Kobe Bryant Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Myers, McDonough, Goodwin

January 28th, 2016 at 11:02am CST by Chuck Myron

Reigning Executive of the Year Bob Myers and Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob are persistent talent-seekers, but Myers acknowledges the value of standing pat sometimes, as the team has benefited from having done this past offseason, observes Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. The continuity is a part of the relaxed culture of togetherness that coach Steve Kerr is building, as Kawakami examines.

“You have to kind of take your ego out of it sometimes and just say, ‘Look, leave it alone. Don’t screw it up,’ “ Myers said.

Golden State nonetheless continues to look around for potential ways to tweak the roster, perhaps with another shooter for the bench, though it’s only logical for the team to do so, Kawakami adds. See more from the Pacific Division:

The Suns would like to make at least one trade before the deadline and perhaps more, GM Ryan McDonough said Wednesday in his weekly appearance on the “Burns and Gambo” show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM radio, as Adam Green of ArizonaSports.com transcribes. “So yeah, I think we’ll be active,” McDonough also said. “We’re not going to act like everything’s OK or like we don’t need to do anything to reposition our team going forward. But will we do a deal or how many deals will we do, I couldn’t tell you at this point.”
Injuries to Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and Ronnie Price have prompted the Suns to turn to Archie Goodwin at the point, and Goodwin is embracing the role, believing that the chance to handle the ball is a better fit for his game, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic details. Goodwin becomes eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
Kobe Bryant took a swipe at former Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni in giving praise to Pau Gasol this week, as Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com relays. Gasol has said he’s “very likely” to turn down his player option and become a free agent this summer. “I think the city of L.A. didn’t really appreciate what [Gasol] did and what we had, and so as a consequence, everybody kind of fell in line with the Mike D’Antoni rhetoric of small ball and all this other [expletive],” Bryant said. “For a guy that has two championships to be treated that way, you don’t do that, man.”

And-Ones: Bryant, Clippers, Heat, Celtics

January 24th, 2016 at 12:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Kobe Bryant still believes that AAU basketball is hurting the game, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com writes. “I hate it because it doesn’t teach our players how to play the right way, how to think the game, how to play in combinations of threes,” Bryant said following the Lakers’ loss to the Blazers on Saturday. The 37-year-old added that he is thankful for his international upbringing. “My generation is when AAU basketball really started [to go downhill],” Bryant said. “I got lucky because I grew up in Europe and everything there was still fundamental, so I learned all the basics.”

Here’s more from around the NBA:

If the Clippers are going to trade away Chris Paul, the only plausible scenario would be sending him to Cleveland for Kyrie Irving, Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com argues in a piece that examines the team’s most valuable trade assets.
Lance Stephenson is the Clipper who is most likely to be traded, Pelton opines in the same piece. The shooting guard has played just a total of 41 minutes in the month of January and the team reportedly feels it would be better off in the long run if it could unload the 25-year-old. Pelton suggests that the team look to deal Stephenson to the Suns for P.J. Tucker or to the Blazers for Gerald Henderson.
Making a push for the playoffs is the only option for the Heat, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel argues. The team will send its first-round pick to the Sixers if it falls outside the top 10. If the pick does not convey, Philadelphia will receive Miami’s 2017 first-round pick regardless of where it lands, and Winderman believes that is a scenario to avoid due to the uncertainty surrounding this team during the upcoming offseason. Hassan Whiteside will be an unrestricted free agent. Dwyane Wade, who will turn 35 next season, will also be a free agent and it’s unclear how much of a burden that he will be able to carry should he re-sign with Miami.
The Celtics have recalled R.J. Hunter, Terry Rozier and James Young from the D-League Maine Red Claws, per the team’s Twitter feed.

Pacific Notes: Clarkson, Bryant, Rush, Suns

January 17th, 2016 at 1:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tonight’s game against the Rockets will trigger the starter criteria for the Lakers‘ Jordan Clarkson and up the value of his qualifying offer, tweets former NBA executive Bobby Marks. This will mark Clarkson’s 41st start of the season and will increase the qualifying offer from about $1.1MM to $3.2MM. The change will take approximately $2MM off L.A.’s projected cap space for the summer, but it could still be more than $50MM (Twitter link). Clarkson will be a restricted free agent this summer, but will be subject to the Gilbert Arenas Provision, which limits the amount that other teams can offer to close to $57MM over four years.

