D’Angelo Russell Rumors | Hoops Rumors

D’Angelo Russell Gets PRP Injection, Will Miss Two Weeks

November 23rd, 2016 at 5:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell will be out of action for at least two weeks after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection in his left knee today, the team announced on its website. His condition will be re-evaluated in a week.

PRP injections are used to stimulate the flow of blood and help with healing in areas with decreased blood flow, explains Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet (Twitter link). The minimally invasive procedure was performed in Los Angeles by Dr. Steve Yoon.

Russell has been part of the reason for the Lakers’ early-season success, averaging 16.1 points, 4.8 assists and 3.4 rebounds through the first 13 games. He sat out the team’s last two games and wasn’t expected to play tonight, even before the procedure.

Western Notes: Russell, Adams, Tucker

October 10th, 2016 at 1:49pm CST by Eddie Scarito

A breakout performance by D’Angelo Russell during Sunday night’s preseason game against the Nuggets may bode well for the Lakers‘ future as the team still seeks an identity, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com writes. “It means a lot,” Russell said about scoring a game-high 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting in about 32 minutes. “We don’t want to go through losing seasons. We don’t want to go through rebuilding as an excuse of losing. We’re rebuilding, but we still find a way to win games, and we’re capable. We have the pieces. We don’t have an All-Star guy or anything like that. Hopefully some potential [All-Star] guys, but we’re taking everything serious.”

“Yeah, the thing with us right now is, we don’t have an identity,” Russell continued. “Other teams, they have star players. They’ve got glue guys. They know what they’re capable of. [The] same teams are showing up in the playoffs at the end of the year no matter how the season goes. We don’t have an identity right now, so it’s all about taking everything serious — taking every preseason [game], every practice, everything we do is serious when we’re trying to identify ourselves.”

Here’s more from out West:

There is no timetable yet for when Steven Adams will return to action after spraining his right ankle last week, with the Thunder still saying the center is day-to-day, Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman writes. “I don’t think that they feel like he’s close to playing right now, so I don’t want to rule him out for Dallas [on Tuesday night] because I don’t know,” coach Billy Donovan said “It’s kind of been, see what happens the next day [and] how he’s feeling. But clearly he’s done more today than he has the last couple days, which is good.”
As P.J. Tucker makes his return from back surgery, his focus is not on his impending free agency after the season, but on helping the Suns make it to the postseason, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “This might be the most highly motivated year I’ve had in my career,” Tucker said. “People tend to think you get comfortable because you’ve been on a team so long. I’m pushing myself. I’ve been on the sideline pushing my teammates. I’ve been here a long time and I haven’t made the playoffs yet. It may be a contract year, but more than anything, I want to make playoffs. That’s the only thing I’m thinking about right now.”

Western Notes: Russell, Walton, Landry

September 3rd, 2016 at 12:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell and former coach Byron Scott did not have a good relationship last season, but the second year player has nothing but raves for new head coach Luke Walton, as he told Serena Winters of LakersNation. “He’s one of the best people I know, as far as off the court,” Russell said of Walton. “We communicate on and off the court as much as possible. I feel like I can call him anytime. He’s not like a head coach that will sit back and just watch his other coaches and colleagues just train other players, he’s always involved. He’ll get out there and play with you if he wants. It’s just great to have a young coach like him in the building.”

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

The Spurs have a number of new faces on their bench heading into the season and the players are still trying to get to know each other and build chemistry, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News writes. “We’re still trying to figure out some guys’ first and last names,” said Jonathon Simmons. “In another week, everything should be coming together.” San Antonio is also trying to fill a major leadership void now that Tim Duncan has retired, McDonald adds. Speaking about the players’ offseason practice and workout sessions, Kyle Anderson said, “Some days [in the past], they’d [the coaching staff] leave it up to Tim to run it. It’s a little weird without him there.”
In a recent chat where he answered reader questions, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News opined that rookie small forward Nicolas Brussino‘s upside makes him a player worth watching this season for the Mavs. The scribe did note that how well the 23-year-old from Argentina will adapt to the American style of play remains a major question mark.
The Rockets, Spurs, Lakers and Pacers are among the teams who are interested in Carl Landry, who was waived by the Sixers this week, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets.

