Eastern Notes: Celtics, Drummond, Sixers
The new regime in Boston, led by former Butler coach Brad Stevens, is looking to fill out the rest of the staff positions during the down days before NBA training camps open at the beginning of October. ESPN NBA Insider Jeff Goodman tweets that they're looking to bring former Celtics swingman James Posey back into the Celtics fold as an assistant.
Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com adds that the Celtics have benefited from bringing in former players who can provide more hands-on instruction to their young roster. The C's had brought in former Lakers guard Tyronn Lue in that role in previous seasons to act as a practice body while providing additional tutelage.
Here's what else is happening around the Eastern Conference:
- In an open letter Ethan Sherwood-Strauss wrote for ESPN.com on Friday, he asked Andre Drummond about attempting to shoot free throws underhanded in an effort to improve his historically abysmal 37 percent average from the line during his rookie season.
- CBS Sports' Matt Moore reports that Drummond declined the offer on Twitter and Moore looks at some other big men that may have wanted to adopt the underhand free throw form popularized by Hall of Fame guard, Rick Barry.
- Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that Sixers fans need to calm down. The team isn't leaving Philadelphia despite concern stemming from the purchase of the New Jersey Devils and the Prudential Center by Sixers owner Joshua Harris.
- During the NBA's Rookie Transition Program in Tarrytown, New York two weeks ago, the New York Times' Joe Brescia spoke with Anthony Bennett about recovering from the torn labrum in his shoulder, and how he'll mesh with the Cavaliers' other power forward Tristan Thompson, and star point guard Kyrie Irving.
- Bobcats assistant Bob Beyer was charged with resisting arrest outside a bar in Saratoga Springs on Thursday.
Injury Notes: Gasol, Noah, Garnett, Lee
There aren't very many games left in the regular season, and the playoff picture in both conferences could look drastically different by mid-April with plenty of teams close together in the standings as of today. While it's not usual for us to focus on injuries, we have a few significant notes worth mentioning tonight:
- Pistons rookie big man Andre Drummond could be close to returning after a 21-game absence, says David Mayo of MLive. Although the Pistons aren't in the playoff race in the Eastern Conference, a few more regular season games couldn't hurt the former UConn product's development if healthy.
- Clippers guard Chauncey Billups is still day-to-day with a groin strain but could return on Tuesday against the Mavericks, writes Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles.
- Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times tweets that Lakers forward Antawn Jamison has ligament damage in his right wrist. Although he'll try to play through it, Jamison probably faces surgery in the offseason.
- According to Ken Berger of CBS Sports (via Twitter), the Grizzlies have announced that center Marc Gasol will be out indefinitely after re-aggravating an abdominal tear last night against the Hornets. Though they are ahead of the sixth place Warriors by a comfortable margin in the standings, Memphis is separated from the third place Nuggets by one game and the fourth place Clippers by just half a game.
- Joakim Noah will sit both of the Bulls' games this weekend as he continues to deal with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, says Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago. The team is currently one game behind the fifth-place Hawks and a half game ahead of the Celtics.
- Greg Payne of ESPN Boston says that both Courtney Lee and Kevin Garnett are individually recovering from sprained left ankles. There doesn't appear to be a sense that those injuries are expected to keep either out for an extended period of time, but with just 14 games left and Boston currently on a three-game slide, missing two key rotation players can't necessarily help.
- Knicks center Tyson Chandler has already missed six straight games due to a neck strain, and is still considered day-to-day (Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York reports). New York still remains atop the Atlantic Division, and while they are only one game behind the Pacers for second place in the East, the fourth place Nets aren't too far behind in their rear view mirror (1.5 games).
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.
