Kyrie Irving Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavaliers Notes: Bledsoe, Okafor, Wade, Irving

November 4th, 2017 at 6:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers were among the teams mentioned when the Eric Bledsoe trade request first went public, but Cleveland should pass on the Suns guard, writes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. In response to a reader’s question, Vardon says Bledsoe doesn’t solve the Cavs’ need for shooters and his desire to start would muddle an already crowded backcourt.

Bledsoe shot 43% from the floor and 34% from 3-point range last season and wouldn’t stretch opposing defenses the way the Cavaliers need. Bledsoe and LeBron James were workout partners this summer, so they have a connection, but Vardon doesn’t expect Cleveland to offer any significant assets. Phoenix is looking for young talent and valuable draft picks, and apart from Brooklyn’s unprotected first-rounder, the Cavs don’t have much to offer in those areas.

Sources also tell Vardon the team isn’t interested in Sixers center Jahlil Okafor.

There’s more today out of Cleveland:

Dwyane Wade won’t rejoin the starting lineup before Isaiah Thomas returns from his hip injury, Vardon adds in the same piece. With Derrick Rose at point guard, the Cavaliers need J.R. Smith starting beside him to provide a 3-point threat. Smith is averaging 5.2 points in nine games this season and struggling with his shot, hitting just .209 from long distance, but he has a history as an effective 3-point shooter. Wade, who hasn’t been much better at .222, started three games at the beginning of the year before asking to be moved to a reserve role.
Cleveland hasn’t figured out how to handle the loss of Kyrie Irving, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Irving played a key role in winning three straight Eastern Conference titles and posted a career-best 25.2 points per game last season to go with 5.8 assists. He gave the offense an explosive quality that has been missing so far this year. “One thing I did notice at Miami, teams were afraid of us a little bit,” Wade said in comparing his old Heat teams with the Cavs. “Ain’t nobody afraid. Maybe at some point it will get there, but not right now. Everyone’s playing free, it’s early in the year, and everything’s going right for everybody but us. And we’ve got to figure it out.”
Coach Tyronn Lue has expressed a desire to “play with pace,” but Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com isn’t convinced that’s the best approach for the NBA’s oldest team.

Knicks Notes: Irving, Hardaway, Lee, Kanter

October 25th, 2017 at 9:59am CST by Arthur Hill

“Close to home” was the explanation Kyrie Irving gave to reporters Tuesday about including the Knicks on his list of possible destinations, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. However, the Celtics’ new point guard was careful not to say much more as the media congregated around his locker.

“It’s pretty easy man. They were on my list for a reason, I think you guys know that,” Irving explained. “Close to home, that’s about it. I’m not going to go into detail about all that extra stuff because I know where this is going to lead. … Cameras all here, I know exactly where this is going to go.”

New York was among four preferred cities that Irving gave to Cavaliers management when he requested a trade this summer. The Knicks reportedly offered Carmelo Anthony and a collection of draft picks to Cleveland, but never came close to a deal. “Playing with a guy like that would make the game a lot easier,’’ Kristaps Porzingis said. “That’s dreaming how it would be. He’s not here with us. He’s in Boston. That type of player would bring a lot to this team.’’

There’s more out of New York this morning:

Atlantic Notes: Hernangomez, Okafor, Irving

October 22nd, 2017 at 8:13pm CST by Austin Kent

Count Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis among those clamoring to see more minutes allotted for second-year center Willy Hernangomez. The 23-year-old has been called a building block by the team, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes, but has received just four minutes of action and a DNP-CD through two games this season.

Porzingis acknowledged the logjam in New York’s frontcourt but believes that Hernangomez is a talented player worthy of a spot in the Knicks’ rotation.

“He deserves it. But we have a lot of big guys on the floor and I understand everybody’s fighting for those minutes. And not everybody is going to get what they deserve,” Porzingis, who leads the club with 36.5 minutes per game, said.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

A slimmed down Jahlil Okafor made his season debut for the Sixers on Saturday and Brian Seltzer of the team’s official site writes that the big man performed admirably. A 20-pound lighter Okafor posted 10 points and nine boards in his first game of the year. “He shows why he was the third player chosen [in 2015],” head coach Brett Brown said. “[Because] he really can score.”
The league has fined Celtics guard Kyrie Irving $25K for using inappropriate language with a fan, the league announced in an official press release Sunday.
It’ll take a while for Raptors rookie OG Anunoby to acclimate to an NBA schedule, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun writes. Fortunately, a handful of teammates have weighed in with some helpful (and foreboding) advice.

