Odds & Ends: Howard, Morris, Anderson, Knicks
While there haven't been any big Dwight Howard rumors so far today, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel indicates that there has been a "shift in tone" in how Howard's desires are perceived. As we documented yesterday, the rumors are running wild, seemingly due to Howard's ambivalence. Here is what else is going on around the league on this Wednesday evening:
- Brian Schmitz from the Orlando Sentinel takes a look at the some of the hardships facing the Magic leading up to the trade deadline, including their tough schedule and inconsistency.
- Eddie Sefko from the Dallas Morning News says (via chat), should Dwight Howard not get traded by March 15th, he considers the Mavericks the heavy favorites to land both Howard and Deron Williams. He also mentions Gerald Wallace and C.J. Miles as potential complimentary fits around Dirk Nowitzki, Howard and Williams.
- According to Yahoo's Marc Spears, Lakers assign rookie guard Darius Morris to the NBDL D-Fenders. Mike Bresnahan, Lakers beat writer for the L.A. Times, adds that Morris is still counted on the roster and will continue to get paid as a Laker.
- Chris Bernucca from Sheridan Hoops examines some of the recent deadline deals, and their impact on the league today.
- Magic forward Ryan Anderson has been trying to block out the Dwight Howard rumors, says Brian Schmitz from the Orlando Sentinel. Anderson knows he could be packaged with Howard, or traded to get Howard help.
- Mike D'Antoni recognizes that the Knicks are struggling with Carmelo Anthony and Jeremy Lin on the floor, but D'Antoni thinks it's a solvable problem, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
Lawrence: Knicks Not Planning Major Moves
In a new column about the chemistry the Jeremy Lin-era Knicks have developed, Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News says that the team's owner, James Dolan, wants to see how the current group grows and is not planning any major shake-ups at the trading deadline.
Lawrence, citing an Eastern Conference GM who had a recent conversation with the Knicks, believes that Dolan likes the chemistry between Lin and Carmelo Anthony and doesn't think another move is necessary. He also points out that, between the huge contracts of Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chander, the Knicks wouldn't have many assets to trade if they were inclined to make changes. However, Lawrence doesn't rule out the long-shot possibility of Dolan making a run at Deron Williams or Dwight Howard if the opportunity were to present itself.
Knicks Notes: Chandler, Lin, Anthony
After reeling off seven straight victories, the Knicks look to avoid a losing streak as they take on the Mavericks in a nationally-televised game on Sunday. With Carmelo Anthony still unlikely to play due to a lingering groin injury, the Knicks will have to rely on getting quality minutes from Steve Novak, who has exceeded any expectations with four double-digit performances in Anthony's absence. Let's see what else is happening with the Knicks as their schedule gets set to become a bit more difficult in the coming week:
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com begs you to forget Linsanity for a moment and focus on center Tyson Chandler, the true leader in the Knicks' locker room and one of the major reasons for the team's recent success. After winning a championship last season in Dallas, Chandler is now taking players like Lin under his wing to provide tutelage and build camaraderie amongst his teammates.
- Jeremy Lin's path to Madison Square Garden stardom took an interesting path, writes Newsday's Ian Iannazzone in his latest Knicks insider column. From draft day decisions to Lin's choice of wanting to live closer to home when offered a contract by the Mavericks, there are countless scenarios that could have precluded Lin from donning the Knicks' orange and blue.
- Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press says that while Lin has done a great job handling the fame-side of Linsanity, he needs to do a better job keeping control of the basketball. The Knicks streak of seven consecutive victories came to a halt when Lin turned the ball over a career-high nine times on Friday against an underwhelming Hornets squad.
- Anthony finally has the pieces in place to make a wholehearted run at the NBA title this spring, says ESPNNewYork.com's Ian O'Connor. O'Connor points to a suddenly loaded Knicks backcourt along with what was already a top-flight frontcourt as reasons why Anthony could secure his legacy with a ring come June.
Kyler’s Latest: Brand, Love, Lin, Anthony
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld fielded questions from his followers on Twitter this morning, focusing on everyone's favorite topics — Jeremy Lin and Dwight Howard. In addition to his morning tweets, Kyler also has an NBA AM piece up at HoopsWorld that includes a few interesting tidbits. Here are some of the highlights:
- 76ers forward Elton Brand has an early termination option for 2012/13 worth about $18.16MM which will almost certainly be picked up. He intends to keep playing well past next season though, if his body allows it: "Everything hurts now but I still love playing the game and it's a joy coming out and competing against the best guys every night and having some success with the team, it feels good."
- Kevin Love says the presence of Rick Adelman is a big reason why he signed a long-term extension with the Timberwolves: "He's allowed me to play with a lot of confidence and he's a coach that I enjoy playing for and I think everyone will say that in this locker room."
- Addressing some Knicks trade speculation that has arisen since Lin's emergence, Kyler says it's way too early to talk about trading either Lin or Carmelo Anthony. While Kyler acknowledges that Carmelo is a tradable asset, he says the Knicks need to see the two players on the court together before jumping to any conclusions. I think this goes without saying — I don't expect we'll see Anthony leaving the Knicks anytime soon. I'm betting he and Lin will co-exist better that people are anticipating.
Atlantic Notes: Lopez, Carmelo, Sixers, Celtics
- 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.
