The lack of a free agency period to date has all but eradicated the NBA’s rumor mill. Teams have undoubtedly discussed some of their potential targets in private, but with no structure set to actually enable player acquisition, those discussions lack grounding. Those general managers, owners, and coaches are floating ideas, ones that up to this point have yet to escape via unnamed sources.
So now, we turn to the other side of the coin. With NBA teams unwilling to talk about -- or even leak anything about -- any player in particular, all we’re left with are potential free agents and their personal preferences. Such players know little to nothing about which teams might be interested in them and what they’d be willing to offer, but some players have been willing to discuss their preferred landing spots on a conceptual level.
Josh Howard isn’t exactly a top-tier free agent, but he’s nonetheless a useful player who will be courted by a handful of teams. A report from The Boston Globe hinted that Howard could be on the Celtics’ wish list, a pairing that could certainly be beneficial for both parties. Howard could use a successful platform to give his career a jump start, and Boston -- even after acquiring Jeff Green mid-season -- could still use a bit of help in filling out their wing rotation on the cheap. Howard isn’t likely to demand a very substantial contract, and could pan out as a nice, short-term value signing for a team like the Celtics.
And, wouldn’t you know it: Howard sees the same potential value in the pairing. From Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (via Celtics Town):Josh Howard has spent the past 18 months recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, spending most of last season on the sideline before playing in 18 games with the Wizards. A free agent at age 31, Howard said he is just now reaching 100 percent health, but the lockout - and the lack of a summer league - has prevented him from showcasing his game.
In last weekend’s Chris Paul-organized all-star game in Winston-Salem, N.C., Howard participated in his first organized action of the summer, expressing full confidence that his knee is healed. During his prime, Howard was an effective swingman who averaged 18 or more points for three consecutive seasons (2006-09) and was an effective defender.
...The Celtics, meanwhile, have only seven signed players and may be seeking established veterans of Howard’s ilk. “Boston is a great organization,’’ he said. “I also have a good friend in Marquis Daniels that spent a lot of time up there and who spoke highly of the organization. So that would be one of the teams I would actually look at if I had the opportunity to go there.’’
These aren’t the kinds of comments that players just volunteer on their own; Washburn was following up on the initial note from his previous report, and appears to have clearly and directly asked Howard about his own interest in the organization. His response is noncommittal, but vaguely positive.
That’s about all one could ask of Howard at this point in the game, and this is about as close as we’ll get to a true free agent rumor until the lockout finally ends. Unnamed sources around the league are on a gag order and risk being heavily fined if they start tossing out player names, so we’re limited to thoughts and one-sided responses. I never thought I’d miss the spitballing of the rumor mill, but trade buzz and free agent rumors have become an integrated part of the NBA experience. Even if they offer little more than a glimpse into an alternate reality, they fuel the NBA and its sense of infinite possibility.