Ric Bucher of CSN Bay Area reports on the Grizzlies’ attempts to deal Rudy Gay: “Add the Washington Wizards to the list of teams that are in the mix for the services of Grizzlies small forward Rudy Gay, according to a league source. Not clear on what the Wizards’ offer might be but was told it was “a good one.” Still unconscionable, to me, that the Grizzlies are messing with a team that has all the pieces and experience to play for a title. “We believe,” said Zach Randolph, when I asked if the Grizzlies saw themselves as a title contender. “We’re just trying to stay focused on the next game.” Maybe management won’t find a deal that compels them to pull the trigger before the February trade deadline, but all indications are they’re aggressively looking for one.”- More trade talk from Marc Stein of ESPN.com in his Weekend Dime column. Here’s an excerpt, click through for lots more (seriously, it is absolutely jam-packed): “When it comes to Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins, meanwhile, multiple teams on hand for the Showcase expressed the view this week that the Kings’ serious sale talks with a Seattle group headed by Chris Hansen quietly have been a factor leading Cousins to be deemed untouchable to any team that has called about him recently. Given that Cousins, for all the headaches, easily outperforms his rookie-scale salary of $3.9 million, it’s believed that the Kings are prepared to let their new owners decide whether to keep the mercurial big man or move him. And if the sale to Hansen’s group in Seattle, or the new bidder (24-Hour Fitness founder Mark Mastrov) revealed Friday by CBSSports.com’s Ken Berger, never materializes? Cousins’ ongoing presence certainly won’t bother the Maloofs, who have convinced countless teams on the map that they love him too much to trade him.”
John Denton of NBA.com has a piece up about J.J. Redick and how the former Duke star is adjusting to being a featured piece in Orlando, as well as his name coming up in trade discussions: ” ‘At the (trade) deadline, maybe there’s an offer that (GM) Rob (Hennigan) has to consider. But I don’t get any indication from him that they are actively looking to move me,’ Redick continued. ‘So if I’m here past the deadline, that’s the first hurdle. Then, you deal with free agency and what comes after the season.’’ Redick said there’s not a day that goes by that he doesn’t wonder what would happen to his life if he were traded away from the Magic. After all, it’s the only professional franchise that he’s ever played for. But he did spend last summer living in New York City and he recently purchased an offseason home in Austin, Texas, to somewhat prepare him in case he has to move on from Orlando.”
- Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports that the Knicks are interested in Kenyon Martin: “Marcus Camby’s latest setback could force the Knicks to make a move to acquire free agent forward Kenyon Martin. The Knicks announced on Friday that Camby will be out two to four weeks after an MRI of his injured left foot revealed plantar fasciitis, a condition that sidelined Camby for the preseason and has limited him to just 14 games. What’s more, Rasheed Wallace has been out four weeks with a stress fracture in his right foot and Amar’e Stoudemire, who missed the first two months following knee surgery, is being limited to 21 minutes a game. Martin, a veteran power forward who was Carmelo Anthony’s teammate in Denver, is one of the top unsigned big men. The Miami Heat is also reportedly interested in possibly signing him. Yahoo! Sports reported that the Knicks and Martin are considering a 10-day contract.”
- D'Antoni: "We won't be mathematically out of it Tuesday if we don't do it Sunday but it has got to to turn around somewhere."
@ArashMarkaziArash Markazi
- Magic Johnson is a bit more pessimistic, according to Adi Joseph of USA Today: “Magic Johnson finally sounds ready to stop hitting the panic button on the Los Angeles Lakers’ season. He’s ready to concede. “It’s over for my Lakers. No playoffs, no nothing,” the team legend said on ESPN’s halftime show Friday, when the Lakers were trailing the Oklahoma City Thunder by 16. They lost 116-101, with the sixth loss in a row being the longest streak since 2007.”
- Even after beating the Lakers in Staples Center, the Thunder aren’t as convinced. From the Associated Press: ” ‘Coming in here, it’s tough to win no matter what,’ Durant insisted after the Thunder coasted down the stretch. ‘We did a great job of just playing together at both ends of the floor all night and not taking those guys lightly. They’ve got two of the best players in the world out, so we just wanted to come out and have a good game.’ … Westbrook, a Los Angeles native, has no sympathy for the Lakers. ‘They’re not done. They have a lot more games left, and I’m pretty sure they’re going to find a way to get it together,’ Westbrook said. ‘Our job is to worry about our team and our organization. It wasn’t easy. I just think we did a good job of playing team basketball defensively, and it showed. Kevin took control most of the game.’ “
Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com has more bad news for the Lakers: “Friday night Jordan Hill showed up in street clothes to Staples Center and didn’t look good limping down the hall. Slowly. It hurt to watch him walk. Turns out it was with good reason — he needs hip surgery and will be out for the season, the Lakers reported. After seeing the team doctor and a hip specialist it was determined he had loose fragments as well as a possible labral tear, the Lakers announced. Basically, it makes it painful to walk, let alone run and jump. The only way to fix it is surgery that will cost him the rest of the season.”
- A potential sale of the Kings has been in the news pretty constantly since at least the summer, but this past week has seen it get more serious, with reports that Seattle investor Chris Hansen was in talks to purchase the team. Now another bidder has entered the fray, according to the Sacramento Bee’s Ryan Lillis, Tony Bizjak and Dale Kasler: “Amid a fresh round of reports Friday that a Seattle group was about to buy the Kings from the Maloof family, two more deep-pocketed bidders said they were interested in buying the troubled franchise and keeping it in Sacramento.Bay Area investor Mark Mastrov, the founder of the 24 Hour Fitness chain, told The Bee he has assembled a group to buy the Kings and “work with the city to get an arena deal if possible.” Mastrov was a finalist two years ago in the bidding for the Golden State Warriors, with his reported offer of $350 million falling short. The team ultimately was sold for an NBA-record $450 million, which Mastrov said he “could not see clear” to match. He added that he has “been in touch with the Maloofs” about a possible purchase.”
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Dan Malone is a third-year journalism student at the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He blogs on weekends for Sheridan Hoops. Follow him on Twitter.
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