Portland Trail Blazers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Steve Blake Opts In With Blazers

June 19th, 2015 at 8:03pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Steve Blake has exercised his player option worth $2,170,465 for the 2015/16 season to return to the Trail Blazers, the team has announced (Twitter link). The move doesn’t come as a surprise since Blake had indicated back in February that he intended to opt in, and that he was hoping to play another “year or two” after next season. “I’ve thought about it for sure,” said Blake of retirement. “I know I’m in the back stretch, that’s why it’s so important for us to be so good. I want a championship really bad and I’m hoping we can get to that level. I only have a few years left to try and get it.”

The return of Blake next season won’t significantly impact the Blazers’ salary cap situation, with the team now having a total of $25,243,542 in guaranteed salary committed for 2015/16. Of course, that amount doesn’t factor in pending free agents LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews, both of whom the team hopes to retain.

The 35-year-old appeared in 81 contests for the Blazers last season, averaging 4.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 18.9 minutes per night. His slash line was .373/.352/.707. For his career, Blake has played in a total of 812 contests, notching career averages of 6.7 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 4.0 APG. His career shooting numbers are .401/.385/.778.

Northwest Notes: Malone, Russell, Bjelica

June 18th, 2015 at 2:49pm CST by Chuck Myron

Michael Malone sought Wednesday to dismiss the idea that he and Pete D’Alessandro had a poor relationship during their time as coach and GM, respectively, of the Kings, as Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes from Malone’s introductory press conference as coach of the Nuggets. D’Alessandro, whom the Nuggets hired to a front office position shortly before they hired the coach, and Malone reportedly weren’t on speaking terms before Malone’s firing in Sacramento, but Malone insists they’ve maintained a consistent dialogue, as Dempsey relays.

“Pete and I have always respected each other, have always gotten along,” Malone said. “It was just that sometimes, the environment that we were working in was not conducive to a healthy relationship.”

That apparent jab at the Kings aside, there’s more on the Nuggets amid the latest from around the Northwest Division:

Ohio State playmaker D’Angelo Russell is working out for the Timberwolves today, a visit that the team pushed for as its maintained that he’s a consideration for them with the No. 1 overall pick, reports Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Wolves draft-and-stash prospect Nemanja Bjelica has told the manager of his Turkish team that he wants to head to the NBA, and the Fenerbahce Ulker team official assumes that Bjelica, the Euroleague MVP, won’t be back with the club (video link; translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia).
Joel Freeland doesn’t expect the Blazers to tender him the nearly $3.767MM qualifying offer it would take for the club to make him a restricted free agent this summer, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group hears (Twitter link). If that’s the case, he’d become an unrestricted free agent, but while the native of England is reportedly drawing interest from overseas, he’s said he’d prefer to stay in the NBA.
Nuggets team president Josh Kroenke, with duties that entail the work of ownership as well as those usually assigned to a GM, is clearly the man who calls the shots in Denver, as Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post observes.

Q&A With NBA Draft Prospect Ryan Boatright

June 18th, 2015 at 8:35am CST by Zachary Links

Leading up to the draft, Hoops Rumors will be talking with some of the most intriguing prospects in this year’s class. Today, the Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Q&A series continues with UConn guard Ryan Boatright, who is ranked No. 84 in this year’s class by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and No. 96 by Chad Ford of ESPN.com.

At 5’11” and 170 pounds, UConn’s Ryan Boatright packs a lot of punch for his small size. Over the course of his four years in college, Boatright made a name for himself as a tenacious pick-and-roll point guard on offense and a pesky perimeter defender on the other side of the floor. In 2014, Boatright and backcourt mate Shabazz Napier helped lead UConn to a national championship. While there was some talk of Boatright going pro early, he opted to stay in school for his senior season to show that he can lead a team all by himself. Boatright, a client of Aaron Goodwin, spoke with Hoops Rumors last week about the workout trail, his draft stock, and much more.

Zach Links: At the draft combine this year, you clocked in with an eye-popping 41-inch vertical leap. Did you get a lot of extra attention from scouts and team executives after that?

