- Wizards center Ian Mahinmi feels “really close” to being ready for game action, relays J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. Washington signed Mahinmi to a four-year, $64MM deal, but knee problems have limited him to just a brief appearance in one game. “The reaction to everything I’ve done is much better,” Mahinmi said. “I felt like seeing Dr. [James] Andrews was great. It was obviously the right move. I feel like I’m fixed.” The Wizards have only a brief time to evaluate Mahinmi before deciding if they need to pick up another center for the postseason. Their final game before the trade deadline is February 16th.
- Wizards swingman Danuel House will be assigned to the D-League if he’s cleared for full contact, J. Michael of CSNmidatlantic.com tweets. House, who has appeared in just one game with Washington this season, is progressing from a right wrist fracture that he suffered in November.
While oddsmakers – and most NBA fans – still expect to see a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals this June, there’s no guarantee that the Warriors and Cavaliers will come out of their respective conferences once again. The Cavs, in particular, looked ordinary in January, finishing one game below .500 for the month, with a 7-8 record.
Last spring, it was the Raptors who battled the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals, pushing LeBron James and company to six games before eventually losing the series. And for most of the first half of this season, Toronto appeared to be Cleveland’s top challenger in the conference once again.
However, the Raptors’ January struggles (8-9) mirrored the Cavs’, and Toronto has already compiled an 0-3 record this year against the defending champions. Injuries to Patrick Patterson and DeMar DeRozan have played a part in the Raptors’ swoon, but there’s still reason to question whether they’ll be the biggest threat out of the East to the Cavs in the postseason.
Led by Eastern Conference Player of the Month Isaiah Thomas, the Celtics have moved into second place in the East, pulling within just two and a half games of the Cavs. The Wizards have also surged in recent weeks — the team is 26-12 since its 2-8 start, and has matched the Celtics’ current five-game winning streak.
Behind those top four teams in the standings, the Hawks have continued to play well even after trading Kyle Korver, and the Pacers have looked very impressive at times, including on their current four-game winning streak.
The Cavs may ultimately make it out of the East once again, but these clubs – and others – will look to give the champs all they can handle in the series leading up to the Finals. Teams like the Raptors and Celtics also have plenty of assets available to potentially fortify their rosters in the coming weeks, making them even more dangerous.
What do you think? Which of the Eastern Conference contenders has the best chance to knock off the Cavs this spring?
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
The Heat are currently exploring ways to keep Okaro White on their roster when his second 10-day contract expires, and one avenue the team has looked into involves trading Derrick Williams, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. If Miami can’t find a taker for Williams, releasing him is also something the club will consider, says Jackson.
Williams, who signed a one-year deal with the Heat last summer, has appeared in 24 games this season, making 11 starts. He has averaged 6.1 PPG and 3.0 RPG in those contests, with a career-low .393 FG%, and has fallen out of the rotation in Miami in recent weeks, despite the fact that the team is missing a handful players due to injuries.
The Wizards are among the teams that might have interest in Williams, a source close to the player tells Jackson. But Washington would likely only seriously consider Williams if he were released. Jackson points out that teams below the salary cap floor could also take a look at claiming Williams off waivers if he’s cut, since more than half his $4.598MM salary has already been paid, but his full cap hit would count toward the salary floor.
As for White, he has emerged as a potential keeper for the Heat after having played a key role during the team’s recent winning streak. The rookie forward has averaged 4.6 PPG and 2.9 RPG in seven games (17.1 MPG), with an impressive shooting line of .526/.455/1.000.
White joined the Heat as a 16th man after the team was awarded a hardship exception. Such an exemption is available to clubs who have at least four players out with long-term injuries. Miami will likely continue to meet the criteria to carry a 16th player, since Justise Winslow, Chris Bosh, Josh Richardson, and Josh McRoberts aren’t close to a return.
However, an NBA spokesman confirmed to Jackson that league rules prevent Miami from simply signing White to a rest-of-season deal as a 16th man, meaning a roster move will be required if the club wants to hang onto him. White’s second 10-day deal will expire on Sunday night.
- Larry Sanders, who is attempting an NBA comeback, is on the Wizards‘ radar, but Washington’s interest in Sanders depends on Ian Mahinmi‘s health, sources tell J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. If Mahinmi can return to the court for the Wizards, the team’s interest in Sanders would fade. Michael also adds that Washington doesn’t have interest in trading for Ibaka.
- There were some offseason questions about the relationship on and off the court between Wizards guards Bradley Beal and John Wall, but Beal is tired of answering questions on that topic, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com writes. Appearing on ESPN Radio’s NBA Insiders, Beal said that his relationship with Wall is going “really well” this season. “It’s kind of getting old, people saying that we don’t agree and that we don’t click,” Beal said. “We’re just going out and proving it on the floor.”
