Amico On Thunder, Burks, Varejao, Fisher
At the quarter-mark of the year, Sam Amico of FOXSports.com offers up his rookie review. The Blazers' Damian Lillard is proving that big talent can come out of small schools and figures to be a top candidate for the Rookie Of The Year award. Fourth-overall pick Dion Waiters has been streaky from the outside but has been extremely impressive at times for the Cavaliers. Not every rookie is off to a hot start, however, as Thomas Robinson of the Kings is struggling along with the rest of his team. More from today's column..
- The Thunder are loaded with young players that aren't getting a ton of burn and are also loaded with draft picks, making them very attractive trade partners. However, Sam Presti & Co. have no interest in making a trade at this time since the team is playing well, according to a team source. Oklahoma City is tied with the Spurs for the second-best record in the West (14-4) as they get set to face the Nets (11-5) tomorrow night.
- If the Jazz placed Alec Burks on the trading block, it seems he’s played his way off of it. Utah's injuries have given the second-year shooting guard increased minutes and he has made the most of them. Burks was said to be available in a trade roughly two weeks ago.
- Despite the insistence of some that the Cavaliers should trade center Anderson Varejao while his value his high, it's not likely that Cleveland will move him. The big man is off to a career start, but non-contenders with assets don’t want to trade them at this point and most contenders don’t have the assets – save for the aforementioned Thunder. More than 70% of Hoops Rumors readers said yesterday that the Cavs should trade Varejao.
- Veteran guard Derek Fisher made a positive impression in his Mavericks debut over the weekend. “Fisher solidifies the (second) unit, he keeps us tight and he’s a proven veteran,” said forward Elton Brand.
Northwest Links: Rubio, Iguodala, Burks, Jeffries
Here are the latest updates from around the Northwest Division:
- Ricky Rubio practiced with the Timberwolves for the first time since tearing his ACL in February. He told reporters that his knee felt good. (Associated Press link via the New York Times)
- Since coming to the Nuggets, Andre Iguodala's defense has exceeded its already high expectations, observes Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post.
- Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune writes that young players such as Alec Burks have been taking advantage of the minutes opened up by injuries on the Jazz.
- Jared Jeffries has had a positive impact as a veteran presence on a young and rebuilding Trail Blazers team, writes Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
Western Rumors: Dwight, Fisher, Mavs, Marshall
It was a whirlwind first month of the season for the Lakers, but nothing has changed Dwight Howard's affection for L.A., tweets Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. "From 1 to 10, I'd give it a good 12," Howard said. "I love it. It's been a lot of fun. Just everything here." Still, unless Howard signs an extension during the season, which is unlikely, the big man's answer about whether he likes his surroundings only really matters next summer, when he's due to hit free agency. While await that, here's more news out of the Western Conference.
- Among other NBA news in his Weekend Dime, Marc Stein of ESPN.com passes along that Derek Fisher will be making a prorated minimum salary with the Mavericks.
- The Mavs have serious rebounding problems, and the team's release of Troy Murphy in favor of Fisher this week doesn't help matters, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
- Suns GM Lance Blanks insists the team's assignment of Kendall Marshall to the D-League this week is not an indictment of the rookie point guard, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. "There’s nothing negative about developing and having a team that supports you," Blanks said. "It’s been really cool to watch his maturation from college to summer league to the pros. We’re just as excited as the day we drafted him."
- Gordon Hayward recently lost his starting job, and the timing is poor, since he'll be up for an extension to his rookie-scale contract with the Jazz this summer. Still, he's not making any fuss about his new role, as Susan Bible of HoopsWorld documents.
- The Thunder gave Scott Brooks a four-year extension this summer, but Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM.com wonders if he's the right coach for the team, taking him to task in particular for his over-reliance on amnesty candidate Kendrick Perkins.
Odds & Ends: Maggette, Pargo, Harden, Kapono
Although he only turned 33 years old earlier this month, Corey Maggette has been around the NBA for a long time, having made his debut back in 1999. With his contract set to expire next summer, Maggette was non-committal about what his immediate future may hold, says David Mayo of MLive.com.
"Who knows what will happen? Who knows? I might be a guy that might be in a front-office position," Maggette said. "I'm already preparing myself for that as I finish this career. The biggest thing is to worry about what's going on now and let the future take care of itself. We don't even know if we're going to wake up tomorrow."
