Blowoutcards NBA Daily Rumors 1/12

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Trainer: Rockets' McGrady is ready

By MARC BERMAN
NY POST

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Tim Grover, trainer of the NBA stars, reports the Knicks would be lucky to get Tracy McGrady and invited NBA scouts to Chicago to check T-Mac out. "One-hundred percent ready to go and he's been ready," Grover told The Post from his Chicago athletic compound where he's been working with McGrady since Christmas. "No limitations, no anything."

Many teams are concerned about McGrady coming back from microfracture knee surgery. Plus, a deal to obtain his $23 million expiring contract without the Rockets taking long-term money back is highly complex.
The Knicks have a legit shot at T-Mac if they are willing to send either of their rookies, Jordan hill or Toney Douglas, to Houston, according to a source briefed on trade discussions. They have enough other expiring pacts to flesh out a package.

McGrady is working with Grover daily, doing drills and scrimmaging with Bonzi Wells, among others, at Grover's Attack Center on Chicago's West side.

"Any team who wants to come down to Chicago, to come look at it, I don't pull any punches," said Grover, who made a career of training Michael Jordan and took on Kobe Bryant last season. "Put him through anything they want him to put him through. Whether it's a trade or buyout, he's ready to go."

Daryl Morey, the Rockets general manager, told The Post he has seven teams interested with various proposals and expects to get something done by the Feb. 18 trading deadline. If a deal is not consummated, the Rockets could buy McGrady out.

It seems like David Lee has the vote of Thunder coach Scott Brooks, who will get his reserves ballot for the All-Star game in less than two weeks.

"He's as good as a power forward in the league right now with the way he's playing," Brooks said before the Thunder's 106-88 victory over the Knicks last night. "He's a 20, 10 guy. Watching him play this year he's handling the ball more. . . . He's good with either hand, he has a great spin dribble and he passes the ball well for a big guy."








Caron Butler On Rocket's Wish List

By Chris Broussard
ESPN True Hoop

While the Houston Rockets realize that trading Tracy McGrady
will not be easy, the club now believes it has a better than 50 percent chance of moving the fading superstar by the Feb. 18 trade deadline, according to league executives.

The Rockets are in discussions with several clubs about McGrady, and sources say two of the teams near the top of their wish list are Washington and Chicago.

Nothing is imminent with either team, but there are potential deals with both clubs that Houston would be interested in pulling off.

Washington, which league executives believe is in cost-cutting mode after the Gilbert Arenas disaster, could have McGrady for a deal featuring Caron Butler and some expiring contracts, perhaps Mike Miller and Randy Foye
.

Chicago, which has definite interest in McGrady, also has the combination of young talent and expiring contracts the Rockets are looking for. There is a Bulls player Houston covets, but it's not clear who that is. Since the Rockets surely realize that Derrick Rose won't be traded, logic suggests it's Joakim Noah.

A package of Noah, Brad Miller and Jerome James (the latter two have expiring contracts) would work financially, but sources say the Bulls have no desire to part with Noah.

As for the Bulls, Kirk Hinrich is ahead of even Tyrus Thomas on their list of players they'd love to trade. In fact, Thomas is being offered around the league as a sweetener in any Hinrich deal. But with two years, $17 million left on his contract after this season, there's not a great market for Hinrich.

Believe it or not, sources say Philadelphia has not completely ruled out a McGrady-for-Andre Iguodala deal, if only because if the losing continues, Sixers ownership may order a fire sale.

Talks between the two teams have taken place but they have not reached the serious stage. Philadelphia hinted at a package of Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert for McGrady. But while Houston loves Iguodala's talent, it's not sure such a deal would make it a legitimate championship contender. To take back the four years, $57 million remaining on Iguodala's contract after this season, Houston has to be convinced it would become an immediate title contender once Yao Ming returns next season.







Jefferson: "Rumors, just rumors, can't worry about things like that."

by Jerry Zgoda
StarTribune

Al Jefferson
said his agent and Wolves boss David Kahn had a discussion in the last week in which he was reassured he won't be traded.
Yahoo! Sports on Sunday reported Indiana had turned down the Wolves' offer of Jefferson for Danny Granger
.

Kahn met with agent Jeff Schwarz when he was in Minneapolis last week to visit Jefferson and Kevin Love
. He represents both players.
"We had a talk about it last week," Jefferson said after this morning's shootaround. "He talked to us and let us know nothing like that was going on...He made me comfortable to know what I heard last night was rumors.
"It's part of the NBA life. It's not the first time my name has been attached to rumors before. It doesn't necessarily mean it's bad thing. I've been in this league long enough to know this time of year, every year, there's going to be trade rumors and stuff like that before the trade deadline. You're going to hear that. That's why it didn't bother me. You see stuff like this come on TV and coming out of the woodwork, that's why it went in one ear and went out the other."

