Cory Joseph Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs Notes: Leonard, Joseph, Aldridge, West

November 16th, 2015 at 1:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Spurs GM R.C. Buford concedes he’s not sure anyone in the organization thought Kawhi Leonard would blossom as much as he has during his NBA career, a development that shooting coach Chad Engelland and player development coach Chad Forcier have aided, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News details. It’s a testament to Leonard, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and to the Spurs, as Leonard’s agent Brian Elfus admits.

“At the end of the day, the draft is about where you end up, what kind of situation you’re in,” Elfus said. “I’ve got a strange suspicion — no, I know for a fact — if Kawhi had ended up in a different place, he wouldn’t be nearly the player he is today. I think everybody counts their blessings every day he ended up in San Antonio.”

See more from San Antonio:

Raptors signee Cory Joseph, a Toronto native, wasn’t eager to leave the Spurs, but he knew that with the arrival of LaMarcus Aldridge and a new max deal coming to Leonard, the team wouldn’t have much left over for him, as he tells TNT’s David Aldridge, who writes in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. “It’s always hard, leaving somewhere that you’re comfortable in,” Joseph said. “You’re comfortable with the system, comfortable in the city, comfortable with the people there. So it’s always tough. It obviously made it a lot more easier ’cause I was coming home. I knew it was a good situation for me basketball wise as well. That’s how it goes business-wise. I couldn’t complain. They were getting a great basketball player in LaMarcus.”
Aldridge hasn’t found his hot spots on the floor thus far with the Spurs, but Gregg Popovich believes that’s not necessarily a product of the uniqueness of San Antonio’s system, relays Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. “No matter what system he’s in, there’s going to be a learning curve,” Popovich said. “It doesn’t matter who he’s playing for this year. If it’s not Portland, he’s going to have to learn the system.”
David West has been efficient in his fairly limited playing time as a reserve for the Spurs, but it’s the maturity, professionalism and leadership that the minimum-salary signee has brought to the locker room that’s really stood out to Popovich, observes Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News.

Raptors Notes: Carroll, Joseph, Scola

November 13th, 2015 at 5:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

DeMarre Carroll didn’t want to draw out the free agent process any longer than he had to this past summer, and while he had other teams he was considering playing for, the Raptors made the strongest first impression on Carroll, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays. “It was short and sweet,” Carroll told Kennedy regarding his free agency. “I got married, like, three days before free agency so as soon as it started, I wanted [the process] to be short and sweet. My agent knew that. We had a list of six or seven teams that we were truly interested in and we kind of ran with that. I think Toronto was the first team to show up at my door and they made the best impression. The first impression is sometimes the best impression, and I felt like they made the best impression. They [made sense] with what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go, being a key part of an organization, and that’s why I went with Toronto.”

Here’s more from Toronto:

With the Raptors’ bench experiencing early season struggles, offseason free agent signee Cory Joseph has been a revelation for the team, writes Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. “He’s been a godsend for us with the second unit,” coach Dwane Casey said. Despite Joseph not having seen much playing time during his first four seasons in the league, Toronto had faith that Joseph could blossom in a new environment, Wolstat adds. “He’s who we thought he was. He’s learning guys’ [tendencies], I think he’s so used to throwing it to Timmy [Tim Duncan] or Manu Ginobili [with the Spurs] and getting out of the way, he’s got a little bit more to do with our team,” Casey continued. “He’s learning how to do that, doing a solid job, doing a heckuva job defensively fighting through screens and guarding pick and rolls.”
One downside to the Raptors’ roster getting younger is that the team lacks reliable depth in the wake of its early season run of injuries, Eric Koreen of The National Post opines. GM Masai Ujiri‘s plan to use the bottom of the roster to develop younger players is a smart long-term plan for the franchise, but is one that may harm the team’s chance to contend this season, Koreen adds.
Luis Scola‘s value to the team goes well beyond his on court production, with the veteran quickly becoming a valuable mentor to the team’s less experienced players, writes Holly MacKenzie of NBA.com. “In practice, he’ll make coaching points,” Casey told MacKenzie. “He’ll stop things and go and teach. You cannot put a value on that. It’s very sound. A lot of times a player will suggest something and there’s no way [the player he’s helping] can do that, or your team can absorb it or understand it. He’s already teaching everything within the concept that we’re trying to do. The defensive system, offensive system. He’s a valuable, valuable veteran.”

