New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Hornets D-League, Final Cuts, Johnson

October 25th, 2015 at 10:03am CST by Arthur Hill

Greensboro, North Carolina, will be the site of the Hornets‘ new D-League team, reports Jeff Mills of the Greensboro News & Record. The new franchise, which will expand the league to 20 teams, will begin play next fall. Charlotte currently has no D-League affiliate. Players on D-League assignment will go to the one-to-one affiliate of another NBA team. “Greensboro’s approach to the process was innovative,” said Fred Whitfield, the Hornets’ president and chief operating officer. “Taking the Pavilion and renovating it into a basketball-style fieldhouse for us was very attractive. Especially when you could have offices for us right across the street.” The move is expected to be officially announced Tuesday. Asheville and Fayetteville were the other finalists.

There’s more news from around the basketball world:

After a flurry of moves Saturday, seven NBA teams still have final cuts to make before Monday’s roster deadline, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Mavericks, Pistons, Pacers, Lakers and Grizzlies each have to unload one player to reach the roster limit of 15. The Nets still have 17 players and the Sixers have 20, which is the training camp maximum (Twitter link). The five teams with roster openings are the Rockets, Pelicans, Knicks, Magic and Suns, who each have 14 spots filled. (Twitter link).
Several teams have expressed interest in Nick Johnson, who was waived Saturday by the Nuggets, according to Sam Amico of Amicohoops.net. Citing an unidentified source, Amico says there’s a chance someone could pick up Johnson by Monday. Johnson was one of four players sent from Houston to Denver in the Ty Lawson trade.
The league is looking into the reported confrontation between Knicks coach Derek Fisher and the Grizzlies‘ Matt Barnes, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed the investigation, but did not offer specifics regarding possible punishment for either Fisher or Barnes. They were allegedly involved in a physical altercation at the house of Barnes’ estranged wife.

Atlantic Notes: Antetokounmpo, Knicks, Harper

October 24th, 2015 at 6:41pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Thanasis Antetokounmpo is talking with European and NBA teams, but his agent, Nick Lotsos, said he might wind up playing in the D-League if another NBA club doesn’t sign him, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Antetokounmpo’s camp had previously said the 23-year-old would not play another season in the D-League, but perhaps that was just a leverage play to make the opening night roster since New York owns his D-League rights. The Knicks waived Antetokounmpo along with four others on Friday, and they only have 14 players under contract, as our Roster Count page shows.

The team wanted to remain flexible by having an extra roster spot and there’s suspicion that the forward never really had a chance to make the team. “My understanding is they wanted the 15th spot open, because they want it open in case something interesting comes up,” Lotsos told Berman. “I don’t believe [he got an opportunity]. It goes for all the guys [cut].”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Lotsos got no reading on whether the Knicks consider Antetokounmpo a future prospect, Berman writes in the same piece. “I don’t have a feeling if Thanasis has a future [with the Knicks],” Lotsos said. “It’s important wherever he plays [in the D-League], he has an important role. If that’s Westchester, fine. If [there is] not such a plan there, we’d have to find another place. They said he had a good camp, and I believe them.”
Justin Harper wasn’t expected to have any chance to make the team when he agreed to a camp deal with the Nets last month, but injuries to the team’s frontcourt gave Harper an opportunity to showcase his game in the preseason and he made the most of his playing time, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes. Brooklyn currently has 17 players under contract, as our Roster Count page shows, with Harper and veteran Dahntay Jones as the only players with contracts that do not contain any guaranteed money. If Harper makes the team, it appears it will be at the expense of Willie Reed, although that is merely my speculation. Reed, who is recovering from thumb surgery and isn’t expected back on the court for five to seven weeks, has a partial guarantee in his contract worth $500K.
Lionel Hollins means more to Brooklyn now than ever before, Bontemps writes in a separate piece. The Nets don’t have the firepower to consistently compete with the league’s top teams and Bontemps argues that if the team is going to make any noise this season, Hollins will have to out-coach his opponents on a nightly basis.

