LeBron James Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Noah, Rose, Anthony, Lee

February 4th, 2017 at 7:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks management views Joakim Noah as a backup center for next season, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Noah has been a disappointment since joining the organization on a four-year, $72MM deal last summer. The Knicks realize it would be nearly impossible to trade that contract, but they plan to reduce his role in the future. And Berman notes that the recent play of rookie Willy Hernangomez may push Noah to the bench before the end of the season. “Obviously we got to get Billy more minutes, whether coming off the bench first, maybe starting him,” said coach Jeff Hornacek. “We’re still looking at all that stuff. Kyle [O’Quinn] gives us great minutes at times. You have to go with the flow and feel.”

There’s more tonight out of New York:

Derrick Rose realizes he could be a candidate to be traded before the February 23rd deadline, posts Ian Begley on ESPN Now. Rose, who was acquired from the Bulls in an offseason deal, is in the final year of his contract and might be moved if the front office elects to rebuild. “It’s something me and my agent haven’t talked about,” Rose said. “I haven’t talked to [GM] Steve [Mills] or the front office about it. It’s something that hasn’t been out there. It’s a thought, like it’s a one-year deal. It’s a business. Just got to wait and see.”
LeBron James did little to quiet speculation about a Kevin Love for Carmelo Anthony rumor when he was asked about it, Berman writes in another story. James refused to tell reporters if he has spoken to Anthony about a possible deal, adding that he wants Anthony to find the best situation, no matter where it is. “If he’s there in New York or not, I just want the best for him,” James said. “I want him to be happy. That’s all that matters. The game comes very easy to you when you’re happy about where you’re at. So if he’s happy in New York, maybe he wants to be elsewhere, I’m not sure. He’s done a lot for that franchise, did a lot for the Denver franchise and see what happens.”
Courtney Lee, who joined the Knicks on a $50MM contract over the summer is opposed to rebuilding, Berman relays in the same piece. “I signed here to be in a winning situation,’’ Lee said. “The reason why we signed here was to try to make the playoffs and we still have a great chance of doing that. It doesn’t matter what the record is, as long as we get there, it’s a new slate.”

Cavs Notes: Stephenson, LeBron, Wiggins, Love

February 1st, 2017 at 4:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers brought in several free agents for an audition today, with players like Kirk Hinrich, Mario Chalmers, Lance Stephenson, and Jordan Farmar earning a look from the team. Of the names on that list, Stephenson’s was one that immediately stood out, given his on-court history with LeBron James. The former Pacer faced James and the Heat in three consecutive postseasons, serving as an agitator and memorably blowing into LeBron’s ear during one playoff game. Nonetheless, the reigning Finals MVP tells ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that he’d have no problem with Stephenson joining the Cavs.

“I just want to win, man,” James said. “That’s all that matters to me. I got no personal problems with nobody.”

Here’s more out of Cleveland:

Asked about the four veteran free agents listed above, James pointed out that he has a history with all of them except for Farmar. “I got a history with all those guys except Jordan,” LeBron said, per McMenamin. “I got a history with Lance too, obviously. I got a history versus Kirk. I played him in a lot of playoff series. And I got a history with Rio [Chalmers]. … At the end of the day, Rio is recovering from his Achilles tear. I hope he’s been doing everything he needs to do just to get back on the floor. He loves to play the game. … I’m a supporter of what this franchise wants to do, no matter what it’s doing. But my focus right now is to get our guys playing championship-level basketball.”
As the Cavs struggled on the court in January, LeBron was as vocal as ever off the court, publicly airing his frustrations about Charles Barkley, Phil Jackson, and the Cavs’ roster in recent weeks. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst explains why James has been more agitated than usual as of late.
In a separate piece for ESPN.com, Windhorst explores whether Andrew Wiggins will ever make the Cavaliers regret the deal that sent the No. 1 pick to the Timberwolves in a package for Kevin Love. As Windhorst observes, the fact that the Cavs won a title with Love makes it unlikely that the team would ever want a mulligan on the move.
Speaking of Love, an MRI on his injured back revealed no structural damage, as Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal writes. He’ll miss tonight’s game, but the injury isn’t expect to sideline him for too long.
Earlier this afternoon, we heard that the Knicks haven’t given up their pursuit of Love, despite resistance from the Cavs.

