Tarik Black Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Knicks, Rondo, Oubre

January 2nd, 2016 at 11:04pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Knicks currently sit three and a half games behind the Celtics for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and Ian Begley of ESPN.com examines what the team needs to do in order to reach the playoffs this season. Begley suggests that the team add help in the backcourt, and he names Tony Wroten as a possibility, as the team has interest in the former Sixer.

Brandon Jennings is on the team’s radar, but the franchise wasn’t impressed with Jennings’ play during a game against the Knicks earlier this week, Begley adds. In addition to the trade market, Begley notes that the team is keeping an eye on the D-League for a potential addition.

Here’s more from around the league:

Rajon Rondo has played extremely well this season and his success may have the Kings viewing him as a long-term piece, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders speculates.
Kelly Oubre has become a key contributor for the Wizards this season and his intensity is a major reason why, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post writes. “He’s a kid that has to go out there and just play one way,” coach Randy Wittman said. “And that’s getting after it defensively. Rebound the ball. Running the floor. All the other things will come. … Those things will come if you play with that intensity and energy.”
The Lakers have assigned Tarik Black, Anthony Brown and Ryan Kelly to their D-League affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders, per Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor (Twitter link).

Pacific Notes: Curry, Nance Jr., Kerr

December 23rd, 2015 at 7:40pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Lakers rookie Larry Nance Jr. has impressed the team’s coaching staff with his work ethic and versatility, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. “Well, the one thing that Larry does for us is gives us a guy who is going to play the right way every single time on the basketball court,” coach Byron Scott said. “He’s never trying to play outside the box. He’s going to give you everything he’s got. He’s got great athleticism. But he works his butt off, he plays extremely hard. Trying to get him to take open shots when he has them. He’s been reluctant at times to do that. But he’s been one of those guys that just does everything that you want him to do.“

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Kings coach George Karl has settled on the primary eight players in his rotation, but he would still like to find extra minutes for combo guard Seth Curry, who has been solid during his limited playing time this season, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee writes. When asked how he can get Curry on the court more consistently, Karl responded, “That’s a tough question. Every morning, [the coaches] talk about playing more players, but when you get into the nature of the game, it is my instincts. … None of my ones, twos or threes are playing poorly, so there’s no reason to take minutes from anybody. I hope Seth is patient, and I think sometimes experimenting at home is easier to do than on the road.”
Despite the excellent job done by interim coach Luke Walton, the Warriors need Steve Kerr to return if they hope to repeat as NBA champions, an assessment that star point guard Stephen Curry agrees with, Mark Purdy of The San Jose Mercury News writes. “He just has a way of refocusing guys,” Curry said of Kerr. “And that’s whether it’s in the middle of the game or day to day at practice. Even if we’re playing well or winning games or not, there’s always something we can work on. And he presents it in a way that kind of fuels us as opposed to, like, calling guys out. … There’s a subtle or joking way he gets his point across that we appreciate.“
The Lakers have recalled Ryan Kelly and Tarik Black from their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This was the second stint with the D-Fenders on the season for both players.

Los Angeles Notes: Randle, Wilcox, Brown

December 18th, 2015 at 8:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite being a major part of the Lakers‘ future, coach Byron Scott has been utilizing Julius Randle primarily as a reserve, a strategy that the second year player has had to come to accept, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. “I don’t make decisions with playing time,” said Randle. “The thing that I always tell you guys is I control what I can and I go out there and play hard. I let our coaches decide who’s in and who’s not.” The shift to the bench has yielded mixed results for the power forward, with Randle struggling to find the basket with his shots, but he insists he won’t be discouraged by his recent difficulties, Medina adds. “You guys [media members] were asking if I was discouraged about the shots I was missing,” Randle said regarding his recent slump. “I’m getting those same shots I’m making. I’m never going to get discouraged.”

