NBA Rumors - HoopsRumors.com

Former Bulls All-Star Bob Love Dies At Age 81

November 19th, 2024 at 9:22am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA forward Bob Love, who played in the league from 1966-77, has passed away at age 81, according to a press release from the Bulls and a report from Harvey Araton of The New York Times. Love died on Monday after a “long battle” with cancer, per the team.

After starring at Southern University in Louisiana, Love was drafted 33rd overall in 1965 and began his NBA career with the Cincinnati Royals in 1966. He spent his first two seasons with Cincinnati, was selected by the Bucks in the 1968 expansion draft, then was traded to Chicago, where he flourished.

The 6’8″ forward was a Bull from 1968-76, earning three All-Star nods from 1971-73 and two All-NBA Second Team berths. Love also earned All-Defensive Second Team honors three times (1972-74) and eventually had his No. 10 jersey retired by the franchise.

A back injury in 1977, when Love was a member of the Seattle SuperSonics, ultimately ended his playing career.

As Araton details, Love – whose nickname was “Butterbean” – was afflicted by a stutter that impacted his ability to speak in huddles during timeouts and to reporters before and after games.

Love found himself short on money after his playing career was over due in part to the end of his marriage and in part to his stuttering, which limited his employment opportunities. He washed dishes and cleared tables at Nordstrom, where executive John Nordstrom promised him a promotion and a raise if he underwent speech therapy on the company’s dime.

Love earned that promotion, becoming Nordstrom’s manager for health and sanitation, according to Araton, and was eventually brought back by Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf as the team’s director of community relations. Having overcome his inhibiting stutter, Love delivered motivational speeches at schools, churches, and community centers on behalf of the Bulls.

“We are heartbroken by the loss of Bob Love, who leaves a legacy of excellence, resilience, and community impact,” Bulls CEO Michael Reinsdorf said in a statement. “Some of my first basketball memories were of Bob playing for the Bulls, and it was an honor to get to know him as a colleague and friend. Bob worked for years for the Bulls as a community ambassador, spending countless hours sharing motivational messages with fans. Bob will always be remembered for the kindness and determination he demonstrated throughout his career on and off the court, and his unwavering commitment to helping others.”

Our condolences go out to Love’s family and friends.

Knicks Rip NBA For Rumored Probe Into Rick Brunson’s Promotion

November 19th, 2024 at 8:04am CST by Luke Adams

After a report from Ian Begley of SNY.tv suggested that the NBA has been “poking around” on the Knicks‘ offseason promotion of Rick Brunson to lead assistant, the team quickly responded by referring to the rumored investigation as “harassment.”

Brunson joined the Knicks as an assistant in 2022, the same year his son Jalen Brunson signed with the team as a free agent. As Begley details, Rick received a promotion this offseason around the time Jalen signed a below-market long-term contract extension with New York, prompting the NBA to look into whether the move circumvented salary cap rules.

“In response to the rumored NBA investigation into Rick Brunson’s promotion, Brunson took (former associate head coach) Johnnie Bryant’s place and assumed the same salary as Bryant,” MSG Sports, the Knicks’ parent company, said in a statement. “It’s offensive that anyone would claim Rick didn’t deserve the promotion. Rick has done a tremendous job and will continue to do so. We see this as more harassment of the Knicks due to our opposition to certain NBA matters.”

Jalen’s four-year extension this offseason was worth just shy of $157MM, which was the maximum he could receive at the time. If he had waited until the summer of 2025, he could’ve signed a five-year deal worth up to a projected $269MM.

If the Knicks had, in concert with Jalen’s extension, “rewarded” the Brunson family by promoting Rick and giving him a significant raise beyond what his performance or title would typically warrant, it could be considered salary cap circumvention. However, Begley hears from coaching sources that Rick’s new contract is “within industry standards” for top assistants.

It’s also not as if the elder Brunson is unqualified for his new role. He has been coaching since 2007 and spent time as an NBA assistant in Denver, Chicago, Charlotte, and Minnesota before arriving in New York. He also had a stint as an assistant at the University of Hartford and was the head coach at Camden High School in New Jersey.

While the league would likely perform the same sort of due diligence if any other team were in a similar situation, the Knicks contend in their statement that the rumored probe is retribution for the team’s objections to “certain NBA matters.”

The Knicks, led by team owner James Dolan, criticized the league’s new media rights deal and revenue sharing policies in a letter sent to the other 29 teams and the league office earlier this year. The team also accused Adam Silver of bias while arguing that the NBA commissioner shouldn’t preside over a dispute between the Knicks and Raptors.

