Amar’e Stoudemire Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Stoudemire, Jackson, Livingston

March 20th, 2014 at 9:35pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Knicks are riding the second-longest winning streak in the NBA at seven games, and the resurgence of Amar’e Stoudemire has been instrumental in their recent success. Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report sat down with Stoudemire and spoke about the big man’s tenure in New York. Stoudemire touches on why he was initially excited to play for the Knicks and reveals he’s interested in taking on a front office role for the team someday. Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

In a piece for Basketball Insiders, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times runs down the 2014 cap situation for each team in the Atlantic Division. The Celtics, Knicks, and Nets are likely to remain over the cap this offseason, while the Raptors and Sixers will probably have the chance to slip underneath.
New Knicks president Phil Jackson is likely to be a big draw for free agents, but Jeanie Buss doesn’t think he’ll be able to match the allure that the Lakers franchise has, write Pincus and fellow LA Times scribe Mike Bresnahan. “I think the Lakers are a legacy franchise,” Buss told ESPN 710. “Players know when they come here this is the ultimate platform… I’m not worried about that in any way, shape or form.”
Five analysts discuss Jackson’s hiring in a USA Today piece. Most of them don’t think bringing in Jackson will win the Knicks a championship, but the consensus is that it ultimately won’t harm the Zen Master’s legacy.
Shaun Livingston was able to recover from a gruesome injury and become a key piece in the Nets’ rotation this season. Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today elaborates on the point guard’s career.

Fallout From Jackson/Knicks Press Conference

March 18th, 2014 at 11:02pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Here’s a roundup of more Phil Jackson/Knicks-related notes worth passing along tonight..

Though it was made clear that Steve Mills will continue to handle the duties of a general manager in New York, sources tell Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News that Jackson will be allowed to choose a “basketball man” to help him run the front office. At that point, Mills will have more of a ceremonial role once Jackson has his preferred brain trust in place.
The above piece shed some light on Ronnie Lester potentially being brought in to assist Jackson. Lester, who served as the No. 2 to Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak when Jackson was with the Lakers, would be a viable executive that New York fans could feel better about, says Lawrence. If not Lester, then that person would have to have strong ties to Jackson in order to receive consideration.
The Zen Master may have alluded to a plan to “work the bushes” in order to improve the roster, but people who have spoken with him recently say that he’ll deliberately wait until Amar’e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, and Andrea Bargnani come off the cap in order to accommodate another star and perhaps other pieces.
The thought of Jackson luring Jim Paxson away from the Bulls front office to be his “basketball man” is an intriguing one, opines Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, who also envisions Steve Kerr, Jim Cleamons, Bill Cartwright, Pete Myers, and Kurt Rambis eventually joining Jackson’s regime (Twitter links).
James Dolan tells Scott Cacciola of the New York Times that he sought Jackson’s approval on several deadline deals the team tried to make this season: “If it was a trade that didn’t fit what he was thinking — and I couldn’t tell you the specifics of what he was thinking, but I knew he had a plan … I believed he was coming on board, and I felt I should consult him.”
The Knicks owner also shared how he plans to let Jackson and Mills operate: “They’re going to come in, and they’re going to tell me what they want to do. They’re going to tell me how much it costs, and I’m going to say yes — assuming it doesn’t bankrupt the company. I don’t think they’ll come in with a bankrupt-the-company scenario, but I’ve told them that I’m willing to spend. We need a championship here.”

Eastern Notes: Fredette, Silver, Stoudemire

March 2nd, 2014 at 12:23pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Commissioner Adam Silver not only defended the Sixers, but praised the organization’s strategy for attempting to build a championship contender, writes Jason Wolf of USA Today. This comes a day after former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy slammed the Sixers’ apparent willingness to field a non-competitive team and tank a season to improve its draft stock. “I don’t agree with Coach Van Gundy at all,” Silver said. “I just came from the locker room, I just spoke to the coach. It’s an insult to the entire league to suggest that these guys are going out on the floor and aren’t doing their very best to win games.” Tom Moore of Calkins Media tweeted that Silver said the team isn’t tanking, but rather “building from the ground up.” Silver also told Moore (Twitter link) that he “doesn’t believe a team has to go all the way to the bottom to get to the top.”

