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[T-Snell]

Wolves count down to opening day; Bonzi Wells cut


The Wolves cut guard Bonzi Wells today, so their opening-day roster should be set, barring a last-minute trade.

Wells, 35, hasn't played in the NBA since 2008.

Wolves coach Rick Adelman was in a little more of a chipper mood after Friday's practice than he was Thursday. That tells me he was happy with the work that got done in practice.

Actually, Adelman said the team had two very good practices this week. There will be one more -- early tomorrow morning -- before Monday's opening game against Oklahoma City.

Still, it sounds like Adelman still has a lot to learn about the team. He hasn't settled on a starting five yet, he said, and won't until Monday. When asked if the team was ready, he said he didn't know. "I don't think you ever know until you get out there on the court and play," he said. 'It will be interesting to see how they respond against one of the favorites in the league."

The team's health is improving. Nikola Pekovic (strained groin) again missed practice, but Wes Johnson (ankle) returned after missing Thursday's workout.

Adelman said the coaching staff started prepping the Wolves on Oklahoma City over the last two days. In particular, Adelman has been harping on turnover, and how costly they will be against the Thunder.

One other note: You might have seen this in this morning's paper, but I wanted to get it on the blog just in case. The Wolves resumed their pursuit of Chuck Hayes this week, but the 6-6 center who played for Adelman in Houston reached an agreement again with Sacramento. Hayes and the Kings agreed on a four-year, $21 million contract two weeks ago, but the Kings voided the contract after a routine physical examination diagnosed a heart issue.

Doctors cleared Hayes to play after he underwent 11 hours of testing at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio on Wednesday.Agent Calvin Andrews said Thursday that Wolves had shown "high interest' in his client once again. Minnesota would have used the $5 million midlevel exception to sign Hayes. The Kings, who were well under the salary cap -- reportedly upped their offer to Hayes to $22.3 million for four years.

That's about it. Have a great holiday weekend



http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/136158183.html

[T-Snell]

What will Magic want for Dwight?


Precisely when the Orlando Magic might be willing to trade Dwight Howard is not yet clear.

It's obviously not going to happen fast enough for New Jersey Nets fans, who serenaded their team with chants of "We Want Howard" during a humbling home defeat to the Atlanta Hawks at the Prudential Center on Tuesday night.

In the Nets' home opener.

However ...

There is at least a fairly clear sense out there about what the Magic would eventually want in exchange for Howard if they decide, as widely expected between now and the March 15 deadline, to make sure they get something for their face of the franchise as opposed to risking the possibility that the Team USA center bolts Orlando in July with nothing coming back in return, just like a certain TNT analyst did in the Olympic summer of 1996.

Sources familiar with Orlando's thinking say that a picture of what the Magic will ultimately expect in return for their anchor has indeed begun to emerge, telling ESPN.com this week that Orlando would not hold out for youth and draft picks as the league-owned New Orleans Hornets were ordered to do in the Chris Paul sweepstakes. The Magic, sources say, would instead prefer to bring back multiple established veterans who can keep the team competitive.

Reason being: Orlando has moved into a new arena last season and has a 85-year-old owner in Rich De Vos. Sources say De Vos has little interest in starting over/rebuilding, as evidenced by the recent decisions to trade for Glen "Big Baby" Davis and re-sign Jason Richardson even though Howard's future is so murky.

The trade proposal for Howard that advanced the farthest to date -- before Magic GM Otis Smith publicly announced that he's not ready to part with his 26-year-old star -- would have delivered Nets center Brook Lopez, Portland Trail Blazers swingman Gerald Wallace and at least one first-round pick to Orlando while also seeing the Nets absorb the long-term contracts of Hedo Turkoglu and Chris Duhon for the right to take Dwight with them to Brooklyn.

Sources told ESPN.com that the aforementioned Hawks, meanwhile, engaged Orlando in trade talks for Howard earlier this month with an offer believed to be headlined by $124 million guard Joe Johnson and swingman Josh Smith. You have to figure that the Magic, though, would insist on Al Horford if such discussions ever got serious.

The Hawks are not on Howard's short list of preferred trade destinations alongside the Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, even though Atlanta is his hometown. That's presumably because Howard wants no part of Atlanta's perpetually unsettled ownership situation. The Hawks nonetheless took the risk of pursuing Howard anyway and, according to sources, felt like they were making some semblance of progress before the Magic shut down talks.

Yet it appears that the Magic, as the Orlando Sentinel reported earlier this month, are inclined to wait until closer to the trading deadline before making a move to keep open the possibility that Howard has a change of heart and consents to a contract extension that prevents him from reaching free agency.

It remains to be seen if Orlando will win enough in the short term to stay patient, but it's a stance the Magic believe they can afford to take because, as Smith told the Sentinel's Josh Robbins: “I don’t think there’s anything on the table that won’t be on the table three months from now."

Howard's agent, Dan Fegan, has formal permission from the Magic to discuss trade possibilities with the three teams (Nets, Lakers and Mavs) atop Howard's wish list. The strongest signals in circulation indicate that Howard has the Nets in the top spot on that list, since that would allow him to play alongside fellow All-Star Deron Williams, move with the Nets to Brooklyn starting next season and -- perhaps as important as anything, one source maintains -- hush the criticism about following Shaquille O'Neal's career script too closely by choosing to spurn the Lakers instead of joining them.

