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[T-Snell]

Bucks’ Bogut out 8-12 weeks with ankle injury


MILWAUKEE (AP)—Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut is expected to miss 8-12 weeks with a fractured left ankle.

The team disclosed the update after more tests on Friday, one day after saying Bogut would be out indefinitely.

Bogut was hurt Wednesday night against Houston when his foot landed awkwardly on a Rockets player’s foot.

In 12 games this season, Bogut averaged 11.3 points, a team-high 8.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, one steal and a team-high 2.0 blocked shots (T-7th in NBA) in 30 minutes per game.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft missed the end of the 2009-2010 season when he dislocated his right elbow and broke his right hand in a fall. He also missed 43 games with an injured lower back in the 2008-09 season.


http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_yl...s-bogutinjured

[T-Snell]

Celtics have interest in Kaman, if bought out


As team president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has maintained for years, he is always looking to improve the roster and the Celtics are keeping its eyes open when it comes to New Orleans center Chris Kaman, who is being offered for trade by Hornets general manager Dell Demps.

According to an NBA source, the Celtics would be interested in Kaman if the impending free agent is bought out of his contract. The Hornets have told Kaman, 29, to stay home while they try to orchestrate a trade. They acquired Kaman in the trade for Chris Paul last month but have decided to go with younger players.

Kaman has averaged 9.2 points and 6.7 rebounds in 22 minutes per game before the Hornets decided to put him on the block. The Celtics only have the veteran's minimum to offer so Kaman would have to agree to a buyout for the portion of the $14 million he is owed this season and then he would have to agree to a deal for the prorated minimum.

The Hornets want a return for Kaman, so it's unlikely he will be bought out unless Demps can't find an adequate deal. The Celtics only have draft picks to offer unless they wanted to part with $14 million in salaries, which is highly unlikely.


http://www.boston.com/sports/basketb...s_have_in.html

[Ljuba90]

Sixers call Knicks about Amar'e Stoudemire trade?

The vultures are swirling around the big, rotten apple.

With the New York Knicks just 7-13 to start the season and All-Star forward Amar'e Stoudemire scoring 8 points per game less than last season, the first rush of trade winds is in effect.

CSNPhilly.com reports that it is the Philadelphia 76ers, an Atlantic Division rival, that phoned the Knicks to inquire about Stoudemire's availability.
According to a league source, the Sixers have inquired about Stoudemire, though it was categorized as “due diligence.” Nothing is said to be imminent or even in the early stages other than just talk, the source said. Nevertheless, in past seasons the Sixers were reportedly discussing trade scenarios with the Phoenix Suns in order to acquire Stoudemire.
The Knicks' early season struggles are well-documented. Without a capable point guard to point the group in the right direction, New York has stumbled out of the gate and is currently tracking to be a lottery team despite the presence of two All-Stars and Tyson Chandler in the starting lineup.

Stoudemire, who drew some MVP talk last season, has been hit particularly hard, averaging just 17.7 points and shooting 42.8 percent from the field so far this season. For comparison, he hasn't averaged less than 20 points in a season in which he was healthy since his rookie year in 2002-2003 and he's a career 53.3 percent shooter. His effectiveness on offense, the only side of the ball where he's a real difference-maker, has plummeted from elite to pedestrian.

To see those changes from a 29-year-old player of his caliber, even one with his injury history, is unusual. The obvious read here is that the struggles are of the situational variety. The lack of a backcourt plus the lockout-shortened season plus the presence of a ball-dominating Carmelo Anthony is a tricky trio for Stoudemire to overcome. Smart teams should be calling.

Of course that doesn't mean that he's actually going anywhere. Including this season, Stoudemire has roughly $83 million left to be payed on the massive contract he signed prior to last season. Given that he can't be amnestied by a team that trades for him, any suitor would assume all of the injury-related risk that the massive contract represents. With the new collective bargaining agreement's harsher luxury tax system kicking in soon, teams are expected to be increasingly wary of having monster type deals on their books for non-monster performers.

The questions right now: Will Stoudemire return to form and, if so, when? If it doesn't happen soon, and in a big way, it will be next to impossible to trade him before the deadline. It it does happen, New York's motivation to keep him skyrockets. Unless his personal improvement brings with it an even deeper team-wide struggle, it's difficult to see a sweet spot created where other teams are interested in his services at his price and New York is willing to part ways.