Atlantic Links: Brown, Stoudemire, Carmelo

February 4th, 2014 at 10:30pm CST by Ryan Raroque

After previously being part of a Spurs coaching staff that helped San Antonio win three titles, Philadelphia head coach Brett Brown tells Keith Pompey of The Inquirer that bringing a championship culture to the 76ers is much tougher than he anticipated:

“It’s much harder…It’s something that I didn’t judge properly. It doesn’t diminish my enthusiasm being here. I just recognize the monster ahead of us…Trying to build a program to the level we hope to build it to requires so much work and so much luck. And there is no wiggle room. You can’t skip a single step.”

You can find some more miscellaneous links worth passing along out of the Atlantic Division below:

Knicks forward Amar’e Stoudemire is more than eager to be a contributor and asserted that he’s ready to play without minute restrictions: “From a doctor’s standpoint, there hasn’t been (minute) limitations since the first week of the season…So we can’t keep saying limitations; that’s a coach’s decision at the end of the day. I feel great. I am ready to play. But it’s up to him if he wants to play me or not” (Frank Isola of the New York Daily News).
Stoudemire added that he’s spoken with head coach Mike Woodson about increasing his role: “Yeah. I talk to Coach all the time about it. He knows I am ready. He knows how hard I train. He watches me in the weight room and also on the basketball court. The whole training staff knows, the Knicks organization knows how hard I train. I am ready to play. But it depends on how the game is played.”
In response to Mike Wilbon’s recent argument on ESPN that the Bulls should look to add Carmelo Anthony on the premise that stars win in this league, ESPN New York’s Ohm Youngmisuk thinks the same can be said for why the Knicks must do what they can to keep him in New York.
Henry Abbott and David Thorpe of ESPN discuss why Tyson Chandler hasn’t been able to make the same defensive impact we’re used to seeing from seasons past.
Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News explains why Raymond Felton isn’t fit to be the team’s starting point guard.
Tim Bontemps of the New York Post looks at how Shaun Livingston orchestrated his mid-season turnaround. The Peoria native put up 9.2 PPG on 46.1% shooting to go with 4.5 RPG and 1.5 SPG in 29.7 MPG during Brooklyn’s 10-3 stretch in January, and is averaging 18.5 PPG on 51.9% shooting over his last two contests.

Odds & Ends: Irving, Raptors, Trade Talk

January 1st, 2014 at 9:16pm CST by Alex Lee

As the Andrew Bynum rumors continue to pour in, the Cavaliers got some very good news today. Currently sitting only three games out of the East’s eight seed, the Cavs announced that star guard Kyrie Irving‘s left knee sustained no structural damage on Tuesday when he had to be helped off the court after an awkward fall.

Let’s take a look at what else is happening around the NBA on Wednesday:

As Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM writes, the rebuild that the Raptors appeared to be destined for a month or two ago may have already happened in the form of the Rudy Gay trade, which has galvanized the remaining Raptors and given Dwane Casey a bench to work with.
For Insiders, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton outlines what to watch for in the NBA in 2014, including whether flawed but dangerous teams like the Clippers, Blazers and Rockets will load up for a playoff run as well as if one of the top prospects for the 2014 NBA Draft separates himself from the pack by June.
There are some players that will still be off limits for that trio of teams via trade, as well as the rest of the NBA, as Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld writes. Pincus outlines every player not yet eligible to be traded because of a variety of NBA rules.
Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld lists Ben Gordon, Paul Pierce, Danny Granger, Kris Humphries and Amar’e Stoudemire as soon-to-be free agents that will likely have to deal with significant pay cuts in their new deals this summer. Brigham designates Andris Biedrins, Emeka Okafor and Richard Jefferson as honorable mentions.

