Derrick Rose Rumors | Hoops Rumors

New York Notes: Holiday, Knicks, Booker, Nets

September 3rd, 2016 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Headed to his fifth team in four years, Justin Holiday wants to show the Knicks that he’s more than a throw-in from the Derrick Rose trade, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Holiday, a 6’6″ shooting guard, divided last season between the Hawks and Bulls, moving in February after a three-team trade that also involved the Jazz. Holiday said he started to feel comfortable in Chicago after the deal, appearing in 27 games, starting four and averaging 6.5 points per night. However, the 27-year-old brother of the Pelicans’ Jrue Holiday found himself on the move again with the June trade to New York. “As far as talent goes, I think we’re one of the more talented team tins his league, especially in the East,” Holiday said of the Knicks. “Hopefully we do some stuff [the Warriors] did.’’ Holiday was a reserve on the Golden State team that won the NBA title in 2015.

There’s more NBA news tonight out of New York:

The Knicks may not live up to Rose’s “super team” designation, but they raised their talent level considerably this offseason, writes A.J. Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today. New York’s addition of Rose, Joakim Noah and Brandon Jennings makes the team interesting, but their collective injury history limits the Knicks’ offseason grade to a B-minus.
The Nets are counting on Trevor Booker to help replace the production lost when Thaddeus Young was traded to the Pacers, according to NetsDaily. Brooklyn signed the former Utah power forward to a two-year, $18.5MM deal shortly after free agency began. The 6’8″ Booker averaged 5.9 points and 5.7 rebounds with the Jazz last season, and he will be counted on to help improve the Nets’ interior defense.
The Nets might be in the worst position of any team in the league, writes Shaun Powell of NBA.com. Powell likes the additions of GM Sean Marks and coach Kenny Atkinson, as well as some of the other offseason moves, but cautions that it will take a long time to change the situation in Brooklyn.

Eastern Notes: Mickey, Brown, Wall, Beal

August 31st, 2016 at 9:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jordan Mickey‘s spot on the Celtics‘ roster seems safe even in a crowded training camp, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. With John Holland being waived today, Boston has 18 players on its roster, with 16 on fully guaranteed contracts. But the Celtics don’t seem likely to cut ties with Mickey after making a four-year commitment to him last offseason. After taking him in the second round of the 2015 draft, Boston gave Mickey a $5MM deal with a higher annual salary than first-round pick R.J. Hunter received. Mickey appeared in just 16 games for Boston as a rookie, spending most of the season with the team’s Maine affiliate in the D-League. He led the league in blocks with 4.4 per game and was a D-League All-Star. Blakely writes that the Celtics want to see more of Mickey at the NBA level before making a long-term decision.

There’s more tonight from the Eastern Conference:

Celtics power forward Jaylen Brown was voted the most athletic rookie by his fellow Class of 2016 members, relays CSNNE. Brown, the third player taken in the June draft, topped an NBA.com poll with 38.7% of the votes, followed by the Clippers’ Brice Johnson with 16.1% and the Suns’ Marquese Chriss with 9.7%.
It’s healthy for John Wall and Bradley Beal to be open about their disagreements, contends Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report. He believes the Wizards‘ backcourt tandem will improve their communication because they’re willing to speak publicly about the problem, which Bucher describes as both wanting to be the dominant personality on the team. Bucher doesn’t think there’s a need to trade either one because their skills are complementary.
The Knicks are gambling with their point guard position by bringing in two players with significant injury histories, writes Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders. New York traded for Derrick Rose, whose 66 games last season were by far the most since tearing his ACL in the 2012 playoffs, and signed Brandon Jennings, who suffered an Achilles tear in January of 2014. Beer lists several unsigned players the Knicks should consider as insurance: Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, Kirk Hinrich, Nate Robinson, Jordan Farmar, Andre Miller and Lance Stephenson.

New York Notes: Rose, Carmelo, Lin, Nets

August 23rd, 2016 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Derrick Rose, traded by the Bulls to the Knicks two months ago, referred to his new squad as a “super team” last month, and recently doubled down on the assertion. In a conversation with Nick DePaula of The Vertical, the former MVP continued to rave about his new club and his new teammates.

