Inside Hoops – Page 804 – NBA Blog

Dwight Howard reportedly not seeking a trade

Here’s ESPN.com with the latest on Rockets center Dwight Howard, who may see his future in existence someplace else, but for now isn’t rocking the boat in Houston:

With the Houston Rockets struggling to get over .500, questions have begun to surface about the happiness of star center Dwight Howard.

While acknowledging Howard is unhappy with losing, sources said Howard has not expressed a desire to be traded.

Howard has a player option for next season at $23.2 million. The team expects him to become a free agent, taking advantage of a salary cap that is projected to expand from $67 million to nearly $90 million.

Heat deny shopping Hassan Whiteside

Here’s the Miami Herald reporting on Heat center Hassan Whiteside, who is having a fantastic season as his value rises:

Heat officials firmly denied a report that Miami is shopping Hassan Whiteside in an effort to acquire Kings center DeMarcus Cousins or Rockets center Dwight Howard.

And although there have been cases during Pat Riley’s 21-year tenure that the team denied talks, and then a deal was consummated, this time it has good reason for citing a report as implausible.

Specifically, it relates to Whiteside’s contract, which is virtually worthless to an acquiring team, unless that team is trying to make a title run with him this season.

He’s making just $981,348 this season, meaning that Miami would need to include several other contracts just to get anywhere near the necessary salary for Howard ($22.8 million) or Cousins ($15.8 million).

And, as is the predicament for the Heat now, any team acquiring Whiteside would not have his “Bird Rights,” meaning that it would need to use salary cap space to re-sign him.

Eric Moreland needs surgery on broken foot

X-rays performed this afternoon at Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento revealed that Kings forward Eric Moreland will require surgery after sustaining a fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his left foot during practice today. He is out of action indefinitely.

A timetable for his procedure and recovery will be provided as updates become available.

Brandan Wright will have knee surgery

Memphis Grizzlies forward/center Brandan Wright will undergo a surgical procedure on his right knee, the team announced today. The surgery will be performed by team physician Dr. Fred Azar and Dr. Barry Phillips tomorrow at the Campbell Clinic. There currently is no timetable for his return.

Wright (6-10, 210) has averaged 6.6 points on 60.0 percent shooting, 3.4 rebounds and 1.43 blocks in 17.1 minutes in seven games with the Grizzlies this season.

The eighth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft from the University of North Carolina, the 28-year-old owns NBA career averages of 7.1 points on 60.6 percent shooting, 3.7 rebounds and 1.02 blocks in 16.4 minutes in 367 games (54 starts) over eight seasons for Golden State, New Jersey, Dallas, Boston, Phoenix and Memphis.

Hassan Whiteside free throw shooting an issue

The 14-9 Miami Heat are getting 12.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and an amazing 4.04 blocks in 27.6 minutes per game this season. But free throw shooting is an issue. Here’s the Palm Beach Post blog reporting:

Hassan Whiteside free throw shooting is an issue

In an ideal scenario, Hassan Whiteside would start hitting something close to 70 percent at the foul line, and he might get there eventually, but the Heat have to work with what they have at the moment.

Right now, Whiteside is a 48.6 percent free-throw shooter and that is a factor in his declining fourth-quarter playing time. But Erik Spoelstra can live Whiteside’s struggles under two conditions.

“As long as we’re getting a point per possession off of it and getting stops at the other end, it’s a plus for us,” Spoelstra said of other teams fouling Whiteside intentionally.

No love between Cavs and Celtics

Here’s the Boston Herald reporting on the Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, who will probably not be getting together for the holidays this year:

There were certainly no pleasantries as the teams met for the first time since a painful Sunday in April when Cleveland completed a four-game, first-round sweep with a win at the Garden. Kevin Love dislocated his left shoulder in a tangle with Kelly Olynyk, and Jae Crowder suffered a sprained left ACL when his knees buckled following a wicked elbow from J.R. Smith.

Crowder said Monday he was hoping for an apology, but no such gesture was made by Smith as the Cavs handed the Celtics a more-thorough-than-the-numbers-would-seem-to-indicate 89-77 defeat.

And clearly the Clevelanders didn’t stop competing when the game was finished. While Love and Olynyk have agreed the latter intended no harm, there is still ill feeling on the other front.

“No, I like it,” Smith said about the physical game that saw him give a couple of hard fouls. “It wasn’t chippy enough.”

Dwight Howard denies being unhappy on Rockets

Here’s the Houston Chronicle reporting Rockets center Dwight Howard’s reaction to a report that he wouldn’t mind it if he were to wind up on a different team:

Dwight Howard was not happy. The issue that got under his skin, however, was not with his role in the Rockets offense, but with a report on Tuesday that he was “extremely unhappy” in Houston and predicted that he would be traded to the Miami Heat.

Howard called the report “lies” and said he has never expressed any dissatisfaction with his role.

“I haven’t said anything to anybody about anything,” Howard said. “People make up lies and rumors. That’s never been my focus. I’m trying to get these guys to play better and get myself to play better.”

Greivis Vasquez undergoes ankle surgery

Milwaukee Bucks guard Greivis Vasquez underwent successful surgery Tuesday to remove a bone spur and loose bodies from his right ankle, General Manager John Hammond announced today. The surgery was performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. An update on Vasquez’s recovery period will be provided after post-surgical consultation with Dr. O’Malley.

In 16 games this season, Vasquez averaged 7.1 points, 4.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 22.6 minutes per contest.

Rajon Rondo issues statement

Statement from Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo:

“Yesterday, I said that my words toward Bill Kennedy were unacceptable and did not reflect my feelings toward the LGBT community. Some have interpreted my comments as a non-apology. I want to be clear, from the bottom of my heart that I am truly sorry for what I said to Bill. There is no place on or off the court for language that disrespects anyone’s sexual orientation. That is not who I am or what I believe and I will strive every day to be a better person.”

Blazers need reliable 3rd scoring option

The 11-15 Portland Trail Blazers are getting 24.7 ppg from Damian Lillard and 19.7 ppg from C.J. McCollum, but third on the list is Al-Farouq Aminu at 10.9 ppg on subpar 39.1% shooting. Allen Crabbe is contributing 10.0 ppg with 49.0% shooting off the bench, which is solid. But ideally there’s be a clear 3rd scoring option. Here’s the Oregonian reporting:

Early in the season, Al-Farouq Aminu looked poised to seize that role. Then Allen Crabbe emerged as a possible third option with a strong start to December. Finally on Monday night at the Moda Center, Gerald Henderson threw his name into the mix with a strong performance off the bench in the Blazers 105-101 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Henderson scored 19-points, making 7-of-10 shots, including a career-high tying four three-pointers. His night overshadowed Mason Plumlee, who made his own compelling case for possible third option with 15 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and two blocks.

Henderson didn’t force his offense. He made his mark with an opportunistic and timely attack. He scored the Blazers first seven points of the fourth quarter and his reverse layup with 10:37 remaining in the game gave the Blazers their largest lead at 13 points. Two possessions later he added a three-pointer to help the Blazers maintain a double-digit edge.