Sacramento Kings Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Scott, Rondo, Len, Chandler

December 15th, 2015 at 11:31am CST by Chuck Myron

The plan is for Lakers coach Byron Scott to continue the player development strategies he’s using, Scott said Monday, according to Robert Morales of the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Scott revealed that he and GM Mitch Kupchak met recently about the issue, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News reported they likely would. Part of the team’s plan is to use Kobe Bryant as an example of the sort of work ethic they want their young players to adopt, as Morales details. The front office acknowledges the conflict between Bryant’s high usage and the need for young players to see minutes and touches. See more on the Lakers and other Pacific Division teams:

Sources who spoke with Ken Berger of CBSSports.com are split on whether the homophobic slur Rajon Rondo directed at referee Bill Kennedy, who is gay, will dissuade teams from pushing to sign the point guard when he hits free agency again in the offseason. Multiple executives told Sean Deveney of The Sporting News before the controversy that Rondo was back in the discussion for a maximum-salary deal because of his strong early-season play. The 10th-year veteran who turns 30 in February signed a one-year contract for $9.5MM with the Kings this summer after a disastrous stint with Dallas last year. We made the topic of whether the incident will affect Rondo’s free agency the subject of our Community Shootaround discussion on Monday.
Alex Len delivered a clunker of a performance in Monday’s game, but his play of late has otherwise been the best of his career, observes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. That’s led Suns coach Jeff Hornacek to continue starting Len over free agent signee Tyson Chandler, even though Chandler has been healthy the past two games. That’ll likely change, Hornacek concedes, as the team continues to look for a fit between Chandler, Len and offseason acquisitions Jon Leuer and Mirza Teletovic, Coro notes.
Chandler, in the first season of a four-year, $52MM deal, is one of the most overpaid players in the NBA this season, Deveney argues in a slideshow. Two Lakers — Bryant and Roy Hibbert — and Lance Stephenson of the Clippers also make Deveney’s 15-man list.

Western Notes: Rondo, Jazz, Lawson, Thunder

December 14th, 2015 at 4:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Referee Bill Kennedy revealed that he is homosexual in an interview with Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, and Rajon Rondo is drawing fire for the homophobic slur he directed at Kennedy during a game on December 3rd. The NBA suspended Rondo for one game and doesn’t plan to mete out additional punishment, notes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter), but the apology that Rondo offered in a pair of tweets struck a hollow tone, observe Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck and SB Nation’s Tom Ziller (All Twitter links). Kings owner Vivek Ranadive and GM Vlade Divac condemned Rondo’s use of the slur in a statement that the team released, and Rondo’s words aren’t exactly the most auspicious prelude to his free agency in the summer ahead, opines Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). See more from the Western Conference:

The Jazz are expected to be active in exploring trades when dozens of players across the league become eligible to be traded Tuesday, reports Jody Genessy of The Deseret News (Twitter links). The most likely scenario involves the team absorbing salary via its cap space, Genessy adds. Utah is more than $7MM under the cap.
Ty Lawson‘s game has responded well to Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff‘s decision to bench him upon taking over for Kevin McHale, as Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com details. “He was trying to so hard to do the right things, I think he was frustrating himself and he got to the point where he said ‘I’m just going to play’ and I think that’s where he is now,” Bickerstaff said in part. The more and more he plays and he’s relaxed, the more that his true talent will shine through. We know what he is, we know what he’s capable of and we just got to get him there.”
The Thunder have assigned Mitch McGary to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. It’s the fourth time the former 21st overall pick has gone to the D-League this season and the third time in the past week.

Pacific Notes: Chandler, Casspi, Lakers

December 13th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by ChrisCrouse

Tyson Chandler hasn’t played in nearly three weeks because of a hamstring injury, but the veteran is taking an optimistic view to the time off and he believes his time on the sideline will help him gel with his new team once he is able to return, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic writes.

