Hoops Links: Lowry, Antetokounmpo, NCAA Tournament
On Sundays, we link to some of the very best work from around the basketball blogosphere. Do you have a link to a great basketball blog post – either your own or someone else’s – that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to us at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s rundown:
- Adam Corsair of South of the 6ixth breaks down the idea that Toronto should sign and trade Kyle Lowry over the offseason.
- Jason Ranne of Wasserman– a sports agency with clients including Anthony Davis, Draymond Green and Derrick Rose– discussed the “magnitude” of social media in today’s game.
- Craig Popp of Completely Biased Sports ran through a list of potential future NBA coaches.
- Brett Koremenos of RealGM found reasons for optimism with the 2016/17 Nets.
- Taj Gibson has found the transition to OKC “surprisingly easy,” David Ramil of The Step Back writes.
- D. West of SLC Dunk went beyond traditional boxscore stats to analyze Utah’s point guards.
- The “Giannis Antetokounmpo Dream” has become a reality, Paul Flannery of SB Nation writes.
- Big men- not guards- will determine the NCAA Tournament winner, Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer writes.
- This year’s Final Four match-up lacked one-and-done college players. This was no coincidence, Sam Vecenie of VICE Sports explains.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 4/2/17
Here are Sunday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Rockets have recalled Isaiah Taylor and Troy Williams from their affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, the team tweeted. Neither has appeared in a game yet for Houston, but Williams will be used as a starter tonight, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
- The Nuggets have recalled Malik Beasley from Sioux Falls, the team announced on its website. The rookie guard, who has played 16 games for the Skyforce, will be available for tonight’s contest at Miami.
- The Cavs recalled Larry Sanders from the Canton Charge, the team announced on its official website (link). Sanders, who has averaged eight rebounds with six points in the D-League, will presumably be available for tonight’s match-up with the Pacers. The former Buck has gone scoreless in two NBA appearances in 2016/17.
Derrick Rose Tears Meniscus, Out For The Season
12:30pm: The Knicks have confirmed the injury to Rose’s left knee and say arthroscopic surgery will be required (Twitter link). Estimated recovery time will be six to eight weeks, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
12:04pm: Knicks point guard Derrick Rose has a torn meniscus in his knee and won’t play again this season, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. This would be the fourth knee operation of Rose’s career, according to Dane Carbaugh of NBC Sports.com.
It’s uncertain how long Rose will need to recover from the injury or how it might affect the offers he gets in free agency. The 28-year-old played 64 games for the Knicks, averaging 18.0 points and 4.4 assists per night. He made more than $21.3MM in the final season of a five-year extension he received from the Bulls.
The injury could signal the end of Rose’s time in New York, as reports have said Knicks management is disappointed in his defense and won’t make a strong effort to re-sign him this summer. Rose was acquired from the Bulls last June along with Justin Holiday and a second-round pick in exchange for Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon.
Weekly Mailbag: 3/27/17 – 4/2/17
We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:
Why can’t the Knicks just outright release Carmelo Anthony? Does his contract have anything where he can’t get released? And what team would take a chance on him? — Bobby Cerasuolo
Like all NBA stars, Anthony has a fully guaranteed contract. So if Phil Jackson decided to escalate their war by putting Carmelo on waivers, the Knicks would still have to pay him $26,243,760 for next season, along with $27,928,140 for 2018/19 that he will probably opt out of. Another team might absorb that contract in a waiver claim, but the Knicks would still lose a prime asset with no return. So releasing Anthony isn’t an option, but a trade certainly is, although it’s an expensive one with a 15% trade kicker for the team that acquires him. Even so, most insiders expect Anthony to be somewhere else by the end of summer.
Who do you anticipate the Sacramento Kings drafting with their first selection in the June draft? Slot 6 or 7. — Dirk Watkins
The Kings have been loading up on young big men, Buddy Hield and Arron Afflalo seem set at shooting guard and Rudy Gay might change his mind about opting out in the wake of his Achilles injury. Point guard is the major area of need with Darren Collison and Ty Lawson both 29 and entering free agency. Luckily, this year’s draft is rich in point guards. The latest mock draft from Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has Kentucky’s Malik Monk going fifth, followed by teammate De’Aaron Fox and North Carolina State’s Dennis Smith. At least one of them should be available when the Kings pick, and any of them would be a nice building block for Sacramento.
