Golden State Warriors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Stephen Curry Talks About Returning To Action

March 5th, 2020 at 2:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Stephen Curry plans to resume a regular playing schedule now that his fractured left hand is fully healed, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The Warriors guard met with reporters this afternoon ahead of his return to the court tonight after missing 58 games.

Curry hopes to play in all 20 of Golden State’s remaining games, saying he doesn’t want it to be a “now you see me, now you don’t” situation. He has had “talks” with the team about playing on back-to-back nights, but no decision has been reached, relays Nick Friedell of ESPN (Twitter link). The Warriors have four back-to-backs remaining.

He also spoke about adjusting to playing again without being concerned about his hand (video link). “Hopefully there aren’t any thoughts and I get to play my game the way I see it, react and make plays without hesitation,” Curry said. “If I need to make a left-handed pass or finish with my left or defend and get a deflection or take a hit with it.”

Curry also hasn’t given up hopes of playing for Team USA in the Olympics this summer (video link). “Right now the focus obviously is just trying to stay healthy these last 20 games,” he said, “get my rhythm back, get to the level of basketball I know I’m capable of playing.”

Warriors Sign Dragan Bender To Second 10-Day Deal

March 5th, 2020 at 12:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:55pm: The move is official, the Warriors announced (Twitter link).

9:46am: Dragan Bender will sign a second 10-day contract with the Warriors, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The decision follows a story yesterday that Golden State was taking a wait-and-see approach to Bender’s future with the team. His first 10-day contract expired after Tuesday’s game.

Bender has played six games since joining the team, starting three and averaging 7.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per night.

The signing will bring Golden State back to a full roster. Two potential openings will arise in the next week with Mychal Mulder‘s 10-day contract expiring Saturday and Chasson Randle‘s 10-day deal ending next Thursday.

Knicks Notes: Oakley, Lee, Rose, Harkless

March 4th, 2020 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Charles Oakley offered his opinion on the Knicks‘ controversy involving Spike Lee during a radio interview this morning, relays Steve Popper of Newsday. Appearing on ESPN’s “Golic and Wingo,” Oakley said the dispute stems from an organizational philosophy set by owner James Dolan.

“When you see a business like this year after year … having problems off the court, trying to get people to come to games and they’re not coming because it’s a toxic situation, because it’s so much control going on … egos,” Oakley stated. “These people who run a team, sometimes owners sit back and watch; this guy wants to be the CEO, the head of operations, he wants to be in control. It shouldn’t be run like that. It should be run by a group of people, not a control freak.”

Oakley also suggested that these incidents alienate players who might think about joining the team. New York had an embarrassing experience last summer when it failed to land any top talent despite having enough cap room for two max offers.

“Even Dwyane Wade said, they treat you like that, how you think they’re going to treat us?” Oakley added. “… The thing that kills the team, kills their hope for the future, you get a new president [Leon Rose] and don’t get to introduce him to the press, to the people because of this. It just wiped the whole thing out. You did something positive and you’re right back at ground zero.”

There’s more tonight from New York:

Rose took a low-key approach to his first day as president of basketball operations, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Rose didn’t hold a press conference or talk to any media. He met with players and staff and promised to build relationships. “We’ve been through a lot of up and down this year — coaching changes, president changes, a lot of family tragedies — but he really wants to stick with us,” Kevin Knox said. “He’s going to make sure we get better, the team gets better. As a player, that’s what you want to hear.”
Warriors general manager Bob Myers tells Marc Berman of The New York Post that Rose’s background as a successful agent will help him succeed as an executive. Myers was the pioneer for that transition, leaving Arn Tellem’s agency in 2012 to take over Golden State.
Maurice Harkless has made an impression on the coaching staff since being acquired from the Clippers at the trade deadline, observes Ian Begley of SNY.tv. “People use the term versatility a lot but when I watch the games, and then I go back and I watch in on video again, I see more things that he did that maybe I didn’t even notice,” interim coach Mike Miller said.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/4/20

March 4th, 2020 at 9:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Bucks assigned D.J. Wilson to their Wisconsin affiliate, according to a release from the team. He’s posting an 18.3/7.8/4.0 line in four games with the Herd and has appeared in 30 NBA games.
The Thunder shipped Isaiah Roby to Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. He is averaging 8.8 points and 6.5 rebounds in 13 G League games.
The Suns assigned Ty Jerome to Northern Arizona, tweets Gina Mizell of The Athletic. Phoenix wanted him to get some playing time after he was pulled from the rotation last week.
The Warriors recalled Alen Smailagic from Santa Cruz (Twitter link).

Stephen Curry Cleared To Return Thursday

March 4th, 2020 at 7:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

7:21pm: The Warriors have confirmed Curry’s return (Twitter link).

6:30pm: Stephen Curry has received medical clearance to play in Thursday’s game against the Raptors, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

A source tells Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area that Curry’s trip to the G League was limited to just one day because plans were in place for him to play tomorrow (Twitter link). Another source said Curry will be in Golden State’s lineup barring some “catastrophic” occurrence.

Curry will return after missing 58 games with a broken left hand he suffered on October 30. With him and fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson out of action, the Warriors have fallen to the bottom of the NBA with a 14-48 record. Curry was averaging 20.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists through the season’s first four games before the injury.

Warriors Not Re-Signing Dragan Bender For Now

March 4th, 2020 at 11:49am CST by Luke Adams

Dragan Bender‘s 10-day contract with the Warriors expired after Tuesday’s game, and the former fourth overall pick won’t get a second 10-day deal with the club at this time, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

A second 10-day contract for Bender in the coming days or weeks isn’t out of the question, Slater adds. However, Golden State prefers to maintain some roster flexibility for now.

