Kristaps Porzingis Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Rumors: Lopez, Knicks, Sixers, Siakam

October 27th, 2016 at 9:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nets center Brook Lopez doesn’t seem to fit into new coach Kenny Atkinson’s motion offense, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Lopez played just 21 minutes, fewer than eight of his teammates, in Brooklyn’s opener on Wednesday against the Celtics. He scored only one basket, an odd sight for a player who averaged 20.6 PPG last season. Lopez is making $21.16MM this season and $22.6MM in the final year of his contract in 2017/18. “It’s a learning process. It’s both of us: It’s him learning a totally new system and us integrating him into a new system,’’ Atkinson told Lewis. “But I have complete confidence that as the season goes on, you’re going to see a better Brook. He’s going to understand it more.”

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

Developing Kristaps Porzingis should be Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek’s top priority this season but it will difficult with two ball-dominant players like Derrick Rose and Carmelo Anthony in the lineup, Chris Mannix of The Vertical opines. Hornacek is intent on improving Porzingis’ post moves in order to punish teams using smaller defenders on him, Mannix notes. But rival coaches are skeptical that Hornacek’s hybrid triangle offense will allow him to take advantage of mismatches, Mannix continues. Those coaches also believe Porzingis is better suited at center but the signing of Joakim Noah limits that possibility, Mannix adds.
Hornacek isn’t surprised that Rose struggled to run the offense in the season-opening loss to the Cavaliers, Barbara Barker of Newsday reports. Rose had just one assist in the Knicks’ opening-night loss to the Cavaliers and later expressed frustration over the offensive scheme. Hornacek said it was a product of Rose missing a good portion of the preseason because of his sexual assault civil trial in Los Angeles, Barker continues. “If we expected anything different, we’d be crazy,” Hornacek told Barker and other beat reporters. “He hasn’t seen a lot of this stuff.”
Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor didn’t play together in the Sixers’ opening-night loss to the Thunder because both were on minutes limits, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays. Coach Brett Brown wants to play them together in certain situations but Embiid is being brought along slowly after missing two seasons with foot issues, while Okafor just returned from knee soreness, Pompey adds. “It’s not intelligent to play them together now when you only have X amount of minutes with both of them,” Brown said to Pompey.
Rookie Pascal Siakam started ahead of Patrick Patterson at power forward for the Raptors in their opener to keep Patterson in his normal role, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. Siakam grabbed nine rebounds in 22 minutes.

Knicks Pick Up Kristaps Porzingis’ 2017/18 Option

October 19th, 2016 at 9:17am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have taken care of some 2017/18 business, officially exercising their team option on the third year of Kristaps Porzingis‘ rookie contract, as Ian Begley of ESPN.com tweets. The move guarantees Porzingis a salary of $4,503,600 for the ’17/18 season.

Most third-year options around the NBA are picked up even for players who didn’t excel in their rookie seasons, since teams don’t want to give up on first-round draft picks too soon. In Porzingis’ case though, the decision was even easier than usual.

While Karl-Anthony Towns took home the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award in 2015/16, Porzingis finished second in voting, and generated plenty of buzz and excitement in New York after being selected with the fourth overall pick. The Latvian big man averaged 14.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 1.9 BPG in 72 contests (all starts) during his rookie season.

Porzingis joins Justise Winslow (Heat), Myles Turner (Pacers), and Justin Anderson (Mavericks) as 2015 first-rounders who have had their third-year options for 2017/18 exercised so far this week. Teams must make their final decisions on third- and fourth-year options by October 31. You can check out our tracker for those decisions right here.

Knicks Notes: Jennings, Randle, Noah, Porzingis

October 9th, 2016 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Brandon Jennings is taking advantage of his preseason opportunity to start for the Knicks, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com. With Derrick Rose taking care of legal obligations, Jennings registered four points, five assists and four rebounds in 14 minutes Saturday as New York topped Brooklyn. Jennings, who signed a one-year, $5MM deal over the summer, has slimmed down to 175 pounds and hopes to get the Knicks playing at a faster tempo. He says he finally feels fully recovered from the Achilles tear he suffered in January of 2015. “I feel great. I feel faster. I hope I look faster,” he said. “… I just feel like myself again.”

