Poll: Will Fisher, Odom Return To Lakers?
Since December, the Lakers have parted ways with two veteran players integral to their success under Phil Jackson. Lamar Odom was sent to the Mavericks, where he's struggled mightily, after nearly landing in New Orleans as the Lakers attempted to acquire Chris Paul. More recently, the Lakers dealt Derek Fisher to the Rockets after acquiring Ramon Sessions to run the point for the squad.
Fisher worked out a deal with the Rockets to have his contract bought out and signed with the Thunder to provide backcourt depth and lockerroom leadership. With Fisher returning to Los Angeles tonight for the first time since being traded by the Lakers, much conversation has been made about Kobe Bryant's desire to bring Fisher and Odom back to the Staples Center this offseason.
Will Fisher, Odom and Bryant reunite this summer? Let us know what you think in the poll below.
Which Former Lakers Will Return This Offseason?
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Neither 40% (295)
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Lamar Odom 35% (254)
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Both 17% (122)
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Derek Fisher 9% (64)
Total votes: 735
Pacific Notes: Brooks, Rush, Warriors, Lakers
Aaron Brooks will return from China soon, but the Suns are unlikely to sign him this season unless he agrees to a cap-friendly, multiyear deal, says Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The Suns hold Brooks' rights, so if they decide not to sign him this season, they could renounce his rights and let him become an unrestricted free agent. It's more likely, however, that the team will keep its rights to Brooks, resulting in him becoming a restricted free agent this summer.
Here are a few more Thursday morning notes out of the Pacific Division:
- The Warriors may have a logjam of wing players next season, which makes Brandon Rush's future uncertain, as he tells Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle: "I just want to finish the season out strong and showcase what I can do. I know I'm auditioning for 29 other teams. I've had a great opportunity here, because the coaches are letting me play all kinds of positions, and I appreciate that." Rush will be a restricted free agent this summer if the Warriors extend him a $4.09MM qualifying offer.
- Barry Stavro of the Los Angeles Times rounds up reactions from members of the Lakers, among others, on Magic Johnson's involvement in buying MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers.
- Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss deserves more credit than he gets for his roster decisions, according to T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times.
Southwest Notes: Lee, Hornets, Odom
As it stands now, four of the five Southwest Division teams would make the playoffs, with the league-owned Hornets the only exception. Still, only the Spurs seem assured of a spot, as the Mavs, Grizzlies and Rockets are all no more than two games above the Suns, who are occupy ninth place in the Western Conference. Here's the latest from the Southwest:
- Courtney Lee of the Rockets will be a restricted free agent this summer, and with Kevin Martin out, he's getting a chance to show teams he can handle the starting shooting guard spot, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes.
- The Hornets acquired Al-Farouq Aminu and Jason Smith before the season, and are committed to both through 2012/13. Neither has provided much of a lift this season, but Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com points to some encouraging numbers for both of them (Twitter links).
- Kobe Bryant has some advice on how to coach Lamar Odom and also suggested he may recruit the free agent to return to the Lakers this summer, but Mavs coach Rick Carlisle isn't paying much attention to what Bryant has to say, notes HoopsWorld's Derek Page.
- Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star Telegram isn't optimistic the struggling Odom will be able to turn it around.
Northwest Rumors: Hickson, Fisher, Miles
Three Northwest Division teams are playing tonight, all of them on the road, while the first-place Thunder await their showdown with the Lakers tomorrow night. Here's what's news around the Northwest:
- New Thunder point guard Derek Fisher is spilling his vast knowledge of the Lakers to Oklahoma City coach coach Scott Brooks and his staff in advance of tomorrow night's meeting, but Brooks downplays the value of such insight, given the advanced scouting and video study that teams do on their opponents, writes John Rohde of The Oklahoman.
- Jazz swingman C.J. Miles will be a restricted free agent this summer, and Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe thinks he'll be a bargain the Celtics will pursue (Twitter link). Still, Utah has Bird rights on Miles, who's on the last year of a four-year, $14.8MM contract and putting up 9.3 points a game and a 13.1 PER this season.
- In addition to rounding up the available free agents, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy checks in with J.J. Hickson, who's averaging 13 points a night and shooting 65.4% since the Blazers claimed him on waivers last week.
Odds & Ends: Powell, Lakers, Azubuike, Curry
Here are a few Wednesday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Josh Powell, who was thought to be drawing interest from a handful of NBA teams, has decided to play in Puerto Rico, as he announced on his Twitter account. According to Sportando, Powell will play for Brujos de Guayama.
- Lakers legend Magic Johnson will become the face of Los Angeles Dodgers ownership, after his bidding group reached an agreement to buy the MLB franchise for a staggering $2.15 billion. Check out MLB Trade Rumors' story for more details.
- Current Laker Andrew Bynum stirred up some drama when he was benched following a misguided three-point attempt, says Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Bynum, who will have his 2012/13 option exercised by the team, didn't seem to have any regrets: "I guess 'don't take threes' is the message, but I'm going to take another one and I'm going to take some more, so I just hope it's not the same result."
- Kelenna Azubuike won't play a significant role on the Mavericks' 2011/12 squad, but Dallas intends to exercise its team option for next season, barring a setback, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes.
- Jonathan Abrams of Grantland.com takes an interesting look at the next step for an NBA player when he finds out he's been traded.
- Byron Mullens is becoming a larger part of the Bobcats' future plans, according to an Associated Press report (via NBA.com).
