Odds & Ends: Gobert, Pelicans, Gasol, Leonard
The Jazz sent Rudy Gobert and Ian Clark to their D-League affiliate for some badly needed playing time, writes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. Both players impressed in their D-League debuts last night. Gobert put up 16 points, 14 boards, and six blocks. Clark had 14 points and six rebounds. More from around the Association..
- Some may have expected the Pelicans to fold in the wake of Anthony Davis‘ injury, but coach Monty Williams told Matt Moore of CBSSports.com that you won’t see that out of New Orleans. “I don’t buy into this idea of tanking and teams who quit when things don’t go their way. To me, that’s what is bad about the NBA. Guys are still getting paid, guys are still getting shoe contract money, all those things are still in play. So when things don’t go your way, you can’t tuck tail and run. And we just don’t bring in guys who are susceptible to that,” the coach said.
- Pau Gasol says that he’s accustomed to trade talk and isn’t letting the latest round of speculation get to him, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Lakers star has been on the pages of Hoops Rumors quite a bit ever since his reported dust-up with coach Mike D’Antoni.
- Blazers big man Meyers Leonard shouldn’t be shipped to the D-League even though he’s struggling, writes CSNNW.com’s Dwight Jaynes.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld takes a quick look around the league at the teams that could be active in the trade market over the next few months.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Lakers, Gay, Gasol
Tonight’s look at the Pacific Division, as the Warriors and Suns do battle..
- The Kings are being roasted by many for dealing for Rudy Gay, but James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom comes to Sacramento’s defense. The Kings didn’t mortgage their future by throwing a pick into the deal or taking on a Joe Johnson-type contract that could potentially cripple the franchise for four or five seasons. They took a stab with a talented, young, healthy athlete with a proven track record of success.
- As Ramon Sessions finishes out his two-year, $10MM deal with the Bobcats, he reflected on how things might have played out if he stayed with the Lakers. “I think about it at times,” Sessions said Saturday, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. “It’s one of those things that when I opted out, I wasn’t expecting to leave. I was expecting to work something out. But you know how the NBA business is.” Sessions turned down a one-year, $4.55MM player option with L.A. after the 2011/12 sesaon.
- Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com wonders if the Kobe Bryant–Pau Gasol narrative will end happily again. Many have speculated that Gasol’s future in L.A. could be in jeopardy once again as he is in his walk year and is butting heads with coach Mike D’Antoni.
Lakers Interested In Shumpert, Chandler
The Lakers recently called the Knicks to express their interest in Iman Shumpert, sources close to the situation tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. No trade is imminent, however, and sources say the Lakers’ call was more about doing their due diligence.
The Lakers are unlikely to make a deal before the end of their current four-game trip, but they could be interested in bolstering their backcourt given the recent rash of injuries. Steve Blake has now joined point guards Steve Nash and Jordan Farmar on the injured list thanks to an elbow injury that will sideline him at least six weeks. Shumpert, of course, is a two-guard, but Kobe Bryant has been uncharacteristically pass-happy since making his return.
Shump isn’t their only possible target Sources tell Broussard the Lakers also are interested in center Tyson Chandler but have yet to inquire on him. Los Angeles is deciding whether to propose a Pau Gasol-for-Chandler trade and even though the Knicks aren’t looking to move him, they’ve gotten several calls. The Knicks would rather keep Chandler, but they’d consider moving him if it meant also dealing struggling guard J.R. Smith.
Odds & Ends: Randolph, Rockets, Lakers, Siva
Since a report surfaced this week suggesting the Grizzlies are shopping Zach Randolph, team sources have adamantly denied that the big power forward is on the block. Nonetheless, Randolph has heard the rumors and admits to NBA.com’s Fran Blinebury that he can’t altogether ignore them.
“It bothers me. It hurts a little bit. I can’t deny that,” Randolph said. “But it goes to show you that there ain’t no loyalty in this game. It seems like you only get loyalty in certain organizations. You see it in winning organizations like the Spurs, the Lakers, the Heat.”
Here’s more from around the league on a Saturday afternoon:
- GM Daryl Morey and the Rockets have used their D-League affiliate as a “laboratory of sorts” to test ideas and strategies that could be used in the NBA, as Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com writes (Insider-only link). This season, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers are pushing the pace and shooting three-pointers at a record rate, prompting Pelton to wonder if we’ll see the Rockets employ a similar approach soon.
- Jabari Davis, Joel Brigham, and Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld weigh in with their thoughts on Kobe Bryant‘s two-year extension and how it affects the Lakers‘ short- and long-term future.
- Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim questions whether tanking is really worth it for NBA teams this season, since he views this year’s top freshmen as talented, but not “transcendent” players. Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv has the details.