Yet I have heard from multiple teams observing the Dwight Sweepstakes suggest that the best offer Orlando is likely to see could be a three-way deal reminiscent of the trade construction that the Lakers and Houston Rockets hatched in their near-trade for CP3 that was ultimately vetoed by NBA commissioner David Stern in his role as the Hornets' stand-in owner.

If the Lakers reach the point that they're willing to give up both Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol in a three-way Dwight deal with the Rockets, Orlando could conceivably come away with Bynum, Luis Scola and Kevin Martin, with Gasol landing in Houston as he would have in the original Paul trade. That would undoubtedly be a strong trio to start over with, in addition to shedding Turkoglu and perhaps Duhon, who are both signed through the 2013-14 season at a combined cost of roughly $45 million.

But here's the thing: L.A. might not get to that point. If the Lakers are unwilling to give up both Bynum and Gasol, as some insiders suggest, that trade concept will never progress to an active discussion.

Complicating things further, of course, is the recent foot injury suffered by the Nets' Lopez, whose best attribute -- if you're comparing him to Bynum – had been his durability until this setback. It's anyone's guess now as to whether Lopez will be healthy enough to include in a trade package if/when the Magic are finally ready to deal … or if New Jersey will have to try to rope in an additional team or two to assemble an offer good enough to trump the Lakers and any other team willing to gamble on Howard without him committed to re-signing and win the race to DH12.


http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/pos...ant-for-dwight

[T-Snell]

T-Mac to Howard: Be careful what you wish for


NEWARK, N.J. – Tracy McGrady forever will be remembered on the wrong side of the superstar alliances, a career of what-ifs with those Grant Hill and Yao Ming partnerships perishing with fractured bones and twisted ligaments. Between Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard, McGrady had been the smaller, sleeker franchise star wanting to leave the Orlando Magic.

Now at 32 years old with the Atlanta Hawks, the knee operations behind him, McGrady has been seared with the scars of professional regret. He won scoring titles, earned tens of millions of All-Star votes and made tens of millions of dollars. As history goes, it’s never worked out right for T-Mac. No titles, no finals, no significant advancements in the playoffs.

Nevertheless, McGrady was one of the originals who inspired franchises to clear salary-cap space, to partner with another All-Star, and few have lived the free-agent frenzy like him. Yes, McGrady knows of Howard requesting a trade to the New Jersey Nets to play with Deron Williams, but he doesn’t care about the Nets’ shiny new arena in Brooklyn, the Russian billionaire owner willing to spend and spend. For whatever it’s worth, T-Mac doesn’t see Howard and the Nets.

“I can’t see him coming here,” McGrady told Yahoo! Sports late Tuesday inside the visiting locker room at the Prudential Center. “If it’s just Dwight and D-Will, he’s better off just staying in Orlando. You want to go to a team that’s championship caliber, and just him and D-Will won’t get it done. There’s got to be other pieces around to make it look sweet.”

In the most awkward game of the young season, the depleted Nets play the Magic on Thursday night in Orlando. The Nets’ Brook Lopez is out several weeks with a broken foot, and the starting five and bench surrounding Williams is beyond brutal. The Nets have gutted themselves for the cap space to re-sign Williams and sign Howard this summer, entrusting the franchise’s future on the belief they will secure the best center on the planet.

If Howard goes elsewhere, so does Deron Williams, and, yes, general manager Billy King’s plan would come tumbling down. It’s a bold gamble, the highest risk-reward scenario in memory – the kind that unfolded with Orlando and the Chicago Bulls in the 2000 free-agent market for McGrady, Grant Hill and Tim Duncan.

It’s so hard for players to visualize a different day for the Nets, a Brooklyn arena that still is under construction. And so much easier to make a case for the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks and an owner, Mark Cuban, who is fully engaged in the championship chase. After watching the Nets offer no resistance to the Hawks in a 106-70 dismantling Tuesday night, T-Mac’s vision of Howard’s future had been further validated in his own mind.

“D-Will is from Dallas,” McGrady said. “You’ve got Dirk Nowitzki there. They’re going to have [cap space] there. That looks sweet. Dirk. D-Will. And then you get Dwight Howard. That’s it, right there.”

The Mavericks will have space for one star, but after possible contract buyouts and an amnesty waiver, it would still take a team to accept the final two years left on Shawn Marion’s contract to get the Mavericks near $30 million in room next summer to sign Williams and Howard. “And that would be really hard because they don’t have a first-round pick [to send with Marion] until 2014,” one league executive said.

Now in the late stages of his career, McGrady has tried to climb aboard one of these super-teams, one of these championship contenders. There was no room for him in Miami, nor Los Angeles, nor Chicago. The Hawks are a good fit, a team that needs him for its bench. McGrady played a pain-free, productive season for the Detroit Pistons a year ago, and there was life in those legs as he scored 12 points against the Nets on Tuesday. He’s come to peace with his standing in the sport, a superstar no more. Still, McGrady has been dutiful in his work with renowned trainer Tim Grover at Attack Athletics in Chicago, and the reward has been a second act for his reconstructed knee.

