Kyler On Gasol, Redick, Varejao, Lakers, Fredette
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld took to Twitter today to field a variety of trade-related questions from his followers. Some of Kyler's tweets were particularly notable, so let's round up the highlights below (all links go to Twitter)….
- The Lakers have kicked the tires on Pau Gasol trades in the past and are aware that any move they make would be a downgrade. Kyler notes that if the team falls out of contention, a Lamar Odom-esque salary dump is a possibility, but it's hard to imagine that happening this season.
- Even though J.J. Redick is on an expiring contract, a deal isn't necessarily likely since Redick fits the culture the Magic are trying to establish. Asked specifically about a potential swap with the Timberwolves involving Redick and Derrick Williams, Kyler says the Magic would want to include at least one bad contract in that type of move.
- The Cavaliers continue to say Anderson Varejao isn't available, but Kyler thinks the team will have to cash him in at some point.
- The Hawks still intend to re-sign Josh Smith next summer and build around him.
- Having traded most of their first-round picks in other deals, the Lakers no longer have the draft picks to facilitate a contract dump, so the team will find it difficult to move a point guard like Steve Blake or Chris Duhon.
- The Lakers have talked about the possibility of adding Mickael Pietrus, Delonte West, or Raja Bell, but nothing is close.
- Kyler also reiterates a point he's made before, saying Jimmer Fredette is unhappy with the Kings.
Pacific Notes: Bogut, Gasol, Kings, Virginia Beach
Microfracture surgery carries a worrisome stigma for NBA players, with guys like Penny Hardaway, Chris Webber, and Greg Oden having undergone the procedure on their knees in the past. However, in revealing that Andrew Bogut underwent microfracture surgery on his ankle this year, Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times cautions that Bogut's situation is different.
According to Thompson, the microfracture aspect wasn't the major part of Bogut's surgery, and simply addressed a "minor" cartilage issue. The original timetable for Bogut's return took into account the procedure, and while the Warriors had hoped that timetable had accelerated, the big man's latest setback suggests he won't be back at full strength until 2013.
Here are a few more notes from around the Pacific Division:
- Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni scoffed at speculation that Pau Gasol isn't a fit for his system, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News details. "I don't see how a player as smart as he is, as talented as he is and efficient as he is, doesn't fit in anybody's schemes," D'Antoni said. "I got to reevaluate myself if I can't play with Pau Gasol. Come on. He's won two championships."
- Tyreke Evans is off to a good start in a new role for the Kings, and coach Keith Smart doesn't believe the strides Evans has made are the result of his playing for a contract. Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee has the details.
- According to WAVY-TV 10 sports director Bruce Rader, plans for a new arena in Virginia Beach have taken another step forward. Rader reports that Virginia Beach mayor Will Sessoms will ask city council for permission to request $150MM from the state of Virginia to help with construction costs and relocation costs for a professional sports team, which Rader assumes will be the Sacramento Kings.
- Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty provides his own take on the Virginia Beach news, noting that even if all of Rader's details are accurate, there are still plenty of roadblocks the project must overcome.
Odds & Ends: Gasol, World Cup, Wizards, Freeland
With the NBA season four weeks old tonight, it's no surprise the Heat sit on top of the Eastern Conference standings. The Grizzlies, Spurs and Thunder aren't shockers atop the West, but two teams coming off their first meeting, not to mention eventful offseasons, share the fifth-best record in the league: the Knicks and the Nets. As we wait to see how the rest of the season plays out, here's the latest from around the league.
- Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni brushed off Pau Gasol trade talk, saying, "That definitely doesn’t come from us," notes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Sulia link).
- Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun believes both Gasol and the Lakers could benefit from a trade.
- In no surprise, an NBA spokesperson said the league has no plans to take in-season breaks to accomodate the new qualifying schedule for the basketball World Cup, tweets ESPN's Alvaro Martin.
- HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy wonders if it's time for the Wizards to let go of coach Randy Wittman, and wouldn't be surprised to see the team make a deal at the trade deadline.
- Joel Freeland has gone from contending for the starting center job to out of the rotation, and while the British big man is frustrated, Blazers coach Terry Stotts remains optimistic, as The Oregonian's Joe Freeman chronicles.
- The Bulls' bench is a poor match for Tom Thibodeau, and demonstrates a disconnect between the coach and the front office, writes David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune. Still, Thibodeau isn't calling for any changes, as fellow Tribune scribe K.C. Johnson observes.
