Lakers, Clippers Still Considering Lamar Odom
The Lakers and Clippers would again have interest in signing Lamar Odom if he’s able to put his personal troubles behind him, according to Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The teams remain wary of Odom’s alleged drug use and DUI arrest this summer, and haven’t had recent contact except to inquire about his well-being, but the 34-year-old’s “positive” history with the clubs keeps him in consideration.
Odom has begun training with an eye on returning for the second half of the season, and he must prove he’s in basketball shape as well as in a healthy mental state, Shelburne and Stein write. The 6’10” forward has played all but two seasons of his 14-year career with one L.A. team or the other, and spent last season with the Clippers, who, along with the Lakers, had interest in Odom this summer until his personal problems surfaced.
The Clippers have an open roster spot, and as Shelburne and Stein report, they’re considering several options for filling it. They’re a tax team with about $2.4MM left underneath their hard cap, part of the reason why they began the season without a full complement of 15 players. The Lakers already have 15 guys, but four of them have contracts that contain no more than $100K of guaranteed salary, as our list of non-guaranteed contracts shows. Neither L.A. team would be able to sign Odom for more than the minimum salary.
Western Notes: Warriors, Bryant, Jazz
The West has been the stronger of the two conferences so far in the early going of the 2013/14 NBA season. There are nine teams above the .500 mark in the West compared to only three squads with winning records in the East. A conference chock full of winning teams is a recipe for intense and entertaining competition. Here are some notes regarding the West:
- Despite the injury to point guard Toney Douglas, Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group hears from team sources that the Warriors are not expected to make a move to bolster their backcourt. Thompson reports that Kent Bazemore and Nemanja Nedovic will be given a chance to come off the bench and run the team’s offense in Douglas’ absence.
- There’s still no timetable for Kobe Bryant‘s return, tweets Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. The Lakers are paying Bryant over $30MM this season, a total almost $8MM greater than the next highest player on the list.
- The Knicks‘ decision to let Jeremy Lin walk away from the team after the 2011/12 season was a surprise to many, including Rockets GM Daryl Morey: “We didn’t really understand it, and we thought for sure that Lin was going to stay. I thought if any team knew what it had, it was going to be New York.” Harvey Araton of the New York Times breaks down New York’s choice not to match the Rockets’ offer sheet.
- Kenneth Faried declined to comment on the rumors implicating him as a possible early season trade candidate: “No comment on all of that. I just play basketball and do my job, and that’s it.” Faried had been linked to a potential trade with the Knicks‘ Iman Shumpert, but the Nuggets wanted more in return than New York had to offer. Read Christopher Dempsey’s full article about Faried at the Denver Post.
- Earlier tonight, Utah Jazz beat writer Jody Genessy revealed (via Twitter) that Diante Garrett was shopping at WalMart when he received the call offering him a spot on the Jazz. Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune provides further insight on Utah’s acquisition of the young guard and what it means for the team.
Kupchak: Lakers Standing Pat, Waiting On Nash
A report surfaced yesterday suggesting that rival executives expected the Lakers to start inquiring on point guard help, but Mitch Kupchak believes the team will be able to get by without Steve Nash in the short term. The Lakers GM told Mark Medina of Inside SoCal.com that he doesn’t anticipate making any moves to shore up the club’s backcourt.
“Not right now,” Kupchak said. “We have three capable point guards. I’d like to have three again. But with Steve being out these two weeks, I think we’re fine at that position.”
The Lakers’ stance indicates that the team believes Nash won’t be sidelined for a significant amount of time. The initial timetable for the 39-year-old has him missing two weeks, with a re-evaluation coming later this month. There’s been some speculation that Nash’s recurring back issues may force him to consider early retirement, which could save the Lakers some money if doctors rule the veteran unable to play. However, neither Nash nor the Lakers are thinking about that possibility, according to coach Mike D’Antoni.