This was a long-winded way of saying these rumors are premature.

http://eye-on-basketball.blogs.cbssp...48484/34614185

[T-Snell]

Sources: Lakers consider Gilbert Arenas


The Lakers' struggles this season have led them to consider the idea of signing Gilbert Arenas, according to league sources.

No signing is imminent, but with their recent struggles on the offensive end, particularly at the point guard position, the Lakers are wondering if Arenas could provide a boost.

With Steve Blake scheduled to miss the next few weeks with a rib injury, the Lakers have rookies Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock backing up the 37-year-old Derek Fisher.

Goudelock has played well the last two games, averaging 13.5 points on 10 of 18 shooting. If he continues to improve, the Lakers' interest in Arenas could wane.

The Lakers would likely require a workout and an interview with Arenas before signing him, and sources said nothing has been scheduled thus far.

The Lakers were lukewarm to the notion of signing Arenas, 30, in December when he was waived by Orlando.

There has been little interest in Arenas throughout the league, which is one reason the Lakers feel he may be on his best behavior. The combination of Kobe Bryant's strong presence in the locker room and this perhaps being Arenas' last chance to revive his career are reasons the Lakers believe he might handle himself with more maturity.

Arenas, once one of the most prolific scorers in the league, averaged eight points on 34 percent shooting in 49 games with Orlando last season.


http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/...gilbert-arenas

[Monta Ellis #11]

Dwight Howard open to playing with Derrick Rose, Bulls

And the “Dwight Howard said he would play here” tour has moved on to Chicago.

This has all the meaning of a Kardashian wedding vow, but here is the quote from the Chicago Tribune when Howard was asked if he would be open to playing in Chicago with Derrick Rose.

“If I could play with Derrick right now and God wanted that to happen, it will happen,” Howard told the Tribune. “It has nothing to do with me not wanting to play with Derrick Rose. I love him. That’s my brother.”

Howard also tried to shoot down the report that Adidas didn’t want Rose and Howard — their two biggest stars — on the same team.

“It has nothing to do with Adidas,” Howard said. “In fact, Adidas would love that because me and Derrick have the same guy.”

As we have talked about before, Howard is stealing a page from the Carmelo Anthony/LeBron James “force a trade out of town playbook.” Part of that is saying you are open to playing anywhere for any team, just being vague and saying that your agent or God or someone else is in charge but not you.

Which is a load of crap. If Howard wanted to force his way to Chicago he could (or at least could try), but that city was not on the list presented to the Magic. (Those teams were the Lakers, Mavericks, Nets and later the Clippers were added.)

For the Bulls, it would really be a matter of how much they would have to give up — right now they are title contenders on pretty much equal footing with the Miami Heat in the East (they could have won that game Sunday on the road without Luol Deng). If you are that close, do you mess with the team chemistry? Rose and Howard would be an awesome pairing, but if you want evidence of what happens when you strip a roster to get a star, look to New York.

There will be more of these stories out there before the deadline. While the Bulls may make more sense on some level than other teams, until Howard puts them on his list and pushes for it everything is moot.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.c...bulls/related/

[T-Snell]

Lakers show interest in Cavs’ Sessions


The Los Angeles Lakers have talked with the Cleveland Cavaliers about possibly acquiring guard Ramon Sessions, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

No deal is imminent, but the Lakers view Sessions as a candidate who could help their depleted backcourt.

The Lakers are without injured guard Steve Blake, and have relied heavily on rookies Andrew Goudelock and Darius Morris to play behind 37-year-old Derek Fisher.

The Lakers have an $8.9 million trade exception, acquired from the Dallas Mavericks for Lamar Odom, to absorb salary. Sessions makes $4.3 million this season, and has a player option for $4.6 million for the 2012-13 season.

Cleveland is interested in stockpiling draft picks in potential deals, sources said. Several teams have inquired about Sessions lately, front-office sources said. The Lakers have a handful of players on short-term deals who can’t be traded until March 1.

Sessions has been a career 45 percent shooter, but has struggled this season in limited minutes behind No. 1 overall pick Kyrie Irving. He’s shooting 34 percent and averaging 9.1 points.

