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Odds & Ends: D’Antoni, Clippers, Lakers

November 3rd, 2012 at 10:53pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News stirs up an interesting talking point about Mike D'Antoni and speculates whether or not a head coaching job with the Rockets would appeal to him down the line with James Harden now on board. In July, Lawrence wrote about how the former Knicks coach was worth keeping an eye on for Houston because of Jeremy Lin's success under his stewardship (all this under the premise of head coach Kevin McHale not being able to thrive with Lin this year). Again, this is purely speculation, and with McHale just beginning the second year of a three-year deal, nothing we've heard at this point would indicate that he's on the hot seat. With that aside, you'll find tonight's miscellaneous notes from around the league below:

Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK describes how Kevin Martin is fitting in with the Thunder as he looks to transition from being the main guy in Houston to the sixth man in Oklahoma City.
Tim Bontemps of the New York Post reports that Nets guard Keith Bogans suited up for tonight's game against the Raptors after being out with an injury since February.
The following three links are all courtesy of the Los Angeles Times: Firstly, Broderick Turner discusses Vinny Del Negro's task of finding minutes for all five of his rotation big men at the power forward and center positions, adding that doing so through the Clippers' first two games was easier because of foul trouble. Secondly, Ben Bolch reflects on current Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey's tenure with the Clippers, his departure, and the ties that Olshey still feels with some of their players. Lastly, Eric Pincus says that today's day off for the Lakers was needed, considering that Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, and Jordan Hill are all trying to play through injuries. Metta World Peace agreed, saying that the team had already gone through seven or eight straight days on their feet and that it had "hurt them a bit."
Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press writes about how Nikola Pekovic and his physical play during Timberwolves' practices have played a vital role in the development of Greg Stiemsma.
Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune talks about how veteran additions Brandon Roy and Andrei Kirilenko have fared in Minnesota so far.

Eastern Notes: Harkless, Jones, Miles, Young

November 3rd, 2012 at 8:03pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel believes that although Magic coach Jacque Vaughn would preferably bring young players along slowly to gradually build their confidence, he may have to expand the roles of rookies Moe Harkless and DeQuan Jones much earlier than he would like now that Hedo Turkoglu is out with an injury. Here is the rest of tonight's edition of Eastern Notes:

During C.J. Miles' Q&A session with Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer, the Cavaliers swingman touched base on what made him choose Cleveland over his hometown of Dallas during free agency: "I talked to Rick Carlisle the same way I talked to Coach (Byron) Scott, but this just felt like a better fit as far as what I wanted to do as a basketball player. Everybody wants to play for their hometown, but I think it was just a little different situation as far as what I want to become."
Dei Lynam of CSN Philly writes that whereas Thaddeus Young had been ten pounds lighter than Carmelo Anthony before this season, the 76ers forward bulked up during the offseason at coach Doug Collins' request and is now five pounds heavier than the Knicks star. Philadelphia hopes that Young's speed and added strength will allow them to match up better against a player like Anthony.
Bucks coach Scott Skiles has been pleased with the impact that Ekpe Udoh has been making for Milwaukee defensively, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel.
Heat forward/center Josh Harrellson said that the Knicks will always be a special place to him for providing his first opportunity in the NBA (Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York reports).

Southeast Notes: Camby, Heat, Augustin, Redick

November 2nd, 2012 at 12:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks will host the Heat in their regular-season opener tonight at Madison Square Garden, and feelings are mixed about whether the game should even be played as New York City continues to recover from the effects of Hurricane Sandy.

"I'm kind of 50/50 on it," LeBron James said, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "I'm happy to be here to play a basketball game, but at the same time, if the people who are here, or people that are helping out with this game, could give their efforts to help this city run or help their families come out of the situation, then I think that's more important."

Here are a few more notes relating to the Heat and their Southeast Division rivals:

Marcus Camby is preparing to face the Heat tonight knowing that he almost ended up signing with Miami this summer, writes Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald.
In his mailbag for the Sun Sentinel, Winderman says he doesn't think the Heat would have found much value in Camby if they had paid him more than the veteran's minimum.
With the Pacers in Charlotte to face the Bobcats tonight, former Charlotte point guard D.J. Augustin and current Bobcats president Rod Higgins are trading barbs. Augustin told Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star that he was happy to be out of Charlotte, since he never knew where he stood with the Bobcats, which surprised and disappointed Higgins, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. "I’m not going to go into specifics, but we offered him more than he signed for in Indiana," Higgins said. "I don’t think it would be appropriate to comment further than that."
Augustin stood by his comments, following Higgins' response, as he told Bonnell. "You hear all kinds of stuff – how a bunch of times I was going to be traded," said Augustin. "I didn’t always believe those things. But all through being here, I just never knew what would happen. That’s just how I felt."
J.J. Redick knows he may not finish out the season with the Magic, but he's confident that GM Rob Hennigan will keep him updated if Orlando is considering trading him, as he tells Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.

