Atlantic Notes: D-Will, Carmelo, Nets, Lowry, 76ers
On the heels of Deron Williams and Carmelo Anthony matching up in Brooklyn for the first time last night, Ken Berger of CBS Sports takes a look back at the February 2011 trade deadline. Nets general manager Billy King believed he had a chance to acquire Anthony right up until the moment he got the call saying Carmelo had been sent to the Knicks, says Berger. The CBS scribe speculates that, if things played out a little differently at the '11 deadline, Anthony and Williams could still be cross-town rivals now, with 'Melo in Brooklyn and D-Will in Manhattan.
Here are a few more items of interest from around the Atlantic:
- Also from Berger's piece, King spoke about his three top targets when he assumed the role of Nets GM: "I got the job and I knew there was… the potential for three guys to be available. I made a run at Chris [Paul], [the Hornets] said no right away, and then I made the run at Carmelo. I figured if I got him, then I could go after Deron as a free agent. Really, I was getting Carmelo to get Deron."
- According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, while King was "privately maligned" by rival GMs for the March 2012 trade that sent out a lottery pick for Gerald Wallace, the Nets GM recognized that Williams needed a veteran addition to help him get through the final few months before free agency.
- The Raptors love the toughness and swagger of new point guard Kyle Lowry, and would like those traits to be part of the team's identity, says Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.
- Despite Andrew Bynum's injury woes, the Sixers are better off having made the blockbuster deal that brought him to Philadelphia, argues Danny Pommells of CSNPhilly.com.
- With the Mavericks set to play in Philadelphia tonight, Elton Brand will get a chance to see family in the area and to reunite with his old head coach Doug Collins, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes.
- Speaking to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, Jeff Green says it was a "no-brainer" to sign with the Celtics this offseason.
Injury Notes: Stoudemire, Wizards, Lowry
In the early goings of the 2012/13 season, several high-profile players have sustained injuries. Here are the latest updates on some of these players:
- Mike Woodson told ESPNNewYork.com that Amar'e Stoudemire is still expected to return to the Knicks in mid-December. Woodson would not say whether Stoudemire will start.
- Nene said last week that he was roughly three weeks away from returning to the Wizards, but it's possible he makes his season debut at some point this week, says Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Lee notes that John Wall is making progress as well.
- Kyle Lowry returned to the Raptors Tuesday night following an ankle injury, although Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun writes that he looked rusty.
- Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer that he's a week away from returning from a foot injury.
Atlantic Links: Bargnani, Calderon, Bynum, Knicks
Coming into the season, we expected the big summer moves made by Atlantic teams to make the division the toughest in the Eastern Conference. So far, that's certainly been the case. As a division, the Atlantic has a .596 winning percentage in the early going, dwarfing the marks put forth by the Southeast (.438) and the Central (.385). Four Atlantic teams will be in action tonight as the division looks to continue its winning ways. In the meantime, let's round up a few notes out of Toronto, Philadelphia, and New York….
- The Raptors aren't looking into trading Andrea Bargnani, but if that stance changed, the team believes there'd be a market for him, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
- Stephen Brotherson of HoopsWorld wonders if Jose Calderon is too valuable to the Raptors for the team to trade him.
- J.A. Adande and Israel Gutierrez of ESPN.com debate what Andrew Bynum's health setbacks mean for his future with the 76ers and his impending free agency.
- Although Knicks head coach Mike Woodson didn't commit to plugging Amare Stoudemire right back into the club's starting lineup when he gets healthy, he did tell reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post, that he believes Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony can thrive on the court together.
- In a piece for RealGM.com, Michael Scotto talks to Knicks rookie Chris Copeland about life as a 15th man in the NBA.
- We also rounded up a few Celtics items earlier today.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Turner, McGuire, Darko
None of the Atlantic Division teams are in action tonight, which might come as a relief to the rest of the league. Four of the five clubs are over .500, while the fifth team, the 3-7 Raptors, is coming off a win last night, albeit against the lowly Magic. Nonetheless, teams making an East Coast road trip this year don't figure to have an easy time of it. Here's more from what might be the NBA's toughest division.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com goes in depth on the Knicks' top-ranked defense, noting the contributions of offseason signees J.R. Smith, Ronnie Brewer, Pablo Prigioni and Rasheed Wallace.
