Derrick Rose Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Rumors: Rose, Anthony, Gaines Jr.

January 12th, 2017 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks point guard Derrick Rose shot down a rumor that he mulled retirement during his one-game absence from the team on Monday, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. “That’s something I don’t even want to speak into existence by commenting on it,’’ Rose told Berman. “I don’t know who would do that. Not at all. I was with my family.’’ Rose was fined $193,848, or 1/110th of his salary, for missing the game without giving the club prior notice. Rose claimed he went to Chicago to visit his mother for what he called a family crisis, though there are indications he went there to see his son, Berman adds.

In other developments surrounding the club:

The hurdles that must be cleared to trade Carmelo Anthony prevents the Knicks from rebuilding with younger players like the Sixers are doing, Fred Kerber of the New York Post argues. Finding a trade partner willing to take on the final two years of Anthony’s contract will be nearly impossible, Kerber notes — not only would a potential trade partner have to commit to $54MM+ in salary over the next two years, but a 15% trade kicker would force that team to cough up another $10MM. On top of that, Anthony would have to waive his no-trade provision, Kerber adds.
Rose hopes his one-game absence doesn’t affect the club’s feelings toward him when he enters free agency this summer, as he relayed to Ian Begley of ESPN.com. “I hope one incident didn’t change their minds,” he said. “Who knows? This is a business and if it was to happen I’m still going to play the way I normally know how to play no matter where I’m at.”
The Knicks have not gotten any better defensively under first-year coach Jeff Hornacek, one of several reasons why the team will only get worse, Berman opines in a separate piece. Berman cites the Rose drama and Kristaps Porzingis‘ recent struggles with a sore Achilles as two other factors in the team’s continuing demise.
The rising influence of Clarence Gaines Jr. is the main reason why the team chose forward Maurice Ndour over point guard Chasson Randle on the opening-day roster, Berman writes in still another piece, citing a source. Gaines was promoted from an advisory role to vice president of player personnel under president Phil Jackson. Randle signed a 10-day contract with the Sixers on Monday after a strong D-League showing.

Poll: How Long Will Derrick Rose Remain A Knick?

January 12th, 2017 at 11:37am CST by Luke Adams

Although Derrick Rose spoke optimistically earlier in the season about a possible contract extension with the Knicks, and the team was said to be open to the idea, there were already questions about the long-term outlook of the relationship even before Rose went AWOL on Monday, missing the team’s game against New Orleans.

The Knicks and Rose patched things up following his unexpected absence, with the team accepting the point guard’s explanation and choosing to fine him rather than suspend him. Rose was back in the starting lineup on Wednesday night, and had a solid game, though the Knicks blew a big fourth-quarter lead to the Sixers.

Still, there were reports this week suggesting that the relationship between Rose and head coach Jeff Hornacek is frayed, along with reports that indicated the former MVP’s future in New York looks increasingly uncertain.

Rose is a free agent at season’s end, and while there are rumblings that he could seek a maximum-salary contract, he’s unlikely to land a deal in that neighborhood. His ability to slash and create on offense provides the Knicks with a skill set that their other guards don’t possess, but based on the way the first half has played out, there’s a good chance the team looks elsewhere to fill that point guard position.

If things continue to go south in New York, it’s possible Rose won’t even finish the season with the club — if the Knicks fall out of the playoff race and know they won’t re-sign Rose, there would be little reason to keep him, so a trade or buyout could be in play.

What do you think? Will Rose finish the season in New York? Will he leave in the offseason? Or are the two sides capable of turning things around and making their marriage a long-term one? Vote in our poll below, and jump into the comments section to weigh in with your thoughts!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote in today’s poll.

Knicks Rumors: Rose, Carmelo, Noah, Jackson

January 11th, 2017 at 11:13am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of his return to the Knicks on Tuesday, Derrick Rose addressed his teammates and coaches, as well as GM Steve Mills and president Phil Jackson, and the point guard says that “everybody’s on the same page” (Twitter link via Ian Begley of ESPN.com). The Knicks do appear ready to move on, with head coach Jeff Hornacek telling reporters today that Rose will start tonight against Philadelphia, per Frank Isola of The New York Daily News (Twitter link).