Odds & Ends: Allen, Pistons, Jazz, Curry, Lawson

November 1st, 2012 at 12:20am CST by Chuck Myron

While most of the night's news has centered around extensions for a flurry of fourth-year players before the 11pm Central deadline, there's sure to be fallout over the lack of extensions for Brandon Jennings, Tyreke Evans and Jeff Teague, who will headline a class of 2013 restricted free agents that won't be as strong as first expected. In the meantime, there are plenty of other interesting tidbits from around the league.

Before deciding on the Heat, Ray Allen was serious about joining the Clippers this summer, but believes the Clips thought he was using them as leverage, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
Pistons owner Tom Gores, who won't rule out someday moving the team from the suburban Palace of Auburn Hills to a downtown venue, is anxious for his team to make the playoffs, but said the jobs of basketball operations president Joe Dumars and coach Lawrence Frank aren't necessarily riding on a postseason berth, as David Mayo of MLive.com observes.
Jazz executive vice president Kevin O'Connor says the team structured its contracts so most of them would end after this season, Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Grantland's Zach Lowe examines the extensions for Stephen Curry and Ty Lawson, believing the Warriors could trade Curry if he gets off to a fast start next season, while wondering if the Nuggets will make a cost-cutting move some time next year to fit Lawson's deal into their budget.
Cavs forward Luke Walton, who played under Phil Jackson with the Lakers, believes his former coach won't return to the sidelines, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Sulia link).
Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson didn't dismiss the possibility that the team could re-sign Dominique Jones as an unrestricted free agent next summer after deciding against picking up his 2013/14 option, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News notes.

Buyout Talks Resume Between Raja Bell, Jazz

October 30th, 2012 at 5:51pm CST by Chuck Myron

5:51pm: Charania tweets more from Bell's radio interview, noting that Bell characterized the situation as a "waiting game until [the Jazz] can either get rid of the contract and trade it or we can find a good situation for a buyout." Charania concludes that the situation is fluid, and no one on either side of the dispute is quite sure how it will turn out (Twitter links).

5:12pm: Raja Bell told Jorge Sedano of WQAM in Miami that he and the Jazz are once more working toward some means of parting ways, whether through a trade or a buyout, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.com. This comes a week after Bell's agent, Herb Rudoy, told Charania that the two sides had ended buyout negotiations that had dragged on all summer. The report indicated Rudoy and the Jazz were discussing trade scenarios, but Rudoy later denied that part of it to Jody Genessey of the Deseret News.

The 36-year-old shooting guard is due $3.48MM this season in the final year of a three-year, $9.72MM contract. He started 33 of the 34 games he played last season in Utah, but clashed with coach Tyrone Corbin and saw his playing time disappear. Though it's long been clear that the Jazz organization sided with Corbin, their decision to exercise their 2013/14 option on Corbin today is further evidence of where they stand. Bell didn't attend camp with the Jazz after he was told to stay away, and hasn't been with the team at all in the preseason.

Bell attended high school and college in Miami, and last month he identified the Heat as his top choice for his next destination. The Heat currently have 15 players under contract, but Josh Harrellson and Terrel Harris are on non-guaranteed deals.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Magic, Bobcats

October 27th, 2012 at 6:17pm CST by Sean Highkin

With the Miami Heat defending their title and the presence of two top-five lottery picks, Washington's Bradley Beal and Charlotte's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the Southeast figures to be one of the most exciting divisions in the NBA in the 2012/13 season. Here are the latest updates from around the division on Saturday afternoon:

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel passes along word from various scouts on how to stop the Heat this season.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel looks at the geographical distance between the Magic and their D-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls SkyForce. Robbins writes that this may impact their decision to send rookies DeQuan Jones and Kyle O'Quinn down to develop.
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer has a new column about the Bobcats' expectations going into this season, which include finding a point guard and maximizing the talent they acquired in the 2012 draft.
Bonnell also wrote player capsules examining the strengths and weaknesses of every player on the Bobcats' roster.