Ryan Boatright: I spoke with my agent and he told me a lot of people were impressed. The funny thing is though, I normally do a 44-inch vertical. So, that 41-inch jump was good, but it wasn’t my best.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

ZL: Did you think about doing it again?

RB: They gave me the opportunity to do it again but I didn’t take it. I think 41 is impressive enough and that day I was dealing with a bit of a groin injury, so I felt like I should leave it alone.

ZL: Has your agent told you about specific teams that are especially interested in you?

RB: He said that the Clippers, Nets, and Trail Blazers are really interested in me.

ZL: Do you have an idea of where you might get drafted?

RB: I don’t ask him for the details or whatever. I just go in there and focus on the workouts and do my best. I don’t ask him for the range I might go in because that can always change.

ZL: After winning the National Championship in 2014, did you give any thought to going pro?

RB: Yes, I was going to go pro right after we won. I knew my name was hot and I had a great tournament. However, after I spoke with everyone whose opinion I trusted, I felt like one more year would be good for me. The last day before the deadline, I decided to go back to school to show everyone that I could run the team and be a true point guard.

ZL: Are you glad that you stayed in school?

RB: Yeah, I’m glad I did that. A few wins and a few losses this year could have made my draft position a little bit different but I don’t have any regrets.

ZL: I’m sure that you enjoyed playing alongside Shabazz Napier, but did you also enjoy getting to take on more of a leadership role in your final year?

RB: I’ve always been a leader. I’ve never been a follower in my entire life and that role just came naturally to me. I shared it with Shabazz when he was here; we were co-captains. This year, though, it was just totally different. This year I had to lead a young and inexperienced team and that was exciting.

ZL: In your freshman year at UConn, you made headlines in the New York Times Op-Ed section after the NCAA held you out for several games due to what they felt were improper benefits. In actuality, it sounds to me like you didn’t really do anything wrong. What was that experience like?

RB: It was extremely tough. It was one of the hardest situations or things that I went through in my life. But, it made me stronger as a person and as a player and made me more hungry and determined to succeed. To have something snatched away from you for no reason, when you did nothing wrong, it was devastating. I couldn’t play basketball and that was the whole reason I went to UConn. Still, I got through it and persevered and made the best of it.

ZL: This year, you shot 41.6% from three-point range, the best showing of your collegiate career. What led to that major improvement?

RB: Teams were just more scared of me getting into the paint and creating havoc for myself and others. They really contained me to keep me out of the paint. I knew that in order to be efficient on the floor, I had to improve my three-point shot off the catch and dribble. I just focused on practicing hard and knocking it down.

ZL: What would you say to critics who fear that you’re too small for the NBA?

RB: Everyone is going to have their opinion. I’ve been doubted my whole life. No one thought I’d go to UConn, let alone start and win a national championship. The same people I’m playing in college, those are the same people I’m going to be playing in the NBA. Even if they’re bigger and stronger, I’m going to get bigger and stronger. I’ve held my own my whole life. I came up in Chicago playing against pros. If a team takes a chance on me, I’m going to hold it down for the guys that are 6’0″ and under.

ZL: Why did you choose Aaron Goodwin to represent you?

RB: Part of it was family ties, but he’s just a good guy. I trust him. I don’t think he’d do anything to steal from me or harm me in any way. He takes his job seriously. I believe that he’s going to work hard for me. Some agencies, they only want the guy who is going in the lottery or top 20. I feel like Aaron believed in me as much as I believe in myself. That sealed the deal for me.

Western Notes: Aldridge, Porzingis, Gordon

June 16th, 2015 at 8:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Lakers worked out Latvian forward Kristaps Porzingis on Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports relays. Porzingis takes issue with scouts labeling him a finesse player or discounting him as another potential European bust, the Yahoo! scribe adds. “I don’t like being labeled soft,” Porzingis told Wojnarowski. “I’m very hungry. I love the game. I’ve got to prove to coaches and GMs that I’m not soft just because I’m from Europe. They need to see that I’m not just some skinny white guy, that I’m going to be there fighting. They’ll need to see that I’m a worker who’s going to play hard, and play tough. There are guys who have had incredible NBA careers – like Dirk Nowitzki and the Gasols [Pau and Marc] – and there are guys who haven’t. They’ll say, this guy is a bust. He’ll be Nikoloz Tskitishvili, this Georgian guy. Andrea Bargnani, Darko Milicic … That’s why I am talking, because I want the fear to go away with me. I want people to get to know me. I don’t want to be the mystery man from Europe.”

