Odds & Ends: Blazers, Bulls, Hornets, Lakers
With the Bulls' 85-59 victory over the Magic this evening, Tom Thibodeau reached 100 victories and hit that mark in the least time of any coach in NBA history. Here's more on Chicago and the rest of the league..
- Blazers interim GM Chad Buchanan originally wanted the Nets 2012 first-round pick sans protection in the Gerald Wallace deal but compromised in the end for top-three protection, tweets Ben Golliver of BlazersEdge.com.
- Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com spoke to a number of Bulls players and people around the team about the prospect of picking up a free agent. The general feeling around the club is that while they would gladly welcome a new acquisition, they don't feel as though they need one to win.
- David Aldridge of NBA.com takes a look back at the deadline deals that went down and also the ones that didn't. Aldridge opines that the Hornets, Wolves, and Hawks all should have made moves rather than stand pat.
- Most of the big names in this summer's free agent class are veterans on the downslope of their career, writes Sam Amico of FOXSportsOhio.com.
- The Celtics, Suns, and Pacers will all be flush with cash this summer, writes Larry Coon for ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd). Teams with limited cap flexibility going forward include the Bulls, Heat, and Lakers.
Turiaf To Decide On New Team By Wednesday
Free agent Ronny Turiaf will decide on a new team by Wednesday, agent Mark Bartelstein told Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The Celtics and Heat lead the pack of interested teams.
The Nuggets waived Turiaf yesterday, just days after receiving him from the Wizards in the deal that brought them JaVale McGee. The 6’10” big man has the unique distinction of being involved in two three-team deals inside of four months.
Southeast Notes: Heat, Fisher, Magic, Diaw
Let's get you caught up on some items out of the Southeast division on a busy night in the Association..
- Count Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel among those who thinks the Heat should make a play for both Derek Fisher and Ronny Turiaf. Earlier today, LeBron James told reporters that he wouldn't mind playing alongside Fisher.
- However, Winderman (via Twitter) doesn't see J.J. Hickson as a good fit for the Heat. He believes that the forward would be redundant for the team and while he has upside, Miami is likely looking to make a move for the present rather than the future.
- DeSagana Diop was activated in favor of Boris Diaw tonight, but there's nothing new regarding Diaw's potential buyout, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. The Bobcats would like to rid themselves of the forward's contract.
- Even without a major acquisition at the trade deadline, are the Magic still good enough to contend this season? The players seem to think so, writes Chris Tomasson of FOXSportsFlorida.com.
- Forward Brian Cook says that he'll play hard for however long he's with the Wizards, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Washington is willing to accomodate Cook if he wants to play elsewhere and his agent Mark Bartelstein is set to have buyout discussions with the club this week.
Latest On Derek Fisher
After Derek Fisher and the Rockets reached an agreement on a buyout this weekend, Fisher's business manager Jamie Mior released a statement explaining the decision:
"After much discussion and expressing their desire to welcome Derek to their team this season as well as the 2012-2013 season, the Houston Rockets and Derek have negotiated a buyout. Derek's desire to win a sixth championship is what drives him and will continue to drive him as he moves forward. We thank the Houston Rockets front office for their interest, time and their absolute professionalism. There will be no further comment at this time."
While we wait to see if Fisher clears waivers this Wednesday, rumors about which teams are interested in signing him have already surfaced. Let's round up a few of them….
- ESPN.com's John Hollinger (via Twitter) notes that Fisher declining his $3.4MM option for next year means that the Rockets were essentially paid $200K to acquire a first-round pick.
- The Blazers aren't interested in Fisher, tweets Mike Tokito of The Oregonian.
- The Rockets' buyout of Fisher paid him for the rest of this season, but he opted out of all $3.4MM next year, a person with knowledge of the deal told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
- According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, the Thunder are deciding whether to make a formal bid for Fisher.
- The Clippers aren't interested, says Stein.
- Fisher has strong interest in joining the Bulls or Heat, according to Stein, but it's unclear to what extent that interest is reciprocated.
- Stein adds that the Spurs have some interest, since their signing of Patrick Mills is being held up — according to Stein, the Blazers have yet to renounce Mills' rights, which is odd, since the team tweeted on Saturday that it was done.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (via Twitter) cautions that there's no guarantee Fisher will play for another club this year. The veteran is weighing the option of re-joining the Lakers in a coaching or front office capacity, tweets Kyler. Fisher, of course, can't re-sign with the Lakers as a player this season.
Heat Looking For Free Agent Pickup
As Luke noted earlier today, Miami is currently carrying 14 players on their roster leaving them with one vacancy. Recently released point guard Derek Fisher has interest in joining the Heat and LeBron James wouldn't mind playing with the seasoned veteran, but J.J. Hickson's emergence on the open market could be an even better fit for the club, writes Chris Tomasson of FOXSportsFlorida.com.
It's also possible that the Heat won't have to choose. Tomasson points out that rookie guard Terrel Harris and center Eddy Curry are signed to minimum contracts and could easily be cut loose, giving Miami another open spot.
