Andre Iguodala Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Jazz, Iguodala, Blazers

October 9th, 2012 at 5:41pm CST by Sean Highkin

The Northwest Division promises to be one of the most competitive in the league during the 2012/13 season. The Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to defend their Western Conference championship; the Denver Nuggets added Andre Iguodala to an already deep team; and the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves made key offseason changes that should have them in the playoff hunt. Here is the latest chatter from up north on Tuesday afternoon:

Mike Sorensen of the Desert News writes that second-year center Enes Kanter is impressing Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin in training camp.
Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune has a feature on Jazz second-round pick Kevin Murphy, who is fighting for a roster spot with the team.
Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune examines the improved shooting stroke of DeMarre Carroll this offseason.
Iguodala has taken on a leadership role in his first training camp as a Nugget, writes Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post.
The Oregonian's Joe Freeman reports (via Twitter) that Blazers coach Terry Stotts will limit all of his players to one half of action during Portland's preseason opener on Wednesday.

Odds & Ends: Sullinger, Magic, Maynor, Sixers

October 8th, 2012 at 10:09pm CST by Michael Pina

Here are a few bits of news and notes from around the league.

Celtics rookie Jared Sullinger may have a body type that mirrors former Celtic forward Glen Davis, but the two players boast very different games, writes WEEI.com's Paul Flannery.
AJC.com's Chris Vivlamore writes about how Hawks point guard Jeff Teague needs to become a vocal leader this season.
NBA.com writer Josh Cohen dives into whether or not the Magic will be active at February's trade deadline.
Glen Davis says the Magic starters have great chemistry so far, writes the Orlando Sentinel's Josh Robbins.
CSNPhilly.com's John Finger asks how the Sixers are going to replace Andre Iguodala's elite perimeter defense.
CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes introduces fans to Trail Blazers big man guru Kim Hughes, a coach who should be integral to lottery pick Meyers Leonard's development.
If James Harden re-signs with the Thunder, it will signal the end of Eric Maynor's tenure with the team, according to The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry.

Atlantic Links: Celts, Sixers, Moultrie, Smith

September 20th, 2012 at 11:00pm CST by Alex Lee

As if the Atlantic division didn't have a busy enough offseason, the Celtics were active again on Thursday . After waiving Keyon Dooling, who then retired, Boston signed Micah Downs to what is likely a non-guaranteed deal and gave guaranteed dollars to Darko Milicic. They now have 14 guaranteed roster spots and 19 total players in training camp. John Hollinger of ESPN gives his take, insider only, on the Celtics roster.

Surely, that couldn't have been it for the ever-changing Atlantic. Let's keep track of all the other links floating around on Thursday within the division:

We have detailed at great length the roster overhaul that the Sixers went through this offseason. John Hollinger of ESPN breaks down their new roster for the 2012-13 seasons (Insider access only).
Dei Lynam of CSN Philly looks at Andrew Bynum and Andre Iguodala, both of whom could be unrestricted free agents this offseason. Bynum seems like a good bet to re-sign in Philly, while the future of Iguodala, should he opt out, is far more difficult to predict.
The ankle injury that has hobbled Sixers first round pick Arnett Moultrie for most of the summer has not progressed as well as the team has hoped, reports John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Moultrie's effectiveness is heavily reliant on his athleticism, making it crucial for him legs to be at full strength as a rookie.
Jonathan Abrams examines the enigma that is Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith for Grantland. Smith is ultra-talented and has been productive, but for whatever reason has not been able to find a home.
Former Knick Stephon Marbury talked all things Knickerbockers with Ian Begley of ESPN New York. Marbury questions Amare Stoudemire's ability to thrive without Steve Nash, the ownership's motives in bringing in Carmelo Anthony and the potential of the team to advance in the playoffs.

Raptors Notes: Iguodala, Trades, Calderon

September 12th, 2012 at 10:01am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors officially announced their signing of Dominic McGuire this morning, and deals for Jamaal Magloire and Chris Wright are expected to follow. With 14 players already on guaranteed contracts, the Raptors figure to have McGuire, Magloire, and Wright in camp to battle for the team's 15th and final roster spot. Here are a few more of today's Raps-related items:

Lang Greene of HoopsWorld passes along comments made by Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo to Michael Richards on TSN Radio (.mp3 link), which included a handful of interesting tidbits. Among them: Colangelo said the Raptors had a chance this offseason to jump into some trade scenarios, and still have some trade possibilities that they're exploring.
Colangelo singled out Andre Iguodala as a player the Raptors could've been in on, but said the asking price was too high for a guy that can become a free agent as early as next summer. According to Greene, the Raptors would have had to give up DeMar DeRozan, Ed Davis, Jose Calderon, and a first-round pick to land Iguodala.
Colangelo also noted that Calderon's expiring contract makes for a valuable trade asset.
Toronto's GM on the team's offseason: "Maybe we failed this summer to make the sexy move, but I tell you that we have gone about this building it the right way, taking a patience approach which is not easy for me to do. I want to turn things around very quickly sometimes — all of the time. But sometimes you really do have to wait. You have to do it the right way."

