Ognjen Kuzmic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Wright, Kuzmic, McAdoo, Cooley

March 14th, 2015 at 11:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

After changing teams twice this season, Brandan Wright hopes his long-term future is in Phoenix, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Wright started the year in Dallas, was traded to Boston on December 18th and then shipped to the Suns on January 9th. He believes he has found a home in Phoenix, even with the team’s recent struggles. “It’s been unfortunate where we’ve had a lot of change around here and haven’t got into the best of rhythms,” Wright admits. “I’m looking forward to the future. Hopefully, I’ll re-sign here and we’ll move forward.”

There’s more from around the basketball world:

The Warriors recalled center Ognjen Kuzmic from the D-League, the team announced in a press release Saturday. In 24 games with the team’s Santa Cruz affiliate, Kuzmic is averaging 12 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.08 blocks per game. He has been in 16 games with Golden State this season, averaging 4.5 minutes of playing time with 1.3 points and 1.1 rebounds.
James Michael McAdoo, who was sent to the D-League Saturday, is apparently still in the Warriors‘ plans, tweets Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle. “He could absolutely play in the playoffs,” said coach Steve Kerr.
The Warriors are staying with the original timeline for completion of their new arena, tweets Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group. Majority owner Joe Lacob says the arena remains “on target” for a 2018/19 opening.
Jack Cooley set a D-League record with 29 rebounds Friday night, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Cooley, playing for Utah’s affiliate in Idaho, is averaging 23 points and 19.6 boards in his last five games. He was with the Jazz on a 10-day contract last month.

D-League Notes: Johnson, Suns, Kuzmic

February 4th, 2015 at 11:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The D-League has become an integral part of the NBA’s process of developing younger players, as well as a source for locating hidden gems to bolster rosters during the course of the season. You can easily stay on top of which players are coming and going from the D-League all season by checking out our 2014/15 D-League Assignments, Recalls tracker, which is updated daily. You can also find this page anytime on the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.”

Here are the latest D-League moves:

The Rockets have assigned Nick Johnson to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, their D-League affiliate, Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston reports (Twitter link). This will be Johnson’s third trek of the season to the D-League.
The Suns have assigned T.J. Warren and Tyler Ennis to their D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam, the team has announced. This will be the fourth sojourn of the season to the D-League for both players. Ennis is averaging 19.6 points, 5.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds in 33.7 minutes in seven games with the Jam, while Warren is averaging 26.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 34.9 minutes in seven contests.
The Warriors have assigned Ognjen Kuzmic to Santa Cruz, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. In six previous trips to the D-League, Kuzmic has averaged 8.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.20 blocks and 1.6 assists in 29.7 minutes per contest for Santa Cruz this season.

And-Ones: Heat, D-League, Brown, Knicks

January 28th, 2015 at 10:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks coach Derek Fisher said that it was very important for New York to sign Louis Amundson and Lance Thomas for the remainder of the season, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com reports (Twitter link). Both players are inked to 10-day deals that expire this week. In five appearances for the Knicks this season, Thomas has averaged 9.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 26.0 minutes per game. Amundson has also made five appearances for New York, and his averages are 4.6 points and 5.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per night.

Here’s more from around the league:

All of the injuries that the Heat have endured this season haven’t allowed the team to see how effective its intended roster could be, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes. “The most disappointing thing is we’re not even having a chance to be at full strength, to even see what we could do,” said Miami center Chris Bosh. “Not 100%, but just at least have most of our guys. It just seems like every time we’re about to turn the corner, there’s a drawback. And it is what it is. I can’t really say anything else.”
The Cavaliers have recalled Joe Harris from the Canton Charge, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This was Harris’ third jaunt of the season to the D-League. Harris has played in two games for the Charge this season, averaging 18.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in 39.5 minutes per game.
The Warriors have assigned center Festus Ezeli to the Santa Cruz Warriors, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced in a press release. Ezeli has missed the last 16 games with an ankle sprain. Golden State also announced that it has recalled Ognjen Kuzmic, who concludes his fifth sojourn of the season in Santa Cruz.
With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, Basketball Insiders’ Cody Taylor looked at some players whom the Hawks, Hornets, Heat, Magic, and Wizards could be willing to deal.
Lorenzo Brown will earn $48K from his 10-day contract with the Wolves, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). One-year veterans, like Brown, and rookies cost their teams slightly less than other players when they sign 10-day contracts, as Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors explained earlier this month.

Pacific Notes: Suns, Kuzmic, Barbosa

January 15th, 2015 at 7:06pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Suns‘ three point guard attack has resulted in the team playing at an increased pace on offense, which was one of the team’s goals heading into this season, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “They’re so unique,” Clippers president of basketball operations Doc Rivers said. “They do have three point guards or, I don’t know, three two-guards. They want to score. It’s not like they’re running a point guard-oriented offense where the one guy is coming down, setting everyone up and directing everybody. They’re playing at a pace and spreading the floor so I think that’s a little bit easier. It’s still hard, my guess, for all of them because they’re all used to having the ball. They seem to have figured it out. They sure don’t have a problem scoring.”

