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Lawrence On Bulls, Stotts, Heat, Grizzlies

December 14th, 2013 at 1:57pm CST by Luke Adams

In his latest column for the New York Daily News, Mitch Lawrence surveys the entire league, bringing us some tidbits out of Chicago, Portland, and Miami, among others. Let’s dive in and check out the highlights from Lawrence….

According to Lawrence, Derrick Rose has told some confidantes that he’s concerned about the Bulls potentially losing key players in free agency. “Derrick is worried that the Bulls are going to lose what they have,” a league source told Lawrence. “He doesn’t want to go through rebuilding.” Reading between the lines, it sounds as if Rose might like to see the team keep free-agent-to-be Luol Deng around beyond this season.
Sources tell Lawrence that an offseason chat with Blazers coach Terry Stotts has made all the difference in LaMarcus Aldridge‘s outlook, though Stotts himself doesn’t believe he deserves the credit for Aldridge’s strong start: “There was talk that he was disgruntled, but when I talked to him I didn’t hear that from him. I just told LaMarcus that I felt like we had a chance to be very good this season and that he had a chance to have a great year. He’s growing into his leadership role at this stage and it’s all coming together for him. But it would be a disservice to him if I took the credit for what he’s been doing on the floor.”
Multiple GMs have identified Jordan Crawford of the Celtics as a potential trade target for the Heat, according to Lawrence.
Some people with the Grizzlies say the club needs a starting small forward, though many of those same sources think Memphis shouldn’t have traded Rudy Gay in the first place, says Lawrence.

Southeast Notes: Wade, Hawks, Dwight

December 14th, 2013 at 11:30am CST by Zachary Links

With Dwayne Wade’s recent admission that he’s not the same player that he once was, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if that candor will translate to the bargaining table when he’s a free agent. Wade sacrificed not only to add LeBron James and Chris Bosh in 2010, but also to keep Udonis Haslem, so it’s possible that he’ll be open to another pay cut to help the Heat prosper in the next few years. Today’s look at the Southeast Division..

Hawks point guard Shelvin Mack isn’t bitter toward the Wizards, who waived him twice last season, as he tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post. “I wouldn’t say the opportunity wasn’t there. They had a lot of playmakers, so it was hard trying to fit in and see where you’re going to get shots. You had John, being a playmaker. Jordan Crawford. Nick [Young]. A lot of guys were playmakers and needed the ball a lot,” Mack said. In Atlanta, “we’ve got me, Jeff [Teague], and Lou [Williams] the primary playmakers, so we are in position to make plays coming off the pick and roll and shoot. Here, it’s more for the point guard to be aggressive. In DC, you’re more setting up guys.”
The Cavaliers still haven’t recovered from losing LeBron James, and they serve as a reminder that the Magic‘s rebuilding plan after trading Dwight Howard isn’t necessarily destined to work, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
Speaking of the Magic, Maurice Harkless and Glen Davis are upset with their lack of playing time, Schmitz writes.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Amick’s Latest: Randolph, Anderson, Asik

December 13th, 2013 at 5:41pm CST by Chuck Myron

We already passed along news about Kyle Lowry from Sam Amick’s latest NBA A to Z post, but the USA Today scribe included plenty more from around the league amid a busy week of trade talks. We’ll hit the highlights here:

Amick hears strong denials from sources close to the Grizzlies and Pelicans about a rumored swap of Zach Randolph for Ryan Anderson. Neither team has discussed the deal, according to Amick. The chatter nonetheless irked Randolph, as he tells Fran Blinebury of NBA.com. “But yeah, it bothers me,” Randolph said in part. “It hurts a little bit. I can’t deny that. But it goes to show you that there ain’t no loyalty in this game. It seems like you only get loyalty in certain organizations. You see it in winning organizations like the Spurs, the Lakers, the Heat.”
The Pelicans and Bucks are no longer a part of trade discussions for Omer Asik, according to Amick. That’s no surprise for New Orleans, which has been reluctant to acquiesce to the Rockets‘ demands for Anderson, and Milwaukee always seemed to be on the fringe of the Asik picture.
The Clippers filled their final roster spot when they signed Stephen Jackson this week, but Lamar Odom remains in the team’s plans, Amick says. Odom appears to be a few weeks shy of being ready to play, and the team’s injuries prompted the Clippers to act swiftly.
Seth Curry went through his scheduled workout with the Grizzlies, and he shot well, but Memphis isn’t expected to add him or the other three guards they were set to audition earlier this week, Amick writes. The Grizzlies have indeed changed their priorities in light of Quincy Pondexter‘s season-ending injury, as Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported Thursday.

Eastern Notes: Heat, Pistons, Bradley, Bulls

December 13th, 2013 at 2:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Thursday night was a rarity for this NBA season, as Eastern teams went undefeated in their inter-conference games against Western opponents. To be fair, there was only one of those games on last night’s schedule, but the Nets‘ win over the Clippers increased the East’s winning percentage against the West to .300 (33-77). Eastern teams will have to wait another day to attempt to bump that percentage up a few more points, since all of tonight’s games are intra-conference matchups.

