Odds & Ends: Heat, Harden, Gasol, Lakers
Whether you love or hate the Heat, you should appreciate the team while it's still in place, writes Ian Thomsen of SportsIllustrated.com. In 2014/15, the "repeater" tax will kick in and bring the most severe financial penalties for high-payroll teams that the league has ever seen. One rival GM predicted that owner Micky Arison will have to break up the big three of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh before that happens. More from around the Association..
- Rockets star James Harden told KGOW in Houston that he's already working towards recruiting another elite player, writes Steven Cuce of Sports Radio Interviews. “One player is not going to win a championship. Nowadays you need two or maybe more. I’ve definitely started the recruiting process. We need more guys to come over here, so we can win. For right now we are going to stick with the players we have and try to run with that,” Harden said.
- Pau Gasol's trade value is falling, one GM who previously had interest in the Lakers forward tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (via Twitter). "Now you have to wonder if some of his performance issues are knee-related," said the GM.
- The Lakers were right to turn down offers from Gasol from the Raptors and T'Wolves, writes Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports. Minnesota reportedly pitched former No. 2 overall pick Derrick Williams and center Nikola Pekovic while Toronto's package centers around Andrea Bargnani.
- Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com (video link) looks at a few trade candidates around the league including Jazz big man Al Jefferson.
Berger On Lakers, White, Thunder, Fisher
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com has a new column dealing with several high-profile topics from around the NBA. Here are the highlights:
- Berger writes that if the Lakers choose to trade Pau Gasol, they should look for wing defenders and bench depth.
- The Rockets and Royce White appear to be making progress in working through the issues that have prevented the rookie from seeing playing time. Berger reports that White has begun seeing the therapist the team assigned to him to assist with his anxiety disorder.
- Kevin Martin is having a fantastic season for the Thunder, who Berger believes have been vindicated for their decision to trade James Harden.
- Thunder guard Russell Westbrook praised the Mavericks' signing of Derek Fisher, citing the veteran point guard's impact on the Oklahoma City locker room last season.
Latest On Pau Gasol
Despite building chatter that the Lakers will trade forward Pau Gasol, the club may opt to keep him to satisfy guard Steve Nash. The club landed Nash this summer by promising him that he would get to play with the Spaniard, a source tells Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (via Twitter).
Nash, the source says, turned down offers from the Knicks and passed on the opportunity to return to Canada with the Raptors because he was promised that Gasol would stay. It’s possible, of course, that Nash re-thinks his position if the team continues to struggle upon his return.
Agreements such as this aren’t unheard of in the league as Chris Paul made similar personnel demands as part of his agreement to be dealt to the Clippers. Paul demanded that the Clippers would do whatever was necessary to retain restricted free agent DeAndre Jordan.
Yesterday we learned that General Manager Mitch Kupchak recently spoke with Gasol’s representatives and explained that the team will have to explore trade possibilities if his play doesn’t improve. The forward missed last night’s game against the Rockets due to tendinitis in both knees but benching had nothing to do with an impending deal.
Latest On Pau Gasol
2:17pm: League executives believe that Los Angeles won't have any real discussions for Gasol until Steve Nash returns, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated tweets. They also believe that they Lakers will hold off until after December 15th, when players who signed contracts over the summer can be traded.
1:32pm: Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak recently spoke with Gasol's representatives and explained that the team will have no choice but to explore trade possibilities if Gasol is unable to adjust to Mike D'Antoni's system, multiple league sources tell ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin. Gasol, who has been the subject of heavy trade speculation for weeks, will miss tonight's game due to tendinitis in both knees. However, the resting has to do specifically with the big man's injury and isn't being prompted by a forthcoming trade
The former four-time All-Star has career low numbers so far in 2012/13, averaging 12.6 PPG and 8.8 RPG in 34.8 minutes per contest. From a team standpoint, the Spaniard doesn't seem to mesh well in the club's offensive system or make a strong complement to center Dwight Howard. Gasol's mental lapses on the court have also been well documented and have been a recurring problem for the club over the last couple of years.
Lakers Targeting Ryan Anderson
Ryan Anderson is the number one target of the Lakers if they decide to trade Pau Gasol, an NBA source told Jabari Davis of SheridanHoops.com. The list of players that they would covet in a Gasol deal is a short one and they see the Hornets forward as the best fit of anyone who could realistically be had.
