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Odds & Ends: Howard, Lakers, Durant, Nash

February 25th, 2012 at 4:34pm CST by Daniel Seco

With the likes of Chase Budinger and Jeremy Evans among the Slam Dunk contestants set to do battle on Saturday evening in Orlando, let's take a look around the league to see what else is happening:

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel (via Twitter) says he's having a hard time with Dwight Howard's constant line of wanting to push aside distractions and focus on winning. It's Howard, not anyone else, who has created such distractions by making trade demands and by telling his agent to ask for permission to pursue possible deals.
Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com is looking forward to the NBA trade deadline (March 15) and wonders if the Lakers should blow up their roster now or simply wait until the summer. He says that the Celtics are in a similar situation, but is excited to see another group of aging players in the Spurs continue to do well and perhaps threaten for an NBA Finals appearance.
Kevin Durant believes the Hornets can rebuild their franchise through the draft in a similar fashion to his own team, writes John Reid of The Times-Picayune. ''Losing C.P. and David West was tough for the Hornets, but they have Trevor Ariza and I like Gustavo Ayon. You know it's just a matter of time before everything starts to click. But losing your point guard in a lockout shortened season is tough. I love Monty for what he does and stands for.''
Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com says Steve Nash believes Jeremy Lin is the type of player that can succeed in any type of NBA system. While Lin is expected to re-sign with the Knicks this summer, such an endorsement from a marquee player may go a long way to drive up the asking price for the restricted free agent.

Nash Would Be ‘Completely Open’ To Trade

February 24th, 2012 at 8:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

There have been plenty of questions lately about Steve Nash's future, and it appears the veteran point guard isn't taking any options off the table. We passed along yesterday that Nash, who'll be a free agent this summer, expressed a desire to stay with the team beyond the season. Today, he told Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic that he sympathizes with the tricky position the Suns are in.

"It's up to the team," he said. "I'm happy where I am. I'm not happy with our record. I feel like I made a commitment to the fans and my teammates. But at the same time, I'd understand if the team wanted to make a move, so I'm completely open. To be honest, I just occupy myself with trying to prepare to play and play as well as I can."

Nash reiterated that he won't demand a trade, and Coro reported a few days ago that the Suns are unlikely to trade him. Still, it's worth noting that Nash is not dismissing the possibility of a deal.

The Suns come into the All-Star break well out of playoff contention at 14-20. Nash's 13.9 PPG and 10 shot attempts a night are his lowest numbers since 1999/00, but his 10.9 APG leads the league. He could help teams in the playoff hunt, like the Lakers, Blazers, Heat or Hawks, that don't possess a proven veteran at the point guard position. His $11.7MM contract is hefty, but not unwieldy, and it expires at the end of the season.

Steve Nash Open To Re-Signing With Suns

February 23rd, 2012 at 5:56pm CST by Sean Highkin

Steve Nash has repeatedly expressed his desire to remain in Phoenix through the end of the 2011/12 season, when his contract expires. However, it has long been assumed that upon becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer, the two-time MVP would look to sign with a contender. But a recent Associated Press interview (via ESPN.com) found Nash expressing a desire to stay with the Suns beyond this season.

According to Nash, two things would have to happen for him to re-sign: first, they would have to offer him a substantial contract, as he indicated that he is not willing to take a pay cut to re-sign; second, Nash wants the team to acquire new players and make a move towards playoff contention.

Nash, 38, will make approximately $11.6MM this season, the final year of a two-year, $22MM contract extension he signed in summer 2009.

Pacific Notes: Nash, Lakers, Kings

February 23rd, 2012 at 4:32pm CST by Luke Adams

In the 2005/06 season, the Clippers finished 47-35, topping their L.A. rivals by two games. Since then, the Lakers have finished ahead of the Clippers in the standings every season, but the two teams are in a neck-and-neck race for the Pacific Division crown this year. The Clippers will head into the All-Star break with a slight lead, as even a win for the Lakers in Oklahoma City tonight would only reduce the Clips' lead to a half-game. Here are a few afternoon links out of the Pacific:

At the end of his midseason awards, Ken Berger of CBS Sports names Stephen Jackson the "most disgruntled" player and Steve Nash the "most likely to be traded." The Nash note is interesting, since it still appears the Suns have no intention of dealing Nash unless he asks out. Presumably, Berger believes that's a real possibility.
Magic Johnson continues to weigh in on the Lakers, as Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times writes. In addition to suggesting a meeting between Kobe Bryant and Jim Buss, Magic also said the team needs to make "one or two trades" before the deadline.
Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee continues to hear that the threat to the Kings staying in Sacramento comes from Anaheim rather than Seattle. Seattle is years away from opening the doors on a new building and would need to find someone willing to sell a franchise.
Earlier this afternoon, we looked at the Warriors' asking price for Monta Ellis.