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Despite the reports relaying that Eric Gordon is likely to exercise his player option worth more than $15.514MM to stay with the Pelicans for next season, the 26-year-old guard has scoured the NBA market for a potential long-term deal outside of New Orleans, Shams Charania of RealGM reports. According to league sources, Gordon has been seeking four or five year contract possibilities with other teams, Charania notes.
The Lakers are a “distant third” in the running to lure LaMarcus Aldridge away from Portland, behind the Mavs, who are the favorites, and the Spurs, as Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher says in a video report. Bucher cites Aldridge’s strong relationship with former Blazers interim head coach Kaleb Canales, now a Mavs assistant, as reason to think Dallas holds appeal for the power forward, though Bucher speculates that Aldridge will ultimately chooses to re-sign with the Blazers.
The Jazz held pre-draft workouts today for J.J. Avila (Colorado State), Michael Frazier (Florida), Damarcus Harrison (Clemson), Youssou Ndoye (St. Bonaventure), Kevin Pangos (Gonzaga), and Travis Trice (Michigan State), the team announced (on Twitter).
The Clippers will bring in Damontre Harris (South Carolina) and Michale Kyser (Louisiana Tech) as part of a group workout on Wednesday, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops tweets.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Martin, Boatright, Vaughn

June 13th, 2015 at 4:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

LSU big man Jarell Martin has a mid-first-round draft promise from a team and will likely shut down all workouts, league sources have informed Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Martin is currently the No. 29 ranked prospect according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required), while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress slots the 21-year-old as the 41st best player in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Here’s more from around the league:

UConn point guard Ryan Boatright told Hoops Rumors’ Zach Links (Twitter link) that the Clippers, Blazers, and Nets are high on him as a potential draftee. Boatright worked out for Portland earlier this week, is in Los Angeles today, and has a workout scheduled with Brooklyn on Monday.
Duke point guard Tyus Jones has a workout scheduled for Wednesday with the Bulls, a second workout for the Rockets on Friday, and a showcase for the Suns on June 22nd, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets. You can view our full prospect profile for Jones here.
With the free agent signing period looming on the horizon, Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) runs down the ideal free agent fits for teams in the Eastern Conference. Doolittle didn’t neglect the other half of the league, you can view his thoughts on the Western Conference here.
UNLV shooting guard Rashad Vaughn has a workout scheduled for today with the Hawks, and will show the Timberwolves what he is capable of this Monday, Jon Krawczysnki of The Associated Press relays.
Greg Whittington has taken an unorthodox path to the NBA thus far, and the former Georgetown Hoya hopes to overcome his injury woes and hear his name called on draft night, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes.“He’s kind of chosen a difficult path but he has some talent,” said Austin Ainge, the Celtics’ director of player personnel. “So we thought we’d check him out.” A torn ACL ended the big man’s college career, and saw him play in the NBA D-League last season for Westchester, the Knicks‘ affiliate, Blakely adds. “Feeling good,” Whittington said when asked about his recovery. “The knee is better now. It’s been two years since I played. Getting back into this is big.”

Mavs Biggest Threat To Sign LaMarcus Aldridge

June 9th, 2015 at 2:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Mavericks are the “biggest threat” to sign LaMarcus Aldridge away from the Trail Blazers this summer, writes Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher, citing league sources who nonetheless add that it’s the idea of returning to his native Texas, and not any specific team, that appeals him. Still, the Spurs are either no longer among his preferred destinations or rank low among them, several sources tell Bucher. The Rockets, unlike Dallas and San Antonio, haven’t drawn frequent mention as an Aldridge suitor. The Lakers and Knicks, two other teams that planned to go after Aldridge, aren’t viable options because of their status as rebuilding teams, Bucher hears, while league sources who spoke with Bucher are skeptical that the Celtics, another suitor, hold much appeal.