Western Notes: Young, Neto, Teodosic, Koponen

August 15th, 2016 at 9:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

Nick Young is ready to end the feud with Lakers teammate D’Angelo Russell that resulted in the rookie being ostracized last season, relays Mark Medina of The Orange County Register. The dispute started when Russell secretly recorded Young talking about being unfaithful to his former fiancee, a clip that was later posted to social media. “It’s been so long, so it’s kind of old,” Young said. “We’ll be able to work it out. We’ve already been working it out. I can’t be mad forever.”

Young, who shot a career-low 34% from the field last season, may not be back with the Lakers, as there have been rumors that the team might buy out the final two years and $11MM left on his contract. If he does return, he’s looking forward to a chance to play for new head coach Luke Walton, who was hired over the offseason to replace Byron Scott. “Luke is a big-time coach and came from a championship team,” he said. “I think I have the tools that we can use as a shooter.”

There’s more news tonight from the Western Conference:

The Olympics have given Jazz point guard Raul Neto a chance to connect with new teammate Boris Diaw, writes Amy Donaldson of The Deseret News. Utah acquired Diaw, who plays for the French team, in a July trade with the Spurs to provide veteran help off the bench. “I’ve talked to Boris in the [athlete’s] village,” said Neto, who hails from the host country of Brazil. “He’s a really nice guy. [Leandro] Barbosa played with him in Phoenix, and he say only good things about him. I think we have a great team, some nice guys joined our team, and we expect [to] do better [this] season.”
The Grizzlies offered Serbian star Milos Teodosic more than $5MM in 2013, tweets international basketball writer David Pick. Teodosic’s agent, Nick Lotsos, said his client chose CSKA Moscow over Memphis.
Finnish point guard Petteri Koponen, whose draft rights have been held by the Mavericks since 2011, is close to reaching a deal with Barcelona, Pick tweets.

Pacific Notes: Rondo, Kupchak, Bender, Clippers

June 25th, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings‘ decision to take big men in the first round of the draft may force them to make an aggressive offer to free agent point guard Rajon Rondo, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento traded down with its first pick and took center Georgios Papagiannis at No. 13, then later added forward Malachi Richardson at No. 22 and forward/center Skal Labissiere at No. 28. The selections leave the Kings with holes on the roster, Jones notes, and could make them desperate to keep Rondo, who led the NBA in assists this season.

There’s more news from the Pacific Division:

Kings GM/executive Vlade Divac said his team is “set” in the front court after draft night, Jones tweets. Divac adds that he is open to re-signing Rondo.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak hopes to surround all his young talent with some veteran leaders, posts Baxter Holmes on ESPN Now. L.A. selected Brandon Ingram on Thursday to team with D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson, if he re-signs with the team. “History tells you that a bunch of young guys on the team is probably not a good thing,” Kupchak said. “They look around for leadership or they look around for advice from somebody who’s been through this a couple times, and if there’s nobody to talk to, well, you don’t know how to handle the situation. So I think we will look to add some veteran leadership and hopefully it’s not only leadership but guys who can help us win games.”
The Suns feared Dragan Bender wouldn’t be available later if they didn’t take him at No. 4, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 in Phoenix. The Suns thought Denver would take Bender at No. 7, which is why they nabbed him with the fourth pick and waited until No 8 to take Marquese Chriss.
Even though they have limited cap room, the Clippers will make an effort to re-sign all their free agents, coach Doc Rivers told Rowan Kavner of NBA.com. “To a man, they all want to come back,” Rivers said. “Then there’s business. We’ll see once July 1st comes. It’s going to be interesting the way the cap’s going up. We have three Bird [Rights] guys we have a chance of signing [Jeff Green, Jamal Crawford and Luc Mbah a Moute], but they all may be — not all of them — but they may outprice and we can’t sign all three. But we’re going to try.”

Trade Rumors: Butler, LaVine, Russell, Gay

June 23rd, 2016 at 6:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls and Celtics are still discussing a deal involving Jimmy Butler, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Chicago, which traded Derrick Rose to the Knicks on Wednesday, reportedly wants to draft Providence point guard Kris Dunn, but isn’t enamored with Boston’s latest offer, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).

More trade rumors are heating up as the draft is under way:

Another deal the Bulls received came from the Timberwolves, who offered the fifth pick and Zach LaVine, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Minnesota is willing to listen to offers for anyone besides Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, but he doesn’t believe that offer will be enough to land Butler.
The Kings have been “heavily engaged in trade talks” with several teams this week and are targeting Lakers‘ point guard D’Angelo Russell, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN. Sacramento is seeking a possible replacement for starting point guard Rajon Rondo, who is headed toward free agency.
Before picking up Thaddeus Young in a deal with the Nets today, the Pacers talked to the Kings about Rudy Gay, according to Wojnarowski.

