Joel Embiid Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Biyombo, Nets, Jones, Ledo

July 31st, 2015 at 11:01am CST by Chuck Myron

A relationship that goes back a while and a shared cultural heritage with GM Masai Ujiri paved the way for Bismack Biyombo to accept an offer from the Raptors after Ujiri called him three minutes into the free agent negotiating period, as Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun details. Both Biyombo and Ujiri are natives of Africa. Ujiri is excited about the center he signed using the room exception, citing Biyombo’s passion for the game, offensive rebounding, shot blocking, defense, physicality and more, Wolstat relays. Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Nets insiders tell NetsDaily that the team would be OK with paying a small amount of luxury tax, but one source says it’ll be a long time before Brooklyn becomes a taxpayer again, if it ever does. The guaranteed salaries for the Nets this season total less than the $84.74MM tax threshold, though taxes are based on the roster as of the final day of the regular season.
The Nets had long preferred to rid themselves of Deron Williams instead of Joe Johnson, in part because of Johnson’s veteran presence and knack for scoring, as NetsDaily examines in a separate piece, hearing from sources who suggest Williams’ departure will ease Johnson’s mind, since they didn’t get along.
It’s not certain that Perry Jones III will be on the Celtics roster come opening night, as the team has 17 fully guaranteed contracts, but Boston intends to give the former 28th overall pick every opportunity to stick, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. “With OKC, there hasn’t been as much of an opportunity for him to play as much as he would like as a youngster on a team trying to compete for a championship,” Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said earlier this week. “But [he is] very athletic, a different type of player than we have in the frontcourt right now with his athleticism and length.”
The Knicks front office was higher on Ricky Ledo than the coaching staff was, sources indicated to Marc Berman of the New York Post. The team waived Ledo on Thursday rather than guarantee a portion of his salary.
It’s been nearly three weeks since the Sixers said Joel Embiid would have surgery on his foot within seven to 10 days, and the team’s silence in that time raises no shortage of questions, as Tom Moore of Calkins Media examines.

Eastern Notes: Irving, Anthony, Embiid, Raptors

July 26th, 2015 at 2:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Cavaliers‘ Kyrie Irving is being cautious about his return to basketball after fracturing his left kneecap in the NBA Finals, writes Chris Fedor of The Northeast Ohio Media Group. Irving had surgery the day after suffering the injury in Game 1, and the team estimated his recovery time at three to four months. That should have him ready for the start of training camp in late September, but the star guard isn’t focused on that timetable. “I’m honestly not putting a date on anything,” Irving said. “People are going to put a date regardless. I’m just continuing to be on the journey I’ve been on and that’s continuing to get better every single day and rehabbing my leg.” Irving said he expects the Cavaliers to be even better next season after adding veterans Mo Williams and Richard Jefferson through free agency.

There’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Knicks have given their approval for Carmelo Anthony to attend a USA Basketball minicamp next month in Las Vegas, according to Mitch Abramson of the New York Daily News. It’s the latest indication that Anthony will be healthy in time for training camp after February’s surgery on a torn patellar tendon in his left knee. The August 11th-13th event will bring together players who have participated in the USA Basketball system. Non-contact workouts are planned with an informal all-star game capping off the proceedings. Anthony, who is still recuperating from the surgery, is not expected to participate in all the events.
If Joel Embiid had slipped to the sixth pick in the 2014 NBA draft, there is a good chance the Celtics would have taken him, reports Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. “[The Celtics] did have the go-ahead from their medical staff to make that pick,” said an unidentified source. “They weren’t going to say no to him.” The Sixers recently announced that Embiid will undergo another surgery on his right foot and probably miss a second consecutive season.
Doug Smith of the Toronto Star compares the Raptors‘ philosophy under GM Masai Ujiri to the team’s under former GM Brian Colangelo in the writer’s latest mailbag. Smith believe the main difference is that the current regime tends have more patience with the team and lets things develop longer.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Jackson, Embiid, Raptors

July 20th, 2015 at 6:39pm CST by Will Joseph

Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy, while appearing on SI.com’s Chris Mannix’s radio show (Twitter link), said the fear of Reggie Jackson signing a one-year qualifying offer played a big role in the five-year max contract Detroit offered. The five-year, $80MM deal was officially announced Monday. Jackson said the offseason moves the Pistons made prior to his agreement — Detroit added Ersan Ilyasova, Marcus Morris, Stanley Johnson and Aron Baynes — reinforced his decision, Brendan Savage of MLive.com writes.