Pacific Notes: Nash, Blake, Hickson

February 19th, 2012 at 10:12am CST by Daniel Seco

With much of today's attention focused on the Eastern Conference, the Lakers will take on the Suns for the second time in three days later this afternoon. Known to elevate his level of play against the Suns, Kobe Bryant has led the Lakers to three straight victories after putting up 36 points and six assists in Friday night's 111-99 victory in Phoenix. Let's take a look around the rest of the Pacific Division to see what else is going on:

Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic says Suns star point guard Steve Nash isn't going anywhere prior to the trade deadline. It's a catch-22 situation where sending Nash to a contender wouldn't net the team fair compensation whereas sending the future HOFer to a middling squad who could send an attractive draft pick to the Suns would be doing a disservice to Nash. Coro expects Nash, 38, to stay with the Suns through the rest of the season and attempt to re-sign the former Santa Clara star to a new contract come June.
While there has been heavy speculation that the Lakers are plotting to make a move in order to make a playoff run, the return of one injured player has given the squad a much needed spark. Since rejoining the Lakers five game ago, the team has gone 4-1 with former Terrapins guard Steve Blake manning the point, says Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. The ninth-year player is currently averaging 6.8 PPG and 3.1 APG on the season.
After arriving in Sacramento last June via trade, life for Kings forward J.J. Hickson has been a series of adjustments, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Hickson, 23, spent the first three years of his career with the Cavaliers and benefited from two years of tutelage under LeBron James. Now in Sacramento, he's had to deal with an early season coaching change and an overall different way of doing things which has led to the former N.C. State star's career-low FG% (.382) on the season.

Odds & Ends: Jackson, Freeland, Heat, Calderon

February 18th, 2012 at 12:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Saturday afternoon linkage..

If Stephen Jackson wants to leave Milwaukee to play with Dwight Howard in Orlando, the guard will have to give the Bucks $5MM or so back in a buyout, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
Former Blazers draft pick Joel Freeland denied a report from earlier this week that he agreed to a contract extension with his Spanish club, writes Nick Gibson of SheridanHoops.com. The big man also insists that he has nothing against the prospect of playing in Portland and will make the transition to the NBA “if the situation is right.”
The Heat could use an upgrade at center as they may have to face Tyson Chandler, Dwight Howard, and Joakim Noah to win the Eastern Conference in the postseason, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.
Some fans are calling for the Raptors to start tanking, but that doesn’t guarantee much for the club and would hurt the locker room culture, writes Steve Buffery of the Toronto Sun. Some are also calling for Toronto to deal Jose Calderon as the point guard has just one year remaining on his deal, but Jerryd Bayless hasn’t done enough prove that he be the team’s one-guard going forward.
A number of contenders could benefit from adding Steve Nash to the fold, but the point guard continues to stand his ground and won’t ask for a trade, writes J.A. Adande of ESPN.com.
There isn’t a trade out there that will be good enough to boost the 76ers into a finals team, opines John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News.
In his piece earlier today, Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that the Warriors could use a 10-day contract as a tryout for a D-League big man. Will Foster of the Rio Grande Valley and Bakersfield’s Brian Butch could both be considered.

Pacific Notes: Ellis, Kings, Suns, Williams, Blake

February 16th, 2012 at 9:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Seattle mayor Mike McGinn is reportedly set to unveil details of Christopher Hansen's proposal for a new sports arena later this afternoon. However, while Seattle is making strides toward returning to the NBA, it will likely need to relocate another franchise to do so. The Kings are the most likely candidates to be relocated, so let's check in on the progress on Sacramento's new arena, along with some other notes out of the Pacific….

