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Central Notes: Payne, Mirotic, Bucks, Parker

March 9th, 2017 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls had reportedly been seeking first-round picks in exchange for players like Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott prior to the trade deadline, but instead they sent both Gibson and McDermott to the Thunder – along with a second-rounder – for a package headlined by point guard Cameron Payne. As Shams Charania of The Vertical writes, the Bulls paid a hefty price for Payne, who is now hoping he can deliver on the team’s belief in him, calling the move to Chicago a “blessing in disguise.”

“It’s going to take time, but I want to be the guy for the Bulls’ future,” Payne told Charania. “I felt like OKC wanted something else, and I’m happy that Chicago felt the need to come trade for me. With what they gave up to get me, it meant a lot.”

Let’s round up a few more items from around the Central division…

Within the piece linked above, Charania also notes that the Bulls had “several serious discussions” about trading Nikola Mirotic prior to the deadline, and were seeking a first-round pick in return. Ultimately, Chicago hung onto Mirotic, and now the team will have to see if it can hang onto him in restricted free agency this July.
With the Knicks in Milwaukee on Wednesday, Derrick Rose acknowledged that the Bucks are somewhat intriguing as a potential free agent destination this summer, given Milwaukee’s proximity to his hometown and his family in Chicago. Marc Berman of The New York Post has the details, along with the quotes from Rose.
Speaking to reporters for the first time since going down with a torn ACL last month, Bucks forward Jabari Parker said today that he believes he can come back even stronger, according to Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I don’t want to be the same player,” said Parker, who is still on crutches. “I wouldn’t be myself if I don’t challenge myself to do better things, bigger things. … I know I can be better.” Parker, who said he hopes to play 40 or 50 games this season, will be eligible for an extension later this year, as I discussed earlier today.

Knicks Notes: Jackson, Noah, Randle, Rose

March 7th, 2017 at 9:54am CST by Luke Adams

After speaking to Phil Jackson following Sunday’s game, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr suggested that the Knicks president may be having a hard time dealing with another sub-.500 season from his club, as Mike Vorkunov of The New York Times details.

“It’s hard,” Kerr said. “It’s hard for anybody. A competitor like Phil — Phil is a fierce competitor — so losing eats competitors up. It’s no fun, but that’s part of it and part of the deal when you’re in this business, for sure.”

Despite making a series of win-now moves in the 2016 offseason, the Knicks remain out of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, with a winning percentage only slightly better than last season’s mark. Since Jackson took over as the team’s president of basketball operations, New York is just 75-153 (.329).

As Jackson and the Knicks try to find a way to turn things around for 2017/18, here are a few more notes out of New York:

Knicks center Joakim Noah underwent a procedure on his knee last week that was expected to keep him out for the rest of the season, but Noah hasn’t given up on the idea of getting back on the court in the coming weeks, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. “I want to play,” said Noah, who has begun “light” rehab work. “Right now, I’m just taking it day by day. The next step is getting strength back in my leg and go from there.”
Knicks fans in favor of tanking down the stretch may not have loved it, but Chasson Randle showed on Monday why the Knicks moved quickly to sign him after releasing Brandon Jennings, says Marc Berman of The New York Post. As Berman observes, Randle had a plus-27 rating in New York’s win in Orlando, compared to a minus-23 mark for starting point guard Derrick Rose. Randle has a non-guaranteed salary for 2017/18, so the Knicks figure to take a longer look at him down the stretch this season to see if he’ll be part of the club’s plans for next season.
Speaking of Rose, Iannazzone has the details on the point guard’s left eye, which was on the receiving end of an inadvertent elbow from Kristaps Porzingis on Sunday. According to Iannazzone, Rose saw an eye specialist after the game, but was told everything is OK.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Rose, Horford

March 3rd, 2017 at 1:04pm CST by Austin Kent

The foundation of the Sixers franchise is cracked, writes Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The scribe turns a spotlight on the organization for its handling of injuries to star players and even the management of its payroll this year and last.

Ambiguity and a lack of transparency with regard to the recovery times of players like Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons call into question whether the club has a management problem or just a communication problem. Regardless, the “fans and players need this organization to be run better,” he writes. Recently the Sixers revealed that both Embiid and Simmons will miss the remainder of the 2016/17 campaign after several weeks of misplaced optimism and muted details about the severity of their injuries.

