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Blazers Notes: McMillan, Felton, Miller

March 4th, 2012 at 8:41am CST by Daniel Seco

After getting off to a strong start to the abbreviated season by winning seven of their first nine games, the Trail Blazers are on the outside of the playoff picture with 29 games remaining on the season. The team out of the Rose City has lost their first three games since returning from the All-Star break and will finish up a three-game homestand on Monday against the Hornets before hitting the road for a seven-game stretch. Let's take a look at what's happening inside the locker-room of this star-crossed squad.

John Canzano of The Oregonian fears Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan's time in Portland is up after a recent string of losses and a general lack of enthusiasm amongst his players. For some members of the Trail Blazers roster, making it through the remainder of the season and getting some vacation time is their only concern. Canzano writes that it's not for a lack of trying to motivate his players on McMillan's end, but they don't seem to be responding to his myriad efforts.
It may be time to start over given that the Trail Blazers have a losing record for the first time since 2008 and would miss the playoffs if the season ended today, writes Jason Quick of The Oregonian. Quick points to a possible Raymond Felton for Steve Blake trade given the Lakers need for a point guard and Blake's familiarity with McMillan's system. Such a move would also allow for Jamal Crawford to assume the shooting guard position rather than running the point where he is less comfortable.
Trail Blazers president Larry Miller spoke with Quick after the team's loss Saturday night to the Timberwolves and stated that he would look into making moves over the next 11 days prior to the trade deadline.

Amick On Dwight, Celtics, Crawford

March 3rd, 2012 at 7:57pm CST by Sean Highkin

SI.com's Sam Amick has a roundup of the latest crop of NBA trade rumors, touching on a variety of topics. Here are the highlights:

There is a distinct possibility that the Magic will opt not to trade Dwight Howard, either because they don't like the offers out there or because they believe they can convince the superstar center to stay.
Nets GM Billy King believes it will be easier to land Howard through trade than via free agency, because of the difference in money the team will be able to offer.
The Warriors are still said to be interested in trading for Howard, even as a rental, and convincing him to stick around.
Ray Allen is more likely to be moved by March 15 than Rajon Rondo, but a deal with the Clippers is unlikely. The Celtics are asking for young talent and picks, which is more than most teams are likely to want to give up for the 36-year-old Allen.
Amick suggests Jamal Crawford as a trade possibility for the Clippers or any other team looking for help at the shooting guard position. He believes Crawford may be available because of the Blazers' struggles and his dissatisfaction with Nate McMillan playing him at point guard.
The Lakers continue to monitor Michael Beasley and Ramon Sessions, and the future of Pau Gasol is still uncertain.
It is possible that Wilson Chandler will spend the rest of the season overseas rather than re-sign with the Nuggets, and instead test free agency this summer.
The market is still slow for Gilbert Arenas, who is working out in Orlando in hopes that a team will sign him.

Odds & Ends: Stern, Hawks, Clippers

March 3rd, 2012 at 4:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

Leave it to LeBron James to wind up in the spotlight again amidst Linsanity and the impending trade deadline. He passed up a potential game-winning shot against Utah to give the ball to Udonis Haslem instead, and Haslem missed to give the Jazz a 99-98 win. Still, as Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida points out, it was the first time James has ever gone back-to-back games without committing a turnover. James will surely be with the Heat for a while, but here are a few notes on more fluid situations:

Changes are afoot for slumping Cleveland, where Cavs coach Byron Scott is giving thought to juggling his rotation and starting lineup after his team lost its fourth straight tonight, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. With the trade deadline approaching, the team must soon decide what to do with Ramon Sessions and Antawn Jamison, Amico says.
Bucks backup point guard Beno Udrih would be on board with a trade if one happens, notes Lang Greene of HoopsWorld.
ESPN's John Hollinger, writing from the Sloan Sports Analytics Conferences, says the numbers don't add up in the Kings arena deal. He believes the league provided financial support to the cash-strapped Maloof brothers so they could make their $73MM contribution to the deal. (Insider link)
John Schuhmann of NBA.com rounded up Celtics coach Doc Rivers' irritated pregame remarks about the trade rumors swirling around his team. In particular, he took aim at the belief the Celtics are shopping Rajon Rondo and the "ridiculous" idea that Pau Gasol may be headed to Boston. For Rondo, whose name has come up in trade talks many times before, it feels like "deja vu," notes Andrew Perna of RealGM.
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com looks at Celtics free agent signee Mickael Pietrus, who's finally displaying his all-around game now that he's healthy, Blakely says.
Marc Gasol, used to fielding rumors involving his brother Pau, is surprised that Raptors point guard Jose Calderon, another Spanish Olympic teammate, is coming up in trade talk as well, reports Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun.
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News believes the Knicks have assembled their most talented roster in 12 years.
Jeremy Lin isn't the only waiver pickup exceeding expectations for the Knicks, as Steve Novak has been a major beneficiary of his more famous teammate's play, as Ben Bolch examines in the Chicago Tribune.
Former Clippers and current Suns coach Alvin Gentry admires the team the Clips have put together this year, writes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic points out that Suns guard Shannon Brown, who'll hit the free agent market this summer, has a deceptive career high of 8.9 PPG this year. This has also been one of his worst shooting seasons.
Maturity is the difference between the Gerald Green who flamed out with the Celtics a few years ago and the player who just returned to the league with the Nets, observes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.

