Indiana Pacers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Jackson, Varnado, Ainge

March 13th, 2014 at 12:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Early-season fear that the Atlantic Division champion wouldn’t deserve its automatic high seeding in the playoffs has subsided, with the Raptors holding the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. The fast-charging Nets are three games back, but the most compelling stories out of the Atlantic seem to come from the teams that are below .500. Here’s news on the Knicks, Sixers and Celtics:

A source tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that Phil Jackson plans to live “in New York 35% of the time and make it look like 50%” (Twitter link). In contrast, Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck hears from Jackson confidants who say he wouldn’t be taking the Knicks job if he didn’t intend to move to the Big Apple.
Analytics fascinate Jackson, who’ll probably further the use of advanced metrics in a Knicks front office that’s been slow to adopt them, Beck writes in the same piece.
Sixers coach Brett Brown is enamored with Jarvis Varnado, and it’s because of his defense, observes Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News. The Sixers, who signed Varnado on Wednesday to a multiyear contract, give up the third most points per possession in the league, according to NBA.com.
Pacers coach Frank Vogel believes the Celtics provide the right environment for friend Brad Stevens. Vogel is particularly high on president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, saying he’s “at the top of that list” of executives a coach would want to work for. Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald has the details.

Eastern Notes: Noel, Maxiell, Bird

March 12th, 2014 at 8:22pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jason Maxiell hasn’t played in the Magic’s last nine games and has only one appearance since January 29th, but he’s trying to maintain a positive outlook, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Maxiell stated, “I’m respecting that this is a year for the young guys to develop and improve for next year. With the coaching staff and [general manager] Rob [Hennigan] and [assistant general manager] Scott Perry, I think more of the bigger picture is moving forward for next year and having a mixture of experienced young guys mixed in with some vets.” Robbins mentions that the lack of playing time could hurt Maxiell in the long run because of his contract. He signed a free-agent contract with the Magic during the offseason, and his salary of $2.5MM for next year is non-guaranteed and he won’t be owed anything if the team waives him before mid-July.

Eastern Notes: Bulls, Pacers, Hawks

March 12th, 2014 at 6:06pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the Pacers going through a bit of a rough patch, team president Larry Bird expressed his frustration with the team’s players and coach Frank Vogel to Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star. “I’m sort of going to Frank’s side because he’s had so much success by staying positive,” Bird said. “We do have to stay the course. But I also think he’s got to start going after guys when they’re not doing what they’re supposed to do. And stay on them, whether you’ve got to take them out of the game when they’re not doing what they’re supposed to do or limit their minutes. I will say, he hasn’t done that enough.”

Spurs Made Late Push To Trade For Evan Turner

March 12th, 2014 at 8:32am CST by Chuck Myron

The Spurs made a deadline-day effort to trade for Evan Turner before the Sixers sent him to the Pacers instead, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. A rival executive made public mention the Spurs as a possible destination for Turner a couple of weeks in advance of the deadline, but aside from that, there wasn’t much chatter connecting San Antonio to the former No. 2 overall pick.

Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird told Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star shortly after the deadline that he didn’t think the Sixers were able to find a team willing to give up a first-round pick for Turner, the asset Philadelphia was seeking. The Sixers instead wound up with Danny Granger, whom they later waived in a buyout agreement, and a 2015 second-round pick. It’s unclear exactly what the Spurs offered, but since Philly is left with only a second-rounder to show for Turner at this point, the Sixers might have been better off dealing with San Antonio.

The only deadline move the Spurs made was swapping Nando De Colo to the Raptors for Austin Daye. San Antonio was also in the mix to acquire Granger after he bought his way off the Sixers, but he signed with the Clippers instead. Still, the Spurs sit atop the NBA with a 47-16 record, a half-game ahead of Turner and the Pacers. Turner will become a free agent at season’s end, and if Indiana’s wary that Turner might accept a qualifying offer of more than $8.7MM for next season, the Pacers may decline to make that tender and turn him into an unrestricted free agent. The report linking San Antonio to Turner early last month suggested that the Spurs might have been just as interested in acquiring him via free agency as they were in trading for him at the deadline.

