Carmelo Anthony Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Anthony, Williams, Fisher

March 11th, 2016 at 9:01am CST by Chuck Myron

Carmelo Anthony would reportedly give strong consideration to approving a trade to the Clippers if he decides to waive his no trade clause, and Marc Berman of the New York Post makes the case for the Clips as Melo’s top choice outside the Knicks. Still, ‘Melo says he’s laughing off such talk, Berman notes.

“My name is always associated with L.A., whether it was earlier with the Lakers, now it’s the Clippers,’’ Anthony said. “I try not to pay attention to that. I laugh it off. People always try to make scenarios and situations. But nothing’s happened.’’

He’s not the only Knick associated with L.A., as we examine amid the latest on the blue-and-orange:

Derrick Williams says the Lakers showed heavy interest in him this past summer when he instead signed with the Knicks, the combo forward told Berman for a separate piece. The Southern California native is anxious to return home for games at the Lakers and Clippers this weekend, but he called New York “home away from home,” as Berman relays, adding that the Knicks are hoping he opts in to his $4.598MM salary for next season. “I felt like I picked the right spot where I wanted to be — that was New York to play with Carmelo, I knew they had a great pick in [Kristaps Porzingis], all the pieces we have here,” Williams said. “We haven’t played well the last month, but I don’t think it sums up our whole season.’’
Derek Fisher‘s essay addressing his preseason encounter with Matt Barnes left many questions unanswered, opines Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (All six Twitter links right here). The ex-Knicks coach comes off poorly as he blames the media and not Barnes for the story’s continued presence, Isola opines, wondering why the coach didn’t explain why he was away from the team when the incident took place. Fisher nonetheless deserves praise for his work with Porzingis, Isola believes.
Anthony isn’t alone in a desire to cash in, but his quest for lucrative paydays over the years helps explain why he’s on a losing team, contends Shaun Powell of NBA.com.

Atlantic Notes: Wroten, Okafor, Rondo, Powell

March 10th, 2016 at 9:29am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks apparently held reservations in the recent past about Tony Wroten‘s gambling style of defense, but sources tell Marc Berman of the New York Post they see him as a good defender who’s aggressive in the passing lanes. Wroten, who remains unsigned, is reportedly unlikely to see action for the Knicks this season even if he and the team do finalize a reported two-year agreement, but interim coach Kurt Rambis sees merit in adding him, as Berman relays.

“If he’s not healthy to play, we can evaluate him over summer,” Rambis said. “We see potential in him. Now we have his rights. He’s a penetrating guard. He was somebody who can really break down defenses and attack the basket, but I haven’t seen him play in a while. [There are] a lot of management reasons to do something like that, that still holds value to the team, even if he’s not actively playing the rest of the year. It’s a management and medical decision right now.”

See more on the Knicks and other teams from the Atlantic Division:

Sixers coach Brett Brown didn’t rule out the idea that Jahlil Okafor will miss the rest of the season because of lingering soreness in his right knee, though he strongly cautioned that no such decision has been made, as Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays. The No. 3 overall pick from last year’s draft underwent a CAT scan Tuesday and hasn’t played since February 28th.
Carmelo Anthony sees soon-to-be free agent Rajon Rondo as an ideal fit for the triangle offense, but Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News argues that Rondo would be a poor free agent choice for the Knicks, citing his lack of shooting, questions about whether he’s truly an elite player and frequent involvement in controversy.
Norman Powell has proven a steal at the No. 46 pick last year, contends Mike Ganter of The National Post. Minutes have been inconsistent for the Raptors small forward, but he’s nonetheless getting some significant playing time and making a contribution to the Eastern Conference’s second-place team, as Ganter details.

Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Kilpatrick, Thompson

March 9th, 2016 at 5:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony holds the real power in the organization thanks to the no-trade clause the team included in his contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical on Yahoo Sports notes (video link). The no-trade clause is also why Anthony is likely to outlast team president Phil Jackson in New York, Wojnarowski believes, with the scribe also opining that the executive has failed to elevate the franchise far more than the small forward. Jackson’s biggest missteps as an executive are not ridding the organization of personnel who are negative influences on the overall culture and his steadfast insistence on the team running the triangle offense, according to Wojnarowski. Anthony’s comments about being a free agent recruiter this offseason indicate he doesn’t intend to waive his no-trade clause anytime soon, and even if he did, it wouldn’t be easy to deal the veteran because he would not accept a trade to a small-market team, severely limiting the Knicks’ options, Wojnarowski contends.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick, whom the Nets signed today to a second 10-day contract, shows the promise necessary to become GM Sean Marks‘ first success as an executive, Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes. Marks previously expressed his desire to find players for next season via 10-day contracts, and Kilpatrick has delivered in his brief run with the team, averaging 9.4 points and shooting 41% from the field while connecting on 50% of his 3-pointers.
Jason Thompson is finding his comfort zone with the Raptors, and the power forward praised his new teammates for helping make his midseason transition to a new organization a smooth one, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca relays. “It was good to just be back on the court, man. I appreciate these guys bringing me in with open arms, knowing that I’m not coming in here and trying to do too much. I’m just trying to fit in,” Thompson said. “Ever since I landed, teammates have been there to try and help me out and ease my way into the situation. It’s been really good so far.”
Former Nets power forward Andrea Bargnani, whom the team waived as part of a buyout arrangement, has been turning down overseas offers, a hint that he’ll wait until next season to sign with a new team, NetsDaily relays (Twitter link). Bargnani reportedly received contract offers from the Italian club Olimpia Milano and Turkey’s Galatasaray, among others.
The Celtics have recalled James Young from their D-League affiliate in Maine, the team announced.

Atlantic Notes: Clarke, Kilpatrick, Marks, ‘Melo

March 9th, 2016 at 8:58am CST by Chuck Myron

Celtics 10-day signee Coty Clarke sought a meeting with D-League coach Scott Morrison earlier this season while he was playing a reserve role for the Boston affiliate, and after the two spoke about Clarke’s role and what the team needed from him, Morrison put him in the starting lineup and Clarke helped the team thrive, as Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor chronicles. The Maine Red Claws went 11-2 before the Celtics called up the combo forward on his 10-day deal this week, a signing that Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com examines.

“First and foremost, as I told our team [Monday], he was by no means given a 10-day. He was rewarded [for] his great play [in Maine],” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said, according to Forsberg. “He really has played great. Our front office has been thrilled about him and thrilled about his play in Maine the whole year. We obviously have a familiarity with him from being here in the fall and so we thought it was a great opportunity to bring a guy on board while we have some practice time to really get a chance to evaluate him within our system, with our team, as the season has progressed.”

See more from the Atlantic Division:

More Nets moves are to come soon as new GM Sean Marks operates quickly on multiple fronts, NetsDaily hears in the wake of the team’s hiring of Trajan Langdon as assistant GM Tuesday (Twitter link). Brooklyn has a decision to make regarding Sean Kilpatrick, whose 10-day contract expired overnight.
Marks has superb people skills, Hawks coach/executive Mike Budenholzer observed, and Chris Paul called him one of the best teammates he’s ever had as both displayed confidence in the new Nets GM, The Record’s Andy Vasquez details. “I’ve never been a GM or anything like that,” Paul said. “But I know his work ethic and what makes him who he is. … I’m biased. Sean’s a friend of mine. I’m rooting for him. I want to see him succeed and, like I said, with his drive and work ethic, I’m sure he won’t sleep until he turns it around.”
Interim Knicks coach Kurt Rambis has been clearer in communicating what he wants the Knicks to do on offense, while former coach Derek Fisher placed more of an emphasis on player development, as Carmelo Anthony observed this week, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post (Twitter link).

