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Odds & Ends: Magic, Trail Blazers, Cavaliers

April 29th, 2012 at 3:59pm CST by Daniel Seco

With Sunday afternoon's playoff action already underway, let's catch up on the latest news and headlines from around the league.

FoxSportsOhio.com's Sam Amico writes why he believes the Cavaliers are headed in the right direction.
Mike Tokito from The Oregonian gives a by the numbers rundown of the Trail Blazers and what they'll have to work with this offseason.
The Magic's upset victory over the Pacers wasn't fueled by the team's desire to prove to Dwight Howard that they could win without him, writes Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel. Instead, the team is focusing on what they can control and attempting to eliminate any outside distractions that may keep them from achieving their goal of winning playoff basketball games. "We're not here to prove anything about Dwight," Hedo Turkoglu said. "He's our best player and we wish he were here. But we can't think about that. We have to accept who we are right now, move on and play our best."
SI.com's Sam Amick says USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo is reconsidering adding players to the roster of Olympic team finalists after Derrick Rose tore his ACL on Saturday against the Sixers. While the loss of Rose weakens the point guard position, Colangelo is confident that the team has a deep enough backcourt to overcome his absence. Amick points to DeMarcus Cousins as a potential addition to the list of finalists after enjoying a season in which he averaged 18.1 PPG and 11.0 RPG for the Kings.
The Grizzlies have put together a dangerous playoff team using a combination of discarded parts, role players and overachievers, contends Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. From Marc Gasol, acquired in a salary dump for his brother, to Tony Allen, not considered a highly-attractive free agent due to a perceived limited skill-set, the Grizzlies have seemingly come out of nowhere to take the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoffs. "They played to their strengths," Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins said. "It's usually the best team that wins. Good basketball teams are good whether they have people noted as stars or not.
Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld wonders if the Bulls can still contend in the Eastern Conference playoffs after losing their star point guard for the remainder of the season. As the team managed an 18-9 record without Rose during the regular season, Brigham says the Bulls still may advance beyond the second round in what would be a matchup against either the Celtics or the Hawks. The journey would end, however, in the Eastern Conference Finals if the Bulls have to face the Heat.

Injuries Take A Starring Role In 2012 Playoffs

April 29th, 2012 at 12:04pm CST by Daniel Seco

With horrific injuries spelling an early end to the season for Derrick Rose and Iman Shumpert, let's take a look at the other 14 playoff teams to see how a missing player may mean the difference between a Finals appearance and a first-round exit.

