New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

DeMarre Carroll Interested In Knicks

April 14th, 2015 at 8:56am CST by Chuck Myron

Soon-to-be free agent forward DeMarre Carroll acknowledged interest in the Knicks and hinted that he wouldn’t mind signing with the Lakers or Clippers, either, in a response to a question about whether he would give a great deal of consideration to the Knicks, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. The sixth-year veteran who turns 29 in July has blossomed while on a two-year, $5MM contract with the Hawks that expires at season’s end.

“Most definitely,” Carroll said. “When guys talk about playing in certain places — they talk about Madison Square Garden and Staples Center. Those two places. New York has a lot to offer but at the end of the season, I’ll let my agent do that. We’ll keep our options and hopefully it will work out for the best.’’

Knicks coach Derek Fisher likes Carroll, and his defense in particular, a source tells Berman. Carroll is a proficient rebounder, grabbing 5.4 per game this season, but his defense is a minus, according to both ESPN’s Real Plus/Minus and Basketball-Reference’s Box Plus/Minus. Those metrics show him as a better offensive player, and he’s transformed his attack in Atlanta, shooting nearly six times as many three-pointers the past two seasons as the rest of his NBA career put together. He’s made 39.6% of his shots from behind the arc this year and is averaging a career-high 12.7 points per game.

Berman figures the Mark Bartelstein client will command a starting salary around $5MM, but Grantland’s Zach Lowe would be surprised if he doesn’t see more than that (Twitter link). Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal speculates that Carroll’s in line for $6MM salaries (Twitter link). In any case, it would seem he’s due a significant raise on the more than $2.442MM he’s making this season. The Hawks only have Carroll’s Early Bird rights, so unless they use cap space, they’d be limited to a starting salary of a figure that will likely come in just shy of $6MM when the league’s average salary is computed during the July Moratorium. Still, Atlanta, just like the Knicks and Lakers, is in line to open a significant amount of cap room this summer, depending in large measure on what happens with Carroll and Paul Millsap. The Clippers are unlikely to have the sort of cap flexibility it would take to land Carroll.

Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders wrote more than a month ago that it appeared the Hawks were looking for an upgrade at small forward, where Carroll plays. Still, it would be tough to envision the Hawks not having at least some interest in re-signing a player who has found his niche within their system. The team on Monday awarded Carroll the Jason Collier Memorial Trophy for his work as a community ambassador, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes, so clearly the club is high on his character.

Atlantic Notes: ‘Melo, Knicks, Perkins, Kidd

April 12th, 2015 at 10:48pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Knicks are guaranteed to have a record that’s among the worst three in the NBA this season, but Bucks coach Jason Kidd thinks Carmelo Anthony’s presence on New York’s roster could help lure free agents to the Big Apple this summer, relays Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. The Knicks will have about $32.4MM in commitments next season, and they’ll surely be looking for an upgrade at almost every position on their roster going forward. We’ve got more from Begley on the Knicks in tonight’s look at the latest from the Atlantic:

Pacers executive and former Knicks president Donnie Walsh believes Phil Jackson’s influence will eventually turn New York into a winning club, as Begley writes in the same piece. Still, Walsh cautions that Jackson’s approach will likely require patience, and free agents won’t just flock to the Knicks simply because they play in a big market.
Kendrick Perkins spoke fondly of the Celtics and told Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com that he thinks the C’s are on the right track moving forward. Perkins, a free agent at season’s end, added that he’s proud of the progress his former team has made this season and complimented the play of Avery Bradley.
Tim Bontemps of the New York Post explores Kidd’s transition from coaching the Nets to coaching the Bucks.

Eastern Notes: Celtics, Monroe, Bass

April 12th, 2015 at 3:49pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Celtics will rely on the reputation of the franchise and the current framework in place to build a contender as their selling points in free agency, as team owner Wyc Grousbeck tells Jared Weiss of SB Nation.

“This whole thing that we have to beg people and we have our hat in our hand and we’re telling people to please come; well if you don’t want to be a Boston Celtic, you’re not going to be a Boston Celtic. We’re not going to drag you here. We want you to be here and we want you to [choose] us. You’ve got a chance potentially to join a team that is on the way back, hopefully, to being a contender. Hopefully in not very long. We actually want people asking us to possibly consider them,” Grousbeck said.