- The Warriors will re-evaluate Stephen Curry in two weeks to determine if he's ready to ready to return to action, the team announced today. There's been speculation that Golden State would prefer Curry not play this season, in part because the team would like to retain its top-seven-protected pick that's ticketed for Utah. Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group hears that Warriors management wouldn't mind Curry sitting out the season, though they'd be happy to have him return to the lineup if he's healthy.
Kobe Preparing To Recruit Fisher, Odom?
Kobe Bryant is "planning a hard push" to try to bring Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom back to the Lakers this summer, a source tells Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Fisher and Odom were both traded by the Lakers over the last few months, but could become free agents in the offseason.
Fisher, who was traded to and then bought him by Houston, signed with the Thunder on a rest-of-season contract. Odom, meanwhile, was dealt to the Mavericks in December and has one more season left on his deal. His final year is only partially guaranteed though, and his play this season makes it unlikely the Mavs would want to pay him $8.9MM to return.
It's unclear whether returning to the Lakers is something either player wants, and team management would have to be on board as well. However, Howard-Cooper hears that Bryant will use his friendship with both players to try to convince them a return is in everyone's best interests. Asked about a potential reunion, Bryant remained fairly noncommittal.
"I don’t know," Bryant told NBA.com. "I would hope so. But I don’t know. When Fish and I talk, it’s about personal things because we’ve known each other for so long. Lamar too. We keep that other stuff out of it. It’s family, how are you doing, stuff like that."
David Stern On New CBA, Seattle, Replay, NCAA
NBA commissioner David Stern met with reporters in Phoenix before last night's game between the Suns and Spurs, addressing a number of topics. Reports from the Associated Press and Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic relayed some of Stern's more interesting comments, so let's check out the highlights:
- Stern says we're already starting to witness the positive effects of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement: "As we watch in baseball and we see ten-year contracts and nine-year contracts, ten years for huge amounts… Those players would only get four-year contracts in our sport. We've aligned pay with performance in an important way."
- The commissioner pointed to the Lakers, Mavericks, and Pacers as a few teams who have already made roster moves with an eye on future tax restrictions.
- The league is trying to keep its franchises in their current locations, so it would be unwise for the city of Seattle build an arena thinking it would earn them an NBA team, says Stern: "It's a chicken and egg. We don't have any plans to expand and we're working arduously with Sacramento and New Orleans both to keep the teams that are there."
- The NBA will look into adding goaltending calls to the list of plays that can be reviewed by video replay. Stern wants to ensure the calls are accurate without compromising the flow of the game.
- Stern was critical of the NCAA's new withdrawal deadline, which has been moved up by about a month and precedes the NBA's deadline, as we outlined here: "If the NCAA would spend a little less time talking about whether players should stay in school for one or two years and enforce their rules equally…. I think the most important thing is to get kids in college the most informed advice they can get without losing their eligibility."
Odds & Ends: Turiaf, Arenas, Lakers, Greene
Let's check in on a few Monday morning odds and ends from around the league….
- The player option included in Ronny Turiaf's deal with the Heat for next season is worth $1.2MM, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
- This week's Morning Tip column from TNT's David Aldridge examines the Bulls and the Pacers, and includes an interview with Dwight Howard.
- Although the Lakers worked out Gilbert Arenas before the veteran guard signed with the Grizzlies, it doesn't sound like L.A. was ever close to adding him, as coach Mike Brown tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times: "Unless something gets real close or it might not even get close, I'm not always involved with the process. It never got to a point where they wanted my opinion on it or said we're not going to do it because of this or that."
- Facing free agency this summer, Kings forward Donte Greene just has a few more weeks to prove his value, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
- Keith Langlois of Pistons.com fields questions on the Pistons' draft and free agent outlook in his latest mailbag.
Odds & Ends: Chandler, Bulls, Lakers
With eight games on the Sunday schedule, let's take a look around the NBA to see what's going on as the season takes a turn into the final stretch.
- Not only was the signing of Tyson Chandler one of the best free-agent acquisitions of the entire offseason with regard to a player's ability to contribute on the court, it was also one of the best additions of leadership to a lockerroom, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
- The Chicago Sun-Times says the Bulls are in no rush to bring back Derrick Rose and Richard Hamilton before they are properly healed especially considering how well they are playing without the two stars.
- Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News reports the Lakers' main objective is to improve their seeding with hopes of making a championship run and solidify homecourt advantage heading into the playoffs.
Pacific Notes: Wright, Bryant, Bynum
One Pacific Division team, the Clippers, picked up a win over the Grizzlies in the day's only matinee, while two more Pacific teams, the Warriors and Kings, meet tonight. They're all chasing the first-place Lakers, who look well in control following the acquisition of Ramon Sessions last week. Here's what going on along the West coast:
- The Warriors have sent forward Chris Wright to the Dakota Wizards of the D-League, according to a statement released by the team. Wright, in his first NBA season, has averaged 2.1 points and 1.1 rebounds in limited action during 17 games this year. The team has signed big men Mickell Gladness and Keith Benson in recent days, pushing the 6'8", 226-pound Wright farther down the bench.
- Ben Golliver, writing for CBS Sports, takes a look at the desire of Lakers executive Jim Buss, son of owner Jerry Buss, to keep Kobe Bryant past his current contract, which expires after two more seasons. Golliver believes making Bryant a "Laker for life" will be an expensive proposition.
- The Lakers have a $16.1MM option on Andrew Bynum next season, but there's little doubt they'll exercise it, especially given his continued development this season, as chronicled by Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times.