Carmelo Anthony Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Anthony, Stepheson, Dunleavy Sr.

March 25th, 2016 at 10:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Cavs shooting guard J.R. Smith feels for his former Knicks teammate Carmelo Anthony and the struggles he’s endured, but he firmly believes that ‘Melo wants to stick it out and make things work in New York, Peter Botte of The New York Daily News writes. “I know it’s been hard on him,” Smith said. “It’s one of those situations when you’re a great player in the league and you just don’t have the support system, that cast that you’ve been accustomed to like when we were in Denver or the earlier years when he got to New York. I know it’s been a frustrating process, but if anybody can get through it, it will be Melo.”

“And I know he absolutely wants to make it work here [New York],” Smith continued. “This is everything he asked for, I mean, except for not making the playoffs and stuff like that. But everything he’s doing for the city and for the Knicks, I think it’s harder for him now more than anything. He doesn’t have the whole supporting cast yet, but this year has been better than last year and I think they will continue to improve. And the way I know him, he’s committed there, for sure.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Alex Stepheson has returned to the Iowa Energy, which is the D-League affiliate of Memphis, after the Grizzlies declined to sign him to a second 10-day contract, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor relays (Twitter link). The 28-year-old made four appearances for Memphis and averaged 5.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per outing.
The fact that Pelicans big man Anthony Davis has played the past three seasons with a shoulder injury makes his performance all the more impressive, though it does raise questions about whether he is more injury-prone than previously believed, Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report writes. The scribe posits that New Orleans may need to rest Davis more often in the future to help maintain his health but also points to Dwight Howard, who has dealt with similar shoulder issues since 2013, as a reason to believe Davis can continue to log significant minutes without being coddled.
Former NBA coach Mike Dunleavy Sr. has a verbal agreement in place to become the next head coach of Tulane University, Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com reports. Dunleavy has zero college coaching experience but owns a career NBA mark of 613-716 from his stints with the Lakers, Bucks, Trail Blazers and Clippers.
The Hawks have recalled Lamar Patterson from the D-League, tweets Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Patterson was assigned to the Canton Charge, the affiliate of the Cavs, via the flexible assignment rule.

Reaction To Talk Of LeBron-‘Melo-Wade-CP3 Team

March 24th, 2016 at 9:21am CST by Chuck Myron

A meeting between LeBron James and Cavaliers GM David Griffin and conflicting statements from Carmelo Anthony represented some of the fallout from the Wednesday publication of comments that James made shortly before the All-Star break about his desire to play at least one NBA season on the same team as Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul. James has spoken with Cavs management in the past to propose the idea of trading for Anthony, who has a no-trade clause, a source told Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, though it’s not clear when such talk took place. James and Griffin spoke in general terms Wednesday, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. The conversation was “positive and productive,” with James striking an upbeat tone about the Cavs, Vardon writes.

Anthony echoed James’ assertion that he would take a discount to facilitate teaming with the other stars, though he hinted that if it happened, it wouldn’t take place in New York, as Marc Berman of the New York Post relays. The Knicks have Anthony under contract until at least 2018, when he can opt out.

“Everybody has fantasies,” Anthony said. “We’d all have to take pay cuts. I’d take one. I think at that time we’d want to go someplace warm. Later — [close to] retirement.’’

Anthony re-signed with the Knicks in 2014, though he reiterated Wednesday, when the Knicks beat the Bulls, that he came “very close” to signing with Chicago that summer instead, notes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com (Twitter link). Still, Anthony once more restated his commitment to the Knicks during ESPN’s broadcast of the game, McMenamin notes.

“I came here for a reason, which was to win in New York,” Anthony said. “Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case thus far, but I feel like I have unfinished business to take care of. And I feel like, I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, if I just get up and run away from something that I started, that I feel a part of and that’s not done yet, then I think I would carry that burden on my shoulders. That’s just me as an individual.”

James isn’t sure that having the four stars on the same team would fly with any owner, given the vast power the players would have in such a circumstance, a source told McMenamin. The former MVP tamped down the notion of playing with his high-profile friends in comments he made Wednesday, as McMenamin relays.

“It would definitely be cool if it happened, but we don’t know how realistic it could be to have us four,” James said. “If you got an opportunity to work with three of your best friends, no matter what, it’s not even about sports, it’s about being around guys that you don’t even have to say nothing, you automatically know. We just have that type of history. Can it happen? I don’t know if it can even happen but it would be cool.”

James had a lingering chat with Wade at halftime of Cleveland’s loss to Miami on Saturday while the Cavs were warming up, and James later apologized to Cavs coach Tyronn Lue for that, Vardon writes. Cleveland was down 21 at the time in a game the Cavs lost by that same margin.

“I just told him we can’t have that, being down like we were and him being the leader,” Lue said to Vardon. “Just me being a competitor, I didn’t like it. We had a long talk about it. It was good. He understood, he apologized, and he’s been great.”

Wade largely brushed off talk of playing with James, Anthony and Paul, as ESPN’s Michael Wallace relays in McMenamin’s story.

“I don’t know, man,” Wade said. “Yeah, I heard it. I read it. I’m not really jumping into the headlines right now. For me, I’m focused on my teammates in here. As cool as the headlines is, that has nothing to do with what we’re trying to do in here.”

And-Ones: Anthony, Pierce, Grizzlies

March 23rd, 2016 at 10:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Carmelo Anthony noted that the drama surrounding LeBron James and the Cavaliers this season is more trivial than what the Knicks are dealing with, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News relays. “Their drama is more comical,” Anthony said. “It’s more getting off of Twitter. You know what I mean? It’s always something that they blow up; him [James] unfollowing the organization. Him shutting his Twitter down. It’s always something there along those lines. Over here it’s, you know, drama … different type of drama over here.”

The small forward is growing tired with those who question his loyalty to the Knicks and the constant questions regarding if he would waive his no-trade clause this summer, Isola adds. “I know the reason why I [re-signed],” Anthony said. “And the people that really understand it know why I’m sticking out. I think it is odd to question loyalty at this point and time especially when I’ve shown time and time again my loyalty to not just the organization but to New York and vice versa. At this point I just go out and play basketball and try not to worry about it.”

Here’s more from around the league:

The Grizzlies coaching staff deserves credit for keeping the team in the playoff hunt despite having to use 27 players this season because of the rash of injuries that have befallen the roster, writes J.A. Adande of ESPN.com. Coach Dave Joerger also credits the team’s veteran players with holding things together amid all the lineup and roster changes, Adande adds. “It’s crazy,” Joerger said. “It’s a couple of things, though. First of all, it’s veteran leadership. It’s Matt Barnes, Vince Carter, Tony Allen, Zach Randolph. Those guys have really been helping our younger guys, taking them under their wing. Our staff has done a great job with the young guys and new guys and helping them get acclimated. Our guys have accepted each other for who they are as individuals.”
Sixers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce was interviewed on Tuesday for the vacant head coaching post at Santa Clara University, his alma mater, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated reports (Twitter link). Pierce played for the Broncos from 1998-2002, then served as an assistant coach from 2003-2007 before joining the Cavs as coordinator for player development prior to the 2007/08 season. He’s been with the Sixers since 2013.

LeBron Longs To Play With Wade, ‘Melo, CP3

March 23rd, 2016 at 1:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

LeBron James is holding out hope that he can team with Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul for at least one season before they retire, as he told Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. James, 31, and Wade, 34, can hit free agency this summer, but the 30-year-old Paul’s locked in with the Clippers through next season and Anthony, 31, doesn’t have an opt-out in his deal until the summer of 2018.

“I really hope that, before our career is over, we can all play together,” James said to Beck just before the All-Star break last month in comments that Beck kept under wraps until today (Twitter link). “At least one, maybe one or two seasons — me, Melo, D-Wade, CP — we can get a year in. I would actually take a pay cut to do that.”

Each is probably powerful enough to force a trade, with most such chatter surrounding Anthony, who has a no-trade clause that he’s been reluctant to consider waiving. Rumors about a three-team deal involving the Knicks, Celtics and Cavaliers emerged before the trade deadline this year, but it never appeared as though Anthony was close to joining James in Cleveland. Anthony once more reiterated his commitment to the Knicks today, as Marc Berman of the New York Post relays.

“I know the reason why I stuck it out,’’ Anthony said. “People that really understand it know why I’m sticking it out. It’s odd to question my loyalty at this point in time, especially when you showed and I’ve showed time and time again my loyalty to not just the organization, but New York and vice versa.”

Still, commitments change. That was the case with Anthony and the Nuggets, a team ‘Melo believed in strongly enough in 2006 to resist what James admits were veiled overtures meant to convince Anthony to sign a shorter extension that would allow him to become a free agent in 2010, just as James and Wade did, as Beck details. That was the summer that James and Wade teamed up on the Heat while Anthony and Paul remained under contract in Denver and New Orleans, respectively.

Anthony told Beck in January that he was disappointed that the Pistons passed him up with the second overall pick in 2003, saying that he’d been told Detroit would take him. It’s not clear who told Anthony that the Pistons would draft him instead of Darko Milicic, the center the Pistons fatefully selected when the time came. Regardless, the bond between James, Anthony, Wade and Paul is strong, and it’s made an impression on Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski, who’s mentored all of them with the USA Basketball program.

“I think they love one another,” Krzyzewski said. “It’s so damn genuine, and it’s so cool to see. … They have each others’ back, on everything.”

Do you think James, Wade, Anthony and Paul will all play together on an NBA team at some point? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Eastern Notes: Jackson, LeBron, Bazemore

March 22nd, 2016 at 9:14am CST by Chuck Myron

Team president Phil Jackson won’t be coaching the Knicks in any fashion next season, as he told confidant Charley Rosen, who in turn told Marc Berman of the New York Post. There was talk that Jackson might coach at home and let Kurt Rambis coach on the road next season, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com reported last week. Even though the 70-year-old has lost weight and has more energy than usual, as Shelburne also wrote, coaching would be too physically demanding for Jackson, a league source told Berman. Carmelo Anthony didn’t seem too keen on the idea of the Zen Master coaching, leading Frank Isola of the New York Daily News to wonder if ‘Melo spiked the idea (Twitter link).

See more from the Eastern Conference:

The Cavaliers weren’t exactly comfortable with LeBron James‘ unexplained decision to unfollow their official Twitter account Monday, but a source who spoke with Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com said James told him he unfollowed the Cavs, among others, so that he could start to narrow his focus in advance of the playoffs. That still leaves several questions unanswered, as Vardon explores, pointing out that James skipped a media session Monday for the first time since he returned to Cleveland, barring occasions when he was sick or wasn’t playing. A healthy James posted a triple-double against the Nuggets on Monday night.
Kent Bazemore is a lock to get overpaid this summer when he hits free agency, contends Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. The question is whether it’ll be Atlanta footing the bloated bill, as Lowe examines amid a larger piece on the Hawks. The team could open nearly $20MM in cap room if it lets Bazemore walk, but the Hawks speak highly of the value of continuity, Lowe writes.
The Bulls essentially spent five draft picks on Doug McDermott, considering the two first-rounders and a second-rounder they used to trade up for him and the two second-rounders they used to clear cap room in a related move, observes Mark Schanowski of CSN Chicago. The moves finally appear to be paying off, and it’s conceivable the team will use McDermott as a starter as soon as next season, Schanowski writes.

Knicks Rumors: Rondo, Karl, Anthony, Galloway

March 21st, 2016 at 12:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free-agent-to-be Rajon Rondo said he wants his next team to be the “last stop” in his NBA career, relays Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The Knicks are hoping they might be the destination for the Sacramento point guard, who leads the league in assists with 11.8 per game. New York will have at least $18MM in cap space to use this summer.

Lewis notes that Knicks GM Steve Mills spent 30 minutes talking with Rondo’s agent, Bill Duffy, last week in California. Carmelo Anthony has openly pushed for Rondo to join the team, and interim coach Kurt Rambis has expressed confidence that the 30-year-old can adapt to the triangle offense. After the Kings defeated the Knicks Sunday, Rondo brushed aside concerns that he might not be comfortable in the triangle. “I’m not against anything,” he said. “I’m pretty smart. I can figure out anything I need to figure out.’’

There’s more out of New York today:

Anthony, who has been the focus of rumors saying he might ask to be traded this summer, received support from Kings coach George Karl, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com. “I’ve seen a winning ‘Melo over the last two years,” Karl said. “I’ve seen him sacrifice his game to try to figure out the team.” Anthony didn’t play Sunday because of a migraine and wasn’t available to speak with reporters, but he has repeatedly voiced his frustrations over the Knicks’ collapse during the second half of the season, which will leave the team out of the playoffs for the third straight year. “He doesn’t want the season to be over April [13th],” Karl said. “I think Melo’s had a Hall of Fame career, and I just know right now, just kind of looking at his body language, he wants to win.”
With restricted free agency looming, Langston Galloway has picked an unfortunate time to fall into a shooting slump, writes Ryan Lazo of The New York Post. Galloway’s 3-point marksmanship was an important weapon for the Knicks during the first part of the season, but teams have begun challenging his shots and daring him to drive. As a result, he’s shooting just 31% from the field in March. His two-year contract expires this summer, and the Knicks have to decide whether he can be a long-term effective scorer. “[Staying in New York] would mean a lot,” Galloway said. “I think they are going to show interest after the season, and I’m hoping I get to stay here.”

Knicks Rumors: Anthony, Rambis, Porzingis

March 18th, 2016 at 7:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

Carmelo Anthony understands he can force his way out of New York if he desires, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. In a wide-ranging interview about his career and the state of the Knicks, Anthony acknowledged that he refused to waive his no-trade clause amid rumors of possible deals before last month’s deadline. “I guess I have all the power,” he said. “If I really wanted to get out of this situation I could have waived that no-trade clause. But I’ve stuck with it and I’m still sticking with it.”

How much longer he’ll stick with it is anyone’s guess. The Knicks are looking at another summer of upheaval, with a major decision surrounding the fate of interim head coach Kurt Rambis and possibly a limited return of Phil Jackson to the bench. Whatever happens, Anthony made it clear that his patience with New York management is wearing thin. He’s tired of missing the playoffs, which the Knicks are doing for the third straight season, and he expects the franchise to add at least one big-name free agent this summer. “Now it’s time to start competing for a championship, not just competing for the playoffs,” Anthony said. “Those days for me are over with.”

There’s more news out of New York:

The time has come for Anthony and the Knicks to part ways, argues Tom Ziller of SB Nation. Anthony expects to be surrounded by veteran stars, and pursuing them isn’t the best strategy for New York right now, Ziller writes. Instead, he says the team should focus on rebuilding around rookie Kristaps Porzingis. The columnist suggests the Lakers, Rockets, Mavericks, Celtics and Wizards as possible destinations for Anthony.
Anthony offered more fuel for the argument that he’s thinking of moving on, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. “It’s hard to answer those type of questions when you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Anthony said today. “We still have a month left to the season. To be thinking, ‘Am I going to be on this team next [season]?’ That’s for you to speculate. I don’t know what’s going to happen this summer. I can’t predict that.”
Rambis would prefer that Porzingis skip the Olympics this summer, writes Barbara Barker of Newsday. “I understand players’ commitments to their country and their desire to play for their country,” Rambis said. “But from a selfish standpoint, looking at it purely from a Knicks standpoint, yeah, we’d want him here working with us the whole time.”

Central Notes: Brown, Drummond, Gibson, James

March 18th, 2016 at 5:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

Dealing with illness and injury in their backcourt, the Pistons signed Lorenzo Brown today as “insurance,” coach/executive Stan Van Gundy told Aaron McMann of MLive. Starting point guard Reggie Jackson is dealing with a viral issue, while reserve Spencer Dinwiddie is recovering from a deep bone bruise in his ankle. With Steve Blake as the only healthy point guard, the Pistons gave a 10-day contract to Brown, who was playing for the Grand Rapids Drive in the D-League. “I watched Reggie the other night and he was sick, and Spencer’s not 100%,” Van Gundy explained. “You start saying, ‘We might want to get that covered.'” Brown was in Detroit’s training camp before the start of last season had two 10-day contracts with the Suns earlier this year. Van Gundy likes Brown’s familiarity with the Pistons’ system, but he doesn’t plan to use him in a game unless there’s an emergency.

There’s more from Detroit and the rest of the Central Division:

Van Gundy lashed out at his defense, especially center Andre Drummond, after surrendering 118 points in Wednesday’s loss to the Hawks, writes David Mayo of MLive. The coach expects better rim protection from Drummond, who will be a restricted free agent this summer after agreeing to pass on an extension. Drummond is considered a virtual lock to stay with the Pistons on a max contract. “He’s not contesting shots at the rim,” Van Gundy said. “You look at the per-minute stuff and he’s 38th in the league in blocks per minute. I mean that’s just — maybe he can’t be in the top three or four but you don’t need to be 38th.”
Taj Gibson, the subject of trade rumors before last month’s deadline, has emerged as a team leader as a wave of injuries has hit the Bulls, according to Sam Smith of Bulls.com. “This is where young guys have to be veterans, suck it up and do the job,” Gibson said. That’s the way we’ve been playing the last couple of years and what I am trying to transfer to the young guys now.”
Cavaliers star LeBron James has posted another cryptic Instagram message, according to Luke Kerr-Dineen of USA Today Sports’ For The Win. James put together a montage of photos of him, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and others with the message, “Who cares what others say that don’t agree with decisions we make because it doesn’t matter, this is our journey, the path we was giving and we’ll continue to walk it heads high guarding each others back throughout it all!”

New York Notes: Anthony, Porzingis, McCullough

March 17th, 2016 at 10:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

As the Knicks slide further out of the playoff race, speculation is growing that Carmelo Anthony may start looking elsewhere, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Anthony met recently with team president Phil Jackson to discuss where the franchise is headed. The 31-year-old combo forward declined to offer many details of the get-together, but with the 28-41 Knicks about to miss the postseason for the third straight year, it’s clear that Anthony wants to see major changes this summer. “It’s in their court. The ball is in their court,” Anthony said of New York’s front office. “They have an opportunity, we have an opportunity to do something this offseason. We gotta do something. It’s there.” Begley says many in the organization are concerned that Anthony will consider waiving his no-trade clause if the team fails to make a splash in free agency.

There’s more tonight out of New York:

Kristaps Porzingis needs to overcome the “rookie wall” and finish the season strong to boost the Knicks‘ case in free agency, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Berman believes New York’s pitch to free agents is going to focus on the chance to play with Anthony and the 7’3″ Porzingis, who was an early-season front-runner for Rookie of the Year. However, the Latvian big man has regressed noticeably as the season has worn on. He posted 18 double-doubles before Kurt Rambis replaced Derek Fisher as head coach in February, but he hasn’t had any since. “I don’t want to finish the season with regret and then have five months of offseason work,” Porzingis said. “I want to give my all. When the offseason starts, I’ll put in more work and prepare myself for next season.’’
The Nets have only seen brief flashes of Chris McCullough‘s talent because of a minutes restriction, but so far they’re encouraged, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The Syracuse freshman was considered a possible lottery pick last year before tearing his right ACL. The Nets scooped him up at No. 29, knowing he would need to time to heal. “In the short amount of time he’s been playing, I think he’s had more success on the defensive end of the floor,” said interim Nets coach Tony Brown. “And offensively it’s just time. He needs to get experience.’’
Nets assistant coach Joe Wolf is “keenly interested” in becoming the head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times.

Knicks Notes: Rambis, Anthony on Jackson

March 16th, 2016 at 9:18pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The 28-40 Knicks are hoping to become the first opposing team to win a regular season game at Oracle Arena in over a year when they face off against on the Warriors tonight. As the teams get ready to take the court in Oakland, let’s take a look at a few notes from the city that never sleeps:

Coach Kurt Rambis says Knicks president of basketball operations Phil Jackson hasn’t discussed coaching on a part-time basis since “years ago” when the Zen Master patrolled the sidelines for the Lakers, Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets.
Carmelo Anthony doesn’t believe Jackson will coach in the league again and believes the idea of someone coaching only homes games to be “silly,” Berman passes along (Twitter link).
Anthony should have influence on the team’s next coaching hire and has every right to demand a say in the process, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News opines. Jackson’s coaching tree hasn’t yielded favorable results and Anthony isn’t out of line for raising the idea of exploring other options, Isola argues.