“I just love the group,” Rose said. “I think everybody is on the same page. I love the culture that Phil [Jackson] is creating. Just the organization and franchise, I love everybody that’s working on it, and they seem like they’re very excited for everything. That just rubs off on people. … I think we have a chance to win every game, and in the league, that’s rare.”

While Rose expects a big year from the Knicks, Hoops Rumors commenters recently named the Nets as the most likely team to be the NBA’s worst in 2016/17. Here’s the latest out of New York on both squads:

Carmelo Anthony is riding high after winning his third Olympic gold medal this summer, but his supporting cast with the Knicks this season won’t be as star-studded as the one he enjoyed in Rio. Marc Berman of The New York Post examines the leadership role Anthony will have to assume for the new-look Knicks as they look to return to the postseason.
Nets CEO Brett Yormark, speaking at an event in Beijing, admitted that the Nets will market newly-signed point guard Jeremy Lin in an effort to tap into a new, Chinese-American fan base (link via Net Income of NetsDaily). However, Yormark says his team won’t try to recreate the “Linsanity” phenomenon, preferring to let things happen organically.
A separate NetsDaily piece focuses on the storylines to watch in Brooklyn with training camp around the corner, including Lin’s arrival, Bojan Bogdanovic‘s contract year, and the Nets‘ youth movement.

Eastern Notes: Rose, Wizards, Pistons

August 18th, 2016 at 10:32am CST by Eddie Scarito

Derrick Rose caused some eyes to roll when he compared the new-look Knicks to the Warriors, terming New York a potential “super team,” and the point guard isn’t walking those comments back, Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes. “I still believe that,” Rose said. “Like I said, with that Super Team term, you have to be very careful, I guess, if you’re in the United States. But I feel like if you’re in any team in the NBA — it don’t have to be the NBA, it could be the college level, high school level — you should believe in yourself and have the confidence in yourself that you’re playing on a super team anywhere. So I have a lot of confidence, and I’m not taking that back.”

Rose also noted that he plans to share the ball more this season than he has in the past, Begley adds. “We have more options on this team. With the Bulls, we had more options too but the offense really went through me and Jimmy Butler,” Rose said. “With the Knicks, we have [Kristaps Porzingis], we have [Carmelo Anthony], we have [Joakim Noah] rolling to the rim. We’ve got Courtney Lee.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

New Wizards coach Scott Brooks is looking forward to coaching the backcourt combo of John Wall and Bradley Beal, a pairing he believes can be one of the league’s top duos, Ben Standig of CSNMid-Atlantic relays. “I haven’t had a chance to coach them yet, but on paper [and] having coached against them, it’s a perfect fit,” Brooks said. “We can have one of the best two-way backcourts in the league.“
Pistons coach/Executive Stan Van Gundy believes the team’s roster is more versatile than it was a season ago, which he believes will make Detroit a legitimate threat come playoff-time, Keith Langlois of NBA.com relays. “The thing that keeps coming home to me, the more and more you watch the league now but especially in the playoffs, you’ve got to be able to play a lot of different ways,” Van Gundy said. “Everybody thinks about ‘small,’ but then you see Oklahoma City go with Enes Kanter and Steven Adams together. Well, can you play big? Can you play with two point guards together? Can you play with no point guard? And maybe you can’t cover all of those things, but I think you want the flexibility and the versatility on your roster to be able to play as many different ways as you can. And I think we can do that now.”

Atlantic Notes: Calderon, Jackson, Sullinger, Bennett

July 15th, 2016 at 10:18am CST by Arthur Hill

Former Knicks point guard Jose Calderon believes he would have been better off as a backup in New York, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Calderon, who will turn 35 in September, was shipped to the Bulls last month in the trade that brought back Derrick Rose. Calderon says team president Phil Jackson made the right move in acquiring Rose and thinks he would have performed better with fewer minutes. “Like I said, I was ready for a different role and I was ready for a different role the last couple of years,” Calderon said. “Maybe there wasn’t the player to put ahead of me. I always said I wasn’t the one putting me in the starting role or playing me 35 minutes. It could’ve been a guy like a Derrick Rose and I would’ve been the backup point guard. It’s a tough position to play. You have to know your strengths and weaknesses. I’ve been in the league 12 years and I know what I do best or not do as well. It’s nothing personal. It’s what the team needed. Hopefully it will work better.’’

