NBA At 2: Felton Good For Lakers?
In a perfect world, the Denver Nuggets have one of the best one-two punches in the NBA at their point guard position. Ty Lawson and Raymond Felton are both starter-quality players, and they both bring different strengths to the table. With both of them on the roster, Nuggets head coach George Karl can adapt his lineup to face faster, quicker point guards like Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo and Tony Parker with Lawson, but he can also challenge bigger, more physical guards like Deron Williams, Chris Paul and Jason Kidd by inserting Felton into the mix.
Unfortunately, except in very rare cases, having two players who are capable of starting means one of them isn’t very happy, and that’s exactly what’s going on in Denver.
When the Nuggets acquired Felton as part of the trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks, the hope was that Felton would help mentor fellow Tar Heel Lawson and become a dangerous counter-punch to his young would-be protégé. Instead, Felton was upset by the trade because it meant he wouldn’t be starting, and his mantra after the deal was made was that he wanted to either start or be traded to a team where he could. The former didn’t happen, and the latter is now in the works.
The Nuggets have had a number of discussions about Felton, and those talks are likely to heat up as teams try to make deals in advance of the July 1st lock-out.
Enter the Los Angeles Lakers. As much as it makes sense for the Lakers to make a minor tweak or two and come back with a more rested team ready for another title run, that doesn’t seem to be the approach the Lakers will take. They’ve already had lengthy discussions with the Minnesota Timberwolves about possibly trading Pau Gasol for Kevin Love, and Lamar Odom is very much on the block as the Lakers explore their trade options. Now, according to multiple reports, some within the Lakers’ organization see Felton as a possible long-term solution at the point.
One way or another, the Lakers need to insert some youthful enthusiasm into their veteran mix. There is also a very good chance that new head coach Mike Brown will move away from the pseudo-triangle that Phil Jackson used to lead the Lakers to an era of championship basketball. As savvy a veteran as Derek Fisher is, a hungry Felton could be just the player to lead LA in a new direction.
For the Nuggets, Odom would be a solid replacement for free agent Kenyon Martin, who has been defined more by his injuries than by his contributions on the court of late. He would also make the Nuggets even more versatile, as he can play either forward position, and could either play alongside assumed starter Al Harrington or spell him off the bench.
The Lakers, like so many teams, are working the phones leading up to tonight’s draft. Make sure you’re up on the very latest by checking out HOOPSWORLD’s Day-Of Draft Diary . . .where all of our experts are updating the site throughout the day.
Timberwolves Late To The Party
When an NBA team manages just 17 wins, you expect there to be major changes. When that team makes major trades that improve the roster on paper, have multiple players put up career-best numbers, and have a first-time All-Star, yet still only win 17 games, you expect the first change to be replacing the head coach.
That’s been the assumption regarding the Minnesota Timberwolves, who saw Kevin Love turn into an All-Star, got stellar all-around play from Michael Beasley after acquiring him for a song, and even got good production out of Anthony Randolph after acquiring him before the trade deadline. On paper the Timberwolves are much better than they were at the end of 2009-10, yet their record failed to reflect that potential.
We all expected head coach Kurt Rambis to be the fall guy; what we didn’t expect was for the Timberwolves to drag their feet in making the decision to fire him, allowing every top coaching candidate to find jobs elsewhere before they begin their search. That’s exactly what’s about to happen.
Timberwolves GM David Kahn has been very non-committal about Rambis’ future since the end of the season, saying a decision about Rambis had not yet been made. Now the decision has been made, and Rambis will fired after the draft process runs its course, but it’s not exactly the ideal time to be searching for a head coach.
First and foremost, top candidates like Mike Brown, Dwane Casey, Kevin McHale and Lawrence Frank have all made their decisions, and even secondary candidates like Mark Jackson have been snapped up. The Timberwolves, then, will be hiring a second-tier coach or an older coach to lead them into a future with Ricky Rubio. One possibility that’s being discussed is having Portland assistant and long-time NBA coach Bernie Bickerstaff take the head job in Minnesota, where he could groom his son, who is already an assistant coach there, to be the eventual long-term coach. That isn’t exactly a headline-grabbing move, and one has to wonder how much buy-in the old-school Bickerstaff will get from a team comprised primarily of new-school athletes.
The other problem with the timing, of course, is that a head coach likes to be involved in the draft process. They like to know that the player they’re drafting – especially with the #2 overall pick, is a player who will fit the system he plans to implement. The Timberwolves’ next head coach will have no such input, as he won’t be hired until after the fact.
Again, it’s no surprise at all that the Timberwolves are about to fire Kurt Rambis. It would have been a surprise is they didn’t, frankly. What’s surprising is that they have waited this long and cost themselves a shot at a really good coach by waiting around until the top candidates are gone.
Rockets, Bucks Talking Trade
{AUTHOR_BOX}The Houston Rockets are always one of the teams looking to make moves on draft day, and par for the course, the Rockets are busily working the phones trying to get into the top ten in tonight’s NBA draft. There are two players believed to be high on their draft board who will be long gone when they get their first crack at the class at pick #14. With that in mind, the Rockets have had several discussions with the Milwaukee Bucks, holders of the tenth overall pick.
At 10 the Rockets would likely have their pick of their top two choices, believed to be Washington State junior Klay Thompson and Kansas junior Marcus Morris. As I detailed earlier this week, Thompson would be a solid choice to replace Shane Battier, while Morris’ scoring ability and his efficiency make him the kind of player Rockets GM Daryl Morey covets. The Rockets don’t really need another power forward with Luis Scola, Patrick Patterson, Chuck Hayes and Jordan Hill in the mix, but redundancy is never a factor for Houston. They take best available and sort the details out later.
The key part of the deal with Milwaukee would be the player the Rockets take back in the deal. They have reportedly targeted Ersan Ilyasova, which makes some sense given their need for a better option at center. Yao Ming may never play again, Brad Miller is out until January following surgery, and Hasheem Thabeet . . .cough, cough . . .never mind. Ilyasova is a workable, if not ideal, option.
In return the Bucks are said to be interested in Chase Budinger, Jordan Hill or Patterson, with Hill being the player Houston would most like to send out. Patterson only makes sense if the Rockets are, indeed, looking to draft Morris.
One way or the other, Houston hopes to climb into the top ten in this draft class, and with so many teams looking to trade down it’s likely the Rockets find a way this year. Stay tuned to HOOPSWORLD for more on this and the myriad other trade stories leading up to tonight’s draft.
A Word Of Thanks
I’ll be out of action for the next couple of weeks as my wife and I welcome our first child (a daughter) into the world. While I’m away, Jason Fleming and Alex Kennedy will take over the NBA At 2, and for that I am incredibly grateful. I just wanted to give a shout to my friends for covering for me, and also to let our readers know that I’ll be back mid-July. Thanks for reading . . .and we’ll talk soon!
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NBA Chats: There will be two chats today starting with Stephen Brotherston at 12pm. HOOPSWORLD senior NBA writer Joel Brigham will host his chat at 4:30pm EST. The chats do fill up fast so getting in early always helps. You can always find the next chat here: Upcoming NBA Chats.
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