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Odds & Ends: Celtics, Raptors, McGee, Heat, Gasol

March 10th, 2012 at 12:22pm CST by Zachary Links

A look at some items from around the Association..

The increased value of draft picks makes it unlikely that the Celtics will get what they're looking for in exchange for one of their Big Four, says Sean Grande of CSNNE.com. It's possible that a deal will get done before the deadline, but unlikely.
Kevin Garnett has seen 16 trade deadlines come-and-go during his time in the league and isn't fixated on trade talks, writes CSNNE.com's Jessica Camerato.
The Raptors aren't planning on making a major move at the deadline, writes Eric Koreen of the National Post. Earlier this week we learned that the Blazers have interest in Jose Calderon but finding the right deal for the point guard could be difficult.
With the Wizards open to trading JaVale McGee, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if the Heat should make a move for him. Winderman doesn't think that Miami should risk tinkering with their chemistry by adding someone like McGee and is also wary of the club taking on Andray Blatche.
Lakers big man Pau Gasol heard his name in trade rumors on Friday but did his best to tune them out, writes Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register.
Ryan Ripley of Ridiculous Upside looks at five standout players in the D-League who are getting less than 28 minutes of burn per game.

Odds & Ends: Bogut, Rondo, Blatche

March 9th, 2012 at 11:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

The talk of a 10-game night across the association has been about the health of two point guards whose absence could alter the plans of a pair of teams rumored to be among the most active nearing Thursday's trade deadline. Ricky Rubio of the Wolves tweeted that he'll receive an MRI on his left knee, which he hurt in his team's loss to the Lakers tonight. The team fears he has a torn ACL, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Meanwhile, Kyle Lowry of the Rockets was hospitalized with a fever and abdominal distress, HoopsWorld reports. Here's what's happening elsewhere:

Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examines the trade candidacy of Bucks center Andrew Bogut. Bogut's agent David Bauman said there are several teams interested in talking to Bucks GM John Hammond about his client.
Rajon Rondo appears to be conflicted about how trades might affect the chemistry of the Celtics. Rajon Rondo, who saw best friend Kendrick Perkins dealt away at the deadline last year, told Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston he doesn't care about what a trade would do to the team's chemistry this year. Yet, to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, Rondo said, "You can't get chemistry if you bring in new guys."
Jason Kidd came close to joining a team that had just won the title when he thought about joining the Spurs in 2003, so he sympathizes with Lamar Odom, who arrived via trade to join this year's defending champs, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. For the record, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle told the Galloway & Company radio show today that the uproar concerning Odom has come and gone.
Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld looks at the Grizzlies' early-season acquisition of Marreese Speights from the Sixers and wonders if that will wind up being the most effective deal of the year.
Both John Reid of the New Orleans Times Picayune and Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com tweeted to note the progress of Lance Thomas, who signed with New Orleans for the rest of the season last month after the team gave him two 10-day contracts.
The Wizards are willing to move anyone on the roster not named John Wall if another team will take Andray Blatche off their hands, tweets Michael Lee of The Washington Post.
Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group notes the Warriors' lease in Oakland is up in 2017, and checks in with the progress of potential sites for a new home in Oakland and San Francisco. Venturing a guess, Kawakami has the San Francisco site as the most likely destination at this point.
Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld proposes the Celtics as a potential destination for JaVale McGee, for whom the Wizards are reportly listening to offers.
The Knicks starting lineup is in flux, and Newsday's Anthony Rieber takes a look at the quick changes engineered by coach Mike D'Antoni.
Jeremy Evans' minimum salary contract expires at season's end, so time is running out for him to prove he can do more than win a dunk contest. Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune notes how his theatrics during All-Star weekend haven't earned him any extra minutes with the Jazz.
Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press passed along Pau Gasol's kind words about Kevin Love, two players who could be Wolves teammates if a rumored Gasol/Michael Beasley swap takes place, Richardson notes. "He's got a will and determination to go after every ball," Gasol said of Love. "Even though he's a little undersized and lost some weight, he's still a powerful player and playing at a high level. I'm definitely impressed with him."
With Richard Hamilton and Luol Deng ailing, it's been hard for Bulls GM Gar Forman to get a true handle on how effective his team really is, writes Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times. Forman must balance the team's current needs with its capability for long-term success, Hayes says.
Bill Simmons of Grantland.com came out with his annual trade value column today in two parts, ranking the top 50 player assets across the league. The Heat's LeBron James is No. 1, meaning he'd be the player who would command the most in any trade, though James isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
GM Sam Presti and the Thunder provide the small-market blueprint for Cavs GM Chris Grant, writes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Latest On Chris Kaman

