Kings Arena Deal Passes City Vote
The Kings have cleared a major hurdle in their efforts to secure a new stadium in Sacramento. The city council has given the plan its stamp of approval with a final vote of 7-2, according to Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter).
Sacramento owner Gavin Maloof was in attendance for the meeting along with multiple team officials and guard Isaiah Thomas, according to Ailene Voisin (Twitter links). David Aldridge of NBA.com recently wrote that the Maloofs have the support of David Stern and will receive some sort of financial help if needed to keep the team in Sacramento.
The arena is set to open in time for the 2015/16 season and the Kings have agreed to act as its anchor tenant for 30 years. Cities such as Anaheim and Seattle were expected to go after the Kings if they were to leave Sacramento.
Odds & Ends: Randolph, Carter, Bulls, Vazquez
While the returns of J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler from the Chinese Basketball Association grabbed more headlines over the last month or so, there are other former NBA players still returning from overseas in search of NBA gigs. One such player is former 76ers forward Shavlik Randolph, who averaged 24.7 PPG, 11.9 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in China this season. According to Sportando, Randolph is "in serious talks" with two NBA clubs and could sign a deal soon. While we wait to see if the Duke product can find his way back to an NBA roster, let's check out a few more links from around the league….
- With the Raptors looking to trade or release Anthony Carter, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel thinks the point guard could be a solid insurance policy for the Heat.
- After Richard Hamilton left last night's game with another injury, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune wondered whether the Bulls will need to acquire a shooting guard via trade. Prior to last year's deadline, Johnson says, Chicago discussed deals for O.J. Mayo and Courtney Lee. The Bulls announced today that Hamilton is day-to-day with a shoulder contusion and mild sprain.
- The Magic still own the NBA rights to 2005 draft pick Fran Vazquez and hope to bring him over for next season, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
- David Thorpe of ESPN.com (Insider link) lists the five best "chemistry" guys potentially available at the deadline. His picks: Pau Gasol, Paul Millsap, Gerald Wallace, Chris Andersen, and Rajon Rondo.
- Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee questions why the Kings felt they had to make the decision to exercise Keith Smart's 2012/13 option so soon.
- A few potential first-round draft picks could be running out of time to showcase their in-game skills, writes Chad Ford of ESPN.com in an Insider-only piece.
Kings Exercise 2012/13 Option On Keith Smart
MONDAY, 4:27pm: The Kings have officially picked up Smart's option for 2012/13, the team announced today. In the press release, Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie praised the job Smart has done "taking control of the direction of the team."
FRIDAY, 11:00am: Not only does the future of the Kings in Sacramento look much more stable than it did a week ago, but the team's future coaching situation is taking shape as well. Kings co-owner Joe Maloof tells SI.com's Sam Amick that the team will exercise coach Keith Smart's option for the 2012/13 season.
Smart, who has a 10-18 record as Sacramento's head coach, was promoted to replace the fired Paul Westphal earlier this season. According to Amick, the team had been leaving the door open to potentially pursue a bigger-name coach this summer, but has decided to retain Smart going forward.
"With no disrespect to our past coaches," Maloof said. "We really have someone who everybody likes now. The players like him, the basketball staff likes him, we trust him, and he knows the game. Keith Smart is a wonderful coach, and we're lucky to have him…. Yes, we'll pick it up (Smart's option). We want him to be our coach forever."
The Kings' coach has another fan in second-year forward DeMarcus Cousins, who clashed with Westphal but has nothing but praise for Smart. When Cousins expressed a desire to remain in Sacramento long-term a couple weeks ago, he credited Smart for helping to make him a better player.
Aldridge On Sacramento, Scott Brooks, Rondo
While the city of Sacramento, the Kings, and the NBA have reached a tentative deal to keep the team in Sacramento, the franchise isn't quite out of the woods yet, as David Aldridge of NBA.com writes. Sacramento city council will vote Tuesday on whether or not to approve the framework of the arena deal, and councilman Robert King Fong is confident they'll get the required votes:
"I think we certainly have enough votes to pass it," Fong said. "I think it would be nice to have more than enough. It would be good optics. But I think we'll pass it."
