Al Horford Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Injury Notes: Horford, Crowder, Thomas, Beal

November 15th, 2016 at 9:45pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Al Horford is still dealing with the lingering effects of a concussion and the big man isn’t sure when he will play again, Mike Petraglia of Green Street writes. “I’m just not where I want to be right now, but trying to work through it,” Horford said. “This is something very new to me, so it’s just trying to get used to this.” Horford added that he is eager to return to the court in order to help the Celtics win games, but doesn’t want to risk a setback. “We’re trying to be as smart as we can about this. I just want to make sure that when I’m ready to go, I’m good to go,” he said.

Here’s more injury notes from around the league:

Jae Crowder took part in shooting drills today, something he hasn’t done since spraining his ankle earlier this month, Petraglia passes along in the same piece. Crowder will remain sidelined for the Celtics match-up with the Mavericks on Wednesday night.
Lance Thomas has plantar fasciitis in both of his feet, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reports. “It’s been hard to move at the speed that I’m used to and the speed that my teammates are used to me moving, especially defensively,” Thomas said. The forward remains sidelined because of a bone bruise in his left ankle and it has limited his impact on court. The Knicks signed Thomas to a four-year, $27MM deal during the offseason and expected him to be a solid contributor off the bench, but the 28-year-old has only scored a total of 31 points during the eight games he has played this season.
Bradley Beal‘s status for Wednesday’s game against the Sixers remains up in the air, but if he is able to play, he’ll be on a minute restriction the following night against the Knicks, J Michael of Comcast Sportsnet writes. Beal is dealing with a hamstring injury this year and it has caused him to miss the last two games. The shooting guard has struggled with an injuries to his leg during his four years in the league, but coach Scott Brooks said that the two injuries are “totally unrelated.”

Atlantic Notes: Hamilton, Knicks, Sixers, Horford

November 12th, 2016 at 3:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Justin Hamilton wasn’t seriously considering the Nets as a free agent until he met with GM Sean Marks and coach Kenny Atkinson, Ryan Lazo of the New York Post reports. After a productive season in Spain, Hamilton attracted a lot of attention from NBA clubs before he signed a two-year, $6MM contract with Brooklyn. The 7-foot center has emerged as a key reserve, averaging 9.8 points and 5.5 rebounds. “They were kind of like the dark horse in there,” Hamilton told Lazo of the free agent process. “I was hearing from a lot of teams and my agent would always slip in Brooklyn. Then when I finally got to talk to Sean and Kenny, it was a great conversation. I didn’t even realize they were watching me over there and following me.”

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

Knicks rookie Willy Hernangomez has been inserted into the rotation but his first outing in that role was a mixed bag, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Hernangomez grabbed 12 rebounds in 23 minutes against the Celtics on Friday but also made five turnovers and blew a couple of layups. The 6’10” Hernangomez has displaced Kyle O’Quinn, who only played three garbage-time minutes. Hernangomez was signed to a partially-guaranteed four-year, $5.9MM contract in July.
Getting a clearer vision of the current roster, rather than wins and losses, is paramount for the Sixers this season, Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Inquirer opines. Finding out whether Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor can play together, determining whether Sergio Rodriguez can thrive in the role of backup point guard, and seeing if power forward Ersan Ilyasova is worth re-signing are some of the issues that need to be sorted out, according to Cooney.
Celtics forward Al Horford is close to returning after missing five games with a concussion, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe relays. Horford was injured during a Halloween practice. “It’s been a challenge for me because I’ve had to be patient,” he told Himmelsbach. “The good thing is that now I’m at the point that I’m starting to feel good again.”

Atlantic Rumors: Valanciunas, Knicks, Nets, Celtics

November 10th, 2016 at 9:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas will not rush back from his knee injury but he calls it a minor issue, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. Valanciunas, who had an MRI last week, has missed the last two games. “We’ve still got the whole season in front of us, it’s not something major, it’s not some big injury, it’s a couple of games, couple of days,” he told Smith. The Raptors are starting rookies Jakob Poeltl and Pascal Siakam at the power positions while Valanciunas mends.

