- The Jazz recalled guards Alec Burks and Raul Neto from the Salt Lake City Stars and assigned forward Joel Bolomboy to the same team, the team announced in a press release. The guard duo was assigned there on Wednesday to get some playing time against the Grand Rapids Drive and Neto finished one rebound shy of a triple-double. This marks the 10th assignment for Bolomboy.
- The Knicks recalled forward Maurice Ndour and center Marshall Plumlee from their affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, the team’s PR staff tweets. That duo combined for 24 points and 20 rebounds against the Maine Red Claws after being assigned on Tuesday.
- The Nets recalled forward Chris McCullough from their Long Island affiliate and he was available against the Pelicans on Thursday night, the team tweets. McCullough poured in 37 points in Long Island’s 138-133 overtime win over the Greensboro Swarm earlier in the day, his 22nd appearance with the D-League club.
- The Pelicans recalled forward Cheick Diallo, who was also playing for the Long Island Nets, the team’s PR department tweets. He played two games there, averaging 12.0 points in 17.4 minutes after going there on Tuesday under the flexible assignment rule.
- The Thunder assigned guard Semaj Christon to the Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a tweet. Christon has appeared in 36 games with the Thunder this season, averaging 3.2 points and 1.4 assists in 15.4 minutes.
- The Trail Blazers assigned guard Tim Quarterman to the Windy City Bulls under the flex rule, they announced in a press release. The rookie has made 12 brief appearances with the Blazers this season.
Although Derrick Rose spoke optimistically earlier in the season about a possible contract extension with the Knicks, and the team was said to be open to the idea, there were already questions about the long-term outlook of the relationship even before Rose went AWOL on Monday, missing the team’s game against New Orleans.
The Knicks and Rose patched things up following his unexpected absence, with the team accepting the point guard’s explanation and choosing to fine him rather than suspend him. Rose was back in the starting lineup on Wednesday night, and had a solid game, though the Knicks blew a big fourth-quarter lead to the Sixers.
Still, there were reports this week suggesting that the relationship between Rose and head coach Jeff Hornacek is frayed, along with reports that indicated the former MVP’s future in New York looks increasingly uncertain.
Rose is a free agent at season’s end, and while there are rumblings that he could seek a maximum-salary contract, he’s unlikely to land a deal in that neighborhood. His ability to slash and create on offense provides the Knicks with a skill set that their other guards don’t possess, but based on the way the first half has played out, there’s a good chance the team looks elsewhere to fill that point guard position.
If things continue to go south in New York, it’s possible Rose won’t even finish the season with the club — if the Knicks fall out of the playoff race and know they won’t re-sign Rose, there would be little reason to keep him, so a trade or buyout could be in play.
What do you think? Will Rose finish the season in New York? Will he leave in the offseason? Or are the two sides capable of turning things around and making their marriage a long-term one? Vote in our poll below, and jump into the comments section to weigh in with your thoughts!
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In the wake of his return to the Knicks on Tuesday, Derrick Rose addressed his teammates and coaches, as well as GM Steve Mills and president Phil Jackson, and the point guard says that “everybody’s on the same page” (Twitter link via Ian Begley of ESPN.com). The Knicks do appear ready to move on, with head coach Jeff Hornacek telling reporters today that Rose will start tonight against Philadelphia, per Frank Isola of The New York Daily News (Twitter link).
Still, there should be lingering concern in New York about the situation. According to a report from Isola, during Rose’s absence, the former NBA MVP briefly “talked about walking away from basketball for an extended period of time to clear his mind.” Two independent sources who spoke to Isola described Rose as an emotional wreck on Monday afternoon.
Two days later, Rose claims he’s in a good place mentally and that he would have asked the Knicks for more time if he felt like he needed it (Twitter link via Isola). But the point guard’s future in New York – both in the short- and long-term – still appears very uncertain.
Here’s more on Rose and the Knicks:
- There’s probably no quick fix for the Knicks, who are currently 17-21 and 11th in the East, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Kyler doesn’t expect any team to offer anything of real value in a trade for Rose, and hears from a source that Carmelo Anthony remains unwilling to approve a trade out of New York, in spite of the club’s recent slide. Joakim Noah also has little to no value as a trade piece, though Knicks sources tell Kyler that the former Bull has at least been a strong locker room influence so far.
- Within a piece about Rose’s future – or lack thereof – in New York, Ian Begley of ESPN.com reports that some Knicks players have privately expressed frustration with the team’s defensive schemes. Begley also confirms that some members of the Knicks organization were led to believe during Rose’s absence that the 28-year-old was considering a lengthy absence from basketball.
- According to Begley, some people close to Rose have told friends that the point guard will be looking for a maximum salary contract this summer. While that may be true, it’s hard to fathom Rose landing anything close to that at this point.
- Phil Jackson needs to start providing some answers regarding his struggling club, rather than silently watching as it burns to the ground, opines Kevin Kernan of The New York Post.
Here are Tuesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
10:40 pm:
- The Nets have recalled Chris McCullough from their D-League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, according to a team press release. The power forward played seven games with Long Island during his latest stint, averaging 18.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per contest.