Cavaliers Notes: Thompson, Love, Griffin

January 30th, 2017 at 5:31pm CST by Milo Taibi

Now in the second year of a five-year, $82MM pact, Cleveland big man Tristan Thompson balked at criticisms that he hasn’t lived up to his contract. “I earned my money,” Thompson told Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “LeBron’s not my agent. I earned my money doing what I do; you can ask anyone around the league. I opened doors for other guys. It’s a business, and you get paid what the market value is for you. I got my money and opened up doors for other guys that play hard and do the little things.”

While Thompson certainly hasn’t been a hindrance to the 32-14 Cavs, his numbers aren’t what they were in 2012 and 2013. Thompson has averaged 7.5 points with 9.7 rebounds through 46 games while shooting a career-worst 49.3% from the free-throw line. For what it’s worth, Thompson still has LeBron James‘ stamp of approval. “He’s the one rim protector that we have, and we need him to continue to do that,” James said. “You know he’s going to clean glass, but when he’s active like that — trying to get shots blocked and things of that nature, it helps us a lot.”

Other goings-on in the ‘Land…

Kevin Love was removed from the second half of Cleveland’s 107-91 win over OKC on Sunday, and did not make the trip for tonight’s match-up with Dallas. Love, who suffered lower-back spasms in a 12-minute outing, will remain in Cleveland to undergo an MRI. “It’s nothing to play with,” James told Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “It’s a terrible feeling when your back is hurt. It just limits you more than anything. I know it’s very frustrating for him because he puts in a lot of work. He’s in the weight room all the time, and he’s doing his thing to keep his body in shape, then this is happening to him, so it’s very frustrating.”
Cleveland will use their “next man up” mentality without Love against the Mavericks tonight. “Guys have got to step up. This has been our mantra since we first all came together, ‘The Next Man Up,'” Thompson told Matthew Florjancic of WKYC. “We hope Kevin gets well, takes care of his body because we’re going to need him for the long haul. Whatever he has to do to get to 100 percent, that’s the most important thing because we need Kev for the long haul. Everyone wants to push it through, but if you’re hurt or you’re not well, get right because we’re going to need the big fella.” With Love sidelined, Channing Frye appears to be the most logical candidate to receive a bump in court time.
The Cavaliers were among the teams featured in Bobby Marks’ NBA trade guide on The Vertical. To their detriment, Cleveland has only $750K to offer in a trade, and just one second-round pick over the next four years. GM David Griffin has displayed an aggressive nature on the trade market, Marks notes, having completed three January trades since joining the team in 2014. Marks predicts Cleveland will swoop in to sign veterans bought out after the trade deadline.

Central Notes: Rondo, Pistons, Cavaliers

January 28th, 2017 at 9:56am CST by Austin Kent

There has been plenty of drama in Chicago this season, much of which has involved Rajon Rondo, but the Bulls have no plan to buy out the point guard tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

Rondo was most recently in the news for firing back at Bulls teammates Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler in an Instagram post. The post was a response to comments made by Wade and Butler that questioned the integrity of their teammates.

Despite the saga that has unfolded this season, the Bulls have an asset in Rondo that shouldn’t be cast aside. Johnson writes that, not only has Rondo played well and acted professionally, but his contract remains a valuable trade chip as well.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

The Pistons have struggled since December, but head coach Stan Van Gundy may have pinpointed what’s gone wrong. “I think we’ve got to get better pressure on the ball, be more active with our hands and our communication,” Van Gundy told Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “We’ve been fighting that all year.” The Pistons have plummeted from 2nd in defensive rating, all the way down to 13th.
The Cavaliers haven’t been involved in much trade discussion, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News, which may imply that they’re waiting until March 1 to make a transaction. That date, of course, falls after the February 23 trade deadline, just as players who get waived after the fact become eligible to sign with a new team. Deveney mentions Rajon Rondo as a possible fit in this type of scenario.
Distractions continue to mount in Cleveland and head coach Tyronn Lue isn’t pleased with the impact they’ve had on the Cavaliers, writes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. “We gotta focus on basketball, getting back to winning,” says Lue. Lately LeBron James has been in the news putting pressure on the team’s front office to acquire a point guard. The tension has risen so much in Cleveland that even the New York media has taken a break from Knicks to watch it play out.