Calderon, who was later traded from the Bulls to the Lakers, will get his wish to be a reserve in L.A., where he will back up second-year point guard D’Angelo Russell. Currently training for the Olympics with the Spanish National Team, Calderon has one year left on his contract at $7.6MM, and said he hopes to play three more seasons in the NBA.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Jackson issued a challenge to his rebuilt team Thursday on social media, Berman writes in a separate piece. In a pair of tweets, Jackson wrote, “Here’s what: We have brought change to the Knicks team. The real dimension of change is how much the players what to unite in this change” and “It’s not about bonding and being friends, it’s about joining in the effort of playing HARD on every effort. #respect“ (Twitter links). Nine of the 14 players the Knicks currently have under contract weren’t with the team last season.
The chance to win an NBA title meant more than money to Jared Sullinger when he chose the Raptors, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Sullinger, who became an unrestricted free agent this week when the Celtics pulled their qualifying offer, signed a one-year, $6MM deal with Toronto on Thursday. “Money is great but when it comes to certain situations, money can’t buy you happiness,” Sullinger said. “I think winning keeps you happy when you’re playing an 82-game season. I’ve been through a season where we lost a lot and it’s not a lot of fun.” The Raptors won 56 games this year and reached the Eastern Conference finals.
The Nets will try to get more out of Anthony Bennett than he produced in his first three NBA stops, writes Bud Shaw of Cleveland.com. Shaw contends that former Cavaliers GM Chris Grant’s decision to take Bennett, who reached an agreement Thursday on a deal with Brooklyn, first overall in 2013 was the biggest mistake in the Cavs’ draft history.

Eastern Rumors: Butler, James, Jack, Wall

June 30th, 2016 at 10:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

In an appearance Wednesday on ESPN’s “The Jump,” Bulls guard Jimmy Butler said he expected his partnership with Derrick Rose to be broken up, relays Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. It happened last week when Rose was shipped to the Knicks in exchange for three players. “I can’t say that I was surprised, but I knew that it had to be one of us, to tell you the truth,” Butler said. “Obviously, I enjoyed playing with him. I came into the league when he was the MVP. I’ve got so much respect for the guy. I have no bad things to say about him and I wish him the best moving forward.” Butler, who was the focus of draft night trade rumors involving the Celtics and Timberwolves, said he’s not certain he will still be with Chicago when the season opens.

There’s more tonight from the Eastern Conference:

The NBA’s “over 36 rule” is behind LeBron James‘ decision to decline his player option, explains Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. James would be subject to that rule if he signs a two-year deal just as he did last summer with the intention of opting out after one season. For players who have turned 36, their final annual salary in a four- or five-year contract is counted proportionally against the team’s cap each season. The rule was adopted to discourage teams from giving long-term contracts to players who are unlikely to be in the league for the entirety of them. The rule prohibits James from accepting a five-year, $200MM contract from the Cavaliers after this offseason because the pro-rated part would put him above the maximum salary. However, Zillgitt points out that the rule could be amended if the players or the league opts out of the current collective bargaining agreement in December.
The Cavaliers aren’t concerned about losing their stars, but they have decisions to make on six free agents, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Cleveland will have to determine how many years it wants to commit to J.R. Smith and whether it wants to outbid competitors to keep Matthew Dellavedova. Also, Richard Jefferson and James Jones have to decide if they want to play another season at the veterans minimum.
The Nets stretched the $500K in guaranteed salary owed to point guard Jarrett Jack when they waived him earlier today, tweets NetsDaily. The move will save the team $333,333 in cap space this offseason.
John Wall wants to see the Wizards adopt an aggressive attitude toward free agency, tweets Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post. “The organization’s got to be willing to step up to the plate and get what needs to be done, done,” Wall said.
The Pistons would like to add two more big men this offseason, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said starting power forward Tobias Harris doesn’t really fit that description, and he wants to be sure the team isn’t short on size next year. “I think I wouldn’t be comfortable going with fewer than five, so we’ve got to go out and get two bigs – four, five, whatever,” Van Gundy said. “We need two bigger guys, even though Marcus [Morris] and Tobias will play there a lot. You just get into certain matchups.”
The performance of second-round pick Michael Gbinije in summer league will help determine the fate of Phil Pressey, Langlois writes in the same piece. Pressey is also on the Pistons‘ summer league roster, but his chances at winning a backup point guard spot for next season will decrease if Gbinije shows he can handle the position.
A stress fracture in his lower back will sideline Detroit’s Darrun Hilliard for the summer league and possibly longer, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News. A 6’6″ reserve guard, Hilliard played in 38 games last summer and was projected to have a significant role on the Pistons‘ summer league team. “I just thought my back was tight and I just thought that I wasn’t stretching enough,” he said. “I was stretching and stretching and stretching, thinking it would get better and it never got better.”
Free agent swingman Evan Fournier said he wants to stay with the Magic, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Fournier, whose role likely increased with last week’s trade of Victor Oladipo to the Thunder, said he isn’t sure if his agent lined up meetings with any other teams. “Obviously, our priority is the Magic,” Fournier said. “I’ve said it many times: I feel great here.”

