Western Notes: Spurs, Fisher, Gasol, Crawford
You can count NBA commissioner David Stern among those who are none-too-pleased about Spurs coach Gregg Popovich's decision to rest his stars against the Heat tonight. Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida relayed a statement by Stern which indicated that "substantial sanctions will be forthcoming" as a consequence for San Antonio (Sulia link). Earlier, Popovich told reporters: "It has nothing to do with the Miami Heat, or TV, or anything…You deal with the schedule as best you can and do the wisest thing for your particular team” (Jeff McDonald of Spurs Nation reports). On another note, here's what we're hearing out of the Western Conference tonight:
- Later in his column, Ken Berger of CBS Sports credits a source that says Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni would like to have Nate McMillan as his top assistant for the 2013-14 season if he isn't given a head coaching job by then.
- Jonathan Feigen of Ultimate Rockets writes that if injury-riddled Houston isn't able to get well anytime soon, then "different remedies will be in order." While it may not explicitly imply a roster move, Feigen acknowledges that without Chandler Parsons and Carlos Delfino, the team is short-handed on the wings.
- With Brandon Roy and Chase Budinger out, as well as Andrei Kirilenko dealing with back spasms, Timberwolves forward Josh Howard finds himself thrust into the starting lineup yesterday against the Clippers. Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune notes that Howard still considers himself in training camp but remains confident about handling the opportunty for more playing time.
- With the Thunder going 6-1 over their last seven games, Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK recognizes Russell Westbrook's passing ability as a major component of the team's recent success.
- While head coach Rick Carlisle doesn't see the Derek Fisher signing as a "cure-all" to the Mavericks' challenges, he welcomes the 38-year-old veteran's experience and leadership abilities at the point guard position, writes Earl K. Sneed of NBA.com.
- Mike Trudell of Lakers.com writes about the adjustments that Pau Gasol has had to make on both ends of the floor, particularly on defense, where the power forward position in the NBA can provide significantly different types of matchups for the Lakers depending on their opposition.
- Clippers guard Jamal Crawford talks to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld about having a career year for a team expected to be a playoff contender.
- Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com briefly sheds light on rookie Quincy Miller and his opportunity with the Iowa Energy of the NBDL.
Odds & Ends: Celtics, Raptors, Trail Blazers
Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston heard from head coach Doc Rivers that the Celtics could decide to recall Kris Joseph and possibly Fab Melo up from the D-League while Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox are out of action. More notably, after Danny Ainge told WEEI radio that Rajon Rondo would be given a two game suspension (Twitter link), Rivers gave the impression that the team won't necessarily try to make any subsequent roster moves anytime soon. You can find more of tonight's miscellaneous links from the Association here:
- HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy says (via Twitter) that the Raptors are weighing their free agent options at the small forward position.
- Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey told Joe Freeman of The Oregonian of his plans to use D-League assignments accordingly for Victor Claver, Joel Freeland, Will Barton, and Nolan Smith. While Olshey thinks that his young players are currently benefitting through their NBA experience, he believes the best time to send them to the Idaho Stampede (their D-League affiliate) would be after they have built a good enough foundation with the coaching staff and need significant minutes to continue developing.
- According to Anthony Slater of NewsOK, Thunder GM Sam Presti was spotted at Oklahoma State University's basketball practice to supposedly begin scouting Marcus Smart and Le'Bryan Nash, two college prospects who are currently touted as potential first round picks.
- The Nets announced that the right foot sprain which Brook Lopez suffered during last night's game is unrelated to the foot injury he sustained last season, and added that he is only expected to miss the next two games (Howard Beck of the New York Times reports).
Odds & Ends: Maggette, Pargo, Harden, Kapono
Although he only turned 33 years old earlier this month, Corey Maggette has been around the NBA for a long time, having made his debut back in 1999. With his contract set to expire next summer, Maggette was non-committal about what his immediate future may hold, says David Mayo of MLive.com.
"Who knows what will happen? Who knows? I might be a guy that might be in a front-office position," Maggette said. "I'm already preparing myself for that as I finish this career. The biggest thing is to worry about what's going on now and let the future take care of itself. We don't even know if we're going to wake up tomorrow."
While I'd be surprised if Maggette retired as a player next year, it seems he's already considering the next stage of his career, having spoken to Pistons GM Joe Dumars and assistant GM George David about the paths they took to their current jobs. Here are a few more odds and ends as we prepare for a light Thursday evening NBA schedule:
- Speaking to USA Today's Sam Amick about his extension negotiations with the Thunder and the trade that sent him to the Rockets, James Harden says the final offer he got from Oklahoma City was for four years and $53MM.
- Jannero Pargo is on top of "several NBA teams' radars," Pargo's agent Mark Bartelstein tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com (Twitter link). Considering the source of the info, it's not clear how much stock we should put in it, but Pargo was recently said to be drawing interest from the Bulls and others, and is hoping to get a deal done soon.
- Jason Kapono, whose agreement with Panathinaikos has been on hold, is expected to join the Greek team on December 10th, according to a Gazzetta.gr report (English translation via Sportando).