Atlantic Notes: Zeller, Lee, Ross, Faverani

October 24th, 2015 at 3:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Celtics are interested in rookie scale extensions for Tyler Zeller or Jared Sullinger only if they consent to decidedly team-friendly deals, league sources tell Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. The C’s are prioritizing flexibility and the “feeling is” that the team would be pleased to re-sign them in restricted free agency next summer if they perform well this season, Bulpett writes. The extension window for both closes at the end of November 2nd. Perry Jones is also up for a rookie scale extension, but he’s in a fight simply to preserve his roster spot for this season.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

David Lee concedes that he would have preferred to stay with the Warriors for the rest of his career, but he also makes it clear that he’s “really, really excited” to join the Celtics, Bulpett relays in the same piece.
A 50-50 chance exists that the Raptors and Terrence Ross will reach an extension deal by the November 2nd deadline, sources tell Grantland’s Zach Lowe, who takes educated guesses on Zeller and other rookie scale extension candidates.
Former Celtics big man Vitor Faverani, who reached a two-year agreement to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv back in July, is likely to be let go by the team due to knee issues, international journalist David Pick reports (Twitter link).
Wesley Saunders, who was waived by the Knicks on Friday, is expected to join the team’s D-League affiliate in Westchester, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com tweets.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Knicks Cut Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Four Others

October 23rd, 2015 at 12:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks have waived Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Darion Atkins and DaJuan Summers, Travis Trice and Wesley Saunders, the team announced (Twitter link). The moves take the Knicks to 14 players, one below the regular season roster limit. All had $75K partial guarantees except for Trice, who was assured of $50K, and Summers, whose salary is non-guaranteed. The release of Antetokounmpo, a brother of Bucks utilityman Giannis Antetokounmpo, means New York forfeits its draft rights to the player it took 51st overall last season.

Antetokounmpo, 23, doesn’t appear interested in rejoining the Knicks D-League affiliate, the team he played for last season. He averaged 13.9 points in 33.0 minutes per game in the D-League last year but went scoreless in about 13 minutes of preseason action spread over three games this month.

Atkins also failed to register a point over seven total minutes of preseason playing time. The 23-year-old went undrafted out of Virginia this year.

Summers, 27, was the 35th overall pick in 2009 but hasn’t appeared in an NBA regular season game since the 2012/13 season. The power forward averaged 2.5 PPG in 5.8 MPG across four preseason contests with the Knicks this month.

Trice went undrafted out of Michigan State this year. The 22-year-old point guard had four points, two assists and a turnover in about 14 total minutes of playing time over the course of two preseason games.

Saunders, from Harvard, was yet another prospect passed over in this year’s draft who landed with the Knicks. The 22-year-old small forward managed two points in about seven minutes of preseason action spread across a pair of games.

The Knicks have 13 fully guaranteed deals, but Langston Galloway, with his sizable $440K partial guarantee, seems safely ensconced in the 14th spot. New York is reportedly one of a handful of teams with interest in the recently waived Jimmer Fredette.

Atlantic Notes: Clarke, Fisher, Wood, Young

October 22nd, 2015 at 8:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Derek Fisher experienced a difficult rookie season as Knicks head coach, but he feels that 2014/15’s growing pains are merely part of the learning process, and Fisher, who defied expectations throughout his playing career, may end up doing the same as a coach, writes Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. “Just continuing to chip away at what my vision is for coaching and teaching and leading,” Fisher told Ding of his approach this season, “Last year, coming in, I was learning and trying to figure out the best leadership styles. How do you work with players? How do you criticize players in a constructive way? All these things were unknowns. Just really learning as I went along. Not that I know the world of basketball a year later, per se, but I’m just more confident in what it is I expect and better able to articulate that to our players. Being really clear about what I want and not so much me trying to find that vision.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Combo forward Coty Clarke, who was waived by the Celtics on Tuesday, will play this season for Boston’s D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, Adam Johnson of D-League Digest relays (via Twitter).
Being passed over in this year’s NBA Draft is what is driving Sixers power forward Christian Wood throughout the preseason, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Wood, who is signed to a partially guaranteed deal, believes that he has a solid shot to make the team’s regular season roster, Breen notes. “I want to show every team what they missed out on,” Wood said. “I’m hustling on every loose ball. Giving it my all and giving it my 100% on every possession. I’m lucky to have a shot with the 76ers.”
Celtics swingman James Young chalks up a hefty chunk of his rookie difficulties last season to growing pains and believes he’s now on the correct path as a player, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes. “Last year, I just wasn’t thinking straight about the game,” Young said. “Now, I feel like I’m by that and I can just play my game.” When asked what was weighing on his mind last season, Young told Bulpett, “Hesitating, going back and forth to the D-League, off the court issues with my mom, family stuff. Everything’s caught up now, so I’m good.”

