Odds & Ends: Varejao, Asik, Pistons, Mavs, Mack

After a busy Christmas Day in the NBA, there's no let-up on Boxing Day, with all but six teams in action later tonight — the Bulls and the Pacers will be two of the teams with today off, after Indiana announced that tonight's game would be postponed due to poor weather conditions. As we look forward to a full evening slate, we'll check in on a few updates from around the NBA:

  • Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio answered reader questions about the Cavaliers in a chat, saying that he believes that if Cleveland is to trade Anderson Varejao, it's likely that would happen this season, with the Cavs looking for a big man and multiple first-round picks in return.
  • Omer Asik burned his old team for 20 points and 18 rebounds yesterday, and what makes it even more painful for the Bulls is that backup center has been one of Chicago’s weaknesses this season, as Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes.
  • According to coach Lawrence Frank, the Pistons aren't ready to hand over major minutes to Andre Drummond and other young players at the cost of trying to win games now. If the organization goes in that direction later this season, the club will be upfront about the decision, says Frank. MLive.com's David Mayo has the details.
  • The Mavericks also continue to prioritize wins over player development, though coach Rick Carlisle tells Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that player development is a "major focus of our team."
  • Wizards coach Randy Wittman told Shelvin Mack that what prompted the team to sign him wasn't his prior experience with Washington, but his play in the D-League, where he was in the top 10 in both scoring and assists, as Michael Lee of The Washington Post chronicles.
  • Mo Williams, playing in a contract year, will be sidelined indefinitely with what the Jazz are calling a "severely sprained" right thumb, says Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

View Comments (0)