Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Davies, Payton, Heat, D-League

December 13th, 2014 at 12:43pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Brandon Davies was asked about the perception that his former team, the Sixers, were tanking in a deliberate effort to land the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Davies denied that was the case amongst the players, and said, “One thing I can tell you in the locker room, we were set on winning. We were just going away. I think the games we played in showed that. We lost some close games against some really good teams.”

Here’s more from the East:

Nets coach Lionel Hollins was disappointed that the Sixers waived Jorge Gutierrez, whom they had acquired along with Andrei Kirilenko on Wednesday, Pompey tweets.
When the Magic drafted Elfrid Payton with the No. 10 pick in this year’s draft it appeared the plan was to play him and Victor Oladipo alongside each other, which hasn’t occured much this season, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com writes. But according to coach Jacque Vaughn, things can change as Payton continues to develop, notes Howard-Cooper. “I think overall we’ll see how this combination finds its way,” said Vaughn. “The great thing is I have my eyes, which I always listen to, and I also have stats these days, which I can look at and see how that pairing is doing. A lot of detail will go into it. But there’s no rush from the standpoint of ‘This has to happen now.’“
The Heat‘s two young big men, Justin Hamilton and Hassan Whiteside, are beginning to impress coach Erik Spoelstra, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. “They both do some nice things and they both do it in a different way,” Spoelstra said. “Justin is a very intelligent, in-the-right-place type of weak-side defender. He does a lot of things that don’t show up in a box score. He reminds me a little bit of a Shane Battier, does a lot of those intangible things. Whiteside is big and he has that great gift of blocking shots, so you know somebody is in there.”
The Heat have assigned Whiteside and Shabazz Napier to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be the first trek of the season to the D-League for both players.
With both the Lakers and the Knicks struggling mightily this season, and both franchises’ future prospects looking equally bleak, Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony should find a way to become teammates, Paul Newberry of The Associated Press opines. Newberry does acknowledge that the players’ respective contracts would make this a difficult proposition.

Southeast Notes: Hawks, Bosh, Heat

December 10th, 2014 at 6:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Hawks and Philips Arena have named Nzinga Shaw as the organization’s new Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer (CDIO), the team announced. Shaw will be responsible for developing and embedding diversity and inclusion best practices throughout the organization. “I am excited to be a member of the Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena organization at such a pivotal time. My goal as the CDIO is to help our organization rebuild trust and partnership in the Atlanta community, emphasizing civility, sportsmanship, and human decency in an effort to ensure that everyone can be a fan of the team, attend home games, and so that we can serve as a model for inclusion in the NBA,” Shaw said. “More specifically, I will lead the charge of creating a strategic framework to help shift the culture so that we can create greater inclusion and engagement with all of our fans and stakeholders.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

In an interview with Grantland’s Zach Lowe, Chris Bosh discussed a number of topics, including the teams that were courting him before he decided to re-sign with the Heat. When Bosh was asked if the offers he received from the Rockets, Suns, Lakers, and Nuggets had interested him, Bosh said, “It was just interesting to be wanted, after all that time of bashing, bashing, bashing. You kind of bask in it just a little bit. Like, ‘Hey, I’m still valuable. I can still play this game.'”
When Bosh was asked by Lowe about whether any other team besides Houston truly tempted him to sign with them, Bosh replied, “Yeah. They make you think for a minute. But I was interested in staying put. But at the time, it’s like, OK, wow. I never imagined this. You just think about it. But for the most part, I was focused on staying with Miami.”
With the Heat now third-worst in the NBA in field-goal percentage defense, some outsiders have questioned coach Erik Spoelstra’s defensive philosophy, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. But one Miami player said privately that a huge problem is the inability of the team’s wing players (guards especially) to consistently prevent penetration, which then exposes the team’s lack of size on the interior. This defensive weakness on the wing is the primary reason that the Heat have been mentioned as being interested in acquiring Corey Brewer from the Wolves, who is known as a strong perimeter defender.