The Suns hosted a free agent work out today, with Michael Finley and Jermaine Taylor in attendance, says Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter).
It has become clear that Monta Ellis is expendable in Golden State, writes Monte Poole of the Bay Area News Group. Poole says that rookie guard Klay Thompson has been getting more playing time as it becomes clear to the Warriors that they will continue to struggle if Ellis remains their best player.
Sacramento is seeking a contribution of about $85MM toward a new arena from the Maloofs, according to a report from the Sacramento Bee. It's not yet known whether the NBA, negotiating on the Kings' behalf, will agree.
Suns owner Robert Sarver and president of basketball operations Lon Babby are confident the team can become competitive again in the near future, writes Paola Boivin of the Arizona Republic. The team still doesn't plan to trade Steve Nash unless he asks out, and isn't interested in a full-scale "blow-up" since that process would mean not contending for several years.
Reports last week suggested Mo Williams was unsatisfied with his role for the Clippers, but Williams told Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld that's not the case.
Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News wonders if the Lakers' point-guard issues could be solved in part by Steve Blake rather than a free agent signing or trade acquisition.

Knicks Notes: Stoudemire, Lin, Nash, Felton

February 13th, 2012 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Amare Stoudemire has rejoined the Knicks, practicing with the club today and expecting to play tomorrow, but New York's attention is still on Linsanity. So let's kick off today's Knicks notes with the latest on Jeremy Lin….

The Knicks won't have Early Bird rights on Lin this summer, but the Gilbert Arenas provision will prevent other teams from out-bidding New York for the restricted free agent, says Marc Berman of the New York Post. For an in-depth explanation of the Arenas rule, check out Larry Coon's CBA FAQ.
Howard Beck of the New York Times confirms Lin's contract status as outlined by Berman (all Twitter links).
The Knicks had targeted point guards like Steve Nash and Raymond Felton for their mid-level exception, Berman adds. However, if Lin's impressive play continues, New York may end up having to use their full MLE to retain him.
Lin will have to carefully manage the off-court commitments and distractions that come with his newfound celebrity, writes John Hollinger of ESPN.com (Insider link).
Sam Smith of Bulls.com argues that Lin's emergence opens the door for the Knicks to offer Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler to the Magic for Dwight Howard. Not sure I'm on board with this one — the Knicks have yet to even see how their current roster looks when fully healthy, and there's no guarantee Howard would sign long-term in New York. Plus the Knicks would likely have to take on a bloated contract to make the salaries work.

Steve Nash Not Anticipating Trade

February 13th, 2012 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns GM Lon Babby has indicated he would do everything he can to work out a deal if Steve Nash tells him he'd like to be traded. However, Nash has yet to make such a request, and tells SI.com's Sam Amick he expects to remain in Phoenix past the March 15th trade deadline.

"I have no idea what the club will eventually do if a bunch of offers are thrown in their face," Nash said. "But I feel like I'm not nervous about [the trade deadline]… I'm not anticipating anything to happen. I feel like I made a commitment and I feel like I owe it to my teammates — the city, the fans, the club — to play it out and to play as hard as I can."

Teams interested in Nash are still hoping either the All-Star point guard or the Suns have a change of heart before March 15th. According to Amick, one rival executive thinks the Suns are "as close as they've ever been" to seriously considering trading Nash. Meanwhile, teammate Jared Dudley expects Nash to remain a Sun for the rest of the season and beyond only if the team commits to improving around him.

"I see him as potentially wanting to be here for a long time, but I also see someone where he wants the right pieces to be able to want to be here, you know?" Dudley said. "I guarantee you that if they put a couple pieces here that he liked, I guarantee you he would stay."

Nash says he wants to play for a couple more seasons, but whether or not he'll finish his career in Phoenix remains to be seen. If the Suns continue to drop further out of playoff contention, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Suns or Nash rethink their current positions over the next month.

Stein’s Latest: Kaman, J.R. Smith, Nash

February 10th, 2012 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Marc Stein's latest column at ESPN.com included an update on the Dwight Howard saga, as we discussed earlier. Stein also shared a few other items of note, so let's check those out….

Because rules had to be amended to adjust for the season's late start, more than 100 players are ineligible to be traded until March. This is one reason trade chatter hasn't picked up much yet. One Eastern Conference executive told Stein that teams are "eager" for March 1st to arrive.
Although the Hornets say they intend to hold on to Chris Kaman for now, teams still expect him to be traded "sooner rather than later." The Pacers and Rockets are the most interested clubs, with the Hornets thought to be seeking at least one good draft pick or young player.
The Knicks appear to be the frontrunner for J.R. Smith, who should be eligible to sign an NBA contract in a week or so.
Sources close to the Steve Nash situation continue to say that the Suns will hold on to their All-Star point guard past the deadline.