New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Mavs, Payne, Heat, Bargnani

December 22nd, 2014 at 10:31pm CST by Alex Lee

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wants to keep his newfound starting five together for the foreseeable future, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas. To do so, Cuban will have to strike new deals with free agents to be Rajon Rondo and Tyson Chandler this summer. Add Monta Ellis to that list should he opt out of the third year of his team-friendly deal. “I’ll at least do my best to keep them together,” said Cuban. “I want to keep them together. It’s cheaper to keep them. It’s not where we were before. Do I want to go deep into the luxury tax? No, and I think it’s more because I want us to have some options in a couple of years. But, yeah, there’s no reason for us not to keep everybody together, not that I know now.”

It should be a busy summer for the Mavs owner. Now let’s take a look at what else is going on around the league on Monday night:

The Hawks have recalled Adreian Payne from the D-League, the team announced via press release. Payne had been with the affiliate of the Spurs, and his assignment represented the first use of the new rules for NBA teams without one-to-one D-League affiliates.
While the Heat were without Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade on Sunday, facing the Rondo-less Celtics provided the latest reminder of team president Pat Riley‘s staunch advocacy of the star system, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Winderman implies that Riley, unlike Boston executive Danny Ainge, probably would’ve opted to lock up a player of Rondo’s caliber rather than risk sliding further into mediocrity.
Andrea Bargnani, who has yet to suit up for the Knicks this season, was adamant on Sunday that he intends to play this season and will return to the NBA next year despite his impending free agency, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, who adds that it’s unlikely the Knicks will bring the Italian forward back.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Stevens, Knicks

December 21st, 2014 at 5:58pm CST by Zachary Links

We saw one notable point guard traded out of the Atlantic Division last week – could we see another shipped out soon? The Nets and Kings have reportedly had trade talks about Deron Williams with Darren Collison, Derrick Williams, and Jason Thompson mentioned as names from Sacramento’s side. However, a deal doesn’t sound imminent and the Nets do not want to part with Mason Plumlee in a deal, which could be a stumbling block. More from the Atlantic Division, where the Raptors hold a comfortable lead..

Even though the Celtics are in a transitional period, coach Brad Stevens tells Paul Flannery of SB Nation that he’s not interested in jumping ship for the University of Indiana. “I’ve committed to being here,” Stevens said. “I’ve already left a situation once and that was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to choose to do. This is something that as long as they want me to be here, this is what I want to be doing and I’m going to give it everything I’ve got. I know it’s all specific to the rumor mills and the discussion of one spot. I think they’ve got a good coach who’s done a helluva job. He doesn’t deserve that speculation…I’m the head coach of the Boston Celtics. This is the job. This is where I am. This is what I want to do really well and I’m committed to being as good as I can every single day for the Celtics.”
Phil Jackson is responsible for nine of the 15 players on the Knicks roster, meaning that he is largely responsible for the team’s shortcomings, opines Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News. Knicks fans seem to be sold on Jackson but Lupica argues that if no one else in New York City gets a pass, neither should he.
Knicks guard Iman Shumpert won’t require surgery after suffering a painful shoulder injury, writes Peter Botte of the New York Daily News. The Knicks staff will reevaluate Shump in two weeks to see how his dislocated left shoudler is doing.

Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Sixers, Powell, Nets

December 20th, 2014 at 10:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Carmelo Anthony gave a familiar answer to a familiar question Saturday, insisting that the Knicks‘ losing won’t drive him out of New York, according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday. The Knicks are off to a disastrous 5-24 start, but Anthony says he isn’t second-guessing his decision to re-sign with the team as a free agent last summer and won’t demand to be traded. “I won’t do that,” he said. “As long as I can go out there and play, I always feel like any game that I’m in, we have a chance to win the basketball game. So I would never start thinking like that.”

There’s more from around the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers will continue their strategy of winning by losing, especially if they can keep collecting draft picks, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Pompey defends the team’s two most recent deals, which brought Philadelphia more second-round picks but cost the team Alexey Shved and Brandon Davies. He notes that Shved had been unhappy because of decreased playing time, while Davies was likely to lose minutes to the now-healthy Jerami Grant and the newly signed Furkan Aldemir.
Rajon Rondo wasn’t the only player the Mavericks coveted from the Celtics in Thursday’s blockbuster trade, reports A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. After watching center Dwight Powell in draft workouts last season, Dallas was determined to get him on the roster. “He can shoot threes, he can rebound, he can defend,” said Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. “He’s a stretch four in a lot of respects, a stretch five in a lot of respects, … and so that’s why he’s here. That’s why we wanted him.”
He might be the only one who considers it “fun,” but Nets coach Lionel Hollins is embracing the challenge of trying to win with an injury-limited lineup, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Brook Lopez is expected to miss his eighth straight game Sunday against the Pistons with a strained lower back, while Deron Williams is out with a right calf strain. “We’re working hard, we’re playing together, we’re laying a foundation,” Hollins said. “We’re just [shooting] ourselves in the foot sometimes with poor decisions. We got to get better at that, more disciplined on defense in our schemes, but I’m happy with our effort.”

Pacific Notes: Durant, Rondo, Jackson

December 20th, 2014 at 2:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Mark Jackson said that his recent meeting with Chris Mullin, GM Pete D’Alessandro and DeMarcus Cousins in Sacramento had nothing to do with the Kings‘ coaching position, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee reports (Twitter links). Jackson said the get together was simply to catch up with some old friends. Jackson is one of the names mentioned to be in the running for Sacramento’s coaching vacancy along with George Karl, Vinny Del Negro, and Mullin.

Here’s more out of the Pacific Division:

Kevin Durant has openly praised Kobe Bryant and said that he would love to play alongside the Black Mamba. While Bryant has stated that he has not begun recruiting Durant, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2016, Bryant didn’t rule out trying to lure the Slim Reaper to the Lakers, Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes. “No, I think we know each other pretty well,” Bryant said. “I don’t think it’s a discussion that you have in terms of coming here. But I think it’s more of an understanding how to play with each other. If the opportunity came up, then that’s the time to have that discussion.”
The Lakers were lucky to miss out on acquiring Rajon Rondo, Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report writes. Though he believes Rondo is a good player, he isn’t the superstar that Los Angeles needs to build around, and re-signing him this summer, if Rondo was willing, would have eaten into its cap space that could be used to nab a far superior player in the future, such as Durant, Ding opines.
A Lakers official downplayed the reports that the team offered Steve Nash’s expiring $9.8MM contract and a first-round pick to Boston for Rondo, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes.
Goran Dragic, who can opt out of his contract with the Suns at the end of the season and become a free agent, was mentioned as a possible target for the Knicks either via trade or free agency. Dragic responded to the report by saying he would be open to the Knicks — as well as everybody else — when he gets on the market this summer, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv reports. “Every team that is going to be available is going to be an option,” Dragic said. “New York has great fan base, great basketball organization.”

Knicks Notes: Anthony, Dragic, Jackson

December 20th, 2014 at 10:44am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Knicks’ rough start to the season could cost Madison Square Garden shareholders a projected $6MM in profits, Darren Rovell of ESPN.com reports. The estimate was posited by Rich Tullo, director of research for Albert Fried & Company, which covers the MSG stock, Rovell notes. “As the Harlem Globetrotters are the only New York professional [basketball] team winning in Madison Square Garden this season, we cut our estimates to reflect light TV ratings,” Tullo said. “Following more than 20 games highlighted by creative destruction, we think the sample set is large enough to determine lower estimates.” Rovell does note in the article that MSG stock is actually up more than 14% over the last three months.

Here’s more from the Big Apple:

Carmelo Anthony says that his new $124MM contract and superstar status can influence the Knicks’ winning ways only so much, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “I didn’t think it would be like this,’’ Anthony said. “I’m like, why? Time goes by so fast and one thing you realize, you can’t control winning. It’s out of your control. You can control what you do. You can control your work ethic and your mindset when it comes down to winning. Everything has to be synchronized from ownership all the way down to the staff. Everything has to be in sync.’’
Suns point guard Goran Dragic, who has a player option for next season of $7.5MM that he is likely to decline, would be a perfect fit for the Knicks and the triangle offense, Berman writes in a separate article. Any deal to acquire or sign Dragic would mean the Knicks would have to move Jose Calderon, who has two more years left on his contract after this season, Berman notes.
TNT basketball analyst Charles Barkley believes that the Knicks’ theory that free agents will flock to New York because Phil Jackson is team president isn’t a sound one, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. “This theory that [the Knicks] got all these expiring contracts, they got all this money, that people are going just be flocking to New York because of the great Phil Jackson, I think it’s a flawed theory,” Barkley said. “You got to admire and respect what Phil Jackson has accomplished but this notion that all these free agents are going to give up [money]? To think guys are going to turn down $30, $40, $50 million dollars to come to New York just because you got Phil Jackson, I just think that’s a flawed theory.”

Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Rondo, Jack

December 19th, 2014 at 8:59pm CST by Eddie Scarito

This past summer, Carmelo Anthony resisted the temptation to join the Bulls and instead re-signed with the Knicks, a move that cast him as greedy to his critics and perhaps placed him in basketball purgatory for at least one year, Michael Lee of The Washington Post writes. By taking the deal that paid him nearly $50MM more than Chicago could offer to return to New York, Anthony made a long-term business decision over a logical basketball one, Lee adds. “Regardless of what happened, it would all come down to the money. That’s just the life we live. You can’t escape that,” said Anthony, who admits that his attitude in approaching previous contracts was “don’t leave no money on the table.”

Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Trading Rajon Rondo was the right move for the Celtics, but GM Danny Ainge waited too long to make a deal, which likely reduced the return that Boston received for the point guard, Julian Edlow of WEEI 93.7 FM opines. Edlow believes it would have been better for the Celtics to have traded Rondo this summer after they struck out in their attempts to add a star like Kevin Love to play alongside him.
There has been much written about the Knicks‘ insistence on forcing the use of triangle offense on their players as a big reason for the team’s woes, but the reality is that New York simply does not have the talent to compete this season, Howard Beck of Bleacher Report writes.
Jarrett Jack‘s playing style doesn’t mesh well with that of the Nets, a situation that dealing Jorge Gutierrez to the Sixers has amplified, Robert Windrem of Nets Daily notes. Brooklyn has no other natural point guards besides Jack on its roster to back up Deron Williams, which could force the front office to sign or trade for a pass-first point man prior to the trade deadline, Windrem adds.

Rajon Rondo Trade Fallout/Reaction

December 19th, 2014 at 9:54am CST by Chuck Myron

The Rajon Rondo trade stands to have an immediate effect on the Western Conference playoff race as well as the long-term future of the Celtics, who for many years were an Eastern Conference contender with Rondo. We’ll be rounding up the news still trickling out about the blockbuster trade throughout the day, with any new items added to the top:

There’s no shortage of confidence among Mavs officials that they can re-sign Rondo, a source tells Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com, who adds that obtaining Rondo will make it easier for the club to reach a new deal with soon-to-be free agent Tyson Chandler (Twitter link).
The Lakers planned a final offer of Steve Nash, the protected 2015 first-rounder that the Rockets owe the Lakers, and a second-round pick, Grantland’s Zach Lowe reports.
The Celtics were asking for as many as three first-rounders for Rondo at times in the past year or so, multiple league sources tell Lowe for the same piece.
Brooklyn was also in the mix for Rondo, but the Nets simply couldn’t make a deal work, a league source tells Robert Windrem of NetsDaily (Twitter link).

8:59am update:

Rondo spoke publicly about his fondness for Boston even in the hours before the trade, but privately the soon-to-be free agent was torn between remaining with the Celtics and joining a contender, a source tells Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). Still, Rondo didn’t tell the Celtics about the way he felt, Murphy adds in a second tweet.
The Celtics had decided that it would have been nearly impossible to compete this coming summer with other teams that could offer Rondo a better chance to win, sources tell Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. The C’s weren’t sure they wanted to engage in a bidding war for a player who turns 30 in the middle of next season, Bulpett adds.
The desire to complete a deal in advance of two months prior to the trade deadline, giving the teams the power to flip their incoming players in a deal that aggregates their salaries this season, wasn’t a major factor in the timing of the deal, Bulpett also hears. The Celtics were convinced that the offers would get no better and might worsen if they waited, and they didn’t see any better offers earlier in the process, either, sources tell Bulpett.
The Knicks couldn’t have relinquished a first-round pick that would have gone to the Celtics any sooner than 2018, and that’s largely what torpedoed any chance New York might have had of trading for Rondo, as Mark Berman of the New York Post hears. Still, Knicks brass is divided on how well Rondo would fit within the triangle offense, Berman adds.

Eastern Notes: Jackson, Pistons, Anthony, Bulls

December 18th, 2014 at 8:40pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks president Phil Jackson took to Twitter today to defend his trade of Tyson Chandler to the Mavs in response to a tweet by Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops. In a series of tweets, Jackson said, “I’m okay with the Dallas deal. Tyson fits there and our 3 players, Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert, and Shane Larkin are on the court. Our season got off to a rocky start thanks to injuries. Tyson could not have changed the outcome. Trades are judged in 4-5 year terms. Remember how people complained about the Pau Gasol trade? How does that trade look now? Just relax…and be patient.”

Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference:

When Pistons president Stan Van Gundy was asked if Detroit is involved in trade talks, Van Gundy replied, “We’re 5 and 21. I don’t think you need to say a whole lot else. Of course we’re talking,” Keith Langlois of NBA.com tweets.
What Detroit is looking for in the trade market are high-energy players, David Mayo of MLive.com reports. Van Gundy hopes to remake the Pistons into a smaller, quicker team, Mayo adds. “We need high-energy guys,” Van Gundy said. “And going with that, you say energy, but part of that is quickness and stuff. Slow guys are never going to look high-energy. We definitely have had trouble keeping up. We’re a step behind defensively on some things, and the game has changed, it’s spread out. So quickness, length, people who really can cover some ground, I think, would be another thing [that the Pistons seek].”
Bucks rookie Jabari Parker suffered only a “slight” tear of the ACL in his left knee, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. While this is good news for Parker’s long-term prospects and recovery, the news doesn’t necessarily change the prognosis that he is likely done for the season.
Carmelo Anthony has been struggling with knee issues all season, and people close to him are now recommending that the Knicks‘ star take a few weeks off from basketball activities, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com reports. “I have multiple people say kind of just shut it down,” Anthony said. “Or just take time off. But at the end of the day, it’s hard for me to just do that right now in the midst of what’s happening with the team and this season. So just trying to be smart about that.”
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau is very comfortable with how Chicago’s free agency plan worked out this season, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes (Twitter link). Thibodeau said that the Bulls “ended up fine, just as we did in 2010. We came out great with Pau [Gasol].“

Rajon Rondo Rumors: Thursday

December 18th, 2014 at 4:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics appear to have turned up the heat on Rajon Rondo talks, as several reports from Wednesday detailed. We’ll round up today’s latest in this post, with any additional updates throughout the day added to the top:

According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links), Dallas and Boston are progressing toward completion of a trade for Rondo tonight. The Mavs would send Wright, Crowder, Jameer Nelson, a future first round pick, and a future second-rounder to Boston, Stein adds.
The Rockets have dropped out of trade talks with the Celtics, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets.
Rondo and his representatives have made it clear to Dallas that the All-Star guard would be inclined to sign a new deal with the team this summer, Wojnarowski adds.

4:25pm update:

The first-rounder Dallas is offering as part of its package for Rondo is its 2015 pick, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link).

3:58pm update:

While the Lakers are in the hunt for Rondo, there is a strong desire in Los Angeles’ front office not to give up too much now for him via a trade, and instead, they would prefer to pursue Rondo in free agency this summer, Chris Mannix of SI.com reports (Twitter link).
The Mavs are emerging as the frontrunner in pursuit of a deal to acquire Rondo, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link).
Dallas is currently offering a package that includes Brandan Wright, Jae Crowder, and a first round pick, Wojnarowski adds.
The Lakers and the Knicks both declined to be a part of three-way deals that could have sent Rondo elsewhere, Wojnarowski tweets.
With Dallas in the lead for Rondo, the Rockets are “still fighting” to land Rondo, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link).

2:31pm update:

The Lakers made an offer that included Jordan Hill and a first-round pick, if not more, for Rondo and Jeff Green, but the Celtics turned them down, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt (Twitter link). The Lakers would have indeed had to have added more salary to such a deal to make it work, and Hill isn’t trade-eligible until January 15th.

2:21pm update:

The Celtics are asking too much for Rondo for the Kings to engage in talks about him with Boston as they have in the past, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). A report late Wednesday seemed to indicate that Sacramento had spoken recently with the Celtics regarding the point guard, but it’s unclear just how long ago the teams last discussed the matter.

