Knicks Rumors: Woodson, Melo, Boeheim
With all the rumors flying around about coach Mike Woodson‘s job security, any issue can become a major one rather quickly. The players might not have quit on Woodson, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com, but they are growing tired of having their effort questioned by him. Last month some players expressed their frustration privately to reporters, and a few players communicated their frustration directly to Knicks management, according to Begley. This discontent could be indicative of a schism between the players and their coach, or simply a product of the toll losing takes on a team.
More notes out of the Knicks realm:
- In light of all the speculation about Woodson’s job security, some players are growing weary of their coach, Begley writes in a separate piece The players might possibly be tuning out Woodson, unsure if he will be their coach for much longer. Begley also touches more on the players becoming frustrated with having their effort questioned, which was mentioned in Begley’s previous article. J.R. Smith, who had earlier spoken out in support of his coach, admitted he’s worried Woodson ultimately will take the fall for the Knicks’ poor performance.
- Woodson called this season a “disaster from a coaching standpoint,” but he doesn’t want to see it end prematurely for him, writes Al Iannazzone of New York Newsday. Woodson said the failure of the coaching staff to get the players to consistently play at a high level is the most difficult thing for him to accept about his performance. He also stated, “That’s the frustrating part about it because I know we’re better than we’ve shown. We still got a chance though.”
- Carmelo Anthony‘s college coach Jim Boeheim believes Melo needs to play for a contender, Begley notes in a third piece. Boeheim stated, “The problem in the NBA, you’re judged on winning championships. He’s got to try to go and play where they can win a championship or else he’s going to be a failure. That’s the bottom line.” Boeheim disagrees with the notion, but understands that is how superstar players are ultimately judged. He also believes that Melo is happy in New York, but will ultimately choose winning over comfort, wherever that might be. In the same article, Woodson says he hopes Melo looks at more than just this season when making his choice. “He’s got to look at really the last two years, too, what he’s built here. And not just use this year as a year where you throw in the towel,” Woodson said. Anthony will opt out of his contract after the season and become an unrestricted free agent. The Knicks can offer the most money, but if winning is a priority, that edge might not be enough to retain their star.
Knicks Rumors: Woodson, Williams, Johnson
The Knicks endured another loss Wednesday, and though they put up a fight against a strong Blazers team, New York fell to 19-30, and rumors persist that Mike Woodson could soon lose his job. Here’s the latest:
- The Knicks have discussed making assistant coach Herb Williams interim head coach if they fire Woodson, reports Steve Popper of The Bergen Record. The team would also get rid of most of Woodson’s assistants in that scenario, Popper writes, adding that Larry Johnson is a candidate to serve as an assistant under Williams.
- Woodson’s firing would set up a summer pursuit of Tom Thibodeau, Jeff Van Gundy and Stan Van Gundy, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. The Knicks would pass over assistants Darrell Walker and Jim Todd, both of whom have head coaching experience, because the team believes they’re too closely allied with Woodson, Berman adds.
- J.R. Smith says he is “without a doubt” fearful that Woodson will lose his job, Newsday’s Al Iannazzone tweets. Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com has more from last year’s Sixth Man of the Year. “I love Coach Woodson,” Smith said. “I think he’s done a great job. But it’s out of my hands. So I would hope not [if management opts to make a change], but if it does then we have to live with it.”
- Jeff Van Gundy would want a major payday, control over the team’s basketball operations, and a relaxation of the team’s draconian media rules if he were to agree to coach the Knicks, sources tell ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.
- In the same piece, Smith opines that the Knicks should realize how unattractive they are to free agents and trade Carmelo Anthony before the deadline rather than risk him leaving in the offseason.
- Woodson admits the season has been a supreme disappointment, as Ian Begley notes via Twitter. “This year, for me, has been kind of a disaster from a coaching standpoint … and trying to get players to play at a high level,” Woodson said.