“I knew this was the place I wanted to be,” Jackson said. “But definitely some of the pieces that we signed, that made it that much more sweeter.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News said on radio station 94-WIP (relayed by CSNPhilly.com) that Joel Embiid‘s navicular bone in his right foot was re-broken. The news comes one month after the Sixers announced that Embiid had suffered a setback and a little more than a week after it was revealed the center needed another surgery.
Norman Powell, who the Raptors picked in the second round, will make $650,000 as a rookie, then $875,000 guaranteed in the second year and $1MM (not guaranteed) in the final year of a three-year contract, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
The Raptors used the room exception to sign Bismack Biyombo, Pincus reports (Twitter link).

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Johnson, Williams, Knicks

July 11th, 2015 at 11:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Despite today’s dire news about Joel Embiid, the Sixers will probably pick up his third-year option, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com. Philadelphia has to make the decision by the end of October, and Mannix believes the team has too much invested to bail out now. The fourth year option isn’t as certain, Mannix cautions. Embiid will have bone-graft surgery on his foot and is expected to miss the 2015/16 season.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Amir Johnson didn’t expect a call from the Celtics when free agency began, but when it came he couldn’t refuse the offer, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. GM Danny Ainge made an early overture to Johnson, who agreed to a two-year, $24MM contract with the second year non-guaranteed. “They knew the kind of player I am and they had a lot of respect for my game,” the 28-year-old said. “For me, it was a no-brainer. I was going to become a Boston Celtic.”
Nets GM Billy King and coach Lionel Hollins deny that a lingering rift led to the decision to waive Deron Williams, according to Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com. “You do not coach in the NBA and have confrontation,” Hollins said. “… And so ‘clash’ is a wrong word, and if people think Deron Williams was let go because something happened between us, then I should have let Zach Randolph go, I should have let Tony Allen go, I should have let Marc Gasol go, I should have let Rudy Gay go.”
Knicks president Phil Jackson believes the team will improve enough this season to get the attention of top-tier free agents next summer, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Next year’s free agent class will include be headlined by Kevin Durant and Mike Conley. “I think he had to build a competitive roster that could draw players the next time free agency comes around,’’ said an unidentified general manager. “And he has pieces to make a trade in midseason.’’

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Holmes, Okafor, Draft

June 27th, 2015 at 11:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers are adopting a take-no-chances philosophy as they wait for news on Joel Embiid, according to Tom Moore of Calkins Media. The No. 3 pick in the 2014 draft, Embiid missed all of last season after undergoing surgery in June to repair a stress fracture in the navicular bone in his right foot. It was reported two weeks ago that a CT scan on Embiid’s foot showed less healing than expected. The best-case scenario, Moore writes, is that specialists decide Embiid just needs rest and will be available for most of the upcoming season. The worst case would be another surgery and another year with no playing time. The organization is determined to have Embiid fully healthy before his first professional game.

The Sixers may have found another second-round gem in Richaun Holmes, Moore writes in a separate story. The team landed two contributors early in last year’s second round with K.J. McDaniels and Jerami Grant, and Holmes may seize the same opportunity. “Just looking at the NBA and the direction it’s kind of going in, I feel like active guys, energy guys who don’t really need the ball to be effective is kind of what this team needs,” Holmes said. The power forward from Bowling Green had much more to say in an interview with our Zach Links back in April.
Philadelphia received second round picks in 2020 and 2021 from the Knicks in exchange for the No. 35 pick in Thursday’s draft, Moore tweets. He notes that the only three transactions so far regarding those two drafts have been made by the Sixers.
The NBA is still a big man’s league, Sixers draftee Jahlil Okafor tells The Associated Press. Okafor was drafted third overall by Philadelphia after the Lakers passed him over for guard D’Angelo Russell. “For as long as I remember, big men have dominated the NBA,” Okafor said Saturday at a news conference. “People got a little excited because of what Steph Curry did — and he was fantastic. But as long as I remember, big men have been dominating and the results have been championships.”
The Sixers should have used their abundance of second-round picks to deal for a player late in the first round, contends John Smallwood of The Philadelphia Daily News. He cites trades that sent 15th pick Kelly Oubre to the Wizards, 19th selection Jerian Grant to the Knicks and 24th pick Tyus Jones to the Timberwolves. Smallwood wonders why Philadelphia couldn’t make a deal like that, especially considering its need for talent beyond the front court.