Here are some other notes from Aldridge's column:
- There are some questions about how the Maloof brothers will come up with their contribution to the Sacramento arena. "I don't think anybody expected they had that kind of money," said Jack Robinson, editor of the Sacramento Business Journal. "But we presume that since David Stern was sitting right next to them that the NBA is going to make sure that they have that kind of money… the NBA seems to be satisfied and seems to be putting its weight behind the Maloofs."
- It's surprising that the Thunder have yet to extend the contract of coach Scott Brooks, says Aldridge. GM Sam Presti says he hopes Brooks will coach the team for "many, many years," but declined to comment further on the coach's contract status. However, Brooks' agent, Warren LeGarie, suggested that extension talks may not be revisited until after the season.
- While acknowledging that he was told Rajon Rondo is "a personality challenge," Aldridge questions the logic of trading the star point guard. Aldridge spoke to one GM who thinks Celtics GM Danny Ainge was only seriously interested in trading Rondo when Chris Paul was on the table, but hasn't delved too deeply into talks since then.
Injuries That Could Affect The Trade Deadline
Deron Williams may have scored a franchise-record 57 points en route to a Sunday victory over the Bobcats, but the news out of Charlotte wasn't all good for the Nets. In just his fifth game back from a foot injury, Brook Lopez rolled his ankle badly and left the arena on crutches. There's still no official word from the team on the severity of the injury, but as Fred Kerber of the New York Post writes, it could deal a serious blow to the Nets' hopes of trading for Dwight Howard in the next ten days.
Lopez isn't the only trade candidate who could be on the shelf as the March 15th deadline approaches. Here are a few more players whose injury statuses may affect the deals their respective teams can make in the next week and a half:
- Jermaine O'Neal: The Celtics would need to include salary to make any deal of substance, so O'Neal's $6.23MM expiring contract made him a prime candidate to be included in a trade to ensure salaries match. Unfortunately for Boston, O'Neal recently suffered a wrist injury and may undergo season-ending surgery. If he elects for the surgery, there's a chance O'Neal could be waived by the Celtics.
- Al Horford: Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group reported last week that the Hawks were still interested in Dwight Howard, perhaps in a deal involving Horford. While such a trade would be a long shot to begin with, Horford's torn pectoral makes it even trickier. Already reluctant to deal Howard, the Magic would probably be even more wary about doing so for a player who is just recently out of a sling.
- Anderson Varejao: Varejao will be re-evaluated this week, but it looks like he won't return to the Cavs' lineup until after March 15th. Before the injury, the Cavs said they didn't intend to trade Varejao, though there was some speculation that stance could change by the deadline. With Varejao still out, he'll definitely be remaining in Cleveland.
- Jordan Hill: Among the Rockets' numerous former lottery picks on expiring contracts, Hill is the most attractive asset. While that may be faint praise, Hill has been the most productive of the group of four 2009 draftees that also includes Hasheem Thabeet, Jonny Flynn, and Terrence Williams, and his salary ($2.86MM) is very reasonable. However, a sprained MCL has kept Hill out of action for the last couple weeks, and even though he expects to return within the next week, he won't have much time to showcase his health before the deadline.
- J.J. Hickson: The Kings are reportedly quite interested in moving Hickson, but they've stumbled upon a roadblock besides his disappointing production this season — he'll miss his third straight game tonight with a hip pointer.
- Thabo Sefolosha: Having missed 18 games with a foot injury, Sefolosha is shooting jump shots again, but it doesn't appear he's ready for game action yet. Steve Kyler wrote this morning that the Thunder could try to acquire a replacement if the team feels Sefolosha will miss much more time. The 6'7" wing also represented a potential trade asset for the Thunder, but questions about his health will hurt his value.
- Andrea Bargnani: Bargnani seems to be getting closer to returning from a calf injury, and could be back in plenty of time for the trade deadline, but it may not matter either way. As Kyler reported today, the Raptors are getting inquiries on Bargnani, but don't seem interested in dealing him.
Crawford Drawing Interest From Several Teams
7:49pm Chris Haynes of Comcast SportsNet Northwest asserts that the Timberwolves and Clippers "are very interested" but can't confirm the other teams being mentioned. (Twitter link).
7:20pm Before the season started, then-free agent Jamal Crawford decided to sign with the Trail Blazers after fielding offers from several teams. With almost ten days before the NBA trade deadline, the 6'5 guard could find himself on the move again, reports Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld.com. While the Timberwolves and the Clippers appear to be the most aggressive in attempting to trade for Crawford, the Bucks, Kings, and Raptors have also sent out their feelers.
