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Month: January 2016

Lakers Rumors: Brown, Scott, World Peace, Bryant

By | at January 10, 2016 10:01 am

The Lakers will give second-round draft pick Anthony Brown more playing time this week, according to Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. The 34th overall selection has appeared in 13 games, averaging 2.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 15 minutes of action while shooting just 23.8% from the field. “He’s a very long, athletic guy that can guard three positions,” said coach Byron Scott. “But I want to see if he can knock down shots on a consistent basis.” Brown’s increased role will come at the expense of Nick Young, who has been told he will not play for the next week.

There’s more news out of Los Angeles:

  • Scott has sabotaged the Lakers’ future by playing veterans when he should be developing younger players like Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell, charges Mark Heisler of The Los Angeles Daily News. Heisler says he understands why the team is celebrating Kobe Bryant in his farewell season, but slams Scott for an “old-school” attitude that results in so much court time for Lou Williams, Roy Hibbert, Brandon Bass and Young. The columnist contends Scott has failed to build a young nucleus that might attract Kevin Durant in free agency and has doomed hopes for a quick turnaround next season.
  • Metta World Peace has only played in one of the Lakers’ last 17 games, but he still had a significant week, writes Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times. The 36-year-old was kept on the roster past the deadline for guaranteed contracts, ensuring he will earn his entire $1,499,187 salary. After being out of the NBA for a year, World Peace signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Lakers in September, just before camp opened. “This is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done — get a minimum contract,” he said. “It really was. I had to ‘re-prove’ myself again.”
  • This is the final NBA season for both Bryant and Sleep Train Arena, and Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes that Bryant’s last game in Sacramento brought back lots of memories. “I looked up in the rafters and I saw the jerseys of players that I was rivals with — [Chris] Webber and [Vlade] Divac and Peja [Stojakovic],” Bryant said. “And I’m looking up there and I’m going, ‘It was just yesterday I was playing against them and their numbers are retired. What the hell am I still doing out here?’ So if I hadn’t decided to retire before now, that would’ve made me retire immediately.”
2 comments Los Angeles Lakers

Knicks Rumors: Early, Fisher, Porzingis

By | at January 10, 2016 9:00 am

Knicks forward Cleanthony Early, who was wounded in a December 30th shooting, probably won’t return to the court until after the All-Star break, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. The second-year player was shot once in his right knee during a robbery. Team president Phil Jackson and GM Steve Mills haven’t made any public comment on the incident, but an unidentified friend of Early’s told Berman that the recovery is progressing well. “He’s feeling better and he’s going to be fine,’’ the friend said. “It was the best possible outcome, and it’s not going to have any effect on his career. There was no structural damage and no infection, so he didn’t need surgery. That was the beautiful thing, not needing surgery. Thank God — his knee could’ve been blown out.’’

With an opening already on the roster, Early’s absence has left the Knicks with just 13 available players, and Berman writes that the team is “exploring several options” to add someone via a 10-day contract. The Knicks are examining the players waived because of this week’s deadline for guaranteed contracts and were keeping an eye on the D-League showcase that ends today. Jimmer Fredette, part of the Knicks’ D-League franchise in Westchester, was considered, but coach Derek Fisher wants a better defender, according to Berman.

There’s more this morning from the Big Apple:

  • The Knicks’ near-miss Friday in San Antonio and their overall competitiveness during a challenging stretch shows that Fisher has developed an effective combination, Berman writes in a separate piece. Their recent success, Berman notes, coincides with Fisher’s decision to cut his rotation to nine players and limit the playing time of Kyle O’Quinn, Kevin Seraphin, Sasha Vujacic and Lou Amundson.
  • Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had good things to say about rookie Kristaps Porzingis, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Porzingis is averaging 13.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game halfway through his first NBA season. “They were very astute in figuring out what he might be down the road,” Popovich said. “His agility, his sense of the game, his skills, are quite significant. I think he’s going to be a great player.”
  • New York’s best opportunity for improvement next season will come through free agency, contends Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. The Knicks will have approximately $20MM in cap space this summer and won’t have their first-round pick because of the 2013 Andrea Bargnani trade.
1 comment New York Knicks

And-Ones: Harrell, Rockets, Young

By | at January 9, 2016 11:08 pm

Rookie Montrezl Harrell has the ability to give the Rockets a boost in the rebounding department, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle writes. “We need to rebound,” interm coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Montrezl is a guy who is going to bring energy, he’s going to bring toughness, he’s going to bring grit. If he doesn’t get [the rebound], his guy sure as heck isn’t going to get it.” 