LeBron James, Cavs At Odds Over Team Payroll

January 26th, 2017 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers general manager David Griffin and superstar forward LeBron James have gone back and forth this month, making public comments about what the team’s roster does and doesn’t need. Most recently, James publicly called for the Cavs to add a “playmaker” to their roster, with Griffin responding by chiding the Finals MVP for his comments.

According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, however, James’ frustration with the Cavaliers’ leadership group goes above Griffin. Windhorst reports that there is tension between James and Cavs ownership about the team’s payroll spending, with sources tell Windhorst that the relationship between LeBron and owner Dan Gilbert has been “strained” due to their different viewpoints on the issue of team salary.

When James was considering a return to Cleveland in 2014, the Cavs’ willingness to spend unconditionally on talent, regardless of the luxury-tax bill, was a major factor, according to Windhorst, who reports that LeBron signed on with the team after Gilbert agreed not to limit his spending. Since then, Cleveland has had a higher bill for team salary and the luxury tax than any other NBA team, but James has grown frustrated with what he perceives to be slowed spending this season, in the wake of the Cavs’ first title.

The Cavaliers allowed rotation players like Matthew Dellavedova and Timofey Mozgov to depart in free agency this past summer, but committed approximately $57MM to a long-term deal for J.R. Smith, not to mention signing James himself to a deal worth nearly $100MM over three years. More recently, the club managed to acquire Kyle Korver in a trade with the Hawks while simultaneously reducing team salary.

James’ recent comments about not wanting the team to become complacent angered Gilbert, since they seemed to imply that the organization was making a conscious choice not to get better, sources tell Windhorst. For his part, Griffin insists that money is no object for the Cavs, if the right deal presents itself.

“We can absolutely increase payroll if it’s the right piece at the right time. I’ve never once been given a mandate of any kind relative to money,” Griffin said. “We’re not going to do something where we go ask for more money unless we believe it makes us appreciably better. … As we have all along, ownership will do what needs to be done.”

In 2015/16, the Cavs paid $107MM in team salary and $54MM in luxury tax. Those numbers are currently at about $127MM+ and $27MM+ for the 2016/17 season, as our Salary Cap Snapshot for the Cavs shows. Signing a player to their roster to fill their open 15th spot would cost the Cavs about $2.50 in luxury tax penalties for every dollar they spend. The team is also close to going $15MM over the luxury tax line ($113.287MM), in which case that penalty would increase to $3.25 per extra dollar spent.

Latest On Cavs, LeBron, David Griffin

January 25th, 2017 at 7:52pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Earlier in the week, LeBron James publicly called for the Cavaliers to add a playmaker with intention of applying pressure to the team’s decision-makers. A team source told Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com that GM David Griffin was disappointed in the manner in which James shared his thoughts.

Griffin intends on sticking to the plan he’s had in place for the several months to add a backup point guard or playmaker and he won’t speed up the search for outside help simply because James made a few comments, McMenamin adds. James and Griffin had a one-on-one meeting earlier today to discuss the star’s comments.

After the meeting, Griffin spoke with the local media, as Brian Dulik of the Medina Gazette passes along in a series of Twitter links.

Griffin said that James’ comments were not “appropriate from a teammate perspective,” and added that the comment about the Cavs being complacent is “really misguided.”

“We’re all frustrated, I get the sentiment,” Griffin said. “I think [LeBron and I] needed it [to talk]. I’m happy.”

