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Odds & Ends: Calderon, Kanter, Blazers

April 17th, 2012 at 10:22pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Tuesday night:

Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun examines the future of Jose Calderon with the Raptors. He says the Spanish guard has played well enough to deserve a long-term commitment from the Raptors, but that trading him might also make financial sense for a rebuilding Toronto team.
The Salt Lake Tribune's Brian T. Smith looks at the development of rookie center Enes Kanter, the Jazz' third overall pick in the 2011 draft.
The Oregonian's John Canzano wants to see a larger commitment to the future of the Trail Blazers from owner Paul Allen. Canzano also suggests that this could be an opportune time for Allen to sell the team.
Philly.com's Bob Cooney has quotes from Sixers CEO Adam Aron, who stresses the organization's commitment to putting a winning product on the floor going forward.

Odds & Ends: Howard, Draft, Hornets, Blazers

April 17th, 2012 at 1:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Tuesday afternoon links from around the NBA….

David Pingalore of Local 6 in Orlando, who reported earlier this month that Dwight Howard had asked the Magic to fire Stan Van Gundy, says Howard no longer wants to play for Van Gundy. This situation may end up working itself out: Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel argued yesterday that the Magic should shut down Howard for the rest of the year, and Van Gundy is unlikely to remain the team's coach for next season.
The latest mock draft from ESPN.com's Chad Ford has received plenty of feedback from NBA scouts and executives, Ford writes. Mississippi State's Arnett Moultrie and Dion Waiters of Syracuse were among the players Ford's sources felt were ranked too low — the latest ESPN.com mock had them coming off the board at 19th and 23rd respectively.
North Carolina's John Henson has hired Jim Tanner as his agent, reports Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (via Twitter). The junior forward announced in late March that he was entering the NBA draft.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld explores the direction of the Hornets now that the team is under new ownership.
Having been officially eliminated from the playoffs, the Trail Blazers now look like a good bet to score two lottery picks, as Mike Tokito of the Oregonian writes.

Poll: Will The Nets Land A First-Round Pick?

April 17th, 2012 at 12:19pm CST by Luke Adams

As they prepare to move from New Jersey to Brooklyn this summer, the Nets are in an interesting situation. With cap space to spare, the team will be looking to retain potential free agents like Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, and Gerald Wallace. How much room the team has to re-sign its own players and pursue other free agents will depend on its luck in the coming weeks though.

The Nets have a chance to land two picks in the top 20 of what's expected to be a deep draft. However, there's also a possibility that the Nets end up with zero first-rounders. New Jersey's own pick is ticketed for Portland if it doesn't end up in the top three, while the Rockets' first-rounder will only be sent to the Nets if it's not in the top 14.

As Hoops Rumors' tentative draft order shows, the Nets are currently tied with the league's sixth-worst record, and the Rockets are tied with the Suns for the eighth seed in the West. Our order, which doesn't account for tiebreakers, actually shows the 32-29 Rockets at 17th overall, but the 32-29 Suns hold the playoff tiebreaker, moving the Rockets up to 14th. So if the season ended today and everything held to form, the Nets wouldn't own a first-round pick.

With just a handful of games left in the season, how do you see the Nets' draft prospects lining up? Will New Jersey luck out and jump into the top three with its own pick? Will the Rockets edge out the Suns and Jazz to earn a postseason spot, handing their pick to the Nets? How many first-rounders do you think the Nets will hold when June arrives?

How Many First-Round Picks Will The Nets Land?

Neither pick 37.72% (106 votes)

Only the Rockets' pick 30.96% (87 votes)

Their own pick and the Rockets' pick 19.22% (54 votes)

Only their own pick 12.10% (34 votes)

Total Votes: 281

Suns To Pursue Jamal Crawford

April 17th, 2012 at 8:25am CST by Luke Adams

Jamal Crawford is expected to turn down his player option for 2012/13, and when he does, the Suns may be one of the first teams to come after him. According to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, Phoenix intends to aggressively pursue Crawford this summer.

"Aside from Steve [Nash], he's high if not the top free agent priority on their list," a source told Haynes. "He would fill a need at the two-guard position and he knows they want him."

Crawford was reported to have some interest in joining the Warriors, and it appears he may reciprocate the Suns' interest as well. According to Suns broadcaster John Bloom (via Twitter), Crawford told Phoenix broadcaster Eddie Johnson and coach Alvin Gentry during last night's game that he "needs to be here in Phoenix."

Crawford signed a two-year deal with the Blazers in December, but holds a player option worth $5.225MM for the second season. While the 32-year-old's 13.8 PPG and .384 FG% are his lowest marks in years, he should be able to secure a multiyear deal on the open market this offseason, as plenty of teams will be seeking shooting guards.

