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Knicks Rumors: Bryant, Anthony, Vujacic, Calderon

November 8th, 2015 at 10:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Carmelo Anthony thinks Kobe Bryant should retire as a Laker, regardless of rumors ignited by Knicks president Phil Jackson, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. “I don’t see why he would at this late stage of his career — go all these years with the Lakers to spend one year with another team,” Anthony said. “I think it’s a bigger picture when it comes down to your legacy and things like that. At this stage, that’s what matters — how you carry out your legacy.” Jackson speculated in September that Bryant may go elsewhere as a free agent next season, but Bryant denied that on Friday, proclaiming himself to be “a Laker for life.”

There’s more out of New York:

  • Offseason addition Sasha Vujacic is already in danger of losing his place in the starting lineup, Berman writes in a separate story. The 31-year-old, who had played just two NBA games over the past three seasons before making the Knicks’ roster, has been stuck in a shooting slump, connecting on just 30.4% from the floor and 18.2% from three-point range.  “You go through ups and downs in the season and mine came very soon,” Vujacic said. “I’m going through a slump. It’s not a secret anymore. They’re not going in.” Berman reports starting point guard Jose Calderon is also in danger of being replaced, with Langston Galloway, Jerian Grant and Derrick Williams all candidates to join the starting lineup. Arron Afflalo is expected to return from injury this week.
  • A change in the backcourt is needed, contends Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. He notes that Calderon ranks 65th out of 66 point guards in John Hollinger’s NBA Player Rankings, and Vujacic is 46th out of 66 at shooting guard.
  • The Knicks are off to a 2-4 start, but Anthony told Ian Begley of ESPN.com he is willing to be patient with the rebuilding process. New York overhauled its roster during the offseason, and Anthony thinks the changes will be beneficial because of the new players’ work ethic. “If you’re out there by yourself fighting and competing and just trying to do everything by yourself and you feel like nobody else is with you, then that’s a dagger right there,” Anthony said. “… But when you know you have guys out there working with you, that are willing to get better, willing to put the work in, actually putting the work in to get better — individually and as a team — it makes that process easy.”
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Western Notes: Bryant, Lakers, Spurs

November 7th, 2015 at 10:41pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Kobe Bryant appears to be leaning toward retirement at the end of the year, but he hasn’t made a decision just yet, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. “If you asked me today, this would be my last year. But you never know,” Bryant said. “We’ll keep it open. Whatever happens, happens.” Regardless of when the five time NBA champion decides to retire, he has no desire to get into coaching. “I don’t feel like dealing with divas,” Bryant said jokingly.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference

  • The Lakers passed on Kristaps Porzingis in part because of how long they thought it would take him to develop, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. “[Porzingis] really didn’t show any fear. We just thought it would take him some time,” coach Byron Scott said. “Obviously we’re a little wrong about that. He’s playing pretty well right now.”
  • The Spurs are taking a hands-off approach to integrating LaMarcus Aldridge into their system, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News writes. “We still haven’t coached him much,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “We just watch him.” San Antonio is using the same strategy that the team employed with Tim Duncan during the 1997/98 campaign. “Coaching [Duncan] didn’t seem too smart to me,” Popovich said. “If there’s something you might add to his game, you do it after you’ve seen what he does naturally.” 
  • The Spurs have assigned Jonathon Simmons to their D-League affiliate in Austin, the team announced. This is the first D-League assignment of the season for San Antonio. You can keep track of all of the D-League assignments and recalls made during the 2015/16 campaign here.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

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Los Angeles Notes: Bryant, D-League, Russell

November 7th, 2015 at 2:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kobe Bryant hasn’t gone on record about his plans for next season, but he remains adamant that he’ll never play for another NBA team besides the Lakers, Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com relays. “I’ve said it so many times. I’m here, I’m a Laker for life,” Bryant said Friday night. “I’m not playing anywhere else, no matter what. It’s just not going to happen. I bleed purple and gold, and that’s just how it’s going to be.”

Bryant, who is in the final year of his deal with the Lakers, was addressing some comments made by Phil Jackson, his former coach, and current president of the Knicks, Holmes notes. Back in September, Jackson had said, “I don’t think it’s his last year. It sounds like it may be his last year as a Laker.” Kobe made light of Jackson’s remarks, adding, “That’s Phil baiting you [members of the media] like he always does. He’s a master at it.”

