Kevin Garnett Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nets, Rockets Had Talks About Asik, Lin

December 22nd, 2013 at 9:16am CST by Chuck Myron

Plenty of teams have been linked to Omer Asik of late, but it appears the Rockets also had discussions with a team that hadn’t been rumored to be in the mix. Houston had preliminary talks with the Nets involving Omer Asik as well as Jeremy Lin, a source tells Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com. Youngmisuk describes the conversations as due diligence on the part of the Rockets, and apparently Houston asked for Deron Williams in return. The Nets weren’t receptive to trading Williams since his presence in Brooklyn was one of the reasons Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett gave their blessing to the trade that brought them to the Nets this summer, Youngmisuk writes.

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com brought up a similar notion yesterday, and though it appeared that his mention of a Nets-Rockets deal for Asik was merely speculative, he might know more than he let on. Berger suggested the Nets could offer Paul Pierce and a first-round pick in return, though I doubt the Rockets would go for that.

The Rockets abandoned their efforts to trade Asik by a self-imposed deadline this week, and while GM Daryl Morey says Asik will probably remain in Houston “for quite a long time,” it still seems there’s a strong chance the Turkish center is on a new team by the trade deadline. He’d make more sense for the Nets now that they’ve lost Brook Lopez for the season. Asik’s nearly $15MM balloon payment for 2014/15 that dissuaded many teams from trading for him wouldn’t seem to be an issue for high-rolling Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, even though Lin is due the same amount next season. That would mean $30MM in actual salary, plus luxury tax penalties, for two players whose combined salary cap hits are about half that amount. Williams is due close to $18.5MM this year and $19.75MM in 2014/15, though his salary aligns with his cap hit.

The most popular response from Hoops Rumors readers in last night’s poll suggested the Nets should trade for someone in response to Lopez’s injury. It sounds like Nets GM Billy King was thinking of a trade even before the injury happened.

California Rumors: Gay, Kings, Clippers, Warriors

December 10th, 2013 at 12:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee suggests the Kings will engage in extension talks with Rudy Gay if he’s productive and fills the team’s longstanding void at small forward. That’s similar to the stance former Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo took after he acquired him last season, and Colangelo tells Voisin that he thinks Sacramento’s Gay trade signifies the Kings’ clear intention to increase their talent-level, rather than sell off assets. It’s a bit surprising, considering some GMs feel Gay wouldn’t be worthy of even the midlevel exception, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe wrote Monday. There’s more from Voisin’s piece among our glance at California’s teams:

Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro suggests that his team is indeed lacking enough talent, Voisin notes. “We’re not kidding anybody,” D’Alessandro said before Monday’s victory over the Mavs. “We’re a long way from being a completed product. We have five wins. We need players here.”
The NBA probably would have allowed the Clippers to acquire Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett as well as Doc Rivers this summer if they hadn’t been so transparent in their attempts to obtain all three at once, several sources tell Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck. Rivers says his job this year would be easier if Pierce and Garnett were around, and Beck hears that Rivers “absolutely” wanted to bring the two former Celtics with him to L.A.
Rivers explained why the Clippers are ready to add Stephen Jackson and offered a strong hint that the pact will be non-guaranteed, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times passes along. “He’s had his issues. There’s no doubt about it,” Rivers said. “He’s breathing and living and I think if that’s true, you should always give a guy another chance.…The good news is contractually, if it doesn’t work, we’ll walk.”
Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group bats around a few possible upgrades to the Warriors bench, surmising that GM Bob Myers and company are more likely to look for cheaper options than ones that push them into tax territory.

Eastern Notes: Garnett, LeBron, Cavs

November 23rd, 2013 at 12:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Prior to last night’s 111-81 loss to the T’Wolves, Nets forward Kevin Garnett told reporters that he’s not ready to discuss his future beyond this season. “I focus on what’s happening [now],” Garnett said after the Nets’ shootaround. “There is a lot of emotions that come with this building. … But, obviously, different time, different personnel, different times.” Last night, coach Jason Kidd said he wouldn’t be surprised if it was KG’s last time on the hardwood in Minnesota. Here’s more out of the East..

