Kyler On Lakers, Redick, Grizzlies
Just as he did on Saturday, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.com answered some questions Sunday morning from his Twitter followers. Here are the highlights:
- Kyler does not expect the Lakers to trade Pau Gasol, noting that his hefty salary makes it difficult to find a fit. He says the Lakers are not interested in taking back another similar-sized contract for Gasol, and would prefer to break his cap hit into smaller pieces.
- Kyler says that, although former Blazers head coach Nate McMillan makes sense as an assistant coach for the Lakers, there is no incentive for him to take the job due to the Lakers' struggles and his enjoyment of spending time with his family (link).
- Kyler expects Magic guard J.J. Redick to get a contract similar to the four-year, $36MM deal Ryan Anderson signed with the Hornets. He does not think the Blazers would be a fit for Redick, given the presence of Wesley Matthews.
- Kyler doesn't think the Grizzlies will trade any of their key players unless the return helps them win now.
Northwest Notes: Trail Blazers, Porter, Hickson
The Portland Tribune's Kerry Eggers makes the case that Trail Blazers players LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum should both make the Western Conference All-Star game.
- As he serves as head coach of the Timberwolves while Rick Adelman is on leave for personal reasons, Terry Porter wants to have a similar job full-time, writes TwinCities.com's Ray Richardson.
- The Oregonian's John Canzano writes that the Trail Blazers have an interesting decision to make with regards to whether or not they should trade center J.J. Hickson.
Odds & Ends: Redick, Turkoglu, Lakers, Livingston
Let's round up some Friday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Although J.J. Redick doesn't want to be traded by the Magic, he's not exactly thrilled with the team's 10-game losing streak, as Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida tweets.
- Tomasson also spoke to Hedo Turkoglu, who said he's not actively trying to be bought out by the Magic, though he understands if the team decides to trade him.
- After telling Sheridan Hoops earlier this week that he doesn't expect to coach again, Phil Jackson reiterates the point to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), writing in an email that there's no chance he returns to the Lakers.
- A collection of SI.com writers discuss what's next for the Lakers, including potential pre-trade-deadline moves, and the team's chances of re-signing Dwight Howard this summer.
- Shaun Livingston tells Richard Hardy of HoopsWorld that he's hoping to stay with the Cavaliers for longer than just this season.
- Having recently parted ways with agent Joel Bell, Trail Blazers guard Nolan Smith has replaced him with former Bull B.J. Armstrong of the Wasserman Media Group, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
- David Mayo of MLive.com explores whether the Pistons should attempt to trade for Rudy Gay, while multiple Celtics writers discuss whether Boston should take a flier on Greg Oden (link via CSNNE.com).
- In an Insider piece, ESPN.com's Chad Ford looks at some potential fits in June's draft for the Hornets.
Eastern Rumors: Knicks, Hamilton, Nets, Oden
The Eastern Conference's top two teams fell last night, as the Heat lost a nailbiter in Portland and the Carmelo Anthony-less Knicks dropped a low-scoring affair in Indiana. Thursday's results further compress the playoff picture in the East, where the top eight teams, from the No. 1 Heat to the No. 8 Celtics, are all separated by just 5.5 games. Here are a few Friday updates related to four of those eight Eastern contenders:
- Asked about the Knicks' reported interest in Kenyon Martin, coach Mike Woodson told reporters, including Al Iannazzone of Newsday, "that's news to me." If Marcus Camby is forced to miss time after aggravating a foot injury Thursday night, then the Knicks could look to sign someone, says Iannazzone.
- Richard Hamilton, who turns 35 next month, tells K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune that he doesn't expect to play past age 38. Hamilton's contract for next year is mostly non-guaranteed, and he would turn 38 during the 2015/16 season, so he'd likely have to sign at least a couple more deals to play that long.
- Nets management has been impressed with the job done so far by coach P.J. Carlesimo, who will "almost certainly" hold the job until the end of the season, a source tells Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Greg Oden's agent, Mike Conley Sr., tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that he's 100% certain his client will be playing in the NBA next season. Conley didn't talk extensively about teams that could be in play, but hinted that the Heat aren't necessarily the frontrunners, and said the Trail Blazers definitely aren't an option. I'm not sure the Heat were widely viewed as the favorites — Miami was just the only specific suitor named in Brian Windhorst's report yesterday.
Northwest Notes: Williams, Lillard, Thunder
The latest links and updates in the Northwest Division on Thursday:
- Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press praises Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams for taking advantage of the opportunity created by Kevin Love's latest hand injury.
- Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News writes that Oakland native Damian Lillard is the favorite to win Rookie of the Year with the Blazers.
- Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman reports that Eric Maynor has no interest in a D-League assignment despite falling out of the Thunder's rotation as backup point guard.
- Mayberry also has a quote from Nick Collison, who cites his ability to take a lesser role as a major reaso he's been able to stay relevant in the NBA.
Blazers Recall Smith, Barton From D-League
Here are Wednesday's D-League assignments and recalls, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- Nolan Smith and Will Barton were recalled from the D-League by the Trail Blazers, the team announced today (Twitter link). The backcourt duo had been assigned to the Idaho Stampede on Sunday. In a pair of Stampede losses during their assignments, Smith averaged 22.5 PPG and 5.5 APG, while Barton posted 14.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 4.0 APG.