Heat: LeBron James and Dwyane Wade enter the playoffs healthier than usual thanks to some much needed rest during the final week of the regular season. The Heat stand to benefit the most from Shumpert and Rose's injuries as a sweep against the Knicks means less of a challenge for Wade on the offensive end and an easier path to winning a title. Look for the Heat to advance to at least the Finals if they can duplicate the success they enjoyed during the first half of the season.
Pacers: The Pacers are injury-free heading into Game 2 against the Magic, who pulled off the upset Saturday evening in Indiana. Utilizing seven-foot-two center Roy Hibbert's size to their fullest advantage will be key for the Pacers as their big man only managed to score eight points but blocked nine shots as he dominated the paint defensively. With Dwight Howard on the shelf for the entirety of the playoffs, the Magic are severely undersized with six-foot-nine Glen Davis taking over at center for Superman.
Celtics: Ray Allen is expected to miss Game 1 in Atlanta against the Hawks as he battles bone spurs in his right ankle. If the Celtics had missed the playoffs, Allen would have undergone surgery immediately to help alleviate the pain. The Celtics will turn to Avery Bradley and his burgeoning reputation as a solid three-point shooter for the majority of the series as Allen's status remains unknown.
Hawks: The center position has been an area of concern for the Hawks with Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia currently sidelined with injuries. Horford, who has been out since January 11 with a torn left pectoral muscle, will miss the entire first round of the playoffs but may be able to return if the team advances. A foot injury to Pachulia that caused him to miss the team's last seven games will force the Hawks to rely on Jason Collins in order to solidify their frontcourt.
Magic: The Magic's chances of making a run in the playoffs took a huge hit when Howard called it a season in mid-April as he elected to undergo surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back. Without Howard, the Magic will feature an undersized frontcourt against a much larger Pacers squad. Much uncertainty surrounds the future of the franchise given Howard's impending free agency in 2013 and his desire to replace head coach Stan Van Gundy.
Sixers: Aside from rookie center Lavoy Allen spraining his thumb in Game 1, the Sixers feature a healthy roster as they return to action Tuesday night against the Bulls. With Rose out for the remainder of the series, the Sixers will look to capitalize on the perimeter as Lou Williams, Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner should benefit from having to guard John Lucas III rather than the league's reigning MVP.
Spurs: After a series of injuries cost Manu Ginobili nearly half the season, the Spurs enter the playoffs with a fresh roster looking to make a title run. Future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, 36, played a career-low 28.2 MPG this season but is still performing at a high level. The addition of Stephen Jackson at the trade deadline along with the subtraction of Richard Jefferson may be enough to lead the Spurs to their fifth title under Gregg Popovich.
Thunder: James Harden returned to action on Saturday night against the Mavs after missing his last two games with a concussion suffered against the Lakers last Sunday. He appeared to be completely recovered as he scored an efficient 19 points in 35 minutes of the bench. Beyond Harden, the Thunder lost backup point guard Eric Maynor for the season due to a torn ACL in January, but remedied the situation by signing veteran Derek Fisher to a contract in March.
Lakers: A healthy Andrew Bynum and a rested Kobe Bryant may allow for the under-the-radar Lakers to make a run in the wide-open Western Conference playoffs. While not an injury, Los Angeles will be without Metta World Peace for the first six games of the playoffs due to suspension.
Grizzlies: Memphis lost Darrell Arthur for the season after the power forward suffered a torn Achilles tendon in practice back in December. A healthy Zach Randolph has played himself back into shape after missing time earlier this season due to a knee injury.
Clippers: Many critics expected the Clippers to implode after Chauncey Billups went down on February 6 with a torn Achilles tendon. While the Clippers slipped to the fifth seed, they reinvented the image of the franchise and gained respect from around the league thanks to MVP-like play from Chris Paul.
Nuggets: After spending the majority of the season abroad in China, Wilson Chandler returned to Denver for a brief stint before suffering a season-ending injury to his hip in mid-April. The Nuggets will open against the Lakers without Rudy Fernandez, who had surgery on his lower back in March to end his season.
Mavericks: A healthy Mavs squad will face a difficult journey in defending their title as they open the playoffs against the Thunder. Saturday night saw a missed opportunity by Dallas to steal Game 1 on the road as they lost in Oklahoma City by the score of 99-98. Any chance of exploiting Harden's concussion was nullified with a strong performance by the Sixth Man of the Year candidate.
Jazz: Small forward C.J. Miles may miss the start of the playoffs against the Spurs with a strained calf. The team will look for strong production out of star Al Jefferson, who had the opportunity to rest late last week as the center only played limited minutes in the team's regular season finale.

Assessing The 2011/12 Waiver Claims

April 28th, 2012 at 1:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

The vast majority of players placed on waivers go unclaimed and become free agents, but this year, there have been more waiver claims than usual, including a pair of players claimed after their previous teams waived them using the amnesty clause. Last month, Luke Adams provided a rundown on how teams can claim players off waivers, so now let's take a look at how this season's waiver claims have worked out.

