Knicks Rumors: Draft, Shved, Anthony
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Knicks Sign Ricky Ledo For Season
The Knicks have signed Ricky Ledo for the remainder of the season, the team announced (Twitter link). Ledo’s second 10-day contract with the team expired overnight. It’s not immediately clear if the pact carries into next season, but either way, New York has control over the point guard’s NBA destination for 2015/16. A deal that covers only the rest of this season would allow the Knicks to make him a restricted free agent with a qualifying offer of $1,147,276.
The 22-year-old shooting guard has played a more prominent role in his brief time with the lottery-bound Knicks than he did with the playoff-contending Mavericks during his season and a half with them. Ledo is averaging 9.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per night across eight games with New York. He’s made nine of 21 total attempts from behind the three-point line.
Ledo gives the Knicks a full roster of 15 players signed through at least the end of the season. He’s the fourth Knick to have wound up with a deal that covers the balance of 2014/15 after having initially joined New York on a 10-day contract this year, as our 10-Day Contract Tracker shows.
Atlantic Notes: Amundson, Clark, Celtics
Louis Amundson plans to play in Europe if the Knicks do not re-sign him, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. The 32-year-old power forward, who becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, has played on 10 NBA teams and doesn’t want to look for another if New York declines to make him an offer, Berman continues. “I would like to play. I’ve been in this league, so I know what that’s like,” Amundson told Berman. “So, I think going overseas would be a new experience for me I think I’d enjoy. I’d get an opportunity to play. So yeah, everything’s on the table.’’ Knicks GM Steve Mills told season ticket holders last week that the team was interested in bringing Amundson back, Berman adds.
In other news around the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks should also consider offering Andrea Bargnani a veteran’s minimum contract, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com opines. While Bargnani has generally been a disappointment in his two years with the Knicks, his play since the All-Star break has made coach Derek Fisher take notice, Begley adds. Bargnani becomes an unrestricted free agent after the season and the club has indicated it would consider making a minimum-salary offer to him. “I think the way he’s finishing this season is not only showing us, but also showing other teams as well, that he’s a very capable player still at this point in his career,” Fisher said to New York reporters. “I think he’s trying to prove that to everyone, including us.”
- Earl Clark’s new contract with the Nets is non-guaranteed for next year, with a partial guarantee if he makes the opening-day roster, a source told Devin Kharpertian of The Brooklyn Game (Twitter link), The team announced on Monday that it had reached a two-year agreement with the 27-year-old forward. Clark has appeared in six of the team’s last seven games, including Monday night’s victory over Portland.
- The Celtics, who made several trades this season with an eye toward the future, are now scoreboard watching as they fight for a playoff spot, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com reports. Boston controls its playoff destiny and the players want to experience the postseason, Forsberg adds. “Even when we’re playing, I’m trying to look at the [out-of-town] scores throughout our game,” Isaiah Thomas said to Boston beat reporters. “And then, after the games, I’m looking at the standings. It’s fun, but it’s hectic a little bit.”
Eastern Notes: Dragic, Bargnani, Carter-Williams
All of the former NBA coaches and players who will be inducted this year into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame have Eastern Conference ties. Former Hawks, Sixers, Nets and Knicks center Dikembe Mutombo, one-time Nets coach John Calipari, former Knicks and Bullets power forward Spencer Haywood are going in, the Hall announced today, as Michael Marot of The Associated Press relays. Joining them are longtime Celtics point guard Jo Jo White and his coach, Tom Heinsohn, who was already in as a player. Louie Dampier, who played for the Spurs and most prominently with the ABA’s Kentucky Colonels, is also in this year’s Hall class, and while he doesn’t have a connection to any present-day Eastern team, San Antonio was in the East when he donned the silver-and-black. Here’s the latest on a few current-day notables from the East:
- Goran Dragic is almost certain to hit free agency this summer, but he made it clear he likes the idea of playing with Chris Bosh when the big man is expected to be healthy enough to hit the floor again next season, observes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Still, the Heat point guard cautioned that he hasn’t made up his mind about where he’ll sign, Winderman adds.
- The Knicks aren’t planning to commit any cap space to Andrea Bargnani next season and would prefer to re-sign him using the minimum-salary exception, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post, advancing his report from last month on the team’s openness to a new deal. Berman passes along comments from coach Derek Fisher indicating that he’d welcome the idea of having Bargnani back.
- There were rumors dating back to the summer that the Sixers were talking about trading Michael Carter-Williams, but the deadline deal that sent him to the Bucks took him by surprise, as he tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. “I didn’t know it was coming,” he said. “But I’m in a good situation now. I’m trying to move on from it. It’s good to be stable and have teammates for more than however time. It’s good to know that I’m going to be here growing with guys and knowing the chemistry, just to build on relationships. [Losing in Philadelphia] was tough, but Philly treated me great. I’ve got nothing really bad to say about them. I’m a Milwaukee Buck now and I hope I’m here for a while.”
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Knicks, Adams
The upcoming draft pick swap between the Nets and Hawks from the Joe Johnson trade in 2012 is a reminder that the Nets didn’t give up a whole lot in exchange for the six-time All-Star, Robert Windrem of NetsDaily opines. As of now, as Windrem notes, that swap would be the 16th pick for the 29th pick. But if the Nets (35-41), who have won nine of their last 12, fade down the stretch, there’s a strong chance that pick for the Hawks would be higher.
In addition to a 2013 first round pick, the Hawks received Jordan Farmar, Jordan Williams, Johan Petro, DeShawn Stevenson and Anthony Morrow. Atlanta will receive the Nets’ second round pick in 2017 to complete that trade. Johnson will make nearly $24.895MM next season, but his contract comes off the books after that.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Nets have expressed interest in point guard Darius Adams of the Euroleague, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM (on Twitter). Adams, 25, is averaging 8.3 points per game in about 20 minutes per game for Saski Baskonia.
- Many have been critical of the Knicks‘ triangle offense and have speculated that it could keep notable free agents from wanting to come to New York. New Westchester Knicks head coach Craig Hodges doesn’t agree, however. “The main thing is player spacing, ball movement, player movement and keep moving the basketball,’’ Hodges said, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. “As a former player, I don’t see why free agents wouldn’t come, having a Carmelo [Anthony] to work with. It’s a matter of guys realizing what a system can do for your game.’’ Hodges spoke with Hoops Rumors late last year about a wide variety of topics after joining the Knicks’ D-League affiliate as an assistant coach.
- Knicks coach Derek Fisher said you could tell just by watching both his team and the Sixers that neither have been tanking, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com tweets.
Zach Links contributed to this post.