Paul George Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Poll: Pacers’ Playoff Chances Without George?

August 2nd, 2014 at 2:07pm CST by Charlie Adams

Although the Pacers haven’t officially ruled out Paul George for the 2014/15 season, it’s been reported that the gruesome injury he suffered during last night’s Team USA scrimmage will likely sideline him for the entire year. The news is pfarticularly stinging since it further depletes a Pacers’ core that had already lost last season’s starting two guard, Lance Stephenson, to the Hornets in free agency.

Heading into 2013/14, the Pacers were considered realistic contenders for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, but Indiana fell to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals for a second-straight year. LeBron James‘ departure from Miami provided Pacers fans with hope that such a shuffling of power could alter the landscape of the East, potentially helping to propel Indiana toward a Finals appearance this season, but George’s unfortunate injury no doubt curbs such hopes.

No lineup that lacked both George and Stephenson logged more than 28 minutes per night for the Pacers in 2013/14 regular season, as Zach Lowe of Grantland observes (on Twitter). It’s going to be a completely different look for the team in the coming year, given that the duo of George and Stephenson averaged a combined 36.2 PPG for an Indiana team that ranked just 24th in nightly offense. The addition of Rodney Stuckey will give the team some much needed shooting, but he was never expected to carry the team in the scoring department.

Dr. Patrick Kersey, the doctor who treated Louisville guard Kevin Ware when he sustained a similar injury during the 2013 NCAA tournament, speculates that a full recovery from such an injury could take as long as 18 months, as W.G. Ramirez of The Associated Press details. While Indiana might be granted a disabled player exception that could help them bring aboard a player to fill in for George, it’ll be tough to match the production George has provided for the club over the last few seasons.

So what do you think? Can the Pacers put the pieces together and craft a 2014/15 playoff campaign in a weak Eastern Conference? Or will the loss of George put too much of a burden on a core that’s already been weakened by the loss of Stephenson? Vote below and weigh in with your thoughts!

Central Notes: George, Butler, Rose

August 2nd, 2014 at 10:32am CST by Eddie Scarito

Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird issued a statement via press release regarding the injury to Paul George last night. Bird said, “Our first thoughts are with Paul and his family. It is way too early to speculate on his return as the No. 1 priority for everyone will be his recovery. Our initial discussions with our doctors and the doctors in Las Vegas have us very optimistic. We are hopeful at some point next week Paul will return to Indianapolis to continue his recovery. There is no question about the impact this will have on our team but our goal is to be as strong-willed and determined as Paul will be in coming back. Our franchise has had setbacks in its history but has demonstrated the ability to recover.”

Here’s more on George and the Central Division:

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement on George’s injury via NBA.com, Silver said, “It was difficult to watch the injury that Paul George sustained tonight while representing his country. The thoughts and prayers of all of us at the NBA are with Paul and his family.”
With the horrific injury suffered by George there will be many who think that star players should cease their participation with Team USA, but Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News disagrees. Sefko is against legislation banning players to take part, and believes it should still be left up to each individual player to decide if they wish to play in FIBA events.
Out of all the moves the Pistons made this off season, the one that might pay off the most is bringing in Caron Butler, writes Kirkland Crawford of the Detroit Free Press. Crawford believes that in addition to his outside shooting, Butler will bring a toughness and strong work ethic to the team.
Derrick Rose has changed his stance on the reports regarding a potential rift between he and Bulls management, writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Rose acknowledged speaking to Chicago’s chairman Jerry Reinsdorf by phone after the story broke and also said, “He [Reinsdorf] told me don’t worry about it, just stay focused and, like I said, it’s the past. It’s funny just hearing so many stories about what’s going on, and they’re coming out of, like, kind of nowhere, so it’s funny to hear about them, but it’s nothing that’s going on.’’

Pacers Shopping Roy Hibbert

July 6th, 2014 at 2:40pm CST by Zachary Links

The Pacers are shopping big man Roy Hibbert, sources tell Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. “I would say they’ve been doing that, but quietly,” one front-office source said.

Of course, with two years and $30MM left on Hibbert’s contract, he’s not a great match for every team out there. The center was erratic in March and April as well as the postseason too, so it’s unclear what kind of return Indiana could expect from a Hibbert deal. Meanwhile, there’s still uncertainty around Lance Stephenson after the club saw their five-year, $44MM offer rejected. Dumping Hibbert’s contract could help facilitate a return for their unrestricted free agent.