Andre Iguodala On Trade, George Karl, Andre Miller

September 9th, 2012 at 9:01am CST by Chuck Myron

Andre Iguodala spoke at length about his Olympic experience to Ryan Mahan of The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Illinois, where Iguodala was born and raised. The Nuggets swingman talked about finding his role on a star-studded Team USA and what it was like to win the gold medal, but his comments to the newspaper about the blockbuster trade that sent him to Denver were perhaps most significant. Iguodala's initial reaction to the deal seemed to indicate he wasn't pleased with the thought of playing for the Nuggets, but at his introductory press conference, he hinted that he'd like to stay in Denver long-term. Here's the latest from the former Sixer:

On finding out about the trade, which went down two days before the gold medal game:

“I heard some rumors the day before. I’ve been in a lot trade rumors in the past so that didn’t faze me. When the trigger was pulled, at that time, it kind of caught me off guard. I wasn’t shocked, but it caught me off guard because the timing was weird, you know, I’m trying to focus on Team USA and trying to help those guys win any way possible.’’

On fitting in with the Nuggets:

“I think I have a really great coach in George Karl. I think he’s one of the best coaches in the NBA right now. And I played with Andre Miller before and I had my best years with him. I’m looking forward to that situation and helping the team get further than they’ve ever been before."

About Denver's playing style:

“We’ll score a lot of points. We’ll have home-court advantage, and that will be great. It’s going to be really exciting. We’ll jet up and down the court, (having) pass-first point guards, and the way they pass it to the wings.”

Odds & Ends: Collins, Nuggets, Warriors

August 26th, 2012 at 10:21pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Sunday night:

Doug Collins tells the Sporting News that he wants to coach four or five more years for the Sixers.
Derek Page of HoopsWorld has some thoughts from Nuggets coach George Karl, who is pleased with the moves Masai Ujiri's staff has made this summer, most notably the trade for Andre Iguodala.
The Warriors' plan to build a new arena in San Francisco is progressing. According to a team press release, they have chosen an architectural firm to begin construction on the new facility.

Odds & Ends: Sixers, Wade, Nuggets, Nash

August 23rd, 2012 at 9:54pm CST by Michael Pina

Now that Andre Iguodala is with the Nuggets, CSNPhilly.com wonders how Denver's head coach George Karl will use the All-Star wing in his system. Here are a few more notes from across the league:

Dwyane Wade told reporters on Thursday that even though Derrick Rose doesn't see himself as the type to recruit other players to join him in Chicago, it may be a necessary move later on in his career, writes ESPNChicago.com's Nick Friedell.
After his involvement in the Dwight Howard trade, Andre Miller is excited to be reunited with Andre Iguodala in Denver, writes Nuggets.com's Aaron J. Lopez. The two were previously teammates in Philadelphia.
NBA.com's John Schuhmann dives deep into the numbers to explain why the Lakers will truly benefit with the addition of Steve Nash.
The Nets agreed to sign Donte Greene earlier today, and the New York Post's Tim Bontemps thinks it was a good move.
NBA.com's John Denton offers various reactions to several recent NBA-related news items.
Pistons second round pick Kim English is excited to start his career on a team that he believes to be headed down the right path, writes MLive.com's Brendan Savage.

Karl Talks Iguodala, Harrington, Afflalo, Future

August 22nd, 2012 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets coach George Karl recently joined Scott Hastings on KFFN in Denver to discuss the Nuggets' part in August's blockbuster four-team trade, how losing two veteran players would affect the team, and the next step for Denver. Sports Radio Interviews provides a transcript of a few of Karl's more interesting quotes, so let's check them out:

On acquiring Andre Iguodala:

"We didn’t want to make a trade unless we knew it was going to make us better. Iguodala was kind of rumored all last year and a little bit after the season…. I think [GM] Masai [Ujiri] just did a great job of keeping a good pulse of what was going on. The negative of the trade is giving up Arron Afflalo and Al [Harrington] who were both very, very pivotal players on our basketball team last year and they’re good leaders on our team. Everybody is saying, what is the difference of the team going to be? And I’m not afraid of the differences and I’m hoping we can get whoever, Ty Lawson or Iggy or someone, into that locker room and give us the positive leadership that Arron and Al gave us and maybe a little bit more."

