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Terry Expresses Offseason Interest In Heat

March 29th, 2012 at 10:38pm CST by Daniel Seco

Mavericks shooting guard Jason Terry is interested in exploring signing with the Heat when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason, reports Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. His comments about the Heat come in the wake of the Mavericks not offering the former Arizona star a contract extension this past offseason as they attempt to clear salary cap space with hopes of making a splashy signing. Terry, 34, is currently averaging 15.2 PPG and 3.5 APG in 49 games with the Mavs. 

"No question, they need a veteran shooter, a guy who can score besides LeBron (James) and (Dwyane Wade), and they know they can count on. I'm a guy that's been in this league 13 years, (averaging) 15 points a night, easy. Off the bench or the starting lineup, it doesn't matter. So I think I'd be an asset to them."

Earlier today, we looked at the free agent market for shooting guards and identified Terry as one of the top options along with Ray Allen.

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Knicks Notes: Anthony, Woodson, D’Antoni

March 29th, 2012 at 10:23pm CST by Daniel Seco

The Knicks have a well-earned night off after a 108-86 thrashing of the Magic on Wednesday evening thanks to a balanced effort led by Carmelo Anthony and Iman Shumpert. With the victory, the Knicks are now 8-1 under new head coach Mike Woodson, who took over for Mike D'Antoni, who resigned on March 14th. Let's take a look at what else is going on with the Knicks as they continue to deal with the injury bug.

  • Tasked as the Knicks' top scoring option since his arrival from the Nuggets, Anthony has finally stepped up as a scorer with two consecutive 25-point performances in his last two games, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
  • While Woodson once had a respectable NBA career that stretched over a decade, his foray into coaching was not something he had initially anticipated doing, says Howard Beck of The New York Times.
  • By shifting away from D'Antoni's style of play to a heightened emphasis on defense, the Knicks have become more of a complete team driven by energetic play and forcing turnovers, reports Jim Cavan of The New York Times.
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Poll: Will Fisher, Odom Return To Lakers?

March 29th, 2012 at 8:46pm CST by Daniel Seco

Since December, the Lakers have parted ways with two veteran players integral to their success under Phil Jackson. Lamar Odom was sent to the Mavericks, where he's struggled mightily, after nearly landing in New Orleans as the Lakers attempted to acquire Chris Paul. More recently, the Lakers dealt Derek Fisher to the Rockets after acquiring Ramon Sessions to run the point for the squad.

Fisher worked out a deal with the Rockets to have his contract bought out and signed with the Thunder to provide backcourt depth and lockerroom leadership. With Fisher returning to Los Angeles tonight for the first time since being traded by the Lakers, much conversation has been made about Kobe Bryant's desire to bring Fisher and Odom back to the Staples Center this offseason.

Will Fisher, Odom and Bryant reunite this summer? Let us know what you think in the poll below.

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Odds & Ends: Clippers, Ewing, Bulls, Sixers

March 29th, 2012 at 8:03pm CST by Daniel Seco

As the Wizards take on the Pacers in the first of four Thursday night games, let's take a look around the league to see what's happening from coast to coast.

  • DeAndre Jordan has embraced the heightened expectations surrounding the Clippers and understands the resiliency needed to overcome setbacks such as a recent three-game losing streak, writes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Instead of letting the downturn ruin their season, the Clippers responded by winning three in a row.
  • If Mike Woodson isn't the long-term answer for the Knicks, Magic assistant coach Patrick Ewing wants to throw his name into the mix as the next head coach at Madison Square Garden, but may not have history on his side, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. As a 7-footer, Ewing would become only the seventh head coach in NBA history with a height of 6-foot-10 or taller.
  • While much of the Bulls' success stems from stellar play by their stars, a growing phenomenon dubbed the 'Bench Mob' has aided in the team's success, reports K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Taj Gibson and Omer Asik are among a group of Bulls bench players who have stepped up their play to help close out games.
  • A major reason for the Sixers' strong season stems from their ability to beat lesser teams, writes Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The squad is 18-5 on the season against sub .500 teams, which currently places as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately for the Sixers, an inability to beat quality teams may spell an early end to their season come playoff time.
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Breaking Down The Playoff Picture

March 29th, 2012 at 6:55pm CST by Daniel Seco

While seedings for the playoffs may shift dramatically between now and the end of the season, let's take a look at what the first round of the playoffs would look like based upon current records and examine how the teams have fared against each other to date. 

Eastern Conference

  • (#1) Bulls vs. (#8) Knicks: The Bulls are 2-0 on the season against the Knicks with a home-and-home in early April still to come.
  • (#2) Heat vs. (#7) Celtics: The Heat knocked off the Celtics in the second game of the season and have three games remaining against them.
  • (#3) Magic vs. (#6) Hawks: With two February losses to the Hawks, the Magic will look to avenge their defeats during a home game against Atlanta in April.
  • (#4) Sixers vs. (#5) Pacers: The Sixers have split their season series with the Pacers thus far with two more games to be played in April.