Still, there should be lingering concern in New York about the situation. According to a report from Isola, during Rose’s absence, the former NBA MVP briefly “talked about walking away from basketball for an extended period of time to clear his mind.” Two independent sources who spoke to Isola described Rose as an emotional wreck on Monday afternoon.

Two days later, Rose claims he’s in a good place mentally and that he would have asked the Knicks for more time if he felt like he needed it (Twitter link via Isola). But the point guard’s future in New York – both in the short- and long-term – still appears very uncertain.

Here’s more on Rose and the Knicks:

There’s probably no quick fix for the Knicks, who are currently 17-21 and 11th in the East, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Kyler doesn’t expect any team to offer anything of real value in a trade for Rose, and hears from a source that Carmelo Anthony remains unwilling to approve a trade out of New York, in spite of the club’s recent slide. Joakim Noah also has little to no value as a trade piece, though Knicks sources tell Kyler that the former Bull has at least been a strong locker room influence so far.
Within a piece about Rose’s future – or lack thereof – in New York, Ian Begley of ESPN.com reports that some Knicks players have privately expressed frustration with the team’s defensive schemes. Begley also confirms that some members of the Knicks organization were led to believe during Rose’s absence that the 28-year-old was considering a lengthy absence from basketball.
According to Begley, some people close to Rose have told friends that the point guard will be looking for a maximum salary contract this summer. While that may be true, it’s hard to fathom Rose landing anything close to that at this point.
Phil Jackson needs to start providing some answers regarding his struggling club, rather than silently watching as it burns to the ground, opines Kevin Kernan of The New York Post.

Derrick Rose Rejoins Knicks, Fined By Team

January 10th, 2017 at 1:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Derrick Rose rejoined the Knicks today and was present for the team’s practice. According to the Knicks’ Twitter account, the veteran point guard has been fined by the club. He’s expected to be uniform for New York’s Wednesday game against the Sixers, and also figures to return to the starting lineup, per head coach Jeff Hornacek (Twitter link via Steve Popper of the USA Today Network).

Rose was unexpectedly absent from the Knicks’ Monday game versus New Orleans, and an explanation for the no-show didn’t come until later in the night. According to Rose, his absence was related to a family issue and had nothing to do with basketball. The former Bull said he flew to his hometown of Chicago to be with his family on Monday, and flew back into New York this morning, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter links).

Al Iannazzone of Newsday adds (via Twitter) that Rose specified he needed to be with his mother. Asked about his failure to communicate with the Knicks, Rose said he didn’t want to pick up the phone when the team called him because he needed “space” to process his family issue, tweets Begley.

Although Rose acknowledged today that he should have been in touch with the franchise earlier, he said the team accepted his absence, tweets Begley. The Knicks could have chosen to suspend Rose, but levied a fine instead. Bobby Marks of The Vertical observes (via Twitter) that the CBA allows a team to fine a player 1/110th of his base salary for failure to render services. Rose’s 2016/17 cap hit exceeds $21.3MM, which would allow for a pretty substantial fine, though it’s not clear if Rose’s cap hit consists entirely of his base compensation.

In any case, for now, it seems like the Knicks and Rose are ready to move forward, but there are still reasons to be wary. While the veteran point guard remains with the team in the short term, his long-term future in New York is increasingly uncertain. Multiple reports also indicated that the relationship between Rose and Hornacek has frayed, which could create problems going forward — the former MVP denied any such rift, tweets Iannazzone.

This is still very much a situation worth keeping an eye on, despite the apparent resolution following Monday’s absence.

Derrick Rose’s Future With Knicks Uncertain

January 10th, 2017 at 8:25am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of Derrick Rose‘s mysterious absence from the Knicks’ Monday night game, the team confirmed that its point guard was fine, and head coach Jeff Hornacek said that he expected Rose to rejoin the team soon. Following the unusual incident, however, Rose’s future in New York is “increasingly uncertain,” reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.

