NBA Trade Rumors: Knicks' Plan B For Carmelo Anthony, MJ Wants Baron Davis
Christmas may be over, but the NBA's gift exchange still has a ways to go.
Plenty of teams around the league, from the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets, to the Charlotte Bobcats and the Washington Wizards, are expected to keep their Douglas firs around for a bit longer with the hope of finding new stars, as well as smaller but still significant ornaments, with which to decorate them.
As has been the case all season, there's no shortage of rumors surrounding where the recently-bereaved Carmelo Anthony is headed, if anywhere other than Denver, before the February 24th deadline.
However, 'Melo isn't the only All-Star who could find himself in a new city before season's end.
Read on to find out who else is on the trading block.
Knicks Considering Sixers' Iguodala, Cavs' Gibson and Varejao If 'Melo Is No-Go
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Carmelo Anthony wants to be with the New York Knicks, and the Knicks, it would seem, would be amenable to having him around.
Whether they have the chips to satisfy Denver GM Masai Ujiri, however, is an entirely different story.
Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh does have the expiring contract of Eddy Curry with which to work, but, outside of Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari—two young guys that head coach Mike D'Antoni may favor hagning onto—New York is lacking in tangible assets, and certainly doesn't have the draft picks to necessarily make such a deal work.
Not to mention pairing 'Melo with Amar'e Stoudemire would give the Knicks arguably the worst defensive front-line in basketball.
As such, Walsh and the Knicks may look elsewhere, perhaps even just down I-95 in Philadelphia, to 76ers forward Andre Iguodala. However, the slow development of second-overall draft pick Evan Turner, combined with the Sixers' slow but steady creep into the Eastern Conference playoff picture, may dissuade Philly GM Ed Stefanski from making such a deal.
One team that looks about ready to blow up its roster and start over is the Cleveland Cavaliers, with whom the Knicks might look to make a deal for role players like back-up point guard Daniel "Boobie" Gibson and hustling forward Anderson Varejao.
Nets Seeking Andre Miller to Sweeten The Pot For 'Melo in New Jersey
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It's no secret that the New Jersey Nets desperately want to bring in Carmelo Anthony to be the new face of the franchise when it moves to Brooklyn in two years.
No one in the NBA has worked harder than Nets GM Billy King in the past several months to put together a deal that would be satisfying to both Anthony and the Denver Nuggets.
The Nets lead the field of prospective suitors in deal-making pieces, including rookie forward Derrick Favors, point guard Devin Harris and five first-round draft picks over the next two years to play around with.
King's biggest hurdle at this point may be 'Melo himself, who has expressed a rather fickle taste when it comes to where he will play and, perhaps more importantly, who he will play with.
Considering Anthony's desire to join the New York Knicks, the team across the Hudson River from the Nets, New Jersey's front office is looking to upgrade its roster to Carmelo's liking. Chief among those moves may be the addition of Andre Miller, the current Portland Trailblazers' point guard who played rather well alongside Anthony in the star forward's early days in Denver.
Miller would certainly seem to be available at this point, considering the discomfort he has supposedly caused on and off the court to Brandon Roy, though the Nets may have to give up young Harris to get him.
Either way, the Nets must still be considered the front-runners to land 'Melo barring any significant developments elsewhere in the league.
Texas Two-Step Still Possible For Anthony
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All the talk concerning Carmelo has focused on the Tri-State area, but the Nuggets may soon be turning their attention instead to the Lone Star State, where the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks look to be next in line to play "Let's Make a Deal".
The Rockets have been in and out of the 'Melo madness ever since it began, though Anthony has yet to truly warm up to the prospect of playing in east Texas and GM Daryl Morey hasn't exactly come up with the proper parts just yet.
The Mavericks, on the other hand, may turn out to be the wild card in all of this, as Dallas GM Donnie Nelson seems content to bring in Anthony without a long-term extension, essentially having him play as a half-season "rental" to bolster the team's already formidable championship chances.
The longer 'Melo's situation goes without him moving, the greater the chances are of dark horses like the Rockets and Mavs landing the three-time All-Star.
Houston in the Market to Move Expiring Contract of Ailing Yao Ming
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Anthony or no, the Rockets are looking more and more like buyers by the day.
At 15-15, Houston is merely a half game out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the West, thanks to a four-game win streak and, surprisingly, the fifth most prolific offense in the NBA, despite losing former All-Star center Yao Ming for the rest of the season, yet again, to another stress fracture in his foot.
It's possible the Rockets may try to keep Yao, and even sign him to a shorter-term deal with the hope that he can recover from his recent injury woes.
However, lower body injuries are never a good thing for a player as big as Yao, at 7'6" and 310 pounds, and may simply reduce him to nothing more than an expiring contract on the trade market.
Of course, that in itself may be enough for Houston to pick up a valuable piece or two. There are certainly teams in the NBA that are choked for cap space with some decent players but without any legitimate playoff aspirations (Charlotte Bobcats, anyone?).
For those teams, $17.7 million dollars off their cap numbers, along with $8 million in insurance payoffs, may be incentive enough to let go of some marginally valuable assets, even if Yao never plays another minute in the NBA.
Bobcats May Bring Baron Davis Back To The Queen City
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Speaking of the Charlotte Bobcats, the "resignation" of Larry Brown as head coach doesn't necessarily mean Michael Jordan is ready concede defeat on the season for his franchise.
Not just yet, at least.
