HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo has been named by NBA Commissioner David Stern to replace injured East All-Star guard Joe Johnson (injured left knee) of the Atlanta Hawks in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando. This is Rondo’s third All-Star Game selection.

Replacing Johnson in the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest is Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, a 2012 NBA All-Star.

The 2012 NBA All-Star Game, which will air live at 7 p.m. ET on TNT and ESPN Radio in the U.S., and reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages, will be played at Amway Center in Orlando on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012.

The Foot Locker Three-Point Contest and Haier Shooting Stars will be televised live nationally as part of the NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm, which will also feature the Sprite Slam Dunk and Taco Bell Skills Challenge. TNT and ESPN Radio’s national coverage will begin at 8 p.m. EST from Amway Center.

If Przybilla passes his physical, the Blazers will have to waive a player to sign him. Candidates are second-year guard Armon Johnson, injured center Greg Oden, or second-year center Chris Johnson.

Przybilla is valued by the Blazers for his ability to rebound, block shots and set screens. One of the toughest and most respected players by his teammates during his tenure in Portland, Przybilla was a fan favorite.

“Everybody here knows Joel,’’ team president Larry Miller said Tuesday night.  “You know what he brings to the table: toughness, rebounding, defense and the fans here love Joel. So he would be a great addition for our team. He brings defensive toughness and shot blcoking. Things that can help us.’’

via Jason Quick of The Oregonian

Conventional wisdom holds that reliable winners in the NBA are built on centers and point guards. (Pau) Gasol will be 32 this summer, and his trade value will only wane from here—if the Lakers can turn Gasol into a good young point guard to pair with (Andrew) Bynum for the next decade, now is the time to do so. The most credible of the rumored deals around Gasol are the ones that have the Lakers getting a point guard in return, including packages involving Houston’s Kyle Lowry or Boston’s Rajon Rondo.

But, two league sources say, nothing involving Gasol is imminent. The Lakers nearly wound up with (Chris) Paul for Gasol and Lamar Odom, after all, and it is a step down from Paul to Rondo or Lowry. Rondo, whose reputation as a difficult player has only deepened in the past year, was just slapped with a two-game suspension for throwing a ball at a referee, and though that alone would not scare off the Lakers, Rondo is collecting a worrisome history of run-ins with authority. The Rockets, furthermore, have shown no inclination to deal Lowry, who has developed into a Chauncey Billups-type. That could be posturing, of course—the Rockets really like Gasol.

via Sean Deveney of the Sporting News

The soon-to-be restricted free agent has no idea where he’ll play next season, but he knows his hometown team, the Indiana Pacers, is on the list of teams he finds intriguing.

The New Orleans Hornets will be able to match any offer made to (Eric) Gordon this summer.

“It’s going to be interesting,” Gordon said Tuesday. “It’s all about whatever happens, happens. Coming back here would be a lot of pressure, but I think it would be good for the fans. We’ll see. You never know where this summer will take me.”

Gordon has been on the minds of most Pacers fans since he and the Hornets failed to agree to a contract extension last month.

The Pacers could use a scorer like Gordon, but it’s unknown how aggressively they would pursue him. He’s averaging 18.1 points in his career.

via Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star

Carmelo Anthony has a message for Knicks fans concerned that he’d ruin the team’s new-found chemistry under Jeremy Lin.

“I want Jeremy to have the ball, hands down,” Anthony said Monday night after going 3-for-10 in 31 minutes with Lin on the floor in New York’s loss to the Nets. “I want him to create for me, I want him to create for Amare, I want him to create for everybody and still be as aggressive as he’s been in the past.”

via Ian Begley of ESPN New York

Yet another knee surgery won’t knock Greg Oden out of the NBA. Not yet, anyway.

Despite undergoing microfracture surgery on his left knee — the second microfracture procedure Oden has needed on the knee in the last two years — the Trail Blazers center has no plans to retire, a source close to Oden told SI.com.

The latest knee surgery — Oden’s fifth overall — came Monday after doctors performing a minor operation on Oden’s knee determined there was additional damage. The recovery time is expected to be one year.

via Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated

City officials have said they expect AEG, a Los Angeles-based arena operator, to put about $50 million into the deal as upfront money. The city is reported to have asked that the Kings put in about $85 million of their own money. (David) Stern did not offer any hint whether the Kings have agreed to that amount, but indicated the team has agreed to put in some money.

