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Stein’s Latest: Josh Smith, Bucks, Mavs, Rockets

March 9th, 2013 at 12:21am CST by Chuck Myron

As rumors fly long past the NBA's trade deadline, Marc Stein of ESPN.com checks in with a Weekend Dime that's heavy on items about Josh Smith, as well as plenty of news about the Rockets. There's even a link between Smith and Houston, so let's dig in. 

  • The Bucks came closest to acquiring Smith at the deadline, as a source tells Stein that Atlanta's talks with the Sixers were never as serious as they were with Milwaukee. 
  • Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported earlier today that the Hawks nearly sent Smith to the Celtics, but Stein hears Atlanta's brass shared the concerns of many NBA teams that C's basketball president Danny Ainge would get cold feet about dealing one of his stars. Paul Pierce would have been sent to the Mavs in the rumored Smith-to-Boston trade.
  • The Hawks preferred to send Smith to the Western Conference, but were rebuffed by the Mavs, who refused to add a draft pick to a package that already included Vince Carter, Chris Kaman, Jae Crowder, Brandan Wright and Dahntay Jones. Many of those Mavericks were also part of the proposed three-way trade with the Celtics.
  • If the Rockets don't land top target Dwight Howard this summer, they'll turn their attention to Smith and Andrew Bynum next, sources tell Stein.
  • Aaron Brooks forfeited just under $3.4MM in his buyout from the Kings, Stein hears. Brooks was set to make $3.396MM next season on a player option, so presumably the buyout simply entailed him declining that option.
  • I took a look in January at all the former Rockets the team still has on the payroll, a list that's since grown even longer, as Stein notes. Houston has waived or bought out 10 players this season, all of whom are still on the team's cap.
  • Stein catches up with Thomas Robinson, who was surprised when the Kings drafted him last year and "shocked" when they traded him to the Rockets at the deadline.
  • There's a schism in thought around the league about whether Monta Ellis is leaning toward staying with the Bucks next season or exercising his early-termination option to hit free agency this summer. 
  • Samuel Dalembert is hitting free agency no matter what, but echoing his report before the trade deadline that Milwaukee was no longer trying to move Dalembert, Stein says the Bucks have some interest in re-signing the Haitian center.
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Pacific Links: Warriors, Hunter, Dwight

March 6th, 2013 at 10:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers moved with a game and a half of the final playoff spot tonight with a stunning 25-point comeback on the road against the Hornets, putting pressure on the Warriors, Rockets and Jazz. The Rockets added Aaron Brooks in the past few days to help their postseason cause, and Golden State may be the next team to bolster its roster, as we note here:  

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Odds & Ends: Dieng, Iguodala, Howard, Kennedy

March 6th, 2013 at 1:40pm CST by Luke Adams

With the NCAA tournament approaching, it won't be long before we begin to receive reports on college underclassmen declaring their intent to enter this year's NBA draft. One player who may leave school early is Louisville junior Gorgui Dieng, who I profiled back in December. As Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com reports, Louisville coach Rick Pitino is nearly certain that Dieng will enter this June's draft class.

"If he is projected as a first-rounder, he is leaving," Pitino said. "And I'm almost sure he'll be taken in the first round."

Here are a few more Wednesday afternoon odds and ends:

  • "Every indication" is that if Andre Iguodala opts out of his contract this season, he'll do so to lock up a long-term deal with the Nuggets, according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Iguodala has a 2013/14 player option worth about $16.15MM.
  • Count George Karl among those who is hoping the Kings remain in Sacramento, as Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes. "I think everybody knows I'm a Seattle guy and I want basketball back in Seattle, but I don't want basketball out of Sacramento," the Nuggets coach said. "It's a politically correct answer, but it's a truthful answer on how I feel."
  • Dwight Howard told reporters, including Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com, that he'd thought "plenty of times" about how the season may have played out if he hadn't returned from back surgery so quickly. However, Howard doesn't regret his decision to come back early. D12 also mentioned that he has received encouragement from Phil Jackson via text messages.
  • Ian Thomsen of SI.com ranks the top ten most powerful people in the NBA, with David Stern beating out LeBron James for the No. 1 spot.
  • The Rio Grande Valley Vipers (the Rockets' D-League affiliate) have acquired D.J. Kennedy in a five-player trade, as Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside details. Kennedy, who had a brief NBA stint at the end of last season with the Cavaliers, had been having an excellent year for the Erie BayHawks, averaging 18.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 5.5 APG.
  • ESPN.com's Chad Ford fielded exclusively draft-related questions in his usual Wednesday chat.
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Odds & Ends: Kings, Dentmon, Howard

