Jeremy Lin Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Notes: Arenas, Bryant, Lin

February 10th, 2012 at 7:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers are in New York tonight for the fifth game of a six-game road trip, their longest of the season. Here are a few dispatches from their travels:

Kobe Bryant is on board with the possibility of the Lakers signing Gilbert Arenas, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com notes at the end of his piece today. The Lakers are reportedly considering inking Arenas for the veterans' minimum.
Nets swingman DeShawn Stevenson says he's seen Gilbert Arenas lately, and says the free-agent point guard "looks great, a lot thinner," tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
L.A. Times beat writer Mike Bresnahan tweets that Knicks rookie Jeremy Lin was on the Lakers' radar before the season began. Lin's family had been given indication that the Lakers would take him with the 58th pick in the 2010 draft, writes Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register, but they went with the recently waived Derrick Caracter instead.

Odds & Ends: Dampier, Lin, Weems, Heat, Varejao

February 9th, 2012 at 4:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's take a look at a few links from around the league as we await tonight's renewal of the Lakers/Celtics rivalry in Boston….

In a blog entry for NBA.com, Scott Howard-Cooper discusses Seattle's push for an NBA team, the Warriors' potential trade options, and Chauncey Billups' future.
Hawks coach Larry Drew conceded to Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Erick Dampier isn't in great shape (Twitter link). Atlanta signed Dampier to a 10-day contract to add frontcourt depth.
As Jeremy Lin dominates headlines in New York, teams that could've signed and kept him look back on a missed opportunity. Donnie Nelson talked about the Mavericks' failed attempt to sign Lin (Dallas Morning News link), while Houston GM Daryl Morey tweeted that he should have held on to Lin when he was a Rocket.
Sonny Weems won't be returning to the NBA this season, his agent tells Sportando.
Talking to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, Oscar Robertson said the Heat need a center who can consistently record 12 points and 10 boards if they're going to win championships. With respect to the Hall-of-Famer, I think the Heat are talented enough to win a title without a strong presence in the middle.
The Cavaliers won't actively place Anderson Varejao on the trade market, since they likely wouldn't get fair value for him, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.

Odds & Ends: Nash, Knicks, Blake, Durant

February 8th, 2012 at 9:39pm CST by Michael Pina

The 18 rookies and sophomores who will compete in All-Star weekend's Rising Stars Challenge were announced today. Blake Griffin, Ricky Rubio, and John Wall will all participate in the premier event, with teams being selected by Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal on February 16th.

With a 23-point, 10-assist performance in the Knicks win over the Wizards tonight, Jeremy Lin remains one of the league's most interesting story lines, says the New York Daily News' Frank Isola. Lin will have to keep it going without teammates Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, who according to Newsday's Al Iannazzone are scheduled to miss at least two more games. Where Baron Davis fits in with all of this is anybody's guess.
ESPN recently deemed Kevin Durant as the league's best player under the age of 25. ESPNChicago.com responded by asking whether the correct answer might be Derrick Rose instead.
As reported by ESPNLA's Dave McMenamin, Laker guard Steve Blake returned to practice today and will be a game time decision for tomorrow night's showdown against the Celtics. His return would bring a calming influence to one of the league's shakier back courts. The addition would also allow rookie Andrew Goudelock to focus more on creating shots for himself as opposed to faciliating for others as the team's backup point guard.
Bob Young of the Arizona Republic presents a detailed case as to why Steve Nash deserves to be an All-Star now more than ever before. With his numbers still teetering on excellent at the age of 38, wherever Nash chooses to go after his days in Phoenix are up should shift the odds for next year's championship race.

Odds & Ends: Iverson, Lin, Green, Kaman, Heat

February 7th, 2012 at 11:45am CST by Luke Adams

A few late-morning links for Tuesday:

A Puerto Rican source told Sportando (Twitter link) that it's hard to picture Allen Iverson playing in Puerto Rico, since "no teams [are] looking for that kind of player." We heard yesterday that Iverson was drawing interest from Puerto Rico's professional league.
Newest Knicks starter Jeremy Lin was a candidate to be waived as recently as last week and would have considered playing overseas had that happened, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside thinks Gerald Green should get a shot at an NBA roster on a 10-day contract. I mentioned Green on Friday when I looked at a few notable former NBA players in the D-League.
By not playing Chris Kaman when they were shopping him, the Hornets subtracted one of their few resources, says John DeShazier of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) polled NBA scouts, asking which college freshmen would be better off staying at college for their sophomore seasons. Andre Drummond and Austin Rivers were among the players named.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel fields Heat-related questions in a mailbag.

Pacific Notes: Lin, Martin, Kings

February 7th, 2012 at 9:58am CST by Luke Adams

Linsanity may be taking over New York, but fans of a couple other teams aren't so excited about Jeremy Lin's recent emergence for the Knicks. The Harvard product was on the Rockets roster during training camp, after Houston claimed him off waivers from the Warriors. As Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group writes, Lin saw some playing time in Golden State last year, but became a cap casualty when the Warriors cleared space to make an offer to restricted free agent DeAndre Jordan.

Here are the rest of the morning's notes out of the Pacific division:

Kenyon Martin was flattered by the number of teams and players that reached out to him when he was a free agent, but ultimately decided the Clippers were the best fit, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. In an unfortunate twist, Martin may not get to play with one of his most aggressive recruiters, Chauncey Billups, who could miss significant time with an achilles injury. Martin said he got the "full-court press" from Billups and Chris Paul, tweets Kyler.
Seattle is trying to bring the NBA back to the city, but that hasn't affected Sacramento's work on a new arena, reports Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee. The Kings are thought to be a candidate for relocation if the league goes in that direction.
Lakers star Kobe Bryant discussed his future and denied a Dwight Howard rumor, as we wrote earlier this morning.