Clippers, Heat Showed Interest In Corey Brewer

December 9th, 2014 at 3:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Clippers and Heat were among the teams that expressed interest in Corey Brewer when the Wolves were reportedly in active discussions last month about trading the swingman, USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt tweets. It’s unclear whether those teams continue to eye Brewer. The Rockets and Cavs were apparently the most serious suitors, and Houston emerged as the team most likely to acquire the 28-year-old former No. 7 overall pick before talks appeared to die down.

Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders suggested last month that Brewer was too valuable for his injury-wracked team to trade, and Brewer rumors largely ceased from that point on. Saunders hinted today that the team has gone into rebuilding mode because of the injuries, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (Twitter links), though it’s unclear if that changes the dynamic involving Brewer. The Happy Walters client makes $4.703MM this season and has a player option worth $4.703MM for next season that teams interested in trading for him would strongly prefer him to waive, as Zillgitt reported last month.

The Clippers, who also apparently have some level of interest in Andrei Kirilenko, would have to be careful to match salaries with the Wolves, since they’re perilously close to their hard cap. The Heat have greater flexibility, though they’re roughly $4MM shy of the luxury tax line. Brewer’s numbers have been off this season, as I examined Monday when I looked at his trade candidacy, though I urged Saunders to move quickly toward a deal if interest remains strong.

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Heat, Mahinmi, Murphy

December 8th, 2014 at 4:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Phil Jackson maintains that the Knicks aren’t ready to turn their focus to the draft, despite their 4-18 start, notes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link). Still, people on the “non-playing side” of the organization believe the team doesn’t have many players who can master the triangle, as TNT’s David Aldridge writes in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Carmelo Anthony says he and his teammates must “kind of be comfortable with being uncomfortable” as they learn the triangle, as he told Aldridge last week. Comfort is tough to find on the court or off in New York for now, and we passed along more on the Knicks earlier today. Here’s news from the rest of the Eastern Conference:

The Heat wouldn’t have built this season’s roster the way they did if they knew going into July that LeBron James wouldn’t re-sign, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes amid his mailbag column. James announced his decision on July 11th, more than a week into NBA free agency.
Ian Mahinmi will be out six to eight weeks with a torn left plantar fascia, the Pacers announced. Mahinmi suffered the injury in the first half of Friday night’s contest against the Kings.
Former Bulls big man Erik Murphy, currently with the Spurs affiliate in the D-League, is in talks with Turkish club Galatasaray, according to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. Murphy, who spent most of last season with Chicago after the Bulls chose him 49th in the 2013 draft, was last on an NBA roster with the Celtics, who let him go at the end of the preseason.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

Southeast Notes: Stephenson, Heat, O’Quinn

December 6th, 2014 at 11:04pm CST by ChrisCrouse

After a month of struggling in Charlotte, Lance Stephenson might be starting to settle into his role on the team, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Some have suggested that the Hornets should part ways with their new acquisition but Bonnell notes that teammates have seen a different vibe from Stephenson recently. “The best thing about him is he was super-positive, playing with energy,” Kemba Walker observed. “We need his energy. He pushed the pace, he got guys involved. He always makes the right plays. We’ve got to try our best to keep him like that; get him the ball in transition and let him make his plays.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

With a record of 9-10, the Heat possess a losing record for the first time this season, but the team realizes that this year is different than past seasons, writes Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald. Dwyane Wade knows what to expect from the team at this point in the year. “I understand where we’re at right now with the team that we have. Can we get better? Yeah, we can get better. But we’re not at that point yet. This is the kind of team we have, and we got to figure out how to be as good as we can with this unit. We’re all trying to figure it out, players and coaches,” Wade said.
Despite the Heat’s early season struggles, the team remains upbeat, writes Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel. “We have to stay positive,” Chris Bosh said. “We have to continue to find our game. The easiest thing to do is to fall apart, blame each other and have every excuse in the book but we’re not going to do that. We’re going to continue to come to work. We’re going to continue to find a way and just really stay together. That’s what it’s about. You have so many instances where teams kind of shoot themselves in foot over and over just because of attitude. Every guy in that locker room has a great attitude.”
Kyle O’Quinn has been one of the most productive players for the Magic this season, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Robbins notes that O’Quinn, who is set to become a restricted free agent after the season, could be in line for a big payday due to his high player efficiency rating (26.2 coming into Saturday), age (only 25 years old), and ability to play the center position, which is becoming scarce in today’s NBA.

