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Odds & Ends: Mayo, Lakers, Howard, Hornets

December 16th, 2012 at 9:44pm CST by Zachary Links

While the defending champs can't kick themselves too much over personnel decisions, the Heat might have benefited if Pat Riley had listened to Dwyane Wade back in 2008, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Miami took Michael Beasley No. 2 overall, but Wade pushed for the team to draft guard O.J. Mayo. Other players passed up by Miami include Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook. Here's the latest from around the league..

The Lakers are on the hook for about $30MM in luxury tax payments this season, but that's almost nothing compared with what they may pay next season, writes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. If the Lakers re-sign Dwight Howard and keep most of the existing roster together, they'll be looking at a $103MM payroll. If the tax threshold climbs by 5% to $73.8MM, the Lakers would owe approximately $81.5MM in tax.
The Hornets signed Dominic McGuire today because coach Monty Williams has not been pleased with the play of his small forwards, tweets John Reid of the Times-Picayune. McGuire was released by the Raptors at the end of November to make room for Mickael Pietrus.
Bulls rookie Marquis Teague is starting to find his groove as he plays with the starting five, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. However, the guard will head back to the bench soon as Kirk Hinrich is getting ready to return to action.

Odds & Ends: Odom, Allen, Carroll, Mavs, Moultrie

December 4th, 2012 at 11:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

Lamar Odom, preparing to face the Mavericks on Wednesday for the first time since they traded him to the Clippers, called his season in Dallas "a blur," as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times documents. "Sometimes we make pit stops in some places," Odom said. "I remember the people and the city. Basketball just wasn't there for me at that time." Odom added that he has no hard feelings for owner Mark Cuban, and spoke highly of the Mavs to former teammate Derek Fisher after the point guard signed with Dallas last week. If the reunion of Odom and the Mavs along with the rest of tomorrow's slate can live up to the drama of tonight's six-game schedule, we're in for a treat. Here's more from around the Association.

The Heat have gotten plenty of return on their investment in Ray Allen, as he's fit in seamlessly as a complement at shooting guard to Dwyane Wade, who tells Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today that he was always on board with the signing and never concerned that Allen would take his minutes.
Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune chronicles the arduous journey DeMarre Carroll took to becoming a valuable part of the Jazz rotation on a minimum-salary deal.
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News chatted with readers to discuss the ripple effect of the Fisher signing and the possibility of trades involving the Mavericks.
Sixers coach Doug Collins and GM Tony DiLeo will meet to determine the best time to send this year's 27th overall pick, Arnett Moultrie, to the D-League, as Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com notes.
Ben Golliver and Rob Mahoney of SI.com delve into several reasons why the Cavs shouldn't trade Anderson Varejao, and offer up some trade ideas that would offer fair value to Cleveland if the team were to pull the trigger.

Southeast Notes: Smith, Livingston, Beal, Wade

November 17th, 2012 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of Southeast teams will be in action tonight, with the Wizards aiming to finally record their first win of the season against the Jazz while the Heat look to extend their division lead in Phoenix. As we wait for the start of those games, let's round up a few notes out of the Southeast….

Following up on yesterday's Marc Stein report that indicated the Hawks have no interest in trading Josh Smith, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld agrees, suggesting in a series of tweets that it's far more likely that Smith will re-sign in Atlanta next summer.
Wizards head coach Randy Wittman pushed for Washington to sign Shaun Livingston when he became available, reports Michael Lee of the Washington Post. According to Lee, Livingston attracted interest from a few other teams, but chose the Wizards because they provide the opportunity to play in a familiar system.
Bradley Beal spoke to Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld about the expectations he places upon himself in his first season with the Wizards.
Of the three Heat stars with an early termination option available in the summer of 2014, Dwyane Wade is probably the least likely to opt out, opines Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Eastern Notes: Turner, Fields, Heat, Boozer

November 16th, 2012 at 9:35am CST by Luke Adams

We've already had one update out of the Eastern Conference today, with ESPN.com's Marc Stein reporting that the Raptors have Mickael Pietrus on their radar. Let's round up a few more Friday morning items from the East….

Evan Turner spoke to Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News about the adjustment from "standing out to fitting in" that he'd made since being drafted second overall by the Sixers in 2010. "I want to get minutes on the court and help the team out," Turner said. "Sometimes people don't think that's something that a guy who was the second pick would do. But here that's what I'm seen as and that's what I'm going to do to the best of my abilities."
Landry Fields got off to a terrible start with the Raptors, but given his elbow issues, it's unfair to call him a bust at this point, writes Stephen Brotherson of HoopsWorld. According to Brotherson, it will be at least another month or two before the team will really be able to tell what kind of player it signed.
In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel says a defensive-minded point guard is still something the Heat could use.
Sam Smith has his own mailbag up at Bulls.com, heavy on Chicago content. Among the highlights: Smith writes that every indication he's gotten to date indicates the Bulls don't plan to amnesty Carlos Boozer next summer.
Although he acknowledges it won't happen, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio suggests the Heat should consider trading Dwyane Wade, since a team like the Kings or Hawks would give up plenty of young talent and assets for the perennial All-Star, and the Heat could win without him (all Twitter links).