After two seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, Sessions signed a four year, $16 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves prior to the 2009-10 season. A year later, he was traded to the Cavaliers. He had his best season with Cleveland in 2010-11, averaging 13.3 points, 5.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds a game.

The Lakers also worked out veteran NBA guard Morris Peterson several days ago, sources said. As first reported by Hoopsworld.com, the Lakers have discussed the possibility of signing veteran guard Gilbert Arenas, sources said. He’s been working out in Florida, but no one in the Lakers organization has seen him lately to gauge the kind of shape he’s in. There’s significant resistance in some parts of the Lakers’ front office and locker room on signing Arenas, but there’s also a sense it won’t hurt to at least evaluate him.


http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slu...ers_nba_013012

[T-Snell]

Knicks Still In Kenyon Martin Sweepstakes


GREENBURGH, N.Y. — As the struggling Knicks await the returns of Carmelo Anthony and Baron Davis from injury, they remain alive in the Kenyon Martin Sweepstakes.

Andy Miller, Martin’s agent, reiterated by text Monday that Martin will make his decision “by week’s end.”

The former Net and Denver Nugget is considering the Knicks, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks.

Martin, who helped the Nets reach two NBA Finals, cannot join an NBA team until his former Chinese team, the Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers, finishes their season Feb. 16.

“We’re always going to do something in the sense of always checking, hoping, trying to better,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni, speaking generally, said Monday. “I think that’s a natural thing for any franchise.

“We need to maximize what we’ve got right now on the floor. That’s my job and that’s hopefully what we can do.”


http://www.zagsblog.com/2012/01/30/k...n-sweepstakes/

[T-Snell]

Kenyon Martin deciding which contender to join


Kenyon Martin is expected to decide by this weekend which NBA team he’ll join, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks have expressed interest in signing the veteran forward.

Martin signed with Xinjiang Gyang Hui of the Chinese Basketball Association, but has since returned to the United States. He’s not eligible to sign with an NBA team until Xinjiang’s season ends, which could be as soon as Feb. 16.

“He’s a veteran guy who knows how to win at a high level and in a playoff environment,” one NBA general manager said. “He also plays multiple positions. If you get him to a situation where he can be an Antonio McDyess-type of guy, that’s a heck of a guy to add to your roster.”

Martin, 34, has visited with as many as five teams over the past two weeks and has another meeting scheduled Wednesday, sources said. He averaged 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds in 48 games with the Nuggets last season. Martin wants to join a winning team that gives him consistent minutes.

Martin has been working out in Los Angeles, where he owns a house, and his hometown of Dallas.

If the Lakers don’t sign Martin, they could have interest in adding Rasheed Wallace, who contacted the team several weeks ago, a league source said. Wallace retired after the 2009-10 season, but has told friends he’s interested in returning to the NBA.


http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_yl...tin_nba_013112

[T-Snell]

Lakers ask about Gilbert Arenas


Short on scoring and in need of help in their backcourt, Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown said Tuesday the team has inquired about free-agent guard Gilbert Arenas.



"We've made a call on (him), yes," Brown said. "We've called to see what his status is. That's it."


Brown said there are currently no plans to bring Arenas in for a workout.

"I have not talked to him, I have not watched any tape on him. It's really just conversation," Brown said. "We've had conversation about a lot of players. There are a ton of players out there that we've had conversation about."


Arenas is a three-time All-Star with a career average of 21.7 points per game but last year struggled in Washington before a mid-season trade to Orlando. With the Magic, Arenas' numbers plummeted. He averaged only 8.0 points a game, shooting only 27.5 percent from 3-point range and 34.4 percent overall.


Injuries and league discipline have severely limited his time on the floor, as well. Since the start of the 2007-08 season, Arenas has appeared in only 117 games.


The 30-year-old Arenas is a Los Angeles native.


The need for additional backcourt support is more acute with the absence of veteran point guard Steve Blake, who has missed nine consecutive games heading into Tuesday's home date against the Charlotte Bobcats with a rib injury.

Blake was evaluated by a Lakers doctor Tuesday and was cleared to run on the treadmill moving forward. He also has started to participate in light shooting drills.

Blake originally was expected to be out three to four weeks with the injury, but the Lakers have not updated Blake's timetable since his evaluation.

Brown characterized communication between himself and the Lakers' front office as consistent, but said he hasn't asked for help for specific areas of the roster.