Eastern Notes: Anthony, Lawson, Carter-Williams

March 7th, 2016 at 6:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Carmelo Anthony vows to recruit high-profile free agents to New York this summer and believes Kings point guard Rajon Rondo would make an ideal fit for the Knicks’ triangle offense, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. Anthony was kept out of meetings regarding free agents last summer but the All-Star small forward wants to play an integral role in getting better pieces around him, Berman continues. “I don’t have a choice but to go out there and do my job and try to get people to come here, so they can see it from my perspective rather than everybody else’s perspective,” Anthony told Berman and other members of the New York media. Rondo has expressed skepticism about his ability to run the triangle, according to Berman, but Anthony will try to convince him otherwise. “I think he’d be perfect in a system like this,” Anthony said. “A system like this fits a guy like that. To have the ball in their hands and be able to run the offense, I think it fits well. I don’t know who’s telling him he don’t fit.” Thunder small forward Kevin Durant, the biggest free agent on this year’s market, does not consider the Knicks as a destination, a source told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.

In other developments around the Eastern Conference:

Ty Lawson‘s relationships with Pacers star forward Paul George and point guard George Hill, along with the team’s uptempo style, convinced him to sign with Indiana following his buyout agreement with the Rockets, according to Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star. Pacers coach Frank Vogel views the remainder of the regular season as an audition for the veteran point guard, both for this season and his impending free agency, Taylor adds in a tweet. Vogel spoke with Lawson’s former Nuggets coach and ex-Pacers assistant Brian Shaw before the signing and that helped sway Vogel that Lawson deserved a clean slate, Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star reports (Twitter links here).
Bucks point guard Michael Carter-Williams tried to play through his hip injury but it reached the point where it needed to be addressed, Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press tweets. A source told Krawczynski that Carter-Williams felt discomfort since late December and doctors finally determined that season-ending surgery was required, he added in a separate tweet.
The Celtics recalled rookie shooting guard R.J. Hunter from the D-League’s Maine Red Claws, the team tweets. The late first-round pick has appeared in 28 games with Boston this season.

Atlantic Notes: Anthony, D-League, Davis

March 4th, 2016 at 5:42pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony admitted that the playoff success of LeBron James, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade, all of whom he calls friends, has him questioning what he needs to do to break out of the what he termed “the worst three-year stretch” of his career, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News writes. When asked if he was envious of the trio, Anthony responded, “I don’t think envy is kind of the right word,” Anthony said. “I do look at my peers and say, ‘Damn, what am I doing wrong? I should be there.’ There was one point in time where they were looking at me like that. Made [the playoffs] 10, 11 years straight. Right now it’s kind of a rough patch for me. I’m trying to figure out a way to get out of it.”

Anthony also noted that his failure to attend a mandatory team charity event on Wednesday was because of a personal commitment and not to express his displeasure over the team issuing an apology on his behalf to a fan he had a verbal run-in with, Isola adds. “I was with family,” Anthony said. “I had something to do with the family.” The veteran scorer also relayed that he and team president Phil Jackson haven’t discussed the matter, the scribe notes. “It wasn’t that big of a deal to the people that really knew what was going on,” Anthony continued. “I just accept it. I came to grips with that a long time ago, that that’s going to be the way it is.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Veteran point guard Baron Davis doesn’t want to be remembered for being carried off the court injured during his last appearance and looks at the D-League as a chance to work his way back into the NBA, Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com writes. Davis, who recently joined the Sixers‘ affiliate in Delaware, told the CSN scribe, “I wanted to start from the bottom. I think for me, it’s humbling, it’s something special. I can be around young guys, see what they think, see what it feels like. For me, it’s just working my way up. I want to start from the bottom and go as far as I can.” When asked if he would be willing to join the Sixers despite their struggles, Davis candidly responded, “I’ll play for anybody. I’m here in the D-League. I’ll play for anybody, to be honest.”
The Raptors have recalled Bruno Caboclo, Lucas Nogueira and Norman Powell from their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This was the 12th trip on the season to the Raptors 905 for Caboclo, the sixth for Powell and the fourth for Nogueira.