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Pistons rookie Peyton Siva says he has Louisville coach Rick Pitino to thank for his smooth transition to the NBA, writes Brigham in a separate HoopsWorld piece. “[Coach Pitino] prepares you mentally for everything that’s coming up ahead. He’s a great coach when it comes to that mental preparation,” Siva told HoopsWorld. “A lot of players lose focus and break down mentally, but he makes sure you stay alert, stay on task and builds a great work ethic in you.”
Lakers Open To Re-Signing Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol‘s frustrations, offensive struggles, and impending free agency have the Lakers considering trade options for the big man. However, sources tell Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter) that the team is still open to re-signing him at season’s end. Los Angeles believes that Gasol can succeed in coach Mike D’Antoni‘s system and hopes that he does.
D’Antoni held a team meeting Friday to address the rising tensions between him and Gasol in which he urged the forward or anyone else who had an issue with his coaching to speak to him directly. With a relationship that is still termed as “professional,” one has to imagine that there’s at least a chance for reconciliation between the two.
As for the trade possibility, sources tell Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN.com that the Lakers would be reluctant to surrender their hard-fought financial flexibility in a deal for Gasol or any other player. Yet it is believed the Lakers would consider taking back salary commitments for the 2014/15 season if they received a strong offer featuring a player who could significantly help them this season and beyond or other assets to help them reload around Kobe Bryant.
The Lakers have yet to engage other clubs in talks for Gasol and have told him that they’d like to work out a new deal, sources tell the ESPN.com duo. That could be easier said that done given Gasol’s friction with D’Antoni and Kobe’s brand new two-year, $48.5MM deal.
Odds & Ends: Gasol, Knicks, Clippers
It seems high trading season has begun early this year, as this week has featured another Rudy Gay swap, plenty of rumors about Omer Asik and Kyle Lowry, and a flurry of roster moves. Sunday is December 15th, the day many players become eligible for inclusion in trades, so the week ahead doesn’t figure to be any slower. Here’s more from a busy Association:
- Kobe Bryant dismisses the notion that Pau Gasol and Mike D’Antoni are at odds, as Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com notes via Twitter. “That’s every year,” Bryant said. “They’re like an old couple. That’s every year. It’s not really anything new. It’s not a big deal.” Of course, D’Antoni and Gasol have only been together since last season.
- Every part of the Knicks franchise is in “complete chaos,” says Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). New York lost to the Celtics tonight for the second time in six days, but in contrast to Sunday’s 41-point blowout, this time it was only by four.
- Ongoing negotiations for a local TV deal helped motivate the Clippers to spend on Chris Paul and Doc Rivers, according to Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling.
- Many around the league see Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg as the top candidate for an NBA head coaching job among those currently leading college teams, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com.
- HoopsWorld’s Nate Duncan tries to identify the players who’ll stick around for the long-term on the Suns, Jazz and Kings as each team rebuilds.
Amick’s Latest: Randolph, Anderson, Asik
We already passed along news about Kyle Lowry from Sam Amick’s latest NBA A to Z post, but the USA Today scribe included plenty more from around the league amid a busy week of trade talks. We’ll hit the highlights here:
- Amick hears strong denials from sources close to the Grizzlies and Pelicans about a rumored swap of Zach Randolph for Ryan Anderson. Neither team has discussed the deal, according to Amick. The chatter nonetheless irked Randolph, as he tells Fran Blinebury of NBA.com. “But yeah, it bothers me,” Randolph said in part. “It hurts a little bit. I can’t deny that. But it goes to show you that there ain’t no loyalty in this game. It seems like you only get loyalty in certain organizations. You see it in winning organizations like the Spurs, the Lakers, the Heat.”
- The Pelicans and Bucks are no longer a part of trade discussions for Omer Asik, according to Amick. That’s no surprise for New Orleans, which has been reluctant to acquiesce to the Rockets‘ demands for Anderson, and Milwaukee always seemed to be on the fringe of the Asik picture.
- The Clippers filled their final roster spot when they signed Stephen Jackson this week, but Lamar Odom remains in the team’s plans, Amick says. Odom appears to be a few weeks shy of being ready to play, and the team’s injuries prompted the Clippers to act swiftly.
- Seth Curry went through his scheduled workout with the Grizzlies, and he shot well, but Memphis isn’t expected to add him or the other three guards they were set to audition earlier this week, Amick writes. The Grizzlies have indeed changed their priorities in light of Quincy Pondexter‘s season-ending injury, as Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported Thursday.
Odds & Ends: Gay, Pau, Fisher, Jenkins
Rudy Gay spoke to Sam Amick of USA Today about being traded for the second time in the calendar year, and indicated that he had yet made up his mind about his 2014/15 player option. Gay suggested he’ll make his decision with championship contention in mind, adding, “It’s really not as much about the money as you’d think.” If that’s truly the case, his decision to opt into the final year of his contract won’t be the lock that many expect.
