New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Thomas, Rozier, Mickey, Barnes

January 15th, 2016 at 6:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

Last season’s trade to the Celtics helped Isaiah Thomas blossom into an All-Star candidate, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Thomas was an effective sixth man in Phoenix before the deal, averaging 15.2 points and 3.7 assists as part of a three-guard rotation with Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic. But he has blossomed this season in Boston, boosting his averages to 21.6 points and 6.7 assists while keeping the Celtics in the playoff race. “He’s a terrific player,” said Suns GM Ryan McDonough. “He’s having a heck of a year. I wish we could’ve got him to accept his role better or utilized him better ourselves. In retrospect, those three guys – Bledsoe, Dragic and Thomas – all being in their 20s and all having All-Star aspirations made it challenging. With their sizes, you couldn’t play all three together a lot and they were all starting-caliber players who deserved to play and had a lot of success in the league.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics sent guard Terry Rozier and forward Jordan Mickey to their Maine affiliate in the D-League, the team tweeted today.
Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes implies that he had the support of at least one Knicks player in his altercation with New York coach Derek Fisher, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Barnes was suspended for two games for his actions in the fight with Fisher, which took place in October at the home of Barnes’ estranged wife. “It’s been great — my teammates, organization, other guys throughout the league, people from his team, people from other sports, people from the entertainment world,’’ Barnes said. “I’ve gotten a lot of support throughout the whole situation.”
Sixers coach Brett Brown has been impressed by the working relationship between GM Sam Hinkie and chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Since Colangelo was hired last month, the Sixers have hired Mike D’Antoni as associate head coach, traded for Ish Smith and signed veteran Elton Brand. “There’s another way to see where we are at,” Brown said, “and different [eyes] coming in and making clean assessments about where we are at.”

Southwest Notes: Brewer, Barnes, Williams

January 15th, 2016 at 2:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

More than two dozen players became eligible to be traded today, and among them is Corey Brewer, about whom the Rockets and Suns reportedly had serious discussions as they entertained a swap that would also include Terrence Jones going to Phoenix for Markieff Morris. Still, Suns GM Ryan McDonough denied that any deal was prearranged or pending as he spoke Wednesday on the “Burns & Gambo” show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, as Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com transcribes. McDonough predicted lots of activity between now and the February 18th trade deadline and promised he’ll take an aggressive approach, though he said he can envision Morris remaining with Phoenix through the end of the season, adding that the Suns are “under no pressure to do anything immediately.” While we wait to see what happens on that front, there’s more on the Rockets and other Southwest Division teams:

Improved defense, better 3-point shooting and the presence of Patrick Beverley in the starting lineup instead of Ty Lawson have sparked the Rockets to improved play, as Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com details, but GM Daryl Morey isn’t satisfied. “I’m worried given our goals,” Morey said, according to Watkins. “We still have a lot of improvement to do and we’re working towards that.”
The performance Matt Barnes has put on for the Grizzlies lately makes it clear his controversial October encounter with Knicks coach Derek Fisher isn’t a distraction to the team and that he’s been one of the most valuable Grizzlies on the court, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. The 35-year-old has maintained his high level of defensive play all season, and more recently he’s begun to regain his usual shooting touch, Tillery notes. Barnes delivered pithy comments to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, saying, “I don’t talk to snakes” when asked if he’ll speak to Fisher while the Knicks are in Memphis for Saturday’s game. Barnes sent threatening text messages to Fisher in the weeks preceding Barnes’ alleged physical attack on Fisher at the home of Barnes’ estranged wife, a source told Marc Berman of the New York Post.
A pair of small trade exceptions expired for Southwest Division teams this week, vestiges of the three-team trade that sent Jeff Green to the Grizzlies. The Pelicans allowed their $507,336 Russ Smith trade exception to lapse, while the Grizzlies didn’t find a use for the $396,068 leftover scrap of the Quincy Pondexter trade exception. Memphis used most of that Pondexter exception, originally valued at $3,146,068, to take in Luke Ridnour, whom the Grizzlies promptly flipped for Barnes.
Chris Herrington of The Commericial Appeal doesn’t think the Grizzlies will issue a second 10-day contract to Elliot Williams, whose existing 10-day deal expires at the end of Sunday (Twitter link).

Atlantic Notes: DeRozan, Hollins, Mills, ‘Melo

January 15th, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

DeMar DeRozan has made no secret of his affection for Toronto, and he tells Michael Lee of The Washington Post that just because the Raptors have a history of star players leaving doesn’t mean he’ll follow suit. DeRozan is poised to turn down his player option worth only slightly more than $10MM and hit free agency this summer.