"I'm sure (general manager) Mitch (Kupchak) is doing what he can to help this team get better," Brown said.


http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/s...gilbert-arenas

[T-Snell]

Pau Gasol Brushes Off Soft Label, Shares how Kobe Bryant Speaks Spanish to him During Games


Despite nearly being traded away in a three-team deal for Chris Paul, Pau Gasol is still enjoying his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. While Lamar Odom felt disrespected that his former team wanted to ship him out of town and demanded a trade to Dallas, No.16 has taken it all in stride and continues to deliver for the Lakers.

Gasol is often a target for criticism, particularly for being perceived as being a ‘soft’ player. The Lakers power forward opens up again in the following interview about being disrespected by his fellow peers throughout the NBA, and also about a unique method of communication that is shared between Kobe Bryant and himself on the court.

Pau Gasol joined 790 The Ticket in Miami with Dan Le Batard and Stugotz to discuss having a fun season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Dwight Howard not being that much more talented than him in the low post, Kendrick Perkins and Amare Stoudemire calling him a soft player, not being bother by being called a soft player, and Kobe Bryant speaking Spanish with him on the court.

Are you having fun this year Pau?

“Well I think you nailed it when you say winning is what makes this game fun and so obviously as much as we win or the more we win the more fun we will have. I love winning. Losing is a little painful. A lot painful to me, so the more that we win the more fun that we all will have.”

What do you make of the fact that you came out and said something you have been saying for years that is smart. You said Andrew Bynum and yourself need to get more low post touches because Dwight Howard is not much more talented than we are. What do you make of this comment that you have been saying for years blowing up in the media this time?

“I think I can’t really control if it [the comment] is talked about a lot or not in the media. I just exteriorized my thoughts at the time because we were coming off three straight losses against Miami, Orlando and Indiana and obviously it is all good when we win and I am all about winning. I don’t care too much how much we play, but if we are losing we gotta find ways to win and I think a very effective way is to use your interior game when you have it and play inside out. It makes the game a lot more simpler.”

Why do you think Kendrick Perkins and Amare Stoudemire call you a soft player?

“Sometimes I believe it is guys just talking for the heck of talking. They got nothing better to say and other times I believe there is a little bit of jealousy at times, but I can’t really control what other people say. I can control what I do and what I have been doing throughout my career, which has been very successful and help my team beat better teams. That is as much as I can control and that’s what I focus 100% on, so the rest of the stuff is a couple of guys talking here or there. It does not affect me or interfere with my life.”

So it doesn’t bother you?

“Like I said I am a competitive guy. I always try to give my best effort. Some nights it works better than others, but again it is something that it is brought up after three consecutive finals and two championships. Those thoughts kind of went away with the two championships, but again I play. I play as hard as I can and I do a pretty good job for the most part and I can live with that.”

Is it true during games that you and Kobe Bryant talk in spanish during games, so opponents can’t understand you?

“That is true. It’s more him than me actually cause he just directs me at times to little plays, wrinkles here or there, just little things that he’ll toss to me in spanish, so the opponent wont understand. It was fun…he was fun last night because Kevin Love said something like: ‘Hey we have someone who speaks spanish too, so watch out or something like that.’ It was pretty funny.”


http://sportsradiointerviews.com/201...ngeles-lakers/

[T-Snell]

MRI results show Trail Blazers' Nicolas Batum has a bone contusion on left knee, listed day to day


Exhale, Rip City.

The results of a Tuesday morning magnetic resonance imaging test performed on forward Nicolas Batum's left knee are in and the news is good: Batum merely has a bone contusion and no serious damage.

Batum will miss Wednesday night's game against the Charlotte Bobcats at the Rose Garden and is officially listed as day to day. He is expected to be reevaluated later this week.

The Blazers' backup small forward injured his knee in the closing seconds of the team's 93-89 Monday night loss to the Utah Jazz. During a pivotal play, Batum drove through the lane for a potential game-tying shot and twisted his left knee while trying to cut to the basket.

He immediately collapsed to the court and writhed around in pain, holding his left knee. Batum was helped to the locker room and did not return.

