Charlie Adams | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Durant, Kanter, Frazier, Kings

March 31st, 2015 at 10:53pm CST by Charlie Adams

Rumors are already suggesting that Kevin Durant might be eyeing an exit from Oklahoma City in the summer of 2016, but the reigning MVP spoke out and expressed an interest in spending the rest of his career with the Thunder, as Royce Young of ESPN.com transcribes.

“I love it here, man. I love my teammates, I love the city, I don’t really think about anywhere else,” Durant told Revolt TV. “I love staying in the moment, and I’m one of those guys that would love to stick it out with one team my whole career; Kobe [Bryant], Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki type. That’s awesome. But you never know what the future holds sometimes and how teams may feel about you after a while, but I love it here and I would love to get my jersey retired here.”

While Durant’s comments are far from a guarantee that he’ll stick around in OKC for life, they certainly must provide a level of comfort for Thunder fans who have seen reports linking KD to several different clubs. We’ve got more on the bunch from Oklahoma City in tonight’s look out west:

The candid way in which Enes Kanter has spoken about the Jazz since Utah traded him to the Thunder at the deadline has some executives wondering if the big man will be able to land a lucrative new deal this summer as a restricted free agent, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Concerns about his attitude coupled with his less-than-stellar defense might scare some teams off, the executive suggests.
Tim Frazier will have a chance to remain with the Blazers beyond this season, hears Joe Freeman of the Oregonian, who says Portland’s latest addition will get the opportunity to appear with the team in training camp next fall. However, it’s unclear if Frazier has a non-guaranteed year tacked on to his deal or if he’s merely a just lock to garner an invite to camp before next season begins.
Chris Mullin’s recent departure from the Kings organization isn’t a total shock, given that Mullin opposed the pursuit of George Karl, hoping he could land Sacramento’s vacant coaching position himself, as Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee observes. If Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro can’t mesh with Vlade Divac, the team’s new VP of basketball operations, D’Alessandro might not be long for the organization either, Voisin writes.
Holly Mackenzie of Triangle Offense chronicles Brandon Knight’s evolution as a player and steps through the series of events that brought him to the Suns. Knight is poised for a significant raise as a restricted free agent this summer, Mackenzie believes.

Draft Notes: Harrell, Poeltl, Dunn, Portis

March 30th, 2015 at 10:50pm CST by Charlie Adams

We heard this afternoon that Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier, a pair of Louisville standouts, would be entering this summer’s draft. As the NCAA season nears its finish, we’ll see plenty more announcements of players forgoing the remainder of their college eligibility to declare for the draft early. Chad Ford of ESPN (Insider link) rounds up the players who have officially thrown their names into the ring, as well players who might return to school next year. Ford hears that among others, potential lottery picks Jakob Poeltl, Kris Dunn, and Bobby Portis are still undecided about declaring. Still, there’s plenty of time before players must make up their minds, so we’ll have to wait to see if any top flight prospects return to school in an attempt to bolster their stock even further.

Here’s more on the draft:

Ford takes a look at Harrell’s stock in the upcoming draft in another ESPN Insider piece. While there are concerns about the Louisville big man’s size, he could go as high as No. 15 if he performs well in pre-draft workouts, according to Ford, who notes that teams are impressed by his motor and ability to finish at the basket.
Yannis Koutroupis and Cody Toppert of Basketball Insiders run down a list of players who have seen their draft stock potentially affected by their tournament performance. Karl-Anthony Towns and Sam Dekker find their names on both scribes’ lists of studs, while the duo isn’t so high on how the bunch from Arizona performed, particularly freshman Stanley Johnson.
Despite the presence of both Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel on the Sixers’ roster, Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer thinks Philly should still take Towns or Jahlil Okafor this June if the team gets a chance.

