Bryan Colangelo Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Links: Bynum, Carlesimo, Rondo, Raptors

January 29th, 2013 at 8:35pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Led by Jrue Holiday, the 76ers remain three games out of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Significant help in the form of another all-star caliber player could be on the way within the next several weeks, as Andrew Bynum has continued to make progress toward his goal of possibly returning to practice next week, notes Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com. The 7'0 center has been plagued by bone bruises in both knees since the start of the season. With that aside, here are more news and notes from the Atlantic Division:

Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York reports that Nets GM Billy King will meet with owner Mikhail Prokhorov on Wednesday to discuss P.J. Carlesimo and the job he's done so far as the interim head coach. While Carlesimo has done an exceptional job after replacing Avery Johnson, Prokhorov is said to still be enamored with going after big names such as Phil Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy in the offseason.
According to A. Sherrod Blakeley of CSNNE.com, Celtics guard Rajon Rondo will get a second opinion on his ACL injury from Dr. James Andrews, who is considered be arguably "the best orthopedic surgeon in the business."
Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun lays out the Raptors' top five pressing issues as they inch closer to the deadline, calling their interest in Rudy Gay the "most likely to come to fruition" rumor, examining the return of both Andrea Bargnani and Jonas Valanciunas from injury, Terrence Ross' progression into coach Dwane Casey's crunch-time lineup, and the continued acclimation of Landry Fields. With regard to Bargnani, Ganter thinks that Casey may have to provide a significant role at the expense of Ed Davis' minutes in order to showcase the 7-footer's health.
Eric Koreen of the National Post doesn't think that Gay is the cure-all answer for the Raptors, who still have many other important questions to answer regardless of whether they land him or not. Among those question marks involve the franchise's commitment to GM Bryan Colangelo, the need for more significant roster moves, and the struggles of point guard Kyle Lowry.
Doc Rivers doesn't appear too concerned about his players making an adjustment without Rondo, saying that a "no-point guard system" is something that the second unit has already found success with, writes Greg Payne of ESPN Boston.
Mike Woodson will place a higher priority on getting Knicks three point sharpshooter Steve Novak more involved in the offense, says Ian Begley of ESPN New York.

Trade Rumors: Gasol, Hawks, Bucks, Bobcats

December 20th, 2012 at 9:58am CST by Chuck Myron

The trade deadline is two months and one day away, and we'll be hearing a lot about trade candidates in the coming weeks. HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler provides an update on a few teams and players we're likely to hear more about soon.

While Kyler believes it's "inevitable" the Lakers will trade Pau Gasol, he doesn't think there's much of a market for him, having heard there are only three or four teams in the mix. No one is offering a "home run" deal, and trading Gasol now would mean selling low. The Lakers would like to swap Gasol for a pair of players on less lucrative deals who would be better fits, but no such deal is out there at the moment. L.A. has a full roster with 15 players, and the team would like to open up a spot. Kyler speculates that the Lakers could move Jordan Hill, Devin Ebanks, Darius Morris or Darius Johnson-Odom for a second-round pick or a backup point guard.
The Hawks want to trade some of their expiring contracts for a player who can help the team this season, but they won't make a deal unless it's an obvious win. They still want to have enough cap space to fit Dwight Howard or Chris Paul on the team, and with only about $18.5MM in commitments for next season, not including cap holds for free agents like Josh Smith, whom they're optimistic about re-signing and, according to Kyler, not planning to trade. The Hawks could probably add a player who helps now while maintaining enough flexibility this summer.
We heard yesterday that the Bucks have told Brandon Jennings they'll match any offer he'll get in restricted free agency. That makes Monta Ellis the more likely to be traded among the team's pair of backcourt aces, but Kyler hears that there are teams with interest in both. If Milwaukee elects to hang on to Jennings and Ellis, it isn't worried about losing either in free agency.
Everyone on the Bobcats is available in a trade, a source tells Kyler. That's not a shock, considering the team has lost 13 in a row, but Kyler cautions that Gerald Henderson probably won't be dealt unless it's as part of a package with others.
While the Magic are open to sending J.J. Redick away in a deal that offloads other contracts, the team doesn't want to let him go, as GM Rob Hennigan and the revamped front office has become more fond of the veteran two-guard than they were at the beginning of the season.
Kyler believes the Raptors must trade Jose Calderon to recoup value for him before he becomes a free agent next summer, and while it seems like Andrea Bargnani is headed out of Toronto, too, uncertainty about GM Bryan Colangelo's future is complicating potential deals.
If the Jazz remain in the playoff picture, a deal is less likely, but if not, Utah will look to unload one of its big men for draft picks and players on rookie contracts.

Raptors Notes: Bargnani, Calderon, Colangelo

December 14th, 2012 at 1:12pm CST by Luke Adams

As our tentative 2013 draft order shows, if the season ended today, the Raptors would have the league's second-worst winning percentage. If the standings and draft lottery were to form, that would be a silver lining in a disastrous year for the Raps — their first-round pick in 2013 is top-three protected, so the team wouldn't have to give it up if it lands at No. 2. Still, there aren't many other silver linings in Toronto these days, a subject Andrea Bargnani addressed in a conversation with Gazzetta.it. Here are the details on that interview and a few other Raptors links:

Any trade scenarios involving Bargnani or Jose Calderon are on hold with Bargnani and Kyle Lowry injured, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
Colangelo, his senior advisor Wayne Embry, and team ownership met in Toronto this week and are evaluating the club's options, according to Berger (Twitter links).