The other potential summer suitors for Heat star LeBron James aren’t looking so hot right now, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. The Cavs have been atrocious to start the year and things aren’t much better with the Knicks, who are perpetually linked to James despite not having the cap flexibility necessary. The Lakers should have the cash needed to make a run at LeBron and the other top free agents in the class, but things are pretty dysfunctional in L.A. as well.
Nate Duncan of HoopsWorld isn’t sure what to make of the Cavs‘ situation. Nearly everyone on the Cleveland roster has disappointed offensively, including banged-up offseason-acquisition Andrew Bynum and first overall pick Anthony Bennett.
Pacers center Roy Hibbert is confident that Jeff Green can be the Celtics‘ go-to guy, despite his inconsistencies, writes Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe. Hibbert added that with Danny Ainge at the helm, the C’s are sure to put quality talent around Green in the years to come.
in today’s mailbag, Winderman writes that the Heat are working on grooming Quincy Douby, currently with the Sioux Falls SkyForce, strengthening his point guard skills. The Rutgers product is known for his tremendous range and scoring ability, but has never been much of a passer.

New York Links: Woodson, Calipari, Garnett

November 22nd, 2013 at 8:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets are playing the Timberwolves tonight while the Knicks are off, so Brooklyn can either claim last place in the Atlantic Division all to itself with a loss, or win and let the media sharpen their focus on the struggling Knicks. We rounded up news from New York this morning, but there’s still more to pass along:

Mike Woodson appreciates owner James Dolan’s comments of support, and he isn’t letting rumors about his job security or the “Fire Woodson!” chants at Madison Square Garden get to him, observes Fred Kerber of the New York Post.
University of Kentucky coach John Calipari says he isn’t paying attention to chatter suggesting he could be the next coach of the Knicks, telling reporters, including Jeff Drummond of Scout.com, that he’s “good where I am” in response to a question about whether he’d ever want to return to the NBA.
Jason Kidd knows he might not have Kevin Garnett next year, acknowledging that KG might retire as the coach spoke to reporters before Brooklyn’s only game at Minnesota this year. “I wouldn’t doubt that this is the last time he plays on this floor,” Kidd said, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News notes.
Bondy heard recently from Nets sources that Kidd’s job isn’t in danger, and the coach acknowledged that ownership has been patient with the team’s slow start, as the Daily News Scribe passes along in the same piece.
Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck lobs out several questions that James Dolan wasn’t asked when he broke his long media blackout.
Whether or not he has to worry about his job, Kidd doesn’t have to concern himself with any hard feelings from Mavs owner Mark Cuban, who says he’s gotten over the point guard’s decision to spurn Dallas to sign with the Knicks last summer. Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com has the details.

California Rumors: Kobe, Pierce, KG, Warriors

November 16th, 2013 at 3:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

It might be awhile before Lamar Odom is back on the court, though it sounds like he’s moving toward a reunion with the Clippers. A much bigger L.A. star is also making progress toward playing again, as we detail here:

Kobe Bryant returned to practice today with the Lakers, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, though there’s still no timetable for when he’ll make it into a game for the first time since tearing his left Achilles tendon in April.
Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett remain in regular contact with Clippers coach Doc Rivers, but at one point this summer the ex-Celtics figured they’d both be following their coach to L.A., as Pierce and Garnett tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Garnett and Pierce also expressed doubt that they would have been pleased to play in Boston without Rivers around.
Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber have made strides in turning the franchise into a team that didn’t have to make a sales pitch to convince Andre Iguodala to come aboard this summer, as Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle examines. Lacob and Guber may face their stiffest test yet as they seek to build an arena in San Francisco.
We covered more Lakers rumors earlier this morning in our roundup from the Pacific Division.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Celtics, Anderson

October 24th, 2013 at 10:27pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to Zach Braziller of the New York Post, Knicks coach Mike Woodson plans to meet with GM Steve Mills and team brass either tonight or tomorrow to determine the five cuts he has to make before Monday’s deadline. In another piece, Braziller writes about how Carmelo Anthony took it upon himself to have a heart-to-heart talk with J.R. Smith about the importance of staying focused and keeping out of trouble moving forward.

