Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Fournier, Green, Young

December 8th, 2015 at 2:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Evan Fournier‘s camp sought significantly more than $10MM a year in extension talks this fall, sources told Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. The Bouna Ndiaye client turned down a four-year, $32MM offer from Orlando, as Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reported earlier. The Magic might wish they’d upped the number in their proposal, Lowe opines, believing that the team’s decision to bench former No. 2 overall pick Victor Oladipo is, at its simplest, because Fournier is a better player and better option for the Magic as a starting two guard than Oladipo is. See more from the Eastern Conference:

Gerald Green drew criticism for his defense from Suns coach Jeff Hornacek last season, but the Heat signed him in large measure because they saw potential in him for that end of the floor, and the 29-year-old has embraced that part of the game, as Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post details. He wants to parlay his performance on a one-year, minimum-salary deal into a long-term contract with the Heat, Lieser writes. “I’m trying to find a home, and can’t Miami be my home?” he said. “That’s where my intentions are. So what is a Miami Heat requirement? To D-up. I know if I want to be here the rest of my career, [forget] offense. I gotta D up. That’s where my mind is at.”
Frequent D-League assignee James Young had perhaps his best NBA game Monday against New Orleans, an auspicious sign for the development of last year’s 17th overall pick, and it wouldn’t have happened if not for Celtics coach Brad Stevens, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. It was Stevens who decided to cut short Young’s latest D-League assignment Friday, believing he might need him for depth purposes with R.J. Hunter out.
The Sixers have assigned Carl Landry and Christian Wood to the D-League, as Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com relays via Twitter. It’s a rehab assignment for Landry as he continues to make his way back from a right wrist injury, Seltzer notes, and he’s not expected to play any games for the Delaware 87ers, the Sixers affiliate, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Eastern Notes: Pistons, Raptors, Heat

December 6th, 2015 at 9:27pm CST by Will Joseph

This is only Reggie Jackson‘s first season as a full-time starter so it is conceivable that the 25-year-old still has plenty of room to grow, which bodes well for the Pistons, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports writes. The Pistons surprised many when they locked up Jackson for five years and $80MM, but if Detroit signs Andre Drummond to another contract, Zillgitt adds, they will have their point guard-center combo for the future. Jackson has impressed this season by averaging 20.1 points and 6.6 assists per game.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Goran Dragic is feeling more comfortable in the Heat‘s offense, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel details. From the Heat’s perspective, that is likely a relief considering Miami re-signed the point guard to a five-year, $90MM deal in the summer. “Of course it’s more fun,” Dragic said of his recent string of solid play, per Winderman. “Even my body language is a little bit different. I’m smiling on the court. I’m enjoying. And that’s the most important thing, try to enjoy and at the same time play hard. As long as the team is winning, it’s all good.”
Lucas Nogueira is playing well in limited minutes lately for the Raptors, his fourth team in two years, and his opportunity will likely continue because Jonas Valanciunas isn’t expected back this month, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca writes. The Raptors picked up their 2016/17 team option in September on the rookie scale contract of Nogueira.

Southeast Notes: Hardaway, Whiteside, Heat Picks

December 6th, 2015 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Hawks have no complaints about Tim Hardaway Jr.‘s performance, even though he was assigned to the D-League this week, writes Chris Vivlamore of The Journal-Constitution. Hardaway, who was acquired in an offseason deal with the Knicks, has appeared in just four games for Atlanta, averaging 2.5 points, but coach Mike Budenholzer said the third-year guard has maintained a good attitude. “He has been great,” Budenholzer said. “The way that he has attacked and worked – before practice, after practice, the weight room, his conditioning, getting stronger, all those things. I think he is understanding some of the things we are doing defensively. I’m very happy with his approach to everything.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

It took Heat center Hassan Whiteside several years to make his mark in the NBA, but he tells Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post that he never doubted it would happen someday. After two seasons out of the league, Whiteside became a force in the middle after signing with Miami last season. “No, I never wondered if it was going to work out,” he said. “I just kept praying on it, and you just kind of hope for the best. I look at things day-by-day. I just feel like, you look at things in the short-term and they don’t seem as long. Like I could have looked at it like, ‘Oh, man, I’m this far from the NBA.’ But I just kind of looked at it like if I do something day-by-day to get closer to your dream, something good’s got to happen.”
Recent visits from the Sixers and Celtics, who are stocked with draft picks over the next few seasons, are a reminder that the Heat are pursuing the opposite strategy, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. This year’s first-rounder is top 10 protected and almost certainly will go to Philadelphia. Miami also owes first-round picks in 2018 and 2021 to Phoenix in the Goran Dragic trade. In addition, four of the Heat’s next five second-rounders are being sent elsewhere.
This week’s trip to Los Angeles had Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton of the Magic recalling their 2014 pre-draft workout with the Lakers, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. “It just wasn’t fair,” Gordon said. “Basically, we were just taking turns coming off the pick-and-roll, setting picks for each other. We were dominating.”