“One thing I never did was look at anybody else, what they did or what they followed, honestly,” DeRozan said to Lee. “I always stuck to what I believe in and what I’m comfortable with. If I see a hundred people walking left, that don’t necessarily mean I’m going to walk left. I may see this clear path and want to stay right.”

See more from the Atlantic Division:

Nets higher-ups were angry about the way former coach Lionel Hollins would pin blame on his players, sources tell Brian Lewis of the New York Post, and several sources who spoke with Andy Vasquez of The Record couldn’t identify a single player on the team who was fond of Hollins. Many players thought the coach talked down to them and found it hard to respect him because of that, Vasquez writes.
Knicks GM Steve Mills is very much involved with player personnel in his role under team president Phil Jackson, as agents tell Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that Mills is the go-to guy when they talk to someone from the Knicks. James Dolan has done little meddling with Jackson around, and the team hasn’t had substantive talks regarding a Carmelo Anthony trade this year, Deveney adds.
Nerlens Noel has long been a fan of Ish Smith, but the point guard has helped Jahlil Okafor‘s offensive game, too, observes Keith Bodner of Philadelphia magazine. The No. 3 overall pick has put up impressive numbers, albeit in a small sample size, since the Sixers traded for Smith on December 24th, as Bodner examines.

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Ujiri, D-League

January 13th, 2016 at 8:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Raptors are currently enjoying one of the most successful runs in franchise history and GM Masai Ujiri needs to capitalize on that momentum by swinging for the fences at the trade deadline this season, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes. The most effective way to add to the team’s core would be to use the team’s surplus of first round picks, four in the next two years, which could land an impact player, Grange notes. The Sportsnet scribe does acknowledge the team may face stiff competition to re-sign future unrestricted free agent DeMar DeRozan, and building around him could be a risky proposition as a result, but it would be folly for the team to not go all in this season and shoot for the stars in the trade market.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Joel Embiid‘s hiring of Leon Rose as his new agent is a positive move for the Sixers, Jake Fischer of Liberty Ballers opines (on Twitter). The scribe points to Rose being based out of New Jersey and his history of representing Sixers players as reasons for his optimism. The center’s former agency, the Wasserman Group, is based out of Los Angeles.
The continued emergence of rookie Jerian Grant changes the dynamic of the Knicks‘ offense, and the point guard’s energy and defense have become assets to the team, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes.
The Celtics have recalled power forward Jordan Mickey and point guard Terry Rozier from their D-League affiliate in Maine, the team announced. This was Mickey’s ninth stint with the Red Claws on the season and Rozier’s fifth.

Eastern Notes: Dinwiddie, Roberts, Noah

January 12th, 2016 at 8:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pistons intend to keep point guard Spencer Dinwiddie with their D-League affiliate in Grand Rapids for the remainder of the season, Peter J. Wallner of MLive relays. “I landed on red eye and was headed to the practice facility and [GM] Jeff Bower called me and said I was going down for the rest of the season, and I said OK,” Dinwiddie told Wallner. As for his reaction to the news, Dinwiddie may not agree with the decision, but he understands it is part of his development process, Wallner adds. “There’s nothing really more to say about it,” Dinwiddie continued. “A lot of people ask me for extended thoughts and I honestly just said, ‘OK.’ When you have a job and your employer tells you to do something, you go do it. You don’t have time to second-guess it because you like your job and want to keep it.”

Here’s more from the East:

A number of NBA teams have expressed interest in Raptors preseason cut Ronald Roberts, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports relays (Twitter links). The power forward turned down an offer to join the Israel club Maccabi Tel Aviv in hopes of landing an NBA deal, Spears adds.
The return of Bulls center Joakim Noah from injury could aid in the development of rookie forward Bobby Portis, Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com opines. Goodwill notes that pairing Noah and his passing skills alongside Portis’ outside game could make for a potent combo, an assessment that coach Fred Hoiberg agrees with. “They’ll be out there some, together in the second unit,” Hoiberg said. “I think they’ll play well with each other. They’ve developed a really tight relationship and a good bond. Jo has really taken him under his wing and taught him a lot early in Bobby’s career, so I know those two are looking forward to playing with each other.”
The presence of rookie Kristaps Porzingis, who has exceeded expectations thus far with his play, has allowed Carmelo Anthony to become more of a team player, which has the Knicks heading in the proper direction as a franchise, writes Kevin Kernan of The New York Post.

Eastern Notes: Sixers, Thomas, Dinwiddie

January 11th, 2016 at 10:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers will eventually have to decide between Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor, an unnamed league executive told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Daily News. That duo hasn’t played well together, the executive explained, in part because neither has the shooting range to stretch defenses. It will be imperative to shed one of them via trade if Joel Embiid returns next season from foot surgery because it will essentially give Philadelphia three starting-quality bigs, the story continues. In that case, it makes more sense to keep Noel because Okafor and Embiid are limited defensively, the executive opined to Pompey. “They are both centers,” he said. “They both can only guard centers. They can’t defend power forward or stretch fours in this league.”