Still, it’s unclear if Aldridge sits atop the list of priorities for the Mavs, according to Bucher. Dallas, which has apparently been planning to pursue the Arn Tellem client since at least November, also reportedly intends to pursue DeAndre Jordan this summer.

Aldridge doesn’t feel the same way as he did a year ago when he pledged to re-sign with the Blazers as a free agent this July, and the idea that it’s time for a change is driving his desire to look elsewhere, sources tell Bucher. The All-Star power forward can be fickle, as The Oregonian’s Jason Quick wrote several weeks ago, and that’s evidenced not only by his apparent change of heart regarding a long-term commitment to the Blazers but also his apparent waning interest in the Spurs. San Antonio was “near or at” the top of Aldridge’s wish list, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com wrote earlier in the offseason. Bucher reiterates his earlier report that the Spurs are tentatively planning for Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili to return, a scenario that would make it more difficult for the Spurs to go after Aldridge or another max-salary free agent. That nonetheless conflicts with what Ken Berger of CBSSports.com wrote a few weeks ago when he heard that the prevailing belief within the Spurs organization was that Duncan would likely be back and Ginobili would probably retire.

In any case, uncertainty surrounding Wesley Matthews, who’s recovering from a torn left Achilles tendon, “changes everything” for Aldridge, a league exec tells Bucher. The Bleacher Report scribe speculates that Aldridge may be worried about Portland’s commitment to re-signing Matthews, a close friend of Aldridge’s. Bucher mentions Aldridge’s cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that he was diagnosed with years ago, as a reason that teams may be somewhat wary of a deal with him, though it would seem as though the No. 3 player on the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings will remain a highly sought-after commodity. Bucher suggests the Blazers are concerned that Aldridge doesn’t feel as though the franchise appreciates him as its marquee star, pointing to evidence indicating that Portland has indeed made him its pre-eminent figure.

Nuggets Interview David Vanterpool

June 9th, 2015 at 9:51am CST by Chuck Myron

Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool has interviewed for the Nuggets head coaching job, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who first identified Vanterpool as a candidate for the vacancy in April. Vanterpool is nonetheless not among the favorites for the position, Wojnarowski writes, pointing instead to the interview itself as a boon for the 42-year-old who has just three years of experience as an NBA assistant coach. Wojnarowski refers to interim coach Melvin Hunt, Michael Malone and Mike D’Antoni as strong candidates for the job, the same three names Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post identified as known candidates in a story from overnight.

Other names have nonetheless emerged as well, as the team has interviewed Wizards assistant Don Newman, according to Shams Charania of RealGM, while Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe heard that Mike Woodson might get an interview, too. The Nuggets are believed to want their next coach in place soon so that the new hire can help the team prepare for the draft, Dempsey writes, and an increasing number of coaches around the league foresee the team going with Hunt, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported. Hunt would seemingly have the advantage of incumbency, and it’s clear that the Nuggets players are behind him. Malone is so far the only candidate reported to have drawn a second interview, though the Nuggets are clearly familiar with Hunt’s credentials.

Vanterpool interviewed for the Sixers head coaching job in 2013 and seemingly became the front-runner for that position at one point. That came just one year after he joined the Blazers, a gig that Vanterpool landed after he served in the Thunder’s front office as director of player personnel, Wojnarowski notes. Before that, he was an assistant coach for CSKA Moscow under European coaching icon and current Spurs assistant Ettore Messina, as Wojnarowski also points out.

Southwest Rumors: Hanlan, Grizzlies, Cook

June 8th, 2015 at 6:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets have worked out Boston College’s Olivier Hanlan, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The 6’4” combo guard worked out for the Lakers on Monday and also worked out this month for the Timberwolves, Suns and Celtics. He is ranked No. 41 on ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s list of Top 100 prospects while DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony currently pegs him at No. 53. Houston holds the No. 18 overall pick (from the Pelicans) in the first round and No. 32 (from the Knicks) early in the second, so Hanlan needed to make quite an impression for the Rockets to consider drafting him.