“The team has agreed to a substantial contribution, both directly from itself, but also by catalyzing AEG to be interested. In effect, whatever money AEG puts in is because of give-backs by the team … so we see that as a team contribution,” Stern said. “Whether it ultimately closes all the gaps, we’ll know as we negotiate continuously and I fully expect that we will be negotiating in Orlando (this weekend when team and city representatives meet for the All-Star game)”

Earlier in the day, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said he expects to meet face to face with Stern this weekend in Orlando. He also said he expects city staff to present a deal “term sheet” to the City Council next Tuesday for its review.

via Tony Bizjak of The Sacramento Bee

And that’s the thing about these Wildcats — they have a bunch of really talented guys who love to do a bunch of really important things. (Michael) Kidd-Gilchrist loves to lock up the other team’s best player. Anthony Davis loves to block shots and generally freak people out. Darius Miller loves to come off the bench and make big shots when big shots are needed, and if he doesn’t love it then he has, at the very least, embraced it, which is the point I’m really trying to make.

When I watch Kentucky, what I see is a lot of future NBA draft picks completely focused on the task at hand. The Wildcats don’t seem worried with who starts or who scores or who wins what honors, which is a unique quality for a roster like this.

They seem confident but not cocky.

They have swagger but not to a fault.

They don’t get rattled and they don’t look young.

And they don’t lose road games even great teams ought to lose.

Again, this looked and felt like one of those games. Kentucky was down 13 early and for most of the second half, and you would’ve been wise to lay money on the Bulldogs when (Dee) Bost hit a 3-pointer over Davis’ outstretched (and really long) arm to give Mississippi State a 60-53 lead with 6:28 remaining.

But you would’ve also been wrong. So take the field in the Field of 68 if you want, because I know that’s the right play statistically. But me? I’m taking Kentucky. And I won’t believe the Wildcats will lose again until I see them lose again.

via Gary Parrish of CBS Sports

But behind the scenes, another game was being played Tuesday, and it was quite the nail-biter for Blazers management.

The game is the competition for the services of free agent center Joel Przybilla.

According to agent Bill Duffy, who spent halftime sitting courtside with team president Larry Miller, Przybilla is expected to make a decision Wednesday between signing with Miami, Chicago, Milwaukee or Portland … or remaining idle at his home in Milwaukee, where he is an All-Star father to his two sons.

“I think Portland is always the sentimental favorite for obvious reasons,” Duffy said. “Joel has a home here and he had the best years of his career here. And at this particular time, it looks like he is needed, too.”

via Jason Quick of The Oregonian

The final minute ticked away and Marc Gasol got the ball and Lionel Hollins signaled for him to do nothing at all.

Gasol obliged. No question, it was the sporting thing to do. But it seemed like the sensible thing, too.

Why move another muscle if you don’t have to? Especially during this year of years.

“I’m really exhausted, mentally and physically,” said Hollins.

“Honestly, I did not want to wake up this morning,” said Rudy Gay. “I did not.”

via Geoff Calkins of The Memphis Commercial Appeal

Iman Shumpert of the New York Knicks will no longer compete in the dunk contest, according to sources close to the situation. Shumpert missed Monday’s game against the New Jersey Nets due to a knee injury and he’ll rest during the weekend. While he wanted to compete in the dunk contest, getting healthy is his top priority.

Shumpert will likely be replaced by Jeremy Evans of the Utah Jazz. On Tuesday afternoon, the Utah Jazz’s official website announced that Evans was added to the dunk contest. They also released a video of Evans dunking and encouraging fans to vote for him on Saturday night. However, the video was removed shortly after being uploaded on the website. The NBA didn’t want the news leaking out until an official announcement was made.

via Alex Kennedy of HOOPSWORLD

In its biggest game of the season Tuesday night, Seton Hall stepped up to the plate and smashed a home run.

In search of a signature win to place at the top of their NCAA tournament résumé, the Pirates pounded No. 8 Georgetown, 73-55, and all but punched their ticket to the Big Dance — their first since 2006.

“I just wanna dance so bad,” said point guard Jordan Theodore. “I still can’t taste it yet, but I know we’re so close.”

Theodore is the primary reason. The 6-foot senior from Englewood, N.J., Seton Hall’s leading scorer (15.7 ppg), played the game of his life against the Hoyas. Theodore drained eight of his 11 shots from the field, all five 3-point attempts, and all eight free throws, en route to a career-high 29 points, plus five assists and four rebounds.