Here’s more from L.A.:

When the Clippers want to assign C.J. Wilcox to the D-League, they start down the list of teams with affiliates and place calls to see whether any of them will promise to give him enough minutes while on assignment, and whoever says “yes” first gets him, Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers said, according to Rowan Kavner of NBA.com. The Clippers, who don’t have an affiliate, have sent Wilcox to the D-League teams of the Suns and Cavs so far this season.
Despite only appearing in five games thus far this season, Lakers small forward Anthony Brown is encouraged by what he is able to glean sitting on the sideline, Janis Carr of The Orange County Register writes. “It’s encouraging,” Brown said. “You can learn a lot, not only sitting, but when guys come off the bench, you can talk to them, pick their brain. It’s pretty good. It’s one thing to be behind the bench, but it’s another to be able to see everything that’s going on. In some ways you’re kind of an assistant coach in terms of being able to watch and learn what to do and what not to do.“
The Lakers have assigned Ryan Kelly and Tarik Black to their D-League affiliate, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter). This will be the second assignment to the D-Fenders for both players this season.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Jennings, D-League, Knicks

December 14th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Will Joseph

Brandon Jennings, who has yet to play this season, is officially practicing with the Pistons, but it is still too early to know when he will appear in a game, Terry Foster of the Detroit News relays. Hoops Rumors’ Dana Gauruder recently profiled Jennings as a trade candidate because Jennings has an expiring contract at $8,344,497.

“We had one practice last week,” Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said, per Foster. “He got up and down and he brought good energy to the practice. We haven’t seen him in a week and when we do see him it is 15 minutes of action. It is really tough to gauge him in the little bit of time we see him. Right now it is once a week in short bursts.”

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

The Lakers recalled Tarik Black, Anthony Brown and Ryan Kelly from their D-League affiliate one day after assigning each player, the team announced (on Twitter).
Kristaps Porzingis insists he has not hit a “rookie wall” after 25 games with the Knicks, Fred Kerber of the New York Post relays. Porzingis, who was sensational before the Knicks’ recent road trip was held scoreless Saturday for the first time. “A couple of bad games, it happens to all of us. Not only rookies. I’m just looking forward to the next game,” Porzingis said, per Kerber. “So ups and downs, obviously this is my rookie season.”

And-Ones: Shumpert, D-League, Ross

December 13th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Will Joseph

Iman Shumpert, who made his season debut Friday after breaking his right wrist just before training camp, is viewed by the Cavs as more of a long-term part of the team compared to J.R. Smith, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. That is one reason why, according to Pluto, the Cavs re-signed Shumpert, 25, to a four-year, $40MM deal very early in the summer. The Cavs believe Shumpert can be a significant part of a championship team because he is unselfish and is a solid 3-point shooter, Pluto adds. In comparison, the Cavs did not re-sign Smith until late August. Smith’s deal was a two-year pact with a player option for 2016/17.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

The Grizzlies recalled James Ennis from the D-League, the team announced. It was the small forward’s third trip to the D-League this season. The 25-year-old has averaged has 23.3 points in 36.8 minutes in three games in the D-League.
The Lakers assigned Tarik Black, Ryan Kelly and Anthony Brown to their D-League affiliate, the team announced (on Twitter).
Terrence Ross, who signed a three-year, $31MM extension with the Raptors last month, has not been able to string together consistent performances since inking the deal, Eric Koreen of the National Post writes. Toronto has tried in a variety of ways to spark Ross, including having him come off the bench, but nothing seems to stick, Koreen adds.

Lakers Notes: Scott, Free Agency, Johnson

April 19th, 2015 at 2:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers coach Byron Scott is taking an optimistic view of the future, even though the team may lose its lottery pick to the Sixers, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times reports. Scott was impressed by the development of rookies Jordan Clarkson and Tarik Black and expects more help to come his way, Pincus continues. “We have a lot of room to improve as a basketball team,” he said to Lakers beat reporters. “We have a lot of room under the cap, some picks and free agency in July.” Scott admits he is sweating out the results of the draft lottery, Pincus reveals. The Lakers — who finished with the fourth worst overall record — will have to surrender their first-round pick to Philadelphia if they drop out of the top five, and there is a 17.2% chance of that happening, Pincus adds. The Lakers owed a pick to the Suns as part of the Steve Nash deal and it was later forwarded to the Sixers.