And-Ones: Jones, All-Stars, Draft Picks, Inglis

December 5th, 2015 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves have assigned rookie point guard Tyus Jones to the D-League, the team tweeted tonight. The former Duke star was drafted 24th overall by the Cavaliers in June and then shipped to Minnesota in a draft-night trade. He has played just 14 minutes in two games with the Wolves, with 1 point, 1 rebound and 1 assist. Minnesota officials had previously announced their intention to have Jones spend part of the year in the D-League to get more playing time. Jones will be sent to the Idaho Stampede, the affiliate of the Jazz. Wolves GM Milt Newton will address the situation Sunday, according to a tweet from the team.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

Pistons center Andre Drummond heads a list of most likely first-time all stars compiled by Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders. With Drummond averaging more than 18 points per game and leading the league in rebounds, Brigham considers the fourth-year center a shoo-in for the February 14th contest in Toronto. Potentially joining him from the Eastern Conference are Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis, the Hornets‘ Kemba Walker, the Celtics‘ Isaiah Thomas and the Heat’s Hassan Whiteside. Brigham’s five picks for the Western squad are the Warriors‘ Draymond Green, the Spurs‘ Kawhi Leonard, the Suns‘ Eric Bledsoe and/or Brandon Knight and the Jazz’s Derrick Favors.
LSU’s Ben Simmons looks like the clear No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft, Brigham writes in a separate story analyzing the top six contenders for that honor. Brigham cites the Australia freshman’s versatility on offense, where he possesses the skills of a point guard but the 6’10” frame of a power forward. Also on Brigham’s list are Kentucky freshman Skal Labissiere, California freshman Jaylen Brown, Duke freshman Brandon Ingram, Providence junior Kris Dunn and Utah sophomore Jakob Poeltl.
The Bucks recalled Damien Inglis from the Canton Charge of the D-League, tweets Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He was sent to Canton on November 22nd.
The Raptors recalled Bruno Caboclo and Delon Wright from Raptors 905, the team tweeted today. Neither was active for today’s game with the Warriors.

Sixers Rumors: Okafor, Draft, Williams, Moultrie

December 5th, 2015 at 7:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sixers coach Brett Brown thinks a two-game suspension imposed on Jahlil Okafor could serve as a “turning point” for the rookie center, according to Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News. Brown said Okafor understands he “messed up” with his off-court conduct that included two altercations in Boston on November 25th. “In a strange way maybe this is a turning point for him, to get hit on such a repetitive basis that maybe it’s just that much more dramatic,” Brown said. “Maybe the point is made more violently and viciously. This is, right now, a situation that we have to talk through and help him. He will come out just fine, I’m confident of that.”

There’s more out of Philadelphia:

The 2016 draft will determine if the Sixers can make a quick turnaround, according to Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. Already holding the worst record in basketball, Philadelphia could receive the Lakers’ first-round pick, which is only top-three protected, along with first-round selections from the Thunder and Heat. Add in the possible debut of Joel Embiid and the chance that Dario Saric, the No. 12 pick in 2014, could be enticed from Europe, and the Sixers could have six additional first-round talents playing for them next season.
The Sixers are counting on fans to stay patient with their rebuilding plan, former Philadelphia GM Pat Williams tells Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He acknowledges it’s not an easy thing to ask a city not known for its patience to keep believing in a process that has produced a 1-20 start in the third year of rebuilding. “They’ve got to stay the course: draft high, do lots of teaching, wait for these youngsters to mature,” Williams said. “It takes some years to see the vision and stick with it, and it stretches the patience of any good sports fan. You can’t survive without hope. That’s what Sixers fans are searching for here.”
Arnett Moultrie, who last played with the Sixers in 2013/14, has signed to play in Lebanon with Al Riyadi, according to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia. After two seasons in Philadelphia, Moultrie was traded to the Knicks in October of 2014, but was waived before the season started.

