Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Carmelo Anthony

Eastern Notes: Heat, Anthony, Young, Raptors

April 15th, 2014 at 6:23pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The general consensus among several NBA executives is that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh will presumably re-sign with the Heat, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. As for Carmelo Anthony, most executives reportedly believe that the seven-time All-Star will re-up with the Knicks (Twitter links).

Unfortunately, the Knicks reported today that an MRI revealed a small tear in Anthony’s right labrum; however, no surgery is needed and he’ll be re-evaluated in a month (Twitter links via the official Knicks PR account). Depending on how one looks at it, it may be considered a blessing that the star forward will not risk aggravating the injury by trying to play through pain had New York made the playoffs this year. Al Iannazzone of Newsday (via Twitter) notes that Anthony decided to continue playing on a torn labrum in his left shoulder at the end of last season.

Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

  • Thaddeus Young isn’t sure if his time with the 76ers is running out, but the veteran forward tells Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer that he’ll remain with the team as long as they want him and he’s under contract. Young is still on the books for 2014/15; however, the Sixers could look to deal him this summer if they feel that he’ll eventually choose to turn down his $9.8MM player option for 2015/16, adds Pompey.
  • Soon-to-be restricted free agents Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquez are “immensely open” to re-signing with the Raptors on long-term deals this summer, according to Shams Charania of RealGM. Charania also hears from DeMar DeRozan, who says he never thought about trying to push for an early escape from his four-year extension when the team was struggling early this season.
  • Nets GM Billy King is exploring all of the team’s options in the NBDL right now, relays Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (via Twitter). King added that an announcement will be made as soon as a decision is reached.
  • Toney Douglas considers himself to be in a more advantageous position heading into free agency this summer after making the most of his chance to revive his career with the Heat this season, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post. 

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

And-Ones: Anthony, Mudiay, Draft

April 13th, 2014 at 12:21pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Knicks square off with the Bulls tonight at Madison Square Garden. With New York being eliminated from the playoffs the attention will be fully on Carmelo Anthony and if he re-signs with the Knicks or not. Chicago is one of the teams mentioned as a possible landing spots for ‘Melo if he leaves. Coach Tom Thibodeau had quite a few compliments for Anthony, writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Thibodeau said, “He can score so many different ways. He can hurt you a lot of different ways. He can score the ball very easily. It doesn’t take him much to get going.” When asked about Anthony’s reputation as a “selfish ball-stopper,” Thibodeau said, “It’s interesting because with USA Basketball, they talk about him being a playmaker. He scores and if you a guy is open, he passes the ball. I think oftentimes it’s who he plays with. It’s interesting, a lot of the things that you hear about him, I heard about Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen and Paul Pierce before they came together and won it. That changes perception. Carmelo has been one of the elite scorers in the league for a long, long time.”

More from around the league:

  • Incoming SMU freshman Emmanuel Mudiay will be a big factor in the 2015 NBA Draft according to coach Larry Brown, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Brown said, “He’s going to be a lottery pick if I don’t screw up.” Mudiay is projected as the fifth pick in the 2015 Draft by DraftExpress.com.
  • The staff at Basketball Insiders debate the about the best sophomores from the 2013 draft class.
  • Adam Zagoria weighs in with his thoughts on last night’s Nike Hoops Summit, and the potential 2015 lottery picks that were on display.
  • Sam Amick of USA Today takes a look at what’s next for the Knicks, Celtics, and Lakers.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

And-Ones: Knicks, Wolves, Silver

April 12th, 2014 at 10:18pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Carmelo Anthony was very complimentary when discussing Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Anthony said, “Thibs [Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau] is a great coach. His system kind of reminds me of [Spurs coach] Gregg Popovich’s system. You put anybody in that system and it’s going to work. And that’s what they’ve been doing. They had guys who have been sitting out all season long, guys [have] been in and out the lineup, and they seem to get it done.” The Bulls are one of the teams mentioned as a possible destination for Anthony if he leaves the Knicks this summer.