“Everything happens for a reason sometimes and the injury gave me a different perspective,” Chandler said. “A lot of times, when you’re in the mix, you can’t pinpoint what’s going on because everything is going so fast and you’re out there too. Being out and watching Alex [Len], I see things. I see a lot of areas where we can improve.”

Chandler joined the Suns last summer, signing a four year, $52MM deal to be the team’s starting center. Here’s more out of the Pacific Division:

Omri Casspi re-signed with the Kings on a two, year $6MM deal last summer, but the money was not the main reason he returned, as he tell Rob Mahoney of SI.com. “No. 1, I just like Sacramento. It’s the team that drafted me, and I just felt a good energy around the team and the fans and everything that was going on,” Casspi said. “I feel like it’s really a second home for me outside of my country, outside of Israel. And number two, when Coach [George] Karl stayed and signed a long-term deal, I felt like we had the right base to start winning games this year. DeMarcus is our go-to guy and he’s our star. It’s been a drought in Sacramento. I want to be a part of a winning situation and a team that’s building toward an NBA championship. I feel like we’ve got the right pieces, the right coach, and the right system in place. Now it’s about us coming together to start winning games.”
Sacramento has had more than its share of turnover in the front office in recent years, but Casspi believes the right people are in place now and he is a fan of what the front office did this offseason, as he tells Mahoney in the same piece. “Now we have a new GM in place. We need to get some stability from the top, and I feel like now we have everything in place. Vlade’s running the show and has a good team with him. I feel like he’s doing all he can to make this team successful. You bring in the right pieces, the right players — players that have been in winning situations — and you can have a winning culture. But right now we’re building it, and I think Vlade is the guy that it starts with. He brought in Rajon [Rondo], who won a championship, Kosta [Koufos] being in Memphis a few years and Denver where he won a lot of games, Marco [Belinelli] won in San Antonio. So you bring in the right pieces and you start building a winning culture, a winning mentality. That’s how you really go back to where the Kings need to be.”
The Lakers are just 3-20 on the season, but Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders believes the win-loss record isn’t the only reason Byron Scott is failing as a coach. Blancarte cites Scott’s choice for the rotation, which has given heavy minutes to veteran players, and his tendency to bench youngsters, like D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle, for mistakes they make in games rather than letting them play through their mistakes as reason for the pessimism.

And-Ones: ‘Outperformers,’ Bryant, Dinwiddie

December 12th, 2015 at 10:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

Four Western Conference players join Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis on an “Outperform” Team compiled by Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders. The columnist honors the players who have most exceeded expectations during the first quarter of the season. The other team members are the Kings‘ Rajon Rondo, the Warriors‘ Stephen Curry, the Mavericks‘ Dirk Nowitzki and Wolves rookie Karl-Anthony Towns.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

The Lakers‘ Kobe Bryant addressed his relationship with former teammate Dwight Howard after tonight’s loss in Houston, tweets Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. “My responsibility when Dwight and I played together was to get him to play his best basketball,” Bryant said. “That involves pushing buttons.” Their rocky relationship was believed to be part of the reason Howard left Los Angeles for the Rockets in 2013.
Pistons guard Spencer Dinwiddie may be headed to the team’s D-League affiliate in Grand Rapids on Sunday, according to Terry Foster of The Detroit News. A slump and injuries have reduced Dinwiddie’s playing time, and he has dropped behind Steve Blake in the point guard mix. Detroit coach/executive Stan Van Gundy suggested that Dinwiddie might benefit from increased minutes in Grand Rapids. “We have tried to use the D-League a little bit so he gets some game time,” Van Gundy said. “I think he has to take advantage of every opportunity he’s got to work and get better.”
The Thunder assigned Josh Huestis to the Oklahoma City Blue of the D-League, the team announced via press release. Huestis has played in seven games for the Blue this season, averaging 10.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.57 blocks.

