Jeremy Lin Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Not Ruling Out Sign-And-Trade Of Dwight

June 16th, 2013 at 10:20am CST by Chuck Myron

The "overriding expectation persists" that the Lakers won't faciliate a sign-and-trade of Dwight Howard this summer, but the team hasn't completely dismissed the idea, according to Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. The Lakers are willing to listen to just about any idea, and there are indications the Lakers wouldn't dismiss a formal offer from the Clippers of Eric Bledsoe and Blake Griffin for Howard, the ESPN scribes report.

Stein and Shelburne hear the Rockets are likely to offer Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin for Howard in an attempt to open enough cap space for both Howard and Chris Paul. Though Asik, a cheaper basket protector than Howard, and Lin, who thrived with the Knicks under current Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni, may be enticing figures for the Lakers, L.A.'s brass would ultimately prefer not to take on any salary if Howard walks.

The Lakers have maintained a dialogue with Howard's representatives throughout the spring and are still confident they can re-sign the Dan Fegan client, even though Howard is intent on listening to pitches from other teams. The team's main priority, beyond re-signing Howard, is reducing its luxury tax bill and positioning itself for the summer of 2014. As it stands, no Laker aside from Steve Nash is signed beyond next season.

Odds & Ends: Wolves, Rockets, Balkman, Draft

March 11th, 2013 at 12:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves had been looking into obtaining an injury exception to sign a 16th player, but the team is unlikely to add anyone to the roster at this point, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. That includes Dominique Jones, whose camp has been reaching out to teams. David Kahn isn't interested in the ex-Maverick, says Wolfson (Twitter links). Here are a few more updates from around the Association:

The Rockets have "quietly been sending out signals" that they'd be willing to trade Omer Asik and/or Jeremy Lin this summer in a deal that would upgrade their roster, according to Sam Smith of Bulls.com.
Former Knick and Nugget Renaldo Balkman has been banned from the Philippines' professional basketball league following an altercation with a teammate, according to a Reuters report (via the New York Times). The 2006 first-round pick had been playing for the Petron Blaze Boosters.
Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com isn't buying the narrative that borderline draft prospects should enter this year's draft because the class is weak. According to Givony, while the 2013 draft looks weaker than normal at the top, it seems to have "great depth" outside of the top five (Twitter links).
Amare Stoudemire's contract, which continues to look worse, represents the "Original Sin" of the present Knicks' era, writes Howard Beck of the New York Times.
With Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard scheduled to face their old teams this week, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com revisits the blockbuster deals that sent the two stars to their current clubs.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Collins, Knicks, Celtics

February 27th, 2013 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

We've already had plenty of news out of the Atlantic Division today, as the Knicks announced Rasheed Wallace will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the regular season, while the Sixers look to bounce back from Doug Collins' post-game rant last night. We have a few more Atlantic-related links to pass along though, so let's round them up below:

Collins is "clearly a very good coach," but when it comes to the Sixers' roster construction and performance, he shouldn't be shifting the blame elsewhere, writes Zach Lowe of Grantland.
Shaun Powell of Sports on Earth believes it would be very risky for the Sixers to offer Andrew Bynum more than a two-year contract in free agency this summer.
In an Insider-only piece, ESPN.com's Kevin Pelton revisits the Knicks' summer decision to bring in Raymond Felton rather than re-signing Jeremy Lin. While Felton got off to a hot start in New York, the fact that Lin may have already pulled even suggests the current Rocket will be the better long-term choice, writes Pelton.
Yesterday, we passed along the key quotes from Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck's WEEI appearance, in which he suggested that Boston had discussed several major deals leading up to the trade deadline. Grousbeck made a number of other interesting comments on WEEI though, including his thoughts on the new CBA and on retiring Paul Pierce's and Kevin Garnett's numbers. Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com has the details.
In his latest mailbag for ESPNBoston.com, Forsberg also fielded questions relating to the Celtics' non-moves and 10-day signings, among other topics.

Odds & Ends: Lin, Knicks, Lillard, Bargnani

February 23rd, 2013 at 12:38pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Saturday afternoon:

Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes that Jeremy Lin is thriving with the Rockets.
Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal takes a look at the Knicks' roster's defensive weaknesses, especially defending reserve scorers.
USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that Damian Lillard is on his radar for an invite to this summer's Team USA mini-camp.
Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun writes that Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo still intends to take a patient approach with Andrea Bargnani.

