Around the league
'Sheed to Big D? With talks between the Blazers and Knicks "cooling," to quote one source, the hottest rumor over the weekend had the Mavericks as the leading contender to land Rasheed Wallace in the "Who wants to win a head case" sweepstakes. The rumors, if you believe them, have the Mavericks offering Antawn Jamison, among others, in return for 'Sheed.
The problem is, Mavericks owners Mark Cuban is vehemently denying that the Mavs are doing anything or shopping anyone.
"They'd have to make us a sweetheart deal that we couldn't say no to," Cuban told the Fort Worth Star Telegram when asked about the deal with the Blazers. "No reason to change unless there's something that's a great deal."
Rasheed Wallace
Small Forward
Portland Trail Blazers
Profile
2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
33 16.8 6.6 2.7 .430 .726
"We haven't been shopping anybody," Cuban said. "We haven't been out searching for anything. I've said it again and again and again: It's just about us trying to turn the corner. We'd all hoped that things would click better beforehand. It's not a talent issue; it's a coming-together issue."
He's also, by the way, no longer interested in the Knicks' Kurt Thomas.
"Kurt is a great defender, but defending in the West is completely different from defending in the East," Cuban told the N.Y. Post. "We have to put it into context of what happens in the Western Conference. I'm not knocking Kurt Thomas, but we're not going to make a change just to make a change. Just swapping parts and comparable pieces doesn't help us."
Fine. Just remember that Cuban has said similar things the past few trade deadlines and offseasons only to make huge deals. Every time, Cuban's response is the same. Essentially, "They made us a sweetheart deal that we couldn't say no to." So the question you have to ask yourself is this: Is Rasheed for Jamison and spare parts a "sweetheart" deal for the Mavericks?
Probably not. Jamison has been great coming off the bench in Dallas. No telling how 'Sheed would respond to that. Considering the Mavs' chemistry problems this season, why add another, even more volatile element into the mix. Wallace isn't the tough, blue collar defender and rebounder the Mavs need. Why take the risk?
So if the Knicks aren't getting Sheed and the Mavs aren't going to pull the trigger, who is?
Ummmm ... that's a tough one. Unless Blazers GM John Nash has altered his criteria for trading 'Sheed (young all-star or expiring contracts and prospects), it's tough to see how he's going to pull off a deal. The Hawks, as we noted above, may be the best bet, but given how much the team is in flux, don't bet on it.
Despite all that, Nash claims it's "likely" he'll make a move before the Feb. 19 trade deadline.
"We are making an effort, and we have made it known to people that we are willing to deal," Nash told the Oregonian. "But we have also made it known that we are not conducting a fire sale. I expect that as we get closer to the deadline, teams will make their best offer. It's my experience that the best and final offers are made in the final moments."
While Nash wouldn't divulge exactly who he's going to trade, it's pretty clear Wallace is the target.
"What we are doing is exploring all options involving all players," Nash said. "Usually, there is more interest in your best players, so it's logical to assume that there has been more interest in Rasheed than, say, Ruben Boumtje Boumtje.
"But because of the size of Rasheed's contract ($17 million), his is not an easy deal to make. It would probably have to involve a multiplayer deal. Look, we don't want to trade Rasheed if it's a bad trade. We don't want to trade any player if it's a bad trade. But we have not made a decision on what we intend to do in the future (with Wallace). But obviously, we are going to have to make that decision in the not too distant future."
Knicks after Camby? It was no surprise this weekend to learn that Isiah Thomas has shifted his gaze from Portland to Denver. Marcus Camby was a popular player in New York and would be a good fit. He's managed to stay healthy all season, and his rebounding and shot blocking numbers for Denver (9.1 rpg, 2.6 bpg) are exactly what the Knicks need. Camby's deal only has one more year left (his option), which also should be interesting to Thomas. The problem is, the Knicks don't have anything the Nuggets are interested in. The Nuggets like Camby and don't have another big man on the roster to replace him.
Talk of a three-team trade would make some sense only if that third team was willing to send a young big and an expiring contract Denver's way and was willing to swallow whatever junk Thomas is peddling in return. In other words, don't hold your breath, Knicks fans.
