Jeremy Lin Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Camby, Lin, Celtics, Nets

November 24th, 2012 at 8:24am CST by Sean Highkin

An early roundup of the latest happenings from around the Atlantic Division on Saturday morning:

Marc Berman of the New York Post wonders whether Marcus Camby regrets not re-signing in Houston given how infrequently he has played for the Knicks this season.
Moke Hamilton of SheridanHoops.com believes the Knicks were right to let Jeremy Lin leave, as proven by his poor play in Houston to begin the season.
Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com takes a look at how Doc Rivers and the Celtics are managing Kevin Garnett's minutes as the star forward advances in age.
Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes that Nets coach Avery Johnson is still tinkering with the team's rotations for the season.

Atlantic Notes: Bynum, Knicks, Lin, Celtics, Green

November 23rd, 2012 at 5:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Dwight Howard/Andrew Bynum trade, like many of the offseason's marquee moves, has yet to pay dividends for any of the teams involved, writes Michael Lee of The Washington Post. Lee thinks the Lakers and Nuggets will turn around their slow starts this season, but he's less optimistic about the Sixers, whom he believes must give Bynum a hefty contract this summer, no matter when he comes back from injury, to justify their involvement in the trade. We've already heard conflicting views on what kind of deal Bynum can expect this summer, and as we wait to find out, there's more news on Philly's Atlantic Division rivals.

Presumably it's GM Glen Grunwald, if not owner James Dolan, calling the shots on Knicks personnel, but coach Mike Woodson said the decision to let Jeremy Lin go this summer was straightforward, as Newsday's Al Iannazzonne observes. "That’s a business decision," Woodson said. "I don’t think it was difficult. We just decided to go in a different direction, based on the guys I thought I liked in terms of Raymond (Felton), Jason (Kidd) and Pablo (Prigioni)."
Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, who credits Dolan with making the call on Lin, says he's come around to the owner's side on this one after initially believing the Knicks should have kept Lin.
The Celtics signed Brian Cusworth toward the end of training camp and waived him shortly thereafter so their D-League affiliate could own their rights, reports Mark Deeks of ShamSports (Twitter link). We noted earlier today that the Timberwolves carried out the same sort of transactions with Demetris Nichols and Troy Hudson. Cusworth, a 7'0" center from Harvard, is on the roster of the Maine Red Claws for opening night tonight.
Jeff Green remains friends with Kevin Durant, but he has otherwise moved on from his Thunder days as he prepares to take on his old team tonight, he told reporters, including Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
Offseason signee Mirza Teletovic, on the inactive list tonight, isn't seeing much of the court for the Nets, as Josh Newman of SNY.tv chronicles.

Odds & Ends: Lin, D-League, Ilyasova, Batum

November 22nd, 2012 at 10:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up a few more Thanksgiving Day notes from around the Association….

With Jeremy Lin and the Rockets set to face the Knicks on Friday, most Knicks players don't have much to say about their former teammate, as Howard Beck of the New York Times writes. "I thought he made a great decision for himself, his family and his basketball career," Tyson Chandler said. "I thought the Knicks made the right decision. At the end of the day, it worked out for both parties."
Lin, for his part, believes he and Carmelo Anthony could've thrived playing alongside each other with the Knicks, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
When Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype asked a number of D-League executives and coaches which D-League players would next be called up by an NBA team, JaJuan Johnson's name topped the list.
Ersan Ilyasova is at a loss to explain his early-season slump after signing a long-term deal with the Bucks this summer, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Another player that signed a lucrative long-term contract in July, Nicolas Batum is living up to his new deal so far, and tells Joe Freeman of the Oregonian that he wants to keep that up. "It’s what people say about me and what people too scared to say it think about me: ‘Yeah, he’s been good, but it’s only been 11 games. We’re going to see the old Nicolas Batum soon,'" Batum said. "But I’m going to try to avoid that. I’m not the old Nicolas Batum."
Darko Rajakovic, who is currently coaching the D-League's Tulsa 66ers, could be just the first of many European coaches to arrive stateside, says Jenni Carlson of the Oklahoman.

Southwest Notes: Anderson, Lin, Mayo

November 22nd, 2012 at 11:01am CST by Sean Highkin

The Southwest Division boasts the two best teams in the Western Conference, the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs. Here are the latest rumblings from around the division:

Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News notes (via Twitter) that the newly signed James Anderson will cost the Spurs about half as much to sign for the minimum at as it would have to pick up the option they declined after last year.
McDonald also tweets that, barring a change of plans, the Spurs plan on keeping their roster at 14 players.
Richard Dean of Newsday.com talks to Jeremy Lin, who says he is happy playing for the Rockets after being let go by the Knicks this summer.
Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes that O.J. Mayo is proving to be a major bargain for the Mavericks.