The 12th-year veteran is averaging 14.8 PPG, shooting 36.2% from three-point range, and is third in the league in free throw percentage at 92.8%. Crawford possesses a player option for next season and can opt out of his contract this summer. With a recent report of uncertainty brewing within the Trail Blazers' locker room, there is a possibility that Portland deals Crawford for value before the deadline rather than risk losing him for nothing to upcoming free agency.
Odds & Ends: Cavs, Udrih, Kings
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.
Stein On Lakers, Raptors, Marion, Hickson, Kaman
It's Friday afternoon, which means another installment of Marc Stein's Weekend Dime at ESPN.com. In addition to writing about the 50th anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game, Stein shares a few trade rumors. Let's check them out….
- If the Lakers were to acquire Kirk Hinrich or Leandro Barbosa, they would want the Hawks or Raptors, respectively, to take on salary. However, neither Atlanta or Toronto is interested in doing so. The Lakers would have to use their $8.9MM trade exception and accept the luxury-tax consequences if they were to deal for either player.
- The Raptors are also unwilling to take on salary in a deal for Jose Calderon.
- The Mavericks aren't currently shopping Shawn Marion, and don't intend to start clearing out the necessary cap space to make a run at top free agents until after the season. One source told Stein there's "no chance" the Mavs trade Marion this month, even though there may be potential suitors.
- J.J. Hickson is being aggressively shopped by the Kings.
- The Hornets have been telling teams that Chris Kaman won't be bought out after March 15th if the club can't find a trade partner. Since New Orleans is still owned by the league, that may not be an idle threat. A number of teams, including the Heat, are hoping Kaman is bought out, since they don't have the trade assets necessary to acquire the big center.
Details Of Sacramento Arena Proposal
Earlier this week, an agreement was reached between the city of Sacramento and the NBA to keep the Kings in town and build them a brand-new, state-of-the-art arena. The details of the city's proposal have now been revealed, and USA Today has the report. Here are the important points:
- The arena will open in time for the 2015/16 season, and the Kings have agreed to act as its anchor tenant for 30 years.
- The city will contribute $255.5MM to the construction of the arena, while AEG will kick in $58.75MM and the Maloof brothers will be responsible for $73.25MM. In addition, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson will solicit $3MM in donations for the project.
- A new revenue sharing plan will be implemented distributing profits between the city and AEG.
Pacific Notes: Nash, Hinrich, Arenas
The tightest divisional race in the NBA is in the Pacific, where the Clippers lead the Lakers by a single game. As packed together as the Western Conference is, that single game would represent the difference between the third seed and the sixth seed if the playoffs began today. Here's what's happening in the far west:
- Steve Nash and Lamar Odom could be trading places, tweets Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The move would get the slumping Odom closer to his beloved L.A. beaches and reunite Nash with his old friend Dirk Nowitzki. The rumor comes as the Suns and Nash continue to dance around the issue of a trade, as both player and team are not interested in a deal unless the other asks first. The Mavs would have to throw a little extra into the deal to make the salaries match up under cap rules.
- The Lakers have inquired about Hawks guard Kirk Hinrich, according to a tweet from Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Hinrich is averaging career lows across the board, including his 19.9 MPG, after missing the first month of the season with a left shoulder injury. At 31, though, he's still probably closer to his prime than either Steve Blake, 32, or Derek Fisher, 37, the Lakers' pair of veteran point guards.
- Rumors of Gilbert Arenas joining the Lakers have slowed down of late, and that's because he wants to make sure he's in top condition first, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. Arenas doesn't want to ruin what could be his last chance in the NBA, Kyler says.
- The city of Sacramento will contribute $255.53MM to the new arena, the total cost of which has been bumped up to $391MM, according to details of the deal reached Monday, write Tony Bizjak, Ryan Lillis and Dale Kasler of The Sacramento Bee. The city council will vote to approve the terms of the plan agreed to by city officials, the Kings, the NBA and several private companies.
- Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles says the report that the Lakers turned down an offer of Michael Beasley because of tax concerns demonstrates how the team will be limited like never before under the new collective bargaining agreement.