Additionally, Dolan stepped down from his positions on the NBA’s influential advisory/finance and media committees last year, with reporting at the time indicating that the Knicks owner had been “increasingly critical” of Silver and the NBA on a number of issues. Dolan has been the lone dissenting vote in various Board of Governors decisions that would have otherwise been unanimous.

Pacific Notes: DeRozan, Monk, Sabonis, Bamba, Riley, Looney

November 18th, 2024 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Kings provided some positive medical updates on three key players, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee writes.

DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk and Domantas Sabonis didn’t play on Monday but are close to returning. All three have been cleared for individual on-court workouts. They could return for Sacramento’s game against the Clippers on Friday.

DeRozan has been sidelined for three games due to lower back tightness. Sabonis missed his second straight contest for the same reason, while Monk missed his fifth consecutive game on Monday after suffering a moderate right ankle sprain on Nov. 10.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Mohamed Bamba had nine points and eight rebounds in his season debut for the Clippers on Sunday in 15 minutes of action. He had been sidelined by a left knee injury. “My knees, the doctor would say, are in the 90th percentile of healthy looking knees,” he told Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). “But I kept getting this pocket of fluid in my knee. And it was frustrating because we couldn’t figure out why it was coming. Now we have it settled and a plan in place to kind of mitigate that.” Bamba is currently on a minutes restriction but believes he can play in back-to-backs.
The Lakers have commissioned a statue of Pat Riley to join Lakers legends on Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena, according to a Lakers press release. Riley will join Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West with statues in the plaza. Riley coached the Showtime Lakers in the 1980s to four championships and also played for the Lakers in the 1970s.
Kevon Looney missed the Warriors’ game against the Clippers on Monday due to an illness, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Looney, who is headed to free agency next summer, is coming off the bench this season.

Southeast Notes: Brogdon, Bogdanovic, Bufkin, Micic

November 18th, 2024 at 9:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Malcolm Brogdon made his season debut on Sunday against Detroit but was limited to one point in 22 minutes, Varun Shankar of the Washington Post notes. He underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb in early October.

Brogdon was the first player off the bench for the Wizards, who acquired him in an offseason trade with Portland. The veteran guard is a candidate to be traded again before the February deadline. He’s playing on an expiring $22.5MM contract.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kobe Bufkin were active for the Hawks on Monday. Bogdanovic hadn’t played since Oct. 23 due to a hamstring strain, while Bufkin was making his season debut after partially dislocating his right shoulder last month.
Vasilije Micic made just his fifth appearance of the season on Sunday, scoring nine points in 14 minutes. Micic’s playing time has dropped this season with LaMelo Ball back in action but Hornets first-year coach Charles Lee praised the Serbian guard after the game. “He can initiate the offense for us. He knows the sets very well. I thought that he actually brought some great energy (Sunday),” Lee said, per Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net. “He’s done a really good job of preparing himself, his mind, and his body. He’s approached every day, even though he has not been in the rotation, like a true professional.”
Wizards 2023 second-round pick and two-way player Tristan Vukcevic hasn’t played for either the Wizards or their G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go. Coach Brian Keefe told Shankar prior to Sunday’s game the Vukcevic needs to ramp up his conditioning before returning to the court. The big man was on a standard contract last season but the team declined his team option and re-signed him on a two-way deal in July.

Southwest Notes: Wembanyama, Doncic, McCollum, Missi

November 18th, 2024 at 7:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs have officially listed Victor Wembanyama as doubtful for Tuesday night’s game against the Thunder due to a bruised knee, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News tweets. San Antonio had indicated after practice the star center would be listed as questionable, according to Orsborn.

Wembanyama sat out Saturday’s loss at Dallas after suffering the injury in a collision with the Lakers’ Anthony Davis on Friday night. The reigning Rookie of the Year is averaging 22.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.7 blocks in his second season.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Mavericks star guard Luka Doncic is listed as questionable to play against the Pelicans on Tuesday due to a right knee contusion, Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal tweets. Doncic logged a season-low 28 minutes against the Spurs on Saturday.
Pelicans guard CJ McCollum practiced on Monday but didn’t go through any contact drills, Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune tweets. McCollum hasn’t played since Oct. 29 due to a thigh injury. He has already been ruled out for Tuesday’s game.
Could Yves Missi be the answer for the Pelicans at center? William Guillory of The Athletic explores this question. The 21st overall pick in this year’s draft has posted double digits in rebounds in three of the last four games and has shown versatility on defense. Missi has also proved to be a quick learner. “It’s great for him to get these minutes and these experiences early in the season. It’s going to pay off huge for him as we progress throughout the year,” coach Willie Green said. “We expect this is going to pay off for him in the long run.”

