Darren Erman Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Trent, Anunoby, Poeltl, Batum, Knicks

November 17th, 2023 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

Down a pair of key players on Wednesday vs. Philadelphia, the Celtics got a boost from Derrick White – who scored 27 points – and Al Horford, who contributed 14 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks while playing strong defense against Joel Embiid, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

As Bontemps notes, White and Horford have taken a step back in the Celtics’ pecking order this season due to the offseason acquisitions of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. But with Porzingis and Jaylen Brown unavailable vs. the Sixers, White and Horford provided a reminder of their importance to the club.

“That’s the luxury that we have on our team,” Jayson Tatum said. “We have so many talented guys.”

It was a big night for Horford, in particular. While White has remained a permanent starter for the Celtics even after the offseason roster changes, Horford has been asked to come off the bench on a regular basis for the first time in his career. Coming into this season, he had been a reserve in just 10 of 1,013 regular season games. He has started only three of 10 this fall.

“We were we down a couple of guys so having to step up and create a spark plug was important for me to do,” Horford said, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. “I feel like that’s kind of been what I do for the most part, if I have to guard in the perimeter, if I have to guard in the post, create energy in different ways, shoot threes. I’m trying to do whatever I can to help our group.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

While Gary Trent Jr. (foot) is expected to suit up for the Raptors on Friday after missing the club’s last three games, forward OG Anunoby is listed as doubtful. As Josh Lewenberg of TSN tweets, Anunoby – who has been out for the past two games – received stitches on his lacerated right index finger and can still only shoot and dribble with his left hand.
Eric Koreen of The Athletic doesn’t believe that the Raptors‘ decisions to give up a top-six protected first-round pick for Jakob Poeltl and then to sign him to a four-year, $78MM contract were bad ones in isolation, given that Poeltl is a quality NBA starting center. However, Koreen suggests that Poeltl’s fit with Toronto’s other frontcourt pieces hasn’t exactly been seamless so far. The team has a -9.9 net rating when Poeltl, Pascal Siakam, and Scottie Barnes have shared the court this season.
Sixers forward Nicolas Batum, who has been away from the team for personal reasons, is out for Friday’s game in Atlanta but will likely be back for Sunday’s contest in Brooklyn, tweets Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Mark Jackson had been expected to call some Knicks games for MSG Network this season, but it seems that won’t happen after all, according to Andrew Marchand of The New York Post. Knicks management objected to having Jackson travel on the team plane, Marchand explains, in part due to an old “quarrel” between the former Warriors head coach and current Knicks assistant Darren Erman, who worked under Jackson in Golden State and recorded meetings without Jackson’s knowledge.

New York Notes: Durant, Hunt, Tanking, Knicks Staff

April 4th, 2022 at 9:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets had all kinds of issues this season — Kyrie Irving‘s refusal to get vaccinated, James Harden‘s desire to be traded to Philadelphia, Joe Harris‘ injury — but Kevin Durant believes his knee injury was the biggest reason they nosedived in the standings.

“To be honest, I feel like our season was derailed by my injury,” Durant said to ESPN’s Nick Friedell and other media members. “So, I’m not looking at it like we’re just not a good basketball team. It’s like there wasn’t a lot of continuity with me and Kyrie out of the lineup, that’s just what it is. When we’re all on the floor together, I like what we got.”

The Nets will have to fight their way out of the play-in tournament but Durant isn’t worried about the extra challenges ahead.

“I don’t care who we play. I don’t care that we’re in the play-in. Just tip the ball up, see what happens,” he said. “That’s all you can control. It’s too stressful thinking about we’re trying to dodge a team, lining up, just play the game. We’ll see what happens.”

We have more on the New York teams:

With Julius Randle shut down for the rest of the season, power forward Feron Hunt could see some action in the remaining Knicks games, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Hunt was signed last month to a two-way contract. In seven games with the G League’s Westchester Knicks, Hunt averaged 16.9 PPG. “We like who he is, so I want to get a chance to see him as well,” coach Tom Thibodeau said.
The Knicks have won five of their last seven games, which won’t help their chances of winning the draft lottery. RJ Barrett would rather finish the season on a high note than go into tank mode, Steve Popper of Newsday writes. “This helps build momentum, trying to finish out the season strong and carry that momentum into next year,” Barrett said. “Every game is important for us as a team for guys to develop and see who we are and who we’re going to be.”
When the Knicks hire a replacement for assistant coach Kenny Payne, it will signal whether Thibodeau has regained autonomy over his staff, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News opines. As a condition of getting hired, Thibodeau agreed to take on Payne, Mike Woodson and Johnnie Bryant as his top assistants. One of Thibodeau’s hand-picked assistants, Darren Erman, moved to the front of the bench when Payne left to coach Louisville. If the Knicks add another assistant not associated with Thibodeau, it will signal that team executive William Wesley is once again exerting his influence.

