Dwight Howard has asked the Orlando Magic for a lot, hasn’t he? Over the past couple of years, Howard has asked management to try to acquire a handful of players, including Monta Ellis and Deron Williams. During the preseason, he asked for a trade. Then he asked that any trade be limited to a handful of teams – the New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks — that his agent was given permission to talk to. Now, Howard apparently again is
Wednesday’s column mentioned a handful of players who need to be traded by the March 15 deadline. Apparently, NBA GMs are feeling the same way. No less than three players mentioned – Michael Beasley, Monta Ellis and Stephen Jackson – saw their names dotting the interwebs as Wednesday became Thursday and February became March. There is some significance to that calendar observation. March 1 is the first day players signed to free agent contracts in the abbreviated offseason can be traded. So that
NEW YORK — Don’t make contact with the refs. Not even a little. That was the message that came down from league headquarters today when Robin Lopez of the Phoenix Suns was suspended one game for brushing up against an official with 8:14 remaining in the second quarter of the Suns’ 99-96 loss to the Toronto Raptors in Phoenix, Ariz. on Jan. 24. Lopez will serve his suspension Friday when the Suns visit the Portland Trail Blazers. To view the play click on the
Steve Nash is on an expiring contract with a bad team. One day, he will join the ring of honor in Phoenix. But he also still has a couple good years left in him, and it would not surprise me in the least if he joined the New York Knicks next season, signing for the mid-level exception. Nash loves New York, lives there in the offseason and even plays in a recreational soccer league in Central Park. I discussed that possibility today with Brad Cesmat
With ESPN’s prime-time air time locked into bowl season and TNT having already aired a pair of doubleheaders this week, Friday belongs to NBA TV. Despite an 11-game slate, there are not many intriguing matchups. But if you can fight your eyelids at the end of a work week, the Chicago Bulls visit the Los Angeles Clippers at 10:30 p.m. ET. This is a getaway game for the Bulls, who started the season with a four-game trek through California. They stole a