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Odds & Ends: Sessions, Kings, Mavs, Hornets

January 31st, 2012 at 10:06pm CST by Luke Adams

On January 31st, 1979, the Cleveland Cavaliers sent Terry Furlow to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Butch Lee and a 1983 first-round pick. Both Furlow and Lee played their last NBA minutes in 1980, but that '83 draft pick ended up in the hands of the Dallas Mavericks, who used it to select Derek Harper. Harper went on to score over 16,000 points in his 16-year NBA career — nearly five times the combined career totals for Furlow and Lee.

As for January 31st, 2012, here are a few items from around the Association:

Ramon Sessions isn't surprised to hear his name involved in trade rumors, writes Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer. The Lakers have inquired about the point guard's availability and the Cavaliers are receiving interest from other clubs as well.
Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter links) spoke with Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof who spoke highly of the jobs that GM Petrie and coach Keith Smart are doing. Last night, it was reported that the club could be looking to replace Petrie, who has been with the Kings since 1994.
After J.J. Barea departed in the offseason, the Mavericks managed to replace him admirably and cheaply, as Jeff Caplan writes at ESPNDallas.com.
There shouldn't be any sense of security for Hornets players, with a major roster overhaul coming this offseason, or sooner, says John DeShazier of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider link) checks in on the stocks of a few college players. While Anthony Davis still has a stranglehold on the top spot on Ford's draft board, the rest of the top five is in flux.
Heat fans may have a love affair with Michael Beasley, but there probably would never have been a Big Three in Miami if Beasley had put it together during his time with the Heat, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
A few members of ESPN.com's TrueHoop network discussed Dwight Howard and other potential trade candidates.

Southwest Links: Kaman, Thomas, Green, Carter

January 30th, 2012 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Chris Kaman's availability has dominated headlines out of the Southwest division in recent days, as potential suitors contact the Hornets to discuss the seven-footer. Today, NBA.com's David Aldridge and SI.com's Zach Lowe each took the opportunity to run down the list of possible destinations for Kaman, concluding indepenently that the Hawks and Rockets are among the best matches. Let's check out a few more updates out of the Southwest….

Continuing the Kaman discussion, Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com asks Warriors fans whether they'd be okay with sending Monta Ellis to the Hornets in exchange for Kaman and a first-round pick.
The Spurs have assigned Malcolm Thomas to the D-League's Austin Toros, according to the Spurs' official Twitter account. Thomas, who was signed earlier this month, appeared in just 15 minutes over three games for San Antonio.
Hornets head coach Monty Williams told John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he regrets not bringing back Willie Green, who ended up signing with the Hawks: "[Green] was somebody I was in contact with, and we were waiting for the right time… If I could do it over again, I’d probably would have pressed the issue more."
Vince Carter, who signed for the mini mid-level exception introduced in the new CBA, tells Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that he's starting to get comfortable with the Mavericks.

Chris Kaman Drawing Trade Interest

January 30th, 2012 at 12:49pm CST by Luke Adams

12:49pm: The Bobcats have also inquired on Kaman, but a deal isn't likely, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.

9:40am: The Rockets and Spurs are among the teams to inquire on Chris Kaman since Hornets GM Dell Demps said he intends to trade the center, reports John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. According to Reid, at least five teams have talked to the Hornets about Kaman, and Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group adds the Warriors to that list.

Kaman, who arrived in New Orleans last month as part of the package for Chris Paul, will sit out until the Hornets can work out a trade, as Demps told ESPN.com's Marc Stein last week.

"Chris has been the ultimate professional since he joined us," said Demps. "In no way is this a disciplinary action. We had discussions about extending his current contract when he first came to the Hornets, but the organization decided to go in a different direction."

According to Thompson's sources, a deal with the Warriors is unlikely. While Golden State could use Kaman to replace the injured Kwame Brown, it doesn't appear the Warriors have the pieces to match up with New Orleans. The league-owned Hornets may also find it tricky to work out a deal with division rivals like Houston and San Antonio.

The Pistons, Pacers, and Cavs have also been linked to Kaman, though Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski says New Orleans' reported asking price of draft picks, cap space, and a young player is too high for most teams (Twitter link).