Northwest Notes: Blazers, Carroll, Howard

March 2nd, 2012 at 9:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Oklahoma City, with Western Conference player of the month Kevin Durant, casts a shadow over the rest of the Pacific Division, with a nine and a half game lead over second-place Denver. The Nuggets, who currently occupy the eighth playoff spot, Blazers, Timberwolves and Jazz are all within two and a half games of each other, so every team in the division has a shot at the postseason. Here what's going on with a couple of those teams:

Jeff Kramer, the man behind the superb Storytellers Contracts database, made note of a few little-known facts about the Blazers' payroll in this piece on SB Nation. He notes that Portland can't trade this year's first-round draft pick and wonders whether cost-conscious teams may take an extra look at Wesley Matthews, since his contract is cheaper than his cap hit. The lack of an extension for Nicolas Batum may save the Blazers cap space even if they re-sign him, Kramer writes, and he notes that the team is unlikely to make a move to go back over the tax line this year.
Jason Quick of The Oregonian thinks the Blazers have hit a dead end, and believes major changes are coming. He doesn't see coach Nate McMillan returning next year, and predicts the team will also let go of Marcus Camby, Gerald Wallace, Raymond Felton, and Jamal Crawford. A deadline deal would mean the team is interested in making the playoffs this year, while standing pat is a sign that points to rebuilding.
DeMarre Carroll, who signed with the Jazz last month, has played only three minutes so far, but the veteran of four different teams in three seasons is not showing any frustration, writes Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin is toying with a change to his starting lineup, but won't make the call until Raja Bell returns from injury, tweets Smith. Josh Howard, a free agent at the end of the season, has impressed Corbin as a fill-in starter. (Twitter link)

Wallace Hopes To Sign Long-Term With Blazers

March 2nd, 2012 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Gerald Wallace's future as a Trail Blazer is uncertain. The 29-year-old could be traded before the March 15th deadline, and he's indicated that he'll opt out of his contract at season's end rather than exercise his player option. However, Wallace would like to remain with Portland long-term, as he tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.

"I want to finish my career in Portland," Wallace said. "This is where I want to be, but at the same time, I know this is a business."

While Wallace says he intends to decline his option this summer, he hopes to renegotiate a deal with the Blazers. Wallace's 13.4 PPG and 15.4 PER are his lowest marks since 2004/05, but he's still productive enough to earn long-term contract offers this summer. So while he may have trouble matching the $9.5MM his option is worth for 2012/13, he should easily be able to exceed that guarantee on a multiyear deal, whether or not Portland is interested in bringing him back.

Wallace's name came up in trade rumors involving the Magic and Nets prior to the season, and ESPN.com's Chris Broussard said earlier this week that the Blazers are open to discussing the forward again as the deadline approaches.

Blazers Notes: GM Search, Felton, Fernandez

March 1st, 2012 at 9:58am CST by Luke Adams

Trail Blazers president Larry Miller addressed a few Portland-related topics last night, and Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge has the quotes. Here are the highlights:

Miller says the Blazers will revisit their general manager search at season's end, and that no permanent GM will be hired before then: "At the end of the season we'll evaluate it and see if at that point, do we still need to go out and find somebody? Or is [Acting GM] Chad [Buchanan] the guy who can be comfortable moving into that role?" (Twitter link)
Miller still thinks acquiring Raymond Felton was the right decision, based on Felton's career performance to that point. However, he concedes that it hasn't worked out as the team hoped: "Raymond, to us, was a player who could be a part of this team going forward. He could be a future piece of this team… He clearly hasn't lived up to that this year. Hopefully the second half of the season we'll get to see the Raymond that we traded for" (Twitter link).
"Rudy had a good run here but it seemed like it had kind of soured a bit," said Miller, addressing the team's trade of Rudy Fernandez, in the same deal that landed them Felton. Added Miller: "Even the fans had soured a bit on Rudy" (Twitter link).
Current Blazer and former Nugget Marcus Camby talked to Chris Smith of Nuggets.com about his season and his continued ties to Denver.

Patrick Mills Receives FIBA Clearance

March 1st, 2012 at 8:22am CST by Luke Adams

Patrick Mills has returned from China and has received a letter of clearance from FIBA, according to Mills' own Twitter account. The clearance means he's eligible to sign in the NBA again.

As a restricted free agent, Mills is in a situation similar to Wilson Chandler's, which has been well documented. Because it's March 1st, Mills can no longer sign an offer sheet with another team, so if he hopes to play in the NBA this season, he'd only be able to sign with the Trail Blazers.

Portland has a full roster after signing Joel Przybilla, so it's unclear if they're interested in bringing Mills aboard. Unlike Chandler, Mills wouldn't necessarily be eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer if he just signed a rest-of-season deal, so that seems like a possibility. If the Blazers aren't interested in adding the 23-year-old to this year's roster, they could renounce him, allowing him to sign elsewhere. The 6'0" point guard could also sit out the rest of the season and become a restricted free agent again in the offseason.

