New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Valanciunas, McConnell, Porzingis

November 21st, 2015 at 2:49pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Undrafted rookie point guard T.J. McConnell has been one of the early season’s pleasant surprises for the Sixers, something that even McConnell didn’t anticipate, Andy Jasner of NBA.com writes. “Did I expect to play this much so early in the season?,” McConnell asked. “I would have to say, ‘no.’ Like I’ve said, weird things have gone on. My number has been called and I’m going in to compete and fight for minutes. It’s every day that you have to compete and play hard and learn. To keep this dream going, it’s keeping that work ethic going and continuing to play well. I just want to take advantage of this amazing opportunity.”

McConnell is a realist and understands that his future with the team is unclear once Kendall Marshall and Tony Wroten return to action, Jasner adds. “I hope so,” McConnell responded when asked if he had a future in Philly. “I’ve already had such a great experience here. The coaches and my teammates are amazing to be around every day. My teammates are always encouraging me and the coaches are teaching all the time. I’m here to learn and get better. I don’t ever want to look down the road. Sure, I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t think about it. But my job is to stay in the moment and improve as much as possible.”

Here’s more from out of the Atlantic Division:

Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas fractured the fourth metacarpal in his non-shooting hand on Friday night, and will be evaluated to determine just how long he’ll be out of action, the team announced via a press release (h/t to ESPN.com). Valanciunas broke a similar bone in his right hand during his 2012/13 rookie season and missed 18 games as a result.
Kristaps Porzingis has taken New York by storm, as well as surprised many around the league with his solid start, but the Knicks rookie isn’t shocked that he has been able to contribute immediately, Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post writes. “Everybody [was] saying project, few years,” Porzingis said. “I will get better in a few years, but I knew I’d be able to play right now.”
The Celtics have recalled Terry Rozier and James Young from the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team announced.

Atlantic Notes: Durant, Okafor, D-League

November 20th, 2015 at 8:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks coach Derek Fisher has strong ties to Kevin Durant from their time as teammates with the Thunder. Fisher said that he regrets not doing more to help OKC win a title while he was there, and he called Durant “one of the greats,” Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “We didn’t win a championship,’’ Fisher said regarding playing with Durant. “That was definitely why I was there. We didn’t get that done. Obviously, he’s a great player. I was fortunate to play with a lot of great ones over the course of my career. He’s definitely one of the greats.’’ Not wanting to risk a tampering charge regarding the future unrestricted free agent, Fisher wisely avoided going into detail on what makes Durant great, Berman adds. “This is a new position for me,’’ Fisher continued. “I’ll stay away from celebrating guys I used to play with that are pending free agents. Keep it at that.’’

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Sixers coach Brett Brown is considering shifting rookie Jahlil Okafor to power forward and moving Nerlens Noel to center, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link). One of the primary concerns regarding Philly stockpiling big men via the draft is how well they would mesh alongside one another, and it will be interesting to see if this move helps or hurts the development of Okafor, a natural center, in the long run.
Establishing their new D-League affiliate wasn’t an easy task, notes Raptors GM Masai Ujiri, but the franchise felt it was an important step if it wanted to properly develop its younger players, writes Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. D-League president Malcolm Turner agreed the process was difficult, but worth it for both the Raptors and the league, Wolstat adds. “Yeah, certainly there’s some back of house, logistics, in terms of crossing the border and other arrangements we needed to make,” Turner said. “We’re growing as a property, it really wasn’t a question of if, but when. The popularity of the sport in this market, in this country, the success of Canadian players throughout the game and frankly, others who are connected to the game, coaches and otherwise, is well-documented.”

Eastern Notes: Durant, World Peace, Smith

November 19th, 2015 at 6:25pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The early season play of rookie Kristaps Porzingis coupled with Carmelo Anthony‘s return to health has given Knicks fans hope, not just for this season, but beyond. Another benefit the franchise may glean from exceeding expectations is that team president Phil Jackson will have a far more appealing product to sell Kevin Durant when he becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News opines.

One issue I have with the Knicks potentially adding Durant is that both Anthony and Porzingis are frontcourt players, and unless Anthony shifted to power forward full-time and Porzingis to the pivot, one of the trio would need to come off the bench. Shifting Porzingis to center would also serve to displace Robin Lopez, who the team inked to a four-year, $54MM deal this past summer, which is obviously not an ideal move for New York given its financial commitment to the big man.

