Patrick Patterson to Kings, Marcus Morris to Suns, Thomas Robinson to Rockets

The Houston Rockets have reached separate agreements on trades that will send Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich and Toney Douglas to Sacramento and Marcus Morris to Phoenix, a person familiar with the situation said Wednesday.

The Rockets will receive Thomas Robinson, the No. 5 pick in last year’s draft, Francisco Garcia and Tyler Honeycutt from the Kings, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced and was still pending league approval.

In the other deal, the person said the Rockets will receive a future second-round pick from the Suns in exchange for Morris, who will join his twin older brother, Markieff, on the Phoenix roster.

“If I was to be traded, that’s where I would want to go,” Marcus Morris said outside the Rockets’ locker room. “I think Houston knew that. That’s all I did was talk about my brother and how happy I was to play with him. I’m excited. That’s all I can say.”

Patterson, Aldrich and Douglas walked out of the Toyota Center just as Houston was starting its game against Oklahoma City, on the eve of the trading deadline.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Clippers are not in a trading mood

The Clippers indicated Wednesday that they have no plans to make any trades before the NBA’s deadline Thursday at noon PST.

Even Coach Vinny Del Negro said after practice the team is not looking to make moves because he and his staff like the team that they have.

The most prevalent rumor had back-up point guard Eric Bledsoe and center DeAndre Jordan going to the Boston Celtics for center Kevin Garnett.

Because Bledsoe, 23, and Jordan, 25, are so young, Del Negro was asked whether he needed to talk with them about the rumors.

“No, because if I felt it was necessary, I would do that,” Del Negro said. “But there are a bunch of needs out there. Like you said, they are young players that teams covet and that’s a good thing. That’s a good thing for us. That’s a good thing for them.

— Reported by Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times

Rockets weighing options to trade Marcus Morris

marcus morris

With the Rockets close to trading forward Marcus Morris, Morris was placed on the inactive list before Wednesday’s game as the Rockets considered options.

“Morris is being held out because the team is considering two possible trade options involving him,” a person familiar with the situation said.

Morris is averaging 8.6 points per game, making 38.1 percent of his 3-pointers, the second-best shooting percentage from beyond the arc of the Rockets regulars. After rarely playing last season, he has started 17 games and is among the first players off the Rockets’ bench.

— Reported by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle

Bill Walker signs with Austin Toros in D-League

The Austin Toros today announced they have signed small forward Bill Walker.  Walker will meet the team in Iowa tomorrow for back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday against the Energy.

Walker (6-6, 235, Kansas State) was the 47th overall pick by the Washington Wizards in the 2008 NBA draft.  He was then traded to the Boston Celtics.  While on the Celtics roster, Walker was assigned to the NBA D-League, playing for the Utah Flash in 2008 and the Maine Red Claws in 2009.  In February, 2010 Walker was part of a trade deal that sent him to the New York Knicks.  In three seasons (09-10 to 11-12), Walker played 120 games with the Knicks.  Walker averaged 5.9 points and 2.5 rebounds in 19.4 minutes played his final season with New York.

In his 2007-08 season at Kansas State, Walker averaged 16.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in 31 games.  After graduating high school, Walker played on the undefeated (5-0) USA White team at the 2005 USA Youth Development Festival.

Walker will wear jersey No. 11 for the Toros.  Fans can watch the Toros-Energy matchup Thursday and Friday night on NBADLeague.com powered by YouTube at 9:00pm Central.  The teams will play at Cedar Park Center this Sunday, February 24th at 3:00pm.

Sidney Lowe offers apology after being arrested

Utah Jazz assistant coach Sidney Lowe offered a public apology through his attorney two days after being arrested for not paying North Carolina state income taxes from 2009-11.

In an email to the Deseret News, Lowe’s North Carolina-based lawyer Lee Turner gave this statement from his client:

“I would like to apologize to the Utah Jazz organization and Jazz fans for the situation that was reported publicly yesterday (Monday),” Lowe stated. “This is a personal matter that I take very seriously. I am working very hard to get the issue resolved in a timely manner and I am cooperating fully with all parties involved.”

Lowe maintained a low profile on Tuesday after rejoining the Jazz following his legal issues that took place at his home in Wake Forest, N.C., on Monday morning. He was arrested, charged with three misdemeanors, and then released on a $10,000 bond.

— Reported by Jody Genessy of the Deseret News

Charles Barkley turns 50 years old today

Born on Feb. 20, 1963, Charles Wade Barkley rose from those humble beginnings to become a superstar that few would describe as humble.

Brash and bruising, Barkley established himself as one of greatest power forwards in league history; despite being just 6-foot-4 (he was often listed as 6-6). He was a relentless rebounder – earning the moniker “The Round Mound of Rebound” – and a prolific scorer as he finished his 16-year career with 23,757 points and 12,546 boards.

Drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the fifth pick in a legendary draft class which included Olajuwon (first overall), Jordan (third) and John Stockton (16), Barkley learned the NBA ropes from veterans Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Maurice Cheeks and Andrew Toney.

During the 1986-87 season, Barkley became the man in Philly as he made his first of 11 trips to the All-Star Game.

His career-best season, however, would come in 1992-93 as a member of the Phoenix Suns. Barkley won the MVP award as he guided the Suns to the best record in the league (62-20) and a trip to the Finals. In the championship series, Barkley’s best wasn’t enough against Jordan and his two-time defending champion Chicago Bulls.

— Reported by Justin Boyd of the Houston Chronicle

Coach Kevin McHale does not expect Rockets to make trades

With so many players heading to their first or second trade deadline, Rockets coach Kevin McHale felt no need to address the potential of deals and the need to not be distracted by uncertainty. But he had reason to believe his young team was not concerned.

“We’re not doing anything,” McHale said. “I’d be shocked if we do anything.”

McHale said he has addressed the deadline in other seasons, but has not felt the need to reassure anyone this season, though much can change by Thursday’s 2 p.m. trade deadline. Daryl Morey has made at least one deadline move at each of his previous five seasons as Rockets general manager.

“You have no control over it anyway,” McHale said. “I think it’s an overblown, crazy thing for people. You have no control over it. I never put much stock in it. I don’t believe we’re doing anything anyway, but there are years there are lots of rumors. I just say, ‘Look I have no idea if they’re going to trade you or not. Right now, you’re here with us. Let’s play.’

— Reported by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Blog)

Lakers GM again declares team is not trading Dwight Howard

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

terrence williams

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

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