Odds & Ends: Cavaliers, Nelson, Afflalo, Melo
Tonight might have been the low point of the season for the Cavaliers. Cleveland fell by double digits at home to an ice-cold Lakers squad that ended the contest with only five available players. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio writes that the Cavs are in desperate need of an immediate change, even if it means making a difficult personnel decision. Here’s a look at some other notable tidbits from the NBA’s Wednesday night:
- Jameer Nelson has been mentioned in various trade rumors, but the longest tenured Magic player says he hasn’t had any discussions with management about the possibility of being shipped away from Orlando, reveals Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
- Schmitz also passes along in the same piece that he hears Magic GM Rob Hennigan would be “comfortable” retaining both Nelson and the often discussed Arron Afflalo through the deadline.
- Add Carmelo Anthony‘s former college coach Jim Boeheim to the list of those in favor of Melo leaving the Knicks in free agency this summer. “The problem in the NBA, you’re judged on winning championships,” Boeheim said to ESPN Radio. “He’s got to try to go and play where they can win a championship or else he’s going to be a failure. That’s the bottom line.” Al Iannazzone of Newsday has the full story.
- Rudy Gay is enjoying his time as a member of the Kings and harbors no hard feelings against the Raptors and their decision to deal him to Sacramento, according to Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun. In another piece, Gatner breaks down his take as to why Gay is playing better since leaving Toronto.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com takes a look at how second-round picks can be turned into valuable assets, either through crafty trades or focused player development.
Atlantic Links: Brown, Stoudemire, Carmelo
After previously being part of a Spurs coaching staff that helped San Antonio win three titles, Philadelphia head coach Brett Brown tells Keith Pompey of The Inquirer that bringing a championship culture to the 76ers is much tougher than he anticipated:
“It’s much harder…It’s something that I didn’t judge properly. It doesn’t diminish my enthusiasm being here. I just recognize the monster ahead of us…Trying to build a program to the level we hope to build it to requires so much work and so much luck. And there is no wiggle room. You can’t skip a single step.”
You can find some more miscellaneous links worth passing along out of the Atlantic Division below:
- Knicks forward Amar’e Stoudemire is more than eager to be a contributor and asserted that he’s ready to play without minute restrictions: “From a doctor’s standpoint, there hasn’t been (minute) limitations since the first week of the season…So we can’t keep saying limitations; that’s a coach’s decision at the end of the day. I feel great. I am ready to play. But it’s up to him if he wants to play me or not” (Frank Isola of the New York Daily News).
- Stoudemire added that he’s spoken with head coach Mike Woodson about increasing his role: “Yeah. I talk to Coach all the time about it. He knows I am ready. He knows how hard I train. He watches me in the weight room and also on the basketball court. The whole training staff knows, the Knicks organization knows how hard I train. I am ready to play. But it depends on how the game is played.”
- In response to Mike Wilbon’s recent argument on ESPN that the Bulls should look to add Carmelo Anthony on the premise that stars win in this league, ESPN New York’s Ohm Youngmisuk thinks the same can be said for why the Knicks must do what they can to keep him in New York.
- Henry Abbott and David Thorpe of ESPN discuss why Tyson Chandler hasn’t been able to make the same defensive impact we’re used to seeing from seasons past.
- Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News explains why Raymond Felton isn’t fit to be the team’s starting point guard.
- Tim Bontemps of the New York Post looks at how Shaun Livingston orchestrated his mid-season turnaround. The Peoria native put up 9.2 PPG on 46.1% shooting to go with 4.5 RPG and 1.5 SPG in 29.7 MPG during Brooklyn’s 10-3 stretch in January, and is averaging 18.5 PPG on 51.9% shooting over his last two contests.
Odds & Ends: Gasol, Pelicans, Buyers/Sellers
Earlier today, we heard that the Suns’ interest in continuing talks with the Lakers about a potential Pau Gasol deal hinges on the 7’1 Spaniard’s recovery from a strained groin injury. With news from InsideSoCal.com’s Mark Medina that Gasol’s rehab will keep him out of action for at least another two weeks, this most likely creates another hurdle in trying to complete a potential deal.