Here’s the latest out of the East:

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel suggests that the Heat could use another defensive wing player on their roster, but questions whether the team has the cap and roster flexibility to add one.
Because Andre Drummond is still a few years away from a big payday, David Mayo of MLive.com believes the Pistons can afford to add to their core of Josh Smith, Greg Monroe, and Drummond, rather than splitting up that trio.
In light of a report that Avery Bradley turned down a four-year, $24MM extension offer, Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com explores Bradley’s worth to the Celtics.
By moving from the perennially contending Spurs to the rebuilding Bucks, Gary Neal has had to adjust to a different climate both literally and figuratively, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
In his latest mailbag, Sam Smith of Bulls.com fields questions about Marquis Teague, tanking, and possible roster moves for the Bulls.

Southeast Notes: Jefferson, Andersen, Nelson

December 8th, 2013 at 10:31am CST by Chuck Myron

Al Jefferson calls his decision to sign with the Bobcats a “no-brainer,” but he also tells HoopsWorld’s Bill Ingram that he thinks the Jazz will benefit from letting go of him and Hawks signee Paul Millsap.

“Most definitely, I think Derrick Favors and Enes (Kanter) are going to be big time big men in this league,” Jefferson said. “I kind of had a feeling that it really just wouldn’t make any sense basketball wise to sign back me or Paul Millsap back when you have them two young guys coming up. It was still tough to leave them. I felt like they were my little brothers, but it’s part of the business and it was the best decision for everybody.”

Jefferson had long been a fan of Kemba Walker, and says to Ingram that the former Connecticut guard was one of the Bobcats who recruited him to Charlotte. The ‘Cats are off to a 9-11 start, better than in years past, but they’re only in fourth place in the Southeast, the most competitive division in the Eastern Conference. Here’s more from those teams:

Chris Andersen is 35, but he tells Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick that he intends to play another three or four years (Twitter link). The Heat reserve thinks the two-year drug suspension that kept him away from the nightly NBA grind kept his body relatively spry.
Trade candidate Jameer Nelson has been frustrated with playing off the ball as the Magic try rookie Victor Oladipo at point guard, but he insists that he remains no less dedicated to the only NBA team he’s ever played for, observes John Denton of Magic.com.
The Dwight Howard trade gave Magic cornerstones Arron Afflalo, Nikola Vucevic and Maurice Harkless chances to play the sort of key roles they most likely wouldn’t have been in with their old teams, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel examines.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Magic, Beasley

December 7th, 2013 at 12:26pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s look at the Southeast Division..

In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if offseason pickup Michael Beasley might bump Shane Battier in the Heat rotation. While many fans see it going in that direction, Winderman writes that Beasley won’t see the lion’s share of those minutes until he’s up to speed on the team’s defense. Offensively, however, the former No. 2 overall pick brings a lot to the table.
As the Magic get set to do battle with Dwight Howard on Sunday, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel ranked the best and worst trades in the franchise’s 25-year history. The best deal in club history was Orlando pawning Steve Francis and the $49MM he was owed over three years on the Knicks back in 2006. The worst deal, by Schmitz’s measure, was the acquisition of Gilbert Arenas from the Wizards. Orlando is still on the hook for Arenas through 2016 after using the amnesty clause on him. The Howard deal, meanwhile, ranks as the third-best swap in club history.
Even after moving on to the Grizzlies, Mike Miller says that he’s still keeping up with everything the Heat do. “I have a lot of friends over there. We went through a lot together,” he told Sam Amick of USA Today. “People don’t understand how much we went through together. We were ridiculed, had a lot of pressure on us the whole time. They’ll be fine. That’s what they do. They’ve had three long seasons over there. But they’ve got so much talent over there, and with the best player in the world, they’ll be fine.”

D-League Moves: Westbrook, N’Diaye, Hawks

December 6th, 2013 at 3:53pm CST by Charlie Adams

Let’s take a look at today’s D-League moves from around the NBA:

Charlie Westbrook has been claimed by the Heat‘s D-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. We heard Wednesday night that Westbrook had entered the D-League’s waiver process.
Kings center Hamady N’Diaye has been assigned to the club’s D-League affiliate in Reno, the team announced today in an official press release. Ndiaye has played 52 minutes in nine games for Sacramento his season.
The Hawks have swapped out two shooting guards today, assigning John Jenkins to the Bakersfield Jam of the D-League while subsequently recalling Jared Cunningham. A press release earlier today revealed the pair of moves.