“There’s so many stars in this league, and we come and go,” McGrady said. “I’m not what I used to be, but I’m still able to go out and help a team win ballgames.”

In retrospect, McGrady is realistic with what could’ve been. He doesn’t speak of missed championships with the Magic and Rockets, but of the genuine possibilities. “If Grant had been healthy when I was in my prime in Orlando, just think of what we could’ve done when the East was so weak,” he said. “And there’s no doubt in my mind we would’ve played in the Finals in [2009] when Yao and I got hurt in Houston. We had Ron Artest, and [went seven games] with the Lakers. … I wish it would’ve worked out.”

As the original owner of a lifetime shoe deal with Adidas, a man with no championships, no glistening playoff legacy, McGrady rejects the idea that Howard ought to let his endorsement-earning power with the shoe company dictate anything about his desire to play for the Bulls. For Adidas, there’s far less of a return on Howard’s stardom to have him sharing the Chicago stage with the company’s biggest endorser, Derrick Rose.

“You’re going to have other endorsements because you’re playing in a big-ass city like Chicago, and because you’re [bleeping] Dwight Howard,” McGrady said.

And a Howard-Rose combination?

“Hell yes, championship,” McGrady said. “Championship. There’s no doubt about it.”

At the end in Orlando in 2004, there came a threshold of no return between McGrady and the organization. He had to leave, and the Magic finally moved him to Houston. Clearly, the Magic are rightfully resisting that moment of truth with Howard, but it’s probably inevitable they’ll have to trade him before they lose him to free agency. Superman’s a different kind of franchise star, an irreplaceable Hall of Fame center.

“I’ve been watching Orlando play, and I think they let it go too far – to where they can’t compete for a championship,” McGrady said. “Dwight’s going to find a sweeter spot for him next year with him being a free agent, with D-Will being a free agent, and Dallas already having an established star there. … Yup, Dallas.”

And then he laughed and said, “You heard it from me first.”

McGrady doesn’t have to do the heavy lifting on Dallas’ salary cap to make it happen – that’s someone else’s job. He took one look at the Nets, and made an understandable declaration. Williams won’t handle this losing well this year, and everyone knows that. This is the highest-risk, highest-reward gamble of all with the Nets: Howard or bust.

“If you think another place looks sweeter, it might not be sweeter than where you are,” McGrady said. “If you’re competing in the playoffs, and you’re a couple pieces away, sometimes it’s better to try and make it work there. In the Dwight situation, though, I think Orlando has made some bad moves.”

McGrady shrugged and smiled. He finds this scenario so fascinating, perhaps because he sees it all through the unique prism of experience. Once, the whole NBA was clearing salary-cap space for Tracy McGrady, and now it’s Dwight Howard. Now it’s someone else. McGrady knows the drill. As he said, so many stars in this league, and they all come and go. On his way out, T-Mac watches one more go down that jagged journey chasing a championship, and he’s living proof this pursuit often ends with far more regret than it does rejoice.


http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_yl...ard_nba_122811

[T-Snell]

Sources: Mavs, Yi Jianlian agree on deal


The Dallas Mavericks are about to sign a player they've long coveted, reaching terms Saturday on a one-year contract with free-agent forward Yi Jianlian, according to sources with knowledge of the deal.


The contract is likely to be finalized within the next 48 hours, sources said.

The 6-foot-10 power forward has spent the past four seasons in the NBA but was still available in free agency thanks in part to a knee injury Yi suffered during a brief stint playing for the Guangdong Southern Tigers, after helping the Chinese national team clinch a spot in the 2012 London Olympics earlier in the summer.


Yi averaged 16.7 points and 10.3 rebounds in three games with Guangdong but has been recovering from a knee injury after a teammate fell on him during a game.


Sources told ESPN.com that Yi will join the Mavericks' D-League affiliate Texas Legends in nearby Frisco on a rehabilitation stint before joining the Mavericks to help reacquaint the 24-year-old with full-speed basketball.


Sources said Yi also considered signing with the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs before settling on Dallas.


Playing in the D-League would reunite him with Legends coach Del Harris, who coached China to an eight-place finish at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. In 2011 with the national team under American coach Bob Donewald, Yi averaged 16.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks and earned tournament MVP honors while leading China to the championship.


The Mavericks have mostly been looking at centers to fill their 15th and final roster spot in the wake of Tyson Chandler's free-agent departure to the New York Knicks.


Sources said the Mavericks remain interested in burly free agent Kyrylo Fesenko, but they'd now have to release someone currently on the roster to make room for the 7-1, 290-pound big man who spent his first four seasons with the Utah Jazz. ESPNDallas.com reported Friday that Fesenko was strongly leaning toward taking a one-year minimum offer from Dallas after the Ukranian's expected deal with Golden State collapsed.


The Mavericks were well-acquainted with Yi's game long before he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the sixth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft, thanks to Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson's longstanding connections to China. Dallas was the first NBA team to successfully sign a Chinese player, drafting Wang Zhi-Zhi with the 36th overall pick in 1999 and ultimately bringing him over during the 2001-02 season.


Yi spent last season with the Washington Wizards and has career averages of 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds.


