Atlantic Notes: Holmes, Anderson, Rose
The Sixers may have found a long-term backup to injured big man Joel Embiid in 2015 second-round pick Richaun Holmes. Holmes, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes, has thrived given the chance to fill in and step into a larger role.
Holmes has averaged 13.8 points and 6.6 rebounds in just 25.9 minutes per game since the All-Star break, about twice what he contributed for the Sixers prior to it.
Sixers head coach Brett Brown acknowledges the improvement and thinks that Holmes’ success could be here to stay. “I think a lot of the good teams have those lightning-in-the-bottle players that can just change a game,” Brown said. “You know, initially, you are wondering can he be one of those. Is he a duration player? I think since he’s come into the starting five, you are recognizing that there’s more durability.”
- If the Knicks decide to release Derrick Rose, it will free up $18MM in cap room for them to find a point guard or draft one this offseason. As Bobby Marks of the Vertical explains on Twitter, the pending free agent otherwise has a $30MM cap hold set for this summer. Earlier today we wrote about Rose missing the remainder of the season with a torn meniscus.
- Though the refs assigned Kyrie Irving a flagrant foul for his shove on Sixers forward Justin Anderson Friday night, the victim doesn’t take it personally. “He was just protecting his teammate, I think he saw LeBron James went down [on the previous play],” Anderson told Joe Noga of Cleveland.com.
- Second-year forward Justin Anderson is getting his best opportunity to show the Sixers what he’s capable. Anderson has seen his role increase now that Robert Covington has been ruled out for the remainder of the season, writes Brian Seltzer of the Sixers’ official website. “My job is to go out there and make the most of it,” said Anderson. “It’s not to try and become All-Star in this little bit of time. My job is to show that, no matter what, this team can rely on me, I can be consistent, and bring the energy playing defense, rebounding the basketball, and then contributing on offensive end in many different ways.“
- The Celtics have been a model team for rebuilding clubs looking to turn their fates around, Taylor C. Snow of the Celtics’ official site writes. Rival Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek cites the roster full of hard-nosed guys as one of the major reasons behind their success.
Community Shootaround: Wall Criticizes Refs
John Wall made waves after Friday’s loss to the Jazz, going on a four-minute rant about (what he perceived to be) poor officiating. Wall received a technical foul for making contact with Rudy Gobert on a screen; a video of the play can be seen here. The play was deemed a “hostile act,” setting Wall and his teammates off after the game.
“The way they’ve been officiating today doesn’t make no sense,” Wall told reporters, including Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. “It’s getting out of hand. If you want us to compete at a high level like we’ve been doing – we didn’t lose this game. The refs made us lose this game. We fought hard, we gave ourselves a chance but you don’t shoot no 31 free throws to 16 the way we attack the basket as a team. I tried to get some (technical fouls) rescinded before, it never works for my favor. Other players have and they got it. So, all I can do is just keep my mouth shut like I’ve been doing. I could see if I would’ve got a flagrant-1 but a technical off of that? That’s outrageous.”
Likely adding fuel to Wall’s flagrant-1 argument was Draymond Green‘s wrist punch to James Harden; an act Green admitted to performing in retaliation, and only received an offensive foul for. As Wall alluded to, the chances of his technical foul being overturned are slim-to-none.
“They said it was a ‘hostile act,’” Scott Brooks said after the game. “I’ve been around a lot of fights back when I played. Come on. ‘Hostile act?’ Really? It’s ridiculous.”
What do you think: was Wall’s strike to Gobert a “hostile act”? Should the decisions of referees be held to a higher standard, and if so: how? If Wall receives a penalty from the league, should Draymond as well?
Let us know what you think in the comments section!
Dion Waiters “Making Progress,” Still Without Timetable
According to a report from the Sun Sentinel today, Dion Waiters is making progress in his recovery from an ankle injury. Coach Erik Spoelstra indicated to reporters that Waiters no longer requires a walking boot.
“Nothing new, but he is making progress,” Spoelstra said. “He’s starting to do some conditioning. He’s out of his boot, so that’s good.”
Following Sunday’s match-up with the Nuggets, Waiters will have missed eight consecutive games due to injury. Waiters’ career renaissance has been a driving factor of Miami’s success, as the former Syracuse star averaged 21.5 points over a 10-game stretch in January.
The Heat are currently tied for the eighth seed with Indiana, as the Pacers have dropped seven of their last 10. In a recent report from Tom D’Angelo of the Palm Beach Post, Spoelstra noted “The swelling has come down considerably. He’s still going through the process of more mobility and movement.”
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.