Who is the best prospect in all of high school basketball right now in your opinion regardless of class? — Jake Teegardin
We’ve heard scouts say that Michael Porter Jr., a 6’8″ forward out of Seattle, is a future NBA star. Porter recently pulled out of a commitment to Washington after Lorenzo Romar was fired and will play next season at Missouri, which recently hired Cuonzo Martin as head coach and Porter’s father as an assistant. Porter was named Player of the Year by USA Today and was a standout at this week’s McDonald’s All-American Game. Also, keep an eye on DeAndre Ayton, a 7-foot center out of Phoenix who will play for Arizona next season.
Bucks Sign Gary Payton II
APRIL 2, 11:28am: Payton is getting a two-year deal with a partial guarantee for next season, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. The deal is now official, per the Bucks.
APRIL 1, 4:20pm: The Bucks plan to sign guard Gary Payton II to a 10-day contract Sunday, tweets Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The team opened a roster spot earlier today by waiving Terrence Jones.
Payton signed with the Rockets last summer, but was waived before the season began. He has been playing for Houston’s D-League affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, averaging 14.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists through 48 games.
If Payton signs tomorrow, the contract will take him almost to the end of the regular season. Milwaukee’s final game is April 12th.
The family has a connection with the Bucks already, as Payton’s Hall of Fame father spent part of the 2002-03 season there.
Ewing ‘Major Candidate’ For Georgetown Opening
Hornets assistant Patrick Ewing has become a “major candidate” to be the next head coach at Georgetown, according to Jon Rothstein of FanragSports.com.
A Hoyas star in the 1980s, Ewing has interviewed for the job several times since the firing of John Thompson III 10 days ago. A source said that Ewing is the first choice of Thompson’s father, who coached him in college and still wields considerable power in the program.
After a Hall of Fame career with the Knicks, Ewing turned to coaching in 2003. He worked as an assistant with the Rockets and Magic before coming to Charlotte in 2013.
Central Notes: Caldwell-Pope, Udrih, Stephenson
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s DUI arrest this week won’t factor into the bidding when he hits free agency, writes David Mayo of MLive. Caldwell-Pope can still expect offers topping $20MM a year, as he will be among the top players on the open market. And the Pistons will still be willing to match any offer sheet that their restricted free agent presents. Coach Stan Van Gundy exhibited his forgiving nature by keeping Caldwell-Pope in the starting lineup for the first game after the incident.
The Pistons are determined not to let Caldwell-Pope leave with nothing in return, Mayo notes. They might be willing to entertain thoughts of a sign-and-trade, but the fourth-year guard would have to agree to any deal and it would have to happen before he has an offer sheet.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Veteran Pistons guard Beno Udrih wants to coach when his playing days are finished, relays Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Udrih, 34, was claimed off waivers at the start of the season because of Reggie Jackson‘s knee problems. Almost immediately, he was sharing pointers with newly appointed starter Ish Smith. “He’s a very, very smart basketball guy and makes some very, very good points,” Van Gundy said of Udrih. “It’s always nice to have those guys around.”
- Pacers players stayed after practice Saturday to welcome Lance Stephenson back to the team, according to Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star. Stephenson signed a three-year deal Thursday and will play his first game in three years in an Indiana uniform today against Cleveland. “I still think I’m dreaming right now,” Stephenson said. “I keep waiting to wake up and say, ‘Ah, it was just a dream.’ But that hasn’t happened yet and I’m happy I’m here. I just want to get back on the right path and get back to where I used to be.”
- The return of Khris Middleton from a hamstring injury has sparked the Bucks‘ playoff push, notes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Milwaukee is 17-7 since February 8th in games that Middleton has played and currently holds the fifth spot in the East.
Sixers Granted Injury Exception, Sign Alex Poythress
APRIL 2, 9:23am: The signing is official, the team announced in a press release.
APRIL 1, 11:37am: The Sixers have been granted an injury hardship exception, and will use their newfound roster spot to sign Alex Poythress of the D-League, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (twitter link).