Here’s plenty more from around the Association:
- Kevin Ding of the Bleacher Report (via Twitter) says that because of the injury, Gasol may or may not have played his final game for the Lakers. One certainty, however, is that the Lakers are now more motivated to deal him than before.
- The Pelicans have been “extremely active” in trade talks over the past few days, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. It’s unclear exactly what sort of deals they’re working on, but they announced last night that center Jason Smith is lost for the season, and they’ve reportedly been seeking a trade for a big man.
- Regardless of whether or not Andrew Bynum can produce for the Pacers, the decision to bring him aboard represents a pledge from team management to the players that they’re willing to do whatever it takes to win a championship, says Jared Zwerling of the Bleacher Report.
- In the same piece, Zwerling lists several teams who could be among the league’s buyers and sellers at the trade deadline this season, labeling the 76ers, Jazz, Bucks, Lakers and Bulls are potential sellers, while the Bobcats, Warriors, Knicks, Nets, Cavaliers, Wizards, Suns, Mavericks, and Pistons are potential buyers. According to one executive, the Timberwolves and Nuggets could fall into either group depending on what transpires in the next week or so.
- Cedevita of Croatia has waived Josh Selby after the former Grizzlies guard suffered an injury, tweets David Pick of Eurobasket.com. Selby played 10 games in the NBA last season.
- The NBDL’s Texas Legends’ close proximity to their NBA-affiliate Mavericks has made it easy for both to enjoy a highly active partnership as far as developing the Mavs’ young players, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. Frisco, Texas – where the Legends are based – is located about 30 miles north of downtown Dallas, conveniently allowing the Mavs an option to send someone to play for the Legends one night and then head back for NBA practice the next day.
- The 76ers announced that they’ve assigned big man Arnett Moultrie and guard Lorenzo Brown to the Delaware 87ers (Twitter link).
- The Hawks have sent guard Jared Cunningham to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBDL, according to a team press release earlier this afternoon.
- The Celtics announced that center Vitor Faverani was assigned to their D-League affiliate Maine Red Claws earlier today.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Atlantic Rumors: Moultrie, Humphries, Sixers
Arnett Moultrie hasn’t played for the Sixers all season after left ankle surgery, but he says he’s been ready to go for the past month and is frustrated that the team hasn’t activated him yet, observes Christopher A. Vito of the Delaware County Daily Times.
“It’s not my ankle. It’s not my conditioning,” Moultrie said. “But at this point, I really don’t care. I’m just sick of all the excuses. If it ain’t one thing, it’s another thing.”
Moultrie, the 27th pick in 2012, doesn’t have much leverage to force the Sixers’ hand, but his comments reflect the problems on a team in flux. Here’s more on Philly and the rest of the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics are open to moving Kris Humphries before the trade deadline if the right offer comes along, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, who examines a number of Celtics players at a crossroads.
Earlier updates:
- The Sixers, reportedly amping up efforts to trade Evan Turner, would prefer to swap him or Spencer Hawes instead of Thaddeus Young, though Young has drawn significant interest, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes in his Insider-only “Tank Rank” piece. Ford doubts the Sixers would be able to trade either Turner or Hawes for a pick between Nos. 10 and 15 in this year’s draft, which he reports they’re trying to obtain.
- Sixers coach Brett Brown was candid with reporters before last night’s loss to the Nets, saying that he recognizes the “monster that’s ahead of us,” in reference to the team’s still-nascent rebuilding project, notes Tom Moore of Calkins Media. Brown also understands trade rumors are par for the course. “It’s been an incredible surprise to have our team intact this late in the year,” he said (Twitter links).
- Andrew Bynum was reluctant to sign with the Knicks last month for more than just financial reasons, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- Shaun Livingston is enjoying a renaissance on a minimum-salary contract with the Nets this season, and he’ll likely command more than that this summer, which will make it difficult for Brooklyn to retain him, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Odds & Ends: Exum, Nuggets, Cavs, Pistons
The return of Slovenian native Sasha Vujacic to the NBA today, on a 10-day contract with the Clippers, gives the league 93 players born outside the U.S., and they hail from a record 39 different countries, notes Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). The globalization of the game doesn’t figure to let up soon, as there’s news on the top overseas draft prospect amid today’s look around the NBA:
- Dante Exum wants to mimic Kobe Bryant‘s successful leap from high school to the pros, and that’s what led him to hire Bryant’s agent Rob Pelinka, the Australian point guard prospect tells Jon Tuxworth of The Canberra Times. Exum shares more about his decision to enter this year’s draft and his hopes for instant playing time once he’s in the league.