Injury Updates: Rose, Gasol, Varejao, Shumpert
While injury news may not be part of our main scope at Hoops Rumors, we have a handful of updates to share this evening:
- Kevin Love will travel to New York on Wednesday in order to determine whether or not he'll need surgery on his broken right hand, according to Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune.
- Derrick Rose should be cleared for full-contact practice within the next two weeks, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Subscribers only). Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times provided another look at the superstar's return to practice today, noting that Rose looked good in "predictable contact" drills.
- Kevin Ding of the OC Register (via Twitter) notes that Dwight Howard's injury is actually a separated shoulder (not a torn labrum) and that he hopes to return after a week of recovery. Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets that Dwight's injury will not require surgery.
Western Notes: White, Nowitzki, Wolves, Blazers
So far, votes are virtually evenly split on whether or not the Lakers will earn a playoff spot this season in the competitive Western Conference. You can weigh in with your vote and/or comments on our afternoon poll right here. As the Lakers prepare to face the Rockets tonight in Houston, let's check in on a few Western Conference notes relating to the Rockets and a handful of other clubs….
- Royce White appeared on Slate's Hang Up and Listen podcast, and went into detail in discussing his relationship with the Rockets and the mental health protocol he's hoping to establish. You can listen to the conversation at about the 24:15 mark of the podcast or view the complete transcript over at Slate.com.
- Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson says he expects Dirk Nowitzki to remain with the Mavericks for the rest of his career, according to Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). Nowitzki recently questioned some of the Mavs' roster-building strategies, but insisted he wants to remain in Dallas and not be traded.
- Even though Kevin Love will be out for an extended period, the Timberwolves, like every other team in the NBA, aren't currently interested in Kenyon Martin, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
- Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey isn't looking to make superficial changes to his team's roster, but is ready to make a move if the right kind of deal arises, as Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld writes.
- Terrel Harris, who was cut this weekend by the Heat, will join the Rockets' D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, tweets Fran Blinebury of NBA.com. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle clarifies (via Twitter) that Harris won't be part of Houston's 15-man roster, but the Vipers are operated by the Rockets, who want to take a look at the guard.
Odds & Ends: Nolan Smith, Beverley, Draft
It was an active day around the Association, and it might be that way for a while. Monday is the start date for 10-day contracts and the final day teams can waive players on non-guaranteed deals in time for them to be off rosters by January 10th, when those contracts would become guaranteed for the balance of the season. Come Monday, we'll also be just two weeks and a month from the trade deadline. As we count down, here's the latest NBA scuttlebutt.
- Nolan Smith has fired agent Joel Bell, who asked the Blazers to trade his now former client, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com reports. Smith said he has never asked for a trade himself, and as we passed along earlier, he also spoke with Haynes about his upcoming free agency, professing his love for Portland in the process. Sam Amick of SI.com identified Smith as a trade candidate earlier today.
- Sean Deveney tweets financial details on Patrick Beverley's $850K buyout from Spartak St. Petersburg. The Rockets, who are expected to sign Beverley, paid the maximum $550K while Beverley chipped in the rest out the $700K in earnings he had already drawn on his $1MM contract with the Russian club.
- Chris Mannix of SI.com mentions Kansas freshman shooting guard Ben McLemore as a darkhorse for the No. 1 pick and ranks the top 20 draft prospects for June, with Kentucky center Nerlens Noel atop the list.
- Hornets coach Monty Williams said the team wants to have the flexibility to bring in new players at small forward, as John Reid of The Times-Picayune notes, and presumably that's why New Orleans waived Dominic McGuire today. Williams has been unpleased with the play of the team's threes since before McGuire signed last month, and now the coach is calling for improvement from Al-Farouq Aminu, who'll be an unrestricted free agent in the summer because the Hornets declined his fourth-year option prior to the season.
Amick’s Latest: Cousins, Evans, Heat, Bargnani
In their Friday A-Z piece for USA Today, Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt lead off by examining a number of potential teams and players that could be involved in trade talks in the next few weeks. Most of the juicier rumors come from Amick, so we'll round up the highlights from his section of the piece right here:
- Geoff Petrie has said that the Kings aren't interested in trading DeMarcus Cousins, and it seems as if that sentiment is now being conveyed privately as well as publicly, according to Amick. However, the Kings would be open to listening to offers on Tyreke Evans or anyone else besides Cousins.
- The Celtics and Mavericks are two teams that could shake things up before the deadline — both clubs are underperforming and have been known to be aggressive pursuing upgrades in the past.
- The Heat would like to add a big man, but don't really have the assets needed to make a deal.
- Nolan Smith is a good candidate to be moved before the deadline by the Trail Blazers.
- The Cavaliers and Clippers won't be eager to move Anderson Varejao and Eric Bledsoe, respectively, but both teams should receive plenty of offers on those players, says Amick, noting that the Cavs' poor record will only increase the pressure to make a move.
- Both Amick and Zillgitt identify the Raptors' Andrea Bargnani as the biggest name likely to be on the move by February 21st.