There’s more this morning out of New York:

Chasson Randle continued his bid for a roster spot Saturday with 14 points, two assists and three steals in 21 minutes, Begley writes in the same story. The point guard out of Stanford signed with the Knicks this summer after spending a season in the Czech Republic. He faces an uphill battle to make a team that already has 15 guaranteed contracts, but he has a strong supporter in teammate Carmelo Anthony. “I love him. I just love his poise out there, the way he controls the game, controls the basketball,” Anthony said. “He can push the pace. He can slow it down. I think you guys would love him too the more that you see him play.”
The Knicks expect to be without Rose and Joakim Noah for another week, according to Howie Kussoy and Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Rose remains tied up with his civil trial in Los Angeles, while Noah is nursing a sore left hamstring. Coach Jeff Hornacek said the absence of the team’s most imporant offseason additions has made the preseason difficult, but he plans to be careful with Noah. “Sometimes, players like Jo, he’s like, ‘Man, I want to get out there,’” Hornacek said. “He was out there at shootaround, saying, ‘I want to play,’ but we’re just trying to be cautious with him. … When he feels 100 percent he’ll go to it. Since we don’t have a game after Monday for a while it’s more than likely he’ll probably miss that one, too.”
Kristaps Porzingis said a new shoe deal that could pay more than his NBA contract hasn’t been finalized, relays Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Porzingis signed with Adidas for a reported $3MM to $6MM, although Nike, his current endorser, will get a chance to match the offer. It would be the biggest shoe contract in NBA history for a European player. “That doesn’t mean I’m a better player than Dirk Nowitzki, they just see me as somebody that’s good off the court, see me with kids and that kind of stuff,” Porzingis said. “And they see that potential in me that one day I can be that good. It’s in my hands now to prove that I am what they believe I can be.”

Atlantic Notes: Noah, Porzingis, Rose, Embiid

September 17th, 2016 at 9:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

Joakim Noah‘s intensity has already made an impression on at least one of his new teammates, relays Ian Begley of ESPN.com. At a youth camp today in Westchester, N.Y., Kristaps Porzingis told the story of his first meeting with Noah and the Knicks‘ new center’s dedication to the upcoming season. “That’s the type of guy that we want on our team,” Porzingis said. “He brings that good energy. He brings that spirit, you know? So from the first opportunity that we got to talk, I fell in love with [his intensity].” The addition of Noah should also limit the amount of time that Porzingis spends playing center, which many people believe will eventually become his primary position. Noah, who signed a four-year, $72MM deal with the Knicks in July, is hoping for a bounce-back year after being limited to 29 games last season because of an injured shoulder.

There’s more tonight from the Atlantic Division:

Porzingis also addressed Derrick Rose‘s “super team” comment from earlier this summer, writes Barbara Barker of Newsday. Porzingis says the statement was just a sign of confidence and he agrees with Rose that the Knicks have the talent to be very good. He added that Rose has looked impressive in pickup games. “He’s still got it. He’s still Derrick Rose,” Porzingis said. “I’m excited to play with him. He draws so much attention. When he’s driving, he’s so dangerous. I’m going to be wide open, and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
The Sixers‘ crowded frontcourt means players are going to have to earn their minutes more than ever, and the way to do that is to adapt to coach Brett Brown’s new up-tempo approach, according to Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com. Brown is calling on players to get in “career-best shape” before reporting to training camp and said their roles will be determined by their ability to do that.
Joel Embiid may be cleared to play, but the Sixers will rely heavily on their medical staff to determine when and how often he takes the court, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Embiid is expected to start the season with restricted minutes and probably won’t play on back-to-back nights.