Eastern Rumors: Drummond, Nets, Collins, Bulls
Pistons center Andre Drummond will miss four to six weeks with a stress fracture of the fifth lumbar vertebra in his back, as first reported by MLive's David Mayo (Twitter link), and confirmed by the team, via press release. Since Detroit has only faint hope of a playoff spot and has been limiting the rookie's minutes this year, it seems unlikely the injury will prompt a move, but the Pistons do have pro-rated portions of their mid-level and biannual exceptions available. While Detroit fans endure another test to their patience, here's more on a handful of squads they'd like their team to someday surpass in the Eastern Conference:
- With a pair of rumors surfacing today that link the Nets to Josh Smith and Ben Gordon, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News shares responses from Joe Johnson (via Sulia), Kris Humphries and coach P.J. Carlesimo that suggest the team may be open to a move (Twitter links).
- In the midst of a frustrating season for the Sixers, Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News wonders whether coach Doug Collins will return next season.
- In an Insider piece, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com shares insight from executives who believe the Bulls, with a healthy Derrick Rose, will be the Heat's most significant threat in the East.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times runs down a list of reasons the Bulls should keep Carlos Boozer, opining that Andrea Bargnani, the centerpiece of a proposed deal with the Raptors, wouldn't be a fit in coach Tom Thibodeau's system. I looked at Boozer's trade candidacy earlier tonight.
- Sam Smith of Bulls.com gives his take on Boozer and other issues surrounding Chicago and the rest of the league as part of a lengthy mailbag piece.
Pistons Notes: Stuckey, Drummond, Monroe
The latest news and notes on the Detroit Pistons on Sunday afternoon:
- Rodney Stuckey is frustrated by his inconsistent play this season, writes Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News.
- David Mayo of MLive.com writes that Andre Drummond is not angry over his limited minutes, saying that he trusts Lawrence Frank.
- Mayo writes in another column that Drummond and Greg Monroe will play together when Monroe matures as a player.
Central Notes: Pistons, Cousins, Livingston
The only game involving a Central Division team tonight features two clubs that have been linked in trade rumors of late, as the Pistons play host to the Kings. Detroit has drawn mention as a possible landing spot for DeMarcus Cousins, but there's been some doubt about whether GM Joe Dumars would pull the trigger on such a deal. We've got more on that and other news from the Central right here:
- The Pistons consider Andre Drummond "untouchable" and view Greg Monroe almost as highly, notes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, writing for USA Today. Ellis, who thinks the Kings "would be laughed out of the league" if they traded Cousins to Detroit without getting either Drummond or Monroe in return, hears from Pistons officials who confirmed the team has changed its stance on Cousins since 2010, when Detroit tried to move up in the draft to acquire him.
- Even if such a deal isn't going to happen, Cousins doesn't mind his name coming up in the same breath Monroe's, as Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News reveals via Twitter. "I don't like being compared to anybody but it's no disrespect being compared to Greg," Cousins said. "Very underrated player."
- Shaun Livingston wasn't caught off guard when the Cavs claimed him off waivers on Christmas, and now that he has a couple of practices under his belt, coach Byron Scott is ready to insert him into the rotation, as Bob Finnan of The News-Herald details. "I know (coach) Byron (Scott) has been interested in me for the last couple years," Livingston said. When they called, I wasn't totally shocked."
Aldridge On Nets, Phil Jackson, Cousins
It may be New Year's Eve, but that doesn't mean TNT's David Aldridge is taking a break from his weekly Morning Tip piece on NBA.com. In this week's column, Aldridge recaps the top 10 stories of 2012, including the Lakers' coaching carousel, the Dwightmare, and LeBron James' first NBA championship. He also dishes a few rumors on the Nets' coaching search and DeMarcus Cousins' availability, so let's check out the highlights:
- According to Aldridge, the Nets thought that Avery Johnson carried his desire for a contract extension too far, considering plenty of other respected coaches around the league began coaching in the final year of their respective contracts without extensions.
- While the Nets are saying P.J. Carlesimo will get a shot to prove he deserves to be the team's permanent head coach, Phil Jackson is still expected to get the first call if and when Brooklyn begins a coaching search in earnest. "It's Phil," a league coaching source tells Aldridge. "That's coming straight from Russia."