Central Notes: Bulls, Giddey, Turner, Ivey

November 18th, 2024 at 5:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bulls face the Pistons on Monday and they’ll be looking to bounce back from two woeful defensive performances. After giving up 144 points to Cleveland on Friday, they surrendered 143 in a 36-point loss to Houston on Sunday.

“It’s just a compete thing; you got to compete at a higher level,” guard Coby White said, per Kyle Williams of the Chicago Sun-Times. “We got to be more physical. We got to take a stand; giving up 140-plus in back-to-back games is unacceptable. It’s embarrassing, it’s a disservice to the organization, a disservice to the fanbase.”

Chicago dropped to 5-9 with the loss.

“We got to be a lot tougher collectively,” wing Zach LaVine said. “We just can’t let it snowball like it did (Sunday). We’ve been playing well all year and competitive. (Sunday) was the total opposite of that.”

We have more from the Central Division:

One of the defensive issues for the Bulls is that opponents have been targeting offseason acquisition Josh Giddey. The team’s defensive rating has been significantly worse with Giddey on the floor, Williams notes. “We’ve got to get better at being able to do multiple things and we’ve got to help him find solutions,” coach Billy Donovan said. “Then the other part of it, too, is he’s got to execute. We got to be able to execute the things that we’re in. We’ve got to help give him where he’s got multiple things that he can do, and the ability to move in and out of dead balls or timeouts to change coverages.”
Pacers big man Myles Turner, a free agent after the season, had been disappointed with his approach in recent days, Alex Golden of Setting the Pace tweets. He erupted for 34 points and nine rebounds in a win over Miami on Sunday after two subpar outings. “Publicly, I haven’t liked my attitude the last few days,” he said. “You’ve gotta be an energy giver and take accountability, but I feel like I’ve been kind of an energy sucker, kinda been in my own feelings a little bit…that type of (stuff) is just negative. Obviously it was a great game just growing as a leader, growing as a man. You can’t put that stuff out into the universe, but I’m gonna hold myself accountable for that.” Turner sat out the second game of a back-to-back on Monday due to calf soreness.
Jaden Ivey, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer, had season highs with 28 points and eight assists in a victory over Washington on Sunday. Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff has been impressed with Ivey’s play this season. “He can hurt you in so many different ways,” Bickerstaff said. “He can get to the basket at will. He’s doing a great job of finding his teammates when people want to commit two bodies to him. And then he picks up full-court most possessions. So he’s setting that head of the snake mentality for our defense as well.”

Cavaliers Notes: 15-0 Start, Jerome, Defense, Atkinson

November 18th, 2024 at 4:11pm CST by Rory Maher

The Cavaliers joined illustrious company after defeating Charlotte on Sunday, becoming just the fourth team in NBA history to open a season with 15 consecutive victories, per Jenna West and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. The other three teams were the Washington Capitols (15-0 in 1948/49), the Rockets (15-0 in ’93/94), and the Warriors (24-0 in ’15/16).

Darius Garland (25 points, 12 assists, five rebounds), Ty Jerome (24 points, eight assists), Evan Mobley (23 points, 11 rebounds) and Jarrett Allen (21 points, 15 rebounds) led a balanced attack for Cleveland, which won by 14 points despite playing without star guard Donovan Mitchell, who was resting. As Lloyd notes, the Cavs have the best offensive rating in the league, having scored at least 130 points six times, which is a franchise record; they nearly accomplished the feat again on Sunday, finishing with 128.

The Cavs will face their biggest test of the season on Tuesday in Boston against the defending champion Celtics, who are 11-3, good for second place in the East.

Here’s more on the Cavaliers:

Head coach Kenny Atkinson complimented Jerome following Sunday’s game, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “He’s one of our best players right now,” Atkinson said. “It’s always nice having another ball-handler out there so D.G. doesn’t get worn out.” For his part, Jerome said the victory was a byproduct of the team’s depth. “Just a deep, complete team,” Jerome said. “Kenny said after the game, ‘We go one through 18 and we’re 18 deep.’ Something we pride ourselves on.” The 27-year-old guard, who was limited to just two games last season due to an ankle injury, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
While their 15-0 start has been remarkable, Atkinson said he’s unhappy with how the defense has performed of late, according to Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Cavs gave up 73 points in the first half — and 126 overall — in Friday’s victory over Chicago, then 114 to Charlotte on Sunday.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN takes an in-depth look at how the Cavs’ offseason plans have paid off in a major way to open ’24/25. Atkinson, who was hired in late June to replace J.B. Bickerstaff, has implemented several changes, particularly on the offensive end, and has “total buy-in” from the team’s star players, Windhorst writes. “This is rare,” Atkinson said. “We just have this incredible chemistry and an incredible understanding and respect for one another. It’s beautiful to watch.”

