Toure’ Murry Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Roster Battles: Knicks, Kings, Cavs, Spurs

October 18th, 2013 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

Just 10 days from now, teams will have to finalize their rosters for the regular season, which means we can expect to see a flurry of cuts in the next week. While some clubs have likely already made their decisions about which players will and won’t make the cut, others continue to evaluate camp invitees as they work to figure out their regular-season rosters. Here’s the latest on a few NBA hopefuls:

Knicks coach Mike Woodson “tipped his hand” last night, suggesting that combo guard Toure Murry is close to securing a roster spot for the regular season, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post (Sulia link).
Undrafted rookie Trent Lockett is a perfect fit for Sacramento’s culture and has a chance to earn a place on the Kings, coach Michael Malone tells Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. Added Malone: “If he doesn’t make the team, obviously we would love for him to be in our D-League system so we could continue to monitor his progress as he continues to mature and get better.
Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio examines the Cavaliers‘ roster crunch, with coach Mike Brown noting that the upcoming cuts will be tough since “everybody’s showing their worth.”
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is enjoying giving crunch-time preseason minutes to bench players and camp invitees, such as Daniel Nwaelele and Courtney Fells. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News has the details.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Carmelo, Fields

October 17th, 2013 at 9:08pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The New York Post’s Marc Berman (via Twitter) thinks it was a bad sign for C.J. Leslie’s chances of making the Knicks roster after the rookie forward didn’t receive any playing time during tonight’s pre-season game against the Wizards. On the other hand, Berman and Newsday’s Al Iannazzone both made note that Knicks head coach Mike Woodson was particularly pleased with training camp invites Toure Murry and Ike Diogu (Twitter links). It should be noted that Murry and Diogu are playing on non-guaranteed contracts, while Leslie has a partially-guaranteed deal.

Here are some more links to pass along out of the Atlantic Division:

ESPN New York’s Ian O’Connor writes that unless the Knicks are clearly the best option for a chance to win a ring, Carmelo Anthony would be foolish to not test the waters in free agency next summer. O’Connor argues that opting out would put pressure on GM Steve Mills to come up with a viable championship vision and abandon the idea of relying on J.R. Smith and Andrea Bargnani as the next best options on offense.
Raptors head coach Dwane Casey tells Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun that he wants the second unit to be able to increase leads or hold serve when they enter the game, and added that Landry Fields‘ ability to knock down shots – in addition to the other intangibles he brings to the table – would be a huge plus for the team.
Casey also had this to say about training camp hopeful Julyan Stone: “He reminds me of a younger Nate McMillan with that long, lanky body that can defend. He showed that he can play,”
Though ESPN had originally reported that Allen Iverson plans to officially announce his retirement before the 76ers host the Heat in their home opener, a team spokesperson could not confirm the report (Tom Moore of Bucks County Courier Times).

Odds & Ends: Burke, Jefferson, NBPA

October 12th, 2013 at 10:57pm CST by Spencer Lund

Jazz rookie Trey Burke fractured his right index finger and will be evaluated on Monday tweets Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. Genessy notes, via Twitter, that Scott Machado has been given the most time behind Burke and John Lucas III at point guard this preseason.

Genessy also wonders, in a tweet, whether the Jazz will bring someone else in depending on the severity of Burke’s injury, and mentions Jamaal Tinsley as a possibility. Marc Stein of ESPN tweets that he’s heard of interest from the Jazz about the Bulls’ Marquis Teague, and postulates they may revisit that with Burke going down. The Jazz will find out Monday whether Burke’s fractured finger will require surgery, Stein adds (Twitter).

Here are a smattering of other links from around the league tonight:

After the Bobcats‘ big free agent, Al Jefferson, severely sprained his ankle, he told the AP in Milwaukee that he’s trying to be back for opening night, tweets the Charlotte Observer’s Rick Bonnell.
That’s 18 days away, Bonnell adds on Twitter, and he wonders in his next tweet whether the Bobcats might look to add a center in the interim.
The Mavericks pickup of DeJuan Blair this summer might be huge for them, as we noted earlier tonight. Blair is looking forward to playing his former team, the Mavs intra-state rival Spurs, writes the Star-Telegram’s Dwain Price.
Blair’s bitterness about his time in San Antonio is evident when he tells Price, “[the Spurs] didn’t give me nothing when I was there. I mean, the fans gave me everything, but everything else, it is what it is. I don’t look at that. I look for us to get a win.”
Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News reports that the NBPA will not pay their new union head the $3MM annually that former executive director Billy Hunter made before he was ousted. Union sources say the annual pay will be around $1.5MM for the new executive director.
The Knicks lost to the Celtics by 30 tonight in preseason action, but Touré Murry and Ike Diogu both made a case for a roster spot, writes ESPN New York’s Ian Begley.

