Eastern Rumors: Knicks, Nets, Frank, Bulls
This morning, we rounded up several of the latest rumors out of New York, with both the Nets and Knicks off to brutal starts to the 2013/14 season. Throughout the day, a few more Nets and Knicks items have trickled in, along with a few updates on their Eastern Conference rivals. Let’s dive in and check in on the latest….
- Ian Begley of ESPN New York hears from league sources with knowledge of Knicks trade talks that GM Steve Mills has been citing Mike Woodson‘s coaching as a reason why Iman Shumpert has struggled this season. According to one source: “They’re saying that Shumpert’s a better player [than he’s shown], but Woodson isn’t using him right.”
- Carmelo Anthony acknowledged that Knicks players are concerned about Woodson’s job security, but stressed that the blame should fall on the players rather than on the coach. Begley has the details and quotes in a separate piece.
- Asked about a report that indicated he wants to be traded, Mirza Teletovic denied knowing anything about it, according to Newsday’s Rod Boone (via Twitter).
- Nets assistant Lawrence Frank has been re-assigned, and will no longer be on the bench for games, Jason Kidd told reporters today, citing “different philosophies” (Twitter links via Howard Beck of Bleacher Report).
- GM Gar Forman told ESPN Radio in Chicago that he still hopes to work out a new deal with Luol Deng next summer, but Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com believes the Bulls will want Deng to accept a hometown discount. In a column, Friedell explains why there’s no better time than the present for Forman and the Bulls to trade deng.
- The Bulls assigned Marquis Teague to the Iowa Energy earlier today, but according to Forman, Teague’s stint won’t be long-term — the young point guard could be assigned and recalled occasionally throughout the season (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune).
- Examining the Wizards in a column for The Score, Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com suggests the acquisition of Marcin Gortat should be the last move the team makes this year that involves adding a veteran with little upside. In fact, Washington shouldn’t rule out trading away a veteran like Trevor Ariza in the right deal, says Deeks.
Poll: Who Will Win The Atlantic Division?
The futility of the Eastern Conference has been a major theme of the first few weeks of the NBA season. Eastern teams have now played the equivalent of a full season’s worth of games against Western Conference clubs, and have compiled an abysmal 23-60 record, good for a .277 winning percentage.
As bad as the East has been, the Southeast and Central divisions at least each have an elite team at the top of the standings. The Pacers are off to a 16-2 start, while the defending champions in Miami have gone 14-3. In the Atlantic, however, the division-leading Raptors are just 6-10.
Toronto was expected to be a borderline playoff contender this season, and many pundits pegged the Celtics and 76ers for spots near the bottom of the conference. The Atlantic’s two New York teams have been the real disappointments, combining to go just 8-25 so far. The Knicks have lost nine games in a row and are now tied for the NBA’s worst record at 3-13, and the Nets’ 5-12 mark isn’t much better.
It’s easy to say that at least one of the New York teams will turn things around, but we’re nearly a quarter of the way through the season, and neither team has shown signs of improvement so far. When we asked over the weekend whether the Nets and Knicks would make the playoffs, the most popular answer suggested neither team would earn a spot.
So what do you think? Which team ultimately ends up at the top of the division that’s on pace to be the worst ever in any major North American sport?
Who will win the Atlantic Division?
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Toronto Raptors 24% (292)
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Brooklyn Nets 22% (275)
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New York Knicks 21% (259)
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Boston Celtics 19% (237)
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Philadelphia 76ers 14% (170)
Total votes: 1,233
Southeast Notes: Oden, Nelson, Heat, Harrington
In an incredibly weak Eastern Conference, the Southeast Division practically qualifies as a powerhouse. Led by the 14-3 Heat, the Southeast is the only Eastern division above .500 as a whole — its five teams have combined for a 46-43 record so far. Three Southeast clubs will look to improve on that mark tonight, as the Heat host the Pistons, while the Magic play in Philadelphia and the Bobcats visit Dallas.
Here’s more from around the division:
- The Heat‘s signing of Greg Oden this summer received plenty of attention, but the former first overall pick is coming along slowly, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Amico hears from several sources that Miami doesn’t plan to integrate Oden into the rotation until around the All-Star break, and even then, he’ll likely only play about 8-10 minutes per game.
- Within the same piece, Amico asked an NBA executive for five players he thinks will be traded this season, and the Magic‘s Jameer Nelson was among the players mentioned by the exec.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld wonders if the Heat‘s Big Three could become a Big Four next summer, when LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade are all eligible for free agency. Kyler’s scenario would involve all three players opting out and taking significant pay cuts, and would mean purging the rest of the roster to create room for a fourth impact player, so it sounds like a real long shot.
- While Al Harrington has been sidelined recently by a sore knee, he tells Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel that he likes being a Wizard, and is trying to forget his stint with the Magic. Harrington came to Orlando as part of the four-team Dwight Howard blockbuster, but missed most of last season and was waived in the summer, before signing with Washington.
