Kobe Bryant Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Pacers, Smith, Deng, Lowry

February 20th, 2014 at 11:13pm CST by Zachary Links

We saw plenty of trades go down before the deadline and Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders looked at the winners and losers. The Pacers top the list of winners for their acquisition of former No. 2 overall pick Evan Turner. While the Wizards and Warriors also get nods, Koutroupis says that the Lakers and Knicks should have done more. Here’s tonight’s look around the league..

Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders has six trades that should have happened at the deadline. Among Brigham’s more interesting proposals: a hypothetical swap that would have sent Josh Smith from the Pistons to the Cavs in exchange for Luol Deng.
Kyle Lowry wasn’t moved at the deadline today and Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun takes that as a sign that Raptors GM Masai Ujiri believes that he will re-sign him after this season.
The trade deadline didn’t have a lot of stars changing uniforms in part because teams are zeroed in on the summer of 2015, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. “More and more you have teams that are already looking ahead to (the summer of 2015),” one GM said. “You are going to see teams really be reluctant to give out long-term deals going forward, and it is because everyone wants to keep their cap flexible to see if they can shake something out next year.”
Josh Akognon is headed to the Delaware 87ers of the D-League, according to Gino Pilato of D-League Digest.
Kobe Bryant was sad to see Steve Blake go, writes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.

Los Angeles Rumors: Vujacic, Clippers, Kobe

February 17th, 2014 at 11:04pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier tonight, we learned that former Lakers and Clippers standout Lamar Odom has agreed to play in Spain for the remainder of the season. Odom was once deadset on making his NBA return with Doc Rivers and the Clippers, but he’ll presumably be more open to other opportunities as he tries to work his way back. Here’s the latest out of the Staples Center..

The Clippers won’t re-sign Sasha Vujacic to a second 10-day contract, tweets Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Coach Doc Rivers says that the club could re-sign the veteran guard later on if they don’t use the roster spot on someone else.
Word from the Clippers camp indicates that they won’t part with a meaningful asset like Reggie Bullock or a first-round draft pick to avoid the luxury tax, tweets Zach Lowe of Grantland.com. However, Lowe is somewhat skeptical and believes that might not prove to be true.
Kobe Bryant thinks the Lakers are well-positioned for the summer ahead, but he says doesn’t want to have input on the team’s decision-making, observes Brett Pollakoff of NBCSports.com.
Former Lakers guard Kareem Rush says he isn’t through playing just yet, writes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Odds & Ends: Silver, Warriors, Lakers

February 15th, 2014 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

New NBA commissioner Adam Silver gave his first official State of the Union address this evening. He touched on a number of different topics, and you can check out the full range of them in this article by Ben Golliver of SI.com. Silver spoke on the subject of tanking, which in light of this season’s talented draft class, has been a prime source of discussion around the league. Silver stated, “There’s absolutely no evidence that any team in the NBA has ever lost a single game, or certainly in any time that I’ve been in the league, on purpose.” Silver also addressed the NBPA’s lack of an executive director. He said, “I would love to have a partner across the table from me that had the backing of the entire Players Association and with whom we could do business with.” The commissioner also stated that he would like to alter the current “one-and-done” system that requires players to be at least one year removed from high school before they are draft eligible. His goal would be to change the rule and require incoming players to be at least 20 years old.

Western Notes: Sloan, Phil, Nash

January 30th, 2014 at 8:55pm CST by Ryan Raroque

During Friday night’s game against Golden State, the Jazz will honor former head coach Jerry Sloan by raising a banner with the number “1223” embroidered on it, which denotes the total number of wins (regular season and playoffs) he helped deliver to Utah over his coaching career. Kurt Kragthorpe of The Salt Lake Tribune caught up with former Jazz and current Nets guard Deron Williams to get his current thoughts on Sloan:

“A big part of my success early in my career was due to him and the things he kind of instilled in me…So I’m definitely happy for him, and it’s going to be a special moment. The fans there just love him to death.” Williams also elaborated on the halftime argument with Sloan several years ago which reportedly triggered the former coach’s resignation:

“We got into a little argument — nothing more than we’ve ever done…So the way the fans perceive it is just one thing I can’t really control. Like I said, there’s no hard feelings on my end, and I enjoyed playing for him. I miss playing for him.”