Atlantic Notes: Jackson, Joseph, Nets

October 28th, 2015 at 12:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Talk about a scenario in which Knicks team president Phil Jackson would return to work for the Lakers and fiancee Jeanie Buss has resurfaced in NBA circles over recent weeks, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Jackson can reportedly opt out of his five-year deal with the Knicks after this season, Isola notes. Speculation emerged earlier this year that Jackson won’t finish out his contract, though he said in June that he wanted to stay around long enough to help the Knicks turn around their fortunes. While we wait to see what the Zen Master does, see more from around the Atlantic Division:

Raptors offseason signee Cory Joseph is planning to play a role for Toronto that’s similar in some ways to the one his former Spurs teammate Manu Ginobili has long embodied for San Antonio, as Sportsnet’s Donnovan Bennett details. “There was no big exchange when that first and second group switched off the court because of him,” Joseph said of Ginobili. “That’s what I want to do here. I want to bring energy with that second unit and uplift because that’s what we are going to need. Manu brought energy, but also a sense of calmness to the second group and managed time and score.”
Nets GM Billy King didn’t factor Andrea Bargnani‘s long history of injuries into his decision about whom to keep for the opening night roster, observes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (Twitter links). Bargnani is healthy for now, as is shooting guard Markel Brown, so King didn’t feel the need to keep power forward Justin Harper and swingman Dahntay Jones, whom the Nets waived, as Bontemps explains.
Fellow Nets power forward Willie Reed‘s partial guarantee of $500K increased to a fully guaranteed $947,276 when he stuck on the Nets roster for opening night, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes (Twitter link) and as our leaguewide schedule of salary guarantee dates shows. Reed is about two weeks into a six-to-eight-week timetable for recovery from thumb surgery.

And-Ones: Kings, Pelicans, Mavs

October 25th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Will Joseph

Point guard Marshall Henderson, who was waived by the Kings two weeks ago, plans to accept an offer to play for Sacramento’s D-League affiliate, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reports (on Twitter). Henderson, 24, went undrafted out of Mississippi in 2014. During his final season at Mississippi, Henderson averaged 19.0 points per game.

Here’s more from around the league:

Cory Jefferson‘s versatility was key factor in him making the Suns‘ regular season roster, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “Guys like Cory and Jon Leuer are primarily power forwards but, the way the NBA is going, teams are placing premiums, as we are, on mobility, the ability to move your feet, guard multiple positions on the perimeter and switch, the ability to make an open shot and help with your spacing, the ability to run the floor and get out in transition,” Suns GM Ryan McDonough said. “The game is going more and more position-less. We try to balance the roster as much as we can but we look for guys who can potentially play multiple positions.”
If Chuck Hayes, who was waived by the Clippers on Saturday, doesn’t get picked up by another NBA team, he is expected to turn to coaching, his agent Calvin Andrews tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Hayes has received assistant coaching interest from several teams, including the Rockets, according to Spears (Twitter link).
While veteran Nate Robinson has moved into the top backup spot behind starting point guard Jrue Holiday, the Pelicans might still be looking to acquire another guard, John Reid of The Times-Picayune reports. Tyreke Evans and Norris Cole are out with injuries.
While many seem ready to write off Deron Williams, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News opines the point guard’s talent — and desire — has not disappeared since a few years ago, when Williams was considered one of the league’s best. While Sefko seems to think Williams is ready for a rebound season in his home state, the scribe also concludes that Williams is likely the most important part of the Mavs this season.
Backup center Jeff Withey, whom the Jazz signed in August, has turned out to be a solid player and there is a good chance he sees a lot of minutes this season, Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News writes.

