Atlantic Links: Noel, Celtics, Vasquez
76ers prospect Nerlens Noel hasn’t let his knee rehab prevent him from working on other parts of his game, as Dei Lynam of CSN Philly reports that head coach Brett Brown has been tutoring the young big man on defensive principles in addition to working with him on his shooting form. As per Brown:
“I am thrilled [with] what he has done with his shot…We said from the very beginning that this is an opportunity and one that I hope he never has again…There is far more fluid to his shot and I think the carryover from this year will be significant if we can get it right for his future.”
Here are a few more minor notes to pass along out of the Atlantic Division:
- In his latest Celtics mailbag, Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston answers questions about Jordan Crawford‘s emergence, what happens to the rotation once Rajon Rondo is cleared to play, and which players have improved their trade value since the start of the season.
- According to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is taking a cautious approach with the team’s Atlantic Division-leading 10-14 start to the season (Subscribers only).
- Eric Koreen of the National Post writes about how Greivis Vasquez‘s affinity for playing for playing pick-and-roll basketball on a Raptors team that welcomes plenty of those opportunities will be an important development as the team looks to move on from Kyle Lowry.
- Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops explores the Knicks and Nets’ proposed deals with Toronto for Lowry and discusses whether or not they make sense.
Latest On Kyle Lowry
8:36pm: According to Wojnarowski, Knicks owner James Dolan is sensitive to the public perception that GM Masai Ujiri “bamboozled” him in the Carmelo Anthony trade, and the chance of getting criticized for giving up too much in a deal for Lowry has become a hurdle in these talks. Toronto is said to be discussing deals for Lowry with an ever-growing list of teams.
Wojnarwoski adds that New York doesn’t want to include either Shumpert or Hardaway Jr. in discussions (they reportedly refused a proposal involving the former along with Felton), and without Shumpert or a draft pick going to Toronto, there isn’t any traction to a deal. Also, the Knicks are believed to still be hesitant about trading a future first round draft choice to the Raptors, and there seems to be doubt over how long they’ll keep that option on the table.
As for the Nets’ interest, Wojnarowski says the team isn’t willing to include either a 2020 first-round pick or one of its young players – including Mason Plumlee – in a trade package.
4:03pm: Toronto is insisting on a first-rounder from the Knicks in part because taking on Felton would leave the Raptors with more long-term money, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Felton’s deal runs through 2015/16, which is a player option year, while Lowry is on an expiring contract. The Knicks would like to save Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr. for another deal, Stein adds (Twitter links). The Raptors are seeking two out of three assets from the Knicks: Shumpert, Hardaway, or a first-rounder, Stein tweets.
3:46pm: The Knicks are refusing to give up a first-round pick, and that’s gumming up the talks between the two teams, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.
3:24pm: The Nets represent the strongest competition to the Knicks for Kyle Lowry among an “ever-growing list of teams” going after the Raptors point guard, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. New York’s latest offer includes Metta World Peace and a 2018 first-round draft pick to go with Raymond Felton, according to Wojnarowski, who indicates that the Knicks are wavering on their willingness to include the pick.
The Raptors are reportedly asking for a quality young player or a first-round pick, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com, who says the price could be too high for Brooklyn’s tastes (Twitter link). Still, Brooklyn’s interest is legitimate, Mannix writes, and Wojnarowski hears the Raptors are investigating Bojan Bogdanovic, a former second-round pick whose rights the Nets hold.
Lowry is apparently interested in heading to New York, and Wojnarowski says he’s spent most of the season hoping for a trade out of Toronto. The Warriors are another team with interest in Lowry, but the odds that the Warriors land him are “very very slim,” according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, who doesn’t think Golden State has much to offer the Raptors (Twitter links). Lowry has fans in the Timberwolves front office, but the team doesn’t have enough assets or financial flexibility, and isn’t in the mix for the point guard, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (on Twitter).
The Knicks can’t trade World Peace until Sunday, since he signed a contract this past offseason. The Raptors would probably buy him out of his two-year, approximately $3.5MM deal if they traded for him, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
Eastern Notes: MKG/CDR, Teague, Kidd, Raptors
According to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, Bobcats forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is ecstatic about the team’s recent addition of Chris Douglas-Roberts, a player who Kidd-Gilchrist idolized while growing up: “It’s so good to have (Douglas-Roberts) here, a dream-come-true for me and him to be on the same team…I never would have thought that in a million years. He’s my favorite player.”
