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.
Odds & Ends: Barbosa, Heat, Mavericks, Maloofs
Odds and ends for Wednesday afternoon….
- Leandro Barbosa has switched agents and is now represented by Dan Fegan, according to HoopsHype (via Twitter). The Raptors guard, who is eligible for free agency at season's end, told Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun the change was "just business" (Twitter link).
- In a Heat mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel fields questions on the Nuggets' Chris Andersen and potential buyout candidates.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com answered questions on trade scenarios and draft prospects in an afternoon chat.
- In two pieces for ESPNDallas.com, Tim MacMahon talks to Mavericks players about not getting caught up in the business side of the NBA, and asks why Dallas wouldn't consider buying out Lamar Odom.
- The Maloof brothers have become heroes in Sacramento again for the first time in years, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
Atlantic Rumors: Williams, Chandler, Celtics
Seeking to clarify comments he made on Monday, Nets coach Avery Johnson reiterated last night that, while he views the Mavericks and Mark Cuban as a threat to sign Deron Williams this summer, he still expects his point guard to return to the Nets.
"I think somebody kind of got it twisted where the focus was more on the threat and saying that I said that I think he’s going to Dallas, which I never said, never said that," Johnson told reporters, including Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record. "I said that [Cuban was a threat] because anybody that’s under the cap would be a threat to get a guy that’s a unbelievable point guard. But I said I believe he has every intention to re-sign."
Here are a few more morning rumors on Williams and the rest of the Atlantic Division:
- Talking to Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld, Williams admitted he isn't sure whether he'll be a Net next year.
- Within the same HoopsWorld piece, Pincus says that the Nuggets have offered a multiyear deal to Wilson Chandler, but that it's not as lucrative as Chandler hoped. Still, the Raptors likely won't sign the 24-year-old to an offer sheet, says Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. Although Toronto hasn't moved on entirely, the club is currently put off by Chandler's asking price.
- Wolstat adds that it appears the Raptors are listening to trade inquiries made by other teams rather than actively seeking deals themselves.
- Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski, appearing on NBC's SportsTalk, says the Celtics have been actively pursuing trades, and won't hesitate to break up their core in the right deal. Wojnarowski speculates that, of Boston's "big three," Paul Pierce may be the most likely trade candidate, since Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett have contracts that Boston could simply let expire.
Wilson Chandler Receives FIBA Clearance
4:58pm: The Raptors are "highly unlikely" to sign Chandler this week, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. If Chandler is a restricted free agent again this summer, Toronto could get involved, but would probably need his asking price to come down (Twitter link).
12:06pm: Wilson Chandler has received a FIBA letter of clearance and is now officially eligible for restricted NBA free agency, according to agent Chris Luchey (Twitter link via Sportando).
Restricted free agents aren't eligible to sign offer sheets as of March 1st, so Chandler will have just two days to try to secure an offer from a team besides the Nuggets. Denver would then have three days to match any offer.
If Chandler doesn't sign an offer sheet before Thursday, he could either sign with the Nuggets or sit out the season and become a restricted free agent again in the summer, when more teams could have interest (and money). A rest-of-season contract with the Nuggets would allow Chandler to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but Denver has indicated it doesn't plan to negotiate such a deal.
The Raptors appear to have interest in Chandler, but only have about $4.3MM in cap space, so the Nuggets wouldn't have much trouble matching any offer Toronto made. Yesterday, we heard Chandler and Luchey were in contact with an Italian team about the possibility of a rest-of-season deal.
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Mavs, Raptors, Kidd-Gilchrist
Rounding up a few Tuesday odds and ends from around the NBA…
- The Lakers are "determined" to acquire a point guard sooner rather than later, according to Peter Vecsey of the New York Post. The Lakers appear to be the most active team in pursuing trades, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
- Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas wonders if the Mavericks have a legit shot at landing Dwight Howard, and talks to owner Mark Cuban about his past investments in big men.
- Raptors coach Dwane Casey says no moves are on the horizon for his club and that he hopes his players don't get distracted by trade rumors. Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun has the details.
- Hunter Atkins of the New York Times explores the 10-day journey of recent Nets signee Andre Emmett, who was told New Jersey would not sign him to a second 10-day deal.
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist insisted to reporters, including Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal, that he intends to stay at Kentucky and graduate, a stance that surprises even coach John Calipari. Kidd-Gilchrist could be a top-five pick if he enters the NBA draft this year, as ESPN.com's Chad Ford suggests in his latest Insider-only piece on the draft class.
Odds & Ends: Timberwolves, Calderon, Kobe
With the All-Star Game behind us and regular season games not restarting until tomorrow, a handful of writers today are looking ahead to the season's second half. With the March 15th deadline just 17 days away, the start of the second half figures to be dominated by trade rumors, so Sean Deveney of the Sporting News and Sam Smith of Bulls.com were among the scribes who examined a few big-name trade candidates. Here are a few more links from around the Association as we wait for the second half to get underway:
- Timberwolves head coach Rick Adelman doesn't believe that there is a solid wing upgrade available on the trade block, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (via Twitter).
- Raptors head coach Dwane Casey says that there's nothing brewing on the trade front, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. Casey added that the club has received interest in Jose Calderon but "there's nothing on the table" when it comes to the point guard (Twitter link).
- The Grizzlies recalled rookie Josh Selby from the D-League, according to the Commercial Appeal's Twitter feed. The former Kansas Jayhawk was assigned to the Reno Bighorns earlier this month in order to see more playing time.
- Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez told reporters this weekend that Kobe Bryant was thinking about retirement before undergoing platelet-rich plasma treatment in the offseason, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times.
- Michael Lee of the Washington Post wonders which of the Wizards' young players are part of the team's long-term plans. Spoiler alert: Andray Blatche isn't mentioned. In a separate piece, Lee previews the summer for Nick Young and JaVale McGee, who are both in contract years.
- Point guard may not be a major offseason priority for the Heat if they can win a title with Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole manning the position, says Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star handicaps the odds of a few Raptors trade candidates being moved before the deadline.
- Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley has been eliminated from the list of prospective bidders for the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
- The 2015 All-Star game will likely be in New York, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Wilson Chandler Rumors: Monday
Earlier today, we heard that the Raptors may be looking to move Leandro Barbosa in order to make a contract offer to Wilson Chandler. While Chandler is drawing interest, two major obstacles stand in his way: He needs to receive FIBA clearance to officially become a restricted free agent, and he needs to be cleared before March 1st if he hopes to sign an offer sheet with a team besides the Nuggets. Here's the latest on Chandler:
- Agent Chris Luchey tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando that Chandler is in talks with an Italian team about a rest-of-season deal (Twitter link). If the 24-year-old were to play elsewhere and not return to the NBA this season, he'd be a restricted free agent again this summer, potentially scoring larger offers from teams with cap space. Perhaps Chandler and Luchey are trying to regain some leverage over the Nuggets by seriously weighing that option.
Raptors Looking To Move Barbosa?
The Raptors are looking to trade Leandro Barbosa so they can make a "big offer" to restricted free agent Wilson Chandler, according to Sam Smith of Bulls.com.
There's still no word on whether Chandler, recently returned from China, has received FIBA clearance from the CBA. A report this weekend suggested that the process may be delayed, since the forward had been cleared to return to America by his team, but not by the league, which has control over his clearance. However, with Chandler's Chinese team now eliminated from the CBA playoffs, there shouldn't be a holdup.
When he's cleared, Chandler will be free to sign an offer sheet with any team, which the Nuggets would then have the option to match. However, teams aren't permitted to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets after March 1st, so if the Raptors hope to make a play for the 24-year-old, they'll have to move quickly.
The Raptors currently have about $4.3MM in cap space, which likely won't be enough to pose a serious threat to the Nuggets. Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld wrote last week that Toronto could try clearing salary to make a bigger offer to Chandler, but suggested Jose Calderon was a more realistic trade chip than Barbosa. I'm inclined to agree that it'll be tough to move Barbosa and his $7.6MM salary — trading him on March 15th would be doable, but if teams know that Toronto's hand is forced, they won't offer much this week.
I looked at Barbosa's trade candidacy earlier this month.
Dwight Howard Rumors: Sunday
Today could be the last hurrah for Dwight Howard in Orlando, where the rumored departure of yet another "Superman" has cast a pall over the mood surrounding All-Star weekend, observes Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. We'll track the D12 rumors through tonight's All-Star Game here in this post, with the latest stuff up top, as usual:
- John Denton, who writes for the Magic website and recently published a book with Howard, tweets that he heard from a "very reliable source" that the Nets doubt that the Magic will move Howard before the March 15th deadline.
- If you watched the All-Star Game, you saw Craig Sager report that Dwight Howard's mom wants him to stay in Orlando. Howard spoke to it after the game, saying, "I don’t know what she said, but that’s my mom’s opinion. That’s it." (via Twitter here and here)
- Magic CEO Alex Martins has denied that they are close to a three way deal that would send Howard to the Lakers, according to Josh Robbins at the Orlando Sentinel. Orlando intends to talk to its All-Star center before March 1st about his offseason intentions.
- While it's unknown whether it would be a factor, Adidas would not object to Howard joining fellow Adidas headliner Derrick Rose in Chicago, despite reports to the contrary, says ESPN Chicago's Nick Friedell.
- Brian Schmitz from the Orlando Sentinel says he has heard rumblings of a three way deal that could happen as soon as March 1st. The deal has Howard going to the Lakers with Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu. Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Jose Calderon would end up in Orlando. Schmitz isn't sure what the Raptors would receive for Calderon. That would be an impressive haul for Orlando.
- Salary cap guru Larry Coon says the Nets and Magic are working on a long-rumored trade involving Dwight Howard and Brook Lopez, though nothing is imminent. A third team could be in on the deal. Coon doubts Dwight Howard will wind up with the Knicks, though the odds of D12 staying are lower than the Magic think they are. (Twitter links)
- The Knicks could be a darkhorse in the Howard sweepstakes, writes Peter Vecsey of the New York Post. He quotes an unnamed Eastern Conference GM who says, "I’m positive the Knicks have called just in case Dwight changes up. I’m sure they’ve offered a combination of everybody, excluding Jeremy Lin, of course. [Magic GM] Otis [Smith] deserves a lot of credit for not putting it out on the street which teams have offered what."
- Vecsey also says a Western Conference executive has told him the Lakers have offered Andrew Bynum for Howard, but the Magic have no interest.
- Carmelo Anthony is glad to be watching Dwight Howard field countless questions about his future this year, instead of being the focus of last year's Melo-drama, notes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Anthony called last year's proceedings "a zoo."