In other developments around the Atlantic Division:

Brandon Jennings doesn’t want his Knicks teammates helping opponents get up if they fall on the court, Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes. Jennings wants his teammates to take a tougher approach, Begley adds. “I wouldn’t want another opponent to help me up,” he told Begley and other writers. “That’s just showing too much respect. In between the lines, you don’t have a New York jersey on, then you don’t mean nothing to me.”
The Nets are scrambling because of injuries to their top point guards, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports. With Jeremy Lin sidelined by a left hamstring strain injury and rookie Isaiah Whitehead recovering from a concussion, the club is using shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick at the point out of desperation, Lewis continues. The Nets waived injured Greivis Vasquez and his one-year, $4.35MM deal this week and called up undrafted rookie Yogi Ferrell from the D-League.
The Celtics, who have been playing without top free agent acquistion Al Horford for the last four games, could make a lineup change, Mike Pedraglia of Greenstreet.weei.com relays. Horford isn’t expected to return for the team’s game against the Knicks Friday. Coach Brad Stevens said could break up the current lineup of Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jaylen Brown, Amir Johnson and Tyler Zeller. “We’ll give thought to lineup change,” Stevens told reporters. “We’ll make the right thing for our team. But the bottom line is the guys that are playing are going to play because of our numbers in some part.”

Atlantic Notes: Ilyasova, Horford, Harris

November 7th, 2016 at 8:18pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Sixers‘ swap with the Thunder that sent Jerami Grant to OKC in exchange for Ersan Ilyasova and a protected first-round draft pick signals a change in the organization’s philosophy from previous years, Derek Bodner of Philadelphia magazine writes. The team appears to no longer be comfortable with hoping to strike gold with castoffs and role-players, and the franchise is looking to make itself more attractive to potential free agents by maximizing its on court potential rather than looking ahead to the draft for a sense of hope, Bodner notes.

The scribe also ran down the benefits of Philly making the trade, noting that Ilyasova’s outside shooting is a boon to the team, considering the lack of deep threats on the team’s roster. Bodner also notes that Grant didn’t have a long-term future with the Sixers given his lack of offensive improvement and the wealth of forwards on the roster. While Bodner takes a generally favorable view of the trade, he does add that it remains to be seen how it will affect Dario Saric, whose playing time is likely to decrease, and how much Ilyasova will play once Ben Simmons is healthy enough to return to action. Saric is averaging a rookie-high 26.4 minutes per game through the Sixers’ first five contests, notching 9.6 points and 5.5 rebounds to go along with a shooting line of .358/.400/.571.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Kristaps Porzingis represents a major part of the Knicks‘ future, but coach Jeff Hornacek doesn’t want to place added pressure on the young big man and prefers not to make him the focal point of the team’s offense, Al Iannazzone of Newsday relays. “You don’t want to put that on a — what did he, just turn 21; second year in the league — when you have players like Carmelo Anthony and now Derrick Rose, guys who have proven it in this league for years,” Hornacek said. “We try not to make [Porzingis] the focal point, but we’re trying not to make Carmelo necessarily the focal point or Derrick the focal point. We want everybody to be involved.”
Celtics center Al Horford, who has missed three games after suffering a concussion in practice last week, has not shown much improvement and his return date still remains in question, Mike Petraglia of WEEI 93.7 FM writes. “He has not advanced in the protocol, based on what I’ve been told,” coach Brad Stevens said. “I have not gotten anything deeper than that but he did not do anything with our team today.”
Joe Harris has been a pleasant surprise for the Nets thus far this season and he credit the team’s coaching staff for giving him the room to develop, something that he was afforded during his time with the Cavs, Bryan Fonseca of NetsDaily relays. “Looking back at my time in Cleveland, it was really valuable in a lot of ways,” Harris said. “Just being around some really high level players, guys that have had a lot of success, I’ve learned a lot from them just by watching. [Cleveland’s] emphasis wasn’t necessarily on letting guys learn through mistakes. It was more so, ‘you come in, and you help impact the game’ because they’re trying to win championships. I feel like the vibe here is a little bit more, ‘if you make a mistake, so be it, you’ve got to learn through it.’ It’s different to be a guy like where I was in Cleveland chasing after spots with guys in front of me like Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Richard Jefferson.”

Eastern Notes: Drummond, Knicks, Wizards

November 3rd, 2016 at 9:18pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy wants to increase Andre Drummond‘s workload but he’s willing to sit his All-Star center if he’s not playing well. Van Gundy said this week that he plans to rest Drummond in shorter bursts this season. “He’s capable of playing big minutes,” Van Gundy said. “We want him out there a lot. Barring foul trouble, we’re trying to get him to where his rests are shorter.” Drummond took a long rest on Wednesday, when the Pistons lost to the Nets. He was benched most of the second half after being outplayed by Brook Lopez. “He was just, in my opinion, bringing absolutely nothing to the game,” Van Gundy told the assembled media in his postgame press conference. “I don’t know if he was tired or what the deal was, but he didn’t bring any energy to the game.”

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Forward Lance Thomas is off to a rough start after being re-signed this offseason to a four-year, $27MM deal by the Knicks, Marc Berman of the New York Post points out. He is averaging 3.3 points on 33% shooting in 20.6 minutes and his defense hasn’t been good enough to make up for his offensive woes, Berman continues. New coach Jeff Hornacek has stuck with Thomas in the rotation even though European rookie Mindaugas Kuzminskas might be a better option, Berman adds.
Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue admits he wasn’t paying much attention during the free agency period, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reports. Lue was impressed when he found out about the Celtics’ signing of Al Horford, making Boston of one the main threats to Cleveland in the Eastern Conference, Fedor adds. “Whenever you are able to acquire another All-Star automatically you are going to get better,” Lue told Fedor. “That’s a great piece in going in the right direction.”
Wizards rookie point guard Tomas Satoransky may have already moved ahead of Trey Burke in the rotation behind starter John Wall, according to Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. Satoransky played 10 second-half minutes against the Raptors on Wednesday in place of Burke, who was acquired in a trade with the Jazz this offseason, Buckner adds. “It’s definitely something that’s going to be considered,” new coach Scott Brooks told Buckner. “Tomas brings a lot of energy and brings some toughness and has good size and athleticism. He’s played that position his entire life.”

Celtics Notes: Hunter, Horford, Smart, Young

October 30th, 2016 at 12:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

When the Celtics waived former first-round pick R.J. Hunter on Monday, they lost their compensation for allowing Doc Rivers to join the Clippers, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. While only Josh Richardson might have been a better choice among available players at No. 28 in last year’s draft, Hunter is still part of an uneven draft record that Boston has produced with its recent wealth of picks. While the Celtics have brought in Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley and Jaylen Brown, they have misfired with Hunter, Fab Melo, and the trade for JaJuan Johnson. They are also haunted by the 2008 selection of J.R. Giddens ahead of DeAndre Jordan, Mario Chalmers and Goran Dragic.

“Right now, the hardest thing is I like R.J. and we’ve invested time in him,” said Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. “I see Jaylen and Terry [Rozier] and Jordan Mickey and Demetrius Jackson and Abdel Nader, who had a terrific summer with us, and the two kids over in Europe that are playing fantastic right now. The draft is the draft, as we all know. You have some good selections and some that don’t fit and don’t work for you. So I’m not disappointed in that regard at all. I’m glad that we have another [Nets] pick next year and we’ll keep taking our swings and trying to find the right guys.”

