Eastern Notes: Josh Smith, Turner, Richardson
Rumors have been swirling around Josh Smith the past couple of days, yet HoopsWorld's Lang Greene says that the Hawks aren't actively shopping Smith for now, and are simply listening to offers to gauge the power forward's value. Greene also passes along the comments Smith made about the speculation in a video report by Atlanta journalist Nubyjas Wilborn. Smith is far from the only player who's had to respond to trade chatter as the February 21st deadline approaches, as we hear from another who could be on the move in our roundup from the Eastern Conference:
- Evan Turner's name has also emerged on the trading block, and the former No. 2 overall pick acknowledges the decision is out of his hands, as John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes.
- Mitchell wouldn't be surprised if the Sixers and Jason Richardson wind up pursuing a buyout. Richardson, who could be out as long as 12 months with a cartilage tear on his kneecap, is due $5.8MM this year and $6.2MM next season, with a $6.6MM player option for 2014/15.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com hears the Knicks will assess the health of Rasheed Wallace, who's dealing with a left foot injury, after the All-Star break, and if the results aren't favorable, they'll pursue another big man.
- Coach Tom Thibodeau and the Bulls agreed to a four-year extension worth up to $20MM in October, but Thibodeau has yet to sign the contract, reports Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Amundson, Celtics, Garnett
Yesterday, we heard that Louis Amundson is bracing for a possible trade or release as the Timberwolves near a decision on whether to keep their players on 10-day contracts (Mickael Gelabale, Chris Johnson) for the rest of the season. Today, Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com wonders if the Knicks could be in play for Amundson if the T-Wolves decide to cut him loose. Here are a few more notes from around the Atlantic Division:
- Some Knicks sources remain convinced that Rasheed Wallace is done for the season, but coach Mike Woodson isn't rushing to bring in a replacement, according to Zwerling.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld hears from sources that while Celtics president Danny Ainge has kicked the tires on some trade possibilities, he hasn't seriously considered moving Kevin Garnett. KG's bond with Paul Pierce and coach Doc Rivers would likely result in him blocking many possible deals anyway, writes Kyler.
- Even though Nikola Vucevic is enjoying a breakout season for the Magic and Andrew Bynum hasn't played a single game for the Sixers, John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News isn't second-guessing Philadelphia's decision to make last August's blockbuster trade.
- As the Lakers arrive in Brooklyn for tonight's game against the Nets, Deron Williams tells reporters, including Tim Bontemps of the New York Post, that he isn't spending any time thinking about what could have been if Brooklyn had acquired Dwight Howard. "We’re happy with Brook [Lopez], we’re happy with the team we have now," Williams said. "It’s not a 'shoulda, woulda, coulda' scenario."
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Johnson, Oden
Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News says that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak will likely know by tomorrow about whether or not the NBA will approve their Disabled Player Exception for the injured Jordan Hill (Twitter link). With the roster currently at 14, an exception worth $1.78MM would be a very valuable asset for a team that would have otherwise only have a veteran's minimum deal or a small, pro-rated portion of their mini mid-level exception to offer free agents at this point during the season. You'll find the rest of tonight's miscellaneous links from around the NBA here:
- Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge says the team currently has no needs and will wait and see what transpires over the next few weeks to get a better feel if a move has to be made or not (Adi Joseph of USA Today reports).
- Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman, who recently returned from an 11-game absence for family reasons, sounded like he wanted the team to keep Chris Johnson (LSU) and Mickael Gelabale for the rest of the season, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
- Grizzlies guard Chris Johnson, whose 10-day contract is set to expire on Friday night, is making a strong case to be brought back for another deal, writes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. GM Chris Wallace described Johnson as a "seamless fit" so far.
- Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald doesn't think the Heat are the best fit for Greg Oden, citing that if healthy, the former number one overall pick could find more playing time and a better comfort level elsewhere. Even if the team uses its taxpayer mid-level exception to land Oden this summer, Goodman thinks that the luxury tax impact might not be worth the investment either.
