Phoenix Suns Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Pierce, Knight, Morris, Jackson

January 4th, 2016 at 3:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Paul Pierce has re-emerged as a starter for the Clippers, save for his game off for rest Saturday, and his basketball IQ is helping fuel a resurgence for a team that struggled to start the season, even with Blake Griffin injured, as TNT’s David Aldridge examines in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Pierce enjoyed his time with the Wizards last season, but the chance to play in his hometown was too enticing for him to pass up the chance to sign with the Clips in the summer, as he tells Aldridge.

“I think that I looked at the team and I thought that they really had the chance to win the championship, and for me, on top of that, my family,” Pierce said. “It was a combination of things.”

The Clippers have won six straight have only a Wednesday game at Portland before a five-game homestand that begins Saturday. See more from the Western Conference:

The Suns erred when they put Brandon Knight and Markieff Morris in leadership positions and should have made retaining Goran Dragic a greater priority, Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding argues.
Players on D-League teams affiliated with Pacific Division clubs dominate the list of 10-day contract candidates that Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders compiled. Elliot Williams (Warriors), Earl Clark (Suns), Erick Green (Kings), Terrico White (Suns), Darington Hobson (Warriors) and Vince Hunter (Kings) are among the names on Taylor’s list. We went in-depth on 10-day contracts earlier today in advance of Tuesday’s start of the 10-day signing period.
Former NBA second-round pick Pierre Jackson has signed with the D-League, where the Jazz affiliate holds his rights, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Jackson impressed in the D-League during the 2013/14 season but suffered a torn Achilles tendon the following summer. The Sixers, who picked him 42nd overall in 2013, have signed him each of the past two offseasons, but he’s failed to appear on Philly’s regular season roster.

Suns Notes: Sarver, Morris, Hornacek

January 4th, 2016 at 10:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Suns owner Robert Sarver takes at least partial responsibility for failing to establish a championship culture on the team, but the owner nonetheless believes that larger generational issues are at play as the Suns continue to falter, as he tells Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic.

“I’m not sure it’s just the NBA,” Sarver said to Bickley. “My whole view of the millennial culture is that they have a tough time dealing with setbacks, and Markieff Morris is the perfect example. He had a setback with his brother in the offseason and he can’t seem to recover from it. I’m not sure if it’s the technology or the instant gratification of being online. But the other thing is, I’m not a fan of social media. I tell my kids it’s like Fantasy Land. The only thing people put online are good things that happen to them, or things they make up. And it creates unrealistic expectations. We’ve had a number of setbacks this year that have taken their toll on us, and we haven’t been resilient. Therefore, it’s up to our entire organization to step up their game.”

The Suns, who’ve dropped nine games in a row, scored a franchise-low 22 points in the first half of last night’s loss to the Lakers, who are the least efficient defensive team in the NBA. See more from the Western Conference:

Morris isn’t upset about the owner’s remark about him, but he doesn’t agree that he has difficulty fighting through adversity, notes Ben Golliver of SI.com. “Whatever [Sarver] said is whatever he said. I don’t get into that stuff. It didn’t bother me at all,” Morris said. “I’m from Philly. I’ve been through adversity my whole life. That’s what I’ve got to say about that. … He’s the owner. It’s his team. He can say what he wants.”
Sarver himself shows an inability to properly tackle challenges with his ill-timed comment, Golliver argues in the same piece, and coach Jeff Hornacek is being forced to deal with a roster that doesn’t fit, the SI scribe contends.
The team’s refusal to pick up its option for next season on Hornacek’s contract and GM Ryan McDonough‘s failure at times to recognize the need for communication and veteran leadership are some of the problems at hand, Bickley believes, as he writes in the piece linked above. Bickley also thinks the team wants Hornacek to improve his ability to handle the team’s psyche.
We passed along news on Phoenix’s reported interest in Mike D’Antoni right here.

Suns Envision Return Of Mike D’Antoni?

January 4th, 2016 at 8:32am CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns will make Mike D’Antoni a candidate for their head coaching job should it come open in the near future, people within the coaching community indicate to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). D’Antoni, who recently returned to the NBA as the lead assistant for the Sixers, took Phoenix to consecutive Western Conference Finals during a successful run as Suns head coach from 2003-08. Phoenix’s recent troubles reportedly put current head coach Jeff Hornacek on the hot seat, though the team decided to fire a pair of assistants instead of Hornacek last week.

D’Antoni recently described himself as “happy as heck” to be back in coaching with the Sixers after a sabbatical that lasted about a year and a half following his resignation from the Lakers in the spring of 2014. The coach of fast-paced offenses didn’t have as much success in L.A. or in his time with the Knicks as he did with Phoenix. He told Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com in 2012 that he regretted leaving the Suns to take the job in New York, a departure that Shelburne heard was a mutual decision between D’Antoni and the Phoenix organization.