Odds & Ends: Dixon, Carroll, D’Antoni, Wade

November 15th, 2012 at 5:03pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Of the 17 players that competed during the 2002 NCAA title game between the Maryland Terrapins and the Indiana Hoosiers, three would go on to become first round picks during that year's NBA Draft: Chris Wilcox (eighth overall), Jared Jeffries (11th), and the championship game's leading scorer, Juan Dixon (17th). Today, while Wilcox and Jeffries have guaranteed contracts, Dixon finds himself on the outside looking in, tirelessly determined to make a comeback. Connor Letourneau of The Diamondback uncovers how Dixon's trying experiences as an international player contributed to his maturation process and what a return to the NBA would mean for the 34-year-old guard.

You'll find the rest of this evening's miscellaneous notes from around the league below:

Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com thinks that the chances of the Kings remaining in Sacramento after this season (and possibly several more) continue to increase because of little movement in talks of going anywhere else. Without much momentum between the Maloofs and the potential destinations that have been mentioned (Anaheim, Seattle, Virginia Beach) nor anything that indicates a possibility that the team will be sold, Howard-Cooper writes that it bides more time for the city to find a way to keep the Kings for now.
Eurohoops.net tweets that Panathinaikos of Greece has signed Jason Kapono.
John Reid of NOLA.com reports that Matt Carroll has not yet reported to the Hornets since Tuesday's trade involving Hakim Warrick going to the Bobcats. Head coach Monty Williams says that there have been ongoing discussions between Carroll's agent and GM Dell Demps but did not elaborate on the specifics. The team hopes to give an update on the situation tomorrow.
Yahoo's Marc J. Spears relayed a quote from today's press conference in which Mike D'Antoni said he'd like to get the Lakers to play "Showtime basketball."Arash Markazi of ESPN LA tweets that D'Antoni's coaching debut will likely be on Sunday against the Rockets.
Nagging injuries have become a cause for uncertainty and concern for Heat superstar Dwyane Wade, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Dan Bickley of AZCentral sports says (via Twitter) that Charles Barkley would be interested in becoming the Suns GM if owner Robert Sarver were to make such an opportunity available in the near future.
The Raptors officially posted an injury update on their team website regarding Alan Anderson, Landry Fields, and Kyle Lowry. Anderson will remain out for another three to six weeks and Lowry for one to two weeks, according to the press release. There is no timetable set in place for Fields' return.

Atlantic Rumors: Nets, Wade, Carter, Knicks

November 7th, 2012 at 1:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up the latest updates out of the Atlantic Division, where the 3-0 Knicks are the only team to win more than one game so far….

Nets GM Billy King admits to Howard Beck of the New York Times that many of the roster moves he's completed over the last few months were made with the Heat in mind.
In advance of tonight's Nets/Heat contest, Dwyane Wade was asked by the media about his free agent meeting with the Nets in 2010. According to Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (Twitter links), Wade said his biggest takeaway from the experience was that Jay-Z was in attendance at the Nets' meeting with LeBron James, but not with Wade.
Appearing on TSN 1050 in Toronto yesterday, Vince Carter reiterated something he's hinted at before, saying that he'd be more than open to a reunion with the Raptors down the road if the team was interested. "If (Toronto) gave me the opportunity, I don't even think I'd let them finish the question. Yes. I'm in," Carter said. "Could I see it? Absolutely. I'd leave that up to the franchise. It all started in Toronto, I'd be a fool to ever forget that."
With the Knicks heading to Dallas to face the Mavericks later this week, Marc Berman of the New York Post points out that Mark Cuban isn't the most popular guy in the Knicks' locker room. Both Tyson Chandler and Jason Kidd left Dallas for New York under less than ideal circumstances, as Berman writes.
Having given up several assets to acquire Andrew Bynum in the final year of his contract, the 76ers are taking a major gamble on the young center and his health, writes ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst.

Heat Rumors: LeBron, Lewis, Chalmers, Blatche

October 18th, 2012 at 6:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

A report by Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com suggesting the Lakers could go after LeBron James in 2014 went out like something of a hurricane watch for South Florida today, and Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com adds to Miami's anxiety, tweeting that the Bulls, too, would go after King James when he comes available. Of course, it makes sense that plenty of teams covet the three-time MVP, and Friedell believes the Bulls rank below the Heat and Lakers on LeBron's wishlist (Twitter link). While the threat that he might leave someday is indeed present, LeBron remains under contract with the Heat for at least two more seasons. As Miami focuses on the present, here are the latest Heat-related rumblings:

James denied knowledge of Windhorst's story earlier today, responding, "What story? The Marvel Comics story?" when asked about it by reporters, including Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link).
Winderman argues that, given Rashard Lewis' minimum-salary contract, any contribution the team gets from him this season should be seen as gravy for a team that already had a successful offseason with the signing of Ray Allen.
In the same piece, Winderman also suggests Mario Chalmers could become a trade candidate if fellow point guards Norris Cole and Garrett Temple impress.
The Heat kicked the tires on Andray Blatche this summer, but despite his emergence as the league's fourth leading scorer in the preseason at 17.0 points per game for the Nets, Winderman doesn't believe Miami is missing out, since Blatche would likely have been glued to the Heat bench.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says Dwyane Wade is ahead of schedule as he recovers from offseason knee surgery, Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida reports (Sulia link). The last we heard, Wade was hoping to be ready for opening night.

