Knicks Notes: Anthony, Fisher, Larkin
Despite a league-high 29 losses, first-year Knicks coach Derek Fisher still has a powerful ally in Carmelo Anthony, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. “I think if it was anybody else in his position, I think this probably would’ve crumbled already,” Anthony said Wednesday after New York’s 21-point loss to the Clippers. “I think he’s doing a great job of keeping everybody focused on the task at hand and believing in what we’re trying to do.” Anthony reiterated that surgery on his sore left knee is a “last resort,” and he hopes to hold off any procedure until after the season.
There’s more regarding Fisher and the Knicks:
- Clippers coach Doc Rivers can understand the pain that Fisher is going through, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. After Wednesday’s game, he recalled similar experiences that he suffered through as a coach in Orlando and in his early days in Boston. “We lost 18 in a row [with the Celtics in 2006/07] where I believed every night we were going to win, and every night I got my heart broke,” Rivers said. “And that’s just coaching. It’s part of it. And you have to deal with it.”
- The Knicks welcomed Andrea Bargnani and J.R. Smith back from injuries Wednesday, but Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times observed that it only seemed to make the team worse. He also noted that Fisher is doing his best to stay positive despite an inept defense and players who can’t seem to figure out the triangle offense. “It’s been difficult,” Fisher said, “but that doesn’t define our life and whether we’re good people or whether we know how to play basketball just because we’re not winning right now. It just means you have a lot of work to do.”
- One bright spot in New York has been the play of Shane Larkin, according to Sara Peters of Bleacher Report. She argues that the 22-year-old should take over as the Knicks’ starting point guard for the rest of the season, noting that the team is 3-9 with him as a starter and 2-20 otherwise. Larkin, who came to New York in an offseason trade with the Mavericks, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Because the Knicks chose not to pick up his third-year option in October, they are limited to offering him $1,675,320, the amount of the option that was declined.
And-Ones: Clippers, Smith, Blair
TNT’s David Aldridge had relayed on Monday that the Clippers‘ players weren’t getting along with each other, but Spencer Hawes disagrees with that report, Rowan Kavner of NBA.com writes. “Any team over the course of any season, there’s going to be stuff like that,” Hawes said. “But as far as I’m concerned, this team, off the court, on the court, gets along with each other as well as any that I’ve been a part of. I think there’s a lot of competitive guys, a lot of guys that just want to win. Sometimes you see that side of it, but you don’t see the everyday of how we get along with one another.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Rockets‘ newest addition, Josh Smith, is ecstatic to get the opportunity to play for coach Kevin McHale, Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle writes. “Being able to play for a guy who is a Hall of Fame player, who was a dominant player at his position is great,” Smith said. “I love being able to get bits and pieces off of him. Always great for an NBA player’s game.”
- DeJuan Blair expected to see more playing time than the 4.6 minutes per game that he is currently receiving from the Wizards when he agreed to a sign-and-trade deal this summer, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post writes. “I don’t know what’s going on,” Blair said. “I don’t know. I just show up and wait for my name to be called.” Wizards coach Randy Wittman said that Blair is handling the situation as well as can be expected, Castillo notes. “He just needs to keep doing what he’s doing,” Wittman said. “He’s doing a good job. Stays ready. Practices hard. Understands, I think, the situation. That’s what you have to do. That’s what any player that doesn’t play — the opportunity’s going to come. It’s going to happen. We all know that. We’ve seen it throughout and when that opportunity comes be ready.”
- Carmelo Anthony said that he still remains in contact with former Knicks coach Mike Woodson, Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes. “It was a tough season [2013/14], it was a tough situation to be in at that point in time,” Anthony said. “I know how much work he put in as a coach and with all the guys with the team. I know how much he meant to a lot of guys on the team, especially me. So to see him go out the way he went out, for me as a person it was sad to see that.”
Eastern Notes: Cavs, Granger, Heat
The Cavs‘ big men have left quite a bit to be desired in their performance thus far this season. Cleveland currently ranks 22nd in blocks per game, 26th in rebounds, and 22nd in overall defense. It’s for these reasons that the Cavs have been searching for a rim protecting center all season, and Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders runs down ten possible targets for GM David Griffin to try and bolster his frontcourt with, including Timofey Mozgov (Nuggets), Brandan Wright (Celtics), Jordan Hill (Lakers), and Samuel Dalembert (Knicks).
