HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

The Rumor Mill is updated every week, and covers the latest NBA trade rumors, NBA news and commentary from in and around the National Basketball Association.¿0a¿0a

RUMOR HAS IT…

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In this weeks section geared exclusively towards the latest rumors floating around… “Rumor Has It…” ¿0a

STEPH AND LB: You can’t be surprised that it’s only taken 9 games for the Larry Brown/Stephon Marbury marriage to be rocky – the truth of the matter is LB has a certain way he wants guys to play and Stephon is not that kind of player. Stephon can be contrite all day long, but at the end of the day what makes Stephon a special player in the NBA, is exactly why he does not fit in New York’s Larry Brown system, as evident by Steph’s numbers this season and his frustration in his role with New York. The Knicks continue to play damage control on this subject and deny any interest in trading Steph, but as long as they continue to allow teams to pitch for Stephon, his name is gonna be in the paper, and its only a matter of time before someone offers Larry Brown and Isiah Thomas the right combination of players to get him to move off of trading Stephon. A league source indicated that Atlanta would be interested in a trade involving Stephon as would the Sonics, looking to pair Stephon with Ray Allen, but it does not seem either team can get the Knicks to the table. The Knicks may trigger a deal with Seattle, but its more likely a deal involving Jalen Rose and Penny Hardaway, than Stephon.¿0a

FRANCIS AND THE MAGIC: Its time to be honest – The Magic stink – and the reality is they are not gonna get any better soon. Brian Hill was a decent hire, the losing is not his fault (entirely) – Orlando’s problem is not Steve Francis or Dwight Howard, it’s the fact that no one else on the team can give them anything consistent. The Magic have to make some changes and the sooner the better. Word from Central Florida is Tony Battie and Kelvin Cato can be had in trade, and there is a growing sentiment that Jameer Nelson may not be in the long term plans for the Magic, which seems insanely silly, but how else can you justify his lack of consistent minutes despite some very gritty and effective play and the off-season addition of Keyon Dooling? The Magic need a starting two-guard, and it seems with Latrell Sprewell turning down their one-year offer, the only way the Magic get the help they need is in trade.¿0a

THE HEAT: Things are settling down in Miami, and with Shaquille O’Neal on his way back to action things for the 6-3 HEAT should kick into high gear. A four game winning streak seems to cure a lot of woes, but for the HEAT they are still trying to figure out who their bench guys will be, in a surprising move the HEAT waived Matt Walsh making him available to any team in the league, word is Walsh wants to return to Miami, and he may get the chance as Miami may trade Michael Doleac once Shaq returns to full duty, opening another spot for Walsh – Walsh’s agent also represents Udonis Haslem, and is fairly tight with Randy Pfund, so its unlikely Walsh signs with another team, if the HEAT are serious about bringing him back¿0a

DENVER’S BLUES: Oh, the troubles in Denver… prior to the season, the Nuggets were an odds on favorite to win their division, .500 basketball does not win the Northwest despite a dismal start for the division. There are several internal storylines that are clouding the Nuggets and a trade maybe the only way to help some of them. Kenyon Martin’s knee is a major setback, the hope was the off-season knee surgery would have cleaned up the issue, but now it seems K-Mart may need micro-fracture, which would sideline him for up 12 months, and put him out of the game plan for at least 16 months – the Nuggets are hopeful rest will help, but the pain he’s having does not go away. Nene is having his knee repaired this week, so his recovery will be deep into the summer, when he’ll try to get a contract extension. The Earl Watson situation gets weirder – he did not get off the bench in the first few games, now he’s seeing minutes – word was he was going to be traded on December 15th. George Karl has gotten odd in recent days, while on a road trip he told media, he didn’t know what to do, and maybe he needed to change the offense. General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe is seeking a new contract from the Nuggets and it does not look like Stan Kroenke will meet Kiki’s price, no rumors are surfacing that Kiki could be gone next summer — not a good situation for the Nuggets, no wonder they are off to a shaky start. Wanna good one? A source close to the Nuggets said last week, when The Nuggets staff heard Stephon Marbury could be had, they joked maybe Steph would be a good fit in Denver.¿0a

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KG AND THE WOLVES

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This summer, our own Eric Pincus ran a few stories about Kevin Garnett being unhappy, and the backlash was entirely negative… a few week later, I ran a story about Kevin Garnett being unhappy with the decisions after speaking with some people close to Kevin and again the negative e-mail flooded in – can we all finally agree that Kevin is not happy with the manner in which the Timberwolves are being managed? Here are a couple of things to know – Kevin Garnett loves Wolves owner Glen Taylor, he has endured many of the decisions made because Glen has told him these are good changes, such as hiring Dwayne Casey over Paul Silas… Kevin is a team guy; he does not air his laundry in public, not his style… Kevin was not thrilled to see Latrell Sprewell go, and was angry that Sam Cassell was traded for Marko Jaric, nothing against Jaric, but Sam was a close friend to KG and KG felt Sam was a top tier guard and commented to many “Marko who?” – KG felt the team did not get enough back for Sam… The long and short of the entire situation is while Kevin is clearly not happy with a 5-4 start they are in 1st place, as long as the stay in 1st place in the Northwest, the odds KG is traded are zero. Keep in mind, Kevin can be unhappy all day, the Wolves hold all the cards, and as long as Kevin is Kevin on the court, everyone will look the other way when Kevin blasts Kevin McHale on TNT, now when Kevin blasts Glen Taylor, things may change.¿0a