March 5th, 2013 at 6:31pm CST by Alex Lee

With only three games on the schedule, Tuesday is a slow NBA night in terms of quantity.  However, with the Lakers in Oklahoma City looking to eclipse the .500 mark for the first time since November, there is plenty of quality.  Let's round up any odds and ends from around the league here:

  • Sacramento officials, led by Kevin Johnson, released a report today that provided statistical support for why Sacramento is a better market for the NBA than Seattle, reports Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee.  According to the report, the Kings benefit from a pro sports monopoly in Sacramento, as evidenced by the fact that, when compared to Seattle, the Kings had higher attendance in 20 of the 23 seasons in which both cities had an NBA team.  With the Sacramento bid in, the NBA Board of Governors will decide whether or not to approve the Seattle deal in mid-April.
  • In his Hang Time Blog, Sekou Smith takes a look at the tough decisions and disapointment that can come with being a D-Leaguer through Justin Dentmon of the Texas Legends.  Despite currently leading the D-League in scoring and being last year's league MVP, Dentmon is in danger of going the entire 2012-13 season without an NBA look.  Last year Dentmon received 10-day contracts with the Spurs and Raptors.
  • Moke Hamilton of Sheridan Hoops ranks the top 15 free agents come the offseason – both restricted and unrestricted – a list that is headed by Dwight Howard.  
  • Speaking of Howard, the former Magic star ripped into his old squad in a recent interview with an Los Angeles television station, saying the team was "full of people nobody wanted," reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.  Howard makes his return to Orlando on March 12, as if that fire needed any more fuel. 
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Lakers Links: Howard, Kupchak, Buss, Bryant

March 1st, 2013 at 11:37am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers probably shouldn't expect to gain any ground in the Western Conference playoff race tonight, as the Rockets and Jazz are set to play the NBA's two worst teams, the Magic and Bobcats. Still, a win last night over the Timberwolves pulled the Lakers back to within a game of .500 and within just two games of Houston in the Western standings. Here are a few of the latest notes out of Lakerland:

  • With last Thursday's trade deadline in the rear-view mirror, Mitch Kupchak no longer has to continue insisting that Dwight Howard won't be traded, but as Sam Amick of USA Today writes, the Lakers GM is still defending Howard. Kupchak tells Amick that he was surprised Howard returned from back surgery as early as he did, and that he believes D12 has received an unfair amount of criticism.
  • Shaun Powell of Sports on Earth explores the question of whether the Lakers' future is safe in the hands of Jim Buss, noting that Buss would be wise to place his trust in Kupchak.
  • Kobe Bryant has frequently suggested he may retire when his current contract expires in 2014, but given how well he has played this season, retirement shouldn't even be on Kobe's radar, writes Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register.
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J.J. Redick Talks Magic, Howard, Trade

February 27th, 2013 at 3:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Since being drafted by the Magic 11th overall in 2006, J.J. Redick had spent his entire career in Orlando, including an NBA Finals appearance in 2009. Now a member of the Bucks after last Thursday's trade, Redick spoke to Jeff Caplan of NBA.com about Orlando's post-Finals team, the Dwight Howard situation, and the deal that sent him to Milwaukee. Here are the highlights from Redick:

On how close the Magic were to becoming an Eastern Conference powerhouse after 2009:

"We were very close. I think the big decision was what to do with Hedo [Turkoglu]. We didn’t necessarily want to give him a five-year deal and he had options out there, two five-year deals in excess of $50 million with Portland and Toronto. He made his decision and it was a good decision for him. As a player you have to strike while the iron is hot and take advantage of your small window to make a living.

"We made the trade for Vince [Carter] and for whatever reason we just couldn’t get over the top and beat the Celtics the next year. The following season we had a bunch of injuries and sicknesses early on and got off to a little bit of a slow start, and we made two separate blockbuster trades. And, to me, that was the turning point. We never really got back to elite status after that."

On when the Howard situation started to have an effect on the Magic:

"Dating back to a year and a half, two years ago is when things started to get a little hectic in Orlando. It definitely changed the makeup of the organization and the franchise. And obviously, when you have a player of Dwight’s caliber you’re in contention to win a championship. When you lose a player like that there’s a strong possibility you’re going to have to rebuild and it might get a little ugly."