“There’s always going to be a debate, but we’re not going to debate it, talk about it,” D’Antoni said (via Mike Bresnahan and Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times). “He’s going to try to get ready, he’s going to try to play and we’re going to try to win. It’s really simple for us. It’s not real difficult.”
If Nash were to be ruled out for a longer period of time, I’d expect the Lakers to reconsider their options. But for now, like the Knicks with Tyson Chandler, the Lakers seem content to stand pat. For both big-market teams, adding a replacement via free agency would come at an increased price due to tax penalties, while acquiring a player via trade may cost assets they don’t have.
Odds & Ends: Wizards, Pelicans, Nash
Wizards owner Ted Leonsis has said he expects his club to be a “playoff-caliber team” this year, but today he backtracked from the notion that the Wizards face an ultimatum of making the postseason, observes Joseph White of The Associated Press.
“Playoffs or bust, what does that mean?” Leonsis said in an interview that also touched on his ownership of the NHL’s Capitals. “Shut the team down if we don’t make the playoffs for the Wizards? We would certainly, if we don’t make the playoffs, for both teams we would do our due diligence in a more hypersensitive manner, right? Because we didn’t meet our expectations. But the team’s not going bust. The fan base isn’t going bust. It would just heighten the scrutiny that we have to do.”
The Wizards, with GM Ernie Grunfeld and coach Randy Wittman on expiring contracts, fell to 2-5 with tonight’s loss to the Mavericks. Here’s more from around the NBA:
- Pelicans coach Monty Williams said the team had been considering signing Josh Childress and Louis Amundson for weeks, but he called their additions today “nothing to write home about” and said “we’re just taking a look” at the veterans, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link).
- Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni rolled his eyes at the suggestion that Steve Nash should retire, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, and Marc Stein of ESPN.com points to Nash’s determination to overcome his injury and continue playing.
- The Knicks plan to send Chris Smith to their D-League affiliate once the season starts next week, as Marc Berman of the New York Post writes within a piece highlighting the Knicks’ woes.
- Kevin Martin‘s shooting has been a boon for the Wolves, and the free agent pickup feels he’s benefited just as much from his pairing with Kevin Love, as Bruce Brothers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press observes. “After playing with Kevin (Durant) and Russell (Westbrook), guys that can score 30 in their sleep, I wouldn’t go to another team without a superstar,” Martin said. “That’s what I have in Kevin Love.”
- RealGM’s Andrew Perna examines the learning curve for Bucks first-round pick Giannis Antetokounmpo, still just 18 years old and adjusting to life outside of his native Greece.
Lakers May Explore Adding Point Guard
The Lakers revealed on Monday that point guard Steve Nash will be sidelined for at least the next two weeks with nerve root irritation in his back, leaving the team with just Steve Blake and Jordan Farmar at the point. While the Lakers don’t necessarily have to make a move to deal with Nash’s absence, rival executives tell Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that they expect to hear from GM Mitch Kupchak.
“It’s not like Mitch to sit and do nothing,” one executive said to Amico. “I’d be really surprised if that’s his course.”
Although it’s possible that Nash could return by December, his ongoing health issues at age 39 will likely give the Lakers pause. The club is also waiting on the return of 35-year-old Kobe Bryant, and had been playing Blake at the two during Kobe’s absence. As Amico notes, Blake figures to see more minutes at point guard while Nash recovers.
Having traded away multiple future draft picks and without a ton of young players under contract, it’s not clear whether the Lakers have the assets to swing a trade. Execs who spoke to Amico indicated that they hadn’t heard from Kupchak as of late Monday, but most expected that to change shortly.
“We have a good idea which players (on the roster) he’ll ask about,” one GM said. “We’re already preparing counter offers.”