Atlantic Notes: Joseph, Raptors, Knicks

October 25th, 2015 at 3:02pm CST by Will Joseph

Cory Joseph, who is Canadian, said he has always wanted to play for the Raptors, but the decision to join Toronto on a four-year year deal worth $30MM had more to do with it being the right fit financially and basketball-wise, the point guard told Eric Koreen of the National Post in an interesting Q&A.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

There is a decent chance that Patrick Patterson played himself out of the starting power forward role for the Raptors with a poor preseason, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun writes. Patterson played well defensively, but he is more of an offensive player. In 19 minutes per game in seven appearances during the preseason, Patterson averaged only three points per game, as Wolstat points out.
From the Knicks‘ point of view, there is plenty riding on Carmelo Anthony‘s ability to recover from major knee surgery this season, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News relays.
In response to a question on Twitter, Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis said he wanted to be with New York for the rest of his career (h/t Sportando.com).

Atlantic Notes: Isiah, King, Sixers, Raptors

October 21st, 2015 at 12:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Knicks owner James Dolan doesn’t hide his affection for Isiah Thomas, but he can’t envision a scenario in which he ever hires him for the Knicks again, telling Bryant Gumbel of HBO’s Real Sports that he doesn’t think fans in New York would give him a fair chance, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News relays (Twitter link). Thomas, to whom Gumbel also spoke, ruled out coaching the Knicks again, but didn’t say he wouldn’t seek a front office position with the team, Bondy notes. See more from around the Atlantic Division:

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov complimented the job performance of GM Billy King in an interview with NetsDaily, but he wouldn’t address the matter of whether he’ll give King an extension. King is in the final year of his deal and conflicting reports emerged in May about whether he and the team were close to an extension.
Brett Brown has said the Sixers plan to keep only three point guards for opening night, but with top options Tony Wroten and Kendall Marshall injured and T.J. McConnell closing in on a regular season spot, Brown suggests the team could keep more because of their ability to slide to shooting guard, observes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “You know you look at [Scottie] Wilbekin … and say he’s a two-guard,” Brown said. “He can shoot, and that’s true. I can look at Isaiah [Canaan] and say he’s not always a point guard. Let him go be, pick him, Lou Williams. He’s a barrel-chested scorer.”
The Raptors had mixed results with two point guards on the floor at the same time last season, but with Cory Joseph having replaced Williams and Greivis Vasquez, coach Dwane Casey is more optimistic about such lineups, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca examines. “The problem last year going small wasn’t Kyle [Lowry], it was the other small guys with him,” Casey said. “Now we have speed and quickness with Kyle, we have toughness with Kyle defensively so you don’t get burned as much defensively when you do go small.”

Atlantic Notes: Joseph, Calderon, Rozier

October 20th, 2015 at 6:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Point guard Cory Joseph, who inked a four-year, $30MM deal with the Raptors this summer, has been impressing the team with his solid two-way game, Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun writes. Joseph said he wasn’t feeling any added pressure to perform up to his new deal, Wolstat notes. “I don’t know how to answer that because I don’t really base my game on what people think,” Joseph said. “I just try to get better every day. I try to maybe prove that I can play within the organization, but outside the organization, I don’t really look at that stuff.”

Joseph’s new teammate, Luis Scola, praises the reserve playmaker’s ability, and predicts good things for Joseph this season in Toronto, Wolstat adds. “He’s a good player, he’s trying to explore his game, take his game to the next level,” Scola said. “I think he’s going to have a lot of opportunities here. He’s in great shape right now, he looks very good, very confident, so, hopefully he can keep that momentum going into the season. We’re expecting a great year from him.”

