Chris Smith (Louisville) Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Chris Smith Signs To Play In D-League

January 4th, 2014 at 12:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

Chris Smith has signed with the D-League, a source tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. Smith reportedly wanted to take some time before deciding on his next move after the Knicks waived him this week, but apparently he made his choice quickly.

Smith appeared in six games this season for the Erie Bayhawks, the D-League affiliate of the Knicks, while he was under contract with New York, but he won’t necessarily wind up with Erie again. He’ll go through the league’s waiver process, meaning several clubs will have a shot at him. Regardless of where he ends up, he’ll be free to jump to the Knicks or any other NBA team at any time if he shows promise.

Of course, that seems an unlikely proposition for Smith, whom an NBA GM referred to as “maybe the worst player in the history of the Summer League,” according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Smith, a 6’2″ guard, put up 11.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 24.7 minutes per game during his time with Erie this year.

Smith is the brother of Knicks swingman J.R. Smith, who appears to have gotten over his frustration with the team for releasing his brother.

Atlantic Rumors: Knicks, Teletovic, Blue

December 31st, 2013 at 5:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

Thaddeus Young is playing at an All-Star level this season, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. ”I think Thaddeus’ last [four] games are off the charts,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said. “It’s at an all-star type of level. He’s playing with versatility and a toughness and a leadership. It’s just a real strong package that he’s showing us. I really feel, the last [four games] if that’s what he is, he’s something special.” Meanwhile, the 25-year-old continues to hear his name in trade talk. Try not to get teary-eyed on us, because this is the final Atlantic Rumors post of 2013..

J.R. Smith, who took to Instagram to express his frustrations with the Knicks’ decision to waive his brother, didn’t speak to reporters today, but coach Mike Woodson doesn’t expect Smith to have hard feelings against Jeremy Tyler, who replaced the younger Smith on the roster. Marc Berman of the New York Post has the details. Chris Smith isn’t sure whether he’ll sign to play in the D-League and he may wait awhile before making his next move, Berman notes.
Tyler could play a significant role for the Knicks, as Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal examines.
Mirza Teletovic doesn’t answer a question about whether he’s asked for a trade, but he tells Emir Jesenković of the Bosnian newspaper Avaz that he’s not thinking about the possibility of a trade and that his focus remains on the Nets. Teletovic also lends his support to coach Jason Kidd (translation via NetsDaily).
Sixers camp invitee Vander Blue is once more a free agent, as Maccabi Rishon LeZion of Israel has waived the former Marquette shooting guard, according to David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter links).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Knicks Sign Jeremy Tyler, Waive Chris Smith

December 31st, 2013 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 10:18am: The Knicks have officially signed Tyler and waived Smith, the team announced today (Twitter link).

MONDAY, 3:32pm: The Knicks have yet to officially announce any roster moves, but the team has reached a contract agreement with Tyler, tweets Begley. According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link), Tyler is expected to ink his deal tomorrow morning.

1:39pm: The Knicks have decided to release J.R. Smith‘s younger brother Chris Smith, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. The move will open up a roster spot, allowing the team to sign Jeremy Tyler. Marc Berman of the New York Post reports (via Twitter) that Tyler left the Erie BayHawks for New York yesterday, and that the details of his contract with the Knicks are being “hammered out.”

Begley and Berman had both reported earlier that Smith was a candidate to be waived as New York prepared to make room for Tyler. The move won’t save the team any money, since Smith’s non-guaranteed salary became fully guaranteed when he made the Knicks’ opening night roster. Cole Aldrich and Toure’ Murry are still on non-guaranteed deals, and could have been cut, but both players have received more minutes this season than the younger Smith, who just made his NBA debut last Wednesday. According to Begley, the team considered waiving Aldrich but ultimately decided to part ways with Smith instead.

The Knicks’ signing of Smith, and the subsequent decision to carry him on the regular season roster, raised eyebrows around the NBA, as we’ve detailed. Given the club’s limited flexibility to sign J.R. Smith to a lucrative long-term contract this summer, some rival agents viewed the two signings as a package deal, and one GM referred to Chris Smith as “maybe the worst player in the history of the Summer League,” according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Once the release of Smith becomes official, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the 26-year-old rejoin the Erie BayHawks, New York’s D-League affiliate.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Smith, Carmelo, Raptors

December 30th, 2013 at 9:20pm CST by Zachary Links

If you’re a Celtics fan in Maine and haven’t checked out a Red Claws game yet, January might be a good time to get on that. Earlier today, C’s coach Brad Stevens told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe that Rajon Rondo could spend time with Boston’s D-League affiliate before he gets back on the NBA hardwood. Stevens, who is known as a forward-thinking coach, envisions the D-League being used more often for players returning from injury in years to come. More out of the Atlantic..