Check the blog later for more details on Batum's injury and the latest from Tuesday afternoon's practice.


http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/in...tum_merel.html

[Monta Ellis #11]

Teams starting to show interest in trade for New Orleans Hornets backup center Chris Kaman

Another day, and another rumored destination for Hornets backup center/forward Chris Kaman, still in limbo and away from the team while New Orleans attempts to negotiate a trade that will satisfy another NBA team and the league office, the de facto team owners.On Wednesday, SI.com was reporting that the Houston Rockets had moved to the front of the suitor line, with various offers of young players and draft picks, apparently the price the Hornets have placed upon any potential deals.

Hornets General Manager Dell Demps was unavailable for comment.

According to the website, talks have revolved around two of Houston’s young players who were top 10 picks in the 2009 draft, center Hasheem Thabeet and power forward Jordan Hill. Thabeet was the second overall pick that year by Memphis; Hill was the eighth overall choice by the Knicks.

The magazine also said second-year forward Patrick Patterson and third-year point guard Jonny Flynn were discussed, along with Terrence Williams, a small forward. The Rockets also have the rights to the Knicks’ 2012 first-round pick.

A Houston television station was reporting Wednesday night that, according to their sources, SI’s report was inaccurate as it related to players involved. The station said the chances of the Rockets trading for Kaman are slim.

Earlier this week, NBA.com indicated Kaman could not be traded until Feb. 14, but that was not correct. He could not be dealt along with another Hornets player before Feb. 14 under new collective bargaining agreement rules.

However, Kaman could be traded singularly at any time. Because he has a $14 million expiring contract, the Hornets likely would not package him with another current player that would add another contract that would complicate the mathematics of the deal.

The Hornets are not obligated to take back any salary in a trade for Kaman, according to sources, and a team acquiring him would only have to part with $9.3 million in player salaries according to league rules, not $14 million.

A league source said Wednesday night that the Indiana Pacers, one of several other teams reportedly in the mix for Kaman, could, in fact, be the leading candidate for a swap.

The Pacers apparently are looking for a backup to Roy Hibbert.

Cleveland, Golden State and San Antonio also reportedly have expressed interest in Kaman, who has not played since Jan. 23, was inactive on Jan. 25 at Oklahoma City, and was told two days later to stay away from the team as it attempted to negotiate a trade. Kaman’s last appearance with the team was Jan. 27 at the morning shootaround.

Kaman’s image has already been excised from the team’s pregame video shown in the arena before introductions.

http://www.nola.com/hornets/index.ss...w_interes.html

[T-Snell]

Clippers, Kenyon Martin agree on a deal


The Clippers and free-agent forward Kenyon Martin have agreed on a mini-midlevel deal that will be finalized as soon as Martin passes a physical, according to an NBA individual familiar with the negotiations.

Martin, who played for the Xinjiang Tigers in China and had been required to wait until their season was over before rejoining the NBA, was cleared to return to the NBA by FIBA, the international basketball federation, Thursday.

Martin is an 11-year NBA veteran who, at 6-foot-9, is expected to bolster the Clippers' inside strength and rebounding performance. He averaged 13.5 points and 7.2 rebounds in his 11 seasons with the New Jersey Nets and Denver Nuggets.

Last season, Martin averaged 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds in Denver. He is 34.

Martin has a home in Los Angeles and is a friend of Clippers guard Chauncey Billups, a teammate with the Nuggets.

Other teams that had been interested in Martin were the Lakers, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks.


http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/spor...on-a-deal.html

[T-Snell]

No Chris Kaman trade, sources say


The New Orleans Hornets have decided to take center Chris Kaman off the trade market and are bringing him back to the team, according to sources close to the situation.


The league-owned Hornets deactivated Kaman last week and told the former All-Star on Friday that he could wait at home while team officials tried to find a new trade home for him.

But after discussions with numerous teams, sources said, New Orleans has decided to end those talks and recall Kaman, though it wasn't immediately clear what sort of role he'll have after Hornets coach Monty Williams announced last week that getting minutes for young players such as Jason Smith, Al-Farouq Aminu and Gustavo Ayon was the staff's priority.

It also remains to be seen, sources said, whether the Hornets' stance is firm, since it is widely expected around the league that Kaman would be dealt before the March 15 trade deadline.


The Hornets acquired Kaman in December as part of the blockbuster deal that sent face of the franchise Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers, but the leaguewide assumption from the start was that New Orleans would turn around and trade Kaman before the deadline, largely because he has an expiring contract.