Thomas to coach Knicks next year? The chants of "Fire Chaney!" are growing louder and louder in the Garden, and Isiah Thomas' trigger finger is getting itchy. But speculation that Thomas will take over for Chaney this season is ridiculous. When Thomas took the job two weeks ago, Insider laid out the scenario where Thomas would take over the head coaching gig for the Knicks, and we're sticking to it. For those of you who missed it, here it is again.
Chances are, if the Knicks continue to struggle, Chaney will be fired and replaced by Knicks assistant Brendan Malone this season. That gives Thomas his own guy on the bench and more time upstairs to concentrate on getting the team right.
Thomas will only take over as the head coach of the team after he feels he has the team he wants in place. That probably doesn't happen until this summer at the earliest. Why take the hits now if you know the team is going to continue to lose?
Now that we've reiterated the scenario, read his words from Monday night in that context.
"We're in the state where I think it would be impossible for me to do both and do them well," Thomas told reporters. "We're trying to get healthy, and we got to dig ourselves out of a big hole. And I don't think I would do this organization justice by trying to do both jobs."
But asked about the future, Thomas wouldn't close the door. "In sports I always say you never say never, because you never know what's going to happen," he said.
Magic GM John Gabriel still feeling the heat: With all the major trades going down in the NBA, you know that the pressure cooker Magic GM John Gabriel is in just keeps getting hotter. If Isiah Thomas can turn those players into an all-star like Stephon Marbury, why can't Gabriel work the same magic?
Of course he can't. He doesn't have the expiring contracts or the same budget as the Knicks. His best chance is to try to package Juwan Howard and Gordan Giricek into something to help Tracy McGrady and Drew Gooden. Still, his latest "sly" moves over the past few weeks deserve a pretty loud yawn.
First, the Magic sent Donnell Harvey to the Suns for a second-round pick. Then the team traded for Monty Williams and waived him three days later. Then Gabriel acquired Robert Archibald only to trade him to the Raptors for Mengke Bateer a week later. The Magic then waived Bateer last week and signed Lee Nailon, who was cut from the Hawks, to a 10-day contract.
Whew!
"In essence, we've taken Harvey and we've spun him into some smaller assets in the process of creating another player opportunity," Gabriel told the Daytona Beach News.
Three trades to net Nailon, two second-round draft picks and guy, Ramon Van de Hare, who may be the worst prospect I saw last year in Europe? The way Gabriel makes it sound, he's just a step behind Isiah in the race to remake his team. In reality, second-round picks and Nailon aren't going to do anything to convince T-Mac to stick around Orlando much longer. McGrady can opt out after the 2004-05 season, and if things don't start changing soon, both Gabriel and McGrady won't be around to keep sifting through the wreckage.
--------------------------
Peep Show
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Tuesday, January 13
Updated: January 13
9:18 AM ET
KittlesNew Jersey Nets: You know about Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin and Richard Jefferson. But . . . "We go to the next level when Kerry plays well," Kidd said in the New York Times. "It is like a sixth gear . . . We try to tell him to forget that last pass. I'd like his shot attempts go up even more." But Kittles doesn't mind being the fourth option at all despite his recent 54 percent shooting from the field. "That's O.K. with me," Kittles said. "I don't need the stories or the commercials. People who know the game know I can influence the game. I don't ask to be in the spotlight."
Orlando Magic: If Magic fans want to blame someone, then David Stern is pointing his finger at Grant Hill, himself. "You need the doctor's opinion," the NBA commissioner told the Orlando Sentinel when asked why Orlando wasn't given a medical exception for Hill to sign another player. "We had the doctor's and the patient, both suggesting he was going to play again. So to get an injury exception in the face of the patient suggesting that he was ready to play, and a doctor saying he saw no reason why that couldn't take place, that argues strongly against the exception."