Cleveland currently has the largest payroll in league history, but the team is open to adding more salary to win another championship. “We can absolutely increase payroll if it’s the right piece at the right time,” Griffin said before adding that the team has enough talent to go back-to-back. “If we were 100 percent healthy, I feel good about our chances in any [playoff] series.”

Coach Tyronn Lue believes the Cavs can repeat with the players currently on the roster. “We have enough on this team to win a championship,” Lue said earlier today.

A team source told McMenamin that there was disbelief within the front office that James would question the team’s commitment, given its historical payroll. However, another source within the front office told the scribe that the timing of the comments was “brilliant,” as the lashing out could be seen as a motivational tactic designed to get the team back on track.

Heat Notes: Waiters, Bosh, Gay

January 25th, 2017 at 6:23pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Heat are open to keeping Dion Waiters long-term and the shooting guard, who holds a player option worth $3MM for next season, feels like he’s finally found a home in the league, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes.

“Everything, the organization, my teammates, my coach, of course [Pat Riley],” he said. “I feel right at home. Like I said before, when I signed, it wasn’t ever about the money. It was about the opportunity and just having a place you could call home, the enjoyment, and having fun. It’s been good. It’s just been consistent love. I’m happy for the opportunity and I’m just happy to be here.”

Here’s more from Miami:

Chris Bosh hasn’t definitively decided to resume his basketball career, but the idea of playing alongside Dwyane Wade or LeBron James appeals to him, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Jackson hears that Bosh, who suffers from blood clotting, has not been working toward a comeback this season. Bosh reached out to the Players Association last season in an attempt to force the Heat to allow him to play, but he has not reached out to the union for that kind of help this season, a source tells Jackson. Jackson also hears that the big man isn’t responding to some of the union’s calls.
The Heat remain interested in Rudy Gay as a second-tier free agent should the team not be able to sign a star, Jackson writes in the same piece. Jackson notes that Gay, who ruptured his Achilles earlier this month, “loves the idea” of playing for Miami.
Udonis Haslem will make $4MM in the final year of his contract, but he wants to sign a new deal with the Heat during the offseason, as he tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “My body still feels good,” Haslem said. “I plan on being around at least another year after this year.”
The MRI on Tyler Johnson‘s shoulder came back negative and the Heat are not expected to request a roster exception from the league, Winderman relays in a separate piece. Johnson has missed the team’s last two games because of the sprained shoulder.

LeBron James: Cavs Need To Add Playmaker

January 24th, 2017 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

Shortly after the Cavaliers acquired Kyle Korver earlier this month, LeBron James told reporters that the team still needed a backup point guard and another big man. General manager David Griffin wasn’t sold on the idea of adding another frontcourt player, but agreed with James that the Cavs could use another playmaker. Now, with Cleveland having lost five of its last seven games, the reigning Finals MVP has repeated his call for roster reinforcements.

“I just hope that we’re not satisfied as an organization,” James said on Monday night to a handful of Cavs’ beat reporters, including Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. “I just hope we’re not satisfied.”

As McMenamin details, James told reporters that this year’s Cavs aren’t better than last year’s team from a personnel standpoint, having failed to adequately replace a few departing players like Matthew Dellavedova and Timofey Mozgov. James also views Cleveland’s roster as too “top-heavy,” relying on him, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love for a huge portion of the club’s production during the regular season.

“It’s great to have bodies (in the regular season),” James said. “Obviously, in the playoffs, you go down to what, eight max? And if somebody gets in foul trouble, you go to nine. You’re not playing back-to-backs. You have two days in between. You’re able to lock in. … When you don’t have bodies, it’s tough. The (expletive) grind of the regular season. We’re a top-heavy team.”

James acknowledged that the front office was handcuffed to a certain extent by Mo Williams‘ last-minute decision to retire, since Williams had been penciled in as the team’s backup point guard prior to training camp. The 32-year-old also acknowledged that reliable rotation players don’t grow on trees, but stressed that the Cavs “need a (expletive) playmaker.”