Finally, Cooney acknowledges that for the second time in two years the franchise has taken on and eaten the lofty contracts of opposing teams’ veterans in bids to push their payroll closer to the salary floor. A team that doesn’t reach the salary floor is obligated to pay the difference out to the players on their roster, but by taking on Andrew Bogut‘s deal, the club absolves itself of the responsibility. The part of Bogut’s $11MM contract that the Sixers inherited in the Nerlens Noel trade, of course, is prorated relative to how much of the 2016/17 season he spent with each organization.

“Don’t think that hasn’t soured some, if not most,” of the Sixers’ players, Cooney cautions.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

A less-than-impressive showing on defense in Wednesday night’s Sixers loss has Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Bob Ford wondering if “Jahlil Okafor‘s career in Philadelphia may have ended with that one play.”
Injured big man Joel Embiid is taking his setback in stride. “Be back soon,” the Sixers rookie tweeted Thursday. “The process has to be postponed.”
While the Knicks as an organization moved to embrace the triangle offense, point guard Derrick Rose isn’t so enthusiastic. “S—, do I have a choice? Do I have a choice?” he joked with Ian Begley of ESPN and reporters on Thursday.
While it wasn’t long ago that it seemed Derrick Rose was on his way out of New York, he’ll remain with the Knicks for the rest of the year and, per Laura Albanese of Newsday, is working on adding a three-point shot.
The Raptors will need to play with more energy and passion if they’re to stop their slide down the Eastern Conference standings, writes Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun. Modified minute distributions for the second unit may be in the cards as well.
The impact of Al Horford on the Celtics isn’t always measured by traditional statistics, writes A. Sherrod Blakey of CSN New England. “He makes plays, high basketball IQ, he can score, he can pass, he can rebound and the way he played (against Cleveland) we need him to play like that for us to win. He does a lot for us that doesn’t even go on the stat sheet though,” says point guard Isaiah Thomas.

Knicks Notes: Point Guard Search, Rose, Thomas

March 3rd, 2017 at 10:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks will have a hard time finding their next point guard either through the draft or free agency, writes Fred Kerber of The New York Post. With Derrick Rose unlikely to return next season, getting a replacement will be an offseason priority. However, Kerber notes that New York’s draft pick won’t be high enough to snag one of the elite point guards available, and the top free agents are likely to stay where they are.

The Knicks are currently in a three-way tie for eighth in our latest Reverse Standings, giving them just a remote shot at a top two pick that will probably be necessary to draft Washington’s Markelle Fultz or UCLA’s Lonzo Ball. That leaves lower-tier options such as De’Aaron Fox of Kentucky or international standout Frank Ntilikina.

The problem is similar in free agency, where the Knicks will have about $25MM to spend, but the best available players — Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry and George Hill — are all expected to remain with their current teams. Kerber says the Knicks might target Jrue Holiday or Jeff Teague, but the Pelicans and Pacers with both have Bird rights and the advantages of being able to offer more money and more years.

There’s more this morning from New York:

Rose is optimistic about reaching the playoffs despite the Knicks’ 25-36 record, and says he plans to unleash his 3-point shot in the postseason, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. “I’m trying to put pieces of my game together,” Rose said. “I’m not shooting 3s yet. Hopefully I’ll start shooting them in the playoffs. It’s going to take a lot of sacrifice and dedication to get there. I’m just adding pieces to my game throughout the season.”
One positive for Rose this season has been his health, Berman notes in the same piece. Rose has appeared in 52 of the team’s 61 games, and if he plays 15 more it will be the most in a season since his ACL tear in 2012. “Two times, three times a day, the entire summer,” Rose said of his offseason workout schedule. “I worked on my game and body. That’s one of the reasons my body is holding up.”
The Knicks’ defense has improved significantly since Lance Thomas returned six games ago, Berman writes in a separate story. Thomas missed about a month after taking an elbow to the face in a January game and breaking the orbital bone. The time off also allowed Thomas to overcome plantar fasciitis that had been affecting him since training camp.

Knicks Notes: Anthony, Jackson, Rose, Porzingis

March 1st, 2017 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Carmelo Anthony wants another face-to-face meeting with Knicks president Phil Jackson after the season, according to Fred Kerber of The New York Post. Anthony is seeking clarity on his future in New York after the team reportedly discussed trading him to the Celtics, Cavaliers or Clippers before last week’s deadline. Any of those deals would have required Anthony to waive his no-trade clause.

Anthony wants to address the rest of this season before discussing his next move. “I don’t think right now,” he said. “Right now we’ve got to sit down and kind of finish these games and go back down to the drawing board after this season.”

