Rockets GM Daryl Morey wants to overhaul the NBA draft: “”We have to get rid of the marginal incentive to lose,” Morey said Friday at the annual Sloan Conference on sports analytics at MIT. The NBA places non-playoff teams into a weighted lottery — worse teams getting better odds of a higher pick — so accusations of teams tanking to get a higher selection have long been a part the league’s culture. As the highly anticipated 2014 draft approaches, those murmurs have increased. Morey finds the speculation justified. “It’s bad right now,” Morey said. “I think last year, at the end of the season, I counted like two-thirds of the teams weren’t trying to win.” Morey said several potential solutions exist, specifically noting the wheel created by Boston Celtics assistant general manager Michael Zarren. The wheel assigns each draft choice to each of the NBA’s teams over every 30-year span. The picks are rotated so each team receive a top-six pick every five years and at least one top-12 pick every four years.”
More news on February free agency from Basketball Insiders: “Ben Gordon – There’s no guarantee that Gordon will be bought out by the Charlotte Bobcats. The two sides continue to discuss a potential buyout, but nothing is imminent at this point. Gordon is making $13,200,000 this season with Charlotte, and would likely have to leave some of that money on the table in order to get his release. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that Gordon’s camp was receiving interest from a number of teams including the Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets, but that those teams wanted to bring him in for the remainder of this season and then have a team option for a second year as well. Shelburne added that Gordon will “resist any new deal that impacts his looming free agency in July.” The Bobcats tried to trade Gordon prior to last week’s deadline, but they couldn’t find a taker. Now, it remains to be seen if the two sides can come to terms on a buyout. In order for Gordon to be playoff eligible with his next team, he must be bought out by March 1. Metta World Peace – This has been a rough year for World Peace, who was bought out by the New York Knicks last week. In 29 games with the Knicks, World Peace averaged just 4.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, .6 assists and .8 steals in 13.4 minutes (all of which are career-lows). Because World Peace struggled so much during his stint with the Knicks, there hasn’t been a ton of interest in him right away. He has cleared waivers and is now an unrestricted free agent, but teams aren’t lining up to sign him. World Peace would like to join the Miami HEAT, Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs. However, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News says that the Spurs aren’t interested, so that removes one team from World Peace’s wish list. It remains to be seen if Miami or OKC have any interest. World Peace’s brother, Daniel Artest, recently tweeted that Metta was in Los Angeles, but did not provide a reason for the trip. The Los Angeles Clippers may have had some interest in World Peace last week, but they’re likely out of the mix now that they‘re signing Granger. World Peace may have to sign a 10-day contract to prove that he can still produce in order to find a new home, just like Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen among others had to do in recent years.”
Steve Blake is open to resigning with the Warriors: ““I can’t lie,” Blake said Friday. “I wonder where I’ll be next year. If I had the opportunity to be here, I would love it. “I already knew from the outside that they were a special team. I didn’t realize what a great group of guys it was and how nice it is to play for Coach (Mark) Jackson. Those are all things that I’ll be looking for, for a place I’d like to finish off my career at.” Blake, who turned 34 last week, has averaged 4.8 points and 2.5 assists in four games since arriving from the Lakers, who looked to save money in the final year of his four-year, $16 million contract. Blake starter every game this season for the Lakers and has been a reserve for the Warriors, who have an established backcourt. He said he wouldn’t mind accepting that bench role with the team next season as well. “One of the most important things is winning,” Blake said. “I don’t know if I want to go start on a team that’s going to win 20, 30 games that’s rebuilding. At this point in my career, I don’t think that’s what I’m looking for. If my role is to come off the bench like it is right now and contribute in that way and we’re winning, I’m all for it. That’s all I want to do is win right now, and I think this team has a chance to really do that.””
Ben Baroff is a basketball journalist who blogs for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter here.