Eastern Notes: Mirotic, Deng, Knicks, Pistons

March 30th, 2015 at 9:23pm CST by Charlie Adams

Unsurprisingly, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau thinks Nikola Mirotic deserves to win Rookie of the Year over Andrew Wiggins and Nerlens Noel, as Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald reveals. Mirotic is second among rookies in points per game since the All-Star break behind only Wiggins, and his contributions on a contending team could ultimately help his case for the award. While we continue to see how the race for top Rookie honors shapes up, we’ll round up more from out east..

Luol Deng has seen heavy time on the court throughout his career, twice leading the NBA in minutes played per night, and the 30 year old admits all the burn has definitely had an effect on him, as Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders details. “I feel 45,” Deng said. “I feel old… You’ve got to be smart and realize how your body feels.” The 11th-year veteran has sought advice about playing into his 30’s from Steve Nash and Richard Hamilton, according to Camerato.
Fred Kerber of the New York Post opines that if the Knicks can find a way to finish with even just a .500 record next season, it would mark one of the greatest one-year turnarounds in NBA history. Landing Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor in the draft this June would certainly help New York’s chances, Kerber believes.
Andre Drummond‘s offensive game is expanding, and that could help the Pistons offset the likely loss of unrestricted free agent Greg Monroe, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. Drummond has mostly relied on lob dunks and putbacks for his offensive contributions during his three-year career but has shown improved postup moves in recent games, including five made hook shots against the Heat on Sunday, Mayo adds. That is a welcome development, Mayo opines, considering that Monroe — the team’s main post threat — signed a qualifying offer last summer as a restricted free agent so that he could become unrestricted this summer.

Dana Gauruder contributed to this post.

Knicks Sign Ricky Ledo To 10-Day Deal

March 19th, 2015 at 9:26am CST by Charlie Adams

THURSDAY, 9:26am: The deal is official, the team announced.

WEDNESDAY, 10:08pm: The Knicks are set to sign Ricky Ledo to a 10-day deal, reports Mike Fisher of DallasBasketball.com (Twitter link; hat tip to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com). New York won’t need to make a corresponding move to accommodate Ledo’s arrival since they’re only carrying 14 guaranteed contracts at the moment, as our list of roster counts shows.

Ledo was waived by the Mavs around the trade deadline to make room for Amar’e Stoudemire. He only appeared in five games with Dallas this season, spending the lion’s share of his time with the Texas Legends, the club’s D-League affiliate. The 22-year-old guard was the 43rd pick in the 2013 draft but hasn’t been given much of a chance to display his skills at the NBA level. Joining the league-worst Knicks might give him a better platform to demonstrate his abilities than he had with the title-hopeful Mavs.

Should Ledo stick around in New York, there’s little chance Thanasis Antetokounmpo makes the roster in 2014/15, as Begley points out (on Twitter). The Knicks were reportedly considering bringing aboard Thanasis, the older brother of Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Ledo’s presence might indicate they’ve moved on from that idea.

And-Ones: Wiggins, Young, Turner, Nuggets

March 18th, 2015 at 10:54pm CST by Charlie Adams

Despite chatter that Masai Ujiri might be gearing up for a pursuit of Andrew Wiggins, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders doesn’t think there’s much of a chance last summer’s No. 1 pick joins the Raptors any time soon. In order to choose his destination as an unrestricted free agent, Wiggins would have to accept his qualifying offer in 2018, which would likely mean turning down a long-term deal with the Wolves. There hasn’t been a big name player to do that outside of Greg Monroe, as Kennedy notes.

Let’s round up the latest from around the NBA:

Nick Young has suffered a slight fracture in his knee, the Lakers announced. He’ll be evaluated on a week-to-week basis for the remainder of the year, but it’s unclear whether or not he’ll appear on the hardwood again this season.
Myles Turner has had an inconsistent freshman season with the Longhorns, but it may not have hurt his stock as much as some think, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com reveals in a chat with readers that some scouts attribute Turner’s up and down production this year to Texas coach Rick Barnes.
The Nuggets’ decision to rest key veterans has irritated Wilson Chandler, but interim head coach Melvin Hunt insists the choice is one the entire Denver organization is making together and not just an order from the front office like Chandler hinted at, tweets Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post.