There’s more news out of New York:

Anthony wasn’t notified before Brandon Jennings was waived on Monday, but said he understands not being part of every personnel decision, Kerber relays in the same piece. Jennings had requested the move and agreed to a buyout so he could join a contender. He signed with the Wizards earlier today. “As players we don’t really know what happens behind closed doors unless they bring it to us,” Anthony said. “That wasn’t something that they brought to us.”
Derrick Rose‘s desire to play for a winner will affect his decisions in free agency this summer, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Rose plans to address that topic with Knicks management during his exit meeting. “We had extremely high expectations for this team,” Rose said. “The reality is, I can’t get mad at it. If anything it’s a learning experience. I have to learn from it.’’ Rose can sign an extension with New York before the start of free agency July 1st, but the team has been disappointed with his performance since last summer’s trade with Chicago and may not want to make a long-term commitment.
Coach Jeff Hornacek has incorporated Jackson’s triangle offense more frequently as the season wears on, and big man Kristaps Porzingis believes that’s the right approach, Berman writes in a separate story. “We should’ve been playing it from the beginning of the season,’’ Porzingis said. “We’re a little behind. I don’t know when we can finally start using it properly and making an impact.”

Knicks To Target Jrue Holiday In Free Agency?

February 28th, 2017 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

Some members of the Knicks organization view Jrue Holiday as a free agent target for the club this summer, league sources tell Ian Begley of ESPN.com. As Begley points out, team president Phil Jackson displayed interest in trading for Holiday earlier in his tenure in New York, so it makes sense that the veteran point guard would be on the Knicks’ radar in the offseason.

After missing the start of the season due to a personal matter, Holiday has appeared in 45 games for the Pelicans in 2016/17, averaging 15.9 PPG and 7.4 APG to go along with a .457/.374/.705 shooting line. The 26-year-old is in the final year of his current contract, putting him in line to hit the open market this summer.

Although there are a number of big-name free agent point guards set to hit the market in July, many of those players – such as Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, and Kyle Lowry – are viewed as highly likely to re-sign with their current teams. That could leave a player like Holiday as one of the top options left on the board, though New Orleans is expected to make a strong effort to lock him up. Holiday acknowledged last week that the Pelicans view him as a part of their future along with Anthony Davis and newly-acquired DeMarcus Cousins.

The Knicks have a free-agent-to-be point guard of their own on the roster, with Derrick Rose on an expiring deal. Earlier in the season, it appeared that there might be mutual interest between Rose and the Knicks in a contract extension, but the odds of Rose remaining in New York long-term seem to have declined since then.

Here are a few more Knicks notes:

On Monday, head coach Jeff Hornacek “firmly denied” that the Knicks had moved into tank mode, as Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “Who says we’re trying to lose?” Hornacek said. “As a team we’re not thinking about losing. We’re still trying to win. Brandon [Jennings] being waived doesn’t mean [not] trying to win games. We feel Ron Baker can fill right in. It’s a different dynamic. He can control things and provide defense.”
According to Berman, the Knicks recognized that Jennings was “unhappy” with his role in New York and that he would have been upset if his playing time had been reduced down the stretch. A source tells Berman that the Knicks felt the veteran guard was “no longer a fit” with the team, leading to his release. “Brandon wanted to play more minutes here,” Hornacek said. “With Derrick here, it made it awfully tough.”
As Berman explains, even if the Knicks’ interest in re-signing Rose this summer is limited, the team may hang onto him until season’s end to keep his cap hold on the books, in case it can help accommodate a sign-and-trade.

Knicks Notes: Rose, Jennings, Randle, Ndour

February 27th, 2017 at 6:39pm CST by Milo Taibi

The Knicks appear to be done with buyouts after parting ways with Brandon Jennings today. While there was some speculation about Derrick Rose being cut by the club, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN suggests the Knicks probably won’t complete any more buyouts unless “a player they like becomes available.” (Twitter link)

Despite Jeff Hornacek‘s words to the contrary, the Knicks appear to be in full-on tank mode at this point. Sporting a 24-35 record, the Knicks are four games behind Detroit for the eighth seed of the Eastern Conference.

Latest On Derrick Rose And The Knicks

February 25th, 2017 at 5:46pm CST by ChrisCrouse

B.J. Armstrong, the agent for Derrick Rose, said that his client “wants to be in New York,” Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes. Rose was the subject of trade rumors leading up the trade deadline, but his representatives believe the Knicks had his best interests in mind when negotiating with other teams. Rose told the local media on Friday that he holds “no grudges and no hard feelings” about the trade chatter.

“It was an opportunity to see what his value truly was throughout the league,” Armstrong said. “So as you can see, through all the reports, there were teams that were interested in him and what he does and what he brings to the court.”