However, not everyone in the Lakers front office is on board with trading Gasol. General Manager Mitch Kupchak is opposed to such a move while Jim Buss, the man who made the decision to hire Mike D’Antoni instead of Phil Jackson, wants to deal him.
“The interest is coming from the Lakers, not New Orleans,” the source said. “[Kupchak] would prefer to keep Pau, as would Kobe. [Buss] would prefer to continue cleaning house, and bring in players able to fit a more fast-paced style of play."
For the Lakers to land Anderson, they'd likely have to find a third team to take Gasol and give the Hornets a replacement for Anderson at power forward plus valuable picks. Davis notes that the Bulls own a Bobcats first-round pick from their 2010 Tyrus Thomas trade. The pick is top-12 protected in the 2013 draft, top-ten protected in 2014, top-eight protected in 2015 and unprotected in 2016.
Pacific Notes: Gasol, Howard, Curry
The latest news and notes around the Pacific Division on Sunday evening:
- Eddie Johnson of HoopsHype writes that the Lakers are beginning to accept the reality that Pau Gasol is not a long-term fit for Mike D'Antoni's system. However, Johnson notes that Gasol's age and contract make it difficult to move him.
- As pleased as Dwight Howard seems to be as a member of the Lakers, he refuses to talk about whether he'll remain in L.A. when his contract is up next summer, notes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
- Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News writes that a newly healthy Stephen Curry is seeing a spike in his production this season.
Western Notes: Gasol, Jamison, Shved, Casspi
Since taking over as head coach of the Lakers, Mike D'Antoni has had difficulty utilizing Pau Gasol. The primary reason is because he wants to stretch the floor for Dwight Howard, writes the Los Angeles Times' Eric Pincus.
- Also from Pincus, Antawn Jamison is beginning to look comfortable with his new team.
- The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer takes a look at Timberwolves rookie point guard Alexey Shved.
- Cavaliers forward Omri Casspi is playing pretty good basketball of late, and it's all the more impressive when you take into account what he's dealing with in his personal life, writes the New York Times' Hillel Kuttler.
Western Notes: Gasol, Lillard, Williams, Mavs
The latest news and notes around the Western Conference on Friday evening:
- Robert Silverman of the New York Times wonders what sort of return the Lakers could get if they decided to trade Pau Gasol.
- Nicole Auerbach of USA Today has a feature on Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard and the impact he is having on other players hoping to make it to the NBA from mid-major schools.
- HoopsWorld.com's Bill Ingram thinks it's too early for the Timberwolves to give up on Derrick Williams.
- Ingram also thinks the Mavericks will be able to get a couple more high-level seasons out of Dirk Nowitzki.
- John Reid of the Times-Picayune writes that Hornets coach Monty Williams is urging guard Brian Roberts to shoot more.
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.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Virginia Beach, Billups
The latest update on Virginia Beach's arena proposal comes from Dale Kasler, Tony Bizjak, and Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee. According to the Bee report, the arena proposal would include commitments of $150MM from the state of Virginia, $195MM from the city of Virginia Beach, and just $35MM from Comcast-Spectator. Part of that cost would be put toward relocating a professional sports team, presumably the Sacramento Kings, to Virginia Beach.
Given that the proposal calls for 90% public funding, it's already drawing opposition from some public officials, according to the Bee report — city councilman Bill DeSteph suggested that Virginia Beach "can't afford" to put $195MM into the project.
As we wait to see if Virginia Beach's arena plan continues to move forward, here are a few more notes from around the Pacific Division:
- Rob McAllister of Cowbell Kingdom is skeptical that Virginia Beach is really a viable relocation option for the Kings, contending that the Maloofs are playing the city in order to boost the value of the franchise.
- Chauncey Billups' return to the Clippers lineup was timely, writes Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game, who says Billups helped quell a locker-room revolt last season and could be instrumental in convincing Chris Paul to remain long-term with the Clips.
- Young Warriors players like Jeremy Tyler and Kent Bazemore could be shuttled back and forth between the NBA and the D-League this season, given the proximity of the team's Santa Cruz affiliate, writes Carl Steward of the Oakland Tribune.
- Making his case for why the Lakers should trade Pau Gasol, Sean Deveney of the Sporting News writes that it's "becoming obvious that the rumor mill may know something the Lakers and Gasol don’t seem to know — he would be better off elsewhere."