Suns ownership and then-GM Steve Kerr wanted D’Antoni to hire a new defensive assistant at the time he left the team, and while Kerr has long since departed, owner Robert Sarver remains. Still, Sarver recognizes a lack of championship DNA in his organization and takes at least partial responsibility for that, telling Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic that, “The blame is to be shared from the top down.”

D’Antoni went 253-136 in the regular season and 26-25 in the playoffs during his time as head coach of the Suns, and he won the NBA’s Coach of the Year award in his first full season in charge of the team. He’s gone a combined 202-290 in regular season games and 0-8 in the postseason at his other head-coaching stops in the NBA, with the Knicks, Lakers and Nuggets.

Do you think a reunion with D’Antoni would be the right move for the Suns? Leave a comment to let us know.

Pacific Notes: Cousins, Chandler, Walton

January 2nd, 2016 at 3:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Kings are at a critical point in relation to the direction of the franchise, and the question must be asked if center DeMarcus Cousins is the player the team should be building around, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. Cousins is on his fifth coach since entering the league and Sacramento has yet to eclipse the 30 win mark with the big man as the focal point, which isn’t a glowing endorsement of his ability to be the franchise’s anchor going forward, Amick notes.

Coach George Karl is also questioning the team’s demeanor and the roster’s lack of defensive-minded players, Amick adds. “My thought, and I told the team my thought, is inconsistent intensity, inconsistent focus, inconsistent toughness and mental discipline,” Karl said. “Too many times we’ve come out on this court and we’ve been the quiet team, or the soft team, or the cool team, and not the man team. My feeling is we have too many offensive players. We don’t have enough guts to make stops.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Suns find themselves in a difficult spot regarding rebuilding the roster, and with approximately $110MM committed to the backcourt duo of Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight through 2018/19, the team’s best course of action would be to attempt to deal Tyson Chandler and Markieff Morris in order to clear cap space, writes Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders. Phoenix should also consider waiving small forward P.J. Tucker and his partially guaranteed pact this offseason, which would free up an additional $3.7MM in cap room, Greene adds.
Warriors interim coach Luke Walton was the perfect choice for the franchise to fill in for Steve Kerr while he recovers from back surgery, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group writes. Leung cites Walton’s humble demeanor and excellent preparedness as reasons why he was able to find immediate success, though Golden State’s talented roster certainly was a major benefit for the young coach as well.

Pacific Notes: Russell, Chandler, Nance Jr.

January 1st, 2016 at 10:50am CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite his early season struggles, the Lakers say they have no regrets about selecting point guard D’Angelo Russell with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft over center Jahlil Okafor or big man Kristaps Porzingis, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. When asked if he was satisfied with his rookie first-rounder, GM Mitch Kupchak told Medina, “Absolutely. We’re very happy. He’s going to be a really good player.” Lakers assistant coach Larry Lewis also agrees with Kupchak’s assessment of Russell, Medina adds. “He’s ahead of all the guys in his class with his work ethic, the passes he makes and the way he thinks through the game,” Lewis said. “Like any rookie and young athlete, he’s going to make some mistakes. But he’s making mistakes that are teaching him different things to recognize.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Despite the Kings‘ struggles this season, coach George Karl is pleased with the makeup of the team’s locker room as compared to last season, James Ham of CSNBayArea.com relays (on Twitter). “This locker room is a hell of a lot better than it was last year,” Karl said. “This locker room has some leaders and pros.”
It’s time for the Suns to hit the reset button and begin a full roster rebuild, Andrew Joseph of The Arizona Republic opines. Joseph points to the 2013/14 season, when Phoenix unexpectedly won 48 games, as when things began to go bad for the franchise, and cautions that management needs to stick to its plan regardless of any short-term success the team may encounter. The Arizona Republic scribe also notes that the offseason signing of Tyson Chandler is looking like a bust, with the big man easily having the worst season of his career.
Lakers rookie forward Larry Nance Jr. is confident that he can evolve into a stretch-four and become more than just a player known for his dunking ability, Medina writes in a separate piece. “Yeah, it’ll happen,” Nance Jr. told Medina. “I’m a rookie and I got lots of years to perfect my craft and work on my game. I’m getting very comfortable shooting the 15- and 18-footer. I’ve got multiple years and multiple summers to be able to work that out to the 3-point line. I’m very confident.”

And-Ones: Morris, McGary, D-League

December 31st, 2015 at 3:41pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pistons combo forward Marcus Morris can’t hold back from commenting on his brother’s situation with the Suns, and insists that despite Markieff Morris putting a positive spin on things, he still wants out of Phoenix, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press relays. When asked what is wrong with the Suns right now, Marcus responded, “It’s self-explanatory. You see what’s going on. Sorry to say it, but it’s self-explanatory. I don’t know what’s going on over there. It’s like a [clown] show right now.” Discussing Markieff’s feelings about the franchise, Marcus told Ellis, “One thing about Keef is he’s always positive. Some stuff might happen a little, but he’s always positive. He’s still looking to get out of there, still looking to go somewhere else. Right now he has to be a pro and continue to take care of his business on and off the court.”

When asked if he has advised his brother on what to do going forward, Marcus said, “It’s not like he’s going to read this and say my brother gave me some advice. We talk every day. He knows what’s best for him. We all know what’s best for him, and what’s best for him is to continue to be professional and continue to work hard on his game. I know he’s doing that day in, day out — regardless of the suspension and what’s going on. He’s a hard worker, and so he will continue to be ready when his number’s called. If he gets traded, he’ll be able to contribute to any team in the league.”

Here’s more from around the NBA:

The Thunder have recalled Mitch McGary from their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This was the big man’s fourth stint with the Blue on the season.
The Pacers announced that center Shayne Whittington has been recalled from the D-League. This concludes Whittington’s second assignment to the Mad Ants of the season.
The Bulls have assigned power forward Cristiano Felicio to the D-League, the team announced. Felicio will report to the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers’ affiliate, as part of the flexible assignment rule since Chicago doesn’t possess its own D-League team.
Josh Richardson and Jarnell Stokes, both of whom are currently assigned to the Heat‘s D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls, will be recalled on Saturday, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel tweets.

Pacific Notes: Suns, Landry, Curry

December 31st, 2015 at 2:21pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Suns miscalculated during the 2013/14 season when the team dealt away Marcin Gortat in an effort to speed up the rebuilding process by bottoming out, but instead won 48 games, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com writes. “We were never trying to lose games,” team owner Robert Sarver told Lowe. “We were trying to play young players who we thought could be part of the next great Phoenix team, and some of them just played a lot better than we thought they would.” It was the unexpected success of that campaign that led Phoenix to chase immediate wins at the expense of long-term team-building, Lowe adds, which is a major reason for the mess the franchise is currently in. The ESPN scribe also opines that coach Jeff Hornacek shouldn’t necessarily be held accountable for the team’s woeful record this season, and for the sake of continuity he should be allowed another opportunity in 2016/17.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Nik Stauskas and Carl Landry, both of whom were traded by Sacramento to the Sixers, say that they harbor no ill will toward the Kings organization for shipping them away, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “There’s no hard feelings,” Landry said. “The organization and the owner [Vivek Ranadive] and the vets, everybody in that organization gave me an opportunity. I am not going to go out there and try to score more points than needs to be scored. I’m just going to go out there and try to get a win. That’s it. Nothing personal.” Stauskas laid the blame for being dealt on himself, Pompey adds. “I didn’t play the way I wanted to my rookie year,” Stauskas said, “and obviously they felt like they wanted to go in a different direction. That’s the way the NBA works.“
Warriors superstar Stephen Curry has taken some surprising criticism for the way he plays potentially “ruining” young players who attempt to emulate him. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle strongly disagrees, and compares the point guard to Apple visionary Steve Jobs, Michael Florek of The Dallas Morning News writes. “He’s changed the way we live,” Carlisle said of Jobs. “He and Bill Gates have done that. Steph Curry is changing the way the game is going to be played in the future. I’m sure of it. That’s a historic thing. The way AAU coaches and kids coming up are going to view the game, I’m confident it’s going to have a big influence. He’s an exciting guy to watch, and he’s a menacing guy to game plan for.”

Western Notes: Morris, Jones, Leonard

December 30th, 2015 at 11:26am CST by Eddie Scarito

Suns power forward Markieff Morris apologized to his teammates and the coaching staff and was allowed to return to the team after serving his two game suspension for throwing a towel at coach Jeff Hornacek during a game last week, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic relays. “We kind of put it out there what we wanted from him, what we expected,” Hornacek said. “He’s been good for us in the past. We want him to get back to playing like he did last year. It’s been a struggle this year. We basically tried to get a feel if he was good for that. He said he wanted to get back and help his teammates and help us win.”

”We definitely had a successful meeting and I’m just happy to be back,” Morris said. The forward also indicated that he regretted the comments he made over the summer regarding his desire to be traded, Coro notes. “I could’ve did that different based on the fans,” Morris said. “I think I owe the fans an apology for saying some of the stuff I said. They deserve better.”

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Wolves point guard Tyus Jones is hopeful that his time spent in the D-League this season will translate into more minutes at the NBA level, writes Kent Youngblood of The Star Tribune. “You do go down there trying to prove a point,” Jones said. “Trying to make a statement. I think I played pretty well down there.” The rookie is averaging 24.7 points and 5.0 assists in six contests for the Stampede this season.
After re-signing with the Spurs this past offseason, small forward Kawhi Leonard has taken on an increased role in San Antonio’s offense, much to the delight of coach Gregg Popovich, writes Fran Blinebury of NBA.com. “He’s a lot more demonstrative scoring-wise,” Popovich said. “When he gets the ball, he tries to make opportunities for himself. I don’t have to call his number. In transition offensively, he’s looking for situations where he can post up. Mismatches more. Those are probably the main things. More aggressive offensively and understanding that he can do some things that people can’t guard very well. And yeah, there’s been a incremental increase in the volume of his language.”
The Kings need to suspend center DeMarcus Cousins for his latest outburst that resulted in his ejection from Monday night’s contest against the Warriors, Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee opines. Voisin believes that the organization needs to stop treating Cousins with kid gloves and force him to mature, and she also believes that any suspension should be initiated by the organization and not the league if it is to truly register with the big man.

Pacific Rumors: Bledsoe, Karl, Clippers

December 29th, 2015 at 7:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The loss of Eric Bledsoe to a season-ending knee injury has forced Suns coach Jeff Hornacek to make several adjustments to his rotation, Greg Esposito of the team’s website reports. Brandon Knight has taken over the role as the main floor leader with Ronnie Price and Bryce Cotton backing him up. Rookie Devin Booker gets the nod at shooting guard, with Sonny Weems and Archie Goodwin in reserve, Hornacek told Esposito. The Suns nearly upset the Cavaliers on Monday and Hornacek felt his new backcourt played reasonably well in Bledsoe’s absence. “Without Eric in the game, it was a little different,” Hornacek told Esposito. “We had gone over a few plays that might be good for the guys. I thought they really came out and executed it. Defensively, we gave up a lot of 3-point attempts that we need to get better at. Some of it was closing out that we need to get better at.”

In other news around the Pacific Division:

Kings coach George Karl has found it difficult to connect with his players and is frustrated by their lack of consistency, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. Karl can no longer be as fiery as he once was because of the way current players react, so he has tried to appeal to them in other ways, Jones continues. “Just tell stories,” Karl told Jones. “You try to bring up situations. My explanation the last couple of weeks is just trying to explain to them how difficult this league is, how tough it is to be successful in this league.”
The Clippers used a three-guard alignment against the Wizards on Monday and coach Doc Rivers liked the results, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports. Rivers played reserves Jamal Crawford, Pablo Priogioni and Austin Rivers during the first half and the Clippers extended their lead. His son’s versatility allows the three-guard set to work, according to the coach. “The reason we get away with it is because Austin can guard the one, two or the three,” Doc Rivers told the assembled media. “We just put him on them and then we put Pablo on the second-best guy and put Jamal on the third guy. And so it works for us.”
Chris Paul is impressed how the Clippers are playing without Blake Griffin, according to Robert Morales of the Long Beach Press-Telegram. The Clippers won their first two games after Griffin suffered a partially torn quad tendon. “I just think we’re fighting,” he told Morales. “We know we’re a big man short and so everyone knows that they have to be involved in the game.”

Pacific Notes: Morris, Pierce, Karl

December 29th, 2015 at 2:59pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Suspended power forward Markieff Morris could be allowed to return to practice with the Suns today after he meets with members of the front office, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports. Morris has also been asked to apologize to his coaches and teammates, make a renewed commitment to the team for games, practices, weight-training sessions and treatment sessions and attend all NBA and Suns community appearances, a source close to the situation relayed to Wojnarowski.

Though Morris is expected to comply, the source also informed the Yahoo scribe that some within Morris’ camp are puzzled by the organization’s requests since the player already apologized via Twitter and sent an apologetic text to coach Jeff Hornacek, at whom Morris threw a towel during a game, prompting his suspension. Morris has also reportedly spoken with his teammates regularly during the suspension that cost him $145,455 in earnings, Wojnarowski adds.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Though Clippers small forward Paul Pierce hasn’t made up his mind about returning for another season or retiring after this campaign, he did drop a hint to which way he may be leaning after Monday’s contest in Washington D.C. when he popped into the Wizards’ locker room and told his former teammates, “This could be my last time in D.C. — as a player,” Ben Standig of CSNWashington.com relays (via Twitter).
Kings coach George Karl is attempting to motivate his team without resorting to the shouting and bluster that he became known for during his coaching tenure in Denver, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee writes. “Just tell stories,” Karl said when asked what tactics he’s utilizing. “You try to bring up situations. My explanation is the last couple of weeks is just trying to explain to them how difficult this league is, how tough it is to be successful in this league.”