Avery Johnson tried his hardest to put the clamps on any rumors involving Dallas and newly-available point guard Jason Kidd on Thursday night.
"We are a veteran team; we communicate a lot, and we have no issues with what other teams are trying to do to enhance their teams. Our team - we're fine. We have a good ball club," Johnson said before the Mavericks' game against the Celtics in Boston.
Tonight at 9:00 EST on the RealGM Hoops Show, we will be joined by Scoop Jackson of ESPN.com to discuss the all-star reserves.
Christopher Reina from RealGM.com will discuss The Reina Value - his system for ranking the value of players against their contracts. How will the all-star reserves announced stack up against Reina's?
Former NBA baller Jerome Williams will talk about his all-star weekend experiences and who he thinks deserved to make the team this year that did not.
The NBA announced the Western Conference All-Star reserves on Thursday via TNT.
Western Conference Reserves
Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns
Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
Carlos Boozer, Utah Jazz
Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
Brandon Roy, Portland TrailBlazers
David West, New Orleans Hornets
The NBA announced the reserves for the 2008 All-Star Game via TNT on Thursday.
Eastern Conference Reserves
Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
Caron Butler, Washington Wizards
Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons
Richard Hamilton, Detroit Pistons
Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks
Antawn Jamison, Washington Wizards
Western Conference Reserves
Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns
Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
Carlos Boozer, Utah Jazz
Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
Brandon Roy, Portland TrailBlazers
David West, New Orleans Hornets
Front-office sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN that the Bobcats have reached an agreement with Earl Boykins for the remainder of the 2007-2008 season.
The Bobcats first reached out to Boykins in December when Sam Vincent expressed interest in him joining their club, according to a report on RealGM.
The feeling among NBA executives that the Mavericks are the most likely winners in the Jason Kidd trade sweepstakes is even stronger now, according to an ESPN.com report.
Reason: within 24 hours of Kidd saying that it's time for him and the Nets "all to move on" in separate directions, New Jersey and Dallas engaged in advanced trade discussions with Portland on a three-way deal that would land Kidd back with the team that drafted him.
Such a trade would involve at least a dozen players, cash, and future draft picks. In a breakdown of the principles, Portland would receive the Mavericks' Devin Harris and possibly Brandon Bass; New Jersey would obtain draft and financial considerations, Dallas' Jerry Stackhouse, and three prospects from Portland (Travis Outlaw, Channing Frye and Jarrett Jack); the Mavericks would land Kidd.
Hedo Turkoglu led the Orlando Magic over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists. The Magic shot 49% from the floor and outrebounded the Heat by twenty-three. Ricky Davis starred for Miami with 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Heat were without Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem, and Shaquille O?Neal. Jason Williams, who expressed his desire to play for the Magic before the game, notched 11 points and 8 dimes. Dwight Howard added 16 points and 13 boards for Orlando in the victory.
Game FIC Scores
Hedo Turkoglu, ORL ? 22.0
Ricky Davis, MIA ? 14.3
Dwight Howard, ORL ? 12.5
Jason Williams, MIA ? 12.0
The Philadelphia 76ers steamrolled over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, as seven of their players reached double-digits in scoring. Andre Iguodala led all scorers with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Philadelphia shot 54% from the field while holding Milwaukee to just 38% on the night. The 76ers also outrebounded the Bucks by twelve and turned the ball over just nine times. Royal Ivey starred for the Bucks with 17 points and 6 rebounds, and Mo Williams added 14 points, 2 boards, and 2 assists in the loss.
Game FIC Scores
Andre Iguodala, PHI ? 20.9
Reggie Evans, PHI ? 14.4
Thaddeus Young, PHI ? 14.1
Maurice Williams, MIL ? 5.8
The Toronto Raptors scored the first twelve points of the game against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night and never looked back en route to a dominating 122-83 win at the Air Canada Centre. Andrea Bargnani led the Raptors with 19 points as Toronto shot 56% from the floor against just 36% shooting by Washington. DeShawn Stevenson starred for the Wizards, who were without Caron Butler, tallying 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Jose Calderon had 11 points and 11 assists for the Raptors, who enjoyed six double-digit scorers. Toronto got a little retribution for their overtime loss to Washington on Tuesday night.
Game FIC Scores
Jose Calderon, TOR ? 15.9
DeShawn Stevenson, WSH ? 15.8
Andrea Bargnani, TOR ? 13.8
Brendan Haywood, WSH ? (2.0)
Stephen Jackson led the Golden State Warriors to a big win over the Western Conference-leading New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night. Jackson scored 26 points, and Baron Davis added 23 points and 9 assists for Golden State. The Warriors shot 52% from the field but were outrebounded by thirteen. Chris Paul posted 28 points and 12 assists, and David West added 24 points and 13 boards for the Hornets in defeat. A sub-par fourth quarter kept New Orleans from recording their tenth straight victory.