Here’s more from L.A.:

  • It was a mild surprise when the Clippers announced that Branden Dawson and C.J. Wilcox were assigned to the D-League this week, considering that executive/coach Doc Rivers had been on record as being hesitant about sending players down to the D-League without the Clippers having an affiliate of their own. Rivers explained his change in thinking to Rowan Kavner of NBA.com, saying, “We’re sending them to the right place. We talked to them beforehand, we tried to identify somebody that plays somewhat similar offensively to us. The Phoenix group came and it was good.“
  • Rivers also told Kavner that it was possible that the Clippers could have their own D-League affiliate at some point in the near future, though there are no plans in the works currently. “We haven’t even decided if we’re going to get one yet,” Rivers said. “But it doesn’t take long to get one.“
  • Lakers coach Byron Scott is preaching patience with D’Angelo Russell, the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, notes Bill Oram of The Orange County Register. “He’s learning,” Scott said of Russell. “I wouldn’t say ‘struggling.’ He’s learning, and that’s what people got to understand, that this is a 19-year-old kid. Even I sit back at times and say, ‘Wait a minute guys, he’s 19. We got to cut him some slack, this is all new to him.’ But fans and people they don’t understand that.”
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2015/16 Salary Cap: Los Angeles Lakers

November 7th, 2015 at 10:20am CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA’s salary cap for 2015/16 has been set at $70MM, which is an 11% increase from this past season, and the luxury tax line will be $84.74MM. The last cap projection from the league had been $67.1MM, and the projection for the tax line had been $81.6MM.

With the October 26th cutoff date to set regular season rosters now past, we at Hoops Rumors are in the process of running down the current salary cap commitments for each NBA franchise for the 2015/16 campaign. Here’s the cap breakdown for the Los Angeles Lakers, whose regular season roster can be viewed here:

  • 2015/16 Salary Cap= $70,000,000
  • 2015/16 Luxury Tax Line= $84,740,000
  • Fully Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $69,453,002
  • Partially Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $194,942*
  • Non-Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $2,317,428
  • Total Salary Cap Commitments= $71,965,372
  • Remaining Cap Room= -$1,965,372
  • Amount Below Luxury Tax Line= $12,222,717

*Note: This amount includes the $100,00 owed to Jonathan Holmes, the $50,000 due Michael Frazier, the $35,000 owed to Robert Upshaw, and the $9,942 salary already paid to Jabari Brown, all of whom were waived by the team.

Cap Exceptions Available:

  • Room Exception= $2,814,000

Cash Available to Send Out In Trades= $3,400,000

Cash Available to Receive Via Trade= $3,400,000

Last updated: 11/7/15 @ 10:20am

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

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Pacific Notes: Rondo, Ezeli, Price

November 6th, 2015 at 8:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Kings‘ top priority in free agency this past offseason was Rajon Rondo, who was viewed as the perfect fit on a young Sacramento squad, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports writes. “I knew he was going to be available,” Vlade Divac, the Kings’ president of basketball and franchise operations, told Spears. “He was my first choice when I went after some free agents. Honestly, we weren’t a perfect destination in free agency and that was something we could take advantage of. He works well for us. We have things to turn around. I was very honest with him. I knew people were talking. But this is a great opportunity not only for him, but for us. Honestly, we were probably the first ones to approach. Everyone was scared. I wasn’t. As a player, I knew what he could do.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • Festus Ezeli hasn’t played much during his time with the Warriors, but an injury to Andrew Bogut is giving him a chance at spot starts this season, and he’s making the most of the playing time he’s getting, as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group examines. The rim protector is showing off the strides he’s made as he’s poised for restricted free agency, with extension talks breaking down before Monday’s deadline.
  • Ronnie Price‘s affection for his time with the Lakers last season is clear, but he instead wound up signing this summer with Phoenix, where coach Jeff Hornacek says he’s been impressed with him since their days together with the Jazz, as Matt Petersen of Suns.com details. “Ronnie’s always been on our list,” Hornacek said. “He’s that veteran guy who understands what his role is. He plays hard in practice. You put him in the game, he’ll be the guy that’s picking guys up full-court. I like that energy.”
  • The Clippers could have a D-League team by next season if they want to, but coach/executive Doc Rivers isn’t sure whether that’s the choice they’ll make, tweets Dan Woike of the Orange County Register. The Clips are one of 11 teams without an affiliate this season but, with the Hornets and Nets already with deals to start their own affiliates and the Bulls not far behind, they’re part of a quickly shrinking group of holdouts. The Clippers, Hawks and Wizards are among the teams close to starting D-League teams, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt (Twitter link).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Atlantic Notes: McConnell, Ellington, Young