Atlantic Rumors: Rivers, Allen, Nets, Knicks

October 27th, 2012 at 4:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Celtics coach Doc Rivers weighed in on Ray Allen's departure from the team in a radio interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, as Brian Robb of Celtics Hub transcribes (hat tip to ESPNBoston.com), but Allen is anxious to move past his acrimonius departure from Boston, as Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com writes. Here's the rest of the day's news from Atlantic Division clubs.

A spokesperson for Mikhail Prokhorov insists the billionaire's return to politics won't have any bearing on his ownership of the Nets, notes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Deron Williams believes the Knicks got a better point guard when they switched out Jeremy Lin for Raymond Felton this summer, as Tim Bontemps of the New York Post documents.
With Amare Stoudemire sidelined up to five weeks, Rasheed Wallace would seem to be in line for a more significant role than originally planned for the veteran who appears to have made the Knicks on a non-guaranteed deal, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Still, it's unclear whether Wallace will be in condition to play by this week's opener.
While delivering some parting shots to outgoing commissioner David Stern, Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News says the Sixers face as significant a decision as any in the league about whether to re-sign Andrew Bynum, and adds that the team would be "crazy" to commit major money to him right now.
Andray Blatche has made the Nets opening-night roster on a non-guaranteed deal, but in the wake of taunts from Knicks guard Iman Shumpert, Blatche knows he'll continue to face criticism for last year's subpar play with the Wizards, as Roderick Boone of Newsday examines.
Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com passes along Rivers' reflections on the last five seasons with the Celtics.
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com looks at how a deep bench could serve the Celtics well.

Camp Rumors: Magic, Johnson-Odom, Heat

October 27th, 2012 at 3:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

Perhaps the most surprising training camp cut was Quentin Richardson, whom the Magic waived despite $5.438MM worth of guaranteed money on his contract for the next two seasons. The surprising play of DeQuan Jones, who appears to have made the team on a non-guaranteed deal, pushed Richardson out the door, writes John Denton of Magic.com. There's plenty of other news about players coming and going today, in advance of the 4:00pm Central time deadline for teams to let go of camp invitees so that they clear waivers before rosters must be down to 15 players.

While an earlier report indicated the Lakers were expected to waive Darius Johnson-Odom, Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com believes the guard still has a shot to make the team (Twitter link).
The Heat are at the regular-season roster limit of 15 players, but Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel doesn't rule out the possibility that the team could pick up one of the guys that other teams let go in the past few days (Twitter link).
John Rohde of The Oklahoman shares insight from Thunder coach Scott Brooks on the team's cuts and its decision to keep DeAndre Liggins. "With DeAndre, we felt that his size, his athleticism, his defensive toughness is something we are intrigued with and we like," the coach said.
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio saw Hollis Thompson play Thomas Robinson evenly while both were in college last season, and believes Thompson, whom the Thunder let go today, should wind up with another NBA team (Twitter link).
The Rockets still must waive three players, and Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle points to reasons why Jon Brockman, JaJuan Johnson and Gary Forbes could be the ones to go.
HoopsWorld's Derek Page checks in with Mavs waiver claim Eddy Curry, and wonders whether his 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in Friday's preseason game against the Bobcats might have been enough for him to win a roster spot.
Shavlik Randolph and Steven Gray are likely out of the discussion to make the Wizards opening night roster, but Earl Barron is making a late push for a spot, as Michael Lee of The Washington Post examines.

Heat Cut Garrett Temple

October 27th, 2012 at 2:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat have waived point guard Garrett Temple, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports (Twitter link). The move brings Miami's roster to the regular-season limit of 15. Terrel Harris, Josh Harrellson, Dexter Pittman and James Jones, all thought to be competing for a roster spot at one time or another, appear as though they've made it to opening night. Winderman believes the good health of starting point guard Mario Chalmers made Temple expendable (Twitter link).

Heat Waive Rodney Carney, Jarvis Varnado

October 26th, 2012 at 11:55am CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have cut a pair of camp invitees, waiving Rodney Carney and Jarvis Varnado, according to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (via Twitter). The move reduces Miami's roster to 16 players, meaning at least one more player will have to be released before Monday.

As Tomasson adds in a second tweet, the news bodes well for Josh Harrellson, who appears to have made the roster. Guards Terrel Harris and Garrett Temple will likely be battling for the final roster spot, with the odd man out being the last player cut. Nothing is set in stone yet, however, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets, noting not to rule out Juwan Howard.

Carney looked strong at times during the preseason with the Heat, finishing with 6.8 PPG in five games. Varnado didn't appear in any of the team's preseason contests due to a hamstring issue. Both players will become unrestricted free agents when they clear waivers.