Atlantic Notes: Isiah, King, Sixers, Raptors

October 21st, 2015 at 12:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Knicks owner James Dolan doesn’t hide his affection for Isiah Thomas, but he can’t envision a scenario in which he ever hires him for the Knicks again, telling Bryant Gumbel of HBO’s Real Sports that he doesn’t think fans in New York would give him a fair chance, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News relays (Twitter link). Thomas, to whom Gumbel also spoke, ruled out coaching the Knicks again, but didn’t say he wouldn’t seek a front office position with the team, Bondy notes. See more from around the Atlantic Division:

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov complimented the job performance of GM Billy King in an interview with NetsDaily, but he wouldn’t address the matter of whether he’ll give King an extension. King is in the final year of his deal and conflicting reports emerged in May about whether he and the team were close to an extension.
Brett Brown has said the Sixers plan to keep only three point guards for opening night, but with top options Tony Wroten and Kendall Marshall injured and T.J. McConnell closing in on a regular season spot, Brown suggests the team could keep more because of their ability to slide to shooting guard, observes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “You know you look at [Scottie] Wilbekin … and say he’s a two-guard,” Brown said. “He can shoot, and that’s true. I can look at Isaiah [Canaan] and say he’s not always a point guard. Let him go be, pick him, Lou Williams. He’s a barrel-chested scorer.”
The Raptors had mixed results with two point guards on the floor at the same time last season, but with Cory Joseph having replaced Williams and Greivis Vasquez, coach Dwane Casey is more optimistic about such lineups, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca examines. “The problem last year going small wasn’t Kyle [Lowry], it was the other small guys with him,” Casey said. “Now we have speed and quickness with Kyle, we have toughness with Kyle defensively so you don’t get burned as much defensively when you do go small.”

Jazz, Hawks, Suns, Knicks Eye Jimmer Fredette

October 21st, 2015 at 11:26am CST by Chuck Myron

The Jazz, Hawks, Suns and Knicks are teams with some level of interest in Jimmer Fredette, as Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net hears. The Spurs are set to waive Fredette today, as Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reported. Any of those teams could claim his one-year, minimum-salary contract off waivers, though they’d have to assume responsibility for his $507,711 partial guarantee if they did. They could negotiate a contract without a guarantee if he clears waivers.

A return to Utah would be a homecoming of sorts for the former BYU star. The Jazz are already down to 15 players, but three of them are without full guarantees on their deals, so the team has flexibility. Phoenix is in a similar spot, with 15 players, including two with non-guaranteed contracts. The Hawks have 13 full guarantees, but Mike Muscala seems like a “lock” for the regular season roster, and former second-round pick Lamar Patterson, who’s seen plenty of preseason playing time, has a partially guaranteed deal. The Knicks have 13 full guarantees, but Langston Galloway appears secure for the 14th spot, and like Atlanta, they have a former second-round pick in Thanasis Antetokounmpo competing for spot No. 15.

Of course, Fredette is a former lottery pick, having gone 10th overall to the Kings in 2011. Still, he didn’t make too much impact in his rookie season, and his numbers have declined since. He shot only 18.8% from three-point range last season with the Pelicans and didn’t make a three-pointer in the preseason this month for the Spurs.

Do you think the Jazz, Hawks, Suns or Knicks make sense for Fredette? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Atlantic Notes: Joseph, Calderon, Rozier

October 20th, 2015 at 6:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Point guard Cory Joseph, who inked a four-year, $30MM deal with the Raptors this summer, has been impressing the team with his solid two-way game, Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun writes. Joseph said he wasn’t feeling any added pressure to perform up to his new deal, Wolstat notes. “I don’t know how to answer that because I don’t really base my game on what people think,” Joseph said. “I just try to get better every day. I try to maybe prove that I can play within the organization, but outside the organization, I don’t really look at that stuff.”

Joseph’s new teammate, Luis Scola, praises the reserve playmaker’s ability, and predicts good things for Joseph this season in Toronto, Wolstat adds. “He’s a good player, he’s trying to explore his game, take his game to the next level,” Scola said. “I think he’s going to have a lot of opportunities here. He’s in great shape right now, he looks very good, very confident, so, hopefully he can keep that momentum going into the season. We’re expecting a great year from him.”