The decision the Rockets made to sign Harrell to a three-year deal came with consequences, as Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors detailed in the offseason. Houston had to use its mid-level exception, which meant the team would be hard-capped and unable to carry a payroll of more than $88.74MM at any point during the 2015/16 campaign. The franchise currently has $87.26MM in guaranteed salary on the books this season, leaving little room should the Rockets look to add another player.

The rookie hasn’t been a factor in many games this season, but if he can become a contributor, it’ll make the decision to sign him for the long term look more favorable for the team and it should help the 18-19 Rockets climb the playoff ladder in the Western Conference. Here’s more from around the league:

  • Harrell credits the Rockets‘ one-on-one affiliation with the D-League for allowing him to stay ready just in case his number is called, Feigen writes in a separate piece.  “When I feel like I’m going through a stretch, a couple games, where I’m not running plays, I asked to go down,” Harrell said. “It’s about getting in that in-game situation, playing running plays, getting the in-game experience with the refs calling fouls. I know by going down, we’re running the same exact things we’re running here so it’s going to help me.”
  • Thaddeus Young is having one of his best seasons as a pro in the first year of a four-year, $50MM deal, but the power forward is focusing on helping the Nets improve rather than his stats this season, Fred Kerber of The New York Post writes. “My biggest thing is I just want to win basketball games, and that’s how I’ve been throughout the course of my career, just trying to win as many games as possible to help put my team in a position to where we can be successful. Obviously it’s not happening this year, but no matter what, I’m still going to go hard, 110 %,” Young said. The Georgia Tech product is averaging 15.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 51.9% from the field and sporting a 19.1 player efficiency rating this season.

 

1 comment Brooklyn Nets Houston Rockets

Pacific Notes: Booker, Nance Jr. Wilcox

By | at January 9, 2016 10:11 pm

Devin Booker has been one of the better rookies in the league this season and the Suns are enamored with the No. 13 overall selection, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic writes.

“When you look at some of these guys who were great players in the league, their first couple years, it’s some up and down,” coach Jeff Hornacek said. “But with Book, he’s been mostly up. He’ll learn things as time goes on but he’s going to have a great career.”

The Kentucky product has seen extended minutes since Eric Bledsoe suffered a knee injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the season. Booker is shooting 47.3% from the field and is averaging 14.3 points and 0.9 steals in 30.6 minutes per game over his last eight contests.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • Julius Randle had been pegged as the Lakers‘ power forward of the future, but Larry Nance Jr. has made a case for himself to be the team’s cornerstone big man, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com writes. Coach Byron Scott calls the competition between Nance and Randle “a nice little war,” Baxter adds. “Larry is one of those guys where he’s like the Energizer Bunny — he just keeps playing, and he plays harder and harder and harder,” Scott says. “So if you don’t match his intensity then he can embarrass you.”
  • The Clippers have recalled C.J. Wilcox from the D-League, according to the team’s website. Wilcox averaged 15.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists during his stint with the Canton Charge.
1 comment Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Lakers NBA G League Phoenix Suns

Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Jazz, Thunder

By | at January 9, 2016 9:17 pm

GM Tim Connelly has focused on finding talent that others have overlooked and that strategy has led the Nuggets to draft many international players, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. “We’ve put a lot of emphasis in international scouting. … We want to be very well informed with any player in the world,” said Connelly. “Certainly the more well informed we are, hopefully we make better decisions. It just so happens that when we’ve selected guys, signed guys, traded for guys, we’ve had a pretty big international influence.”

The Nuggets employ one of the league’s top international scouting staffs, which is something that didn’t happen by accident. Connelly spent time early in his career as an international scout and the team’s assistant GM, Arturas Karnisovas, is a former FIBA Europe player of the year. Denver has one of the most international-heavy rosters in the league, which could make communicating with the team problematic, but first year coach Mike Malone doesn’t see it as a deterrent. “I don’t care where you’re from,” Malone said. “If you can play, I’m a fan of yours.”

