New York Notes: Atkinson, Acy, Rivalry, Lee
Nets coach Kenny Atkinson hinted lineup changes might be coming after Saturday’s loss in Minnesota, according to NetsDaily.com. Atkinson was particularly upset with the team’ defensive effort as the Timberwolves put up 129 points. “We’ve got to find the guys that want to defend and distribute the minutes proportionately, appropriately,” he said. “I think that’s where we are. I think we’ve had a streak here where we’re not defending. That’s not acceptable. That’s not the type of program we’re trying to run.” In recent games, Atkinson has been using a starting lineup of Spencer Dinwiddie, Randy Foye, Trevor Booker, Bojan Bogdanovic and Brook Lopez, with reserves getting plenty of playing time.
There’s more news out of New York:
- The Nets have to decide by Monday whether to sign forward Quincy Acy for the rest of the season, tweets NetsDaily. Acy, whose second 10-day contract expires tomorrow, has appeared in 10 games for Brooklyn, averaging 7.0 points and 2.7 rebounds.
- The rivalry with the Knicks that began with so much promise after the Nets moved to Brooklyn in 2012 has fallen apart, writes Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post. With the Nets at a league-worst 9-38 and the Knicks sliding out of the playoff race at 21-27, it’s hard to get excited about this week’s matchup, Vaccaro states.
- Courtney Lee is taking coach Jeff Hornacek’s advice to shoot more, relays Fred Kerber of the New York Post. Lee, who joined the Knicks on a four-year, $50MM contract over the summer, is starting to make an impact after an uneven start in New York. “I’m just trying to be more aggressive and take those shots,” he said. “Coach has shown me film and the shots I’ve passed up, areas where I could be more aggressive.”
Latest On Carmelo Anthony
Although the Celtics have stated that they’re not interested in dealing for Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks haven’t given up on them as a trade partner, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. New York had a scout at Saturday’s Celtics game and the organization is “intrigued” by several of Boston’s players.
A source told Washburn that Knicks president Phil Jackson has issued orders to move Anthony, who has indicated that the Celtics are one of the teams he would consider waiving his no-trade clause to join. Another source says Brad Stevens would love to coach Anthony, but president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has rejected the Knicks’ overtures. Washburn adds that Boston could serve as a third team to help send Anthony to the Clippers.
There’s more this morning on the Anthony trade front:
- The Celtics present the only realistic trade destination for Anthony, according to Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports. In a video posted on CSNNE, Mannix says Ainge is in a “great position” to present the Knicks with a lowball offer and dare them to keep Anthony past the February 23rd deadline. Mannix speculates that any deal wouldn’t involve the Nets’ first-rounders that Boston owns for the next two seasons, but may include other Celtics draft picks. He also dismissed recent rumors of a Knicks-Clippers deal, saying it won’t happen unless New York is willing to accept a “garbage package” involving Austin Rivers, Jamal Crawford and others.
- Anthony admits the trade rumors can be a distraction, relays Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com. “You’ve got to deal with that, even though I try not to read it,” he told reporters. “And everywhere you go, even if you don’t hear about it, somebody is telling you about it, somebody is saying something. It can be mentally draining, mentally fatiguing.”
- If the Knicks trade Anthony, they should also get rid of Derrick Rose and some of the other veterans they added over the offseason, suggests Newsday’s Al Iannazzone. Rose is a defensive liability and has already deserted the team once, Iannazzone notes, adding that he doesn’t appear to be part of the team’s “long-term solution.” He also writes that free agent additions Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee and Brandon Jennings didn’t come to New York to play for a team without Anthony, and believes the organization should commit to rebuilding if Anthony is traded.
Knicks Need PG In Draft
The Knicks‘ biggest need is a long-term answer at the point guard position and the upcoming draft should provide them an opportunity to pair Kristaps Porzingis with a playmaker, Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes. New York will likely pick in the bottom half of the lottery and Ford believes Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox, who is expected to go in that range, would be a great fit for the team. Fox is a fast, defensive-minded point guard and while he’s not the best shooter, his playmaking skills are “top-notch,” according to Ford.
Thunder Intrigued By Possibility Of Adding Anthony
The Thunder are intrigued by the idea of adding Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, though he also adds that they know such a pairing is a long-shot.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/27/17
Here are Friday’s NBA D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
- Three Pistons players were assigned to the D-League today, with Henry Ellenson, Darrun Hilliard, and Michael Gbinije all joining the Grand Rapids Drive, per a team release. Detroit has a fully healthy roster for the time being, meaning there aren’t enough minutes to go around for the club’s young players. The plan is for them to remain in the D-League for two games, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News.
