The San Antonio Spurs have traded a future second round draft pick to the Sacramento Kings for Point Guard Ray McCallum. The move shores up the spot vacated by Corey Joseph, who signed on with the Toronto Raptors.
Tag: Marc Stein
Spurs remain No. 1 in four national power rankings
John Schuhmann,
Ranking: Third
Teams ahead: Chicago, Oklahoma City
Last week: First
What he said: “Did the Spurs punt away the No. 1 seed in the West by leaving their big three at home on Monday, or by getting crushed on the glass by Andrew Bynum and the Kobe-less Lakers two nights later? They have a road back-to-back-to-back this week, so expect more rest for their stars as they settle into the No. 2 spot.”
Sam Amico,
Ranking: First
Teams ahead: None
Last week: Second
What he said: “Good news: Suddenly look like most cohesive team in league again. Bad: Entered last season’s playoffs looking same.”
Tom Ziller,
Ranking: First
Teams ahead: None
Last week: First
What he said: “The Spurs have a revenge match against the Lakers on Tuesday, but it still doesn’t matter. Nothing matters for the Spurs until April 28 or 29, when their playoff quest for one more ring with Tim Duncan begins. So long as the team enters healthy and with a modicum of freshness, they will be a daunting task for any and all West contenders. That’s all that matters.”
Marc Stein,
Ranking: Third
Teams ahead: Chicago, Oklahoma City
Last week: First
What he said: “Pop holds a narrow lead over Thibodeau and Doc Rivers in another ridiculous COY race with what might be his best-ever coaching job. Even if the Spurs don’t snag the West’s No. 1 seed — and even after the Kobe-less Lakers humbled them at home — he still has ‘em at a level no one envisioned. No one.”
John Hollinger,
Ranking: First
Teams ahead: None
Last week: Second
Chances of winning: Hollinger estimates the Spurs have a 76.2 percent chance of winning the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, a 37 percent chance of making the NBA Finals and a .
Britt Robson,
Ranking: First
Teams ahead: None
Last week: First
What he said: “During this intense, condensed regular-season schedule, there seems to have been more commentary about Tim Duncan resting than about the way he has played. That’s probably because there has been very little decline during his 15th season. His shooting percentage is down slightly but his scoring average is up, as he has taken a few more mid-range jumpers than in previous years. Defensively, the Big Fundamental continues to set the standard for San Antonio, which allows its fewest points per possession when he is on the court. Despite all the chatter, he has missed only five of 60 games — though he is likely to sit out either Tuesday or Wednesday, as San Antonio completes a stretch of three games in three nights — and is logging the same 28 minutes per game he put in last season. Perhaps the biggest difference from a year ago has been the emergence of Tiago Splitter, who gives the Spurs another tall and capable rim protector aside from Duncan.”
Kurt Helin,
Odom, Mavs sever ties
Lamar Odom’s brief career with the Dallas Mavericks has come to an end.
ESPN.com reporter Marc Stein reported that Odom and the Mavericks that will allow the disgruntled power forward to leave the team without being released.
“The Mavericks and I have mutually agreed that it’s in the best interest of both parties for me to step away from the team,” Odom said in a statement to ESPN.com.
“I’m sorry that things didn’t work out better for both of us, but I wish the Mavs’ organization, my teammates and Dallas fans nothing but continued success in the defense of their championship.”
After the loss of key components like Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea from their 2011 NBA championship team, Odom was thought to provide some inside muscle for the Mavericks in the defense of their title when he was acquired shortly before the season from the Los Angeles Lakers.
But the 32-year-old Odom has struggled through a miserable season, averaging career-low totals of 6.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game as he has shot 35.2 percent from the field in 50 games.
Sources told ESPN that Odom’s departure will be immediate and that the Mavericks intend to simply list him as inactive for the rest of the season instead of outright releasing him, leaving open the possibility that they could still trade him after the season in conjunction with the draft.
Any team that has Odom on its roster as of June 29 must buy him out by that date for $2.4 million or otherwise accept responsibility for the full $8.2 million that Odom is scheduled to earn in 2012-13.
The Mavericks currently are the No. 7 team in the Western Conference with nine games remaining. They still face a big challenge of making the playoffs with six of their last nine games on the road, including a brutal stretch of four road games in five days later this week.
Getting rid of Odom rids them of an off-the-court headache. And it should allow them to be more unified as they approach the tough finish.
But it will be interesting to see if the Mavericks have enough depth inside to match their playoff run from their championship season.
What do you think Spurs Nation? Are the Mavericks better off without Odom?