Bonnell also relays what Douglas-Roberts is sharing with the former Kentucky Wildcat:
“(Kidd-Gilchrist) always been a student of the game since he was a little kid…(But) one thing you can’t prepare for is the business of this. I tell him, ‘You’re a basketball player – a good basketball player. Just have a thicker skin…“I told him you have to embrace all the pressure (of being the No. 2 overall pick). Never shy away from it…You want people criticizing you. You want the media talking about you, positively or negatively.”
With that aside, here are some more noteworthy links to pass along out of the Eastern Conference tonight:
- Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution explains why Jeff Teague has been the answer the Hawks have long been looking for at point guard and says it’s no coincidence that he’s flourishing without Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, and Marvin Williams on the team anymore (Subscribers only).
- ESPN’s Chris Broussard asked two NBA executives and a scout to weigh in on Jason Kidd’s struggles as a rookie head coach with the Nets (Insiders only).
- Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun reports that recently-acquired Chuck Hayes, who is known to have a previous heart issue, won’t receive approval to play from team doctors until he undergoes baseline testing with the Cleveland Clinic. Regardless, this isn’t expected to hold up anyone else involved in the Raptors’ deal with the Kings.
- In another piece, Ganter notes Greivis Vasquez‘s excitement at a fresh start as well as his desire to remain in Toronto for the rest of his career.
Atlantic Rumors: Thibodeau, Rivers, Iguodala
The idea that Tom Thibodeau could become the next coach of the Knicks is centered around the notion that friction between Thibodeau and Bulls management would prompt a parting of ways, but such tension has cooled, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Thibodeau, GM Gar Forman and executive vice president John Paxson cleared the air during several meetings early in the offseason, and while they may not be the best of friends, the relationship is “more than just workable,” Cowley writes. Thibodeau had no comment on the Knicks rumor, and with New York beating Chicago last night, it seems Mike Woodson‘s job is safe for at least another day. Here’s the latest on the Knicks’ rivals in the Atlantic Division:
- Amid a return to Boston as coach of the Clippers, Doc Rivers said taking the Celtics job in 2004 was “the best decision I ever made,” HoopsWorld’s Jessica Camerato notes.
- Andre Iguodala was shocked when the Sixers traded him to the Nuggets as part of last year’s four-team Dwight Howard blockbuster, and tells Grantland’s Jonathan Abrams that he wishes the deal hadn’t come while he was competing in the Olympics. Iguodala also shares his frustrations about playing in front of Philly’s notoriously critical fans and says the constant changes to the Sixers during his tenure with the team hurt his game.
- Nerlens Noel might be done for the season, but he and the Sixers are working diligently on improving his shot, as Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer details.
- Nets GM Billy King admits that he was involved in the decision to demote former lead assistant Lawrence Frank, notes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
- Kyle Korver told HoopsHype’s Jorge Sierra that his ties to King, who as Sixers GM 10 years ago swung a deal to acquire him on draft night, were part of the reason he nearly signed with the Nets this summer. Ultimately, Korver says he and his wife decided to stay in Atlanta.
California Rumors: Gay, Kings, Clippers, Warriors
Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee suggests the Kings will engage in extension talks with Rudy Gay if he’s productive and fills the team’s longstanding void at small forward. That’s similar to the stance former Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo took after he acquired him last season, and Colangelo tells Voisin that he thinks Sacramento’s Gay trade signifies the Kings’ clear intention to increase their talent-level, rather than sell off assets. It’s a bit surprising, considering some GMs feel Gay wouldn’t be worthy of even the midlevel exception, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe wrote Monday. There’s more from Voisin’s piece among our glance at California’s teams:
- Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro suggests that his team is indeed lacking enough talent, Voisin notes. “We’re not kidding anybody,” D’Alessandro said before Monday’s victory over the Mavs. “We’re a long way from being a completed product. We have five wins. We need players here.”
- The NBA probably would have allowed the Clippers to acquire Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett as well as Doc Rivers this summer if they hadn’t been so transparent in their attempts to obtain all three at once, several sources tell Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck. Rivers says his job this year would be easier if Pierce and Garnett were around, and Beck hears that Rivers “absolutely” wanted to bring the two former Celtics with him to L.A.
- Rivers explained why the Clippers are ready to add Stephen Jackson and offered a strong hint that the pact will be non-guaranteed, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times passes along. “He’s had his issues. There’s no doubt about it,” Rivers said. “He’s breathing and living and I think if that’s true, you should always give a guy another chance.…The good news is contractually, if it doesn’t work, we’ll walk.”
- Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group bats around a few possible upgrades to the Warriors bench, surmising that GM Bob Myers and company are more likely to look for cheaper options than ones that push them into tax territory.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Pierce, Raptors, Chandler
Today, Adam Silver stated (Twitter link) he would be willing to consider removing divisions from the NBA. If the NBA does so we will no longer be able to claim the Atlantic Division as the most talked about division in the NBA. Until then, the Atlantic Division has made headlines all season with the Nets and Knicks struggles. Those headlines have increased of late with the Raptors and Sixers being active in the early trade market. Looking further into these rumors:
- Thaddeus Young‘s name has once more emerged in trade talk, this time in reference to an Omer Asik deal, but the Sixers forward continues to pay little attention to the chatter, as he tells Christopher A. Vito of the Delaware County Daily Times. John Finger of CSNPhilly.com explains how this trade would work.
- Sixers offseason acquisition Tony Wroten has played well in place of Michael Carter-Williams, but he seems interested in retaining a starting role long term, which could pose a dilemma for Philadelphia, as Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News explains.
- Paul Pierce thinks he could return from his broken hand for Tuesday’s match up with the Celtics, and today he addressed the emotions of perhaps facing his former team as well as his continued faith in the Nets. The 36-year-old also dismissed talk of retiring in the near future. Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com has the details.
- Following the blockbuster Rudy Gay trade, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun explains what the road ahead looks like for GM Masai Ujiri and the Raptors. Wolstat adds the Raptors may be realizing how important it is to get in the top of the lottery for next year’s draft especially with fellow Canadian Andrew Wiggens atop that draft.
- Projecting the next few years for Rudy Gay, Tom Ziller of SBNation compares what the Raptors gave up to acquire Gay versus what the Kings gave up to acquire Gay ten months later. Ziller points out that although the Kings gave up much less than the Raptors did, they will be the loser in this trade in the coming years.
- With the 4-6 week timetable approaching for Knicks‘ center Tyson Chandler to return from his fractured leg, Chandler told reporters this morning he expects to be in the lineup before New Year’s Day. Royce Young of CBSSports.com describes what his return will mean for the Knicks’ rotation.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Atlantic Notes: Kidd, Frank, Rondo, Sixers
An Eastern Conference executive who spoke to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News points to Nets coach Jason Kidd as a prime example of why the Knicks can’t replace Mike Woodson with Allan Houston, a possibility broached earlier this week. Houston, like Kidd, has no previous coaching experience, and “would be a disaster,” in the exec’s opinion. Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:
- Within the previously linked piece, Lawrence writes that he heard Lawrence Frank “regularly honed in on other assistant coaches’ work and often acted like he was in charge,” which was one reason for his re-assignment. Lawrence adds that Kidd won’t really be in trouble unless he gets a fully healthy roster and still struggles to win games.
- Frank has hired attorney David Cornwell, who also represents Jonathan Martin of the Miami Dolphins and Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. As we heard on Wednesday, Frank intended to retain legal counsel to help work out a buyout agreement with the Nets.
- Asked about a report suggesting that Carmelo Anthony had been recruiting him to sign with the Knicks in 2015, Rajon Rondo was bemused, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. “[Steve Smith] must know something that I don’t know,” Rondo said of his old Oak Hill Academy coach, the source of the rumor.
- It looks like Michael Carter-Williams and Nerlens Noel will each be a part of the Sixers‘ future, but Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier-Times wonders if there are any other “keepers” currently on Philadelphia’s roster.
Northwest Rumors: Aldridge, Lillard, Hayward
LaMarcus Aldridge spoke to Jim Rome of CBS Sports Radio this week about the trade rumors that surrounded him this summer, chalking it up to passing frustration, as Ben Golliver of Blazer’s Edge notes in his transcript of the most notable passages.
“It was just me being overly emotional at the time,” Aldridge said. “Nobody wants to lose. I’m in my prime right now. At the time, I was a little emotional about not winning or what not. After I had time to talk to (Blazers GM) Neil (Olshey) and the team, I knew they were going to make some moves, bring some guys in.”
Aldridge is eligible to sign an extension, and when Rome asked whether he’d sign one, Aldridge said he’ll deal with the matter in the offseason. His decision will be a key story next summer, and as we await that, there’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- Damian Lillard, the Blazers‘ other linchpin, doesn’t seem at all reticent about his willingness to commit to the team long-term, judging by his comments to Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune. “I love it here,” Lillard said. “Hopefully this is where I’ll always be. I’m not saying that just to be politically correct. I really hope so. My family likes it here. Hopefully it will be a career-long thing for me.”