“They’re open to making major changes, if they’re there,” one general manager told Sporting News. “I think they’d be disappointed to see that same core group back intact, so it is a matter of, how drastic can the changes they make be? Moving Hibbert for multiple pieces would be a pretty drastic change, but they’re asking.”

One source added that star small forward Paul George is untouchable in any deal with the Pacers while power forward David West is all but off the table. Also, in a Hibbert deal, the source says that they would prefer to send him to the Western Conference. The Blazers have been linked to Hibbert in the past but a source labeled a Portland deal as “unlikely.”

Durant, James Lead All-NBA First Team

June 4th, 2014 at 1:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:02pm: Haynes clarifies to Hoops Rumors that Lillard’s bonus comes from his shoe endorsement deal, not his NBA contract, so his cap hit remains the same for next season.

12:07pm: Lillard receives a $250K bonus for his third-team selection, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Haynes doesn’t specify whether it was counted as a likely or unlikely bonus, but since Lillard signed the rookie scale contract just after going No. 6 overall in the 2012 draft, it’s almost certainly an unlikely bonus, meaning his cap figure for next season will receive a bump, just as with Noah.

11:27am: Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Joakim Noah, Chris Paul and James Harden make up the All-NBA First Team, the league announced. Stephen Curry, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Dwight Howard and Tony Parker are on the second team, while the third team is Al Jefferson, Paul George, LaMarcus Aldridge, Goran Dragic and Damian Lillard. The selection means George will earn roughly 27% of the salary cap next season, rather than 25%, as a result of the Derrick Rose Rule provision in his extension that kicks in for 2014/15.

Durant, the league’s MVP, was a unanimous first-team selection, while James received first-team nods from 124 of the 125 media voters. Curry was the highest vote-getter who failed to make the first team, collecting 65 first-team votes. The rest of the second team combined to receive just 30 first-team votes.

Carmelo Anthony came closest to making the teams among those who didn’t, followed by John Wall, Tim Duncan, DeMar DeRozan and Anthony Davis. A total of 22 players received first-team votes, while 39 got votes for at least one of the teams.

Noah’s first-team nod gives him a $500K bonus that was originally deemed unlikely. It’ll be added to his cap figure, but it probably won’t be enough to tip the Bulls over the luxury tax line this season, as they scrambled to make late season moves to avoid any scenario in which they would have to do so. The bonus will nonetheless impinge on Chicago’s cap flexibility for the summer ahead, since it will be counted as likely for 2014/15 and be a part of Noah’s cap hit, taking it from $12.2MM to $12.7MM.

Joakim Noah Leads All-Defensive Team

June 2nd, 2014 at 1:10pm CST by Chuck Myron

Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah, Paul George, Chris Paul, Serge Ibaka and Andre Iguodala make up this year’s All-Defensive First Team, the NBA announced in a press release. LeBron James, Patrick Beverley, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard and Roy Hibbert are on the second team. The news is a boon for the Bulls, who would have had to pay Taj Gibson a $250K bonus for making either the first or second All-Defensive teams. Chicago scrambled late in the season to avoid the possibility that such a bonus for Gibson would force the team to pay the luxury tax. Earning the bonus would have pushed Gibson’s salary cap figure higher for next season, too, since it would have been considered a “likely” bonus for next season.

Noah received 105 first-place votes, far outdistancing George, who with 65 first-place votes earned the second most. Iguodala and James received an identical number of first-place votes (57), but Iguodala’s 34 second-team votes were better than the four-time MVP’s 20, allowing Golden State’s swingman to take the final position on the first team.

Clippers center DeAndre Jordan was the highest vote-getter who missed the cut for the second team, followed by Anthony Davis and Tony Allen. Tim Duncan and Dwight Howard were next, directly in front of Gibson.