Atlantic Notes: ‘Melo, Bargnani, Marks, Colangelo

March 4th, 2016 at 11:14am CST by Chuck Myron

A market for Carmelo Anthony would exist if the Knicks decide to trade him and he’s willing to waive his no-trade clause, but the Knicks shouldn’t expect to end up with a return that resembles what they gave up to trade for him five years ago, multiple NBA team executives tell Fred Kerber of the New York Post. An exec from an Eastern Conference team suggested New York could get an established player and a pick for ‘Melo, though he raised questions about his health, trade kicker and relative appeal compared to other stars, Kerber relays. That same exec also told Kerber that he doubts Anthony would waive his no-trade clause to go to relatively unappealing teams that the Knicks might view as desirable trade partners. Two of the executives with whom Kerber spoke said the Knicks shouldn’t have re-signed him in 2014 and instead would have been wise to have done a sign-and-trade at the time. See more from the Atlantic Division:

Andrea Bargnani continues to draw offers from overseas, and Olimpia Milano team president Livio Proli claims that he wants to play in Europe, as Proli said to the Italian outlet Tuttosport, according to Eurohoops.net. The Italian team wants Bargnani for next season, while Turkey’s Galatasaray has made him an offer for the rest of this season, coach Ergin Ataman said, as Eurohoops.net also relays. The former No. 1 pick bought his way off the Nets last month.
New Nets GM Sean Marks took an unconventional path to his job, but he’s leaning on what he learned from familiar front office stalwarts Pat Riley and Spurs bosses Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford, as Brian Lewis of the New York Post details.
Bryan Colangelo confirmed to Dave McCarthy of Vice Sports Canada that he was a finalist for the Nets GM vacancy that went to Marks and talked about Bargnani and other players from his tenure as Raptors GM. Colangelo’s name has been linked in speculation to Sixers, where father and chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo is considering a front office addition.

Atlantic Notes: Anthony, D-League, Kilpatrick

March 3rd, 2016 at 8:11pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Carmelo Anthony indicated that the apology that was issued regarding his run-in with a heckler on Tuesday night was posted by the Knicks and not himself, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “Yeah I talked to [team owner James Dolan],” Anthony said. “We spoke about it. We didn’t spend too much time on it. It was Mr. Dolan’s decision. I don’t think I said anything wrong. [The fan] said he wasn’t coming to any more games. I said: ‘Why are you talking to me about it? Discuss that with him [Dolan]. Don’t yell my name out.’ Wasn’t no curse words. He yelled ‘Melo you guys suck. I’m not coming to anymore games.’ I said, ‘I think you should talk to the owner and get your money back.”’

The small forward noted that his comments weren’t a sign that he was blaming Dolan or the front office for the team’s struggles, Berman adds. “I don’t mind wearing the [black] hat. I don’t have that issue,” Anthony said. “I don’t have any problem with putting the pressure on me and putting it on my shoulders. When it goes bad, it falls on me anyway. Anything that happens in New York, I get blamed for. That’s just the way it is. I accept that. I’m not frustrated right now. I actually feel pretty good right now. I had a good practice. That frustration I left behind me. Tomorrow is a new day.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Sean Kilpatrick, who inked a 10-day deal with the Nets on Sunday, says he’s been on new Brooklyn GM Sean Marks‘ radar for a few years now, Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes. “Sean Marks, he’s told me he’s been watching me for the past couple years when he was with the Spurs, and he pretty much knows what I can do, and he just wants me to be myself,” Kilpatrick said. “That’s something that I want to continue to keep being, and with me being able to have that type of mentality and knowing that he has my back through everything, that’s something real huge. So it’s [more] of a confidence-booster to just continue to keep coming out here and being me.”
The Raptors have assigned Bruno Caboclo, Lucas Nogueira and Norman Powell to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Caboclo’s 12th assignment to the Raptors 905 on the season, Powell’s sixth and Nogueira’s fourth.

Atlantic Notes: Butler, Stoudemire, Udrih

March 2nd, 2016 at 6:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Celtics, who were reportedly looking to make a big splash at this year’s trade deadline, held discussions with the Bulls about acquiring star swingman Jimmy Butler, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes. According to Bulpett’s source, the Celtics were willing to give up two first-round draft picks this year — the Nets‘ unprotected pick and Dallas’ first-rounder, which is top-seven protected, as part of a package for Butler. “This is not a case where Chicago was looking to trade Jimmy Butler,” a source involved in the talks told Bulpett. “That would be crazy. But if Boston calls, you have to look at those picks and some of the players they have and at least hear them out. Most times when teams call about your star, you can just dismiss it right away, but you have to think about it with [president of basketball operations Danny] Ainge and the Celtics right now. There’s a lot to go over there with possibilities.”

