ESPN reports that Kevin Durant is a gametime decision vs. the Pelicans Sunday and his status won’t be known until Scott Brooks meets with reporters 90 minutes before tipoff (7:00 p.m. ET).
Durant suffered a “moderate” ankle sprain Thursday vs. the Warriors, after dropping 30 points in the first half vs. the Warriors in what became a Golden State win. The Pelicans are on a back to back and on the road, so one wonders if it might be a good idea to rest Durant for a few more days, but the Thunder obviously feel they have to win every game to get back into the hunt for home court in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
The Knicks have announced that J.R. Smith and Amar’e Stoudemire are out for the Knicks Sunday vs. the Raptors, while Carmelo Anthony, for some reason, will give it a go.
Stoudemire is resting, while Smith has a heel injury. Anthony has spoken openly of the possibility of shutting it down to recuperate his injured knee, but is trying to do anything he can to pull the Knicks’ already-sunk-and-collecting-algae-at-the-bottom-of-the-ocean ship up. The Raptors are 13-3 at home.
This comes as a huge blow for Gallinari, who scored a season-high 19 points in 28 minutes Saturday night against the Pacers. Gallinari is already coming off three surgeries, including a failed experimental procedure which cost him to miss the entire 2013-14 season.
He appeared in 24 games (two starts) and averaged 7.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists while logging 18.8 minutes of game action. There’s no timetable for return, although the Nuggets expect him to return at some point this season.
Could Deron Williams and Mason Plumlee be Kings? (USATSI)
The Sacramento Kings‘ owner Vivek Ranadivé received a lot of attention following the surprise firing of coach Michael Malone when he said his basketball team needed to be more of a jazz band with a jazz director than the “Sousa marching band” they were under Malone. The Kings kept assistant coach Tyrone Corbin on as the interim coach. Corbin was previously the coach of the Utah Jazz where he once coached Deron Williams. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com told us that the Nets could have a hard time moving Williams contract but the Kings may try to swing a deal.
They could be going a different way with this Jazz metaphor and try to get the old band back together. Ken Berger has confirmed reports from Yahoo Sports that the Kings are interested in trading for Williams by sending Darren Collison, Derrick Williams, and Jason Thompson to the Brooklyn Nets. The Kings are said to also want Mason Plumlee in the deal but the Nets aren’t looking to include him. The inclusion of Plumlee would be the presumed needed incentive for a team to want to take on Williams’ contract.
The Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings are discussing a deal centered on former All-Star guard Deron Williams, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The Nets have been shopping their high-priced star players, and the Kings have been probing the market for an impact point guard.
No deal is imminent, but the talks are ongoing, sources told Yahoo Sports.
The talks have centered on sending the Nets point guard Darren Collison and forwards Derrick Williams and Jason Thompson as part of a multi-player package for Williams, league sources said.
Williams still has two years and $43 million left on his contract. That’s a massive committment for any team to make to a veteran point guard with ankle issues. Williams hasn’t been the same player we were used to seeing with the Jazz for years, and while he’s had flashes of brilliance here and there, consistency has been a big problem for him. The Kings’ pursuit of Williams would be an upgrade in talent at point guard over Collison. But is it enough of an upgrade to warrant the jump in salary for their starting point guard from $15 million over the next three seasons to $43 million over two?
For the Nets’ side of it, they’re not contenders and they’re not all that close to figuring it out. They’re basically waiting until the summer of 2016 when they’ll have loads of cap room and roster flexibility. As of right now, they’re a luxury tax nightmare with no real hope for this season or next. Being able to unload this deal for an often injured or injury-slowed former star like Williams for three more manageable contracts would harken back to when the Kings traded Chris Webber to Philadelphia.
Derrick Williams could be a reclamation project for Lionel Hollins and his coaching staff. Jason Thompson is a solid big man that can play next to Kevin Garnett or Mason Plumlee. It’s hard to imagine the Nets would be desperate enough to trade their best young asset in the starting center when he seems to be a long-term solution at center for them.
NEW YORK — With the Mavericks opening trade season with a bang by acquiring Rajon Rondo from the Celtics, the countdown to the Feb. 19 deadline is officially underway. Here’s the latest from around the league:
• The Phoenix Suns, who beat the lowly Knicks 99-90 on Saturday, are in a bit of a quagmire with free agent-to-be Goran Dragic, rival executives say. Multiple teams already are inquiring as to what it would take to break up the Suns’ three-guard rotation of Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas — with Dragic, a prospective free agent, garnering the most attention. Coincidentally, executives have gotten the impression that Dragic is the one Phoenix would most like to keep if they do, indeed, decide to make a move.