Minnesota Timberwolves: Sam Cassell has a pen and paper and is ready to continue his studies. "I'm a student of the game," he said to the Star Tribune. "Go back to before they had the three-point line, guys developed the mid-range game. I'm talking about Oscar Robertson, Sam Jones, Rudy Tomjanovich, the Pearl, Walt Frazier. All of those guys did a whole lot of things off the dribble." Timberwolves analyst and former player Mychael Thompson agrees. "Everyone has fallen in love with the three-point arc," said Thompson. "It's the three-pointer or the dunk. Go to any school. All the kids want to do is run behind the three-point line and shoot. As soon as they can dunk, all they care about is showing me all kind of dunks. They forget about the 15-footer, but that's what wins you games. And, right now, Cassell is the best at it. There are some good ones. But Sam's the best."
McDyessPhoenix Suns: Antonio McDyess is back in Phoenix again but wishes he could change one thing. "I wish I would've never left here," he said in the Denver Post. "We had a winning team. I can't believe it." This time, the two parties are going to take their time. "I think he'll make a lot of improvements between now and the end of the year," head coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Then I can evaluate where we are at the end of the year. It's something where I don't want to put him in the starting lineup too quick. It's not fair to him. He needs to come off this injury, so we'll get a little bit more careful with it."
Chicago Bulls: After surgery on his right knee five weeks ago, forward Scottie Pippen is this close to returning to action as early as tonight. "I'm a blink away," Pippen said in the Chicago Tribune. "I feel pretty good," Pippen said. "Hopefully, [Tuesday] I can feel just as good as I did [Monday]. We'll see what goes from there. You can't stay away from [contact.] I'm all right, though."
Golden State Warriors: The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting the power forward Troy Murphy will miss four to six weeks of action because of an injury to his right ankle. It isn't broken and he doesn't need surgery, but will be out an extended time after already missing the first 22 games of the season with an injured foot.
Washington Wizards: Gilbert Arenas is putting both hands up and surrendering. "I just can't keep fighting the pain and keep performing like I am," Arenas said in the Washington Times. "We're losing games because of it, so I'm going to have to sit out." The point guard has been told by doctors that he is out for at least three to six weeks and Arenas has consigned himself to looking at a post All-Star break return.
'Sheed to Big D? With talks between the Blazers and Knicks "cooling," to quote one source, the hottest rumor over the weekend had the Mavericks as the leading contender to land Rasheed Wallace in the "Who wants to win a head case" sweepstakes. The rumors, if you believe them, have the Mavericks offering Antawn Jamison, among others, in return for 'Sheed.
The problem is, Mavericks owners Mark Cuban is vehemently denying that the Mavs are doing anything or shopping anyone.
"They'd have to make us a sweetheart deal that we couldn't say no to," Cuban told the Fort Worth Star Telegram when asked about the deal with the Blazers. "No reason to change unless there's something that's a great deal."
Rasheed Wallace
Small Forward
Portland Trail Blazers
Profile
2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
33 16.8 6.6 2.7 .430 .726
"We haven't been shopping anybody," Cuban said. "We haven't been out searching for anything. I've said it again and again and again: It's just about us trying to turn the corner. We'd all hoped that things would click better beforehand. It's not a talent issue; it's a coming-together issue."
He's also, by the way, no longer interested in the Knicks' Kurt Thomas.
"Kurt is a great defender, but defending in the West is completely different from defending in the East," Cuban told the N.Y. Post. "We have to put it into context of what happens in the Western Conference. I'm not knocking Kurt Thomas, but we're not going to make a change just to make a change. Just swapping parts and comparable pieces doesn't help us."
Fine. Just remember that Cuban has said similar things the past few trade deadlines and offseasons only to make huge deals. Every time, Cuban's response is the same. Essentially, "They made us a sweetheart deal that we couldn't say no to." So the question you have to ask yourself is this: Is Rasheed for Jamison and spare parts a "sweetheart" deal for the Mavericks?
Probably not. Jamison has been great coming off the bench in Dallas. No telling how 'Sheed would respond to that. Considering the Mavs' chemistry problems this season, why add another, even more volatile element into the mix. Wallace isn't the tough, blue collar defender and rebounder the Mavs need. Why take the risk?
