The Golden State Warriors traded Monta Ellis.
But not to the Orlando Magic for Dwight Howard.
And not to the Magic to play with Howard.
And Howard doesn’t want to be traded. But that doesn’t mean he is re-signing with the Magic.
After Howard again reminded everyone why this mess is a really big deal – annihilating the big, bad Heat for 24 points and 25 rebounds in a 104-98 home overtime win – he said he would like to play out the season with the Magic and take a run at a championship.
From Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “The superstar center told reporters he does not want to be dealt before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. But Howard would not answer whether he would sign elsewhere if he becomes a free agent over the summer. “I’ve been telling those guys [in the Magic front office], and I’ve been telling them for the past two or three weeks now, that I want to stay and finish the season,” Howard said. “I told ’em I feel we’ve got a great opportunity to win and I told ’em that I want to be here and I want to bring a championship here. And I told ’em they’ve got to give me that chance.” It’s not that simple. If the Magic keep Howard beyond the deadline, he would have the chance to sign elsewhere in free agency — most likely with the Brooklyn-bound New Jersey Nets — and could leave the Magic with no compensation. Howard might be stringing the Magic along by not committing to staying beyond this postseason. Asked what he’s told the Magic about his intentions if he invokes his current contract’s early termination option and become a free agent in July, he responded, “That doesn’t matter. This moment is what matters. Like I said, we have got a great opportunity.”
The Magic’s chances of winning a championship certainly have taken a turn in the last two weeks. Coming out of the All-Star break, Orlando was a definitive third in the Eastern Conference behind Miami and Chicago, and no one believed thr Magic had the horses to knock off the Heat and the Bulls, which they would likely have to do just to get to the NBA Finals.
The clincher appeared to be last week’s embarrassing loss in Charlotte, where Orlando squandered a 20-point lead and played the entire second half in a fog. But since then, the Magic have won at Chicago and registered home wins over Indiana and Miami. There is another bellwether ballgame tonight in San Antonio.
There is a school of thought that says Howard doesn’t want to be traded because he wants to experience free agency. He didn’t go through the recruiting courtship process coming out of high school because he was clearly headed straight to the NBA. Signing an extension – with the Magic or anyone else – would mean he would not be wined and dined by NBA suitors.
But there is another thought process as well – cynical and devious, but a thought process nonetheless. Does Howard want to finish out the season with the Magic to rescue the roster at his next destination?
That’s what Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel suggested: “Since Howard won’t commit to the Magic long-term, they shrug off his declaration. They realize he still wants to be a free agent and is protecting assets belonging to the New Jersey Nets. Howard doesn’t want the Magic to trade him to New Jersey and see it give up good players, weakening his future team. Howard’s preferred destination is said to be New Jersey. … (Howard said,) “I told them want to finish the season out, give our team, give our fans hope for the future.”
The future? Is there one when Howard won’t commit? At least he realizes that the Magic are taking a big gamble by keeping him and possibly letting him walk away as a free agent after the playoffs. “Feel like they have to roll the dice, might be tough, but we have great opportunity,” he said. Howard wants his cake and eat it, too, with a side of ice cream. He wants to be in the playoffs now with Orlando — the Nets are going on an early vacation — and become a free agent. If I’m the Magic, I have to deal him for compensation if he’s not willing to commit.”
The Magic also might have to deal him simply to keep their front office intact. Before Tuesday’s win over the Heat, there was one report that said Howard would have the power to swing the axe when it came to the futures of GM Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy.
From Ric Bucher of ESPN.com: “One source close to the situation told Bucher that the Magic have promised Howard that they will add a quality player before Thursday’s deadline and that Howard can decide the fate of both Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy at the end of the season if he signs an extension. “Look, I’ve said this many times before. If anybody thinks I care about that, I really don’t give a damn about getting fired,” Van Gundy said before Tuesday’s game against the Miami Heat. “If they want to fire me to please somebody, fire me. I really don’t give a damn. The rumor today, Dwight’s deciding if we’re staying or going. I have enough perspective where you can sit back and laugh at some of it,” Van Gundy added. The Magic, in a statement issued by Martins on Tuesday, said: “The only person(s) who have the final say on coaches and management is the Orlando Magic ownership,” the Orlando Sentinel reported. Dan Fegan, Howard’s agent, declined to address whether the Magic had offered Howard the ability to decide Smith and Van Gundy’s fates. But he did say that Howard has not sought and does not want that responsibility.”
One thing is certain: Ellis won’t be teaming up with Howard in Orlando. Golden State – apparently desperate for a quality big man – sent Ellis to playoff-hungry Milwaukee with Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.
The deal is a head-scratcher on several levels. Perhaps Ellis and Stephen Curry are incompatible in the same backcourt, but in breaking them up, the Warriors dealt their scoring machine and kept Curry, whose recurring ankle injuries have prevented him from staying on the court. Udoh has been somewhat pedestrian in his one-plus NBA seasons, but had been playing better since becoming the starting center and still has a high ceiling. The Warriors already have the long-term deals of David Lee and Andris Biedrins on their roster, but took on two more in Bogut and Jackson.
And if the Warriors really wanted a quality big man, shouldn’t they have acquired one who is physically ready to play? Bogut is out until at least April with an ankle fracture.
http://www.mercurynews.com/warriors/ci_20167741/monte-poole-golden-state-warriors-did-right-thing?source=rss
From Monte Poole of the San Jose Mercury News: “In dealing two starters, star scoring guard Monta Ellis and second-year big man Ekpe Udoh, along with previous starting center Kwame Brown, the cunning and calculating members of Warriors management effectively raised the white flag on 2011-12. That flag, if they’re lucky, should be put away for years to come. In getting talented center Andre Bogut, along with ex-Warrior Stephen Jackson, the locals filled a low-post need that has been vacant since rookie named Chris Webber reluctantly planted himself on the block 18 years ago. Bogut is one of the five best centers in the NBA. The catch — and there’s always a catch when you trade good small man for a good big man — is Bogut happens to be recovering from a fractured left ankle sustained nearly two months ago. His return this season is possible but unlikely.
