Lance Stephenson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Billups, Brown, Stephenson, Siva

July 30th, 2013 at 10:02pm CST by Michael Pina

A few random notes from around the league.

Chauncey Billups is about to enter his 17th season in the NBA, and his second stint with the Pistons. But even after all he's accomplished, Billups still believes he has something to prove to himself, writes Yahoo! NBA reporter Marc J. Spears.
According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, Bobby Brown has agreed to a one-year deal with a team in China. The deal has an opt-out clause that'll allow Brown to join the NBA if he can strike a deal with a team in the next two weeks.
In an interview with Michael Pointer on IndyStar.com, Lance Stephenson answers a few questions about his upcoming season with the Pacers, including the likelihood that he'll come off the bench.
Even though they just traded for Brandon Jennings and signed Chauncey Billups, the Pistons will still likely sign their second-round pick, Peyton Siva, tweets DetroitNews.com's Vincent Goodwill.

Eastern Notes: Bulls, Knicks, Magic

May 25th, 2013 at 8:26pm CST by Spencer Lund

Following up on the NBA's review of the Dwyane Wade elbow to Lance Stephenson near the end of game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Heat and Pacers, we have a couple tweets with more info:

Ethan J. Skolnick the Sun-Sentinel says that just because nothing has happened tonight and may not, that doesn't mean the NBA won't take action tomorrow against Wade for the seemingly inadvertant elbow to Stephenson's head (Twitter link).
Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida says that because today is a travel day for the Pacers and Heat that might be the cause for the delay in announcements after the NBA's review of the play. (Twitter link).
Sports Illustrated columnist, Ian Thomsen, discusses the similarities between this season's Eastern Conference Final and last season's Eastern Conference Semifinal. Last year the Heat lost game 2 and home court advantage too, plus they lost game 3 in Indiana to go down 2-1 to the Pacers. They then rebounded to win three-straight to head to the Finals.

Here are some more notes from around the Eastern Conference..

The Bulls' winning percentage when Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose share the floor is 86% writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times. That's probably why the Bulls' general manager Gar Forman will keep Boozer and Deng this offseason.
Former Bulls coach, and man-about-town for open GM and coaching positions, Phil Jackson, discussed his new book and his future with the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson.
The Magic are a young team looking to rebuild through the draft with smart moves by their young general manager Rob Hennigan. The Orlando Sentinel's Mike Bianchi writes that's why Magic fans should root for a Pacers–Spurs matchup in the Finals; their presence would prove that small market teams can be successful without "buying championships."
Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com with part 1 of the Knicks' offseason notebook. Zwerling discusses who the Knicks might select with the 24th pick in July's draft and which players they may target in free agency, or through the draft, who could fulfill their need for a fast and explosive backup point guard for Raymond Felton.
Chris Forsberg at ESPNBoston.com already mentioned the dozen players the Celtics welcomed over the last two days as they continue to decide where they're headed in an uncertain offseason. A. Sherrod Blakely at CSN New England talks with two of those invites: guard, Shane Larkin of Miami, and Pittsburgh's center, Steven Adams.

Heat – Pacers Notes: Wade, Stephenson, Andersen

May 25th, 2013 at 6:10pm CST by Spencer Lund

According to an anonymous source familiar with the situation, USA Today Sports' Jeff Zillgitt reports the NBA is reviewing Dwyane Wade's elbow to Lance Stephenson's face last night in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

With 4:05 left in game 2, Wade turned the ball over to the Pacers. As he was sprinting back on defense, Wade jumped to avoid Stephenson and hit him in the head with his elbow. Stephenson remained in the game.

Zillgitt believes the hit by Wade appears "too nebulus to warrant a suspension," but the office of NBA vice president Stu Jackson is reviewing the specific play in question. Some other notes from the Eastern Conference Final entrants:

Ethan J. Skolnick with the Palm Beach Post reports that Pacers broadcaster, Mark Boyle, said at the end of game 2 (by way of PageQSports): "These losers are leaving,. They are flocking to the exits with their team down by three. This city does not only not deserve this team, they don’t deserve any team.” The Pacers were 24th in the league in attendance this season, Skolnick adds.
Chris Reynolds of the Associated Press looks at the impact Chris Andersen has had since joining the Heat on a pair of 10-day contracts mid-way through the year.
Chris Sheridan at SheridanHoops.com is dreaming of an NBA Finals match-up between the Pacers and Grizzlies just like the joke the New York Post's Marc Berman told on Twitter earlier today.