Kaman, who turns 30 in April, is making $14 million this season. He became the oldest player on the Hornets' roster after being dealt with guard Eric Gordon, Aminu and Minnesota's unprotected 2012 first-round pick for Paul.


With the Hornets hoping to acquire draft picks or other young assets for Kaman, Houston showed the strongest interest in the 7-footer.

But sources said that interested teams -- Cleveland and Indiana were also among those that inquired -- balked at the asking price established by the league officials (Stu Jackson and Joel Litvin) who, along with NBA commissioner David Stern, essentially function as New Orleans' ownership committee until the team is sold.


League spokesman Tim Frank said in a statement: "Dell Demps is the general manager of the Hornets (and) neither Stu Jackson nor Joel Litvin has had any conversations with any teams about a trade for Chris Kaman. Further, neither Stu nor Joel has set any asking price. Any information you are receiving to the contrary is simply not true."

The Rockets were believed to be offering a package built around the expiring contracts of two former top-10 picks from the 2009 draft in Hasheem Thabeet and Jordan Hill. Indiana is the only team in the league with the current salary-cap space available to take in Kaman's contract without sending players back to New Orleans, but no team has yet been willing to meet the Hornets' demands in terms of draft compensation.


Kaman's last appearance with the team was Jan. 27 at the morning shootaround, with the New Orleans Times-Picayune reporting earlier this week that his image had been excised from the team's pregame video shown during introductions at home games.


Kaman was an All-Star in 2009-10 and averaged 18.5 points and 9.2 rebounds for the Clippers that season. In 17 games with the Hornets this season, Kaman is averaging 9.2 points and 6.6 rebounds in 22.7 minutes per game.


Once the Hornets made the decision last week to focus on the development of their young big men, sources said, they approached Kaman and his representative, Rob Pelinka, about Kaman being deactivated until a trade could be consummated. The thinking was that it would be unwise to play Kaman even in spot minutes and risk exposing him to injury if it's clear that he will be dealt before the March 15 trading deadline.


With the Hornets mired at 4-19, building for the future in the wake of Paul's departure has emerged as the organization's clear priority.


http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/75...ket-source-say

[T-Snell]

NBA PM: Howard Forcing His Way to Nets?


When Dwight Howard first demanded a trade in December, the Orlando Magic gave him permission to speak with the New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers. While Howard dodges all questions related to his future, it seems that the 26-year-old is zeroing in on the Nets.

The Lakers have already been informed that Howard won’t sign a long-term deal in Los Angeles, according to sources close to the situation. If the Lakers were to trade for Howard, he would opt out and test free agency. Howard’s interest in Los Angeles has always been overstated, mainly because he doesn’t want to follow in Shaquille O’Neal’s footsteps and he doesn’t want to go through another rebuilding process anytime soon. With Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol is their thirties, Howard would be reaching his prime just as his All-Star teammates are declining.

Multiple sources believe Howard will force his way to the Nets and he certainly has leverage, just like Carmelo Anthony had last year when he would only agree to sign an extension with the New York Knicks. Howard wants to team up with Deron Williams, loves the idea of playing in Brooklyn and knows that the front office will involve him in the decision-making process.

This puts the Magic in a very difficult position. Their options are limited to trading Howard to New Jersey or hoping that a team is willing to acquire the superstar as a rental.

Then again, as RealGM’s Jarrod Rudolph points out, what’s stopping the Nets from being patient and waiting to sign Howard this summer? If New Jersey knows that Howard won’t sign a long-term deal anywhere else, they can hold onto their assets – such as Brook Lopez – and trade them in separate deals to surround Williams and Howard with more talent. Not to mention, if the Nets finish the season as currently assembled, they’ll likely have a top pick in this year’s draft, making their core even scarier.

Howard and Williams talked several times during the lockout and they went out to dinner in Orlando last month, one night before the Nets and Magic faced off on December 29. While the Nets have struggled this season and currently sit at 8-15, their record won’t affect Howard’s decision. He and Williams would form one of the best duos in the league and they wouldn’t have a problem attracting other talented players to Brooklyn.

A lot can change between now and July, but it certainly seems that New Jersey is Howard’s preferred destination.


http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-pm-how...is-way-to-nets