Shavlik Randolph

Odds & Ends: Garnett, Spurs, Randolph, Howard

The top of this year's draft figures to be particularly UNC-heavy, with three Tar Heel underclassmen declaring their intentions to enter the draft earlier today. Harrison Barnes, John Henson, and Kendall Marshall will join senior Tyler Zeller as potential North Carolina lottery picks. And as ESPN.com's Chad Ford writes, the Tar Heels could make it five first-rounders if James McAdoo decides to enter the draft as well (Insider link).

Here are a few more afternoon links from around the Association:

Odds & Ends: Garnett, Randolph, Kings, Warriors

Don't look now, but the playoffs begin just one month from today. Most NBA teams are in action tonight with 10 games on the schedule, so let's dive in and check on the news from around The Association:

  • Kevin Garnett will be a free agent this summer, but a return to the Wolves might not be at the top of his wish list. He gave a nod to Minnesota fans, but says he had "nothing positive to say" about the franchise, tweets Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
  • Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee noticed Shavlik Randolph walking through the Kings' locker room tonight, though there's no word if the team is looking  to sign him (Twitter link). Randolph reportedly worked out for the Heat earlier this month and has apparently spoken to at least two clubs regarding a deal.
  • Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com looks ahead to next year for the Warriors and concludes they need to get a solid third guard, a quality backup for David Lee and Andrew Bogut, and an upgrade at small forward: 
  • Don Nelson, the NBA's all-time winningest coach, says he's been informed he'll be inducted into the Hall of Fame, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas. Nelson coached the Bucks, Warriors, Knicks and Mavs after a playing career spent mostly with the Celtics. The official announcement of the 2012 Hall class will come Monday.
  • Chris Broussard of ESPN.com takes a look at stars who've changed teams in recent years and says what's happened to them since should be a cautionary tale to Dwight Howard and others who could be looking to make a move (Insider link). 
  • A year after the Jazz parted ways with Jerry Sloan in the wake of a rift between the coach and Deron Williams, new coach Tyrone Corbin has established rapport with his players, which has been key to the team's playoff push this year, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
  • The Nets have an open roster spot and might look to fill it after finishing tonight's 100-84 victory over the Pacers with only eight healthy players, as the Associated Press reports, via The New York Times. Centers Shelden Williams and Jordan Williams went down, so if those two are to miss any time, the team may target a big man.
  • Rookie Malcolm Lee is adjusting to life as an NBA point guard as he finds his way into the Wolves' rotation, writes Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune.

Heat Notes: Wallace, Kaman, Diaw, Randolph

The latest surrounding the Miami Heat in the leadup to the March 15 trade deadline:

  • Fox Sports Florida's Chris Tomasson wonders whether the Heat would be wise to pursue Rasheed Wallace. Wallace, who last played in 2010, has hinted at coming out of retirement for a while, and was most recently linked to the Lakers.
  • The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman touches on a handful of potential acquisitions in his mailbag column, most notably Chris Kaman. Winderman doesn't believe the Heat have the assets to pull off a Kaman deal that David Stern would approve, especially in light of the blocked Chris Paul trade to the Lakers in December.
  • Winderman thinks the Heat could do worse than to pick up Boris Diaw for the minimum in the event that the Bobcats buy the veteran big man out.
  • According to Ben Golliver of Blazers Edge (via Twitter), forward Shavlik Randolph recently worked out with the Heat. Randolph last appeared in the NBA with Miami in 2010, and is currently playing in Puerto Rico.

Odds & Ends: Randolph, Carter, Bulls, Vazquez

While the returns of J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler from the Chinese Basketball Association grabbed more headlines over the last month or so, there are other former NBA players still returning from overseas in search of NBA gigs. One such player is former 76ers forward Shavlik Randolph, who averaged 24.7 PPG, 11.9 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in China this season. According to Sportando, Randolph is "in serious talks" with two NBA clubs and could sign a deal soon. While we wait to see if the Duke product can find his way back to an NBA roster, let's check out a few more links from around the league….