New York Notes: Simmons, Durant, Curry, Erman, Porzingis

March 19th, 2022 at 8:22am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets are preparing to move forward without Ben Simmons for the remainder of the season if necessary, NetsDaily.com’s Chris Milholen relays.

Coach Steve Nash didn’t have an update on Simmons, who received an epidural injection for his back injury this week. Nash said he’s just concerned with coaching the players who can suit up.

“I think we just have to focus on whose available right now,” Nash stated. “Whether Ben’s available, we’ll be very excited. We’ll get to work on how to find cohesion but right now we just got to focus on the games in front of us and who is available and manage the current squad.”

Simmons is still not doing any basketball-related activities and seems a long way from making his season debut.

“He’s done some individual workouts, and then he had the flare-up,” Nash said. “That’s a step he hasn’t got back to yet; individual on-court workouts.”

We have more on the New York teams:

The league issued a $25K fine to Kevin Durant for using profane language toward a fan, NBA Communications tweets. The incident took place during the second quarter of the Nets’ 113-111 loss to the Mavericks on Wednesday. A tweet from Durant in response to a video of the incident suggested he was anticipating being fined.
Seth Curry scored 27 points against Portland on Friday but the left ankle injury that kept the Nets guard out for three games will linger through the season, according to Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post. “It’s been bothering me a while,” Curry said. “It’s probably not going to fully go away [until] the end of the season.”
Assistant coach Darren Erman will move to the front of the Knicks‘ bench in the aftermath of Kenny Payne‘s departure, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets. Payne was named the head coach of Louisville, his alma mater.
Ex-Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis got razzed by fans during the Wizards’ loss at Madison Square Garden on Friday, but he didn’t mind, according to Peter Botte of the New York Post. “I enjoy this. I enjoy playing at MSG, whether it’s at home before or now on the road. It’s always entertaining,” he said. “The biggest stage, and again, receiving the boos. … I love the city. I miss this city a lot. I miss a lot of people here.”

Knicks Hire Aaron Brooks, Others

November 25th, 2020 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have hired longtime NBA point guard Aaron Brooks, announcing in a press release that he’ll act as the team’s “two-way liaison.” Based on his title – and a story from Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who first reported the hiring – it sounds like Brooks will be primarily responsible for working with New York’s two-way players, Jared Harper and Theo Pinson.

Brooks, who spent 10 seasons in the NBA, played for current Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau in Chicago and Minnesota. He also shares a relationship with team president Leon Rose, who served as his agent at CAA Sports.

Brooks, 35, appears to be transitioning to a new phase in his career. He suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon last October in Australia, making past stops with the Rockets, Suns, Kings, Nuggets and Pacers. The Oregon product hinted at retirement shortly after suffering the injury.

The Knicks have also announced a series of other hires, including Darren Erman as an assistant coach, Larry Greer as an advance scout/assistant coach, Richard Williams as the strength and conditioning coach, and Reggie Johnson and TJ Zanin as scouts.

Most of those moves had been previously reported — Zanin’s hiring was even announced by the Knicks once before, way back in June.

JD Shaw contributed to this story.

Eastern Notes: Dellavedova, D’Antoni, Erman, Pistons

November 24th, 2020 at 11:32am CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers are close to finalizing a deal to bring back Matthew Dellavedova for another season, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who reports that the veteran guard has agreed to the parameters of a one-year contract. The agreement will give Dellavedova $2.1MM for the upcoming season, along with a one-year Bird restriction and the option to veto any trade.

Dellavedova, 30, is expected to serve as a back-up point guard and a veteran leader on a youthful team. Fedor states that several other teams expressed interest, including the Lakers, but Dellavedova opted for Cleveland, where he has spent most of his seven-year NBA career.

The signing will give the Cavaliers 14 players under contract, and the final roster spot may not be filled right away, Fedor adds. The team will explore potential signings heading into training camp, but may opt for the flexibility of keeping a spot open.