Odds & Ends: Lin, Billups, Williams, Kaman

February 6th, 2012 at 11:16pm CST by Daniel Seco

Lakers star Kobe Bryant eclipsed former teammate Shaquille O'Neal as the fifth all-time leading scorer in NBA history as he put up 28 points in a 95-90 loss to the 76ers. Personal records aside, Kobe's main focus remains on securing a sixth championship ring which is becoming increasingly difficult as the Lakers dropped to 14-11 on the season, with nine of those losses coming on the road. Let's take a look around the league on what was a busy Monday night for the NBA.

Jeremy Lin scored 28 points in his first start for the Knicks this evening in a 99-88 victory over the Utah Jazz. Lin, 23, wouldn't have even received this opportunity if Baron Davis' recovery had stayed on track, tweets NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper. With his strong performances of late, Lin is nearly assured of his contract becoming guaranteed on Friday.
Isiah Thomas' career came to an end thanks to an Achilles injury against Orlando back in 1994, says Pistons beat writer Vincent Goodwill (via Twitter). A similar fate may hold true for Chauncey Billups who left Monday's game against the Magic in the fourth quarter with what may be a left Achilles tear.
If Billups' injury turns out to be as severe as predicted, Clippers GM Neil Olshey should be commended for his decision to not shop Mo Williams even when his team's roster was overloaded with point guards.
Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune describes the Hornets' decision to return Chris Kaman to the active roster as a way to build a highlight-reel in order to improve trade offers. In his first game back with the Hornets, Kaman, 29, scored 10 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and made two blocks in a 100-92 loss to the Kings.

Knicks Notes: Anthony, Davis, Stoudemire

February 6th, 2012 at 8:35pm CST by Daniel Seco

With 15 points, eight assists and two steals three quarters into his first start as a Knick, Jeremy Lin is making a strong case to cool some of the point guard trade rumors surrounding Madison Square Garden. Beyond Lin, the uncertain state of the Knicks roster has occupied NBA conversation in the wake of new and old health concerns as well as personal tragedy.

Here are a few evening items on the Knicks as they lead the Utah Jazz 75-73 through three quarters of play:

Already limited by Amare Stoudemire's untimely departure from the team, the Knicks lost All-Star starter Carmelo Anthony early in the first quarter to a strained groin, reports ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley. Anthony will not return to the game and may require the Knicks to scour the D-League for frontcourt help.
Baron Davis is not expected to join the Knicks until after the All-Star break (Feb. 24-27) thanks to an elbow infection, writes Matt Buser of Yahoo! Sports. If newly-minted starter Lin cannot build on his breakout performance of Saturday night, the Knicks could look to sign a point guard to a 10-day contract, which teams can now offer free agents as of today.
Reeling from the loss of his brother in a traffic accident earlier this morning, Stoudemire's status with the team remains unknown as he flew to Florida to be with his family, says Newsday's Al Iannazzone. With three more games this week, the Knicks will start Jared Jeffries at power forward, who may be able to boost his trade value as he currently has 13 points and seven rebounds through three quarters this evening.

J.R. Smith Rumors: Sunday

February 5th, 2012 at 9:01am CST by Daniel Seco

Former Denver Nuggets shooting guard J.R. Smith looks to return to the NBA after a stint in China with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls. Smith, 25, has received attention from numerous NBA teams with the Los Angeles Clippers and the New York Knicks among his strongest suitors. As stated by Smith in a tweet on Friday, he would be excited to see what kind of pick-and-roll tandem he and Amare Stoudemire could form at the Garden.

According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, beleaguered Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni isn't hiding the fact that the Knicks desperately need another shooter and view Smith as an ideal candidate to fill such a role for the 9-15 squad. The Knicks can offer Smith the $2.5MM mini mid-level exception but will have to waive a player upon signing him.
Picking an opportune time for a career-high 25 points and seven dimes, Jeremy Lin can rest assured that he would not be a roster casualty if Smith signs with New York.
After recently signing free agent Kenyon Martin to a contract, the Clippers may turn to Smith in an effort to add depth off the bench as they attempt to make a run at a top seed in the Western Conference. The Clippers no longer have the payroll flexibility to offer Smith the $2.5MM mini mid-level exception after giving it Martin and would have to sign the former Hornet for the veteran's minimum.
For those wondering about the impact the eighth-year player out of New Jersey has made in China, Smith lit up the scoreboard with 60 points during a CBA game last week.

Knicks Notes: Point Guard, Lin, D’Antoni

February 4th, 2012 at 11:21pm CST by Jesse Blanchard

The New York Knicks, searching for answers all season long, appeared to have found one–at least for a night–in their win over the New Jersey Nets. Here is a bit more on the Knicks:

Charles Barkley points out the Knicks need a point guard, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday, who gives a quick rundown on the point guards currently on the roster.
Personally, I think Ramon Sessions is an intriguing option for the Knicks.
Of course, they may have already had one one the roster writes Ian Begley of ESPN New York following Jeremy Lin's 25-point, nine-assist performance.
It's Lin-sanity! reports Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, who thinks Lin could see time in the starting lineup until Baron Davis returns.
Perhaps tonight's Lin-inspired performance is why Mike D'Antoni never thought to panic amid speculation about his job security (via ESPN New York's Ian Begley).