There’s more news from the Pacific Division:

Kobe Bryant‘s decision not to seek a spot on the 2016 U.S. Olympic team prevented a potentially awkward situation, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. A two-time gold medalist and five-time NBA champion, Bryant is highly respected throughout the basketball world, but there’s no guarantee he would have earned one of the 12 spots for the Rio de Janeiro games, Zillgitt writes. “Since my retirement announcement, I’m able to watch these guys in a different light,” Bryant said Saturday. “I’ve come to terms with the fact that they are the future of this game. These are the guys who deserve the spots in Rio.”
Brandon Rush has fought back from two ACL tears to become a productive player for the Warriors, writes Matt Moore of CBSSports.com. The 30-year old, who will be a free agent this summer, is expanding his role with Golden State. “He’s got his confidence back,” said interim coach Luke Walton. “His shooting has been unbelievable, but he’s playing defense, he’s making plays. He’s rebounding the ball and pushing it, where last season he didn’t have the confidence to do that.”
The Suns are having one of their worst seasons ever, and Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic offers a historic reminder that a high draft pick isn’t necessarily a solution. He notes that the seven worst teams in Phoenix history have produced only one star through the draft, Alvan Adams in 1975.

Lakers Rumors: Bryant, Scott, Nance Jr.

January 16th, 2016 at 8:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kobe Bryant will not be part of the 2016 Olympic team, tweets Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. Bryant, who is retiring after this season, said he wants his final game to be in a Lakers uniform. He won gold medals in 2008 and 2012, but decided he’ll leave 2016 to the younger players, saying, “I think it’s their time.” Bryant added that he has no interest in broadcasting once his career is finished (Twitter link).

There’s more Lakers news out of Los Angeles:

Coach Byron Scott may be ready to give more responsibility to the younger Lakers, Medina writes. That means the first-round picks from the last two seasons, Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell, could be called on to close out games along with rookies Larry Nance Jr. and Anthony Brown and second-year combo guard Jordan Clarkson. “It’s all about getting these young guys to continue to develop,” Scott said. “Then the winning part comes into that as well. We’ve been in a bunch of games. Now we have to get to the point where these guys learn how to close these games out.”
Nance has been the most surprising of the youthful Lakers, according to Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times. The 27th overall pick in last year’s draft, Nance has made an impression with his leaping ability and outside shooting. “When it is all said and done and we look at their careers, Larry Nance Jr. may be the more advanced out of all these players,” TNT analyst Reggie Miller said this week. “He has the most energy.”

Western Notes: Barnes, Stotts, Scott

January 13th, 2016 at 9:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak is pleased with coach Byron Scott‘s tough-love approach with the team’s younger players and takes offense at the notion that Scott is stifling their development, writes Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times. “If you asked our young players, I think there would be a mutual respect, as you might expect maybe between a parent and a child,” Kupchak said. “In other words, I’m going to love you, I’m going to bring you along, but every now and then, I’ve got to teach you the right way to do things.”

Kupchak also told Bresnahan that Kobe Bryant‘s retirement tour is actually a benefit to the team’s young roster since the attention paid to the veteran deflects much of the spotlight away from the other players. “I guess there was some backlash to the comment that we can’t move on until Kobe retires,” Kupchak said. “There’s no doubt this season is in great part a tribute to him and what he’s meant for this organization. It’s what he deserves, it’s what we want to give him, it’s what the fans want and it’s a justifiable tribute to his career. Having said all that, to think that we’re not developing our young players? I mean, who’s starting? Larry Nance. Anthony Brown. And Jordan Clarkson. Who’s playing 20 to 30 minutes a game? Julius Randle. D’Angelo Russell. In fact, Kobe gives the younger guys a chance to fly under the radar a little bit. They can make mistakes. Maybe they don’t get the attention they normally get under a normal season. On top of that, they get to learn by being around Kobe.”

Here’s more news out of the Western Conference:

The NBPA has filed a grievance on behalf of Grizzlies small forward Matt Barnes that appeals his two-game unpaid suspension for the off-court altercation he had in October with Knicks coach Derek Fisher, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports. Barnes will lose $64,409 in salary because of the suspension if it is upheld. This appeal will ensure that Barnes is able to take the court this Saturday when the Grizzlies square off against the Knicks in Memphis.
Portland GM Neil Olshey raved about the performance of Terry Stotts and cited the coach’s improvement over his time with the Trail Blazers in an appearance on “The Vertical” hosted by Wojnarowski (audio link). Stotts has a team option on his contract for next season.
Suns power forward Markieff Morris is excited about his expanded role in the team’s rotation that’s come about because Alex Len is sidelined with a sprained right hand, though Morris is not sure if he will remain in the regular lineup regardless of how long Len is out, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic relays.