There’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Mike D’Antoni considered retirement after leaving the Rockets following their playoff exit, writes Alex Schiffer of The Athletic. D’Antoni was convinced to keep coaching when he got an offer from the Nets to join the staff of first-time head coach Steve Nash, who orchestrated D’Antoni’s offense when they were together in Phoenix. “He’s going to make it easy for Steve,” said Warriors assistant Leandro Barbosa. “Mike is one of the best coaches that I ever played for. He’s also one of the best from an offensive standpoint. He knows a lot of plays, he knows a lot of tricks, I think he’s going to be awesome for Kyrie (Irving) and (Kevin) Durant.”
Darren Erman, who coached the Celtics’ G League affiliate last season, will join the Knicks as an assistant to Tom Thibodeau, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Erman spent four years as associate head coach with the Pelicans.
The Nuggets will receive $110K from the Pistons in the sign-and-trade that sent Jerami Grant to Detroit, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). The Pistons shipped $250K to the Jazz in the deal for Tony Bradley, Pincus adds (Twitter link).

Atlantic Notes: Gasol, Lin, Poirier, Erman

July 28th, 2019 at 11:41am CST by Arthur Hill

Raptors center Marc Gasol is thankful that the Grizzlies didn’t agree to his request not to be traded, relays Alex Madrid of Eurohoops. Gasol had been with Memphis for more than a decade before the team committed to rebuilding and sent him to Toronto in a deadline deal. The move led to Gasol collecting his first NBA championship ring.

“There have been few players that haven’t been traded over the years in the NBA,” Gasol said. “If it had been dependent on me, I wouldn’t have been traded. I always thought I could reverse the situation there (in Memphis) and bring the team to the top. But, thank God, they ignored me.”

Gasol will be part of the remaining foundation as the Raptors try to stay in contention without Kawhi Leonard. The 34-year-old will earn $25.6MM this season in the final year of his contract.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Jeremy Lin appears distraught about his free agency situation in a video tweeted by Daily Sports Dosage. “Free agency has been tough,” Lin says. “Because I feel like in some ways the NBA has kind of given up on me.” The Raptors signed Lin in February to provide backcourt depth, but he shot just 37% in 23 games and was barely used during the playoffs.
French center Vincent Poirier could have made more money in Europe, but he wanted the challenge of playing in the NBA, tweets Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports. Poirier was the EuroLeague’s top rebounder last season, and the Celtics believe his athleticism will translate well.
Former Celtics assistant Darren Erman will become head coach of the organization’s G League affiliate in Maine, according to Jay King and Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Known as a defensive specialist, Erman has spent the past four seasons with the Pelicans.

Southwest Notes: Chandler, Conley, Mavericks, Erman, Turner

July 7th, 2019 at 4:01pm CST by clarkcrum

Sources tell Tim MacMahon of ESPN that veteran big man Tyson Chandler is a likely target for the Rockets in their search for a center to backup starter Clint Capela.

Chandler, who turns 37 later this year, had an effective 2018/19 season with the Lakers as a defender, rebounder, and veteran mentor. Per MacMahon, he is known as a good locker room guy and has a strong relationship with Rockets’ point guard Chris Paul from their days as teammates with the New Orleans Hornets.

There’s more from the Southwest Division this afternoon:

The Grizzlies will retire No. 11 in honor of longtime franchise point guard Mike Conley, per an official release from team owner Robert J. Pera.
After missing out on Danny Green, owner Mark Cuban says that the Mavericks 2019 free agency is probably done except for an opportunistic situation like a potential offer sheet to restricted free agent Delon Wright, reports Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.
- The Mavericks have since agreed to acquire Wright via S&T.
Should they change their mind about free agency, the Mavericks no longer need to worry about the cap hold for Petteri Koponen after the league office permitted Dallas to remove the hold amount for the 2019/20 season (per RealGM transactions log).
According to Scott Kushner of The Advocate, associate head coach Darren Erman is leaving the Pelicans coaching staff. Per Kushner, Erman remains a candidate for other NBA coaching jobs.
Elston Turner has officially been hired as the Rockets new lead assistant coach under Mike D’Antoni, per a press release from the team. Turner previously worked for the Rockets under Rick Adelman and has spent the last three seasons in Sacramento working for the Kings under former head coach Dave Joerger.