Kendall Marshall To Join D-League
DECEMBER 3RD: Marshall has been claimed by the Delaware 87ers in the D-League’s waiver process, tweets Wojnarowski. The 87ers are the Sixers’ affiliate, so they’ll hold Marshall’s D-League rights, but he’ll still be free to sign with any NBA team, if he gets an offer.
NOVEMBER 27TH: About a month after being traded by the Suns and subsequently released by the Wizards, Kendall Marshall will join the NBA D-League, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski reports that Marshall has entered his name into the D-League’s pool of players, and will land on a team next week following the league’s waiver process.
Marshall, 22, received offers from teams in China and Europe, says Wojnarowski. However, it seems the young point guard believes his best route back to the NBA involves remaining stateside. Wojnarowski reported earlier in the month that Marshall was drawing some NBA interest, and we heard this week from Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that sources expected him to sign somewhere by the New Year. A strong showing for Marshall in the D-League may motivate an NBA team to take a flier on the 2012 lottery pick.
After being selected 13th overall a year ago by the Suns, Marshall had a disappointing rookie campaign, averaging just 3.0 PPG in 48 contests, to go along with a .371 FG% and 7.8 PER. The UNC product was included in the trade that sent Marcin Gortat to Washington, but was quickly waived by the Wizards, who didn’t have space on the roster to carry him into the regular season.
Royce White Drawing NBA Interest
Despite being selected 16th overall in the 2012 draft, Royce White has yet to play in a regular season NBA game. While White played for the Rockets’ D-League affiliate last season and appeared in a handful of preseason games for the Sixers this fall, his well-documented anxiety disorder has derailed his NBA career so far.
Nonetheless, White doesn’t believe his NBA career is over. The 22-year-old tells Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register (link via USA Today) that he’s receiving NBA interest and that reports of his fear of flying have been “overblown.”
“We’re in contact with some teams,” White said. “Quite a few more than expected. People are more understanding than you think. It’s not an insensitive crowd. There are teams involved. It’s finding a situation that’s appropriate.”
After a year of trying to make things work in Houston, the Rockets sent White to the Sixers in a salary dump to clear cap room for Dwight Howard. Given the team’s low expectations for 2013/14, Philadelphia looked like a good landing spot for White, but the club waived him prior to opening night, making him a free agent.
When we asked Hoops Rumors readers whether White would eventually see action in the NBA, you were skeptical, with more than 70% of respondents predicting that the Iowa State product wouldn’t ever make his NBA debut. Still, White believes it could come down to finding the right fit.
“Basketball is in a flux for me at this point, but it’s something that happens to a lot of guys in their early careers,” White said. “For me, it’s can we find a team that has the right setup, has an open mind, wants to understand what I’m saying, and other things that we’ve discovered since I’ve been in the league.”
The Rockets are the only NBA team ineligible to offer White a contract, since clubs aren’t allowed to re-sign free agents so soon after trading them.
Teague, Roberson Assigned To D-League
Derrick Rose‘s season-ending knee injury was expected to result in an increased role for Bulls point guard Marquis Teague. However, for at least the short term, Teague will play for the D-League’s Iowa Energy rather than for the Bulls. Chicago announced today that the team has assigned Teague to its D-League affiliate.
Teague, 20, received a bump in minutes for the Bulls in the three games following Rose’s injury, but failed to score a single point in about 45 minutes of action in those contests, missing all 11 shots he attempted from the field. While the Bulls don’t use their D-League affiliate often, they’ll take advantage of the opportunity to get the 2012 first-round pick more developmental time, as Kirk Hinrich and Mike James handle point guard duties in Chicago.
Meanwhile, the Thunder have also made their first D-League assignment of the year, announcing that Andre Roberson will join the Tulsa 66ers. Oklahoma City used its D-League affiliate more than any other NBA team in 2012/13, so this likely won’t be the last time we see Roberson assigned to the 66ers. The 22-year-old rookie out of Colorado has appeared briefly in six games for the Thunder so far this season.
To keep tabs on all of this season’s D-League assignments, be sure to check out our full list.
Dante Exum To Meet With Several Agents
Top Australian prospect Dante Exum is in the process of setting up meetings with several prominent agents, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. According to Wojnarowski, Exum, who is determining whether or not to enter 2014’s NBA draft, will host representatives from most major North American agencies in Sydney over the next several weeks.
Exum, 18, will have the option of enrolling at an NCAA school for next season or simply entering his name into the 2014 draft class. As we noted yesterday, he has yet to make up his mind, but figures to finalize a decision by February. According to Wojnarowski, several agents involved in the process believe Exum will go pro, and that he’ll come stateside in February to start working out in advance of the June draft. One major U.S. college coach who recruited Exum “hard” also told Woj that he believes the young guard will enter the draft.
Assuming he does submit his name for 2014, Exum looks like a good bet to be a top-five pick. ESPN.com’s Chad Ford currently has him ranked fourth overall, behind Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle, and Jabari Parker, and when Ford polled scouts and execs about the top pick for 2014, a few even said they’d take Exum over all three of those guys. However, Ford cautions that not playing college or professional ball could negatively impact Exum’s stock, especially if the top NCAA prospects continue to shine.