De’Aaron Fox, Franz Wagner Named Players Of The Week

November 18th, 2024 at 2:39pm CST by Rory Maher

Kings guard De’Aaron Fox has been named the Western Conference Player of the Week, while Magic forward Franz Wagner has won the award for the East, the NBA announced on Monday (via Twitter).

Although Sacramento only went 2-2 during the week of November 11-17, Fox had a phenomenal four games individually, averaging 40.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 2.0 steals on .574/.571/.810 shooting in 37.1 minutes per contest. He scored a career-high 60 points in Friday’s overtime loss to Minnesota and followed that up with 49 points in Saturday’s win over Utah, becoming just the third player in NBA history to score at least 109 points in back-to-back games.

Fox is averaging a career-best 28.9 PPG, which ranks sixth in the league, through 14 games. After leading the NBA with 2.0 steals per game in ’23/24, he’s currently seventh this season at 1.8 per contest. The Kings hold an 8-6 record.

Wagner, a 23-year-old forward from Germany, also had a terrific week. He averaged 30.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.0 steals while only turning the ball over three times in three home victories (36.5 MPG). He posted a shooting line of .458/.357/.889. The Magic have won five straight and, like the Kings, are currently 8-6.

According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Alperen Sengun and Shaedon Sharpe. Wagner, who was also nominated for the award last week, beat out Giannis Antetokounmpo, Cade Cunningham, Dyson Daniels, Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum and Karl-Anthony Towns in the East.

Heat Notes: Martin, Butler, Rozier, Jaquez, Ware

November 18th, 2024 at 1:52pm CST by Rory Maher

Sixers forward Caleb Martin said his return to Miami has been “bittersweet, for sure,” per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Martin has been in Miami since the weekend as the 76ers had a couple days off before facing Miami on Monday. The 29-year-old spent the past three seasons with the Heat before signing a four-year, $35MM+ deal with Philadelphia as a free agent over the offseason.

“Obviously, I had a lot of great memories here, unforgettable memories,” Martin said. “I still got lifelong relationships that I still have with guys. This is my second home.”

As Chiang writes, Martin confirmed previous reporting that he declined an extension offer from Miami that was contingent upon him picking up his 2024/25 player option worth $7.1MM. Martin would have received an additional $58MM over four years on top of that option, putting the total value at $65MM over five years.

The tricky part was the timing — Martin had to make a decision on picking up his option by June 29, the day before free agents could negotiate with rival teams. His representation thought he could get more money in free agency, which didn’t materialize. But he doesn’t fault his agent for how things played out.

“Nobody has a crystal ball,” Martin said. “At the end of the day, nothing gets approved without me giving the OK, ultimately. That’s stuff that you live and you learn. Obviously, it hurts because of all the memories and everything that comes with this and there’s obviously money left on the table. But I think there are also other aspects of the decision and how things shook out that was a good thing, and that I might have had to move on.”

Martin, who was undrafted in 2019 and was released by Charlotte before catching on with the Heat on a two-way deal three years ago, said he tries to keep things in perspective, since he still signed the most lucrative contract of his career.

“I’m very fortunate to be where I’m at and still have another guaranteed four years in this league, which is hard,” said Martin. “Coming from where I come from, if you would have told me I had a guaranteed nine years in the league, I would have never believed you. Regardless, I’m blessed. I’m very blessed to still be competing at a high level.

“I do feel like I’m in a very good spot. I feel like I would have been in a good place regardless. I would have loved to have come back and made that work, as well. It’s nothing personal against [the Heat]. I have nothing but love for them.”

Here are a few more notes from Miami:

Star forward Jimmy Butler will return to action on Monday after missing the past four games with a right ankle sprain, the team announced (via Twitter). Butler, 35, could be a free agent in 2025 if he declines his $52.4MM player option for next season. If you count the game he was injured (he played fewer than seven minutes), the Heat went 2-3 in Butler’s absence.
While it’s obviously welcome news that Butler will be back tonight, the Heat will be without two rotation regulars in Terry Rozier (right foot discomfort) and Jaime Jaquez, according to the the team. As Chiang of The Miami Herald writes, Jaquez suffered a right ankle sprain at the end of the third quarter in Sunday’s loss to Indiana. The second-year forward had an X-ray, which came back negative. “That’s one of the craziest ones,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Jaquez’s injury. “He just happened to be backpedaling back and stepped on (T.J.) McConnell’s foot. He says he’s fine. There’s no way to know with sprained ankles. We’ll find out when we get back to Miami.”
First-round pick Kel’el Ware hasn’t gotten many opportunities for playing time to this point in his rookie season, but he’s embracing the team’s development plan and is trying to soak up as much knowledge as he can, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “I really like the way he’s developed,” Spoelstra said. “He’s embraced us and the structure. He’s responded well to it. He’s already responded very well in the weight room, gotten a lot stronger and then he’s just been diligent, working. Is it going to be perfect? You know, no. He still has a lot of things to learn and figure out where he can be most effective in his role. But if he continues to stack days with intention the way he has been, he’s going to improve very quickly.”

