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Aldridge On Raptors, Varejao, LeBron, Thunder

December 17th, 2012 at 12:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

TNT's David Aldridge checks in as usual on a Monday with his Morning Tip column at NBA.com, and this week's edition is full of trade rumors as talk heats up around the league. Here's a digest of Aldridge's latest scuttlebutt, with a heavy focus on the Raptors.

  • While Andrea Bargnani's elbow injury will keep him out for a month, delaying trade talk, one rival GM is convinced he'll eventually be leaving the Raptors, feeling as though there's no doubt GM Bryan Colangelo will trade him.
  • The Raptors are leery of adding another international player, according to Aldridge, which would make them reluctant to trade for Pau Gasol. 
  • Aldridge speculates the Raptors won't deal Jose Calderon to the Lakers, and instead ship him somewhere for a draft pick to create a massive trade exception. Aldridge writes that such a trade exception would be $15.6MM, but I believe it would be closer to $10.6MM, reflecting Calderon's salary.
  • A league executive speculates that the Cavs will hold on to Varejao through the summer of 2014, when LeBron James can become a free agent, so they can make a pitch to their erstwhile superstar. In any case, the Cavs have set Varejao's asking price too high for other teams' tastes, as they often do with their many of their players, according to Aldridge.
  • Though the Thunder are reportedly content to stand pat for now, Aldridge believes they could try to move the Raptors pick they got from the Rockets in the James Harden trade, speculating that one of their targets could be Varejao.
  • Aldridge spoke with a GM who joins the seeming consensus that the Jazz are more likely to deal Paul Millsap than Al Jefferson. The GM believes Jefferson is a better fit with Derrick Favors. 
  • The Bucks want an upgrade at small forward, and Aldridge thinks the team is more likely to move "one of its undersized four or oversized threes" than trade Brandon Jennings or Monta Ellis.
  • The Wizards are open to trading one of their big men for veteran help at the point, where they're woefully thin in John Wall's absence.
  • The Pacers are willing to tinker, but aren't putting Paul George or George Hill on the table.
  • No one aside from Jrue Holiday is off-limits as the Sixers seek a big man, though it would take a lot to pry Thaddeus Young or Evan Turner from their hands.
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Odds & Ends: Mayo, Lakers, Howard, Hornets

December 16th, 2012 at 9:44pm CST by Zachary Links

While the defending champs can't kick themselves too much over personnel decisions, the Heat might have benefited if Pat Riley had listened to Dwyane Wade back in 2008, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  Miami took Michael Beasley No. 2 overall, but Wade pushed for the team to draft guard O.J. Mayo.   Other players passed up by Miami include Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook.  Here's the latest from around the league..

  • The Lakers are on the hook for about $30MM in luxury tax payments this season, but that's almost nothing compared with what they may pay next season, writes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.  If the Lakers re-sign Dwight Howard and keep most of the existing roster together, they'll be looking at a $103MM payroll.  If the tax threshold climbs by 5% to $73.8MM, the Lakers would owe approximately $81.5MM in tax.
  • The Hornets signed Dominic McGuire today because coach Monty Williams has not been pleased with the play of his small forwards, tweets John Reid of the Times-Picayune.  McGuire was released by the Raptors at the end of November to make room for Mickael Pietrus.
  • Bulls rookie Marquis Teague is starting to find his groove as he plays with the starting five, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.  However, the guard will head back to the bench soon as Kirk Hinrich is getting ready to return to action.
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Trade Notes: Gasol, Cavs, Heat

December 16th, 2012 at 3:14pm CST by Sean Highkin

Yesterday was December 15, meaning players who were signed as free agents during the offseason are now eligible to be traded. With just a few months to go before the trade deadline and teams beginning to assess their needs, trade rumors and talks are beginning to heat up. Here are the latest rumblings from around the league on that front:

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Southeast Notes: Magic, Redick, Heat, Harkless

December 15th, 2012 at 10:56am CST by Zachary Links

All five teams in the Southeast will be in action tonight and among tonight's games is a intradivisional grudge match between the Heat and the Wizards.  As you recall, the lowly Wizards topped the Heat 105-101 on December 4th despite 26 points, 11 assists and 13 rebounds from LeBron James.  Here's a look at the Southeast as we wait to see if tonight could bring us another upset..

  • Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) looks at five good players on struggling teams who deserve chances to prove themselves with winning clubs.  J.J. Redick of the Magic and Nene Hilario of the Wizards both made the list.  Haberstroh suggests that the Magic should give Redick more playing time in order to audition him and sees the Grizzlies as a strong fit for him.
  • While some have worried that the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement will lead to the breakup of the Heat in 2014, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel doesn't see it that way.  Winderman argues that the complexion of the NBA will change over the next couple of years and teams will rely even more heavily on minimum-salaried players.  The Heat could theoretically get by with the big three plus an entire supporting cast of vets making the minimum.
  • The Magic made it clear that they are committed to the future when they made the decision to keep rookie small forward Maurice Harkless in the starting lineup, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.  Hedo Turkoglu, 34, could reclaim the spot when he returns from injury, but Schmitz would rather see Orlando stick with the rookie.
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Eastern Notes: Hawks, Celtics, Asik, Blatche

December 14th, 2012 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

After rounding up a few Raptors updates earlier this afternoon, let's take a look around the rest of the Eastern Conference:

  • One opposing GM points out to Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (Sulia link) that a successful season for the Hawks would make it difficult for new GM Danny Ferry to bring in his own head coach to replace Larry Drew next year, if that's what Ferry wants to do. League sources also question whether Josh Smith fits the profile of a player Ferry would want to retain long-term, according to Bucher.
  • The Celtics inquired on Omer Asik over the summer, head coach Doc Rivers tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (Twitter link). However, the team quickly moved on when it heard Asik's price tag.
  • It's looking more and more like Andray Blatche might be this summer's "one [free agent] that got away" from the Heat, says Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
  • Following up on comments he made last month, Mike D'Antoni clarified to reporters, including Fred Kerber of the New York Post, that he had no regrets about coaching the Knicks, but that he regretted leaving Steve Nash and the Suns.
  • In a piece for the Detroit Free Press, Dan Feldman of PistonPowered wonders if Charlie Villanueva is playing well enough to avoid being amnestied next summer.
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Odds & Ends: D-League, Odom, World Peace

December 9th, 2012 at 5:44pm CST by Chuck Myron
Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld spoke with Dan Reed, the president of the NBA's developmental league, and heard that there is growing interest from several NBA teams in either purchasing or having a joint affiliation with a team in the NBDL. According to Reed, Koutropis notes that with an increase in the assignments of young players from the NBA to the D-League, it will make for a great opportunity for developmental affiliates to market themselves with some of the NBA's top young talent. Here are more of today's odds and ends from the Association: 
  • Lamar Odom is starting to get in shape and is displaying flashes of his old Sixth Man of the Year form, as Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News observes.
  • The Lakers' decision not to amnesty Metta World Peace before last season is paying off, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, who adds that this summer's discovery and treatment of a nerve issue that had been bothering World Peace for four years has reinvigorated his play.
  • Nuggets guard Ty Lawson admits he can do better than his slumping performance this season, and Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post outlines what the point guard must do to return to the form that netted him a four-year, $48MM extension in October.
  • Despite GM David Kahn's denial of Pau Gasol trade rumors, the Timberwolves "would love" to acquire the big man and play him at center, according to Bob Finnan of The News-Herald.
  • Finnan also hears from sources within the ranks of media, agents, assistant coaches, GMs and scouts who tell him they are convinced LeBron James will opt out of his contract in 2014. 
  • Center Solomon Alabi is close to a deal with a Chinese club, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The 7'1" Alabi was let go by the Hornets at the end of training camp. He spent the last two seasons with the Raptors, but saw little playing time, averaging 1.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 7.0 minutes a game over 26 total contests.

 

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Odds & Ends: Cavs, Bargnani, Green, Wolves

December 8th, 2012 at 12:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Now is not the right time for the Raptors to trade Andrea Bargnani, but it might be the right move to make anyway, writes Eric Koreen of the Toronto Star.  The big man doesn't fit the culture that Dwane Casey is trying to instill in Toronto and moving him could help get the locker room back on track.  The Raptors have spent years trying to make the team work around Bargnani and Koreen argues that the relationship should have been working the other way around.  Here's more from around the league..