Here’s more from out of the Atlantic Division:

Knicks point guard Jose Calderon noted that there were some teams this offseason that were interested in trading for him, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. New York was reportedly trying to find a taker for the veteran this summer as the team attempted to free up cap space.
2015 first-rounder Terry Rozier‘s place in the Celtics‘ rotation is unclear with a number of players ahead of him on the depth chart currently, but coach Brad Stevens has noted the impact that former third-string point guard Phil Pressey had on Boston teams in recent seasons, a role that Stevens hopes the rookie can fill, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes.
While injuries have kept Arron Afflalo on the shelf for the bulk of the preseason, the Knicks are banking on his skill as a post player to help him thrive in the triangle offense this season, Begley writes in a separate piece. “Post-ups aren’t as popular of a scoring opportunity in terms of efficiency and points per possession. But we still view it as penetration,” New York coach Derek Fisher said. “The ball is still closer to the basket than it is if you’re standing out by the line. And we believe we have some guys who are good enough to force teams to make a decision on how they’re going to defend us. [We] think Arron’s good enough.“

Southwest Notes: Butler, Ajinca, Green

October 5th, 2015 at 4:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Spurs weren’t the only NBA team interested in Rasual Butler when he signed with San Antonio last month, as a Western Conference suitor lurked, but the 36-year-old finds there’s “no place better to be than here,” reports Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News. Butler’s contract is non-guaranteed, but he has a line on a regular season roster spot, according to coach/executive Gregg Popovich, as Young notes.

“He’s a seasoned pro in a sense that he knows himself, he knows what role he can play,” Popovich said. “He’s at a stage in his career where he just wants to be a part of something that’s just positive and good. He obviously can shoot the basketball. If he couldn’t shoot, we wouldn’t be talking to him. You got to have a skill to play. For all those reasons, he’s somebody that’s got a great shot to make our team.”

The Spurs have 13 fully guaranteed contracts, seemingly leaving two available spots on the opening night roster. See more on the Spurs amid the latest from the Southwest Division:

Pelicans backup center Alexis Ajinca will miss the next four to six weeks because of a right hamstring strain, the team announced. New Orleans committed a four-year, $19.5MM deal to Ajinca this past summer, and the team is without any other natural center to play behind Omer Asik, with the possible exception of Anthony Davis. The injury could bode well for power forward Jeff Adrien, the only big man without a fully guaranteed salary on the Pelicans.
Jeff Green says he was frustrated with the lack of a consistent role with the Grizzlies following the midseason trade that took him to Memphis, but he’s optimistic about this year, and coach Dave Joerger is expecting a breakout season, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal details. Green is set for free agency this coming summer after picking up his $9.2MM player option this past June. “It was tough to not be in one role. One day I’d start, one day I’d come off the bench. I was playing the 3 and the 4. It was tough,” Green said. “It’s hard to do. There’s only a few players that can really do that. I’m thankful to be in that position to be able to do that. But when you come onto a team halfway through the year, having to do that is tough because you never get a grasp of what you really need to do for the team. This year, I have an open mind. It doesn’t matter what position I play, I’m going to give it my all.”
Cory Joseph started for the Spurs most of December last year and wound up seeing only 22 total minutes during the postseason. A similarly occasional place in Sacramento’s rotation has trade acquisition Ray McCallum willing to embrace the same stop-and-start playing time with the Spurs, as Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News chronicles. Joseph snagged a four-year, $30MM deal with the Raptors this past summer, and McCallum is due for restricted free agency at season’s end.

Atlantic Notes: Porzingis, Celtics, McCullough

August 17th, 2015 at 9:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks president Phil Jackson expects lottery pick Kristaps Porzingis to play approximately 20 minutes a game in his rookie season, he told Charley Rosen in Part 8 of a nine-part series posted on ESPN.com. “It’s entirely up to [coach Derek Fisher], but it would be great if KP could get as much as 20 minutes a game early in the season, plus maybe a few more later when he’s acclimated to the NBA game,” Jackson said to Rosen. “It also has to be determined whether he’ll be more comfortable at power forward or center.” Jackson is concerned that Porzingis may have trouble putting on enough muscle to play in the low post. “His core strength might never be good enough, and he might not be able to get low enough to get himself into prime defensive position to body power rebounders or drivers,” Jackson told Rosen. Jackson added that Jerian Grant, who was acquired in a draft-day trade with the Hawks for Tim Hardaway Jr., will compete with Langston Galloway for playing time at either guard spot.