November 6th, 2015 at 12:47pm CST by Chuck Myron
T.J. McConnell has delivered the most surprising performance of the season so far, as the undrafted Sixers rookie sits fifth in the league at 8.0 assists per game through four games so far, observes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Still, as Pompey notes, Sixers coach Brett Brown isn’t getting carried away and isn’t promising that the 23-year-old from the University of Arizona will keep his newfound starting spot when Tony Wroten and Kendall Marshall return from injury.
“But right now, what you realize is we really tripped on a really good young player,” Brown said. “Now, it’s early days. But to say that we are not excited from what we’ve seen so far would be completely not true.”
See more from around the Atlantic Division:
  • The proximity of Brooklyn to his native Philadelphia “played a huge role” in Wayne Ellington‘s decision to sign with the Nets this summer, he told Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News Group. The move was also thrust upon the shooting guard to a degree, since Lakers prioritized signing others instead of re-signing him, Medina points out. Ellington and his family suffered through the loss of his father, who was murdered in Philadelphia last year, as Medina recounts.
  • James Young isn’t discouraged about his latest trip to the D-League, an early-season assignment that’s already the 12th of his career, as the 20-year-old points to his status as the youngest player on the Celtics, notes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Young, the 17th overall draft pick in 2014, still hasn’t won a spot in the NBA rotation. “Ultimately to play on our team, you have to beat out the people in front of you,” coach Brad Stevens said. “And that’s the reality of the situation.”
  • The Knicks are just 2-3, but with the play of rookies Kristaps Porzingis and Jerian Grant, plus the continued success Langston Galloway is having on his partially guaranteed contract, the Knicks have hope for the future, observes Zach Braziller of the New York Post.
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Pacific Notes: Kerr, Crawford, Teletovic, Lakers

November 5th, 2015 at 10:03am CST by Chuck Myron

One Warriors player told ESPN’s J.A. Adande he wouldn’t be surprised if Steve Kerr is out until after the All-Star break, as Adande passed along as the sideline reporter for the network’s coverage of Golden State’s win Wednesday over the Clippers (transcription via James Herbert of CBSSports.com). Kerr told Adande that he’s still dealing with headaches and remains heavily medicated as he tries to recover from back surgery. The Warriors haven’t missed a beat under interim coach Luke Walton, who’s steered the team to a 5-0 record and dominant performances. See more from the Pacific:

  • Jamal Crawford is seeing decreased minutes this season as expected, but he’s still OK with that, observes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. Crawford, a subject of trade rumors this summer with the Heat, Cavs and Knicks reportedly having shown interest, wasn’t present when many of the Clippers traveled to persuade DeAndre Jordan to renege on his decision to bolt to the Mavericks, and when asked why, he said, “I can’t answer that,” according to Bresnahan. However, Crawford did allude to a pro-am tournament that he hosted the same day, Bresnahan points out.
  • Offseason signees Sonny Weems and Mirza Teletovic have underwhelming numbers thus far for the Suns, observes Zach Buchanan of the Arizona Republic. Weems feels his defense and decisions have been solid even though he’s yet to score much, while Teletovic thinks a lack of playing time has affected his 3-point accuracy, which is at 25% for the season after Wednesday’s game. “You can’t expect me to come in and score three threes in two minutes,” Teletovic said prior to Wednesday’s game, as Buchanan relays. “It’s tough. You’re not in rhythm. Obviously coming in in the fourth quarter and stuff like that is really tough. I’m trying, but I’m still working.”
  • The Lakers are hoping they can balance winning with player development this season, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News told us for a recent edition of The Beat, and coach Byron Scott acknowledges that it’s his job to do both, as Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com relays. The 0-4 Lakers start a five-game road trip Friday at the Nets. “I’m not always thinking about necessarily developing them,” Scott said of his young players. “I’m always thinking about trying to win. I’m always thinking about trying to win. The development part comes secondary to that, but in practice and everything is where you really work on the development part.”
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Pacific Notes: Russell, Barnes, Ezeli, World Peace

November 4th, 2015 at 10:03am CST by Chuck Myron

Lakers coach Byron Scott didn’t think Emmanuel Mudiay was a true point guard as the draft approached, and the coach questioned his decision-making, but Mudiay dismisses it as just “another human’s opinion,” writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Mudiay delivered 10 assists, albeit with six turnovers, in Denver’s win Tuesday over the Lakers, leading him to retort, “Thank you Byron Scott for saying I’m not a point guard,” tweets Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Mudiay played down the stretch of the close game while D’Angelo Russell, whom the Lakers took with the No. 2 overall pick instead of Mudiay, sat on the bench. That left Russell searching for answers, observes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

“I have no idea,” Russell said about how he can convince Scott he’s worthy of crunch-time minutes. “It’s just something I’ve got to deal with.”