Brigham On Future Contenders

February 23rd, 2013 at 10:13am CST by Sean Highkin

Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld has a new column examining which teams have a chance to be title contenders five seasons from now, taking into account possible moves in free agency and the ages of the teams' core players.

Brigham believes the Thunder still have the brightest future, given that Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka will all be under 30 in five seasons.
LeBron James' free agency will play a major role in determining the next title contender, Brigham writes. The health and effectiveness of Dwyane Wade will determine whether James stays with the Heat, but the Cavaliers and Lakers are also possible destinations.
On that note, Brigham writes that, although Kyrie Irving is blossoming into a superstar, the Cavs will not be a contender unless James signs in Cleveland.
The Bulls will still be contenders if Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah stay healthy, Brigham writes. He also notes that Nikola Mirotic will have come over to the NBA by then.
The trade for Thomas Robinson added another young piece to the James Harden/Jeremy Lin core the Rockets have built, Brigham writes. Additionally, the team is still well under the cap and can add another high-level player via free agency.
Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge give the Blazers a solid core to build around, writes Brigham.
Brigham writes that there will be uncertainty every year for the next five as to whether Chris Paul will still be with the Clippers.
Even if Stephen Curry's ankles don't hold up, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes give the Warriors a good young core, Brigham says.
Brigham writes that the Pacers have excellent cornerstone players in Roy Hibbert and Paul George.

Odds & Ends: Rockets, Kings, Draft, Calderon

February 11th, 2013 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

As we continue counting down the days to next week's trade deadline, let's catch up on a few odds and ends from around the NBA:

Asked about the trade deadline during an appearance on KBME in Houston, Jeremy Lin said he loves the current Rockets players, though he "definitely" wouldn't be averse to a deal that makes the team better (link via Chris Fedor of Sports Radio Interviews).
Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee has the latest details on the Kings sale, reporting that the Maloofs have given bankruptcy trustee David Flemmer some of the documents regarding the sale of the team to the Seattle group.
In their weekly Insider-only draft piece for ESPN.com, Chad Ford and Jay Bilas take a look at the nation's best mid-major prospects.
Kevin Pelton also has a new Insider-only piece up at ESPN.com, in which he examines potential buy-low opportunities on the trade market. Pelton's list includes Andrea Bargnani, DeJuan Blair, and Derrick Williams, three players we've profiled in our trade candidate series.
Jose Calderon spoke to Shams Charania of RealGM.com about adjusting to life with the Pistons, adding that he can envision himself in Detroit long-term.
ESPN.com's 5-on-5 panel weighs in on whether a number of trade candidates, including Carlos Boozer, Zach Randolph, and Iman Shumpert, should be moved.

Beck On Knicks, Melo, Lin, Felton, Lakers

January 25th, 2013 at 6:18pm CST by Sean Highkin

Howard Beck of the New York Times has posted a new mailbag in which he answers reader questions about the New York Knicks and the rest of the NBA. Here are the highlights:

Beck stands by criticsms he made at the time of the Knicks' trade for Carmelo Anthony but admits it has worked out better than he expected.
Many people in and around the NBA are impressed with the Bulls' success this season despite Derrick Rose's absence, writes Beck.
Beck doesn't see Kenyon Martin as a realistic option for the Knicks in the event that the injury to Rasheed Wallace is season-ending, citing his advanced age and the team's abundance of forwards.
Beck doesn't believe the Lakers will move Dwight Howard before the trading deadline, although he doesn't consider it as much a lock that he will re-sign in Los Angeles this summer given the team's struggles.
The decision to let Jeremy Lin go and sign Raymond Felton has worked out for the Knicks despite facing heavy criticism at the time, writes Beck.