That’s where the Warriors will need some luck. When Bogut is healthy, he’s very good, a superb passer, effective defender, good rebounder and decent inside scorer. He won’t be 28 until November and he has another two seasons on his contract. But the 7-footer from Australia, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, also has dealt with lower back woes, as well as the injury trifecta of dislocated right shoulder, sprained right wrist and broken right hand — all incurred in a fall two years ago.”
Despite being one game in the loss column out of the West’s final playoff spot, the Warriors appear to be surrendering this season. Not so the Bucks, who currently hold the eighth and final spot in the East (via tiebreaker over the Knicks) and made this deal to create some separation.
Whatever you think of what Milwaukee has done this season, it has been accomplished without Bogut. The Bucks now have a young big in Udoh who can spell overworked Ersan Ilyasova and an attack guard in Ellis, who can create his own shot and take some of the ballhandling duties off the hands of the burdened Brandon Jennings.
From Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: “It became clear last week that Bogut was hoping to be traded before the deadline – although he did not make a formal trade request – and the Bucks also had interest in making a deal. Bogut was seeking a fresh start in the hopes of putting his injury-plagued run in Milwaukee behind him. Ellis had said earlier Tuesday he was getting tired of the trade talk surrounding him. The Warriors played in Sacramento on Tuesday night. It was unclear when Ellis would join the Bucks and when he would be available to play. The Bucks play the Warriors in Oakland on Friday night. The acquisition of Jackson last summer did not yield the anticipated results, although Milwaukee has received regular contributions from two other players acquired in the deal, guards Beno Udrih and Shaun Livingston. Meanwhile, Bucks coach Scott Skiles has been mixing and matching at the wing positions, keeping Carlos Delfino in the starting lineup and using Mike Dunleavy Jr. for heavy minutes off the bench. It’s clear Skiles values Dunleavy but likes the offensive punch the veteran provides in a reserve role. “The reality is we don’t really want to start Mike,” Skiles said, “not because Mike isn’t a starter. Mike is a starter. But we’ve gotten a nice comfort level that Mike is kind of there for us when we get in trouble. We don’t really want to take away that security blanket right now.” Rookie Tobias Harris has started the last six games at small forward, with Livingston (now injured) going to the bench and Delfino sliding from the starting 3 spot to shooting guard.”
There actually were some games last night. Good ones, too. Three went to overtime and another was decided by a single point.
- As mentioned earlier, the Magic defeated the Heat in overtime, 104-98. Orlando played without guard Jason Richardson, who is on the radar of the Minnesota Timberwolves. LINK Miami is just 3-3 since its nine-game winning streak, and two of the wins have been escape jobs at home against Atlanta and Indiana.
- The Lakers won a road game, outlasting the Grizzlies, 116-111, in double overtime. Andrew Bynum was pretty much unstoppable, making 15-of-18 shots for a season-high 37 points with 16 rebounds. LA trailed by nine points entering the fourth quarter but forced OT on a 3-pointer by Kobe Bryant, who scored 34. The Grizzlies played without Rudy Gay (concussion) and squandered a chance to hurdle the Lakers in the West standings.
- The Nuggets rallied from five points down in overtime for a 118-117 home win over the Hawks. Denver got a boost from Danilo Gallinari, who in his best game since his return scored 19 points, including a 3-pointer late in regulation that gave the Nuggets a one-point lead. Atlanta wasted two chances to win as Kirk Hinrich split two free throws after Gallinari’s shot and Zaza Pachulia – taking a pass from a double-teamed Joe Johnson – missed a potential winning layup in the waning seconds.
- A week ago, the Thunder were unquestionably the NBA’s best home team. All of sudden, OKC is vulnerable at Chesapeake Energy Arena following a 104-103 loss to the Houston Rockets, who came in having lost six of seven and played without their injured starting backcourt of Kyle Lowry and Kevin Martin. The Thunder gagged away an 11-point lead with 2 1/2 minutes to play, a stretch that included a silly technical foul against Russell Westbrook, who refused to discuss the incident afterward. This is why people think the Thunder don’t have the mental makeup to win a championship.
- The Warriors, playing without Ellis and Udoh, went into Sacramento and crushed the Kings, 115-89. Ellis was actually in the team’s locker room before the game, speaking with reporters before heading back to Oakland with Udoh and prpearing for the next chapter in his career. Charles Jenkins and Klay Thompson, the heirs apparent at shooting guard, combined for 29 points.
- After a lost weekend in Florida, the Pacers got back on track with a 92-75 win over the road-wretched Trail Blazers. Indiana was led by none other than Lou Amundson, who scored 21 points on 10-of-11 shooting and heard playful chants of MVP!” from the crowd. Portland had five assists, matching the second-lowest total in any NBA game since the 1986-87 season. The Blazers are 1-3 on a road trip that still has stops in New York, Chicago and Oklahoma City.
- The Mavericks found someone they can beat, handling the Wizards, 107-98. Roddy Beaubois scored 19 points for Dallas, which had lost eight of its last 10. The Mavs get another gimme with the Bobcats arriving before a showdown with the Spurs.
- If the Cleveland Cavaliers miss the playoffs, they can point to their pitiful peformances against the Toronto Raptors. The Cavs fell to the Raps for the third time this season, dropping a 96-88 home decision. Rookie Kyrie Irving was 5-of-17 from the field and 10-of-42 in the three losses. Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani, playing his way back into form, scored 19 points, including a clinching dunk.