Western Conference

  • (#1) Thunder vs. (#8) Rockets: After winning back to back games against the Rockets, the Thunder have dropped their last two meetings against Kevin McHale's squad.
  • (#2) Spurs vs. (#7) Jazz: Victorious in their first two matchups against the Jazz, the Spurs will face Utah in a home-and-home in April.
  • (#3) Lakers vs. (#6) Grizzlies: The Lakers won their first two games against the Grizzlies before falling 102-96 in a rare home loss on Sunday.
  • (#4) Clippers vs. (#5) Mavericks: Having split the first two matchups of the season, the Clippers will head to Dallas on Monday for the decisive game of the season series.
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Pacific Notes: Warriors, Kings Arena, Sessions

March 29th, 2012 at 5:59pm CST by Daniel Seco

With only four games on Thursday night's schedule, one particular matchup stands out as a potential preview of things to come during the playoffs. The Lakers take on the Thunder at the Staples Center in a battle between a particularly strong road team and a squad that does an excellent job of defending their homecourt. Let's take a look around the Pacific Division to catch up on the latest news and happenings.

  • The Warriors are in an unenviable position where finishing out the season on a strong note would cost the team a draft pick, writes Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News. Currently the ninth-worst team in the league, the Warriors would have to forfeit their lottery pick to the Jazz as compensation for a trade made in 2009 if they fail to finish the season as one of the seven worst teams by record. The Warriors received Marcus Williams, now playing in China, from the Nets with hopes of him developing into a replacement for Baron Davis. 
  • Tony Bizjak of The Sacramento Bee says the construction of the Sacramento arena can take a step in the right direction come Tuesday when the Sacramento City Council votes on appropriating $6.5MM toward arena pre-development.
  • John Hollinger of ESPN.com (Insider link) looks at how the addition of Ramon Sessions to the Lakers has stabilized the team's backcourt, but raises concern over the team's heavy reliance on players such as Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol with regard to their usage. Hollinger raises the point that Sessions arrival in Los Angeles has merely kept the Lakers from imploding due to the fact that the rest of the key players are exhausted from being completely overworked.
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Odds & Ends: Garnett, Spurs, Randolph, Howard

March 29th, 2012 at 4:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The top of this year's draft figures to be particularly UNC-heavy, with three Tar Heel underclassmen declaring their intentions to enter the draft earlier today. Harrison Barnes, John Henson, and Kendall Marshall will join senior Tyler Zeller as potential North Carolina lottery picks. And as ESPN.com's Chad Ford writes, the Tar Heels could make it five first-rounders if James McAdoo decides to enter the draft as well (Insider link).

Here are a few more afternoon links from around the Association:

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Minor Moves: Leslie, Walker, Williams

March 29th, 2012 at 3:47pm CST by Luke Adams

We'll track the day's notable international and D-League-related transactions here:

  • The Clippers have re-assigned Travis Leslie to their D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam, tweets Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside. It's Leslie's second assignment of the season.
  • The D-League's Idaho Stampede will re-sign Antoine Walker today, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Stampede released Walker last week to allow him to tend to a personal matter, intending to bring him back.
  • Former NBA big man Justin Williams will join the D-League's Los Angeles D-Fenders, according to Sam Amick of SI.com (via Twitter). Williams played 49 career NBA games from 2006 to 2008, 48 for the Kings and a single game for the Rockets, averaging 3.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per game.
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UNC’s Barnes, Henson, Marshall To Enter Draft

March 29th, 2012 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Three North Carolina players, Harrison Barnes, John Henson, and Kendall Marshall, will leave UNC early and enter the draft, the Tar Heels announced today (link via ESPN.com).

"It's a great day for three youngsters who are taking another step toward their ultimate goal of playing professional basketball," coach Roy Williams said in a statement. "On a very small stage, it's a sad day for me because I won't get to coach them again. All Tar Heel fans will miss them greatly, as well."

While Barnes, a sophomore, has the potential to be a top-five pick, Marshall (sophomore) and Henson (junior) are expected to be picked early on June 28th as well. In the latest update to his mock draft, ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) projected all three Tar Heels to be picked in the top 15 — Barnes seventh, Marshall 12th, and Henson 15th.

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Paul Allen Denies Entertaining Offers For Blazers

March 29th, 2012 at 2:24pm CST by Luke Adams

2:24pm: Allen denied the report on his Twitter account, tweeting, "It is absolutely false that I have entertained offers for @pdxtrailblazers. Unnamed sources are wrong as usual. Why don’t reporters check?"

1:19pm: Approximately six years after he put the Trail Blazers on the market in 2006, team owner Paul Allen is once again listening to offers to sell the team, reports Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com. At least two groups have expressed serious interest in buying the franchise, according to Jaynes. Blazers officials and team president Larry Miller have denied any knowledge of discussions with prospective buyers.

"My reaction is that I know absolutely nothing about that," Miller said. "I have no knowledge of any groups that have been talking to anyone down here, that’s for sure. I would assume if that were the case I would know about it…. In the past, when Paul was thinking about it, I was in the loop. But that went away. Could there be something going on? Maybe… but I don't think so."

As Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge points out, Allen himself said earlier this season that he has no interest in selling the team. However, he included a caveat along with those comments:

"My health is a factor, other things are factors," said Allen. "I think at some point if I felt things were getting stale or if we were going to be a lottery team forever, we went through a rebuilding process. Some of those years are tough, when you're winning 20-some games or whatever, those are tough years. If I felt like we were going right back into that, that would be a challenge."

The Blazers appear ticketed for the lottery this season, and still have plenty of uncertainty in the front office. But with the potential to own a pair of top-ten picks in June's draft, it hardly looks as if they'll be "a lottery team forever."

According to Jaynes' report, one of the two groups interested in the Blazers is thought to be based out of Los Angeles, while the other one is local. Neither group has interest in moving the team out of Portland — the club's lease ensures that the Blazers can't be moved through 2023. Jaynes speculates that a realistic sale price for the franchise could fall in the $400MM range.

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