Here’s more out of the Pacific Division:

The Warriors have assigned Ognjen Kuzmic to the Santa Cruz Warriors, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This will be Kuzmic’s fifth trip to the D-League of the season.
Leandro Barbosa‘s impact for the Warriors has been about more than his on court production, as the veteran has been an invaluable source of leadership for the team, Carl Steward of The Bay Area News Group writes. “He’s been a solid voice in this locker room,” Stephen Curry said. “I know he has been good for me. Sometimes he’ll call a play in my ear when he’s on the sideline, and when he comes in, he always has some idea about how we can keep the flow going. But even with the experience he brings, all that would kind of be for nothing if he didn’t have the attitude that he has, being a positive guy regardless of the situation.“
Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders looks at the journey of Kings forward Eric Moreland, and how he made it into the NBA after being passed over in the 2014 NBA draft. Moreland will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a labral tear in his left shoulder.

D-League Notes: Goodwin, Smith, Jerrett

January 14th, 2015 at 10:22pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The D-League has become an integral part of the NBA’s process of developing younger players, as well as a source for locating hidden gems to bolster rosters during the course of the season. You can easily stay on top of which players are coming and going from the D-League all season by checking out our 2014/15 D-League Assignments, Recalls tracker, which is updated daily. You can also find this page anytime on the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.”

Here are the latest D-League moves:

The Warriors have recalled Ognjen Kuzmic from the Santa Cruz Warriors, their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. This completes Kuzmic’s fourth stint of the season with Santa Cruz.
Russ Smith was recalled from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA D-League, the Grizzlies announced in a press release. Smith was in the midst his third D-League assignment of the season for the Pelicans when he was included in the trade for Jeff Green.
The Thunder have recalled Grant Jerrett from the Oklahoma City Blue, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This was Jerrett’s seventh jaunt of the season to the D-League.
Archie Goodwin has been assigned to the Bakersfield Jam, the Suns’ D-League affiliate,the team has announced. This is Goodwin’s second trip to the D-League this season.

And-Ones: Cooley, Ford, Upshaw

January 8th, 2015 at 10:22pm CST by Eddie Scarito

ESPN.com draft guru Chad Ford (Insider subscription required) opines that two tiers of talent appear to be forming in the lottery portion of the upcoming NBA draft. The upper tier includes Jahlil Okafor, Emmanuel Mudiay, Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis, all of whom are currently projected as top five selections, Ford notes. The second tier consists of Kevon Looney, Justise Winslow, Willie Cauley-Stein, Myles Turner, Kelly Oubre, Mario Hezonja, Stanley Johnson and D’Angelo Russell, and they will make up the likely No. 5 to No. 12 overall selections, Ford adds.

Here’s more from around the league and the college ranks:

Ford has also released his most recent “Big Board,” which has Oubre cracking the top 10, and has Jerian Grant of Notre Dame making a big leap from No. 27 to No. 19.
A league source told Gino Pilato of D-League Digest (Twiitter link) that there is a lot of NBA interest in Jack Cooley, and there is a strong possibility that he could be inked to a 10-day contract shortly. Cooley currently plays for the Idaho Stampede, the Jazz‘s D-League affiliate.
Former Pistons assistant GM George David was hired as director of basketball operations for Wasserman Media Group, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports (Twitter link).
One college player starting to catch the eye of NBA scouts is Washington’s Robert Upshaw, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. “I would agree that he was a sleeper to start this season, maybe,” one league scout told Deveney. “He is not a sleeper anymore.” The 7’0″ center is averaging 11.1 points and 7.8 rebounds so far this season, and he is drawing interest as a potential first-rounder, Deveney notes.
The Warriors have assigned Ognjen Kuzmic to their D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, the team announced in a press release. This will be Kuzmic’s fourth trek of the season to the D-League.

And-Ones: Cauley-Stein, Warriors, Rondo

January 4th, 2015 at 9:57pm CST by Zachary Links

Kentucky center Willie Cauley-Stein could be climbing his way into top five of the 2015 Draft, Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders writes. Cauley-Stein has been projected as a mid-to-late first round pick in the last two years but each time opted to stay in school for more seasoning. It seemed unlikely that he could boost his stock further, but he has done just that this season. DraftExpress currently has the junior at No. 4 in their 2015 mock draft. More from around the league..

The Warriors announced that they have recalled center Ognjen Kuzmic from their D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz. Kuzmic recorded six points, eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in last night’s 98-83 victory over the Canton Charge. The brief trip was Kuzmic’s third assignment of the year.
Since the Rajon Rondo deal, the Celtics have seen a significant dip in rebounding, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Prior to the trade, Boston was ranked eleventh in the league in rebounding with 44.2 per game. In the eight games since, the C’s are down to 41.9 rebounds, which ranks 21st in the league.
Trade season is fast approaching and EJ Ayala of Basketball Insiders looked at six players to keep an eye on over the next several weeks. Nets guard Deron Williams, who has been bumped from the starting lineup in favor of Jarrett Jack, tops the list.
The Bulls‘ 2011 draft is shaping up to be one of the most influential in franchise history, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The 2011 draft brought the Bulls both Nikola Mirotic and Jimmy Butler, two players who are pillars of their current squad.