You can find more of tonight’s links out of the Atlantic Division below:

Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston notes that Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is “very proud” of Rajon Rondo‘s progress in rehab: “I think he’s working as hard as he can. I’ve been very proud of him of how he really wants to get out there and I think he wants to get out there, not for his own benefit, but he wants to really help the team. He sees how he’s missed and he just loves to play. He wants to get back for all the right reasons.”
Ainge also elaborated on why he wants to keep the team under the luxury tax: “Right now we’re barely under the luxury tax, so we really have no choice…If there are deals made later in the year, that would open up roster spots and open up to keep us under the tax. But we will stay under the tax this year. We have to. As we’re rebuilding, not just from a standpoint of the financial budget, but as a competitive advantage.”
Yesterday, we heard that James Anderson was one player who had “all but wrapped up” a spot on the 76ers’ roster. Today, Tom Moore of The Intelligencer discusses how Anderson secured a spot in Philadelphia after establishing himself as a starter and the team’s top perimeter threat.
Former NBA executive and current NBA analyst Steve Kerr explains why he thinks the Knicks are the fifth-best team in the East (Justin Terranova of the New York Post).
Clippers coach Doc Rivers took time to defend current Nets Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce from the criticism hurled at them by LeBron James last week, who insinuated that they had abandoned Boston: “Paul and Kevin were traded…They were traded. Paul was traded whether he wanted to be or not. Kevin was the only one who had to agree to be traded even though he had already been traded. He had to agree to the trade. That’s completely different…You could make more of a case for me leaving than Paul and Kevin” (Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News [hat tip to ESPN Radio in Miami]).

New York Notes: Stoudemire, Williams, Pierce

October 19th, 2013 at 8:58pm CST by Spencer Lund

Here are some notes tonight on the Nets and Knicks:

Amar’e Stoudemire has been cleared for contact, coach Mike Woodson told ESPN New York’s Ian Begley (by way of The Knicks Blog’s Adam Zagoria). STAT is hoping to play opening night on October 30th against the Bucks.
But Stoudemire only participated in 5-on-5 half-court drills and avoided the full-court scrimmage, Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News adds.
It’s still unclear when Deron Williams will return to action one month after the Nets announced he’d sprained his right ankle, writes the New York Post’s Tim Bontemps.
Bontemps adds that D-Will has ramped up his participation in practice the last two days, and Paul Pierce said he, “Had a chance to see [Williams] get his feet wet a little.”
But neither coach Jason Kidd nor Williams would talk about whether Williams will appear in any of the Nets‘ final two preseason games, or what his status is for the season opener on October 30th in Cleveland.
The New York Daily News’ Stefan Bondy adds that Kidd’s been largely avoiding most of the questions about Williams’ injured ankle.
Kidd confirmed to Bontemps that the Nets’ big offseason acquisitions Pierce and Kevin Garnett will not play in their return to Boston for a preseason game against the Celtics on Wednesday night.
Pierce tells Newsday’s Roderick Boone he’s been seeing a lot of open looks during preseason, but he’s shot poorly and believes it’s the result of being so unused to all the uncontested opportunities.

Odds & Ends: D-League, Celts, Collins

October 10th, 2013 at 7:17pm CST by Alex Lee

Yesterday, commissioner David Stern boasted of the job that the NBA has done in developing the D-League while also taking a shot at the NCAA, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “I’m very proud of the development league,” Stern said. “It’s working. That march is continuing. The drumbeats I hear about colleges not liking what they refer to one-and-done. We now have a league in the NBA Development League that will accept players that are 18 and will do a better job of educating them than the college programs in which they are…. Take that.”

Those are some big words from Stern. Let’s take a look at some of the other odds and ends from around the league:

There are a handful of 2011 and 2012 draftees that are candidates to have the second or third year options on their rookie contracts declined for next year before the looming October 31 deadline, writes Mark Deeks of SB Nation. Among the more notable names on the list are Jan Vesely and Derrick Williams.
According to his daughter, longtime Celtics coach Red Auerbach would not have given in and dealt Boston staples Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett this offseason, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. As Spears details, Auerbach’s intense loyalty was on display throughout his reign in Boston, allowing stars like Larry Bird and Kevin McHale to walk off into the sunset wearing Celtics green. Current C’s general manager Danny Ainge admitted that the memory of Auerbach’s resolve did cross his mind before he sold off his stars.
While his agent received several inquiries this offseason, Jason Collins remains a man without an NBA contract nearly six months after announcing he is a gay professional basketball player, writes Harvey Araton of the New York Times. Collins knows that his veteran status — and the contract demands that come with it — complicates his ability to land an NBA deal. What he doesn’t know, and wouldn’t comment on, is if any discriminatory forces are playing a role in his ongoing free agency. Either way, Collins will continue to explore an NBA deal before he considers playing overseas.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Western Rumors: Rivers, Jordan, McNeal, Blazers

October 5th, 2013 at 3:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

It was an oft-repeated story this summer that Doc Rivers didn't want the Clippers to part with Eric Bledsoe as the team negotiated with the Celtics to bring Rivers to L.A. The Clippers wound up trading Bledsoe to the Suns in a separate deal, and now Rivers says he was worried that another Clipper would wind up in Boston. The coach wanted to bring Kevin Garnett with him to L.A., but not if it meant giving up DeAndre Jordan, according to Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. There's more on Rivers and Jordan as we look at the latest from the Western Conference:

Rivers sees Jordan as a defensive player of the year candidate, as Markazi notes in the same piece. "[Jordan] is just too young and too gifted to let walk out your door, bottom line," Rivers said. "He's a game changer defensively. He can single-handedly change a game with his defense. There's five guys, and that number maybe too high, that can do that single-handedly with their size and athleticism and he's one of them. When you have one of those guys, you want to keep them."
Former Jazz shooting guard Jerel McNeal has signed with the Zhejiang Chouzhou Golden Bulls in China, reports Kenya Brown of NiuBBall.com. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported last month that McNeal had an agreement with a Chinese team, but it was unclear whether it was with the Golden Bulls or the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions.
The Trail Blazers have announced the hirings of Rob Werdann and Zendon Hamilton as assistant coaches for the Idaho Stampede. Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com first reported the story (Twitter link). The Blazers control the basketball operations for the Stampede, who have a one-to-one affiliation with Portland.

Ainge On Pierce, KG, Rivers, Stevens

September 6th, 2013 at 11:08pm CST by Chuck Myron

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge presided over a summer of drastic change for his team, trading Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Nets, arranging a deal that saw Doc Rivers head to the Clippers, and making the surprise hire of new coach Brad Stevens. Ainge spoke with Grantland's Bill Simmons about those moves and other subjects for a podcast, and NetsDaily provides a transcript that covers the Brooklyn-related items. We'll pass along some of the highlights from that, along with a few more of Ainge's quotes:

On how the trade with the Nets came to be:

"Like a lot of trades, it evolved from something completely different into a bigger deal. (It was) something that I really didn't think would happen, simply because it takes sort of a special, unique circumstance in order for a trade like that to go through, and the tax ramifications of Brooklyn are I would call unique in today's day and age in the NBA right now with the new CBA. But (the Nets were) a team that was really going for it, and money was not an object, and that was probably the reason why we got a better offer today than we would've even gotten two or three years ago."

On the influence agent Jeff Schwartz had on the Nets deal:

"I also think that Paul has a connection with having the same agent as Deron Williams and Jason Kidd, and I think there probably was some discussion going on there. I don't know that for sure, but my guess is that they had some conversation about it. I know that Paul was the one who talked KG into wanting to do the deal or letting go of his no-trade clause to make the deal happen and that took some convincing to do."

On the current value of Pierce and Garnett:

"I just think it came to the point where those guys as the best two players on a team aren't going to go very far. Those guys as a 3rd and 4th, or 4th and 5th, however you look at it, are pretty dang good still, and I think (Brooklyn) is going to have a terrific team next year."

On losing Rivers:

"I thought Doc would be our coach for a long time. When Doc signed his new contract (with the Celtics), we'd even talked about him being Jerry Sloan, and Gregg Popovich, and breaking Red Auerbach's all-time record as a Celtic coach. We knew that our guys were getting older, but we thought that this time might come, so I had anticipated Doc being around for a long time. I never had any idea that he would want out, but I understand it, and I understand the Clippers have much more to offer right now than we do on the court. I just thought that Doc wanted to continue to participate with me and (owners) Wyc Grousbeck and (Stephen Pagliuca) and (continue) to try to rebuild this thing as we had done before. At the same time, I do understand that that's not fun, and that's not fun (for) coaches."

On his pitch to Stevens and the new coach's lengthy contract with the C's:

"I think that a six-year commitment might have made a difference. I'm not sure. We never had a negotiation. His wife was his agent, and his wife wanted to understand the language in one paragraph that we explained to her, and that was basically the entire negotiation."