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Western Notes: Nash, Scola, Mayo, Nuggets

December 21st, 2012 at 4:28pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest updates from around the Western Conference on Friday afternoon:

Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports that there is a low chance that Steve Nash will return on Saturday when the Lakers face the Warriors, although he still hopes to play on Christmas Day.
Luis Scola reflects on his journey to the NBA and the long wait to get bought out from his team in Spain, as reported by Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
O.J. Mayo tells Jon MacHota of the Dallas Morning News that he holds no hard feelings towards the Grizzlies after signing with the Mavericks this summer.
The Nuggets do not plan to change course after a historically bad three-point shooting night against Portland, writes Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com.
LaMarcus Aldridge does not know when he will return from his recent ankle turn, writes Mike Tokito of The Oregonian.

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.

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.

Ingram On Love, Derrick Williams, Mayo

December 14th, 2012 at 4:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

It's been a busy day of news off the court for the Timberwolves, as we passed along a number of Wolves rumors earlier today, and this afternoon HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram checks in with a few more.

Ingram praises the offseason moves of Wolves GM David Kahn, and believes that if Kevin Love continues to criticize the team, Minnesota might be better off trading him, perhaps to the Lakers in a Pau Gasol swap.
The Wolves would like to send Derrick Williams out as part of a package, and Ingram thinks Williams might fit in well with the Cavs. Earlier today, we heard that Minnesota reportedly has strong interest in Anderson Varejao.
Ingram lists Nicolas Batum and O.J. Mayo as the two offseason targets the Wolves missed out on, adding that Mayo took less money because "he had his heart set on Dallas." Going into the summer, the Wolves were seen as a team that might go after Mayo, but this is the first we've heard suggesting that Minnesota did indeed pursue him. It seems that Mayo couldn't have been turning down too much money, from the Wolves or anyone else, to sign with the Mavs, given his recent comment to Stein that he was disappointed with the two-year, $8.22MM deal he got.

Odds & Ends: Mayo, Terry, Pacers, Knicks

December 13th, 2012 at 12:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Reports last season suggested the Celtics were involved in serious trade talks with the Grizzlies that would have sent to O.J. Mayo to Boston. According to one subsequent story, it was Mayo's unwillingness to play for the C's that led to the deal falling apart, but with the Mavericks in Boston last night, Mayo addressed that rumor. The 25-year-old's understanding was that an internal debate in Boston about Ray Allen resulted in the trade not happening.

"I was pretty much set to come here and something fell through at the very last second," Mayo said. "A couple of the guys wanted to keep Ray, and management wanted to make the trade."

Mayo added that he got a call from the Celtics during free agency this summer, but was happy with the way things ultimately worked out. Here are a few more Thursday odds and ends from around the NBA:

Current Celtic and former Maverick Jason Terry told reporters, including Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, that he would like to take Mark Cuban up on his offer to bring Terry back to the organization once his playing career ends.
The changes the Pacers made to the bench over the offseason haven't been upgrades, and the team will need to make more moves if it hopes to contend in the playoffs, opines Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star.
Steve Nash was close to making a decision to sign with the Knicks in July, which would likely have meant the team re-signing Jeremy Lin as well, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. However, as Berman notes, the team's point guard Plan B of Jason Kidd and Raymond Felton has worked out pretty well so far.
ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (Insider link) identifies a few potential landing spots for Dwight Howard next summer if D12 decides he doesn't want to return to the Lakers.

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.

Odds & Ends: Terry, Mayo, Belinelli, Crawford

December 11th, 2012 at 11:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

We heard earlier today that Mavs owner Mark Cuban would have liked to have kept Jason Terry, who signed with the Celtics. Terry said he was disappointed that the first call he fielded this summer wasn't from the Mavs, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram details. Cuban also claims that he vetoed a deal former Mavs coach Don Nelson had set up during the 2004/05 season that would have sent Terry to the Jazz for Raul Lopez, Price notes. That one seems far-fetched, but if it's true, you'd have to give Cuban credit for quite a save. Here's the rest from a busy day and night in the NBA.