Bulls Notes: Noah, Gibson, Gasol, Valentine

June 26th, 2016 at 9:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent center Joakim Noah is putting together a list of possible destinations and seems increasingly likely to leave Chicago, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Noah and his agent, Bill Duffy, are working though a priority list as they search for Noah’s next team, Cowley reports. In order, those are a winning team, a chance to start and finish games and a franchise that will support his foundation, Noah’s Arc. The Knicks’ prospects for landing Noah improved with the Derrick Rose trade, according to Cowley. The Wizards and Timberwolves, under the direction of former Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau, will also be contenders.

There’s more tonight out of Chicago:

The Bulls have been talking to a few teams about a trade involving Taj Gibson, Cowley writes in the same piece. The 31-year-old power forward will make $8.95MM next season in the final year of his contract. Cowley says the Bulls also seem likely to lose free agent center Pau Gasol, who will turn 36 soon and doesn’t want to be part of a rebuilding project.
Denzel Valentine‘s college coach says the No. 14 pick will be fine in the NBA despite concerns about the condition of his knees, relays K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. “I think he’ll be great for the Bulls,” said Michigan State’s Tom Izzo. “I know people are worried about the knees. I’m not saying he’s got 20-year-old knees, but the guy played in 144 of 148 games. He missed some practices when he had surgery on it, but that was it. I used to have to drag him out of games. He practiced. He worked out. He loves the game.”
Free agent point guard Brandon Jennings could help fill the void left by the loss of Rose, suggests Kendall Gill of CSNChicago. Jennings averaged 6.9 points and 3.5 assists this season in 48 games with the Pistons and Magic.

Atlantic Notes: Rose, Noah, Crawford, Rodriguez

June 25th, 2016 at 7:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

Now that Derrick Rose is with the Knicks, his first priority will be convincing former Chicago teammate Joakim Noah to join him, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Noah is a New York City native who will become an unrestricted free agent Friday, and the Knicks have an obvious need at center after trading Robin Lopez to the Bulls to acquire Rose. “Oh, I want him, he knows that,” Rose said of Noah. “I think his family knows that. I think everyone knows that. Even [Thursday] night I was talking to him about it and it’s the same way. He’s in a position where he got injured twice last year. It was his contract year and he’s got to figure what he wants to do, so I can’t get mad with the decision he will make soon or whenever he makes it. He knows that I would want to play with him.”

Rose said he may change his policy about free agents in general and become an active recruiter for the Knicks. He also alluded to his own free agency next summer, saying, “I hope I’ll be able to play the rest of my career here, but we’ll have to see how this one year goes.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Returning to the Knicks is becoming a viable option for Clippers free agent Jamal Crawford, according to Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year has supporters inside the Knicks organization and he has interest in joining the team. “I’m not talking about any one team, but everyone knows how I feel about New York,” Crawford said. “I really enjoyed my time there.” He was with the Knicks from 2004 to 2008, before being traded to Golden State. Crawford, 36, earned $5.675MM last season with the Clippers, who own his Bird Rights and have expressed a desire to re-sign him.
The Nets are the favorites to reach a deal with Spanish point guard Sergio Rodriguez, tweets international journalist David Pick. The 30-year-old Rodriguez has prior NBA experience with the Blazers, Kings and Knicks.
The Raptors will continue their search for a power forward, either through free agency or trades, writes Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. Toronto gained depth in the front court by drafting Jakob Poeltl at No. 9 and Pascal Siakam at No. 27, but the team still doesn’t believe it has its starting power forward on the roster. Thirty-six-year-old Luis Scola, who started 76 games this season, will be an unrestricted free agent. The Raptors would also like to pick up more outside shooters, Wolstat notes, especially if they have to trade Terrence Ross to get a power forward.
Poeltl was a back-to-the basket center in college, but he’s trying to improve his shooting range to fit the modern NBA game, Wolstat relays in the same piece. “I’ve started shooting a lot more, and I’ve noticed some quick improvement,” Poeltl said. “So I really hope I can be or become a better shooter fast and stretch the floor a little more.”