- The Knicks assigned Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee to the D-League earlier today, according to the team (Twitter link). Ndour led the Westchester Knicks with 22 points tonight, while Plumlee grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds.
- Rookie forward Joel Bolomboy was sent back to the Salt Lake City Stars by the Jazz, per a team press release. Bolomboy had 17 points and 15 boards for Utah’s NBADL affiliate tonight.
- The Mavericks assigned A.J. Hammons and Nicolas Brussino to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Both players were in the starting lineup tonight for the Texas Legends, scoring a club-high 19 points apiece.
- After being assigned to Long Island on Thursday, Chris McCullough was recalled by the Nets today, according to a press release. McCullough saw five minutes of action in Brooklyn’s loss against Cleveland tonight.
- Semaj Christon and Josh Huestis were also recalled to the NBA after a one-day D-League assignment, the Thunder announced in a press release. The duo contributed to the Oklahoma City Blue’s home win over Iowa on Thursday.
Knicks, Clippers Seeking Third Trade Partner?
7:50 pm: Sam Amick of USA Today reports that J.J. Redick is not believed to be involved in any trade talks (Twitter link). If Redick is out of the mix, talks figure to focus on Austin Rivers and a potential third team.
5:47 pm: The Knicks and Clippers are looking for a third team to complete a potential Carmelo Anthony trade, according to Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN. One of three players in the NBA with a no-trade clause, Anthony has been linked to the Clippers, Celtics, and Cavaliers over the past week.
The Knicks’ most substantive Anthony trade discussions have come with the Clippers, Shelburne and Stein note, after the Cavaliers rebuffed a Kevin Love-for-Anthony swap. None of the Clippers’ big three – Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan – would be available via trade, and with the recent injury to Paul, the team would be hesitant to deal any of their healthy guards.
Various factors have contributed to the search for a third trade partner. If Jamal Crawford were to be involved in a trade, the Knicks wouldn’t want to absorb the three years and $42MM left on his contract after 2016/17. What’s more, Anthony’s 15% trade kicker would be difficult for Los Angeles to accommodate, since the team is nearing its hard cap.
The market has been slow for Anthony, sources tell Shelburne and Stein, in large part due to the limited number of teams Anthony would be willing to join via trade. Anthony, who has two years and $53MM left on his contract after this season, recently conceded to Al Iannazzone of Newsday that he’d consider leaving New York under the right circumstances.
If the Clippers were to make a deal, Austin Rivers may need to be included, and head coach Doc Rivers told Rachel Nichols of ESPN that he’d be willing trade his son if need be. “If you think you can make your team better, you make your team better,” Rivers said. “That’s my job. Listen, I would trade anyone. You have to be willing to do that, so – and he would be one of them, and any of them would be one. But I don’t want to trade any of our guys. I like our team.”
Latest On Carmelo Anthony
As the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors heat up in New York, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News offers a reminder that Knicks president Phil Jackson never wanted to sign him to a long-term deal.
Shortly after Jackson took the job in 2014, he urged Anthony to opt in for the final year of his contract. That would have given the organization more cap flexibility and provided time for Jackson to evaluate whether the team should be built around Anthony.
Anthony opted out and re-signed with New York at $124MM over five years, but Deveney says some Knicks officials believe Jackson would have preferred to see him leave. Jackson reportedly believes Anthony will never adapt to fit the triangle offense and sees his value declining as he gets older. Anthony, 32, still has two seasons and more than $54MM left on his contract. Jackson has reached out to several teams and is not getting the type of offers he had hoped for, according to Deveney.
There’s more this morning regarding a possible Anthony deal:
- The Celtics have informed the Knicks that they have no interest in trading for Anthony, according to a report on ESPN.com. The teams had “exploratory talks” about Anthony last season.
- Jackson could put Anthony in a position where he has to decide between winning or enjoying the New York lifestyle, writes Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. Anthony still gets criticism for choosing the unstable Knicks over the Bulls two seasons ago, Isola notes, adding that if he blocks a trade to a contender now, it will raise more questions about his commitment to be part of a successful team.
- Al Harrington, Anthony’s longtime friend and a former teammate with the Nuggets, doesn’t believe the Knicks star will waive his no-trade clause, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. “The fact he loves New York so much, I think he probably stays for the rest of his contract,’’ Harrington said. “I know he doesn’t want to leave.’’ Harrington was with Anthony when he forced his way out of Denver and added, “I know what New York means to him and I don’t see him giving up on it.’’
Austin Rivers Could Go If Clippers Trade For Carmelo
Combo guard Austin Rivers has been discussed in trade talks between the Knicks and Clippers regarding Carmelo Anthony, an NBA executive told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
The Clippers have emerged as a potential landing spot for Anthony but are apparently unwilling to part with any of their Big Three — Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan — to facilitate a trade.