From the Suns’ perspective, they’re 11-6 when all three guards play, validating coach Jeff Hornacek’s strategy to play fast with at least two of them on the floor at the same time — an approach that resulted in 48 wins and a near-miss for a playoff spot last season.
“That’s what the guards are here for, to be a three-headed monster,” said Bledsoe, who had 25 points and 10 assists against New York.
The West is every bit as tough, if not tougher, this season. The anticipated rise in the salary cap resulting from the NBA’s $24 billion TV deal has bolstered Phoenix’s hopes of re-signing Dragic, which they fully intend to do, a league source said. But in the meantime, they’ll listen to offers as they try to establish his value on the open market and what it will cost to pay him.
“Right now, I’m going to be 100 percent focused on the team and helping the team,” said Dragic, who had 10 points on 4-for-11 shooting in his second game back after missing two with a strained lower back. “… If it’s going to happen, then it happens. The only thing that I can do is be professional and try to be ready every game and help my teammates. In the end, we’re going to see.”
The team to watch here is Houston, which has been after Dragic since he left as a free agent in 2012. Dragic can, and will, opt out of his $7.5 million contract for next season.
• The Hornets aren’t having much luck drumming up quality offers for Lance Stephenson, who they signed to a three-year, $27.4 million deal this past summer. After winning 43 games last season and making the playoffs, Charlotte is an abysmal 7-19 — and chemistry, or lack of it, is a big part of the problem. The Pacers have had high-level internal talks about making a play for Stephenson, sources say, but there’s a lot of hesitation — and for good reason.
First, if anyone understands the upside and downside to Stephenson, it’s the Pacers. Second, they’re starting to play better and want to see where they stand once George Hill returns from a knee and quad injury that has kept him out all season. Perhaps most important, it’s unlikely that the Pacers would surrender any significant assets to get Stephenson back given that superstar Paul George is out for the season. What does a team that has been to the Eastern Conference finals two years in a row gain from giving up assets to bring back a player who may or may not help them secure the eighth seed?
As for Charlotte, one scout who saw them recently noted that their team-wide defensive intensity has taken a major step back from last season, when they were sixth in the NBA in points allowed per 100 possessions. They’re 22nd in defensive rating this season.
“I’m perplexed by it, because when I watch them, they’re not that bad,” the scout said. “Kemba [Walker] is playing OK, Al [Jefferson] is playing OK, and Lance obviously hasn’t played very well.”
• An interesting aspect of the Rondo deal was how Celtics president Danny Ainge hedged his bets with sandwich protection on the first-round pick that comes over from Dallas. The Celtics only get it in 2015 if it falls in the 4-14 range, which most likely will push the pick to 2016, when it’s top-7 protected. One of the key stumbling blocks in early trade talks around the league is placing a value on first-round picks since lottery reform is coming and no one is sure what form it’s going to take. Ainge also learned from last year’s trade deadline, when not a single first-round pick was exchanged for an expiring contract, and shrewdly decided to get one while the market for Rondo was hot.
The highest price paid for an expiring contract at last year’s trade deadline was two second-round picks, which the Sixers got from Cleveland for Spencer Hawes. By completing the deal before Dec. 19, Ainge also can re-package Brandan Wright, Jameer Nelson and/or Jae Crowder in another trade at the deadline if need be.
• The Nets also are active in the trade market, and have engaged Sacramento in talks about a deal centered around point guard Deron Williams, league sources confirmed. Though a reunion with former Jazz assistant Tyrone Corbin is logical, there’s no significant traction in the Kings-Nets talks — largely due to the Nets’ reluctance to part with forward Mason Plumlee, one person familiar with the talks said. Yahoo first reported the discussions.
Williams, who has two years and $43 million left on his contract, and Joe Johnson, who has one year and $24.9 million left, will be difficult for the Nets to move, rival executives said.
“Those contracts are hard to swallow,” one exec said.
Brooklyn might have better luck unloading Brook Lopez on a rebuilding team willing to take a chance on the injury-prone center, who has one year and $16.8 million left. In any scenario, the Nets have indicated no willingness to take on contracts that go beyond next season, as they are positioned to have $50 million in cap room when the new TV deal kicks in and won’t jeopardize it for a short-term fix, league sources said.
The Suns’ rivals have shown considerable interest in Goran Dragic. (USATSI)
Zach Randolph is not expected to play Sunday vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers with a knee injury, and Tony Allen (eye) will also miss the game. The news comes after a rough week for the Grizzlies in which they played the Warriors, then went to triple-overtime vs. the Spurs the following night. ESPN reports Randolph did not travel with the team to Cleveland.