Southeast Notes: Ferry, Bazemore, Bosh, MKG

March 18th, 2015 at 9:06pm CST by Charlie Adams

Kent Bazemore admits that Danny Ferry‘s name gets brought up in the Hawks‘ locker room quite a bit and the guard believes Ferry deserves credit for putting a championship contender together, as he tells Charles Bethea in an interview for Grantland.com.

“[Ferry is] definitely a huge part of this year’s success. It was unfortunate what happened, but that doesn’t change the way I feel about Mr. Ferry. I flew into Atlanta this summer and had lunch with him. And he’s a great guy,” Bazemore said. “We sat there, we laughed, we joked. He has a huge group of friends, believe it or not, in the NBA. So I look at it as a business. He’s trying to do his best for his organization, and he’s done a great job of getting the right guys in and creating a team that’s number one in the East and almost the best team in the NBA right now, recordwise. He could win the GM award.”

In our latest poll, about 30% of Hoops Rumors readers believe Ferry should win the Executive of the Year award. As we wait to see whether or not the summer controversy surrounding the Hawks prevents Ferry from taking home the trophy, we’ll round up more from the Southeast:

Bazemore, before signing his two year, $4MM deal with the Hawks, played last season with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Some have suggested that free agents would be disinterested in signing with Los Angeles because of Bryant. Bazemore tells Bethea that that’s simply not the case and that it wasn’t difficult to play with the 17-time All-Star.
Chris Bosh isn’t letting his season-ending injury prevent him from contributing to the Heat, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel observes (subscription only link). Bosh has been playing the role of an assistant coach, and Dwyane Wade is supportive of what the big man brings to the bench. “If he sees something, he’ll come to you and he’ll tell you,” said Wade. “He’s been exciting. He’s been into it. I think he’s just enjoying being around the game again. We feel his excitement. It’s just good just to look over there and see him.”
Hornets coach Steve Clifford believes Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has the talent to become the best perimeter defender in this generation of NBA players, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Kidd-Gilchrist becomes extension-eligible this summer, and such strong words likely indicate the Hornets would prefer to keep the Kentucky product around going forward.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

Mannix On Porzingis, Johnson, Wildcats

March 18th, 2015 at 8:04pm CST by Charlie Adams

Kristaps Porzingis is reportedly climbing up draft boards, but some scouts still aren’t convinced he’s the real deal, as Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated denotes in his March Madness Big Board. “Is he Dirk Nowitzki or Andrea Bargnani?” one scout asked rhetorically. Mannix passes along NBA scouts’ views on several first-round prospects, and we’ll round up the most notable takes below:

Arizona freshman Stanley Johnson’s frame and defensive instincts have led scouts to compare the 18-year-old forward to Metta World Peace, according to Mannix, who relays that teams will be watching Johnson very closely during the tournament. Johnson’s offensive abilities remain secondary to his defensive prowess, but he’s quietly averaged 14.1 points per night while shooting 36.6% from beyond the arc this year.
Several scouts told Mannix that while Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein lacks superstar potential, there isn’t a safer pick in this June’s draft. The 21-year-old seven-footer has averaged 3.7 blocks per 40 minutes throughout his college career.
Kentucky freshman Trey Lyles’ numbers haven’t been eye-popping this season, but that’s a result of a relative lack of playing time in the Wildcats’ time sharing system. Multiple executives tell Mannix that the 6’10” 19 year old could end up being seen as a steal one day if he falls to late in the first round.

Al Harrington Retires

March 18th, 2015 at 7:06pm CST by Charlie Adams

After 16 years in the NBA, Al Harrington has officially retired from basketball, as he revealed to Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post this afternoon. The 35-year-old big man signed a deal last August to play in China, where he was putting up monster numbers before he returned stateside amid NBA interest, including reported consideration by the Rockets. However, Harrington told Dempsey that none of the opportunities in the US appealed to him, and he now feels the timing is right to leave his playing days behind.