Cavaliers Notes: Irving, Altman, Future

October 17th, 2017 at 9:59pm CST by marksuleymanov

Kyrie Irving posted a double-double with 22 points and 10 assists in Tuesday’s season opener against his former team, the Cavaliers. However, before playing his first game in Celtics green — against the Cavaliers on the road no less — Irving refused to give a straightforward answer on why he demanded a trade, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes.

“I kind of want to put that to rest in terms of everyone figuring out or trying to continue to dive into a narrative they have no idea about and probably will never, ever be divulged because it’s not important,” Irving said. “This was literally just a decision I wanted to make solely based on my happiness and pushing my career forward. I don’t want to pinpoint anything. I will never pinpoint anything because that’s not what real grown-ups do. They continue to move on with their life and continue to progress and that’s what I’m going to continue to do.”

Irving, 25, has avoided divulging specifics about his trade demand. Instead, he has reiterated his desire to evolve as a basketball player and be happy. Many have wondered why Irving wanted to leave a team that he helped lead to three straight NBA Finals along with LeBron James. But if Tuesday’s season-opener was any indication, Irving’s motives will remain private.

Read more notes surrounding the Cavaliers below:

ESPN’s Kevin Pelton examines the trade that sent Irving to Boston in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and rights to the Nets’ 2018 first-round draft pick. After a thorough examination, Pelton determined that Cleveland won the deal due to the team “improving their depth this season in obtaining an All-Star guard — assuming Thomas returns close to last season’s performance — and a high-level role player in Crowder.”
Cavaliers’ general manager Koby Altman joined Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon to discuss his real estate background, how that job prepared him for NBA GM and working for former GM David Griffin.
Earlier today, we passed along some noteworthy comments from both James and Dwyane Wade.

Cavaliers Notes: Love, Jefferson, Irving, James

October 15th, 2017 at 9:50am CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Love penned a farewell tribute to former teammate Richard Jefferson on Instagram, relays Hayden Grove of Cleveland.com. The veteran forward was traded Saturday to the Hawks along with Kay Felder to help reduce the Cavaliers’ luxury tax bill. Jefferson spent two seasons in Cleveland and helped the team win its only NBA title. “We would never have been able to celebrate our 2016 Championship without the contributions of RJ,” Love wrote. “He always stepped up to make our team better.”

Jefferson recorded an episode of his “Road Trippin'” podcast Saturday and said he knew his time in Cleveland was over when the team signed Dwyane Wade last week. Atlanta waived both players shortly after completing the deal, but the 37-year-old Jefferson has stated that he has no plans to retire and has already received interest from the Bucks and other teams.

There’s more today out of Cleveland:

Jefferson was nearly traded last summer after unveiling the Cavs’ championship rings on his Snapchat account before the team was ready to make them public, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Former GM David Griffin was reportedly so angry that he wanted to move Jefferson to another team, but he eventually cooled down and accepted an apology.
Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving took a shot at his former home, saying there’s “a vast difference” between Boston and Cleveland, according to the Associated Press. “Boston, I’m driving in and [thinking], ‘I’m really playing in a real, live sports city?” Irving said to reporters this week. Irving is also downplaying the thought of starting his Celtics career with a game in Cleveland, relays Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “I understand the magnitude … but I know what it is going to entail in terms of marketing, whatever the case may be, to garner up this energy to make people feel a certain type of way,” Irving said. “I get all that. It’s part of the game. It’s been a part of the game for a while, but it’s just two hoops and a basketball.”
The Cavaliers have been very cautious with LeBron James‘ injured left ankle during the preseason, but coach Tyronn Lue expects him to be ready for opening night, McMenamin posts on ESPN Now. “That would be a tough one for him personally to miss,” Lue said. “There’s a lot of hype behind the game but like I told him, we got to be smart about it. It’s just one game, but I think he’ll be OK.”

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Morris, Yabusele, Irving

October 8th, 2017 at 1:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers had strong interest in Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum after landing the third pick in this year’s lottery, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Philadelphia sent a large group to Los Angeles to watch Tatum work out, and the Duke freshman’s talents on offense were obvious. “He had sort of a different type of NBA game where a lot of his workout was at that sort of Carmelo [Anthony] isolation, the 18-foot spot where he can turn and face and have a series of moves that we felt like actually could translate to the NBA,” said Sixers coach Brett Brown. “And then he started picking and popping and shooting NBA threes. But his offensive ability stood out, and the person stood out.”