The Knicks took some heat for their signing of Chris Smith over the summer and their release of him today has raised the ire of someone rather important to the organization. “You know the sad thing about betrayal? It never comes from an enemy,” read the caption of an Instagram pic that older brother J.R. Smith tweeted out. Smith won’t lose any money over being cut loose as his deal was fully guaranteed for the rookie minimum.
Pending free agent Carmelo Anthony is less-than-thrilled with how things are working out with the Knicks this season, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. “This is not how I envisioned it, this is not how we envisioned it coming into this season,” said Anthony. “But it is what it is at this point. We can’t be crying about it. We’ve got to find a solution to it, got to take it one game at a time and figure it out.”
Terrence Ross has shined for the Raptors in the wake of the Rudy Gay deal, writes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.

Knicks May Cut Chris Smith

December 30th, 2013 at 8:25am CST by Zachary Links

MONDAY, 8:25am: Smith is the player expected to be released if and when the Knicks sign Tyler, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post, who says the Knicks could announce the roster moves as soon as today.

SUNDAY, 2:29pm: The benefits of nepotism can only get you so far sometimes. If the Knicks go ahead and sign Jeremy Tyler, as they’ve been discussing, they are seriously considering cutting Chris Smith to free up a roster spot rather than center Cole Aldrich, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.

Aldrich is on a non-guaranteed deal while Smith’s pact is fully guaranteed for the rookie minimum salary. The guard has seen just two minutes of total court time and while Aldrich hasn’t gotten that much more burn, it doesn’t make sense for the team to shed a big man when frontcourt depth is their issue.

The signing of Smith, the younger brother of J.R. Smith, was a controversial move for the Knicks over the offseason. Despite Chris’ assertion that he earned his place on the roster, many speculated that the Knicks added him as a sweetener to get J.R. to re-sign over the summer.

Knicks Rumors: Chris Smith, Woodson, Amar’e

December 20th, 2013 at 7:42pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks have a noon tipoff Saturday against the Grizzlies at Madison Square Garden, so coach Mike Woodson has holed his team up in a New York hotel, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com passes along. The players have a 10:00pm curfew, according to Carmelo Anthony, but asking anyone in a league known for night games and red-eye plane trips to fall asleep before midnight is a tall order. While the Knicks count sheep, here’s the day’s news from MSG:

There’s plenty of instability surrounding the Knicks, but Chris Smith believes his spot on the roster is safe, as he tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com. Smith, whose minimum-salary contract is fully guaranteed for this season, has won the support of his teammates with his training habits, Charania notes.
Owner James Dolan fired Scott Layden from his post as Knicks president three days before Christmas in 2010, so there’s no reason for Woodson to think his job is safe through the holiday, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Isola wonders if the pressure of fighting for his job has begun to negatively affect Woodson’s performance.
Amar’e Stoudemire says he’ll play Saturday, a further contradiction to Woodson’s statement earlier this week that the team’s highest-paid player would be out “a while.” Stoudemire immediately tweeted a denial of his coach’s assessment, but he says that he and Woodson have “cleared it up and everything is great,” notes Fred Kerber of the New York Post.

Eastern Links: Knicks, Woodson, Waiters, Sixers

December 17th, 2013 at 2:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Tonight’s NBA schedule is heavy on Western Conference action, but two Eastern teams in the playoff hunt will host Western opponents tonight, as the Cavs play the Blazers and the Bobcats face the Kings. Cleveland and Charlotte are just 9-14 and 10-14 respectively, but would each rank among the conference’s top eight teams with wins tonight. Here’s more from around the East:

In the wake of injuries to Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni, the Knicks have recalled Chris Smith from the D-League, the club announced today (Twitter link).
Mike Woodson‘s mismanagement at the end of last night’s loss to the Wizards gave the Knicks a credible reason to fire him, opines Ian O’Connor of ESPNNewYork.com.
While Woodson may be on the hot seat, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein says there aren’t really any other head coaches whose jobs are in jeopardy. Eastern coaches like Jason Kidd (Nets), Randy Wittman (Wizards), Mike Brown (Cavaliers), and Dwane Casey (Raptors) rank among the most likely to be fired next, according to Bovada.lv, but none are in any danger for now, Stein writes.
Within his latest piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler writes that the Cavaliers aren’t eager to trade Dion Waiters, but would listen if the right offer came along. Kyler also explores the possibility of an Omer Asik trade involving the Sixers, eventually concluding that a deal with Philadelphia may be one of the Rockets’ less desirable options.
Eric Griffin, who played for the Heat in summer league action and in camp, has reached an agreement to sign with a team in Puerto Rico, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com.