Odds & Ends: Celtics, Raptors, Brown, Draft

April 16th, 2012 at 10:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

It's an eventful night in the NBA with 11 games, many of which have playoff implications. There's been plenty of draft news as well, as teams look past the playoffs, and one item concerning the distant future, with the NBA announcing the Hornets will host the 2014 All-Star Game, just six years after hosting the 2008 event. The new ownership of Tom Benson had plenty to do with that, though he's already come up short in his quest to get the Jazz nickname back from Utah, as Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune notes. If Benson ditches the Hornets name, it'll be a while before Charlotte could use it again, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. While nicknames won't be moving for a while, there's plenty of movement on other fronts, and here's the latest:

A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com doesn't think free agents Roy Hibbert and Eric Gordon will switch teams this summer, but says the Celtics have interest in both (Twitter link).
Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun breaks down the Raptors' roster and predicts who'll be there next season and who won't.
Longtime coach Larry Brown is pursuing the Blazers GM job even as he zeroes in on the SMU coaching gig, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford discusses the possibility that Kentucky senior Darius Miller, currently projected as a second-rounder, could climb up the draft board and make it six first-round picks for the Wildcats (Insider only).
Al Iannazzone of New York Newsday rounds up Carmelo Anthony's comments on multiple radio shows today about the way new Knicks coach Mike Woodson has held him accountable (Sulia links).
Mavs cast-off Lamar Odom leads Sam Smith's list of the biggest disappointments this year on NBA.com
Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida shares the results of an informal survey of 11 former MVPs, who give a slight edge to Kevin Durant over LeBron James in this year's race. The former players won't have official votes for the award; instead, writers and broadcasters will make the selection.
Roland Beech of 82games.com crunches the numbers and determines Gilbert Arenas, taken in the second round by the Warriors in 2001, was the shrewdest draft choice in recent years (hat tip to Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld).

Cavs Rumors: Ferry, Jamison, Sloan

April 16th, 2012 at 9:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

The idea that the Cavs might make a run at the playoffs this season has long since faded to a distant memory now that they have the fifth-worst record in the league. The focus is clearly on the future, with two first-round draft picks lined up for June. Here's the latest on Cavs past, present and, possibly, future:

After looking at the progress former Cav J.J. Hickson has made since his arrival in Portland, as we noted earlier this evening, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio shares a pair of front-office rumors involving former Cavs GM Danny Ferry, now working in the Spurs front office. Ferry, along with Celtics GM Danny Ainge, is a candidate for the Blazers GM job, and Ferry could also be next in line for the Wizards GM job should they decide to replace Ernie Grunfeld.
Antawn Jamison will turn 36 in June, right before he goes out on the market as an unrestricted free agent. Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer looks at how Jamison's offseason body maintenance helped him start every game of the season for the Cavs until coach Byron Scott gave him a night off for rest on Saturday. Ryan Raroque profiled Jamison for the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Stock Watch series last night.
Donald Sloan has an unguaranteed minimum-salary contract for next season, but Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal believes he's performed well enough in place of injured Kyrie Irving to come back to the team next season as Irving's backup.

J.J. Hickson on Blazers, Canales, Kings, Future

April 16th, 2012 at 6:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

J.J. Hickson's disappointing performance this season with the Kings surely made GM Geoff Petrie regret trading Omri Casspi and a first-round pick to get him this past offseason. Petrie and company were quick to cut bait, buying him out shortly after the trade deadline. The Blazers swooped in and claimed him off waivers, and in a dozen games with Portland, Hickson has suddenly returned to the form that made him a promising young commodity with the Cavs. He's averaging 13.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG and shooting 55% from the floor, and will see plenty of time down the stretch with LaMarcus Aldridge out. He spoke with Brendan Bowers of Slam Online and shared his thoughts on what's changed since he switched teams, and his upcoming restricted free agency:

Hickson has indicated before he'd like to remain in Portland, but seemed to express a much stronger desire to do so in his comments to Bowers. "Of course, I would love it," Hickson said of returning to the Blazers. "I’ve been getting some positive feedback from Coach, and from the organization as a whole, and I would love to re-sign here. As far as the guys on the court, as far as my teammates go, we all like each other off the court and we all get along too. Guys hang out off the court, and I think that builds a chemistry that leads to winning basketball. So I would love to come back here, continue to be a Portland Trailblazer, and help be part of something special that we’re building here."
Hickson harbors no ill will toward the Kings, against whom he scored 10 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in Portland's loss yesterday, saying it just simply wasn't the right fit.
He credits coach Kaleb Canales and a better mix of personnel with his Portland renaissance. Hickson said a ball-sharing offense and a heavy dose of pick-and-rolls have put him in a position to succeed.
Hickson also shares how Canales has motivated the entire team. "Coach is a great coach, man," Hickson said. "He’s young and he’s very energetic; he’s just like me. He’s very hands on, but at the same time he’s a great coach who’s going to tell you when you’re messing up, and he’s also going to tell you what you’re doing well. He’s definitely a defensive minded coach too. I’ve only known Coach for a couple weeks or so, but I’ll run through a wall for him already. I think I speak for the whole team when I say that."