Eastern Notes: Stokes, Powell, Harris

December 3rd, 2015 at 7:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Wizards have been one of the more disappointing teams early in the season, and Washington’s drop off is directly related to the loss of Paul Pierce, who departed as a free agent for the Clippers this past offseason, Keith P. Smith of RealGM writes. With Washington determined to maintain as much free cap space as it can in order to make a run at Kevin Durant next summer, any changes will likely need to come from within, Smith notes. If the Wizards do make any moves, they will likely be small and involve bringing in players who are owed no guaranteed money beyond this season, the RealGM scribe concludes.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Cavs shooting Joe Harris, who is currently on his fourth D-League assignment of the season, views his time in Canton as a means to stay in game shape as well as an opportunity to stoke his competitive fire, Joe Gabriele of NBA.com relays. When asked if there were specific facets of the game he is sent to the D-League to focus on, Harris told Gabriele, “They just want me to go down there and play – ‘be aggressive and work on your game.’ It’s basically an opportunity to go down there and get minutes because I don’t get much tick up here. There’s only so much you can do as far as individual skill work and conditioning on a bike. But you can’t simulate playing in an actual game. And it can’t satisfy the competitive itch you feel as a player.“
The Heat have assigned Jarnell Stokes to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be the power forward’s second jaunt of the season to the D-League.
Power forward Josh Powell, who was waived by the Bucks this preseason, signed with San Lorenzo in Argentina, the team announced (translation by Orazio Cauchi of Sportando). The arrangement is for the remainder of the season, though it’s unknown if the pact includes an NBA out clause.

Eastern Notes: Okafor, Porzingis, Clifford

December 3rd, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Sixers weren’t aware of the second altercation that allegedly involved Jahlil Okafor on the night of November 25th, coach Brett Brown told reporters, but the team maintains its faith in the No. 3 overall pick even as it suspended him for two games beginning with Wednesday’s loss to the Knicks, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv details. Brown said Okafor is “ashamed” and “embarrassed,” but Mike Krzyzewski, the former Duke center’s college coach, maintains that Okafor is of high character even amid a tide of disturbing reports.

“Let’s make our point. There is hard luck,” Brown said. “There are mistakes that have been made, he does own it, and nobody’s proud of this right now. And so we will support him, he’s ours and we will move on.”

Okafor reportedly plans to give strong consideration to signing his qualifying offer at the end of his rookie scale contract, so time will tell how he’ll regard the way the Sixers organization is treating him now. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Knicks team president Phil Jackson sees a “magical element” to Kristaps Porzingis, but in Jackson’s first public comments of the regular season Wednesday on SiriusXM NBA Radio with Rick Fox (audio link), he deflected credit for having taken the 7’3″ Latvian sensation with the No. 4 pick in June. Marc Berman of the New York Post provides a partial transcription. “It’s not me, it’s all on him,’’ Jackson said. “This is the young man that’s done it. You sit in those spots [in the draft] and analyze what you can do and have control of. … We made a choice, a logical choice, and not having seen him but once in person, just in a shooting exhibition, I felt comfortable making the choice. I’m just happy the personality, drive and work ethic goes along with that talent level.’’
Hornets GM Rich Cho cited a desire for continuity and Steve Clifford‘s organization, work ethic and rapport with his players in a statement from the team that confirmed Clifford has put pen to paper on the extension they agreed to last week.
Hassan Whiteside appears to be a lock to sign a maximum-salary contract when he hits free agency in July, opines Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, who takes a look at the rapid ascent of the Heat big man who’s in the final season of a two-year, minimum-salary deal.

Atlantic Notes: Winslow, Johnson, Early

December 1st, 2015 at 7:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Heat rookie Justise Winslow is aware of the Celtics‘ reported push to move up in the 2015 NBA in order to select him, but the swingman noted that because Boston’s pick fell in the middle of the first round he had minimal pre-draft interaction with the team, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe relays. Celtics coach Brad Stevens sang the rookie’s praises when asked about Winslow’s potential, Himmelsbach adds. “He’s a super-mature kid who’s just going to get better and better,” Stevens said. “Winning’s the most important thing to him, and he’s got a high ceiling. I think he’ll do well. He’s shown that. I think you can see that whenever you have an organization like this that’s at the caliber that they have been, and they’re playing him at the end of games pretty consistently. That just tells you where he is emotionally.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