Here’s more from the East:
- Danny Granger never expected to retire as a member of the Pacers and he doesn’t harbor any ill feelings toward the franchise despite being dealt to the Sixers last season, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. “I didn’t think I would,” Granger said of eventually retiring with Indiana. “I mean, the time I spent there was very unusual. I didn’t want to get too wrapped up in the fact that I could have possibly been there my whole career. I knew that I wanted to. But I knew that the way the NBA is, and the type of business it is.“
- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has done his best to juggle Miami’s rotation in light of all the injuries that the team has had to deal with but this season has quickly become humbling for the proud franchise, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. “We’re 30 some games in. It’s enough talking,” Chris Bosh said. “We’ve talked enough. It’s about getting the job done. We’re not doing it right now. It’s been up and down for the whole season. It’s not going to change until each person makes it change. Coach has a bunch of decisions to make. He has to do his job and figure things out just like we have to do our job and figure things out. He’s going to put the best group he feels needs to be out there. We have to respond as players. We haven’t done a very good job of that.”
- James Anderson signed an extension that includes a raise with Lithuania’s Zalgiris Kaunas, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). Anderson, who started 62 games for the Sixers last season, inked a one-year deal with Kaunas over the summer. That deal included an escape clause, but he decided against triggering it to sign the extension, which covers the rest of the season, Pick tells Hoops Rumors.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Eastern Notes: Butler, Pistons, Bass, Woodson
Jimmy Butler is keeping up his stellar play, and as he seems poised to cash in during restricted free agency in the summer ahead, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau made it clear on Monday that the team remains committed to keeping him, as Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes.
“I think all of us that have been around him know who Jimmy is and we all value who he is,” Thibodeau said. “Those are business decisions that he [and] his agent have to make. Our organization feels very strongly about him. We want him here for a long time so that’ll all take care of itself in the end.”
While we wait to see how it works out for Butler, who went from unranked to the No. 5 position in the latest Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings, here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- The offers the Kings made to the Pistons for Josh Smith weren’t as clear-cut as they’ve been reported, sources have told MLive’s David Mayo. Van Gundy blundered when he gave Smith too much responsibility in the team’s offense, opines Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News, and that he didn’t alter that even as he was mulling the idea of waiving Smith throughout the month of December is even more perplexing, Mayo believes.
- Brandon Bass let it be known that he has no desire to follow Rajon Rondo out of Boston, saying he isn’t “into looking and searching for a team to go to win a championship,” observes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Bass, on an expiring contract worth $6.9MM this season, nonetheless remains an intriguing trade chip for the Celtics if they wish to move him. His playing time has dipped significantly since the acquisition of Brandan Wright in the Rondo trade, notes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
- Mike Woodson called his time coaching the Knicks a “wonderful experience” as he spoke Monday to reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post. Woodson, now a Clippers assistant coach, said he was intent on taking this season off until Doc Rivers, a friend, prevailed on him to join his staff, as Berman also notes.
Eastern Notes: LeBron, Hawks, Knicks, Bass
LeBron James insists that coach David Blatt has the players’ attention, writes Joe Vardon of Northeast Ohio Media Group. “I think my relationship with the coach continues to get better and better every day,” James said. “It’s just two months of us being together. I don’t know him fully, he doesn’t know me fully, he doesn’t know any of the guys fully, and that’s to be expected. It’s our first year together. But he has our attention.” There were reports that members of the Cavs organization were concerned about how the players are responding to Blatt. The team hasn’t met expectations this season and has lost two of three games since center Anderson Varejao was sidelined with a torn Achilles.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- The sale of the Hawks is still slow-going, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, who writes in his weekly power rankings column. Spears piggybacks on September speculation from TNT’s David Aldridge that Grant Hill will be among the bidders.
- The Knicks aren’t ready to make “fire-sale” maneuvers just yet, one NBA GM told Spears for the same piece. New York is 5-28 on the season and ranks 27th in the league on offense, scoring only 94.6 points per game.