- Gordon Hayward discusses this year’s steep increase in his on-court responsibilities with USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt. Hayward professes his love for the team and calls himself a “Jazz guy” in response to a question about his upcoming restricted free agency.
- Brian Shaw had been passed over multiple times for head coaching jobs, but before landing his Denver gig this summer he was confident he’d wind up with the Nuggets, Nets or Clippers, tweets Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
New York Links: Carmelo, Shumpert, Kidd
Knicks fans have had little to celebrate this year, but they can point to last night’s blowout of the crosstown Nets for intra-city bragging rights. They may also glean some hope from today’s report that Carmelo Anthony believes he can convince Rajon Rondo to come to New York, since recruitment of Rondo, who isn’t a free agent until 2015, would seem to signal that Anthony wants to stick around New York for the long term. Here’s more on New York’s teams:
- Newsday’s Al Iannazzone speculates that the Knicks could trade Anthony if they believe he’ll leave in free agency, but I’d be shocked if New York counted itself out of this summer’s Anthony sweepstakes before it even began.
- The Knicks will have a tough time contending even if Anthony re-signs, writes Chris Mannix of SI.com, who believes a parting of ways would be best for both player and team.
- The struggles of the Nets and Knicks suggest the provisions in the collective bargaining agreement designed to protect small-market teams are working, fellow SI.com scribe Ian Thomsen observes. The failure of Brooklyn’s aging stars may dissuade other teams from copying the Nets’ approach, Thomsen adds.
- Iman Shumpert‘s resurgent play could make the Knicks less inclined to trade him, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
- The Nets made Jason Kidd aware of all the consequences of demoting former lead assistant coach Lawrence Frank, including the negative perception it would entail for the franchise, a source tells ESPNNewYork.com columnist Ian O’Connor. The result is that the pressure is squarely on Kidd now, O’Connor writes.
- There’s plenty of blame on both sides of the Kidd/Frank saga, opines Dave D’Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger.
- P.J. Carlesimo, the coach of last year’s Nets, is optimistic this year’s Brooklyn team can turn it around, as he tells D’Alessandro.
Eastern Links: Rose, Sanders, Anderson
Derrick Rose was asked to comment on the idea that the Bulls should look to move on without him after his latest injury, and he had this to say: “What do you mean?…You can be a fool if you want to…I know I’m going to be alright…I know I am (going to be the same player). A better player…If anything, this should even me out. When I think about it, the injury, I just turned and this happened, kind of like a freak accident. I put all I had into coming back and if this was to happen 10 more times I’d be able to deal with it” (Sam Smith of Bulls.com).
Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:
- Earlier today, we made note that Rose wouldn’t rule out a return to the court if he managed to get healthy in time for the postseason. On the other hand, head coach Tom Thibodeau didn’t seem willing to entertain the thought of looking that far ahead: “To me, he’s out for the season…If something changes along the way…We want him to be completely healthy before he moves forward…We can’t worry about whether he may come back. Right now, it’s been determined that he’s out for the season, so that’s the way we’re going to approach it” (Sean Highkin of USA Today).
- In responding to one of his Twitter followers, Steve Kyler of Hoopsworld said that the notion of dealing Larry Sanders for a lottery pick next year would not even be a consideration (Twitter link).
- Keith Pompey of Philly.com talks about how James Anderson has excelled in his reserve role as of late after beginning the season as a starter for the 76ers.
- We’ve relayed quite a bit from the Knicks and Nets this evening, and five ESPN writers decided to chime in on why both teams have been playing poorly, who has the hotter seat between Mike Woodson and Jason Kidd, which team will be worse in April, and which has a rougher future ahead.
- Hawks GM Danny Ferry voiced his support for Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, telling FOX Sports Ohio’s Sam Amico: “(Brown’s) a relentless worker and a quality, high character person. He is a good teacher and holds players accountable. His will and passion for defense will always give any team a strong chance to be successful. This will have such a strong impact for a team establishing a foundation for years to come.”
- There may have been a chorus of boos for Kidd tonight at the Barclays Center during the pre-game introductions, but the Nets coach gets a vote of confidence from his former teammate J.R. Smith: “Criticism is going to come…He’s a first-year coach and he’s a great basketball mind. Just unfortunately, he’s going through it early. Some coaches have success early, some struggle early. He just happens to be struggling right now…I think he’s the best fit for that job and he knows how to get out of it. He’s got a great core of vets, so he’ll be fine” (Roderick Boone of Newsday).
- The Celtics sit atop the Atlantic Division, but the team isn’t letting their early success get to their head and remains focused on continuing to work hard (Marc D’Amico of Celtics.com).