In yet a
nother drama-filled week in the NBA, Lance Stephenson has managed to find his way into the mix again. There have been plenty of talks regarding the Charlotte Hornets swingman’s future in recent weeks, most notably ending in his being dealt before the trade deadline.
The Hornets have been playing much better basketball as of late, but it’s the opposite side of the coin for the Brooklyn Nets, who have lost eight of their last 10 games and have dropped out of playoff seeding in the Eastern Conference, just behind the Hornets.
Trades have already been aplenty early on in the season, something that usually doesn’t happen until closer to the February deadline. And as I said above, Stephenson finds himself in the middle of discussions between the Hornets and Nets that would send him to Brooklyn in exchange for Joe Johnson.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, famous for dropping “Woj Bombs”, gives us the details of the talks that are centered around Lance and Joe Johnson:
The Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets have restarted trade discussions, this time focused on guard Joe Johnson, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The Hornets and Nets are discussing a larger package that would likely include guards Lance Stephenson and Gerald Henderson and forward Marvin Williams, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
[…]
Charlotte owner Michael Jordan has been intrigued with the possibility of Johnson, who has struggled recently with tendinitis. Johnson, 33, has one of the three major contracts that the Nets would ideally like to unload, what with the $23.1 million on his 2014-15 deal, and $24.9 million in the final season of his 2015-16 contract.
If one thing is clear from all these talks, it’s that Lance Stephenson is not long for Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Hornets. And if there’s another thing that’s clear from all this, it’s that the Nets are basically willing to do anything to move those huge contracts of their’s to open up some cap space.
BROOK LOPEZ TO DENVER?
As if the whole Joe Johnson and Nets trade talk wasn’t enough for you, we have more for your reading pleasure. Brook Lopez, also a part of trade rumors last week that would’ve sent him to the Oklahoma City Thunder, has found his name brought up again as well.
The Denver Nuggets have garnered interest for Lopez in the past, according to Matt Moore of CBSSports.com. One change in the conversation is that Denver may be willing to part ways with JaVale McGee, the once-promising but injury-prone big man.
McGee has been injured for the better part of the past two years, playing in only a handful of games to begin the 2013-14 season before he missed the remainder of the season with a leg injury. Ligament damage caused by the injury has forced him to sit out the entire 2014-15 season so far, with really no timetable for his return in sight.
But still, the Nets and Nuggets are talking, nothing concrete as of right now. Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post has more on what/who could be involved in a potential deal:
For the Nuggets, it could be an opportunity to unload center JaVale McGee’s contract, which is an expiring one next season. That’s also part of the problem. It’s not expiring this season. And for any team to take that on right now for a player the caliber of Lopez, there’s probably going to have to be a first-round pick involved and or/young player with sizeable upside included as well.
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated feels the same way:
Any Brook Lopez deal with Denver would send JaVale McGee back to Brooklyn, I’m told. DEN not looking to part with core players though.
— Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixSI) January 26, 2015
There should be plenty of trades left before the Feb. 19 deadline, and we can’t wait to see who ends up where.
JENNINGS OUT FOR YEAR WITH RUPTURED ACHILLES
The Detroit Pistons have been rejuvenated team after they waived Josh Smith last month, going on a win streak of 
seven games. In the 17 games without Smith, the Pistons are 12-5, compared to 5-23 in the 28 games with him.
It’s been an incredible turnaround in the Motor City. However, that feel-good story got a lot more tragic on Sunday when news broke that point guard Brandon Jennings would miss the remainder of this season with a ruptured Achilles tendon in his left leg. The injury occurred in their 101-86 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night that forced him to leave the arena in a wheelchair.
Jennings took to Twitter to give his thoughts after the terrible injury:
It’s a opportunity for someone else now to step up and ball out. Let’s keep it Rollin’ Fellas.
— BRANDON JENNINGS (@BrandonJennings) January 25, 2015
Not being able to play basketball is the worst thing. — BRANDON JENNINGS (@BrandonJennings) January 25, 2015
He also took to Twitter to let us know how long he’ll be out of action for:
6/9months. — BRANDON JENNINGS (@BrandonJennings) January 25, 2015
With their first game without him, Detroit fell to the Toronto Raptors in Toronto 114-110.
HASSAN WHITESIDE POSTS TRIPLE-DOUBLE
If you aren’t familiar with the name Hassan Whiteside yet, you will be after Sunday.
Whiteside played college ball at the University of Marshall from 2009-2010 and was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the 33rd overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. He spent a couple years there then moved onto Memphis, where he couldn’t make the final roster. After several stints in the D-League, he spent 2013 and 2014 mostly playing overseas before he signed a two-year, non-guaranteed contract with the Miami Heat.
Right now, that contract for the Heat looks very good. On Sunday afternoon on national television, Whiteside posted a ridiculous line of 14 points, 13 rebounds and 12 blocks for the rare triple-double in a 96-84 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Instead of listening to me, just watch the highlights below:
He finally gets that 10th block with less than 1:30 remaining, then goes on to swat two more in less than a minute. Were the Bulls completely unaware of what he was doing to them the entire day. Some of the blocks were vicious, volleyball spikes that sent a clear message. Or, at least Whiteside thought so, but Chicago just didn’t get the picture.
The more incredible thing is that he did this in less than 25 minutes. I’ll let that soak in your brain for a minute.
And of course, the 12 blocks were a Miami Heat franchise record. Get used to seeing a lot more of those blocks in South Beach.
WIN-STREAKS CONTINUE
- The Atlanta Hawks tied this season’s longest win-streak of 16 games on Sunday when they topped the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-100 at home, adding to the Hawks’ franchise record for consecutive games won.
- The Cleveland Cavaliers are heating up lately as well, winning their sixth straight game on Sunday over the Thunder 108-98. LeBron James scored 34 points, making it seven consecutive games of scoring 25+ points.
- Golden State recorded a league-leading 19th straight win at home when they held off the Celtics 114-111, the longest active home win-streak. The Warriors haven’t lost at home since November 11th against the Spurs and are an NBA-best 36-6.
This is about moving 33 year old Joe Johnson, for 3 players who Nets need, providing they recover to their better days (a new team and coach sometimes does that). Nets just lost their stretch PF (Mirza Teletovic), who wasn’t playing well for a long time (even before his chest pains/fatigue due to a clot in his lungs – thankfully caught in time). I personally like JJ and once he rests and gets rid of his tendinitis, he can contribute until the age of say 37 (with less minutes), because he doesn’t rely on athleticism.
Stephenson would be a risk but Charlotte IS desperate to get rid of his 18 million over 2 years. JJ can win some games in the clutch for Charlotte (attractive to Jordan) but he’ll first need some rest, due to tendinitis. Nets and Charlotte are competing for playoff spot. Henderson is the best sure player (of the 3 mentioned) right now, as Net have been relying too much on Alan Anderson. I expect Nets will have to throw in a young prospect like Markel Brown, before Jordan signs off on deal (hopefully).
Regarding Lopez, I don’t see him being traded this week, especially with Denver not offering much. Nets fans will want to see the new gang playing together for a while. Brook can always be moved before the trade deadline of Feb 19, when several teams will likely be bidding for the best offer. He’s at least the 2nd best offensive Center in the NBA with signs of being a good shot blocker and improving on defense (when he wants to). His operations appear to have been a success. He should bring a nicer return than is being discussed now.
DWill can’t be moved and shouldn’t be moved this year. We have to first see if he gets back some of his lost elevation, which is the difference between being a average starting PG and a very good one.