According to Wojnarowski, the Knicks had already been undecided about whether or not they wanted to invest in Rose beyond this season. After a Monday night that left the club “livid” and “embarrassed,” per Wojnarowski, the odds of the former MVP signing a long-term deal with the Knicks appear to have declined significantly, and even his short-term future with the franchise could be in doubt.

The relationship between Hornacek and Rose has become strained in recent weeks, according to Chris Mannix of The Vertical. Frank Isola of The New York Daily News echoes that sentiment, writing that reports of a frayed relationship between the two are accurate, particularly in the wake of a recent fourth-quarter benching for Rose. Sources tell Wojnarowski that the veteran point guard has been “privately critical” of the Knicks’ head coach, though no one in the locker room has expressed any issues with the way Hornacek has coached Rose.

Although a team source confirmed to Isola that Rose wasn’t injured or in danger when he missed Monday’s game, a source tells Fred Kerber and Marc Berman of The New York Post that the absence was “not a boycott.” Rose eventually informed team officials that he had a family situation and had returned to his hometown of Chicago, per Ian Begley and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.

As we wait for the next development in the Rose story, here are a few more notes on the subject from some of the pieces linked above:

Rose may face discipline from the team, depending on the reason for his absence — a suspension is possible, Wojnarowski writes.
Before finding out where he was, the Knicks were concerned enough with Rose’s absence that they sent someone to his New York apartment to check on him, according to Begley.
A source tells Berman that Rose had a conversation with Knicks general manager Steve Mills late on Monday night.
Isola, who refers to Monday as the “rock bottom” point of the Phil Jackson era in New York, adds that landing a big free agent deal in 2017 has long been an “obsession” for Rose.

Derrick Rose Absent From Knicks’ Game

January 9th, 2017 at 10:36pm CST by Luke Adams

10:36pm: Per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Rose left without permission to tend to a family matter, but Chris Mannix of The Vertical writes that it’s still unclear where he actually is.

9:36pm: Teammate Joakim Noah has been in touch with Derrick Rose since Monday’s game finished and says “he’s okay,” tweets Ian Begley of ESPN. Noah did not elaborate further as to why the guard was absent. Rose was at the team’s shootaround this morning, per Courtney Lee via Begley. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News says there are “strong indications” that Rose returned to his hometown of Chicago.

8:59pm: Speaking after the game to reporters, Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek said that he doesn’t have enough information to pass along an update, adding that he’ll need to “wait until we hear from Derrick himself” (Twitter link via Mike Vorkunov). Hornacek did say that he expects Rose will be back with the team, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

8:29pm: The Knicks are in action tonight against the Pelicans, but starting point guard Derrick Rose is “not with the team,” as Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News writes. Rose had been penciled in as a starter 90 minutes before the game got underway, but never showed up.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter), there are team officials, teammates, and close associates of Rose who aren’t certain why the point guard is not at Madison Square Garden tonight. At the time of tip-off earlier in the evening, the Knicks still hadn’t been in contact with Rose, and it’s unclear if they’ve been able to reach him since then, tweets Wojnarowski.

The Knicks sat Rose during the fourth quarter in Milwaukee on Friday, and he wasn’t thrilled with that move, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The former MVP also played just 26 minutes on Saturday, but it’s not clear whether tonight’s absence is impacted by anything on-court related.

This sort of absence is unusual, so hopefully Rose is okay. We’ll pass along any updates as they come in.

New York Notes: Rose, Holiday, Hornacek, Nets

January 1st, 2017 at 1:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

As the Knicks ponder their decision on whether to re-sign Derrick Rose, ESPN’s Ian Begley notes that Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday could be part of the equation. Holiday will also be entering free agency this summer, and team president Phil Jackson has reportedly expressed interest in acquiring him before. New York needs just a few small roster moves this summer to create enough cap room for a max contract. Holiday 26, has played 20 games after missing the start of the season to care for his ailing wife. He is averaging 14.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per night. The 28-year-old Rose is in his first year with the Knicks after being acquired in an offseason deal with Chicago. He is averaging 17.7 points and 4.4 assists in 29 games.

