2014 February | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Interested In Tiny Gallon

February 25th, 2014 at 12:52pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks are taking a “hard look” at D-Leaguer Tiny Gallon, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM. There’s no workout scheduled, but it appears there’s a decent chance Gallon will receive an audition soon, Charania’s report indicates. The Knicks, with a pair of open roster spots after waiving Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih, are reportedly seeking defensive upgrades.

Gallon is a 6’9″ power forward for the Delaware 87ers, the D-League affiliate of the Sixers. The Bucks drafted him out of Oklahoma in the second round in 2010 and brought him to camp, but they waived him. The Celtics picked him up soon thereafter, but he failed to make the opening-night roster with Boston, either. He’s otherwise been out of the NBA ever since, but he’s impressed with Delaware this season, averaging 18.4 points and 9.4 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game.

The Sixers have maintained a dialogue with Gallon all season, so perhaps the Knicks will face competition for his services, though that’s just my speculation. The 23-year-old turned down an offer from China recently so he could remain in close range of NBA scouts.

Knicks Rumors: Fredette, ‘Melo, World Peace

February 25th, 2014 at 11:27am CST by Chuck Myron

It’s a “no-brainer” that Carmelo Anthony will re-sign with the Knicks, Metta World Peace believes. Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com and Frank Isola of the New York Daily News have more from the former Ron Artest, whom the Knicks waived Monday in a buyout arrangement, and there’s news about Anthony’s future as well as we look at the latest on the struggling Knicks:

The Knicks haven’t ruled out pursuing Fredette, but the team will focus on upgrading its defense as it looks to fill its pair of open roster spots, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Earlier updates:

No one with ties to the Knicks believes Anthony will leave the team this summer, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who notes that Anthony’s agent, Leon Rose, spoke with Knicks GM Steve Mills and assistant GM Allan Houston on Monday night.
World Peace says the Knicks never gave him a fair chance to play, but he adds that he never demanded more minutes. “My thing was I want to play two more seasons,” World Peace explained to Isola. “If I’m not playing this year I’m definitely not going to play next year, so I should probably go somewhere else. I wanted to win here. When you’re married to a city like New York City, just because (people don’t agree) doesn’t mean you turn your back on the city. My agent told me Steve Mills said that he understands why being moved would be a good thing.” World Peace, who was on a two-year contract with the Knicks, has previously said he wants to play five more seasons.
The Knicks are seeking three-point shooting, as we noted earlier today when a report linked them to Jimmer Fredette, who’s close to a buyout from the Kings. The team may also be in need of a point guard stemming from Raymond Felton‘s arrest on gun charges Monday night. Acting union executive director Ron Klempner is nonetheless already indicating that the Knicks would face resistance if they tried to discipline Felton at this point, as Marc Berman of the New York Post reports.

Heat Sign DeAndre Liggins To 10-Day Deal

February 25th, 2014 at 9:35am CST by Chuck Myron

TUESDAY, 9:35am: The Heat have signed Liggins to a 10-day contract, the team announced.

MONDAY, 8:04am: DeAndre Liggins is “all but gone” to the Heat, a source tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest (Twitter link). Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel heard late Sunday that Miami was strongly considering a signing of the former Magic and Thunder swingman, so it seems the two sides are nearing an agreement. If the Heat and the Henry Thomas client come to terms on a deal that would fill Miami’s open roster spot, it would seem likely that it would be a 10-day arrangement, allowing the team to retain flexibility on the buyout market.

Oklahoma prosecutors recently dropped felony domestic violence charges against Liggins stemming from an incident this past August. They’re expected to refile a single misdemeanor charge. The Thunder waived Liggins the same day the felony charges were filed.

Liggins, now 25, hooked on with the D-League, and the Sioux Falls Skyforce picked him seventh overall in the 2013 D-League draft. He’s averaged 14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 40.4 minutes per game for the Skyforce, the Heat’s affiliate.

Magic Sign Dewayne Dedmon To 10-Day Deal

February 25th, 2014 at 8:48am CST by Chuck Myron

FEBRUARY 25TH: Orlando has made the signing official, the team announced.