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

0 comments Denver Nuggets Oklahoma City Thunder Utah Jazz

Western Notes: Evans, Clippers, Mavericks

By | at January 9, 2016 8:03 pm

Tyreke Evans is still having difficulty adapting to the offensive system of first year coach Alvin Gentry, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. Reid notes that Gentry’s system requires quick ball movements and at times, Evans is holding onto the ball too long instead of making quick passes. New Orleans is averaging 98.8 points per 48 minutes as a team, but with Evans in the game, the pace drops to 95.6 points per 48 minutes. Evans missed the first 17 games of the season while he was recovering from knee surgery, and the team understands it’s going to take time for him to pick up the system.

”He didn’t have the luxury of even being in training camp or playing in any preseason games,” Gentry said. ”It’s still fairly new to him. It’s not like he doesn’t want to do it. He played a style of basketball we got to try and convert to another style. That’s not easy to do on his part either. I know he wants to do it, I don’t have any doubt about that. We just got to keep working on it. I think we also have to do as coaches adjust and put him in situations also where he’s comfortable.”’

The Pelicans are 11-24 on the season, but they remain only four games back of the Jazz for the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Here are some notes from a few teams above them in the playoff race:

  • The Clippers could use a small forward upgrade and they should look to the trade market to find it, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders argues. The team has won eight straight, but if Los Angeles is going to compete with the upper echelon of the Western Conference, it needs to add another play-maker on the wing. The scribe names Lance Stephenson, Jamal Crawford and Josh Smith as realistic trade assets.
  • The Mavericks could also use small forward help with Chandler Parsons struggling to find his mid-season form, Greene opines in the same piece. Aside from Parsons, Dallas doesn’t have a true small forward on the roster and Greene adds that it could realistically dangle Devin Harris or Raymond Felton in order to find some wing depth.
  • Coach Rick Carlisle believes that Parsons, who could become a free agent this offseason if he declines his player option, is making progress on the court, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. “I liked his aggression [in New Orleans],” Carlisle said of Parsons’ 21 point performance against the Pelicans on Wednesday. “It’s another step along the way. I said it’s probably going to be late December, early January before you can start keeping stats on him with any accuracy because of the comeback and rehab and conditioning. I feel now that it’s going to be the All-Star break before he really has his legs under him. There are going to be some ups and downs, but we’re seeing a lot more ups than downs.”
1 comment Dallas Mavericks Los Angeles Clippers New Orleans Pelicans

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Lee, DeRozan, Lopez

By | at January 9, 2016 6:38 pm

With the addition of Elton Brand, which led to the release of Christian Wood, the Sixers are no longer the youngest team in the league by average age, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com writes in a piece that dissects the team’s moves since the hiring of Jerry Colangelo.  The youngest team in the league may be the Bucks, but Philadelphia still has several inexperienced players in need of minutes. Jahlil Okafor, whom we examined as a trade candidate, has seen his playing time decreased of late, as he is averaging just 21.6 minutes per game over his last five.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Boston’s need for a go-to scorer, coupled with its logjam in the frontcourt, makes it obvious that a trade is necessary, A. Sherrod Blakely of Comcast Sportsnet Northeast opines. The scribe names DeMar DeRozan as a player to watch, adding that if the Raptors get a feel that he is going to walk in the offseason, they could be inclined to move him in order to get something in return. The Celtics have several young prospects on the roster and they could potentially have four first-round picks in the 2016 draft, which puts the team in a good position should a marquee player become available on the trade market.
  • The team has been open to moving David Lee for most of his time as a Celtic, which makes asking for a trade something that won’t do the big man any good, Blakely opines in the same piece.
  • The Nets own a 10-26 record, which is good for second worst in the Eastern Conference. Still, Brook Lopez has no regrets about signing his three-year, $60MM-plus deal with Brooklyn over the summer, Andy Vasquez of The Record writes. “No, no, no. I’m happy to be here,” Lopez said. “Time and time again I’ve said I wanted to see something built here, I see a special opportunity, a great situation to be in.”
1 comment Boston Celtics Brooklyn Nets Philadelphia 76ers Toronto Raptors

Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround: 1/9/16

By | at January 9, 2016 5:10 pm

Thursday was the final day for NBA teams to waive players signed to non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed deals without their contracts becoming fully guaranteed. Only six players were waived this week, which means that most players who were on the bubble had their salaries lock in for the season. Listed below, courtesy of Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron, are all the players whose contracts became fully guaranteed on Thursday:

While none of the players listed above possess cap crippling salaries, retaining them could potentially restrict their respective team’s flexibility to make trades or to add players via 10-day contracts for the remainder of the season. Which brings me to the topic/question for today: Which of the players listed above should have been released by his team prior to Thursday’s leaguewide contract guarantee date?