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Knicks small forward Lance Thomas could be a candidate for the Most Improved Player Award and that might make it difficult for the club to re-sign him, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Opposing coaches have taken notice of Thomas’ two-way impact off the bench, going out of their way to praise him, Berman continues. Thomas, arguably the team’s best defender, signed a one-year, $1,636,842 contract during the offseason but his price tag going back into the free agent pool this summer is growing and the Knicks will have competition for his services, Berman adds.
The Pistons plan on keeping second-year guard Spencer Dinwiddie with their D-League affiliate in Grand Rapids for the foreseeable future, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tweets. With the return of Brandon Jennings from his Achilles injury, Dinwiddie is the team’s No. 4 point guard on the roster behind Reggie Jackson, Jennings and Steve Blake.
The Heat recalled shooting guard Josh Richardson on Monday from their D-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the team’s website announced. Richardson has played four games with the Skyforce this season and helped them capture the D-League Showcase Championship.
The Wizards could decide to become sellers nearing next month’s trade deadline if they don’t go on a hot streak or get most of their key pieces healthy before that point, league sources indicated to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.

New York Notes: King, Westphal, Murry

January 10th, 2016 at 5:46pm CST by Will Joseph

Former Nets GM Billy King was reassigned today and part of his new role will include advising ownership in the search for his own successor, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports. The situation is quite odd, considering King was pushed out of the job by owner Mikhail Prokhorov, Wojnarowski writes. It’s not unusual for an exiting executive to help in the search for a replacement, however. As Wojnarowski points out, former Nets GM Rod Thorn had played a part in hiring King upon Thorn’s departure from the Nets in 2010, but the difference in that example is that Thorn had resigned from his position and was not forced out, Wojnarowski adds.

Here’s more news from a busy day out of the Big Apple:

Respected and longtime coach Paul Westphal will no longer serve as an assistant coach for the Nets in the wake of Lionel Hollins‘ firing earlier today, Westphal’s wife, Cindy, writes on Facebook (h/t Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily). After parts of 10 seasons as a head coach, Westphal had no desire to coach again until Hollins approached him to be his top guy with the Nets, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com wrote in 2014. Westphal’s loyalty to Hollins was too strong to allow him to stay with Brooklyn, Puccio writes.
The Knicks, who have reportedly been shopping for backcourt help, scouted shooting guard Toure’ Murry at the D-League Showcase event in Santa Cruz, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News tweets. Of course, it’s important to note that nearly every team is scouting someone at the event and that does not necessarily mean a deal is imminent, as Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor tweets. Murry is averaging 14.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game with the Texas Legends, the Mavs’ D-League affiliate. Murry, whom the Jazz mulled signing in December, played in 51 games with the Knicks in 2013/14, his rookie season.
It likely doesn’t matter whom the Nets hire as their next head coach because the organization is still paying for mistakes made in the early days of moving to Brooklyn, Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post opines. The Nets’ history of acquiring flashy names such as Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson has had long-term consequences, Bontemps adds. There is no one in the organization that is capable of stepping into the general manager’s job at the moment, according to Bontemps.

Knicks Rumors: Early, Fisher, Porzingis

January 10th, 2016 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks forward Cleanthony Early, who was wounded in a December 30th shooting, probably won’t return to the court until after the All-Star break, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. The second-year player was shot once in his right knee during a robbery. Team president Phil Jackson and GM Steve Mills haven’t made any public comment on the incident, but an unidentified friend of Early’s told Berman that the recovery is progressing well. “He’s feeling better and he’s going to be fine,’’ the friend said. “It was the best possible outcome, and it’s not going to have any effect on his career. There was no structural damage and no infection, so he didn’t need surgery. That was the beautiful thing, not needing surgery. Thank God — his knee could’ve been blown out.’’

With an opening already on the roster, Early’s absence has left the Knicks with just 13 available players, and Berman writes that the team is “exploring several options” to add someone via a 10-day contract. The Knicks are examining the players waived because of this week’s deadline for guaranteed contracts and were keeping an eye on the D-League showcase that ends today. Jimmer Fredette, part of the Knicks’ D-League franchise in Westchester, was considered, but coach Derek Fisher wants a better defender, according to Berman.