While I'd be surprised if Maggette retired as a player next year, it seems he's already considering the next stage of his career, having spoken to Pistons GM Joe Dumars and assistant GM George David about the paths they took to their current jobs. Here are a few more odds and ends as we prepare for a light Thursday evening NBA schedule:
- Speaking to USA Today's Sam Amick about his extension negotiations with the Thunder and the trade that sent him to the Rockets, James Harden says the final offer he got from Oklahoma City was for four years and $53MM.
- Jannero Pargo is on top of "several NBA teams' radars," Pargo's agent Mark Bartelstein tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com (Twitter link). Considering the source of the info, it's not clear how much stock we should put in it, but Pargo was recently said to be drawing interest from the Bulls and others, and is hoping to get a deal done soon.
- Jason Kapono, whose agreement with Panathinaikos has been on hold, is expected to join the Greek team on December 10th, according to a Gazzetta.gr report (English translation via Sportando).
- Thunder coach Scott Brooks thinks Jeremy Lamb's D-League assignment is a great opportunity for the rookie to earn some playing time, according to Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman. "He's going to get great work on the practice floor and game floor," Brooks said. "But we like what he does. He has a very high skill set. He definitely needs to continue to develop his body and his game, but that’s a great position for him to be in."
- If you're curious about which D-League players may be in line for a shot from an NBA team in the coming weeks, keep an eye on four players Ryan Ripley of Ridiculous Upside identifies as hot starters.
- Offseason signee Randy Foye has found a home in the starting lineup for the Jazz, as Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune chronicles.
Sefko On Mavs, Jefferson, Beaubois, Finley, Mayo
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News frequently dips into his mailbag to answer reader questions, and today's responses are especially full of relevant info. He looks ahead to trades and free agent signings the Mavs could pursue over the next 12 months, and sizes up the return on some of the moves the team made this past summer. We'll round up the highlights here:
- It's "very likely" the Mavs will be involved in a swap before the trade deadline, but nothing will go down before December 15th, when free agents who signed this summer become eligible to be traded. Whatever happens, it's unlikely to be a "monster deal," according to Sefko, who mentions Rodrigue Beaubois as a likely trade candidate.
- Sefko thinks the Mavs have interest in upcoming free agent Al Jefferson, despite his high price tag, believing he'd be a much more appealing target for the team than Josh Smith.
- Sefko doesn't believe owner Mark Cuban was sincere when he said he wants to keep all of the team's new additions, and thinks the future of the team's coterie of guys on one-year contracts is up in the air.
- Michael Finley had been working in the Mavs front office before his latest comeback attempt, but Sefko doesn't see a place for him on the playing roster.
- O.J. Mayo's move from the Grizzlies to the Mavs has worked out well for both teams so far, Sefko observes.
- It's unclear whether the Suns want to put Marcin Gortat on the market, but if they do, Sefko believes it would take a package of Mayo, Jae Crowder, and draft picks for the Mavs to land him.
Western Notes: Bell, Lakers, Rockets, Jackson
As we prepare for an evening that includes at least one Western Conference team in every game on the NBA schedule, let's round up a few notes from out west:
- Raja Bell's camp indicates the veteran forward would love to end up with the Lakers, but there's a long way to go before that's a real possibility, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.com.
- In his latest column for Grantland.com, Zach Lowe examines the Sixers' acquisition of Andrew Bynum and notes that if Philadelphia had decided not to facilitate August's Dwight Howard blockbuster to land Bynum, it could have had a huge impact on a number of Western Conference teams. Lowe suggests the Magic may have traded Howard to the Rockets instead, which would not only have affected the Lakers, but also the Thunder, since James Harden wouldn't have been sent to Houston in that scenario.
- Appearing on Slate's Hang Up and Listen podcast, Rockets GM Daryl Morey discussed Jeremy Lin, Royce White, and Houston's need to gamble on high-upside players.
- Brian Shaw, a current Pacers assistant and former member of Phil Jackson's staff in Los Angeles, was surprised the Lakers didn't hire Jackson to replace Mike Brown. And as he told Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, Shaw was particularly taken aback by the Lakers' handling of the situation. "Under the circumstances," Shaw said. "Phil Jackson, who's been there and done that and put a lot of money in everybody's pockets around here, the way it was done… it's mind-boggling."
West Notes: Warriors, Aldridge, Blazers, Jazz
Here's a look at some items out of the Western Conference..
- Stephen Curry says that the Warriors' trade of Monta Ellis to the Bucks has significantly changed his approach to the game, writes Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. Now more of a playmaker, Curry has embraced his adjusted role in Golden State. “The backcourt that we have, we mesh well together, especially with Jarrett [Jack] coming off the bench, so it’s been a different look, but we are getting used to each other and we are playing well," Curry explained. The club's acquisition in that trade, Andrew Bogut, figures to give them a major defensive boost upon his return.