As Slater observes, Bender was a little shaky in his first few games with the Warriors, especially on defense, but he looked better as of late. In Golden State’s last three games, two of which were wins, the former Sun averaged 11.7 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 2.0 APG with a .452/.385/1.000 shooting line. His performance earned him praise from head coach Steve Kerr, as we detailed on Tuesday night.

“He’s got a lot of potential,” Kerr said. “Obviously, fourth pick in the draft, there’s a reason for that. He’s shown in the 10 days if you give him a little confidence, you give him a chance to play and gain some confidence, he can do a lot of good things out there. He’s helped us win two games in a season when we’ve not won a whole lot of games.”

Bender is now an unrestricted free agent, free to sign with any team, but if he thinks a return to Golden State is a strong possibility, perhaps he won’t seek out a new opportunity. For what it’s worth, Bender’s fellow 2016 Suns lottery pick Marquese Chriss was waived by the Warriors in January, then signed a new deal with the club eight days later, following rumors that there was mutual interest in a reunion. Perhaps Bender and the Dubs will follow a similar path.

For now, the Warriors are carrying 14 players, including two (Mychal Mulder and Chasson Randle) on 10-day deals, leaving one opening on their 15-man roster.

Warriors Impressed With Dragan Bender

March 3rd, 2020 at 11:18pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Dragan Bender inked a 10-day deal with the Warriors in late February and today was the final day of that pact. Head coach Steve Kerr, who said Bender has impressed the team, would be on board with keeping the big man around.

“I think he has a lot of potential…I’d love to give him another 10 days,” Kerr said (video link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic)

Bender, who was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 draft, is still just 22 years old. He spent the first three years of his career with the team that drafted him, the Suns. He spent the first half of this season with the Bucks, though he appeared in just seven games for Milwaukee before the team waived him.

The Warriors have won two of the past three games with Bender in the rotation. He’s scored 35 points, going +6 over 63 minutes in that timespan.

Thursday Return A Possibility For Curry

March 3rd, 2020 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

A Thursday return vs. Toronto is a possibility for Warriors star Stephen Curry, head coach Steve Kerr said today (video link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic). Curry’s return date was pushed back after he originally targeted March 1, but it sounds like he’s pretty close.

Warriors Sign Chasson Randle To 10-Day Deal

March 3rd, 2020 at 12:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

MARCH 3: The Warriors have officially signed Randle to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. Golden State now has a full 15-man roster, though three of its players are on 10-day deals and Bender’s will expire tonight.

MARCH 1: Chasson Randle will sign with the Warriors, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Randle’s agent, Darrell Comer of YouFirst Sports, confirmed the deal.

Randle made two prior attempts to join the NBA on 10-day contracts, but they were both blocked by Tianjin, his current team in the Chinese Basketball Association. Comer said Randle has reached a settlement with the club and will receive a FIBA letter of clearance as soon as his request can be processed.

The CBA has suspended play because of the coronavirus outbreak in China, affecting the status of roughly 40 American players, including familiar names such as Jeremy Lin, Lance Stephenson and Tyler Hansbrough. Givony adds that if the league does resume, it won’t happen until April, leaving all those players uncertain about their contracts.

Randle last played in the NBA during the 2018/19 season when he averaged 5.5 PPG in 49 games with the Wizards. The 27-year-old guard also had brief stops with the Sixers and Knicks.

Golden State has a roster opening, so no move will be necessary before Randle can be added. The Warriors already have two players on 10-day contracts, Dragan Bender, whose deal runs through Tuesday, and Mychal Mulder, who is signed through Saturday. It’s unclear if Randle will receive a 10-day deal or a rest-of-season commitment now that he’s no longer controlled by Tianjin.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/2/20

March 2nd, 2020 at 7:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Monday’s assignments and recalls from across the NBA G League:

The Warriors assigned guard Stephen Curry to its affiliate in Santa Cruz and then recalled the former MVP, according to a team press release and Twitter post. Curry got in a practice with the G League club as he prepares to return from a broken left hand. The team also assigned forward Alen Smailagic to Santa Cruz. Smailagic has appeared in 19 games with Santa Cruz this season, posting averages of 15.2 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 25.9 MPG.
The Pacers recalled center Goga Bitadze and forward Alize Johnson from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team’s PR department tweets. Bitadze, the team’s first-round selection, has averaged 3.0 PPG in 8.5 MPG while making 46 appearances for the Pacers. Johnson, a 2018 second-rounder, has seen action in 12 NBA games this season.
The Magic recalled guard Melvin Frazier from Lakeland, the team’s PR department tweets. A 2018 second-round pick, Frazier has appeared in 14 games with Orlando this season.
The Bulls assigned and then recalled power forward Lauri Markkanen from the Windy City Bulls, the team tweets. Markkanen participated in a practice as part of his rehab process. He has been sidelined since January 22 with a stress reaction of his right pelvis.
The Clippers assigned big man Mfiondu Kabengele and guard Terance Mann to their Agua Caliente affiliate, according to the team’s PR department. A late first-rounder last June, Kabengele has appeared in 12 Clippers games. Mann, a rookie drafted in the second round, has seen action in 35 NBA games.
The Jazz assigned forward Juwan Morgan and guard Rayjon Tucker to the Salt Lake City Stars, according to the G League transactions log. A pair of undrafted rookies, Morgan has appeared in 16 Jazz games this season while Tucker has made 14 NBA appearances.