- Celtics forward Brandon Bass understands the team’s decision to trade Rajon Rondo and is committed to the team as currently constructed, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. “My job is to work with what we have. That’s what I do. It’s sad to see Rondo leave, but at the end of the day, it’s a business,” said Bass. “Every year here somebody left. You’ve got to work with what you’ve got. I am a firm believer that, I don’t believe in looking for no people to come join a team — I ain’t into looking and searching for a team to go to win a championship. That’s not who I am. I’m into working with what we’ve got and making the best of it.”
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Atlantic Notes: Aldrich, Nets, Williams, Covington
Cole Aldrich could have a future with Knicks president Phil Jackson thanks to his ability to play in the triangle offense, a league source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post. “I personally love the triangle, being able to have more opportunities to post up but also have the ball in your hands in the pinch post with the guard coming off,’’ Aldrich said after putting up 18 points and seven boards against the Kings on Saturday night. “There’s a lot of opportunities to get assists and easy buckets down.” More out of the Atlantic..
- The Nets have all but given up on Deron Williams just two years after making him their franchise player, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Williams, who signed a ~$100MM deal with the Nets not long ago, has been benched for Jarrett Jack amid weeks of trade talk surrounding him. Mikhail Prokhorov hasn’t been seen in Brooklyn in a while, but he’s surely unhappy about paying the league’s highest payroll without having a true franchise player to show for it.
- It’s clear the Brook Lopez–Mason Plumlee front court pairing isn’t working for the Nets, opines Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. During the 61 minutes that the duo has played together, the Nets have been outscored by over 17 points per 100 possessions. The team has made Lopez available in trade talks. Plumlee, meanwhile, was brought up by the Kings in recent trade discussions surrounding Deron Williams, but Brooklyn is very reluctant to part with the second-year center.
- Robert Covington is in the midst of a breakout campaign has been particularly impressive lately, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Covington, who is signed to team friendly four-year $4.2MM contract, could be a very interesting trade piece for the 76ers as many teams looking for long distance shooting. The forward is shooting 43.3% from the three-point line, which is good for 11th best in the league.
Chris Crouse contributed to this post.
Atlantic Notes: Lopez, Williams, Celtics, Garnett
The Nets and Celtics discussed Brook Lopez and Deron Williams when the teams spoke about Rajon Rondo prior to the trade that sent Rondo to the Mavs, league sources tell NetsDaily’s Robert Windrem. The Nets have been open to trading Lopez and Williams, as well as Joe Johnson, and some reports have indicated that they’re actively seeking trades for the trio, though that matter is unclear, and it’s unknown whether the Celtics had or maintain interest in either Lopez or Williams. While we wait to see how Boston and Brooklyn try to shape themselves back into contenders, there’s more on those teams amid the latest from the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics and Nets talked about Mirza Teletovic and “some of the younger pieces” that Brooklyn has, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com, who spoke on CSNNE’s Celtics Pregame Live (video link). However, Windrem hears that wasn’t the case, as he notes in the same piece amid his transcription of Mannix’s remarks.
- Kevin Garnett has been telling people this season is his last in the NBA, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald hears, but they haven’t necessarily believed him, and one unidentified person tells Bulpett that Garnett is having more fun playing than he has in a while. The 20th-year vet, whose contract expires at season’s end, said publicly this week that he’s not sure about whether he’ll play next season, Bulpett notes.
- Landing Jahlil Okafor in the 2015 draft would help the Knicks attract free agents, as Marc Berman of the New York Post opines amid a look at New York’s woes. The Knicks are just a half-game back of the top slot in the draft lottery, our Reverse Standings show. Okafor, a center, tops the prospect rankings of Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, Chad Ford of ESPN.com and our own Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors.
Knicks Notes: Acy, Jackson, Chandler, Fisher
The Knicks’ 5-26 start has them just one game ahead of the league-worst Sixers in the standings. It’s been a disappointing season for New York thus far, and as we wait to see if the club turn a corner against the Kings on Sunday, let’s have a look at the latest out of the Big Apple.
- Quincy Acy and John Wall will both be punished for their altercation on Thursday’s Knicks-Wizards matchup, the league announced (hat tip to Ian Begley of ESPN.com). Acy will be suspended one game, and Wall will pay a $15K fine. Players lose 1/110th of their salary for each game they miss while suspended, according Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ, so Acy will forfeit $8,320.39.