3:17 pm
- The Kings have sent 2016 first-round pick Malachi Richardson to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). In 11 games so far this season for the Reno Bighorns, Richardson has averaged 21.0 PPG and 4.3 RPG.
- The Pelicans have re-assigned rookie forward Cheick Diallo to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Interestingly, after being assigned to San Antonio’s affiliate twice earlier in the season, Diallo joined the Long Island Nets this time around. New Orleans doesn’t have its own NBADL squad, so the club needs to rely on other affiliates, using the flexible assignment rule.
- Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee have been assigned to the D-League, according to a tweet from the Knicks. Both players are expected to suit up tonight for the Westchester Knicks, New York’s NBADL affiliate.
Derrick Rose rejoined the Knicks today and was present for the team’s practice. According to the Knicks’ Twitter account, the veteran point guard has been fined by the club. He’s expected to be uniform for New York’s Wednesday game against the Sixers, and also figures to return to the starting lineup, per head coach Jeff Hornacek (Twitter link via Steve Popper of the USA Today Network).
Rose was unexpectedly absent from the Knicks’ Monday game versus New Orleans, and an explanation for the no-show didn’t come until later in the night. According to Rose, his absence was related to a family issue and had nothing to do with basketball. The former Bull said he flew to his hometown of Chicago to be with his family on Monday, and flew back into New York this morning, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
Al Iannazzone of Newsday adds (via Twitter) that Rose specified he needed to be with his mother. Asked about his failure to communicate with the Knicks, Rose said he didn’t want to pick up the phone when the team called him because he needed “space” to process his family issue, tweets Begley.
Although Rose acknowledged today that he should have been in touch with the franchise earlier, he said the team accepted his absence, tweets Begley. The Knicks could have chosen to suspend Rose, but levied a fine instead. Bobby Marks of The Vertical observes (via Twitter) that the CBA allows a team to fine a player 1/110th of his base salary for failure to render services. Rose’s 2016/17 cap hit exceeds $21.3MM, which would allow for a pretty substantial fine, though it’s not clear if Rose’s cap hit consists entirely of his base compensation.
In any case, for now, it seems like the Knicks and Rose are ready to move forward, but there are still reasons to be wary. While the veteran point guard remains with the team in the short term, his long-term future in New York is increasingly uncertain. Multiple reports also indicated that the relationship between Rose and Hornacek has frayed, which could create problems going forward — the former MVP denied any such rift, tweets Iannazzone.
This is still very much a situation worth keeping an eye on, despite the apparent resolution following Monday’s absence.
In the wake of Derrick Rose‘s mysterious absence from the Knicks’ Monday night game, the team confirmed that its point guard was fine, and head coach Jeff Hornacek said that he expected Rose to rejoin the team soon. Following the unusual incident, however, Rose’s future in New York is “increasingly uncertain,” reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
According to Wojnarowski, the Knicks had already been undecided about whether or not they wanted to invest in Rose beyond this season. After a Monday night that left the club “livid” and “embarrassed,” per Wojnarowski, the odds of the former MVP signing a long-term deal with the Knicks appear to have declined significantly, and even his short-term future with the franchise could be in doubt.
The relationship between Hornacek and Rose has become strained in recent weeks, according to Chris Mannix of The Vertical. Frank Isola of The New York Daily News echoes that sentiment, writing that reports of a frayed relationship between the two are accurate, particularly in the wake of a recent fourth-quarter benching for Rose. Sources tell Wojnarowski that the veteran point guard has been “privately critical” of the Knicks’ head coach, though no one in the locker room has expressed any issues with the way Hornacek has coached Rose.
Although a team source confirmed to Isola that Rose wasn’t injured or in danger when he missed Monday’s game, a source tells Fred Kerber and Marc Berman of The New York Post that the absence was “not a boycott.” Rose eventually informed team officials that he had a family situation and had returned to his hometown of Chicago, per Ian Begley and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.
As we wait for the next development in the Rose story, here are a few more notes on the subject from some of the pieces linked above:
- Rose may face discipline from the team, depending on the reason for his absence — a suspension is possible, Wojnarowski writes.
- Before finding out where he was, the Knicks were concerned enough with Rose’s absence that they sent someone to his New York apartment to check on him, according to Begley.
- A source tells Berman that Rose had a conversation with Knicks general manager Steve Mills late on Monday night.
- Isola, who refers to Monday as the “rock bottom” point of the Phil Jackson era in New York, adds that landing a big free agent deal in 2017 has long been an “obsession” for Rose.
10:36pm: Per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Rose left without permission to tend to a family matter, but Chris Mannix of The Vertical writes that it’s still unclear where he actually is.
9:36pm: Teammate Joakim Noah has been in touch with Derrick Rose since Monday’s game finished and says “he’s okay,” tweets Ian Begley of ESPN. Noah did not elaborate further as to why the guard was absent. Rose was at the team’s shootaround this morning, per Courtney Lee via Begley. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News says there are “strong indications” that Rose returned to his hometown of Chicago.
