Eastern Notes: Knicks, Heat, Pistons, Harkless
The latest news and notes from around the Eastern Conference on Saturday morning:
- Al Iannazzone of Newsday.com talks to a longtime NBA coach about the difficulty of gameplanning for the Knicks because of their depth. The coach cites Amare Stoudemire, J.R. Smith, and Steve Novak as bench players teams have to plan for in addition to New York's starters.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes that the Heat will be faced with a challenge posed by the new CBA when it comes to keeping their big three together in the future.
- David Mayo of MLive.com takes a look at the ways in which the Pistons will compensate for Andre Drummond's absence.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel talks to Magic guard Arron Afflalo about rookie Maurice Harkless' impressive play.
Knicks Eyeing Jared Dudley
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports (via Twitter) that the New York Knicks are interested in trading for Suns swingman Jared Dudley before the February 21 trade deadline. It is unclear what sort of package the Knicks could offer.
Dudley was previously rumored to be part of a package the Suns were offering to the Grizzlies for Rudy Gay. Gay was ultimately dealt to the Toronto Raptors in January. Dudley is making $4.25MM this season, which would make it difficult for New York to put together an attractive enough package to land Dudley. It is doubtful Phoenix would be interested in veterans such as Steve Novak or Marcus Camby, and the Knicks have already traded away many of their future first-round draft picks.
Bobcats, Spurs Possibilities For Greg Oden
A week after confirming that the Heat and the Cavaliers were both potential fits for his client, agent Mike Conley tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that the Bobcats and Spurs are possibilities for Greg Oden as well.
"I definitely can see both of those teams (as possibilities)," Conley said. "San Antonio has an aging front line with [Tim] Duncan, and with Duncan and the Admiral (David Robinson, who still lives in San Antonio), he would have some great mentors…. Charlotte, they are rebuilding. They would be in a better position to take more of a risk."
While Miami and Cleveland were reported as the frontrunners for Oden, those teams were never considered the only two possible destinations. The Celtics have met with the former first overall pick, and a handful of other teams, including the Mavericks, are said to have interest. Conley suggests to Tomasson that about seven or eight teams are in the mix for the former Ohio State star, a number he expects will continue to grow.
Despite the seemingly strong market for Oden, the chances of him signing a contract before season's end are decreasing, according to Conley, who figures teams will want to thoroughly explore his client's medical records. Oden was always eyeing a return to the court in 2013/14, but had been considering signing this season in order to rehab with an NBA team.
"A few weeks ago, I’d probably have said it was 80%," Conley said of Oden signing with a team this season. "Now, I’d say it’s 50-50."
As for teams who won't be in the running for Oden, Conley suggests that he doesn't see the Magic as a fit, and also tells Tomasson that the Lakers and Knicks haven't expressed any interest.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Amundson, Celtics, Garnett
Yesterday, we heard that Louis Amundson is bracing for a possible trade or release as the Timberwolves near a decision on whether to keep their players on 10-day contracts (Mickael Gelabale, Chris Johnson) for the rest of the season. Today, Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com wonders if the Knicks could be in play for Amundson if the T-Wolves decide to cut him loose. Here are a few more notes from around the Atlantic Division:
- Some Knicks sources remain convinced that Rasheed Wallace is done for the season, but coach Mike Woodson isn't rushing to bring in a replacement, according to Zwerling.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld hears from sources that while Celtics president Danny Ainge has kicked the tires on some trade possibilities, he hasn't seriously considered moving Kevin Garnett. KG's bond with Paul Pierce and coach Doc Rivers would likely result in him blocking many possible deals anyway, writes Kyler.
- Even though Nikola Vucevic is enjoying a breakout season for the Magic and Andrew Bynum hasn't played a single game for the Sixers, John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News isn't second-guessing Philadelphia's decision to make last August's blockbuster trade.
- As the Lakers arrive in Brooklyn for tonight's game against the Nets, Deron Williams tells reporters, including Tim Bontemps of the New York Post, that he isn't spending any time thinking about what could have been if Brooklyn had acquired Dwight Howard. "We’re happy with Brook [Lopez], we’re happy with the team we have now," Williams said. "It’s not a 'shoulda, woulda, coulda' scenario."