Boston has surpassed expectations this season and currently owns the seventh seed in the conference. If the playoffs started today, the team would play the Cavs in the first round and the Celtics would welcome that matchup. “I would love to play [LeBron James] in the playoffs somehow and I would love to beat him,” Grousbeck added.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Greg Monroe says neither he or his agent, David Falk, has a deal in place with the Knicks, according to David Mayo of MLive.com (Twitter link). “Y’all have to go ask Frank Isola what he thinks he knows,” the Georgetown product said. Monroe was referring to the Saturday’s report in which a league executive told Isola that a deal between New York and the 24-year-old was “about as close to a done deal as you can get.”
Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald believes Brandon Bass‘ consistency has been key to the Celtics’ success. Entering today’s game against the Cavs, Bass, who will become a free agent at the end of the season, has played in 276 straight games.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Thomas, Noel

April 12th, 2015 at 11:40am CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks coach Derek Fisher isn’t hiding his desire to keep Langston Galloway and Lance Thomas, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. Fisher praised the young players, who both came to the team on 10-day contracts, after Saturday’s win over Orlando. “To come in and do what they’ve done — they’ve changed our team,” Fisher said. “They’ve changed our culture because they’re great young men. They come to work with the same attitude every day and the same mind-set, and despite our record this season, we’re better off for having had them.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Isaiah Thomas, who came to the Celtics in a deadline-day deal, may be the team’s MVP, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. In the 19 games he has played since coming to Boston, Thomas is the team’s leading scorer at 19.6 points per game and has become the focus of the offense in the fourth quarter. Forsberg states that giving up Marcus Thornton and Cleveland’s pick in the 2016 draft seems like a small price to pay.
Nerlens Noel has blossomed into the player the Sixers had hoped he would be, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Noel’s scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks showed dramatic rises in March, and coaches around the league have noticed the difference. “Much more aggressive, offensively,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “Definitely, like driving the ball more and looking to post the ball more aggressively. But obviously what he’s bringing to the team that made them play better is his defense — his shot-blocking, his length, his anticipation.” With Noel blossoming and injured rookie center Joel Embiid on the horizon, the Sixers could face a difficult decision if they get a shot to land big men Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor in the draft.

Knicks Rumors: Draft, Shved, Anthony

April 12th, 2015 at 8:57am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks may have cost themselves a few ping-pong balls by beating Orlando Saturday night, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. New York and Minnesota are now tied atop Hoops Rumors’ Reverse Standings with 16-64 records. If they finish deadlocked, they will basically split the ping-pong balls used to determine the lottery order, with a coin flip deciding who gets one extra ball and the No. 1 designation. Each team would have about a 22.5% chance of winning the lottery. Had the Knicks lost last night and their last two games, their odds would have been at 25%. “I don’t believe in trying to lose,’’ Knicks coach Derek Fisher said.

There’s more this morning from the Big Apple:

Berman reports in a separate story that Alexey Shved would like to remain in New York. The Knicks traded Pablo Prigioni to Houston at the deadline for the Russian guard and two second-round picks. He has been effective since the deal, averaging 14.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists. “My agent will do his work summertime but I want to stay here,” Shved said. “We had a lot of problems and injuries. Everything will change next year and I want to be part of it.’’
Former Knicks player and current Bucks coach Jason Kidd told Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com that New York could be a major player this summer in free agency. The Knicks will have at least $25MM to spend, along with a high draft pick and the lure of playing with Carmelo Anthony. “Melo is a talented player; he’s a great guy on and off the floor,” Kidd said. “So I wouldn’t see that there would be problems with guys coming in to play [with him].”
While the team waits for the offseason, a few young players and castoffs from other organizations are trying to make an impact in 2014/15, writes Dan Barry of The New York Times. Langston Galloway, Ricky Ledo, Louis Amundson and Lance Thomas, who all joined the team on 10-day contracts, are trying to establish themselves before the season is over. “I’ve just been waiting to play,” Ledo said. “Coming from the D-League, I’m getting my shot here.”