Here’s more from out of the Atlantic Division:

Knicks point guard Jose Calderon noted that there were some teams this offseason that were interested in trading for him, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. New York was reportedly trying to find a taker for the veteran this summer as the team attempted to free up cap space.
2015 first-rounder Terry Rozier‘s place in the Celtics‘ rotation is unclear with a number of players ahead of him on the depth chart currently, but coach Brad Stevens has noted the impact that former third-string point guard Phil Pressey had on Boston teams in recent seasons, a role that Stevens hopes the rookie can fill, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes.
While injuries have kept Arron Afflalo on the shelf for the bulk of the preseason, the Knicks are banking on his skill as a post player to help him thrive in the triangle offense this season, Begley writes in a separate piece. “Post-ups aren’t as popular of a scoring opportunity in terms of efficiency and points per possession. But we still view it as penetration,” New York coach Derek Fisher said. “The ball is still closer to the basket than it is if you’re standing out by the line. And we believe we have some guys who are good enough to force teams to make a decision on how they’re going to defend us. [We] think Arron’s good enough.“

Atlantic Notes: Johnson, Jones, Hernangomez

October 19th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Amir Johnson‘s production fell off last season with the Raptors, but the Celtics regard their free agent signee as a steal, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. President of basketball operations Danny Ainge is enamored with his versatility and the way he can complement any of the team’s other big men, as Forsberg notes. Johnson is just as sold on his new home.

“I like the vision, I like that we are young, and I like what they did last season coming into the playoffs,” Johnson said. “I felt like they were doing their best to get better. Just talking to [Celtics president of basketball operations] Danny [Ainge] and [coach Brad] Stevens, I love what they got going on here.”

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

Stevens distanced himself from roster decisions, but he complemented Perry Jones III, who’s on the chopping block as the Celtics must offload at least one fully guaranteed salary to trim to the 15-man regular season roster limit within the week, relays Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. “I think the biggest thing for Perry is, Perry has a chance to be a very, very good multi-positional defender, and he’s got a chance to be a guy that can play off closeouts, make shots or post switches,” Stevens said. “So being able to do those things regularly is a huge key. But I’ve been impressed with what Perry can do, what he has done, especially in practice.”
Knicks draft-and-stash prospect Guillermo Hernangomez wants to play for Real Madrid of Spain for many years before considering a move to the NBA, as he said to Emilio V. Escudero of ABC.es (translation via HoopsHype). An earlier report indicated that the Knicks were planning to sign him before the 2016/17 season. New York acquired the NBA rights to the 6’11” center via trade after the Sixers selected him 35th overall in June.
The Sixers‘ rebuilding process is enduring criticism, but even though GM Sam Hinkie has presided over three offseasons, it’s still too early to judge the success of his plan because so many of the assets he’s acquired are for the future, opines Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News.

Atlantic Notes: Early, Thomas, Jones

October 18th, 2015 at 6:45pm CST by Will Joseph

Cleanthony Early, who struggled as a rookie last year with the Knicks, seems to be more comfortable offensively and is playing tougher defense, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Berman adds that Carmelo Anthony has helped groom the small forward into becoming a two-way force.

“[Early] looks more confident this year,’’ Anthony said, per Berman. “I think it was good for him to go through the season last year, this offseason and even right now he looks a lot more confident.’’

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

As the 16th player with a guaranteed contract added to the maximum 15-contract mix, Perry Jones has roughly a week to win a roster spot with the Celtics, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald writes. Jones did not play Friday against the Knicks, as Murphy points out. “Always keep the faith. That’s part of basketball,” Jones said. “I can’t tell you why I didn’t see the floor, that’s a question for Brad, but I just have to stay ready for the next game.”
Isaiah Thomas is adding some creativity to his offensive repertoire and Celtics coach Brad Stevens believes that is one reason why the team acquired the point guard last year, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com relays. “First of all, I thought he’d really impact our team,” Stevens said. “I thought his ability to get into the paint would be like a shot in the arm for our team. From an efficiency standpoint, on the offensive end of the floor, both at the end of last year and through the first four preseason games, he’s just playing at such a high level; he’s such a good fit. I think that I thought he’d have a huge impact, but I think he’s probably — and my expectations were high — but I think he’s probably been at the top of those at least.”