Hoops Rumors Chats

4:03pm: We hosted the weekly live chat.

3:00pm: The regular season ends five weeks from tonight, and “the rest of the season” is a popular term around the league these days. It applies to marquee signings, like Ty Lawson‘s contract with the Pacers, surprise comebacks, like Nazr Mohammed‘s Thunder deal, and injuries, like the length of time Michael Carter-Williams and Eric Gordon are expected to miss. Of course, some of the news this time of year has implications for far beyond the next month, like the latest update on Dwight Howard‘s free agency plans. We can talk about all that and more in this week’s chat.

4:07pm: We hosted the weekly live chat.

3:00pm: Noteworthy buyouts that rivaled the trade deadline for significance dominated headlines over the past week, with Ty Lawson and Kevin Martin the latest major names to come available. The Heat worked financial gymnastics to sign Joe Johnson and still escape the tax, reportedly irking other teams, while Miami’s Florida rivals are looking ahead to summer free agency as they appear to be mounting a serious bid for Chandler Parsons. An ex-teammate of Parsons, Dwight Howard, has also apparently dropped some hints about where he might like to end up this summer. We can discuss all that and more in today’s chat.

4:04pm: We hosted the weekly live chat.

3:00pm: This year’s trade deadline wasn’t the bonanza that last year’s was, but 16 players still wound up changing teams, and three more almost did. Monday’s nullification of the Donatas Motiejunas trade sent Joel Anthony back to Detroit and Motiejunas and Marcus Thornton, not to mention a tax burden, back to Houston. The Sixers lost JaKarr Sampson to the Nuggets amid the shuffle, created when the Pistons didn’t like what they saw from Motiejunas’ physical exam. Health has played a key role in the NBA landscape this week, with confirmation coming that Marc Gasol is done for the year and conflicting reports about whether the Heat are encouraging the ailing Chris Bosh to join Gasol on the sidelines. That gives us plenty to talk about in this week’s chat.

Thursday’s 2pm Central time trade deadline is less than 24 hours away. We’ve already seen two trades this week, and more are certainly on the way. We talked trade rumors galore in this week’s live chat.

4:03pm: We hosted the weekly live chat.

3:00pm: One coach lost his job this week, and another almost did. The All-Star Game is four days away, and the trade deadline is just four days after that, with the Hawks leading the way as rumors ignite. Plus, a broken foot for Marc Gasol has cast the Grizzlies season into limbo, with major implications for the Western Conference playoff race. It gives us plenty to talk about in today’s chat.

4:05pm: We hosted the weekly live chat.

3:00pm: The Warriors have emerged as serious contenders for Kevin Durant, the Suns changed coaches and Markieff Morris trade rumors continue. Add the chatter about Jeff Teague and Dwight Howard, and it’s not hard to tell the trade deadline is two weeks and one day from now. So, we have plenty to talk about in this week’s chat.

4:02pm: We hosted the weekly live chat.

3:00pm: The Cavs set the NBA world abuzz with their coaching change Friday, overshadowing the Josh Smith trade and Steve Kerr’s long-awaited return to the Warriors, both of which happened the same day. A broken hand, reportedly self-inflicted, for Blake Griffin has cast more doubt on the Clippers title hopes, while the Hawks, a year removed from their perfect January of last season, are apparently considering a major move. We can talk about all that and more in today’s chat.

4:05pm: We hosted the weekly live chat.

3:00pm: The Eastern Conference has experienced a renaissance of sorts this season, but two of the East’s most powerful teams absorbed blows in the past week. The Bulls lost Joakim Noah for a four-to-six-month timeframe that likely ends his season and wrecks his value as a trade candidate, while the Cavaliers took a beating at home against the Warriors, just days after Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported that Cleveland was exploring the trade market for slumping center Timofey Mozgov. The second-place Raptors keep chugging along despite DeMarre Carroll‘s injury, though ex-GM Bryan Colangelo is reportedly a serious candidate for the Nets GM vacancy. We can talk about that and more in this week’s chat.

4:04pm: We hosted the weekly live chat.

3:00pm: The Nets are in a state of flux after firing coach Lionel Hollins and removing Billy King from the GM role Sunday, with John Calipari, Bryan Colangelo, Luke Walton and Monty Williams among the candidates for their new vacancies. Brooklyn was one of the teams linked to DeMar DeRozan and Nicolas Batum, who are reportedly likely to elicit max offers in free agency this summer, and while reports of Brooklyn’s interest in the pair emerged before the team’s shakeup, owner Mikhail Prokhorov’s assertion that the Nets are only one or two players away from title contention makes it clear the team will aim high. Whether the Nets achieve their lofty goals is another matter, of course.

4:05pm: We hosted the weekly live chat.

3:00pm: NBA teams face decisions on their non-guaranteed contracts no later than Thursday, a point in the season that usually sparks movement. Seven trades took place between January 5th and January 15th last year, and those plus a rush of signings and waivers changed the look of many teams. Some NBA clubs are already going through changes, with the Sixers probably chief among them, while others, like the Suns, appear to be contemplating a move of some kind to jolt them from their nine-game losing streak.