Unlike Wilson Chandler, J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin and Aaron Brooks -- who signed in China during the lockout and who will not be able to return to play in the NBA until the Chinese season ends in March -- Yi will receive his FIBA letter of clearance from Guangdong to immediately join the Mavericks because the Chinese Basketball Association's rules forbidding in-season out clauses for NBA players does not apply to Chinese nationals.


http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/...al-sources-say

[T-Snell]

T’wolves yet to offer star an extension


Just when the must-see Ricky Rubio Timberwolves, the preeminent 2-3 team in NBA history, are becoming post-Kevin Garnett relevant, I got the call yesterday I didn’t want to hear.

According to the messenger, All-Star Kevin Love has not been offered an extension.

Think the double-double emperor’s feelings are bruised?

Think agent Jeff Schwartz might be putting the pressure on GM David Kahn and owner Glen Taylor to make a proposal pronto?

You got that right; according to my source, if one isn’t submitted by Jan. 15, 10 days before the league deadline to enrich players in Love’s position (Russell Westbrook is another), then don’t bother.

Supposedly, the restricted free agent — back for season four in superior shape and with amplified area-code accuracy — then will refuse to re-sign this summer or, if things are prolonged, the one after.

Obviously, Kahn and Taylor are not going to let that happen. Obviously, they’re not going to bungle this million dollar baby. Obviously, they’re going to do the right thing.

Come on, this is easy.

After a mortifying four-year term, the Timberwolves have assembled a cluster of legitimate playoff pieces. Think management is going to mess this up?

The additions of Rubio and Derrick Williams impeccably supplement Love, Michael Beasley (OK, I’m being kind; he continues to shoot too many unsavory shots), Darko Milicic, Anthony Tolliver, Anthony Randolph, Wesley Johnson and Luke Ridnour. And Rick Adelman and his staff are there to guide and comfort them.

Now is not the time Love should be remotely leaning to leave.

For the first time in his college and pro career, he has a coach who understands the value of keeping him close to the boards on defense (vs. showing 20 to 25 feet away) and putting the ball in his hands when circumstances shriek for cold-blooded makes.

With all due respect to Ridnour, whose creativity is limited and judgment suspect (feeding Beasley the ball outside three straight times makes it all worthless), it’s also the first time Love is runnin’ with Wolves who flaunt a miracle whip pack leader in Rubio whose adroit looks give everyone an enhanced chance to score.

That includes Love, who now boasts a graceful step-back from beyond high tide (5-for-6 on 3-pointers in Sunday’s win over Dallas). During a crucial fourth-quarter stretch after the Mavericks had closed a 15-point deficit to 84-82 with 5:03 remaining, Love delivered back-to-back from off-shore.

Following a Randolph corner 22-footer, Rubio (14 points, seven assists) and Love (averaging 25 points and 15.2 rebounds; career averages: 15.2 and 11.8) pooled their intellect for a captivating, wrap-around bounce pass in traffic and layup finish.

Jonny Flynn might want to stay up all night and study the tape of that play.

OK, so why is Love’s posse freakin’ out? More important, why hasn’t management taken care of business?

As usual, it’s all about the benjamins. One of the league’s new rules authorizes a team to designate one of its own a maximum paid player — five years vs. four — once during the current collective bargaining agreement. A team may sign a second max player as long as it’s an opponent’s free agent.

Love knows for sure he’s going to strike it rich. It’s just a matter of how rich. Taylor is certain to commit to four years, some $60 million. Five years is in the neighborhood of $78 million. The sole reason the fifth year is temporarily uncertain is because the T’wolves then would be restricted to re-enlisting Rubio or Williams (he’s that good!) — or signing an acquired franchise-caliber player — for four years down the line.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade sacrificed money so Chris Bosh could be sufficiently compensated by the Heat. No doubt the Timberwolves are hoping Love will be down with the same concept.

* So, DeMarcus Cousins has demanded the Kings trade him.

“I’m on it,” David Stern said.

“Might DeMarcus need DeMedication?” wonders column chondriac Richie Kalikow. “Sometimes he’s funny, sometimes confrontational. Haven’t seen such diverse behavior in Cousins since Patty and Cathy Duke.”

Marreese Speights is buried so far down Doug Collins’ 76ers bench, it would take an injury to Harvey Pollack for him to get playing time.

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert described the new CBA as “fair overall.” He made the announcement during a one-hour special hosted by Jim Gray.

In a quirk of this condensed-soup schedule, the Celtics — who began a five-game homestand last night in a back-ender against the Lizards — actually have four days off after Friday night’s game against the Pacers.

Not to suggest they’re old, but during the rare hiatus, the Celtics plan to stay in shape by dusting one another.

* I understand it’s a mere one game, and that one game was against the defensively-deficient Sacrificial Kings, but sans Amar’e Stoudemire, the Knicks looked so much more cohesive, Michael Douglas could have been playing the point.

“If I’m a Time Warner customer and I’m without the Knicks, Rangers, Devils and Islanders during this latest cable hissing contest, I demand to have the Nets removed, too,” decided column castigator Frank Drucker.

It’s not all bad for Screw Jersey. Seems Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is planning to kick-start his Russian presidential campaign with a big showing today in Iowa.


http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_...5xYqSInJTASK/1

[Ljuba90]

Report: Celtics have called about Cousins

The Boston Celtics have been involved in a half-dozen trade rumors since the lockout ended. It's assumed that they're pursuing one of the 2012 top free agents, but it's also apparent that they're just looking towards the future after the Big 3 to build a core going forward.