There’s more news out of New York:

Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek is asking for maximum effort from his team and hints that rotation changes could be on the way, relays Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. His comments came after the team lost in Houston Saturday night to slip back under .500. “Some of the young guys can really give effort in there. We’ll have to take a look at maybe getting them in the games more, maybe giving our older guys a little bit more rest,” Hornacek said. “So that they have shorter minutes so they can put the full effort out there. We’ll take a look at everything.”
The Knicks should be happy to see a miserable 2016 come to an end, Bondy writes in a separate story. The year started with a coaching change involving Derek Fisher, followed by a 13th-place finish in the Eastern Conference, a surprise hire in Hornacek, a draft night with no picks, a possibly disastrous free-agent signing in Joakim Noah, several ill-considered comments by Jackson and the end of his engagement to Lakers executive Jeanie Buss.
Tensions boiled over for the Nets on the court and in the locker room after Friday’s loss to Washington, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn has dropped seven of its last eight games and is tied with Philadelphia for the league’s worst record. “It was emotional and a frustrating game, and guys were just venting,” said center Brook Lopez. “I don’t know what was necessarily correct or who said what, but the important thing is it happened. It’s not something we’ve had to repeatedly deal with this season. It’s something that happens with every team over the course of the year. We addressed it. It’s an emotional game; obviously emotions were running high. We talked about it as a team. We addressed it as players.”

Atlantic Notes: Howard, Noel, Sixers, Knicks, Rose

December 28th, 2016 at 2:11pm CST by Luke Adams

When he hit the open market back in July, Dwight Howard was linked to a handful of teams before he eventually landed with the Hawks, but he’s not sure why the Knicks were one of those clubs. As Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News details, Howard “strongly denied” an offseason report suggesting he considered the Knicks in free agency.

“I never said that. I love New York, the Knicks are a great team. But that was something that was a lie,” Howard said. “That was a rumor that was being put out there. Like I said, I have no issues with New York or the fans or the people there, but it’s just something I’ve never said.”

For what it’s worth, our Howard archive includes multiple reports that suggest the Knicks were considering Howard this past summer, but there’s little to suggest that interest was mutual.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

After griping about his playing time when he first returned from a knee injury, Nerlens Noel has made peace with his role – or lack thereof – in the Sixers‘ rotation for now, says Keith Pompey of he Philadelphia Inquirer. Of course, even if Noel isn’t thrilled with his situation, attempting to make the most of it is the best thing he can do for both the team and his own trade value.
Although Sixers guard Nik Stauskas has reiterated that he holds no ill will toward the Kings for trading him early in his career, he’s always motivated to show his old team that it was a mistake to give up on him, Pompey writes in a separate piece for The Inquirer. “No one wants to be given up on,” Stauskas said. “But at the same time, I think they did me a favor by sending me here. So I’m not really mad about it.”
As Ian Begley of ESPN.com outlines, Derrick Rose – who is on track for unrestricted free agency in 2017 – is having a major impact on the Knicks‘ offense this season and is one of the reasons New York looks like a potential playoff team.
We rounded up a handful of Celtics notes earlier today.

New York Notes: Motiejunas, LeVert, Knicks, Rose

December 25th, 2016 at 6:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

Donatas Motiejunas would have been a huge addition for the Nets if the Rockets hadn’t matched his offer sheet, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Having another 7-footer on the court would have helped a team that ranks last in points allowed and scoring margin. Motiejunas could also have provided a fourth scorer in the starting lineup. The Nets have given more than 800 combined front line minutes to Justin Hamilton and Luis Scola, neither of whom is having a productive season. After matching the four-year, $37MM offer sheet, Houston worked out a separate deal with Motiejunas, then waived him after his physical. That made him a restricted free agent, but he’s not permitted to sign with Brooklyn for a full year after the offer sheet was matched.

The Nets still have nearly $17.8MM in cap room and seem like obvious candidates to make some roster moves before the February 23rd trade deadline. “Will we be active? I think we’ll be strategic,’’ GM Sean Marks said. “We’re not just going to jump on something.”