In other news around the Southwest Division:

Hanlan will also participate in the Grizzlies’ fourth pre-draft workout on Tuesday, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. He’ll be joined by Utah point guard Delon Wright, Syracuse power forward Rakeem Christmas, LSU forward Jarell Martin, Florida guard Michael Frazier and BYU guard Tyler Haws. The Grizzlies own the No. 25 overall pick in the first round and Wright (No 26 on Ford’s board, No. 28 on Givony’s board) and Martin (31, 27) are the highest-rated prospects. Wright has already worked out for the Trail Blazers, Pacers, Bulls, Wizards, Lakers and Suns while Haws has recently auditioned for the Jazz, Mavericks, Suns and Lakers, according to Brandon Judd of the Deseret News. Haws is also scheduled to work out for the Warriors and Nets, Judd adds.
Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv adds the Mavs to the list of teams working out Duke point guard Quinn Cook (Twitter link). Cook revealed several workout appointments and much more in a recent interview with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors.

Northwest Notes: Hunter, Bjelica, Aldridge, Jazz

June 7th, 2015 at 2:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Thunder could be the team to give Georgia State’s R.J. Hunter a chance to show he belongs in the NBA, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. Hunter, best known for hitting a game-winning shot against Baylor in the NCAA Tournament, rejects any accusation that he got special treatment because he played for his father in college. “Every team asks about that,” Hunter said. “They ask me how I work. And I think it’s some correlation between work ethic and coaches’ sons because they think you’re given it all.” Mayberry contends that Hunter’s outside shooting prowess could make him attractive to the Thunder, who want to create more space for Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Wolves will find plenty of suitors if they decide to trade power forward Nemanja Bjelica, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. He mentions the Mavericks, Spurs, Heat, Nets and Bulls as teams that would be interested and suggests there could be more. Minnesota acquired the rights to Bjelica on draft night in 2010 after Washington made him the 35th overall pick. He has a contract with Turkey’s Fenerbahce Ulker that runs out after next season, but an opt-out clause would allow him to join the NBA this summer.
If LaMarcus Aldridge leaves Portland, it will be because of the franchise’s poor postseason record, according to John Canzano of The Oregonian. The Blazers have only advanced beyond the first round once in Aldridge’s nine years with the team. Aldridge will become an unrestricted free agent July 1 and is expected to be among the hottest names on the market.
The Jazz have six players scheduled for workouts Monday, tweets Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. On the list are Ryan Boatright, Dustin Hogue, Sir’Dominic Pointer, Norman Powell, Chasson Randle and Josh Richardson.

Northwest Notes: Brooks, Cook, Jazz, Blazers

June 7th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by ChrisCrouse

Kendrick Perkins didn’t see the firing of his former coach Scott Brooks coming, Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman writes.

“I was surprised. I was surprised. You can have all the talent you want. But one thing about Scotty is he won games,” Perkins said. “A lot of people talk about the offense, but he allowed KD and Russ to play their games. He let them play with a lot of freedom. But sometimes, I guess, you just gotta roll with a new voice. I wish them nothing but the best.”

Here are some notes from the Northwest Division:

The Jazz will bring in Quinn Cook for a workout, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Cook believes he is better prepared for the NBA than some of the other guys in this year’s draft class thanks to spending time under coach Mike Krzyzewski, as he tells Zach Links of Hoops Rumors.
Utah will also work out Terran Petteway, Montrezl Harrell, Kenny Chery, Darrun Hilliard and Maurice Walker, according to the the team’s Twitter feed. The Jazz own the No. 12, No. 42 and No. 54 selections in the draft, as our Draft Order page shows.
The Blazers will work out Delon Wright, J.P. Tokoto, Jordan Mickey, Norman Powell, Vince Hunter and Keifer Sykes, according to Joe Freeman of the Oregonian (Twitter link).