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Western Notes: Lakers, White, Nowitzki, Wolves

January 7th, 2013 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Things aren't getting any easier in Lakerland, where Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, and Jordan Hill have all been sidelined with injuries. Howard suffered a torn labrum, Gasol has a concussion, and Hill is dealing with a hip issue, meaning the Lakers' frontcourt looks awfully thin in the short-term. While Robert Sacre looks forward to more playing time and we wait to see if the Lakers add another body, let's round up a few more notes out of the Western Conference….

The Lakers haven't reached out to free agent big man Kenyon Martin, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Sam Smith of Bulls.com wonder if the Lakers should consider trading Howard.
The Rockets are prepared to chalk up 2012/13 as a lost season for Royce White and attempt to reach some sort of agreement with the rookie forward in the offseason, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Zillgitt and TNT's David Aldridge have the latest details on White, including his desire for the NBA and the Rockets to sign a document detailing his wishes for the mental health protocol that the team believes would be in violation of the CBA.
Despite recent comments by Dirk Nowitzki questioning the Mavericks' approach to building the roster, owner Mark Cuban tells Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that Dallas won't be altering that approach. "If you only knew the things [Dirk] has said to me during recent seasons about our team," Cuban joked. "I'm glad I didn't listen."
Nowitzki stressed to reporters today, including Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, that he never said he wanted to be traded.
The Timberwolves have kicked the tires on Sam Young, who was released by the Pacers this weekend, but he's unlikely to land in Minnesota, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Young is currently out with an ankle injury.
It would be a surprise if the Timberwolves don't move Derrick Williams at the trade deadline, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.

Donte Greene Drawing Interest

January 7th, 2013 at 9:33am CST by Luke Adams

Donte Greene was close to signing a contract with the Nets back in August when he suffered an ankle fracture during a workout, postponing his 2012/13 debut. Now, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, Greene has recovered from the injury, and is drawing interest from a number of teams.

Kennedy reports that Greene will begin working out for clubs on January 11th, with the Nets, Spurs, Timberwolves, Hornets, Bulls, and Rockets among his potential suitors. Greene's summer deal with the Nets was expected to be for the minimum salary, so even teams with no cap space or exception money should be in play for the former King. According to Kennedy, Greene will work out for teams for a week or two and, if all goes as planned, sign somewhere shortly thereafter.

Greene, 24, spent the first four seasons of his NBA career in Sacramento, averaging 6.1 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 16.8 minutes per contest. The former 28th overall pick had his best season in 2009/10, scoring 8.5 PPG on 44.1% shooting and making 50 starts for the Kings.

Timberwolves Waive Lazar Hayward

January 6th, 2013 at 3:43pm CST by Sean Highkin

The Minnesota Timberwolves have waived Lazar Hayward, the team announced on Sunday. Their roster now stands at 14, which gives them room to sign another player to compensate for Kevin Love's hand injury.

Hayward, 26, appeared in two games for the Timberwolves and averaged 1.0 PPG and 1.0 RPG.

Central Rumors: Cavs, Jackson, Drummond, Cook

January 6th, 2013 at 3:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

Bob Finnan of The News-Herald blames Cavs GM Chris Grant and coach Byron Scott for the team's struggles this season, and calls on the team to take a more aggressive approach and pull the trigger on a deal for a "good, young piece" at the trade deadline if someone like that is available. The Cavs should carry that aggression into free agency, Finnan believes, and use their cap space for better assets than they've pursued recently. Finnan has more on the team, which we'll round up along with other notes from their Central Division rivals.