- Kings GM Geoff Petrie insists that Cousins is not on the trade block in Sacramento: "He's not going anywhere. You can lay that to rest. Some of that stuff lives in its own reality." However, Aldridge hears from sources that the Kings are ready to consider moving the volatile big man for "a package of less talented, perhaps, but more emotionally grounded players."
- Some members of the Kings were surprised when Cousins was reinstated and showed up for practice so soon after being suspended, and weren't overly moved by his attempt to apologize. "When he apologized to the team, two players stood up and said 'we've heard this bull(bleep) before,'" a source tells Aldridge. "'You're either going to be with us, or you're not. We don't want to hear any more excuses.'"
- Examining teams with rumored interest in Cousins, Aldridge makes note of some potential roadblocks: The Celtics would be reluctant to part with Avery Bradley in any trade, the Pistons wouldn't be eager to pair Cousins with Andre Drummond, who Aldridge says "has his own growing up to do," and the Wizards likely wouldn't want to take on someone of questionable character after clearing the roster of that sort of player within the last year.
Eastern Notes: Cousins, Nets, Hibbert
The Pistons reportedly have plenty of interest in DeMarcus Cousins, but Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News believes GM Joe Dumars has cooled on Cousins as Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond have developed (Twitter link). In another tweet, Goodwill asserts that Detroit won't be dealing any picks and thinks that the Celtics could offer Rajon Rondo in what would be the most attractive trade package for Sacramento. With that aside, here are a few more links we've gathered up out of the Eastern Conference tonight:
- Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun believes the Raptors would have to bite if the Kings offered Cousins for Andrea Bargnani, but he's not optimistic Cousins can overcome his volatile personality (Twitter links).
- Tim Bontemps of the New York Post dissects Mikhail Prokhorov's remarks to reporters on Friday, concluding that the Nets owner is sold on Phil Jackson and would entertain keeping P.J. Carlesimo for the rest of the season if he can't get the Zen Master of Jeff Van Gundy immediately.
- Roy Hibbert got off to a disconcerting start this season after signing a four-year deal for the maximum in the offseason, but his play has picked up of late, as HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham chronicles.
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel believes the Magic, at 12-16, have little chance of landing a high lottery pick, and writes that the team should set its sights on making the playoffs instead. Schmitz also speculates that Stan Van Gundy's next coaching job will be on the West Coast, and doesn't foresee Phil Jackson taking the Nets job.
- In a Q&A with The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer, Cavaliers guard Shaun Livingston discusses the career-altering injury he suffered six years ago, being cut by the Rockets, and playing alongside Kyrie Irving.
Eastern Notes: Johnson, Lee, Drummond, Bobcats
After hitting a game-winning shot against Detroit, Joe Johnson is beginning to find his rhythm in Brooklyn, according to Newsday's Roderick Boone.
- Courtney Lee is not worried about the shooting slump he's gone through to start the season, writes CSNNE.com's A. Sherrod Blakely. With him now eligible for a trade, there's much speculation that the Celtics could look to move their recently acquired shooting guard.
- The Pistons are having a difficult time figuring out how to maximize Andre Drummond's minutes, writes MLive.com's David Mayo.
- The Bobcats have a difficult situation approaching with regards to the future first round pick they still owe the Bulls due to the Tyrus Thomas trade, writes Charlotte Observer reporter Rick Bonnell.
East Notes: Smith, Drummond, Cavs
The latest news and notes from around the Eastern Conference on Sunday afternoon:
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes that the historically inconsistent J.R. Smith has actually been one of the most reliable players this season for the Knicks.
- The Pistons are a league-worst 0-7, but coach Lawrence Frank is determined not to rush Andre Drummond into heavy action so early in his career, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com examines.
- Cavs coach Byron Scott isn't sold on analytics, as Bob Finnan of The News-Herald notes.