Derrick Rose Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Tampering, Brunson, Wright, Fournier, Rose, Mitchell

July 23rd, 2022 at 8:29am CST by Dana Gauruder

There is a strong possibility the NBA will open up a tampering investigation into the Knicks’ recruitment of Jalen Brunson, according to The Athletic’s Fred Katz. A rival team doesn’t necessarily need to file official tampering charges to make it happen, considering that reports of an agreement between the Knicks and Brunson surfaced before the two sides could negotiate. The Knicks also made salary-shedding moves with the confidence Brunson would come aboard if they opened up enough cap room.

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Brunson’s college coach, Jay Wright, said the former Villanova star will embrace the pressure of playing in New York City, Zach Braziller of the New York Post writes. “He is very comfortable in having all that pressure on him,” Wright said of Brunson. “When Luka [Doncic] was out, he was very comfortable taking on that responsibility in the playoffs. But he’s really smart and he really knows that he needs good players around him, too. His basketball IQ is off the charts. He will look at the game like a coach and a general manager. His ego doesn’t get in the way. But he’ll never shy from the responsibility. He loves it.”
If the Knicks don’t trade RJ Barrett or Julius Randle in a blockbuster deal for Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, then either Derrick Rose or Evan Fournier would have to be dealt for salary-matching purposes. SNY TV’s Ian Begley looks at potential combinations of players that the Knicks could send out to Utah.
Mitchell may be one of the top 10 offensive talents in the league but he’s not considered a top-10 player overall due to his defensive shortcomings. The Ringer’s Dan Devine explores whether Mitchell is the right star for the Knicks to pursue.

Jazz Reportedly Asking Knicks For Three Players, Six First-Rounders In Mitchell Talks

July 15th, 2022 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks are pursuing a trade for Donovan Mitchell, but they’re balking at Utah’s current asking price, Tony Jones of The Athletic said in an interview with ESPN 700 in Salt Lake City (hat tip to Real GM).

According to Jones, the Jazz want Quentin Grimes, Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin in the deal, along with six future first-round picks. Jones said New York “backed away” from that proposal.

The Knicks have been stockpiling assets in hopes of landing a major star and currently own 11 first-round selections over the next seven years. They can part with up to eight of those first-rounders in a trade, notes Steve Popper of Newsday, but he wonders how many the organization would be willing to surrender, especially if it’s also giving up young talent.

Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune confirms that the Jazz are seeking a large return of draft assets from New York, along with players on rookie contracts, and he identifies Grimes as “perhaps the lead target” among players who could be included in the deal. Larsen adds that the Knicks don’t want to give away that much of their future, but they made a “significant” counter to Utah’s offer.

Multiple sources tell Larsen that RJ Barrett, the third pick in the 2019 draft, wasn’t part of the trade talks. Barrett is eligible for an extension to his rookie contract this offseason, and Utah isn’t eager to take on that expense.

The Jazz would have to take back at least one sizeable contract from New York to match Mitchell’s $30.35MM salary for next season. That probably won’t be Julius Randle ($23.76MM in 2022/23), according to one of Larsen’s sources, who says that Evan Fournier ($18MM) or Derrick Rose ($14.52MM) is more likely to be included.

Knicks Notes: Brunson, D. Rose, Point Guard Options, Ivey, Draft Night

June 26th, 2022 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Derrick Rose may provide one more advantage for the Knicks in their pursuit of free agent Jalen Brunson, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. The Mavericks guard already has numerous links to New York, with team president Leon Rose as his former agent and Brunson’s father, Rick, as the team’s newest assistant coach.

But the connections go even further. When Jalen Brunson was growing up in Illinois, he formed a bond with Derrick Rose, who was a star point guard with the Bulls at the time.

“Jalen would go over to the Bulls facility and practice with the Bulls players,” Brunson’s high school coach, Pat Ambrose, tells Braziller. “That’s where he became good friends with Derrick Rose. So your story gets deep with the Knicks. Derrick saw that young Jalen was a very, very good player and Derrick was a Chicago kid, and really started to mentor Jalen basketball-wise.”

There’s more from New York:

While Brunson will be the Knicks’ primary target when free agency begins this week, there are other options if the team can’t lure him out of Dallas. In a separate story, Braziller examines the point guard market involving both trades and free agents, focusing on Malcolm Brogdon, Dejounte Murray, Tyus Jones and Ricky Rubio, along with Kyle Anderson, a free agent forward who could fill the role of secondary playmaker.
The Knicks were optimistic that they could trade up for Jaden Ivey during Thursday night’s draft and continued to make offers even after the Pistons selected the Purdue guard at No. 5, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Begley isn’t sure exactly what the Knicks were offering, but he cites “frustration” in the team’s draft room when they couldn’t make a deal.
Steve Popper of Newsday searches for silver linings after the Knicks’ draft night, which left many fans confused and angry. New York entered the draft with the 11th pick and hopes of moving up for Ivey, but the team wound up selecting Ousmane Dieng and sending him to the Thunder for three conditional future first-round picks. The Knicks also acquired the Bucks’ 2025 first-round selection in a separate deal involving the Hornets and Pistons. New York was able to send Kemba Walker‘s salary to Detroit, but still needs to create more cap space to make a max offer to Brunson.

Atlantic Notes: Smart, Knicks, Rose, Simmons

May 6th, 2022 at 1:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics guard Marcus Smart will be listed as probable for Saturday’s Game 3 and is expected to play barring any last-minute complications, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. Smart missed Game 2 with a right thigh contusion, but he’s made significant progress, coach Ime Udoka said after this morning’s practice. Smart explained that the injury was actually closer to his knee, causing a build-up of fluid.

“Just take it, like I said, day-by-day,” Smart said. “The staff is doing a great job with treatment and exercises to help strengthen the quad and get the blood flowing and things like that.”

Udoka also said Jaylen Brown should be ready to play despite experiencing some hamstring tightness. He seemed to be grabbing his hamstring a few times in Game 2, but the Celtics don’t believe it’s a cause for concern.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks won’t have many attractive free agency options at point guard other than top choice Jalen Brunson, per Fred Katz of The Athletic. Katz warns that Brunson could get expensive, as other teams are expected to have interest in him as well. He adds that the team could easily clear about $20MM in cap space to make a bid for Brunson by waiving Taj Gibson, whose salary for next season is non-guaranteed, using second-round picks as sweeteners to get teams to trade for Alec Burks or Nerlens Noel, and waiving and stretching the final year of Kemba Walker‘s deal. Katz also reviews some alternatives if New York can’t land Brunson.
Marc Berman of The New York Post talks to an orthopedic surgeon for insight into why Knicks guard Derrick Rose never returned from his two ankle surgeries. Dr. Anish Kadakia of Northwestern University said Rose and the team were being careful not to aggravate the ankle after the second procedure, which was necessary after an infection was discovered. Kadakia doesn’t believe there are any degenerative issues with the ankle, and he expects Rose to return next season. Rose still has two years left on his contract at a total of $30MM, but the final season is a team option.
Ben Simmons‘ decision to have back surgery on Thursday is further evidence that the Nets got “damaged goods” in their trade with the Sixers, Berman states in a separate story. Even though Simmons is expected to be ready for training camp, Berman says it’s not a good sign that he’s about to go through another summer of limited activity.

Injury Updates: LeBron, LaVine, Murray, Powell, Knicks, More

April 5th, 2022 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Facing a must-win game in Phoenix on Tuesday and looking to keep their play-in hopes alive, the Lakers will once again be without star forward LeBron James, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. James, who continues to deal with a left ankle sprain, has been ruled out for a second consecutive game and will now have missed three of the last four.

