I hope everyone is enjoying their three day weekend. Today on SheridanHoopsRadio, hosts Chris Sheridan and Jabari Davis will focus on the struggling Los Angeles Lakers. Eric Pincus of the LA Times and Hoopsworld.com will be the first guest, Gary Lee of Lakers Nation will come on at around 1:20, and our SheridanHoops.com’s own Mark Heisler will close out the show. If you have Lakers questions for Chris and Jabari, please call (347) 237-5434 at 1:50pm EST.
SH Blog: Rudy Gay trade rumors, and is this the best team Melo’s played on?
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When I first heard the Grizzlies were looking to move Rudy Gay, I was surprised.
This is the best year the Grizzlies have had in recent memory, right? For a while they were sitting atop the vicious Western Conference, right? And even having cooled off a bit after their blistering 14-3 start, they’re still sitting in fourth in that vicious Western Conference, right?
So why would they want to deal one of their best players? Of course, I thought the same sort of thing a few months ago when the Thunder traded James Harden to the Rockets. So I guess I’ll wait and see (a) what the Grizzlies actually do and (b) how it works out for them before I rush to judgment.
There’s a good bit of Gay trade rumors in today’s blog. But first, it’s never too early to think about the NBA draft, and to help you out with that, Joe Kotoch has a piece up looking at the top point guards in the college ranks. Also, we’ve got new Sixth Man rankings up, so check those out as well.
Now it’s time for all the latest NBA news:
- Marc Stein’s Weekend Dime for ESPN.com tackles the Rudy Gay rumors (as well as tons more so as always, this is a necessary clickthrough): “Something tells me Heisley ultimately would have realized it, too. He’d have eventually deduced, just like Oklahoma City did in October when the Thunder traded away James Harden against their will, that a team in a market as small as Memphis can’t afford the luxury-tax bills and corresponding restrictions that come with three max contracts: Gay, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Not if said team wants to have the flexibility to make changes/upgrades when required. The Grizz might not move Gay before the Feb. 21 trade deadline, but rest assured he’ll be dealt before next season. (Or maybe it’ll ultimately have to be Randolph if it’s not Gay). If new management opts to give this core one last shot at a long playoff run, it’ll be because it couldn’t swing a palatable deal before the deadline, not nostalgia. The bottom line is that the Grizz, like OKC before them, know they have to make the necessary payroll adjustments before the new labor agreement’s more stringent tax penalties are implemented after Year 3 of the deal introduced last December. Which approach would you take? All in for this season … or Thunder-style planning for the long term?”
- Ric Bucher of CSN Bay Area also takes a look at the Gay situation: “Source with a team interested in Rudy Gay: the Gay-for-Jared Dudley/Michael Beasley deal was leaked in order to generate more offers from around the league. The response when other GMs heard about the offer was, “Hey, we can do better than that.” The Grizzlies, if they are going to move Gay, want a young SF on a smaller contract and a draft pick.”
Alvin Gentry out as coach of Suns
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Alvin Gentry became the fourth coach to fail to make it to the All-Star break as he mutually agreed Friday to part with the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns did not immediately name a replacement – and really don’t have to. They don’t play again until Wednesday at Sacramento, giving the new coach several days to acclimate himself.
A release from the Suns said an interim will be named in the next 24 to 48 hours.
Bernucca: Lackluster Lakers fooling themselves and their fans
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Dwight Howard dominates the paint on both ends, Kobe Bryant plays less than 30 minutes for the first time this season, Steve Nash runs the offense with precision, the defense has its best game in weeks and the Lakers run away with a 20-point win in their Sunday home whites.
So, everything’s back to normal again in Tinseltown, right?
Who cares that it was against the Cavaliers, who lose three of every four games they play? Or that Cleveland was missing Anderson Varejao, their best rebounder, post defender and energy player? Or that Howard and Bryant were primarily matched up against rookies Tyler Zeller and Dion Waiters?
Hubbard: The ‘long-running’ Lakers Tragicomedy
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Does it seem to anyone else like we’ve had about five years of Lakers seasons in the first, well, a little over two months of this season?
What was it? About four years ago when we were all enthralled by the slick maneuver that brought Dwight Howard to Los Angeles? And how about that sign-and-trade for Steve Nash? Three years ago?
