Kirk Hinrich Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Ford On Young, Cavs, Lakers, Bulls, Draft

January 8th, 2014 at 1:21pm CST by Luke Adams

As usual, ESPN.com’s Chad Ford devoted half of his weekly chat to NBA talk and the other half to draft chatter. He provided a handful of interesting tidbits this week on both subjects, so let’s check in on several of the highlights….

According to Ford, the Cavaliers flirted with acquiring Thaddeus Young from the Sixers in a deal for Andrew Bynum, but Philadelphia wanted Cleveland’s own 2014 first-rounder, which was a non-starter.
Danny Ainge keeps saying the 2014 draft class is overrated, which Ford interprets to mean that the Celtics GM actually loves it.
The Lakers are “living in a fantasy land” when it comes to their asking price for Pau Gasol, says Ford, adding that L.A. wanted more from the Cavs for Gasol than what the Bulls got for Luol Deng.
Ford doesn’t think the Bulls are done dealing, noting that there have been a lot of trade whispers about Kirk Hinrich, Joakim Noah, and Carlos Boozer. I imagine Chicago would be much more inclined to part with Boozer and/or Hinrich than Noah.
NBA execs who value advanced metrics are concerned about Julius Randle‘s lack of steals this season (one in 385 minutes). While NBA teams still like Randle a lot, no GM or scout has suggested recently to Ford that his team would take the Kentucky big man first overall.
The Magic and Kings “really like” Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart.
“Virtually every GM in the league is in love” with Joel Embiid, who remains in the mix for the first overall pick.
Ford hears that a Mormon mission after this season isn’t out of the question for Jabari Parker, which prompted him to ask several GMs where they’d take the Duke forward if he declared for the draft and announced he was going on a two-year mission. Surprisingly, a few still said they’d take Parker first overall, says Ford.

Kirk Hinrich Drawing Interest From Warriors

January 7th, 2014 at 3:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls likely aren’t done dealing after sending Luol Deng to Cleveland, as we heard earlier today from Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Twitter link), and it appears that Kirk Hinrich could be the next expiring veteran contract on the block. According to Sam Amick of USA Today, Hinrich is receiving interest around the league, with the Warriors having shown “serious interest” even before the Deng trade.

The Warriors have been linked to multiple point guards in recent weeks, including Kyle Lowry and Andre Miller. For now, Andre Iguodala has assumed some point guard duties, and Toney Douglas sees a handful of minutes, but the team continues to look for a solid backup behind Stephen Curry, according to Amick.

Hinrich, 33, has taken on a larger role in Chicago following Derrick Rose‘s second consecutive season-ending injury, but is probably better suited to come off the bench. Playing 30.7 minutes per game this season, his highest average in three years, Hinrich has shot a career-low 34.0% from the floor and posted a 9.3 PER, the second-worst mark of his career.

Hinrich is earning about $4.06MM this season, which could make him a nice fit for the Warriors’ $4MM trade exception — teams are allowed to take back an additional $100K when they use TPEs, so Hinrich would barely fit into that exception. Acquiring the Bulls guard without sending out any salary would push the Warriors right up against the tax line, however, so the team may prefer to move a player or two in any deal.

Longtime NBA writer Peter Vecsey first suggested this afternoon (via Twitter) that Hinrich could be available, with the Warriors potentially in the mix.

Bulls Notes: Rose, Butler, Deng

October 24th, 2013 at 9:50pm CST by Ryan Raroque

While on “The Waddle and Silvy Show” on ESPN Chicago 1000, Bulls vice president John Paxson described Derrick Rose‘s pre-season performance as “fearless” and doesn’t think that any restrictions will be put on the former MVP: “Unless he would come up with something that would concern us, but we have no concerns right now. You look at his preseason, and I think [coach Thibodeau] has done a really nice job of kind of amping up his minutes. He’s played six games. In reality he is only averaging about 27 minutes a game in this preseason, and he has looked terrific. Right now there is no reason to think that there will be any restrictions, and we’re not anticipating that at all” (hat tip to ESPNChicago.com).

Here are some more rumblings to share out of Chicago tonight:

Rose’s ability to create for his teammates will lead to plenty of offensive opportunities, especially for teammate Jimmy Butler, who is still looking to find his niche on that end of the floor (K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune).
In another piece from Johnson, head coach Tom Thibodeau sang Luol Deng‘s praises amidst his noteworthy production so far in the pre-season: “He’s a complete player…He does whatever you ask. He’s very disciplined. He stays in great shape, prepares himself to guard multiple positions, moves without the ball…He does so many things that make your team better that never appear in a box score. He’s a hard guy to measure statistically, even though his statistics are very good. He’s invaluable to us.”
Johnson also adds that Joakim Noah is still questionable for the team’s regular season opener next week, and that guard Kirk Hinrich has been medically cleared from the concussion he suffered last Friday.