- Thunder coach Scott Brooks thinks Jeremy Lamb's D-League assignment is a great opportunity for the rookie to earn some playing time, according to Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman. "He's going to get great work on the practice floor and game floor," Brooks said. "But we like what he does. He has a very high skill set. He definitely needs to continue to develop his body and his game, but that’s a great position for him to be in."
- If you're curious about which D-League players may be in line for a shot from an NBA team in the coming weeks, keep an eye on four players Ryan Ripley of Ridiculous Upside identifies as hot starters.
- Offseason signee Randy Foye has found a home in the starting lineup for the Jazz, as Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune chronicles.
Thunder Assign Jeremy Lamb To D-League
The Thunder have assigned Jeremy Lamb to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. Lamb will be in uniform for the Tulsa 66ers when the team hosts the Rio Grande Valley Vipers tomorrow night.
A week ago, Oklahoma City assigned Daniel Orton and DeAndre Liggins to the 66ers. As Larry Coon writes in his CBA FAQ, NBA teams are believed to be able to assign up to two players to the D-League at any one time, so it's unclear whether that rule has been modified or whether one of the previous assignees is rejoining the Thunder. Assuming there's no corresponding announcement, it seems Lamb, Orton, and Liggins will all be on the 66ers' roster.
Lamb, the 12th overall pick in June's draft, was sent to Oklahoma City in last month's James Harden trade. The 20-year-old has appeared briefly in eight games for the Thunder, scoring a total of 17 points and making four of his eight shots from three-point range.
Western Notes: Fisher, Collison, Kings, Harden
If the playoffs began today, a team below .500 would make it to the postseason out of the Western Conference, a rare occurance in recent years, when the bulk of the league's better teams have been in the West. Of course, one of the sub-.500 teams right now is the Lakers, who are expected to turn it around sooner or later. The Mavs are another, and there's more news about their expected signing of Derek Fisher and other notes of interest from around the West.
- Darren Collison's inconsistent play had the Mavs thinking about a move for the past week or two, and it appears Fisher will take over as the starter in Dallas, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
- Mavs coach Rick Carlisle says Fisher isn't a cure-all for the team, as Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com notes via Facebook, and Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com believes Fisher's signing is a desperate move that follows a series of mistakes.
- Virginia Beach mayor Will Sessoms hopes to have a binding term sheet with a pro team, presumably the Kings, by March, which would pave the way for the Kings to file for relocation in April, according to Nick Monacelli of WAVY-TV 10.
- James Harden shared his thoughts with reporters shortly before tipoff of his return to Oklahoma City as a member of the Rockets tonight, and John Rohde of The Oklahoman provides excerpts.
- There's a "decent" chance Nemanja Bjelica, a 2010 second-round pick whose rights are owned by the Timberwolves, winds up in Minnesota next year, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN.
- Blazers COO Sarah Mensah told Joe Freeman of The Oregonian that losing out on the team president job was a factor in her decision to leave.
- The Nuggets promoted a pair of front-office mainstays, observes Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post.
James Harden Links: Martin, Thunder, Rockets
One of the most intriguing games on tonight's NBA schedule sees James Harden and the Rockets, coming off a Tuesday win over the Raptors, heading to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder. It was just a month ago that the two teams finalized the shocking trade that sent Harden to Houston, so plenty is being written today about that deal and the Sixth Man of the Year's return to OKC. Here are a few stories of note:
- Harden downplayed tonight's contest, calling it "just another game," as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. However, Daequan Cook, who changed teams along with Harden in last month's deal, thinks the Rockets' star cares more than he lets on: "I know this game means a lot to him. He’s going to want to play his best basketball. This game means so much right now to him. You’re going to see a different mindset with him."
- Kevin Martin has been a servicable replacement for Harden in Oklahoma City, but it's not clear how the team plans to replace that production when Martin's contract expires next summer, says ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Insider link). Hollinger's also wonders how the Thunder would have proceeded if Harden had accepted their $54MM extension offer, since even that non-maximum salary would have put the team well into luxury-tax territory next year.
- ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst looks at how the Thunder have adjusted to losing Harden, with Kevin Durant noting that the club's "chemistry is getting better each day."
- While the Thunder have played well without Harden, the team misses his pick-and-roll ability, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
- Both ESPN.com and The Oklahoman surveyed several writers on burning questions relating to the Harden trade, including whether dealing him was the right move and whether Russell Westbrook or Harden will be the better player in the long-term.
Texas Rumors: Harden, White, Duncan, Spurs
There are only five games on the NBA schedule tonight, but two of them involve Texas teams. The Mavericks fell on the road to the Sixers, while the Rockets hope to close out a win against the Raptors. The Lonestar State's other team, the Spurs, have the most wins in the NBA, but find themselves in an odd situation atop the Southwest Division standings — San Antonio, at 12-3, is a half game up on the 10-2 Grizzlies, but Memphis is technically in first place, thanks to a higher winning percentage. That math will eventually sort itself out once the teams have played an even number of games, but until then, here's the latest on all three Texas clubs.
- Kevin Martin, who traded places with James Harden before the start of the season, talked about what Harden's going through as he takes over as the No. 1 option for the Rockets, as Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman chronicles.
