The biggest news story in the NBA continues to be Dwight Howard, who could, as reported by an Orlando TV station earlier, be headed to the Lakers soon. Or he could be headed to the Rockets. Or maybe he’ll stay in Orlando for another year. Check out Chris Sheridan’s report (linked above) and Chris Bernucca’s podcast for the latest on Dwight, as well as Jan Hubbard’s continued coverage of the USA Olympic basketball team and Joe Kotoch’s look at the Orlando Summer League, and go here to look at a sick reverse alley-oop dunk from LeBron James.
Right now, though, here’s the latest news from everywhere in the NBA that isn’t about Dwight Howard.
Marc Berman of the NY Post writes that the Knicks are still expected to match the Rockets’ offer sheet for Jeremy Lin, despite Houston reworking it to be even more unpalatable for Knicks owner James Dolan. Berman reports that the Knicks “are ‘unhappy’ about a change in the terms of the Rockets’ offer sheet for Jeremy Lin, according to an NBA source, after the offer was bumped to $25 million guaranteed over three years. Despite their anger, the Knicks still are expected to match it in the next three days. That doesn’t mean they are thrilled with their point-guard prodigy, who has a resume of 26 games with starter’s minutes.” The whole piece is very strongly worded, with Berman suggesting the Knicks are “furious” with the way the proceedings have gone, and throwing in that there is “no chance” the Knicks will match Landry Fields’ offer sheet with the Raptors.- The biggest casualty of the Rockets’ all-out pursuit of Dwight Howard is power forward Luis Scola, who was amnestied to create cap room for not just the disgruntled Magic center, but potentially several other big contracts from the Magic as well. It doesn’t appear that Scola will be without a team for long, though, as ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reported over a stretch of several tweets this afternoon. Stein reports that Cleveland and Dallas have definite interest, and “Charlotte, New Orleans and Sacramento all have levels of Scola interest and weighing whether to lodge bids.”
- In news that shouldn’t really be a surprise to anyone, the Hornets will match Eric Gordon’s four year, $58 million offer sheet with the Suns, reports John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. This is despite Gordon’s continued insistence that he wants to play in Phoenix, and not New Orleans. From Reid’s piece: “Hornets Coach Monty Williams said once the dust settles, the truth will come forth from Gordon regarding where he really wants to be. ‘I just think when you’re going through free agency and you’re talking about that kind of money, certain things are said and felt,’ Williams said. ‘At the same time, I’m not going to back off that stance: We want people that want to be here. If you don’t want to be here, then we have to make some adjustments.’”
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Free agent G OJ Mayo getting interest from Lakers, Chicago, Phoenix and Dallas and hopes to make decision in next 10 days, source tells Y!
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 14, 2012
- As has been known for a couple weeks now, the Timberwolves really, really want Nicolas Batum. And, according to Joe Freeman of the Oregonian, they’ll finally have an offer in writing for him. “2 p.m. Sunday. That’s when David Kahn, Minnesota’s president of basketball operations, says his team will sign Batum to a reported four-year, $46.5 million offer sheet,” writes Freeman, who goes on to add that “Kahn said Batum and the Timberwolves’ preference is to work out a sign-and-trade with the Blazers and he will continue to stimulate talks through Sunday. But the sides have been negotiating possible deals for days, and Olshey has not been impressed with Kahn’s offers.” This likely means that Batum, who Kahn has described as “the missing piece” for the Timberwolves, will be staying in Portland, despite Minnesota’s best efforts to pry him away.
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NBA’s 30 teams just notified that Brendan Haywood has been claimed on waivers by Bobcats
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 14, 2012
- In other Bobcats news, here’s a nice piece from NBA.com on #2 overall pick Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and his speech disorder, which also briefly touches on the loss of his father and uncle, whose surname (Kidd) he added to his own: “‘It’s a part of me. It’s who I am.’ Kidd-Gilchrist said of his stuttering. While he’s far from a finished product when it comes to speaking to the media, Kidd-Gilchrist said without ever-present support of his mother Cindy Richardson – whom he considers his best friend, the confidence he gained working with Kentucky’s media relations department last season and the help of a speech pathologist he might not be where he is today.”
For previous blog entries, click here.
Dan Malone just completed his sophomore year at University of Kings College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is spending the summer in Baltimore, where he covers the Single-A minor-league baseball team the Aberdeen IronBirds for OriolesHangout.com. He will be blogging on weekends for SheridanHoops this summer.
Can’t believe that the Knicks have signed Raymond Felton for 3 years. If they’re going to match Lin, why use their limited cap resources to sign both Felton and Kidd alongside Lin and add even more to the luxury tax? Sure, Dolan is upset about Lin, but even with the extra luxury tax payments surely Lin brings in enough commercial revenue to make up for it and then some…. but it looks as if he’s throwing a rich man’s tantrum and throwing the baby out with the bathwater and not matching Lin.
Houston must be ecstatic if NY don’t match. To get a chance to cement themselves with the Asian market, and with a player who plays a position they suddenly desperately need a starter for? An amazing win for them if it works. And hey, you’d think that if Houston is suddenly in line to have a huge profile in China again because of Lin, that makes the pitch for Howard to stay there all the sweeter.