And-Ones: All-Star Game, Griffin, Rubio, Towns

August 19th, 2016 at 10:31am CST by Arthur Hill

New Orleans has been selected to replace Charlotte as the host for the 2017 All-Star Game, reports Brett Martel of The Associated Press. An official announcement from the league is expected later today, tweets Brett Dawson of the New Orleans Advocate. The NBA announced last month that it was pulling the game from Charlotte in protest of a controversial new North Carolina law regarding protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people. The league offered to give Charlotte the 2019 game if changes are made to the statute. New Orleans also hosted the event in 2008 and 2014. The game is scheduled for February 19th, which coincides with the start of Mardi Gras parades.

There’s more NBA-related news this morning:

Eric Griffin, a former D-League All-Star whose quest for the NBA was halted by an attempted murder charge, has agreed to a contract in Israel, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com. The state of Florida dropped the charges against Griffin in June, clearing him to resume his basketball career. He will join the Galil Gilboa club, says his agent, Tod Seidel. Griffin had been charged with attempted first-degree murder with a firearm and spent a week in jail in May. The Florida state attorney’s office investigated the case and determined that Griffin had an alibi and did not match the victim’s description. Seidel says the incident cost Griffin the chance to play in the NBA’s summer league and in the Philippines.
The death of Ricky Rubio‘s mother made him consider skipping the Summer Olympics, writes Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press. The Spanish point guard talked regularly to his mother through video chats after Timberwolves games last season and was distraught over her battle with lung cancer. “Sometimes at night during the season I was going through hell,” he said. “Waking up in, who knows, Sacramento, in L.A., in the middle of the night alone in a hotel and thinking, ‘Why am I here? Is it really worth it?'”
Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns tops the list of the best NBA sophomores heading into 2016/17, according to Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com. Both have the reigning Rookie of the Year listed at No. 1. Ford has Knicks big man Kristaps Porzingis ranked second, while Pelton opts for Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.

Atlantic Notes: Hornacek, Kilpatrick, Dunn

June 16th, 2016 at 6:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Power forward Kristaps Porzingis was surprised when the Knicks hired Jeff Hornacek, but believes the new head coach can maximize the talent that is on the team’s roster, Ian Begley of ESPN.com relays. “I think he’s a very smart coach. He knows how to use his players and that’s exactly what we need,” Porzingis said of Horncek. “And we’ll see if we can get some more players this offseason. But I think we have enough talent and having [Carmelo Anthony] makes everybody better. So if we know how to go from there, using Melo, myself and involving everybody, using everybody’s strengths and putting it all together, then we’ll be a different team. We’ll be able to succeed.”

“I think Hornacek can be that coach for us,” Porzingis continued. “Of course, you need a long-term coach to be able to win. He needs to know the players, the personalities, [players’] strengths on the court, off the court, everything. We need some time to build something and I think he can be the guy.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Sean Kilpatrick is grateful to the Nets for seeing something in him that other NBA teams did not, vowing to reward the franchise for its faith in his potential, NetsDaily relays. “I remember going through the Star-Spangled Banner and when I was going through it I was just thinking, wondering ‘What did [GM] Sean Marks see in me that everyone else didn’t see and remember a tear dropping,” said Kilpatrick. “I mean after all this hard work, you had finally found a home. You found somewhere where someone actually believe in you and someone actually wants to help you get better to be the best you can possibly be. So I’m going to continue to make sure that everyone in this building know who I am and why I play this game.”
Former Providence point guard Kris Dunn disputes the reports that he doesn’t want to play for the Celtics or any other team with a point guard already entrenched, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes. “I mean, it would be unbelievable to be selected by the Celtics,” Dunn said earlier today. “My dream is just to get drafted, and that I have a chance to be a top-five player, it’s a blessing. “I think that’s just a rumor going around. That never came out of my mouth, that I didn’t want to play for any team.”

