Kenyon Martin Sr. Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Thunder, Morrow, Martin, Lakers

October 24th, 2014 at 9:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

There are indications that the Thunder are more willing to pay the luxury tax than in the past, USA Today’s Sam Amick writes. That’s in part because expected increases to the salary cap and luxury tax line will make it more difficult to become a repeat taxpayer subject to stiffer penalties, and those repeat-offender rules might not exist in the next collective bargaining agreement, Amick points out.

Here’s the latest out of the west:

Thunder guard Anthony Morrow has a sprained left MCL and is expected to miss a minimum of four-to-six weeks, Royce Young of ESPN.com reports. With Kevin Durant out for at least six-to-eight weeks with a broken foot, Morrow was in the running to join the team’s starting five.
The Rockets met with Kenyon Martin earlier today about a possible role on their coaching staff, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). Martin appeared in 32 games for the Knicks last season, averaging 4.3 PPG and 4.2 RPG, and was hobbled with ankle issues for the majority of the season. Neither Martin or his representatives have announced that he was retiring yet, so it’s possible that Martin is simply exploring his options rather than looking for his next career.
Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston (Twitter link) offers a different reason for Martin’s visit with the Rockets. Berman is reporting that Houston was checking on the player’s health for a possible roster spot. It’s quite possible that the team wasn’t encouraged by what they saw, and this led them to claim Earl Clark off of waivers from the Grizzlies instead, though that is just my speculation.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak was noncommittal about the team signing another player now that Steve Nash will miss the season, Bill Oram of The Orange County Register writes (Twitter links). The GM also relayed that he met with Nash and his agent, Bill Duffy, in Las Vegas last night to finalize Nash’s decision.
The Lakers aren’t looking to add another point guard at this time, Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times tweets. The team is happy with Jeremy Lin, Jordan Clarkson, and Ronnie Price, notes Bresnahan. Although, with Price suffering an undisclosed injury in tonight’s preseason game, that could change rather quickly depending on the severity.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Wolves, Martin, Allen

August 29th, 2014 at 7:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Wolves president Flip Saunders hopes the Wolves new players’ athleticism will translate into improved defense, Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press writes. Saunders said, “I’m hoping that the biggest change is going to be defensively. Always a key in your ability to guard is your athleticism. The quicker you are, the longer you are, the better chance you have to be a good defensive team.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Doc Rivers was in contact with free agent guard Ray Allen earlier this summer, and Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter) expects the Clippers to make a run at him again.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is still over the moon about reacquiring Tyson Chandler this summer, as NBA.com’s Jeff Caplan writes. “It was kind of surprising that we got it done, just because with that many pieces and the fact that no one finds out,” Cuban said of the trade. “I’m glad we got it done. We’re excited. He can kind of quarterback our defense, he makes everybody better defensively and he’ll make Monta [Ellis] better offensively.”
Keith Schlosser of The Knicks Blog wonders if the Knicks would welcome back Kenyon Martin. Martin gave the Knicks one of the most intimidating and physical defensive presences they’ve had in years, but he struggles to stay on the court. Even though he’s seen just 50 games of action over the last two seasons, Schlosser sees K-Mart as a player who the Knicks could call on midseason if Amar’e Stoudemire, Andrea Bargnani, or Samuel Dalembert have injury troubles of their own.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Knicks Rumors: ‘Melo, Woodson, Jackson

April 17th, 2014 at 1:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Carmelo Anthony offered another qualified endorsement of the Knicks today in his exit interview with reporters, saying “I want to come back. I want to come back. But I also want to win,” as Newsday’s Al Iannazzone notes via Twitter. There’s more from ‘Melo amid our look at the latest from the aftermath of a disappointing season for the Knicks:

Anthony said that he doesn’t know if he “can afford another season of losing,” and added that he’s “not at the point in my career where I want to rebuild,” as Frank Isola of the New York Daily News and Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com pass along via Twitter.
The Knicks star said at the All-Star break that he’d take a discount to re-sign with the Knicks under the right circumstances, and he reiterated today that money isn’t his priority, Isola tweets.
Anthony would endorse Mike Woodson if the Knicks consult him about the coach’s future, as Marc Berman of the New York Post observes.
A source tells Berman that Knicks president Phil Jackson doesn’t intend to “clean house” and make sweeping changes to the team’s front office personnel, as the Post scribe writes in a separate piece. Jackson has brought former Bulls scout Clarence Gaines Jr. aboard to help him, but Gaines has no official role with the team yet, Berman notes.
Kenyon Martin‘s one-year contract is up, but he’d like to remain with the Knicks, as Berman observes in the same piece in which he covered the front office news. “I’ve got a lot of basketball left and I hope it will be here,’’ Martin said.