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Gordon, Wittman

November 19th, 2013 at 11:16am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA held internal discussions about the Knicks‘ signing of Chris Smith and ultimately determined the move wasn’t in violation of circumventing the salary cap, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. Previous reports have indicated rival agents believe the Knicks signed J.R. Smith and his younger brother as a package deal. However, a league official tells Berman that Chris is “one of those projects” who may not help immediately, but could develop into an NBA player.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

If the Knicks need to add a free agent, Smith may be the player released to make room, but so far the team has been content to stand pat despite frontcourt injuries. The latest player sidelined is Metta World Peace, who had fluid drained from his knee on Monday, according to Ian Begley of ESPN New York. However, the procedure was believed to be minor, and MWP is expected back on the court by the end of the week.
Bobcats guard Ben Gordon tells K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune that if the Bulls were to call him when he becomes a free agent next summer, he’d definitely listen. “I had a lot of success here, had a great time here,” Gordon said. “I’m not in position to rule anybody out.”
According to John Wall, the Wizards’ players believe in Randy Wittman, who isn’t worried that his job is in danger. Michael Lee of the Washington Post has the details.
Sam Amick of USA Today hears from a person with knowledge of the Wizards thinking that Wittman will still have the opportunity to right the ship in Washington before the team considers a change.

Atlantic Notes: Chris Smith, Raptors, C’s

November 18th, 2013 at 12:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Let’s check out a few of the latest items from out of the Atlantic Division….

The Knicks have assigned Chris Smith to the D-League, the team announced today (Twitter link). The regular season is set to get underway for the Erie BayHawks later this week, so Smith should get a chance to earn the minutes he wasn’t seeing in New York.
Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun believes the Raptors, as constructed, could be a playoff team in the East this season. However, Wolstat doesn’t endorse building around the current core long-term, suggesting that the pieces don’t really fit together. Wolstat adds (via Twitter) that what should be done with the roster and what can be done are two different things, since teams aren’t exactly “beating down [the] doors” to trade for Rudy Gay, DeMar DeRozan, or Kyle Lowry.
The Celtics‘ offseason roster moves have forced Jeff Green into a more prominent role, but he may be miscast as a focal point of the offense, observes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
Earlier today, we rounded up several Knicks rumors and passed along Danny Ainge‘s comments on Rajon Rondo trade rumors.

Odds & Ends: Wizards, Pelicans, Nash

November 12th, 2013 at 11:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis has said he expects his club to be a “playoff-caliber team” this year, but today he backtracked from the notion that the Wizards face an ultimatum of making the postseason, observes Joseph White of The Associated Press.

“Playoffs or bust, what does that mean?” Leonsis said in an interview that also touched on his ownership of the NHL’s Capitals. “Shut the team down if we don’t make the playoffs for the Wizards? We would certainly, if we don’t make the playoffs, for both teams we would do our due diligence in a more hypersensitive manner, right? Because we didn’t meet our expectations. But the team’s not going bust. The fan base isn’t going bust. It would just heighten the scrutiny that we have to do.”

The Wizards, with GM Ernie Grunfeld and coach Randy Wittman on expiring contracts, fell to 2-5 with tonight’s loss to the Mavericks. Here’s more from around the NBA:

Pelicans coach Monty Williams said the team had been considering signing Josh Childress and Louis Amundson for weeks, but he called their additions today “nothing to write home about” and said “we’re just taking a look” at the veterans, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link).
Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni rolled his eyes at the suggestion that Steve Nash should retire, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, and Marc Stein of ESPN.com points to Nash’s determination to overcome his injury and continue playing.
The Knicks plan to send Chris Smith to their D-League affiliate once the season starts next week, as Marc Berman of the New York Post writes within a piece highlighting the Knicks’ woes.
Kevin Martin‘s shooting has been a boon for the Wolves, and the free agent pickup feels he’s benefited just as much from his pairing with Kevin Love, as Bruce Brothers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press observes. “After playing with Kevin (Durant) and Russell (Westbrook), guys that can score 30 in their sleep, I wouldn’t go to another team without a superstar,” Martin said. “That’s what I have in Kevin Love.”
RealGM’s Andrew Perna examines the learning curve for Bucks first-round pick Giannis Antetokounmpo, still just 18 years old and adjusting to life outside of his native Greece.