Odds & Ends: George, Bobcats, Wade, Cole

October 1st, 2012 at 10:02pm CST by Michael Pina

On this busy Monday night, here's a look at some random bits of news from around the league.

Paul George is aiming to make the All-Star game this season, writes NBA.com's Mark Montieth.
The Bobcats have promised no positions in the starting lineup according to new head coach Mike Dunlap, writes the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell.
Heat guard Dwyane Wade has left the Jordan brand and will join the Chinese shoe company Li-Ning, according to ESPN.com's Jared Zwerling.
According to a tweet from HoopsHype.com, Julian Wright is considering an offer from Israel's Maccabi Rishon LeZion. He'll make an offer in the middle of this week.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman gives a detailed list of all the available free agents still left on the market.
Coming off a championship rookie season, Heat guard Norris Cole has worked hard this summer to improve all different aspects of his game, writes the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Shandel Richardson.
Derrick Rose begins cutting drills in two weeks, and is vowing he'll be an even better player upon his return, writes the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson.
Heading into a contract year, the Sixers are hoping Jrue Holiday can emerge into a leadership role, writes CSNPhilly.com's John Finger.

Southeast Rumors: Hawks, Wallace, Lewis, Bobcats

September 30th, 2012 at 12:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

There was plenty of change throughout the Southeast Division, as the Magic, Hawks and Wizards pulled off significant trades while the Heat upgraded with Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. The Bobcats are banking heavily on No. 2 overall pick Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to help turn the team around, and we have news on him and others from around the division.

Some in the Heat organization are concerned about the long-term health of Dwyane Wade, who could miss all of the team's preseason games as he hopes to get his ailing left knee ready for the regular season opener, writes Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald. The team will give Allen occasional off days during the regular season, as the Spurs have done with Tim Duncan, Goodman adds.

Earlier updates:

Hawks coach Larry Drew believes it will be a tall order for his team to replace the production of Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams this season, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. "Both of those guys were very key and big pieces to our puzzle," Drew said. "This opens up opportunities for new guys, guys who have been here, guys who are coming in. It doesn’t happen overnight. We are going to have to lace it up and really go to work and try to, as a team, try to step up. Everybody has to step their game up now."
Vivlamore also shares in his piece that Drew isn't sure how he'll rotate guards Devin Harris, Jeff Teague and Lou Williams. Harris and Teague, the two natural point guards, are both entering contract years.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel speculates that Ben Wallace could be a fit for the Heat. Wallace is reportedly seeking a contract after going back-and-forth about retirement this summer.
Lewis hopes he'll start the season as a reserve instead of as a starter for the Heat, as he told Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida (Sulia link).
Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap is working with Kidd-Gilchrist to improve the shooting touch of the University of Kentucky product, writes Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald-Leader. Tipton also shares praise from Purdue coach Matt Painter about Hornets second-round pick Darius Miller and Shelvin Mack, who could start the season at point guard for the Wizards in place of the injured John Wall.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel outlines a list of the top priorities for the Magic as they begin training camp.

Spoelstra On Juwan, Injuries, Cole

September 27th, 2012 at 4:40pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Erik Spoelstra has had a busy summer, consulting with former NBA coach Paul Westhead about his perspective on fast break offenses in addition to meeting with Florida Gators head coach Billy Donavan to talk about the pressures associated with aiming to repeat as national champions (Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes). Now on the cusp of training camp, Spoelstra opened up on a few notable topics regarding the Heat:

Juwan Howard will not be a member of the team's training camp, but could eventually join the team down the line.
Dwyane Wade has been recovering from an arthroscopic surgery procedure in July, but is expected to be ready for the season opener on October 30. Spoelstra added Wade is "not 100 percent" and that he will be brought along slowly as training camp begins. Ray Allen has been recovering from offseason ankle surgery in July, and while Spoelstra says that the sharpshooter isn't 100 percent healthy either, it's not noticeable. Mike Miller is well enough to take part in all the training camp drills, but will be limited at times as a precaution. Lastly, Jarvis Varnardo is dealing with a strained hamstring that will sideline him heading into camp.
Norris Cole appears to be doing well after experiencing some issues with his groin recently, and has had a strong summer considering the team's goal of improving his playmaking and shooting.
Dexter Pittman has had a productive offseason and will be in the best condition he's been in going into a training camp.