Terry: Mavs Don’t Need a Trade

In a city that thrives on sports radio sound bites, Jason Terry is a treasure. While the Knicks and Lakers are trying to avoid the conversation altogether, Terry welcomes any reporter with a trade question, whether he agrees with the premise or not.

Today Terry told Dwain Price of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the Mavericks are fine just the way they are.

"Last year going into this time, I think we had a trade on the horizon," Terry said. "So we were kind of in flux and we didn’t know what to expect.

"This year, our teams intact," he continued. "We don’t foresee any moves that I can see that’ll surprise the heck out of me."

It’s easy to see why Terry is feeling that way. The Mavs are 10-1 in their last 11 and have recent road wins over the Celtics and Knicks. Furthermore, the Mavs don’t seem to have a weakness. Dirk Nowitzki and Terry have been scoring well and Caron Butler still believes he can return from knee surgery in time for the playoffs. On top of that, guards Jason Kidd and J.J. Barea have been productive and Tyson Chandler has helped an improving frontcourt defense.

For the first time in awhile, the Mavericks aren’t eager to make a deadline deal.

"We’re feeling good," Terry told Price. "We’re coming off a stretch where we won 10 in a row and we’re starting to get healthy, and I think that’s the biggest key for us.

"This season," he continued, "when healthy, we’re the best team in the league."

{AUTHOR_BOX}Lakers Hidden Trade Chip

Second-round draft picks get a much different perspective of the NBA than their first-round counterparts. Players deemed to be "first-round talent" get to pick and choose their pre-draft workout schedule while everyone else battles like gladiators for the chance at unguaranteed money.

Not only do first-round picks get more dough on payday, but they also get the security of knowing that they won’t be waived. The teams have to pay them, so they get some leeway with their mistakes.

Of course, there is the occasional second-round pick who is promising enough to command guaranteed money. This year, that man is Derrick Caracter, and he could be the best trade chip the Lakers have.

"It feels good," Caracter told HOOPSWORD. "I proved a lot of people wrong. A lot of people doubted me throughout the years.  I think a lot of people know I should have handled my business a lot sooner. I definitely shouldn’t have went 58, but that was in God’s plans for me to go 58. I ended up where I’m at right now and I’m trying to seize the moment and continue to keep getting better."

The 6-9 power forward was taken with the 58th overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft, but could have gone much, much higher. As a 13-year-old he had been placed on the cover of Slam Magazine and ultimately became one of the top recruits in the country despite weighing in at around 300 pounds.

But college nearly killed his draft stock. Caracter missed half of his freshman season with personal issues and averaged only 16.9 MPG as a sophomore.

"I have never seen anyone so far behind in the game of life," Louisville coach Rick Pitino said of Character at a press conference in 2008. 

After declaring and withdrawing from the 2008 NBA Draft, Caracter enrolled at UTEP where he finished his college career by averaging 14.1 PPG and 8.1 RPG in 26.7 MPG. Of course, his troubles at Louisville followed Caracter into the draft process.

"I was not like most top kids coming out of school where [their] coaches didn’t put their problems out publically," Caracter said. "Some of them got to the NBA and it wasn’t a big issue. My problems were brought up before I made it. So there was just a little speed bump."

But as damning as Caracter’s character issues seemed to be, he was still drawing interest with his impressive workouts. The 22-year-old was able to hang with anyone who faced him at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago—of course, not everyone felt up to the challenge in the Windy City.

"Guys weren’t working out," Caracter said of the presumed lottery picks. "They were protecting their lottery status. When they announced they weren’t going to work out, I was like, ‘that’s crazy.’ Pretty much just spoke out to the whole group. ‘Y’all may get drafted X, Y and Z, but come Summer League time, it’s one through 60 that’s gonna be out there.’ That’s all it was. I was 58."

Caracter scored 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting against the Kings and fourth-overall pick Derrick Cousins in his second summer league game. A few days later he dropped 20 points and 10 boards on Pistons lottery pick Greg Monroe.

Caracter’s minutes have dried up since the regular season began, but that doesn’t mean he regrets being taken by the Lakers—especially considering they’re giving him nearly $500,000 guaranteed with a team option for next season. It also gives him motivation to kick his bad reputation to the curb.

"I wanted to play basketball professionally, so I learned how to represent myself," he said.

The environment has proven to be perfect for Caracter who now practices against Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol—two players who he says are making him better every day.

"You have some good guys to look up to," Caracter said. "You can picture yourself a few years down the line doing what you want to do and how you want to do things. I am definitely a lot more comfortable than I was at the beginning of the season. Keep learning, keep watching and I’ll get it.
"

And no matter what you may have heard about Caracter before, he has been the consummate professional in Los Angeles.

"He’s a hard worker," veteran Lakers power forward Joe Smith said. "It’s hard to learn the NBA, but in the short time I’ve been here I’ve seen him developing. He already had some great moves around the basket. He just got to figure out how and when to use them."

Caracter’s hard work has already helped him drop far below the 313 pounds he once weighed in college. However, he thinks he can play at any weight.

"It was never about weight," Caracter said. "People made it about weight. It was more about shape and conditioning. I always felt comfortable in my body, but now I’m still trying to get into better shape. I’m not playing as many minutes right now, so I got to do a little bit extra. This time, come next year, if I can play as much as I want to, I’ll be like 265, 260. I can show more of my ability like that."

Of course, a lot of that weight is muscle, which is what makes Caracter so efficient in the paint.

"He’s like a bull down there," Smith said. "We play a lot of 3-on-3, and I’m always guarding him. He’s pretty strong down there. He has an NBA body. Now he just needs to figure the game out."

The Lakers seem perfectly comfortable letting Caracter take his time.  However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t interested parties. Caracter’s name popped up in the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors and he should continue to draw interest until he Feb. 24 trade deadline. He doesn’t make much, but Caracter could be packaged with a larger contract to entice another team to cough up a backup center or productive guard.

Lee Braces for Another Trade

In his brief career Courtney Lee has defended Kobe Bryant in the NBA Finals, suffered the indignity of a 12-win season in New Jersey and he’s been traded twice. Now on his third team—the Rockets—in three seasons, Lee is prepared for yet another trade.

"I’m happy," Lee told Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. "I’ve been traded twice so that doesn’t faze me at all. Wherever I’m at, I enjoy. I’m going to be a professional and work hard. If that leads me to be somewhere else, I’ll do the same."

Lee isn’t just being paranoid. He is one of five Rockets swingmen who stand between 6-5 and 6-8. And if he didn’t coexist with Terrence Williams in New Jersey, isn’t it likely the pair could be split up again in Houston?

The bottom line is, Lee might not be traded, but there are too many 2s and 3s in Houston and somebody needs to go.

Check Out: Ohio State is 24-1 and is like headed for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. But prior to the season, that was Michigan State’s script. Now, after stumbling to a 14-10 start, the Spartans are hoping to gain some ground on the tournament tonight in Columbus. Tip-off is at 9 p.m.

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