“I don’t know what we got to offer (in trades),” James said. “I just know me, personally? I don’t got no time to waste. I’ll be 33 in the winter, and I ain’t got time to waste. That’s what I’m talking about.”

As James hints, the Cavs don’t have a ton of appealing assets to dangle in trade talks. The earlier first-round pick Cleveland can trade is its 2021 selection, and most of the players the club can afford to part with have modest contracts, which could make salary-matching difficult. The Cavs have five traded player exceptions at their disposal, but the largest one is worth about $4.84MM, so any player making more than $5MM or so would be out of reach with those TPEs. The team will also have to be wary of adding too much more salary to its books — no NBA club has a higher payroll ($127MM+) or a more substantial projected tax bill ($27MM+) than Cleveland.

Nonetheless, the Cavs figure to continue scouring the market for potential difference-makers. Mitch Lawrence of Forbes suggests that Jameer Nelson, Rajon Rondo, and Deron Williams are among the team’s possible targets, and while some of those options are probably less realistic than others, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Cleveland make a move before next month’s trade deadline.

And-Ones: All-Star Snubs, BIG3, Team USA

January 22nd, 2017 at 6:48pm CST by Austin Kent

The starters for this year’s NBA All-Star Game were announced this week and, as always, people were quick to disagree with the players selected. Unique this year is the fact that fans don’t shoulder all of the blame. This year the fans accounted for just 50% of the vote, while the media accounted for 25% and players accounted for 25%.

There were plenty of hot takes about what should have happened, but none more memorable than Clippers head coach Doc Rivers‘ regarding the snub of Russell Westbrook. To ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, Rivers said: “Fake news. I am just shocked that fans don’t see the same things we see.”

Also among Westbrook supporters were Sam Amick of USA Today and Kevin Garnett.

“This might be the league’s all-time history snub right here,” Garnett said on his TV show Area 21. “Seriously. He has to be on the team, bruh.”

Another guard left out of the starting lineup was Kyle Lowry and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today made a case for him over either Kyrie Irving or DeMar DeRozan.

Lang Whitaker of NBA.com discussed the official list of starters.

There are more general headlines from around the league:

Count Ricky Davis and Al Harrington among the retired players expected to sign on with the BIG3, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
With the trade deadline a month away, Keith Smith of RealGM explored the most tradeable contracts in the NBA. Draymond Green, for example, looks to be a bargain given the under-market deal he signed in 2015.
A report at NBA.com implies that LeBron James could play for Team USA in the 2020 Olympics. The fact that Gregg Popovich will lead the program has had a significant impact. “It factors a lot,” James said. “I’ve said that before. He’s just a great mastermind of the game of basketball.”

Westbrook Tops Snub List Among All-Star Starters

January 19th, 2017 at 6:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Triple-double machine Russell Westbrook, the league’s leading scorer, will not be among the Western Conference starters for next month’s All-Star Game in New Orleans. The league’s Twitter feed unveiled the starters for each conference, and the Thunder superstar lost out in the balloting to Stephen Curry and James Harden (Twitter links).

As ESPN.com’s Rachel Nichols points out, the fan voting counts for 50%, while the players’ votes weigh in at 25%, as does the media vote under the revised system. According to NBC’s Kurt Helin, Westbrook missed out because the fans had him third among Western Conference guards behind Curry and Harden.

Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant will comprise the starting frontcourt for the West.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler and LeBron James were selected as the frontcourt starters for the Eastern Conference. DeMar DeRozan and Kyrie Irving were chosen as the starting backcourt.

It’s a breakthrough for Antetokounmpo, who will be making his first All-Star appearance. Arguably the biggest snub on the Eastern Conference side was Celtics point man Isaiah Thomas, the fourth-leading scorer in the league and the conference’s top scorer.

Do you think Westbrook should have garnered a starting spot ahead of Curry or Harden? Besides Westbrook, which other player has the biggest beef about failing to land a starting spot in the league’s annual showcase event? Take to the comments section to share your thoughts.