Eastern Rumors: Knicks, Gortat, Pacers, Rondo

March 10th, 2014 at 2:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

Carmelo Anthony‘s camp leaked the information about Joakim Noah‘s All-Star break recruiting pitch, and the Knicks have been open about their pursuit of Phil Jackson, observes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Deveney concludes the whispers from both sides are intended as posturing for ‘Melo’s free agency decision this summer. While we wait to see how the latest ‘Melo-drama will play out, here’s the latest from the rest of the Eastern Conference:

Marcin Gortat says the strength of a team’s point guard and its coaching staff will be two qualities he’ll consider when he assesses suitors in free agency this summer, as he tells Kyle Weidie of ESPN.com. Gortat is high on re-signing with the Wizards, though his comments suggest he isn’t interested in signing an extension, reportedly one of Washington’s goals.
The Pacers were concerned that Danny Granger had slacked off on the daily rehab regimen that was to help him regain his form after he missed almost all of last season with injuries, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. That helped precipitate the deadline deal that brought Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen to Indiana, but Kyler wonders if the departure of the longtime Pacer did irreparable damage to the team’s chemistry.
Danny Ainge embraces Rajon Rondo, stubbornness and all, as the Celtics president of basketball operations tells Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe for a piece that examines Rondo’s nuanced personality.

Eastern Notes: Bradley, Bynum, Liggins

March 9th, 2014 at 8:01pm CST by Zachary Links

Celtics guard Avery Bradley missed 32 games last season recovering from shoulder surgery and 16 this season with an ankle injury, but he’s not worried about that affecting his value as he nears restricted free agency, writes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. “I think I’ve [proven my worth] throughout this year because you can’t really control something like [the ankle],” he said. “But the last 16 games or whatever that I come back, I am going to go out there and play hard. This is a game I love to play. We need to go out there and prove to our fans and to ourselves we’re going to fight no matter what.” More out of the East..

Pacers big man Andrew Bynum says he’s “probably at 80% but good enough to go,” tweets Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star. Even if Bynum isn’t 100%, it sounds like he’ll be making his Pacers debut sometime soon.
DeAndre Liggins played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the D-League today and will rejoin the Heat in time for Miami game Monday night, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Liggins who was signed to a second 10-day contract on March 8th, has appeared in one game for Miami, scoring two points and grabbing one rebound. The Heat confirmed the news via press release.
The Raptors announced that they have recalled rookie Dwight Buycks from the Bakersfield Jam. The guard is averaging 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 28.8 minutes in eight games (two starts) with the Jam. Buycks has appeared in 13 games for the Raptors this season recording 41 points, 10 assists, 20 rebounds and six steals in 124 minutes.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: LeBron, George, Billups, Thornton

March 6th, 2014 at 10:53pm CST by Charlie Adams

As tonight’s NBA action begins to wind down, let’s take a look at a few tidbits from around the Eastern Conference..

The Heat and Pacers might be fighting for the top seed in the East, but LeBron James is still open to the idea of mentoring Paul George in the offseason, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. George had expressed interest in the possibility of learning anything he could from James this summer to Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders.
The Pistons are no strangers to losing this season, and Chauncey Billups doesn’t think some of his teammates are bothered by their poor play, writes Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. “The thing I hate, to be honest with you, is that losing don’t really hurt to a lot of our guys,” Billups said. “People don’t take it personal, and if you don’t, people will beat you every night. Because everybody needs a win, no matter if you’re on a winning streak or losing streak.”
Sacramento was looking to move Marcus Thornton all season long, and the Nets are happy to have acquired him. Thornton has averaged 13.4 points in just 23 minutes per contest over five games. Brian Lewis of the New York Post breaks down Thornton’s game and explores the value he’s brought to Brooklyn so far.
With Derrick Rose sidelined, the Bulls have had to rely on more production from Joakim Noah. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times thinks Rose’s absence has forced all of the players on the team to improve.

Eastern Notes: Dumars, Turner, Rondo

March 5th, 2014 at 10:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Matt Moore of CBSSports.com looks at a recent report from Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report about the future of Joe Dumars in Detroit. Dumars is weary of the criticism he has received in trying to rebuild the Pistons after constructing a franchise that went to the Eastern Conference Finals six years in a row. The criticism fails to account for the dismal Detroit economy and restraints placed on Dumars while the team was up for sale and changing ownership, as Bucher notes, and Moore points to the success the team had early in Dumars’ tenure. Still, Moore advocates for a change. The Pistons are currently 24-36, three games out of the 8th spot in the East.