Scotty Hopson To Join Heat D-League Team

December 5th, 2014 at 3:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

The D-League affiliate of the Heat has picked up former Cavs swingman Scotty Hopson, a source tells David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). Presumably, that means Hopson signed with the D-League and the team claimed him off waivers, since Miami’s affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, wouldn’t otherwise have had his rights. The team has yet to publicly acknowledge the move.

Hopson is perhaps most notable for having been traded four times this past offseason. The Cavs used the pro-rated mid-level exception to sign him for the final weeks of last season and tacked a non-guaranteed salary for 2014/15 onto the contract. That helped the salaries match as Cavs sent him to the Hornets, who flipped him to the Pelicans, who sent him to the Rockets in the complex Omer Asik deal before Houston traded him to the Kings. The game of hot potato with his non-guaranteed salary finally ended in Sacramento, which waived him in late September as training camp neared.

The 25-year-old reportedly came close to signing with Turkey’s Galatasaray last month but decided against doing so. Hopson has spent the majority of his pro career overseas after going undrafted out of Tennessee in 2011. He appeared in only two games for the Cavs last season for a total of less than seven minutes of playing time, scoring a single point.

Eastern Notes: Monroe, Celtics, Love, Heat

December 4th, 2014 at 11:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Friends and former Georgetown Hoyas Greg Monroe and Jeff Green share an agent in David Falk, and Monroe, an unrestricted free agent at year’s end, says they’ve playfully discussed the idea of playing together, observes Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com.

“We joke about it,” Monroe said. “We all joke about it, man, but obviously it’s a lot more than us two coming here [to Boston] or us two talking about it. Right now, I’m just focused on where I’m at. Whenever the time is and if everything is right, then obviously I’ll always weigh my options, but right now I’m not worried about that.”

Boston has enough cap flexibility to offer Monroe a max contract, as Rohrbach points out, but if Green exercises his $9.2MM player option and the Celtics re-sign Rajon Rondo, much of that flexibility would be gone. Here’s more on the Celtics and their Eastern Conference rivals:

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge reiterated his desire to find a rim protector as he spoke this morning on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, as Rohrbach notes within the same piece. “I’m always trying to get quality,” Ainge said. “We’re trying to get better players, more impactful players. We do have a hole from a rim-protecting standpoint, and you can’t just add rim protection and then give up other things that you have that are solid. So, they’re not easy to find. A quality one, I should say, is not easy to find. Maybe through the draft or free agency, but we will continue to work all the way to the trade deadline to see if we can fix that hole in the meantime.”
Kevin Love said the Knicks “are a great franchise to be a part of” but reiterated his intention to remain with the Cavs for the long term as he spoke in an interview with Steve Serby of the New York Post.
Alex Kirk is back on D-League assignment, the Cavs announced. It’s the fourth such trip to the Canton Charge for the rookie, though none have last as long as a week, as our log of D-League assignments and recalls shows.
The Heat assigned Andre Dawkins to the D-League, the team announced late Monday. It’s the first time Miami has sent anyone to its affiliate this year. Dawkins, who made the Heat out of camp, has seen a total of just 13 minutes so far in the regular season.

Southeast Notes: Stephenson, Jordan, Hawks

December 3rd, 2014 at 4:40pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Hornets‘ Lance Stephenson has made an issue about not getting the ball at the end of games, to which head coach Steve Clifford has responded, “To be truthful, Lance has never been a closer. That would be a new role for him,” Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) writes. Clifford went on to say that Stephenson is “not a star,” something that Charlotte has discovered rather quickly after signing him to a three-year, $27MM contract this past summer, notes Haberstroh. But Stevenson also isn’t being paid like a star player, and can come off of the Hornets’ books in 2016 when Charlotte can decline his team option for $9.4MM, unless he is dealt prior to then, Haberstroh adds.