Scott insists Russell will have his opportunities, though Russell wasn’t in the mood to compare himself to Mudiay, calling him “just another player,” as Bill Oram of the Orange County Register relays (Twitter links). See more on the Lakers amid the latest from the Pacific Division:

  • The Warriors failed to reach extensions with Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli before Monday’s deadline, but Barnes and Ezeli are fond of their surroundings and GM Bob Myers remains committed to finding a way to keep them, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports details. “We worked hard to get both [deals] done, but we weren’t able to,” Myers said to Spears. “We made a good effort. They looked hard at what we proposed. Ultimately, they decided to see what the market was in July, which is fine. We will work just as hard then to try to work something out.”
  • Metta World Peace, who’s on a non-guaranteed deal, has yet to appear in any games for the Lakers so far, but he’s OK with that, he tells Bresnahan. “It’s about looking at your surroundings, what you’re presented with, how you’re going to take that and become successful,” World Peace said. “How can I help the organization? How can I help myself? How can I help the guys? I’m just locked in. I’m focused on improving and winning. The minute you focus on something else, it’s a problem.”
  • Caron Butler has averaged 12 minutes per game in three appearances for the Kings so far, but like World Peace on the Lakers, Butler’s offseason signing was in large measure for his experience and locker room presence, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee examines.
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Western Notes: Mudiay, Davis, West

November 3rd, 2015 at 10:24pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Lakers coach Byron Scott thinks Nuggets rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay will be “pretty good,” but he had concerns about his three-point shooting and wasn’t as high on him coming into the draft as he was on D’Angelo Russell, whom the Lakers picked second overall, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Discussing what stood out about Russell leading up to the draft, Scott said, “His workouts were extremely good. You saw the leadership qualities that he had. You saw the ability to pass the ball and make other guys better, the ability to get to the basket and the ability to knock down 3s, open jump shots and off-the-dribble shots. He had the total package offensively. Defensively, the one thing I thought he did was he competed.”

Here’s more from out of the Western Conference:

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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NBA Teams Designate Affiliate Players

November 3rd, 2015 at 4:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

NBA teams cut as much as 25% of their rosters at the end of the preseason, but franchises that have D-League affiliates have a way to maintain ties to many of the players they release from the NBA roster. An NBA team can claim the D-League rights to up to four of the players it waives, as long as the players clear waivers, consent to join the D-League, and don’t already have their D-League rights owned by another team. These are known as affiliate players, as our Hoops Rumors Glossary entry details.

NBA teams allocated 46 affiliate players to the D-League at the beginning of the season last year, and this year, that number has risen to 56, according to the list the D-League announced today. These players are going directly to the D-League affiliate of the NBA team that cut them and weren’t eligible for the D-League draft that took place Saturday. Teams that designated fewer than the maximum four affiliate players retain the ability to snag the D-League rights of players they waive during the regular season, but for now, this is the complete list:

Boston Celtics (Maine Red Claws)

Cleveland Cavaliers (Canton Charge)

Dallas Mavericks (Texas Legends)

Detroit Pistons (Grand Rapids Drive)

Golden State Warriors (Santa Cruz Warriors)

Houston Rockets (Rio Grande Valley Vipers)

Indiana Pacers (Fort Wayne Mad Ants)

Los Angeles Lakers (Los Angeles D-Fenders)

Memphis Grizzlies (Iowa Energy)

Miami Heat (Sioux Falls Skyforce)

New York Knicks (Westchester Knicks)

Oklahoma City Thunder (Oklahoma City Blue)

Orlando Magic (Erie BayHawks)

Philadelphia 76ers (Delaware 87ers)

Phoenix Suns (Bakersfield Jam)

Sacramento Kings (Reno Bighorns)

San Antonio Spurs (Austin Spurs)

Toronto Raptors (Raptors 905)

Utah Jazz (Idaho Stampede)

Also, several players who were on NBA preseason rosters are on D-League rosters through means other than the affiliate player rule. Most of them played under D-League contracts at some point within the last two years, meaning their D-League teams have returning player rights to them. Others entered through last weekend’s D-League draft, while others saw their D-League rights conveyed via trade. Most of these players aren’t with the D-League affiliate of the NBA team they were with last month, with a few exceptions.

Roster information from Adam Johnson of D-League Digest, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor and freelancer and Hoops Rumors contributor Mark Porcaro was used in the creation of this post.

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