We've heard before that the Cavs and Wolves have had brief discussion about an Anderson Varejao trade, and Finnan confirms those talks, speculating that Minnesota would probably want to include Derrick Williams, a potential deal-breaker. Finnan believes the Cavs may have interest in taking back Nikola Pekovic instead.
There's been little talk of Scott's job security this season, but if the losing continues, Finnan doesn't foresee that immunity lasting into 2013/14.
Former Bucks swingman Stephen Jackson said he spoke with GM John Hammond about a contract extension during his time in Milwaukee, but never took a confrontational tone, as Jackson told Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. Jackson expressed respect for Hammond and said he can envision working for him someday, though I'd guess he's referring to a front-office role rather than a return to the Bucks as a player. Jackson said Hammond was the only person from the Bucks organization he still spoke to, and balked at the suggestion that he'd reached out to coach Scott Skiles, with whom he feuded last season.
Andre Drummond has improved as the season has gone on, but he's content with the Pistons' plan to bring him along slowly, MLive's David Mayo observes.
Mayo and fellow MLive scribe Brendan Savage debate who got the better of Detroit's offseason trade with the Bobcats that swapped Ben Gordon for Corey Maggette.
Scott Powers of ESPNChicago.com writes that Daequan Cook understands that he must earn playing time with the Bulls after signing in Chicago this morning.

Grizzlies Making Rudy Gay Available?

January 4th, 2013 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Rudy Gay is no stranger to trade rumors, having been the subject of a few rumblings as recently as last summer. And it appears that 2013 will bring even more rumors surrounding the veteran forward, with Zach Lowe of Grantland reporting that the Grizzlies have made it known in preliminary talks with NBA teams that Gay could be available.

Lowe clarifies that it doesn't sound as if Memphis is actively shopping the 26-year-old. However, the club is about $4MM into the luxury tax this season, and could be heading back into tax territory in the next two seasons, based on the contracts currently on the books. As such, moving Gay's three-year, $53MM+ deal might be an attractive option.

Former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley said back in June that the team had no plans to deal Gay, and a September report from the Memphis Commercial Appeal suggested that Memphis turned down a number of lowball offers for Gay over the summer. However, with a new owner (Robert Pera) in place, and new faces in the front office, such as John Hollinger and Jason Levien, the Grizzlies may be more open to revisiting the possibility of a move.

While Lowe doesn't specify which teams the Grizzlies may have spoken to about Gay, he does speculate on which clubs may be a fit, naming the Timberwolves, Bucks, Celtics, Hawks, Raptors, Rockets, and Jazz as "sensible candidates." Lowe also adds that the Warriors have "long coveted" Gay, but points out they don't really have the pieces to make a deal work at the moment.

Wolves Rumors: Pekovic, Varejao, Redick, Hayward

January 4th, 2013 at 8:36am CST by Luke Adams

Despite Kevin Love leaving last night's game against the Nuggets in the second half, the Timberwolves managed to do something only the Heat had accomplished this season: Win in Denver. The victory pulled the Timberwolves within a half-game of the Nuggets, and into a tie for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. As the Wolves continue jockeying for position in the West, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities rounds up plenty of rumors out of Minnesota. Here are the highlights:

While a trade is a possibility for the Timberwolves, David Kahn figures to wait for a few weeks to make any decisions, as he assesses what sort of impact Ricky Rubio will have.
With Nikola Pekovic in the final year of his rookie deal, his price figures to soar next year, perhaps to close to $10-12MM annually. As such, Wolfson speculates that the Wolves could explore deals involving Pekovic.
The Wolves have discussed Anderson Varejao with the Cavaliers, though those talks were "brief."
Owner Glen Taylor is willing to go into the luxury tax in 2013/14 if the right opportunity presents itself.
The Wolves like J.J. Redick a lot, but it would probably take Derrick Williams and a future first-rounder to get Orlando's attention. Wolfson adds in a tweet that there are certain teams that might give up more for Williams, but the Magic probably aren't one of those teams.
The Martell Webster compensation case between the Wolves and Trail Blazers is closed, but it's not known when the league will make an announcement. Minnesota is expected to receive no more than a second-round pick and/or cash.
Minnesota is expected to release Lazar Hayward before his contract becomes guaranteed. The team has talked to Josh Childress, but he's only interested in a guaranteed deal for now. Daequan Cook, recently cut by the Rockets, isn't on the Wolves' radar.
If Greg Oden is eventually healthy enough to return to the NBA, the Timberwolves would be among the interested teams.

Western Notes: White, Beverley, Childress, Kings

January 3rd, 2013 at 1:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Although a report surfaced recently suggesting that Royce White could explore the possibility of playing in Europe, where he wouldn't have to fly to games, the Rockets rookie insists that's not the case. He announced today via Twitter that he expects to play for Houston "once this current situation is resolved." White turned down a D-League assignment earlier this week, citing a lack of a mental health protocol.