Rockets Notes: White, Lin, Harden

November 19th, 2012 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets lost their second consecutive game last night in Los Angeles against the Lakers, but they'll have a chance to get back in the win column tonight in Utah. As we await that game, we'll round up a few notes out of Houston:

Royce White and the Rockets general manager Daryl Morey will meet today in hopes of improving their plan to deal with White's mental health issues, according to Sam Amick of USA Today.
With Mike D'Antoni set to take over as the Lakers' new head coach, Jeremy Lin acknowledged to Fred Kerber of the New York Post that if D'Antoni was still coaching the Knicks, Lin may still be in New York himself.
As Howard Beck of the New York Times writes, Lin is enjoying a much more "low-key" season in Houston after last season's Linsanity.
Ten games into their Rockets careers, new additions Lin and James Harden are still "feeling it out," says Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Earlier today, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld identified Daequan Cook, Toney Douglas, and Marcus Morris as potential trade candidates for the Rockets.

HoopsWorld On Biggest Disappointments

November 18th, 2012 at 5:27pm CST by Sean Highkin

HoopsWorld.com has a new roundtable feature in which several of the site's writers weigh in on who they believe is the biggest disappointment thus far in the 2012/13 season. Here are the highlights:

Lang Greene pinpoints Roy Hibbert, signed to a four-year, $58MM contract this summer, as a major reason why the Pacers are underperforming early in the season.
Alex Kennedy believes that the Raptors' strategy of targeting Landry Fields to make it harder for the Knicks to land Steve Nash backfired. He points to Fields' disappointing start to the season as a reason why the signing is a failure for Toronto.
Stephen Brotherston writes that Ersan Ilyasova has regressed following what appeared to be a breakout season last year with the Bucks.
Bill Ingram is frustrated by the continued inconsistent play of JaVale McGee following his re-signing with the Nuggets this summer.
Derek Page points out that Pau Gasol's offensive efficiency has dropped this season, even more so than expected following the Lakers' addition of Dwight Howard.
While there is still time for him to mature, Joel Brigham writes that Jeremy Lin has been a disappointment since signing with the Rockets.

Knicks Notes: Melo, Lin, Sheed

November 18th, 2012 at 4:28pm CST by Sean Highkin

In one of the biggest surprises of the early season, the New York Knicks have the best record in the Eastern Conference at 7-1. Needless to say, there is a lot of chatter throughout the media about the causes of this surprising start. Here are the latest news and notes around the team:

Indiana Pacers president Donnie Walsh, who spearheaded the Knicks' 2011 trade for Carmelo Anthony when he served as their general manager, tells ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley that he is not surprised by Anthony's increased effort on defense this season.
Jeremy Lin believes there would have been a higher chance the Knicks retained him this summer if Mike D'Antoni was still in New York, writes Fred Kerber of the New York Post.
Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com writes that Rasheed Wallace was motivated in part to end his two-year retirement and sign with the Knicks by what he sees as a lack of great post play in the league.

Odds & Ends: Lin, Crawford, Heat, Cavaliers

November 14th, 2012 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Pistons and Wizards hit the road in search of their first wins of the season, let's round up the latest odds and ends from around the NBA:

After his time with the Knicks came to an unexpected and disappointing end, Jeremy Lin is building a better relationship with the Rockets, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes.
When he was navigating free agency this summer, Jamal Crawford was advised to take his time and consider all his options. But, as he tells Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com, Crawford had his eye on the Clippers from the start: "When I came here, I don’t know if I should say this or not, but they told me I was their first option at lunch. And I told them at the same lunch that they were my first option. My agent didn’t want me to say that, but I was just being honest and we made it happen."
In his latest mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman fields questions on the possibility of the Heat signing Kenyon Martin and trading Mike Miller.
If the Cavaliers hope to contend for the playoffs this season, they may need to trade for outside bench help at some point, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
Yesterday's trade between the Bobcats and Hornets that sent Matt Carroll to New Orleans wasn't overlooked in Dallas by the Mavericks, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com.
Within his NBA AM piece at HoopsWorld, Lang Greene speaks to Ian Mahinmi about the sign-and-trade deal that sent him from the Mavericks to the Pacers.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com discussed the Lakers, Royce White, the 2013 draft, and plenty more in a chat with fans earlier this afternoon.