Kahn called the report "totally without merit" and said he has "not made one offer involving any of our core players to other teams" and said he has decided to not do so until he and Kurt Rambis
have had all of this season to evaluate the team.

"I have no desire, no wish to do anything with our core pieces this season," Kahn said. "In effect, our season did not start until Dec. 4 (when Love returned from a broken hand). We don't know who we are yet. You can make some terrible mistakes by making decisions too quickly."
Kahn, who arrived in Denver this afternoon from his home in Portland, said he was trying to set up a pre-game meeting with Jefferson tonight to assure him that he isn't being offered to other teams.

The Yahoo! Sports report also quoted an unnamed league source saying that Jefferson and Love were having "chemistry" and "jealous" issues.
Jefferson called the claim nonsense, but used a no-nonsense word to say so.

"That's (nonsense) to me," he said. "I hate to say that. Kevin is like a son to me in this league. I believe in tough love with him. There ain't no chemistry (issues), no jealousy, ain't nothing like that going on between me and him. I don't know where that came from or who made it up. That's just (nonsense.)"

While he talked to reporters after the team's shootaround in Denver, Love came over to where Jefferson was seated, fell on him and embraced him with a big, heavy hug.

Later, as Jefferson continued to speak, Love stood 70 feet away and with a smile yelled out that he was "jealous" all the media members were talking to Jefferson rather than to him.

"I just thought it was funny," Love said. "Al and I haven't had any problems since I got here. It's kind of laughable to me. He has been helping me out all along. I took my biggest steps last year because of him, this summer because of him. He walked in this morning and we were laughing about it. It's one of those things speculation and rumor. There's no jealousy going on here."

Kahn in time very well could decide to trade Jefferson -- or Love -- because, despite having complementary games, both basically are undersized power forwards and when paired together on the floor they have trouble protecting the rim defensively.

Kahn said he is constantly talking to other teams in what he calls a "feeling-out process" about what his players might be worth in a trade.
"But we're not making deals or concrete offers," he said.
Asked if trade rumors might swirl always as long as the two are together, Love said, "I don't know. That's why I get paid to play. I don't get paid to make decisions. I don't really take them (trade rumors) seriously. I heard I was getting traded in the summer. I heard everybody was getting traded in the summer. We'll see what happens before the trade deadline.
"I don't think Al's going anywhere. I don't think I'm going anywhere."

As Love talked to reporters, Jefferson walked by toward the team bus and yelled out to Love that he loved him.
"Love you, too, man," Love yelled back.





No talks between Lakers/Raptors regarding an Andrew Bynum-for-Chris Bosh swap

By Chris Broussard
ESPN True Hoop

Sources from both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Toronto Raptors insist there have been no talks between the two clubs regarding an Andrew Bynum-for-Chris Boshswap.

The Lakers view the 22-year-old Bynum as a key building block and a player whose best years are ahead of him. And Toronto has thus far been steadfast in its stance not to entertain trading Bosh this season.

Sources say the Raptors will not consider moving Bosh before next month's trade deadline unless Bosh tells them he definitely will not return to Toronto next season.

Toronto's Plan A has always been to re-sign Bosh. However, in considering all possibilities, the club has had internal discussions about Plans B and C, which would include trying to get as good a big man as possible for Bosh (if re-signing him was out of the question).

Obviously, Bynum would fit the bill. Still, for now, put this one in the category of fantasy.






The Detroit Pistons Would Like To Get Their Hands On Carlos Boozer

By Chris Broussard
ESPN True Hoop

Having lost 13 straight games, the perimeter-heavy Detroit Pistons would like to get their hands on Carlos Boozer. A Boozer-for-Rip Hamilton
trade works, but Utah doesn't want to take back the three years, $38 million remaining on Hamilton's contract, even though he'd made a sweet backcourt mate for Deron Williams.

Boozer for Tayshaun Prince also works financially, but Prince has one more season after this one at $11 million, and the Jazz aren't looking to add salary for next season.

Utah coach Jerry Sloan wants to keep Boozer, who will be a free agent next summer, for the rest of the season, and perhaps beyond. To that end, the Jazz are shopping Andrei Kirilenko with all their might. But good luck with that one. Kirilenko won't have any takers until next season when he's in the last year of his deal.






By Chad Ford
ESPN True Hoop

The same source said that the Nets might be willing to move Devin Harris, along with an expiring contract or two, if they could land an All-Star and another young asset. The source said Brook Lopez was the only untouchable on the team.

The thinking is that if the Nets can land two good players now, that might be better than having to overpay to good players this summer out of desperation.