Knicks Notes: Monroe, Thomas, Draft

April 11th, 2015 at 9:56pm CST by ChrisCrouse

It’s no secret the Knicks plan to target Greg Monroe this offseason and one league executive called it “about as close to a done deal as you can get,” Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports. While Isola notes that a done deal is illegal under the terms of the CBA, he points out that a more likely scenario is that representatives of both parties have made their interest known. Monroe’s agent, David Falk, has had a relationship with Phil Jackson for over 20 years, going back to when Falk represented Michael Jordan. Falk is looking for a maximum salary contract for Monroe and Isola suggests the Knicks will offer him one.

Here’s more from the Big Apple:

Monroe is one of the players whom Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders believes would be a realistic free agent target this offseason. Beer also names Wesley Matthews, Patrick Beverley, Draymond Green and Tobias Harris among other potential targets.
Coach Derek Fisher said Lance Thomas and Langston Galloway have changed the team’s culture and Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork (Twitter link) believes it’s more evidence that the Knicks will want the forward back next season. Thomas will be a free agent at the end of the season.
Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork looks at how prospects whom the Knicks could select with their first-rounder fared in the NCAA tournament and suggests that Karl-Anthony Towns would a better choice than Jahlil Okafor if New York landed the top pick in the draft.

Atlantic Notes: Smith, Knicks, Fisher

April 10th, 2015 at 4:25pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Since arriving in Philadelphia Ish Smith has averaged a career-best 12.4 points and 6.0 assists, but the 26-year-old isn’t sure whether he fits in with the Sixers‘ rebuilding plan yet, Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News writes. When asked if he had found a home with the Sixers, Smith responded, “I don’t know. I don’t ever really think about it. I kind of just play and let the chips fall where they may. For me, it’s getting better every quarter, every minute, figuring out what coach wants, and we’ll see from there this summer. This is a good situation. This is the first time I think I’ve played a lot of minutes. A lot of people ask for opportunities. I’m just glad I’m able to be productive in those minutes.” Smith will become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Knicks coach Derek Fisher has endured a nightmarish first season in New York, but he does believe that the franchise can turn things around dramatically next season, Fred Kerber of The New York Post writes. When asked about the possibility of the Knicks going from 15 wins to 63 next season, Fisher said, “I guess that’s possible, but we are not here trying to squeeze in, we are not here trying to go from 15 to 36. That’s just not who we are. So it can turn around quickly. It will turn around quickly. But we don’t really have to put a number on it. We are 6-21 in games [decided] by six points or less this year. So we lost 21 games on two possessions. So we don’t have to go from 15 to 36 next year. We can go from 15 to 63 if we really want to. But that is up to us.”
Fisher also believes that having to play out the string while out of contention has been a learning experience for him and the team, Kerber adds. “As a coach, there’s so much to learn by watching the postseason: How other teams are playing, the type of things they’re doing at the ends of games, strategy and even listening to the coaches during timeouts, the way they’re addressing their team,” Fisher said. “I’ve even thought about how purposeful it could be to actually be present in person in certain environments, especially for me in the Eastern Conference compared to the West.“

Southeast Notes: Harris, Sefolosha, Dragic

April 10th, 2015 at 1:43pm CST by Chuck Myron

Tobias Harris says he and his representatives haven’t spoken about the idea of accepting a qualifying offer worth nearly $4.434MM this summer, as the soon-to-be restricted free agent tells Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Rumors linking him to the Knicks have been somewhat distracting, Harris also tells Robbins, but the combo forward insists he hasn’t thought much about his free agency and points out that he’s not in control of his next NBA destination, since the Magic can match offers. Just how willing Orlando will be to use its right of first refusal remains to be seen, particularly given the depth around the league at Harris’ primary position of small forward and the presence of fellow combo forward Aaron Gordon on the Magic’s roster, Robbins writes. Here’s more from around the Southeast Division:

The Hawks and the players union are separately scrutinizing the circumstances surrounding Thabo Sefolosha‘s arrest after he remained in custody for several hours without treatment for the broken fibula he suffered in the incident, reports Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com. The injury has ended the season for the swingman.
Goran Dragic rated Miami his favorite American city in an interview with Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post. The Heat guard, who plans to hit free agency this summer, ranks non-NBA city San Diego No. 2, followed by New York, San Francisco and Phoenix. Dragic reportedly made the Knicks, Lakers and Heat his favored destinations amid a trade request before the deadline, and Dragic has Los Angeles as an honorable mention on his top cities list.
A shakeup of Erik Spoelstra‘s Heat coaching staff this coming offseason is a distinct possibility, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel speculates in his mailbag column.