There’s more today out of Boston:

ABC/ESPN analyst Mark Jackson believes the Celtics will benefit greatly from the free agent signing of Al Horford, Washburn adds in the same piece. “They did a great job of adding Horford, a big that brought to the table what they did not have — a defensive, tough, hard-nosed leader — and you can see that … already,” Jackson said.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens was happy to see Hunter find a new team so quickly, relays Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. Hunter signed with the Bulls on Wednesday, shortly after clearing waivers. “I think he’s a really good player,” Stevens said. “His ability to shoot the ball and his ability to pass the ball are two great strengths … I don’t know how he fits from a rotation standpoint; that would be a [Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg] question. But he’s certainly a good player that can help any team.”
The Celtics are taking their time with decisions about extensions for Smart, Rozier and James Young, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. The deadline is Monday to pick up the fourth-year guaranteed options for Smart and Young and the third-year option for Rozier. Bulpett believes the team is certain to pick up the $4,438,020 for Smart and the $1,988,520 for Rozier. However, the team is still examining trade options for Young, who would be owed $2,803,507 for 2017/18, and may save that decision until the last minute.

Atlantic Rumors: Horford, Smart, Knicks, Sixers

October 20th, 2016 at 10:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Al Horford‘s low-post presence provides a perfect complement to the perimeter skills of Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas, Chris Mannix of The Vertical writes. Boston coach Brad Stevens told Mannix that Horford has reinforced that notion during training camp, along with affirming the team’s decision to offer the big man a four-year, $113MM contract this summer. “Before we signed him, we felt like he was the perfect fit for how we wanted to play. And everything has been validated,” Stevens said. “The ability to quickly move the ball and make the right decision — the ball never sticks with him.”

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

Celtics point guard Marcus Smart is expected to be out two weeks with an ankle injury, Mannix tweets. Smart has suffered numerous left ankle sprains before, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, but it doesn’t appear to be as serious as some of his previous ones. Since the injury is expected to be a short-term situation, it probably won’t impact the decisions that will be made in the coming days to pare the roster down to 15 players, Blakely adds.
Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said point guard Derrick Rose will need to “learn by fire” after spending most of the past two weeks at his civil trial in Los Angeles, Ian Begley of ESPN.com reports. Rose missed five preseason games and seven practices during the trial, in which a jury on found Rose and his two friends not liable in a lawsuit that accused them of gang-raping Rose’s ex-girlfriend. Rose is expected to meet with the coaching staff on Friday to review aspects of the Knicks’ offense that were implemented while he was away, Begley adds.
The Sixers are keeping a close eye on the cuts being made by other teams around the league, Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com reports. A report surfaced on Wednesday that Philadelphia was interested in point guard Tyus Jones. The club could also seek help for its banged-up frontcourt, Camerato adds. “The marketplace forces you to pay attention and make sure you’re doing your job and growing your team,” coach Brett Brown told Camerato.

Atlantic Notes: Budinger, Raptors, Sixers, Celtics

September 28th, 2016 at 4:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Chase Budinger didn’t receive any guaranteed money from the Nets on his new contract, but he’ll have the opportunity to earn a regular-season roster spot, and if he can crack the 15-man squad, he’ll collect his full salary, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Pincus reports (via Twitter) that Budinger’s contract is an all-or-nothing deal, which becomes fully guaranteed if Budinger makes the team.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Raptors general manager Jeff Weltman is pleased with the team’s offseason, as he tells Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. Weltman pointed to the team’s 10 players who are 25 or under as a sign the franchise has “invested in youth,” and singled out first-round picks Jakob Poeltl and Pascal Siakam as rookies who could establish rotation roles.
In the view of Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Joel Embiid‘s health will play a major part in solving the Sixers‘ logjam at center. If Embiid is healthy, it makes Jahlil Okafor more expendable, since Embiid can produce on offense. If Embiid isn’t healthy, it’s more imperative that the team hangs onto Okafor, who can score in the low post.
Speaking on Tuesday to reporters, including Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com, new big man Al Horford said that it “feels right” to be playing for the Celtics, adding that he feels like the club is capable of winning a championship.