Meanwhile, the Kings continue to clash with temperamental power forward DeMarcus Cousins, even as Cousins rejoined the team off the bench Tuesday night in a loss to Memphis. The Kings continue to insist they will not trade the fiery big man, but having openly said he's demanded a trade, they're going to get offers.

You see where this is going. From the Boston Herald:
The Celtics, like most teams, have called Sacramento to gauge what it would take to trade for DeMarcus Cousins. The young, disgruntled Kings center has been suspended from the team for his disagreements with coach Paul Westphal.“It’s highly unlikely,” a league source said of the Celtics’ chances of landing Cousins. “I’m not sure that any team is going to get him. The thing is that everyone knows he’s a wreck. They’re not going to get what he’s worth.”
via Celtics plays it safe, sit hamstrung Jermaine O’Neal - BostonHerald.com.

The Celtics make a ton of sense as a trade partner. They have expiring contracts of veterans who could help the young players on the Kings go forward while keeping the team's financial flexibility. But they lack any significant asset to lure the Kings into even talking about moving Cousins, which they're resisting anyway. The Celtics wouldn't want to part with Rajon Rondo without getting a player like Tyreke Evans back alongside Cousins, and that's too much for the Kings to surrender, despite their struggles this year.

But for the moment, enjoy the concept of Kevin Garnett sharing a locker room with DeMarcus Cousins. The word, I believe, is kaboom.

http://eye-on-basketball.blogs.cbssp...48484/34189220

[Ljuba90]

Manu Ginobili breaks bone in hand, out 6-8 weeks

According to Gregg Popovich, Ginobili will be out 6-8 weeks with the broken bone in his hand.

The San Antonio News-Express reports that Manu Ginobili broke the fifth metacarpalin his left hand during the Minnesota Timberwolves Monday night.
Ginobili, who is left-handed, appeared to suffer the injury reaching in an attempt to strip the ball from Timberwolves forward Anthony Tolliver as Tolliver went up for a shot near the 3-point line.

The two-time All-Star immediately grimaced in pain and clutched the left hand with his right, Spurs head athletic trainer Will Sevening sprinting to his aid.

X-rays taken at the arena revealed the broken bone.
via Spurs Nation » Ginobili suffers broken left hand.

This is pretty much as close as it gets to disaster for the Spurs. Ginobili is the engine that drives this team now, with Tim Duncan spiraling towards retirement. His elbow injury last April had a huge impact in the Spurs' first round loss to the Grizzlies, as Manu was far from 100 percent.

The Spurs had gotten off to a hot start, winning with defense and a healthy dose of Ginobili, versus the three-point attack they utilized last season. This is a pretty devastating injury in a lockout-shortened season for San Antonio.

http://eye-on-basketball.blogs.cbssp...48484/34168271

[Ljuba90]

Zach Randolph out up to 8 weeks with knee injury

After a dream season in 2010-2011, the Memphis Grizzlies are now living a nightmare.

The Memphis Commercial-Appeal reports that Grizzlies star forward Zach Randolph could miss up to two months after an MRI revealed a "slight" MCL tear in his right knee.
Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph will miss up to eight weeks after magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed that he suffered a slight tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee, sources with knowledge of the situation told The Commercial Appeal. The injury will not require surgery and doctors will re-evaluate Randolph in two weeks.
An 8-week absence would mean that Randolph is not available until after the 2012 NBA All-Star Game.

Randolph, a multi-talented scorer and aggressive rebounder, is averaging 14.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in four appearances so far this season. For his career, Randolph averages 17.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.

Randolph's knee injury, which was originally called a bruise, occurred during a Sunday loss to the Chicago Bulls. Video is below.

Back in April, during Memphis' run to the Western Conference semifinals, the Grizzlies reportedly signed Randolph to a 4-year contract extension worth $71 million.

Memphis recently lost forward Darrell Arthur to a season-ending injury as well, and reportedly have engaged in a 3-team trade to land Philadelphia 76ers big man Marreese Speights to help address their suddenly thin frontcourt.

http://eye-on-basketball.blogs.cbssp...48484/34191401

[T-Snell]

Video report: Knicks willing to trade Stoudemire to rent Howard


The Knicks have opened talks that would send Amare Stoudemire to Orlando in a swap to rent Dwight Howard, reports Donny Marshall — former NBA player and current CSNNE reporter — on NBC SportsTalk Thursday. In the video above the talk of the trade starts at the 3:30 mark.

There are a whole lot of questions around this one. Starting with, the Knicks are not one of the teams on Howard’s list where he said he would sign an extension (Nets, Lakers, Mavericks and Magic). If they get him, the Knicks would essentially risk just renting him because Howard could opt out at the end of the season and leave with the Knicks getting no compensation. Clearly, if they got him they think they could get him to change his mind and sign long term.

Thing is the Knicks already have a good center — they just signed Tyson Chandler to a four-year, $58 million deal. Is the plan to ship Chandler out, too? Trade him to Orlando for the Hedo Turkoglu deal? Because the cost of keeping Howard (who will get a new max deal) and Chandler would put the Knicks way into the new, increasingly stiff luxury tax.