Here are a few more Thursday updates out of the Western Conference:

Patrick Beverley is still expected to sign with the Rockets, once he receives FIBA clearance, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Beverley's deal, which we heard about back in December, will mean the Rockets will have to release another player to clear a roster spot.
Josh Childress isn't interested in a 10-day contract at this point, so the Timberwolves or any other team would have to give him a full-season guarantee if they were to sign him, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
According to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, word in NBA circles suggests that "major change" is coming to the Kings next summer when Geoff Petrie's contract ends and new management is brought in.
DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans are among the names Ian Thomsen of SI.com thinks will be dangled before the trade deadline, suggesting that if the Kings are considering a "major house-cleaning," both players could be moved.

Odds & Ends: Williams, Warriors, Magic, Roy

January 2nd, 2013 at 10:52pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Wednesday evening:

Jazz guard Mo Williams is expected to miss six weeks following thumb surgery. It will be interesting to keep an eye on what roster moves Utah makes to account for his absence.
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News examines several reasons the Warriors are having such a successful season.
John Mitchell of Philly.com writes that former Sixers big man Nikola Vucevic is beginning to realize his potential with the Magic.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel looks at the path Ishmael Smith followed that led to his signing with the Magic.
Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that Brandon Roy is practicing with the Timberwolves but it is still unknown when he will return to the court.
Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun writes that J.J. Hickson's stellar recent play has been a nice surprise for the Trail Blazers.

Western Notes: Jazz, Howard, Hickson, Beasley

January 2nd, 2013 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers saw their 17-game winning streak finally come to an end last night in Denver, and now sit percentage points behind the Thunder in the Western Conference standings. Still, ESPN.com's Chad Ford gives the Clips the slight edge over OKC as the best team in the West at the moment. Here are a few more Western Conference notes from Ford's chat and from a variety of other writers:

Responding to questions about trade candidates like DeMarcus Cousins and Kevin Love, Ford suggests the Timberwolves should trade Love sooner rather than later (though there's no indication they will), and says the Jazz wouldn't be a logical suitor for Cousins, since Utah isn't the sort of team that would take that risk.
Elsewhere in his chat, Ford questions whether it's a lock that Dwight Howard will sign a long-term deal with the Lakers, noting that D12 "still pines for Brooklyn." Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld also wrote last night (via Sulia) that it's hard to see a long-term marriage between Howard and the Lakers working. I still think L.A. is the overwhelming favorite to sign Howard, but it's not necessarily the sure thing it seemed to be at one point.
J.J. Hickson is an early candidate for Comeback Player of the Year, according to Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld. Hickson, who is playing on a one-year deal and could be a coveted free agent next summer, tells Raskin that he's not sure exactly what his future holds: "I don’t know. All I can do is control what I can control and that’s play the game of basketball and the rest will work itself out."
When Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors examined some of long-term deals signed last offseason that haven't worked out so far, he didn't mention Michael Beasley's three-year, $18MM contract with the Suns. But as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic writes, Beasley has "bottomed out" in Phoenix.
Newly-signed James Anderson talks to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle about what he hopes to bring to the Rockets.
Having been recalled by the Mavericks from the D-League earlier this week, Jared Cunningham tells Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News that his time with the Texas Legends was "good for me."

Wolves Sign Lazar Hayward

December 31st, 2012 at 12:58pm CST by Zachary Links

12:58pm: It's a non-guaranteed deal, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter). The forward's deal could be guaranteed in a matter of days, however.

11:46am: The Timberwolves announced that they have signed forward Lazar Hayward. Terms of the deal are not yet known but it is likely a non-guaranteed contract.

Minnesota auditioned the Marquette product on December 21st following Josh Howard's ACL tear and subsequent release. The Wolves would like to replace Howard's production off of the bench as he averaged 6.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and nearly 1 steal per game in 18.8 MPG. Hayward agreed to join the Los Angeles D-Fenders just yesterday but hopefully he didn't put his snow boots in storage.

The T'Wolves originally acquired Hayward in a 2010 draft night trade with the Wizards. Hayward played in 42 games as rookie and averaged 3.8 points per contest.