FEBRUARY 21ST: The Magic are expected to sign Dewayne Dedmon to a 10-day contract on Monday, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Orlando reportedly has an agreement to sign Adonis Thomas the same day, and there’s room for both, since the Magic are at 12 players after today’s buyout agreement with Glen Davis. Dedmon had wanted to sign long-term with the Sixers, according to Spears, but Philadelphia opted not to give him another deal after signing him to a pair of 10-day contracts.

Orlando will be Dedmon’s third NBA stop this season. He was with the Warriors for camp, and Golden State re-signed him in November before cutting him once more a couple of weeks later. Dedmon has also seen action with the Warriors’ D-League affiliate, both on assignment and after Golden State let go of his NBA rights. The center has put up 15.2 points and 13.6 rebounds per game in the D-League this season.

The Michael Silverman client has seen action in 15 NBA games as an undrafted rookie out of USC, notching 2.5 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 10.4 minutes per contest.

Magic Sign Adonis Thomas To 10-Day Deal

February 25th, 2014 at 8:47am CST by Chuck Myron

FEBRUARY 25TH: The team has officially announced the deal, via press release.

FEBRUARY 21ST: The Magic will sign D-Leaguer Adonis Thomas, his agent tells L. Jason Smith of The Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). It’ll be a 10-day deal, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Orlando is at 12 players after waiving Glen Davis earlier today, meaning the team has two weeks to find a 13th man. The signing of Thomas will take place Monday, according to both Smith and Robbins (on Twitter).

Thomas spent time with both the Hawks and Nets in camp this fall after going undrafted out of the University of Memphis this past summer. The Nets kept his D-League rights for their affiliate, the Springfield Armor, and he’s averaged 16.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 35.1 per game for them.

Orlando plays five games from Monday through March 5th, when the small forward’s 10-day deal would expire. Thomas is a client of Relativity Sports, as our Agency Database shows.

Wizards Likely To Sign Drew Gooden

February 25th, 2014 at 8:23am CST by Zachary Links

TUESDAY, 8:23am: J. Michael of CSNWashington adds Antawn Jamison and Justin Hamilton to the list of others the Wizards are considering, but Michael confirms that Gooden is the favorite to land a 10-day deal. The team may also hold off on signing anyone to give Chris Singleton a shot at playing time, Michael writes.

MONDAY, 5:11pm: Gooden will be in D.C. tomorrow to ink his deal with the Wizards, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Meanwhile, Michael Lee of the Washington Post (on Twitter) hears that it’s “unlikely” that Washington will sign anyone before tomorrow night’s game against the Magic. He cites Lou Amundson and DeSagana Diop as other 10-day possibilities for the Wizards.

4:11pm: It’s likely that the Wizards will sign Drew Gooden to a 10-day deal, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The 32-year-old hasn’t stepped foot on an NBA court since April of last year but he could help fortify Washington’s frontcourt depth in the wake of Nene‘s injury.

We learned last month that Gooden was working out in hopes of landing an NBA deal. Over his 16 games in Milwaukee last season, the 11-year veteran averaged 13.7 points and 6.5 rebounds in 26.2 minutes per game, which added up to a PER of 18.88. The Bucks wound up using the amnesty clause on the 6’11” big man over the summer, taking his $13.37MM salary between this season and next off of their books.

While other amnesty victims from this past summer like Metta World Peace and Mike Miller were able to hook on elsewhere, there were few, if any, nibbles on Gooden.

Odds & Ends: Iverson, World Peace, McNeal

February 24th, 2014 at 9:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Celtics second round pick Colton Iverson is working hard in Turkey in an effort to get himself in position to jump to the NBA, writes Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders. “It’s great to know that they’re still supporting me, watching me evaluating me, helping me think about ways that I can better,” Iverson said. “I know they’re really invested in me right now; I am going to try and put in the hard work and do everything I can to be ready, when they are ready for me be to be ready for them. I am going to keep working every day. Knowing that they have my back and are supporting me right now is a great motivation and I’ll keep working harder than ever before.” More from around the NBA..