Atlantic Notes: Sixers’ Struggles, Embiid, Drummond, Porzingis, Tillman

November 18th, 2024 at 11:54am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Sixers hold the NBA’s second-worst record at 2-10, only one game ahead of the Raptors for last place in the league. They rank last in the league in scoring, rebounding, assists and shooting. Amid the early season struggles, they’ve had some bright spots like rookie Jared McCain‘s strong play and Guerschon Yabusele‘s return to the league.

This version of the Sixers wasn’t built on silver linings. They were built to contend this offseason when they cleared their books in order to sign wing Paul George, re-sign guard Tyrese Maxey, and add several role players like Caleb Martin and Andre Drummond. Still, it’s impossible to overlook the difficult hand they’ve been dealt with injuries. Each of their three stars – Joel Embiid, Maxey and George – has dealt with a multi-week injury and the trio has yet to suit up in the same game this season.

Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer ponders whether the injuries are truly the only thing to blame for Philadelphia’s start or if there’s more going on.

“We’ve really got to get serious about the execution side of the offense, right?” coach Nick Nurse said. “… It’s not easy with a whole bunch of new guys and guys coming in and out, obviously. But that’s what we are. So we got to get to work on it for sure.”

There are areas for concern even at full health, Pompey opines. Maxey needs to regain his shooting touch from last year, as he’s only made 28.6% of his three-point attempts. George’s averages are also down from last season — he has scored 16.5 points per game on 39.8% shooting from the field (down from 22.6 PPG on 47.1% shooting last year). Embiid is also averaging 16.5 PPG on 26.9% shooting in two games. For my money, these are all small sample sizes and the raw numbers seem likely to balance out when the trio plays more together. Still, it’s a trend worth monitoring.

Pompey also adds that late-game struggles are an issue that needs fixing. After taking an eight-point lead on Friday against Orlando, the 76ers surrendered a 16-0 run and ended up losing.

“It seems like it’s every game,” Embiid said. “We have a very good 30 minutes. … [then fall apart] … especially, because we’re not at full strength and [I’m] not myself yet. So it feels like you don’t have a lot of margin for error.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Things likely won’t get any easier for the Sixers on Monday against the Heat. Embiid is listed as doubtful for the tilt in Miami due to an illness, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). If he’s ruled out, it would mark Embiid’s 11th game missed due to injury, illness, or suspension this fall.
Drummond only logged four first-half minutes on Friday against Orlando after missing last Wednesday’s loss to Cleveland while dealing with an illness. Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that the Sixers‘ backup center looked “a lot bouncier and fresher” in Sunday’s practice, per Nurse. Yabusele logged backup center minutes against Orlando. Rookie second-round pick Adem Bona was assigned to the Delaware Blue Coats on Sunday but was quickly recalled on Monday, per PHLY Sports’ Derek Bodner (Twitter link) signaling Philadelphia’s lack of healthy frontcourt options.
Celtics center/forward Kristaps Porzingis has reached the next phase of his recovery process, per a release from the team. As part of his rehab process, he and Xavier Tillman were assigned to the G League’s Maine Celtics for a practice on Monday afternoon. After this practice, the pair will be recalled to Boston where Porzingis will continue to ramp up his workload. No further updates on a timeline are available. Porzingis hasn’t yet made his 2024 debut after undergoing offseason leg surgery. Tillman isn’t injured but was a DNP-CD in Boston’s last game and is averaging 1.5 points on 26.1% shooting this season.
The Knicks are undefeated this season when Karl-Anthony Towns has at least four assists, and Ian Begley of SNY writes that the team believes his passing has reached a new level. “He’s always been unselfish. He’s always been a team-first guy. But now I think he really sees things,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He understands what the defense is trying to do. He knows if there is overhelp. He’s seeing the whole floor now. Initially, like most young guys, the vision was more narrow. It may have been on one guy. But now he sees more than one guy. He sees the defense, he knows where everyone is. (He knows) if there’s overhelp, I can fake here and throw there. That goes a long way.”

Load More Posts