- The Nuggets, Cavs, Pistons and Grizzlies would all like to swing deals by the deadline, as TNT’s David Aldridge writes in his latest Morning Tip column for NBA.com.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times categorizes nine Bulls trade candidates, and says the team won’t part with Taj Gibson unless it’s certain that a star player will sign with Chicago in free agency this summer. The Lakers, Wizards and Bobcats have reportedly inquired about Gibson.
- Raymond Felton has changed agents, dropping Tony Dutt of Dutt Sports Services Inc. to join Wasserman Media Group, as Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal reports in a subscription-only piece. Thad Foucher and Makhtar N’Diaye will handle representation for Felton, who can’t opt out of his deal with the Knicks until the summer of 2015.
- Von Wafer has signed to play for Russia’s Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Enea Trapani). The six-year NBA veteran has also played in China and for the D-League’s Bakersfield Jam this season.
Odds & Ends: Heat, Melo, Durant, Nuggets
If the Heat fall to the Pacers because of the Andrew Bynum signing, then the Heat weren’t going to win the title anyway, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Bynum doesn’t figure to rise any higher in the Pacers rotation than the ninth or tenth man, and if that is the determining factor, then Miami has deeper issues with their roster than one player can change. Winderman believes the Heat tandem of Chris Bosh and Chris Andersen versus Roy Hibbert and Bynum should still be fine, as Andersen is a match for Bynum defensively. The Heat also tend to favor playing with smaller lineups, which won’t change their strategy against the Pacers.
More from around the league:
- LeBron James doesn’t have any insight on where Carmelo Anthony will play next season, writes Mitch Abramson of The New York Daily News. James said, “I don’t know (what he’s thinking). I’m a good friend of his but I don’t know what his mind is saying or what’s going through his mind. He loves to play basketball and just like the rest of us — we want to win. That’s the number one thing. When you do something your whole life you want to win at it and you want to work at it. You don’t want it to be easy but you want to give yourself an opportunity to win. But I don’t know what’s going through his mind.“
- Michael Lee of The Washington Post is the latest to weigh in on the possibility of Kevin Durant joining the Wizards in 2016. When Durant was asked about the possibility, he stated, “I don’t even want to think about that. I haven’t given it any thought, playing up here. I love Oklahoma City. I love coming here and visiting.” Whether or not he wants to give it any thought, it will be difficult not to if it’s a topic of conversation over the next two seasons.
- Gino Pilato of D-League Digest.com examines if Kevin Murphy is worthy of an NBA call-up. Murphy is currently with the Idaho Stampede, and is averaging 23.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 1.4 APG in 32.2 minutes. Before joining the Idaho Stampede this season, Murphy played in 11 games with the Reno Bighorns on a D-League assignment from the Jazz last year, where he averaged 13.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 1.6 APG. He didn’t make much of an impact during his time with the Jazz, playing in only 17 games, and averaging 0.9 PPG in 2012/2013.
- The Nuggets are at a crossroads this season. Do they tank for a better draft pick, or try to trade their way into a playoff berth? There is a third choice, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. The team could try and follow the Pacers model of building a contender according to Dempsey. That team parlayed shrewd drafting and smart role-player signings into being a championship caliber team. The Pacers avoided pursing big-name free agents, and Dempsey believes this is the most realistic path for the Nuggets to take. The Nuggets currently sit at 22-23, and are 3 1/2 games out of the final playoff spot. A number of injuries to key players will make it difficult for the current roster to make the playoffs. Denver has two first-rounders this year, but will have to ship the lower of the two to the Magic, either their own, or the Knicks‘ pick they obtained from the Carmelo Anthony deal.
