- Chris Tomasson, FanHouse: “It’s no secret the Clippers wouldn’t mind trading Baron Davis and the two years and $28.8 million left on his contract after this season. It’s no secret that, with Davis’ production way down, Eric Bledsoe is the Clippers’ point guard of the future. But what could be considered a surprise is how gung-ho Davis is about wanting to remain with the team. ‘It’s tough because it’s the nature of the business,’ Davis said in an interview with FanHouse before the Clippers’ 108-103 win over Phoenix on Sunday about the trade rumors surrounding him. ‘But it’s tough because I don’t want to leave. I’m here. I came here for a reason. If I were to be traded, I just think that I just never really got a chance to do what I was signed here to do.’”
- Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel: “Reserve PG Jason Williams was on the Magic’s active roster Saturday, but he didn’t dress because he continues to be bothered by problems with his left foot. Williams, 35, said doctors have told him that he suffers from arthritis in the foot, and Williams is concerned because the discomfort hasn’t subsided over the last month and a half. ‘I’m not so sure that I won’t be able to play ever again,’ Williams told the Orlando Sentinel before tipoff. ‘It’s not getting better, and they say it’s not going to get any better. I’ve still got a long life to live, so we’re going to see a day at a time. I don’t know.’”
- Mark Heisler, Los Angeles Times: “A Toronto source says Chris Bosh turned down a Raptors offer to trade him to Cleveland, which would have given him a max deal, $10 million bigger than the one he took in Miami. A New Orleans source says the Cavaliers pursued [Chris] Paul, one of [LeBron] James’ closest friends, who would have been overjoyed to go. Unfortunately, with Paul signed through 2012, the Hornets wouldn’t have taken the entire Cavalier roster for him. James didn’t make his decision until Bosh told him he was going to Miami with [Dwyane] Wade … who had almost bolted for Chicago, taking Bosh, before yielding to pleas by Heat President Pat Riley and owner Micky Arison.”
- Marc Berman, New York Post: “Timberwolves president David Kahn, saying he was in town for the holidays, sat with [Knicks GM Donnie] Walsh before the game. Kahn has point guard Sebastian Telfair on the market and Walsh discussed it with him last week.”
- Jon Pastuszek, NiuBBall.com: “According to Sina Sports, the Beijing Shougang Ducks have decided to cut [Steve] Francis from their roster, just six games after the three-time NBA All-Star joined up with the franchise. Although the team has yet to formally announce the news, Francis’ agent has confirmed to the Chinese news outlet that the nine-year NBA veteran will be released by the organization shortly and will return to the United States within the next couple of days. Since arriving with the team less than two weeks ago, Francis has played a total of 14 minutes over four games, averaging 0.5 points 0.7 rebounds. Though Sina is reporting that the team is cutting Francis, a source speaking to NiuBBall.com indicated that the break-up was mutual and that both sides were equally ready to move on.”
- ESPN.com: “[Vince] Carter, who has missed three games with a knee problem, hasn’t played since the Orlando Magic traded him to Phoenix on Dec. 12, in a series of deals that brought Hedo Turkoglu and Gilbert Arenas to the Magic. Carter has missed three games. ‘He’s just not feeling quite there. But a lot closer than he was,’ [Alvin] Gentry told reporters on Sunday before the Suns’ game against the Los Angeles Clippers. ‘Within the next week we’ll probably get him.’”
- Marc Stein, ESPN.com: “Look for Blazers coach Nate McMillan to draw interest from Bobcats owner Michael Jordan as a potential long-term replacement for Larry Brown should McMillan and the Blazers part ways after his contract expires at season’s end. The respected Paul Silas was a natural interim choice for Jordan — given that Silas lives in Charlotte, had been attending many Bobcats games and badly wanted the job when it went to Brown’s predecessor, Sam Vincent — and badly wants to win Jordan over to score the job permanently. McMillan, though, has a strong advocate in the organization in Bobcats president Fred Whitfield.”
- Colin Stephenson, Newark Star-Ledger: “About two-and-a-half weeks ago, Nets coach Avery Johnson announced that he would be moving up the timetable for 19-year-old rookie Derrick Favors to join the starting lineup. The original plan had been for Favors, the No. 3 pick overall in the draft, to become a starter around midseason. But because of the Nets’ record, and the way things were going for the team, Johnson said he saw no point waiting any longer, and insisted Favors would be starting before the 41st game. The Nets have played seven games since Johnson first made those comments before a game in Dallas on Dec. 9. Favors has not started yet, and he will not be starting tonight, when the Nets return from a four-day Christmas break with a game against the new-look Orlando Magic at Prudential Center. ‘What we told him today — he’s got to give us a reason to start him,’ Johnson said on a conference call yesterday after the Nets’ practice in East Rutherford. ‘We need to see more consistency. He needs to dunk on three people in a night.’”
- Rob Mahoney, New York Times: “Regardless of the temporary success of Washington’s provisional arrangement (it lost, 94-80, to the Spurs, after all), the Wizards have considerable lineup concerns that will not vanish with the conclusion of Sunday’s game. The team still needs to come to terms with the fact that its starting frontcourt may be more likely to engage in fisticuffs than it is to execute a successful defensive rotation, more prone to bicker than to share the ball. The poor chemistry [Andray] Blatche and [JaVale] McGee show on the court appears to have extended well beyond the hardwood, and if that continues, Ernie Grunfeld could be forced to give up on the Blatche-McGee pairing ahead of schedule. … Fights between teammates are not positive, but McGee and Blatche butting heads in such public fashion could urge along the construction of a more promising Washington core. This event alone may not be justification to separate the Wizards’ starting frontcourt, but if Thursday’s altercation is interpreted as a part of a broader history of ill fit between the two players, it could eventually serve as a catalyst for necessary roster renovations in Washington.”
Published On 8:29am, Dec 27, 2010
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