- When asked directly about the possibility of playing for the Cavaliers, Oden replied: "I'm worried about the knee. That's it," later saying that it was too early for him to be thinking of a destination. Oden added that he wants to take his rehab slow, and that while he could possibly play today if he wanted to, he wants to avoid the risk of having the same setbackthat he had in Portland (Doug Lesmerises and Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer report).
Atlantic Rumors: Lowry, Calderon, Knicks, Celtics
Sunday's nationally televised tilt between the Heat and Celtics will mark the return of Ray Allen to Boston, and the erstwhile Celtics guard spoke to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports about the "collection of everything" that led him to sign with Miami. In addition, Allen has told those close to him that he felt he ranked behind Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo on coach Doc Rivers' list of favorites, as Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News shares. Rivers is nonetheless calling for Boston fans to cheer Allen when he's introduced, but a hostile greeting seems more likely, as LeBron James surmises in Chris Tomasson's report for Fox Sports Florida.
There's more on the Celtics and their Atlantic Division rivals, as we round up here:
- Last night Ken Berger of CBSSports.com shared that he's hears the Raptors would prefer to trade Kyle Lowry over Jose Calderon, but according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, the front office is split on which point guard it likes best. Wolstat speculates that a trade that sends both away is more likely than a scenario in which Toronto deals Lowry and keeps Calderon (All Twitter links).
- While some members of the Knicks organization were worried several days ago that Rasheed Wallace might miss the season, coach Mike Woodson said that if the team had a playoff game today, Wallace would play, as Newsday's Al Iannazzone observes. That appears to make it less likely the Knicks would sign Kenyon Martin, as their interest in him is reportedly tied to Wallace's ability to return.
- While the Celtics' strengthening affinity for J.J. Redick may not be likely to result in a deal, CSNNE.com rounds up opinions on what a trade for the Magic sharpshooter and other moves could do for Boston. The problem isn't a lack of talent, according to CSNNE.com scribe A. Sherrod Blakely, adding that he believes Rivers' job is safe.
- Hall of Famer Robert Parish is campaigning for an NBA front-office or coaching job, but isn't expecting a hand from many of his former Celtics teammates, as Stan Grosfeld of the Boston Globe observes.
Odds & Ends: Kevin Martin, Kenyon Martin, Celtics
With the NBA trading deadline mere weeks away, teams such as the Cavs and Rockets are among those aggressively pursuing ways to make roster upgrades midseason, writes Sam Amico of FOXSportsOhio.com. Let's catch up around the league on the latest whispers, rumors and news…
- Thunder veteran Kevin Martin sees himself returning to Oklahoma City next season as he hits free agency this summer, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. "I love playing with this group of guys. The organization is great to me. The community has been great to me. It's the happiest I have been during my NBA career."
- Former NBA star Kenyon Martin's looking for a new home, specifically with the Knicks, but roster space and salary demands remain issues unless injured Rasheed Wallace decides to call it a season, says Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
- Celtics head coach Doc Rivers spoke on ESPN's "Pardon The Interruption" on Wednesday about his outburst after Sunday's game. The good folks at ESPNBoston.com have a partial transcript of the conversation for your perusal.
Knicks Fear Wallace Could Be Out For Season
THURSDAY, 8:36am: Wallace says he isn't letting a "little sore foot" derail his comeback season, indicating that he doesn't plan to be out for the rest of the year, tweets Marc Berman of the New York Post.
WEDNESDAY, 4:54pm: Rasheed Wallace hasn't appeared in a Knicks game in over a month, and some members of the organization are starting to worry that he'll be out for an extended period of time, if not the season, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
Wallace, 38, is sidelined with what the Knicks are calling a "stress reaction" in his left foot. While Mike Woodson previously expressed optimism that the big man could start running this week, the Knicks coach told reporters in London that it'll be a little longer before that happens.
With the Knicks in a holding pattern while they wait for Wallace to get healthy, some members of the organization want to immediately pursue a replacement, according to Begley, who notes that Kenyon Martin has been discussed internally. Other members of the Knicks, such as Woodson, would rather give Wallace more time to heal and see if he's able to return to the court.
