Jeremy Lin Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Woodson, Lin, Playoffs

April 4th, 2012 at 8:03pm CST by Daniel Seco

The Knicks remain the eighth seed after Tuesday night's eight-point loss to the Pacers in which Carmelo Anthony went off for 39 points. Up by as many as 17 points at one point, the Knicks were outscored 40-17 in the fourth quarter by the Pacers. Here's the latest news on the injury-riddled Knicks as they look to turn things around on Thursday with a game against the Magic in Orlando.

The chatter about Kentucky head coach John Calipari heading to the Knicks after the season doesn't phase interim head coach Mike Woodson, writes Newsday's Al Iannazzone. "It ain't about my job, my security or where I am going to be. I'm happy with me. They'll make the right decision, whatever way they decide to go. My job right now is these guys that are in uniform and the guys that are hurt, make sure they're prepared and ready to play basketball." Woodson battled with a lack of job security for years as the head coach of the Hawks even after improving the team's record each season he was there.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld says Jeremy Lin will attempt to return to the Knicks in four weeks, giving him a chance to make it back in time for the playoffs. Sidelined with a meniscus tear in his left knee, Lin was initially expected to miss six weeks but is optimistic that he can rehab quicker than expected after undergoing surgery on Monday. The former Harvard point guard would be making his playoff debut if able to return by the end of April.
Ian Begley and Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com predict the Knicks will secure the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference with the Sixers plummeting to eighth place in a must-read playoff prediction piece.

Lin Undergoes Surgery, Knicks Will Stand Pat

April 2nd, 2012 at 4:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Jeremy Lin underwent successful surgery on his knee today, and may not be back on the floor for the Knicks this season, but New York intends to move forward with its current point guards, according to coach Mike Woodson. Woodson told Marc Berman of the New York Post there's no chance the Knicks sign another point guard in the season's final few weeks.

"Absolutely not, not at all," Woodson said. "What is in uniform is what we’re going with."

Baron Davis is dealing with a pulled hamstring, so the Knicks don't want to push him into playing too many minutes. However, Woodson is hoping that a combination of Davis, Mike Bibby, Toney Douglas, and perhaps even Iman Shumpert can handle the point in Lin's absence.

"There’s a concern," Woodson said. "We got three point guards and we can put the rook to the point guard and we can go four point guards to help us until the time Jeremy might come back. I don’t know. We’ll wait and see."

Amidst weekend speculation that the Knicks might decide to sign a point guard, Mike James expressed a desire to play for the team, while Stephon Marbury said he wouldn't be interested.

Odds & Ends: Lin, Rockets, Camby, Hornets

March 31st, 2012 at 10:29pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bulls and Thunder square off tomorrow afternoon, but Chicago will likely be without the services of Derrick Rose for a tenth straight game. The Bulls could certainly use the help of the reigning MVP but they've found a way to win without him, going 14-5 without Rose in the lineup this season. Here's a look around the Association to close out the evening..

Jeremy Lin's season is likely over but the popular guard says that he hopes to remain with the Knicks in 2012/13, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday.
The acquisitions of Marcus Camby and Earl Boykins have given the Rockets some badly needed veteran leadership, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Excluding players now with the club's D-League affiliate, the Rockets have 4.69 years of NBA experience, taking them from one of the least to most experienced teams.
Cartier Martin is already making a strong impression on the Wizards and is making a case for staying with the club beyond his current ten-day contract, writes Gene Wang of the Washington Post.
Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer remembers the phone call that made the Hornets organization a reality 25 years ago.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Knicks, Lin, Bargnani, Nets

March 31st, 2012 at 8:48pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's a look at some items out of the Atlantic division, including some unfortunate news for Knicks fans..

Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated told CSNNE.com that he can't imagine Duke's Austin Rivers being available by the the time the Celtics pick. The C's currently own the No. 18 and No. 21 picks in this year's draft.
Knicks coach Mike Woodson doesn't expect the club to sign a point guard in the wake of Jeremy Lin's injury, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPN.com. "I haven't had a chance to sit down with [general manager] Glen [Grunwald] and [owner] Mr. [James] Dolan and see. My thinking is that we'll probably go with what we have," the coach said. "I don't think there's a whole lot out there right now who will make a big difference for our ball club."
Lin's MRI revealed that he will require surgery for a torn meniscus and will be sidelined for six weeks, tweets Marc Berman of the New York Post. The Knicks guard was already seeing reduced minutes and will now likely miss the remainder of the season as he looks ahead to free agency. Just a month ago, Lin was a lock to recieve the mid-level exception from the Knicks this summer but that is no longer the case.
In today's mailbag, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star does his best to quell the concerns of a reader who is unhappy with Andrea Bargnani's poor rebounding. The Raptors forward is averaging just 5.7 boards per contest but Smith points out that rebounds have never been the big man's forte. Bargnani's name has been linked to trade rumors all season long and Toronto expects to have the services of fifth-overall pick Jonas Valančiūnas soon.
Ben Couch of Nets.com caught up with Dennis Horner, whom the Nets signed to a 10-day contract yesterday. The forward saw D-League teammates Jeff Foote and Jerry Smith get NBA time earlier in the year before getting his opportunity in New Jersey.