Eastern Notes: Sixers, Melo, Cavs
It might be time for Sixers GM Sam Hinkie to give the Suns a call, writes Tom Moore of The Bucks County Courier Times. Moore thinks the Sixers should try and trade Evan Turner to the Suns for Emeka Okafor and a first-round draft pick. The Suns are reportedly looking to trade veteran big man Okafor (out indefinitely with a neck injury) and his expiring $14.5MM contract. Eighty percent of Okafor’s remaining salary will apparently be covered by an insurance policy. Moore believes the Suns would be willing to include one of their later first-round picks along with Okafor, if it would net them Turner. He doesn’t think the Suns would be willing to part with the Wizards top-12 protected pick, but may be willing to deal either their own (projected at 23rd), or the Pacers (projected at 29th) first-rounder.
More from the East:
- If the Knicks want to keep Carmelo Anthony past this season, they need to get another star before July, writes Al Iannazzone of Long Island Newsday. Getting another star by this year’s trade deadline would be preferable, but the Knicks lack of assets might make that difficult. If they are unable to swing a deal for a another star now, then Iannazzone believes they should make some trades for assets to use this summer. Making a deal after the season to acquire another star would make it easier to convince Anthony to re-sign with the team. If not, they will have to try and convince Anthony to hang on until 2015, when they will have plenty of cap space, and Rajon Rondo and Kevin Love will be free agents.
- There have been reports of major issues with the Cavaliers lack of discipline, and Mike Brown potentially losing the locker room. Both Brown, and Kyrie Irving have denied that there are major issues within the organization. Irving also denied the earlier report that he was close to firing his agent. Jodie Valade of The Cleveland Plain Dealer believes things are as bad as the rumors suggest. Valade says it’s not so much that there are issues, but rather the lack of accountability and ownership of them by the players that is the true problem.
Eastern Notes: Brown, Irving, Bynum, Celtics
It’s not a revelatory statement to say the Cavaliers are in trouble this season. They have lost 17 of their last 24 contests, and are 16-30 on the year, leaving them four games behind in the playoff standings. There are plenty of calls going around for coach Mike Brown‘s job. But firing Brown would only worsen the team’s real problem, writes Bud Shaw of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Shaw believes that it’s the players lack of professionalism that is the issue this season, and firing Brown would only serve to enable them further. Shaw also opines that if a true professional like Luol Deng is unable to have a positive impact, then there definitely is a much deeper problem with the organization than Brown.
More from around the Eastern Conference:
- Also weighing in on the Cavaliers coaching situation is Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. She thinks that the team would be better off if they ran Brown’s defense as he coached it, but if the players are tuning him out, then the team might need to make a coaching change.
- In the same piece, Schmitt Boyer also spoke about some fans clamoring for the team to trade Kyrie Irving. She doesn’t believe it would be wise, stating that the team wouldn’t get equal value in NBA players in return, and the team hasn’t drafted well, so draft picks might also not be worth trading him for.
- John Wall admits he’ll try to recruit Kevin Durant to join the Wizards in 2016, writes Michael Lee of The Washington Post. Wall has stated in the past that he won’t be a recruiter and beg anyone to sign with his team, but for Durant he may make an exception. Wall and Durant share a trainer in the offseason, and Wall has already started dropping Durant some hints about coming to Washington.
- The Knicks made a strong push for Andrew Bynum, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Knicks personnel director Mark Warkentien tried to arrange a meeting with Bynum, but it never materialized. The Knicks only had the veteran’s minimum to offer Bynum, which pro-rated would have been $550K. Indiana had part of its mid-level exception and can pay him a full $1MM for the rest of the season, which may have been the determining factor.
- The plethora of personnel changes the Celtics undergone this season have made it difficult for the team to maintain any continuity, writes Baxter Holmes of Boston.com. Between injuries, trades, and D-League signings, it has been hard for the team to be consistent. Holmes also states that the trade deadline might bring about even more changes for the squad.