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Raptors An Option For Nash, Lin?

May 13th, 2012 at 5:47pm CST by Sean Highkin

Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News suggests in a column that the Raptors may make free-agent offers to point guards Steve Nash and Jeremy Lin, though they're a long shot to land either player.

Lawrence suggests that, despite Nash's Canadian roots being a potential draw for Toronto, he wants to play for a contender, which rules out the Raptors.

Lin's situation is more complicated, Lawrence writes. Since the Knicks phenom is a restricted free agent with less than two years of NBA experience, offers from other teams are limited by the Gilbert Arenas rule, which forbids teams from going above the $5MM midlevel exception on offer sheets. Because of this, the Raptors will have to back-load any offer they make to Lin, and even though the Knicks are limited financially, Lawrence believes he is too valuable from a marketing standpoint to let go.

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Odds & Ends: Rose, Bulls, Knicks, Terry

May 12th, 2012 at 9:37pm CST by Ryan Raroque
The Bulls announced that Derrick Rose underwent successful surgery to repair the torn ACL he suffered a few weeks ago and faces an eight-to-ten month recovery period, writes K.C. Johnson and Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune. In separate pieces, Johnson evaluates the performance of each player on Chicago's roster and talks about how the team's salary cap-restrtictions creates the need to be innovative in trying to improve the roster this summer. Here are more of tonight's miscellaneous links:
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Knicks Rumors: Nash, Lin, Fields, Novak

May 10th, 2012 at 9:58am CST by Luke Adams

Following New York's Game Five loss in Miami last night, we rounded up a few Knicks-related notes, but the news and rumors keep coming. Here's the latest as the Knicks prepare for an eventful offseason:

  • Amare Stoudemire would love to play alongside former Suns teammate Steve Nash in the Big Apple next year, as he told Frank Isola and Kevin Armstrong of the New York Daily News. "Everyone knows that Steve loves New York and that New York loves Steve," Stoudemire said. "I love Steve. It would be great to have him here next year."
  • It's long been rumored that the Suns will offer Nash a two-year, $20MM deal, but Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld believes the point guard will leave money on the table to join a contender (Twitter link). The above-linked Daily News report suggests that if if Nash were to sign for the veteran minimum, he'd only go to a title contender. I'm not sure why he'd have to settle for the minimum though, no matter where he signed.
  • Jeremy Lin endorsed Knicks coach Mike Woodson, and told Marc Berman of the New York Post he'd like to remain in New York. According to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, as many as six teams could be preparing to make a run at Lin, though as I explained yesterday, the Gilbert Arenas provision will allow the Knicks to match any offers.
  • Landry Fields and Steve Novak were among the other Knicks free agents to express their desire to return next season. Fields told Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com he'd "love" to be back, while Novak said there's no place he'd rather play, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. I think Fields will be re-signed, but the team may not have the financial flexibility to hang on to Novak.
  • Despite their early exit from this year's postseason, the Knicks are on the right track, says Tom Ziller of SBNation.com. Stoudemire also sees better days ahead for the team, as George Willis of the New York Post writes.
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Sefko On Terry, Nash, Haywood, Draft

May 8th, 2012 at 8:50pm CST by Daniel Seco

Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News held an in-depth chat with Mavs fans earlier on Tuesday and answered countless questions related to the team's plans for the offseason. Here are some of the highlights.

  • Look for Jason Terry to return to Mavs as the team's sixth man next season instead of signing elsewhere during free agency. Terry provides the team with instant offense off the bench and is most effective when surrounded with quality players. The only way he won't be wearing blue and white next season is if some team offers him an oversized contract and his family is comfortable with the move.
  • There hasn't been much conversation about soon-to-be free agent Steve Nash returning to the Mavs this offeason. While fans would like to see Nash reunited with Dirk Nowitzki, the pairing wasn't especially successful the first time around. The decision to add Nash to the mix would make more sense once additional pieces have been acquired to help bolster the current roster.
  • The Mavs will likely use their amnesty provision to rid themselves of Brendan Haywood before they make their first free-agent signing. Haywood, 32, is under contract through the 2014/2015 season and is owed approximately $22.2MM. The former UNC star averaged 5.2 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 54 appearances (all starts) with the Mavs this past season.
  • Dallas deserves more credit for the success they've enjoyed in the draft given where they typically make their picks (toward the end of the rounds). While the players selected haven't always stayed in Dallas for long, they have been used in trades to acquire key players such as Jason Kidd. 
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Atlantic Notes: Lin, Nash, DeRozan, Celtics

May 8th, 2012 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Celtics and Sixers look to close out their respective first round series tonight, let's round up a few odds and ends out of the Atlantic Division:

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Pacific Notes: Clippers, Ebanks, Nash, Malone

May 8th, 2012 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacific was the only Western Conference division to send just two teams to the postseason, but it may also be the only division to send multiple teams to the West's second round. The Clippers and Lakers have both taken commanding 3-1 leads in their series, and look poised to join the Spurs and Thunder in what should be an outstanding second round.