In other Lakers news:

The Lakers need to strike this summer on the free agent market because many teams will have ample salary-cap room the following summer, Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report opines. When the revenue for the league’s new TV deal kicks in during the summer of 2016, the Lakers will have to compete much harder for free agents than they will this offseason, Ding explains. Signing a star player like Kevin Love or another quality piece like Greg Monroe would be ideal but even if they can only land a pair of above-average players, they should make those moves, Ding adds. By improving the team for next season, the Lakers can attract top-level free agents the following summer, Ding concludes.
Forward Wesley Johnson is hoping to finally get a multi-year contract this summer, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. Johnson will enter the free agent market for the third consecutive year and is weary of settling for one-year deals, Bresnahan reports. Johnson signed one-year deals with the team the last two summers and hopes it leads to more security, since he’d prefer to stay in Los Angeles, Bresnahan adds. “I definitely don’t want to leave,” Johnson said to Bresnahan.
Black is one of the few returning players expected to be on the team’s opening-day roster next season, Bresnahan reports in a separate article. Black has a contract for approximately $845K next season, though the money is not guaranteed. He impressed Lakers management after being acquired on waivers in late December from the Rockets, averaging 7.4 points and 6.3 rebounds, and both Scott and GM Mitch Kupchak praised Black during their end-of-the-season meeting with him, Bresnahan adds.

Pacific Notes: Green, Lakers, Clippers

January 3rd, 2015 at 7:21pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Gerald Green would like to play more minutes but he understands the Suns‘ game plan, writes Paul Coro of The ArIzona Republic. “It’s frustrating at times, I’m not going to lie, because I’m a basketball player, but I know everybody has made sacrifices on this team,” Green said. “I just don’t want to be the only person who is pouting about it. Certain games aren’t going to be my game. Certain games aren’t going to be other people’s games. As long as we win with the main goal to make the playoffs, that’s all that matters.” Green entered Friday averaging 30.0 points per 48 minutes, which is the 13th highest scoring rate in the NBA. The seven-year veteran will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and with his superb offense play, he may have offers from other teams with the promise of more playing time, although that is just my speculation.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Lakers have assigned Jordan Clarkson and Tarik Black to their D-League affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the team announced via Twitter. The duo will play tonight against the Reno Bighorns.
The Clippers have lost four out of their last eight games but with Spencer Hawes returning from injury, optimism surrounds the team, writes Rowan Kavner of NBA.com. “He adds a lot to our team,” said coach Doc Rivers. “It’s valuable for everybody to stay healthy, when you think about it. When he’s out, it obviously stretched us a little bit. We had to put lineups on the floor that we really didn’t want to put on.” The Clippers currently own the sixth seed in the conference with a record of 22-11.
The Warriors sit atop the Western Conference with a record of 26-5 but it wasn’t too long ago that the team was considered a non-contender, as Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle discusses. Just three seasons ago, Golden State finished the year with only 23 wins and seemed destined for a long rebuild but the signing of Andre Iguodala, the shrewd drafting by front office executives and the progression of their stars, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, have propelled the team into the upper echelon of the Western Conference.

Lakers Claim Tarik Black, Waive Xavier Henry

December 28th, 2014 at 6:00pm CST by Zachary Links

6:00pm: The Lakers made the move official, as Mike Trudell of Lakers.com tweets.

4:22pm: The Lakers have claimed Tarik Black off waivers from the Rockets, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). To make room, the Lakers are saying farewell to Xavier Henry (link).

Just minutes ago, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported that the Hornets were planning on putting in a claim for Black. However, thanks to their record, the Lakers had waiver priority over the Hornets and other potentially interested clubs.