March 9th, 2012 at 11:38am CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets continue to explore possible trades for Chris Kaman, according to SI.com's Sam Amick. The Rockets, Pacers, Warriors, Heat, and Celtics are among the teams still interested in the Hornets' center.

According to Amick, the Rockets and Warriors are reluctant to make a move for Kaman until they know more about Dwight Howard's situation — both teams are interested in acquiring Howard, even without assurances that he'd be around long-term.

Even if Houston, Golden State turn their focus to Kaman, they may have trouble finding a deal that works. With new ownership not yet in place, the NBA-owned Hornets are seeking draft picks or young players, and it seems unlikely any team will meet the league's demands at this point. Rival executives have complained about the complications that come with dealing with league officials in trade negotiations, according to Amick.

While Kaman is the Hornets' most likely trade candidate, virtually anyone on the roster is available for the right long-term assets, sources tell Amick.

Heat Notes: Wallace, Kaman, Diaw, Randolph

March 8th, 2012 at 9:44pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest surrounding the Miami Heat in the leadup to the March 15 trade deadline:

Fox Sports Florida's Chris Tomasson wonders whether the Heat would be wise to pursue Rasheed Wallace. Wallace, who last played in 2010, has hinted at coming out of retirement for a while, and was most recently linked to the Lakers.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman touches on a handful of potential acquisitions in his mailbag column, most notably Chris Kaman. Winderman doesn't believe the Heat have the assets to pull off a Kaman deal that David Stern would approve, especially in light of the blocked Chris Paul trade to the Lakers in December.
Winderman thinks the Heat could do worse than to pick up Boris Diaw for the minimum in the event that the Bobcats buy the veteran big man out.
According to Ben Golliver of Blazers Edge (via Twitter), forward Shavlik Randolph recently worked out with the Heat. Randolph last appeared in the NBA with Miami in 2010, and is currently playing in Puerto Rico.

Ford On Rondo, Smith, Kaman, Wallace, Nash

March 8th, 2012 at 12:20pm CST by Luke Adams

While a number of NBA executives are anticipating a quiet trade deadline, the conversations ESPN.com's Chad Ford has had still lead him to believe that significant deals will be made. In an Insider-only piece, Ford listed ten impact players who could be moved, from the most likely (Rajon Rondo) to the least likely (Steve Nash). Here are the highlights from Ford's column:

Even though the Celtics insist they won't trade Rondo, that isn't consistent with what rival GMs are saying after talking to GM Danny Ainge. Ford thinks Ainge would move Rondo if he could get two solid pieces in return.
The Hawks have been exploring potential Josh Smith deals "for years" and would be interested in an offer that nets them a legit point guard and a decent forward.
Chris Kaman has drawn "a lot of interest" from the Warriors, Rockets, and Heat.
The Blazers appear more open to trading Gerald Wallace now than they were at the start of the season. Ford thinks the Magic could make a big push for the 29-year-old forward.
If the Magic hang onto Dwight Howard, the Nets will stay the course with Deron Williams, but a Howard trade anywhere besides New Jersey could force the Nets to explore trade options for Williams.
Ford says it doesn't make much sense for the Suns and Steve Nash not to consider a trade, since Phoenix could end up losing Nash for nothing at season's end anyway.
Monta Ellis, Pau Gasol, and Eric Gordon also cracked Ford's list.