It sounds very unlikely that the Nets will make a run at keeping Metta World Peace in New York City, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) says Brooklyn has zero interest. MWP probably doesn’t mind since he reportedly has his eye on the Thunder, Heat, and Spurs.
Jerel McNeal is back with the Bakersfield Jam of the D-League, a source tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. McNeal played in China earlier this season for Zhejiang Chouzhou and averaged 21.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 15 games. Last season for Bakersfield, the Marquette averaged 18.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 44 games. He also earned a call-up with the Jazz at the end of March.
Expect the Clippers to make a move on another player or two during buyout season, tweets Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Doc Rivers has said that he will continue to monitor the market, even after picking up Glen Davis.
Lakers newcomer Kent Bazemore used to get attention for his enthusiasm on the bench, but now he’s getting attention through his strong play, writes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. The guard has averaged 16 points and 31 minutes in two games with L.A.

Amico On Deng, Lakers, LeBron, Bosh

February 24th, 2014 at 8:53pm CST by Zachary Links

Will Luol Deng stay in Cleveland beyond this year? While there has been speculation that he’ll bolt this summer, execs tell Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio the Cavs can hang on to him if things change. That means getting hot to close out the season and possibly shaking up the roster/coaching staff. More from Amico’s column..

Most execs feel LeBron James will either return to the Heat or shock everyone and aim for the ultimate redemption story by returning to the Cavs. The Heat, however, are believed to be way in front of everyone.
One GM told Amico that it’s hard to know whether the Lakers are a real possibility for Carmelo Anthony or if it’s just wishful thinking from Lakers fans.
It seems most GMs feel Chris Bosh, and not Anthony, is the second biggest potential prize on the upcoming market. But if James goes back to the Heat, Bosh will, too. If James flees Miami, the Lakers are secretly interested, sources tell Amico.
Kobe Bryant is probably the only one who can convince Pau Gasol to stay with the Lakers. Gasol would love a return to Memphis, but the Grizzlies aren’t exactly big spenders.
If Kevin Garnett retires, Amico gets the sense that fellow Nets vet Paul Pierce could wind up anywhere.

Knicks Rumors: Shumpert, World Peace, Udrih

February 24th, 2014 at 6:01pm CST by Zachary Links

Iman Shumpert has been all over Hoops Rumors for months now, so why is he still in New York? Chris Broussard of ESPN.com heard from a league source that the Thunder were willing to part with a 2014 first-rounder even after Shumpert suffered a strained left MCL. However, the Knicks refused to do the deal because they weren’t getting a current player in return who could help them make a push for this season’s playoffs. At the end of the day, they deemed Shumpert more valuable than the super low pick OKC is bound to get, according to sources. The latest out of New York after the Knicks made their buyout agreements with Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih official..

After officially hammering out a buyout with the Knicks, World Peace is hoping to land with the Thunder, Spurs, or Heat, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. MWP has averaged just 4.8 PPG in limited minutes this season.
Coach Mike Woodson says the Knicks may look at perimeter defenders and front court players to fill the roster spots vacated by World Peace and Udrih, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
Ike Diogu isn’t the right fit for the Knicks, opines Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal. Diogu offers a lot of low-post strength at the forward position but what the Knicks really need is a point guard, preferably a young one.

Southeast Notes: Muscala, Thomas, Chalmers

February 24th, 2014 at 5:05pm CST by Zachary Links

The Hawks put in a call last week to Obradoiro of Spain about Mike Muscala, whose NBA rights belong to Atlanta, reports Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. Still, the Hawks made no offer for the 44th overall pick from the 2013 draft, Sierra notes, adding that Obradoiro has rejected entreaties from other European clubs for the center from Bucknell (Twitter links). More out of the Southeast..

Tyrus Thomas is not an option for the Wizards due to a back injury, a person close to the situation tells J. Michael of CSNWashington.com (on Twitter). Besides, it looks like Washington has their eye on another 2013 amnesty victim in Drew Gooden.
Mario Chalmers, a free agent this summer, says that he’s more comfortable than ever with the Heat, writes Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel.
A fun fact courtesy of Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (on Twitter): the Magic haven’t signed anyone to a 10-day contract since the team signed Seton Hall product Andre Barrett on March 31, 2005.

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