So if the Knicks aren't getting Sheed and the Mavs aren't going to pull the trigger, who is?
Ummmm ... that's a tough one. Unless Blazers GM John Nash has altered his criteria for trading 'Sheed (young all-star or expiring contracts and prospects), it's tough to see how he's going to pull off a deal. The Hawks, as we noted above, may be the best bet, but given how much the team is in flux, don't bet on it.
Despite all that, Nash claims it's "likely" he'll make a move before the Feb. 19 trade deadline.
"We are making an effort, and we have made it known to people that we are willing to deal," Nash told the Oregonian. "But we have also made it known that we are not conducting a fire sale. I expect that as we get closer to the deadline, teams will make their best offer. It's my experience that the best and final offers are made in the final moments."
While Nash wouldn't divulge exactly who he's going to trade, it's pretty clear Wallace is the target.
"What we are doing is exploring all options involving all players," Nash said. "Usually, there is more interest in your best players, so it's logical to assume that there has been more interest in Rasheed than, say, Ruben Boumtje Boumtje.
"But because of the size of Rasheed's contract ($17 million), his is not an easy deal to make. It would probably have to involve a multiplayer deal. Look, we don't want to trade Rasheed if it's a bad trade. We don't want to trade any player if it's a bad trade. But we have not made a decision on what we intend to do in the future (with Wallace). But obviously, we are going to have to make that decision in the not too distant future."
Knicks after Camby? It was no surprise this weekend to learn that Isiah Thomas has shifted his gaze from Portland to Denver. Marcus Camby was a popular player in New York and would be a good fit. He's managed to stay healthy all season, and his rebounding and shot blocking numbers for Denver (9.1 rpg, 2.6 bpg) are exactly what the Knicks need. Camby's deal only has one more year left (his option), which also should be interesting to Thomas. The problem is, the Knicks don't have anything the Nuggets are interested in. The Nuggets like Camby and don't have another big man on the roster to replace him.
Talk of a three-team trade would make some sense only if that third team was willing to send a young big and an expiring contract Denver's way and was willing to swallow whatever junk Thomas is peddling in return. In other words, don't hold your breath, Knicks fans.
Thomas to coach Knicks next year? The chants of "Fire Chaney!" are growing louder and louder in the Garden, and Isiah Thomas' trigger finger is getting itchy. But speculation that Thomas will take over for Chaney this season is ridiculous. When Thomas took the job two weeks ago, Insider laid out the scenario where Thomas would take over the head coaching gig for the Knicks, and we're sticking to it. For those of you who missed it, here it is again.
Chances are, if the Knicks continue to struggle, Chaney will be fired and replaced by Knicks assistant Brendan Malone this season. That gives Thomas his own guy on the bench and more time upstairs to concentrate on getting the team right.
Thomas will only take over as the head coach of the team after he feels he has the team he wants in place. That probably doesn't happen until this summer at the earliest. Why take the hits now if you know the team is going to continue to lose?
Now that we've reiterated the scenario, read his words from Monday night in that context.
"We're in the state where I think it would be impossible for me to do both and do them well," Thomas told reporters. "We're trying to get healthy, and we got to dig ourselves out of a big hole. And I don't think I would do this organization justice by trying to do both jobs."
But asked about the future, Thomas wouldn't close the door. "In sports I always say you never say never, because you never know what's going to happen," he said.
Magic GM John Gabriel still feeling the heat: With all the major trades going down in the NBA, you know that the pressure cooker Magic GM John Gabriel is in just keeps getting hotter. If Isiah Thomas can turn those players into an all-star like Stephon Marbury, why can't Gabriel work the same magic?
Of course he can't. He doesn't have the expiring contracts or the same budget as the Knicks. His best chance is to try to package Juwan Howard and Gordan Giricek into something to help Tracy McGrady and Drew Gooden. Still, his latest "sly" moves over the past few weeks deserve a pretty loud yawn.
First, the Magic sent Donnell Harvey to the Suns for a second-round pick. Then the team traded for Monty Williams and waived him three days later. Then Gabriel acquired Robert Archibald only to trade him to the Raptors for Mengke Bateer a week later. The Magic then waived Bateer last week and signed Lee Nailon, who was cut from the Hawks, to a 10-day contract.