Game FIC Scores
David West, NOH ? 23.0
Chris Paul, NOH ? 20.8
Baron Davis, GSW ? 20.3
Stephen Jackson, GSW ? 15.9
The Minnesota Timberwolves used a strong third quarter to notch a win over the visiting Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. Al Jefferson posted 26 points and 20 rebounds, and Ryan Gomes added 25 and 10 for Minnesota in the victory. The Timberwolves shot just 36% from the field but limited the Bulls to 33% on the evening. Kirk Hinrich tallied 14 points and 9 assists while Thabo Sefolosha posted 14 points and 8 boards for Chicago in the loss.
Game FIC Scores
Al Jefferson, MIN ? 23.8
Ryan Gomes, MIN ? 18.5
Ben Wallace, CHI ? 11.5
Andres Nocioni, CHI ? (4.8)
The Denver Nuggets used a 33-24 fourth quarter advantage to come from behind and steal a win away from the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. Without Carmelo Anthony once again, Allen Iverson led the Nuggets with 32 points and 12 assists, and Marcus Camby added 13 points and 19 boards. Denver shot 50% from the floor but were outrebounded by twelve in Memphis. Rudy Gay starred for the Grizzles with 30 points and 10 rebounds, and Darko Milicic added 14 and 16 of his own in the loss.
Game FIC Scores
Marcus Camby, DEN ? 26.0
Darko Milicic, MEM ? 22.0
Allen Iverson, DEN ? 21.3
Rudy Gay, MEM ? 18.5
LeBron James made a driving layup with one second remaining on Wednesday night to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a one-point win over the Portland Trail Blazers. James posted 37 points and 14 rebounds in the victory, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 7 points and 13 boards of his own. The Cavaliers shot just 39% from the floor but held the Blazers to 35% for the game. Brandon Roy led Portland with 16 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds. LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 points and 9 boards in the loss.
Game FIC Scores
LeBron James, CLE ? 24.3
Joel Przybilla, POR ? 15.5
Brandon Roy, POR ? 13.9
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, CLE ? 12.5
Deron Williams led the Utah Jazz to an eleven-point victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night, with 22 points and 12 assists. Utah shot 51% from the floor against New York and forced nineteen Knicks? turnovers. Mehmet Okur added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Jazz. Jamal Crawford starred for the Knicks with 23 points and 9 assists, and David Lee came off the bench to notch 14 points and 12 boards in defeat.
Game FIC Scores
Deron Williams, UTA ? 18.6
David Lee, NYK ? 15.8
Jamal Crawford, NYK ? 14.9
Paul Millsap, UTA ? 13.9
Brad Miller?s 22 points and 21 rebounds pushed the Sacramento Kings past the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night at ARCO Arena. Thanks in large part to Miller?s efforts, the Kings outrebounded the Bobcats by sixteen in the victory. Kevin Martin added 22 points and 5 rebounds, and Ron Artest added 21 points and 5 boards of his own for Sacramento. Gerald Wallace led Charlotte with 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists while Emeka Okafor scored 13 and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Bobcats against Sacramento.
Game FIC Scores
Brad Miller, SAC ? 29.9
Gerald Wallace, CHA ? 16.3
Raymond Felton, CHA ? 15.9
Ron Artest, SAC ? 15.0
Rookie Al Thornton led the Los Angeles Clippers over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night with 33 points. Sam Cassell added 14 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds for the Clippers, who held the Hawks to just 42% shooting for the game. Josh Smith starred for Atlanta with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. Al Horford added 14 points and 10 boards of his own in the loss.
Game FIC Scores
Josh Smith, ATL ? 20.3
Al Thornton, LAC ? 18.6
Tim Thomas, LAC ? 13.4
Al Horford, ATL ? 9.9
? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)
( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.
It is also used to rank players and to determine their `Reina Value.'
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season
LeBron James broke his silence regarding the Jason Kidd trade rumors on Wednesday night, telling the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he shouldn't have to tell the Cavaliers' organization to make a play for the All-Star point guard.
"When it gets to a point like that, where you see Jason Kidd wants to be traded, you shouldn't have to go to the front office and tell them to get on it," James told the Plain Dealer on Wednesday. "It's Jason Kidd. It's not someone else asking for a trade. It's Jason Kidd. You shouldn't have to go to anybody in the front office for them to be ready to try to jump on it."
The Sacramento Kings are not against trading forward Ron Artest before the NBA's trade deadline, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Both Artest and Kings' President Geoff Petrie spoke about the possibility that the versatile forward's days are numbered in Sacramento earlier this week.
"I've talked to Ron twice in the last two weeks about a lot of different things," Petrie told the Bee on Wednesday night. "The biggest thing for him and everybody else is to keep playing as well as you can. Everybody knows the trading deadline is coming up. Like I've said before, we're not averse to trading anybody if it benefits us in some way and our future, and I think (Artest) is comfortable with that."
Isiah Thomas is not the only person who thinks the Knicks have a shot of making it to the playoffs. Now Magic Johnson, the guy who the New York Daily News says recommended Thomas to run the Knicks to executive Steve Mills, says that there is no way that New York will miss out on post season action this season.
"They're going to make the playoffs and be a tough seven or eight seed," Johnson said. "They're settling into their roles. There's no way I don't see them not getting in as the seven or eight seed, especially in the East."
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