Tatum had a sense that he was headed to Philadelphia, with Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball projected as the top picks. That was before the Sixers completed a trade to get the number one selection from Boston, a deal that Tatum knows will probably link him with Fultz for as long as they’re both in the NBA. “It’ll be interesting to see how things play out over the years,” Tatum said.

There’s more today out of Boston:

Coach Brad Stevens had planned to use Celtics newcomer Marcus Morris in Friday’s game, but Morris asked for more time to prepare, relays Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. Morris didn’t practice with the Celtics until Thursday because of an assault trial in Phoenix in which he and his brother were both acquitted. “I did miss training camp and part of the preseason,” Morris said, “so I need to just get a couple more practices up under my belt to get moving a little bit better.”
The Celtics have clear instructions for rookie Guerschon Yabusele, who figures to see time as a backup center and power forward, Bulpett writes in the same story. They want him to pattern his game after Al Horford. Yabusele was taken with the 16th pick in the 2016 draft, then spent last season in China before joining Boston’s G League affiliate late in the year. “We know what he brings to the table, so, again, it’s matching him up with the right guys around him,” Stevens said. “But he’s got to be a guy that can kind of be a playmaker a la Al for us, where he gets the ball at the top of the key and can be a passer, he can shoot it, he can drive it.”
New Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving is happy with Stevens’ decision not to name a team captain, Bulpett adds. Irving said being a captain was a big deal in grade school, but shouldn’t matter in the NBA. “We all have leadership within ourselves,” he said. “We have to police ourselves, at the end of the day, and then make it make sense for our team. And if we remain growth oriented and have that humility to continue to get better and know where we come from and know what we bring to the table, we’ll be fine.”

NBA GMs Weigh In On 2017/18 Season

October 4th, 2017 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

NBA.com has completed its annual survey of NBA general managers, with John Schuhmann of NBA.com asking each of the league’s 30 GMs an array of questions about the league’s top teams, players, and coaches. To no one’s surprise, the Warriors are viewed by the NBA’s general managers as the overwhelming favorite to win the 2017/18 championship, with 28 of 30 GMs (93%) picking Golden State to repeat.

While there are many responses in the GM survey worth checking out, we’ll focus on rounding up some of the more interesting ones related to rosters and player movement. Let’s dive in…

Although half of the league’s GMs picked LeBron James as the 2017/18 MVP winner, LeBron only finished third in voting for the player GMs would want to start a franchise with today. Karl-Anthony Towns (29%) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (21%) were the top vote-getters for that question.
NBA general managers loved the Thunder‘s acquisition of Paul George. George received 59% of the vote for which offseason addition would make the biggest impact, easily beating out Jimmy Butler (17%), Chris Paul (10%), and Kyrie Irving (7%). Additionally, Oklahoma City was chosen as the team that made the best offseason moves, with 43% of the vote. The Celtics (25%), Timberwolves (14%), and Rockets (11%) were runners-up.
The Nuggets‘ signing of Paul Millsap (24%) and the Pistons‘ trade for Avery Bradley (17%) were regarded by NBA GMs as the most underrated acquisitions of the summer.
The Timberwolves (69%) were the runaway choice for most improved team, beating out the Sixers (17%) and a handful of other clubs. Of course, it’s worth noting that Minnesota was also the GMs’ pick for that question a year ago.
While Dennis Smith Jr. of the Mavericks (37%) was voted the biggest steal of the 2017 draft, most GMs expect Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball (62%) to win the Rookie of the Year award.

Atlantic Notes: Irving, Porzingis, Embiid

September 29th, 2017 at 7:28pm CST by Austin Kent

It hasn’t taken long for Kyrie Irving to gel with his new Celtics teammates, Marc D’Amico of the Celtics’ official website writes. The newly acquired point guard has made an effort to approach his new teammates on the bus and at practice in order to make the transition more comfortable.

Of course Irving’s performance has wowed a Celtics teammate or two as well. Through training camp, Irving has impressed Al Horford with his uncanny ability to finish shots and frustrated Terry Rozier with his slippery offensive game. “He’s a tough one to guard, probably one of the toughest guys I’ve ever had to guard in my life,” Rozier said.