And-Ones: Brand, Martin, D-League

December 11th, 2015 at 10:25pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Sixers are now likely to look to add veterans to the roster for additional leadership now that Jerry Colangelo is officially a member of the front office, and one name to keep an eye on is veteran power forward Elton Brand, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com opines. The 36-year-old was pessimistic about his chances for playing a 17th season in the NBA back in August, when he told Al Coqueran of The Examiner News, “I could get in shape if I got the call but this looks like the end of the run for me, right now it is family time.” Brand made 36 appearances for the Hawks last season, averaging 2.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.5 minutes of action per contest.

Here’s more from around the league:

Cartier Martin, who was cut by the Pistons during the preseason and is currently a member of the Grizzlies‘ D-League affiliate in Iowa, is expected to miss several months due to a wrist injury, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor relays (via Twitter).
Knicks combo forward Derrick Williams indicated that communication between he and coach Derek Fisher isn’t great, which is something he misses about George Karl, who took over as Kings coach late last season, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. Williams appreciates the brief time he had under Karl, saying, “He’s a good coach. He wasn’t really tough like that. That was one game. He expects a lot of things out of me. I think that’s always good, when you have a coach that really expects things out of you, wants to bring out the best in you. Myself and him, we talked about it. It was no hard feelings with the quotes. That happens when a coach expects a lot of you. At the end of the day, he wasn’t too, too hard on me. He wanted the best out of me.“
The Grizzlies have assigned small forward James Ennis to their D-League affiliate in Iowa, the team announced. This will be Ennis’ third stint with the Energy on the season, as our D-League tracker shows.
The Mavericks have assigned Justin Anderson, Jeremy Evans and Salah Mejri to the Texas Legends, their D-League affiliate, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com relays (Twitter link). This is the second jaunt to the D-League on the season for both Anderson and Mejri, while Evans is making his initial trip.
Mitch McGary has been assigned to the Thunder‘s D-League affiliate, the team announced (on Twitter). This is McGary’s third assignment to the Blue on the season.
The Pacers have assigned Joe Young to their D-League affiliate in Fort Wayne, the team announced.

Western Notes: Booker, Anderson, D-League

December 10th, 2015 at 10:25pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Suns GM Ryan McDonough is thrilled with the play of rookie shooting guard Devin Booker, who was the No. 13 overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft, Matt Petersen of NBA.com notes. “We thought he’d be a good player down the line, but he showed on this road trip that despite having just turned 19 years old, he’s a pretty darn good player right now,” McDonough said. Booker is averaging 5.8 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 14.3 minutes per night, and the rookie has connected on a ridiculous 71.4% of his attempts from beyond the 3-point line.

Here’s more from out West:

Pelicans power forward Ryan Anderson has been the subject of recent trade rumors, but the team hasn’t indicated to him that a deal is close to fruition, John Reid of the Times Picayune tweets. “It definitely has not got to the point where they’re asking me, ‘Ryan lets get a trade going or we want you gone,’ Anderson told Reid.
The Kings have recalled Duje Dukan from their D-League affiliate in Reno, the team announced. This was Dukan’s third stint with the Bighorns this season.
Center Mitch McGary has been recalled from the Thunder‘s D-League affiliate, the team announced. McGary has appeared in four games for the Blue this season and is averaging 13.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block in 27.7 minutes per game.
Fans will likely see less of Kobe Bryant in the fourth quarters of Lakers games as the season progresses so that the team can give its younger players more crunch time experience, Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times notes (Twitter links). “Eventually, it’s going to be like this anyway. Just so these guys can grow,” coach Byron Scott said about keeping Kobe on the bench late in games.

Pacific Notes: Mbah a Moute, Scott, Warriors

December 10th, 2015 at 12:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

It appears a mere formality that the Clippers will retain Luc Mbah a Moute past the date next month when his non-guaranteed contract would become fully guaranteed, writes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. He made his sixth straight start in Wednesday’s victory over the Bucks, and while Doc Rivers indicated that he’ll probably move him in and out of the starting lineup, the Clippers coach/executive is nonetheless impressed, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays. He’s not the only one.

“He does all the different things that don’t show up on the stat sheet,” Chris Paul said, according to Bolch. “He makes the cuts, he does the box outs, and that’s why he’s so valuable for us.”