Zwerling On Amar’e, Wallace, Humphries

November 19th, 2013 at 9:48pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report recaps many of the rumors we’ve heard about the Knicks and Celtics in recent days, and adds plenty more in his latest piece. Let’s dive in.

Zwerling presents a somewhat different version of an earlier trade rumor, which suggested that the Celtics would take on Amar’e Stoudemire if the Knicks would take back Gerald Wallace and Courtney Lee. Zwerling reports that the teams had talks about such a swap over the summer, and that Iman Shumpert was also part of the package. In the latest version of the proposal, Kris Humphries replaces Lee, while Shumpert is not involved.
The Celtics like the idea of Avery Bradley as their shooting guard going forward, and envision the soon-to-be restricted free agent as a $6MM-a-year player. Bradley’s development is why Shumpert is no longer a part of their talks with the Knicks. The Celtics don’t plan to be competitive in 2014/15, fueling their willingness to take on Stoudemire.
The Celtics are “desperate” to trade Wallace, Zwerling hears.
The Knicks continue to have interest in Humphries after having eyed him in the summer. They would have signed him if the Celtics had bought him out, but Boston wasn’t sure how rookie Vitor Faverani would perform and wanted to keep Humphries as insurance. Humphries maintains his interest in the Knicks as well, and he’s also keen on the Rockets as an option.
Miles Plumlee of the Suns is another young center the Knicks might like, but not if it means parting with Shumpert, Zwerling writes.
Zwerling points to a clause in Kenyon Martin‘s contract with the Knicks, revealed earlier this month by Mark Deeks of ShamSports, that nullifies his guarantee if he misses 15 games because of arthritis, repair to his patellar tendon, or progressive loss of articular cartilage.
The Knicks‘ medical staff has OK’d Stoudemire for up to 20 minutes per game, about twice as many as he’s seeing.
The Knicks are concerned about a lack of vocal leadership that can serve as a check on Carmelo Anthony‘s power among his teammates.

Odds & Ends: Hayward, Jazz, Nash

November 3rd, 2013 at 10:12pm CST by Ryan Raroque

While the Jazz and Gordon Hayward fell short of agreeing on a contract extension last week, both Hayward and the franchise are still interested in getting something done eventually. Hayward told Jody Genessy of the Deseret News: “(Not reaching an agreement) in no way changes the way I feel about Utah at all…I love being here. I love playing for them…Hopefully (an extension) will get worked out next summer.”

Utah GM Dennis Lindsey had this to say about Hayward’s agent Mark Bartelstein and future negotiations: “Mark’s been one of the best agents in the business because he negotiates hard. He was fair. He played by the rules. He’ll continue to play by the rules. We’ll be fair as well, and we’ll come back and start talking in July…Just because (Hayward) said no to our last offer, his character hasn’t changed. He is an outstanding person…He’s someone we can see being in a Utah Jazz jersey until he retires. That’s our hope. We think we’re great fits.”

We have a handful of miscellaneous news and notes to pass along tonight, and you can read them below:

ESPN LA’s Arash Markazi weighed in on some of the rumblings which suggest that Steve Nash could eventually wind up in Toronto, saying that a deal between the Raptors and Lakers makes sense but isn’t sure if something gets done. Markazi opines that L.A. would like to clear Nash’s salary off their books while the Raptors would enjoy increased ticket sales by bringing the Canadian legend back to his home country (All Twitter links).
Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld tweeted a list of players who may be traded this season, including: Omer Asik, Jameer Nelson, Arron Afflalo, Glen Davis, Evan Turner, Rajon Rondo, Brandon Bass, and Gerald Wallace.
Kennedy also shared what 76ers rookie Michael Carter-Williams told him about his chances on winning the Rookie of the Year Award: “I think I have a pretty good chance at it. I’m just going to go out there, play my game and hope for the best” (Twitter link).
Entering tonight’s game with a record of 1-2 before their win against the Wizards, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade acknowledged that some minor chemistry issues are affecting the team (Michael Wallace of ESPN.com). More specifically, Wade had this to say: “Let me give you an example…If you’re in a relationship with a woman for a long time, you start getting comfortable. You stop doing the little things that you should do, that you did in the beginning. It’s just like a relationship. We got a little comfortable. Now we have to get back on that edge a little bit.”
Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes that Knicks forwards Amar’e Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin will have their own individualized schedules as far as playing or sitting out games, a decision meant to preserve the health of both in the long run.
Mavericks point man Jose Calderon appears to be regaining his groove after a sluggish start to the season, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Martin, Kidd

October 5th, 2013 at 9:00pm CST by Spencer Lund

There's not much hangover from the offseason Andrea Bargnani trade in Raptors camp, where the former No. 1 overall pick is "out of sight and out of mind," as Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes in his latest mailbag column.

Here's more from around the Atlantic, including a lot on the team who traded for Barganani this offseason…

After playing almost 30 minutes a night last season, Knicks forward Kenyon Martin shouldn't expect as much run this season. Coach Mike Woodson hopes K-Mart won't be playing as much this season, writes ESPN New York's Ian Begley.
Fred Kerber of the New York Post adds that Martin is totally OK with the Knicks' plan to limit the 35-year-old's minutes this season and hold him out of some preseason games.
Martin tells Al Iannazzone at Newsday that if he was younger, the decision to rest him during the preseason might bother him.
While Martin is O.K. with less playing time leading up to the regular season, Ex-Net Chris Douglas-Roberts is hoping to make the Knicks roster despite being a long shot with so many guards already signed, writes the Post's Kerber.
Lenn Robbins of Nets.com notes that training camp for the Nets and new head coach Jason Kidd has been mostly about defense.
Kidd tells the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy that this older Nets team, is also wiser. "(The media) use a different word. I use wisdom – and wisdom has won championships. So, hopefully we can do that, too." The former point guard turned coach adds that the biggest problem from last season was poor transition defense.

Knicks Re-Sign Kenyon Martin

July 25th, 2013 at 12:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 12:22pm: The Knicks have officially re-signed Martin, the team announced today (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 3:32pm: Martin will make the minimum on a one-year deal, Wojnarowski reports.

2:51pm: Kenyon Martin and the Knicks have reached an agreement that will see the veteran big man return to the team, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Multiple reports over the last ten days have indicated the team and agent Andy Miller were moving toward a pact. Martin is eligible to sign for up to 120% of the minimum salary via Non-Bird rights.

Martin sat out the first half of last season hoping for a deal worth the mini mid-level, but settled for a pair of 10-day contracts from the Knicks, who followed in February with a deal for the rest of the season. The 35-year-old paid dividends, averaging 7.2 points and 5.3 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per game during 18 regular season contests, 11 of them starts. Those numbers were only down slightly in the playoffs, when he mostly appeared off the bench.

The former No. 1 overall pick may have his greatest influence on defense, as Grantland's Zach Lowe points out via Twitter. The Lakers, Clippers, Spurs and Nets all reportedly had interest as free agency began, with San Antonio perhaps the most aggressive suitor. Martin appeared to have his eyes on the Lakers at one point, but it became increasingly apparent that a return to New York was in the offing.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Brown, Celtics, Randolph

July 17th, 2013 at 11:44am CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up the latest out of the Atlantic Division, with a heavy focus on items out of New York and Boston….