D-League Notes: Kuzmic, Johnson, Young

January 3rd, 2015 at 3:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The D-League has become an integral part of the NBA’s process of developing younger players, as well as a source for locating hidden gems to bolster rosters during the course of the season. You can easily stay on top of which players are coming and going from the D-League all season by checking out our 2014/15 D-League Assignments, Recalls tracker, which is updated daily. You can also find this page anytime on the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.”

Here are the latest D-League moves:

The Warriors have assigned Ognjen Kuzmic to the Santa Cruz Warriors, their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. This will be Kuzmic’s third trip of the season to Santa Cruz.
Toure’ Murry has been recalled by the Jazz from the Idaho Stampede, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This was his second assignment to Idaho this season, and in seven D-League games Murry has averaged 13.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists.
The Celtics have assigned James Young to the Maine Red Claws, the team announced. This will be Young’s eighth trip of the season to the D-League.
Nick Johnson has been assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets‘ D-League affiliate, the team has announced (Twitter link). This will be Johnson’s second stint in the D-League of the season.

Pacific Notes: Villanueva, Kings, Kobe, Suns

December 18th, 2014 at 1:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Clippers have won 11 of their last 13 games and sit at 18-7, but they’d still be without home-court advantage in the first round if the playoffs started today. That helps explain why they reportedly remain interested in Corey Brewer, among others, given how high the bar is set in the Western Conference. Here’s more on the Clippers and their Pacific Division rivals:

Rick Carlisle‘s willingness to personally conduct workouts for Charlie Villanueva helped sell the veteran on signing with the Mavs this summer when the Clippers were also in hot pursuit, Villanueva said recently on Google Plus, as the Dallas Morning News transcribes. “Not to take nothing away from what the Clippers and Doc Rivers [are] doing, but it just felt right with Rick,” Villanueva said. “It was just a feeling. I went with a feeling in my gut and I feel like I made the right move.”
TNT’s Kenny Smith is among the names “floating around” for the Kings head coaching job, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com, though it’s unclear whether he’s truly a candidate. Smith had conversations with the Kings about a front office position in 2013, as he told Sam Amick of USA Today at that time.
Mitch Kupchak offered a little more wiggle room for the idea that Kobe Bryant would play past the expiration of his contract in 2016 when the Lakers GM spoke this week with Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio (audio link), observes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Kupchak earlier this month appeared to dismiss the notion of a prolonged career for Bryant.
Commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged that he and Suns owner Robert Sarver have had conversations about a new arena in Phoenix, observes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Sarver raised the issue publicly earlier this year, though Silver on Wednesday cautioned that he doesn’t believe there’s an “imminent” need for a new building, Coro notes.
The Warriors have recalled Ognjen Kuzmic from the D-League, the team announced. It was just a one-day stint for the center, who juxtaposed an impressive five blocks against a paltry three points in 28 minutes of action Wednesday for Santa Cruz.

Western Notes: Allen, Kuzmic, Crawford

December 17th, 2014 at 10:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

One of the Warriors’ few weaknesses this season is the backup shooting guard spot, a void that free agent Ray Allen would fill perfectly, Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group opines. Golden State has been having internal discussions about making a run at adding Allen to its roster, should he decide to play this season. With Corey Brewer once again being made available by Minnesota, he could also become a potential trade target, though that is just my speculation.

Here’s more from out west:

The Warriors have assigned Ognjen Kuzmic to the Santa Cruz Warriors, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Kuzmic’s second trek to the D-League this season.
Sources close to the Kings have denied reports that team owner Vivek Ranadive tried to dictate who ex-coach Mike Malone played, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). Although, one known instance of Ranadive suggesting whom to play was this past Saturday when Ranadive suggested that Ryan Hollins start after the death of his father, a move that Malone reportedly agreed with, Broussard adds.
The Clippers‘ Jamal Crawford has parted ways with agent Andy Miller, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports (Twitter link).
Crawford has said that the trade rumors regarding himself don’t bother him, and though he would prefer to stay with the Clippers, Crawford intimated that he could play “wherever,” Dan Woike of The Orange County Register tweets.
Most league executives unsurprisingly believe Brook Lopez will pick up his $16.744MM player option for next season with the Nets, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes amid a broader look at the Warriors and possible trade fits for David Lee.
Pops Mensah-Bonsu is set to be released by Hapoel Jerusalem, David Pick of Eurobasket.com reports (Twitter link). Mensah-Bonsu, who was briefly in training camp with the Nuggets this fall, was brought in by Hapoel on a month-to-month deal for the EuroCup competition, and is no longer needed since the team has been eliminated from the tournament, Pick adds.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.