- Just as Tyreke Evans regressed following his Rookie of the Year campaign, Isaiah Thomas finds himself the odd man out of the Kings rotation a year after his impressive rookie season, notes Jim Cavan of The New York Times.
Odds & Ends: Gooden, Aldridge, Gasol, Bulls
With most of the Bench Mob gone, this year's version of the Bulls isn't built for 48 minutes, opines Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. However, Luol Deng seems to disagree with that view, as he told reporters today.
"It's not fair to the guys that are here, the new guys, to be compared to the guys from the last two years," Deng said, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. "They’re still getting used to it. Even the Bench Mob, the first year we had them, it took a while to get going. When we got going, it clicked. The year after that, last year, what helped us a lot was we had a lot of guys returning so we knew how we play and how to play with each other. We’re still learning how to play with each other."
Here are a few more Tuesday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:
- While the Bucks would like to move Drew Gooden's contract, there's no urgency to "dump" him, since he's still a mentor and leader in Milwaukee, says Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
- Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com makes his case for why the Trail Blazers should consider trading LaMarcus Aldridge. Blazers GM Neil Olshey reportedly told Aldridge last month that the team has no intentions of dealing him.
- Although Pau Gasol has a 15% trade kicker, he'd actually only receive about a 3.4% bonus if the Lakers dealt him, as Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times explains.
- Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman believes Derrick Williams could be a realistic target for the Thunder if GM Sam Presti gets involved on the trade market again this season.
- Several NBA scouts told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that it's unfair to compare Kentucky freshman and potential 2013 No. 1 pick Nerlens Noel to former Wildcat Anthony Davis. "I think Anthony Davis’s IQ is so high that he’s unique that way," said one scout. "This is a guy that was a small player, a two guard, who could handle the ball, do all those things. I mean, Nerlens could never be a ball-handler. He’s not a passer, ball-handler guy."
Lakers Not Looking To Trade Pau Gasol
Despite a flurry of new trade speculation that surfaced when new head coach Mike D'Antoni arrived in Los Angeles, the Lakers aren't actively looking to trade Pau Gasol, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. The team is waiting to see what the roster looks like when Steve Nash returns from the small fracture in his leg that has sidelined him for most of the season.
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld reported a similar sentiment yesterday, noting that the Lakers would simply like to see Gasol play better, rather than trying to move him. According to Bresnahan, D'Antoni believes the Spaniard can be a solid fit in his system, though there's been an up-and-down adjustment period so far.
"He can easily play our system and he's going to be a very important player for us," D'Antoni said of Gasol after he recorded 13 points and nine boards against the Mavericks on Saturday.
With Nash, Kobe Bryant, and Dwight Howard obviously not going anywhere, Gasol represents the most likely trade candidate of the Lakers' stars, given his declining numbers and his sizable contract ($38MM+ over the next two seasons). For now though, without having seen those four star players together on the court under D'Antoni, the Lakers have no interest in exploring a deal.
Kyler On Gasol, Rockets, Celtics, Knicks, Gortat
In his latest piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler addresses the Pau Gasol trade rumors that have been floating around recently, and touches on a couple other topics around the league. Let's dive in and round up the highlights….
- From a financial standpoint, the Lakers would love to move Gasol's contract for younger players and smaller deals, says Kyler. However, having explored his market value for the last couple years, the Lakers realize there's not an obvious fit out there. The Lakers aren't actively looking to move Pau — they just need him to play better.
- Although the Rockets have had interest in Gasol in the past, that depended in part on the players they felt they could add around the Spaniard. With those players no longer available, Houston's interest in Gasol has lessened.
- The Celtics have also had previous interest in Gasol, but aren't currently motivated to pursue him, according to Kyler.
- Lakers and Knicks sources both tell Kyler that a Gasol/Amare Stoudemire swap is highly unlikely.
- Following up on news that Marcin Gortat turned down an extension offer from the Suns, Kyler says that sources close to the Suns big man jokingly asked this summer: "If Brook Lopez is worth $62MM, what’s Gortat worth?"
- Despite some indications that Gortat has been frustrated in Phoenix this season, the Suns are far more inclined to try to make him happy and keep him long-term than to trade him.