- With Harden set to return to Oklahoma City wearing a Rockets uniform tomorrow, writers from The Oklahoman weigh in on four Harden-related questions.
- Psychologist and former NBA team consultant Travis Heath, writing for HoopsWorld, shares his insight on the Royce White saga, calling for all teams to take a more proactive approach to mental health.
- Armed with a new three-year, $30MM contract, Tim Duncan is turning back the clock with his play for the Spurs, as USA Today's Scott Gleeson examines.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel looks at the wide-reaching influence of the Spurs front office.
- Sixers coach Doug Collins had kind words for his former pupil Elton Brand, whom the Mavs claimed off amnesty waivers from the Sixers this summer, as Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com tweets. "I wish I could've coached Elton one year in his prime," Collins said. "We miss him. EB is all about winning."
Odds & Ends: Gooden, Aldridge, Gasol, Bulls
With most of the Bench Mob gone, this year's version of the Bulls isn't built for 48 minutes, opines Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. However, Luol Deng seems to disagree with that view, as he told reporters today.
"It's not fair to the guys that are here, the new guys, to be compared to the guys from the last two years," Deng said, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. "They’re still getting used to it. Even the Bench Mob, the first year we had them, it took a while to get going. When we got going, it clicked. The year after that, last year, what helped us a lot was we had a lot of guys returning so we knew how we play and how to play with each other. We’re still learning how to play with each other."
Here are a few more Tuesday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:
- While the Bucks would like to move Drew Gooden's contract, there's no urgency to "dump" him, since he's still a mentor and leader in Milwaukee, says Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
- Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com makes his case for why the Trail Blazers should consider trading LaMarcus Aldridge. Blazers GM Neil Olshey reportedly told Aldridge last month that the team has no intentions of dealing him.
- Although Pau Gasol has a 15% trade kicker, he'd actually only receive about a 3.4% bonus if the Lakers dealt him, as Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times explains.
- Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman believes Derrick Williams could be a realistic target for the Thunder if GM Sam Presti gets involved on the trade market again this season.
- Several NBA scouts told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that it's unfair to compare Kentucky freshman and potential 2013 No. 1 pick Nerlens Noel to former Wildcat Anthony Davis. "I think Anthony Davis’s IQ is so high that he’s unique that way," said one scout. "This is a guy that was a small player, a two guard, who could handle the ball, do all those things. I mean, Nerlens could never be a ball-handler. He’s not a passer, ball-handler guy."
Western Notes: Bell, Lakers, Rockets, Jackson
As we prepare for an evening that includes at least one Western Conference team in every game on the NBA schedule, let's round up a few notes from out west:
- Raja Bell's camp indicates the veteran forward would love to end up with the Lakers, but there's a long way to go before that's a real possibility, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.com.
- In his latest column for Grantland.com, Zach Lowe examines the Sixers' acquisition of Andrew Bynum and notes that if Philadelphia had decided not to facilitate August's Dwight Howard blockbuster to land Bynum, it could have had a huge impact on a number of Western Conference teams. Lowe suggests the Magic may have traded Howard to the Rockets instead, which would not only have affected the Lakers, but also the Thunder, since James Harden wouldn't have been sent to Houston in that scenario.
- Appearing on Slate's Hang Up and Listen podcast, Rockets GM Daryl Morey discussed Jeremy Lin, Royce White, and Houston's need to gamble on high-upside players.
- Brian Shaw, a current Pacers assistant and former member of Phil Jackson's staff in Los Angeles, was surprised the Lakers didn't hire Jackson to replace Mike Brown. And as he told Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, Shaw was particularly taken aback by the Lakers' handling of the situation. "Under the circumstances," Shaw said. "Phil Jackson, who's been there and done that and put a lot of money in everybody's pockets around here, the way it was done… it's mind-boggling."
Perkins Hopes To Finish Career With Thunder
It's been nearly two years since Kendrick Perkins was traded to the Thunder by the Celtics, and while he took some time to adjust to the change of scenery, the big man is very happy to be in Oklahoma City. Perkins tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld that he hopes to remain with the Thunder long-term, even beyond when his current contract ends.
"I love it here," Perkins said. "It is a business, so I have to make sure I do my job and we do our job, and that’s trying to win a couple of championships. Then, the rest will take care of itself. But yes, I would love to stay here and finish my career here."
Perkins has three years remaining on his current deal, which is set to expire in the summer of 2015. Although Perkins has been mentioned as a possible trade or amnesty candidate, October's trade of James Harden makes it more viable for Oklahoma City to keep the big man on its books, since the team won't be facing a big tax hit for a Harden extension.
When the Celtics sent Perkins to Oklahoma City in February of 2011, he reportedly took the news hard, having spent his entire career in Boston to that point. However, with his second full season in Oklahoma City underway, the 28-year-old has come to feel at home with the Thunder, as he tells Kennedy.
"We have a group of young guys that love hanging around each other," Perkins said. "We’ve built relationships off the court that carry over on the court. It’s like a family. We all got each other’s back and we all support each other at all times. On any night, it can be any guy’s night to have 20 points and we’re happy for the next man because we’re all close."