Here’s more out of the Western Conference tonight:

During an appearance on NBA TV, former Lakers coach Phil Jackson said that while he agreed with the decision to give Kobe Bryant a two-year extension, he also thinks the team “paid him more than I would have gone for” (Bill Oram of the OC Register via Twitter).
Oram also wrote about Steve Nash‘s return to practice today, noting that the former MVP is eight days away from celebrating his 40th birthday. Nash hasn’t had much to celebrate about since arriving in Los Angeles, and was candid about his frustration with injuries: “This is the toughest thing I’ve been through in my career…I came to L.A. with nothing but the highest hopes and expectations, and it’s been nothing but personal disappointment.”
Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles has more from Nash: “Ever since I broke my leg, nothing’s been the same. Nothing’s been easy. But I also look for challenges in life, so this is a great opportunity for me to learn about myself and try to fight through it and hopefully on the other side, I’ll be a better person.”
Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune discussed his thoughts on the Timberwolves’ struggles: “At times they have no energy whatsoever…They need a great point guard, and (Ricky Rubio) is not a great point guard.” Rubio is averaging 8.5 PPG, 8.2 APG, 4.6 RPG, and 2.6 SPG on the season, but Hartman appeared to imply that Rubio’s struggle to score points in the fourth quarter is a glaring weakness.
Grizzlies guard Mike Conley may not have been selected to the All-Star team this year, but opposing coaches know his value, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal (Subscribers only).
Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders presents his list of this year’s All-Star snubs from the Western Conference.

Lakers Links: Kobe, Harris

January 23rd, 2014 at 7:14pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Although he had been voted into his 16th All-Star Game by the fans, Kobe Bryant told Bill Oram of the OC Register among others that he has no plans of participating even if he returns to play for the Lakers before then. If the NBA chooses to make him play, Kobe said: “Back ups will be playing a lot, because I’ll go in there, do my two minutes and sit down” (Twitter links). As many relayed on Twitter, including ESPN LA’s Dave McMenamin, Kobe would like to see younger and more deserving guards get the nod to play:

“With all due respect to the fans that voted me in…you (have) to reward these young guys for the work that they’ve been putting in.”

Here’s more out of the purple-and-gold side of Los Angeles tonight:

Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times points out that there isn’t an official rule which requires a healthy player to participate in the All-Star Game and suggests there’ll be a compromise, pointing to the event in 2008 in which Kobe played just under three minutes because of a torn ligament in his pinkie. The Lakers superstar is yet to make a return to the active list, and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports says that Kobe doesn’t plan to follow up with a doctor until the first week of February (All Twitter links).
Head coach Mike D’Antoni says the team will wait until Saturday to make a decision on guard Manny Harris, notes Oram (via Twitter). Harris, who is currently signed to a 10-day contract, has reportedly drawn high praise from D’Antoni.
Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles writes about why the Lakers and their fans alike shouldn’t accept tanking at all.

Draft & D-League Notes: Kobe, Embiid, Bennett

January 18th, 2014 at 10:27pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

Instead of coming back and playing for the Lakers chances to play in June for a 17th NBA Championship, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times thinks Kobe Bryant should “play for June” by not coming back from his injury this season and hurting the Lakers June draft position. Plaschke believes the Lakers chances of winning it all this season are impossible so any improvement Kobe would bring hurts their draft chances this summer.

A few other notes about players that will be playing in the NBA for years to come.

Joel Embiid is a player that has rapidly climbed in draft stock this season. One person whose draft board he hasn’t risen on is Bill Self, his coach at Kansas, and that’s because he has always been at the top of Self’s draft board. Self told Eric Prisbell of USA TODAY that he informed Embiid the moment he stepped on campus that he would be the No. 1 pick, whenever Embiid decided to come out (Twitter link).
The Rockets have called up Robert Covington from their D-League affiliate according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The rookie scored 33 points Friday for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and was on Houston’s active roster Saturday night. Coming into tonight, Covington had yet to log any minutes in the NBA.
Someone who may be heading to the D-League is Cavaliers rookie Anthony Bennett. According to Bob Finnan of The News-Herald, Cleveland needs to send Bennett to their D-League affiliate in order to rectify what has gone wrong this season.

Kobe Won’t Sit Out For Rest Of Season

January 17th, 2014 at 8:29pm CST by Zachary Links

Some people, including Lakers legend Magic Johnson, have said that Kobe Bryant should shut things down for the remainder of the season given his injuries, health, and the Lakers’ position at this stage of the year. However, the Black Mamba told reporters today, including Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter), that he has no plans of spending the rest of the year on the sidelines.

Bryant said that he will be reevaluated in February and could be back on the hardwood if he gets the greenlight from doctors at that point, tweets Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News. The Lakers could drift well below the .500 mark between now and then but Bryant says that “his job” is to play, period, tweets Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.

Bryant and the Lakers agreed to a two-year, $48.5MM extension back in November.

Kupchak On Bryant, Gasol, Free Agency, Draft

January 11th, 2014 at 6:34pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

Earlier today, Lakers’ General Manager Mitch Kupchak spoke to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com regarding questions every Lakers fan has seemed to ask so far this season. It is a great read for anyone interested in the direction the Lakers are headed in the near future. Here are a few takeaways from the discussion.