The most prominent example is Jeremy Lin, who was twice claimed off waivers this season after originally being let go by the Warriors. The Rockets claimed him December 11th, waived him a couple weeks later, and the Knicks made their claim December 27th. Left knee surgery will likely keep him out for the rest of the season unless the Knicks make a deep playoff run, but he'll wind up averaging 14.6 PPG and 6.2 APG, not too shabby for a player twice on the NBA scrapheap.
Knicks GM Glen Grunwald struck gold with yet another waiver claim in Steve Novak, whom they picked up December 21st. Novak’s rise coincided with Lin’s, as he broke loose for 19 points in Lin’s first start, and has kept up his consistent long-range bombing even without Lin on the floor. He led the league in three-point percentage at 47.2%, but his shooting has never been in question. The difference this year was that he did enough in other phases of the game to warrant significant playing time. A career 4.9 PPG scorer, he averaged 10.4 PPG in 21.7 MPG beginning with that 19-point game on February 6th. We can only imagine how much better the Spurs would have been had they not waived him December 19th.
Waiver claims are so infrequent that teams will sometimes agree to terms with players before they clear waivers. That’s what appeared to happen in March, when J.J. Hickson was dressed in Warriors gear and ready for a shootaround with Golden State when word hit that the Blazers had claimed him. We’ll never know how it would have worked out for him with the Warriors, but Hickson has thrived since joining Portland on March 21st, more than tripling the scoring average he put up in the first half of the season with the Kings (15.1 PPG to 4.7 PPG). He averaged 17.6 PPG and 10.6 RPG as a starter over the final eight games, and will be a sought-after commodity this summer, particularly if the Blazers fail to extend a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Chauncey Billups warned teams not to claim him when the Knicks amnestied him before the season, hoping he could sign with a contender as a free agent, but the Clippers claimed him anyway December 12th. It all worked out, as the Clippers became the sort of contending team Billups wanted to play for anyway when they traded for Chris Paul a few days later. Billups slid over to shooting guard and adjusted smoothly to his new position, averaging 15.0 PPG before going down with a season-ending Achilles’ tendon tear on February 6th.
The Kings had much less success with claiming an amnestied player, saddling themselves on Dec. 17th with Travis Outlaw for $12MM over the remaining four years of his contract. He was even less of a factor in Sacramento than he was for the Nets before they waived him, averaging just 4.3 PPG in 12.8 MPG, his worst numbers since he was a rookie in 2003/04.
The Warriors tried to replace Jeremy Lin when they claimed Ish Smith, another backup point guard, off waivers from the Grizzlies on December 16th. Smith was there for only six games and 63 total minutes before the Warriors put him back on waivers on January 14th. He went unclaimed this time, and was signed as a free agent February 2nd by the Magic, with whom he’s played the rest of the season.
The Blazers quietly let go of backup big man Chris Johnson at the trade deadline, and amid rumors the Celtics were interested, the Hornets snapped him up off waivers March 19th. Depleted as the Hornets were along the front line this year, Johnson still only saw 82 total minutes over seven games before New Orleans put him back out on waivers April 18th. He remains unsigned since.
Rod Higgins, the president of basketball operations for the Bobcats, gave son Cory Higgins quite a present on Christmas Day when the team claimed him off waivers from the Nuggets. The undrafted 22-year-old rookie from Colorado stayed on the Bobcats roster the entire season, averaging 3.9 PPG in 11.1 MPG.

Odds & Ends: Horford, 2014, Celtics, Hudson, Cavs

April 23rd, 2012 at 5:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Hawks center Al Horford will return from a pectoral injury on Thursday after saying earlier today he thought he would miss the playoffs, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

As Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution writes, Horford's comments over the last few days sent mixed signals on his playoff eligibility, so this latest development shouldn't come as too much of surprise. Still, it's a huge boost for the Hawks, even though he'll be limited to 15 minutes a game in the first round. Atlanta's frontcourt has been so depleted lately that Josh Smith started at center against the Knicks yesterday.