After putting up 25.2 points and 5.8 assists per game in his final season with the Cavaliers, Irving will look to provide much-needed star power to a Celtics squad eager to take the next step toward contention. Irving may well be the player on the roster with the highest ceiling ahead of the 2017/18 campaign.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division tonight:

There was a strategic effort in place to keep Kristaps Porzingis from getting caught up in the trade rumors that involved him last summer. The Knicks forward recently told ESPN’s Ian Begley that his brothers – who double as his unofficial spokespeople – made sure to keep his attention on basketball.
There’s a coordinated song and dance that goes in to pulling off the perfect free agent signing. New Raptors general manager Bobby Webster spoke with Eric Koreen of The Athletic about how the club’s decision to trade DeMarre Carroll and Cory Joseph impacted their signing of C.J. Miles.
Despite the fact that he’s been busy playing basketball all offseason – thanks to EuroBasket 2017 – Dario Saric look as impressive as ever, Brian Seltzer of the Sixers‘ official site writes.
Second-year big man Joel Embiid has impressed teammates in his return to five-on-five action, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Embiid needs to get back into game shape, Robert Covington says, but has otherwise looked good.

Celtics Notes: Irving, Ainge, Pierce, Morris

September 18th, 2017 at 1:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kyrie Irving addressed the circumstances surrounding his desire to leave Cleveland during an appearance this morning on ESPN’s First Take (Twitter link). The All-Star point guard dismissed the idea that his trade demand was motivated by a desire to get away from LeBron James, according to a post from Chris Forsberg on ESPN Now. But Irving also told the hosts he didn’t inform James before making the request and doesn’t care if the Cavaliers star took it as a personal insult. “Why would I have to?” Irving responded to a question over whether he talked to James before meeting with owner Dan Gilbert.

Irving also discussed the loss of a potential “supermax” designated veteran extension by changing teams, saying “You can’t put a price on happiness,” relays ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Twitter link). He responded to a question on whether he can win a title without James, first by saying “time will tell,” then “absolutely.”

There’s more today out of Boston:

President of basketball operations Danny Ainge may regret not trying harder to get Jimmy Butler from the Bulls when he was available, writes Shaun Powell of NBA.com in his season preview of the Celtics. He states that Ainge could have easily topped Minnesota’s offer and that Butler would have provided a greater upgrade than switching Isaiah Thomas for Irving. Powell speculates that Ainge was reluctant to give Thomas a max extension next summer considering his hip problems and his age.
Paul Pierce, who signed a one-day deal with the Celtics in July so he could retire in Boston, is sharing his knowledge with the organization’s younger players, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. He has taken a particular interest in Jayson Tatum, the Celtics’ first-rounder, who has a skill set similar to Pierce’s. “I feel I can help out this young generation and impact that way,” said Pierce, who has landed a job as an ESPN analyst. “I can still talk about the game. I enjoy talking about the game, being around it; traveling to see games. It’s always going to be in my blood. It’s what I’ve been doing my whole life. So, it’s gonna be hard to completely pull me away from the game.”
Opening arguments were set to begin today in the felony assault trial for Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris, according to The Associated Press. The trial regarding a 2015 beating incident is expected to last 10 days and will conflict with the start of training camp. The Celtics acquired Marcus Morris from this Pistons this summer in a deal to free up cap room to sign Gordon Hayward.

Central Notes: Wade, Irving, Quicken Loans Arena

September 15th, 2017 at 4:58pm CST by Austin Kent

While there’s reason to believe that Dwyane Wade would graciously accept a buyout from the Bulls, he’s not going to put up a fuss about it, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. Wade, after all, has 23.8 million reasons to put up with being a good sport for the rest of the season.

It’s been said that Wade started hoping for a buyout following the trade that sent Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves. If that deal serves as the symbolic beginning of Chicago’s rebuild, then it doesn’t make an awful lot of sense for the Bulls, as an organization, to continue paying such an exorbitant amount for a 35-year-old that isn’t particularly motivated to stay there.

Wade averaged a respectable 18.3 points per game for the Bulls last season and could no doubt contribute to a contender should he be bought out and freed up to sign with one. That said, the 15-year-veteran has a solid reputation, not to mention a legacy, to uphold during the final years of his career.

There’s more from the Central Division:

According to Iman Shumpert, the Cavaliers weren’t exactly surprised when Kyrie Irving asked to be traded, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes. Shumpert adds that Irving didn’t have anything against LeBron James, just that he was eager to move on.
The Bulls have named Jannero Pargo the new head coach of their Windy City G League team, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweets.
Construction has begun at Quicken Loans Arena, Jay Miller of Crains writes. The renovations of the Cavaliers‘ stadium were originally scheduled in June but held up by citizens groups that pushed for a referendum regarding the use of tax money for the project.
Despite only suiting up for seven games during his rookie year, Diamond Stone finds himself on his fourth team since getting drafted last summer. His latest opportunity, with the Bulls, could be his best yet, Dan Santaromita of CSN Chicago writes.