Central Links: Cavs, Asik, George, Hinrich

November 30th, 2013 at 8:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pacers are the class of the NBA, but next they face a tough Western road trip that includes tough tests against the Clippers, Blazers, Spurs and Thunder. The only breather appears to be their matchup with the league-worst Jazz. There’s more from Indiana as we check the latest from the Central:

The Cavs have “kicked the tires” on Omer Asik in the past, writes Bob Finnan of The News-Herald. It’s not clear when Cleveland showed interest in the Rockets center, but it doesn’t appear from the report like the Cavs are in on him now.
In the same piece, Finnan asserts that the Cavs shouldn’t trade Dion Waiters because he might be the team’s best player, even with Kyrie Irving around. Irving is off to a slow start, but Waiters hasn’t been any better statistically, so I’m not sure that part of the argument holds any water.
Paul George spoke to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune this week about a variety of topics, including whether he gave thought to signing with a glamour team in free agency before he agreed to a long-term extension with the Pacers. “Of course everyone does, but you have to look at the bigger picture and the bigger picture here is we’re all young, we did so well last year, we have a core group of guys who are going to be here for a while,” George said. “There’s no need to go to a big market when I have a market where I can win here.”
George also told Zgoda about his predraft workout with the Timberwolves in 2010, revealing that they didn’t show much interest in him because they were sold on Wesley Johnson. George, the 10th pick that year, still holds a grudge against the nine teams that passed him up, as Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star details.
The Bulls signed Kirk Hinrich last year with the thinking that they’d reduce his role this season, but the 32-year-old soon-to-be free agent is again a key player for the team after another Derrick Rose injury, observes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

Eastern Notes: George, Wade, Shumpert, LBJ

November 26th, 2013 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets will look to snap a five-game losing streak tonight when they take on the Atlantic Division leaders in Toronto. As we look forward to that game and the three others on Tuesday’s slate, let’s check in on a few items from around the Eastern Conference….

Grantland’s Zach Lowe provides a couple interesting details on Paul George‘s extension with the Pacers. Because he signed a max deal, George would be eligible for up to 30% (rather than 25%) of the salary cap if he earns All-NBA honors this season, thanks to the Derrick Rose rule. However, if he does meet the Rose criteria, George’s salary will be just 27% of the cap, according to Lowe. In exchange for that concession, the Pacers forward received a player option on the fifth year of his new deal.
Seeing Kobe Bryant sign an extension that will likely assure he finishes his career as a Laker has strengthened Dwyane Wade‘s own desire to spend the rest of his career with the Heat, as he tells Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Wade will be eligible to opt out of his deal next summer, but isn’t expected to go anywhere.
Iman Shumpert didn’t record a single point, rebound, or assist in more than 23 minutes of action last night, but insisted trade rumors weren’t the reason for his poor outing, according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday.
Sean Deveney of the Sporting News spoke to league executives about the possibility of LeBron James returning to the Cavs, and the consensus was that it may happen eventually, but likely not as soon as next summer.
Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com (Insider link) identifies six potential trade targets for the Bulls as they look to fill their hole at point guard.

Odds & Ends: Jefferson, Mavs, Asik, George

November 17th, 2013 at 10:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Over his ten years in the league, Bobcats center Al Jefferson has been through a number of rebuilding projects with multiple teams, writes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. “I have been playing [a pivotal] role since I left Boston,” Jefferson said. “Minnesota was rough. Utah, I had a little success and that’s what got me here. I like my team. We’ve got a great group of guys, guys who have been going through some trials and tribulations themselves the last couple of years. I want to help turn this thing around and I think the coaching staff is amazing and I think we have a chance to do that.” Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..

