Dwight Howard Rumors: Thursday
The Magic easily handled the Nets last night behind Dwight Howard's 20 points and 17 rebounds — after Orlando jumped out to a 17-point first quarter lead, the teams, rather improbably, tied each of the remaining quarters, resulting in a 108-91 Magic win. However, Howard was humbled by the show the Nets put on for him, including a pyrotechnic display and chants of "We want Dwight!" Howard declined comment when asked if saw potential in New Jersey's current roster, says Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com, but that won't stop the rumors and speculation from flying. Here's the latest on Howard:
- Howard's agent Dan Fegan "badly wants a client in the New York market," according to Dave D'Alessandro of the Star-Ledger.
- While his name has frequently popped up in Howard trade rumors, Brook Lopez would love to play with D12, as he tells Fred Kerber of the New York Post. This scenario could only happen if Howard signed with the Nets as a free agent.
- RealGM has a year-by-year breakdown of the contracts Howard could sign in free agency with his end-of-season team or a new team.
Atlantic Notes: Lopez, Smith, Humphries, Raptors
With Jeremy Lin stealing most of the Atlantic's headlines, let's take a look around the rest of the division to see what else is going on:
- Nets center Brook Lopez will make his season debut on Sunday against the Bucks at home after breaking his right foot during a preseason game in December, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal. The Nets had hopes at the beginning of the season of using Lopez, 23, as a trade chip to acquire Magic center Dwight Howard before Lopez suffered the injury.
- Jeremy Wagner of The New York Times holds out hope that the newest addition to the Knicks bench can prove doubters wrong with strong play on the court and proper decision-making off the court. J.R. Smith, 26, shared MVP honors of the 2004 McDonald's All-American game with Howard, and according to Wagner, was anxious to prove himself that night thanks to the presence of Carmelo Anthony, who was sitting courtside.
- One of the worst teams in the league knocked off one of the best teams on Saturday when the Nets shutdown the Bulls 97-85 in Chicago. In a performance that's bound to get other teams on the phone with the Nets to start trade talk, Kris Humphries lit up the scoreboard with 24 points and 18 rebounds in 45 minutes of play. After two consecutive 20-point and 10-rebound games, Humphries is currently averaging 13.2 PPG and 10.2 RPG on the season.
- The Raptors are struggling to construct an identity on both offense and defense, writes Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun. They aren't considering trades to shake up the roster at this point, but rather are looking at extra practice time to help the 9-23 squad make adjustments heading into All-Star Weekend.
Odds & Ends: Lopez, Seattle, Jackson
Some notes from around the league on Friday night:
- Andy Vasquez of The Record reports that Brook Lopez may make his 2011/12 season debut tomorrow against the Bulls. Lopez has not played this year and is often mentioned as the centerpiece of a potential Dwight Howard deal for the Nets.
- The proposal is in place for a new NBA arena in Seattle, but the AP's Tim Booth points out that there are still hurdles to be cleared before the plan can progress.
- Stephen Jackson tells HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy that he is frustrated with his playing time in Milwaukee and does not foresee sticking around with the Bucks long-term.
- Journeyman Jeff Adrien, who has bounced around the Warriors, Rockets, and D-League since 2010, has signed a deal to play in Russia with Khimki Moscow.
Atlantic Notes: Lopez, Carmelo, Sixers, Celtics
Away from all the hoopla in Manhattan, Deron Williams looked to remain focused about his upcoming matchup tonight against the Grizzlies. When asked about the recent emergence of Jeremy Lin, Williams seemed apathetic. "Y'all got anything about [our game]?" Williams asked. "Anything that's relevant with us?"
That's where we come in. Here are a few notes about the Nets and the rest of the Atlantic Division.
- Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News mentioned (via Twitter) a possible return of Nets center Brook Lopez before the All-Star break. Also, Colin Stephenson of The Star-Ledger tweeted that Jordan Farmar did not suit up for tonight's game due to a strained right groin.
- Ian Begley of ESPN New York writes that Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony could return as early as Friday's game against the Hornets.
- Bob Cooney of Philly.com discusses the uncertainty of how active the Sixers will be in the trade market before the deadline.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com touches upon the durability of Kevin Garnett, the trade value of Jermaine O'Neal, and the current state of the Celtics.
- Linas Kleiza is out of the Raptors lineup after injuring himself during Tuesday's game against the Knicks, according to a tweet by Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Stevenson, Bargnani
Jeremy Lin's bandwagon is getting mighty crowded after the Harvard grad outscored Kobe Bryant 38-34 in a 92-85 win for the Knicks over the Lakers tonight. HoopsWorld writer Alex Kennedy tweets that the locker room chatter suggests Lin, a restricted free-agent at season's end, could get a contract on par with Wesley Matthews, who inked a five-year, $34MM contract with the Blazers after his impressive rookie season in Utah. But as Brian Cronin of KnickerBlogger.net points out, Lin will be limited to receiving the full mid-level exception. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, the mid-level exception is four years, starting at $5MM a year with annual raises of 4.5%.