Knicks Notes: Lin, Lawson, Hornacek, Jackson

June 5th, 2016 at 10:05am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks will be looking for a point guard in free agency, but won’t consider Jeremy Lin or Ty Lawson, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. A source tells Berman the team isn’t impressed with Lin’s defense and thinks Lawson’s off-court problems, which include two DUI offenses, make him too much of a gamble. Mike Conley is considered the best free agent point guard on the market and will probably be the Knicks’ first target. Berman writes that Carmelo Anthony prefers Rajon Rondo, but many in the team’s front office believes he dominates the ball too much. Some other possibilities are Brandon Jennings, D.J. Augustin and Tyler Johnson.

There’s more this morning out of New York:

New coach Jeff Hornacek, who was officially hired this week, said his three-year contract was timed to coincide with team president Phil Jackson’s deal, Berman writes in the same piece. “He had three years left, so he wanted to make it as mine,’’ Hornacek said. “Phil wants to bring winning basketball back to New York. I’m excited he brought me along to help do that.’’
Another possible answer at point guard is Seton Hall’s Isaiah Whitehead, Ian Begley posts on ESPN Now. Whitehead worked out for the Knicks Saturday and reportedly had an impressive showing. Jackson prefers tall points guards, and Whitehead qualifies at 6’5″, plus he grew up in the New York area, so the pressure of playing in the city shouldn’t affect him. The Knicks are hoping to acquire a draft pick, and Begley speculates that they may have to trade into the late first round to land Whitehead.
Former Knick J.R. Smith, now in the NBA Finals with the Cavaliers, says he feels bad that Anthony is stuck in an unstable situation in New York, writes Fred Kerber of The New York Post. Hornacek will be Anthony’s fifth head coach in nearly seven seasons with the Knicks. “When he first got there, I’m sure he felt they were going to work toward something, which he did being the second team in the Eastern Conference at one point and then the drop-off,” said Smith, who was traded to Cleveland midway through the 2014/15 season. “I’m sure it was disappointing for him. But he’s a soldier. I’m sure he’ll get through it.”
The development of Kristaps Porzingis will determine how successful Hornacek is in New York, contends Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post. Vaccaro says the new coach’s biggest challenge will be to ease Anthony into a second-fiddle role while building the team around Porzingis.

Knicks Notes: Hornacek, Rambis, Porzingis

June 3rd, 2016 at 7:55pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Knicks officially introduced Jeff Hornacek as their new coach today, with team president Phil Jackson telling reporters that he found the demeanor and leadership qualities he was seeking in the former Suns coach, Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press relays. “That a comfort zone was possible, and I think the basketball knowledge that he has and the familiarity he has playing basketball are things that attracted us together,” Jackson said. “This is a coach who can teach and also has an idea of what kind of practice he wants to run and how he wants to do business.”

Hornacek acknowledged the team currently lacks the personnel required to sustain his up-tempo system, adding that he hopes his style of play will attract free agents to New York, Mahoney notes. “My hope is now that I’m here that we can get some of those players to come in here and if you want to win, what better place to win than New York,” Hornacek said. “So to me it’s a great opportunity and the excitement level, I know we can do great things.”

Here’s more out of the Big Apple:

The new head coach was initially surprised when Jackson contacted him regarding the position, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com notes (ESPN Now link). Hornacek said he hadn’t talked a lot with Jackson previously and expected first conversation with him to last maybe an hour or two, but their initial chat ended up being closer to six hours in duration, the scribe adds.
Jackson told reporters that former interim coach Kurt Rambis was under serious consideration for the head coaching post, adding that Rambis may remain with the team as an assistant under Hornacek, Ian Begley of ESPN.com tweets.
Hornacek expressed his excitement at the prospect of coaching Kristaps Porzingis, adding that the big man has the potential to be a superstar in the NBA, Youngmisuk and Begley relay in a separate piece. “His ceiling -– wow,” Hornacek said regarding Porzingis. “I don’t want to put pressure on the kid but let’s face it: At that size, and his skills, and his abilities, why can’t he be a top-five player in this league? Why can’t he be the best player in this league? He’ll continue to grow over these years. He’s 20 years old. He’s got a lot of things he’ll learn just from experience and I’m sure five-to-six years from now you’ll be saying, ‘Look how good this kid is.’ He’s already good.”