The Wizards are in no hurry to make a trade, sources tell J. Michael of Comcast Sportsnet. The team is content to wait for offseason addition Ian Mahinmi to make his return to the court as he recovers from a pair of knee ailments. The center previously had surgery on his left knee and he developed tendinitis in his right one. He had platelet-rich therapy on both knees last month and sources tell Michael that the team expects him to have a chance to play before the All-Star break.
[RELATED: Community Shootaround: How Far Can The Wizards Go?]
Here’s more from Washington:
- Re-signing Otto Porter will be the Wizards‘ top priority this offseason, Michael relays in the same piece. The scribe adds that Washington may be reluctant to trade for a starting-caliber player who’s set to hit the free agent market at the end of the year since the franchise will likely not have enough cap space accommodate two top-end contracts.
- In a separate piece, Michael makes a case for Porter as the league’s Most Improved Player and he examines the small forward’s competition for the award. In a recent Community Shootaround, we handed out our midseason awards and gave Giannis Antetokounmpo the hardware.
- John Wall will compete in the skills challenge during All-Star weekend, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Wall will also play in the All-Star game and you can check out all the participants of the game here.
- The Wizards‘ bench unit has been key to their success lately, especially on the road, as J. Michael of Comcast Sportsnet details. Offseason addition Trey Burke has made 11 out of his last 17 shots from the field during the last four away games. He also has 10 assists over that stretch.
Former Bucks big man Larry Sanders caused a stir Thursday night when he tweeted that he was ready to return to the NBA. In 2015, the center walked away from the game at 26 years of age, ultimately citing personal struggles with mental health in a video essay for the Players Tribune.
Sanders last saw consistent action in 2012/13, before playing 23 games in an injury-compromised 2013/14 season and 27 games in a 2014/15 season beset by drug-related suspensions absences for personal reasons.
Sanders has reportedly worked out for the Celtics and, while reports that he’s had a meeting with the Wizards are said to be false, he has been training at the team’s facility.
Sanders averaged 9.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game for the Bucks during that 2012/13 campaign.
- Former NBA head coach Larry Brown is open to coaching in EuroLeague, writes E. Carchia of Sportando via Italian newspaper La Gazetta. Brown had reportedly been in touch with Maccabi Tel Aviv but was scared off when they quickly cycled through three head coaches already this season.
- The Windy City Bulls of the NBA D-League have acquired forward Duje Dukan in a trade for a 2017 fifth-round pick, tweets Chris Reichert of The Step Back. Dukan’s last taste of NBA action was with Kings at the start of the 2015/16 season. Earlier this year he had been under contract in Croatia, but the parties mutually split.
- Journeyman point guard Bryce Cotton has reportedly received a 10-day contract offer from an NBA team, writes O. Cauchi of Sportando. The 24-year-old, however, has elected to stay with the Perth Wildcats for the time being. The report originated from Australian journalist Boti Nagy.
- The NBA All-Star Game reserves have been announced. Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated looks at the biggest snubs that didn’t make the roster, including rookie Joel Embiid and injured Chris Paul.
- Since starting the year 3-9, the Wizards have emerged as a contender in the East. At the center of it all has been John Wall, finally getting the opportunity to play at full health, writes Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press. “This charge, the last seven or eight weeks,” head coach Scott Brooks said Thursday, “is because of [Wall’s] ability to lead us and get to the paint and give us a lot of open shots.”
- The Wizards have no intention of adding a big man if Ian Mahinmi will be deemed healthy enough to play during the final stretch of the season, writes J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic. With regard to Mahinmi’s health, however, they’ll have to wait and see. During the summer, Mahinmi was signed to a four-year, $60MM deal. He’s played just one game of action with the team in 2016/17.
It’s no small task for the Wizards to have compiled a 26-20 record, sitting on the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, after getting off to a 2-8 start in 2016/17. Who would have thought that the Wizards – who were called out by John Wall earlier this year for showing a lack of effort – would have the confidence to “bury” the Celtics in a rivalry game?
Now riding a 14-game home winning streak, the Wizards find themselves in position to go on a playoff run. Wall, who has posted a career-best 23.1 points per game on 46.4% shooting, was not shy when asked about the team’s ceiling.
“I see ourselves getting to the Eastern Conference Finals. That’s our goal,” Wall told TNT’s “Inside The NBA” panel on Thursday. “We just figured it out. We all looked ourselves in the mirror and said we all got to do better individually. Our coach held us accountable, and when I lock in on the defensive end, everyone else follows my lead.”
The Wizards have received contributions beyond Wall. Bradley Beal‘s 21.9 points per game are a career-high, and Otto Porter has blossomed into one of the game’s premier long distance shooters (45.6% from beyond the arc).
Friday’s victory was indicative off Washington’s recent progress, as the team earned a 112-86 win over the Hawks, having led by as much as 30 points. What we want to know…
How far can the Wizards go in 2016/17? Are the Eastern Conference Finals far-fetched? Can they surpass Boston or Toronto in the standings? Should they add additional pieces at the trade deadline?
Let us know what you think in the comments section!