Western Notes: Bledsoe, Grizzlies, Lakers, Howard
While one Eastern Conference team lost a star for the season this weekend, a Western Conference club could be preparing to welcome one back to the court. According to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, Andrew Bogut may return to action for the Warriors tonight in Toronto. Here are a few more notes out of the West:
- Before they drafted Damian Lillard, the Trail Blazers tried hard to make Eric Bledsoe their point guard of the future, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, who says the Blazers offered Jamal Crawford and a first-round pick for the Clippers' backup point guard last year. "Yeah, I knew [the Trail Blazers] were calling for me," Bledsoe said. "They have a great fan base, but I wasn't too worried about it at the time."
- Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien tells Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal that Memphis isn't in a rush to make another trade, and "it's more likely than not that we do nothing." According to Tillery, the team has received a number of proposals for Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph since December, but none were viewed as fair-value offers.
- The Lakers are still waiting to find out whether they'll receive a disabled player exception after losing Jordan Hill for the season. GM Mitch Kupchak is expecting to hear from the league sometime this week, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
- Appearing on 103.3 KESN-FM in Dallas, ESPN.com's Marc Stein suggests that the Mavericks have a better chance at landing Dwight Howard via free agency rather than via trade (link from the Dallas Morning News).
- For his part, Howard tells Sam Amick of USA Today that he doesn't have time to focus on free agency at this point.
West Notes: Kings, Howard, Gay, Blazers
Here are some notes from around the Western Conference on Sunday night:
- The uncertainty surrounding the sale of the Kings comes at an unfortunate time for a front office that has some important decisions to make, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
- Dwight Howard is currently operating with the mindset that the Lakers' roster, himself included, will stay intact for the remainder of the season, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. It's clear Howard is waffling once again and if the Lakers don't straighten this season out soon, the Howard situation could escalate. "My mind-set? Nobody's going anywhere," Howard told Amick.
- Stan Van Gundy, talking on an Orlando radio show, said that he had suspicions from the start that Howard may not fit in right away in Los Angeles, writes Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel. Van Gundy says that because Kobe Bryant probably isn't willing to adjust his game, that obligation falls completely on Howard. If they don't win and Howard remains an afterthought in the Lakers offense, Van Gundy says, there isn't much reason to expect Howard to remain in Los Angeles.
- Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien says that despite the constant trade speculation, the team is more than likely not going to make a trade before the February 21 deadline, writes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Despite Levien's words, Tillery says that the team believes it will start to get better offers for Rudy Gay in light of Tuesday's trade.
- Heading into tonight's home-and-home finale with the Clippers, Blazers' GM Neil Olshey sees some positive parallels between his current and former teams, writes Jason Quick of the Oregonian.
Western Notes: Kobe, Ridnour, Odom
- Earlier today, HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler answered some of his followers' questions on Twitter, saying that he doesn't think the Lakers aren't looking to move Dwight Howard before the deadline, Mike D'Antoni's job isn't necessarily safe right now, and that the Grizzlies aren't currently looking to make a deal with the Celtics (All Twitter links).
- Luke Ridnour has been a productive and dependable stop gap for the Timberwolves in spite of all the injuries he's handled this year, notes Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune.
- Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro wants Lamar Odom to be more aggressive on the offensive end, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Another 6'10 forward has been making waves in Los Angeles, albeit for the purple and gold. In another article, Ben Bolch examines Earl Clark's breakout year as a starter for the Lakers.
- Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin tells Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune that he wants to groom Gordon Hayward into a player who can be counted on to close games.
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says there's no doubt in his mind that Dirk Nowitzki will be an All-Star again, writes Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW.
- Jason Smith has played with
a reckless abandon that has earned the attention and respect from his
teammates and the Hornets coaching staff, observes John
Reid of NOLA.com. - Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post makes a case for why Warriors guard Stephen Curry was the biggest snub of this year's All-Star game.
Lakers Updates: Saturday
All of the day's updates about the Los Angeles Lakers will be gathered in this post.
6:39pm: Steve Blake announces (via Twitter) that he'll be healthy for a return this upcoming Tuesday.
2:16pm: Despite all the turmoil surrounding the team, sources tell Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News the Lakers have no intention of firing D'Antoni, and still plan to re-sign Howard this summer.
10:28am: The Buss family released a statement dispelling rumors that the Lakers are for sale. Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News has the transcript:
"We unanimously agree that we have no intention of ever selling the Lakers, and intend to keep ownership of the team in our family for generations to come," the statement read.
