February 2013 – Page 14 – NBA Blog

Lakers GM again declares team is not trading Dwight Howard

Despite all that has gone wrong in Dwight Howard’s first season with the Los Angeles Lakers, general manager Mitch Kupchak says the team is still hitching its wagon to the All-Star center.

“Dwight is our future,” Kupchak told “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” on ESPN Radio on Wednesday. “Kobe [Bryant] has one more year on his deal [this year, plus one]. That’s all I can bank on or this organization can bank on. I have no idea if he wants to continue to play beyond next year. As of now, we’re looking at a two-year window, [and that] plays to the urgency of the situation and how we build the team. … This team’s window to win is this year and next year.”

Kupchak reiterated his public stance that the 27-year old Howard is off the market with the NBA trade deadline looming Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.

“We’ve been very consistent,” Kupchak said. “We’re not trading Dwight Howard. … He will not be traded and there’s nothing that anybody can do today to call me today and ask me, ‘Would you do this?’ and get a positive result.”

Kupchak called Howard the best center in the league and expressed how difficult it is to acquire talent like that, especially with the restrictions in place since the league’s new collective bargaining agreement was ratified.

— Reported by Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles

Boston Celtics sign Terrence Williams to 10-day contract

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed free agent guard/forward Terrence Williams to a 10-day contract.

Williams, a 6’6” guard/forward, joins the Celtics after competing in the Chinese Basketball Association with the Guangdong Southern Tigers. While with Guangdong, he averaged 17.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals in 29 games. Originally drafted by the New Jersey Nets with the 11th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Williams has posted career averages of 7.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 129 games split between New Jersey, Houston and Sacramento.

Williams is expected to be available to play tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers and he will wear #55 for the Celtics.

According to ESPN Boston, “Celtics coach Doc Rivers had hinted last week that the Celtics would target the best available body instead of a position-specific target. While Boston has needs for a ball-handler and frontcourt help after losing All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo, rookie forward Jared Sullinger, and reserve guard Leandro Barbosa, they appear to be giving first crack to one of the most skilled players available. Williams can handle the ball well for his size and is a solid distributor and he’s solid on the glass, utilizing his athleticism to be a competitive rebounder.”

Kobe Bryant reflects on Dr. Jerry Buss

Kobe Bryant quotes on the late Jerry Buss

Q: On the impact Dr. Buss had on him and if he finds it ironic the Lakers will be facing the team he most wanted to beat the most on Wednesday (Boston):

Bryant: Yeah, I do. To me, personally, he obviously believed in me since Day 1 being a 17-year-old kid to where I am now. His competitive spirit, his vision where this organization should be and how it should go beyond basketball with the global outreach that he had on his mind. We talked quite a bit about that and we talked about the old times. He’s obviously had a profound impact on me, to say the least.

Q: On Dr. Buss having an influence in him staying with the Lakers:

Bryant: Of course. I think in 2007 was really the big one. I had to make a choice and believing in him, which wasn’t very hard to do once I took a step back and see everything that he accomplished. I had a chance to sit down with him and we talked about what his vision was and his vision for rebuilding this team and rebuilding this team quickly. It was easy for me because I was a Lakers fan growing up, so I saw how many championships he’d been able to win and see how many times he was able to rebuild. It was a pretty easy call for me.

Q: On his talk with Dr. Buss about rebuilding the team:

Bryant: He went into a little bit of the salary cap, free agents and all this other stuff, which, his memory was pretty remarkable in terms of what he was able to remember, the space he had available, who was available and how he was going to put it all together. When somebody has that kind of detail, it’s pretty easy to roll with.

Q: On if he’s concerned about the future of the organization:

Bryant: It’s tough. It’s tough to follow in those shoes. I think the important thing to do is to take the lessons he’s taught – and I’m sure there are many – and things that they’ve learned from him, and try to carry it on to the future.

— Reported by Trevor Wong of the Lakers.com Blog

Will Jazz trade Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap?

As distracted as fans are by trade rumors, coach Tyrone Corbin said Tuesday that the Utah Jazz have done a good job of blocking out speculation and anxiety before Thursday’s 1 p.m. trade deadline.

“These guys understand,” Corbin said. “They’ve been around long enough and understand the rumors is part of the business.”

Center Al Jefferson and power forward Paul Millsap remained at the center of all speculation entering Tuesday’s game against Golden State, but both said they pay little attention.

“It don’t affect me,” Jefferson said.

— Reported by Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune

Will Hornets trade guard Eric Gordon?

After scoring a team-high 20 points in Tuesday night’s loss to Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Hornets guard Eric Gordon appeared unsure about what may happen before Thursday’s trade deadline. Trade rumors are starting to swirl that the Hornets might be willing to part ways with Gordon if they can land the right deal.

ESPN’s Chris Broussard tweeted Tuesday night that the Hornets have made Gordon available for a trade, but that it’s not likely to happen because teams are concerned about his health going forward.