- Phil Jackson‘s defense of the trade that sent Tyson Chandler to the Mavs is invalid, argues Marc Berman of the New York Post. Berman doesn’t believe any of the pieces obtained for the veteran center are long-term solutions for the Knicks but concedes that Cleanthony Early has a shot of making the deal look a little bit better if he can develop into an everyday player.
- Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com implores Knicks fans to be patient with the rebuilding process that Jackson and Derek Fisher are spearheading in New York. Although Fisher might look uncomfortable as coach at times, Youngmisuk points to the improvement Jason Kidd made leading the bench from year one to year two.
And-Ones: Selby, Cavs, Knicks, Rockets
Josh Selby, a 2011 second round draft pick of the Grizzlies, nearly quit the game as he bounced between playing overseas and the NBA D-League, David Pick of Basketball Insiders writes. Selby is currently trying to catch the eyes of NBA scouts while playing over in Israel, though Selby said that no NBA teams have been in contact with him this season, Pick notes. “I want to help my team reach the playoffs and take them as far as possible,” Selby said. “As long as I take care of business and win here, the NBA will come find me.”
Here’s more from around the league and abroad:
- Joe Alexander has officially inked a deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv, the team announced (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Alexander had a $45K buyout amount on his D-League contract with the Santa Cruz Warriors, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest reports (Twitter link).
- The Cavs are performing their due diligence on available options, but are in no rush to replace the injured Anderson Varejao, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Cleveland is intrigued by the possibilities of playing “small ball,” Spears adds.
- Knicks president Phil Jackson took to Twitter yesterday to promise fans that 2015 would hold better things for New York than 2014 has. But the Knicks’ star player, Carmelo Anthony, noted that Jackson doesn’t have much time to make the necessary changes before the year ends to ensure that statement comes true, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Anthony is also growing increasingly frustrated with the team’s lack of consistency and progress, Begley adds. “We have spurts throughout the course of the game where we are showing something, showing that we’re getting it and we’re focused and we have the energy to go out and do it,” Anthony said. “But there are times where we show that we’re not even out there on the basketball court. We gotta start trying to put a whole game together.”
- The Rockets hope to open up a roster spot for Josh Smith by completing a trade by Friday rather than waiving a player, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Houston is currently pursuing various deals to try to make this happen, Stein notes. The Rockets are reportedly willing to trade Isaiah Canaan, Joey Dorsey, Tarik Black, Nick Johnson and Clint Capela.
Eastern Notes: James, Heat, Gordon, Jackson
When LeBron James returns to Miami this afternoon, he is hoping for a better reception than the one he got from Cleveland four years ago, reports Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. James became a villain in Ohio after leaving the Cavaliers in 2010 to join the Heat. Now that he has returned to the Cavs, he hopes fans in Miami will be understanding. “I’ve got nothing but love for Miami,” James said. “Regardless of what happens, it won’t change how I feel about that city and the organization.” After leading the Heat to four straight NBA Finals, James opted out of his contract and accepted a two-year deal last summer to go back to Cleveland.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Bitterness isn’t a quality that fits South Florida, opines Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report. The columnist urges Heat fans to be gracious hosts to James and to remember the unprecedented heights he helped the franchise reach. He also credits James for being willing to leave the Cavaliers in 2010 and gamble on building a winner in Miami.
- Guarding James was one of the NBA challenges Magic rookie Aaron Gordon was looking forward to, but Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel reports that will have to wait. Gordon fractured the fifth metatarsal in his left foot in November and will miss his 21st consecutive game when the Cavaliers come to Orlando Friday night. He was recently able to shed his walking boot and got medical permission to shoot set shots, but not jumpers. “My team needs me, and I can help my team,” Gordon said. “But I have two shoes on now. I’m not wearing a boot.”
- Phil Jackson offered some encouragement to Knicks fans on an otherwise gloomy Christmas, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. On a day where the Knicks were embarrassed by the Wizards on national television to fall to 5-26, Jackson sent out a pair of tweets promising 2015 will be a better year. Immediate help from the trade market seems unlikely, as Jackson has said he will only bring in players who fit New York’s long-term plans. So Begley said the team’s main hope is the draft, where the Knicks currently are in line for the second overall pick, as our Reverse Standings show.