Odds & Ends: Van Gundy, Villanueva, Fisher, Magic
- John Hollinger of ESPN explores the different coaching options Stan Van Gundy has if he leaves the Magic (Insider link). It is worth noting that Hollinger lists a TV gig with ESPN or TNT, the Clippers, and Wizards among several other possibilities.
- Charlie Villanueva is "dying to play," writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. The six-year veteran has played in just two games since returning from an ankle injury.
- While Derek Fisher hasn't shown a statistical improvement compared to his numbers with the Lakers this season, the Thunder remain hopeful that his intangibles and big-game experience will pay dividends toward the development of the team, says J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today.
- In what he considers to be a "sneakered soap opera," Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel shares his thoughts on what to expect from the Magic as they finish the rest of the season and head into the summer.
- Antoine Walker announced his retirement from the D-League, tweeted Marc J. Spears of Yahoo.
- Expected to file for retirement in June, Brad Miller briefly reflects on a storied career with Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
- Shabazz Muhammad of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High School is the only NBA-ready player among the participants at the Nike Hoops Summit, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo.
Odds & Ends: Ilyasova, Thornton, Thunder
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday night:
- Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel speculates on the future of forward Ersan Ilyasova, who is set to potentially earn a large payday as he hits unrestricted free agency.
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News talks to journeyman Al Thornton, who is attempting to work his way back into the NBA.
- Fox Sports Ohio's Sam Amico wonders whether the Oklahoma City Thunder model of rebuilding is replicable.
Odds & Ends: Rose, Perkins, Smith
One interesting note about NCAA championship as it relates to the upcoming draft: The last time the winner had a player that would subsequently go on to become that year's number one pick was in 1988, when Danny Manning of the Kansas Jayhawks was selected first overall by the Clippers. With a win tomorrow, Kentucky's Anthony Davis (currently projected to go first among several draft boards) could have a chance at ending the 23-year streak.
Should Kentucky lose, Davis could join Derrick Rose, Greg Oden, Elton Brand, and Chris Webber as number one picks who had been on the runner-up team that season. With less than 24 hours until tip-off, here are a few interesting notes to think about from the basketball news wire:
- As per Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times, Derrick Rose's injury could be worse than initially thought.
- Kendrick Perkins' has had a profound impact on Russell Westbrook this season and can be credited for the young guard's further emergence as a special player, writes Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK.
- In an exclusive interview with Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype.com, Kenny Smith indicated that he feels he'll "inevitably be coaching someday."
- Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer provides a more in-depth look at Donald Sloan, the Cavaliers reserve guard who has begun to find minutes under Byron Scott.
- According to Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel, Bucks forward Mike Dunleavy Jr. believes that teammates' trust in each other will be key in Milwaukee's pursuit of New York for the eight and final playoff spot.
- Mavericks guard Jason Terry is alarmed by Dallas' habit of falling behind in the third quarter, only to rally in the fourth but come up short, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram.
- The Toronto Sun's Richard Zussman gives a primer for tomorrow's NCAA Title game and what to expect.
Lakers Notes: Bynum, Kupchak, Fisher
The Lakers lost just their fifth home game of the season last night, falling to the Thunder after a 17-point, third-quarter surge from Russell Westbrook. Derek Fisher and his new team will return to face the Lakers at the Staples Center once more before season's end, and if last night's game is any indication, the two squads could provide a pretty entertaining playoff matchup as well. Here's the latest buzz surrounding the Lakers:
- Andrew Bynum's misguided three-point attempt earlier this week was "only the tip of the iceberg," the latest in a "catalogue of items" that have annoyed Lakers' coaches and management, a team source tells Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News.
- Speaking to Sam Amick of SI.com, GM Mitch Kupchak downplayed the drama surrounding Bynum's benching, saying the team will deal with any issues internally.
- Kupchak also said that he felt trading Derek Fisher was necessary for Ramon Sessions' sake: "Derek's an icon. You know [if you're Sessions] that you're walking past Derek and saying, 'I'm taking his minutes.' For a young developing player, that's really not fair to do. What if Ramon has a bad game at home, and the crowd starts to cheer for [Derek], you know what I mean? It's not right."
- Fisher had his own view on the trade that sent him to Houston, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports writes. "I’ve always thought there are different ways to handle trades and waiver-type situations where there can be some more communication," Fisher said. "Not necessarily far in advance but enough not to have to find out from the mailman or at the post office that you’ve been traded."
- Fisher added that he received inquiries from five teams, including the Heat and Bulls, after he was bought out by the Rockets.
Northwest Rumors: Hickson, Fisher, Miles
Three Northwest Division teams are playing tonight, all of them on the road, while the first-place Thunder await their showdown with the Lakers tomorrow night. Here's what's news around the Northwest:
- New Thunder point guard Derek Fisher is spilling his vast knowledge of the Lakers to Oklahoma City coach coach Scott Brooks and his staff in advance of tomorrow night's meeting, but Brooks downplays the value of such insight, given the advanced scouting and video study that teams do on their opponents, writes John Rohde of The Oklahoman.