Western Notes: Thunder, Lin, Dwight

December 29th, 2012 at 6:22pm CST by Ryan Raroque

HoopsWorld's Susan Bible wonders whether Thunder sophomore Reggie Jackson, with an assist from extra playing time in the D-League, has surpassed Eric Maynor to become the primary backup to Russell Westbrook. Maynor will be a restricted free agent this summer, while Jackson's rookie deal isn't up until 2015. Jackson and Maynor's respective playing time over the last three games have definitely been worth noting, as the former Boston College product has averaged 16.3 MPG to Maynor's 1.3 (including two DNP-CDs). We have more tidbits to share from the Western Conference, and you can find them below:

Jeremy Lin is becoming a better fit next to James Harden, as Royce Young of CBSSports.com observes. The Rockets have gone 7-2 in their last nine games, with Lin averaging 14.1 PPG and 6.7 APG.
The Mavericks are hoping that Dwight Howard will leave the Lakers in free agency next summer, tweets Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. As Chuck Myron outlined over the summer, signing Howard appears to be a risky strategy from a salary cap perspective, even if it's possible.
Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune provides a fuller picture of Rockets coach Kevin McHale's recent comments about Royce White.
While former Kings second round draft pick Hassan Whiteside isn't currently under contract with an NBA team, Ryan Ripley of Ridiculous Upside highlights how the 7-footer's recent performances with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the D-League has helped quell some past concerns about his play.
Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News thinks that Dan Fegan (the newly hired agent of DeMarcus Cousins) could be instrumental in forcing a trade out of Sacramento with Cousins' chance at a contract extension looming (Twitter link).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Southwest Notes: Mavericks, Lin, Davis, Selby

December 18th, 2012 at 7:38pm CST by Alex Lee

Mavericks beat writer Eddie Sefko, from the Dallas Morning News, answered questions today in a chat. Among the topics Sefko touches on: why O.J. Mayo may not be in Dallas long, why the Mavs must build through free agency, why Tyreke Evans would be a good fit in Dallas and what the Mavs offseason looks like. The Mavs host the 76ers tonight, and the Spurs and Hornets are also in action. Here are some other things going on in the Southwest division:

While the proper fit of teammates and system in New York
has helped Raymond Felton thrive with the Knicks, the same can't be said for
Jeremy Lin with the Rockets, observes Beckley Mason of The New York Times, who
wonders if Lin might perform better as a bench player for Houston.
Hornets rookie Anthony Davis, still working his way back to health, is content coming off the bench while his ankle gets stronger writes John Reid of the Times Picayune. The Hornets are on an 11-game losing streak, 4 of which have seen Davis out of the starting lineup.
Gina Pilato of Ridiculous Upside writes that the Grizzlies are looking for Josh Selby to recapture the form that made him the NBA's Summer League Co-MVP by sending him back to the D-League. Chris Wallace announced today that Selby will return to Memphis after two games in Reno.

Western Notes: Mayo, Rockets, Nuggets, Bayless

December 12th, 2012 at 11:30am CST by Luke Adams

Although the Lakers are receiving all the headlines and attention for their slow start this season, another team expected to be a contender in the West has had its own struggles so far, without the injuries or coaching turnover that the Lakers have. The Nuggets pulled their record to .500 last night, however, with a solid win in Detroit, while the Lakers continued to slide, losing to Kyrie Irving and the Cavs in Cleveland. As the Nuggets prepare to play in Minnesota tonight and the Lakers head to New York for a Thursday night TNT showdown with the Knicks, let's round up a few other updates out of the Western Conference:

"Your odds of winning the Powerball lottery are better" than the odds of O.J. Mayo exercising his $4.2MM player option with the Mavericks next season, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. However, that doesn't mean Mayo won't be a core piece in Dallas going forward.
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle looks at how offseason acquisitions James Harden and Jeremy Lin are fitting together with the Rockets.
Although the Nuggets are off to a slow start this season, the front office continues to express complete confidence in the current roster, Danilo Gallinari tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld. Gallinari singled out the Nuggets' extension for Ty Lawson as a confidence-booster for the entire team: "Especially with a player like Ty who is going to play with the Nuggets for a long time. For all of his career. It was very important for us because he’s a great guy and I thought our front office did a very good move in giving him a long contract."
Within Greene's piece, the HoopsWorld scribe also details how Jerryd Bayless has been making a strong impression with the Grizzlies after signing a two-year deal this summer. Bayless will have the opportunity to opt out and become an unrestricted free agent again at season's end.
While Virginia Beach City Council voted to continue pursuing a new arena, council members seem to recognize that the current proposal includes too much public money, writes Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee.