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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/3/16

December 3rd, 2016 at 7:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Saturday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Knicks assigned forward Maurice Ndour to the Westchester Knicks and he will play against the Erie Bay Hawks tonight, the team’s PR staff tweets. The power forward has appeared in 10 NBA games this season, averaging 2.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in 8.1 minutes.
The Celtics assigned forward Jordan Mickey to their D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, the team tweets. The second-year power forward has appeared in eight games with Boston this season, averaging 2.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in 8.3 minutes.
The Thunder recalled forward Josh Huestis from the Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. In four games with the Blue this season, Huestis is averaging 9.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.00 blocks in 31.8 minutes. He has yet to make his season debut with the Thunder.
The Spurs assigned Davis Bertans and Dejounte Murray to their D-League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, according to the team’s website. Both players are available tonight for Austin’s game against the Salt Lake City Stars.

Rose Wants To Be Knick For Life

December 3rd, 2016 at 1:14pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Derrick Rose said he hopes to spend the rest of his career with the Knicks and he “would be cool” with an in-season contract extension, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “[A contract extension] would let me know I’m playing the way they want me to play and I’m on the right track. But if not, I haven’t heard anything. So I’m not thinking about it,” Rose said. The 28-year-old went on to praise the organization’s atmosphere and environment . “As for my future, who knows? I’ll have to wait but I’d love to be here though,’’ Rose added.

Knicks Notes: Noah, Porzingis, Hornacek, Rose

December 1st, 2016 at 9:19pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Joakim Noah could quickly go down as another Knicks free agent bust if he doesn’t pick up his play soon, Mike Coppinger of USA Today writes. Noah was brought in to be the defensive anchor but the Knicks are tied for seventh-most points allowed per game (106.5), Coppinger notes. Noah, who was signed to a four-year, $72MM contract, has seen limited minutes during crunch time, Coppinger adds. “I want to play better, obviously,” Noah told Coppinger and other reporters. “I know personally I have to play better for this team to get to where we want to get to.”

In other developments regarding the Knicks:

The debate over whether the Knicks are now Kristaps Porzingis‘ team or still Carmelo Anthony‘s team is meaningless to Porzingis, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com. “That’s not something I’m worried about,” Porzingis told Begley and other media members. “I read social media and Twitter and all that. But a lot of that is just in and out. And I don’t really pay attention to it. It doesn’t really matter.”
The Porzingis-Anthony controversy is a moot point because the Knicks are really Jeff Hornacek’s team right now, Harvey Araton of the New York Times argues. Owner James Dolan was forced to eat most of previous coach Derek Fisher’s $25MM contract and logically, team president Phil Jackson won’t be allowed another coaching change, giving Hornacek plenty of leverage, Araton opines. Hornacek should feel free to run his preferred offensive scheme, pick the rotation he wants and enforce his rules, Araton adds.
Derrick Rose turned aside questions about being benched in favor of defensive-minded Justin Holiday during crunch time against the Timberwolves on Wednesday, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. Rose is eligible to sign a three-year, $75MM extension as of December 22, and wants to be a closer, Berman adds. Hornacek left in backup point Brandon Jennings, who is also playing for a new contract, and that could prove to be a tough dilemma for Hornacek if Jennings is playing well. “That’s something you’ll have to ask [Hornacek],’’ Rose said to Berman of the late-game benching. “I’m just doing whatever Coach asks me to do, go in whenever he tells me.”

New York Notes: Nets, Knicks, Noah, Kilpatrick

November 30th, 2016 at 3:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov said today that he won’t surrender control of the franchise, and will remain the team’s majority owner, but will seek out a local minority ownership partner to “strengthen” the team’s presence in New York, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com.

According to Bloomberg’s Scott Soshnick (via Twitter), the Nets have hired Steve Greenberg of Allen & Co. to help find a local investor to buy a minority stake in the franchise. Net Income of NetsDaily adds (via Twitter) that Prokhorov is only interested in selling a piece of the Nets — he won’t also sell a portion of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, the parent company that owns the Barclays Center.