Here’s the latest out of the Eastern Conference:

Metta World Peace, discussing his relationship with Pacers executive Larry Bird, said that he has tried to rejoin Indiana over the years, but he may have burned too many bridges with his disruptive attitude in his younger days for that to occur, Dave Zarum of Sportsnet.ca relays (Twitter link). World Peace did note that Bird was extremely patient with him during his time with the team, and that Bird would often go out of his way to work with him to improve his game, Zarum adds.
Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith is feeling much more comfortable in the flow of the team’s offense, something he credits to his increased playing time, Jason Lloyd of Ohio.com writes. “It’s hard to just run up and down the court four or five times, then just get one spot shot, then come out of the game, then go back in the game. Getting in a rhythm early is the most important thing,” Smith said. “It’s not even so much to shoot, just to feel the ball, get the motion, get the ‘camaraderie’ within the system. I think that’s big, not only for me but for everybody. It’s not from a selfish aspect, but to feel the ball, feel the flow of the offense a little better.”
The Cavaliers have recalled shooting guard Joe Harris from the Canton Charge, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. You can keep track off all the D-League assignments and recalls made throughout the season here.

Eastern Notes: Knight, Porter, Jackson

November 18th, 2015 at 7:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Bucks coach Jason Kidd discussed why the team dealt Brandon Knight to the Suns last season, and noted that the reasoning was purely financial, with Milwaukee not wanting to have two max salary players in its backcourt, Charles F. Gardner of The Journal-Sentinel writes. “I wouldn’t say we gave up a lot,” Kidd said. “He [Knight] was having a great season, and he’s having a great season this year. But it wasn’t we gave up Brandon. We had a decision to make between our backcourt. It wasn’t Klay Thompson or Stephen Curry. We weren’t going to max out our backcourt. As an organization, we had a decision to make, and we made it.” The Bucks re-signed Khris Middleton this summer to a five-year, $70MM deal, while Knight re-signed with Phoenix for the same terms.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Wizards are gaining trust in young small forward Otto Porter, and his playing time has increased as a result, J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. It’s Porter’s ability to do the little things as well as make his teammates around him better that has impressed the team, Michael adds. “He does a great job of pushing the pace. He’s comfortable putting the ball on the floor and making plays for other people,” John Wall said of Porter. “Always going to be averaging around nine or 10 rebounds because he’s always in the right position at the right time. He’s always in helpside defense. He’s does the little things on the basketball court that people don’t get noticed for.”
Knicks president Phil Jackson has not been more involved with the team this campaign despite his offseason statement indicating that he intended to take a more active role, notes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. “Maybe a couple times earlier in training camp, we had some kind of sat down and talked about some things visually at the same time. So far, it’s our typical mornings-after-the-game conversations or email exchanges,” coach Derek Fisher told Bondy. “Sometimes before practice we’ll visit for a few minutes. But not really any hardcore film sessions together. Although when those opportunities do present themselves, I’ll definitely be happy to participate.”
Joe Johnson is struggling to find other ways to help the Nets as he deals with the cumulative effects of age and injuries, and the veteran has gone from a scoring threat to more of a facilitator in the team’s offense, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com writes. “People make such a big thing about him being such a dominant scorer, but being his teammate these past two years, he’s such a willing passer.” Jarrett Jack said of Johnson. “Joe being selfless enough to make those plays and take advantage of those opportunities speaks volumes about him as a person and a player.”

And-Ones: Fisher, Vaulet, Rasheed, Huestis

November 18th, 2015 at 2:54pm CST by Chuck Myron

Derek Fisher admits to feeling more comfort as a coach this season, though Knicks team president Phil Jackson hasn’t been working more closely with Fisher, as Jackson said before the season that he would. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News has the details.

“Maybe a couple times earlier in training camp, we had some kind of sat down and talked about some things visually at the same time. So far, it’s our typical mornings-after-the-game conversations or email exchanges,” Fisher said. “Sometimes before practice we’ll visit for a few minutes. But not really any hardcore film sessions together. Although when those opportunities do present themselves, I’ll definitely be happy to participate.”

The Knicks are 6-6, a significant improvement on last season’s 17-65 mark, though Fisher cautions that .500 isn’t the team’s goal. See more from around the NBA:

Draft-and-stash prospect Juan Vaulet is pleased that the Nets own his NBA rights, citing the way team doctors cared for the stress fracture in his leg, as he said in an interview with ESPN Argentina earlier this month (YouTube link), as NetsDaily relays. Still, the 6’6″, 19-year-old Argentian, who fashions himself a point guard, believes he’s a ways off from signing to play in the NBA.
Rasheed Wallace, Al Harrington and Keyon Dooling are among the 60 players who’ve so far committed to The Champions League, an upstart minor league circuit with plans to play in the summers beginning in 2016, USA Today’s Sam Amick reports. The league intends to pay annual player salaries that average around $200K, league chairman and CEO Carl George told Amick.
The Thunder have assigned Josh Huestis to the D-League, the team announced via press release. It’s the second trip to the D-League this season for the small forward, who averaged just 7.0 points in 28.4 minutes per game across two appearances in his first D-League stint this year.