Earlier updates:

Emiliano Carchia of Sportando translates and passes along a few of Bargnani's quotes from his interview with Gazzetta.it's Davide Chinellato. According to Carchia, Bargnani said he'd miss at least three weeks with his elbow injury, acknowledged that the Raptors were playing way below expectations and were currently one of the worst teams in the league, and admitted he'd heard trade rumors and would be ready if he were to be moved.
Although there has been speculation about Dwane Casey's job security, DeMar DeRozan still has faith in the head coach, writes Eric Koreen of the National Post.
There's no real point in firing Raptors president Bryan Colangelo right now, according to Damien Cox of the Toronto Star.
The Toronto Star staff grades Colangelo's major moves since he was hired in 2006.

Colangelo On Rumors, Young Players, Struggles

December 9th, 2012 at 7:10pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The Raptors have completed just over a quarter of their season schedule, finding themselves tied with the Cavaliers for the second worst record in the Eastern Conference. Yesterday, we noted that GM Bryan Colangelo used the words "unacceptable" and "embarrassing" to describe his current thoughts on the team. During the first quarter of their game against the Clippers today, Colangelo followed up on those comments and touched upon other Raptors-related topics (Holly Mackenzie of Sportsnet.ca has the transcript). Here are some of the highlights:

On trade speculation:

"We were talking to a lot of teams, what we always do, and it's a means of pursing avenues to improve your basketball team so if a deal comes along that makes sense, that is right and fits within the plan of this building process that we've been going through, we'll certainly take a look at it. If it can accelerate that process and if it fits then we'll look to address something. But nothing specific about any player right now. There's been a lot of speculation, a lot of rumors. Again, we're continuing to look at opportunities."

On Andrea Bargnani's consistency issues:

"(Last year) it looked like he was putting up all-star numbers obviously for the first 15-18 games. He has not gotten back to that level. It looked that way early in preseason that he was coming back ready to become and perform at that level. But unfortunately we have not seen that consistency."

On rookies Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas:

"(Ross is) a great talent and a number of the people I've talked to around the league think he's a great talent to have…he's been the recipient of some extra minutes because of some injuries. That's a good thing that will help us in the long run."

"(Valanciunas is) learning the nuances of what we're doing from a system standpoint, but also learning the game at the same time…Jonas is only 20 years old and really represents the future of this basketball team."

On second year big man Ed Davis:

"We talked a lot about him getting off to a slow start because he didn't have the kind of development early that he needed early due to an injury and then also due to the lockout, but he had a great summer…But it really with him comes down to a focus on his effort level night in and night out."

On the team's struggles:

" I do not believe that it's a talent issue right now; I do believe that it's about a team coming together. We're very young, we've had some injury issues, we've got the schedule, but we're not making excuses, we know there are some things that are broken and need to be fixed right now, but again, it's a lack of focus and a lack of attention to detail, I think more than anything right now."

Draft Rumors: Tuesday

June 26th, 2012 at 10:32pm CST by Luke Adams

With two days remaining until the 2012 draft, we've seen a first-round pick change hands for the first time this offseason, as the Timberwolves agreed to send the 18th overall pick to Houston in exchange for Chase Budinger and the rights to Lior Eliyahu. The general consensus is that the move is the precursor to a bigger deal for the Rockets, and Houston isn't the only team rumored to be shopping picks. Here are today's draft-related rumors, with the newest updates added to the top of the page throughout the day….

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweeted that the Bucks are looking to move into the top 10, and are supposedly targeting John Henson.
Kennedy says that the Rockets are still trying to acquire another first round pick, most recently in discussions with the Hornets about the 10th pick before talks broke down (Twitter link). He also tweeted that the Lakers and Nets are both looking to acquire a first rounder.

Odds & Ends: Skiles, Griffin, Colangelo, Pierce

April 27th, 2012 at 10:20pm CST by Daniel Seco

With great anticipation of the weekend ahead full of playoff basketball, let's take a look around the league to see what's happening from coast to coast.

Count Brandon Jennings and Mike Dunleavy Jr. among Bucks players hoping head coach Scott Skiles is retained by Milwaukee after just missing out on making the playoffs, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com says Blake Griffin expects the playoffs to be more physical as the Clippers head into their first-round series against the Grizzlies.
Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo is excited to continue the process of rebuilding the franchise after carefully adhering to his long-term plan, reports Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun.
Paul Pierce tells ESPNBoston.com's Jackie McMullan that the thought of retirement has crossed his mind after playing 14 seasons for the Celtics.
ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin says Lakers executive vice president of player personnel Jim Buss is over the heartbreak of losing out on Chris Paul to the Clippers this past offseason.
Newsday's Al Iannazzone reports Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire are working to improve how they co-exist on the court after incessant chatter from the media and fans finally drew their attention.

Raptors Exercise Option On Dwane Casey

April 27th, 2012 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have exercised their third-year option on coach Dwane Casey, GM Bryan Colangelo announced today (link via the team's Twitter). Casey, who just finished his first year in Toronto, was already under contract for 2012/13, so the option exercised is for the 2013/14 season.

In his first year as the Raptors' coach, Casey led the team to just a 23-43 record, but the club made noticeable steps forward, particularly on defense. The Raptors were a top-ten team in opponents' PPG and ranked 12th in the NBA in defensive efficiency, behind 11 playoff squads. Given the job Casey did with the roster he had, the decision to exercise his option was a good one, and not a surprise.

"Dwane did a terrific job this year of adhering to our plan of growth and development for this young team," Colangelo said, in a team release. "We set out to change the culture and improve defensively and he orchestrated both progressions in an impressive fashion."

Colangelo also has a contract option for 2013/14, but the Raptors have yet to make a formal decision on it.