9:21am: Kobe Bryant discussed Dwight Howard's adjustment and the center's future with the Lakers with Sam Amick of USA Today:
"I don' t know what the future holds," Bryant said. "I don't know if (Howard will be traded)…But I know that as long as he's here, I'm going to continue to help him, mentor him, help him be great. That's all I can do. I'm a problem solver. I try to figure things out, come hell or high water."
8:39am: With the Lakers reeling after a four-game losing streak, Mike Trudell of the Los Angeles Times reports that GM Mitch Kupchak and Executive Vice President Jim Buss met with head coach Mike D'Antoni and gave him their vote of confidence. The Lakers defeated the Jazz Friday night, 102-84.
According to Trudell's report, Buss and Kupchak gave D'Antoni permssion to continue running his offense the way he had been previously, and handle all lineup and personnel decisions himself. D'Antoni commented to the Los Angeles Times that he saw no reason to change things:
"I just find it amusing that people want us to play a different way," he said. "And I don't know why we don't look at the top five teams and play that way. You know, San Antonio, Miami, Oklahoma City — they're all playing small and fast and moving the ball. The league has changed a little bit. We're not trying to get to mediocrity. We're trying to get to be better."
There had previously been speculation that the Lakers were considering firing D'Antoni after the team got off to a rough start under him. D'Antoni replaced Mike Brown, who was fired five games into the season after a 1-4 start.
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Luxury Tax, Meeks
Yannis Koutroupis and Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld both agree that it wouldn't be in the Lakers' best interests to deal Dwight Howard despite how the team has struggled with him thus far. Brotherston also thinks that with Pau Gasol's value to teams looking for some veteran leadership, it would be wise for Los Angeles to cash him in for younger and more athletic players who can provide a better fit next to Steve Nash and Dwight. You'll find more of tonight's miscellaneous links below:
- Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer looks at how the CBA's more restrictive luxury-tax implications (set to take effect in 2013-14) have reconfigured the way trades have been discussed in today's NBA, where cap space and draft picks have become the most coveted bargaining chips in what Celtics coach Doc Rivers calls 'economic trades.'
- Brotherston writes about how the emergence of Earl Clark in Mike D'Antoni's rotation has come at the expense of guard Jodie Meeks, who has gone from averaging 26.5 MPG in December to playing a total of 38 minutes in the Lakers' last seven games. While Meeks admits his frustration, he says there is nothing else to do but remain positive and stay ready for when D'Antoni gives him another opportunity to play.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer points to inexperience as an explanation for the Bobcats' struggles when trying to close out games. Of their 31 losses this season, 10 have been decided by six points or less.
- While there is no set timetable for Hedo Turkoglu's return to action for the Magic, the 6'10 veteran forward recently participated in fullcourt scrimmages and said that the injured left hand he's been dealing with is "about to be 100 percent soon," notes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
Kyler On Grizzlies, Magic, Redick, Leonard
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.com answered some questions from followers on his Twitter account Saturday morning, addressing a variety of trade rumors and speculation.
- Kyler doesn't think the Grizzlies will trade Rudy Gay unless it makes them better in the short term. He notes that the recent trade of Marreese Speights, Josh Selby, and Wayne Ellington to the Cavs was their method of getting under the luxury tax, which will make them more hesitant to trade Gay.
- Similarly, Kyler doesn't think Memphis will move Zach Randolph this season, although he points out that it could happen this summer as Randolph gets older.
- Kyler doesn't see any way that Gay ends up with the Lakers.
- The Magic are not interested in trading for Danny Granger, due to the potential of his health and contract to impact their rebuilding timeline.
- While Kyler thinks J.J. Redick would be a good fit for the Spurs, he says they are not willing to part with Kawhi Leonard, whom they see as a building block for the future.
Stein’s Latest: Celtics, Grizzlies, Cavs, Suns, McCants
Marc Stein of ESPN.com has posted his latest Weekend Dime column, which features updates on a variety of trade-related topics from around the NBA. Here are the highlights:
- GMs around the league view the Celtics as likely to make a move. They have interest in J.J. Redick, and executives speculate that they may finally decide to move Paul Pierce or Rajon Rondo.
- Some GMs believe a three-team trade is possible that would send Pierce to the Grizzlies, Rudy Gay to the Lakers, and Pau Gasol to Boston.