New Faces: Lewis, Lin, Landry, Martin, Johnson

November 8th, 2012 at 8:50pm CST by Alex Lee

Between the Dwight Howard sweepstakes and the implementation of the new CBA, this offseason was one to rememeber. While we are barely a week into the new season, it is only natural for glowing reports to emerge of players who have shined with their new teams. They are premature for sure, but so many players changed teams that keeping tabs on them is always useful:

Now coming off the bench for the Heat, Rashard Lewis is healthy for the first time in two years, writes Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports. Lewis was hampered by knee injuries the past few seasons, but has looked great so far in Miami, showing more lift in his jumpshot and even throwing down a few dunks last night against the Nets.
Within the same piece, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld looks at Jeremy Lin and Carl Landry. While James Harden has deservedly gotten the Rockets headlines, Lin has quietly lived up to the hype during his brief time so far in Houston. Meanwhile, Landry, a former Rocket, is proving once again that he is one of the NBA's most underrated players, this time averaging 17 points as a member of the Warriors.
The man traded for Harden, the Thunder's Kevin Martin, is shooting a ridiculous 62 percent from three point range and averaging over 19 PPG so far in Oklahoma City, writes Chris Sheridan. While Harden is clearly the best piece moved in the deal, it isn't hard to imagine Martin's skills and those draft picks making it look respectable for Sam Presti and the Thunder.
Averging only 14 PPG, Joe Johnson is still getting acclimated to his new role on the Nets, writes Roderick Boone of Newsday. The mixture in Brooklyn will probably take longer than most to jell, considering that not only is nearly the whole team new, but most of the high profile players have never played on anything close to an elite team before.
Kosta Koufos hasn't been a member of the Jazz since 2010, but Bill Oram's story about the former Utah draft pick's rise into the Nuggets starting lineup sure makes it feel like it was yesterday. After beating out JaVale McGee for the center spot, Koufos is averaging 6.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in Denver.
Shipped to Orlando after being drafted by Philly, Maurice Harkless played more than 22 minutes in his Magic debut on Wednesday, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Harkless didn't participate in preseason while he was recovering from a sports hernia, and still isn't 100 percent, but it sounds like the rookie is on his way.

Jeremy Lin Talks Knicks, D-League, Free Agency

October 16th, 2012 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

The latest issue of GQ features a familiar face on its cover: Rockets guard Jeremy Lin. In the cover story for the November issue, GQ's Will Leitch profiles Lin, who spoke about playing in the D-League, his desire to finish his career with the Knicks, and a confusing summer in free agency. Here are a few of the highlights:

On wanting to remain in New York:

"You can't ask for a city or a fan base to embrace somebody more than they embraced me. I know it's kind of silly to talk about it with only two years under my belt in the league, but going in before free agency, I was like, 'I want to play in front of these fans for the rest of my career.' I really did. I really wanted to play in front of the Madison Square Garden fans for the rest of my career, because they're just unbelievable."

On his ascension from benchwarmer to star:

"I mean, to literally go from 'If I score two, three, or four points today, it's a good day' to setting the record for the most points scored in your first five starts of any NBA player, I'd be a huge liar if I told myself, 'I knew I could do that.' You know what I mean? That's not realistic. Let's just be honest. I had no idea I could play like that. It was as amazing to me as it was to everybody else."

On playing in the D-League prior to his breakout season:

"I'm going to be honest, playing in D-League games is tough. We got way more fans at Harvard games. It feels like a demotion, and it feels like if you have one bad game then the thought gets in your brain: I might get cut."

On whether he would have played overseas if he hadn't received a shot from an NBA team:

"I absolutely would not have liked playing in Spain or somewhere like that, so I was just gonna do it a year. Then I was gonna be done."

On the difficulty he had securing offers this offseason in free agency:

"[Rival teams] figured the Knicks were just going to match anyway, so there's no point. We couldn't get anybody. At one point in time I thought, 'Are we going to have zero contract offers?'…. The Rockets thought I was going to be a Knick. They told me when I signed there, 'We think it's an 80% to 95% chance of that happening.' That was consistent with what everyone was saying to me."

On whether he'd do anything differently in free agency:

"I might have been a lot more reserved about [seeking out offers] in free agency. But the thing about it is, there was no other way to handle the situation. I didn't get an offer from the Knicks, so I had to go test my market."