Odds & Ends: Coach K, Howard, Harkless, Rookies
A roundup of the latest news and notes from around the NBA on Tuesday evening:
- Mike Krzyzewski has issued a statement refuting recent reports that he will return as head coach of Team USA, reiterating that he intends to stay retired (Reuters report via the New York Times).
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes that the Mavericks should be an attractive free-agent destination for Dwight Howard this summer.
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld is impressed with Maurice Harkless' recent play as he has been given a greater opportunity for minutes on the rebuilding Magic.
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News ranks the best rookies of this season, headlined by Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard.
- Erik Gundersen of TrailBlazers.com chronicles the relationship between Trail Blazers guards Wesley Matthews and Eric Maynor, dating back to their rookie season together in Utah.
- Amir Johnson praises Cavs big man Tristan Thompson to Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com wonders whether the Celtics could have traded for Marcus Morris from the Rockets.
Zillgitt On Wizards, Rockets, Redick, FIBA
Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today has a new column in which he touches on a variety of topics from around the NBA and elsewhere in the basketball world. Here are the highlights:
- Wizards head coach Randy Wittman talks to Zillgitt about the difficulty of keeping the locker room engaged as Washington heads towards another losing season.
- Zillgitt takes a look at the Rockets' offense, which has vaulted them into the thick of the playoff race behind the explosive play of James Harden.
- Zillgitt also gives an update on the status of Royce White, who has struggled in the D-League but does not concern the Rockets organization.
- The Magic received excellent value in return for J.J. Redick, Zillgitt writes. He praises the aquisition of cheap, young assets in Doron Lamb and Tobias Harris, as well as a capable veteran with an expiring contract in Beno Udrih.
- Many international players in the NBA are looking ahead to FIBA's Eurobasket tournament this summer, Zillgitt writes.
Western Notes: Rockets, Clippers, Garnett, Mavs
Here's the latest from around the Western Conference, where the Lakers are three games back of the Rockets for the eighth seed and three and a half back of the seventh-place Jazz:
- Although his plan was being openly questioned in NBA circles eight months ago, GM Daryl Morey continues to build the Rockets into a team with strong long-term potential, observes Grantland's Zach Lowe. Within his piece, Lowe writes that Morey and assistant coach Kelvin Sampson were both fixated on acquiring James Harden, and that the team would like to add a defense-first wing to the roster.
- The Clippers were "closer than people think" to acquiring Kevin Garnett for Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan last week, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
- Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News questions whether the Mavericks ought to try to build a team around Dwight Howard, even if the All-Star center is willing to sign in Dallas this summer.
- Although Dirk Nowitzki indicated recently that he hopes to play for a few more years, his focus for now is more on the short term, as he tells Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. "[Mark Cuban]’s obviously said his bank’s open, so we’ll see what happens this summer," Nowitzki said. "It’s going to be a big summer for us. We want to get back to winning ways. We always competed and were part of the playoffs, so we’ll see what happens this summer. It’s going to be a big summer for this franchise."
- The Thunder decided to bring back Derek Fisher for the stretch run because they know exactly what they're getting in the veteran point guard, writes Susan Bible of HoopsWorld.
Rockets Sign Tim Ohlbrecht
The Rockets announced that they have signed center Tim Ohlbrecht to a multi-year deal. Ohlbrecht's deal is for three years with team options for the final two, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Our own Luke Adams predicted earlier today that the center would get that type of deal, similar to the structure of Greg Smith's contract.
Houston is one of 14 NBA teams with at least one open roster spot, so they will not have to waive a player to make space for the big man. Ohlbrecht has spent the season playing for the Rockets' D-League affiliate Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
In 32 games for the Vipers this season, the 6'11" German averaged 13.4 PPG and 7.4 RPG in 26.6 minutes per contest. He also earned a spot in the D-League's All-Star Game earlier this month.
Agent Tyler Glass told Emiliano Carchia of Sportando last week that Ohlbrecht had turned down a 10-day contract offer from the Celtics, which makes sense given the multi-year opportunity being presented to him by the Rockets.
In a related move, the Rockets announced that they have assigned Tyler Honeycutt to the Vipers. The forward was acquired by the Rockets from the Kings prior to the deadline in the Patrick Patterson deal.
Teams With Open Roster Spots
Since the trade deadline, a pair of contenders have taken advantage of having an open roster spot, with the Knicks adding Kenyon Martin on a 10-day contract and the Thunder agreeing to sign Derek Fisher for the remainder of the season.
For New York and Oklahoma City, adding a veteran as a 15th man makes sense for depth purposes, and we may see a few more playoff contenders take the same approach as Friday's buyout deadline nears. For non-contenders, a D-League pickup or two may be more likely, as teams take a look at players who may be able to contribute beyond this season.
Clubs carrying fewer than 15 players are more likely to add free agents at this point, since they won't have to release a player on a guaranteed contract to clear space for a pickup. So with the help of our constantly-updated roster counts page, let's take a quick look at the list of teams with at least one open roster spot. The number of available spots is indicated in parentheses.