Atlantic Notes: Smith, Embiid, Thomas

June 24th, 2015 at 9:47pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks president Phil Jackson would love to have big man Jason Smith back for the 2015/16 season, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. Jackson is aware that it may not be possible to re-sign the unrestricted free agent if he is offered a deal by another team for more than the veteran’s minimum, Berman adds. New York may be willing to go above the minimum to retain the 29-year-old, but that is dependent on how the team’s pursuit of bigger ticket free agents goes, the Post scribe notes. The Zen Master has acknowledged that he may not be able to land a big man via the NBA Draft, and with the Knicks’ roster currently devoid of big men, as well as Smith relaying that he would indeed like to return to New York, the two sides could be a fit, Berman relays.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Raptors brought in Kentucky center Dakari Johnson for a workout on Tuesday, Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun relays. Johnson is projected to be a second round pick in this year’s draft, and though Toronto doesn’t currently own any second-rounders, the team is considering trying to purchase one, Wolstat adds. “You always got to come into the opportunity and just make the best of it, no matter the circumstances, you’ve got to come in and work your hardest,” Johnson said. “That’s the type of person I am, I love to compete. I initially didn’t have this workout scheduled, but they added it on for me and I decided to come in and just compete. I just love to compete.”
Sixers CEO Scott O’Neil has indicated that additional doctors will evaluate the latest setback in the healing of center Joel Embiid‘s right foot, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “We’re still waiting,” O’Neil said. “We have another three doctors to come see him. The nice thing about jobs like these – you can literally get the best experts in the world. All you have to do is call and they love to see us.” Philly has legitimate concerns that Embiid could miss the entire 2015/16 campaign.
The Nets are pessimistic that they will be able to move up from the No. 29 overall pick in this year’s draft, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com tweets.
The New York Liberty of the WNBA have suspended consideration of Isiah Thomas‘ application to become part owner of the team, Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg News relays (Twitter link). Thomas will remain in his duties as team president, but the ownership review process is expected to take an extended period, Berman notes in a separate piece. Both Jackson and GM Steve Mills had expressed concerns to owner James Dolan when he informed them he was hiring the former Knicks executive.

‘Legitimate Chance’ Joel Embiid Misses 2015/16

June 15th, 2015 at 12:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

There’s a legitimate chance that Joel Embiid won’t play at all during the 2015/16 season, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who hears from sources who paint a cloudy picture of the center’s future. One of Pompey’s sources was doubtful that Embiid will play at the beginning of the season, while Pompey heard from an NBA executive who isn’t surprised by Embiid’s latest setback, citing a refusal on the part of the Cavs and Bucks to even consider him with the first two picks last year. A recent CT scan revealed less healing than anticipated for Embiid, whom the Sixers drafted third overall last year.

Embiid has yet to so much as take part in five-on-five drills after having surgery last June to repair a stress fracture in the navicular bone in his right foot, Pompey notes. Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News cautions that his lack of five-on-five play is because there aren’t enough Sixers teammates sticking around Philly this summer, as Embiid is, for a 10-man scrimmage. In any case, Embiid was expected to recover within eight months, which would have had him healthy in February, as Pompey points out, but the Sixers took a cautious approach and held him out the entire season. The 21-year-old from Cameroon had looked sharp, like the candidate to become the No. 1 overall pick he had been before the surgery, in recent workouts, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported, but his latest health update has clearly brought about serious concerns.

Philadelphia’s rebuilding plan is “in trouble” if Embiid can’t stay healthy, an Eastern Conference executive opined to Pompey. A source nonetheless told Pompey that Embiid’s setback wouldn’t change the team’s draft plan this year, since the Sixers, again picking third overall, intend to use it on the best available talent anyway. Tom Moore of Calkins Media isn’t so sure that it won’t affect the team’s approach to some degree and lays out a few hypotheticals for the draft. Moore speculates that the team’s apparent enthusiasm for bringing over draft-and-stash prospect Dario Saric immediately stems from worry about Embiid in light of his latest exam.

Embiid is set for a guaranteed salary of nearly $4.627MM in 2015/16. Philadelphia has until October 31st to decide on a team option for his more than $4.826MM salary for 2016/17.

Sixers Rumors: Saric, Embiid, Hinkie

June 14th, 2015 at 9:46am CST by Arthur Hill

Rumors that the Sixers are trying to get draft-and-stash prospect Dario Saric to join the team next year could be a sign that patience is wearing thin in Philadelphia, writes Tom Moore of Calkins Media. The Sixers acquired the draft rights to the Croatian forward, who was the No. 12 pick in the 2014 draft, expecting him to spend time overseas before coming to the NBA. He signed a three-year deal with Anadolu Efes of Turkey that doesn’t include a buyout until next summer, but there are rumblings that the Sixers want to find a way to get their hands on him as soon as possible. Moore speculates that ownership may be tiring of GM Sam Hinkie’s long-term plan of losing games and collecting assets, which is leading to declining revenue and half-empty arenas on game nights. They want to combine Saric with Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and this year’s No. 3 pick to create a foundation that fans can get excited about. Moore also writes that Hinkie will likely try to deal one of his potential 2016 first-round picks (from the Thunder, Lakers or Heat) for an extra first-round choice this year.