Odds & Ends: ‘Melo, LeBron, Popovich, Harrison

October 19th, 2013 at 11:01pm CST by Spencer Lund

Here are some links from around the Association as we come inside 10 days before the regular season starts:

The New York Daily News’ Mitch Lawrence compares and contrasts the different ways LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony have handled their possible impending free agency next summer. That’s when both can opt-out of their current deals with the Heat and Knicks, respectively.
Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich told the Miami Herald’s Joseph Goodman he dreams about LeBron James and Ray Allen almost every night after the Spurs’ tough loss to the Heat in the Finals last season.
Austin Daye told the Toronto Sun’s Ryan Wolstat he chose the Raptors this offseason in free agency – despite receiving some interest from the Heat – because he believes in the organization and thought he’d get more playing time.
Sixers coach Brett Brown will “deal with” Lavoy Allen missing practice today after he claimed to have overslept, writes the Intelligencer’s Thomas Moore.
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter against the Pacers on Friday night and will be out indefinitely.
Harrison Barnes expects to play in the Warriors season opener against the Lakers on October 30th, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Barnes has missed the last three preseason games with a left foot inflammation, and there’s no word on whether he’ll dress for the remaining two preseason games.
Ridiculous Upside’s Keith Schlosser reports that D-League players want to be paid more.
Foreign clubs routinely offer more money than the NBA’s D-League, so the impetus to stay and compete is low unless a certain club expresses direct interest in a player and asks them to play.
Schlosser suggested individual NBA teams could pay the salaries instead of the NBA itself, but there are only 17 D-League franchises right now with a number of teams sharing the same affiliate, so it’s unclear which team would pay which salaries.

Bulls Rumors: Hinrich, Robinson, Fesenko, Gibson

October 24th, 2012 at 9:01am CST by Luke Adams

When Kirk Hinrich tweaked his groin during last night's game against the Thunder, it shone a spotlight on the reality of the Bulls' situation, according to Nick Friedell in a piece for ESPNChicago.com. With Derrick Rose out and the bench having been overhauled in the offseason, it's not clear yet whether Chicago has the depth to withstand another injury or two, opines Friedell. While we wait to hear if Hinrich's injury is any more than a minor issue, here's the rest of this morning's Bulls-related updates:

Nate Robinson is confident that he can step up and man the point if Hinrich's injury results in missed time, writes Scott Powell of ESPNChicago.com. If he wasn't a lock to make the team already, Robinson certainly appears to be now — due to the Bulls' hard cap, that means camp invitees Marko Jaric and Ryan Allen have no chance to be on the opening night roster unless the club makes a trade to clear salary.
Another Bulls camp invitee who was recently waived, Kyrylo Fesenko may be drawing interest from Spanish team Caja Laboral, according to a report passed along by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. As Mark Deeks of ShamSports tweeted after Fesenko was cut, the Bulls could consider circling back around to Fesenko later this season, when they can afford to re-sign him.
With one week remaining to work out a long-term extension with the Bulls, Taj Gibson continues to not let his contract situation affect his play, as he tells Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago. "When you’re in this situation, a lot of people are more focused on it than you," Gibson said. "You just have to let it slide off your shoulders. Joakim [Noah] was talking about to me about it a couple of days ago, but I always just shrug it off…. You really can’t do anything about it, except worry about what you can take care of and that’s the court work. Your agent and the GM has to worry about that."

Bulls Notes: Hinrich, Gibson, Belinelli, Radmanovic

October 16th, 2012 at 4:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have made a pair of camp cuts so far, waiving both Andre Emmett and Vance Cooksey, but a few more moves are still to come. Even with two roster spots available, Kyrylo Fesenko, Marko Jaric, and Ryan Allen are long shots to make the club, considering the Bulls are only about $758K from their hard cap for the season. Here are the latest links out of Chicago:

Before Kirk Hinrich signed with the Bulls, former Chicago coach Scott Skiles tried to lure him to the Bucks, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "He and I talked at length about it a couple times," Skiles said. "But you know, we weren't dangling a starting job. With Derrick [Rose] out, it's kind of Kirk's show right now. And obviously he lives here (in the Chicago area). There were some things that were against us a little bit. But I do know he struggled over it. When he called and told me what he had decided, I totally understood."
As Taj Gibson attempts to grow as a player, he's not letting himself be distracted by contract issues, writes Sam Smith of Bulls.com.
New Bulls additions Marco Belinelli and Vladimir Radmanovic are still adjusting to coach Tom Thibodeau's system, says Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Eastern Notes: Bobcats, Drummond, Hinrich