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DECEMBER 15th

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December 15th is a magic day in the NBA, it’s the 1st day players who signed contracts this summer can be dealt in trade, meaning it’s the 1st day the New York Knicks can deal Jerome James (likely to the Blazers for Ruben Patterson), its also the 1st day the Nuggets can deal Earl Watson (likely to the Knicks who are willing to try Stephon at the two guard spot, if they can get a point guard in return). The 15th is also going to be the day the Sonics have to deal with Vladimir Radmanovic crying for a trade (likely in a package to the Bulls for Tim Thomas). The trade cycle gets in full swing on the 15th, and don’t be surprised to see Orlando, Atlanta and Toronto all trigger significant trades in the next 30 days.

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COACHES ON THE HOT SEAT

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While its still early to see coaches fired, there are some coaches who were carrying the axe into the summer and survived, not its simply a matter of time before things go bad for them:¿0a

Sam Mitchell: Despite some campaigning on his part, he’s still the guy calling the shots and with a 0-9 start a coaching change in Toronto is likely coming, Rob Babcock is likely toast too with former Magic GM John Gabriel being the top name to replace him in mid-season, and Mitchell would likely follow Babcock out the door as the Raptors try to salvage a horrid season. To Sam’s credit, he’s a great locker room coach that understands what players go through, but at the same time his judgment is suspect, and he’s done some shady things internally to make sure key decision makers know who is to blame for the woes in Toronto.¿0a

Rick Adelman: When the team quits on you, your days are numbered, its only a matter of time before the Maloof’s have no choice but to wax Rick Adelman, and it won’t be because they don’t like him or he’s not a good coach – he’s simply lost the attention of his players, and that’s the players fault not Rick’s, but its always easier to change a coach than change a team.¿0a

Bob Weiss: Call it a failed experiment, but if Bob Weiss is coaching the Sonics next season, be shocked. Further more, if Weiss is still coaching the Sonics in March, be shocked – Weiss was the best coach available at the time, and he was cheap – no one in Seattle expected Nate McMillan to leave, so they were unprepared, but with Paul Silas still on the market and several players mentioning his name to friends, its only a matter of time.¿0a

Byron Scott: The Hornets are doing better than expected, mainly because Chris Paul is the man – Scott may get a reprieve from the axe, but George Shinn wants to win, but there are so many other problems for the Hornets changing a coach may be too much, even if the wheels come off.¿0a

Mike Woodson: Mike and Herb Brown were hired as a tandem, but the wins are not coming, this may be the last year for Woodson and company – word is with Steve Belkin out of the way, the hawks would go after a bigger name coach and make some aggressive moves to get competitive which likely means the end of the road for Woodson, likely next summer. ¿0a

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SOME SHOTS

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Here are some of the random stories from the week…

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• ALL-STAR BALLOTING: The NBA released the 2005-2006 NBA All-Star ballots this week and while the fan voting with decide the starters, making it a popularity contest there are a few guys that should get consideration from the coaches for an amazing display on the court, here is the complete ballot:

  ¿0a¿0aEASTERN CONFERENCE¿0a
  

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  EAST GUARDS (24)  ¿0a ***¿0a Gilbert Arenas, Washington  ¿0a Chauncey Billups, Detroit  ¿0a *** Vince Carter, New Jersey  ¿0a Antonio Daniels, Washington  ¿0a Davis, Ricky, Boston  ¿0a ***¿0a TJ Ford, Milwaukee  ¿0a Steve Francis Orlando  ¿0a Ben Gordon, Chicago  ¿0a Richard Hamilton, Detroit  ¿0a Kirk Hinrich, Chicago  ¿0a Larry Hughes, Cleveland  ¿0a ***¿0a Allen Iverson, Philadelphia  ¿0a Stephen Jackson, Indiana  ¿0a Joe Johnson, Atlanta  ¿0a ***¿0a Jason Kidd, New Jersey  ¿0a Brevin Knight, Charlotte  ¿0a Stephon Marbury, New York  ¿0a Gary Payton, Miami  ¿0a Morris Peterson, Toronto  ¿0a ***¿0a Michael Redd, Milwaukee  ¿0a Jalen Rose, Toronto  ¿0a Josh Smith, Atlanta  ¿0a Jamaal Tinsley, Indiana  ¿0a ***¿0a Dwyane Wade, Miami  ¿0a

