few trade candidates around the league including Jazz big man Al Jefferson.

Western Rumors: Cousins, Brown, Iguodala, Fisher

December 6th, 2012 at 10:56am CST by Chuck Myron

A matchup of fourth-place teams, as the Mavs travel to take on the Suns, is the only Western Conference tilt on a two-game night in the NBA, but the action off the court is much juicier. We delivered the latest on the Pau Gasol saga earlier this morning, and now here's more from the West.

Slumping as he begins his third season, DeMarcus Cousins is nonetheless coveted by several teams around the league, according to Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee, who adds that the Kings remain uninterested in trading the 22-year-old center.
Mike Brown, still owed $10MM from the Lakers after the team let him go just five games into the season, tells Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times that he'll eventually get back into coaching, but is in no rush.
Andre Iguodala, who can exercise an early-termination option this summer, is a safer bet to remain with the Nuggets than Carmelo Anthony was as his deal neared an end, according to Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post.
Joe Kaiser of ESPN.com, after examining all the other options, believes the Mavs' signing of Derek Fisher was sound (Insider only).
The Blazers have already declined their 2013/14 option on Luke Babbitt, but they might have to give him another look as an unrestricted free agent next summer now that he's jumped into the rotation, observes Mike Tokito of The Oregonian.
Rockets interim coach Kelvin Sampson reached out to Carlos Delfino during the summer and touted the ability for the Argentinian swingman to play a significant role with Houston, helping convince him to sign with the team. Jason Friedman of Rockets.com has the details.

Berger On Lakers, White, Thunder, Fisher

December 5th, 2012 at 5:25pm CST by Sean Highkin

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com has a new column dealing with several high-profile topics from around the NBA. Here are the highlights:

Berger writes that if the Lakers choose to trade Pau Gasol, they should look for wing defenders and bench depth.
The Rockets and Royce White appear to be making progress in working through the issues that have prevented the rookie from seeing playing time. Berger reports that White has begun seeing the therapist the team assigned to him to assist with his anxiety disorder.
Kevin Martin is having a fantastic season for the Thunder, who Berger believes have been vindicated for their decision to trade James Harden.
Thunder guard Russell Westbrook praised the Mavericks' signing of Derek Fisher, citing the veteran point guard's impact on the Oklahoma City locker room last season.

Rockets Notes: Morey, Lin, Sampson

December 5th, 2012 at 3:31pm CST by Zachary Links

Last night in Houston, the Rockets employed the “Hack-A-Howard” system to perfection as they beat the Lakers 107-105. The Lakers had a 16-point advantage at one point but let it slip away as the Rockets picked things up in the second act. The Rockets’ stars were underwhelming but Toney Douglas and Greg Smith picked up the slack with a combined 43 points off the bench. Here’s more on the Rockets..

Chris Ballard of SportsIllustrated.com profiled Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey and his unorthodox approach to the game. Some observers would say that the Rockets landed James Harden simply by being in the right place at the right time, but in reality they were able to make the trade because they had the right pieces stockpiled.
Jeremy Lin has struggled in the early goings with his new club, but Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni believes that the amount of criticism he has received is unfair, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “He’s not Linsanity, but everybody goes too crazy one way and too crazy the other way,” D’Antoni said. “He’s a very good point guard in a tough league. A very good point guard. I think he’s been playing well of late. I think as he goes on, he’s going to play even better.”
Interim coach Kelvin Sampson‘s opportunity in Houston has come under horrible circumstances, but he is showing that he can be a future head coach in the NBA, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Sampson previously served as the head coach of the University of Oklahoma and Indiana University before allegations of NCAA violations pushed him to the NBA.

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Odds & Ends: Ilyasova, Lakers, Rockets, Clippers

December 4th, 2012 at 4:05pm CST by Zachary Links

One of the more insulting phrases in basketball circles is "sign-and-retire", a clever quip for players who ink lucrative contracts and seemingly transition into cruise control. Today, ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Insider sub. req'd) looked at several players who have been underwhelming so far in 2012/13 after signing big money deals. The Bucks' Ersan Ilyasova signed a five-year, $40MM deal this summer but now has a 9.69 PER to go along with 35.3% shooting from the floor. Other disappointing players highlighted by Hollinger include the Celtics' Jeff Green, the Pacers' Roy Hibbert, and the Raptors' Landry Fields. Here's more from around the Association..

Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside looked at players in the D-League who could potentially help the Lakers solve their point guard problem. The Lakers could turn their own affiliate and call upon Darius Johnson-Odom or Courtney Fortson. Pilato also suggests that the Lakers could re-unite with Andrew Goudelock, who is currently playing with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
When asked if the Clippers can turn the corner, Mavs center Chris Kaman responded, "If [owner Donald] Sterling sold the team they might be able to," Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram tweets.
Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said that he would like to get a new contract as coach and "be the new owners' guy" going forward, tweets Rob Fischer of Sports 560 AM. The Grizzlies were recently purchased by 34-year-old Robert Pera, who is joined by a group of high-profile minority owners.
Derrick Caracter has signed a contract with Israel's Bnei Herzliya, according to David Pick of Eurobasket (via Twitter). The former Laker spent last season in the D-League with three different teams and was on the Hawks' summer league team.

Rockets Recall Terrence Jones

December 3rd, 2012 at 11:52am CST by Zachary Links

The Rockets announced today that the team has recalled forward Terrence Jones from NBA D-League partner Rio Grande Valley. Jones was assigned to the Vipers on November 30th and averaged 22.5 points and 17.5 rebounds in two starts with the team.

The 20-year-old appeared in seven contests for the Rockets so far in his rookie season, averaging 3.6 PPG and 2.0 RPG in 10.4 minutes per contest. Be sure to keep up with all of this year's D-League assignments and recalls, including today's flurry of activity, with this handy post.