Celtics Notes: Thomas, Horford, Ainge, Zeller

September 24th, 2016 at 4:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

Isaiah Thomas believes the Celtics might have landed Kevin Durant if they could have gone into their meeting with a commitment from Al Horford, relays Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. In a wide-ranging interview, Thomas discusses the bright future in Boston, the additions the Celtics were able to make and how close he believes they came to getting Durant. “In our meeting, he was a fan of what he had going, was a fan of [coach] Brad Stevens and [president of basketball operations] Danny Ainge and those types of things,” Thomas said. “I honestly felt like we probably didn’t have enough for him in that situation. He’s trying to win a championship now. Like I said, if we had Al Horford going into that meeting, I think that would have been enough.”

There’s more today out of Boston:

The Celtics recognize that they could use another shooter and a rim protector, but Ainge tells The Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett that chemistry is a concern when it comes to making moves. “It would be nice to add a rim protector that didn’t hurt our offense,” Ainge said. “It would be nice to have a shooter that didn’t hurt our defense. But I feel like we have a lot of guys that are good shooters. But the kind of guys you’re talking about, those guys are hard to find.”
After appearing in a career-low 60 games last season, center Tyler Zeller hopes his new contract brings a larger role, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Zeller re-signed with Boston for $16MM over two seasons after becoming a restricted free agent this summer. Even though the second year of the deal is not guaranteed, it represents a significant raise for Zeller, who earned a little more than $2.6MM last year. Zeller often got overlooked in the Celtics’ crowded frontcourt last season, playing 10 minutes or fewer 28 times. “It was a frustrating year for me, but at the same time it was a time where I could work on my game,” Zeller said. “I was able to work out a lot, put a lot of time in the gym. Hopefully I continue to grow as a player and be even better this year.”
Evan Turner‘s decision to sign with the Trail Blazers has created an opportunity for Marcus Smart, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com. The third-year guard made it into 61 games last season, mostly as a reserve, but Stevens believes he has earned a shot at more playing time. “I think his greatest strength will always be that he’s a guy that makes winning plays that sometimes aren’t quantified,” the coach said, “whether that’s guarding a [Paul] Millsap for eight minutes, or guarding [Kristaps] Porzingis for six minutes, or guarding the point guard for the next four. He’s just a guy that will do anything you ask to help this team win.”

Pistons Notes: Leuer, Smith, Johnson, Blake

September 14th, 2016 at 9:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pistons players concentrated on recruiting this summer and wound up with two of their main targets, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy entered the offseason wanting an experienced backup point guard and a power forward with size who could make 3-pointers. Marcus Morris and Reggie Jackson took care of the first one by convincing former teammate Ish Smith to come to Detroit. Tobias Harris landed the power forward through his connection to Jon Leuer, who broke into the league along with Harris with the Bucks in 2011/12. “Just having a good relationship with Tobias and knowing that he’s been with these guys and knows what it’s like in the locker room and what it’s like to play for coach Van Gundy, it had a big impact on my decision,” Leuer said. “Just somebody that I trust and know has a good sense of what would be good for me.”

There’s more news tonight out of Detroit:

Leuer and the Pistons didn’t fully commit to each other until Al Horford eliminated Detroit from his consideration, Langlois writes in the same piece. When Horford made Boston, Washington and Atlanta his finalists in free agency, the deal was finalized. “Once Al made his decision, it was, ‘OK, let’s figure out how we can get this done,’ ” Leuer said. “We actually came to an agreement before he even landed, so it was more of a celebratory lunch than a meeting.”
After a long learning experience during his rookie year, Stanley Johnson hopes to show the NBA what he is capable of, relays Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Johnson said being a first-year player is like going from kindergarten to being a high school senior. He averaged 8.1 points and 4.2 rebounds in 73 games, but he believes he can do better in 2016/17. “As much as athleticism is involved in the NBA game, it’s more mental than anything,” Johnson said. “You’ll see with the rookies when you watch them play, they’re not behind but they’re making plays slower than everybody because they haven’t seen it yet. That’s where I was last year — except I was playing, I was in the fire, I was in front of everybody and they were watching me make my mistakes on a grand scale.”
Steve Blake, who spent last season with the Pistons, has been working out at the Trail Blazers’ facility, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. The 36-year-old point guard is staying in shape and hoping for another opportunity, she added.