Knicks Sign Toure Murry

September 11th, 2013 at 1:45pm CST by Ryan Raroque

SEPTEMBER 11TH: The Knicks have officially announced (Twitter link) the signing of Murry, as well as the signing of Chris Smith, whose deal was reported last month. Both deals are fully non-guaranteed, per Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).

SEPTEMBER 5TH: According to ESPN's Marc Stein, Knicks summer league standout Toure Murry has accepted a training camp invite with New York after a strong late push from the Heat. Despite Miami's efforts to bring the former D-Leaguer on board for camp, Murry is said to have wanted the opportunity to build upon his summer success with the Knicks. With 12 guaranteed contracts, two partially-guaranteed contracts (Jeremy Tyler and C.J. Leslie), and what is most likely a non-guaranteed pact for Murry, New York's roster now stands at 15.

In five games and two starts for the Knicks in the Las Vegas Summer League, the 6'5 guard averaged 7.6 PPG and 1.2 SPG in 20.8 MPG, stringing along a shooting line of .424/.333/.727. Murry also played in the NBDL during 2012/13, appearing in four games as a member of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Back in mid-July, ESPN New York's Jared Zwerling (via Twitter) noted head coach Mike Woodson's interest in the 23-year-old point guard: "He's a guy that we've really got to keep our eyes on possibly bringing to camp."

Interestingly enough, Stein writes that the Houston native had garnered acclaim from former Knicks star and current broadcaster Walt Frazier for his hard-nosed play and defensive presence over the summer, adding that Frazier's high praise had factored into convincing Murry to try and make New York's roster.

Odds & Ends: Brewer, Bucks, McGrady, Heat

August 26th, 2013 at 10:48pm CST by Chuck Myron

Ronnie Brewer considered signing with the Bulls, Jazz and Lakers before ultimately choosing the Rockets, the 28-year-old swingman tells Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. He also reiterated his assertion from June that the Thunder were in play to re-sign him, too, but Houston's up-tempo style of play helped sway him. Despite having only a partially guaranteed deal on a team with a league-high 19 players under contract, he's not worried about getting cut. "If I come in and I do what I'm supposed to do, all of that goes out the window," he said to Berman. As Brewer gets set to officially sign his contract, here's more on the league's comings and goings with about a month to go before training camp:

The Bucks have hired David Morway as assistant GM and Jim Cleamons as the team's top assistant coach, notes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel.
So much of Tracy McGrady's talent vanished long before he announced his retirement today, and he went underappreciated in Orlando during his peak years, as John Denton of Magic.com argues. The Magic, Raptors and Rockets are all left wondering what might have been, the Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat writes.
Toure Murry still hasn't committed to the Knicks nearly a month after the club extended him a training camp invitation, but the 6'5" guard is expected to pick a team later this week, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).
In his latest mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman discusses the Heat's luxury-tax situation, their mid-level exception, and the possibility of the team signing Richard Hamilton.
Now that 14 NBA teams have one-on-one relationships with their respective D-League affiliates, the remaining 16 teams are sharing three D-League clubs. Nonetheless, those squads with five or six NBA affiliations can still help young NBA players develop, as Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside outlines.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: J.R. Smith, Pierce, Murry, Knicks

August 8th, 2013 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this afternoon, I asked Hoops Rumors readers to vote on the offseason's best head coaching hire in the Eastern Conference. While several choices are bunched together in the middle of the pack so far, Brad Stevens of the Celtics has emerged as the clear top choice. It seems that many of you are fans of Boston's bold decision to hire the 36-year-old Stevens away from Butler and place him in charge of the team's rebuild. Here's more from around the Atlantic:

J.R. Smith tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link) that his free agent negotiations with the Knicks weren't a "long, drawn-out process," since he hopes to eventually retire with the club.
In an interview with Adam Figman of SLAM Online, Paul Pierce says that he and Kevin Garnett didn't want to be part of a rebuilding process with the Celtics, and addresses a number of other topics of note.
Bernie Lee, the agent for Toure Murry, tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com that his client remains in discussions with the Knicks, and will visit two other NBA teams within the next week before hopefully deciding on a deal. After signing Beno Udrih, the Knicks may not have interest in Murry on anything more than a training camp invite, though that's my speculation.
The Knicks officially announced Udrih's signing earlier today.