And he did it against one of the best defensive teams in the country.

“I let the first one go, and ever since I made the first one, there was no turning back,” said Theodore. “The hoop was just so wide tonight. It was like I was throwing the ball in the crowd. Every shot I put up just felt like it was going in.”

via Kieran Darcy of ESPN New York

In late February, a weary salesman comes knocking on plenty a college basketball locker room door.

His name is Opportunity and he’s got a great pitch to peddle — take advantage of me, of my one-time, two-time, three-time offer and taste the riches of instant success and fame.

And on Tuesday night, with the regular-season schedule dwindling and the sales cycle growing lean, he was especially busy, his sales force out strong across the country. He found a few buyers, but he found more who refused his offer, putting themselves on a very fragile NCAA tournament bubble.

Seton Hall cashed in, trouncing No. 8 Georgetown 73-55. Kansas State sealed up its bid and gave its newly potty-free-mouthed coach, Frank Martin, good reason to let out a ‘gosh darn it’ with their upset at No. 3 Missouri. The Mountain West’s lone bubble team, Colorado State, notched a must-win against the new king of the Mountain West, 71-63 against No. 18 New Mexico.

via Dana O’Neil of ESPN

Jeremy Lin is the Garden’s new Michael Jordan as far as TV ratings are concerned.

Thanks to Linsanity, the last two MSG telecasts — against the Hornets on Friday and against the Nets on Monday — are now the highest-rated, regular-season games on the network since it began tracking household ratings in 1988. Friday night’s telecast scored a 7.32 Nielsen household rating (540,788 households), which was topped last night with a 7.34 preliminary Nielsen household rating (542,265 households).

via Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York

Although the New Orleans Hornets listed him as having a bone bruise on his right knee, guard Eric Gordon admitted Tuesday his injury was more serious, involving cartilage damage. Gordon said arthroscopic surgery was performed last week to remove cartilage debris from his knee. Before Gordon gave details Tuesday, Hornets officials had only disclosed that a surgical procedure was performed to clean up his right knee.

“First off, you can label it as a bone bruise, or say so,’’ Gordon said. “Of course, it was a little more serious than that. It was a little bit of cartilage damage that came about, but nothing more serious than that.

“I had a little cartilage debris. That happens when you have damage to a cartilage, and that was that — and I needed it. I’ve never had surgery before. All you can do is listen to the doctors as far as moving forward, and I know the timing sucked, but no one knew how serious it was. We went through multiple doctors, and the only way we could find out is (to) go in there.’’

via John Reid of The Times Picayune

It’s ridiculous ripping on the Pistons for winning those precious few games in a season that ultimately gets defined by where they’ll eventually fall in this spring’s draft lottery. Worse, it’s hypocritical.

Those upset that the Pistons’ recent success might cost them a top-five pick in what some consider the deepest NBA draft since 2003 — when LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade went in the top five — need to look at the calendar. An anniversary’s approaching. It’s nothing worth celebrating, but certainly remembering.

The mutiny wasn’t simply an embarrassment for the Pistons, it remains a popular reference point for those fed up with the perceived inmate-run, ego-driven asylum that has become the NBA. Several Pistons deliberately blew off the morning shoot-around in Philadelphia on Feb. 25, 2011, in an orchestrated protest against coach John Kuester. The players involved were justly criticized for their unprofessionalism and for basically not caring what people thought about them.

via Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press

It marks the fifth time this season the Cavs (13-17) have come back from 11 or more points to win. They trailed by as many as 17 points late in the third quarter Tuesday night.

“All I know is we have a bunch of guys in the locker room that believe we can win games even when we are down in the fourth quarter,” said coach Byron Scott, whose club overcame its biggest deficit since March 5, 2010, when it rallied from 21 down also against the Pistons. “We still have a belief in ourselves that id there is still time on the clock, we have a chance to come back.”

That belief begins with their point guard, who won Sunday’s game against Sacramento, 93-92, with two free throws in the final second. (Kyrie) Irving continues to be clutch when it matters most.

He had just eight points heading into the final quarter. If not for Antawn Jamison, who finished with 32 points and 10 rebounds, the Cavaliers would have been hopelessly out of the game.