Wolves Rumors: Rubio, Love, Pekovic, Amundson
On Wednesday, when the Raptors and Grizzlies were on their way to finalizing the Rudy Gay deal, the Pistons, Celtics, and Mavericks were all mentioned as the potential third team involved, with Detroit eventually helping to facilitate the trade. According to Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com, the Timberwolves were never in the mix as the potential third team in the trade, but the Hawks were in play. Here's more from Wolfson on the T-Wolves:
- While club president David Kahn recently called Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love "untouchable" in trade talks, he didn't say the same about Nikola Pekovic, though he said he hopes the big man is "part of us for many years to come."
- According to Wolfson, there's still a difference of opinion in the front office about whether Pekovic is worth a big, long-term deal. Still, he's likely not going anywhere this month — Wolfson says that if a trade comes, it's more likely to be a sign-and-trade deal over the summer.
- Minnesota doesn't have interest in trying to trade for Josh Smith, and also hasn't inquired on Greg Oden yet.
- Wolfson hears from multiple sources that Andrea Bargnani is an unlikely fit for the T-Wolves. While one source "scoffed" at the idea, another didn't rule it out entirely, says Wolfson.
- The Knicks and Sixers are believed to have some interest in Louis Amundson, who is expected to be the odd man out once the Wolves lose their ability to carry 16 players. This is my speculation, but I'd imagine both teams would be more inclined to wait for the Wolves to waive him, rather than giving up any real assets in a trade.
Odds & Ends: Amare, White, Gee, Beasley
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday evening:
- Al Iannazzone of Newsday.com is impressed with Amare Stoudemire for accepting a reduced role for the Knicks this season.
- Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports writes that the Rockets and Royce White are beginning to come to terms on a plan for managing the rookie forward's anxiety disorder.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer praises forward Alonzo Gee's improvement as a defender.
- Stefan Swiat of Suns.com writes that Michael Beasley is beginning to reach his potential with the Suns.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times praises Bulls GM Gar Forman for the team's bench.
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Johnson, Oden
Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News says that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak will likely know by tomorrow about whether or not the NBA will approve their Disabled Player Exception for the injured Jordan Hill (Twitter link). With the roster currently at 14, an exception worth $1.78MM would be a very valuable asset for a team that would have otherwise only have a veteran's minimum deal or a small, pro-rated portion of their mini mid-level exception to offer free agents at this point during the season. You'll find the rest of tonight's miscellaneous links from around the NBA here:
- Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge says the team currently has no needs and will wait and see what transpires over the next few weeks to get a better feel if a move has to be made or not (Adi Joseph of USA Today reports).
- Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman, who recently returned from an 11-game absence for family reasons, sounded like he wanted the team to keep Chris Johnson (LSU) and Mickael Gelabale for the rest of the season, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
- Grizzlies guard Chris Johnson, whose 10-day contract is set to expire on Friday night, is making a strong case to be brought back for another deal, writes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. GM Chris Wallace described Johnson as a "seamless fit" so far.
- Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald doesn't think the Heat are the best fit for Greg Oden, citing that if healthy, the former number one overall pick could find more playing time and a better comfort level elsewhere. Even if the team uses its taxpayer mid-level exception to land Oden this summer, Goodman thinks that the luxury tax impact might not be worth the investment either.
- When asked directly about the possibility of playing for the Cavaliers, Oden replied: "I'm worried about the knee. That's it," later saying that it was too early for him to be thinking of a destination. Oden added that he wants to take his rehab slow, and that while he could possibly play today if he wanted to, he wants to avoid the risk of having the same setbackthat he had in Portland (Doug Lesmerises and Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer report).
Atlantic Links: Bynum, Carlesimo, Rondo, Raptors
Led by Jrue Holiday, the 76ers remain three games out of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Significant help in the form of another all-star caliber player could be on the way within the next several weeks, as Andrew Bynum has continued to make progress toward his goal of possibly returning to practice next week, notes Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com. The 7'0 center has been plagued by bone bruises in both knees since the start of the season. With that aside, here are more news and notes from the Atlantic Division:
- Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York reports that Nets GM Billy King will meet with owner Mikhail Prokhorov on Wednesday to discuss P.J. Carlesimo and the job he's done so far as the interim head coach. While Carlesimo has done an exceptional job after replacing Avery Johnson, Prokhorov is said to still be enamored with going after big names such as Phil Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy in the offseason.