Begley notes that several teams contacted the Knicks regarding a Rose trade. The Knicks had discussions with the Wolves regarding a Ricky Rubio-Rose swap, but those talks stalled when New York demanded additional assets. Shortly before the deadline passed, the Knicks backed off those demands, but Minnesota backed out of talks because it feared Rose wouldn’t be open to re-signing with the club.

“I wasn’t surprised that he wasn’t traded,” Armstrong said of Rose. “Derrick is putting together, game by game, coming back and really beginning to play at a consistent level to where he’s at and what he’s going to be at this stage of his career. So I think there was a lot of rumors, his name was out there. But in the end, I think the Knicks did what they thought was in their best interests.”

Rose would like to remain in town, but it’s unclear whether or not the Knicks would like to continue the relationship past this season, according to Begley.

Rose is averaging 17.6 points while shooting 46.2% from the field this season. However, the raw numbers don’t tell the whole story, as Dan Favale of NBAMath details. Rose prioritizes scoring when he’s on the court and his decision making has hurt the team this season. New York’s assist percentage drops significantly when Rose is in the lineup and Favale believes Rose has taken opportunities away from other players, especially Kristaps Porzingis.

Earlier in the year, it was reported that Rose would seek a max deal when he hits free agency this summer. It’s unlikely that he receives the max offer, but with a plethora of teams in need of a point guard, he’ll have plenty of suitors. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him land a deal in the $12-15MM/year range, though that is simply my speculation.

Bulls Notes: Valentine, Payne, Wade

February 25th, 2017 at 8:52am CST by Austin Kent

The Bulls didn’t end up shipping off Jimmy Butler at the deadline, as had been rumored, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t thinking about their future. General manager Gar Forman spoke with ESPN Chicago Friday about the organization heading forward. Forman noted that the trade the club did make (Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott for Cameron Payne, Anthony Morrow and Joffrey Lauvergne), will free up more time for rookie Denzel Valentine.

In the same conversation Forman reveals that they tried to trade for Payne on draft night last June but were unable to. He mentions that they “absolutely loved” him coming out of the draft and think he’ll be a player for their future.

Later in the discussion, when the topic turned to Fred Hoiberg, Forman said that he foresees the head coach coming back to in 2017/18. For more insights about the Bulls, consider listening to the full 20-minute chat at ESPN.

There’s more out of Chicago:

Veteran guard Dwyane Wade doesn’t have a clear read on whether or not the Bulls’ front office would want him to pick up his player option this summer and return to the team for 2017/18. “I haven’t had that conversation about next season with the guys,” he told Nick Friedell of ESPN. “[…] I take my option seriously and I always look into what’s the best thing for me to do.” For now, Wade adds, he just wants to play basketball.
The Bulls will have a better idea of what shape their rebuild will take this offseason, writes Neil Johnson of ESPN Analytics (Insider). Johnson asks if the Bulls can truly rebuild around Jimmy Butler or whether, by retaining him, they’re delaying the inevitable.
For what it’s worth, Jimmy Butler told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune that he has faith in the Bulls’ front office and is exactly where he wants to be.
Newly acquired guard Anthony Morrow caused a bit of a stir when it was announced that he’d wear No. 1 with his new club. The veteran quickly changed course when Bulls fans protested at the thought of him wearing Derrick Rose‘s former number.

Knicks Notes: Anthony, Rose, Porzingis, Jackson

February 24th, 2017 at 4:45pm CST by Milo Taibi

Carmelo Anthony is unsure of the Knicks‘ direction after standing pat at the trade deadline. “I think they were kind of planning on the trade deadline, whether they were trying to make moves,” Anthony said. “I think that was one plan. Now they’ve got to get back to the drawing board and come up with another plan about the future of this team.”

Anthony’s frustration is understandable. Team president Phil Jackson extensively discussed the prospect of shopping Anthony, despite ‘Melo’s no-trade clause. While Anthony wasn’t mentioned in trade rumors throughout the deadline, the team was apparently rebuffed by Minnesota on a Ricky Rubio-for-Derrick Rose swap. Anthony claimed he “kind of knew” he wouldn’t be dealt in the days leading up to the deadline, and spoke for his teammates in criticizing the front office’s lack of transparency.

“Yeah, I mean, nobody likes to be in limbo,” Anthony said. “We all want to know kind of what’s going on, especially when it’s involving you. I think there’s other players who feel the same way, that they want to be involved — not involved, but at least up to date with what’s going on.”