Steve Nash Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Los Angeles Notes: Nash, Kobe, Barnes

December 20th, 2012 at 7:11pm CST by Ryan Raroque

In what should be a sight for sore eyes for Lakers fans, Steve Nash took the court today at the team's El Segundo practice facility and participated in scrimmage. The impact he made on the floor could partially be summed up by teammate Dwight Howard, who told reporters after practice: "he (threw) a pass that I haven't got hit with since I've been here…not any offense to the guys who've been playing, but he made some tough passes today… Just little things like that will really help our team out." The 38-year-old veteran told reporters that he wants to test things out day-by-day and reiterated that Christmas Day's game against the Knicks is a realistic target for a return.

Sam Amick of USA Today cautions that Nash is still under considerable pain and will need some time to improve his conditioning in addition to establishing chemistry with the rest of the team. Here's more of tonight's links from Los Angeles:

Coach Mike D'Antoni offered his thoughts on Nash after team practice today: "He looked good today. Real good. You never know how he wakes up. But the first step was positive. He looks good on the floor. He said he felt good. We'll see if he can do it again tomorrow and keep building from there" (Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles reports).
Shelburne and ESPN's Arash Markazi both opined about whether or not Nash will be the answer to the team's problems.
Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times presents a rebuttal against ESPN's Chris Broussard (Insiders only), who recently wrote that the Lakers' issues are centered on Kobe Bryant's high volume of shot attempts.
Eric Patten of NBA.com talks about the emergence of Clippers forward Matt Barnes as an invaluable role player on both sides of the floor.

Odds & Ends: Kings, Evans, Augustin, Draft

December 17th, 2012 at 9:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Two of the league's premier franchises received good news this afternoon. Knicks coach Mike Woodson announced that Amare Stoudemire was cleared for practice and will practice with the club's D-League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks. Meanwhile, sources told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports that Lakers guard Steve Nash is eyeing a return to the Lakers' lineup Saturday against the Warriors if practice goes well this week. The Lakers have considered trading Pau Gasol, but reports have indicated that they are waiting to see what the club looks like with Nash in the fold before making a drastic change. Here's more from around the Association..

The Kings are still saying that they plan on holding on to Tyreke Evans, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). Evans and General Manager Geoff Petrie recently had a productive meeting, but a source close to the guard told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports that the club will move him if they don't think they can afford to re-sign him. Evans will be a restricted free agent this summer.
More from Kyler (via Twitter), who was asked if Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard might look to trade guard D.J. Augustin. It seems like a possibility, but Kyler writes that his weak play as of late may mean that no one wants him. Meanwhile, the one-guard's name is coming up frequently as a trade candidate.
Jay Bilas and Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) run down the top players in the 2013 NBA Draft. Neither analyst sees a franchise-changing superstar in the class but both agree that Kentucky's Nerlens Noel is the top talent in the draft, not Maryland's Alex Len.

Odds & Ends: Gasol, D-League, Knicks, Nash

December 15th, 2012 at 10:08pm CST by Michael Pina

There has been much talk that the Lakers should trade Pau Gasol. Ben Bolch from the Los Angeles Times gives five possible trade scenarios that could end up pleasing both parties. .

Ridiculous Upside's Keith Schlosser writes that former first round draft pick Damion James is currently down in the D-League fighting his way back to the NBA. And he's not the only one. Ryan Ripley tells the same story with Morris Almond.
ESPNNewYork.com's Jared Zwerling writes that Knicks head coach Mike Woodson prefers to push the ball and increase the tempo.
The Orange County Register's Kevin Ding writes that Lakers fans should be exicted as they await Steve Nash's return.
Former Bulls backup point guard C.J. Watson says he was "mistreated" in the offseason and had no plans on re-signing with Chicago, writes The Chicago Sun-Times' Neil Hayes. Watson is currently backing up Deron Williams with the Nets.

Lakers Notes: Nash, Point Guards, Howard

December 13th, 2012 at 3:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have road games lined up the next two nights with the Eastern Conference's best team (the Knicks) and its worst team (the Wizards). A loss tonight in New York wouldn't be the end of the world, but if Kobe Bryant and co. lose in Washington tomorrow, the Mayans may have been right about 2012 after all. In advance of tonight's nationally televised matchup, let's round up a few Lakers notes….

People around the league are whispering that one more setback in his injury rehab could end up costing Steve Nash the entire season, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
Shelburne also tweets that the Lakers continue to assess their options at point guard, but that it's unlikely the team will do anything until at least December 15th, when offseason signees become trade-eligible.