If the Lakers lose to the Suns and the Spurs win in Denver, L.A. would be officially eliminated from play-in contention by the end of the night.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Bulls guard Zach LaVine (knee) will likely miss Tuesday’s game vs. Milwaukee, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). LaVine’s left knee has been an issue for much of the season, though he has been able to play through the discomfort for the most part — this would only be the second game he has missed since the All-Star break.
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (ACL) has “really ramped up” his activity in the last week, Wojnarowski said on NBA Countdown on Sunday (video link). While Wojnarowski describes Murray as “aggressive” in his efforts to get back on the court, he cautions that the guard is still experiencing some soreness at times in his surgically-repaired left knee.
Norman Powell (foot) will be a full participant in Tuesday’s practice for the Clippers, according to head coach Tyronn Lue, who noted that the team isn’t playing five-on-five today. Lue is hopeful that Powell will be able to return within the next several days, tweets Mirjam Swanson of The Southern California News Group.
Asked today about whether Julius Randle (quad) or Derrick Rose (ankle) will play again this season, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau responded, “I don’t see it happening” (Twitter link via Fred Katz of The Athletic).
Mavericks guards Sterling Brown and Trey Burke are out of the COVID-19 protocols and will be available on Wednesday vs. Detroit, per head coach Jason Kidd (Twitter link via Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News).
Out since March 14 due to a high ankle sprain, Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels has been upgraded to questionable for Tuesday’s game vs. Washington (Twitter link). “I think he’s had a really good week, good evaluation,” head coach Chris Finch said (Twitter link via Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic). “Just not sure if he’s ready to play in the game tonight, but try to push him today in our ‘stay in shape league‘ and see how everything goes.”

Knicks Notes: Rose, Grimes, Randle, Robinson

March 29th, 2022 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Hope seems to be fading that Knicks guard Derrick Rose will play again this season, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Coach Tom Thibodeau indicated over the weekend that Rose was making progress, but his tone was more pessimistic in a media session Monday night, pointing out that Rose still hasn’t been cleared for contact.

“The main thing is we want him to go step by step,’’ Thibodeau said. “He hasn’t taken contact on. He’s ramped up his conditioning but hasn’t taken contact on. That’s a big thing.’’

Rose hasn’t played since having surgery in December to remove a bone spur from his right ankle. He underwent a second procedure in late February after developing an infection in the surgically repaired area.

With just six games remaining and the Knicks having little chance to qualify for the play-in tournament, they may decide to play it safe with Rose. He’s under contract for two more years, although the 2023/24 season is a team option.

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Quentin Grimes had to miss a second consecutive game Monday with pain in his right knee, Berman adds. There may be concerns that he returned too soon after suffering a dislocation in the knee February 25.
Julius Randle played in the second game of a back-to-back Monday despite a sore quad, but he remained on the bench for most of the fourth quarter and finished with just five points on 1-of-9 shooting, Berman writes in a separate story. Randle, who has been engaged in feuds with fans and the media this season, was criticized by MSG Network’s Wally Szczerbiak for not celebrating on the court with his teammates after the game, but Thibodeau came to Randle’s defense. “You can play well when you didn’t shoot well. His 13 rebounds was huge,” Thibodeau said. “A lot of guys wouldn’t be playing. He wants to play. I have great respect for that.’’
Mitchell Robinson had his second straight impressive performance against the two teams that talked to the Knicks about acquiring him at the trade deadline, Berman notes. After blocking five shots Sunday against the Pistons, Robinson posted 16 points and 12 rebounds in last night’s win over the Bulls. Those could be two teams to watch when Robinson enters free agency this summer.

Knicks Notes: Fournier, Future, Randle, Robinson, Rose

March 26th, 2022 at 12:01pm CST by Rory Maher

Evan Fournier said it took him a little time to figure out his role with the Knicks, as Marc Berman of The New York Post relays.