Pacific Notes: Russell, Kennedy, Kings

June 22nd, 2016 at 7:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Lakers 2015 lottery pick D’Angelo Russell has heard the trade rumors connected to himself but isn’t concerned, especially after GM Mitch Kupchak reached out to re-assure him the team has faith in his abilities, Mark Medina of The Orange County Register relays. “You hear trade talks,” Russell said. “Then you get a text from your GM saying he trusts your work ethic and don’t worry about it.”

The young playmaker has already been picking new coach Luke Walton‘s brain about how Warriors star Stephen Curry was able to develop his game to the level it is now, Medina adds. “Please don’t take this the wrong way,” Russell said. “He didn’t compare me to Steph. But I asked him a lot about Steph. I asked him a lot of Steph questions about how he got to this point.”

Here’s more news and notes from the Pacific Division:

Former SMU power forward Markus Kennedy worked out for the Lakers today, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (via Twitter). Kennedy is the No. 77 overall senior in this year’s draft according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
The Warriors should place a high priority on re-signing restricted free agents Festus Ezeli and Harrison Barnes, Bobby Marks of The Vertical opines in his offseason primer for the franchise. The scribe cites the team’s lack of cap flexibility and the potential for the duo to turn into high-value trade assets down the line as reasons why.
The Kings hold the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft, yet none of the players projected to be lottery selections worked out for the team, notes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. The highest-regarded prospect who worked out was former Vanderbilt guard Wade Baldwin, who is a projected mid-first round pick, Jones adds. The team downplayed the significance of pre-draft workouts, with assistant GM Ken Catanella saying, “It’s important, but I would always say we’re looking at a guy’s body of work. It is a small piece, but you still want to, if you haven’t had the opportunity to interview a player at the combine perhaps, or you haven’t had the opportunity to see a guy live, it never hurts. But again, you take the available information you have, and you make the most of it.”

Pacific Notes: Bibby, World Peace, Russell, Suns

May 6th, 2016 at 2:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Kings coaching candidate Henry Bibby believes he can reach DeMarcus Cousins, comparing the star center’s volatile temperament to that of Zach Randolph, another once-mercurial big man who shed his label as a malcontent while playing under a Grizzlies coaching staff that included Bibby, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee details. Bibby, who is scheduled to interview for the job Monday, said he’d hire son Mike Bibby for his staff, telling Jones that they’d long ago repaired what had been a troubled relationship. Henry Bibby added that he’d run an offense reminiscent of the one his son directed as the point guard for the Kings in the early 2000s. “What I’m trying to get back is what Vlade [Divac] used to have up there, the old Sacramento Kings,” Bibby told Jones. “I want to get that back again, that excitement. They played as a team. They ran that corner offense, and that’s what I’d run. I’d put DeMarcus where Vlade was [on offense], and you play basketball with [Rajon] Rondo, [Ben] McLemore and guys like that.”

See more from the Pacific Division:

The video incident involving D’Angelo Russell and Nick Young reportedly drove a wedge between Russell and his teammates, but Metta World Peace said on ESPN’s “The Jump” this week that team chemistry wasn’t as fractured as reports made it seem. Andrew Joseph of For The Win has the transcription. “It wasn’t like that,” World Peace said. “It wasn’t that bad. … I can’t say exactly like what it was. … We gave [Russell] a little talk, because nowadays, it’s like the young players that’s coming into sports, they’re so immature these days. They make a lot of mistakes. So, you have to always be there to pick them up.”
The Suns have decided not to re-sign assistant coaches Bob Hill and Corey Gaines, as well as player development assistant Irving Roland, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. It’s somewhat surprising to see the team decline to keep Hill, the former Knicks, Spurs, Pacers and SuperSonics head coach who joined the staff in February at the behest of Earl Watson. Phoenix removed Watson’s interim tag last month, formally making him the head coach.
Former Indiana University point guard Yogi Ferrell have predraft workouts for the Clippers and Lakers, among other teams, a source tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
I examined the offseason ahead for the Clippers earlier today.

Pacific Notes: Walton, Kupchak, Karl, Curry

April 17th, 2016 at 6:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Warriors assistant Luke Walton has already interviewed for head coaching positions with the Knicks and Nets, reports Marc Berman of The New York Post. Walton pulled his name out of consideration with Brooklyn, which announced the hiring of Kenny Atkinson earlier today. Golden State is reportedly allowing Walton to talk to other franchises as long as there’s no conflict with its playoff schedule. A source told Berman that Walton may decide to remain with the Warriors for another season.