12:51pm update:

The Lakers have offered Steve Nash and multiple picks to the Celtics for Rondo, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com hears (Twitter link).

12:36pm update:

The Mavs are confident that they can convince Rondo to stay in Dallas for the long term if they convince the Celtics to trade him, sources tell Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). That falls in line with Berger’s report from earlier that Rondo would be open to re-signing with the Mavs and Rockets if he were dealt to either team.

10:57am update:

The Rockets have been pursuing Rondo longer than the Mavs have, but Goran Dragic was more attractive to Houston than Rondo was over this summer, Stein notes (Twitter links). Rondo and Dragic both appear likely to hit free agency in the summer ahead.

8:59am update:

The Mavs have advanced to the offer stage and have made a pitch featuring Brandan Wright as the key piece, reports Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Dallas would have to add others to make the salaries match. President of basketball operations Danny Ainge has begun to move on from the idea of pairing Rondo with another superstar, spurring his apparent interest in gauging deals for Rondo, but the market for Rondo doesn’t appear as strong as Ainge had hoped, the Herald scribe writes. However, Ainge is in no rush to simply accept whatever he can find for Rondo just so the point guard doesn’t leave the C’s empty handed in the coming summer’s free agency, Bulpett adds.
Jae Crowder‘s name has also come up in talks, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.
Rondo is open to re-signing with the Mavs and the Rockets if the Celtics trade him to either of those teams, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. It’s “certain” that the Rockets will use their nearly $8.375MM trade exception by Friday, Berger writes, as they’ve reportedly been trying to do, and that stands to alter what Houston has to offer for the Celtics point guard.
The Lakers are among the teams to have chatted up the Celtics in recent days about a Rondo trade, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com, seconding an earlier report that the Rockets had done the same. The Lakers and the Knicks are on the “periphery” of Rondo talks, and the Lakers are more of a free agency option than a potential trade destination, as Berger adds in his piece.
The Pacers have also asked the C’s about Rondo, USA Today’s Sam Amick reports.
Rondo reiterated his fondness for Boston late Wednesday to reporters, including Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com. “How many times do you want me to say it?” Rondo asked. “We discussed it on media day. My thoughts and my opinions as far as the organization [haven’t] changed, so … I’m enjoying life. You can’t win ‘em all, but these guys are funny, I’m young and I’m doing what I love to do. It’s a dream come true. I can’t be upset about anything, really.
Ainge was vague in addressing the latest Rondo chatter in this morning’s radio appearance with Fred Toucher and Rich Shertenlieb on 98.5 The Sports Hub (audio link), as Rohrbach passes along (Twitter link). “I wouldn’t say it’s any different from any year,” Ainge said. “… We’re having a lot of discussions, just like we do every year.”

And-Ones: Knicks, Batum, Cauley-Stein, ‘Melo

December 18th, 2014 at 10:29am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks have been “very active” in trade discussions this week, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com reports amid a story on the team’s apparent peripheral involvement in Rajon Rondo talks. That seems to jibe with a report from Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck earlier this week that all the Knicks aside from Carmelo Anthony are available. Rumors are indeed flying fast around the NBA these days, and here’s a look at some of the latest news from around the league:

Nicolas Batum has pondered what it would be like to play for the Spurs, but he doesn’t see much need to leave the Blazers when he hits free agency after next season, as he tells Shams Charania of RealGM. “I still have time and I like low key so there’s no reason to think yet, but why not stay in Portland?” Batum said. “I’ve been here for seven years now, so why not?”
Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein has been on quite a tear recently, and this has catapulted him from No. 16 all the way to No. 8 on Chad Ford of ESPN.com‘s insider-only Big Board. Cauley-Stein is currently ranked 10th in Hoops Rumors’ 2015 NBA Draft Prospect Power Rankings.
‘Melo would have been better off joining the Bulls, opines Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, but there’s plenty of reason to believe that the Bulls lucked out when he decided not to, writes Sam Smith of Bulls.com.
Three-year NBA veteran Josh Harrellson has been released by the Chongqing Flying Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association, Enea Trapani of Sportando reports (Twitter link). The Pistons had waived Harrellson in mid-July rather than guarantee his minimum salary for the 2014/15 season.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.