O.J. Mayo can opt out of his contract this summer, but Cuban hopes he'll stay with the Mavs even longer than the eight years Terry was around, Price tweets.
Chris Paul and former Hornets teammate Marco Belinelli are close friends, but Paul didn't recruit Belinelli to join the Clippers this summer because he thought the Bulls would be a better fit for the Italian sharpshooter, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune observes (Sulia link).
The Bulls went hard after Jamal Crawford before last season, but wound up giving the money they had set aside for him to Richard Hamilton instead, according to Johnson (Sulia link).
Though Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo was telling reporters Monday that coach Dwane Casey's job is not in jeopardy, Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun wonders whether that will be Colangelo's call to make, surmising everyone in the organization except Jonas Valanciunas shouldn't get too cozy.
Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times corrects his earlier statement about the draft pick the Lakers owe the Suns, detailing the protections on that and other draft picks that will prevent L.A. from drafting in the first round next June.
Sean Deveney of The Sporting News gauges the early returns on the rookie-scale extensions handed out before the season, and believes Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday and DeMar DeRozan are the steals of the bunch.
SB Nation's Tom Ziller goes in depth on the Maloof family dynamics at play as the fate of the Kings, the team they own, hangs in the balance.

Odds & Ends: Kobe, Wizards, Draft, Bledsoe

December 7th, 2012 at 2:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Kobe Bryant continues to make a run at Michael Jordan's number of championship rings and career points, but he doesn't expect to follow in Jordan's footsteps in another area. In a video interview with Bloomberg.com (hat tip to SI.com's Ben Golliver), Kobe said he couldn't see himself owning an NBA team after his playing career is over.

"I’d go crazy," Bryant said. "If a player misses a game because he has a broken fingernail, I’d lose my mind. I wouldn’t be able to take it."

While ownership may not be for him, Bryant did say he hopes to stay around the game after he retires as a player. Here are a few other odds and ends from around the NBA:

The Wizards have gotten off to an awful start this season, but team president Ernie Grunfeld is still focusing on the big picture, as Michael Lee of the Washington Post writes.
NBA scouts and general managers are starting to consider options beyond Nerlens Noel, Cody Zeller, and Shabazz Muhammad as No. 1 picks in the 2013 draft, says ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link). Ford identifies Alex Poythress, Alex Len, and Rudy Gobert as three other possible top picks.
Even though Eric Bledsoe isn't eligible for restricted free agency until 2014, Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM.com is already wondering if Bledsoe will eventually become to the Clippers what James Harden was to the Thunder — a star-in-waiting that the team may not be able to afford.
On the heels of last night's big win in Miami, Tyson Chandler praised the moves Knicks GM Glen Grunwald made over the summer, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
According to Fran Blinebury of NBA.com, while the Grizzlies won't discuss it openly, the absence of O.J. Mayo this year has made the team's offense and locker room happier places.
David Mayo of MLive.com tries his hand at picking out a few free agents the Pistons could target next summer.

Sefko On Mavs, Jefferson, Beaubois, Finley, Mayo

November 27th, 2012 at 7:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News frequently dips into his mailbag to answer reader questions, and today's responses are especially full of relevant info. He looks ahead to trades and free agent signings the Mavs could pursue over the next 12 months, and sizes up the return on some of the moves the team made this past summer. We'll round up the highlights here:

It's "very likely" the Mavs will be involved in a swap before the trade deadline, but nothing will go down before December 15th, when free agents who signed this summer become eligible to be traded. Whatever happens, it's unlikely to be a "monster deal," according to Sefko, who mentions Rodrigue Beaubois as a likely trade candidate.
Sefko thinks the Mavs have interest in upcoming free agent Al Jefferson, despite his high price tag, believing he'd be a much more appealing target for the team than Josh Smith.
Sefko doesn't believe owner Mark Cuban was sincere when he said he wants to keep all of the team's new additions, and thinks the future of the team's coterie of guys on one-year contracts is up in the air.
Michael Finley had been working in the Mavs front office before his latest comeback attempt, but Sefko doesn't see a place for him on the playing roster.
O.J. Mayo's move from the Grizzlies to the Mavs has worked out well for both teams so far, Sefko observes.
It's unclear whether the Suns want to put Marcin Gortat on the market, but if they do, Sefko believes it would take a package of Mayo, Jae Crowder, and draft picks for the Mavs to land him.

Southwest Notes: Anderson, Lin, Mayo

November 22nd, 2012 at 11:01am CST by Sean Highkin

The Southwest Division boasts the two best teams in the Western Conference, the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs. Here are the latest rumblings from around the division:

Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News notes (via Twitter) that the newly signed James Anderson will cost the Spurs about half as much to sign for the minimum at as it would have to pick up the option they declined after last year.
McDonald also tweets that, barring a change of plans, the Spurs plan on keeping their roster at 14 players.
Richard Dean of Newsday.com talks to Jeremy Lin, who says he is happy playing for the Rockets after being let go by the Knicks this summer.
Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes that O.J. Mayo is proving to be a major bargain for the Mavericks.