Atlantic Notes: Lin, Carmelo, Nets, Wallace, 76ers

March 16th, 2012 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks' roster didn't undergo any changes at the trade deadline, but the team did make a major change in replacing coach Mike D'Antoni with Mike Woodson. Woodson's offense will de-emphasize the role of Jeremy Lin, focusing more on isolation plays, as Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. For his part, Lin appears ready to embrace the changes, even if it means a major reduction to his minutes, says the Post's Tim Bontemps. Here are a few more Friday morning notes on the Knicks and a couple other Atlantic Division squads:

While at one point it seemed like a lock that the Knicks would use their mid-level exception to re-sign Lin this summer, that isn't such a sure thing now. Howard Beck of the New York Times and Marc Berman, in his piece linked above, both suggest that the chances of Lin remaining a Knick long-term have taken a hit with the departure of D'Antoni.
Carmelo Anthony is ready to take the blame for D'Antoni's offense not working for the Knicks, but not for the coach's departure. "I do everything in my power to try not to get the coach fired," Anthony tells Berman, in a separate column.
The Nets sent a top-three protected draft pick in yesterday's Gerald Wallace trade, and Chad Ford of ESPN.com explains the logic (via Twitter): There are apparently only three players the Nets love in the upcoming draft, in Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Thomas Robinson. I'm not sure about this logic — those guys aren't necessarily the consensus top three picks, for one.
Another detail of the Wallace trade, per Mike Tokito of The Oregonian (via Twitter): the Nets put no precondition on Wallace opting in or out of the final year of his deal. Tokito called New Jersey "desperate," which is rarely an adjective you hear describe a team that just made a good trade.
Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Daily News likes what the 76ers did at the deadline, making only a small move to acquire Sam Young.

D’Antoni Fallout: Carmelo, Lin, Amare, Phil Jackson

March 15th, 2012 at 8:07am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks and Mike D'Antoni parted ways yesterday due to "conflicting visions" about the team's future. Part of that conflict may have stemmed from D'Antoni's desire to trade Carmelo Anthony to the Nets in exchange for Deron Williams, an idea James Dolan adamantly opposed. Needless to say, players, coaches, and reporters around the league are talking about D'Antoni's exit from New York, so let's round up a few links on the subject:

Despite reports earlier this week suggesting Anthony was at odds with the Knicks coach, Carmelo says he and D'Antoni "never had any issues." Added Carmelo: "Any disagreements that he had with us as a team we talked it out and we went from there" (via ESPNNewYork.com).
Jeremy Lin on D'Antoni: "What he did for my career, I’m not going to forget what he did for me personally. It’s very emotional. I’m sad to see him go and I owe a lot to him" (via New York Daily News).
According to Amare Stoudemire, not everyone was buying into D'Antoni's system, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. "It made it look bad," Stoudemire said. "I guess stepping down was the best way for him."
Phil Jackson will be a prime candidate to take over the full-time Knicks job, as Marc Berman writes.
The Knicks shouldn't expect Jackson to come out of retirement to save them, says Ian O'Connor of ESPNNewYork.com.
Knicks GM Glen Grunwald called D'Antoni's decision to step down a "selfless move," says Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
Nets coach Avery Johnson was surprised by the announcement, as he tells Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger. When Pistons coach Lawrence Frank was told of the news, he called it "ridiculous" and "a damn shame," writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.

Odds & Ends: Dwight Howard, Clippers, Jeremy Lin

March 11th, 2012 at 6:48pm CST by Jesse Blanchard

With so much of the trade deadline activity hinging on what happens with the Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard, Magic CEO Alex Martins says the team has yet to make a decision on him, reports the Orlando Sentinel's Josh Robbins.

The Magic are taking a huge gamble on a player worth taking such a gamble on. Robbins writes that a strong possibility is Howard opting out of his contract and exploring free agency while keeping the Orlando Magic at the negotiating table with an opportunity to re-sign their franchise player.

One reason why this is dragging on so long is the notion that Howard himself seems unsure of what he wants. And on that note, a quick thought: With lessons learned from the LeBron James fallout, if Howard had made up his mind definitively about where he would like to play next year, chances are he would not string the Magic along, or else he risks alienating himself to fans as James did.

Some other notes around the league:

The Los Angeles Clippers are still exploring trade options to replace the injured Chauncey Billups at shooting guard reports ESPN LA's Ramona Shelburne. So far the Clippers have been reluctant to part with backup point guard Eric Bledsoe, whose trade value might rise in the offseason with a draft lacking quality point guard talent.
The New York Knicks are reeling, but head coach Mike D'Antoni still supports point guard Jeremy Lin, writes ESPN New York's Jared Zwerling. D'Antoni is correct in stating Lin needs to play a very specific way, with plenty of spacing and energy from his teammates.
The Knicks have some offseason decisions to make, one of which may be on the future of D'Antoni himself. But the crux of the matter is whether they want to build their offense around the pick and roll heavy talents of Lin, or the stagnant isolation ball Carmelo Anthony has played his entire career.
Jason Fleming of Hoops World provides five steps for fixing the Portland Trail Blazers.