Lakers Notes: Shaw, Ingram, Scott

May 21st, 2016 at 5:53pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Lakers are nearing a deal with Brian Shaw to become the team’s lead assistant coach on Luke Walton’s staff, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Walton always wanted Shaw to be the lead assistant on his staff, Turner adds (Twitter link). Walton played for the Lakers and Shaw was an assistant coach for the team during Los Angeles’ two most recent NBA championships.

Here’s more from Los Angeles:

Brandon Ingram’s drive to be great and his dedication to winning have impressed the Lakers‘ brass, sources tell Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. The Lakers won’t likely have a choice between Ingram and Ben Simmons, as Philadelphia is expected to take one of the two. Sixers coach Brett Brown recently said that the team isn’t leaning toward taking any particular player at No. 1.
If the Lakers had a choice between Simmons and Ingram, Ingram should be the pick because he fits the team better, several league executives tell Mark Medina of the the Orange County Register. Medina also speculated that the team will discuss trading the pick to Sacramento for DeMarcus Cousins or Indiana for Paul George.
Former coach Byron Scott said the Lakers were seriously considering taking Kristaps Porzingis with the No. 2 overall pick last year, but Porzingis’ conditioning during his workout with the team was the reason for passing on the big man, as Scott told Dan Patrick on his radio show (h/t Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post). Scott added that once he saw Porzingis in the Summer League that year, he knew the rookie was going be “pretty good.”

Latest On Jeff Hornacek, Knicks

May 20th, 2016 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks president Phil Jackson was “blown away” by Jeff Hornacek in Monday’s job interview, but only after Jackson couldn’t sell anyone on keeping interim coach Kurt Rambis, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Berman reports Jackson made the final decision to hire Hornacek, who is still finalizing contract details with the team.

In selecting Hornacek, Jackson ignored cries from the media and fans to pick up former Indiana coach Frank Vogel, who was hired Thursday by Orlando, or ex-Cleveland coach David Blatt, who was the preferred choice of GM Steve Mills. Hornacek reportedly got a strong recommendation from Golden State coach Steve Kerr, who is close with Jackson.

Berman says Jackson was influenced by criticism of Rambis from inside and outside the organization. Mills wasn’t sold on Rambis, nor were Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, with Anthony expressing his views through the media. Other players also voiced reservations in their exit interviews about keeping Rambis. Owner James Dolan wasn’t on board either, though he was letting Jackson make the final choice, and Jackson reportedly had his own questions about Rambis’ leadership skills.

Anthony supports the hiring of Hornacek and likes the move away from the triangle, Berman writes in a separate piece. Anthony believes Porzingis will have a larger role in the new offense and thinks that will benefit the Knicks in the long run. He would have also been happy with Blatt, according to Berman.

Berman speculates that Rambis could be retained as an assistant coach with Hornacek, who was his former teammate in Phoenix, or he could join Jackson in the front office.

Jackson has liked Hornacek since his playing days, but didn’t contact his representatives until two weeks after the search began. Jackson’s first choice, according to Berman, was new Lakers coach Luke Walton, whom he talked with two days after launching the search.

In bypassing Rambis, Berman believes Jackson may have paved the way for an easier exit from the Knicks. Jackson has an opt-out clause to leave the organization after next season, and many believe he will head back to the Lakers to reunite with fiancee Jeanie Buss. Berman writes that Jackson might have felt an obligation to stay in New York and oversee Rambis if he had been the choice, but that pressure is now gone.