Trade Candidate: Raymond Felton

February 29th, 2012 at 8:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

Earlier today, in an expansive Insider-only piece for ESPN that we summarized here, Chris Broussard reported that two players the Blazers are particularly willing to bring up in trade talks are former Charlotte teammates Raymond Felton and Gerald Wallace. Broussard characterizes Felton as "uncomfortable and unhappy," and there have been some rumblings around the point guard of late, so let's take a look at what he can offer.

The past 12 months have not gone as planned for Felton, who was atop the free agent point guard market in the summer of 2010 and drew All-Star consideration after a strong first half with the Knicks last year. He went to Denver in the Carmelo Anthony trade and suddenly found himself on the bench behind fellow former Tar Heel Ty Lawson. Shipped off again this past summer to Portland, Felton has posted career lows in PER (10.8), PPG (10.2) and shooting percentage (37.6%) and recently lost his starting job to Jamal Crawford.

Felton, an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, spoke earlier this season of wanting to re-sign with the Blazers. His more recent comments seem to indicate he’s not as keen on sticking around anymore. The Lakers have reportedly begun to sniff around. His contract, which pays him $7.56MM this year, is expiring, so it’s not hard to see Felton getting traded for the third time in a little more than a year.

The latest we hear on the Lakers and Felton is that he and Ramon Sessions are the team’s top choices at point guard. He fits the Lakers’ needs at that position, but unless the Blazers want to go with Crawford, a combo guard, as the long-term starter at the one, such a move would leave a lot of question marks in Portland. Even though ex-Blazer Steve Blake was the starter in Portland as recently as 2009/10, I doubt the Blazers are high on Blake or Derek Fisher, both of whom have multiple years left on their deals. Realistically, another team would have to be in on the trade for Felton to get to L.A.

An intriguing destination for Felton might be Dallas, where Jason Kidd’s shooting, which had helped him perpetuate his career, has deserted him as he stares down his 39th birthday in March. The Mavs could take Felton in the hopes he returns to the 17.1 PPG, 9.0 APG form he exhibited in New York and can contribute to a title defense. They’d have Felton’s Early Bird rights, so if they missed out on Deron Williams this summer, they’d have the inside track on re-signing Felton, who’s 12 years younger than Kidd. The Blazers would replace someone who might not want to be there with a steadying influence who can help them nail down a playoff berth. This would be a low-risk trade for the two sides, since both contracts are expiring, but it’s just my speculation at this point.

Broussard On Gasol, Rondo, Ellis, Beasley, Kaman

February 29th, 2012 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to providing an update on the Dwight Howard sweepstakes, Chris Broussard shares rumors about a handful of big-name trade candidates in his latest Insider-only ESPN.com column. Let's dive in….

The Rockets still have interest in Pau Gasol but want to build around Kyle Lowry rather than include him in any Gasol deal. The Timberwolves haven't talked to the Lakers in months about Gasol, while the Bulls have shown some interest in the Spaniard.
Sources tell Broussard that the Celtics have determined they're not title contenders this year and would prefer to move Rajon Rondo rather than deal with the "headaches" he brings.
Broussard hears that if Monta Ellis were traded, the Warriors guard would like to join the Lakers, Bulls, or Magic (alongside Dwight Howard), but none of those scenarios appear realistic.
The Timberwolves offered Michael Beasley to the Lakers in exchange for the higher of L.A.'s two first-round picks, but were turned down. The Lakers are torn on Beasley — because L.A. is over the tax line, the team would be adding more than just Beasley's $6.26MM cap figure. I imagine they'd also prefer to use their trade exception to acquire a point guard.
The Hornets' asking price for Chris Kaman has dropped since earlier in the season. They're seeking a draft pick, even just a second-rounder, for the center.
LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum are "virtually untouchable" but the Blazers would talk about anyone else on their roster, particularly Raymond Felton and Gerald Wallace.

Northwest Notes: Przybilla, Roy, Nuggets, Wolves

February 29th, 2012 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The newest Trail Blazer, Joel Przybilla, won't suit up for the team's game against the Nuggets tonight, but he expects to be on the court soon. Przybilla told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that he hopes to make his 2011/12 debut Saturday night against the Timberwolves. As Przybilla gets in a little more practice time, let's check in on what else is going on with the Blazers, Nuggets, and T-Wolves in our latest Northwest Division update…

Trail Blazers players and coaches were surprised to hear that Brandon Roy is considering attempting a comeback, according to Joe Freeman of the Oregonian. Having amnestied Roy prior to this season, Portland wouldn't be able to bring the 27-year-old back right away if he were to come out of retirement.
In a mailbag for the Denver Post, Benjamin Hochman provides the latest on Wilson Chandler and addresses the likelihood of the Nuggets adding a star player this summer.
Tom Ziller of SBNation wonders if it would be worth it in the long run for the Timberwolves to give up Derrick Williams and other assets to acquire Pau Gasol.