Knicks Notes: Smith, Chandler, Backcourt

March 11th, 2012 at 10:50am CST by Daniel Seco

Struggling to make any strides in a muddled playoff picture, the Knicks kick off a full slate of NBA action on Sunday against a 76ers team currently allowing the fewest amount of points per game. The Knicks presently occupy the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a middling Bucks squad two games back. Making noise in the news for a multitude of reasons, let's head to the Garden to see what's going on with the Knicks.

With J.R. Smith demonstrating inconsistency as a starter since assuming Landry Fields' former role, Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni has reinstated Fields into the starting lineup effective immediately thanks to his improved play as a reserve, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. Smith, signed just prior to the All-Star break after a stint in China, has averaged 8.9 PPG in his nine games with the Knicks. The former first-round pick out of New Jersey has been making headlines for his risque actions off the court leading to a hefty fine by the league.
By many accounts the Knicks made one of the best moves of the abbreviated off-season by luring Tyson Chandler away from the Mavericks with a lucrative contract. According to Al Iannazzone of Newsday, Chandler believes the Knicks' roster has enough talent to close out games. "I feel like we may be the deepest team in the league. We should be able to come at teams in waves. It's a matter of putting that together." A newly-beardless Chandler, 29, makes his return to the starting lineup Sunday against the Sixers after missing two games with hamstring issues.
Rather than focusing on fixing the struggling Knicks via trade, D'Antoni wants to explore providing the tandem of Jeremy Lin and Baron Davis more minutes together on the court to see how such a pairing may improve the squad's overall performance, writes Mark Hale of the New York Post.

Odds & Ends: Howard, Morris, Anderson, Knicks

March 7th, 2012 at 11:31pm CST by Alex Lee

While there haven't been any big Dwight Howard rumors so far today, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel indicates that there has been a "shift in tone" in how Howard's desires are perceived. As we documented yesterday, the rumors are running wild, seemingly due to Howard's ambivalence. Here is what else is going on around the league on this Wednesday evening:

Brian Schmitz from the Orlando Sentinel takes a look at the some of the hardships facing the Magic leading up to the trade deadline, including their tough schedule and inconsistency.
Eddie Sefko from the Dallas Morning News says (via chat), should Dwight Howard not get traded by March 15th, he considers the Mavericks the heavy favorites to land both Howard and Deron Williams. He also mentions Gerald Wallace and C.J. Miles as potential complimentary fits around Dirk Nowitzki, Howard and Williams.
According to Yahoo's Marc Spears, Lakers assign rookie guard Darius Morris to the NBDL D-Fenders. Mike Bresnahan, Lakers beat writer for the L.A. Times, adds that Morris is still counted on the roster and will continue to get paid as a Laker.
Chris Bernucca from Sheridan Hoops examines some of the recent deadline deals, and their impact on the league today.
Magic forward Ryan Anderson has been trying to block out the Dwight Howard rumors, says Brian Schmitz from the Orlando Sentinel. Anderson knows he could be packaged with Howard, or traded to get Howard help.
Mike D'Antoni recognizes that the Knicks are struggling with Carmelo Anthony and Jeremy Lin on the floor, but D'Antoni thinks it's a solvable problem, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.

Knicks Notes: Davis, Novak, Lin

March 4th, 2012 at 10:48am CST by Daniel Seco

While overloaded earlier in the season with a relentless schedule, the Knicks have benefited from a cushy start to the post All-Star break season having played only one game in the last 10 days. They'll head to Boston today to take on the Celtics in nationally-televised game as the two teams battle for playoff positioning. Let's take a quick look at what's going on with the Knicks before Carmelo Anthony and the rest of the squad get underway in the first of eight Sunday games.

Baron Davis talks about signing with the Knicks over the Lakers and the Heat in an extensive interview with the New York Post's Steve Serby. For the former UCLA star, playing at the Garden amongst talented players was more than enough of a reason to lure him to New York. While Davis clearly came to the Big Apple with intentions of starting for the Knicks, he offers high praise for Jeremy Lin and is content with becoming the greatest backup point guard in league history.
Al Iannazzone of Newsday says minimum deals made by the Knicks have been as important to the team's success as the signing of Tyson Chandler, who has been an excellent addition to the roster. Iannazzone points to the shooting of Steve Novak as a critical reason why the Knicks didn't flounder when injury and personal tragedy kept Anthony and Amare Stoudemire off the court. Novak, 28, has hit 34-66 from three-point range in the Knicks' last nine victories.
The last time the Knicks played the Celtics, Jeremy Lin looked like a player who could be cut at any time, writes Howard Beck of The New York Times. With his points scored (two) equal to the amount of fouls he committed, Lin's effort against the Celtics could only be described as forgettable. Merely one night later, the phenomenon known as Linsanity took shape with a tour de force performance of 25 points and seven assists in a victory over the Nets.