On whether Harrington was an ideal fit on the Nuggets:

"I think you’re defining where Al is in his career. Al was a scorer and 35 minute player as a guy that had to touch the ball and wanted to touch the ball almost all the time and he was now coming into a team where we were going to ask him to play 25 minutes and try to open up the middle of the court for us and also do some banging inside. In the first year I thought he struggled with his identity or his role on our team but I thought last year he was super. I thought he was absolutely fantastic. I can remember five or six wins that we had that had Al Harrington written all over it."

On how the team will adjust to having Iguodala in Afflalo's place:

"Arron Afflalo is just a rock, a really solid pro. He’s not spectacular, he’s not fancy, he’s not a highlight film but at the end of the game you get a guy who is going to get you 15 to 20 points and going to give you a solid playmaking game. Most of the time he’s a good defender but we made the trade to basically get better defensively. We think Iguodala is a top 10 defender in basketball and I don’t know if he can cover big guys but I don’t think he’d be afraid of the challenge. Play [him] and Gallo (Danilo Gallinari) at three and four and see if we can get away with it but the whole thing comes down to, he fits our personality, he’s one of those players in basketball that on any given night he can get a triple double and he helps you win basketball games by doing little things and team things as much as he does statistical things."

On the next step for the Nuggets:

"It’s our young guys gaining confidence and building trust…. We are excited about this season and we think we can be a top four team in the West. If we get to a top four team in the West we should expect to try to win the first round and see what happens after that."

Iguodala On Future, Denver, George Karl

August 16th, 2012 at 7:16pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Earlier today, we relayed a report that the Nuggets plan to explore a long-term deal to keep Andre Iguodala in Denver.The 6'6 guard/forward is slated to have a player option after the end of this year, but during his introduction as a new member of the Nuggets, Iguodala was pretty clear on where he stands regarding his future. In addition to our earlier post, we were able to gather more noteworthy quotes from the former 76ers swingman (via Bill Ingram from HoopsWorld):

"We’re definitely already looking ahead and seeing how we can go forward and this not being just a quick stop for me, knowing this is a great organization. I got a lot of feedback from a lot of different guys, current players, former players, even other trainers about the organization, that this would be a great place for me to have some great years ahead of me and possibly ending my career here."

Iguodala also mentioned that he spoke to Carmelo Anthony about what playing in Denver would be like:

"(Anthony) said you would be a perfect fit for Coach Karl, you two would really gel with one another. Just small things like that. It got me thinking once the trade went through on a long flight back, looking at the team we have and how I can help the young guys grow. And, having some of my best years with Andre Miller is really one of the best opportunities that I’ve had the opportunity to take advantage of. I’m looking forward to it."

He added that he has been studying the Nuggets offense and has spoken with head coach George Karl about the expectations for the upcoming season:

"It was a really good conversation when we first spoke five or six days ago. The first thing when we spoke he spoke about what I needed to work on, which was great…he went straight to the things he thought I needed to do in order to get the most out of myself and help the team. Free throws was one thing, getting to the free throw line was another. Just being aggressive. That was something I took out of the conversation that I think will help us a lot, being up front and getting the most from each other."

Nuggets To Explore Long-Term Deal For Iguodala

August 16th, 2012 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Since last week's Dwight Howard trade, much has been made about whether Howard will re-sign in Los Angeles and whether Andrew Bynum will re-up with the 76ers, but Andre Iguodala's future in Denver hasn't received much of the spotlight. Asked about the topic at his introductory press conference today, Iguodala hinted that he'd be open to staying with the Nuggets for a while, saying, "We weren't coming into this thinking this will be a one-year deal" (link via Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post).

If Iggy would like to remain a Nugget down the road, there appears to be mutual interest in getting something done. GM Masai Ujiri, who was also at the presser, talked about wanting to lock the athletic forward up to a long-term deal, saying that it's something he'll look into during the coming season.

Iguodala has two years remaining on his contract, at $14.97MM this year and $16.15MM in 2013/14. However, he could opt out next summer, since he has an early termination option on the last year of his deal. Iggy is eligible to sign an extension now, but would have to waive his ETO and opt in for next year to do so, meaning he could only add two new seasons to his current contract. If the 28-year-old is seeking longer-term security, he could also exercise his ETO and sign a new deal with the Nuggets or another team in free agency next July.