Heat Seeking Trade, Shopping Joel Anthony

December 6th, 2013 at 9:49am CST by Chuck Myron

Dwyane Wade‘s absences from the Heat lineup have grown frequent, and the team is pursuing trades that would either bolster the backcourt or allow Miami to clear a roster spot so it can sign a free agent replacement, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The Heat want to deal from their surplus of backup big men, and are making Joel Anthony available, Windhorst writes.

Wade isn’t playing in back-to-backs, and Miami has six back-to-backs scheduled over the next six weeks. He missed Tuesday’s game against the Pistons, which wasn’t part of a back-to-back, with knee soreness, and last night’s game against the Bulls because of an illness. The Heat lost both games and are 2-3 overall without Wade this season.

The Heat have used three different starting shooting guards in those five games, highlighting the absence of Mike Miller, who was last season’s plug-in at the two when Wade was out. The Heat amnestied Miller over the summer.

Miami is carrying 15 players, the roster limit, so the team would have to either release a player or make a trade to add a free agent like Leandro Barbosa, Daniel Gibson or Richard Hamilton. The team could also release Michael Beasley or Roger Mason, both of whom are on non-guaranteed contracts, though Beasley has become a mainstay in the rotation and cutting Mason, a shooting guard, wouldn’t help the team’s backcourt depth.

It might not be easy to find a trade partner willing to take on Anthony, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel points out via Twitter. The 31-year-old is a rugged inside player, but he’s only 6’9″ and isn’t offensively gifted. He’s a former starter for the Heat who’s seen just 30 total minutes this season. Most troublesome is his contract, on which he’ll make $3.8MM this season with a player option for the same amount next year.

Odds & Ends: Robinson III, Wiggins, Kidd

December 5th, 2013 at 8:53pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to Jeff Goodman of ESPN, several “NBA guys” (presumably scouts and/or executives) who were in attendance for a recent matchup between Michigan and Duke were disappointed in Glenn Robinson III‘s lack of assertiveness. Goodman adds that they consequently wondered if the current Wolverine should be considered in the top 20 during the upcoming draft or could possibly fall out of the first-round, with one proposing that Robinson III needs one more year in school (Twitter links).

Here are more of tonight’s miscellaneous news and notes:

Rajon Rondo doesn’t appear close to a return date, according to Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge: “I don’t think he’s close…Meaning, I don’t think [his return is] going to happen the next few weeks. We’re not on pins and needles about it. We’re being very cautious with Rondo. I think he’s still got a little bit of a limp, his strength is not quite there, but he is making progress. We’re not close” (Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston).
Although there may be a split between NBA executives on who they would choose between Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker for the number one overall pick, Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com writes that the general consensus seems to associate Wiggins with the higher ceiling. Even after a less-than-stellar performance last week in the Bahamas, many are said to still be high on Wiggins’ potential.
During tonight’s matchup between the Knicks and Nets on TNT, one video segment included coach Jason Kidd‘s comments on Lawrence Frank’s recent re-assignment from his assistant coaching duties: “Philosophies, sometimes things don’t work out…You have to accept that. I could accept that. At the same time, there’s a brand, the Brooklyn Nets that has to move forward. I have to find a way to make them better. For coaches, it happens just like players. It could be a disagreement, or an understanding that we don’t get along. But I have to do what’s best for the brand, and that’s what I had to do” (hat tip to Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated).
Tom Haberstroh of ESPN looks at the rebirth of Michael Beasley‘s NBA career in Miami, as the Heat have presented the type of environment that will give the former lottery pick a chance to expedite his development (Insiders only).
RealGM’s Shams Charania takes a compelling look at Tre Kelley of the D-League’s Austin Toros, whose challenges in trying to fulfill his NBA dream over the last several years only pale in comparison to the tragedies he’s had to endure away from the court.

Southeast Notes: Wizards, Porter, Gortat, Heat

December 5th, 2013 at 8:47am CST by Zachary Links

The Hawks were the lone Southeast Division representative in action last night and they didn’t disappoint, topping the Clippers 107-97 in Atlanta. Kyle Korver went 6-9 behind the arc and scored 23 points while Paul Millsap led the way with 25 points and nine boards. Here’s today’s look at the Southeast Division..

Wizards rookie Otto Porter Jr. won’t commit to a return date, but he feels that he’s getting closer to making his NBA debut, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Washington is currently 9-9 without the services of its No. 3 overall pick. The Georgetown product was (and is) considered by some to be the best overall talent in the 2013 draft.
If Bradley Beal, Al Harrington, and Porter can get back on the floor, Wizards center Marcin Gortat believes that his team can shock everyone, Lee writes. “We should be really good,” Gortat said. “Maybe at the end – maybe at the end – I will be the guy who is going to laugh, from some of the people here that we won 50 games.” Gortat came to the Wizards in a late-October trade with the Suns.
When asked if offseason pickup Michael Beasley has found his idea role in the NBA – an impressive scorer off the bench – Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel said that the Heat are still working to make him a complete player, which means bringing his defense up to speed.