Poythress, 23, received summer league experience with the Magic, and started 45 games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season. A former Kentucky Wildcat, Poythress went undrafted after his senior year.
Having recently lost Jahlil Okafor and Robert Covington for the season due to injuries, the Sixers‘ hardship exception permitted them to expand their roster size to 16. Poythress will presumably be available for Philadelphia’s match-up with Toronto on Sunday.
New York Notes: Porzingis, Henangomez, Draft
Kristaps Porzingis will talk to Knicks management before deciding whether to play in the European Championships, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Porzingis, one of three Knicks who may be involved in the tournament, said he is undecided about whether he wants to represent Latvia. He didn’t participate in the nation’s Olympic qualifier last summer.
Teammates Willy Hernangomez of Spain and Mindaugas Kuzminskas of Lithuania both plan to be part of the competition. The event starts in August and runs through mid-September, close to the start of training camp, but Hernangomez doesn’t believe the Knicks will object. “They let me play in the Olympics, and the European Championships is almost as important to us,” he said.
There’s more this morning out of New York:
- Porzingis and Hernangomez are part of a core of promising young talent that gives the Knicks hope for the future, writes Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. That group also includes Ron Baker, Chasson Randle and Marshall Plumlee. “We’ve seen improvement with all of them,” said coach Jeff Hornacek. “A lot of that is offensive player development. We’ve got to get these guys on the defensive side of it. That’s an attitude you have to develop as a young player.” Isola adds that team president Phil Jackson made a mistake last summer by bringing in Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee rather than committing to rebuilding around younger players.
- The Nets are focused on providing a positive finish to a miserable season, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. They still have the league’s worst record at 17-59, but Saturday’s win over Orlando makes them 8-12 since the All-Star break. Brooklyn is four games away from the Lakers in our latest Reverse Standings with six left to play. “We definitely want to finish the season strong,” Trevor Booker said. “It’ll give us something to build off of over the summer going into next season.”
- The Nets have a rooting interest in the Pacers missing the playoffs, notes NetsDaily.com. Indiana’s second-round pick will go to Brooklyn if it falls between 31 and 44. The Pacers are currently in a three-way tie for seventh with the Bulls and Heat at 37-39. The Nets are assured of having the Wizards’ first-rounder (currently No. 23) and the Celtics’ (No. 27), along with Boston’s second-rounder (No. 57). They also have $3.425MM available to purchase another pick.
Clippers Notes: Austin Rivers, Griffin, Doc Rivers
Austin Rivers is targeting the middle of a first-round playoff series as a realistic return date, relays Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Rivers is sidelined by a left hamstring strain that he suffered Wednesday against Washington. There’s no timetable for him to play again, but the general feeling is that he will be ready sometime in late April. “The goal was game one of the playoffs,” Rivers said, “but it’s looking like hopefully mid first round, early second round. We’ll see. You never know, I might heal faster than I think so. In my mind, my goal is to be back by the first round, for game one or game two, which is ideal. So, we’ll see.” The playoffs will start two weeks from today.
There’s more news out of Los Angeles:
- After becoming the first player to reach 10,000 points in a Clippers uniform, Blake Griffin wanted to focus more on the postseason than his future in L.A., writes Bill Oram of The Orange County Register. Griffin scored 36 today in a win over the Lakers, then brushed aside questions about free agency. “I’ve loved my time here, absolutely,” he said. “But my main focus right now is the season. I said this before the season, I’m not doing the whole free agency talk. I’m not talking about any decision I can’t make right now. Like I said, my main focus is getting this team right and moving forward and being right heading into the playoffs.”
- Also reaching a milestone today was coach Doc Rivers, who posted his 800th career victory, Oram notes in the same story. Those wins have come over 18 seasons with the Magic, Celtics and Clippers. “I’ve learned everything is a big deal,” Rivers said, “but you don’t have to sweat it all.”
- The Clippers are just 33-29 after a 14-2 start and there is concern that the core could be broken up this summer, writes Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times. With Griffin, Chris Paul and J.J. Redick all headed toward free agency, Plaschke thinks a significant playoff run will be needed to justify keeping the team together.