Knicks Rumors: Love, Carmelo, Chris Smith
The Knicks are the latest team to be featured in our Offseason in Review series, with Zach Links recapping the club’s summer moves last night. So far though, New York’s offseason additions haven’t been paying dividends, as the Knicks have struggled out of the gate, losing four of their first six games. They’ll have a chance to climb closer to .500 tomorrow night in Atlanta, in a game James Dolan guaranteed his team would win. As the Knicks prepare for that contest, let’s round up a few interesting tidbits on the club from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:
- The Knicks are already looking ahead and planning their strategy for the summer of 2015, when big contracts for Amar’e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, and Andrea Bargnani all come off the books. According to Wojnarowski, the club is eyeing Kevin Love, and has already begun to devise a strategy to lure him to New York when the time comes.
- Of course, it’s possible Carmelo Anthony will no longer be a Knick by that point. However, the Lakers are considered the most credible threat for Carmelo, and one source rhetorically asks Wojnarowski: “Do you think ‘Melo wants to be known for not winning titles in New York and L.A.?”
- Referring to the signings of J.R. Smith and younger brother Chris Smith as a package deal, Wojnarowski cites a source who says former GM Glen Grunwald “never wanted” to sign Chris, and that the call came down from above him.
- Wojnarowski writes that some Knicks coaches don’t believe Chris Smith is a D-League player, let alone an NBA player. One GM called the younger Smith “maybe the worst player in the history of the Summer League,” according to Wojnarowski.
Odds & Ends: Wiggins, Lakers, TV Revenue
Tanking might be a dirty word in the NBA today, but Chad Ford of ESPN.com tells colleague Henry Abbott that this year’s class is worth losing for. Aside from Andrew Wiggins, this year’s class features impressive prospects like Julius Randle, Jabari Parker, Marcus Smart, Dante Exum, and Aaron Gordon. Here’s more from around the Association..
- Is Wiggins the top talent in the 2014 class? A few front office executives and scouts aren’t sure, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. “He’s not LeBron,” one NBA general manager said. “It’s not his fault regarding all the hype. People say he’s pretty humble. He’s a top-three pick for sure, if not No. 1.“
- While the Lakers have struggled early on in the year, offseason acquisitions Wesley Johnson and Jordan Farmar have been bright spots, writes ESPNLosAngeles.com’s Dave McMenamin. D’Antoni has kicked around the idea of promoting one of them to the starting lineup, but he fears weakening the second unit, which has been pretty sharp as a whole.
- The league is engaged in settlement talks with Ozzie and Daniel Silna to end what has long been described as the greatest sports business deal of all-time, sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. The Silnas are the former owners of the ABA’s Spirit of St. Louis. At the time of the NBA/ABA merger, the Silnas agreed to dissolve their team for a small percentage of the NBA’s television revenues. The concession didn’t seem like much at the time, but the Silnas have racked up $300MM since the late 70s and are taking in a nice chunk of change that would otherwise be shared by the league’s 30 owners.
- The NBA is using the D-League to experiment with the possibility of shortening games, explains Zach Lowe of Grantland.
Pacific Links: Nash, Malone, Rivers
The 2013/14 NBA season is less than two weeks old, but the early leaders in the Northwest and Southwest look about right, with the Thunder and Spurs sitting atop their respective divisions. The same can’t be said about the Pacific though, where the 5-2 Suns are the surprise leader out of the gate. Phoenix will get to enjoy its spot in first place until at least Wednesday, when the club will face a tough challenge in Portland. As we look forward to seeing how long the Suns can keep up their solid play, let’s round up a few more notes from out of the Pacific….
- Steve Nash was forced to exit Sunday’s game early due to back pain and is scheduled to meet with a specialist on Monday for an evaluation, as Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com details. Nash recently expressed his intent to play out the remaining two years on his current contract, but Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni is “concerned” with the health of his 39-year-old point guard, who is also still dealing with nerve issues related to last year’s broken leg.