8:59pm: Speaking after the game to reporters, Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek said that he doesn’t have enough information to pass along an update, adding that he’ll need to “wait until we hear from Derrick himself” (Twitter link via Mike Vorkunov). Hornacek did say that he expects Rose will be back with the team, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
8:29pm: The Knicks are in action tonight against the Pelicans, but starting point guard Derrick Rose is “not with the team,” as Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News writes. Rose had been penciled in as a starter 90 minutes before the game got underway, but never showed up.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter), there are team officials, teammates, and close associates of Rose who aren’t certain why the point guard is not at Madison Square Garden tonight. At the time of tip-off earlier in the evening, the Knicks still hadn’t been in contact with Rose, and it’s unclear if they’ve been able to reach him since then, tweets Wojnarowski.
The Knicks sat Rose during the fourth quarter in Milwaukee on Friday, and he wasn’t thrilled with that move, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The former MVP also played just 26 minutes on Saturday, but it’s not clear whether tonight’s absence is impacted by anything on-court related.
This sort of absence is unusual, so hopefully Rose is okay. We’ll pass along any updates as they come in.
Here are the D-League assignments and recalls from Sunday:
10:20pm:
- The Spurs moved guard Dejounte Murray to the Austin Spurs of the D-League, the team announced on its website. The rookie guard has appeared in 19 games for San Antonio, averaging 2.3 points in 5.5 minutes.
- The Mavs announced via press release that they have assigned center A.J. Hammons and guard-forward Nicolas Brussino to their D-League affiliate. Hammons has appeared in 17 games for the Mavericks this season, averaging 1.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in 4.5 minutes. Brussino has played in 27 games for Dallas this season, averaging 1.4 points and 1.1 rebounds in 6.8 minutes.
- The Nuggets recalled rookie guard Malik Beasley, Denver announced in a press release.
12:18pm:
- The Sixers have recalled forward Richaun Holmes from their Delaware affiliate, the team announced in a press release. He had 10 points and eight rebounds in the 87ers’ win Saturday.
- The Knicks have recalled Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee from their Westchester affiliate, the team tweeted.
- The Bulls have recalled forward Paul Zipser from their Windy City affiliate, the team announced via press release. Zipser had played in the D-League team’s last two games, averaging 16.5 points and 7.0 rebounds.
- The Celtics have assigned guard Demetrius Jackson to their affiliate in Maine, the team tweeted.
- The Rockets have assigned forward Kyle Wiltjer to their affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, according to a tweet from the team.
Arthur Hill contributed to this report.
Brandon Jennings, whom the Knicks signed to a one-year deal in July, ripped himself and the team for New York’s poor play this season and especially as of late, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. Jennings is the floor-leader for the Knicks’ second unit, and after a hot start, the veteran has fizzled out, which coincides with the way the team has played; they’ve gone from 14-10 to a season-worst three games under .500, as Berman points out.
“Honestly, I don’t think we’ve played well at all this year,” Jennings said. “I don’t know if you’re watching it. We’re winning games because of our talent. Basketball-wise, I don’t think we’re playing basketball like we should.”
Here is more on the Knicks:
- Carmelo Anthony‘s right shoulder is bothering him, but the Knicks star plans to play through it and has not missed a game since December 13th, Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes. Anthony said he will tolerate the pain, and added he has not missed any practices, per Iannazzone.
- Ron Baker’s contract becomes fully guaranteed for the season on Tuesday, and Jeff Hornacek said the Knicks plan on keeping the undrafted rookie guard on the roster, Iannazzone passes along in the same story.
- It is clear the Knicks have relied too much on their individual talent and have yet to jell together as a team, as evidenced by the team’s latest losses, Berman writes in a separate piece.
10:45am: Randle’s workout will be held Monday and he will be part of a group, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Joining him will be point guards Briante Weber, Yogi Ferrell and Cat Barber.
8:52am: Point guard Chasson Randle, who nearly won a roster spot with the Knicks in the preseason, will work out for the Sixers today, reports Marc Berman of The New York Post.
The decision comes a day after Ron Baker solidified the third point guard spot in New York when his contract became guaranteed for the remainder of the season.
Randle appeared headed toward a roster spot in October, but was waived after suffering an orbital bone fracture. He joined the Westchester Knicks in the D-League as an affiliate player and has averaged 20.7 points through 19 games.
The Knicks told Randle he might be re-signed this month now that teams are permitted to begin issuing 10-day contracts, according to Berman, who speculates that Marshall Plumlee or Maurice Ndour would be waived if that happens.
But before the Knicks get a chance, Randle might wind up with the Sixers, who are short on point guards after Jerryd Bayless was lost for the season with torn ligaments in his left wrist. They have been relying on T.J. McConnell, who had 17 assists Friday, and Sergio Rodriguez to handle the position. Philadelphia has an open roster spot after waiving Hollis Thompson on Wednesday.
Randle’s options in New York appear limited as Baker keeps impressing Knicks officials. Coach Jeff Hornacek compared Baker to himself as a guard who’s not flashy but knows how to get the ball to the right player.
“At the beginning of the year, I had a meeting with Jeff and he had mentioned something about January,’’ Baker said. “If I stayed on the right path as I did in preseason, I’ll be fine. I wasn’t concerned after that meeting, but I’m trying to keep improving obviously.’’