Knicks Rumors: Brown, Udrih, Williams, West

August 1st, 2013 at 12:29pm CST by Luke Adams

We heard yesterday that the Knicks, in their search for a third point guard, are hoping to convince veteran free agent Beno Udrih to sign for the minimum and come to New York. That's not the only iron the team has in the fire though. Here's the latest on the Knicks:

Although Bobby Brown reached an agreement with China's Dongguan Leopards, the deal has an August 15th NBA opt-out date, giving him two weeks to find an NBA offer he likes. According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Brown's first choice would be to sign with the Knicks, even though the minimum salary he could make in New York would be about half of the $1MM he'd earn in China.
Before deciding whether to circle back to Brown, the Knicks are eyeing veteran options like Udrih and Mo Williams. However, if Williams ends up settling for a minimum-salary contract, he's more likely to join the Heat, says Berman.
Despite previous inquiries, the Knicks are no longer considering Delonte West, a source tells Berman.
Berman adds that the Knicks are expected to invite point guard Toure Murry to training camp after a successful Summer League run.
Noting that Lamar Odom is still undecided on where he'll play in 2013/14, Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com wonders (via Twitter) if the Knicks would be a fit, with New York in the market for a big.

Toure Murry Mulling Invitation To Knicks Camp

July 28th, 2013 at 12:27pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks have invited guard Toure Murry to training camp, but he's still weighing his options, a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link). The Knicks reportedly began talks with the Wichita State and D-League alum earlier this month after he played for New York's summer league team. Zwerling first reported the Knicks were considering Murry two weeks ago.

Murry averaged 8.3 points and 1.6 steals in 23.4 minutes per game with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League this past season. He split his time in summer league between the Knicks and Rockets, notching 7.2 PPG and 1.0 SPG in 19.1 MPG over six total contests. His numbers in college weren't particularly eye-popping either, and he went undrafted in 2012.

It's unclear exactly what the Knicks like about Murry, but he's a favorite of coach Mike Woodson, and his hesitance to accept the team's invitation suggests there are others who regard him highly. He could have an offer from an overseas team that involves guaranteed money that he's reluctant to pass up, though that's just my speculation.

Knicks Rumors: Brown, Murry, Tyler

July 19th, 2013 at 6:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks are bringing Jeremy Tyler to training camp, but they have their eyes on a few others who may join him. Here's the latest:

Point guard Bobby Brown says the Knicks and his agent, Aaron Mintz, are meeting today to discuss a possible offer, reports Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. New York can only give Brown the minimum salary, which isn't as much as a Chinese team is offering him. Still, the Euroleague standout is willing to sacrifice money to play in the NBA.
Zwerling reported yesterday that five other teams had interest in Brown, but he tweets today that Brown has narrowed his choices to the Knicks and China. The Lakers and Clippers were in the mix for the Los Angeles native earlier this month, Zwerling writes, but their signings of Jordan Farmar and Darren Collison, respectively, took them out of the running.
The Knicks are also in talks with Toure Murry about a deal, according to fellow ESPNNewYork.com scribe Ian Begley (on Twitter). Zwerling figured earlier today that Murry and Tyler, favorites of coach Mike Woodson, would wind up with the Knicks in training camp (Twitter link).

Eastern Rumors: KG, Mo Williams, Hawks, Cavs

July 18th, 2013 at 7:16pm CST by Chuck Myron

In his introductory press conference with the Nets today, Kevin Garnett admits he "absolutely" considered retirement this spring, and indicated that Paul Pierce's uncertain future with the Celtics was a major reason why. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe has more from Garnett. Washburn rounds up Pierce's comments as well, and we'll take a look at the rest of the East:

The last we heard on Mo Williams was that he's prepared to take a discount to sign with a contender, and HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler reiterates that, tweeting that Williams is telling people he'll look to sign with the Heat if offers from other clubs don't improve.
The Hawks are mulling whether to sign 16th overall pick Lucas Nogueira this summer or let him play overseas this year, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution examines (subscription required).
Atlanta paid $550K to buy 15th pick Dennis Schröder out of his European deal, and a larger buyout would be probably be necessary for Nogueira, Vivlamore writes in the same piece. NBA clubs can only pay up to $575K in a buyout without money coming out of the player's check.
The Cavs are high on undrafted guard Matthew Dellavedova, and would like see him play for their D-League affiliate, tweets Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. The St. Mary's product is drawing offers from overseas that could complicate matters, Lloyd notes.
Foreign clubs are also showing interest in Chris Quinn, who's with the Cavs on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal. Quinn isn't likely to last long in Cleveland, and the Cavs may cut him soon to allow him to pursue other opportunities, according to Lloyd (Twitter link).
Talks between the Knicks and Bobby Brown are gathering steam, a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. The Creative Artists Agency client was among a group who worked out for the Knicks this week, though five other teams have interest, Zwerling says.
Toure Murry has also made a positive impression on the Knicks, Zwerling adds.