“I’m very happy with what I was able to accomplish,” Harrington said. “I was able to change a lot of people’s lives in my family, including myself in a game that I eventually fell in love with and will always be in love with. And hopefully I can stay around the game until I die. It was a fun ride. It went by fast, too. It was like one minute I was 18, the next I was 25 then was 30 and now I’m 35. It was a fun run. Met a lot of great people.”

Harrington was selected straight out of high school with the 25th pick of the 1998 draft. He played for seven different teams in his career, most recently donning a Wizards jersey during the 2013/14 campaign. While he never made an All-Star appearance, Harrington averaged a respectable 13.5 points per contest over 981 games played. His best year came when he posted impressive nightly marks of 20.1 points and 6.2 rebounds for the Knicks in 2008/09.

Although his playing days are over, Harrington still has interest in either coaching or working in a front office, relays Dempsey, who adds that Harrington will assist the Nuggets coaching staff for the rest of the season and help the club prepare for the draft this June. Harrington accumulated $85,514,819 in salary over the course of his career, according to his player page on Basketball-Reference.com.

Eastern Notes: Rose, Stevens, LeBron, Pistons

March 17th, 2015 at 10:12pm CST by Charlie Adams

After Derrick Rose tore his meniscus, he was given a six-week recovery timeline that began on February 27th, but Tom Thibodeau said today that the former MVP is “ahead of schedule” in the healing process, notes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Thibodeau also said he was “hopeful” that Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler would return to action this week, but the Bulls coach stopped short of making any guarantees. Here’s tonight’s look at the Eastern Conference:

Celtics coach Brad Stevens is defying stereotypes and proving a coach hired straight out of the NCAA can be effective in the NBA, writes Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops, who points to P.J. Carlesimo, Tim Floyd, Leonard Hamilton, Lon Kruger, Mike Montgomery, Jerry Tarkanian, and Rick Pitino as big names who failed to make their mark at the NBA level.
Pat Riley admitted he was surprised when LeBron James left the Heat to re-join the Cavs, and he regarded the decision made by LeBron a result of the “contemporary attitude of today.” However, Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer isn’t shocked in the least at James’ decision and argues that the same attitude is the what led LBJ to originally leave Cleveland in 2010.
The Pistons took a risk when they made a deal to acquire Reggie Jackson, and given Detroit’s 2-10 record in games in which Jackson appears, both the soon-to-be restricted free agent and the team are hoping they can figure out how to effectively mesh during the last month of the season, as David Mayo of MLive details. It’s worth noting that Jackson scored 23 points and dished out 20 assists in tonight’s win over the Grizzlies.

Western Notes: Clippers, Green, Stokes, Rondo

March 17th, 2015 at 8:51pm CST by Charlie Adams

Doc Rivers confirmed to reporters, including Dan Woike of the Orange County Register, that the Clippers could look to add another small forward in wake of the hamstring injury to Matt Barnes (Twitter link). Los Angeles has been reportedly keeping a close eye on the health of Jordan Hamilton, who sprained his ankle on the last day of his second 10-day deal with the club, as well as monitoring Eric Griffin, who’s currently playing in the D-League. While we wait to see if either player inks a deal with the Clippers in the near future, we’ll round up more from out West..

Earlier reports suggested the Warriors have given “every indication” that they’ll match any offer sheet presented to restricted free agent Draymond Green this summer, and Mychal Thompson – Klay Thompson’s father – spoke with a team executive whose testimony jibed with that notion (Twitter link via Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group).
The Grizzlies are sending Jarnell Stokes on his sixth D-League assignment this season, the team announced via press release. Stokes will re-join the Iowa Energy, with whom he’s averaged impressive marks of 18.3 points and 10.7 rebounds in six games.
Although Rajon Rondo hasn’t put up All-Star-caliber numbers for the Mavericks thus far, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News argues that a package consisting of Jameer Nelson, some bench pieces, and a first-round pick wasn’t too high of a price to pay for player with Rondo’s pedigree.

Author: Charlie Adams