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

Tyler Zeller has a better chance than Celtics teammates Jared Sullinger and Perry Jones III to receive a contract extension before the start of the regular season, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports. Out of the trio from the 2012 draft, Zeller was the most effective player last season, averaging 10.2 points and 5.7 rebounds with an above-average 19.01 player efficiency rating, Blakely continues. Sullinger has battled weight and conditioning issues during his career while Jones, who was traded by the Thunder to Boston in July, has to establish his value after receiving limited playing time in his three seasons with Oklahoma City, Blakely adds.
Nets draft pick Chris McCullough may return as early as November from the torn right ACL he suffered while playing for Syracuse last season, according to Brandon Bennett of NetsDaily.com. While there is no timetable for McCullough’s return, a November target appears to be right on track, Bennett adds. McCullough was expected to miss the upcoming season when he was selected with the No. 29 overall pick.
Cory Joseph, who left the Spurs and signed a four-year, $30MM deal with the Raptors, wants to display his two-way game while playing for Team Canada in next month’s Olympic qualifying tournament, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.com reports. “Obviously everybody knows I’m a defensive player,” Joseph said to Lewenberg. “I take pride in my defense. Last year, I was able to show a little bit of my two-way game when [Patty Mills] and [Tony Parker] were out early in the season. So I’m looking to continue to show that I’m a two-way player.”

Eastern Notes: Celtics, Anthony, Jackson

July 19th, 2015 at 10:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Celtics depart the Las Vegas Summer League feeling much better about a number of their 2015 draftees, Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald relays. Celtics Summer League coach Micah Shrewsberry, discussing guards Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter and Marcus Thornton, and forward Jordan Mickey, said, “They’re all hard workers. They all love the game, and that stood out first. They’re in the gym working. Terry and Jordan Mickey were on the workout buffet, all over the place in the month of June. They get drafted, get a couple of days, and then come right to practice. They played a lot of minutes and got stronger as the week went on. R.J. was the same way. He started out a little shaky, but he eventually showed what he can do. They’re each going to get better and better, not just this season but as their careers go on.” The Celtics and Mickey are still in the process of negotiating his rookie contract.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said on The Chris Mannix Show on NBC Sports Radio that the team’s fear of restricted free agent Reggie Jackson signing a one-year qualifying offer played a big part in Detroit’s willingness to offer Jackson a five-year $80MM deal (Twitter link). Detroit obviously wanted to avoid a situation similar to the one it experienced last season when Greg Monroe opted to sign his qualifying offer and then signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Bucks this offseason.
New York’s slow rebuilding has reportedly left Carmelo Anthony wondering about the Knicks‘ plan, but even though team president Phil Jackson hasn’t been in touch with his star forward, GM Steve Mills has maintained contact with Anthony, who still trusts Jackson’s judgments, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Guillermo Hernangomez, the 35th overall pick last month, will play again for Real Madrid this coming season, the club announced. He spent the past two seasons on loan to fellow Spanish club Baloncesto Sevilla. The Knicks acquired the NBA rights to the center in a trade worked out on draft night, and New York reportedly plans to sign him next summer.
Cory Joseph‘s four-year pact with the Raptors will see the point guard earn $7MM for the coming season, $7.315MM in 2016/17, $7.63MM in 2017/18, and includes a player option for the final season worth $7.945MM, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays.
The Raptors‘ biggest offseason signing, DeMarre Carroll, will earn $13.6MM in 2015/16, $14.2MM during year two, $14.8MM during the 2017/18 campaign, and will cap off his contract with a salary of $15.4MM in 2018/19, Pincus adds.