Eastern Notes: Heat, Williams, Thomas, Lowry
The race for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference continues to become less dramatic by the day, as the Bucks won again on Monday night. Milwaukee now has a seven-game cushion on the ninth-place Sixers, who are at home against the Celtics tonight. If there's any drama in the East, it relates to seeding — the Bucks and Celtics are two of five playoff teams currently separated by just three games in the Eastern standings.
Here are a few Tuesday morning items out of the East:
- Whether or not Chris Andersen returns to the Heat next season may depend on how much playing time he gets in the playoffs, says Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, noting that Ronny Turiaf left Miami last offseason after becoming an "afterthought" in the postseason.
- Terrence Williams' contract with the Celtics will become guaranteed for next season if he makes the team out of camp, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
- The Bobcats have told Tyrus Thomas to stay home during the team's four-game West Coast road trip for physical rehab and individual work, reports Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Thomas, who has fallen out of Charlotte's rotation entirely lately, remains a strong candidate to be amnestied this July, as I noted last week.
- Kyle Lowry's first year with the Raptors hasn't been entirely smooth sailing, but after the team traded Jose Calderon, Chauncey Billups had dinner with Lowry and impressed upon the ex-Rocket that Toronto must have plenty of faith in him to hand him the point guard reins (Sulia link via Ric Bucher).
D-League Moves: Jones, Lamb, Liggins, Acy
Here are today's D-League assignments and recalls, with any additional transactions added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- Perry Jones, Jeremy Lamb, and DeAndre Liggins have been recalled from the Tulsa 66ers by the Thunder, the team announced today in a press release. The OKC trio was assigned to the D-League last Thursday, and helped lead the 66ers to a pair of wins during the brief assignment.
- The Raptors have re-assigned Quincy Acy to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Acy, a second-round pick in 2012, had a brief stint with the Bakersfield Jam back in December, during which he averaged 12.7 PPG and 4.7 RPG. The energetic forward has seen limited playing time in 20 games with the Raptors this season.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Raptors, DeRozan, Collins
If Andrew Bynum doesn’t play a game for the 76ers this season, he should never suit up for the team, opines Tom Moore of Calkins Media. Quality centers are hard to come by and Philly gave up quite a bit to land the former Lakers standout, but trying to salvage something from the deal would be an awful idea. General Manager Tony DiLeo says that re-signing Bynum is his plan A, but Moore wants to know what Plan B might be. Here's more out of the Atlantic..
- Eric Koreen of the National Post breaks down the chances each Raptors player has of returning to the team next season, believing there's more uncertainty surrounding the future of DeMar DeRozan than anyone else on the roster.
- The old school ways of 76ers coach Doug Collins isn't what's wrong with the team, writes Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Collins' squad is 23-34 and 2-8 in their last ten outings.
- After trading for Arnett Moultrie in last year's draft, it's time for the 76ers to give him a chance and see what he can do, writes John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Brooks, Morris Twins, Raptors
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Saturday evening:
- Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com wonders whether the Lakers are on the same page as head coach Mike D'Antoni.
- Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times writes that late owner Jerry Buss' legacy will be felt for years to come.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld tweets that the Kings explored trades for Aaron Brooks before the trade deadline but ultimately bought him out instead.
- Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic examines the bond between brothers Markieff and Marcus Morris, newly teammates on the Suns.
- Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun wonders whether the Raptors will extend GM Bryan Colangelo's contract.
- Keith Langolis of Pistons.com praises the Pistons' new backcourt of Jose Calderon and Brandon Knight.
- Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News writes that Knight is committed to fitting into Lawrence Frank's system.
Atlantic Rumors: Rasheed, Collins, Sixers, Celtics
The top three teams in the Atlantic Division are separated by five and a half games, and with all three in action tonight, only the second-place Nets failed to keep pace, falling three games back of the Knicks. It was a busy day for Atlantic clubs off the court as well, and here's the latest:
- After undergoing surgery on his left foot yesterday, Rasheed Wallace could have called it a career, a possibility he contemplated in the past week, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. However, the eight-week timetable for his return suggests Wallace and the Knicks still hope he can return during the postseason. Still, one medical expert who spoke to Berman believes Wallace will need more than eight weeks to return to 100%. Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com wonders if the Knicks will consider cutting 'Sheed to make room for another player on the roster before season's end.
- Sixers coach Doug Collins was "shocked" that his Tuesday press conference got as much media attention as it did, as Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News details. "It was interesting,"Collins said. "I went back and I said, 'Wait a second. I didn't get that I slammed them or was being kind of hard.' I thought I was just talking about what I expected, and, as a coach, that's what you do. There was nobody called out."
- Andrew Bynum's injury, which could cost him all of this season, might have an even longer-lasting effect on the Sixers, Cooney argues.
- The Celtics signed three reinforcements to their depleted squad in the past two weeks, but coach Doc Rivers doesn't expect Terrence Williams, D.J. White or Shavlik Randolph to get a lot of minutes, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald observes.
- The Rudy Gay trade and DeMar DeRozan's growth this year have left few minutes for rookie Terrence Ross, notes Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun.
Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors contributed to this post.
Atlantic Notes: Rivers, Williams, Martin, Raptors
With Mike Krzyzewski likely having coached in his last Olympics, there's a "near-unanimous feeling in basketball circles" that Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is the logical choice to replace him for 2016, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. But a source briefed on internal discussions regarding Coach K's replacement tells Berger that Celtics coach Doc Rivers shouldn't be ruled out.
"With Doc, I think it would keep the same chemistry going," a source told Berger. "If Pop comes in, he would want his own way of doing it – kind of the Spurs' secretive way of doing things – and out of Jerry [Colangelo]'s norm."
As Rivers and the Celtics prepare for tomorrow night's game against the Warriors, let's check in on a few other items from around the Atlantic Division:
- Former Celtics coach Rick Pitino, who coached Terrence Williams at Louisville, tells Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that he believes Williams could be a great fit in Boston.
- Kenyon Martin isn't losing sleep over whether or not the Knicks will hang on to him beyond his first 10-day contract, as he tells Al Iannazzone of Newsday. "If what I do merits for me to be here the rest of the year, then I will be," Martin said. "And if not, then I won't. But I think the way my game is and the way I play, I'll let my play speak for itself."
- Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun acknowledges that it will hurt Andrea Bargnani's offseason trade value if the Raptors bench him now. However, Wolstat thinks it must be done, since Bargnani's current performance isn't helping the team or his trade value anyway.
- The Sixers helped create their current mess by sending a message to the team that Andrew Bynum was the only player who mattered, opines Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Daily News.
Atlantic Links: Gay, Bargnani, Curry
Today has already been a pretty busy day in the Atlantic division. With the Knicks and Raptors underway, let's continue to monitor all news coming out of the division here:
- Toronto head coach Dwane Casey says that Rudy Gay is the exactly the weapon that the Raptors were lacking in crunch time of tight games, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports. Through 11 games in Toronto, Gay is averaging 20.1 points per game, many of which, Casey says, are coming when it matters most. Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld tweets that Gay has been a "great fit" since coming over in the deal from Memphis.
- In a separate report, Amico adds that the Raptors will trade Andrea Bargnani in the offseason unless they absolutely cannot find a taker for the two years and $23MM remaining on his deal. Amico hears that the Sixers are very interested, and lists the Mavericks, Rockets, Spurs, Bucks, Jazz, Hawks, Suns and Blazers as other potential destinations.
- Following Doug Collins' rant last night, sources tell Ric Bucher that should Collins resign or be let go, Sixers assistant Michael Curry will not only take over, but be considered a legitimate candidate to coach the team for the long term. Curry was last a head coach in Detroit, where he was fired in June of 2009 after a one-year 39-43 stint with the Pistons.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Gay, Bynum
With the Knicks, Celtics, and Nets all in playoff contention, the Atlantic Division is one of the busiest and most interesting in the NBA this season. Here are the latest notes and rumors from around the division:
- Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun writes that the Raptors cannot afford any more setbacks if they are to become playoff contenders going forward.
- Zicarelli also writes that Rudy Gay has taken on a leadership role in Toronto since being traded from the Grizzlies last month.
- Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that Andrew Bynum's absence and the uncertainty surrounding his return have been a distraction for the Sixers both this season and as they plan for free agency this summer.
Odds & Ends: Gay, Grizzlies, Korver, Smith
Hoops Rumors would like to wish a speedy recovery to former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley as he remains in a Chicago-area hospital days after suffering a stroke, as Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal details. Heisley is interested in buying another NBA team, and has recently been linked to the Wolves and Bucks. Here's more from around the Association..
- Raptors star Rudy Gay told Chris Mannix of NBC Sports (on Twitter) that he was not happy about leaving the Grizzlies at a time when he felt that they were poised to make a run. The forward went on to say that the team was shocked and deflated by the Marreese Speights deal (Twitter link).
- Soon-to-be free agent Kyle Korver is open to a return to the Bulls this summer, he tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com, who notes that the sharpshooter was one of Derrick Rose's favorites."That’s a great organization, that’s an awesome jersey to put on," Korver said of the Bulls. "Great fans, good team. You only get to be a free agent so many times in a career, so I’ll definitely see what’s all there. But I would absolutely listen to what they’ve got to say."
- Now that the trade deadline has come and gone, Josh Smith can go back to focusing on contributing to his Hawks team, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. In fact, for all of his ups and downs with the club over the years, he seems re-energized and upbeat about the second half of the year in Atlanta.
- Mark Cuban says that Vince Carter was the Mavericks' most in-demand player at the deadline, according to Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com (on Twitter). "We're lucky to have him," said the owner.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Odds & Ends: Lin, Knicks, Lillard, Bargnani
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Saturday afternoon:
- Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes that Jeremy Lin is thriving with the Rockets.
- Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal takes a look at the Knicks' roster's defensive weaknesses, especially defending reserve scorers.
- USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that Damian Lillard is on his radar for an invite to this summer's Team USA mini-camp.
- Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun writes that Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo still intends to take a patient approach with Andrea Bargnani.