There’s more news from the Pacific Division:

The video controversy involving D’Angelo Russell and Nick Young may have brought bad publicity to the Lakers, but GM Mitch Kupchak doesn’t believe it will scare off any free agents, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com. Kupchak said the incident “becomes less and less of a story” every day, and he complimented both players on the way they handled it. “We’ve dealt with players in this organization, on this team, that have made mistakes over the years,” Kupchak said, “and we’ve gotten through it and had great teams and won championships.” He believes Young and Russell can settle their differences if they are teammates again next year. However, the Lakers are rumored to want to part ways with Young, either through a trade or buyout. He still has two years and more than $11.1MM left on his contract.
UNLV has hired Marvin Menzies as its new head coach, passing on ex-Kings coach George Karl, according to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. Menzies, who had been coaching at New Mexico State, replaces Chris Beard, who backed out of the UNLV job to go to Texas Tech instead. Karl had contacted UNLV about the opening and mutual interest was reported Friday.
The opt-out clause that the Kings included in Seth Curry‘s contract could help him land a much better deal, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. After an impressive summer-league performance, Sacramento signed Curry last July, giving him a two-year deal with a $1,015,696 player option for next season that he has to decide on this week. Curry’s performance over the second half of the season may cause someone to pay him a lot more, as he averaged more than 11 points per game after the All-Star break. “I think I’ve played pretty well and showed some different things in my game that will set me up for the future to show I can be a good player in this league for a long time,” Curry said.

Pacific Notes: Suns, Scott, Hibbert, Russell

April 15th, 2016 at 8:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Suns GM Ryan McDonough feels a sense of disbelief when looking back at the team’s 2015/16 season, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “I still can’t believe that happened,” McDonough said. “I don’t think any of us could’ve envisioned this, especially when we started out 7-5 and were playing pretty good basketball. Everything went wrong for us this year. The good news is one of the main reasons we have 23 wins is a lot of our best players were injured and missed significant portions or the majority of the season.”

“We weren’t properly positioned to withstand injuries,” McDonough continued. “We just didn’t have the end-of-the-bench depth you need. I think our deepest bench was actually last year’s team, 2014/15, and we didn’t do a great job of managing the players on that roster. It’s a learning experience for me. We need to find the blend between having enough depth and talent that you’ll be able to absorb foul trouble and injuries but also have a good enough blend and balance on the roster to where players are willing to accept the roles we put them in. We will have a deeper and more talented team next year. I guarantee it.”

Here’s the latest from the Pacific Division:

McDonough also noted that the Suns would prioritize finding a power forward this offseason, but added that the increase in the salary cap would make the competition much tougher, Coro relays. “We realize it may be tough for us this year to get in the mix like we have the previous two summers,” McDonough said. “Since I’ve been here, with the elite free agents, it’s easier when you win 87 combined games over two years than when you win 23. It’s a hard sell. We’ll be aggressive, creative. We value our young core. By young, I mean 26 and under with guys who have a chance to be really good players. Our last three lottery picks [Devin Booker, Alex Len and T.J. Warren], in particular, showed nice flashes this year of what they can do for guys who are still college age.”
Lakers coach Byron Scott admitted that he could have done a better job developing the team’s younger players this season, a sentiment that was echoed by point guard D’Angelo Russell, who did admit that things improved between him and Scott as the season progressed, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News tweets.
Russell noted that his Lakers teammates have been very supportive of him since the video he shot of Nick Young was made public, adding that Kobe Bryant was a source of support throughout the ordeal, Mike Trudell of Lakers.com tweets. The point guard also added that he never believed he had lost the trust of the rest of the team despite the incident, Serena Winters of Lakers Nation relays (Twitter link).
Kings executive Vlade Divac indicated that the team’s coaching search wouldn’t be completed quickly and that he’s looking for a coach with experience who is on the same page with the players and front office, Sean Cunningham of KXTV-TV tweets.
Center Roy Hibbert, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent, would like to return to the Lakers next season, but he understands the chances of a reunion are slim, Medina relays (via Twitter).
Draymond Green, who took less than the maximum when he re-signed with the Warriors last summer, told The Ringer’s Bill Simmons in a recent podcast that he accepted less money “so we can continue to build so we can make sure this thing stays together,” as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group relays (Twitter link),