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Knicks, Celtics, Bulls
Teams in three of the top markets in the NBA, the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and New York Knicks, are struggling through disappointing seasons (though the Knicks have picked up lately under the promise of Linsanity). A fourth big-market club, the Chicago Bulls, now has a potential injury problem.
- Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports officials from the Lakers attended a private workout for Gilbert Arenas. Arenas was amnestied this off-season by the Orlando Magic, and is hoping the same knee procedure that benefited Kobe Bryant in the off-season can produce similar results.
- Amare Stoudemire returns Monday and Al Iannazzone of Newsday wonders how the Knicks' offense will look when Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony return. Stoudemire seems a natural fit alongside Lin. His skill set has always been maximized alongside a pick and roll point guard. Anthony, however, is one of the best isolation scorers in the NBA and the ball tends to stop in his hands.
- Derrick Rose sat Sunday's game against the Celtics out with a back injury and will meet with some specialists Monday in Chicago reports Neil Hayes at the Chicago Sun-Times. Rose had similar back issues in high school, but this is the first time he's had trouble since. The Bulls lack the star power of some of the other team, but compensate with their depth and chemistry. That chemistry, however, still depends on Rose operating near peak form.
- Brandon Bass is ailing, and Jermaine O'Neal is often injured. The Celtics have been looking for front court depth for some time. Today they got some good minutes from rookie JuJuan Johnson and veteran Chris Wilcox writes Green Street's Mike Petraglia.
- Paul Flannery of WEEI.com wonders if Rajon Rondo is the centerpiece of the next generation of Celtics, or will he prove to be too unorthodox for a team minus three future Hall of Famers?
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.
Knicks Notes: Anthony, Davis, Stoudemire
With 15 points, eight assists and two steals three quarters into his first start as a Knick, Jeremy Lin is making a strong case to cool some of the point guard trade rumors surrounding Madison Square Garden. Beyond Lin, the uncertain state of the Knicks roster has occupied NBA conversation in the wake of new and old health concerns as well as personal tragedy.
Here are a few evening items on the Knicks as they lead the Utah Jazz 75-73 through three quarters of play:
- Already limited by Amare Stoudemire's untimely departure from the team, the Knicks lost All-Star starter Carmelo Anthony early in the first quarter to a strained groin, reports ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley. Anthony will not return to the game and may require the Knicks to scour the D-League for frontcourt help.
- Baron Davis is not expected to join the Knicks until after the All-Star break (Feb. 24-27) thanks to an elbow infection, writes Matt Buser of Yahoo! Sports. If newly-minted starter Lin cannot build on his breakout performance of Saturday night, the Knicks could look to sign a point guard to a 10-day contract, which teams can now offer free agents as of today.
- Reeling from the loss of his brother in a traffic accident earlier this morning, Stoudemire's status with the team remains unknown as he flew to Florida to be with his family, says Newsday's Al Iannazzone. With three more games this week, the Knicks will start Jared Jeffries at power forward, who may be able to boost his trade value as he currently has 13 points and seven rebounds through three quarters this evening.
Trade Machine: Sessions To Knicks
The New York Knicks, losers of 11 of their past 14 games, need a point guard. The Cavaliers, having an excellent backup point guard in Ramon Sessions, need as many young pieces around their star rookie point guard Kyrie Irving as possible.
Despite the Knicks previous reluctance to part with last year's prized second round pick Landry Fields, a trade package centered around Fields and Sessions would appear to make sense for both teams.
The Knicks offense has sputtered out of the gate this season, averaging 94.7 ppg–good for 14th in the NBA. They are currently 24th in the league with 18.9 assists per game. Those two aspects of the game had previously been staples of a Mike D'Antoni offense.
Sessions, currently averaging 9.2 points and 4.8 assists per game in just slightly over 20 minutes, would provide the Knicks with the pick and roll ball handler the Knicks sorely lack, allowing D'Antoni to open up his system and properly utilize Amare Stoudemire.
Fields, a surprising second round find, would provide, at worst, quality depth on the wings for a team that leans heavily on Antawn Jamison, Alonzo Gee, Anthony Parker, and Daniel Gibson.
While the Knicks have Baron Davis waiting in the wings, relying on a player with his history of injuries and conditioning troubles in the condensed lockout season could be a recipe for disaster. Not that playing Anthony in a point forward role hasn't been so far this season.
Even though Sessions likely would not be the long term answer, the Knicks have a lot of decisions to make this offseason, and it would be best to evaluate D'Antoni and his system in its natural habitat, with a point guard that can execute his offense.
Anthony Says Team Backs D’Antoni
The 7-13 start by the Knicks, who've lost nine of 10, has coach Mike D'Antoni on the hot seat. Carmelo Anthony says none of that pressure is coming from the locker room.
Anthony says he and his teammates haven't tuned D'Antoni out, according to Ian Begley of ESPN New York.
"Anytime teams are losing, that's the first thing that comes to mind, the coach. But we don't talk about that," Anthony said. "We support Mike 100%. He's here with us, we're here with him, and we're going to roll with that."
Effective up-tempo offense has long been D'Antoni's calling card, but the team ranked 24th in offensive efficiency entering Monday.
Stephen A. Smith of ESPN.com painted a grim picture of D'Antoni's future in a story earlier on Monday.