- After their trade with the Cavs this week, the Grizzlies' roster is down to 11 players and they have 14 days to sign at least two players to meet the minimum requirement of 13. Memphis looked at Delonte West but decided against signing the veteran guard, Stein reports.
- Stein notes that Memphis received three separate trade exceptions in the trade. Marreese Speights landed them an exception worth $4.2MM, while Wayne Ellington's was worth $2MM and Josh Selby's was worth $762,195.
- Although the Cavaliers think highly of Speights and have wanted him for years, the forward is already drawing interest from other teams and could be moved before the February 21 trading deadline. Stein identifies Daniel Gibson and Omri Casspi as the other two Cleveland players most likely to be traded.
- The Suns are said to be shopping Jared Dudley, Marcin Gortat, and Luis Scola in light of the team's struggles this season. It should be noted that Scola, having been claimed after being waived with the amnesty clause, cannot be traded until after this season.
- Stein's column also featured a Q&A with 28-year-old former lottery pick Rashad McCants, who is playing with the Texas Legends of the NBA D-League in hopes of eventually making another run at an NBA career.
Ingram On Howard, Grizzlies, Celtics, Boozer, Bargnani
The latest from around the NBA as reported by Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.com:
- The Lakers are keeping their options open with regards to Dwight Howard, but as of now they are determined to keep him in Los Angeles.
- Ingram doesn't think the Grizzlies should trade Rudy Gay or Zach Randolph this season, writing that they are close enough to title contention to keep the core together in the short term.
- The Celtics need to find younger players to build around Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley, Ingram writes.
- Given Carlos Boozer's recent stretch of excellent play, Ingram doesn't see the Bulls trading him.
- While the Raptors would love to trade Andrea Bargnani, it is unlikely that any player he could net in return is worth trading him for.
- Ingram talk to Rockets rookie Patrick Beverley about his transition from the D-League to the NBA.
- Ingram writes that the firing of head coach Alvin Gentry has injected a sense of urgency into the Suns locker room.
Berger’s Latest: Lakers, Lowry, Gay, Suns, Seattle
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com has a new column in which he examines the Lakers' options at the trading deadline. Berger attributes at least some of Dwight Howard's struggles this season to having only had a limited amount of time playing in the pick-and-roll with Steve Nash, and suggests that standing pat could be an option. He goes into further depth about the Lakers' options as well as some other topics from around the NBA as the deadline approaches.
- The Jazz, Raptors, Hawks, and Timberwolves are among the teams Berger says have interest in trading for Pau Gasol, although none of them have an ideal set of pieces to make a deal with the Lakers.
- Berger doesn't believe the Lakers will trade Howard because they have a lot of leverage to keep him in the form of a bigger contract they can offer him than any competitor.
- Kyle Lowry may be on the trade market, as people within the Raptors organization are not pleased with him. Berger lists the Mavericks and Hawks as two teams that could be interested in trading for him.
- Although talk has cooled in recent weeks, Berger hears from executives around the league that the Grizzlies are still open to trading Rudy Gay, either before the trade deadline or during the summer.
- Suns GM Lance Blanks and president Lon Babby could have their job security depend on Lindsey Hunter's success as interim head coach over the rest of the season.
- A bankruptcy lawyer is claiming that Kings minority owners should be given an opportunity to match the offer the Maloof family accepted to sell the team to the Chris Hansen-led Seattle ownership group.
Beck On Knicks, Melo, Lin, Felton, Lakers
Howard Beck of the New York Times has posted a new mailbag in which he answers reader questions about the New York Knicks and the rest of the NBA. Here are the highlights:
- Beck stands by criticsms he made at the time of the Knicks' trade for Carmelo Anthony but admits it has worked out better than he expected.
- Many people in and around the NBA are impressed with the Bulls' success this season despite Derrick Rose's absence, writes Beck.
- Beck doesn't see Kenyon Martin as a realistic option for the Knicks in the event that the injury to Rasheed Wallace is season-ending, citing his advanced age and the team's abundance of forwards.
- Beck doesn't believe the Lakers will move Dwight Howard before the trading deadline, although he doesn't consider it as much a lock that he will re-sign in Los Angeles this summer given the team's struggles.
- The decision to let Jeremy Lin go and sign Raymond Felton has worked out for the Knicks despite facing heavy criticism at the time, writes Beck.