- Jazz swingman C.J. Miles will be a restricted free agent this summer, and Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe thinks he'll be a bargain the Celtics will pursue (Twitter link). Still, Utah has Bird rights on Miles, who's on the last year of a four-year, $14.8MM contract and putting up 9.3 points a game and a 13.1 PER this season.
- In addition to rounding up the available free agents, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy checks in with J.J. Hickson, who's averaging 13 points a night and shooting 65.4% since the Blazers claimed him on waivers last week.
Kobe Preparing To Recruit Fisher, Odom?
Kobe Bryant is "planning a hard push" to try to bring Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom back to the Lakers this summer, a source tells Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Fisher and Odom were both traded by the Lakers over the last few months, but could become free agents in the offseason.
Fisher, who was traded to and then bought him by Houston, signed with the Thunder on a rest-of-season contract. Odom, meanwhile, was dealt to the Mavericks in December and has one more season left on his deal. His final year is only partially guaranteed though, and his play this season makes it unlikely the Mavs would want to pay him $8.9MM to return.
It's unclear whether returning to the Lakers is something either player wants, and team management would have to be on board as well. However, Howard-Cooper hears that Bryant will use his friendship with both players to try to convince them a return is in everyone's best interests. Asked about a potential reunion, Bryant remained fairly noncommittal.
"I don’t know," Bryant told NBA.com. "I would hope so. But I don’t know. When Fish and I talk, it’s about personal things because we’ve known each other for so long. Lamar too. We keep that other stuff out of it. It’s family, how are you doing, stuff like that."
Thunder Notes: Battier, Fisher, Free Agents
Tonight, the Thunder are taking on the Heat in what some consider to be a preview of the Finals. Close to 60 percent of Hoops Rumors readers, however, feel that at least one of the teams will falter before June. Let's take a look at some of the news out of Oklahoma City:
- The Thunder offered only two years and didn't provide as much of a chance for Shane Battier to get crunch-time minutes, and that's why he signed his three-year, $9.4MM deal with the Heat instead, Battier told Ethan J. Skolnick of The Palm Beach Post.
- ESPN's Marc Stein has the details on Derek Fisher's contract, passing along that the deal is worth $2.3MM for the rest of the season.
- Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman tweets that Thunder coach Scott Brooks envisions new backup point guard Derek Fisher playing 13 to 20 minutes a night, which suggests we could see more D-League stints for Reggie Jackson.
- While 10 members of the Heat were acquired via free agency, Fisher and Royal Ivey are the only free agent acquisitions on the Thunder, notes Brian Windhorst of ESPN, via Twitter.
Minor Moves: Reggie Jackson
After being demoted to the Tulsa 66ers of the D-League on Saturday, Reggie Jackson has been recalled by the Thunder to rejoin the team prior to Sunday's matchup with the Heat, reports Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman (via Twitter). In one game with the 66ers, Jackson scored 22 points, notched eight assists and grabbed seven rebounds. The former first-round pick out of Boston College will share time with the newly-acquired Derek Fisher in a crowded Thunder backcourt.
Minor Moves: Reggie Jackson
After signing Derek Fisher to help bolster their backcourt for the playoff push, the Thunder have assigned Reggie Jackson to the Tulsa 66ers of the D-League, tweets Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. Jackson, 21, was a first-round draft pick by the Thunder in 2011 out of Boston College. The first-year guard is currently averaging 3.4 PPG and 1.7 APG in limited action.
Odds & Ends: Sloan, Azubuike, Sessions, Heat
The deadline for players to be waived in order to be eligible for the playoffs with another team passed last night, and Chris Kaman, who would have been on the radar of just about every team needing a big man had he been bought out, is still with the Hornets. New Orleans "desperately" tried to trade him before last week's trade deadline, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, but didn't get a worthy offer. He'll be a free agent at season's end, and wants to sign with a contender then, Kennedy said. Here's the rest of what's shaking around the NBA:
- Guard Donald Sloan, who signed last week with the Cavs, gave reporters a little insight on his contract, as the end of this video on Cavs.com shows. His deal extends into next year, but is guaranteed only until the end of this season.
- Newest Mav Kelenna Azubuike, who drew raves from owner Mark Cuban last night, will start off with the Texas Legends, the Mavs D-League affiliate, notes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.
- The Hawks expressed interest in trading for Ramon Sessions before the Cavs wound up dealing him to the Lakers, Kennedy tweets.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel answered reader questions about the Heat. Despite this week's signing of Ronny Turiaf, much of the talk still revolves around the center position.
- Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld rounds up the players who could sign contracts worth as much as $10MM a year as free agents this summer.
- Syracuse sophomore guard Dion Waiters hasn't made up his mind about whether he'll enter the NBA Draft just yet, but he says the Spurs, Thunder and Jazz have called him in case he wants to give it a go, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY. He's projected to go in the middle of the first round, and could climb into the lottery, Zagoria writes.