Atlantic Notes: King, Thomas, Ainge, Young

April 9th, 2015 at 2:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets will be almost certainly be picking 29th thanks to their pick swap with the Hawks as called for in the Joe Johnson trade, but it would appear to be in keeping with owner Mikhail Prokhorov’s philosophy.

“If you analyze a championship team, 20% is draft picks and 80% of it is trades,” Prokhorov said to reporters Wednesday, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).

Prokhorov expressed comfort with GM Billy King and praised his “bold” approach, Prokhorov also said, complimenting coach Lionel Hollins, too, seemingly indicating that both will be back next season, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. We passed along more from Prokhorov’s chat with the media earlier today, and there’s more from around the Atlantic Division:

Lance Thomas has started 33 games this season and 20 with the Knicks, earning praise from team president Phil Jackson, and the New Jersey native signaled a desire to re-sign with New York in unrestricted free agency this summer. Thomas made his remarks in a video interview with Jonah Ballow of Knicks.com. “My experience as a Knick has been great, and I hope it doesn’t end,” Thomas said. “This is my hometown team, and I would love to represent New York, so I’m going to do everything in my power to hopefully make that happen.”
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is impressed with how his roster has performed after all the trades he pulled off, as Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe details. Ainge named soon-to-be free agents Jae Crowder and Brandon Bass among several he believes have excelled.
The Kevin Garnett/Thaddeus Young trade has been a steal for the Nets, argues Daniel LoGuidice of NetsDaily, who believes the arrival of Young, and not the resurgence of Brook Lopez, was the true catalyst for Brooklyn’s late-season run for a playoff spot. Bontemps, writing in a separate piece, believes Young’s on-court presence has helped Lopez operate so effectively. Young hasn’t decided on his player option for next season but has said he wants to remain in Brooklyn.

Eastern Rumors: Copeland, Jackson, Nets

April 9th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Chris Copeland is intensive care in a New York hospital and will remain there for the next two or three days, a source tells ESPN’s Josina Anderson (Twitlonger link). The Pacers combo forward and soon-to-be free agent was the victim of a stabbing early Wednesday morning, and the attack left him with a punctured diaphragm, according to Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star. He also suffered lacerations on his left hand, Anderson hears. Copeland didn’t engage in an argument or initiate any altercation, a source tells Buckner. While we hope for the best for Copeland, here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Knicks owner James Dolan expressed continued faith in team president Phil Jackson and GM Steve Mills and again insisted that he wouldn’t meddle with the team as he spoke in an interview with Matthew Belloni of The Hollywood Reporter. “You got to believe, baby!” Dolan said, when asked if Jackson is still worth his $12MM annual salary. “I believe, I believe!”
The Nets want Brook Lopez back, as owner Mikhail Prokhorov on Wednesday made clear to reporters, including Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Still, the owner acknowledged the primary choice rests with the center, who has a player option worth more than $16.744MM, as Bontemps relays. “We need him,” Prokhorov said. “I think the Brooklyn Nets, it’s his home.”
Brooklyn would pay the repeater tax if they’re a taxpayer again next season, and the return of Lopez would make that a strong possibility. Still, Prohorov said he’d be willing to do so, Bontemps notes. Prokhorov also insists he never sought to sell a majority stake in the Nets and said that while he’s been approached by 10 people with interest in buying a minority share, there’s nothing on the table for now, notes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
The Cavs have some interest in Salah Mejri, a center playing for Spain’s Real Madrid, as Chema de Lucas of Gigantes Del Basket hears (translation via HoopsHype). The 28-year-old who went undrafted in 2008 is averaging 4.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per game.