The Celtics are concerned that they will have too many young players on the roster if they retain all their acquired picks, so it is highly likely the team will be active leading up to the draft in its attempts to acquire a star-caliber player, Bulpett adds. “The term I’ve heard with Danny is that he’s looking for a ‘difference maker,’” a league source told the Herald scribe. “He’s definitely willing to pay you for the right guy, but he wants someone who can move them to the next level.” Ainge also checked in with the Pacers regarding Paul George prior to the deadline, Bulpett relays.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Amar’e Stoudemire denies that he was talking about former Knicks teammate Carmelo Anthony the other night when he made some pointed comments about his former team, Al Iannazzone of Newsday relays. The big man called Anthony on Sunday to clear the air, Iannazzone notes. “I never mentioned his name once,” Stoudemire told reporters, in reference to his comments. “We’re close friends, family. Our wives are very close friends. He knows I wasn’t talking about him.” When asked about his chat with Stoudemire, Anthony said, “I don’t really want to waste any time on that. What’s understood don’t need to be spoken upon.”
Beno Udrih cleared waivers from the Heat today, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link), meaning the Sixers passed on the chance to add him and draw closer to the $63MM salary floor. The Sixers currently have $60,369,349 in guaranteed salary on the books for 2015/16, which is $2,630,651 below the minimum team payroll. Claiming Udrih’s $2,170,465 salary would have brought Philadelphia to within a couple of minimum-salary contracts of the mark, and it would have come at the actual cost of only a fraction of Udrih’s salary, since the Heat have already given him most of his paychecks for the year. The result of Udrih clearing waivers is potentially more damaging to the Heat, who’d reportedly eyed Marcus Thornton and others but can’t sign anyone until April 6th without again going into tax territory, notes salary cap expert Albert Nahmad (on Twitter). It’s more likely the Heat would wait to sign someone until April 7th so they could fill their second open roster spot on the final day of the regular season, tweets Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Stoudemire, Sullinger, Lee

February 28th, 2016 at 9:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat’s Amar’e Stoudemire sounded like he had some harsh words for former teammate Carmelo Anthony and Knicks management before tonight’s game, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Stoudemire spent four and a half seasons in New York before agreeing to a buyout last February. He didn’t mention Anthony by name but implied that ‘Melo was extremely jealous during the brief “Lin-sanity” period that turned Jeremy Lin into a star in 2012. “A lot of times you got to enjoy somebody else’s success,” Stoudemire said. “That wasn’t the case for us during that stretch. You got to enjoy that and let that player enjoy himself and cherish those moments. He was becoming a star and I didn’t think everyone was pleased with that.’’

Stoudemire also said not everybody was on board with the triangle offense that Phil Jackson instituted when he became team president in 2014. “I truly bought into it,’’ Stoudemire said. “Maybe three-quarters of the team thought it was great. But if you don’t have a full team that buys into a system, it’s never going to pan out.’’

There’s more tonight from the Atlantic Division:

Jared Sullinger may be making himself too expensive for the Celtics to keep with his recent rebounding spree, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com. Sullinger has posted double-doubles in five of his last seven games and has risen into the league’s top 10 in percentage of defensive rebounds collected. Sullinger will be a restricted free agent this summer, and while Boston would likely want to keep him for the $4.4MM qualifying offer, his price could rise much higher, Forsberg writes. One advantage the Celtics will have is Sullinger’s fondness for Boston. “When you play for the greatest franchise in the NBA and you see all those banners and all the fans, you don’t want to leave that place because it’s a special place in your heart,” Sullinger said recently. “It’s the first team I’ve played for in the NBA — hopefully it’ll be my last.”
Kelly Olynyk‘s talents made David Lee expendable in Boston, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Olynyk can play both center and power forward and he has 3-point range to stretch the floor. Lee agreed to a buyout with the Celtics and hit waivers February 19th.
The Raptors have recalled Bruno Caboclo from their D-League affiliate, the team announced via Twitter. Caboclo has appeared in three games with Toronto this season.