On Howard having not committed to re-signing with the Lakers:

"I think he’s non-commital, I guess, for a reason. I’m not sure what that reason is, but if he wanted to explore his free agency he could have done it last summer. I’m not sure why he opted in [last year] because he wanted out of Orlando. I’m not really sure."

On having been sent to the Bucks after weeks of rumors and speculation:

"There’s definitely a feeling of relief. My feeling on just being traded in general is it’s part of the business. I’m a guy who just believes in making the best out of any situation. You can’t always change or control your circumstances, but you can change your perspective and your attitude. So no matter where I went, if I had stayed in Orlando, I would have made the most of it."

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Odds & Ends: Coach K, Howard, Harkless, Rookies

February 26th, 2013 at 10:43pm CST by Sean Highkin

A roundup of the latest news and notes from around the NBA on Tuesday evening:

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Mavs Notes: Deadline, Morrow, Howard, Future

February 22nd, 2013 at 2:21pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks only made one small trade at the deadline, sending Dahntay Jones to the Hawks in exchange for Anthony Morrow. However, according to owner Mark Cuban, the team was close to making a much larger splash, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com outlines.

"It was crazy," Cuban said on 103.3 FM in Dallas. "We thought we had a bunch of things done, literally a bunch of things done. We had teams get cold feet at the last minute…. Things that would have used cap room next year, would have had money next year, that were high-dollar guys, difference-maker guys."

While we consider what sort of players the Mavs might have been discussing, let's check in on a few more links from ESPNDallas.com….

  • During his appearance on ESPN Radio, Cuban also suggested that the Lakers may have to think about amnestying Kobe Bryant this summer (link via MacMahon). While it's highly doubtful the Lakers would ever consider that move, clearing Kobe's $30.45MM cap hit from next year's books could take the Lakers out of the tax, saving the team a ton of money on their end-of-year bill.
  • As MacMahon notes, trading for Morrow, who is friends with Dwight Howard, doesn't improve the Mavericks' chances of signing Howard this summer, since the club would have to renounce Morrow's Bird Rights to make a bid for D12.
  • MacMahon also wonders whether Dallas would even appeal to Howard as a free agent destination this summer, based on the current roster.
  • The Mavericks' hopes for the future are still based more on financial flexibility than the team's current collection of players, writes MacMahon in another ESPNDallas.com piece.
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Odds & Ends: Dwight, Cavs, Blair, Wizards, Gordon

February 21st, 2013 at 1:41am CST by Chuck Myron

As the hours tick down to tomorrow's 2:00pm Central trade deadline, Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News is already starting to look ahead to free agency, and he writes that the Cavaliers believe they could make a longshot bid to sign Dwight Howard. That one seems hard to believe, and even Lawrence intimates that it's a little far-fetched. Still, the Cavs were reportedly in the mix for Andrew Bynum last year, and they'll have plenty of cap space this summer, so I suppose it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility.

In the meantime, there's more on potential deadline deals, and here's the latest:

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Lakers Notes: Howard, Kobe, Gasol, D’Antoni

February 20th, 2013 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Here's the latest on the Lakers, as the club prepares to host the Celtics tonight in Los Angeles….

  • GM Mitch Kupchak has insisted for weeks that the Lakers won't trade Dwight Howard, and he told ESPN Radio today the team still envisions Howard as the centerpiece of its future (link via Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com).
  • Kupchak also hinted that the Lakers aren't necessarily counting on more than another year and a half from Kobe Bryant: "Kobe has one more year on his deal. That's all I can bank on or this organization can bank on. I have no idea if he wants to continue to play beyond next year. As of now, we're looking at a two-year window, [and that] plays to the urgency of the situation and how we build the team…. This team's window to win is this year and next year."
  • Pau Gasol won't be moved this week, but Kupchak didn't rule out the possibility that trade rumors will surface again in the summer or next season: "His name has come up in the past and it would be misleading to say it won't come up in the future."
  • According to Kupchak, the Lakers are "very happy" with coach Mike D'Antoni going forward, and are pleased with the job he has done considering he didn't have a training camp with the team.
  • Asked today whether he sees himself as part of the Lakers' future, Howard replied, "Yeah, I do. We talked about it plenty of times. That's what we've always talked about since the first day I got here. It hasn't stopped. The goal hasn't changed and won't change." However, he stopped short of committing to re-signing with the Lakers, telling reporters that there's no need to make that decision right now (Twitter links via Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com and Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe).
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