Court Vision: Latest news in the NBA

Brook Lopez didn't get an extension offer before Wednesday's deadline. (Michael J. LeBrecht II/Getty Images)

• In his overview of Wednesday’s extensions and non-extensions, ESPN.com’s John Hollinger nails a crucial little thing I neglected to mention directly in my analysis of Wednesday’s madness:

In a few cases, there were some interesting cap-management issues that helped prevent players from signing. Lopez, Batum, Hibbert and McGee play for teams that could or should have lots of cap space this summer, and, as late first-round picks, each has a cap hold that is less than his likely market value. In practice, that means their teams didn’t have a lot of motivation to pursue an extension unless they got a great deal.

A cap hold, for the unfamiliar, is a charge attached to a team’s outgoing free agent that sticks on a team’s cap sheet when free agency begins in the summer, even though that player is technically no longer on that particular team. It is based on the player’s most recent annual salary and it exists to account for the fact that teams have special rights when it comes to their own free agents — matching rights for restricted free agents, and the general right to go over the salary cap to re-sign their own free agents.

In any case, click on that link up there for Hollinger’s take on the major deals/non-deals of the week.

• The Timberwolves-themed (and splendidly-named) blog Canis Hoopus gives its take on the Kevin Love extension.

• The Kings’ defense yielded a ridiculous number of points in the paint against Denver Wednesday, and Sacramento head coach Keith Smart handled the ridiculousness in an unusual way.

• Rob Mahoney, the fair and even-keeled soul behind the Mavs-themed blog The Two Man Game, with some strong words on Lamar Odom’s performance in the Mavs’ Dirk-less loss to the Timberwolves:

Odom left the game for good with 7:25 left in the third quarter, but he had checked out far earlier. There will be times when he can’t get his offensive game going, as was the case in the first quarter, when Odom went 1-of-7 from the field. There will be times where he spaces out defensively, as he did on many a Kevin Love basket. But Odom was stiff and disgustingly complacent; he set screens without rolling or popping, and seemed to shoot every jumper as a deliberate shrug. He knew it wasn’t his night, and rather than attempt to make something happen by any means he could, he had already moved past this performance before it was even completed. Needless to say: that’s not a good sign, and if Carlisle is irritated with Odom’s effort level, he has every right to be.

• The Odom story looms as in interesting season-long topic. In this ESPN.com piece, Odom and Rick Carlisle discuss Odom’s poor play in very blunt terms.

• Derrick Rose made the right call dishing to Brian Scalabrine with the game on the line against the Pacers on Wednesday.

• Rose is promising to remember the way the Pacers celebrated their victory in Chicago.

• In news sure to raise false hope in Boston, Dwight Howard says he’d consider signing with Boston if he reaches free agency in the offseason. What’s he going to say? Howard is not going to publicly close off an option, especially when said option is set to have max-level cap room in July. But if Howard really wanted to go to Boston, the Celtics would be on his trade demand wish list now.

• Avery Bradley is a sub-par offensive player at this point in his career, but he’s such a force on defense that Doc Rivers is ready to change how the second unit plays offense – and who plays with Bradley on that second unit–in order to get him enough court time.

• The Bucks snagged a big win in Houston on Wednesday, snapping the Rockets’ seven-game winning streak. You may have noticed Stephen Jackson, once a (grousing) starter, came off the bench. Frank Madden of BrewHoop wonders if the Bucks may have found something using Jackson this way:

So maybe this bench thing could work out after all? A game after taking just a single shot against the Hawks, Jax scored nine of his 20 in the fourth quarter and diligently defended Lowry (with Jennings guarding Goran Dragic) for much of the fourth. That’s now two wins out of three with Jackson coming off the bench, though the more important fact is that Jackson has closed out all three. Something tells me that — along with winning — is much more important to him.

• Speaking of the Bucks: Andrew Bogut is one of my favorite players to watch, and to follow on Twitter, and I’m not sure I’m ready for another serious Bogut injury. Imagine how he feels.

• Patrick Hayes of Piston Powered reflects on Austin Daye’s huge game against Miami on Wednesday. Rarely do I find myself rooting for any team, but late in the Detroit-Miami game, I caught myself cheering for Detroit and Lawrence Frank to get a much-needed spirit-booster.

• Some depressing anecdotes from the last time the Wizards’ had interim head coach – during the 2008-09 season.

• Trying to figure out why Udonis Haslem is shooting so poorly.

• Nets’ GM Billy King is confident Deron Williams will be in Brooklyn next season, regardless of what happens with Dwight Howard.

• The Sixers have a big man issue.

• Don’t be so quick to say the Knicks “lost” the Carmelo Anthony deal.