Pacific Notes: Lin, Walton, Goodwin

November 17th, 2015 at 2:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Warriors were among the teams to show interest in Jeremy Lin while he was a free agent this summer, as he told reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post. Lin instead wound up signing with the Hornets, a team that wasn’t initially within the top six among his preferences, the point guard added, as Berman relays.

“I entertained it,’’ Lin said. “I just felt like they had something great going there, and if I went there, it would be a very limited role. I felt like, ‘I’m 27 now.’ I want to find where I can be as big a part of a successful team as I can.’’

Hornets coach Steve Clifford calls Lin a bargain on his two-year deal worth more than $4.374MM and said that when he was an assistant coach with the Lakers in 2012/13, head coach Mike D’Antoni wanted the Lakers to try to acquire Lin, whom D’Antoni coached on the Knicks, Berman notes. Ironically, Lin played for the Lakers last season, right after D’Antoni left. See more from the Pacific Division:

Klay Thompson, in the first season of his four-year extension, says he prefers being on a winner over putting up gaudy stats on a losing team, and interim coach Luke Walton doesn’t see signs of the Warriors growing anxious to see what they could do on their own, observes Chris Mannix of SI.com. I don’t see this team having any of those type of issues,” Walton said to Mannix. “There’s no way to tell, obviously. Contract stuff can come up. But that’s not the type of locker room that it looks like. If I were betting, I’d say it won’t happen.”
Archie Goodwin made some noise about his lack of playing time last season, but he’s been a part of the rotation for the Suns the past two games, and Jeff Hornacek won’t rule out making that a permanent role for him, observes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. “He’s played pretty well through the preseason and practices,” Hornacek said. “He’s earned the opportunity. He’s long. He’s quick so he can cover some ground. Now that he’s gotten stronger, he doesn’t get pushed around as much.”

Atlantic Notes: Stauskas, Lopez, Galloway

November 17th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Sixers trade acquisition Nik Stauskas, not far removed from having become the eighth overall pick in 2014, is still struggling to become the sort of dead-eye 3-point shooter in the NBA that he was in college. His minutes shrunk in Monday’s game, but even as coach Brett Brown insists he’s sticking by him, “If you fall out of the raft, you have to participate in your own rescue,” Brown said, according to Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News.

“He [Stauskas] knows this,” Brown continued. “This coaching staff loves that kid and he has got a green light to go play and play fearlessly, and we will help him. He just happens to be missing shots right now, and it can’t creep into his defense, which is the area that upsets me the most. So right now he’s swimming, and you have to swim hard. Nobody is going to scold him and bench him right now. He’s going to play, and we’re going to help him move forward. But it is a case of participating in your own rescue, and it’s in him. We need it to be in him. It’s all about being a two-way player.”

See more on the Sixers amid the latest from the Atlantic Division:

Nets are a woeful 1-9, but they’ve challenged in many of their losses and Brook Lopez believes that unlike during their rough patches last season, the team remains engaged, observes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “We haven’t had guys quitting — it definitely doesn’t feel like other previous seasons where we had a losing season and losing mentality to go with it,” Lopez said in part. “We have a positive group.”
The Knicks spent heavily on Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo, Kyle O’Quinn and Derrick Williams and drafted a new point guard in Jerian Grant, but none are scoring as much as Langston Galloway, who’s third on the team with 11.4 points per game, notes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “Everybody gets an opportunity. Can you capitalize on it? Then once you capitalize on it, can you continue?” Knicks coach Derek Fisher said. “Langston’s doing so. And it’s impressive because it’s not easy to do. It really requires a commitment and a discipline that’s not easy to maintain.”
The Sixers have a decent chance to add four lottery picks to the lineup at the start of next season, if Joel Embiid gets healthy, Dario Saric signs, and the Lakers miss the playoffs but fail to land a pick within the protected top-three range on the draft choice they owe Philadelphia, notes Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. That shows the wisdom of GM Sam Hinkie‘s plan, Kennedy opines. To keep track of the Lakers’ pick and the Sixers’ own selection, keep tabs on our Reverse Standings, which will be updated daily.

Eastern Notes: Rose, Pistons, Heat

November 15th, 2015 at 8:30pm CST by Will Joseph

Bulls point guard Derrick Rose may be dealing with blurred vision for a few more months, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com relays. Rose has struggled shooting so far, averaging only 12.6 points per game, as Friedell points out. Rose suffered a left orbital fracture during the Bulls’ first training camp practice on September 29th.

“[The doctors] said it could be as long as three months,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “But [the vision] has continued to improve, and that’s obviously a positive.”