More from around the league:

  • The Knicks have missed the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. In a separate article, Begley looks at what this means for the franchise.
  • There are three major contract situations the Timberwolves will have to deal with this offseason, according to Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. The team will have to decide what to do with Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio, and coach Rick Adleman.
  • In a separate article, Zgoda looks at the state of the Wolves roster heading into next season.
  •  Adam Silver thinks the NBA playoffs could benefit from a fresh look, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. The call to make changes to the current format is in response to the superiority of the Western Conference.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Sixers, Brown

April 12th, 2014 at 8:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Knicks have a plan for the future that they will pitch to Carmelo Anthony, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. The plan will be to re-sign Anthony this summer, bottom out in the 2014/15 standings, clear the contracts of Amar’e Stoudemire, Andrea Bargnani, and Tyson Chandler, then make a big free agent signing during the summer of 2015, opines Berman.

More from the east:

  • The Sixers rebuilding process is going to take time and patience, writes Tom Moore of Calkins Media. Moore’s piece looks at a number of the obstacles the team will have to face, along with the positive factors the Sixers have going for them.
  • There are several factors that would indicate the Cavaliers intend to bring back coach Mike Brown for next season, writes Bob Finnan of The Morning Journal. Finnan points to the team’s improved play as of late, the need for stability, and the remaining four years on Brown’s contract as some of the primary things that could net Brown another season in Cleveland.
  • Charles Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examines what the Bucks’ plan for Giannis Antetokounmpo is this coming summer.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Eastern Notes: Hopson, Augustin, Heat

April 1st, 2014 at 8:57pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Cavs used the room exception to sign Scotty Hopson on Monday, but because the maximum 4.5% raise permitted via the exception is tied to what he actually makes, rather than the exception’s full value, Hopson isn’t a particularly intriguing trade chip. Mark Deeks of ShamSportsexplains the matter in his latest piece for the Score, noting that Hopson’s salary of about $1.37MM this season and $1.44MM next season is roughly equivalent to what a veteran of 10 seasons or more would make on a minimum-salary deal. Hopson is ineligible to be traded until July 10th, meaning he’s of no use for a draft-night trade.

More news from around the east:

  • Since being picked up by the Bulls after Toronto waived him in December, D.J. Augustin has averaged 14.3 PPG on nearly 42 percent shooting, including 41 percent from 3-point range, in 30.4 minutes per contest. He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, but would love to return to Chicago, writes Cody Westerlund of CBSChicago.com.
  • The Heat‘s “Big Three” of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh can all become free-agents after the season. There has been speculation that one or all three would consider leaving Miami, but before making any decision, the trio plan to sit down together to discuss their options, writes Darren Rovell of ESPN.com.
  • Phil Jackson has been to only two of the eight games the Knicks have played since he took over their basketball department. Some say Jackson should be with the team as much as possible to get to know the players and staff and help them in any way he can as they try to make their playoff push, but Carmelo Anthony is not one of them, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. Anthony said, “He’s smart. He knows what he’s doing. He’s been in this situation before with fighting for spots and trying to win basketball games. So he knows what to expect, and now he’s on the outside looking in. I guess he’s giving us our space. We’re not really concerned about that.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

And-Ones: Williams, Carmelo, Leonard, Isiah

March 27th, 2014 at 10:51pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Jazz forward Marvin Williams hasn’t had any discussions with management about his future, writes Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune. However, Falk reminds that Utah rejected a deadline deal that would have sent Williams out in an exchange for a first round pick, hoping that the 6’9 forward would eventually re-sign this summer. Williams is finishing up the final year of a deal that will pay him $7.5MM this season, and based on glowing approbation from his teammates and coaches recently, it’d appear that Utah remains strongly interested in keeping him for the long-term.

