Antoine Walker Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Notes: McRoberts, McGruder, Wade, J. Johnson

November 20th, 2016 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

There are signs that the Heat have lost confidence in Josh McRoberts, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Instead of turning to McRoberts when backup center Willie Reed suffered a hyper-extended knee recently, coach Erik Spoelstra rushed Hassan Whiteside back into the game. He used James Johnson and Luke Babbitt as reserves instead of McRoberts. Part of the problem is McRoberts’ lack of aggressiveness on offense, as he is averaging just 1.3 points in the three games he has played. He has a player option worth more than $6MM for next season.

There’s more news out of Miami:

The Heat look like they made a wise investment when they signed promising guard Rodney McGruder to a long-term contract, Winderman writes in the same piece. McGruder, who is averaging 4.8 points in 18.0 minutes through the first 11 games, signed a three-year deal in July with a small guarantee for next season and none for 2018-19. Miami will own his Bird Rights when that contract expires.
Former Heat player Antoine Walker thinks the team may suffer long-term damage from letting Dwyane Wade leave in free agency, Winderman writes in another story. “I think the situation with Dwyane Wade rubbed a lot of superstars the wrong way, to let Dwyane Wade walk out the door,” Walker said in a recent appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “I think Dwyane Wade played excellent last year. I think he played good enough where he could have deserved a big-time contract. It was a no-brainer. He was healthy pretty much the whole season.”
The Heat are getting defensive value out of two of their offseason signings, notes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. James Johnson leads all forwards in the league by holding the players he guards to 27.7% shooting. Dion Waiters is second among starting NBA shooting guards, limiting opponents to 36.4%.

Odds & Ends: Rivers, Granger, Ellis, Muhammad

June 25th, 2013 at 12:02am CST by Zachary Links

Doc Rivers is sold on the "new" Clippers, but still isn't sold on owner Donald Sterling. That could be part of the delay in the two sides hammering out the final details of his contract. A source close to Rivers told Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald he was getting pulled hard in different directions last week as the Celtics and Clippers were negotiating a deal.

On one hand, Doc had coaching types telling him he had to jump at the opportunity to coach Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. However, others told him he would be crazy to step into the asylum that has been the Clippers over the years. Regardless, the contract seems like nothing but a formality at this point and we should see Rivers introduced as the new head man in L.A. this week. Here's more from around the Association..

Chad Ford of ESPN.com hears that the Cavs are engaged in trade talks with a number of teams and sources say the Thunder, Timberwolves, and Blazers have been the most proactive in trying to get the No. 1 pick. Meanwhile, Ford still believes that Cleveland will go with Nerlens Noel if they keep the top selection.
Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter) asked an NBA executive for some names that are hot-and-heavy in trade talks. The names he got back were the Pacers' Danny Granger, the Bucks' Monta Ellis (sign and trade), the Rockets' Thomas Robinson, and the Wizards' Jan Vesely.
Brian Shaw's deal with the Nuggets will be either three years or four years, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Nuggets hired the Indiana assistant earlier this evening.
A source tells Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) that UCLA product Shabazz Muhammad worked out for the Pistons today. The source said that the audition went well for the guard/forward.
The Wolves are still offering Derrick Williams around the league to see what they can get for him, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. The T-Wolves reportedly believe that Williams and the No. 9 pick can vault them into the top three.
Recently appointed Kings assistant GM Mike Bratz said he's more of a see and "feel" guy in evaluating talent, but does use stats and analytics, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
Former Celtics standout Antoine Walker told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (on Twitter) that he is "serious" about becoming an NBA coach.

Kyler’s Latest: Meeks, Lakers, CBA, Walker

August 13th, 2012 at 8:36am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler turns his attention away from yesterday's Olympic final in London and touches on a few NBA items of interest. Here are a few of the highlights from Kyler's piece:

Jodie Meeks' deal with the Lakers appears to be worth about $2.97MM over two years — $1.45MM in year one, with a team option for the second year worth 104.5% of that amount ($1,515,250).
Having signed Meeks, the Lakers are now expected to finalize Devin Ebanks' deal today, putting 14 contracts on their books. With just one roster spot left and having spent close to $100MM already, the team is likely finished with its summer moves, despite having been linked to Kenyon Martin and others, says Kyler.
Examining how the new CBA has affected free agent deals, Kyler notes that the NBA's "middle class" has been hit hard. He points to players like Meeks and C.J. Watson, who signed for less than expected, as well as players still on the market and struggling to find offers, such as Leandro Barbosa and Carlos Delfino. Kyler predicts Barbosa and Delfino may get their best offers from their former teams at reduced rates.
Antoine Walker, who has played in the D-League the last couple years, acknowledges that his playing career may be over, as he indicated back in April. However, he tells Kyler that he intends to remain close to the game, and hopes to find a role as a coach or analyst at some level.

Minor Moves: Leslie, Walker, Williams

March 29th, 2012 at 3:47pm CST by Luke Adams

We'll track the day's notable international and D-League-related transactions here:

The Clippers have re-assigned Travis Leslie to their D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam, tweets Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside. It's Leslie's second assignment of the season.
The D-League's Idaho Stampede will re-sign Antoine Walker today, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Stampede released Walker last week to allow him to tend to a personal matter, intending to bring him back.
Former NBA big man Justin Williams will join the D-League's Los Angeles D-Fenders, according to Sam Amick of SI.com (via Twitter). Williams played 49 career NBA games from 2006 to 2008, 48 for the Kings and a single game for the Rockets, averaging 3.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per game.

Minor Moves: McCants, Walker, Caracter

March 23rd, 2012 at 2:34pm CST by Luke Adams

We'll track today's notable international and D-League-related transactions here:

After playing just one game for Piratas de Quebradillas in Puerto Rico, Rashad McCants was waived, according to Sportando. McCants is hoping his play in Puerto Rico will help propel an NBA comeback, but he's now been waived twice this week.
The D-League's Idaho Stampede have waived another comeback-hopeful, Antoine Walker, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The team needed to add a player to the roster using Walker's spot while he tends to personal matters, says Spears. The Stampede could add Walker back to the roster this weekend (Twitter link).
Derrick Caracter has been waived by the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers, adds Spears. Caracter, who played 41 games for the Lakers last year, was waived this year before his contract became guaranteed for the season.