It was no coincidence at the beginning of this season that the Lakers’ payroll aligned to only have Steve Nash under contract beyond this season. Kupchak and the Lakers made a conscious decision to plan their roster this way so they could take a fresh look at everyone on their roster. Kupchak’s didn’t want to fall in the same trap as other championship teams who sign star players a few years beyond their prime. Although extending Kobe Bryant was a diversion from this plan, Kupchak believes the Lakers still have plenty of flexibility to sign a max contract free agent each of the next two summers.
Which free agent the Lakers pursue is still up in the air because according to Kupchak, the league is “too competitive” to plan for one player’s contract actions. Kupchak did hint however that if the 2014 free agent market doesn’t turn out like he hopes the Lakers may not sign a maximum contract player this summer and instead wait until the 2015 or 2016 free agent markets.
Looking at the young players on the team, Kupchak credited his familiarity with watching the college careers of Xavier Henry and Kendall Marshall as selling points in signing both of them this season. For Nick Young, it was the conversations between his agent, Mark Bartelstein, and Kupchak that sold Young on the Lakers as a place he could thrive with playing time and style of play. Kupchak would like to continue giving Young playing time as he hopes Nick will opt in to his player option this summer and become “a Laker for a long time”.
On an older player on the roster, Pau Gasol, Kupchak thinks he is having a great year given the circumstances. Gasol never planned to return from major surgery to a Lakers lineup sans Bryant, Steve Nash, and Steve Blake but has handled it well according to Kupchak. Regarding Gasol’s upcoming free agency, Kupchak knows Pau will have other offers but thinks if all things remain constant, Gasol would “love to continue to play here, and we’d love to have him here”. He also believes Gasol is bound for the Hall of Fame.
On the luxury tax, Kupchak said the “ownership here has never been afraid to be in the tax.” He also agreed with Trudell that the luxury tax is a major factor to be aware of but for the Lakers it is not a black and white line they aren’t allowed to cross.
Regarding next summer’s draft, Kupchak thinks the first 10 players drafted will be as “good as [he’s] seen in a long time”. Kupchak also noted he prepares for every draft so that he could make every pick, 1 through 60.

California Notes: Kobe, Jackson, Thomas

December 25th, 2013 at 8:56am CST by Charlie Adams

Merry Christmas from Hoops Rumors! There’s plenty of NBA action set to take place today, including an intriguing matchup between the Heat and Lakers. In the preseason, this game was billed as a would-be face-off in Los Angeles between LeBron James and a recently having-returned Kobe Bryant. Unfortunately, Bryant finds himself sidelined once again and won’t be playing anytime soon. This will mark the first time time that Bryant has missed a game on Christmas since 1991. Let’s take a look at a few NBA notes from within the state of California..

Ramona Shelburne over at ESPNLosAngeles.com examines how different the Lakers are without Bryant, and not just for his on-court heroics. She points to his strong leadership and work ethic that are missed by teammates and goes on to suggest that in his absence, the club has struggled to find its identity.
Matt Barnes was a “big advocate” of Stephen Jackson signing with the Clippers, reports Eric Patten of Clippers.com. Barnes and Jackson are good friends and have a similar hard-nosed demeanor on the court. They were teammates in Golden State for several years but haven’t found themselves playing together since the conclusion of the 2007/08 NBA season.
Ailene Voisin from the Sacramento Bee writes that despite being the last pick in the 2011 draft, Isaiah Thomas has outperformed all the other players who have competed to be the starting point guard for the Kings, including Tyreke Evans, Jimmer Fredette, Aaron Brooks, and Greivis Vasquez. Says Thomas: “I’ve always had to prove something… I still look at getting picked last as being disrespected. Some teams passed on me twice. The Lakers had four picks and passed on me four times. The questions, all that stuff, it just motivates me.”

Lakers Notes: Kobe, Gasol, Meeks

December 20th, 2013 at 1:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Kobe Bryant‘s knee injury doesn’t affect the Lakers’ short- or long-term picture, according to Grantland’s Zach Lowe, who writes that the team wasn’t going to make the playoffs this season either way and was already locked into Kobe’s two-year extension. In his latest Lakers-centric piece, Lowe writes that he’s talked to “dozens” of GMs, execs, coaches, and scouts around the league about Kobe’s new deal, and while some acknowledge that it makes business sense, none have been willing to call it a good contract. Here’s more on the Lakers:

While it makes sense for the Lakers to gauge Pau Gasol‘s market value, Lowe notes that there are plenty of roadblocks to finding a logical trade partner, including Pau’s $19MM+ salary and L.A.’s desire not to take on long-term money. Lowe mentions the Cavaliers, Bobcats, Suns as potential players for Gasol, though it sounds like he’s speculating about the possible fit rather than reporting any actual discussions. Ultimately, the Lakers may be better off holding on to Pau and re-signing him to a two-year contract, says Lowe.
As he faces another six weeks of recovery time, Bryant tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that “only an idiot” would doubt his ability to return from his latest injury.
Jodie Meeks will draw interest in free agency next summer and figures to earn a raise on this year’s $1.55MM salary if he continues to play well. However, if it’s up to him, the 26-year-old guard would “love to be a Laker for a long time,” as he says to Lang Greene of HoopsWorld.
Faced with a scarcity of options at the point, the Lakers reached an agreement with 2012 lottery pick Kendall Marshall and made the signing official today.