The criteria that Joe Johnson finds most important as he thinks about choosing a team in free agency this coming summer is an ominous one for the woe-begotten Nets, as Andy Vasquez of The Record reveals. “Winning. Winning is going to be important to me,” Johnson told Vasquez. “I’ve made enough money, man, throughout my career. So, yeah, winning will definitely be top priority for me.”
The Knicks have recalled Cleanthony Early from their D-League affiliate in Westchester, the team announced. This was Early’s first trip to the D-League this season.
The Sixers anticipate point guard Tony Wroten will return to action within 8 to 10 days, but Kendall Marshall‘s rehab is going “much slower,” Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Afflalo, ‘Melo, Okafor, Porzingis

December 1st, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks knew Kristaps Porzingis would perform well, but they had no idea he would burst out of the gates so spectacularly, GM Steve Mills told Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. The pick is a potential game-changer for New York, as Lowe examines. Mills said to Lowe that agents have remarked of how players “feel really good” about the Knicks but want to see the team start to win, a sentiment that Arron Afflalo understands. The shooting guard with an $8MM player option for next season contends “the city isn’t enough for people,” but is convinced for himself that the Knicks are for real, as he explained to Lowe.

“I want to finish my career here,” Afflalo said. “Having a good young player and a winning team should help us get other guys.”

Afflalo has been sold on the Knicks for a while, as he and Mills said to Lowe that the Knicks and Nuggets had trade talks last season that would have fulfilled Afflalo’s desire to go to New York even amid last season’s 17-win debacle. See more from around the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics went after the Hornets’ pick at No. 9 with the idea of flipping it to the Knicks, along with another first-rounder, for the No. 4 overall pick, which Boston would have used to take Justise Winslow, sources told Lowe for the same piece. Boston offered Charlotte four first-rounders for the ninth pick, as Lowe reported earlier, but the Hornets refused, putting the kibosh on the scenario in which Boston would have vaulted to No. 4. The Knicks listened to the idea, Mills admits, but a deal was never close, he told Lowe.
The Knicks have “never” thought about trading Carmelo Anthony, Mills insists to Lowe, who nonetheless hears skepticism from other teams that the subject hasn’t at least been the topic of internal discussion.
Knicks president Phil Jackson would have drafted Jahlil Okafor over Porzingis if he had the chance, a source said to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Okafor’s off-court troubles are likely a shock to the Sixers, given the meticulous background checking they did before the draft on the center from Duke, a league executive told Berman for the same piece.
Porzingis decided against working out for the Sixers but wouldn’t have been opposed to playing for them, seeing it as an opportunity to perform in a low-pressure environment and viewing Nerlens Noel as a strong frontcourt complement to his game, a source close to Porzingis said to Berman.

Eastern Notes: Carter-Williams, Heat, Raptors

November 29th, 2015 at 7:07pm CST by Will Joseph

Michael Carter-Williams, whom the Bucks acquired last season in a trade, has struggled mightily and was therefore not surprised he was benched Sunday, Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel relays.

“The past couple games my play has been down,” Carter-Williams said. “If I’m a coach, I wouldn’t start me, either. Whatever minutes I get, I’m going to come in and try to help the team, cheer from the bench and try to cheer my teammates on. I know it’s hard right now. I think things will get better.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

The Heat‘s commitment to Gerald Green, who signed a one-year deal with Miami during the summer, shows that the next veteran who accepts a minimal free agent deal with the team also has the opportunity for a significant role, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes in his mailbag feature. Green has played well in nine appearances, averaging 10.4 points per game.
The Magic started a rebuilding process when Orlando traded Dwight Howard in 2012, but even now the question remains of who will still be on the team when it is ready to compete for the playoffs, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel details. The Magic, as Robbins points out, have a group of talented young players such as Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon, Tobias Harris, Mario Hezonja, Victor Oladipo, Elfrid Payton and Nik Vucevic. Yet, according to Robbins, it remains to be seen if the Magic can successfully dip into the free agent pool to add to their nucleus.
The Heat announced they have recalled forward/center Jarnell Stokes from their D-League affiliate. He averaged 23 points and 9.7 rebounds in three games with the the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
The Raptors recalled Delon Wright and forward Bruno Caboclo from their D-League affiliate, the team announced via Twitter.