Would the Knicks really ship out Stoudemire, the guy who came in to inspire the fan base after the Knicks missed on LeBron James? That just seems cold.

This report comes just after we heard the Warriors are aggressively going after Howard as a rental.

Two things. First, if and when the Magic do decide to seriously entertain offers for Howard there will be bids from 29 other teams. He’s the best center walking the planet, a franchise anchor, you’d be foolish not to at least take a shot.

Second, if I were the Magic and were trying to get better offers out of the Nets and Lakers, I would be leaking all kinds of “hey, team X wants to give us all this just to rent Howard” rumors in an effort to drive up the price. I have no doubt Marshall heard this from a reliable source, I’m just saying this plays into the Magic’s hands. When you hear NBA rumors, think about who benefits from having that information public, it gives everything a different perspective.


http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.c...o-rent-howard/

[T-Snell]

Sources: Flip Saunders safe, despite slow start


Despite the Wizards being off to a franchise-worst 0-8 start, the organization does not have any intention of firing Coach Flip Saunders at this time, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation.

In more than two seasons with the team, Saunders is just 49-123 and the Wizards have set franchise records for consecutive road losses (25) and consecutive losses overall (16). After the Wizards suffered a humiliating 21-point home loss to Minnesota on Sunday, Saunders was asked if he felt that he was running out of chances to get through to his players.

“No I don’t fear that,” Saunders said. “I think I know the process that we’re going through, and I know it’s a painful process.”

Saunders is in the third year of a four-year, $18 million contract that he signed in April 2009.

He was hired to lead a team featuring Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison to the playoffs but was forced to lead the franchise through its rebuilding efforts after Arenas brought guns into the locker room and forced President Ernie Grunfeld to blow up the roster.

According to one source, Wizards owner Ted Leonsis doesn’t want to change course on the rebuilding plans and incorporate a “plan B” just eight games into the season. Leonsis would like to see progress with the team but has never been known to make emotional or rash decisions, given his history with the NHL’s Capitals. He has also written several times on his blog that the process of building through the draft would be difficult.

Leonsis wrote on Monday, “There is a lot of noise right now – and lots of angst – I have found the best thing to do in times of stress and turmoil is to do research; be analytical; NOT emotional; and try to find ways to improve. . . . Obviously – no one is happy with the progress we are making as a team; it is important that we be measured and smart in how we move forward.”

Saunders said he would have to do a better job but complained that the players aren’t doing their homework, though his staff equips them with scouting reports well in advance of games. His players agreed.

“I don’t feel everybody is listening and following behind what he says and doing what he wants us to do,” Andray Blatche said.

Saunders is the third coach for Blatche, Nick Young and JaVale McGee, a trio that remains inconsistent despite enhanced roles within the team. When asked if Saunders’s message was getting through the players, Wall said, “I think it’s getting through. It’s just tough playing out there.”

Rookie Chris Singleton criticized the Wizards’ losing culture after his first game but noted that the players aren’t displaying the toughness needed to turn around the situation. They held a players-only meeting after starting the season 0-6, but have yet to produce any different results.

“You got to want to win,” he said. “Like coach says, if it doesn’t work the first time, you got to fix it. The main two words he uses in practice are ‘Fix it.’ That’s when the players have to come together and fix it. We can talk about to all we want but we have to show it out there on the court.”


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...izards-insider

[T-Snell]

Gerald Wallace will not seek contract extension this season with Trail Blazers


Because of limitations with the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, Gerald Wallace will not seek a contract extension with the Trail Blazers this season, his camp has informed the team.

However, after this season, Wallace will be open to an extension, his representatives said, adding that Wallace loves Portland and is open to retiring in a Blazers uniform.

Wallace is under contract for this season and the 2012-2013 season, but he can opt out of the final year of his contract, which would pay him $11.4 million. The Blazers had hoped to avoid that potential scenario and in December had casual conversations with agent Rob Pelinka to extend his contract this season. However, under the new CBA, the Blazers can only extend Wallace for two more seasons, down from the four-season option in the previous CBA.

If Wallace opts out this summer and becomes an unrestricted free agent, he can sign with any team for as many as four seasons, but the Blazers would hold significant bargaining chips. If Wallace opts out, the Blazers would hold his Bird Rights because they acquired him in a February 2010 trade, and as a result would be able to offer him five years and more money.

Wallace has not made a decision on whether he will opt out of his contract or accept the $11.4 million for the 2012-2013 season. An advantage to opting out is this summer figures to feature more than 10 teams who are under the salary cap, creating a potentially lucrative free agent market. Plus, at age 29 with a family that includes four children, Wallace would like to establish long-term security as soon as possible.

Blazers interim general manager Chad Buchanan said he feels good about the intentions of both sides.

"There is a genuine interest on both ends,'' Buchanan said. "We value Gerald and what he brings to this team. We are open to discussing something long-term if it makes sense financially.''

Wallace is averaging 15.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.25 steals in 32.9 minutes a game.