Randolph, averaging 16.1 points and 11.4 rebounds per game for Memphis, is coming off his best week of the season. It’s a major blow for the Grizzlies’ offense, and Marc Gasol is likely to face consistent and quick double-teams as a result of his absence. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies’ defense is likely to suffer without Allen. Tayshaun Prince started the last game for Allen.
Lance Stephenson has struggled in Charlotte. (USATSI)
The Boston Globe reports part of the problem in Charlotte, in addition to their inability to hit shots, prevent the other team from making shots or win games, is the attitude of free agent pick up Lance Stephenson. Stephenson reportedly is, you guessed it, “clashing with teammates.”
According to league sources, Stephenson has clashed with teammates, and coach Steve Clifford has placed the onus of Stephenson’s adjustment on the team’s veteran players, hoping they could police themselves and convince Stephenson to become more of a team player. Stephenson may become a more attractive piece near the Feb. 19 trade deadline, but the Hornets would want value in return.
Look, the Hornets wanted to make a major jump in the East. To do that, they needed a talent upgrade. They first took a shot at Gordon Hayward, offering him a max contract, which seemed like too much for the young wing. The Jazz matched, and despite the Jazz’s struggles, Hayward has been awesome for Utah. So they got Stephenson. Sometimes you gamble and come up short. The Hornets’ biggest mistake from the offseason may honestly have been not bringing back Josh McRoberts, who gave them the defender, passer, scorer and facilitator they need.
Meanwhile, Stephenson has been a flaming pile of disaster on Charlotte’s lawn, which is why the Hornets have explored trading him. But they haven’t had much luck, according to CBSSports.com’s Ken Berger:
The Hornets aren’t having much luck drumming up quality offers for Lance Stephenson, who they signed to a three-year, $27.4 million deal this past summer. After winning 43 games last season and making the playoffs, Charlotte is an abysmal 7-19 — and chemistry, or lack of it, is a big part of the problem. The Pacers have had high-level internal talks about making a play for Stephenson, sources say, but there’s a lot of hesitation — and for good reason.
“Hey guys, this guy we just signed to a three-year deal is a total disaster for us and has murdered our locker room chemistry beyond all recognition. Who wants him?! Come and get him!”
The Hornets are stuck, but it’s not all because of Stephenson. Kemba Walker‘s shooting woes are problematic, but the biggest issue is Charlotte’s defense — the Hornets were great defensively last year — without a key rim protector, something I talked about with Steve Clifford last year. That’s been absent this season, and it’s hard to pinpoint exactly why that is, which is when you turn to chemistry as a cause. Effort takes you a long way on defense, and effort suffers when you don’t get along with your teammates.
The Hornets still have time to turn this around because they play in the East. But at 8-19, they’re right up against it, even as bad as the East is.
Adam Silver doesn’t think teams are trying to lose. (USATSI)
The topic of tanking in the NBA has been alive and well for years, but it’s really become en vogue with the rebuilding strategy of Philadelphia 76ers‘ general manager Sam Hinkie. When Hinkie took over the Sixers, he started a process of gutting the roster that took about a year before almost the entire squad started to resemble a D-League roster as opposed to a team full of NBA players. While that can appear to be harsh and unfair to the guys in the Sixers’ roster, it’s definitely the perception amongst teams, fans, and pundits.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver told Andy Katz of ESPN that he doesn’t believe any team is trying to lose because players aren’t out there to lose. He cites Philadelphia and says their strategy has been reduced to a headline, but really this is turning into a game of semantics, isn’t it? From ESPN.com:
“I absolutely don’t think any team is trying to lose,” Silver said in an interview with ESPN’s Andy Katz for “Outside the Lines.”
“No player is going out there to lose,” Silver continued. “In terms of management, I think there’s an absolute legitimate rebuilding process that goes on. It’s so hard to win in this league, and it’s so complex.
“I think what’s happened in the case of Philadelphia — their strategy has been reduced into a tweet. This notion ‘be bad to be good.’ … When it gets reduced into a headline, I understand the reaction.”
Nobody actually believes that Michael Carter-Williams and Nerlens Noel are throwing games or not trying their hardest in order to secure the chance to play with Karl Towns, Stanley Johnson, or any of the other highly touted prospects in college basketball. The players and coaches on the Sixers are trying everything they can to secure wins on a nightly basis. The issue isn’t with effort or intent of the players and coaches involved; the issue is with the intent of Sixers’ management.