New York Rumors: Woodson, JVG, Teletovic
We heard last night that Knicks veterans Metta World Peace and Kenyon Martin had a heated exchange on Sunday prior to the team’s game against the Pelicans, a contest in which Iman Shumpert and Carmelo Anthony had a confrontation of their own. As Marc Berman of the New York Post details, those are just the two latest incidents in a string of run-ins dating back to Halloween, when Shumpert and Tyson Chandler got into a shouting match over a defensive breakdown. World Peace and Tim Hardaway Jr. also had a recent confrontation, according to Berman.
Our own Zach Links pointed out last night that the Knicks’ recent discord can’t be a good sign for the job security of coach Mike Woodson. The club’s nine-game losing streak isn’t helping matters either. Here’s more on the Knicks and their crosstown rivals, as the two teams prepare to meet in Brooklyn on Thursday night:
- Knicks owner James Dolan gave Woodson a vote of confidence last month, but that doesn’t apply indefinitely, as Berman writes in a second piece. Noting that Dolan is “obsessed” with the Nets, Berman suggests that a loss on Thursday could trigger a major move — perhaps either a trade or a coaching change.
- If the Knicks decide to replace Woodson, the team would be open to bringing back Jeff Van Gundy, who likely would have interest in the position, says Berman. A potential Van Gundy return may be more likely in the offseason rather than during the season, however. Berman adds that JVG may want input on personnel decisions if he returns to coaching, which could be a factor in whether or not he makes his way back to New York.
- Jason Kidd‘s seat in Brooklyn isn’t as hot as Woodson’s, but Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post wonders if the Nets regret not hiring Brian Shaw. As Dempsey details, the current Nuggets coach looked like the frontrunner for the Brooklyn job earlier this year, before Kidd emerged practically out of nowhere.
- According to Mirza Teletovic‘s agent Misko Raznatovic, he and his client are interested in a trade that would sent Teletovic to a team that would give him more playing time. The Sarajevo Times passes along the quotes from Raznatovic on the little-used Nets forward (hat tip to Sportando).
Odds & Ends: Booker, Kobe, Wade, Exum
After receiving eight DNP-Coach’s Decisions this year, Trevor Booker is none too pleased with the Wizards. A source close to the power forward said recently that if the Wizards don’t extend him a qualifying offer and let him become an unrestricted free agent, he would look elsewhere for employment based on how the season has gone, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. It’s been a strange quarter-season for Booker, who started the first three games of the season but has seen little burn since. More from around the Association..
- Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com looks at how Kobe Bryant‘s lucrative two-year extension could affect the Heat and Dwyane Wade.
- In today’s column, David Aldridge of NBA.com looks at how Kobe’s deal will affect the Lakers over the next couple of years.
- Dante Exum is a mortal lock to go top five in the 2014 Draft, but he says that he hasn’t decided whether to go pro, writes Joe Pierik of the Sydney Morning Herald. ”To be honest, I haven’t been thinking about it too much,’‘ Exum said. ”I am back home but my mum is still in Singapore, so she is going to head back soon. After that I will make my decision with my whole family. I want to get it done by February. It shouldn’t be too hard [a decision] to make. But I just want to make sure I use my time right so I make the right decision.’‘
- The Bulls might be thinking about rebuilding or retooling in the wake of Derrick Rose‘s injury, but Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com isn’t sure if coach Tom Thibodeau would be on board for that.
- Guard Jose Calderon is going out of his way to assist rookie point guards Gal Mekel and Shane Larkin with their transition to the NBA, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. While coach Rick Carlisle appreciates Calderon passing along his veteran wisdom, he says he’s more concerned with seeing him back on the hardwood. Calderon is currently dealing with a bone bruise on his right ankle.
- The Lakers announced that they have recalled Ryan Kelly back from their D-League affiliate, the L.A. D-Fenders. To keep track of all of this year’s D-Leage assignments, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.
MarShon Brooks Hasn’t Requested A Trade
As a rookie out of Providence, MarShon Brooks had a good amount of hype surrounding him for his athleticism and scoring ability. Cut to a few years later, Brooks had his fourth-year option declined after being on the opposite end of a deal that shipped Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Nets. Even though Brooks isn’t seeing much playing time in Boston and one has to imagine that he’s frustrated, he says that he hasn’t requested a trade, writes Jay King of MassLive.com.
“It’s too early for that. It’s way too early for that,” Brooks said after Monday’s practice. “I trust (coach) Brad Stevens. He told me I’m going to get my opportunity, so I’m just waiting on my opportunity, honestly.”
So far, Brooks has appeared in just six of Boston’s 19 games, averaging 2.2 points over 6.8 minutes per contest. After getting four points and two boards late in Saturday’s loss to the Bucks, Stevens acknowledged that Brooks could get more minutes eventually, but wouldn’t put a timetable on increasing his role.
Brooks, 25 in January, saw 29.4 minutes per contest in his rookie season for the struggling Nets, but saw his minutes drop to 12.5 per game last season. Over those two seasons with New Jersey/Brooklyn, Brooks averaged 8.5 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 1.6 APG.