Because Wallace's and Chris Copeland's contracts became guaranteed last week, the Knicks now have 15 guaranteed deals on their roster. So if New York were to sign a free agent, the team would have to cut someone, likely Wallace, and eat his salary.
Knicks Updates: Amare, Sheed, Shumpert
The latest chatter around the New York Knicks on Wednesday evening:
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes that Amare Stoudemire, once considered the Knicks' franchise player, is now buying into a team run by Carmelo Anthony.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com reports that the injury to Rasheed Wallace has had a major impact on the Knicks, with head coach Mike Woodson expressing the veteran's importance.
- Iman Shumpert is going through some light drills, although there is no update on when he is expected to be able to resume five-on-five activities.
Knicks Notes: Melo, Lin, Sheed
In one of the biggest surprises of the early season, the New York Knicks have the best record in the Eastern Conference at 7-1. Needless to say, there is a lot of chatter throughout the media about the causes of this surprising start. Here are the latest news and notes around the team:
- Indiana Pacers president Donnie Walsh, who spearheaded the Knicks' 2011 trade for Carmelo Anthony when he served as their general manager, tells ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley that he is not surprised by Anthony's increased effort on defense this season.
- Jeremy Lin believes there would have been a higher chance the Knicks retained him this summer if Mike D'Antoni was still in New York, writes Fred Kerber of the New York Post.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com writes that Rasheed Wallace was motivated in part to end his two-year retirement and sign with the Knicks by what he sees as a lack of great post play in the league.
Atlantic Links: Calderon, Felton, Stackhouse
After the Raptors dealt for Kyle Lowry this past summer, the questions surrounding Jose Calderon's future with Toronto were inevitable. Back in July, we even heard rumor that he had requested a trade just one day after Lowry had been acquired (which Calderon would later deny). Now, the Spanish guard finds himself starting for a team riddled with injuries, averaging 30.1 MPG, 10.7 PPG, 7.4 APG, 1.1 steals per game, and shooting 50% from long-range through the team's first eight games. Despite what the future holds for Calderon, who surprisingly is just 19 games away from becoming the franchise's all-time leader in games played, Eric Koreen of the National Post glowingly reflects on his best qualities and contributions as a member of the Raptors. With that aside, you'll find tonight's notables from the Eastern Conference here:
- After looking at how Ray Allen's transition with the Heat has fared, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld highlights how Raymond Felton has surpassed expectations thus far in his second stint with the Knicks after a disappointing, short-lived tenure with the Trail Blazers.
- Nets guard Jerry Stackhouse told ESPN New York that he was disappointed but not surprised that Rasheed Wallace wound up with the Knicks instead of Brooklyn, noting that Wallace was a big Knicks fan while the two played together in college (Jared Zwerling reports)
Odds & Ends: Lazenby, O’Bryant, Hibbert
- There is no timetable for Clippers guard/forward Grant Hill's return to action (he has been out after suffering a bone bruise in his right knee on October 14th), although an MRI on Friday revealed that his condition hadn't worsened (Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports).
- Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune mentions that Timberwolves guard Alexey Shved is starting to become more comfortable playing in the NBA: "It's so different here from Europe, it takes time…I feel pretty good. Now I'm starting to know what I can do."
- Eric Patten of NBA.com makes note of DeAndre Jordan's development and it has been an important cog in the Clippers' offense.
- Greg Stiemsma credits Al Jefferson and Kevin Garnett as two players who have helped with his development as an NBA player, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
- Although Timberwolves guard Brandon Roy was removed from the lineup tonight because of knee soreness, coach Rick Adelman says that he won't be overly concerned for now and hopes that it's just a minor setback (Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago reports).
- Former Warriors lottery-pick Patrick O'Bryant is headed abroad, as Sportando.net reports that he has been officially signed by Tiburones de Vargas of the National Basketball League of Venezuela.