Black, who was signed to a non-guaranteed deal by the Rockets prior to being waived, averaged 4.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in 25 games for Houston. The Kansas product reportedly had interest from several clubs when the Rockets decided to sever ties.

Henry, 23, saw time in nine games for the Lakers this season, averaging 2.2 PPG in 9.6 minutes per contest. For his career, Henry has averaged of 5.7 PPG and 1.9 RPG across five seasons with the Grizzlies, Pelicans (née Hornets), and the Lakers. Henry is out for the year, meaning that it’s highly unlikely that anyone will claim him and take that $1.082MM salary off of the Lakers’ books.

With Black off the books, Stein tweets that the Rockets have now dipped back below the luxury-tax line.

Hornets Plan To Make Claim On Tarik Black

December 28th, 2014 at 3:50pm CST by Zachary Links

The Hornets are planning to make a waiver claim on center Tarik Black, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski on Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Black was waived by the Rockets late last week to make space for the addition of Josh Smith.

The waiver system gives priority to the team with the worst record then works its way up. The Pistons could have added Black without dropping anyone from the roster thanks to their vacant spot, but they’ll pass on the big man (link). The 76ers, Knicks, and Timberwolves are among the teams that have priority over the Hornets and could theoretically beat them to the punch.

Last week, the Rockets worked feverishly to find a suitable deal for Black, Nick Johnson, Isaiah Canaan, Joey Dorsey, or Clint Capela, but they could not find a trade to their liking. Of the five, Black was the only one without a fully guaranteed contract, making him the choice to get cut. Rockets coach Kevin McHale said he was sorry to see Black go, but he also said he was confident that he wouldn’t be out of work for long. McHale, it seems, has been proved correct.

Black averaged 4.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in 25 games with the Rockets, and started 12 games when Dwight Howard was out of the lineup with knee pain. He earned a roster spot with the Rockets after an impressive performance in the summer leagues.

Southwest Notes: Grizzlies, Gasol, Black, Mavs

December 27th, 2014 at 12:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace doesn’t believe the moves the Rockets and Mavs have made the past couple of weeks would necessarily prompt him to respond with pickups of his own, as he said to Zack McMillin of The Commercial Appeal, who writes in a subscription-only piece. Still, recent reports have indicated that Memphis made a strong push to woo Josh Smith before he signed with the Rockets, asked the Celtics about Jeff Green, and expressed interest in Ray Allen.

“These are all very proven veterans and definitely should make their teams better,” Wallace said of Smith, Rajon Rondo and other newcomers to Western Conference contenders. “We’re happy with our group and we don’t think there’s any question that we can compete with these guys.”

Coach Dave Joerger believes the Rockets were wise to sign Smith and calls Houston’s trade for Corey Brewer and Alexey Shved an “underrated” move, observes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

Marc Gasol isn’t looking forward to free agency this summer because of the gravity the choice will have on his life as a whole, as he explains to Ian Thomsen of NBA.com. “I’ve been already through one,” Gasol said, referring to his 2011 restricted free agency, “and I did not especially enjoy it. I don’t know how I’m going to feel in July. I really don’t. This is the next five years of my life and I’m going to go all in. Whatever team you play for, you’ve always got to feel like you represent that team, that you’ve got to play for it. Because that’s the way we grew up in Spain. You play for the city. You play for a way of doing things. It’s not about you. I do this for them. I play for the city, for the franchise or whatever. You’ve got to have that pride that comes with it.”
Rockets coach Kevin McHale, fresh off his contract extension, said the team will miss Tarik Black, whom Houston released Friday to clear a roster spot for Josh Smith, as Feigen writes in a separate piece. McHale said he told Black, who remains on waivers, that he’s confident that the rookie will find another NBA job.
Mavs point guard Devin Harris laments the departure of Brandan Wright, whom the team traded away in the Rondo swap, calling Wright his “security blanket” because of the readily available alley-oop chances he provided, notes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.