Kyler’s Latest: Korver, Bulls, Allen, Bucks

April 24th, 2013 at 1:51pm CST by Luke Adams

In his NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld on Monday, Steve Kyler explored the upcoming free agencies for a number of point guards on playoff teams. Today, Kyler turns his attention to the shooting guards in the postseason who could be hitting the free agent market this summer. Let's round up the notable tidbits from his piece….

The Hawks could have interest in retaining Kyle Korver, but he also won't be the team's top priority, so Korver could accept a multiyear offer from a rival suitor before Atlanta is ready to finalize anything with him. I touched on this when I examined Korver's free agent stock last month.
Marco Belinelli may not be back in Chicago next season, since the Bulls will be looking to upgrade the two-guard spot, according to Kyler.
Tony Allen has good relationships with Zach Randolph and Lionel Hollins, which could be a factor if he's deciding whether or not to re-sign with the Grizzlies. However, he'd want to know whether Randolph or Hollins are part of the front office's long-term plan in Memphis, says Kyler.
Kyler suggests that Lance Stephenson and Willie Green, who have non-guaranteed contracts with the Pacers and Clippers respectively, could make for interesting trade chips if their teams decided to pair them with another asset.
One of the Bucks' reasons for acquiring J.J. Redick at the trade deadline was to give the team insurance in free agency, so that the team can still retain two starting guards if one of Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis, or Redick receives an offer Milwaukee doesn't want to match.

Jazz Discussed Millsap Deals With Pacers, Clippers

March 9th, 2013 at 8:02am CST by Sean Highkin

The Utah Jazz did not move Paul Millsap before the February 21 trade deadline, but Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports that they discussed deals for the forward with the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Clippers, neither of which ended up coming to fruition.

Kennedy tweets that the Jazz and Pacers discussed a trade that would have sent Millsap and Alec Burks to Indiana for Danny Granger and Lance Stephenson. In a separate tweet, Kennedy reports that the Jazz and Clippers discussed a trade of Millsap and DeMarre Carroll for Eric Bledsoe and Lamar Odom.

Millsap, 27, is averaging 15.2 PPG and 7.4 RPG this season. He will be an unrestricted free agent in July.

Central Notes: Thibodeau, Ellington, Stephenson

March 7th, 2013 at 7:00pm CST by Michael Pina

Last night was a tough one for the Central Division, as both the Bulls and Pacers lost competitive battles against the Celtics and Spurs. The exception to the rule was Kyrie Irving and his Cavaliers, who defeated the struggling Jazz at home. Here are a few notes from around one of basketball's toughest divisions.

Writing at the New York Times, Justin Kubatko goes into the numbers to explain just how effective Tom Thibodeau has been as a defensive mastermind over the past few years.
Wayne Ellington has bounced around the league a bit in his first few years since getting drafted out of the University of North Carolina, but with the Cavaliers it appears he may have found a permanent home, telling Jodie Valade of the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he hopes he can sign long term with the team this offseason.
NBA.com's Scott Agness writes about Pacers guard Lance Stephenson, and how helpful he's been in the open court for a team that could use even more of an offensive boost in transition.

Odds & Ends: Draft, Oden, Greene, Kings

February 27th, 2013 at 7:01pm CST by Alex Lee

The news of the night so far in the NBA is that Pacers' Roy Hibbert and Warriors' David Lee have each been suspended one game without pay for their roles in last night's skirmish (Twitter links from Yahoo's Marc Spears). In addition, Lance Stephenson, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were each fined $35,000 for "escalating the altercation." Hibbert already told Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star that he will pay Stephenson's fine for being a good teammate, tweets Wells.