- In the past, the Kings may have replaced a coach who wasn’t on the same page as his players, but new coach Michael Malone has the support of the front office and ownership, writes Victor Contreras of the Sacramento Bee. If someone on the current roster is unable to coexist with Malone, it will likely be the player, rather than the coach, who is shipped out, says Contreras.
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com takes a look at how the Clippers are adjusting to their first season under head coach Doc Rivers.
Odds & Ends: Expansion, Wizards, Turner
Even though the NBA has 30 franchises, there are still plenty of North American markets that are deserving of teams. Of course, Seattle is at the top of anyone’s list as the rabid Sonics fan base is starved for a new team. Kansas City has also made a strong case for an NBA club in years past and they already have a ~19K seat NBA-ready arena in the Sprint Center. However, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (via Twitter) says that the league is not going to expand under the current labor agreement. That might change under the new TV deal though, which is currently being worked on. Here’s more from around the Association..
- Speaking of expansion, commissioner David Stern told Chris Mannix of NBC Sports Radio (Twitter link) that the NFL will likely have a team in Europe before the NBA because “it’s relatively easy for a team to play eight home games there.” Stern has said in the past that he is optimistic that there will be a team in Europe in the not-too-distant future.
- Nene and new Wizards center Marcin Gortat have formed a bond in the front court, writes MIchael Lee of the Washington Post. “It’s one thing to have two skilled big men in the block. It’s another thing for those big men to play off each other, and that’s big,” forward Martell Webster said. “When you have big guys down there that have a relationship and a chemistry, it makes it a little bit easier to occupy.”
- Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld reflects on the four-team deal that sent Nikola Vucevic to the Magic last year. At the time, it seemed like the Lakers (Dwight Howard) or the Sixers (Andrew Bynum) would be the big winners, but it turns out that Orlando got the best haul of anyone.
- The price of winning in the NBA varies, writes Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld. The 7-0 Pacers are doling out less than $853K per victory while the 2-4 Nets are paying $7MM for each win.
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Mary Schmitt-Boyer of the Plain Dealer if the Cavs should give up on the Dion Waiters experiment and trade him. Even though the guard appears to have taken a step back from last season, Cleveland isn’t as down on him as some fans might be.
- While many thought that Sixers GM Sam Hinkie would either deal Evan Turner at the trade deadline or allow his $6.7MM salary to come off the cap next summer, the former No. 2 overall pick is making a case to stay, writes Thomas Moore of the Courier Times. Turner has been a model of consistency, scoring at least 20 points in six of the 4-3 Sixers’ first seven games. Earlier tonight, Sam Amico of FOX Sports suggested that the Mavericks, Thunder, and T’Wolves could be among the teams with interest if the Sixers decide to shop Turner.
- If the Knicks continue to lose, there’s no telling how owner James Dolan might react, writes Howard Beck of Bleacher Report.
- Magic rookie Victor Oladipo is embracing the challenge of handling the basketball, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
- Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak doesn’t expect Kobe Bryant to return in the next two weeks, writes Pincus for the Los Angeles Times. Kupchak also touches on the ill-fated Chris Paul trade and says that he still hasn’t forgiven Stern for the way things played out.
Pacific Notes: Clippers, Morris, Lakers
Here’s a quick look at the Pacific Division..
- The new look Clippers looked sharp in last night’s win over the Rockets, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. New starter J.J. Redick had a strong game, scoring 22 points off of 8-15 shooting, including 3-7 from beyond the arc.
- In his third season, Suns forward Markieff Morris is proving the club’s scouting department right, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. In that draft, the Suns front office went with Morris, the power forward with complete-game potential, over Kenneth Faried, known for energy and rebounding.
- New Los Angeles D-Fenders coach Bob MacKinnon spoke with Dakota Schmidt of Ridiculous Upside about his relationship with the Lakers and the future of the D-League. “The biggest thing is that your players know that the way things are done are the ‘Lakers Way’. We’re trying to be a mini-model of the Lakers and I think that’s attractive for players who want to achieve their dreams.“