- CSN Philly's Dei Lynam details how consistency is the key for Evan Turner, who's averaging a career-high 32.9 minutes per game this season, the last before the Sixers must decide whether to extend his rookie contract.
- The Raptors' decision to bring Dominic McGuire in on a minimum-salary deal is paying off for both player and team, observes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
- Rich Levine of CSNNE.com had much higher hopes for Darko Milicic, who may leave the Celtics to care for his ill mother after just five minutes of action this season.
Kyler On Hawks, Jazz, Calderon, Rockets, Varejao
With this season's deadline still three months away, the trade market likely won't be too active for at least a few more weeks. However, as Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld writes, things could start to pick up on December 15th, when most players who signed over the summer are eligible to be dealt. Kyler looks at a few specific trade candidates in his latest piece, so let's round up the highlights….
- Josh Smith, Paul Millsap, and Al Jefferson are a few players in the final year of their contracts whose respective teams aren't planning to deal. However, the Hawks and Jazz could reconsider their stances as the deadline approaches, if there's an increasing concern that those players will leave in free agency.
- While there's no urgency in Toronto to move Jose Calderon, the Raptors are expected to explore deals. Kyler suggests that small forwards like Omri Casspi and Wilson Chandler are worth keeping an eye on as potential Raptors targets, adding that Chandler isn't in the Nuggets' long-term plan.
- The Rockets likely aren't done dealing, with players like Daequan Cook, Toney Douglas, and Marcus Morris among the team's possible trade candidates.
- DeJuan Blair continues to be available, but the Spurs are still seeking a first-round pick, and it's unclear if any team would pay that price for a player that could sign elsewhere at season's end.
- Anderson Varejao isn't likely to be moved, but if the Cavaliers were to consider a deal, it would have to include Luke Walton and his $6.09MM salary.
- Similarly, if the Kings explored a Tyreke Evans trade, Sacramento would want to include either John Salmons or Francisco Garcia.
- The Timberwolves would be open to moving Derrick Williams if they could land a good veteran player for him.
- Kyler also names Hedo Turkoglu, Tayshaun Prince, Tyrus Thomas, and Wesley Johnson as trade candidates, though all those players could be tough to move due to their salaries.
Atlantic Notes: Bynum, Wilcox, Banks, Felton
Andrew Bynum on Sunday confirmed reports that he hurt his left knee while bowling, admitting that the activity, which isn't specifically prohibited in player contracts, probably wasn't wise. "In hindsight, I guess you really shouldn’t go bowling but it’s not anything more than what I’ve done in my rehab," Bynum said to reporters, including John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I’m kind of taking the position that if that happens bowling, what happens while dunking?" As Mitchell writes, that's the question the Sixers have been waiting to have answered all season. Here's more on Philly's Atlantic Division rivals.
- Even though his conditioning is still not right after heart surgery in March, Chris Wilcox has filled a frontcourt need for the Celtics and might be the team's most pleasant surprise, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Wilcox is one of five Celtics on minimum-salary deals, as we detailed earlier.
- Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside catches up with former Celtics lottery pick Marcus Banks, who recently signed to play with Panathinaikos in Greece two years after his last NBA action, which came with the Raptors in 2010/11.
- Pacers president of basketball operations Donnie Walsh, formerly in charge of the Knicks front office, said Raymond Felton was the player he most regretted giving up in the Carmelo Anthony deal in 2011, and the executive is glad Felton has returned to the team, notes Mark Berman of the New York Post (Sulia link).
- We passed along more from Walsh's chat with New York media today and a few other Knicks items this afternoon.
HoopsWorld On Biggest Disappointments
HoopsWorld.com has a new roundtable feature in which several of the site's writers weigh in on who they believe is the biggest disappointment thus far in the 2012/13 season. Here are the highlights:
- Lang Greene pinpoints Roy Hibbert, signed to a four-year, $58MM contract this summer, as a major reason why the Pacers are underperforming early in the season.
- Alex Kennedy believes that the Raptors' strategy of targeting Landry Fields to make it harder for the Knicks to land Steve Nash backfired. He points to Fields' disappointing start to the season as a reason why the signing is a failure for Toronto.
- Stephen Brotherston writes that Ersan Ilyasova has regressed following what appeared to be a breakout season last year with the Bucks.
- Bill Ingram is frustrated by the continued inconsistent play of JaVale McGee following his re-signing with the Nuggets this summer.