There’s more this morning from the Big Apple:

The Knicks’ near-miss Friday in San Antonio and their overall competitiveness during a challenging stretch shows that Fisher has developed an effective combination, Berman writes in a separate piece. Their recent success, Berman notes, coincides with Fisher’s decision to cut his rotation to nine players and limit the playing time of Kyle O’Quinn, Kevin Seraphin, Sasha Vujacic and Lou Amundson.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had good things to say about rookie Kristaps Porzingis, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Porzingis is averaging 13.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game halfway through his first NBA season. “They were very astute in figuring out what he might be down the road,” Popovich said. “His agility, his sense of the game, his skills, are quite significant. I think he’s going to be a great player.”
New York’s best opportunity for improvement next season will come through free agency, contends Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. The Knicks will have approximately $20MM in cap space this summer and won’t have their first-round pick because of the 2013 Andrea Bargnani trade.

Knicks Notes: Anthony, Porzingis, Lopez

January 9th, 2016 at 2:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony is playing with unexpected maturity and unselfishness this season and the primary difference from 2014/15 is that Melo has faith in the roster around him, writes Steve Popper of NorthJersey.com. “I’ve always been asking for the help to take that burden off me, to have to go out there and score 25, 30 and 35 points a night just to have a chance to win the basketball game,” Anthony said. “That becomes a big burden on your shoulders. I realize the guys that are on this team; they can take some of that burden off. It’s not going to be every night. Some nights it calls for me to have a game like I had at home against Atlanta – 11 points, [nine] rebounds and [five] assists. There’s going to be some nights where I have to score the basketball. It’s a fine line between that and I have to kind of gauge that throughout the game.”

Here’s more from New York:

Anthony also noted that he’s willing to pass the torch as the franchise’s marquee player, much like the way Tim Duncan has done with Kawhi Leonard in San Antonio, and all signs point to that player being Kristaps Porzingis, Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes. “If I have those players on my team, somebody to pass the torch, of course I’m willing to do that,” Anthony told the Newsday scribe. “I think [Duncan] realizes that he wasn’t going to be able to do it by himself. Some days he has it, some days he doesn’t, but I don’t think he worries about that because he’s got other guys on his team who can carry that load. You have to want to do that. You have to be willing to do that. If you talk about sacrifice, that’s the ultimate sacrifice.”
Center Robin Lopez is still adjusting to being used as a post player in the triangle offense, a role he wasn’t tasked with by his previous teams in the NBA, Marc Berman of The New York Post notes. “I hadn’t posted up since college,’’ Lopez said. “It had been awhile. I was learning everyone’s tendencies and learning the triangle. I still have a lot to learn. I thought I rushed myself in Atlanta. They have a lot of confidence in me. My teammates are putting me in good position.“

Eastern Notes: Jennings, Butler, Biyombo

January 9th, 2016 at 10:20am CST by Eddie Scarito

Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings is growing tired of all the trade speculation and questions regarding his next contract, when all he really wants to do is focus on returning to form as he makes his way back from an Achilles injury, David Mayo of MLive relays. “The worst stuff, the stuff I’m tired of getting asked about, is my contract for one, if I’m going to be here next year, and if I’m going to start. Obviously, you guys have heard the trade rumors,” Jennings said. “All I get is Knicks feed in my Twitter mentions. So it’s kind of like, all right, we just won last night, how about our game? How about this person played bad, this person played good? I’m just getting all types of questions that has nothing to do with how I feel or how I’m playing.”

Here’s the latest out of the Eastern Conference:

With the Magic‘s record currently sitting at 20-17 and the franchise holding a half-game lead over the Celtics for the final playoff spot in the East, the team is facing unfamiliar pressure to win while rebuilding, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel writes. Orlando is a team still learning how to compete and close out games, and the question still remains as to whether or not the past few seasons of losing basketball has impacted the players’ outlooks, Schmitz adds.
The Bulls‘ offense is starting to round into the form the franchise envisioned when it hired coach Fred Hoiberg this past offseason, and it is due to the team moving the ball and playing unselfishly, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes. Much of the credit should go to Jimmy Butler, who is playing less one-on-one ball and more within Hoiberg’s system since his comments regarding the coach’s laid-back coaching style caused a stir, Friedell adds. “I think we all got a lot of love for each other,” Butler said. “Everybody wants to see everybody be successful. That’s why we’re winning games. We’re buying into any given night. It could be anybody that’s scoring. It could be anybody that’s got it going. You get the ball to them and they’ll take us where we need to go. But that’s special just showing how much everybody wants everybody else to be successful.”
The struggles on the defensive end the Hornets are enduring can’t be placed solely on the absence of small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, but on the organization’s offseason focus to add more offense, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. Bonnell points to the Hornets’ decision to allow Bismack Biyombo depart as a free agent without so much as tendering him a qualifying offer, and the team’s failure to add a rim protector to replace the center, who signed with the Raptors over the summer.