Here are several more Nets- and Knicks-related notes from out of New York:

The Knicks – and head coach Jeff Hornacek – finally trusted Joakim Noah in a key situation on Monday, and it backfired on them, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Meanwhile, Fred Kerber of The New York Post examines the Noah situation and wonders whether it’s a blip on the radar or the start of a $72MM disaster.
In an interview with Karizza Sanchez of Complex.com, Iman Shumpert was asked about Phil Jackson‘s “posse” comment regarding LeBron James, and replied that the Knicks president has “always got a comment.” More from Shumpert, who grew up rooting for the Bulls and was traded away from the Knicks by Jackson: “You traded me away from New York, cool. It’s all business, it’s all love, whatever. But I’m a grownup now. You not my hero no more. The Bulls era is gone, Mike is gone, Pippen is gone, you ain’t coaching the Bulls no more. So, I don’t care what you got to say about ’Bron.”
Sean Kilpatrick has appeared in 52 NBA games, including 40 with the Nets, but none were better than Tuesday’s win over the Clippers, in which he scored 38 points grabbed 14 rebounds, both career highs. After the win, Kilpatrick spoke to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders about how Nets GM Sean Marks changed his life.
Can 2016 first-rounder Caris LeVert become a foundational piece for the Nets? Reed Wallach of NetsDaily takes a closer look.

Knicks Not Ruling Out Derrick Rose Extension

November 29th, 2016 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have not yet approached Derrick Rose about a contract extension, but haven’t ruled out the possibility of discussing a deal later in the season, an NBA source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. According to Berman, the team wants to make sure Rose can stay healthy for a full season before committing to him for multiple years. As for the veteran point guard, it’s not clear if he’d accept an extension offer, but he sounds open to the idea.

“I haven’t talked to them about it,” Rose told Berman. “It’s been more about winning games. We’ll see. I’m more concerned with trying to win games, but it’s something I’d have to talk about with my family and team.”

Rose is one of about two dozen NBA veterans who is eligible to sign a contract extension during the 2016/17 season. For players who are no longer on their rookie contracts, extensions are rare, but if three years have passed since a player signed his current contract, he’s eligible for a new one. Rose, who is in the final year of his deal, signed it way back in December of 2011.

When I identified five veteran extension candidates to watch earlier this month, I made Rose one of my five picks, despite the fact that the Knicks are currently over the cap. The other four candidates I named are on clubs with cap space, which allows them to renegotiate a contract in addition to extending it, accommodating an immediate salary bump for the 2016/17 season. As a member of an over-the-cap team, Rose wouldn’t be eligible for such a pay bump, but because he’s already making over $21MM+ this year, the 28-year-old could get an extension starting at around $23MM, and worth up to about $75MM over three years.

As Berman observes, Rose would be eligible for a much larger deal if he waits until the summer of 2017 to sign, since his starting salary would be higher and he could sign for four or five years instead of just three. Still, the former MVP recently admitted that the days of “vintage” Rose are behind him, and it seems unlikely that any teams would be willing to make a long-term, maximum-salary investment in the current model. For his part, Rose says he wants to learn more about the specifics of an in-season extension vs. a free agent deal before he makes any decisions, according to Berman.

Having arrived in New York via an offseason trade with the Bulls, Rose has looked solid during his first 17 games with the Knicks, averaging 16.8 PPG and 4.9 APG, while shooting 43.8% from the floor.

Afflalo Knew It Was Time To Leave; Donovan Believes In Noah

November 28th, 2016 at 11:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Arron Afflalo knew it was time to leave New York after being benched by interim coach Kurt Rambis and learning that the team was pursuing Courtney Lee, relays Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders. Afflalo spent just one year with the Knicks, opting out of an $8MM deal for this season and reaching a two-year, $25MM agreement with the Kings. His season in New York was marked by a coaching change, the demotion and other turmoil. “It’s hard to get a genuine experience with anything when you haven’t had longevity or there are a lot of changes taking place, whether it’s changes with my individual role or with the coaching staff or the environment as a whole,” Afflalo said. “Six months is a short season when you’re not a playoff team and you’re going through a lot of changes, but they seem to be doing better now. I think as the core group, with Melo [Carmelo Anthony] and KP [Kristaps Porzingis], and the guys that they bring in continuing to get better, New York will be okay.”

Thunder coach Billy Donovan is still a believer in Joakim Noah despite a difficult first month with the Knicks, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. Donovan, who coached Noah on two national championship teams at the University of Florida, says the center’s competitive spirit will help him overcome a slow start. Noah is averaging 4.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game after signing a four-year, $72MM contract this summer. “He’s going to continue to improve and get better as a player, he’s going to put his work in,” Donovan said. “But he’s one of the guys in my opinion that’s truly all about sacrifice, team and winning. I think he’ll bring that to the Knicks throughout the entire season.”

Tony Wroten, Archie Goodwin Sign With D-League

November 28th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former NBA guards Tony Wroten and Archie Goodwin have signed D-League contracts, according to Chris Reichert of The Step Back.

Wroten, who was waived three times during the offseason, has been claimed by the Texas Legends, the Mavericks’ D-League affiliate (Twitter link). Goodwin, who has been waived by both the Suns and Pelicans in the past five weeks, is also joining the D-League (Twitter link).