“I thought he was really the only one who showed up for the first three quarters and played terrific basketball,” said Scott. “Then, in the fourth quarter, Kyrie showed up and just took it upon himself to get to the basket and make shots. Zo was in there. Tristan [Thompson] I thought did a heck of a job defensively. Everybody seemed to kind of jump on board.”

via Tom Reed of The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Then, there are Northwestern’s last three teams, which won enough to reach the NIT, but not enough to make the NCAA tournament. The difference between winning and losing has been such a small margin, which has only made things all the more frustrating for the Wildcats.

Northwestern has been a program defined by late-season disappointments, and Tuesday’s 67-55 overtime loss to No. 13 Michigan was the latest one.

Tuesday’s defeat was like so many games at Welsh-Ryan Arena in the past few years. It was as if Northwestern was a marathon runner and was approaching the finish line in first place, but just as the Wildcats were getting ready to celebrate, another runner came in and passed them by.

The Wildcats had the game in their hands and then they didn’t. Their two-point loss to Purdue on Jan. 28 and their one-point loss to Illinois on Jan. 4 had similar feelings. Last year’s narrow home losses to Michigan State and Ohio State can be thrown in that category, too.

via Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago

“He’s (Marreese Speights) been great,” said Grizzlies All-Star center Marc Gasol. “He’s finding his shot easier, he knows where to be. It’s a process and he’s getting through it. We saw that he has a lot of talent and that he can shoot it a lot. We need him to do more things sometimes. He knows that, because he’s capable of doing that. We don’t ask him to do something we don’t think he’s capable of. We ask him to do stuff we saw that we really think that he can do. He’s getting better and better every day and that’s what we need.”

Much like Speights needed to get out of Philadelphia.

“Everything has been great here,” Speights said. “They’ve welcomed me, the fans welcomed me and the coaches and players. I just go out there and play my basketball. I can’t be another [Zach Randolph]. He does what he does and I do what I do. It just gives me a chance to come out here and do what I do to help win games.”

via Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News

Following Monday’s game between the teams at the Garden, New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin told New Jersey Nets power forward Kris Humphries that he doesn’t understand why Knicks fans boo Humphries and said he wanted him to know that he respects his game.

“I saw him in the tunnel outside the locker room after the game,” Humphries said during a Tuesday afternoon appearance on ESPN Radio’s “The Scott Van Pelt Show.”

“He’s a really nice guy,” said Humphries, who met Lin at an autograph signing in Los Angeles at the All-Star Game last year. “He just said, ‘Hey, I don’t know why they boo you, but I think it’s crap, and you’re playing really well.’ That was nice of him to say. He’s a really nice guy. … It’s nice to see great things happen for nice people.”

via Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York

That’s not who (Greg) Popovich meant to say, obviously — Cory Alexander was a bit player for the Spurs a long, long time ago. So long ago that your correspondent went to college with him.

The name he was looking for was Cory Joseph, but you could forgive Popovich his lack of familiarity. He had started All-Star Tony Parker at the point every game this season until Tuesday, when he opted to rest Parker and fellow star Tim Duncan, play his kids and “put some money in the bank” for the rest of the season.

With the Spurs starting Joseph, Richard Jefferson, Kawhi Leonard, DeJuan Blair and Danny Green, Popovich mostly chilled on the sidelines as his Spurs were thrashed by the Portland Trail Blazers 137-97, dropping the Spurs’ record on the season to 23 wins, nine losses and one DNP-Coach’s Decision.

A 41-point Portland explosion in the first quarter — nearly six times their output a night earlier in L.A. against the Lakers — put the Spurs’ JV team out of its misery early, with newly instated started Jamal Crawford hitting four 3-pointers and getting fouled for three shots on a fifth.

via John Hollinger of ESPN

Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors will replace injured San Antonio Spurs forward-center Tiago Splitter (right calf strain) on TEAM CHUCK in the 2012 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge.

via NBA.com

Jamal Crawford will replace Raymond Felton as the Trail Blazers starting point guard for tonight’s game against San Antonio, The Oregonian has learned.

The move comes one game after Felton played only 3:35 of the second half on Monday in Los Angeles, including being benched for the entire fourth quarter of the Blazers’ 103-90 loss to the Lakers. Crawford played 26 minutes and finished with 15 points, five assists and three turnovers.