There’s more news today out of New York:

Nets rookie Caris LeVert can expect to see his minutes expanded as the season wears on, according to NetsDaily. LeVert had nine points and seven rebounds in Friday’s loss to Cleveland and is making an impression on coach Kenny Atkinson. “I love how hard he plays. Good for him to see a few shots go down,” Atkinson said. “That’s a positive we get out of this game.”
The Knicks‘ winning record isn’t impressive because it was built against lower-level teams, charges Marc Berman of The New York Post. With today’s loss to the Celtics, New York is now 16-14, but just 3-10 against teams that are .500 or better. “That’s the jump we got to make,’’ shooting guard Courtney Lee said. “Just learn from it and put it all together so when we play those losing teams we’re supposed to take of, we do that, but then the plus-.500 teams we got to start taking care of that, too.”
Derrick Rose is hoping to remain healthy for the rest of the season after recovering from back spasms, Berman writes in a separate story. After appearing in 66 games with the Bulls last season, Rose has been able to play in 25 of the Knicks’ first 30 contests. “I feel good,” he said. “Not feeling my back anymore. My body is healthy — just trying to find a rhythm, just trying to play my game, either a floater or try to finish at the rim or me trying to dunk. I feel all three elements are my game.”

Bulls Executive John Paxson Discusses Roster

December 25th, 2016 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bulls vice president of basketball operations John Paxson says “athleticism” is the team’s most important roster issue, relays the Chicago Tribune. In a radio interview this morning on WSCR-AM 670, Paxson praised coach Fred Hoiberg and offseason addition Dwyane Wade, while asking for more out of Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic. Here are a few highlights:

On the need for more athletic players to keep up with the rest of the league:

“We’ve got some vets who know how to play and can score. But when you look around the league and the way the game is now, that’s an area we have to address. That is a part of the plan. We’ll try to do that obviously through the draft and free agency if we can. You always have the trade option. Right now, our roster is what it is.”

On Michael Carter-Williams, who has been sidelined by injuries since October 31st:

“You kind of forget that he’s even on the roster because we traded for him so late in camp and then three games in, he took a fall and hurt himself. The coaching staff was just getting acclimated to him and he was doing very well for us. We’re excited to get him back. I think he will help our depth and our rotation as well.”

On Mirotic, who is headed toward free agency but seems to have regressed during his third season, shooting just 38% from the field:

“Niko has a tendency to get down on himself to be honest with you. Sometimes as player, you have to say to yourself, ‘Enough is enough. I’m going to go out and compete and work on my game.’ A lot of this is on the individual. Niko is a great guy. He has the ability to get better.”

On the surprise addition of Wade, who left Miami to sign with the Bulls this summer:

“It’s rare when a guy like that becomes available. Dwyane was one of those players you would think would’ve been with Miami his entire career just the way it had gone. He had been through good times, He had been through rebuilding. He’s professional with his approach and his attitude. He knows how to prepare himself. At this stage of his career, he knows what he can and can’t do. We’re trying to watch him carefully to make sure he doesn’t break down. But he takes very good care of himself. He’s right around that 30-minute mark a game for us, which is what he had intended for him hoping to keep him fresh. I think he has taken some of the pressure off of Jimmy [Butler] just in terms of having to speak all the time and be the voice. They’ve formed a very nice bond together.”

On the roster overhaul that began with the trade of Derrick Rose to the Knicks:

“We rode out Derrick’s injury for a long time. We had our team built at that point. Derrick’s injury obviously was a huge blow to us. He never really got back to where he was for us. We had just paid him. We tried to plug holes. But in the meantime, you’re drafting kind of middle of the pack all the time. You’re good enough to make the playoffs but you’re picking anywhere between 14, 15 and 22. It’s difficult to get impact players unless you’re lucky like we were with Jimmy years ago. There aren’t any excuses from us. We can point back to we thought we had it going but Derrick blows out his knee and all of a sudden, that changed our fortune a little bit. Had he not gotten hurt, who knows what would’ve happened. But that’s not our reality. We have to continue to try to find a way to put better players and a better team out there on the floor. That’s what we’re trying to do. At some point this year, we may have to give our young guys opportunities that they may need to see if they can develop into players.”