Wroten, 23, spent a lot of time in the D-League during his four NBA seasons with the Grizzlies and Sixers. He played in just eight NBA games last season, all with Philadelphia, before being waived on Christmas Eve.

Wroten signed with the Knicks in March, but never played for the team. He agreed to a two-year deal with no guaranteed money, and was waived in June after New York traded for Derrick Rose. Wroten was claimed off waivers by the Grizzlies, who waived him in July, re-signed him in August, then waived him again in October.

The 25th pick in the 2012 draft, Wroten started his career in Memphis but spent just one season there before being traded to the Sixers. He is averaging 11.1 points and 3.0 assists in 145 career games.

Goodwin, the 29th pick in the 2013 draft, also made frequent trips to the D-League during his three seasons in Phoenix. A 22-year-old combo guard, Goodwin averaged 6.2 points and 1.2 assists per night in 150 games with the Suns. He signed with New Orleans on November 7th, but appeared in just three games before being released.

Carmelo Was Surprised By Westbrook Extension

November 28th, 2016 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

After Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City for Golden State in July, speculation about Russell Westbrook‘s future with the Thunder began to run rampant. However, Westbrook shut down that talk just a few weeks later by agreeing to a new contract that extended his contract with OKC, locking him up through at least the 2017/18 season. The Knicks were among the teams that would have targeted Westbrook in free agency in 2017 if he hadn’t signed that extension, and Carmelo Anthony was among those surprised by the new deal, as Marc Berman of The New York Post outlines.

Knicks Notes: Hornacek, Anthony, Rose

November 27th, 2016 at 4:50pm CST by Will Joseph

Jeff Hornacek has proven that he is not afraid to take chances on lesser known players with talent, as his usage of Willy Hernangomez, who was a second round pick, or undrafted free agent like Mindaugas Kuzminskas suggests, Steve Popper of USA TODAY Sports writes. The Knicks are 8-8 under Hornacek, who is in his first season with the team. Popper credits Hornacek for being able to see the talent in Hernangomez and Kuzminskas early on despite other options.

Here’s more on New York:

Carmelo Anthony, who re-signed with the Knicks in 2014 after experiencing free agency, said he was surprised that Russell Westbrook decided to forego free agency a full year before being eligible and re-sign with the Thunder, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes. “Yeah I was, to be honest with you, yeah, for him to do it that soon. But that’s Russ,” Anthony said. “Russ don’t give a damn about nothing. It’s all about what he want to do and when he want to do it, how he want to do it. I think he wants to show people he was loyal to OKC.”
Westbrook’s new deal with the Thunder meant that Knicks point guard Derrick Rose, who is in the final year of his contract, moved up one spot in the rankings of the 2017 summer free agent point guards, Bondy notes in the same piece. Rose, who is averaging 15.9 points and 5.0 assists per game this season, is also set to be competing against Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry, Jrue Holiday and Rajon Rondo in that class.

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New York Knicks

Phil Jackson To Lakers Rumors Persist

November 27th, 2016 at 12:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

There’s still an even-money chance that Phil Jackson could be running the Lakers next season, according to Mark Heisler of The Orange County Register.

The current Knicks president has an opt-out clause in his contract effective July 1st, and Heisler said some insiders from both organizations expect Jackson to wind up in L.A. The writer describes the situation as “fluid” and says the odds of a move are about 50-50, with a lot of things left to determine whether it will happen.

One of those factors is whether Knicks owner Jim Dolan sees enough improvement to want to keep paying Jackson $12MM per year. Coming off three straight seasons of missing the playoffs, New York is off to an 8-8 start after major moves such as the hiring of coach Jeff Hornacek, a trade for Derrick Rose and the free agent signing of Joakim Noah. Also, players have openly complained about the team’s adherence to the triangle offense, with Carmelo Anthony saying, “I’m getting tired of hearing about the triangle.”

Heisler describes Jackson as naturally shy and only comfortable with a few people, which helps to explain the hiring of former Laker Derek Fisher as head coach. Fisher was fired midway through last season and replaced with Kurt Rambis, another former Laker.

Add in the recent controversy over his “posse” comments, and there is reason to believe that Jackson may be looking to escape the turmoil of New York.

In Los Angeles, his fiance, Jeanie Buss, seems poised to assume complete control of the Lakers in the wake of her brother Jim’s comments that he would step down if he couldn’t make the team a contender in two years. The expiration date on that promise is about to arrive, and there is speculation that her first move would be to bring Jackson back to the organization.

Buss tried to hire him before he joined the Knicks, but was turned down by the rest of the management team. She chose not to fight because she knew her late father didn’t want bickering within the organization, but by next summer there may be no one to stand in her way.