Under the current system, it behooves bad teams to not put the best product possible on the floor in order to acquire the best lottery odds. Those odds aren’t necessarily all that good in the grand scheme of things, but an advantage in the lottery is still believed to give you the necessary chances to secure a high draft selection. If you’re the worst team in the NBA and lose the lottery completely by not getting a top 3 pick, you’re still guaranteed to slot in at No. 4 in the draft. It’s a straw man argument for the commissioner or anybody to say tanking isn’t happening because players aren’t trying to lose games.
It’s not that the Sixers are actively trying to lose games; the organization just doesn’t care about winning games this season. It was an accusation last season prior to Philadelphia dealing away Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes. After moving Thaddeus Young for a draft pick, selecting two lottery players that won’t play this season, and coming in at around $20 million under the salary cap and $14 million under the salary floor, can Adam Silver honestly say it looks like the Sixers are trying to win games as an organization?
The funny thing about this is there isn’t anything wrong with the team building strategy. It’s a risk to the business of the team because most fans don’t want to pay money to see a team this bad. The Sixers’ reported attendance is about 69 percent of what’s possible in the arena. And if the Sixers’ draft picks over these years of rebuilding and intentionally putting a subpar product on the floor turn out to be great players or key contributors, Philadelphia will be home to some spectacular basketball in a couple of years. But in the interim, we should be honest about the way we phrase what Hinkie and his team are doing.
Not trying to lose is not the same as not trying to win and as we’ve seen with plenty of organizations over decades of the NBA, the front office trying to win games is just as important if not more important than the players on the court wanting to win. The Sixers are singled out in this discussion not because they’re the only team doing it. There are going to be several teams that start sitting players or trying out young guys in order to help them develop while coincidentally dropping some games in the process. It’s a long-term approach that can yield spectacular results when executed properly.
It’s just that the Sixers are the most transparent about this entire process, making them an easy focus of the discussion. Unless the NBA is willing to fix the system by unweighting the lottery or finding an alternative solution to deter “tanking,” some organization is always going to get an accusation of implementing some form of this strategy throughout the rebuilding process. Whichever alternatives are bandied about will undoubtedly bring about slippery slope rebuttals, which are typically time-wasters in the discussion as opposed to actual topics of debate.
I’m with the commissioner on no player actively trying to lose games. The NBA doesn’t have that problem by any means. But do they have 30 organizations trying to win as many games possible this season? Not by the looks of the rosters around the association. That’s fine under the current system, as long as we’re phrasing it in proper context and transparent about the rebuilding process in general.
Robin Lopez is in the tabloids and he understands why. (USATSI)
The life of an NBA athlete can be bizarre and when you’re Portland Trail Blazers‘ center Robin Lopez, you welcome the bizarre. He’s the latest professional athlete to be rumored to dating a Kardashian sister — this time being Khloe Kardashian. She was previously married to Lamar Odom and once dated former NBA player Rashad McCants. After a recent breakup with rapper French Montana, rumors started swirling about that she and Lopez could be an item.
Being the stand-up celebrity that he is, Lopez decided to get out in front of those rumors and while addressing their rumored relationship, he talked about why he understand the tabloids floating their names together as a potential “power couple.” From the Trail Blazers’ site:
Prior to the Trail Blazers’ game versus the Pelicans Saturday night in New Orleans, Lopez addressed the rumor linking the 7-0 center to the 5-10 television personality from Calabasas, CA. Lopez said that, while he cant divine Khloe’s desires, he can understand why the tabloids would float their names as a potential item.
“You know, I’m not exactly certain of the veracity of those rumors,” said Lopez. “But what I can comment on, I suppose, is the fabrication of that power couple by the press. Obviously they were looking for two people with a lot of influence on popular culture, on the youth, and they were looking for two movers and shakers. Frankly, I’m not surprised they came up with my name.”
And now that he’s sideline for at least the next six weeks, Lopez, a native of North Hollywood, said he’s willing to try out the glamorous, fast-paced lifestyle that surely goes hand in hand with dating a Kardashian.
“I’ve got a lot more free time for magazine shoots, guest hosting duties on TV shows and stuff,” said Lopez. “They can contact my agent if they want to. I’m also the associate video guy. That’s one of my new duties. Got a wealth of opportunities even though I’ve only got one hand right now.”
Kardashian has been seen at various Detroit Pistons games, both in Phoenix and against the Clippers in Los Angeles, but USA Today Sports Images does not have a photo of her at a Blazers’ game this season. Lopez also compared himself to The Beatles by saying, “I think the four men of the Beatles are an apt comparison for one Robin Lopez.”
He may not be able to play for a month and a half to two months, but he’s still going to entertain his fans.
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