Knicks Rumors: Chris Smith, Woodson, Amar’e

December 20th, 2013 at 7:42pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks have a noon tipoff Saturday against the Grizzlies at Madison Square Garden, so coach Mike Woodson has holed his team up in a New York hotel, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com passes along. The players have a 10:00pm curfew, according to Carmelo Anthony, but asking anyone in a league known for night games and red-eye plane trips to fall asleep before midnight is a tall order. While the Knicks count sheep, here’s the day’s news from MSG:

There’s plenty of instability surrounding the Knicks, but Chris Smith believes his spot on the roster is safe, as he tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com. Smith, whose minimum-salary contract is fully guaranteed for this season, has won the support of his teammates with his training habits, Charania notes.
Owner James Dolan fired Scott Layden from his post as Knicks president three days before Christmas in 2010, so there’s no reason for Woodson to think his job is safe through the holiday, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Isola wonders if the pressure of fighting for his job has begun to negatively affect Woodson’s performance.
Amar’e Stoudemire says he’ll play Saturday, a further contradiction to Woodson’s statement earlier this week that the team’s highest-paid player would be out “a while.” Stoudemire immediately tweeted a denial of his coach’s assessment, but he says that he and Woodson have “cleared it up and everything is great,” notes Fred Kerber of the New York Post.

Atlantic Rumors: Knicks, Shumpert, MWP, Celtics

December 14th, 2013 at 12:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest out of the Atlantic Division, where the Knicks remain in last place..

The Knicks would prefer to keep Iman Shumpert out of a deal for Kyle Lowry for the purpose of including him in a future trade and perhaps packaging him with Amar’e Stoudemire, a source tells Frank Isola of the Daily News. Isola adds that the Knicks’ play over the next 48 hours could determine whether or not they make the deal with injuries playing a major factor.
If the trade talk is getting to Knicks veteran Metta World Peace, then he’s not letting on to the public. “There’s nothing to deal with,’’ World Peace said, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. “It’s like, ‘What am I dealing with? I’m getting paid to play basketball.’ Some guys take trade rumors more personal. What am I dealing with? I work hard. I still can play. I love challenges. All the teams that called me, I wanted an adventure — China, Knicks, Arena Football. This is an adventure. This is good. You have to be ready for the unpredictable. I’m glad I can go through unpredictable situations.’’
The Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett gives credit to the Celtics‘ bench, featuring newcomers Phil Pressey and Vitor Faverani.

Eastern Notes: Amar’e, Raptors, Bulls, Magic

November 25th, 2013 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks owner James Dolan spoke glowingly of Amar’e Stoudemire last week, telling the New York Post that he has no regrets about the signing and that he credits Stoudemire for making the team a desirable landing spot for players like Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler. As Marc Berman of the New York Post details, Stoudemire was appreciative of Dolan’s comments, and indicated that he hopes to get healthy and productive again for the Knicks.

“My mission is to become a great player and hopefully become a future Hall of Famer,’’ Stoudemire said. “My goal is to do it in New York, to finish out my career here. That’s the goal. That’s the mission — trying to get better and better and try to dodge injuries.”

Here’s more from around the East:

GM Masai Ujiri and the new decision-making group in the Raptors‘ front office are trying their best to be patient and evaluate the roster before making any changes, says Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune argues that, with Derrick Rose sidelined for another season, the Bulls ought to blow up the current roster and do what it takes to become a lottery team. However, a team source tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that Chicago has “no interest in playing the draft lottery.” Given how weak the Eastern Conference looks this year, it would likely take several big moves for the Bulls to bottom out, so I’d be surprised if they chose that route.
Expect the Magic to be active in exploring potential trades this season, but they won’t make a move unless it advances their long-term goals, writes Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
In addition to discussing the Sixers‘ surprising start and his success early on in the season, Evan Turner said he isn’t thinking about his uncertain future with the team, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Stoudemire, Nets

November 24th, 2013 at 12:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

Knicks owner James Dolan reportedly told the team’s coaches before the season that he expects them to win the championship this year, but Marc Berman of the New York Post hears that the owner never said he “expects” a title, and didn’t issue any edict. Dolan nonetheless said recently in a rare public statement that he thinks the team is one of many that could win it all this year. For now, that seems like a pipe dream for the 3-9 Knicks and everyone else in the Atlantic Division, where all five teams are below .500. Here’s more from the division that’s been the NBA’s worst so far:

Amar’e Stoudemire wants to retire as a member of the Knicks and tells reporters, including Berman, that he has a genuine affection for Dolan.
Garnett told reporters on Friday that, “You’re going to have the business of basketball come into play, I’m sure, and management is probably going to do what they’ve got to do,” and Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News sees it as a hint at roster changes for the Nets.
Celtics forward Gerald Wallace isn’t as surprised as most that the Nets are struggling, having figured the team would sputter at first without having had much experience playing together, observes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
It’s an awkward fit for Wallace and three other veterans Boston acquired in its blockbuster offseason trade with Brooklyn, but Celtics GM Danny Ainge isn’t concerned they’ll become disruptive malconents, as fellow Herald scribe Mark Murphy notes.
Doug Smith of the Toronto Star answers reader mail and shares his thoughts on the Raptors, believing GM Masai Ujiri will be hesitant to take on much long-term salary in a trade this year.

James Dolan Talks Woodson, Isiah, Amar’e

November 22nd, 2013 at 8:27am CST by Luke Adams

Knicks owner James Dolan doesn’t speak to the media often, but amidst his team’s 3-8 start to the 2013/14 season, he sat down with Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post for a Q&A. While there was no mention of the Knicks’ peculiar decision to keep Chris Smith on the roster, or any discussion of Carmelo Anthony‘s long-term future, Dolan did provide a few comments on topics of interest. Let’s round up a few of the highlights….

On whether Mike Woodson‘s job is safe:

“I have a lot of confidence in Woodson, and one thing I can say about Mike is he has the respect of all the players. They all respect him. And he treats them fairly and relatively equally, and that’s part of where the respect emanates from. And those are hard things to get from a coach. When a coach loses a team… that’s when a coach is kind of done.”

On comparing this year’s team to last year’s squad, which started off 18-5:

“You know what? I wouldn’t take last year’s team for this year’s team, because this year’s team is more designed to be a playoff team, whereas last year’s team was 18-5 but look who was playing: we had Rasheed Wallace who was doing everything for us, right? And we just started losing player after player… by the time we got to the playoffs that 18-5 team wasn’t the team that was playing in the playoffs. If they were I think we would’ve beaten Indiana.”

On replacing GM Glen Grunwald with Steve Mills just before camp got underway:

“I didn’t time it, per se, like that. I’m surprised other folks were surprised about this. The general manager’s work doesn’t really occur at that time of year. If you’re going to change general managers that’s probably the right time to do it. The next available trade date is December 15th¹. You’ve just finished free agency and all that. It’s a lull period. The timing didn’t really have much to do with that.”

On whether he’d ever bring back Isiah Thomas:

“Do I think he deserves another shot? Yeah. It just can’t be here. And I think he’s talented. I think he’s particularly talented at finding basketball talent. But I think he’s probably dismayed at this point. But I don’t see him coming back to New York. I couldn’t do that to him, and I couldn’t do that to the organization. He would probably do it as my friend, but I couldn’t do it to him or his family. And you know what the press would do here. We’re interested in getting better and that situation would be such a distraction that it would actually hinder our ability to get better.”

On whether he’d like a mulligan on signing Amar’e Stoudemire:

“Nope…. We would not be where we are today without Amar’e. That summer, the summer of “The Decision,” there were a whole bunch of free agents, and the guys put their thing together in Miami, and Amar’e agreed to come to the Knicks, gave us a launch pad by which we could convince the other guys like Tyson [Chandler] to come, and ultimately Carmelo to come play with us. Do I think Carmelo would have come if we didn’t have Amar’e? No, I don’t think he would’ve. These free agents, when you get to this level of player — the Carmelos, the LeBrons, the Durants — the first thing they want before the money or anything else is to be on a winning team. They’ve got to believe they have a shot.”

¹ Trades can be made prior to December 15th, but most players signed this offseason can’t be dealt until after that date.