Let’s round up a few Friday odds and ends from around the Association….
- Steve Nash, who is heading into the second year of a three-year deal with the Lakers, may be rested frequently this season due to health concerns, head coach Mike D’Antoni tells Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. With the Lakers planning to clear as much cap space as possible next summer, Nash’s performance and health this season will likely dictate whether he’s still with the club a year from now.
- In a Spurs notebook for the San Antonio Express-News, Jeff McDonald refers to the release of Sam Young as a “borderline bombshell,” and says Corey Maggette is unlikely to stick with the team into the regular season.
- As he continues to recover from a torn ACL in Brazil, free agent guard Leandro Barbosa still hopes to return to the NBA, as Michael Lee of the Washington Post details.
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders if NBA teams’ increasing willingness to rest their veterans will open the door for players who would typically be assigned to the D-League to receive more NBA minutes.
- With 20 players still on the roster, the Hawks will have to make cuts soon, but it won’t happen today, tweets Chris Vivalmore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- Scott Cacciola of the New York Times takes an in-depth look at new Knicks general manager Steve Mills.