This will be Crawford’s second start at point guard this season – he filled in for an injured Felton on Feb. 6 against Oklahoma City, a game the Blazers lost in overtime. Crawford had 17 points, five assists and three turnovers in that game. For the season, Crawford is averaging 14.1 points and 3.8 assists while shooting 38.7 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from three-point range.

via Jason Quick of The Oregonian

Sources say James Anderson’s agent this month encouraged Spurs to trade his client. Anderson, a second year player out of Oklahoma State, is averaging 4 points per game this year in his limited minutes.

via Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News

Danny Ainge, perhaps even more than most NBA general managers, never will say never when it comes to moving the furniture.

He did it last year by trading Kendrick Perkins for Jeff Green, and now that the Celtics have pitched into a tailspin — they have just one win in their past six games after last night’s 89-73 loss to the Mavericks — there’s no reason he won’t throw the switch again before the March 15 trade deadline.

“My feelings haven’t changed yet,” Ainge said yesterday. “You don’t panic when things aren’t going well and when your lineup isn’t 100 percent.”

To that end, the Celtics played the Mavericks without the suspended Rajon Rondo, excused Kevin Garnett and injured Brandon Bass.

via Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald

The Lakers’ front office knows Kobe Bryant is looking for it to improve the roster, and GM Mitch Kupchak has been working the phones. He’s spoken to Minnesota about Michael Beasley, and sources say the Lakers are intrigued by the Timberwolves’ small forward. The Lakers were actually in discussions with Minnesota about a potential trade for Beasley before the season started. If they would have been able to pull off the deal for Chris Paul, there is a good chance that a trade for Beasley would have followed.

It’s not clear what the Lakers would give Minnesota for Beasley (if indeed the talks get that far), but the Lakers could absorb Beasley into their $8.9 million trade exception while giving up a draft pick or cash. I’m told the teams have not spoken about Pau Gasol since the preseason. Minnesota is looking to move Beasley, who they feel has matured very little (if at all) since he’s been there, according to sources. The Lakers believe they can handle a player like Beasley because of their winning culture and the leadership of Bryant.

via Chris Broussard of ESPN

Frustration abounds in Atlanta right now, and sources say Marvin Williams wants out because he wants to play somewhere where he’ll have an increased role offensively. Williams is averaging just 9.6 points per game, his lowest since his rookie season.

via Chris Broussard of ESPN

Now they are 18th and falling apart faster than Lindsay Lohan. Now we are left to wonder how far Danny Ainge will go to reshape this team and how different it will look March 15, the NBA trade deadline. We don’t know just how medieval he will get, but we know Danny will do something, probably something drastic, maybe something wildly unpopular.

Something like trading Rajon Rondo.

At first blush, it sounds crazy. Rondo turns 26 tomorrow. He is serving a two-game suspension for throwing a ball at an official, but he’s healthy, he’s under contract at reasonable money, and he’s a top 10 point guard in a point guard league. He’s averaging a career-high 14.8 points per game and proving he can score when he wants to.

Trade him? Seems wiser to trade everyone else and build anew around him. But then you wonder: How long will that take? Three years, maybe more? Rondo has three years (and $36 million) left on his contract after this season, and even when things are going OK, he appears impatient, annoyed, petulant.

via Gerry Callahan of the Boston Herald

After Sunday night’s loss at Phoenix, (Kobe) Bryant said he wanted (Mitch) Kupchak to decide whether (Pau) Gasol would be traded or not. Kupchak responded with a terse one-paragraph statement before Monday’s game against Portland.

“As a former player, I understand how the days leading up to the trade deadline can be nerve-wracking for an NBA player,” said Kupchak, a former Lakers center.

“Nonetheless, as General Manager of the Lakers, I have a responsibility to ownership, our fans and the players on this team to actively pursue opportunities to improve the team for this season and seasons to come,” Kupchak said. “To say publicly that we would not do this would serve no purpose and put us at a competitive disadvantage. Taking such a course of action at this time would be a disservice to ownership, the team and our many fans.”

via Associated Press

There’s no question that Jeremy Lin is the Knicks’ starting point guard right now.

But Mike D’Antoni didn’t dismiss the possibility that Baron Davis could eventually supplant Lin as the starter if Lin’s play tails off.

D’Antoni was asked on Monday if he’d talked to Davis about his role as a backup to Lin.

“We haven’t had that conversation, but we’ll talk about it,” the coach said. “I think he can see what’s happening too and knows where he is. … Right now Jeremy is the starter and then Baron is going to get ready and get [in] game shape and we’ll see.

via Ian Begley of ESPN New York

It’s something (Dirk) Nowitzki can laugh about now that he’s got his game back.