Who do you feel should have been jettisoned by their team, not only to clear their salary off the books, but to allow for a roster slot for a potential 10-day signing or addition via trade in the future? If you are an eternal optimist and feel that all of the listed players should have been retained, who do you believe will make the biggest impact over the remaining games this campaign? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.

4 comments Community Shootaround Hoops Rumors Originals

Pacific Notes: Randle, Brown, Mbah a Moute

By | at January 9, 2016 3:45 pm

One of the Clippers‘ unsung heroes this season has been combo forward Luc Mbah a Moute, whose contract became fully guaranteed when he remained on the team’s roster past Thursday’s leaguewide deadline, Dan Woike of The Orange County Register writes. “Luc is the most under-appreciated person on our team, in all honesty,” point guard Chris Paul told Woike. “We used to talk about DJ [DeAndre Jordan] all the time, but everyone sees what DJ does on a nightly basis. But Luc is the guy. He does everything. He defends. He cuts. He does everything a coach would appreciate but a fan has no idea that he’s doing.”

Coach/executive Doc Rivers is also a big fan of Mbah a Moute’s game, Woike notes. “What I love about Luc also is Luc can play a lot of minutes in a game or he can play very little minutes in a game, there’s still no body language change or anything like that,” Rivers said. “He understands there are nights we need offensive guys on the floor, we need floor-spacers. There are nights where we need a stop, and Luc does it. I’ve always thought it’s easier for guys who are defensive-minded to accept their roles, because that’s what they do. I think Luc does that well.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • Despite the reports that their relationship is strained, Lakers coach Byron Scott insists that he and power forward Julius Randle are on the same page, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. “If you want to believe all the reports out there, we have a terrible relationship,” Scott said. “But if you want to know the truth, we have a great relationship. Without all the popular demands on me being not a great communicator with my young guys, him and I have a great relationship. I care so much about him as a basketball player and a person, I’m going to be hard on him. I expect him to be disappointed in certain things. But I expect him to be a great player.“
  • Suns 10-day signee Lorenzo Brown is thrilled to be joining former college teammate T.J. Warren in Phoenix and noted that the two had dreamed of playing together in the NBA during their time spent at North Carolina State, Matt Petersen of NBA.com writes. When asked what impact he hopes to make for the Suns, Brown told Petersen, “Just to win. Get defensive stops and score when I have the opportunity. I’ll do whatever I can to help us win.“
0 comments Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Lakers Phoenix Suns

Knicks Notes: Anthony, Porzingis, Lopez

By | at January 9, 2016 2:27 pm

Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony is playing with unexpected maturity and unselfishness this season and the primary difference from 2014/15 is that Melo has faith in the roster around him, writes Steve Popper of NorthJersey.com. “I’ve always been asking for the help to take that burden off me, to have to go out there and score 25, 30 and 35 points a night just to have a chance to win the basketball game,” Anthony said. “That becomes a big burden on your shoulders. I realize the guys that are on this team; they can take some of that burden off. It’s not going to be every night. Some nights it calls for me to have a game like I had at home against Atlanta – 11 points, [nine] rebounds and [five] assists. There’s going to be some nights where I have to score the basketball. It’s a fine line between that and I have to kind of gauge that throughout the game.”

Here’s more from New York:

  • Anthony also noted that he’s willing to pass the torch as the franchise’s marquee player, much like the way Tim Duncan has done with Kawhi Leonard in San Antonio, and all signs point to that player being Kristaps Porzingis, Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes. “If I have those players on my team, somebody to pass the torch, of course I’m willing to do that,” Anthony told the Newsday scribe. “I think [Duncan] realizes that he wasn’t going to be able to do it by himself. Some days he has it, some days he doesn’t, but I don’t think he worries about that because he’s got other guys on his team who can carry that load. You have to want to do that. You have to be willing to do that. If you talk about sacrifice, that’s the ultimate sacrifice.”
  • Center Robin Lopez is still adjusting to being used as a post player in the triangle offense, a role he wasn’t tasked with by his previous teams in the NBA, Marc Berman of The New York Post notes. “I hadn’t posted up since college,’’ Lopez said. “It had been awhile. I was learning everyone’s tendencies and learning the triangle. I still have a lot to learn. I thought I rushed myself in Atlanta. They have a lot of confidence in me. My teammates are putting me in good position.“
4 comments New York Knicks
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