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Kobe Bryant will certainly have the attention of the Magic defense on Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
3. Nuggets Need Depth In Frontcourt
TrueHoop Network
Although the Nuggets are searching for big-man depth, the bought-out player field never quite materialized. As much fun as it was to daydream about Zydrunas Ilgauskas coming to Denver to hit shots and be really tall, there was never any real chance of that happening. He has played his entire career in Cleveland. They kept him around early in his career when it appeared he would never be able to run from one end of the floor to the other. There was never any chance he would end up anywhere else.
I had hopes of Drew Gooden becoming available. But after conflicting reports as to whether the Clippers were going to buy him out, we found out the Clippers wanted him to stay. It makes sense for the other team in L.A. to try to win as many games as possible to appear as a better destination for free agents. Had Gooden not been shipped from the Wizards to the Clippers, he likely would have been bought out. Alas, it was not meant to be.
So who is left? Umm … how about Mark Blount and Mikki Moore? Any takers?
Considering the way the Nuggets are spending money -- or should I say, not spending money -- the only way they will bring in another player is if that player is significantly better than one or both of the Nuggets' spare bigs, Malik Allen and Johan Petro. It is clear that Karl does not trust either one. They get significant playing time only when someone in front of them is injured or during blowouts.
I cannot see Blount enticing the Nuggets at all, and I cannot imagine a player who has been played 15 minutes over the past 13 months coming on board and earning any more trust than Allen has.
Moore, at age 34, is no spring chicken. But he has played in only 557 games, and as long as he is healthy, he could provide an upgrade over Allen. If Moore does come to Denver it will certainly not be to play 20 minutes a night, but as a fourth big who can run the floor; bring energy off the bench; and, most important, give Renaldo Balkman a run for his money in the bad-hair competition. He's probably worth the gamble.
4. Wiz, Arenas Headed Toward Reconciliation
TrueHoop
It's a new day, a new mood, a new setting. The Wizards are likely to have new owners soon, and a new rebuilding project is already under way on the court, as the Wizards are collecting cap space and draft picks.
Next fall, Gilbert Arenas would be returning as a player who paid more than $7 million in lost income and served whatever sentence the judge doles out March 26, essentially for a practical joke.
It's not hard to believe he'll be in a position to make a strong case that he has lived and learned. In time, the team might be more accepting, and so might Arenas. Will the Wizards and Arenas patch things up? Ernie Grunfeld said last month that "if he wants to play, he's going to play here."
Even if there are 29 teams Arenas would prefer to play for, he'd still be smart to show up with his body, and his smile, in tip-top form next fall. If he can prove to people that he's a good guy who still plays good basketball, maybe the Wizards will be able to trade him at some point in the next year or two -- maybe to one of those teams that have cleared cap space for LeBron James but don't get him.
No matter where he wants to play, Arenas' best move is to try to restore his standing with the Wizards, which will take months or even years.
When challenges arise in patching up those relationships -- with management, with teammates, with fans -- there will always be 80 million reasons for Arenas to keep trying.
5. Would Pierce Leave Boston?
Special to ESPNBoston.com
The sum at hand is sufficiently staggering -- more than $21 million -- to pretty much ensure that Paul Pierce will look at the temptation of unfettered free agency this summer and say, "Nah. What's the point?"
The Celtics' captain has an early termination option for the 2010-11 season. To join LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the other glittering free agents this summer, all he has to do is notify the Celtics before July 1 that he wishes to opt out of the final year of his deal. He would forfeit the $21.5 million owed him for next season. He then would be an unrestricted free agent, able to sign with whomever he pleased.
Asked whether he has given any thought to what he might do this summer, Pierce said: "Well, at least I know I won't be on the [U.S. world championship-bound] team." He laughed, then continued, "I really haven't given it that much thought. I've always said I wanted to finish my career as a Celtic. And a long as we have the players here to compete [for a title], I want to be here. But really, I haven't given it that much thought. I suppose I will when it's time."
This issue hasn't kept Danny Ainge or ownership from losing any sleep. Asked if he had any idea what Pierce might be thinking, Ainge said, simply, "No." Ownership views Pierce as a Celtic For Life and will do what it can to ensure that happens.
But opting out and being a Celtic for life might not be mutually exclusive. In fact, Pierce and his agent might look at the NBA landscape over the next couple of years and try to get Pierce a new deal for a number of years. True, he'd be giving up a boatload of cash in the short run. But he might be able to recoup it while (a) still playing until he's 36 or 37 (he turns 33 in October) and (a) still playing for the Celtics. Ownership might jump at that as well, for it would lower the payroll in 2010-11, though not enough to make the Celtics players in free agency.
6. Camby Man Can?
(Getty Images) 7.Kobe Finds Sidekick In Cabbie
ESPNLosAngeles.com
If you haven't heard of Cabbie, that's OK. He's not on U.S. television. He's a cable TV personality in Canada who has somehow driven around L.A. with Kobe Bryant in a limo, flown with him to practice on his personal helicopter and changed the way an entire country views one of the most enigmatic personalities in sports.
Cabbie, whose real name is Cabral Richards, first met Bryant in December 2005 when the Lakers were in Toronto to play the Raptors. "I was doing a piece on bandwagon fans so I went up to him with a pad of paper and asked how he felt about bandwagon fans and asked him to draw a bandwagon for me," Cabbie said. "He said, 'I can't draw; I suck.' At the end of the interview I said, 'I'm going to be in L.A. in a couple months; would you mind if I stayed at the guest house in Casa de Bryant?' and he said OK."
The simple request ended up being the springboard to a four-year running joke in which Cabbie asks Bryant when he'll be able to sleep over at his house. It also has given Canadian viewers a window into a humorous side of Bryant that many American fans haven't seen. When Cabbie, after a Lakers-Raptors game, asked Bryant for his address, Kobe said, "Sure, it's 8 Out Of Your Mind Avenue." When he saw him a couple of months later and asked for his phone number, Bryant said, "Sure, it's 1-800-never-ever-ever-call-me-ever."
8. Howard For MVP
TrueHoop Network
I do not think it needs mentioning that Dwight Howard is very good. Slowly but surely, everyone else is going to realize Howard should be part of the MVP conversation and that he is not just a one-dimensional offensive beast who plays perhaps the best defense in the league.
After two games in which Howard struggled on both ends, Superman came to life to anchor Orlando over a struggling Golden State team Wednesday.
Howard's stat line: a team-high 28 points, 12 rebounds, 11-for-17 shooting, six of 11 from the line, two blocks, two steals and zero fouls. That's right: no fouls.
Yes, Golden State, even with Andris Biedrins, is not a very tall team. But Howard had another flat-out dominant game -- the kind that was missing, and that Orlando survived, in the previous two outings against Miami and Philadelphia on Sunday and Monday.
In those games, Howard seemed frustrated with foul calls or whatever and never could get into the flow of the game. A telltale sign of that was his low rebounding numbers. He had five rebounds Sunday and three rebounds Monday, his two lowest rebounding totals of the season and his first effort with fewer than 10 rebounds since a Jan. 9 meeting with Atlanta.
But Howard was very much involved in all aspects of the Golden State game. His scoring contribution is obvious. His rebounding was back up as he tries to start a new double-double streak. More impressive was his steal that sparked a fast break -- he handed off to Matt Barnes for an easy lay-in.
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