“I’m just getting warmed up,” the 33-year-old Nowitzki said, flashing a grin. “No, I knew eventually once the swelling in my knee went down and I started feeling better that I can still play on a high level. I was just struggling physically the first month or so with the short camp, but I had confidence that eventually, once my leg strength came back, I can still compete at a high level. I think I’ve still got that in my tank for hopefully the next two years and then we can go from there.”

His immediate focus, of course, is on finishing this season strong. He has reason to believe that the Mavs, who are 21-12 at the midway point despite a slow start, are a legitimate threat to repeat.

There’s no question in Nowitzki’s mind that he’s back to being the kind of player that can put a team on his back during a playoff run.

“Once I get my game back, I can attack off the dribble, post, do all those things,” Nowitzki said, recapping what’s happened over the last few weeks, “I think there’s not a lot of power forwards in this league who are better than me.”

via Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas

Sources say Dallas is about ready to move on from the Roddy Beaubois experiment. The Mavericks have thought for years that the talented young Frenchman could be another Tony Parker, but he has not been able to master the move from shooting guard to point guard. Nor has he been able to fill the void left by J.J. Barea. If they don’t move him before this year’s deadline, he could be gone over the summer.

via Chris Broussard of ESPN

Of course, the Lakers need a point guard even more than a small forward. While they worked out Gilbert Arenas last week, they have not come to a decision on him. They want to see if they can get another point guard, such as Cleveland’s Ramon Sessions, before making a play for Arenas. There’s a good chance they can get Sessions for a first-round draft pick before the deadline, sources say. If they don’t get Sessions or someone else, they may bring Arenas aboard.

There are a few other PGs who could be available. While the Lakers would love to get Houston’s Kyle Lowry, the Rockets plan to build around their vastly-improved point guard. But either of their two backups, Goran Dragic or Jonny Flynn, would be an improvement over what they currently have.

Lots of teams are calling Toronto about Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani. The Raptors aren’t likely to part with Bargnani, and if they move Calderon, they’ll need to get a point guard in return. That would seem to make a trade for Calderon unlikely.

via Chris Broussard of ESPN

But (Mitch) Kupchak was not the intended target of (Kobe) Bryant’s profanity-laced screed Sunday night in Phoenix, when he said of trading (Pau) Gasol, “If they’re going to do something, I wish they would just (expletive) do it. If they’re not going to do it, come out and say you’re not going to do it.”

As a practical matter, this can’t be done; the Magic have stated publicly they’re not trading Dwight Howard, and that hasn’t stopped the maelstrom, hasn’t stopped the offers from rolling in. But the real motivation behind Bryant going public was to shed light on the dysfunctional, borderline comical way the Lakers are handling their basketball business and hope it prompts someone to fix it.

So here it is: The Lakers’ front office is an uncommunicative, rudderless fiasco, and the unrest and paranoia that have been festering for years threaten to derail the team’s plans to ride Bryant to his sixth NBA title while they still can. And much of it can be traced to the growing influence of executive vice president Jim Buss, the owner’s bon vivant son, who has helped transform a great franchise into a steaming pool of nepotism and nincompoops.

In the months leading up to the lockout, the Lakers got rid of assistant general manager Ronnie Lester and most of his scouts. Rudy Garciduenas, the equipment manager for nearly 30 years, was let go. Alex McKechie, a renowned sports science expert, was told to pack up and was quickly scooped up by the Raptors. International scout Adam Fillippi wound up with the Bobcats.

via Ken Berger of CBS Sports

The Denver Nuggets began meetings with small forward Wilson Chandler on Monday in hope of getting the restricted free agent to re-sign soon.

Chandler had been playing in China since the lockout. His team, the Zhejiang Lions, qualified for the playoffs but agreed to release Chandler early so he could return to the NBA. Chandler still must get clearance from the Chinese Basketball Association and basketball’s international federation (FIBA).

“We’re on the same page with him. We’re just waiting to see what the timing is going to be with that,” Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri said.