- According to A. Sherrod Blakeley of CSNNE.com, Celtics guard Rajon Rondo will get a second opinion on his ACL injury from Dr. James Andrews, who is considered be arguably "the best orthopedic surgeon in the business."
- Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun lays out the Raptors' top five pressing issues as they inch closer to the deadline, calling their interest in Rudy Gay the "most likely to come to fruition" rumor, examining the return of both Andrea Bargnani and Jonas Valanciunas from injury, Terrence Ross' progression into coach Dwane Casey's crunch-time lineup, and the continued acclimation of Landry Fields. With regard to Bargnani, Ganter thinks that Casey may have to provide a significant role at the expense of Ed Davis' minutes in order to showcase the 7-footer's health.
- Eric Koreen of the National Post doesn't think that Gay is the cure-all answer for the Raptors, who still have many other important questions to answer regardless of whether they land him or not. Among those question marks involve the franchise's commitment to GM Bryan Colangelo, the need for more significant roster moves, and the struggles of point guard Kyle Lowry.
- Doc Rivers doesn't appear too concerned about his players making an adjustment without Rondo, saying that a "no-point guard system" is something that the second unit has already found success with, writes Greg Payne of ESPN Boston.
- Mike Woodson will place a higher priority on getting Knicks three point sharpshooter Steve Novak more involved in the offense, says Ian Begley of ESPN New York.
Atlantic Notes: Bynum, Celtics, Pierce, Knicks
With Rajon Rondo out for the year, two of the Celtics' Atlantic Division rivals are in position to give Boston a run for the eighth and final playoff seed in the East. The 76ers are 2.5 games back of the Celtics, while the Raptors are five games back, and both teams hope to have injured players returning to the floor in the next few weeks — Andrew Bynum for the Sixers, and Andrea Bargnani and Jonas Valanciunas for the Raptors. Here's the latest out of the Atlantic:
- As the summer approaches, the Sixers are hoping to get a better idea of whether it's worth the risk to lock Bynum up to a long-term deal, as GM Tony DiLeo tells TNT's David Aldridge. "We don't have enough information," DiLeo said. "We want to re-sign him. We plan on re-signing him. We made the trade having him as part of our future. That's the direction we're going in right now and we don't have enough information to make a decision."
- The Sixers constructed their roster with the intention of having it revolve around Bynum, so DiLeo acknowledges to Aldridge that the team would have to employ a different approach if Bynum is not re-signed: "We have a good young nucleus, but yeah, we'd probably have to go in a different direction and use our cap room and the draft and trades."
- Zach Lowe of Grantland looks into some potential trade partners for the Celtics if they decide to shop Paul Pierce, noting that they'd likely only be able to land either a good first-round pick or a blue-chip guy on a rookie contract, rather than both. According to Lowe, the Raptors may be the most viable and intriguing match for Pierce and the C's.
- Also within Lowe's piece, he notes that executives around the league view Rondo as a max-contract type player.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com explores the possibility of the Knicks calling up D-League standout Henry Sims, who was in camp with the team in the fall.
Atlantic Notes: Vucevic, Sixers, Shumpert, Lopez
It was a night of missed oppotunities Saturday in the Atlantic, where the Nets could have crept to within a half game of the division-leading Knicks with a win over the Rockets. The Raptors would have stood three and a half out of the last playoff spot if Kyrie Irving hadn't drained a clutch trey for the Cavs. The only team to make hay was the Sixers, who blew out the Knicks and pulled two games behind the Celtics for eighth place in the East. Here's more from the Atlantic Division:
- Nikola Vucevic is paying dividends as he develops for the Magic, but even he wouldn't have hesitated to make the deal that sent him away from the Sixers, the 22-year-old tells John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I would have traded me for Andrew Bynum," Vucevic said.
- Iman Shumpert talked with Steve Serby of the New York Post about the effect Mike Woodson and the Knicks' offseason acquisitions have had on the team.
- Amid continuing speculation that he could be traded for Dwight Howard, Brook Lopez is establishing himself as a star, with the league's fourth-highest PER. Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger catches up with the Nets' $60.8MM center and wonders if he has become the league's best at his position, All-Star snub notwithstanding.