Notes from elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:
- Peter Vecsey of the New York Post delved into the past to reveal how the Nets nearly drafted Bryant in 1996.
- Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni believes Lin and Carmelo Anthony will fit together just fine when Melo returns from injury, reports Al Iannazzone of New York Newsday. The coach believes it will be similar to the way Chauncey Billups and Anthony meshed with both the Nuggets and the Knicks.
- The Nets made a $12,000 investment in DeShawn Stevenson's knees. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reports that the team paid for Stevenson to get the same blood-spinning treatment Kobe Bryant received. Stephenson, who paid for the other half of the $24,000 procedure, says his arthritic knees feel as healthy as they have since 2004. Stephenson also said that Knicks point guard Baron Davis had the same treatment as well.
- Brook Lopez, who's been out since training camp with a broken foot, is on his way back for the Nets. He's set to practice this week, Andy Vasquez writes on NorthJersey.com.
- James Johnson tells Raptors announcer Matt Devlin that the absense of Andrea Bargnani, who could be out until after the All-Star Break, is affecting the play of the rest of the team. His comments are at the four-minute mark of this video on Raptors.com.
Atlantic Notes: J.R. Smith, Lopez, Allen
Awful news out of Florida to start the week, as TMZ reports Amare Stoudemire's older brother was killed in a car crash this morning. Stoudemire is en route to Florida to be with his family, and will miss tonight's game against the Jazz. Our condolences go out to Amare and his family.
Here are the morning items out of the Atlantic division:
- The Knicks may have the advantage when J.R. Smith becomes an unrestricted free agent, says Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. New York can offer Smith more money than other suitors like the Clippers, along with a possible starting spot.
- Carmelo Anthony told reporters, including ESPNNewYork's Ian Begley, that he thinks Smith could handle New York and that he'd like to see the Knicks sign the former Nugget: "If it happens, it happens and I'll be happy."
- There's no timetable for Brook Lopez's return from his foot surgery, but his rehab is going well and he could return to practice soon, according to Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger. The Nets could use a healthy Lopez not only on the court, but also as a potential trade chip to acquire Dwight Howard.
- Lavoy Allen has become a valuable asset for the 76ers in the wake of multiple frontcourt injuries, writes Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News.
Odds & Ends: Noel, D’Antoni, Smith, Lopez, Russell
The Knicks suffered another tough loss last night as they fell to the Celtics, 91-89. Here's more on New York and other items from around the league..
- Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak doesn't regret trading Lamar Odom to the Mavericks in December, writes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.
- Kyle Singler isn't sure if he'll play for the Pistons next season, writes Justin Rogers of MLive.com. The Duke product, who was taken in the second round by Detroit in 2011, says he's enjoying his time with Real Madrid in Spain.
- Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star asked Andrea Bargnani if he'll consider leaving the Raptors at the end of his deal in 2015. The former No. 1 overall pick said that he has made it "pretty clear" that he wants to remain in Toronto.
- Chauncey Billups recruited Kenyon Martin heavily to join the Clippers, tweets J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today. Martin and Billups are both represented by agent Andy Miller.
- Massachusetts high school center Nerlens Noel now appears to be in line for the 2013 NBA Draft rather than 2014 after reclassification, writes Adam Zagoria for Sheridan Hoops. Earlier this week, Noel told Dave Telep of ESPN.com that he's now set to graduate with the class of '12 rather than '13. The center now projects as the top pick in the 2013 draft according to DraftExpress.com.
- Despite uncertainty surrounding his job, Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni will not be fired today despite back-to-back, last-second losses to the Bulls and Celtics, NBA sources tell Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- Even though the Knicks were linked to Kenyon Martin, the guy that they've really had their eye on is J.R. Smith, writes Moke Hamilton of Sheridan Hoops. Smith said to be considering five teams, including New York. The Clippers are also in that group but they can only make Smith a minimum offer after agreeing to sign Martin using their room exception.
- Six weeks after undergoing surgery on his right foot, Nets center Brook Lopez still isn't sure when he'll be able to return, writes Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger. The Nets will likely need a healthy Lopez in order to put together a package for Orlando's Dwight Howard.
- Friday marks the league deadline for teams to either release players with non-guaranteed contracts or guarantee their deals for the rest of the season. Pistons 29-year-old rookie Walker Russell is making a strong case to stay with Detroit, writes David Mayo of MLive.com.