There’s more this morning from Philadelphia:

The Sixers are talking to “experts and specialists” to determine the next step with Embiid, Moore writes in a separate story. Hinkie issued a statement Saturday night that a CT scan indicates Embiid’s right foot shows “less healing than anticipated at this point.” Embiid may be kept out of summer league, and another surgery could put his 2015/16 season in jeopardy, Moore notes. “These findings cause us to pause and reassess his current activities,” Hinkie said.
The Embiid setback is especially disappointing considering what he has shown in recent workouts, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. He writes that eyewitnesses have described Embiid’s “dominant, explosive performances” and noted that he looked like the player the Sixers expected when they drafted him No. 3 out of Kansas last summer. Embiid hadn’t felt pain in the foot despite weeks of rigorous workouts, sources told Wojnarowski.
Despite the Sixers’ on-court problems, Hinkie is building a solid reputation as a talent evaluator, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. The columnist credits Hinkie for a draft coup in 2013, when wound up with No. 6 pick Noel and Michael Carter-Williams at No. 11. Carter-Williams was named Rookie of the Year in 2014, and after missing a year due to injury, Noel finished third in the 2015 balloting.

Lottery Notes: Porzingis, Lakers, Sixers, Suns

June 13th, 2015 at 9:40pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Kristaps Porzingis‘ impressive workout on Friday is giving the Lakers something to ponder at No. 2, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Stein added that the big man is also in play for Philadelphia at No. 3. Multiple sources previously told Chris Mannix of SI.com that Los Angeles has zeroed in on selecting Jahlil Okafor, though that was reported before Porzingis’ workout.

Here’s more from some of the teams in the lottery:

Emmanuel Mudiay is another player that Los Angeles is considering with its No. 2 pick and he is excited about the possibility of playing alongside Kobe Bryant, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times writes. “He’s got five championships. He’s a winner. He’s a proven winner,” said Mudiay. “His determination, I’m the same way. If he steps on the court, he’s going to feel like he’s the best player. If I step on the court, I’m going to feel like I’m the best player.”
Joel Embiid was evaluated recently and a standard CT scan on his right foot revealed less healing than anticipated at this point, according to a team press release. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link) adds that Embiid’s participation in summer league is in jeopardy.
The Suns feel like they can get a player they want with the No.13 pick in the draft, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic writes. “We’re very comfortable staying there and picking there,” GM Ryan McDonough said. “It would have to take a really good offer for us to move the pick. I think it’s unlikely we’ll add an additional first-round pick this year or drop down in the draft. We’ll take those calls if they come to us but we’re comfortable with where we are at 13. We like the pool of players we think will be there.”

Atlantic Notes: Mudiay, Sixers, Celtics

May 20th, 2015 at 7:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

While at the draft lottery, Sixers GM Sam Hinkie was asked if the team looked at Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel as franchise cornerstones, and how he sold the midseason trade of Michael Carter-Williams to the two big men, Zach Lowe of Grantland relays. “If your question is more about a particular trade we made, and how that might make [Noel and Embiid] feel, I called them immediately as we traded that person. Immediately,” said Hinkie. “I explained to them about how they should think about things — how some things spill over into others, and some don’t. That they shouldn’t read too much into these things. And I talked to them in exit interviews about what kind of program we were trying to build, and where they might fit in. And how the way they might fit has as much to do with them as it does with any grand design — with how they step into a particular void. Sometimes those voids — voids of leadership, of who the best player is, or voids in play — don’t stay open very long. Someone steps into it. They’ll have the first two chances at that, but there are gonna be maybe six more guys right behind them that will be looking to get theirs, too.”

Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Many insiders around the NBA believe that it is a foregone conclusion that the Sixers will select Ohio State guard D’Angelo Russell with the No. 3 overall pick this June, Derek Bodner of DraftExpress tweets.
With the Knicks being the only team in the draft lottery to fall to a lower than projected pick, New York will likely be in line to select Emmanuel Mudiay this June, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv writes. Knicks GM Steve Mills already spoke with the young guard while at the NBA Draft lottery, Zagoria notes. “Mudiay is potentially a good player,” Mills said. “We haven’t worked him out yet, but he’s a guy that we think will obviously be in the mix, but we will look at all of our options and we will feel good about whoever we end up selecting.”
The Celtics have workouts scheduled today with Aaron Thomas (Florida State), Anthony Brown (Stanford), Dez Wells (Maryland), Malcolm Miller (Holy Cross), Julian Washburn (UTEP), SirDominic Pointer (St. John’s), Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com relays (Twitter link).