And-Ones: Amerileague, Fredette, Draft, Coaches

October 22nd, 2015 at 12:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

The viability of the Amerileague plunged further into question Wednesday as a former spokesperson for the league revealed to freelance journalist Erin Ashley Simon that the league’s CEO was using a fictitious name and is actually Glendon Alexander, a former McDonald’s All-American with multiple fraud convictions. Amerileague operations manager Marcus Bass confirmed the news to Jeff Goodman and Paula Lavigne of ESPN’s Outside the Lines. Alexander has resigned as CEO, reports Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (Twitter link), ending a trail of suspicion about his involvement that Kami Mattioli of The Sporting News first detailed in May. Henry Walker recently became the first player who appeared in the NBA during the 2014/15 season to sign with the Amerileague, but Walker’s agent, Mike Naiditch, tells Hoops Rumors that, “If there was never a league, then [there] was never a deal.”

The Amerileague draft was to take place today, but Bass tells Johnson that the event is on hold (Twitter link). See more from around basketball:

An unwillingness to adjust his freewheeling college game to the NBA style of play led to Jimmer Fredette‘s lack of success in the league, one of his former NBA assistant asserts to Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports. The Spurs waived Fredette on Wednesday, though four other NBA teams still reportedly have some level of interest in him.
Vanderbilt junior center/forward Damian Jones says he plans to enter the 2016 draft, as Adam Sparks of The Tennessean relays. Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks the 6’10” Jones as the 14th-best draft prospect, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has him at No. 16.
Hawks assistant Kenny Atkinson, Magic assistant Adrian Griffin and Pelicans assistant Darren Erman are future head coaching candidates to watch, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com. Heat assistant David Fizdale draws an honorable mention on Mannix’s list.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Williams, Nash, Payne

June 6th, 2015 at 10:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

Five second-round picks will give Sixers GM Sam Hinkie a lot of flexibility on draft night, writes Tom Moore of Calkins Media. In addition to the third pick overall, Philadelphia owns picks number 35, 37, 47, 58 and 60. Hinkie also had five second-rounders entering last year’s draft and came out of it with K.J. McDaniels, Jerami Grant, Serbian point guard Vasilije Micic, Jordan McRae, the rights to guard Pierre Jackson and cash considerations. Moore expects the Sixers to be dealing on draft night, possibly trading two of the second-round choices for a late first-rounder. Or they could deal some of them for future picks and a chance to control the second round again next year.

There’s more news from the Atlantic Division:

Reports that the Raptors were trying to lure former Pelicans coach Monty Williams to their staff as an assistant were incorrect, tweets Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. He adds that Williams just called the team to recommend another coach, and although nobody is saying who it was, Wolstat notes that former Williams assistant Bryan Gates has a long player development background and coaching success in the D-League (Twitter link). Wolstat also reports that the Celtics refused to allow lead assistant Darren Erman to go to a division rival (Twitter link).
Celtics guard Marcus Smart is helping former Oklahoma State teammate Le’Bryan Nash prepare for the draft, according to Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. Nash worked out for Boston earlier this week, and Smart paid a visit to his hotel the night before to help Nash prepare. “I just try to take advice from him, asking him so many questions — how are practices, how are road games — so many questions I think he got tired of me asking him so many questions,” Nash said.
Murray State point guard Cameron Payne has a scheduled workout with the Knicks, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. He will also work out for the Lakers.

Atlantic Notes: Clark, Cauley-Stein, Erman

June 5th, 2015 at 8:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Earl Clark‘s future with the Nets still remains unclear even after the forward spoke with GM Billy King, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (Twitter links). The 27-year-old wishes to remain with Brooklyn, but realizes his non-guaranteed salary for next season could make him expendable, Kennedy notes. Clark, who is scheduled to earn $1,185,784 during the 2015/16 campaign, indicated he would likely play in an NBA summer league if he is let go by the Nets, the Basketball Insiders scribe adds.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

NBA commissioner Adam Silver told reporters, including Rod Boone of Newsday (on Twitter), that he has talked to Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov about how to drum up more interest in the NBA over in Russia.
Kentucky big man Willie Cauley-Stein has a workout scheduled with the Knicks on June 16th, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets.
Celtics assistant coach Darren Erman departed for a post on Alvin Gentry‘s coaching staff in New Orleans because the Pelicans offered him a spot as a member of the bench staff, something Boston could not, Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald writes. “We heard rumors about the connections Erman had made in Golden State, where Alvin is now, though Alvin wasn’t in Golden State with Erman,” Celtics executive Danny Ainge said. “The people at Golden State, including a few of the players, were encouraging Alvin that if he got the job, Erman was the guy he needed to hire. . . . We didn’t want to lose him. We just didn’t have a spot on the bench for him here.”

Zach Links contributed to this post.