Whew!
"In essence, we've taken Harvey and we've spun him into some smaller assets in the process of creating another player opportunity," Gabriel told the Daytona Beach News.
Three trades to net Nailon, two second-round draft picks and guy, Ramon Van de Hare, who may be the worst prospect I saw last year in Europe? The way Gabriel makes it sound, he's just a step behind Isiah in the race to remake his team. In reality, second-round picks and Nailon aren't going to do anything to convince T-Mac to stick around Orlando much longer. McGrady can opt out after the 2004-05 season, and if things don't start changing soon, both Gabriel and McGrady won't be around to keep sifting through the wreckage.
--------------------------
Peep Show
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Tuesday, January 13
Updated: January 13
9:18 AM ET
KittlesNew Jersey Nets: You know about Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin and Richard Jefferson. But . . . "We go to the next level when Kerry plays well," Kidd said in the New York Times. "It is like a sixth gear . . . We try to tell him to forget that last pass. I'd like his shot attempts go up even more." But Kittles doesn't mind being the fourth option at all despite his recent 54 percent shooting from the field. "That's O.K. with me," Kittles said. "I don't need the stories or the commercials. People who know the game know I can influence the game. I don't ask to be in the spotlight."
Orlando Magic: If Magic fans want to blame someone, then David Stern is pointing his finger at Grant Hill, himself. "You need the doctor's opinion," the NBA commissioner told the Orlando Sentinel when asked why Orlando wasn't given a medical exception for Hill to sign another player. "We had the doctor's and the patient, both suggesting he was going to play again. So to get an injury exception in the face of the patient suggesting that he was ready to play, and a doctor saying he saw no reason why that couldn't take place, that argues strongly against the exception."
Minnesota Timberwolves: Sam Cassell has a pen and paper and is ready to continue his studies. "I'm a student of the game," he said to the Star Tribune. "Go back to before they had the three-point line, guys developed the mid-range game. I'm talking about Oscar Robertson, Sam Jones, Rudy Tomjanovich, the Pearl, Walt Frazier. All of those guys did a whole lot of things off the dribble." Timberwolves analyst and former player Mychael Thompson agrees. "Everyone has fallen in love with the three-point arc," said Thompson. "It's the three-pointer or the dunk. Go to any school. All the kids want to do is run behind the three-point line and shoot. As soon as they can dunk, all they care about is showing me all kind of dunks. They forget about the 15-footer, but that's what wins you games. And, right now, Cassell is the best at it. There are some good ones. But Sam's the best."
McDyessPhoenix Suns: Antonio McDyess is back in Phoenix again but wishes he could change one thing. "I wish I would've never left here," he said in the Denver Post. "We had a winning team. I can't believe it." This time, the two parties are going to take their time. "I think he'll make a lot of improvements between now and the end of the year," head coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Then I can evaluate where we are at the end of the year. It's something where I don't want to put him in the starting lineup too quick. It's not fair to him. He needs to come off this injury, so we'll get a little bit more careful with it."
Chicago Bulls: After surgery on his right knee five weeks ago, forward Scottie Pippen is this close to returning to action as early as tonight. "I'm a blink away," Pippen said in the Chicago Tribune. "I feel pretty good," Pippen said. "Hopefully, [Tuesday] I can feel just as good as I did [Monday]. We'll see what goes from there. You can't stay away from [contact.] I'm all right, though."
Golden State Warriors: The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting the power forward Troy Murphy will miss four to six weeks of action because of an injury to his right ankle. It isn't broken and he doesn't need surgery, but will be out an extended time after already missing the first 22 games of the season with an injured foot.
Washington Wizards: Gilbert Arenas is putting both hands up and surrendering. "I just can't keep fighting the pain and keep performing like I am," Arenas said in the Washington Times. "We're losing games because of it, so I'm going to have to sit out." The point guard has been told by doctors that he is out for at least three to six weeks and Arenas has consigned himself to looking at a post All-Star break return.