Lee will serve his suspension tonight, as the Warriors visit in the Knicks in one of 10 games on tonight's schedule. Mark Jackson, back in Madison Square Garden as head coach of the Warriors, has already expressed his displeasure with the league's decision, tweets Adam Zagoria of NBA.com. Here are some other odds and ends from around the league:

Chad Ford of ESPN released his latest draft blog, available to insiders only and complete with an updated top 30. Ben McLemore of Kansas tops his big board but as Ford asserts, this year's top 10 promises to be as ever-changing as any in recent memory.
Greg Oden will not decide on his next team until July, reports Sam Amico of Fox Sports. This agrees with last week's report from Marc Spears of Yahoo that Oden won't sign until the offseason, though it sounds like this came directly from Oden's agent, Mike Conley. Amico writes that Oden came close to signing with the Cavaliers earlier this month, but an agreement couldn't be reached. Conley believes that once Oden works his way into game shape, he will again have All Star potential.
Free agent forward Donte Greene, now healthy after fracturing his ankle in August, will work out for teams at Eastern Michigan University on Sunday, tweets Marc Spears of Yahoo. Spears reported last week that the Nets, Pacers, Hornets, Spurs, Bulls, Knicks, Magic, Rockets, and Cavaliers have all checked in on Greene, who played the last four seasons in Sacramento. Citing a league source, Nets Daily has reported the Nets are not currently interested in filling their open roster spot by adding Greene.
As was rumored yesterday, it appears that Kings minority owner John Kehriotis does in fact intend to submit a "back-up offer" to the Maloofs to buy the Kings, reports Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee. Kehriotis apparently has the capital to match the offer from the Seattle group and believes he has the legal right to counter their attempt to buy the team, according to the report.
Meanwhile, the Sacramento city council voted on Tuesday night to approve the request made by city officials to begin negotiations over the financing of a new arena, reports Bizjak. These negotiations are a crucial element to Sacramento's bid to keep the Kings.

Eastern Notes: Bobcats, Rose, Garnett, Knicks

December 30th, 2012 at 11:00pm CST by Michael Pina

According to a tweet from FoxSportsOhio.com's Sam Amico, the Bobcats might be preparing to make an offer for Kings center DeMarcus Cousins.

According to Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, Derrick Rose is conducting non-contact drills in practice with his team, but is nowhere near returning to game action, writes ESPNChicago.com's Nick Friedell.
Celtics center Kevin Garnett discusses myriad of issues with Yahoo! NBA reporter Marc J. Spears.
The Knicks are anxiously awaiting the return of several key players, including Amare Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert, writes USA Today's Sam Amick.
According to the Orlando Sentinel's Josh Robbins, the Magic are on pace to set an NBA record for free-throws attempted per game.
Pacers guard Lance Stephenson is having a productive season in an expanded role, and it's a good thing Indiana didn't let him go, writes IndyStar.com's Mike Wells.

Pacers Notes: Stephenson, Granger, West

November 20th, 2012 at 8:30pm CST by Sean Highkin

Mark Montieth of Pacers.com has a new mailbag column that addresses several topics relating to the Pacers, who are off to a disappointing start to the 2012/13 season. Here are the highlights:

Monteith believes the hot start to the season for Lance Stephenson is sustainable because of the fundamentally sound form to his shooting stroke.
Despite the hole that Danny Granger's injury creates in the team's lineup, Monteith writes that Donnie Walsh is not presently planning to pursue a trade or free agent as a stopgap.
The Pacers want to keep forward David West, who is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. However, Monteith doesn't believe they will discuss an extension before summer.
Monteith doesn't think rookies Orlando Johnson and Ben Hansbrough will see playing time anytime soon, because it would throw an already-uncertain rotation even further off.

Central Notes: Ilyasova, Stephenson, Scott

November 11th, 2012 at 9:28pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the Central Division on Sunday evening:

Ersan Ilyasova, re-signed by the Bucks this offseason, is off to a slow start, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Curt Cavin of the Indianapolis Star discusses Lance Stephenson, one of the wing players the Pacers will count on to fill the void left by Danny Granger's injury.
John Rhode of the Oklahoman examines the success Cavs coach Byron Scott is having with Kyrie Irving, and points out that Scott has had success with elite point guards both during his playing and coaching career.