“I feel like it really took me a couple of months to figure out how I would be able to help this team,” Fournier said Wednesday night in Charlotte after breaking John Starks’ single-season record of 217 three-pointers. “I want to thank Thibs (coach Tom Thibodeau) for putting me in that position. That’s what he expected from me. It took me a couple of months to understand that.”

Fournier has been durable this season, appearing in 72 of the team’s 74 games. He’s started all 72 of those contests, averaging 14.3 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.0 SPG on .419/.394/.696 shooting.

“I’ve always been an aggressive player, coming off curls and stuff,” Fournier said. “We have guys that do that already. My role was going to be different from the start. To find a reason and understand what’s expected of you when you’re new, sometime it takes a little bit. Since January, I feel a lot better and really understand my role and it’s been better since then.”

Berman thinks Fournier’s trade value has increased with his strong recent play. Since the start of January, Fournier is shooting 41.4% from deep on 8.7 attempts per game.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

New York got a glimpse of what the team could do without Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson in Wednesday’s 121-106 victory over Charlotte, Berman writes in a separate piece. After signing a long-term extension last summer, Randle’s erratic behavior and his dip in production has led to speculation that he might be traded this summer. Robinson, meanwhile, is an unrestricted free agent in 2022, and it’s not clear whether he wants to re-sign with the Knicks.
Derrick Rose hasn’t given up hope of returning to the court this season despite missing the past 45 games after undergoing a pair of ankle surgeries. With eight games remaining on the schedule, time is running out, but he’s making progress. “He did some in practice today,” Thibodeau said, per Berman of The New York Post. “He’s in the next phase right now. He still hasn’t taken contact.”
Within the same article, Berman writes that Randle is also inching closer to a return. He’s currently sidelined with a sore right quadriceps tendon, but was listed as a game-time decision before being held out of Friday’s game against Miami. He has missed three straight games with the injury.

Grizzlies Notes: Jackson Jr., Bane, Contender, Morant

March 23rd, 2022 at 10:03pm CST by Rory Maher

In an appearance on ESPN’s NBA Countdown prior to Wednesday’s game against Brooklyn (video link), Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. said he believes he should win the Defensive Player of the Year award this season. Jackson leads the league in blocked shots per game with 2.2; he also averages 1.0 SPG and 5.9 RPG in 27.3 MPG.

“Of course I think I’m Defensive Player of the Year,” Jackson said. “I just think what I’m able to do, I mean the blocks are cool, but you get blocks from contesting shots. I’m able to do a lot more than most people who get a lot of blocks. I’m able to switch out on guards, I’m able to talk.

“You’ve gotta be a quarterback on defense and I think that’s what people miss. It’s a mind game. You’re really playing chess. I think Draymond [Green] might have said that one time, you’re playing chess with the offensive team coming down. So, I’m just able to read and I’m able to use my length to my advantage when I can.”

After appearing in just 11 games last season as he recovered from a torn meniscus, Jackson has played a career-high 72 contests to this point, only missing one game for the 50-23 Grizzlies.

Here’s more from Memphis:

With his fifth three-pointer in Wednesday’s 132-120 win over the Nets, Desmond Bane broke Mike Miller‘s single-season franchise record for threes made, the team announced (via Twitter). Bane finished the game 8-of-17 from the field, including 6-of-10 from deep, for a total of 23 points. He also chipped in four rebounds, five assists, a steal, and was plus-20 in 32 minutes of action. Bane has now converted 204 three-pointers this season.
The Grizzlies are way ahead of schedule in their rebuild, according to Tim MacMahon and Kevin Pelton of ESPN. Many expected the Grizzlies to be in the mix for the play-in tournament again after making their way to the No. 8 seed last season, but they’ve made a major leap and currently hold the second-best record in the NBA, only trailing the 59-14 Suns.
Nets star Kevin Durant thinks Ja Morant is bound for Springfield (Massachusetts) when his career is finished, per Nick Friedell of ESPN. “When you got a future Hall of Famer at the head of the snake, it just makes everybody better,” Durant said on Monday. “He’s a combination of players, I feel. I think the greatest players in our game can transform into anybody at any given point. And I think Ja’s on the way to that. When he’s playing, I see like two or three, four different Hall of Famers in his game. From [Allen] Iverson, to he might make a [Michael] Jordan-like layup, or he might run down the court like a [Russell] Westbrook or a [Derrick Rose].”
In case you missed it, Morant underwent an MRI and X-ray on his sore right knee on Wednesday.