Still, not everyone is a fan. The Clippers won’t win the title if Mbah a Moute remains the starting three man, posits Zach Lowe of ESPN.com, who calls on the team to bench the “safe, known commodity” of Mbah a Moute in favor of the higher risk-reward proposition of either Lance Stephenson or Wesley Johnson. See more from the Pacific Division:

The voiding of the contract Mbah a Moute signed with the Kings in July led to uncertainty about his future that didn’t end until he signed with the Clippers in late September, and he called the past summer a difficult one, according to Gardner. “I like to usually go into the summer knowing where I’m going to be, training at the facility. All that stuff was out the window,” Mbah a Moute said. “God works in mysterious ways. I’m here now and trying to make the best out of it, trying to help the team.”
Lakers executives Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss still support Byron Scott and plan to keep him through at least the end of the season, though Kupchak, Buss or both will likely meet with Scott next week to get a read on his plan for player development, reports Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. The execs understand the difficulty of the position Scott finds himself in — a “no-win situation,” as a team source described it to Medina — as Kobe Bryant‘s farewell season chafes against the need to foster young talent.
A group opposing the Warriors‘ plan for a new arena will file suit to block construction in the wake of the project having cleared its final political hurdle Tuesday, when the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to green-light the new building, reports J.K. Dineen of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Western Notes: Garnett, Fournier, Morris

December 9th, 2015 at 8:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Timberwolves don’t expect Kevin Garnett to end his playing days with much fanfare, and the veteran intends to make the twilight of his career more about helping the younger players around him, Andy Greder of The Pioneer Press writes. “He’s never gonna go out on a Harley,” said Clippers head man Doc Rivers, who coached Garnett in Boston.”He’s really into it with his guys, loves the young guys. Kevin loving young guys is really good, because if you don’t have the right kind love of the game, for Kevin, he’s not gonna love you back, and that’s a fact. Clearly, he feels like they got it right with the young guys, not only guys with talent, but guys that want to be winners.”

“My choice in coming back here had a lot more of a plan and a future involved in to it,” Garnett said. “I understand that it’s not about me, it’s about Andrew Wiggins, it’s about Karl-Anthony Towns, it’s about Ricky Rubio and Zach LaVine and these young guys in here,” Garnett said. “I’m just trying to teach the things I know and teach the things that I’ve experienced since I’ve been here.”

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Denver “will always be in my heart,” said Evan Fournier, who spent his first two NBA seasons with the Nuggets, but as far as basketball is concerned, he’s moved on, as he told Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Fournier is poised for restricted free agency this summer, with his camp having reportedly asked the Magic, who apparently offered $8MM annually, for salaries well in excess of $10MM a year.
Markieff Morris says that he is still happy to be a member of the Suns despite his reduced role on the team, though he wouldn’t directly answer questions about whether he still wanted to be traded and whether his relationship with the organization had gotten better, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic relays. “I’ll contribute any way I can, whether it’s cheering my teammates on or being in the game,” Morris said after Monday’s game. “Coach [Jeff Hornacek] is a great guy. Our team fought real hard. He put me in for a little bit of time and I just wanted to go out there and play hard and contribute any way I can. I didn’t score but I got a couple stops. We got the win. That’s what is important. I keep in high spirits and keep my confidence. Whenever my number is called, I’ll be ready always.”
The Kings have assigned Duje Dukan to the Reno Bighorns, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Dukan’s third trek to Reno on the season.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Clippers Gauge Interest In Stephenson, Smith?

December 9th, 2015 at 7:56am CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 7:56am: Rivers denies that he’s reached out to anyone about Stephenson and Smith. The coach/executive addressed the issue in an appearance on “The Fred Roggin Show” on The Beast 980 radio in Los Angeles.

“Not true,” Rivers said of the initial report. “It’s amazing how silly this stuff is. I don’t comment on it much obviously but I can tell you, I think I’m the president of basketball and I’ve yet to have a conversation with any team about anyone right now. These reports come out and there’s nothing you can do about it.