Euroleague star Bobby Brown worked out for the Knicks yesterday, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, adding that New York is considering Brown for one of its remaining roster spots. The former NBA point guard averaged 18.8 PPG and 5.3 APG in 24 Euroleague contests for Italy's Siena this past season.
The Knicks continue to negotiate a possible deal for Kenyon Martin, GM Glen Grunwald confirmed yesterday to reporters, including Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Although the Knicks can only offer Martin slightly above the minimum, Grunwald said talks with the big man and his agent were "going pretty well."
In addition to acquiring a handful of first-round picks from the Nets in the Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett blockbuster, the Celtics already created a significant trade exception, as Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe writes.
Celtics management would like to bring back Shavlik Randolph, whose non-guaranteed contract becomes fully guaranteed after August 1st, but he may end up being a cap casualty, says Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
Murphy adds that once the Celtics work through all the red tape involved, they're expected to officially sign Vitor Faverani to a three-year deal worth about $6MM. A report earlier this week indicated that the two sides had reached a contract agreement.
Several days ago, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star tweeted that, due to physical issues, Julyan Stone "won't sign now" with the Raptors, after having previously agreed to a deal with the team. While we originally interpreted that to mean the signing had been delayed, it appears, based on Smith's latest blog entry, that it has been nixed entirely. As such, we'll return Stone to our list of current free agents.

Knicks Rumors: Martin, Robinson, Jordan, Tyler

July 14th, 2013 at 8:56am CST by Chuck Myron

It sounds like the Knicks will fall short of landing Samuel Dalembert, who's close to a deal with the Mavs. As Knicks GM Glen Grunwald and company search for free agent help, they're limited to handing out no more than the $1.7MM portion of their mini mid-level exception that remains after the team used part of it to re-sign Pablo Prigioni. Still, the team has plenty of targets, as we detail:

The Knicks are in the lead for Kenyon Martin, a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Since Martin played on the Knicks last season, the team can ink him using Non-Bird rights, but that would still provide a salary of no more than about $1.6MM.
Nate Robinson, Aaron Brooks, Daniel Gibson, Charles Jenkins, John Lucas III, A.J. Price, Nolan Smith, Sebastian Telfair and Toure Murry are all point guards the Knicks are considering, Zwerling writes.
Robinson would consider signing with the Knicks, but only if he doesn't receive a more lucrative offer from another team, reports Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. The team reached out to the diminuative point guard recently, but as we heard yesterday, a few other clubs have interest in him, too.
Jerome Jordan, Liam McMorrow and Jeremy Tyler will draw close attention from the Knicks during the Las Vegas summer league, according to Zwerling. There's a "big chance" Tyler will draw an invitation to Knicks training camp, perhaps with a partial guarantee, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Mike Woodson is intent on keeping Carmelo Anthony at power forward, prompting the club to search for a veteran small forward to use alongside him. Zwerling points to Raja Bell, Josh Childress, Dahntay Jones, Metta World Peace, Mickael Pietrus and Shawne Williams as some of the small forwards drawing the Knicks' eye.
Al Harrington, who seems to be drawing close to a buyout from the Magic, is another Knicks target, Berman adds.

Atlantic Rumors: Nets, Kirilenko, Kenyon, Knicks

July 12th, 2013 at 9:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

GM Billy King says there's nothing untoward about the Nets discount signing of Andrei Kirilenko, despite whispers about under-the-table dealings, as Newsday's Roderick Boone reports.

"I can’t control what people think, what they say," King said. "I think some of the same things were said when Miami got the Big 3 together or guys have moved around. When things happen, people are surprised. My conscience is clean. I know in dealing with [Kirilenko's agent] Marc Fleisher and getting this deal done, I can’t control what people think."

There's more on Kirilenko's decision and other Atlantic Division rumblings, as we detail:

King said Kirilenko rejected the Nets' pursuit earlier this month, but the forward had changed his mind by the time King checked in with him again, Boone notes in the same piece.
The Knicks are eyeing free agent Kenyon Martin as they look for a backup big man, and Martin is keeping the Knicks in mind, guard Iman Shumpert tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
Wolves assistant Bill Bayno and Rockets assistant Jesse Mermuys are set to join Dwane Casey's staff with the Raptors, as Eric Koreen of the National Post passes along.
Philadelphia GM Sam Hinkie held forth on all things Sixers in his interview with HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram, affirming that ownership is on board with the drastic changes he's making to the team.
The Sixers' acquisition of Nerlens Noel for Jrue Holiday, Hinkie's first major move, became official today, as did the Celtics/Nets blockbuster. Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press examines Brooklyn's high-priced gamble.