It's been another whirlwind day of player movement in the NBA, as the Hawks agreed to two significant trades, sending Joe Johnson to the Nets and Marvin Williams to the Jazz. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld speculated that Josh Smith may be the next Hawk to go (Twitter link), but Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN.com report that Smith is excited about the moves, which would free up plenty of cap space for next summer, when Atlanta could go after Smith and other major targets. Here's news from elsewhere around the busy Association.
Jrue Holiday is entering the final year of his rookie contract, which means he's eligible for a long-term extension with the 76ers this offseason. And according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), the point guard is indeed seeking an extension — for the maximum salary.
Bob Young from AZCentral.com thinks the Suns should take a long, hard look at signing Lamar Odom this offseason. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year has a ton to prove coming off a terrible experiment with the Mavericks.
- Earlier tonight, the Heat defeated the Knicks—who were without starting power forward Amare Stoudemire—87-70. In Stoudemire's place, New York head coach Mike Woodson chose to start Steve Novak. The results were disastrous, writes Newsday's Roderick Boone.
- After the obvious tanking strategy we saw employed by teams like the Warriors and Hornets, the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen calls for the weighted lottery to become a true lottery, giving every team that doesn't make the playoffs an equal chance at the number one overall pick.
- FoxSportsOhio.com's Sam Amico writes that Ramon Sessions ability to fit in with the Lakers has once again made them a championship contender.
- Every team faces tough decisions in the offseason, but this summer the Suns will have an incredibly difficult decision staring them down, as they figure out whether they should continue the Steve Nash era, or finally move on. Hoopsworld.com's Jason Fleming dissects the team's dire situation.
- Melissa Isaacson from ESPNChicago.com writes that a first round loss to the Sixers could have a long-term negative impact on the Bulls.
- After initially believing he might be able to return for Game 4 of his series against the Heat, Jeremy Lin has all but ruled himself out for the early return, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley.
- ESPNChicago.com's Donald Hunt talks about Jrue Holiday's need to keep up his stellar play if the Sixers want to pull off an upset.
- While Shawn Marion is keeping Kevin Durant in check through the first two games of their series, Russell Westbrook has had a field day, and it'll be interesting to see whether the Mavericks choose to change their match-ups as the series moves forward, writes the Dallas Morning News' Brad Townsend.
- Hoopsworld.com's Eric Pincus talks about how the Lakers should look to bring back Jordan Hill, who's a free agent this offseason.