Here are more of tonight’s miscellaneous news and notes:

  • Carmelo Anthony finally had his first conversation with Phil Jackson before the Knicks‘ loss to the Lakers on Tuesday, though the 29-year-old forward tells Newsday’s Al Iannazzone that it was nothing more than small talk: “He told me to get ready, go out there and play, try to finish the season off strong, that’s it…We didn’t really talk about too much. Talked about him being in New York, him coming back out to L.A., the weather. Just generic. We really didn’t talk about nothing.”
  • There’s an argument to be made that Kawhi Leonard is the most valuable player on the league’s best team, writes Sam Amick of USA today, who also thinks it’s safe to assume that securing Leonard’s services will be a top priority for the Spurs this summer. The 6’7 forward will be eligible for a contract extension in July.
  • Isiah Thomas neither confirmed nor denied an interest in taking a job with the Pistons in the near future, but he did intimate his strong loyalty to the franchise: “My heart has never left this organization…I don’t think you will find a person on this earth that loves the Pistons more than I do” (Eric Lacy of MLive.com reports).
  • Bill Laimbeer was also asked about a potential role with the Pistons but declined comment.
  • At the recommendation of a Los Angeles-based ankle specialist, Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova will sit out the remainder of the 2013/14 season (Twitter links via the team’s official Twitter account).
  • Some may contend that Taj Gibson is a strong candidate to win the Sixth Man of the Year title, but Sam Smith of Bulls.com argues that the Bulls forward exemplifies the NBA’s Most Improved award.
  • Former 76ers swingman Rodney Carney is headed to Lebanon to play for Al Riyadi Beirut, reports Enea Trapani of Sportando.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Knicks Notes: Jackson, Dolan, Anthony

March 23rd, 2014 at 7:09pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Worried that Phil Jackson and Knicks owner Jim Dolan won’t get along?  Former Knicks GM and coach Isiah Thomas says he has no such concerns, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.  ”He and Jim will have a great relationship because they come from a place of compassion. They come from a place of trying to do right by their fellow human being,” Thomas told SiriusXM’s Jared Greenberg and Rick Fox. “You know, I think both of them see life in a particular way. I think they both are insatiable about winning and trying to win and I think they want to win in a particular way. Phil is disciplined enough and dogmatic enough in his thoughts that he wants to win his way and do it in a way that encompasses all.”

More from MSG:

  • Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (video) sounds off on what Phil Jackson needs to do to fix the Knicks.
  • Having officially joined the team’s front office, Jackson has a lot of work to do to get the team back on the right path. Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders looks at what Jackson’s primary tasks should be during his first few months on the job. In addition to changing the culture, Beer opines that he also needs to figure out if the team wants to keep Carmelo Anthony, clear cap space for 2015, and choose a new head coach.
  • Al Iannazzone of Newsday weighs in on what changes Anthony will need to make to his game if the Knicks adopt the triangle offense.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Eastern Notes: Vasquez, Miller, Stoudemire

March 21st, 2014 at 8:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune details the close relationship between Pelicans coach Monty Williams and Raptors point guard Greivis Vasquez, who played for New Orleans last season. The trade that split up the pairing last summer stung Vasquez, who’ll be a restricted free agent at season’s end. “It hurt,” Vasquez said. “It really touched me a little bit. I was close not only with Coach Monty, but I was close with (assistant) Fred Vinson, all the coaching staff, the guys, messing around with Austin Rivers, Chief (Al-Farouq Aminu), Anthony Davis . . . . it was hard for me to let it go. But it’s part of the business.”

More from the east:

  • The Wizards‘ Andre Miller says the Nuggets unfairly portrayed him as the bad guy, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. When Miller’s streak of playing in 239 consecutive games ended with the first “Did Not Play-Coach’s Decision” of his career, Miller screamed at coach Brian Shaw. The Nuggets suspended him for two games without pay after the incident before excusing him from team activities with pay until the trade to the Wizards. Miller said,”They gave me an opportunity to represent Denver. I tried to do that the right way, but I was looked at as the bad guy, a disgruntled player. [The Nuggets said] I was complaining about minutes and that was never the issue. They made it look that way, and that I was upset. I understand that they have to protect themselves as an organization, but don’t blast the player.“
  • Sixers coach Brett Brown said the team will pick the best player available in the upcoming draft, and not for need, writes Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. Brown does not think need should influence who a team select in the NBA draft, and cites the example of the Spurs drafting Tim Duncan despite having David Robinson already, writes Lynam.
  • Amar’e Stoudemire says that it was his idea for the Knicks to trade for Carmelo Anthony, writes Brian Spurlock of USA Today. In an interview with Bleacher Report Stoudemire said, “I also knew that I needed a star teammate, and that’s something I talked to Mr. Dolan about when I signed. I mentioned a few players to Mr. Dolan who would be fun to play with, and Melo was one of them. Mr. Dolan and I talked about, ‘Which players in the near future are going to be available?’ Then we said, ‘Let’s make the move and try to trade for ‘Melo.’ That’s how things first started with the Knicks going after Carmelo Anthony.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Eastern Rumors: ‘Melo, Billups, Allen, Heat

