SH Blog: Still “business as usual” for Derrick Rose; Kobe’s return remains uncertain

Perhaps predictably, Mark Cuban is less than thrilled about Derek Fisher signing with the Thunder. Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman writes: “Fisher requested to be released by the Mavs and was granted that request on Dec. 22. He injured the patellar tendon in his right knee and was expected to miss two weeks. Fisher said the injury, coupled with his desire to be closer to his family in California, prompted the request. On Feb. 25, Fisher then signed with the Thunder for the remainder of this season. “Look, I understand completely,” Cuban said sarcastically. “From the time Derek was here to his signing in OKC, his kids are older, they can deal with things better. So I understand him having more comfort in being away from them.” Cuban continued cracking more jokes when told only 65 days had passed between Fisher’s departure from Dallas and his signing with Oklahoma City. “A lot can happen in 65 days,” Cuban said, again sarcastically. “His kids are older now. It’s easier to fly in and out of Oklahoma City than it is Dallas. I understand that. It’s just a decision a parent has to make. Every parent has difficult decisions to make.”

• Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com says Andray Blatche wants to remain a Net, but it could be hard for the team: “Andray Blatche will be a free agent at season’s end, but the 26-year-old backup center wants to remain a Brooklyn Net.  “Most definitely. I love it here,” Blatche told ESPN NewYork.com on Saturday. “We’ve got a great team here, a great staff. The fans are crazy. I mean, everything about this organization is great, so hopefully I can come back.  I feel like this is my new home, now, really. I feel comfortable with everything that’s going on.” Bringing Blatche back might be difficult for the Nets, however, given that they’re over the salary cap and don’t have his Bird Rights. The most Brooklyn could offer Blatche is the “mini” (taxpayer) midlevel exception, worth approximately $9 million over three years.”

• Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury-News calms down Warriors fans who may be wondering why their team didn’t go after James Harden last fall in the wake of learning that the Thunder really, really wanted Klay Thompson: “Were the Warriors hypothetically interested in acquiring someone as young and as talented as Harden who could fit very nicely alongside Steph Curry? Yes, I’d think so. But the first problem: Harden was seeking–and eventually landed–a max extension that the Warriors couldn’t fit into any kind of cap situation unless they were off-loading either Richard Jefferson or Andris Biedrins’ deal in the process. And that was a non-starter for the Thunder, no way they were taking one of those bad deals. More problematic, as part of any Harden deal, the Thunder also wanted a good future 1st-round pick in the deal because OKC knew it couldn’t get back Harden’s full value from any player combination in return, so they wanted picks to back up the acquisition. But OOPS, the Warriors couldn’t offer them their 1st-round pick this year (it’s owed to Utah) or next year’s pick (can’t trade successive future 1st-round picks), which meant the closest 1st-rounder the Warriors could’ve offered was the 2015 pick. And that’s too far away to have any real value when you’re talking about a Harden trade.”

• Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld has this anonymous quote, via Sulia: “Dahntay Jones insists he didn’t intentionally injure Kobe Bryant during Wednesday’s game, when Bryant landed on Jones’ foot after attempting a game-tying shot.  However, there are some players who blame Jones for the injury and who have been very critical of him. Here’s what one anonymous player texted me:  “What’s up with Dahntay Jones? It’s f***ed up what he did. He needs a huge fine and suspension. He can’t be hurting guys, man.” Jones wasn’t fined or suspended for the controversial play. In fact, he wasn’t even called for a foul. However, on Thursday, the NBA released a statement saying that officials should have called a foul on the play and granted Bryant two free throws.”

• Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe thinks Kendrick Perkins could be amnestied by the Thunder: “There will be some interesting decisions this summer in terms of veteran contracts and the amnesty clause. One of those players could be Oklahoma City’s Kendrick Perkins, who is scheduled to earn $17.5 million over the next two years and be the team’s fourth-highest-paid player. Perkins has been a visible leader for the Thunder, but the cost-conscious club may seek a more productive center in the free agent market for a lower price. The Celtics did not sign Perkins to a four-year, $30 million extension because they were wary about the health of his knees. While the Thunder have been pleased with Perkins’s production, they just extended Serge Ibaka, and Nick Collison, because of his front-loaded contract, is due $4.7 million over the next two seasons.”

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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, edits and learns things on the fly for Sheridan Hoops. Follow him on Twitter.