Darius Morris Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Assign Sacre, Morris To D-League

April 3rd, 2013 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls right here, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day….

The Lakers have assigned a pair of players to the Los Angeles D-Fenders, according to the D-Fenders' official Twitter account. Robert Sacre and Darius Morris are headed back to the Lakers' D-League affiliate. Despite having been assigned to the D-League multiple times this season, neither player has logged much time with the D-Fenders. Sacre has averaged 11.0 PPG and 8.8 RPG in his six contests with the club, while Morris recorded 21 points in his lone game with the D-Fenders.

Lakers Assign Morris, Sacre To D-League

March 9th, 2013 at 11:15am CST by Sean Highkin

The Los Angeles Lakers have assigned center Robert Sacre and guard Darius Morris to the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA D-League, the team announced.

You can view every D-League assignment and recall of the 2012/13 season Hoops Rumors' D-League assignment tracker.

D-League Moves: Selby, Lakers, Thunder, Jerrells

March 7th, 2013 at 4:33pm CST by Luke Adams

We'll track today's D-League moves, including assignments and recalls, right here, with any new items added to the top of the page throughout the day:

Josh Selby, who was released by the Cavaliers over the weekend, has been acquired by the D-League's Maine Red Claws, according to RealGM.com. The Celtics' affiliate sent a 2013 D-League draft pick to the Canton Charge in exchange for Selby.
Darius Morris and Robert Sacre have been assigned to the D-League by the Lakers, the team announced today in a press release. It's Sacre's third assignment and Morris' first assignment with the D-Fenders this season.
The Thunder have re-assigned DeAndre Liggins and Daniel Orton to the Tulsa 66ers, according to a team release. Liggins was recently assigned to the D-League along with Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones, but for Orton, it's his first assignment since being recalled in late January. Both players are expected to be active tonight for Tulsa's game against the Iowa Energy.
Curtis Jerrells, who had been playing in Turkey, is set to join the Maine Red Claws, tweets David Pick. The former Baylor point guard has never appeared in an NBA regular-season game, though he has spent time with the Spurs and Hornets.

Lakers Shopping Players For Second-Rounders

February 21st, 2013 at 9:05am CST by Luke Adams

While the Lakers are unlikely to make a major move today, the team is exploring smaller moves, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski tweets that the Lakers are offering Steve Blake, Chris Duhon, Devin Ebanks, and Darius Morris in search of second-round picks.

Given Blake's undesirable contract, which pays him $4MM this year and next, it's unlikely that the Lakers will be able to move him without giving up a pick of their own. I'd also be surprised if L.A. could land a second-rounder for Duhon. Ebanks and Morris could draw some interest though, as both players are young and on minimum-salary contracts.

If the Lakers were to move one or two players for picks, it would give the team the opportunity for a late-season free agent addition with the free roster spot(s). Alternately, it could simply allow the team to reduce its luxury-tax bill a little.

Odds & Ends: Cousins, Thunder, Vesely, Morris

December 22nd, 2012 at 6:16pm CST by Ryan Raroque

In addtion to Steve Nash's Lakers debut tonight, another major talking point in the Pacific Division involves the Kings' suspension of DeMarcus Cousins. According to Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today, a source close the team's plans says that the former Kentucky big man isn't untouchable. Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM feels that Sacramento and the Magic would benefit by exploring trade talks, as both have pieces that could help the other side (Twitter link). Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops also weighed in, offering four different scenarios in which the Kings could deal the fourth-year player. With that aside, here are some of the other notable stories we're hearing from the NBA this evening:

Jim Eichenhoffer of Hornets.com tweets that Eric Gordon has been cleared for full contact practice.
Jenni Carlson of NewsOK believes that dealing James Harden to Houston has made the Thunder a better and more fluid team, pointing to the significant increase in assist numbers by Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.
Jan Vesely has yet to earn a consistent role during a turbulent start to his second-year campaign with the struggling Wizards, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. “It’s tough, especially when the team is losing,” Vesely said of his current role. “Everybody try to stay positive but sometimes it’s hard. I try to practice everyday, work on my game and stay ready for my chance to play.”
Darius Morris may not be ready for a starting job, but Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times writes about how the Lakers' sophomore guard has found a significant role in Mike D'Antoni's rotation (Sulia link).
Two years ago and just months removed from "The Decision", Jazz guard Mo Williams (then with Cleveland) and Heat superstar LeBron James may not have necessarily been on each other's holiday greetings list. Today, Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune notes how the two former teammates had nothing but glowing remarks to say about each other heading into tonight's matchup between Utah and Miami.

Western Rumors: Dwight, Morris, Lakers, Blazers

November 19th, 2012 at 11:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

Dwight Howard, who preferred Phil Jackson, might not have been thrilled when the Lakers hired Mike D'Antoni as coach, but D'Antoni has won Howard's affection, according to Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times. Elliott also notes that Howard has overcome his objection to following Shaquille O'Neal's path to L.A. "But then once I got here, I just felt like there was no need to worry about people saying I'm following somebody else, but I could blaze my own trail while I'm here, and that's what I plan on doing," Howard said. We rounded up a few D12 items earlier this evening, and now we have more on Howard's team and their Western Conference rivals.

By signing a one-year deal last season instead of a two-year pact that wasn't fully guaranteed, Darius Morris took a risk that paid off when he signed his qualifying offer this summer, as Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times details. The point guard, pressed into starting duty for the Lakers, said he'd love to stay in L.A., but left the door open for another outcome when he hits restricted free agency next summer.
Mark Heisler of HoopsHype lays out an agenda for the Lakers in the coming years, one that starts with re-signing Howard.
Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge provides a transcript of new Blazers president and CEO Chris McGowan's interview with announcers Mike Barrett and Mike Rice on Blazers Courtside. McGowan reiterated that he's staying out of the team's basketball operations.
Facing the stress of an impending tug-of-war in restricted free agency over the summer, Nicolas Batum gained perspective from a visit to his ancestral home country of Cameroon last spring, as he told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy runs down players who've been pleasant surprises so far. A third of the list is composed of newcomers to Western Conference teams.

