Western Notes: Lakers Assistants, Maynor, Watson
Comcast's Ric Bucher tweets that the Lakers are expected to keep their coaching staff intact, as many of the players have personal favorites among the current assistants. A few days ago, head coach Mike D'Antoni spoke favorably of the coaches that had carried over after Mike Brown's firing, telling ESPN LA: "They're good coaches. I know almost all of them anyway. They work extremely hard. We are in a lot. I just felt like, 'They're here, they're good, why change it?" The list includes former interim-head coach Bernie Bickerstaff, Steve Clifford, Chuck Person, and most notably Eddie Jordan, who had been originally hired by Brown to install the Princeton offense. Here's the rest of what we're hearing out of the Western Conference tonight:
- Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK focuses on the struggles of Eric Maynor and wonders if it will open up an opportunity for the Thunder's Reggie Jackson at back-up point guard.
- Jazz point guard Earl Watson told reporters that he's been feeling more comfortable and is getting his rhythm back after returning from a seven month recovery following knee surgery (Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune reports). Head coach Tyrone Corbin remains focused on limiting Watson's minutes accordingly.
- In this video from CSNNW.com, Damian Lillard acknowledged that there are "multiple leaders" on the Trail Blazers when asked if he considered himself the leader of the team.
- Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes about how the Spurs have been able to adapt to the league as their core players have gotten older.
- Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times has taken notice of the Lakers' increased production from their second unit led by the emergence of Antawn Jamison.
- While Kelvin Sampson and several Rockets players offered their condolences to Kevin McHale after the tragic passing of his daughter during today's practice, Jonathan Feigen of Ultimate Rockets also took note that McHale had been constantly in touch with the team over the last several weeks to check on them and offer his guidance.
- Yannis Koutroupis of Hoopsworld discusses the promise that Donatas Motiejunas has been showing in the with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and writes that Rockets GM Daryl Morey has to make a decision on whether or not the rookie big man is ready to be a contributor in Houston.
Northwest Rumors: Budinger, Papanikolaou, Jazz
We've been hearing plenty about the Lakers' possible interest in Raja Bell today, but he remains on the Jazz roster even though he's been estranged from the team all season. Tonight, Utah welcomed back another player they hadn't used this year, as Earl Watson made his return from a right knee injury he suffered in the middle of last season. One of the Jazz's division rivals could be without a key offseason acquisition longer than they originally thought, and we've got more on that as well as the rest of the night's news from the Northwest.
- Wolves coach Rick Adelman indicated Chase Budinger will be out longer than the initial projection of three months, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). "He tells me he'll be back in March, so we'll see," Adelman said.
- There's a "very good chance" the Blazers, who acquired the rights to Kostas Papanikolaou from the Knicks in the Raymond Felton deal, will bring the 6'8" power forward to Portland next year, reports Jason Quick of The Oregonian. Quick notes that Papanikolaou is leading the Euroleague in three-point percentage (Twitter links).
- The Jazz are taking more three-pointers than they have in the last 10 years, thanks in large part to offseason signees Randy Foye, Marvin Williams and Mo Williams, observes Jody Genessey of the Deseret News. It's also because of the improved perimeter game of impending free agent Paul Millsap, Genessey points out.
Pacific Rumors: Landry, Lakers, Bell, Barnes
All five Pacific Division teams are in action tonight, and four of the five are squaring off against opponents with records of .500 or better, including the Lakers, who have an opportunity to bounce back from an ugly loss to the Kings with a victory against the Grizzlies. The Suns figure to have the easiest go of it tonight, with a game against the Hornets, but that's certainly no guarantee for a rebuilding Phoenix squad. Here's more from the West Coast:
- Carl Landry is glad to have the stability of the two-year deal he signed with the Warriors this summer, as he tells HoopsWorld. The deal includes a player option for next season, so perhaps this is an early hint that Landry plans to opt in, though that's merely my speculation.
- Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times breaks down potential trade candidates for a Lakers deal involving Raja Bell, and says via Twitter that the team won't cut Robert Sacre to fit Bell on the roster.
- The Lakers' decision on Bell will come down to whether they believe he's an upgrade over offseason signee Jodie Meeks, opines Ben Golliver of SI.com.
- ESPN.com's Chris Palmer thinks the Lakers made a mistake letting Matt Barnes sign with the Clippers, and ESPNLosAngeles.com colleague Arash Markazi believes Barnes would be a better fit in purple and gold under Mike D'Antoni than he was with Mike Brown (Twitter links).
Lakers Showing Interest In Raja Bell
6:39pm: Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles hears the Lakers haven't had any official discussions with Bell yet (Twitter link).
12:44pm: With Mike D'Antoni now at the helm in Los Angeles, the Lakers are exhibiting interest in a player that used to play for D'Antoni in Phoenix. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that the Lakers are displaying "renewed interest" in Jazz forward Raja Bell. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and Kobe Bryant have also been "strong advocates" of Bell this summer, according to Wojnarowski.
Bell, who is in the final year of his contract, was asked not to report to the Jazz this season, and the two sides have made attempts to negotiate a buyout. While a trade would also be a possibility, Bell's $3.48MM salary makes it difficult to find a taker, particularly given Utah's lack of leverage.
Even if the Jazz were to reach a buyout agreement with Bell, there's no guarantee the Lakers would be willing to add him on a minimum salary, according to Wojnarowski. Los Angeles would have to cut a player to clear a spot, then add more salary and a larger tax hit to a roster that's already worth $100MM. Although Wojnarowski suggests the Lakers would have to pay the salary for whichever player they'd cut, it's worth noting that Robert Sacre and Darius Johnson-Odom are on non-guaranteed deals, so the team could save itself some money by releasing one of them.
Regardless, for now, Bell remains under contract with the Jazz. According to Wojnarowski, the Lakers aren't the only team to show some interest in the 36-year-old either — the Bulls have also kicked the tires.
Jazz Rumors: Millsap, Jefferson, Favors
In an age of small-ball, the Jazz have been going the opposite direction, fielding a starting lineup of three big men in their last two games. Coach Tyrone Corbin has shifted Paul Millsap to small forward to accomodate Derrick Favors at the four spot, and though Millsap and Favors struggled offensively in a close win against the Wizards, the Jazz have won both games since making the change. When asked whether he likes playing small forward, Millsap said, "I don't have a problem with it," and Ian Thomson of SI.com interprets that to mean next summer's free agent isn't willing to sign with a team that envisions him as a three for the long term. Thomson has much more on the Jazz, and we'll break it down here.
- Given the team's frontcourt logjam, GM Dennis Lindsey is non-committal about the idea of retaining both Millsap and Al Jefferson in free agency. "The possibilities are always there," he said. "Is it realistic? We'll find out in time."
- The Jazz won't deal Millsap at the deadline unless they get "an explosive perimeter scorer" or a "dynamic young point guard," Thomson opines, speculating that they will let Jefferson walk this summer.
- It would be mutually beneficial for Millsap to re-sign the Jazz, Thomson believes, adding that he could see the 6'10" Favors blossoming at center, based on his work ethic.
Northwest Notes: Wolves Injuries, Blazers, Williams
The latest news and notes from the Northwest Division on Tuesday night:
- J.J. Barea and Nikola Pekovic are both expected to play for the Timberwolves on Wednesday, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
- Wolves coach Rick Adleman told Ray Richardson of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press that doctors cleaned debris out of the knee of Brandon Roy.
- Joe Freeman of the Oregonian sheds some light on Blazers coach Terry Stotts' attempt to juggle the minutes of rookies Victor Claver, Joel Freeland, and Will Barton.
- Freeman also notes that so far, Nicolas Batum is living up to the four-year, $44MM contract he signed this summer.
- Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune writes that Mo Williams is proving to be a perfect fit on the Jazz' roster.
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.
Burks “Available” On Trade Market
Earlier this week we passed along news that Jazz forward Al Jefferson might be interested in re-joining the Celtics at some point before his career is through (This is Jefferson's final year under contract with the Jazz.)
Now, it appears another member of the Jazz could be on his way out of town. Second year shooting guard Alec Burks is reportedly "available," according to a tweet from Fox Sports Ohio reporter Sam Amico. Only 21 years old, Burks' per game averages are plummeting across the board. This season he's appeared in only five games, and is averaging just 1.4PPG on 20% shooting. Last season he averaged 7.2PPG.
No potential suitor was mentioned in the tweet, but it isn't difficult to imagine several teams around the league that might be interested in buying low on this athletic talent.
Western Notes: Grizzlies, Harden, Kings, Carroll
The Grizzlies staked their claim to a place among the NBA's elite teams this week with wins over the Heat, Thunder and previously unbeaten Knicks. That has the USA Today, and no doubt others, wondering if Memphis is the best team in the league. It's probably premature to anoint them as such after just eight games, but with Zach Randolph looking fully healthy again, they're certainly a squad worth keeping an eye on. Here's the latest on a few teams trying to catch up to them in the Western Conference standings.
- Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game offers a contrasting take on the notion that James Harden only had an hour to decide on the Thunder's extension offer, writing that both Harden and his agent, Rob Pelinka, had been aware for four months that Oklahoma City was not going to give Harden the max (Sulia link).
- Zach Harper of CBSSports.com details the woes of the 2-7 Kings, but Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee hears the team isn't planning on making any major moves and intends to hold on to Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins and Jimmer Fredette for the time being (Twitter link).
- Jazz forward DeMarre Carroll, who's on an expiring contract and hadn't seen meaningful minutes for two weeks, told his agent, "I didn't work this hard to be out of the rotation," as Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune documents. His work paid off last night, when he went 6 for 6 and put up 17 points and five rebounds in close to 23 minutes.
- New Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said his faith in his offensive system was reinforced by the time he spent coaching Jeremy Lin with the Knicks, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Western Notes: Grizzlies, Wolves, Jefferson, Brand
In his latest Insider piece for ESPN.com, John Hollinger explores the concept of the "second draft," an idea that involves acquiring players who had the talent to be high draft picks but who fell out of favor with their previous teams, for whatever reason. Hollinger points to the Grizzlies as one team taking full advantage of the "second draft" concept this season, with Jerryd Bayless, Quincy Pondexter, Wayne Ellington, and Marreese Speights making the club's bench one of the best in the NBA so far.
Here are a few more notes from around the Western Conference:
- Before the Timberwolves signed Josh Howard, they "politely turned down" interest from Kenyon Martin's camp, and made the same minimum-salary offer to Mickael Pietrus, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Howard accept the team's proposal first, as Pietrus' camp is still holding out for the mini mid-level.
- Al Jefferson was upset after the Jazz' game against the Celtics that Boston media had interpreted his comments about his C's history to mean he wanted to return to Boston, according to James Patrick of the Deseret News.
- While Mike D'Antoni won over the media when he was introduced in Los Angeles yesterday, it will be more important long-term for the Lakers' new coach to win over Dwight Howard, says Ken Berger of CBS Sports.
- After he didn't land the Lakers' coaching job, Phil Jackson is unlikely to be considered a serious candidate for the next Team USA coach, according to Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game, who says (via Sulia) that newly re-elected chairman Jerry Colangelo and Jackson aren't exactly close.
- Elton Brand appeared on ESPN Radio Dallas to discuss the eventual return of Dirk Nowitzki and the adjustments that fellow offseason acquisition O.J. Mayo has had to make with the Mavericks (link via Sports Radio Interviews).