Western Notes: Bryant, Fredette, Payne, Nance

January 6th, 2016 at 1:19pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers simply can’t concentrate on developing young players as they otherwise would because they need to give Kobe Bryant a “justified farewell” as he plays his final season, GM Mitch Kupchak contended in an interview with Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Kupchak expounded on comments he made in a recent meeting with season ticket-holders in which he said the team can’t fully move forward with Bryant still present, though he made it clear that the franchise has no reservations about giving Bryant his due. Kupchak argued to Holmes that the attention Bryant draws allows the young players to grow outside the harsh glare of the spotlight, calling it a “silver lining” to the situation, and the GM also insisted the team will be in better position to attract free agents this summer than it was last year.

“I think we’ll see enough [from the young players],” Kupchak said. “Yeah, I think we’ll see enough. I do. Kobe has been really good lately. He looks like he’s trying to fit in and play the right way. Yeah, I think we’ll see enough. Is it going to come as quick as you want? I mean, D’Angelo [Russell] is going to be 20. They all want it now, but it’s just going to take a year or two or three. But it’s certainly going to be a lot more attractive than what we had to offer last summer.”

See more from the Western Conference:

Utah has an open roster spot after waiving Elijah Millsap on Tuesday, but while Jimmer Fredette, who’s eligible to sign with any NBA team, is still a fan favorite from his days at BYU, the Jazz signaled their lack of interest when they passed him up in this season’s D-League draft, tweets Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. The team doubts his ability to play NBA-caliber defense and doesn’t want to deal with the crush of local interest that signing him would entail, Genessy adds (Twitter link).
Thunder coach Billy Donovan‘s decision to put rookie Cameron Payne in the rotation has helped a talented second unit to finally play up to its abilities, as Royce Young of ESPN.com examines. The process hasn’t been without hiccups, but Payne’s emergence is nonetheless one more selling point the Thunder have to use in their pitch to retain Kevin Durant this summer, Young writes.
Others still on the draft board seemed to be more likely candidates for the Lakers when they instead picked Larry Nance Jr. 27th overall this past summer, but after starting him at power forward for a month, coach Byron Scott thinks the situation has flipped, notes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. “If you were probably to re-do the draft, he’d be a lottery pick,” Scott said. “So obviously, we got a steal.”

And-Ones: Bryant, Van Gundy, Nets

December 29th, 2015 at 10:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kobe Bryant claims that former Hornets coach Dave Cowens told him that Charlotte wasn’t interested in him during the 1996 draft, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com reports. Bryant was shipped to the Lakers for Vlade Divac soon after the draft. “Cowens told me he didn’t want me,” Bryant told reporters in Charlotte. “It wasn’t a question of me even playing here. They had a couple of guards already, a couple small forwards already.” Cowens refuted Bryant’s account of his draft-night odyssey to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. Cowens told Himmelsbach that the Hornets were more concerned at the time that Bryant would play professionally in Italy, as his camp threatened if he didn’t wind up with the Lakers or Knicks. Cowens also denied telling Bryant the Hornets didn’t have a spot for him. “I’d never say anything like that to a player,” Cowens told Himmelsbach. “I didn’t know him and he didn’t know me. It wasn’t about him not being able to play for us. It was just [the trade] was already worked out.”

In other news around the league:

Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy expects a lot of volatility in the Eastern Conference standings this season. Detroit is among 10 conference teams above the .500 mark. “Cleveland hasn’t created a lot of space but they’ve sort of separated themselves as the team at the top of the East. But then everybody else, it’s sort of gone up and down,” he told the assembled media, including Hoops Rumors, last week. “The standings change every single day. We’ve played enough now to say there’s a good chance it stays like that throughout most of the rest of the year. There’s a lot of parity.”
The D-League’s experiment with coaches challenging an official’s call is still a work in progress, as Adam Johnson of the D-League Digest examines. In its current structure, a coach can only challenge fourth-quarter calls. They lose a timeout if the challenge fails. Limiting challenges to the final quarter is just one of the complaints about the system, Johnson adds.
The Nets are expected to play more than a dozen doubleheaders next season with their new D-League affiliate’s games preceding the NBA game at Barclays Center, team officials told NetsDaily. The Long Island Nets will begin their inaugural season next November. Barclays will curtain off parts of the arena during D-League games, the report adds.

Western Notes: Bryant, McGee, Speights

December 21st, 2015 at 9:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kobe Bryant will not continue his career in Europe following his retirement from the NBA after this season, as he said in a conference call and as Bill Oram of the Orange County Register relays. The Lakers swingman doesn’t think he could endure the rigors of another season, so he has ruled out that option, Oram continues. “I would have loved to play overseas for a season,” Bryant said. “But it’s not going to happen. … My body won’t let me.” Bryant reiterated his desire to play for USA Basketball in the Summer Olympics next summer, Oram adds.