Odds & Ends: Rondo, Lewis, Heat, Varejao

March 7th, 2012 at 4:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics look to catch the 76ers in the Atlantic standings, and the Bobcats aim for their first winning streak of the season in tonight's slate of games. But before the evening action gets underway, let's round up the latest odds and ends from around the NBA:

One general manager tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that there's no way Celtics GM Danny Ainge will get equal value in a trade for Rajon Rondo: "There’s a perception that if Doc Rivers, who’s such a player’s coach, has had a hard time with him, my coach is going to have a worse time with him."
Because he reached certain incentives, Wizards forward Rashard Lewis is now owed a guaranteed $13.7MM (of $22.7MM) next season, tweets Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel discusses Anthony Carter, Chris Andersen, and other potential targets for the Heat in today's mailbag.
In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, John Hollinger presents some under-the-radar trade candidates that he'd target, including Robin Lopez, Austin Daye, and Jordan Farmar.
The lack of production the Cavaliers have received in Anderson Varejao's place while he's been injured shows why the team has been unwilling to trade him, writes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
In addition to sharing some Jamal Crawford rumors, Chad Ford of ESPN.com addressed a number of other trade topics in his latest chat.
The Nets have no interest in a reunion with John Calipari, as had been suggested, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com.
Jerome Jordan will rejoin the Knicks after last week's D-League assignment, tweets Duane Rankin of the Erie Times-News.

Latest On Rasheed Wallace

March 7th, 2012 at 12:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Before the All-Star Game, a CSNNE.com story suggested Rasheed Wallace would come out of retirement and play for the Lakers. It appears that report was a little premature. Still, Wallace is indeed considering a return to the NBA, and recently worked out for the Heat, tweets Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.

According to Tomasson's source, Wallace hasn't decided yet whether or not he wants to play, and is keeping mum on the subject for now since he "doesn't want to cause a lot of hoopla" if he stays retired. If the Heat were interested in adding him, however, Wallace would consider it (Twitter links).

As for the rumored Wallace-to-the-Lakers move that never materialized, I have to think there was something there, particularly since the team never publicly shot it down. But clearly the two sides weren't as close to an agreement as was believed. CSNNE's A. Sherrod Blakely covered Wallace on the Pistons for years, so perhaps he heard from the big man's camp that he planned to sign with Los Angeles, while the Lakers themselves were still undecided on how to use their open roster spot — that's just a guess though.

Five Eastern Contenders To Watch At The Deadline

March 7th, 2012 at 11:11am CST by Luke Adams

We covered five Western Conference contenders to watch at the trade deadline yesterday, so let's head east today. Here are five likely Eastern Conference playoff clubs who have some decisions to make by next Thursday:

Heat: With virtually all their key players on multiyear contracts, the Heat don't have much flexibility to make moves. That's not necessarily a big deal for Miami though, since they have a championship-caliber roster as is, and don't need to make a huge splash before the deadline. What they would like to do is add one more big man, preferably a true center who can take the pressure off the power forwards like Joel Anthony and Udonis Haslem currently playing out of position for the team. I don't see an obvious target for the Heat, unless they were willing to part with one or two rotation pieces. While I'm Miami will explore myriad trade possibilities, the club may ultimately have to shift its focus to buyout candidates after the deadline.
Bulls: Chicago has enough trade assets to shoot for the moon and make a run at Dwight Howard or Pau Gasol, but that's probably a long shot. Still, with Richard Hamilton's health in question, I don't know that this team is much better than the squad that fell to the Heat in last season's Eastern Conference Finals. I think it'd be worthwhile to explore a deal for a shooting guard in case Hamilton can't be relied upon in the postseason, but the price may be steep. Ray Allen would be a great fit, but is there any way the Celtics trade him to a team they could face in the first round? Yesterday, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune mentioned Jamal Crawford as a possible target, but he'd be a rental that would likely cost the Bulls a young player and the Bobcats' first-round draft pick. Bringing Mike James back may be a simpler and less costly insurance policy for Hamilton.
Magic: The most obvious name on this list, the Magic would create a domino effect of activity around the league if they made a definitive decision on Dwight Howard's status. With just a week over until the trade deadline, reports continue to suggest Orlando seeks reinforcements around Howard, rather than offers for the star center. At this point, I'd be surprised if the Magic altered that stance. I think the team feels it's better off taking its chances trying to convince D12 to stay in Orlando, rather than taking 50 cents on the dollar (or worse) to ship him out of town. A trade for Steve Nash or Monta Ellis is an extreme long shot though, so I'll be interested to see if the Magic can turn their few assets of interest into anything that resembles an actual upgrade.
Pacers: They have a top-four record in the East, but I'm not convinced the Pacers are ready to contend for a title quite yet. They're still at least a piece or two away, and I don't expect they'll find that piece in the next week. But Indiana's tremendous amount of cap space makes the team an obvious candidate to take involve itself in a ton of trade talks. Even if the Pacers don't shop for an immediate upgrade to the current roster, they have the flexibility to take on salary to accommodate another team, perhaps acquiring a draft pick or two for their troubles.
Celtics: Much has been written about whether the Celtics are shopping or listening to offers for Rajon Rondo and their Big Three (Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen). I wouldn't put it past GM Danny Ainge, who's never shy about pulling the trigger on a major deal, to move one of those four players, but I think it's just as likely that Boston has a relatively quiet deadline. With over $40MM in expiring contracts set to come off the books this summer, the Celtics won't make a move that compromises their future cap flexibility unless they can acquire a core piece in the process. If that deal isn't out there, Boston could make a simpler move, such as trading Brandon Bass in an effort to clear even more cap room for next season.

Odds & Ends: Randolph, Carter, Bulls, Vazquez

March 6th, 2012 at 4:22pm CST by Luke Adams

While the returns of J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler from the Chinese Basketball Association grabbed more headlines over the last month or so, there are other former NBA players still returning from overseas in search of NBA gigs. One such player is former 76ers forward Shavlik Randolph, who averaged 24.7 PPG, 11.9 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in China this season. According to Sportando, Randolph is "in serious talks" with two NBA clubs and could sign a deal soon. While we wait to see if the Duke product can find his way back to an NBA roster, let's check out a few more links from around the league….

With the Raptors looking to trade or release Anthony Carter, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel thinks the point guard could be a solid insurance policy for the Heat.
After Richard Hamilton left last night's game with another injury, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune wondered whether the Bulls will need to acquire a shooting guard via trade. Prior to last year's deadline, Johnson says, Chicago discussed deals for O.J. Mayo and Courtney Lee. The Bulls announced today that Hamilton is day-to-day with a shoulder contusion and mild sprain.
The Magic still own the NBA rights to 2005 draft pick Fran Vazquez and hope to bring him over for next season, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
David Thorpe of ESPN.com (Insider link) lists the five best "chemistry" guys potentially available at the deadline. His picks: Pau Gasol, Paul Millsap, Gerald Wallace, Chris Andersen, and Rajon Rondo.
Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee questions why the Kings felt they had to make the decision to exercise Keith Smart's 2012/13 option so soon.
A few potential first-round draft picks could be running out of time to showcase their in-game skills, writes Chad Ford of ESPN.com in an Insider-only piece.

Southeast Notes: Diaw, Wizards, Howard, Heat

March 5th, 2012 at 9:49am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we heard the Heat are shopping around for a big man. Let's check out a few more items out of the Southeast Division….

Bobcats officials say they won't make any pre-deadline deals that would compromise their rebuilding plans, says Richard Walker of the Gaston Gazette. However, Walker says it wouldn't be surprising to see the team move Boris Diaw, who has clashed with coach Paul Silas this season.
Former Wizard Antawn Jamison still keep tabs on his old club, as he tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post: "Oh, I watch them. Young talent. It’s just a notion of learning how to be professionals on and off the court, but you can’t question the talent that they have here at all."
If there's a chance of convincing Dwight Howard to stay in Orlando, Magic CEO Alex Martins is the man George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel trusts with the job.
The majority of Ira Winderman's Monday mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel focuses on the Heat's need for frontcourt reinforcements.