While we wait to see if the Clips and Lakers can finish off their respective opponents, here's the latest out of the Pacific:

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Kyler On Williams, Nash, Gordon, Mayo, Hibbert

May 4th, 2012 at 10:51am CST by Luke Adams

In his NBA AM column at HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler shares the latest rumblings on a handful of this summer's top free agents. Here are the highlights:

  • It's far from a done deal, but the general feeling around the Nets is that they're in the driver's seat for Deron Williams. Kyler names the Mavericks, Trail Blazers, and Magic as other teams that figure to aggressively pursue the point guard.
  • Steve Nash continues to tell people that returning to Phoenix is a "real and viable option." Kyler points out that even if Nash ends up elsewhere, the Suns could work out a sign-and-trade to get something out of it.
  • It's nearly a lock that Eric Gordon will be retained by the Hornets, but it's not clear how high the bidding will go. The Hornets were unable to agree on an extension with Gordon earlier this season, and while that was due in part to not having new ownership in place yet, there are also questions about the 23-year-old's durability.
  • According to Kyler, there's a good chance O.J. Mayo doesn't become a restricted free agent this summer, since a qualifying offer would put the Grizzlies over the tax line. If Memphis doesn't extend a qualifying offer, Mayo would be eligible for unrestricted free agency.
  • Kevin Garnett would like to finish his career with the Celtics.
  • The Pacers are prepared to match just about any offer for Roy Hibbert, and will let the market set the price for their center.
  • The Nets hope to deal with Brook Lopez's free agency after working out some of their other situations, but Lopez could disrupt their plans if he signs an offer sheet with another club early in the free agent period.
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Suns May Avoid Major Offseason Spending

May 2nd, 2012 at 6:46pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to an ESPN report via the Associated Press, Lon Babby (the Suns' president of basketball operations) said that there is a "distinct possibility" that the team will hold off on any big-time acquisitions this summer if the right situation does not present itself. 

The article also says that the Suns are open to the possibility of retaining Steve Nash depending on a number of factors involving Nash and the team's desires.  

A quiet summer will likely be enough to put the kibosh on Nash's interest in remaining with the franchise, who recently said that the team has a "great opportunity with the flexibility and cap space it has to improve a great deal" when discussing his thoughts heading into the offseason. 

 

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Latest On Steve Nash

April 26th, 2012 at 8:50am CST by Luke Adams

During the fourth quarter of last night's regular-season finale in Phoenix, Suns fans chanted "We want Steve!" and were eventually rewarded with a curtain call from Steve Nash. After eight years as a Sun, Nash's future is up in the air, and many pundits don't believe he'll be back in Phoenix next season.

J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today tweeted that Nash "isn't coming back to the Suns," adding that Phoenix needs to rebuild and the veteran point guard wants to join a contender. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld agreed (via Twitter), noting that Nash was "likely playing his final minutes as a member of the Phoenix Suns."

Nash himself remained noncommital on his future in a Q&A session with Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Asked about the odds that he'll remain in Phoenix, the 38-year-old replied, "Honestly, I have no clue. I couldn’t predict. I don’t know what the future holds at this point. And I’m actually OK with that. I think now’s the time to maybe get some distance from it and try to find a clear perspective on where I am. Until I do that, I couldn’t put a number on it or take a guess on what the chances are on whether I’ll be back or not."

While Nash's scoring average fell to 12.5 PPG this season, his lowest mark since 1999/2000, he continues to be efficient as ever. He also dished out 10.7 APG, posted an incredible .532 FG%, and matched his career average with a 20.2 PER. The two-time MVP wants to play for three more years, and given his continued excellence, it wouldn't surprise me at all if one of his suitors was willing to offer the three-year deal he'll be seeking.

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Pacific Notes: Warriors, World Peace, Nash, Kings

April 23rd, 2012 at 11:49am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacific Division hasn't been decided yet, but the magic number is down to one. If the Lakers win the final game of their season in Sacramento, or the Clippers lose in either Atlanta or New York, the Lakers will clinch the division. The consolation for the Clips? A win against either the Hawks or Knicks would at least earn them first-round homecourt advantage. Either way, the Staples Centre will be hosting of plenty of postseason contests starting next weekend.

Here's the latest out of the Pacific:

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