Hornets officials had no comment regarding trade rumors Tuesday night, but Gordon said for the second consecutive day that he’s not concerned about the trade deadline. However, he acknowledged that anything is possible.

“I don’t really get caught up to it,’’ Gordon said Tuesday night. “But you just never know your situation. That’s part of the process but at the end of the day, you can’t worry about that as a player. If it happens, it happens. I’m definitely not worried about it.’’

— Reported by John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune

Raptors deal with broken clock, beat Wizards 96-88

This was a timeless victory for the streaking Toronto Raptors. At least it seemed that way on the floor.

”It felt like I was in high school again,” DeMar DeRozan said. ”I think we got a shot clock violation – I couldn’t even find the shot clock.”

Playing with an improvised scoreboard, horn, game clock and 24-second clock because of a malfunction in the Verizon Center’s scoring system, the Raptors beat the Washington Wizards 96-88 Tuesday night.

DeRozan and Rudy Gay scored 24 points apiece, and Kyle Lowry had 11 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and four turnovers as Toronto moved within one victory of its total for all of last season.

”It was weird. Kyle got stripped, like, three times looking at the clock,” Gay said with a laugh. ”My old AAU coach used to tell me: ‘If you put two rims up in the kitchen, we’ll play you.’ So it don’t matter.”

The Raptors took the lead for good in the second quarter and have a three-game road winning streak for the first time since 2007. They are also 6-2 since Gay arrived last month from the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team trade, and point guard Lowry is finding a simple formula for keeping both of his top scorers happy.

”Get out of the way, give them the ball and move. ‘Hey, good shot, DeMar.’ ‘Good shot, Rudy.’ Those guys are easy to play with,” Lowry said.

Rookie Bradley Beal, back in the starting lineup for the first time since taking time off to heal a sprained right wrist, scored 25 points for the Wizards, who had won eight of nine at home. Third-year point guard John Wall shot 1 for 12 from the field and committed seven turnovers in one of his most forgettable games as a pro.

— Reported by Joseph White of the Associated Press

Cavs want another first-round draft pick

As the NBA nears Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline, the Cavaliers remain in pursuit of another first-round pick to add to their bulging war chest of draft picks. With time running out, there is at least a decent chance they don’t get it.

There was little chatter regarding the Cavs during the All-Star break in Houston, and for all the conjecture over Mo Speights’ future, multiple sources said over the weekend and again on Tuesday his name has yet to really gain traction in any trade talk.

Speights would seem a likely candidate to move because he has a player option for next season. Neither Speights nor his agent, Andy Miller, has given any indication if he will pick up the $4.5 million option for next season or opt instead for free agency. But about half of the league’s teams could have cap space next summer, making it likely Speights could get a long-term deal making at least the $4.5 million he will earn next season on his current deal.

“I ain’t looking forward to free agency yet,” Speights said Tuesday.

— Reported by Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal

Pau Gasol optimistic he can return before the season ends

Pau Gasol slowly but surely made his way to the interview table.

That’s because he’s used crutches ever since tearing the plantar fascia of his right foot during the Lakers’ win two weeks ago against Brooklyn, an injury that will keep him out for at least an additional four to six weeks.

Such a timetable means Gasol could return as early as March 22 when the Lakers host the Washington Wizards at Staples Center. At that point, the Lakers would have 13 games remaining on their schedule.

How optimistic does Gasol feel that he could return before the season ends?

“I hope,” Gasol said. “It’s a thing you take one day at a time and you go with the symptoms and see how well they go and quick the body is able to heal with a simple injury. It varies from different individuals.”

— Reported by Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (Blog)

Isiah Thomas discusses athletic ability of Michael Jordan and LeBron James

Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas said Tuesday that while the debate over whether LeBron James is a better basketball player than Michael Jordan is hardly settled, James is probably the better athlete.

“They’re both great players, and they’re both great in their eras,” Thomas told “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on WMVP-AM 1000. “In my era, we hadn’t seen an athlete quite like Michael Jordan. He jumped higher than everyone else. He was a little faster than everyone else and he was just the best athlete.

“LeBron James is the best athlete of today, and he’s probably a better athlete than Michael Jordan was. He’s bigger, he’s faster, he’s stronger.”

— Reported by the Sports Xchange

Elton Brand says Mavs must step up on defense

Elton Brand, one of the players who must shoulder the load when it comes to rebounding, understands the situation. He said the numbers make it clear why they have struggled.

“We play great defense for about 20 seconds,” Brand said Tuesday. “But there are all kinds of stats these days. And the stats say we’re one of the worst teams in the league defensively, 29th, in the last four seconds. So we’re not contesting shots right at the end.

“And the next step is, stopping the offensive rebounds. If you play good defense and don’t get the rebound — that’s cost us games.

“In these last 30 games, we have to take pride in that. We have to get stops and we have to come away with the ball. That’s why Sarge [Bernard James] is out there with his energy and Shawn [Marion], who’s athletic, is there. We got to do it by committee. We have to find a way to get those balls.”

— Reported by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News