October 14th, 2012 at 11:05pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Here are tonight's rumblings out of the Eastern Conference:

Rick Bonnell of CharlotteObserver.com talks about the improvements that the Bobcats are looking to make on offense following a season which saw them last in the league in field goal percentage, three point shooting percentage, and points per game.
Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld examines the opportunity for Pistons rookie Andre Drummond to earn a significant role in Lawrence Frank's rotation.
Kirk Hinrich appears to be fitting in well with new Bulls teammates and coach Tom Thibodeau, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago.
Mike Wells of IndyStar.com looks at Miles Plumlee's struggles to become comfortable on the court, a problem that Pacers coach Frank Vogel believes can only be cured with time and experience.
Based on John Henson's four block performance against the Pistons on Saturday, Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel writes that the Bucks may have found a player who can significantly improve their rim protection, which had been one of the team's glaring weaknesses last season.

Eastern Notes: Nets, Petro, Hinrich, Vesely

October 10th, 2012 at 12:46pm CST by Luke Adams

We've already covered a few stories out of the Eastern Conference today, including Rashard Lewis' desire to play for five more years, the latest on Rasheed Wallace's timetable with the Knicks, and camp cuts by the Sixers and Cavaliers. Now, let's round up another handful of East-related links….

In the first episode of NBA TV's "The Association," which debuts next week, Nets GM Billy King says Deron Williams urged him not to wait on Dwight Howard and miss out on other opportunities to improve the roster, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com.
Johan Petro tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld that he wasn't caught off guard by the trade that sent him to the Hawks, though his destination was a bit of a surprise. "I knew Brooklyn was really trying to do something with Deron," Petro said. "I didn’t know half the team would be gone but I knew they were going to try and do something."
Though it's been two years since he played for the Bulls, Kirk Hinrich is already feeling comfortable again in Chicago, and his teammates, new and old, are glad to have him on board. Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com has the details.
With Wizards owner Ted Leonsis recently conceding that his team is better equipped to develop its own stars rather than recruit them, Washington will be looking for continued growth from Jan Vesely this season, says Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald examines Dionte Christmas' quest to earn a spot on the Celtics' roster.

Derrick Rose Helped Bulls Recruit Kirk Hinrich

October 2nd, 2012 at 8:26am CST by Luke Adams

Although Derrick Rose has expressed a reluctance in the past to take an active role in recruiting free agents, that stance came to an end this summer, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com. Rose told media in Chicago yesterday that he played a role in helping the Bulls attract Kirk Hinrich in free agency.

"Kirk is someone I could see playing alongside a long time," Rose said. "When you’re a hooper and you know someone on the court is going into a battle with you, and he’s not giving up if he knows you are going to keep battling and I’m someone that will keep fighting to the end, and he’s the same as you, so why not have him on the team? Kirk is the first person I recruited."

As Shams Charania of RealGM.com writes, Rose has talked in the past about wanting to stay out of the team's personnel decisions and leaving that to the front office. However, Charania says Rose sent a "clear message" yesterday that he wants to see the Bulls add players that are passionate to play in Chicago.

"My teammates, they want to be here," Rose said. "It isn’t no trade thing. The people that want to be here, they’re here for a reason: It’s because they want to be here."

Hinrich, who signed a two-year, $8MM deal with the Bulls is expected to step in for Rose during the season's first half, while the All-Star point guard recovers from his ACL injury.

Nugent On Bulls’ Future

August 4th, 2012 at 7:57pm CST by Sean Highkin

Mark Nugent of HoopsWorld has a new column discussing the Chicago Bulls' playoff hopes for the 2012/13 season, as they cope with the loss of Derrick Rose to a torn ACL:

Nugent believes the losses of Omer Asik, Kyle Korver, C.J. Watson, and Ronnie Brewer will weaken Chicago's bench, as Taj Gibson will be left as the sole remaining member of the unit that many believed was the best bench in the NBA last season.
Nugent considers Marco Belinelli to be a downgrade from Korver as the team's designated three-point specialist.
While Kirk Hinrich has proven a capable veteran presence, Nugent points out that injuries have been a concern with the Bulls' newly signed point guard.
Regardless, Nugent expects the Bulls to make the playoffs this season, even if much of their title contention hope rests with Rose's recovery timetable.