The Nuggets can use a boost from Chandler, who is eligible for as much as a five-year deal.

via J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today Sports

(Deron) Williams is the best point guard in Metropolitan New York – one of the five best on the planet – and yet he’s been best remembered this season as the original foil for the blossoming of the Jeremy Lin movement. Sixteen days ago, Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni gave Lin his big break against the Nets, and a magnificent performance earned him his first starting assignment. Sixteen days ago, Deron Williams started seething over that indignity and finally unleashed it all on Monday night, a hellacious 38 points to transform Linsanity into a whisper.

The Nets pounded the Knicks, and Williams devastated Lin with an array of shots, including eight 3-pointers, and hard drives to the basket. He hadn’t come to beat the Knicks, but punish Lin. Oh, yes, Linsanity stuck on his mind.

“When somebody says they destroyed you, and you watch the tape and you don’t feel like you got destroyed, you circle those games,” Williams said. “I took offense.”

via Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports

It’s hard to believe that acquiring (Lamar) Odom from the Los Angeles Lakers for virtually nothing seemed like highway robbery before the season. Now his new teammates find themselves defending him after bad games.

At this point, Odom’s main purpose is basically to give Dirk Nowitzki a breather. But as we saw Sunday in New York, even that can be a dicey proposition.

“One of the curses of our situation for [Odom] is that unless we have a guy like Dirk out, he’s not going to get the 30 to 35 minutes where he can go out there and eventually roll up stats,” said (Rick) Carlisle. “I don’t think it’s fair to look at a 1 for 6 yesterday and a 2 for 8 tonight and say the guy’s not doing anything. That’s not true. If we didn’t have him, Nowitzki wouldn’t be averaging 30 or 31 minutes a game. There’s value in that.”

Point guard Jason Kidd, who passed Michael Jordan on the NBA’s all-time steals list Monday, said that he constantly tells Odom to “let it fly” in an effort to encourage confidence.

“Change is hard,” said Kidd. “Especially when it comes from the blindside like it did with the Lakers. We all know that he’s talented. He keeps everyone’s minutes down. He’s got to keep taking those shots.”

via Matt Mosley of FOX Sports

Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd collected his 2,515th career steal midway through the second quarter of Monday’s 89-73 win, passing Michael Jordan to become No. 2 on the NBA’s all-time steals list.

The 18-year veteran intercepted a pass from Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen as he drove the lane and got caught in no-man’s land. The steal led to a Dirk Nowitzki basket.

“Well because Mike is everybody’s idol, he played both ends of the court,” Kidd said about passing Jordan. “Just being able to pass him in something is an honor in itself. When you talk about defense, he played both sides of the ball. (John) Stockton and Jordan are the two best at what they do. When you talk about guards, those two are the best all-time.”

Kidd finished the game with three steals, bringing his career total to 2,517.

via Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas

(Luol) Deng was practically exasperated by the waves of media at his locker asking (Derrick) Rose questions, before figuring out that Rose had left. On the court, however, Deng was happy to see his All-Star teammate return. Who wouldn’t be? Well, maybe (John) Lucas III, who only managed eight shots in 14 minutes.

“It’s good to have Derrick back,” Deng said. “Hopefully after the break, Rip (Hamilton) will be back. We’ve got one more game, Milwaukee (on Wednesday), and from there on, everyone will be back.”

Deng, one of the league leaders in minutes per game, played 44 minutes, but only hit 4 of 15 shots, scoring 10 points to go with nine rebounds and four assists.

Deng had two great games without Rose, putting up consecutive points-assists double-doubles, but he was glad to see him back. It was the first time the pair had played 30-plus minutes in the same game since Feb. 4. Rose left the next game early with back spasms and then played 22 minutes against New Orleans before missing five straight. But while it felt like Rose had been out longer, does anyone remember seeing Hamilton play? (His last game was the loss to Miami on Jan. 29.)

via Jon Greenberg of ESPN Chicago

For Sacramento rookie Jimmer Fredette, there’s one aspect of the NBA life that’s proving difficult to handle.

It’s the losing.

“Keep playing hard and eventually things will turn around,” Fredette said. “You’ve just got to instill a winning attitude within the team. Everybody’s got to have it. You can’t just have a losing mentality even though you’re on a losing team. That’s something I think that guys can fall into. … That’s something I try not to get used to. You always stay mad. You always stay ready to go so you can try to keep winning basketball games.”

“This year is crazy, especially just with the travel and how many games we play. It’s abnormal, and also with the short training camp and a coaching change a couple weeks in,” Fredette said. “Everything’s happened. I’ve seen it all in my rookie year.”

via Associated Press