Knicks Notes: Payne, Barrett, Kemba, Rose, Fournier

March 18th, 2022 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

Knicks assistant Kenny Payne has officially been hired as the new head coach of the University of Louisville’s men’s basketball team, the program announced today in a press release. Payne received a six-year deal and will make $3.35MM annually, with his new contract going into effect on Monday, per Brett Dawson of The Louisville Courier-Journal.

During Payne’s introductory press conference on Friday, Louisville athletic director Josh Heird thanked Knicks management, noting that the team didn’t want to lose Payne but understood the hiring was “bigger than basketball” (Twitter link via Dawson).

Payne, meanwhile, said that he and Knicks executives Leon Rose and William Wesley have been crying “six, seven times a day” within the last little while about his decision to leave the team (Twitter link via Dawson).

“We are beyond thrilled for Kenny Payne that he will have the opportunity to coach his alma mater, Louisville,” Rose said in a statement issued today by the Knicks. “We wish him nothing but the best and thank him for his contributions over the past two seasons.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

With RJ Barrett set to become extension-eligible for the first time this offseason, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News wonders if the former No. 3 overall pick has earned maximum-salary consideration, or at least something close to it. For his part, Barrett said that getting a long-term commitment from the Knicks has long been a goal for him. “I’ve been trying to play my butt off and do everything out there to achieve that,” he said.
In addition to not seeing any more game action this season, Kemba Walker isn’t around the Knicks at all and isn’t working with team trainers, head coach Tom Thibodeau confirmed this week. A source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post that Walker is doing some of his training in New York and some in his former home of Charlotte, where his mother still lives.
Derrick Rose (ankle) still hasn’t received clearance to practice, creating uncertainty about whether he’ll be back before the end of the regular season, Berman writes in the same New York Post story.
While Evan Fournier‘s first season in New York hasn’t been a huge success, the Frenchman is on track to set a franchise record, Berman observes in a separate New York Post article. With 201 made three-pointers this season and 13 games left to play, Fournier is just 17 threes away from passing John Starks and establishing a new single-season Knicks record.

New York Notes: Rose, Reddish, Aldridge, Irving

March 12th, 2022 at 1:21pm CST by JD Shaw

Knicks guard Derrick Rose (ankle) seems far away from returning, Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets. Rose originally underwent ankle surgery in December and had a second procedure on February 25 to address an infection.

According to Berman, Rose left the team’s road trip for an exam in New York last week. Head coach Tom Thibodeau said his infection is just now clearing up, but no other details were given about a timetable.

Rose, 33, has only played 26 games this season for the Knicks. New York currently sits 12th in the Eastern Conference standings with a 28-39 record, trailing the No. 10 Hawks by 4.5 games. The team has 15 games remaining to push for a play-in tournament appearance.

Here are some other notes from New York:

Knicks swingman Cam Reddish won’t require surgery to repair his separated right shoulder, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News tweets. Reddish will miss the rest of the regular season due to the injury. He played in 15 games after being acquired by the team in January.
Nets big man LaMarcus Aldridge will miss at least one more week due to a right hip impingement, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. Aldridge has been out for the team’s past two contests. He has started in 12 of his 45 games, averaging 13.5 points and 5.6 rebounds in 22.8 minutes for the season.
In a separate article for the New York Post, Lewis examines how an engaged Kyrie Irving on defense could help unlock the Nets‘ potential. Irving has played in just 18 games for Brooklyn this season, who currently ranks eighth in the East at 34-33.