The Heat have also talked to agent Mark Bartelstein about client Mikki Moore, Tomasson tweets. The 36-year-old big man currently plays for the Idaho Stampede of the D-League and last appeared in the NBA in December of 2009 with Golden State. The 6'11" center had an up-and-down career in the league but enjoyed a handful of standout seasons including his 2006/07 campaign with the Nets in which he he averaged 9.8 PPG and 5.1 RPG off of 61% shooting .
Teams With Open Roster Spots
After the flurry of trades, signings, and releases around the league in the last week, it's gotten challenging to keep track which clubs still have the flexibility to make roster moves. To make things a little easier, here's our list of teams who currently have fewer than the maximum 15 players on their rosters, and could add a player without releasing anyone:
- 76ers: 14
- Bulls: 14. When Mike James' second 10-day contract expires, the Bulls will have two open roster spots. They also reportedly have some interest in Leon Powe.
- Clippers: 14. The Clips are still deciding whether to sign Bobby Simmons for the rest of the season with their final roster spot.
- Grizzlies: 13. Memphis is looking at Gilbert Arenas for one of its openings.
- Heat: 14. Miami could fill its final roster spot with a player who is bought out of his contract this week.
- Hornets: 13. 14th man Jeff Foote just had his 10-day contract expire.
- Jazz: 14
- Kings: 14
- Lakers: 14
- Pacers: 14
- Pistons: 14
- Raptors: 13
- Rockets: 14. Houston will open up a second roster spot when Derek Fisher clears waivers.
- Spurs: 13. San Antonio is expecting to add Patrick Mills with one of its open roster spots. Even if the Spurs finalize Mills' deal, they'll still have a pair of open spots after Eric Dawson's second 10-day deal expires.
- Suns: 13
- Warriors: 13
- Wizards: 14. 14th man Edwin Ubiles is on a 10-day contract.
Note: The Nets currently have 15 players on their roster, but will open up a spot when Jerry Smith's 10-day contract expires.
Southeast Notes: Augustin, Heat, Magic, Wizards
Just one team from the Southeast division was in action tonight – the Bobcats. Charlotte outscored the Raptors 38-14 in the third quarter to power their way to a 107-103 victory at home. Here's a look at the rest of the division..
- Bobcats guard D.J. Augustin told reporters that the trade deadline wasn't a distraction for him because his name has been in rumors since he was a rookie, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
- In today's mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if Derek Fisher would be a good fit for the Heat. Winderman won't rule Fisher out as a possibility for the Heat if he is bought out of his deal, though he wouldn't be a great fit due to his lackluster defense.
- The Magic will be fighting an uphill battle as they look to surround Dwight Howard with the talent he seeks, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. GM Otis Smith will have to be extremely creative with his roster this summer and every player outside of D12 and Ryan Anderson will surely be shopped.
- At his introductory press conference in Los Angeles, Nick Young sounded relieved to be traded from the Wizards, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Young says he was bothered not only by the losing but the ridicule he and his former team received on a national level.
- The Bobcats players and coach Paul Silas seem to trust Michael Jordan's vision for the club, writes Derek Page of HoopsWorld.com. While Gerald Henderson and D.J. Augustin are optimistic about the future in Charlotte, the club has received a great deal of criticism from the outside.
Anthony Carter Interested In Spurs, Wolves, Heat
The Raptors officially waived Anthony Carter yesterday, giving the team a chance to play more of its young players over the final few weeks of the season. For Carter, the move means he'll likely get a chance to catch on with a contender.
Carter will have to clear waivers before becoming a free agent and signing anywhere he likes, which is no guarantee. But Carter tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that agent Bill Duffy has already talked to the Spurs and Timberwolves about a potential signing (Twitter link). Carter would be interested in joining either team, and wouldn't mind going to Miami either, though the Heat haven't expressed interest yet (Twitter links). Tomasson finds Miami an unlikely destination, since the Heat are more focused on adding a big man (Twitter link).
Carter, 36, spent the first seven seasons of his NBA career playing with the Heat, Spurs, and Timberwolves, respectively. Since then, he's joined the Nuggets, Knicks, and Raptors. In 623 career games, the point guard has averaged 4.8 points and 3.8 assists in 19.6 minutes per contest.
Chris Kaman Likely Staying Put
Chris Kaman will likely remain a Hornet past the trade deadline, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The Celtics, Heat, and Spurs will aggressively pursue Kaman if the Hornets end up buying out his contract, but that's not a given with the league running the team, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter links).
Jermaine O’Neal Angling For Buyout
Jermaine O'Neal, currently sidelined with a wrist injury, has been angling for a contract buyout, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. However, the Celtics are still exploring trades that could include O'Neal's expiring contract.
According to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), O'Neal has significant interest in rejoining the Heat. However, the Celtics are unlikely to buy out the big man's contract if they think that's the likely outcome.
GM Danny Ainge said this morning that there's about a 50% chance of the Celtics making a deadline deal. We also heard today that Ray Allen is drawing heavy interest from a number of contending teams.