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

[tuta bugarin]

ej
samo davi potsetim šta mije jedared pričo
ortak mi spasa:

kaže spasa
kaže
iu draftu
ai šire
najbolje se kotiraju embijejski igrači oni šta umeju da pravu dabli-dabli
a
isto tako takodžer
ion je kaže imo dabli-dabli učinak
sinoć kod svoje jagodinke ito na gostujućem terenu
kaže
daviš
slakoćom
bijo ga veli baš krenijo šut pakako gođ dopali aon umbaci




vaš lutajući reporter tuta bugarin
eskluzivno za rumbliku kolorado cirkuz toes enbi ej
nešta od draftiranju statistiki procentima
i takoto

[T-Snell]

Sources: Nuggets, Gallinari talk extension


Negotiations on a contract extension are underway between Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari and his representatives, according to sources close to the situation.

Jan. 25 is the deadline for such extensions and Gallinari has joined Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, Minnesota’s Kevin Love and Portland’s Nicolas Batum at the top of the list of players hoping to join Chicago’s Derrick Rose in receiving a new deal before that buzzer sounds. Rose is the only player from the 2008 NBA draft to sign an extension so far.

The current leaguewide expectation is that only a few more Class of 2008 draftees will actually land extensions in the next 12 days, as teams don’t necessarily have to rush knowing that all of the above become restricted free agents on July 1 without an extension as long as they receive a qualifying offer by June 30.

Other top draftees from the class of 2008 include Minnesota’s Michael Beasley, Memphis’ O.J Mayo, New Orleans’ Eric Gordon, Charlotte’s D.J. Augustin, New Jersey’s Brook Lopez, Indiana’s Roy Hibbert, Washington’s JaVale McGee and Orlando’s Ryan Anderson.

Gallinari started the season slowly, averaging just 12.3 points on 34.1 percent shooting in Denver’s first four games, but he’s leading the Nuggets in scoring now at 17.2 points per game on career-best 47 percent shooting from the floor. Yet it remains to be seen whether Denver, fresh off re-signing Nene and swingman Arron Afflalo for a combined $110 month last month, is prepared to do another big deal now or ask the Italian forward to wait.


http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/pos...xtension-talks

[Ernesto]

Nets Set To Trade Deron Williams?

The writing is on the wall in New Jersey, where the Nets were hoping to make a big splash in free agency and managed to pull off little more than a ripple. Their dare-to-be-great move to acquire Deron Williams last season was supposed to be the first step in an agressive move towards contention, but by missing out on all of their big-name free agent targets during free agency they find themselves in a difficult position.

Much like the Denver Nuggets last season and the New Orleans Hornets and Orlando Magic this year, the Nets have to decide whether they can afford to gamble on their franchise player staying put.

Deron Williams can be a free agent this summer, and with the Nets stumbling along through a 3-10 start its becoming increasingly less likely that Williams will want to commit his foreseeable future to the team. The Nets have been in a desperate pursuit of Dwight Howard, but with the Magic refusing to engage in trade talks – even if the Nets had the necessary assets to start a conversation - the Nets are now reportedly considering dealing Williams before the trade deadline to avoid possibly losing him for nothing.

This situation has become all-too-familiar in the NBA in recent years. The Toronto Raptors went through it two summers ago with Chris Bosh, as did the Cleveland Cavaliers with LeBron James. L year the Denver Nuggets traded Carmelo Anthony to avoid losing him, and this season the New Orleans Hornets traded Chris Paul before the season even started for the same reason.

With Orlando playing well and the Magic determined not to trade their superstar center, it seems the Nets will have little choice but to see what they can get in the open market for Williams. The Dallas Mavericks hope to be Williams’ top choice in free agency, believing the lure of playing both at home and with Dirk Nowitzki will make it hard for Williams to consider anything else, but the Mavericks may be loathe to make an offer in trade for a player they can probably sign outright next summer.

New Jersey’s best-case scenario, as with other teams that have faced this situation, is to find a team with which Williams would agree to sign an extension and put together a deal with that team.

In other words, the Nets are about to start agressively shopping their All-Star point guard.


http://www.hoopsworld.com/nets-set-t...deron-williams

[T-Snell]

Despite struggles, it's not time for Celtics to make major changes


BOSTON -- The last time the NBA had a schedule like this, the 1999 playoffs turned upside down. The Knicks, a No. 8 seed, reached the NBA Finals.

That kind of upset run doesn't happen in normal NBA seasons, and this -- as everyone knows -- is no normal season. The lockout and the pressures of squeezing more games into a shortened window have rewarded the teams that were ready to play and punished those that have been trying to get up to speed. Doc Rivers's Celtics have been in the latter category.

"For a lot of the older teams, that's why they're in trouble with the schedule,'' he said. "They were going into the season thinking, Let's just get to the playoffs. The younger teams were thinking about individual games and playing hard and being aggressive, and it was a different vibe.''

The provocative question is whether the league will revert to normal at the end of April. By then the worst fear of a younger home-court seed in the Eastern Conference may be that the Celtics have rounded into shape. Once the playoffs begin, many of the advantages created by the lockout will vanish. There will be days off in between games. Quantity of depth will be less important than the quality of the starters.

There are a couple of reasons why it makes little sense for the Celtics to consider blowing up their team anytime soon. Over the next six weeks they can gauge the health of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, who have struggled to find their legs these early weeks. In any case, it's too difficult to make an important trade at the moment, as players who were signed in the offseason are ineligible to be dealt until March 1. The talent pool will open up after next month.