  EAST FORWARDS (24)  ¿0a Ron Artest, Indiana  ¿0a Chris Bosh, Toronto  ¿0a Caron Butler, Washington  ¿0a Tyson Chandler, Chicago  ¿0a Luol Deng, Chicago  ¿0a Drew Gooden, Cleveland  ¿0a Al Harrington, Atlanta  ¿0a Grant Hill, Orlando  ¿0a ***¿0a Dwight Howard, Orlando  ¿0a ***¿0a Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia  ¿0a ***¿0a LeBron James, Cleveland  ¿0a ***¿0a Antawn Jamison, Washington  ¿0a Richard Jefferson, New Jersey  ¿0a Antonio McDyess, Detroit  ¿0a Emeka Okafor, Charlotte  ¿0a ***¿0a Jermaine O’Neal, Indiana  ¿0a ***¿0a Paul Pierce, Boston  ¿0a ***¿0a Tayshaun Prince, Detroit  ¿0a Quentin Richardson, New York  ¿0a Bobby Simmons, Milwaukee  ¿0a Joe Smith Milwaukee  ¿0a Antoine Walker, Miami  ¿0a Rasheed Wallace, Detroit  ¿0a Chris Webber, Philadelphia

  EAST CENTERS (12)  ¿0a Andrew Bogut, Milwaukee  ¿0a Primoz Brezec Charlotte  ¿0a Eddy Curry, New York  ¿0a Samuel Dalembert, Philadelphia  ¿0a Jeff Foster, Indiana  ¿0a Brendan Haywood, Washington  ¿0a ***¿0a Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland  ¿0a Jerome James, New York  ¿0a Nenad Krstic, New Jersey  ¿0a Raef LaFrentz, Boston  ¿0a ***¿0a Shaquille O’Neal, Miami  ¿0a ***¿0a Ben Wallace, Detroit

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  WEST GUARDS (24)  ¿0a Ray Allen, Seattle  ¿0a Mike Bibby, Sacramento  ¿0a Earl Boykins, Denver  ¿0a *** Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers  ¿0a *** Sam Cassell, LA Clippers  ¿0a Speedy Claxton, NO/OKC  ¿0a *** Baron Davis, Golden State  ¿0a Michael Finley, San Antonio  ¿0a *** Manu Ginobili, San Antonio  ¿0a Matt Harpring, Utah  ¿0a Bobby Jackson, Memphis  ¿0a Jim Jackson, Phoenix  ¿0a Eddie Jones, Memphis  ¿0a Andre Miller, Denver  ¿0a Cuttino Mobley, LA Clippers  ¿0a *** Steve Nash, Phoenix  ¿0a *** Tony Parker, San Antonio  ¿0a Jason Richardson, Golden State  ¿0a Luke Ridnour, Seattle  ¿0a Jerry Stackhouse, Dallas  ¿0a Damon Stoudamire, Memphis  ¿0a Sebastian Telfair, Portland  ¿0a Jason Terry, Dallas  ¿0a David Wesley, Houston  ¿0a

  WEST FORWARDS (24)  ¿0a Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Sacramento  ¿0a Carmelo Anthony, Denver  ¿0a Carlos Boozer, Utah  ¿0a Bruce Bowen, San Antonio  ¿0a ***¿0a Elton Brand, LA Clippers  ¿0a PJ Brown, NO/OKC  ¿0a ***¿0a Tim Duncan, San Antonio  ¿0a ***¿0a Kevin Garnett, Minnesota  ¿0a ***¿0a Pau Gasol, Memphis  ¿0a Robert Horry, San Antonio  ¿0a ***¿0a Andrei Kirilenko, Utah  ¿0a Rashard Lewis, Seattle  ¿0a Corey Maggette, LA Clippers  ¿0a Shawn Marion, Phoenix  ¿0a Kenyon Martin, Denver  ¿0a ***¿0a Tracy McGrady, Houston  ¿0a Mike Miller, Memphis  ¿0a Troy Murphy, Golden State  ¿0a ***¿0a Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas  ¿0a Lamar Odom, LA Lakers  ¿0a Zach Randolph, Portland  ¿0a Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento  ¿0a Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix  ¿0a Wally Szczerbiak, Minnesota

  WEST CENTERS (12)  ¿0a Marcus Camby, Denver  ¿0a Erik Dampier, Dallas  ¿0a Chris Kaman, LA Clippers  ¿0a Jamaal Magloire, NO/OKC  ¿0a Chris Mihm, LA Lakers  ¿0a Brad Miller, Sacramento  ¿0a ***¿0a Mehmet Okur, Utah  ¿0a Michael Olowokandi, Minnesota  ¿0a Joel Przybilla, Portland  ¿0a Kurt Thomas, Phoenix  ¿0a Lorenzen Wright, Memphis  ¿0a ***¿0a Yao Ming, Houston

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  *** Should be contenders¿0a

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