The news, however, came as a surprise to Rose.

“This is my first time hearing about it,” Rose told reporters, including K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). “But you kind of have that hope in your mind that it gets well a lot quicker. But for this to be seven or eight [weeks] out and still the same way, I can’t do nothing but live with it. Get the most out of every day, keep putting my deposits in and keep working on my game until my eye gets better.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

While former Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith is still upset with comments team president Phil Jackson made during the summer about Smith’s personal life, Marc Berman of the New York Post opines that Smith should be grateful that he was traded to the Cavs. After not fitting into the Knicks’ plans, and despite his current shooting woes, Berman writes that the Cavs still see Smith as a capable scoring threat in a reserve role.
Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings, who is recovering from a torn left Achilles suffered in January, participated in four-on-four and three-on-three games with teammates and is still on track to return around Christmas, David Mayo of MLive.com reports. “As I told him today, what’s not back right now is his quickness,” Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. “It’s going to take some time. Being out and being able to do stuff is one thing, and being able to do it at a speed that you can really do is another.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Beno Udrih should have no problem fitting in with Miami, Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel writes. “He’s got veteran savviness about him,” Spoelstra said. “You saw it the other night. He hasn’t been in a practice. He hasn’t been in a shootaround but he’s played for enough different systems that he can just play basketball. You don’t notice things that you might have because he’s a veteran player. You can throw him in any situation. Guys like that are very valuable with veteran teams.” The Heat acquired Udrih from the Grizzlies in exchange for Mario Chalmers. Spoelstra did not identify a clear-cut role for Udrih, Richardson adds.

Atlantic Notes: Galloway, Mickey, Rozier, Young

November 15th, 2015 at 4:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

Langston Galloway draws motivation from having begun his pro career as an unheralded D-Leaguer, but the comfort of knowing he would play with the Knicks this season on the two-year contract he signed at midseason last year helped him concentrate on improving in the offseason, he told Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.

“I think this summer I was more settled because I knew where I was going, where I was going back to,” Galloway said. “And I knew the staff. So it helped out. I could focus on being there. I wouldn’t have to worry about 10 different other things. Like, ‘I might be here, I might be there.’ It definitely helped out, made me more comfortable. [It] made me just work at a more consistent pace.”

Galloway’s salary is only partially guaranteed this season, but he seems in no danger of hitting waivers. He’s set for restricted free agency in the summer ahead. See more on the Knicks and the rest of the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks won a fairly tight game against the Pelicans today, but they’ve otherwise struggled down the stretch, a problem their high roster turnover helps explain, Begley notes in a separate piece. The Knicks and Nets opened the season with eight newcomers apiece, most than any other Eastern Conference team.
The Celtics recalled all three of the players they had on D-League assignment today, bringing Jordan Mickey, Terry Rozier and James Young back to the big club in advance of today’s game against the Thunder, the team announced (Twitter link). Mickey and Young went to the D-League on Thursday, while the C’s had just assigned Rozier on Saturday.
The Sixers are well-positioned with lots of draft assets, but luck will play a prominent role in how well their rebuilding plan works, as Tom Moore of Calkins Media examines. Lottery picks and success aren’t necessarily correlated, as I observed earlier today.

Warriors Notes: Lacob, West, Walton

November 15th, 2015 at 3:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

This week marked the five-year anniversary of the transfer of Warriors ownership to Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, and Lacob doesn’t apologize for the bold talk that marked his tenure from the start, when the Warriors were still a losing team, as Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group relays. Thompson, in his wide-ranging interview with the co-owner, asked Lacob if he considers himself a power broker among owners in the league.

“Winning gives you respect amongst your peers,” Lacob said. “People are kind of blown away in the league by how we’ve been able to do it this fast and this well.”

See more on Lacob and his team amid news on the defending champs:

Lacob is delivering results similar to late Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss but doing so with a much different personality, observes Warriors executive board member and front office consultant Jerry West, who’s worked under them both, in a podcast with Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group.
Phil Jackson first encouraged Luke Walton to explore the idea of coaching while he was still a player, and Walton’s style leans more toward the Zen Master’s than Lute Olsen’s, his college coach, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Still, Walton’s coaching philosophy is changing over time. “I think it’s a natural progression,” Walton said. “It’s probably been developing in me before I even realized I wanted to be a coach just from the coaches I played under. But since I’ve gotten into this coaching business, I kind have spent more thinking about it and trying to pick up as much as I can from different people.”
Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com wonders what might have been if the Warriors had hired second-choice candidate Stan Van Gundy instead of Steve Kerr, noting that Van Gundy and Kerr both believe in having space and movement on offense and power forwards who can shoot 3-pointers.