Here’s the latest out of the Southeast Division:

Michael Jordan is finding his role as the team owner of the Hornets a humbling experience, especially this season with the team underachieving mightily thus far, Michael Wallace of ESPN.com writes. Jordan does believe that he has grown as an executive since his time with the Wizards, notes Wallace. “I’ve always considered myself a very successful owner that tries to make sound decisions,” Jordan said. “And when you make bad decisions, you learn from that and move forward. I think I’m better in that sense. I’ve experienced all of the different valleys and lows of ownership and successful business. If that constitutes me being a better owner, then I guess I am.”
The Hawks‘ Al Horford and Paul Millsap are still trying to develop their on-court chemistry despite this being their second season together on Atlanta’s roster, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. This is thanks to Horford only logging 29 games last season before a torn pectoral muscle ended his 2013/14 campaign, Vivlamore adds.
With LeBron James gone and the added title expectations removed along with him, the Heat‘s season thus far feels far more “normal” to Dwyane Wade, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. Miami is also waiting for all its injured players to return to see just what kind of team it actually possesses prior to making any new roster moves, notes Zillgitt.

Eastern Notes: Celtics, Sixers, Granger

December 2nd, 2014 at 8:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the Celtics struggling and the team in a rebuilding season it is time for head coach Brad Stevens to give rookies James Young and Dwight Powell more playing time, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe opines. Both the players and the franchise would benefit more from seeing what the two can do against NBA competition, rather than letting them spend significant time in the D-League, Washburn adds. “I would say right now, their opportunities have to continue to be taken out of practice,” Stevens said of Young and Powell. “They have to be ready. You never know. You’re one injury away on the perimeter or the forward spot from those guys to be playing. And I think that’s part of the reason why you have so many guys on your roster. It’s why the young guys can’t be surprised when their opportunity comes. You’ve got to be ready.”

Here’s more from the east:

As injuries continue to mount for the Sixers, head coach Brett Brown is taking care not to push Nerlens Noel too far since the big man is struggling with a hip pointer that he suffered in practice on Sunday, Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com reports. “We hope to not go a step forward and three steps back because the kid is moving in the right direction,” Brown said. “We are going to go overboard making sure his health as we preach, is of number one importance. I expect him to be back soon, but I don’t know what that date is.”
After the Sixers‘ brutal season a year ago, which helped garner two top-10 picks in the NBA draft, Brown believed immediate help would be on the horizon, Dan Gelston of The Associated Press writes. But instead, GM Sam Hinkie drafted Joel Embiid, who will likely miss the entire season due to injury, and Dario Saric, who is playing overseas, Gelston adds. “I didn’t know it was going to be like this in Year two,” Brown said. “Nobody really planned on, your draft picks aren’t going to play in Year two.” Brown did say that he doesn’t regret for a minute that he accepted Philly’s head coaching job, notes Gelston.
Despite being available and healthy, Danny Granger has not seen much action for the Heat since returning from a strained hamstring, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes. Though he hasn’t called Granger’s number in the team’s last five contests, head coach Erik Spoelstra said the veteran is ahead of where the team thought he would be physically at this point of the season, Winderman notes.

And-Ones: Jackson, Hamilton, Fisher, Cavs

December 1st, 2014 at 10:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Some have painted Thunder guard Reggie Jackson in a negative light due to his desire for a big contract, but he’s showing a team-first attitude, as Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman writes. “It’s a challenge that I’m looking forward to getting used to and hopefully we can be one of the best second units in the league,” said Jackson, who is headed back to the bench with Russell Westbrook back in the fold. Jackson is set for restricted free agency this summer after the two sides broke off extension talks in October, but he sounds like he’s more focused on winning than anything else. More from around the NBA..

Justin Hamilton‘s partial guarantee on his one-year veteran’s minimum salary with the Heat increased from $408,241 to $612,362 today. Hamilton signed his deal late last season, but since then, the Heat have become more willing to dole out partial guarantees without the luxury tax bearing down on them as in years past, as Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel examines.
With Derek Fisher at the helm, the Knicks have struggled in close games even more this season than they did last season under Mike Woodson, writes Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal. Of New York’s 18 games thus far, a league-high 11 have been separated by five points or fewer entering the final five minutes of play. The Knicks have gone 2-9 in those games.
Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio doesn’t understand why the Cavs waived Will Cherry and re-signed guard A.J. Price just weeks after doing the reverse. Still, he trusts Cleveland’s judgement and admits that the third point guard role isn’t a terribly crucial one.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.