Bill Duffy Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Colangelo, Okafor, Lee, Ross

December 10th, 2015 at 10:01am CST by Chuck Myron

The Sixers decided to hire Jerry Colangelo because they felt GM Sam Hinkie mishandled negative publicity surrounding Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor in recent months, Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher says in a video. Owners with minority stakes in the Sixers pressured primary owner Josh Harris to make the move, Bucher adds. It’s inaccurate to say that the hiring came about in part because of pressure from owners who complained to the league about the Sixers’ rebuilding and its negative financial ripple effects, league sources told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who writes at the bottom of a larger piece. Still, commissioner Adam Silver was indeed involved in the move, Pompey adds. See more from the Atlantic Division:

The NBA continues to investigate the recent incidents involving Okafor and it hasn’t decided whether it will mete out punishment on top of the two-game suspension the Sixers issued last week, league officials told TMZ Sports. Colangelo has a strong relationship with agent Bill Duffy, who represents Okafor, as Bucher points out in his video. “Based on what we currently know, we support the 76ers’ approach in this matter,” an NBA spokesperson said to TMZ Sports. “The league office is continuing to investigate the events of that night.”
David Lee doesn’t regret the trade that brought him to the Celtics and ended his time with the Warriors, even as Golden State has embarked on a 23-0 start, as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group relays. Lee’s representatives reportedly cooperated with the Warriors as they sought a new home for him this summer. “This is a business, and because of the salary cap and things like that, it was time for me to move on, and that’s what I did,” Lee said. “It couldn’t have ended any better.”
Terrence Ross is much the same player he was a few weeks after the Rudy Gay trade two years ago, and that’s perhaps the glaring issue for the swingman who signed a three-year, $31MM extension with the Raptors last month, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. His game grew more in the immediate wake of the trade than it has since, and inconsistency has plagued him, Lewenberg asserts.

Western Notes: Ezeli, Miller, Lillard, Diawara

November 2nd, 2015 at 5:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

Festus Ezeli‘s favorable perception of the Warriors hasn’t changed in the wake of the end of extension talks between agent Bill Duffy and the team, as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group relays. The center is headed into restricted free agency in July with the extension window officially set to close at 11pm Central tonight.

“Obviously [Duffy] didn’t come up to an agreement with the team, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that I want to be here for the rest of my career, and I love these guys,” Ezeli said. “I love the team. We discussed it a little bit with my family, and [Duffy] kind of told us what he thought was best moving forward, and we went with that.”

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Part of the reason the Timberwolves wanted to sign Andre Miller is because Flip Saunders wanted to shore up the team’s troubles with simply inbounding the ball at the end of games, as TNT’s David Aldridge notes within his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Of course, Miller’s leadership was key, too, and Saunders told Miller ahead of time that the team would be signing fellow veteran Tayshaun Prince, as Miller said to Aldridge for a piece that further shows the respect the Wolves have for the late coach/executive.
Damian Lillard‘s play has been surprisingly underwhelming so far this season, but it’s chiefly a product of his willingness to experiment with his game so that he can tailor it to the needs of the Blazers‘ overhauled roster, as Jason Quick of CSNNW.com examines. “It’s easy for me to go out there and get 35 and have seven assists and the game not be played as well,’’ Lillard said. “But if we are going to play the game the right way and if our team is going to grow and keep getting better, then I have to make sure we are doing things the right way.’’
Four-year NBA veteran and Grizzlies camp cut Yakhouba Diawara has signed with CSP Limoges of France, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Freelance journalist Guido Guida first reported the news (Twitter link).

Odds & Ends: Pietrus, Knicks, Johnson

August 15th, 2013 at 6:30pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Mickael Pietrus's agent Bill McCandless tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that the 6'6 forward has a workout scheduled with an undisclosed NBA team in September, and that two other teams have shown interest in bringing him in for a look as well. The 31-year-old swingman last played for the Raptors in 2012-13, averaging 20.3 MPG, 5.3 PPG, and 34.7% shooting from the field in 19 games. McCandless added that Pietrus is currently working out in France and is "100% healthy." Here are a few more news and notes from around the NBA:

Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (via Twitter) confirms that undrafted point guard Myck Kabongo has left agent Rich Paul and will now be represented by Bill Duffy, who also represents Lakers guard Steve Nash.
Citing a source familiar with the Knicks' plans, Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York tweets that the Knicks could possibly be looking to add another big man, but it isn't clear if they're looking to do so now or during veteran's camp (Twitter link).
Along with most free agents right now, Ivan Johnson isn't making much progress on any contract talks, as Zwerling (via Twitter) relays a source close to the situation who says that things are still in "slow motion right now."
Grantland's Jonathan Abrams writes an excellent piece which revisits the circumstances that contributed to Jonny Flynn's struggles with finding a niche in the NBA and the hip injury in Minnesota that stifled his development. Despite the lack of opportunity with the Clippers in this year's summer league, the 24-year-old guard is still determined to make it out of an NBA training camp in the fall. However, he could possibly opt for China or Spain if it doesn't work out.
Jeff Caplan of NBA.com thinks the change of scenery from Milwaukee to Dallas could be just what Mavericks guard Monta Ellis needed to become more efficient and consistent at this point in his career.