Sources say a Iman Shumpert trade is not imminent: “Sources told ESPN.com on Tuesday that the Knicks and Nuggets have been discussing a potential Shumpert-for-Kenneth Faried swap with Denver. Yet, one source close to the process stressed that “multiple” teams have expressed interest in Shumpert, who is widely regarded as the most attractive trade asset New York possesses if it hopes to shake up its roster in-season. The New York Daily News reported earlier Wednesday that Shumpert-for-Faried talks “have intensified.” NBA.com subsequently reported that there is “nothing happening” regarding the proposed trade, with Yahoo! Sports reporting that the Nuggets have assured Faried’s representatives that he’s not New York-bound. The Knicks, though, clearly still have a huge need on their front line after center Tyson Chandler suffered a fractured fibula last week. And with New York’s defensive anchor expected to be sidelined for at least a month, Shumpert unavoidably finds himself at the heart of trade speculation, given that the perimeter defensive specialist ranks as the Knick most coveted by rival teams.”
“I heard some rumors,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Wednesday night before the team’s game in Atlanta. “It’s part of our business. I always try to tell young players if your name is being floated out there, that’s a good thing. It means somebody wants you.
Top high school recruits, Okafor and Jones, commit to Duke: “For over a year, Jahlil Okafor, of Chicago (Ill.) Whitney Young, and Tyus Jones, of Apple Valley (Minn.) High, have told reporters that they would play their college basketball together. On Friday, the highly regarded duo worked a little closer towards that goal, as they announced their college commitments to Duke and Mike Krzyzewski. Okafor, the top ranked player in the 2014 class, and Jones, Scout.com’s No. 4 recruit, picked the Blue Devils over Kansas, who they visited officially the weekend of October 25th, and Baylor. “With Duke I felt more comfortable going to play with the winningest coach in college basketball and getting a chance for me personally to help Coach K win his 1,000th game,” Okafor said on the ESPN broadcast. “That was intriguing to me.” Jones said the two settled on Duke because they feel they can make the most impact there.
“We sold each other,” Jones said during the broadcast. “It wasn’t really me pulling him or him pulling me. We just sat down and figured what would be the best fit for both of us to make an impact our freshman year and really learn and better ourselves as players and as people. We felt that Duke was the right fit for ourselves and that we would be able to succeed there.”
Kevin Durant says Andrew Wiggins can be a Hall of Fame player: “Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder likes what he sees out of the Canadian forward. He recognizes how raw Wiggins’ game is but he likes his ceiling so much that he told Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports that the Kansas phenom can he “like a Hall of Famer, All-Star, for sure. After two games, not everybody is impressed despite him averaging 19.0 points and 5.5 rebounds while making 58.3 percent of his shots. There is one person that is especially impressed so far with Wiggins.”
“He’s raw, but his ceiling is high. He can be like a Hall of Famer, All-Star, for sure. He’s good,” said Durant before the Thunder’s loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Durant said he watched closely on television as Wiggins and Kansas defeated Duke on Tuesday night. Duke features another talented true freshman forward in Jabari Parker, whom Durant also thinks highly of after working with him at his basketball camp last summer.
Despite a nose fracture, Kyrie Irving is cleared to play: “Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving has been diagnosed with a minimally displaced right nasal fracture and is available to play in Cleveland’s game against Charlotte. Irving was elbowed in the face by Minnesota’s Corey Brewer in the first quarter Wednesday night. The All-Star was taken for X-rays, which came back negative, and returned in the second quarter. The team said further examination at Cleveland Clinic on Thursday and Friday revealed the fracture. Irving, who is averaging 19.4 points and 6.9 assists, fractured a bone in his jaw last season but was fitted with a mask and continued to play.”
Lou Williams may return for the Hawks sooner than expected, he is officially active: “Shooting guard Lou Williams is active Friday night for the Atlanta Hawks’ game against the Philadelphia 76ers, and he could make his season debut after sitting out nearly half of the 2012-13 season with a torn ACL. The team announced Williams was cleared to play, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Chris Vivlamore reports that Williams’ minutes will be capped at 16 minutes. The restrictions on Williams’ minutes could be precautionary as the shooting guard gets back into game shape. On Wednesday, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said only that there wasn’t a timeline for Williams’ return but that the guard had been participating in five-on-five games in practice. Williams averaged 14.1 points and 3.6 assists for Atlanta in his first season with the team last year. He played in 39 games before tearing his ACL.”