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Southeast Notes: Heat, Magic, Vucevic, Hawks

December 8th, 2012 at 11:52am CST by Zachary Links

Links out of the Southeast Division..

  • After dropping two straight games, LeBron James says that there is now “a cloud” hanging over the Heat, according to the Associated Press.  James explained that the club isn’t playing the type of defense that they’re capable of and it’s hard to argue after their latest outing against the Knicks.  There are a few quality defensive-minded free agents that Miami could look into, including guard Delonte West and forward Kenyon Martin.
  • Magic center Nikola Vucevic was overlooked in the four-team Dwight Howard trade, but he has looked great so far in Orlando, writes Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld.  The 22-year-old has started every game so far this year and has posted seven double-doubles.
  • Last night, our own Luke Adams reviewed the Hawks‘ offseason, a summer that brought significant changes to Atlanta.  Josh Smith & Co. are off to an 11-5 start, putting them just 0.5 behind the Heat in the Southeast.
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Latest On Pau Gasol

December 7th, 2012 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

As we noted in our round-up of Timberwolves rumors earlier today, president David Kahn spoke to reporters at the team's shootaround today, something that doesn't happen often. Kahn wanted to clear the air on recent trade rumors, telling the media that he hasn't spoken to the Lakers about a deal since the summer, and that he was concerned about the players whose names had been involved — Kahn intends to speak to Derrick Williams and Nikola Pekovic, tweets Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Whether Kahn's comments were made for the sake of P.R. or whether he was telling the truth, Gasol rumors involving Minnesota and other clubs continue to circulate. Here's the latest:

  • The buzz around the NBA suggests that teams aren't eager to trade for Gasol and his $19MM annual salary, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter). One team exec tells Amico that the Heat are the only team that would trade for Gasol, while Amico adds that clubs may be more willing to give something up for Andrea Bargnani. This strikes me as a little odd, since it's not clear what Miami could give up for Gasol beyond one of its Big Three, and as ineffective as Pau has been so far, Bargnani has been even worse for the Raptors.
  • In his latest mailbag, Sam Smith of Bulls.com addresses a few questions on Gasol, writing that he thinks it's "inevitable" that the Lakers trade the big man.
  • Following up on his report about Gasol drawing interest from the T-Wolves and Raptors, ESPN.com's Marc Stein discusses potential suitors for Pau on TrueHoop TV. According to Stein, the Lakers seem committed to making things work with the Spaniard, so they'll take their time assessing how the lineup looks when Steve Nash returns before making any decisions.
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Odds & Ends: Heat, Harden, Gasol, Lakers

December 6th, 2012 at 2:50pm CST by Zachary Links

Whether you love or hate the Heat, you should appreciate the team while it's still in place, writes Ian Thomsen of SportsIllustrated.com.  In 2014/15, the "repeater" tax will kick in and bring the most severe financial penalties for high-payroll teams that the league has ever seen.  One rival GM predicted that owner Micky Arison will have to break up the big three of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh before that happens.  More from around the Association..

  • Rockets star James Harden told KGOW in Houston that he's already working towards recruiting another elite player, writes Steven Cuce of Sports Radio Interviews. “One player is not going to win a championship. Nowadays you need two or maybe more. I’ve definitely started the recruiting process. We need more guys to come over here, so we can win. For right now we are going to stick with the players we have and try to run with that,” Harden said.
  • Pau Gasol's trade value is falling, one GM who previously had interest in the Lakers forward tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (via Twitter).  "Now you have to wonder if some of his performance issues are knee-related," said the GM.
  • The Lakers were right to turn down offers from Gasol from the Raptors and T'Wolves, writes Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports.  Minnesota reportedly pitched former No. 2 overall pick Derrick Williams and center Nikola Pekovic while Toronto's package centers around Andrea Bargnani.
  • Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com (video link) looks at a few trade candidates around the league including Jazz big man Al Jefferson.
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