Pacific Notes: Del Negro, Kings, Petrie, Warriors

April 16th, 2012 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Today's updates out of the Pacific Division focus primarily on off-court situations, including potential relocations or managerial changes. Let's round them up….

During the stretch earlier this season when the Clippers lost 11 of 19, there was some internal discussion about replacing coach Vinny Del Negro, says Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. However, owner Donald Sterling continued to support Del Negro and the team wanted to let him work through the team's struggles.
Mayor Kevin Johnson said he's not sure whether the Maloofs want to keep the Kings in Sacramento but that "this is not over, we're going to figure something out." Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee has the details.
George Maloof spoke to both SI.com's Sam Amick and Ken Berger of CBS Sports, insisting that he hopes there's still a way the Kings can remain in Sacramento.
Asked about the Trail Blazers' GM opening, Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie replied, "That's something I can't really comment on. I have a job." Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com writes of speculation that the Blazers could pursue Petrie, who has strong ties to Portland, and points out that Petrie didn't deny having interest.
Warriors assistant coach Michael Malone is a good bet to land a head coaching job elsewhere this summer, according to Vittorio Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Warriors' lease in Oakland can be exited in 2017, and co-owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber are telling people they're open to all their options, reports Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News. Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose could all be possibilities.

Odds & Ends: Magic, Randolph, Kings, Irving

April 15th, 2012 at 9:59pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Earlier this evening, an ESPN report (via the Associated Press) indicated that Stan Van Gundy is prepared to handle the rest of the season and playoffs without Dwight Howard. To make matter worse, forward Glen Davis hyper-extended his right knee today during the first quarter against the Cavaliers and did not return for the rest of the game. Joshua Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel tweeted that Davis is unsure about when he'll be able to play again this year, which currently leaves Daniel Orton as the only true big man on the Magic roster. It should be noted that if the Magic decide to find replacements for their big man rotation through free agency, the only playoff-eligible players at this point are those who have not already played in an NBA game this year. You can find tonight's other significant stories here:

Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press writes that the determining factor in Anthony Randolph's future with the Timberwolves will significantly hinge on his ability to remain consistent as the team finishes out the year. Randolph is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, and even with his brilliant performance over the last three games, coach Rick Adelman feels that the jury is still out on whether he can be counted on for a full season.
Ken Berger of CBS Sports writes that a Sacramento group including mayor Kevin Johnson is hinting at proposing new ownership for the Kings. The Maloof brothers had recently pulled out of a deal to finance a new arena with the city, much to the chagrin of the city members who are working hard to keep the team in Sacramento.
Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott will proceed with caution with regards to the health of Kyrie Irving, says Tom Reed of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Irving is recovering from a sprained right shoulder, and Scott would rather have him focused on being ready for off-season workouts than returning for the team's final weeks.
Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated examines the role of Chris Bosh as the key to Miami's playoff success.
Raymond Felton has likely seen his last minutes of the season with the Trail Blazers, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Interim GM Chad Buchanan said that he and Felton agreed that this would be an opportune time to properly evaluate their other young guards, namely Nolan Smith and Jonny Flynn. Haynes also wrote another article in which he asked Kings GM Geoff Petrie about being linked to the Blazers vacant GM position, to which Petrie replied: “That's something I can't really comment on. I have a job.”
Ten things you need to know about Derrick Favors, according to Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post spoke with coach George Karl to reflect on how he has handled coaching while prioritizing his life during this season.

Odds & Ends: Blazers, Pacers, Heat, Harangody

April 14th, 2012 at 5:54pm CST by Daniel Seco

With six more games yet to be played this Saturday evening, let's take a look at the latest news and happenings from around the league before tonight's action gets underway.

Comcast SportsNet NW's Chris Haynes tweets the Blazers have not yet interviewed the team's acting general manager Chad Buchanan for an opportunity to secure the position for next season and beyond.
While the Pacers are on track to secure the third seed in the Eastern Conference, the team hasn't enjoyed the same kind of success with selling tickets to home games this season, writes Benjamin Hoffman of The New York Times. Hoffman points to the fact that the Pacers lack a superstar talent like a LeBron James or a Kobe Bryant that helps drive ticket sales. The team's lack of popularity also exists on the road where fans are more likely to be wearing a Reggie Miller jersey than one featuring Danny Granger's name on the back.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, writing in his mailbag column, believes this offseason will be critical to the Heat's development of Dexter Pittman, Norris Cole and Terrel Harris. The trio will be able to play in the Las Vegas summer league unlike last summer in which the lockout kept basketball from being played in Sin City. Only Cole, as a first-round pick from last year, has a guaranteed contract for next season.
The Cavs will send Luke Harangody back to the D-League after tonight's game against the Wizards, reports Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer via Twitter.