Odds & Ends: Wade, Colangelo, Deng

March 3rd, 2014 at 3:19pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat seem to be chief in Dwyane Wade‘s mind as he eyes his early termination option this summer, but the decision won’t necessarily be straightforward, as he tells TNT’s David Aldridge, who shared Wade’s thoughts in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com.

“Well, I want to be here,” Wade said. “I think that’s always the things I’ve always said and I’ve always expressed. And after that, I want to win. I don’t want to be in a situation where I’m starting over and I’m rebuilding. I want to win. And I want to be on a team that has an opportunity to do that, and feel like I’m a big part of that. This is where I want to be. But as players, [having] options is good. Because you don’t know what is to happen or what is to come. So for us, I think we’re in a great situation. Guys have options as players, and they can exercise those options. Who knows what that means? But right now, for us, we’re on a very good team. We enjoy each other. We enjoy this city and we enjoy playing for this organization, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”

Here’s more from Aldridge’s piece and other news from around the league:

Bryan Colangelo spoke with Aldridge and attempted to walk back his comments from Friday in which he said he tried to tank as GM of the Raptors in 2011/12.
The Pacers reportedly spoke with the Cavs about Luol Deng before the trade deadline, but Andrew Perna of RealGM hears Indiana had no interest in the soon-to-be free agent (Twitter link).
The Rockets have recalled Troy Daniels from the D-League, the team announced via Twitter. Daniels had been with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers before the Rockets signed him last month. Houston immediately assigned him back there after inking the deal, which is for the minimum salary, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes in an update to the team’s salary page.

Granger On Free Agency, Rivers, Clippers

March 1st, 2014 at 11:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Clippers recently signed Danny Granger for the remainder of the season after he had been reached a buyout agreement with the Sixers. Granger had been acquired by the team in the trade that sent Evan Turner to the Pacers. Granger had his introductory press conference prior to this evening’s game against the Pelicans, and Brandon Ehrlich of NBA.com transcribed the entire conference. Here are some of the highlights:

What made you choose here with the Clippers?

“Number one, I’ve always liked the style that Doc [Rivers] coaches. I’m not saying I don’t like Pop [Gregg Popovich]’s style or Spo [Erik Spoelstra]’s style. I just think [with] this team, I can have the biggest impact, and feel like they’ve got a role.”

How do you think that you help the Clippers?

“If you look at the way they play…they get the ball up fast, they space the court, they shoot a lot of threes, that’s the optimal type of system. That’s the type of system that I would probably thrive in. That’s the system I have thrived in, in the past. And believe it or not, playing that way… I think all of the players want to play that way. Everybody gets their shots, no one’s upset about this or that. It’s just, you play, you have fun, and you win.”

Since you live in LA, and I know that [you have] an expiring contract, would you be open to signing a contract to play in LA?

“Definitely. I’ve always loved LA. Like I said, this city… I’m so familiar with it. It would be a dream to play here, honestly.”

What do you tell the doubters out there who say, “Hey, Danny Granger hasn’t been the same in two years”?

“I haven’t played in two years. I don’t let it bother me. This year, early in Indiana, I was coming back. I had hurt my calf. I had to lay it off for a year. It doesn’t bother me. I know I’m getting healthy, and I’m really healthy right now. And I know what I’m capable of. I’ve never been the one to even read the media. Even when I would have a great game, I didn’t read. When I had a bad game I didn’t read. You know, it just keeps you more even-keeled.”

Danny, having been a starter, do you feel like that would be your best role on the team, or can you adapt if Doc says you’re more effective off of the bench? Or do you think you’re a starter?

“Well, I’ve always been a starter in my career. But, to [make a] point on that now, coming to a new team, we have 25-26 games [remaining in the regular season]. Whatever role Doc sees fit for me is the one that I will do. I’m not one of those players that says, ‘I have to do this, or I have to do that.’ I just want to play, have fun, shoot some threes, throw some lobs, and go celebrate.“