Atlantic Notes: Ainge, Rose, Rondo

June 25th, 2016 at 3:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Celtics executive Danny Ainge feels bad that principal owner Wyc Grousbeck took the initial heat from fans who were disappointed the team didn’t pull of a blockbuster trade on draft night, Mike Petraglia of WEEI 93.7 FM relays. “The only thing I felt bad about that is that Wyc went out there,” Ainge said. “If I would have known that or if I wasn’t in the middle of something, I should have been the one that went out there and I would have been happy to and I would have enjoyed it. It’s what I love about Boston. When you’re throwing a no-hitter they appreciate it. And when you get rocked in the second inning, they boo you. The only thing about that is I love the passion of Boston fans, I love that they feel and they care. I truly believe that. I never take that stuff personal because there’s so many differing views. I think that that’s what makes Boston fun. The only thing that I don’t like about that is that it’s a reflection of Jaylen [Brown].”

“I think everyone wants a deal,” Ainge continued. “I think everyone expects a deal. We’ve been working really hard on trying to get a deal and do something significant. But we just haven’t been able to do it yet. And it’s not because we’re not trying, it’s not because we’re turning down or we overvalue our players or any of that stuff. It’s because you need a partner. I’ve said this many times before: I tried three years to get KG [Kevin Garnett] before we got him. It just takes the right time and the right place and have a partner that wants to do a deal.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Ainge noted that some of the trade offers the team received would have greatly hindered its cap flexibility moving forward, which played a large factor in why no deals came to fruition on draft night, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe relays (on Twitter).
Newly acquired Derrick Rose is hopeful things work out for him with the Knicks and that he can re-sign with them after this season, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com. “I hope so. With all of the attention and all of the congratulations I got, I hope I’ll be able to play the rest of my career here,” Rose said. “But like I said, this is a business. I’ll guess we’ll have to see how this one year goes. But I’m putting my all into this. I’m working my butt off as far as my work ethic, and we’ll have to see.”
Unrestricted free agent point guard Rajon Rondo, while open to re-signing with the Kings, has expressed interest in playing for the Knicks and Nets, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated tweets. It doesn’t appear likely that either New York team will be a destination for Rondo, with the addition of Rose eliminating the Knicks and the trade of Thaddeus Young signaling Brooklyn intends a full rebuild of the team, though that is merely my speculation.

Knicks Rumors: Hernangomez, Thomas, Galloway

June 23rd, 2016 at 5:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Spanish center Willy Hernangomez, selected 35th overall in last year’s draft, intends to sign a multiyear contract with the Knicks this offseason, agent Andy Miller tells Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. “It is my intent to reach an agreement with the Knicks and have Willy come to New York for next season and beyond,” Miller said.

As Wojnarowski writes, Hernangomez, whose draft rights are held by the Knicks, was a teammate of Kristaps Porzingis in Spain during the 2014/15 season. GM Steve Mills said earlier this month that the team hoped to bring the 22-year-old stateside, though he indicated at the time that nothing could be finalized until July.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Knicks president Phil Jackson said today that he expects the team to re-sign free agents Lance Thomas and Langston Galloway this summer, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Galloway is eligible for restricted free agent, while Thomas will be unrestricted.
The acquisition of Derrick Rose, which involved sending Robin Lopez to the Bulls as part of the outgoing package, means New York will be in the market for a big man this offseason, Jackson said today (Twitter link via Begley). Dwight Howard, Joakim Noah, and Pau Gasol have been mentioned as possible targets for the club, though Jackson didn’t specifically comment on any players.
Rose is entering the final year of his contract, and the Knicks would like to keep him for the long term, according to Jackson. However, he added that’s not a conversation for today (Twitter link via Begley).