- John Canzano of The Oregonian opines that the Blazers need to ease the burden placed on star big man LaMarcus Aldridge in order to help guard against his potential departure. Aldridge is under contract for $60MM through three more seasons and has yet to win a playoff series in Portland.
- For guard Kevin Murphy to return to the Jazz, General Manager Dennis Lindsey says that he hopes to see the rookie operate as a team player rather than a "pig scorer", write Brian T. Smith, Steve Luhm, and Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune. Murphy was demoted to the D-League earlier today and will be in Reno for a minimum of five games.
- One of the Blazers' biggest problems is that they have been unable to develop their recent draft picks into true contributors, tweets Mike Tokito of The Oregonian. The new CBA places extra emphasis on teams being able to get strong production out of their reasonably-priced younger players, which is obviously essential for a smaller-market team.
Bucks Looking To Move Drew Gooden
4:22pm: The Cavaliers and Jazz are among the many teams not interested in Gooden, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter). However, Amico adds that the Bucks are "sure trying to move him."
11:26am: After averaging more than 26 minutes per game in 2011/12, Drew Gooden has been removed entirely from the Bucks' rotation this season, failing to appear in any of the team's first 11 games. According to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, "scuttlebutt around the league" suggests that the Bucks are looking to trade Gooden.
Gooden was fairly productive for Milwaukee last season, recording averages of 13.7 PPG and 6.5 RPG to go along with an 18.8 PER. It's not clear why the 31-year-old has fallen out of favor, but forwards like Tobias Harris and Larry Sanders have seen big bumps in playing time so far this season to make up for Gooden's lack of minutes.
Moving Gooden will be no easy task for the Bucks, particularly with the frequent DNPs doing nothing to improve his stock. The Kansas product is under contract through 2014/15 at an annual cost of about $6.69MM, which figures to make it difficult for Milwaukee to find value on the trade market. For what it's worth, the Bucks have yet to use their amnesty provision, and Gooden is one of only two players on the team still eligible to be amnestied.
Odds & Ends: Saric, Draft, Murphy, Collins, Lakers
Let's check out a few items from around the Association as we prepare for an eight-game evening slate….
- Although we heard on Friday that Dario Saric's contract in Croatia wouldn't have an NBA out until 2014, Saric confirmed today that his new deal will include an NBA out after every season. Saric, who ranks 16th on DraftExpress.com's big board for 2013, indicated that he'd declare for the draft next season if he receives a top-10 guarantee, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando writes.
- NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper notes (on Twitter) that one NBA executive has Saric in his current top 10, but that he's hardly a lock, and plenty can change between now and next June.
- In an Insider piece at ESPN.com, Jay Bilas and Chad Ford debate which college prospect is the early favorite to be picked first overall next June, and discuss a few more draft topics.
- Kevin Murphy, who was assigned to the D-League today, will be with the Reno Bighorns for at least five games, according to Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey (Twitter link via Jody Genessy of the Deseret News).
- Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops fills out a hypothetical roster made up of the NBA's worst contracts.
- Mardy Collins, who played in parts of four seasons for the Knicks and Clippers after being drafted 29th overall in 2006, has reached an agreement to play for Israel's Maccabi Ashdod, reports David Pick of Sportando.
- Lakers offseason acquisitions Jodie Meeks and Antawn Jamison have begun to thrive under new coach Mike D'Antoni, says Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Medina adds that there's still no set timetable for Steve Nash's return.
Jazz Assign Kevin Murphy To D-League
MONDAY, 11:48am: The Jazz have officially assigned Murphy to the Bighorns, Jody Genessy of the Deseret News confirms (via Twitter).
SATURDAY, 4:25pm: The Jazz will send rookie Kevin Murphy to the Reno Bighorns, their D-League affiliate, on Monday as long as the twisted ankle that knocked Mo Williams out of last night's game with the Kings is not too severe, tweets Jody Genessey of the Deseret News. The assignment would be Utah's first of the season.
The Jazz drafted Murphy, a 6'6" swingman from Tennessee Tech, with the 47th overall pick in the draft. He signed a minimum-salary contract that's partially guaranteed for $200K this year and fully non-guaranteed for 2013/14.
Murphy has played just nine minutes in three games for the Jazz thus far, and Utah's backcourt just got more crowded with last night's return of Earl Watson from injury. When the move becomes official, we'll add it to our list of D-League assignments and recalls from the entire league.