Word on the wire is that MJ and Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins are in serious talks with the Los Angeles Clippers about acquiring point guard Baron Davis in exchange for D.J. Augustin, DeSagana Diop and Matt Carroll.
There are certainly plenty of reasons to think that this proposal is pure nonsense and won't progress beyond the rumor stage.
For one, Charlotte is 9-19, placing the team well on the outside of the playoff picture in the East with Paul Silas taking over on the bench.
Add to that the enormity of Davis' current contract, with two years and $28 million remaining after this year, along with Davis' expressed desire to remain in LA (why, no one really knows), and Baron doesn't seem likely to move east just yet.
Then again, Davis has a positive past in Charlotte, having spent his first three years in the NBA there before the Hornets moved to New Orleans, and might not be willing to put up with Clippers owner Donald Sterling berating him during games for much longer.
Not to mention the Jumpman's horrendous record of personnel decisions (see: Kwame Brown).
Portland Trailblazers Bent on Rebuilding?
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As previously mentioned, relations between Andre Miller and Brandon Roy at the Rose Garden aren't exactly, well, rosy these days.
Roy, Portland's poster boy, has reportedly grown frustrated playing alongside Miller in the Blazers' back court in recent weeks, going so far as to implore GM Rich Cho to "trade one of us."
Of course, if anyone's going to move at this point, it's not going to be Roy.
The former NBA rookie of the year and three-time All-Star is having the worst season of his five-year career, averaging a personal-worst 16.6 points per game on a woeful 39.9 percent shooting, while struggling with a series of knee injuries that have sapped Roy of the quickness and athleticism that once made him so great.
Adding insult to injury, Roy is in the first year of a five-year $82.3 million extension, making him virtually unmovable.
Miller, on the other hand, is in the last year of his contract and has hardly ever missed a game due to injury, having recently had his league-leading streak of 632 consecutive games played snapped, thanks to a one-game suspension.
Amidst the turmoil, the Blazers are treading water in the West, hovering right around the .500 mark as the eighth seed in the conference playoff picture.
Not exactly the kind of championship-caliber play that the team expected would result with Roy, Miller, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden on the roster.
Then again, Oden is currently out for the season once again after microfracture surgery on his troublesome knee. Simply put, it just might be time for the folks in Portland to start over again, which would likely begin with Roy and Miller being shipped out of town.
Washington Wizards May Need to Split Up JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche
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JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche returned to action for the Washington Wizards in the team's 100-93 loss to Houston Rockets after serving one-game suspensions.
For what, you ask?
The two apparently came to blows on Thursday night at the Shadow Room, a popular nightclub in Washington, D.C. No word as of yet regarding what McGee and Blatche were fighting about.
Regardless, Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld is counting on the youngsters to be a big part of the team's future, with both ascending to regular starting roles this season, but he may just have to move one of them if the acrimony cannot be resolved.
Needless to say, no one in D.C. wants another Gilbert Arenas situation.
Memphis Grizzlies Looking to Move Hasheem Thabeet
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The Memphis Grizzlies have been something of a disappointment thus far, posting a 14-17 record through 31 games after owner Michael Heisley promised a playoff appearance for the team.
That being said, the Grizz are only two games out of the picture in the West, but could certainly use another piece or two to solidify their squad.
Enter Hasheem Thabeet, the 7'3" center out of UConn whom GM Chris Wallace selected with the second-overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.
Though only in his second professional season, Thabeet has already been labeled a bust by some, having spent significant time in the D-League, while averaging a miserly 1.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in just over nine minutes per game this season.
With the emergence of Marc Gasol in the middle, Memphis may look to rid itself of Thabeet in an effort to bolster the rest of its roster.
Orlando Magic Keeping Busy in Search For a Big Man
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Among those teams looking for a big man like Thabeet is the Orlando Magic.
Just over a week removed from pulling off the blockbuster of the season thus far, Magic GM Otis Smith isn't likely to stand pat after relinquishing his team's front court depth, in the persons of Marcin Gortat and Rashard Lewis, to bring in Gilbert Arenas, Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson.
Those moves have left Orlando somewhat devoid of useful trading chips, though Smith clearly isn't afraid to make a controversial move or two, as his recent maneuvers have made quite clear.
Dwight Howard and the Magic would seem to be better off now than they were before the big trades, as evidenced by a current three-game winning streak that includes victories over the San Antonio Spurs and the Boston Celtics.
However, if the team is to truly compete for a title this year, it'll need some size beyond Brandon Bass to contend with the beasts of the East.
Rip Hamilton Motoring His Way Out Of Detroit?
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Despite being only three games behind the eighth seed in the East, the Detroit Pistons would seem to be well outside of the playoff picture, as they have been for the last few years.
Perhaps no one in the Pistons organization is more displeased, both with his role and the state of the team, as the veteran Richard Hamilton.
Hamilton, one of three players remaining from the franchise's 2004 NBA championship squad, has become something of a distraction in Detroit in recent weeks, expressing dissatisfaction both on and off the court with his diminished role on the team.
Rip has been coming off the bench this season for a team that is now 10-21 after a 105-100 loss in Charlotte to the Bobcats.
In Rip's mind, the Pistons would be better off with him in the starting lineup. Detroit coach John Kuester clearly has other ideas, with Ben Gordon and Rodney Stuckey comprising the team's starting back court.
Thus, it may be time for GM Joe Dumars to find a new home for Rip, who has long been one of Joe D's favorites but may have worn out his welcome in the Motor City.
Look for Dumars to shop Hamilton around to contenders in search of scoring punch on the perimeter.