The Knicks are known to think very favorably of Rivers, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, as they made a push to sign him during free agency, Bill Oram of the Orange County Register notes.
The son of coach Doc Rivers is enjoying a career year and his production has jumped since he joined the starting lineup. Rivers is averaging 17.7 PPG, 3.9 APG and 2.8 RPG over the last 14 games. He signed a three-year contract this summer to rejoin the Clippers with a starting salary of $11MM.
That alone won’t be nearly enough to match up salaries, as Anthony is making $24.6MM this season. Jamal Crawford, who is making $13.25MM, has also had his name tossed into trade discussions, according to Turner. J.J. Redick, who is making $7.38MM, is another logical candidate in potential trade scenarios, Amick adds.
Of course, Anthony would have to waive his no-trade clause to make any deal come to fruition.
One unnamed GM believes it will happen, telling Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net, “I’m betting he is playing next to Blake, Chris Paul and DeAndre right after (trade) deadline.” (Twitter link).
RealGM: What's Next For Knicks?
- In the wake of a report suggesting the Knicks have reached out to the Celtics to gauge their interest in Carmelo Anthony, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe argues that the Knicks forward isn’t the right fit for the C’s. Acquiring Anthony wouldn’t help shore up Boston’s defense, and would significantly limit the team’s flexibility to pursue free agents going forward, Himmelsbach writes.
- Brett Koremenos of RealGM.com takes a closer look at the Knicks in an attempt to determine why the team’s current roster has disappointed, and what steps the club should take going forward.
Knicks Reached Out To Clippers, Celtics To Gauge Interest In Carmelo Anthony
1:25pm: The Knicks and Clippers have discussed the idea of an Anthony trade that wouldn’t involve any of L.A.’s Big Three, according to Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. The Knicks are open to that possibility, though it wouldn’t be easy, since the Clippers have a hard cap and can’t afford to add much salary. As noted below, the team has also traded away multiple future first-round picks already.
Isola also points out that even if the Clippers were to put Griffin on the table in trade talks (and there’s no indication the team would do so), the Knicks wouldn’t be able to acquire him as long as Derrick Rose is on their roster. The league’s CBA prohibits teams from carrying two players on maximum-salary, designated-player rookie scale extensions, which describes both Griffin’s contract and Rose’s.
11:45am: In addition to having contacted the Cavaliers to discuss a potential Carmelo Anthony trade, the Knicks have also reached out to the Clippers and Celtics to “probe their interest” in a possible deal involving Anthony, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Chris Mannix of The Vertical.
[RELATED: Knicks’ Carmelo-For-Love Pitch Rebuffed By Cavs]
League sources tell Wojnarowski and Mannix that Knicks president Phil Jackson is “determined to find a destination and deal that Anthony would agree to accept.” The nine-time All-Star is one of three NBA players with a formal no-trade clause in his contract, and has repeatedly expressed a preference to remain with the Knicks. However, Anthony has also acknowledged that if the Knicks wanted to rebuild and came to him with a proposal, he’d be open to considering it.
Although Jackson reportedly told Anthony earlier this month that he doesn’t subscribe to criticisms put forth by his longtime friend Charley Rosen in a recent column, Wojnarowski and Mannix hear from league sources that the Knicks president would like to move Anthony and begin rebuilding around Kristaps Porzingis.
According to The Vertical, the Clippers are a team that would interest Anthony, though it’s not clear if the Clips and Knicks would be able to work out a trade that makes sense for both sides. Los Angeles likely wouldn’t be willing to part ways with one of its Big Three – Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan – and the Clippers have already traded multiple future first-round picks — 2021’s pick would be the earliest one they could move.
As for the Celtics, they’d have an easier time putting together a suitable trade package, since they’re loaded with young players and draft picks. However, GM Danny Ainge has long been considered averse to giving up many of those assets unless he can land a superstar. Anthony would have fit that bill in the past, but he’ll turn 33 this spring, and his production has declined a little in recent years, so he may not be the sort of big fish the C’s want to land.
In addition to the fact that he’ll have to approve any deal, Anthony will also be tricky to trade because of his contract. Including this season, Carmelo has three years and $78.7MM+ on his deal, and his salary would increase substantially if he’s dealt, since the contract features a 15% trade kicker. Any team hoping to acquire him would have to send back significant salary to the Knicks, who will be reluctant to absorb too many multiyear contracts if they want to open up cap room for the coming summer.
Still, despite the potential roadblocks, it appears the Knicks would like to make a move with Anthony in the coming weeks, and with his name continually popping up in trade rumors, the Syracuse product may be more inclined to sign off on a deal. This will be a situation worth monitoring closely as we approach February 23’s trade deadline.