Western Notes: Morris, Murphy, Thunder, Thabeet

November 3rd, 2012 at 5:40pm CST by Ryan Raroque

With news of Steve Nash's leg fracture keeping him out for another week, Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles thinks that this will be a good opportunity for Darius Morris to prove himself, noting that that his potential is what helped the Lakers decide to keep him over recently-cut guard Andrew Goudelock. McMenamin also cited Mike Brown's postgame comments last night about Morris, who also appeared to be encouraged about the second year point guard's ability to change the tempo of the game and apply good defensive pressure (Sulia link). Here are more of this evening's links out of the Western Conference:

Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram writes that Troy Murphy's familiarity with Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle's system made the 6'11 forward an ideal fit with the team. Although Murphy is not yet in 'great' shape, Price says that he will be expected to help stretch the floor with his shooting ability.
Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK shared a handful of notes from Thunder practice today, mentioning that Kendrick Perkins should be ready to play the Hawks on Sunday after spraining his ankle last night, discussing the growing confidence of Hasheem Thabeet amidst concerns about the team's depth at center, Serge Ibaka's early shooting struggles, and coach Scott Brooks' effort to get minutes for Jeremy Lamb, among other topics.
Nick Gallo of NBA.com looks at the Thunder's emphasis on protecting the paint this season and how center Hasheem Thabeet can be used effectively in that role against bigger lineups.
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweeted that Hornets coach Monty Williams credits Knicks center Tyson Chandler for Anthony Davis' development during the London Olympics this past summer. Williams also weighed in on the league's concussion policy, addressing the notion that Davis could miss several games because of league protocol after suffering a mild concussion yesterday: "It's just that now you treat everybody like they have on white gloves and pink draws. It's just getting old, but it's just the way the league is now…I'm not saying I don't like it; we've got to protect our players…but as a coach I’m a baby about it. I want my guys ready to play.'' (John Reid of NOLA.com reports).

Odds & Ends: Timberwolves, Nets, Daniels

September 27th, 2012 at 10:47pm CST by Ryan Raroque

There's a chance that Minnesota could bring Hassan Whiteside into training camp, but Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 believes that it would have to be a non-guaranteed contract. Wolfson also covers a few more miscellaneous notes surrounding the Timberwolves, including the status of Nikola Pekovic, other players under consideration along with Louis Amundson, and that Chicago businessman Richard Chaifetz has been "kicking the tires" on the prospect of owning the team. Here's what else we've heard from around the league tonight:

In a Q&A with Mike Wells of IndyStar.com, Danny Granger said that he will try to take things slow through training camp after experiencing irritation in his knee this summer. He also mentioned that he would play if the Pacers were currently in the regular season, adding that the team is just being cautionary right now.
Paul Flannery of WEEI.com provides a comprehensive breakdown of the Celtics' moves this offseason, complete with some input from coach Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge.
Tyson Chandler told Tim Bontemps that his workouts with Hakeem Olajuwon have been going very well, says Marc Berman of the New York Post (Sulia link).
After recently signing an extension in Boston, Keyon Dooling talked about his abrupt decision to retire from the NBA (Jessica Camerato of CSNNE reports).
The Kamenetzky Brothers of 710 ESPN in Los Angeles took to their radio show to discuss Steve Blake's injury and the possible opportunities for Chris Duhon and Darius Morris, Kobe Bryant's ESPN ranking at number six, and Jason Terry's recent comments about the Heat and Lakers.

Western Notes: Warriors, Lakers, Davis

September 27th, 2012 at 9:39pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group summarized Warriors GM Bob Myers' meeting with the local media today, and writes that the team has very important decisions to make in the near future. Thompson mentions that Golden State has the ability to significantly be under the salary cap in two years, but will also have to deal with the possible contract extensions of Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut in addition to deciding the futures of players that are still on their rookie-scale deals. "The players can stay as long as they want if we win…but if we don't win, maybe some things do get turned over," said Myers.

With that being said, we have a few more links to share with you tonight out of the Western Conference:

Andrew Bogut is on schedule to play on opening night and possibly in some pre-season games, although the Australian center has not yet been cleared for five-on-five scrimmages yet, writes Rusty Simmons of SF Gate. GM Bob Myers also talked about Festus Ezeli, adding that he is a "team-first" guy who gives multiple efforts make him a quality prospect. Myers chose to remain neutral on Andris Biedrins not showing up for voluntary pre-training camp workouts, but added that he will have the opportunity to compete in camp and that his role will ultimately be left up to head coach Mark Jackson.
Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles thinks that the last three roster spots on the Lakers will ultimately be decided between Andrew Goudelock, Darius Morris, Darius Johnson-Odom, and Robert Sacre (Twitter link). In another tweet, Markazi says that Goudelock seems to be the odd man out at this point.
Hornets rookie Anthony Davis spoke about what he took away from his experiences at the Olympics, teaming with Robin Lopez this season, and head coach Monty Williams' expectations (Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune reports).
Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com spoke with Nuggets assistant coach Melvin Hunt to evaluate Jordan Hamilton's rookie season and what he was told to work on this summer.

Lakers Re-Sign Darius Morris To Qualifying Offer

July 2nd, 2012 at 2:21pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have re-signed Darius Morris to his qualifying offer, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The deal will pay him about $962K for 2012/13. Because Morris accepted the one-year offer, he'll be a free agent again next summer.