Knicks Notes: Acy, Jackson, Chandler, Fisher
The Knicks’ 5-26 start has them just one game ahead of the league-worst Sixers in the standings. It’s been a disappointing season for New York thus far, and as we wait to see if the club turn a corner against the Kings on Sunday, let’s have a look at the latest out of the Big Apple.
- Quincy Acy and John Wall will both be punished for their altercation on Thursday’s Knicks-Wizards matchup, the league announced (hat tip to Ian Begley of ESPN.com). Acy will be suspended one game, and Wall will pay a $15K fine. Players lose 1/110th of their salary for each game they miss while suspended, according Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ, so Acy will forfeit $8,320.39.
- Phil Jackson‘s defense of the trade that sent Tyson Chandler to the Mavs is invalid, argues Marc Berman of the New York Post. Berman doesn’t believe any of the pieces obtained for the veteran center are long-term solutions for the Knicks but concedes that Cleanthony Early has a shot of making the deal look a little bit better if he can develop into an everyday player.
- Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com implores Knicks fans to be patient with the rebuilding process that Jackson and Derek Fisher are spearheading in New York. Although Fisher might look uncomfortable as coach at times, Youngmisuk points to the improvement Jason Kidd made leading the bench from year one to year two.
Western Rumors: Chandler, Gasol, Mekel
Let’s dive in and have a look at the latest rumors and rumblings out of the NBA’s Western Conference:
- The Nuggets have received multiple inquiries about the availability of Wilson Chandler, but the team has expressed to the 29-year-old forward that they prefer to retain him, as Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post notes within his weekly mailbag column.
- Pau Gasol admits it was a tough decision to leave the Lakers and sign with the Bulls, and not only because of his emotional attachment to the city of Los Angeles, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times details. The Lakers offered offered Gasol deals featuring a no-trade clause worth $29MM over three years and $23MM over two years. Gasol, who eventually signed with Chicago on a three-year, $22MM deal, says it’s been difficult to watch the Lakers struggle this season but that he doesn’t regret his decision.
- Discussions between Gal Mekel and Maccabi Tel Aviv have hit a snag, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (via Twitter). We learned on Tuesday that the ex-Pelicans guard had an offer from Maccabi to return overseas, but that opportunity has apparently been put on hold. Instead, former eighth overall pick Joe Alexander is finalizing and agreement to leave the Santa Cruz Warriors of the D-League and join Maccabi, Pick passes along (Twitter links). Alexander had a deal in place to join the Nuggets for camp this fall before failing a physical.
Atlantic Notes: Smith, Knicks, Caboclo, Nets
The Knicks are the sole representatives of the Atlantic Division on today’s slate of games, and they’ll look to take down a Wizards team that comes into Madison Square Garden having lost two straight contests. We’ll round up the latest from New York and the Atlantic below..
- Despite a beat-down frontcourt, the 5-25 Knicks were not among the teams that were interested in bringing aboard the recently waived Josh Smith, as head coach Derek Fisher indicated to Marc Berman of the New York Post. “It doesn’t impact us much so I didn’t really read into it too much at all,” Fisher told Berman, admitting he wasn’t aware that the Rockets had agreed to a deal with Smith.
- The Raptors have assigned Bruno Caboclo to the D-League, the team announced. The 19-year-old rookie will join the Fort Wayne Mad Ants for the first time this season after appearing in three contests for Toronto.
- Andy Vasquez of The Record thinks the Nets would be ill-advised to begin dismantling their roster so early into the new season, especially one in which the Eastern Conference lacks any sort of consistency. Brooklyn is currently holding on to the eighth and final playoff spot, but rumors have suggested that the team is open to moving Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, and Brook Lopez.
Central Notes: Martin, Butler, Knight, Love
We at Hoops Rumors want to wish all of our readers and their families a merry Christmas and a happy holiday season! While we wait for an exciting day of NBA action to tip off, let’s round up the latest from the Central Division:
- The Cavs were struck with terrible news yesterday when they learned that Anderson Varejao would be sidelined for the remainder of the season with a torn Achilles. In wake of the injury, one free agent big man, Kenyon Martin, admitted he’d be interested in joining Cleveland if the team wanted to bring him aboard, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). “I’m definitely interested,” said the 36-year-old veteran. “I believe I can immediately help in that system. I’m healthy and ready to play now.” Signing Martin could help bolster their depth in the frontcourt, but the title-hopeful Cavs seem more likely to trade for a starting caliber center than to ink Martin.
- Restricted free agent in waiting Jimmy Butler won’t call himself a star, but Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes that a lot of other people around the league are willing to say it for him. Butler’s career year has come on the heels of his decision to turn down a contract extension that would have paid him $11MM per season over the next four years, and although he’s has expressed a desire to stay with the Bulls, it will now likely cost the Chicago a lot more than that figure to keep Butler around after his stellar start to the year.