An NBA executive told Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times that the Clippers indeed placed calls about Stephenson and Smith but that they were exploratory and routine for this time of year (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 8:30am: The Clippers measured the trade market for Lance Stephenson and Josh Smith last month, league sources told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, but they’ve withdrawn from that effort more recently amid a spate of injuries, Spears adds. The team doesn’t have anyone on its injury report currently, but it’s unclear if trade talks will resume. Spears also suggests the Clippers remain open to trading Jamal Crawford, a frequent subject of trade rumors in the offseason, though coach/executive Doc Rivers said in September that he’d be “very surprised” if Crawford doesn’t remain a Clipper throughout the season. Smith becomes eligible for inclusion in trades a week from today, while Stephenson and Crawford are already trade-eligible.

Two NBA executives indicated to Spears that the Clippers probably found a weak market for the pair. One exec suggested that the two are more likely to work buyouts than end up in trades, further speculating that Stephenson ends up back on the Pacers, his original team. The other executive who spoke with Spears alleged that Stephenson and Smith have negatively affected team chemistry in L.A. Smith recently shouted back and forth with assistant coach Mike Woodson following a loss, Spears reports. The second executive also said he believes it’ll be tough for the Clippers to find trade partners for either Smith or Stephenson since few had interest in either before they joined the team, Spears adds.

Still, the Kings, Mavs and Rockets were reportedly interested in signing Smith as a free agent this past summer, when he took a discount and joined the Clippers on a one-year, minimum-salary deal. The Nets apparently talked about trading for Stephenson on two different occasions last season, when he was with the Hornets, and the Heat were apparently among the teams with interest last year, too. It’s unclear if those teams were still eyeing him when the Clippers struck a deal to acquire him in June. He’s making $9MM this season and has a $9.405MM team option for next season.

What teams do you think would be strong fits for Stephenson, Smith and Crawford? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Pacific Rumors: Lakers, Walton, Dukan

December 7th, 2015 at 9:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Power forward Julius Randle and point guard D’Angelo Russell were not happy with Lakers coach Byron Scott’s decision on Monday to remove them from the starting lineup, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Scott made the surprising announcement that Randle, the team’s lottery pick last year, and Russell, the No. 2 overall pick this season, would be replaced in the lineup by another rookie, power forward Larry Nance Jr., and veteran point guard Lou Williams. “You’re never going to be thrilled about it as a competitor,” Randle told the team’s traveling media. “But it’s out of your control. What I can control is go out there and play hard like we’ve been doing.” Russell felt he was developing better chemistry with his teammates, Medina continues. “I started to figure it out and this happened,” Russell said. “I don’t feel like this will get in the way of my growth.” Scott did not tell either player his thought process for the lineup changes but he could alter it again during the next five to 10 games, Medina adds.

In other news around the Pacific Division:

Nick Young admits that exasperation over his team’s 3-17 start led to his ejection against the Pistons on Sunday night, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com writes. The Lakers’ backup shooting guard was tossed in the fourth quarter of a 111-91 loss when he shoved Detroit forward Anthony Tolliver in the neck after a hard foul. Young was not suspended by the league. “It’s tough,” he said to Holmes and other members of the media. “There’s a lot of frustration. It’s a struggle and it’s building up.”
Luke Walton credits his former Lakers coach, Phil Jackson, with showing him how to comport himself in his current job, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reports. The interim Warriors coach discovered the value of staying grounded through Jackson. “Phil was the first coach I had — well, I shouldn’t say the first coach that I had, but the first one who made me recognize it as a bigger picture,” Walton told Berger. “He never got too upset; he never got too excited. He was just even-keel all the time. His beliefs as a teacher, that you’re at your most dangerous when you’re level-headed and can make decisions … I believe wholeheartedly in that.”
The Kings recalled rookie forward Duje Dukan from their D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, the team announced on its website. Dukan, an undrafted 24-year-old power forward, averaged 13 points and 3.8 rebounds in four games with the Bighorns. He has not made his NBA debut.