- Derek Page points out that Pau Gasol's offensive efficiency has dropped this season, even more so than expected following the Lakers' addition of Dwight Howard.
- While there is still time for him to mature, Joel Brigham writes that Jeremy Lin has been a disappointment since signing with the Rockets.
Atlantic Rumors: Bynum, Joe Johnson, Magloire
The latest news on Andrew Bynum provides plenty of reason for worry, writes John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer, and while Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com thinks Bynum could still wrangle a max deal this summer even if he only plays well over the final two months of the season, Moore isn't sure that scenario would leave enough time for the Sixers to mesh as a team this year. Here's more from the Atlantic Division.
- Joe Johnson is feeling less pressure with the Nets because he isn't the No. 1 option on offense that he was with the Hawks, notes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post.
- The Raptors, who cut Jamaal Magloire in training camp, have hired the Toronto native as a basketball development consultant and community ambassador, the team announced via press release.
- The jury's out how Mike D'Antoni will fit in with the Lakers, but Mike Woodson has already proven successful where D'Antoni wasn't with the Knicks, according to Newsday's Al Iannazzone.
- The Knicks were on the right path during their 6-0 start, but they'll have to do more to become a true contender, opines Stephen A. Smith of ESPN.com.
- Thriving in a Knicks uniform, J.R. Smith has changed his on- and off-court personas from his Nuggets days, observes Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post.
- Benjamin Hoffman of The New York Times says the early returns suggest the Knicks made wise investments in Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni, all of whom combine to make less than Jeremy Lin is earning with the Rockets.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer is impressed with the ability of the Knicks to improve by getting older this offseason, not typically a successful path for an NBA team.
- Rasheed Wallace, on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal, has become a part of the Knicks rotation as Marcus Camby stays glued to the bench despite a three-year, $13.1MM contract, as Marc Berman of the New York Post documents.
Atlantic Rumors: Felton, Lin, DeRozan, Lee
The Knicks lost their status as the league's only unbeaten last night, and they could be another loss away from falling out of first place, as the Nets are a game behind and the Celtics, winners in a matinee against the Raptors this afternoon, lurk a game and a half behind. The standings can change quickly in the first month of the season, and while we wait to see whether the early returns on New York were accurate, here's more on the Knicks and their Atlantic Division rivals.
- Raymond Felton has earned the respect of all his Knicks teammates, something predecessor Jeremy Lin failed to do, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. A return to New York, where the point guard has played his best, was Felton's first choice in free agency this summer, agent Tony Dutt tells Berman. "Raymond was born to be a Knick," Dutt said.
- DeMar DeRozan's lucrative extension drew criticism, but Celtics coach Doc Rivers sees plenty of value in the fourth-year swingman, notes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
- Courtney Lee, a career 38.6% three-point shooter, is just 3-for-16 in his first 10 games with the Celtics. Frank Dell'Apa of the Boston Globe discusses Lee's struggles adjusting to his new team.
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders if the Celtics' use of their D-League affiliate could lead more teams to think of the D-League as a tool for long-term development rather than simply a way to bring along fill-ins.
Eastern Notes: Turner, Fields, Heat, Boozer
We've already had one update out of the Eastern Conference today, with ESPN.com's Marc Stein reporting that the Raptors have Mickael Pietrus on their radar. Let's round up a few more Friday morning items from the East….
- Evan Turner spoke to Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News about the adjustment from "standing out to fitting in" that he'd made since being drafted second overall by the Sixers in 2010. "I want to get minutes on the court and help the team out," Turner said. "Sometimes people don't think that's something that a guy who was the second pick would do. But here that's what I'm seen as and that's what I'm going to do to the best of my abilities."
- Landry Fields got off to a terrible start with the Raptors, but given his elbow issues, it's unfair to call him a bust at this point, writes Stephen Brotherson of HoopsWorld. According to Brotherson, it will be at least another month or two before the team will really be able to tell what kind of player it signed.
- In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel says a defensive-minded point guard is still something the Heat could use.
- Sam Smith has his own mailbag up at Bulls.com, heavy on Chicago content. Among the highlights: Smith writes that every indication he's gotten to date indicates the Bulls don't plan to amnesty Carlos Boozer next summer.
- Although he acknowledges it won't happen, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio suggests the Heat should consider trading Dwyane Wade, since a team like the Kings or Hawks would give up plenty of young talent and assets for the perennial All-Star, and the Heat could win without him (all Twitter links).