One draft-conscious observer told Bob Finnan of the News-Herald there could have been as many as 13 first-round picks playing in the Champions Classic (featuring Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan St., and Duke) in Chicago on Tuesday. Kentucky power forward Julius Randle and guards James Young and Andrew Harrison could be lottery picks along with Michigan State combo guard Gary Harris. The second game was Duke vs. Kansas, which could have three more lottery picks in Jayhawks small forward Andrew Wiggins, center Joel Embiid, and Duke small forward Jabari Parker.
Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki is glad that the club went out and signed free agents to multi-year pacts rather than last summer where they inked nine one-year deals, writes Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. This offseason saw Dallas sign Monta Ellis to a three-year deal and Jose Calderon to a four-year contract.
More from Ingram, who writes that a trade of Omer Asik would be a bad move for both the Rockets and the center. A trade demand makes it seem as though everyone hasn’t bought in to Houston’s philosophy, a bad sign for a team with championship aspirations. Meanwhile, the trade request makes Asik look selfish since he appears to be putting himself above winning.
Pacers star Paul George can earn a pay hike by earning an MVP selection or making an All-NBA team, but he won’t get the maximum deal allowed by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, explains HoopsWorld’s Eric Pincus.
Former player’s union official Joseph Lombardo faces 20 years in prison over fraud charges, according to the Associated Press. Authorities say Lombardo used a stamp to forge the signature of a deceased general counsel for the National Basketball Players Association and another employee, a move that directed $3MM to his firm over five years.
The Knicks have fallen apart, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com. Even if the Knicks could deal Shumpert for a big who plays with effort like a Kenneth Faried, it’s not going to solve all the Knicks’ problems, Youngmisuk opines.
Former NBA standout Grant Hill says that he’s proud of his career in retrospect and the way that he navigated through its ups-and-downs. “I’m proud of coming back and my last [five] years in Phoenix, finding great joy and fulfillment in sort of reinventing yourself,” Hill told Michael Lee of the Washington Post. “I know, in retrospect, that’s not an easy thing to do, either.”
Wolves president of basketball ops Flip Saunders is drawing upon his time as coaching adviser for the Celtics in 2012 as he finds his way through his new job, writes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. “One of the things I really noticed is the way things worked between Danny (Ainge) and management and the coaching staff,” said Saunders. “I think it helped that Danny had been a coach, but I really like the way people there worked together.“
Jared Jeffries fits in well with the Nuggets front office, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. The forward says that he’s glad to not be dealing with physical pain every day and seems content with his decision to retire and move on to a new chapter.

Lowe On Faried, Horford, All-NBA, Collins

October 22nd, 2013 at 2:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

Zach Lowe of Grantland unveils 32 predictions for the upcoming season in his latest post, but the column isn’t based entirely on speculation. Lowe passes along several tidbits from conversations with execs around the league, so let’s dive in:

Multiple sources tell Lowe that the Nuggets are gauging the willingness of other teams to trade for Kenneth Faried. The sources say Denver is demanding plenty in return for the power forward, and Nuggets officials deny they’ve had any talks with other teams about Faried, but Lowe predicts a deal will happen.
The Hawks‘ roster is “built to trade,” but Ferry has emphatically turned away teams calling about Al Horford‘s availability, Lowe hears.
The NBA is considering the removal of the center position from All-NBA teams, shifting to two backcourt and three frontcourt players as the league did with the All-Star ballot last season. That could alleviate a logjam among forwards and result in more money for Paul George, whose new extension will become more lucrative if he earns another All-NBA selection, under the terms of the Derrick Rose Rule.
Several executives believe Jason Collins will find an NBA home after January 10th, the date when all contracts become guaranteed for the season. Many of the guys on non-guaranteed deals will be released in advance of that date, creating opportunities for teams to sign the player who would become the first openly gay male athlete in major North American pro sports.

Odds & Ends: Bibby, Graham, Kuester

September 26th, 2013 at 6:24pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report, Mike Bibby – who is reportedly well-liked by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich - was invited to San Antonio's training camp and had a good chance of making the team. However, the veteran guard now won't be able to attend because of a foot/heel injury (Twitter link). It's been a bit of a Jazz fest as far as news goes this evening, but here are some other noteworthy links we've gathered up from around the Association:

Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com ranks the league's top ten frontcourts (Insiders only).
Stephen Graham could possibly have an invitation to participate in Bucks camp this fall (Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times via Twitter). There hasn't been any further mention of an official invitation, but we'll look to relay any updates as they surface.
76ers rookie head coach Brett Brown doesn't feel inclined to bring along a former head coach as an assistant, notes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer: “I don’t feel with this team that it’s mandatory that I have to surround myself with perspective or wisdom or, you know, an Owl that’s been there, done that…I feel that this year’s team is about development. And I feel like it’s about … teaching, relationships and energy more than NBA wisdom."
Former Pistons head coach and Lakers assistant John Kuester, however, has been rumored to be a potential candidate for Brown's coaching staff in Philadelphia.
The Score's Mark Deeks discusses Paul George's max contract extension as well as a potential one for Kings center DeMarcus Cousins. While Deeks understands the logic behind securing George for the long term, he feels that offering the same type of deal to Cousins would be an enormous gamble.