March 20th, 2014 at 3:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

Carmelo Anthony is full of optimism about what Phil Jackson can do for the Knicks, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com observes. ‘Melo is similarly enthusiastic about what he can learn from Jackson and is glad that the Zen Master wants him to stick around beyond this season.

“I was hoping that I would be part of the future plans,” Anthony said. “I never once said that I wanted to leave New York or anything like that. The only thing I said was I’m going to dabble and try the free agency out, that I was going to opt out and become a free agent. … I’m excited about the opportunity to hopefully work with Phil.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

  • Chauncey Billups says he won’t necessarily retire at the end of the season, but teams have already gauged his interest in joining their front offices, Billups told reporters, including Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News. It’s unclear if the Pistons are one of those clubs, but Billups said he’d consider them if they offered a position. The 37-year-old would like to become a basketball executive at some point, adds Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post, who notes that Billups and Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars are close.
  • Ray Allen, a free agent at season’s end, still has affection for Boston, and he’d like to see the Celtics retire his number, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
  • The Heat have assigned Justin Hamilton to the D-League, the team announced. The center will play in two games for the Sioux Falls Skyforce and return to the Heat after Saturday’s contest, according to Miami’s release.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Phil Jackson Notes: Melo, Woodson, Ewing, Pop

March 19th, 2014 at 11:07pm CST by Alex Lee

In case you haven’t had enough of the Phil Jackson to New York story, we have more as reactions continue to pour in. Jackson joined the Boomer and Carton show on WFAN New York this morning to explain why he took the job with the Knicks. Here is what he had to say, courtesy of Royce Young at CBS Sports: “I like the city, I like the basketball team, I don’t like all the way they’ve been playing lately, but they’re showing signs of playing like a team again. I think it’s a great time in the NBA to use the flexibility and availability that’s been given to teams in this new CBA between the owners and players … equity is supposed to be the big thing, caps on spending and things like that. But I do think it favors a place like New York.”

Here’s a look at more news and notes stemming from James Dolan’s big hire:

  • Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com conducts a detailed examination aimed at determining whether or not Carmelo Anthony can fit within Phil Jackson’s triangle offense. According to Elhassan, Melo could thrive just like his predecessors if the system is run correctly.
  • The man to run it, at least for the time being, would presumably be Knicks head coach Mike Woodson, who said on Wednesday that he was capable of teaching it with Jackson’s guidance, reports ESPN New York’s Ohm Youngmisuk. Woodson also seemed unconcerned that Dolan offered Jackson his job. Youngmisuk also includes some words from Anthony, who seemed encouraged that Jackson plans to build around him.
  • Knicks legend Patrick Ewing approves of the Jackson addition, telling Mitch Abramson of the New York Daily News he’s happy to have “one of our own” taking over the franchise. Ewing, of course, went up against Jackson and his Bulls for years in the Eastern Conference.
  • Count Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich among those expecting big things from Jackson in New York, according to Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding on Twitter. Asked Wednesday for his thoughts, Pop had the following to say: “Fantastic. It’s wonderful for everybody concerned. Definitely great for the league.” With regard to Jackson adjusting to a management role, Pop said: “He’ll figure it out. He’ll get it going.” (Twitter links)
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0
Load More Posts