Earlier updates:

Sam Amick of USA Today discussed the Lakers' slump with lead executive Jim Buss, who believes "many little factors" are contributing to the team's struggles. Amick also spoke to Steve Kerr, who thinks Phil Jackson's Triangle would have been a better fit for this roster, but doesn't want to pass judgment the Lakers until Steve Nash and Pau Gasol are healthy.
In spite of their early-season problems, the Lakers still appear to be the winners of the summer's four-team Dwight Howard blockbuster, according to Ben Golliver and Rob Mahoney of SI.com.
Following up on Kevin Love's recent comments about the Timberwolves, Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post wonders if the UCLA product, who has an offseason home in Los Angeles, would sign with the Lakers when he hits free agency in 2015.
Yesterday, we passed along a Howard quote in which he suggested he "knows" where he'll be signing in free agency next summer. D12 has been known to change his mind in the past, but that still seems to bode well for the Lakers.

Odds & Ends: Mayo, Terry, Pacers, Knicks

December 13th, 2012 at 12:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Reports last season suggested the Celtics were involved in serious trade talks with the Grizzlies that would have sent to O.J. Mayo to Boston. According to one subsequent story, it was Mayo's unwillingness to play for the C's that led to the deal falling apart, but with the Mavericks in Boston last night, Mayo addressed that rumor. The 25-year-old's understanding was that an internal debate in Boston about Ray Allen resulted in the trade not happening.

"I was pretty much set to come here and something fell through at the very last second," Mayo said. "A couple of the guys wanted to keep Ray, and management wanted to make the trade."

Mayo added that he got a call from the Celtics during free agency this summer, but was happy with the way things ultimately worked out. Here are a few more Thursday odds and ends from around the NBA:

Current Celtic and former Maverick Jason Terry told reporters, including Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, that he would like to take Mark Cuban up on his offer to bring Terry back to the organization once his playing career ends.
The changes the Pacers made to the bench over the offseason haven't been upgrades, and the team will need to make more moves if it hopes to contend in the playoffs, opines Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star.
Steve Nash was close to making a decision to sign with the Knicks in July, which would likely have meant the team re-signing Jeremy Lin as well, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. However, as Berman notes, the team's point guard Plan B of Jason Kidd and Raymond Felton has worked out pretty well so far.
ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (Insider link) identifies a few potential landing spots for Dwight Howard next summer if D12 decides he doesn't want to return to the Lakers.

Latest On Steve Nash

December 11th, 2012 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

Steve Nash has missed more time than expected following the small break he suffered in his left leg early in November, and it appears it'll be a little while longer before he's back on the court for the Lakers. Nash told David Leon Moore of USA Today that he expects it to be "at least another two weeks" before he can play again, while Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports that the veteran point guard is expected to return by month's end.

According to Spears, the delay in Nash's return is partly due to nerve irritation in his left leg. Sources tell Spears that Nash's fractured fibula has healed well, but that the nerve irritation surfaced while he was rehabbing the leg, causing pain whenever he put pressure on it.

Nash's return is of utmost importance for the Lakers, since the team is stuck in a holding pattern of sorts in the meantime. Given Nash's crucial role in Mike D'Antoni's offense, the Lakers have insisted that they won't consider making any major changes to the roster until they see how the team plays with the 38-year-old at the point.

"I'm curious to see how the team gets through the next two or three weeks until Steve gets back," GM Mitch Kupchak told Mark Medina (link via Long Beach Press-Telegram). "Once he gets back, then I'm curious to see how he fits in with everybody."

Latest On Nash, Gasol

December 9th, 2012 at 1:47pm CST by Sean Highkin

ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin has a few updates via Twitter regarding the Lakers' injured starters. He tweets the news from Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni that there is a chance Steve Nash will play for the team on their upcoming road trip.

D'Antoni said it was not definite that the 38-year-old point guard would return in the near future, but that he was far enough along in his recovery that it was a possibility. Nash has not played for the Lakers since their second game of the season, when he suffered a broken leg.

McMenamin also reports (link to tweet) that Pau Gasol will remain the starter at power forward when he returns from his current bout with knee tendinitis. This news comes in spite of the rocky start Gasol is off to with D'Antoni as coach, and the perceived notion that the two were not on the same page. The team was previously considering bringing Gasol off the bench when he returned. It would also point to the recent statements from the team that they do not intend to trade Gasol.

Nash Asked Lakers To Keep Gasol Before Signing

December 7th, 2012 at 10:48pm CST by Zachary Links

On Wednesday, Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game heard from a source that the Lakers landed Steve Nash this summer by promising him that he would get to play with Pau Gasol. Earlier tonight, the guard confirmed the story in an interview with ESPN’s Doris Burke, tweets Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com.

Nash says that he told Lakers brass “If Pau is staying, I want to come.” In essence, Nash 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 be in Los Angeles. One has to imagine that the Lakers would be reluctant to trade the forward months after promising Nash that he would stay put.

Speaking to the media today, Wolves GM David Kahn told reporters that he hasn’t had any trade talks with the Lakers. Meanwhile, buzz around the league suggests that teams aren’t eager to trade for Gasol and his $19MM salary.

Latest On Pau Gasol

December 5th, 2012 at 2:08pm CST by Zachary Links

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

December 4th, 2012 at 2:17pm CST by Zachary Links

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.