Here are a few more Monday links from around the league:

One Western Conference executive tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld that he believes the 2014 free agent class could be even better than the heralded group from 2010. Unrestricted free agents Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and Danny Granger could be joined by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony, who are among those with player options.
The Celtics did their homework before they signed Sean Williams, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Although Williams has had off-court issues in the past, the Mavericks informed the Celtics that they had not waived the 25-year-old for disciplinary reasons.
Signing with his hometown Grizzlies was a dream scenario for Lester Hudson, says Ron Higgins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio writes that Cavaliers GM Chris Grant and his scouting staff seem to have an eye for D-League talent, having signed Hudson and Donald Sloan this season.

Agent Says Cavs Mishandled Hudson Situation

April 20th, 2012 at 7:18pm CST by Alex Lee

Lester Hudson's agent, Keith Glass, told the Akron Beacon Journal today that had the Cavaliers guaranteed Hudson's contract for the rest of the year after his initial 10-day deal expired, he would have signed it and would still be in Cleveland. The Cavs instead merely offered Hudson another 10-day pact, despite the guard filling in admirably for an injured Kyrie Irving, and Hudson accepted the deal, played it out and today signed with his hometown Grizzlies.

“If 10 days ago, they had just done what I thought they should’ve done, which was guarantee the rest of the year, he would’ve signed it and been there. The way the league works, the way the world works, the word is leverage. I guess they had the leverage 10 days ago and we had some yesterday," Glass said.

Both teams offered Hudson non-guaranteed contracts for next year, and because Hudson chose Memphis, they will control his rights in the offseason.

Grizzlies Sign Lester Hudson

April 20th, 2012 at 3:07pm CST by Michael Pina

FRIDAY, 3:07pm: The Grizzlies announced the Hudson signing today in a press release. He'll take up the 15th spot on Memphis' roster.

THURSDAY, 10:26pm: Lester Hudson has a verbal agreement to join the Grizzlies for the rest of this season, according to The Commercial Appeal's Ronald Tillery. With Gilbert Arenas recovering from a torn ligament on his shooting hand, the Grizzlies decided to bring Hudson on as for backcourt insurance as the team heads into the playoffs. Hudson, whose most recent 10-day contract expired, is eligible to play in the postseason because he was not waived by the Cavaliers.

This is the 27-year-old Memphis natives second stint with the Grizzlies. Two years ago he appeared in nine games with the team, averaging 4.0 PPG. After Cleveland failed to extend him an offer to sign for the rest of the season, Hudson decided to part ways with the team earlier today.

Odds & Ends: Curry, Hornets, Hollins, Bulls

April 20th, 2012 at 12:53pm CST by Luke Adams

As the NBA season enters its final week, the race for playoff berths and the jockeying for seeding will be the primary storylines. For out-of-contention teams though, the jockeying for draft spots and lottery balls will be the main focus of these last few games. Be sure to check out Hoops Rumors' tentative draft order to keep tabs on the shuffling standings this week.

Here's a grab-bag of links from around the Association:

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is interesting in having Eddy Curry return to Miami next season, but Curry isn't sure whether he'll re-sign with the team, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.
John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune examines a number of decisions facing the Hornets in the offseason, including the free agencies of Chris Kaman and Carl Landry and the possibility of amnestying Emeka Okafor.
Both the Grizzlies and Bobcats passed on Lionel Hollins after he interviewed for their coaching openings in 2007, but Memphis didn't make the same mistake twice, writes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Sam Smith fielded a number of questions on the Bulls and the rest of the league in a lengthy mailbag for Bulls.com.

Celtics Rumors: Allen, Pierce, Mayo

April 19th, 2012 at 9:49am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics clinched their fifth straight Atlantic Division crown last night, but it was no ordinary division title for the Big Three, writes Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com, who notes that the team was two games under .500 at the All-Star break.

Even as the Celtics locked up the Atlantic, the latest updates out of Boston revolved around yesterday's report about failed deadline deals involving Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Let's round up a few of them….