In other news around the Western Conference:

JaVale McGee is gradually carving out a rotation spot with the Mavericks, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reports. McGee is still trying to get in top shape and wants to shed another 10-15 pounds, MacMahon continues. The backup center had 10 points, five rebounds and three blocks in 18 minutes against the Grizzlies on Friday, a sign that he’s making progress, MacMahon adds. “He’s got really unusual length for a guy like that and he’s got great athleticism, too,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle told the team’s media. “Look, he’s worked hard. It’s taken a while. We’ve got to be a little bit careful about how long we play him in terms of stretches of minutes.”
Marreese Speights hasn’t been as efficient as he was last season, and if he doesn’t turn that around, the Warriors will look for another stretch four, posits Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com. Golden State is studying the trade market, Poole writes, though it’s unclear if the team is looking into deals involving Speights.
The Spurs recalled point guard Ray McCallum from their D-League affiliate in Austin, the team’s website reports. McCallum has appeared in four D-League games, as well as 12 games with San Antonio.
The Thunder recalled small forward Josh Huestis from their D-League affiliate on Monday, according to the team’s website. Huestis, who is still looking to make his NBA debut, has started 10 games with Oklahoma City Blue, averaging 10.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 32.8 minutes.

Pacific Notes: Kerr, Monroe, Kobe, Lieberman

December 16th, 2015 at 2:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Steve Kerr isn’t thinking at all about sitting out the entire season and believes he’ll return from his leave of absence at some point before it’s over, as he said to Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. The progress the Warriors coach has made of late in his recovery from two back surgeries is plain to see, observes Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.

“He’s acting more like himself and joking more like himself,” interim coach Luke Walton said Tuesday, as Simmons relays. “As far as what that means for his return, we still have no idea — but it’s nice to see more of his old self.”

See more from the Pacific Division:

The Lakers focused on basketball in their free agent pitch to Greg Monroe, unlike their ill-fated business-oriented approach to LaMarcus Aldridge, Byron Scott said Tuesday, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News relays (Twitter link). “There wasn’t anything they did wrong. I just made the best decision for me,” Monroe said to Medina about his choice of the Bucks over the Lakers and others. “It wasn’t anything they didn’t do or did do.”
Kobe Bryant is playing much better of late, and that has to do with his greater comfort with the Lakers‘ young players, Scott believes, as Bill Oram of the Orange County Register details. No. 2 overall pick D’Angelo Russell is also looking improved, and that has Scott looking smart, at least for now, Oram writes. “So [Kobe]’s kind of … stepping to the side a little bit and letting them have a little more say in what they do out there,” Scott said. “There’s a lot of times in the game where he just kind of defers to those guys.”
George Karl had thought about hiring a female assistant coach for years before he and the Kings brought Nancy Lieberman onto the staff this past summer, notes Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. “I think it’s been good,” Karl said. “Sometimes I think we [head coaches] have been too macho about this for too long. Everybody connects with people differently, and some players communicate better with women. That’s why you want three or four assistants. With Nancy, obviously she knows the game. But the best thing she does is connect one-on-one with the players. She can take hard subjects and go to a player, and that’s very unusual in a young coach.”

And-Ones: ‘Outperformers,’ Bryant, Dinwiddie

December 12th, 2015 at 10:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

Four Western Conference players join Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis on an “Outperform” Team compiled by Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders. The columnist honors the players who have most exceeded expectations during the first quarter of the season. The other team members are the Kings‘ Rajon Rondo, the Warriors‘ Stephen Curry, the Mavericks‘ Dirk Nowitzki and Wolves rookie Karl-Anthony Towns.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

The Lakers‘ Kobe Bryant addressed his relationship with former teammate Dwight Howard after tonight’s loss in Houston, tweets Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. “My responsibility when Dwight and I played together was to get him to play his best basketball,” Bryant said. “That involves pushing buttons.” Their rocky relationship was believed to be part of the reason Howard left Los Angeles for the Rockets in 2013.
Pistons guard Spencer Dinwiddie may be headed to the team’s D-League affiliate in Grand Rapids on Sunday, according to Terry Foster of The Detroit News. A slump and injuries have reduced Dinwiddie’s playing time, and he has dropped behind Steve Blake in the point guard mix. Detroit coach/executive Stan Van Gundy suggested that Dinwiddie might benefit from increased minutes in Grand Rapids. “We have tried to use the D-League a little bit so he gets some game time,” Van Gundy said. “I think he has to take advantage of every opportunity he’s got to work and get better.”
The Thunder assigned Josh Huestis to the Oklahoma City Blue of the D-League, the team announced via press release. Huestis has played in seven games for the Blue this season, averaging 10.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.57 blocks.