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Andrew Bogut Rumors: Tuesday

March 13th, 2012 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

Ken Berger of CBS Sports reported last night that the Rockets, Warriors, and Wizards were all pursuing an acquisition of Andrew Bogut. The Rockets have since backed off, according to Berger, but the Bucks still seem to be talking Bogut, with a decision on the big man potentially affecting Brandon Jennings' future as well. Let's track today's Bogut updates here, with the newest items up top:

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld explains that Jennings' future could be tied to Bogut's because one offer for Bogut has the Bucks getting a "solid" point guard in return. However, Milwaukee is asking a lot for both players, and most teams aren't interested at the Bucks' price (Twitter links).
The Warriors aren't expecting to make a blockbuster deal this week, reports Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group. While Golden State is considering making a play for Bogut, his ankle injury and the potential inclusion of Stephen Jackson in any deal diminishes the Warriors' interest.
Berger's Bogut-to-the-Warriors scenario had Monta Ellis heading out of Golden State in any deal, but Thompson and Peter Vecsey of the New York Post both suggest that may not be the case. Thompson says the Warriors still don't want to trade Ellis for anyone besides Dwight Howard, while Vecsey says it's Stephen Curry, not Ellis, who is being discussed in a potential Bogut trade.
Meanwhile, a source tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (Twitter link) that the rumored Warriors/Bucks/Magic talks never even took place.

Odds & Ends: Rondo, Curry, Lin

February 29th, 2012 at 10:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

With just about every team back in action after the All-Star break, here are a few leap day notes from around the league:

The Celtics have intensified their efforts to trade Rajon Rondo, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN. Broussard says sources have told him the Celtics consider Rondo to be too high maintenance, and so the team is considering a deal with the Warriors for Stephen Curry that's been percolating since December. Other players would have to be in such a deal for it to work. ESPN's Chris Forsberg also contributed to the report.
Shabazz Muhammad, a premier college prospect who currently sits atop the class of potential 2013 draftees according to NBADraft.net, could be in trouble with the NCAA, report Jeff Goodman and Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com. The NCAA has informed schools recruiting Muhammad that his amateur status is in question. According to Goodman and Parrish, there are concerns that the 6'5", 210-pound shooting guard has been receiving payments for unofficial visits to campuses, among other benefits. Since NBA draft rules prohibit Muhammad from entering the league until a year after his high school class graduates, he may be forced to head overseas next year.
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com doesn't see much truth in the rumored swap of Lamar Odom and Steve Nash, unless several other components are involved.
It seems every other day we find out about another team that came close to signing Jeremy Lin, but whiffed. Today that team is the Italian club Banca Tercas Teramo, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY. The team was "extremely close" to signing him, Lin said, but they went with Charles Jenkins instead.
The Chris Paul trade may have transformed the Clippers, but since amnesty claim Chauncey Billups was lost for the year with an Achilles' tear, the Clips have gone 5-5 and appear to have lost their mojo, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times examines.
Before handing the Spurs just their second home loss of the season, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau praised San Antonio's ability to identify and nurture the talent necessary to keep the team on top, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago. Thibodeau hopes the Bulls can copy that model.
Jazz swingman Josh Howard, an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, has responded well since Raja Bell's injury forced him into the starting lineup, notes Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Pacific Notes: Fredette, Curry

February 28th, 2012 at 7:49pm CST by Michael Pina

With Golden State currently battling Indiana, and Sacramento doing battle with Utah later tonight, here are a couple quick notes from the Pacific Division:

While he's struggled mightily in the first half of his rookie year, Kings head coach Keith Smart believes Jimmer Fredette just needs to make a few adjustments in order to find actual success in the league. In a lengthy interview with the Salt Lake Tribune's Brian T. Smith, Smart goes on to compare Fredette with J.J. Redick and says he can someday contribute in a positive way like the former Duke product is doing in Orlando.
MercuryNews.com's Monte Poole gives what will surely be received as an unpopular opinion regarding what Golden State should do with its most valuable asset, Stephen Curry, who missed tonight's game against the Pacers with a strained tendon in his right foot. With half a season left to play, Poole thinks the Warriors should sit Curry from here on out in order to increase draft position and get a look at rookies such as Charles Jenkins and Klay Thompson. In essence, he wants the team to tank the season.

Assessing Stocks: Golden State Warriors

February 19th, 2012 at 9:42pm CST by Jesse Blanchard

Portfolio Review: The ownership and coaching staff has changed, but so much has remained the same for the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors are in the basketball equivalent of hell, which is ninth seed purgatory. They are not quite good enough to be in the playoffs, and not bad enough to get top level talent through the draft.

The backcourt is the team's strength between Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson, but they also represent the best trade assets the team has going forward. Word is the Warriors are interested in Dwight Howard still. While it's doubtful they land him, it shows they are willing to blow things up for the right price. They need to. Even if it means taking a step or two back to start pushing forward again.

Prime Assets: The easy answer is Ellis, though the answer is not as easy as it was at the beginning of the season. Curry's ankle woes are a little concerning, and help obscure the Ellis vs. Curry debate a little.

Ellis is the Warriors' best player. Still, there are legitimate questions to how far a team can go with an undersized, high usage shooting guard not named Allen Iverson. If Ellis is your team's best player, what is the ceiling for your team? Ellis for draft picks or a frontcourt piece could work (the Utah Jazz, for example, have a plethora of big men and lack a dynamic perimeter threat). If the trade picks up an asset and drops the Warriors out of the middle of the first round and into a top ten pick over the next couple of years, it might even prove to benefit the team.

Worthless Stock: Andris Biedrins. Big, mobile big men are always going to have some value. But one on a big contract whose career is currently stalled by a phobia of free throw attempts?

The Rest: Curry should only be available for a near elite talent or top ten pick in this draft. For the former, given that Curry is on his rookie contract, he would probably have to be packaged with David Lee. Thompson could be a solid third guard on a good team eventually and merits holding onto. Dorell Wright might fetch a good first round pick for a potential playoff team, but is young, cheap, and understands his role well enough to be part of the answer going forward.