Eastern Conference:
- Boston Celtics (2)
- Brooklyn Nets (1)
- Charlotte Bobcats (1)
- Chicago Bulls (1)
- Detroit Pistons (1)
- Miami Heat (1)
- Orlando Magic (1)
Western Conference:
- Golden State Warriors (2)
- Houston Rockets (1)
- Los Angeles Clippers (1)
- Los Angeles Lakers (1)
- Memphis Grizzlies (2)
- New Orleans Hornets (2)
- Sacramento Kings (1)
Rockets Close To Signing Tim Ohlbrecht
No deal is finalized yet, but the Rockets are closing in on a deal with big man Tim Ohlbrecht, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). As I outlined this morning, Houston is one of 14 NBA teams with at least one open roster spot, so the club wouldn't have to waive a player to make room for Ohlbrecht.
Ohlbrecht has spent the season playing for the Rockets' D-League affiliate. In 32 games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the 6'11" German is averaging 13.4 PPG and 7.4 RPG in 26.6 minutes per contest. He also earned a spot in the D-League's All-Star Game earlier this month.
Agent Tyler Glass told Emiliano Carchia of Sportando last week that Ohlbrecht had turned down a 10-day contract offer from the Celtics, which makes more sense now that the Rockets appear ready to sign him. If past deals with young players like Greg Smith are any indication, Houston is likely to make Ohlbrecht a contract offer that includes at least one team option, though that's just my speculation.
Omri Casspi No Longer In Cavs’ Plans
The Israeli website Walla Sport published a report indicating that Omri Casspi would like a buyout from the Cavs within the next few days (translation via HoopsHype), and Bob Finnan of The News-Herald wouldn't be surprised if that takes place. The 6'9" forward is no longer in the team's plans, Finnan writes. Casspi's rookie-scale contract expires at the end of the season, and, as Finnan already reported, he's not expected to re-sign with Cleveland this summer.
There were conflicting reports last month about whether Casspi asked for a trade, though at the time the 24-year-old professed happiness about being in Cleveland. Casspi appeared a likely trade candidate before the deadline, and drew interest from the Spurs this week. The Walla Sport report said Casspi is waiting to have a deal in place, ideally with the Grizzlies or Rockets, before accepting any buyout offer from the Cavs.
Casspi had his appendix removed this weekend, according to the Plain Dealer (Twitter link), a painful sidenote to a season of minimal impact in Cleveland. His points, rebounds, assists and minutes per game, as well as his field goal percentage, have declined each year from his rookie season, when he was a double-figure scorer and started 31 games for the Kings. Sacramento traded the 24th overall pick in the 2009 draft to the Cavs two years ago, and this season Casspi is putting up just 4.0 PPG in 11.4 MPG.
The Cavs can tender a $3,313,480 qualifying offer this summer to retain their right to match offers for Casspi, but it doesn't appear likely they'll do so. Casspi may return to his native Israel play, as Finnan reported a few weeks ago.
Odds & Ends: Lin, Knicks, Lillard, Bargnani
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Saturday afternoon:
- Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes that Jeremy Lin is thriving with the Rockets.
- Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal takes a look at the Knicks' roster's defensive weaknesses, especially defending reserve scorers.
- USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that Damian Lillard is on his radar for an invite to this summer's Team USA mini-camp.
- Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun writes that Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo still intends to take a patient approach with Andrea Bargnani.
Deadline Notes: Redick, Robinson, Luxury Tax
Reactions continue to pour in following the trades made at Thursday's deadline, especially now that players are beginning to make their debuts with their new teams. Here is the latest post-deadline buzz:
- Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has quotes from J.J. Redick and Bucks GM John Hammond, both of whom believe Redick can fit in with Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis in Milwaukee's backcourt.
- Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld thinks the acquisition of Redick will help Milwaukee extend their playoff run.
- Thomas Robinson tells Ryne Nelson of SLAM Magazine that he is excited for a fresh start with the Rockets after an uneven beginning to his rookie season.
- Michael Lee of the Washington Post writes that the Collective Bargaining Agreement contributed to the decreased amount of moves made at the deadline.
Brigham On Future Contenders
Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld has a new column examining which teams have a chance to be title contenders five seasons from now, taking into account possible moves in free agency and the ages of the teams' core players.
- Brigham believes the Thunder still have the brightest future, given that Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka will all be under 30 in five seasons.
- LeBron James' free agency will play a major role in determining the next title contender, Brigham writes. The health and effectiveness of Dwyane Wade will determine whether James stays with the Heat, but the Cavaliers and Lakers are also possible destinations.
- On that note, Brigham writes that, although Kyrie Irving is blossoming into a superstar, the Cavs will not be a contender unless James signs in Cleveland.
- The Bulls will still be contenders if Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah stay healthy, Brigham writes. He also notes that Nikola Mirotic will have come over to the NBA by then.
- The trade for Thomas Robinson added another young piece to the James Harden/Jeremy Lin core the Rockets have built, Brigham writes. Additionally, the team is still well under the cap and can add another high-level player via free agency.
- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge give the Blazers a solid core to build around, writes Brigham.
- Brigham writes that there will be uncertainty every year for the next five as to whether Chris Paul will still be with the Clippers.
- Even if Stephen Curry's ankles don't hold up, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes give the Warriors a good young core, Brigham says.
- Brigham writes that the Pacers have excellent cornerstone players in Roy Hibbert and Paul George.