Doc Rivers appeared on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan Show and addressed the Allen and Pierce rumors, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com. The Celtics coach confirmed that the Allen trade was close, though he says it was GM Danny Ainge that called the veteran guard about the deal.
Rivers on the failed Pierce-to-the-Nets trade: "That wasn't close at all. That had no chance."
Allen deserved better treatment from the Celtics, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Washburn says Allen's demeanor has changed over the last few weeks, and that the likelihood of the sharpshooter returning to Boston next season may have diminished.
According to Donny Marshall on CSNNE, O.J. Mayo didn't have much interest in becoming a Celtic, and the Nets turned down the proposal involving Pierce.

Odds & Ends: George, Chandler, Pistons

April 18th, 2012 at 8:18pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Orlando is currently sixth in the East and owns a four game lead over the seventh place Knicks. A New York win against the Nets and an Orlando loss versus the Celtics tonight would reduce the lead to three with four games left to play. For both teams, the stakes involve avoiding a first-round matchup with Miami or Chicago. The Clippers have a chance at the third seed in the West with a win against Denver and a Lakers loss to Golden State. Those are just a few of the many storylines to follow as the NBA inches closer to its conclusion within the next week and a half. With that aside, here's the latest news from the world of basketball:

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reports that the Pacers' Paul George has signed with Creative Artists Agency, the same organization that represents LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul to name a few (Sulia link).
Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler is expected to miss the rest of the season, says Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post. Chandler had tried to play through pain on Sunday, but decided after the game that it would be best to shut himself down for the rest of the season.
Don't expect to see the Pistons participating in the annual Las Vegas Summer League this year, as coach Lawrence Frank has opted to send his team to Orlando Magic Summer League instead (David Mayo of MLive reports). Frank cites the organizational structure and condensed schedule as the deciding factors.
Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune writes that Jazz guard Blake Ahearn hopes to earn a second contract with the team and finish the rest of the season, as his initial contract is set to expire today. GM Kevin O'Connor says that he won't make a decision until after tonight's game against Portland.
Lang Greene of HoopsWorld engaged in his weekly chat with fans tonight. A few thought provoking points included his assessment of Harrison Barnes as a player who won't be a franchise changer for a lottery team, the possibility that Austin Rivers slips in the draft, and Kendall Marshall as a player who belongs in the 16-20 pick range, among other topics.
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune examines the emergence of Nikola Mirotic, a 6'10 sharpshooting forward for Real Madrid whose draft rights are currently owned by the Bulls. Johnson also writes that Mirotic could have a legitimate shot to make the Spanish team for this year's Olympics.
Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune reports that the Louisiana State of Exposition District board of commissioners has approved a long-term lease extension for the Hornets through 2024.
Billy Witz of Fox Sports takes a closer look at Jerry Colangelo's criteria for assembling Team USA amidst a season of injuries and uncertainty for a number of players who are in his selection pool. Colangelo doesn't appear fazed, implying that the pool is deep enough to counter the potential unavailability of some of his choices for summer.

Southwest Rumors: Hornets, Allen, Mayo, Kidd

April 18th, 2012 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's check in on a few Wednesday updates out of the Southwest Division….

The Hornets are expected to waive Chris Johnson and sign another big man to replace him, reports John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. With Chris Kaman and Emeka Okafor likely done for the season, New Orleans is lacking in frontcourt depth, and Johnson hasn't played in over two weeks since he suffered a concussion.
Following up on the Ray Allen/O.J. Mayo trade rumor from Yahoo! Sports, Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal says he heard the Celtics' asking price also included Mike Conley, Dante Cunningham, and Josh Selby in a large deal that included draft picks. The Grizzlies didn't want to give up so many assets to rent Allen, says Tillery.
Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld examines whether or not Mayo has a place in the Grizzlies' future.
Asked if he could see Jason Kidd becoming a coach when his playing career ends, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle replied, "He'll probably be an owner" (Twitter link via Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).