Lakers Rumors: Gasol, D’Antoni, Jamison, Nash
A day after criticizing Pau Gasol, coach Mike D'Antoni was quick to reaffirm his support for the big man Saturday after the Lakers blew out the Mavs, as Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times chronicles. Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register notes the 7'0" Spaniard has also been slowed by tendinitis in his knees. The Gasol situation bears watching, but after his 13-point, nine-rebound performance last night, it doesn't seem like there's too much wrong with him or his fit on the team. There's more on the purple and gold, and we'll round it up here:
- In the same piece, Ding also points out the uptick in performance from offseason signee Antawn Jamison since D'Antoni moved him from small forward to power forward.
- The Lakers are banking heavily on the idea that Steve Nash, who turns 39 in February, can help turn around the team's slow start when he returns from injury, writes HoopsWorld's Derek Page. Yesterday, I asked whether the Lakers should make a move or wait until Nash returns, and so far, a majority of readers aren't believers in a patient approach.
- Lakers training camp invitee Greg Somogyi may sign to play in his native Hungary for the club Szolnoki Olajbanyasz, Sportando's David Pick reports.
Western Notes: Lopez, Gasol, Mavericks
Robin Lopez admits that the Suns gave him a fair contract offer this offseason, but decided to sign with the Hornets because he needed a "fresh start," writes AZCentral.com's Paul Coro.
- CBSSports.com's NBA writer Zach Harper writes that Pau Gasol's shooting trend is worrisome; more jump shots and less action in the paint. This only supports the theory that Gasol might be on his way out of Los Angeles before this season ends.
- Dallas Morning News reporter Eddie Sefko writes about Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle's "dog house," in regards to his inconsistent rotations so far this season.
Odds & Ends: D’Antoni, Roy, Fisher, Gasol, Bucks
Mike D'Antoni was expected to make his debut as Lakers coach tonight, but his balky knee forced Bernie Bickerstaff to continue as interim coach for one more night. D'Antoni, who'll try to hit the sidelines again Tuesday, has told Bickerstaff he'll remain on the staff this season, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. D'Antoni did make one change to the coaching staff, however, bringing brother Dan D'Antoni aboard as expected, the team announced. Here's more from an eight-game day and night around the NBA.
- Knee trouble has kept Brandon Roy out for the past 10 days, and now he'll undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, reports Jason Quick of The Oregonian (Twitter links). Quick doesn't indicate how long he'll be continue to be out, but says he'll miss what would have been his return to Portland with the Wolves on Friday.
- The Mavs aren't interested in free agent point guard Derek Fisher, since owner Mark Cuban wants to see what the current roster can do, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. That means the team will continue to give backup minutes to Dominique Jones, whom the Mavs twice sought to trade earlier this season.
- Larry Coon of HoopsWorld won't rule out a Pau Gasol trade, but doesn't think the Lakers are likely to pull the trigger (Twitter link).
- "Everyone agreed" the Bucks needed a fast start with GM John Hammond and coach Scott Skiles in the final year of their respective deals, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and at 6-2, the team has delivered.
- Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star calls out Roy Hibbert for his struggles this season, just months after the big man signed a four-year, $58MM deal.
- Before Damian Lillard came into the league, he watched a lot of video of fellow point guard Derrick Rose and picked up a few of the former MVP's habits, observes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com.
HoopsWorld On Biggest Disappointments
HoopsWorld.com has a new roundtable feature in which several of the site's writers weigh in on who they believe is the biggest disappointment thus far in the 2012/13 season. Here are the highlights:
- Lang Greene pinpoints Roy Hibbert, signed to a four-year, $58MM contract this summer, as a major reason why the Pacers are underperforming early in the season.
- Alex Kennedy believes that the Raptors' strategy of targeting Landry Fields to make it harder for the Knicks to land Steve Nash backfired. He points to Fields' disappointing start to the season as a reason why the signing is a failure for Toronto.
- Stephen Brotherston writes that Ersan Ilyasova has regressed following what appeared to be a breakout season last year with the Bucks.
- Bill Ingram is frustrated by the continued inconsistent play of JaVale McGee following his re-signing with the Nuggets this summer.
- Derek Page points out that Pau Gasol's offensive efficiency has dropped this season, even more so than expected following the Lakers' addition of Dwight Howard.
- While there is still time for him to mature, Joel Brigham writes that Jeremy Lin has been a disappointment since signing with the Rockets.