If by then the Celtics are a hopeless bunch, then all possibilities should be available to team president Danny Ainge. But what if the Celtics are moving the ball, beating some of the better teams and creating hope for an underdog playoff run? It would be extremely difficult to trade Pierce, considering his value to the franchise as a lifelong Celtic, the probability that Boston wouldn't receive close to equal value (while watching him star for a rival team during the playoffs) and the likelihood that he would not move to a new team happily.

According to Pierce, when he heard in 2005 that he may be traded to Portland in exchange for a draft pick that the Celtics would have used to pick Chris Paul, he had his agent call the Trail Blazers to say he had no interest in playing for them. When Pierce was a free agent in 2010, according to a league source, he told his agent that he wasn't going to sign with any team but Boston. That the Celtics ignored his absence of leverage and rewarded him with a four-year, $61 million deal (of which the final year is partially guaranteed) showed the interest of the franchise in maintaining a strong relationship with its signature player.

The five-game losing streak that dropped the Celtics to 4-8 has given way to conjecture of trades involving any or all of their veteran Big Three, especially because the contracts of Garnett and Ray Allen are expiring after this season. But will the Celtics necessarily swap them out for cap space?

"We're going to make changes, no doubt,'' Rivers said. "But that doesn't mean they have to be part of the change. The salary may change, but the address doesn't have to.''

Allen, who is earning $10.5 million at age 36, continues to play at a routinely high level, and if that continues he'll have short-term offers for the mid-level exception or more this summer. The surprise news seeping out of the Celtics' locker room is that the 35-year-old Garnett is talking about extending his career beyond this season, even though the 17th-year power forward would face a drastic cut in his $21.2 million salary to go with the lesser job description of a role player.

It's not impossible for the Celtics to re-sign Garnett and Allen and still have enough room for a max player this summer. The presence of Garnett could encourage them to gamble on signing or trading for an immature talent. If Garnett is on the market as a relatively inexpensive role player, there will be big demand for him. Don't you think the Kings would love to have Garnett in their locker room alongside DeMarcus Cousins? Wouldn't the Wizards' JaVale McGee be able to recognize why he undermined himself and his team by dunking off the backboard if he had a respected teammate like Garnett? Think of all of the championship contenders that would love to bring Garnett off their bench.

By extending Garnett into the complementary end of his career, the Celtics would be able to bridge into a new era while laying down the ground rules that make championships possible. A big reason why Kendrick Perkins is more valuable to the Thunder than implied by his 5.8 points and 5.9 rebounds is because he understands how to lead defensively. He knows how championship defense is supposed to be played, and he brought that knowledge to Oklahoma City by way of the evocative examples of Garnett. The West-leading Thunder have made a big improvement to No. 6 in field-goal defense this season.

Rivers was laughing during a loss to the Thunder on Monday as he watched Perkins complain about a foul that sent him to the bench.

"He's not a superstar or anything like that, but he adds value to your team,'' Rivers said. "Whether it's leadership or whatever, he has a presence with them. And probably because it's a younger group, he has a stronger presence. Defensively, I was impressed with him early in the game. He was calling out sets, they were reacting to it -- and that's not them a year ago. I don't know how you put a value to that, but he has a value.''

If the Celtics were to cut ties with everyone, who would fill the cap space? Recent free agent David West was more attracted by Indiana than by Boston, and Boston hasn't been on the well-reported lists of Chris Paul or Dwight Howard. If the Celtics are unable to land a big star in free agency, they may face the alternative of acquiring and developing younger talent within their system. The hard daily work of Allen and Garnett sets an example and standard for younger players that cannot be replicated by any coaching staff.

The demands on Garnett would change if his salary and role changed. For this season, however, the Celtics need him in a big way, and he has had trouble finishing around the basket and rebounding (7.5 per game in 31.2 minutes).

"Kevin puts the weight of the world on his shoulders," Rivers said. "He's such a conscious player and sometimes it actually hurts him because he wants to do so well. It was funny, at halftime [against the Thunder] he was sitting there on the floor, right before the buzzer, and I walked by him and I said, 'Thinking hurts the team.' He started laughing and I said, 'I'm serious. I'm very serious about that.' And he was laughing. He's so wound up, but that's good.''

There's no hiding the Celtics' obvious problems -- they've been slow and they've rebounded poorly while ranking 20th in both offensive and defensive efficiency. On the other hand, Pierce's recovery from his heel injury will make a big difference in settling the offense, creating more space for others. Rivers has been developing a small lineup "that allows us to put our best players on the floor -- Paul, [Rajon] Rondo, Ray, [Mickael] Pietrus and Kevin -- and all of a sudden we're athletic,'' he said. He also believes they can assemble a post presence from Pierce, Garnett, Rondo and Brandon Bass, which will be a necessity for the playoffs.

"Can we win it?'' Rivers said of the championship. "I have no idea, I really don't. I'm not thinking about that. What I'm thinking about is getting this group of guys to become a team.''

In that sense, the Celtics are trying to follow the example of younger teams like the 76ers and Pacers by focusing on the games today and not looking ahead to the playoffs. The postseason schedule may yet help a team like Boston.

"But,'' Rivers said, "we have to get there first.''