- The Bucks‘ Brandon Knight is another soon-to-be restricted free agent who is making the most of his opportunity, argues John Zitzler of Basketball Insiders. Knight, the only Milwaukee player to start all 28 games, is averaging 17.5 points, 5.4 assists and 1.3 steals per contest. Knight has indicated a desire to stay with the Bucks, and Milwaukee can match any offer made to the 23-year-old this summer, but Zitzler speculates that the guard could get an offer of more than $12MM annually, similar to deals Kemba Walker and Kyle Lowry signed.
- Flip Saunders is doing his best to move on from the Kevin Love fiasco and isn’t interested in talking about it anymore, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group observes. Before Tuesday’s Wolves-Cavs game, Saunders went out of his way to avoid mentioning Love by name, except for commenting, “From the league, I’m at liberty not really to talk about Kevin Love. So I can’t talk about him.” However, there is no such policy in place by the league, as Haynes points out, and Saunders openly discussed the Love deal as recently as Monday.
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.
And-Ones: Koufos, Brewer, Pistons, Hayward
The Cavs have reportedly expressed interested in Grizzlies reserve center Kosta Koufos, and Memphis coach Dave Joerger can understand why. “The guy’s a starting center in my mind,” Joerger told reporters, including Chris Fedor of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. “I don’t want to say [for] eight teams, 10 teams. That’s not for me to say. But I believe he’s a starting center in this league. He’s absolutely the greatest teammate to be around.” Koufos has been stuck behind Marc Gasol on the Grizzlies’ depth chart this season, so while his minutes have been kept low, he’ll be an intriguing trade candidate going forward. As we wait to see if the 21-6 Grizzlies opt to move the 25-year-old or stand pat, let’s round up more from around the NBA:
- Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders said he decided to trade Corey Brewer when he learned the 28-year-old was planning to turn down his 2015/16 player option, relays Andy Greder of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The improved play of Shabazz Muhammad was another factor that aided in Saunders’ decision to move Brewer, Greder notes.
- In wake of a disappointing 5-23 start to the season, Pistons coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy admits that focusing on the future is the highest priority for the team, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com transcribes. “The future certainly is the utmost priority at this point,” Van Gundy said. “The goals haven’t changed. We want to build a contending team. Rather than sacrifice the future to try to get to whatever number of wins is not probably the smart way to go. We’re still going to try to win as many as we can, but in terms of personnel moves, everything’s got to be aimed toward the future.“
- The Hornets offered then-restricted free agent Gordon Hayward a maximum-salary contract last summer, but the Jazz elected to match Charlotte’s offer sheet and bring the swingman back to Utah. Derrick Favors expressed relief that the Jazz re-signed Hayward and believes the new deal has helped his teammate grow as a player, as Jody Genessy of the Deseret News details.
Latest On Kings Coaching Search
The Kings made waves last week when they decided to fire head coach Mike Malone just 26 games into the season after an 11-15 start to the year. Although reports have indicated that Tyrone Corbin is likely to hold on to the job for at least the remainder of the season, the team remains interested in hiring George Karl to take on the position, according to Aaron Bruski of Pro Basketball Talk, who adds that Sacramento’s desire to bring aboard the 2012/13 Coach of the Year is being curbed by the club’s expectation that his asking price would be a contract worth $5MM per year.
One other rumored candidate, Mark Jackson, has “no chance” at landing the head coaching spot, Bruski hears, in spite of news that the former Warriors coach met with Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro and advisor to the chairman Chris Mullin last Tuesday night. Bruski’s source contends that the meeting was mutually beneficial for both parties – keeping Jackson’s name in the headlines as a potential head coaching candidate in the future and sending Karl a message that Sacramento is interested in meeting with prospective candidates.
Bruski argues that hiring Karl sooner than later will help mitigate the controversy surrounding the team’s decision to dismiss Malone and provide some level of relief to a locker room that’s apparently grown tired of the head-scratching decisions made by the front office. Executives around the NBA respected the work Malone had been putting in prior to being axed in Sacramento, according to Bruski, so hiring Karl can only do so much to restore the image of the team.
And-Ones: Martin, Mavs, Ledo, Ennis
Kevin Martin will undergo surgery tomorrow after breaking his wrist during a 37-point performance against the Knicks last week, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (on Twitter). The operation will knock the sharp shooting guard out for six to eight weeks, according to Wolfson, further depleting a Wolves‘ team that’s struggled to stay healthy this season. While Minnesota plans for Martin’s forthcoming absence, we’ll round up the latest from around the NBA..
- The Mavs have been impressed with the recent work put in by Ricky Ledo, tweets Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. Ledo, a second-year guard, was recalled from his two game D-League assignment earlier today after averaging 12.5 points per night for the Texas Legends.
- Tyler Ennis is working to find out how he fits on the Suns’ guard-heavy roster, as Lori Ewing of the Candian Press examines. Despite struggling to find consistent minutes in Phoenix, the coaches have been high on the court vision and play-making abilities demonstrated by the rookie guard, Ewing notes.
- Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders provides a rundown of trade candidates in the Eastern Conference. Taylor opines that the Hornets’ slow start to the season might mean they try to acquire a veteran talent by shipping out a young piece like Noah Vonleh or P.J. Hairston.
Lakers Work Out Ater Majok
FRIDAY, 2:11pm: The team is conducting Majok’s workouts with its D-League affiliate in mind, and not the NBA roster, Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding tweets.
TUESDAY, 11:02pm: The Lakers are bringing in Ater Majok for a series of workouts, according to Shams Charania of RealGM. The 6’11” Majok was selected 58th overall by Los Angeles in the 2011 draft and appeared on the Lakers’ summer league team in 2012 but is yet to see any regular season NBA action since being drafted. Los Angeles is also reportedly eyeing Quincy Miller, who is similarly slated to work out for the club this week. However, Charania cautions that the pair of players’ auditions for the team are unrelated, suggesting that there’s a shot both of them end up signing deals.
The Lakers’ roster currently sits at a league-maximum 15 players, but the non-guaranteed contracts of Ronnie Price and Wayne Ellington could be waived to make room for one or both of Majok and Miller. Price and Ellington’s pacts are set to become partially guaranteed if kept on the books past November 15th, and the latter of the duo has just been provided an indefinite leave of absence to mourn the loss of his father.
The NBA granted the Lakers a disabled player exception worth $1,498,680 as a result of the season-ending injury to rookie Julius Randle, but there’s been no indication that the team would spend any more than the minimum salary to bring in Majok, who has spent time in Slovakian, Belarusian, German and Korean leagues since being drafted in 2011. At 27-years-old, Majok would be older than a typical rookie, but his experience might benefit a young Lakers’ roster that’s lacked depth in the season’s early going.
And-Ones: Ellington, Mekel, Cavs, Thunder
Wayne Ellington has taken an indefinite leave of absence from the Lakers, the team announced. Ellington’s father was tragically shot and killed this past Sunday. It is unclear if this will affect Ellington’s roster spot, as he has a partial guarantee of $315,646 set to kick in if he remains on the roster past this coming Saturday. The team is reportedly pursuing free agent Quincy Miller, and with their current roster count at the maximum of 15 players, the Lakers would need to waive or trade a player to create room for any signing. Los Angeles was recently granted a disabled player exception worth $1,498,680 in response to the season-ending injury suffered by rookie Julius Randle.
More from around the NBA..
- A number of teams are interested in signing the recently waived Gal Mekel, sources tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Given that the Mavs are on the hook to pay him $1.76MM over the next two years, Kennedy surmises that Mekel might wait for a prime opportunity rather than jumping at the first offer thrown his way.
- Dion Waiters thinks the early season woes that the Cavs have endured will make them a better team in the long haul, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. His new teammate, LeBron James, also cautioned that immediate success shouldn’t be expected when teams first come together, adding that the roster still needs to work on a number of areas.
- Mark Cuban suggested the Thunder might be wise to consider tanking in wake of injuries to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, but Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks says he wouldn’t consider such a strategy, as Sean Deveney of Sporting News transcribes. “I don’t really pay much attention to other people’s thoughts on our team,” said Brooks in response to Cuban’s comments. “I know what our organization is about… Tanking is not something that we will consider. I don’t think any teams focus on doing that — you’re a pro team, you get paid to play. You play as hard as you can and do the best you can as a group. So that’s never even been considered.”
- Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Philly.com thinks that the Sixers came away with the biggest steal of the 2014 draft in K.J. McDaniels. Taken with the 32nd selection, McDaniels has jumped out to a quick start this season, averaging 9.3 points and 1.7 blocks per night.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.
Southwest Rumors: Felton, Powell, Capela, Davis
It’s possible the Mavs don’t activate the injured Raymond Felton prior to the Dallas’ matchup versus the Kings tomorrow, reveals Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. Once activated, Felton can begin serving the four-game suspension he was slapped with this summer after pleading guilty to a gun charge. While we wait for the 30-year-old to get healthy enough to begin serving his punishment, let’s have a look at the latest from around the Southwest..
- Josh Powell is committed to his role as player development coach for the Rockets and has turned down multiple offers to play overseas, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports passes along amid his weekly power rankings. Powell appeared in a single game for Houston last year after failing to secure an NBA contract during the previous two seasons.
- The Rockets have assigned Clint Capela to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. Capela, the 25th overall pick in the 2014 draft, will join the Rio Grande Valley Vipers after appearing briefly in just one of Houston’s first six contests.
- Ed Davis rejected a long-term rookie scale extension offer from the Grizzlies last October that would have paid him $5MM to $6MM annually, reports Ronald Tillery of the Commerical Appeal in a subscription only piece. The big man found himself in a difficult situation playing for Memphis last year, as he saw few minutes in a stacked frontcourt. Tillery observes that Davis doesn’t hold any ill will against his former team, but the Commercial Appeal scribe’s perceived lack of bitterness from Davis runs in contrast to the words that the 22-year-old had about the Grizzlies, which we passed along earlier tonight.