Here’s more from around the NBA, as another week nears its end:
- I appeared on the latest episode of The Baseline podcast to discuss the Kings‘ acquisition of Gay, along with a handful of other topics, including the Raptors‘ next move, Omer Asik trade rumors, and the Clippers‘ signing of Stephen Jackson. You can listen right here.
- We heard earlier that the Lakers have been listening to offers for Pau Gasol, in part because he and coach Mike D’Antoni aren’t seeing eye-to-eye, and D’Antoni’s remarks today likely didn’t help mend any fences. Responding to Pau’s recent comments about being frustrated by his role, D’Antoni said, “That’s a classic, ‘I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.’ Well, you don’t have trouble getting up to the paystub line. You know what you need to do to get your check. You know what to do. They will. They’ll figure it out.”
- Derek Fisher is planning to retire at season’s end, and isn’t sure what his post-playing career will bring, as he tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News: “I’m not going to want to necessarily just sit around the house, but I’ll take a step back from the grind of the NBA schedule and see where my heart and passion takes me.”
- Mark Deeks of ShamSports explains in a piece for SBNation.com why the window between December 15th and 19th could result in high trade activity.
- In a separate piece for The Score, Deeks examines a number of intriguing unsigned forwards who could help NBA teams this season. Deeks previously looked at guards and bigs.
- The Hawks recalled John Jenkins from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Since being assigned to the Bakersfield Jam a week ago, Jenkins appeared in four games, averaging 21.5 PPG and 6.3 RPG. He’ll be in uniform for Atlanta tonight against the Wizards.
Lakers Fielding Offers For Pau Gasol
The Lakers have been fielding trade offers for Pau Gasol for “a while,” sources tell Sean Deveney of the Sporting News, who reports that the team may be moving toward finding a new home for the big man. According to Deveney, tensions between Gasol and coach Mike D’Antoni have been “simmering” for the last year.
“I don’t think there is anything personal between the two guys,” one of Deveney’s sources said of D’Antoni and Gasol. “They’re both professionals. I don’t think they’re buddies or anything. But on the court, it is just not working out.”
Gasol has been the subject of plenty of trade rumors in the past couple years, but has always been considered a tough player to move. The fact that he’s on an expiring contract helps, but his $19MM+ salary will make it difficult to find a taker, especially considering the Lakers are reluctant to take on multiyear contracts that would compromise the team’s projected cap space for 2014 and/or 2015.
Additionally, Gasol’s play on the court this season hasn’t increased his trade value at all. The Lakers expected the 33-year-old to return to All-Star form following the departure of Dwight Howard, with whom Gasol never quite meshed. Instead, his .417 FG% and 15.4 PER are the worst marks of his 13-year career.
If the Lakers were to seriously consider a trade involving Pau, they would likely need to get at least one big man in return to bolster a thin frontcourt, says Deveney. L.A. would also like to get younger, so landing at least one draft pick would be a key, according to Deveney’s source. Given that asking price, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gasol simply stayed put, forcing the Lakers to make a decision next summer on whether or not the Spaniard will be a part of their future.
Kyler’s Latest: Asik, Randolph, Anderson, Lakers
In his NBA AM column for HoopsWorld this morning, Steve Kyler weighs in with new tidbits on several trade possibilities, so let’s dive right in and round up the highlights from the piece….
- The Rockets no longer appear to be holding out for multiple first-round picks in talks for Omer Asik, as they reportedly were at the start of the month.
- The Hawks and 76ers are among the clubs who have been linked to Asik in recent weeks, but Kyler hears that Atlanta currently has no interest in moving Paul Millsap, while Philadelphia wouldn’t include a draft pick in any offer for Asik.
- Although the Sixers are resistant to parting with a first-round pick for Asik, they don’t have a problem with next season’s balloon payment, since it wouldn’t have a huge effect on the team’s cap space. A one-for-one trade of Asik for Thaddeus Young would work under CBA rules, though the Rockets may be seeking a more significant return.
- A report yesterday suggested the Grizzlies are shopping Zach Randolph with an eye on Ryan Anderson, but according to Kyler, both teams are denying interest in such a deal. Pointing out that teams are making calls and listening to calls a little more seriously than they were a couple weeks ago, Kyler writes that both the Grizzlies and Pelicans are probably just being open-minded about their options. It’s unlikely that either Randolph or Anderson is traded, says Kyler.
- Despite their injury woes at the point, the Lakers aren’t likely to be active on the trade market unless they can land the kind of player they’d be targeting anyway in 2014 free agency, according to Kyler.