7:13pm: Paul has a Grade 2 strain, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN tweets. The same injury cost Harden nearly three weeks of action earlier this season.
6:24pm: Chris Paul will not play in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals tonight, Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated tweets. Coach Mike D’Antoni told reporters the bad news during his pregame press conference.
It’s obviously a serious setback for the Rockets but not unexpected. Despite frantic efforts to get him ready to play, Paul simply did not have enough time to recover from his hamstring strain.
“There’s just no way. He couldn’t explode. He couldn’t push off on it,” D’Antoni said, according a tweet from Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Paul suffered the injury late in the Rockets’ Game 5 victory on Thursday. Without him, the Rockers will rely heavily on Eric Gordon along with James Harden to run the attack in a seven-man rotation.
Houston obviously missed its star point guard during a second-half collapse Saturday that resulted in a 29-point loss in Game 6. The Rockets were outscored 64-25 after halftime.
The Warriors will also be without one of their key players, as swingman Andre Iguodala was declared out for the fourth straight game earlier in the day due to a left knee injury.
Paul has posted a 21.1/5.9/5.8 stat line through 17 postseason games with Houston. He is in the final year of the contract he signed with the Clippers, and reaching a new deal will be among the Rockets’ priorities this offseason.
The Jazz worked outShake Milton (SMU), Angel Delgado (Seton Hall), Theo Pinson (North Carolina), Omari Spellman (Villanova), Thomas Wilder (Western Michigan) and Elijah Stewart (USC) on Monday, according to team’s Twitter feed. Milton, a borderline first-round guard prospect ranked No. 34 by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, headlined that group.
Wichita State’s Landry Shamet worked out for the Warriors on Sunday, Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com tweets. The point guard is ranked No. 42 by Givony.
Syracuse swingman Tyus Battle, rated No. 32 by Givony, worked out for the Knicks on Friday, Zagoria reports in another tweet. Small forward Brian Bowen, who was ineligible to play college ball last season, worked out for New York the same day and the Lakers on Sunday.
The Suns brought in UCLA’s Aaron Holiday and Anfernee Simons, who spent a post-grad year at IMG Academy, and four other prospects on Monday, the team tweets. Holiday is rated No. 17 by Givony while Simons is ranked No. 21. Hamidou Diallo (Kentucky), Tony Carr (Penn State), Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (Kansas) and Bruce Brown (Miami, Fla.) joined them.
Once the Celtics were bounced from the 2018 postseason by the Cavaliers, it didn’t take long for speculation about Boston’s offseason to begin. Veteran guard Marcus Smart, who will be a restricted free agent, got the rumor mill going when he was asked after Sunday’s loss about the Celtics potentially being unable or unwilling to re-sign him to a deal in the $12-14MM range.
“To be honest, I’m worth more than $12-14 million,” Smart told ESPN, as we relayed this morning. “Just for the things I do on the court that don’t show up on the stat sheet. You don’t find guys like that. I always leave everything on the court, every game. Tell me how many other players can say that.”
As Smart suggests, his numbers don’t particularly jump off the stat sheet — in 54 games (11 starts) this season, he posted 10.2 PPG, 4.8 APG, and 3.5 RPG, with a subpar shooting line (.367/.301/.729). However, Smart makes up for his offensive limitations on the other side of the ball, keying Boston’s defense with his excellent play on the perimeter.
When Smart was on the floor this season, the Celtics’ defense – which led the NBA in overall defensive rating – was at its best. The club had a 99.4 defensive rating with Smart on the court, compared to 103.0 when he sat. That trend continued into the playoffs, as Boston’s defensive rating was 3.5 points better when Smart played. The C’s even posted marginally better offensive numbers with Smart on the court, despite his inconsistent shooting.
Those advanced numbers help show how important Smart is to the Celtics. Andre Roberson has a similar impact in Oklahoma City, earning a three-year, $30MM contract from the Thunder last offseason despite being even less of an offensive threat than Smart. When Roberson went down with a season-ending injury this year, OKC missed him badly, and you could make the case that Smart’s absence would negatively affect the Celtics in the same way — after all, Smart’s teammates refer to him as the heart of the club.
Unlike the Thunder though, the Celtics have a ton of depth in their backcourt and on the wing. If they don’t bring back Smart, they’ll still head into 2018/19 with Kyrie Irving, Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Gordon Hayward available as playmakers and perimeter defenders. And while there are no CBA rules stopping the Celtics from paying whatever it takes to keep Smart, the team is likely headed into tax territory down the road once youngsters like Rozier, Brown, and Tatum are up for raises. As such, it may not be worth it for the franchise to invest heavily in Smart.
What do you think? Do the Celtics need to make it a priority to re-sign Smart this summer, even if they have to overpay a little to do it? Or is Boston’s roster deep enough that the club should try to bring back Smart at a team-friendly price, and let him walk if he gets a better offer? Will Smart be wearing Celtic green next October?
Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section to weigh in.
July 1 marks the start of the NBA’s new league year. At that point, players eligible for free agency will be able to begin negotiating and reaching contract agreements with suitors. In addition to those free agents, another group of players will also become eligible to sign new deals.
For players who are entering the fourth and final year of their rookie scale contracts, July 1 is the first day that they can sign rookie scale extensions. Those players, who are – for the most part – 2015 first-round selections, will have until the start of the 2018/19 regular season to finalize long-term agreements with their current teams.
Players eligible for rookie scale extensions can sign new deals that run up to four or five years, with those contracts taking effect to start the 2019/20 season. If they don’t sign extensions during this offseason, those players will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2019.
A year ago, only four players eligible for rookie scale extensions signed new deals between July 1 and the start of the season, which was an unusually low number. Here are the players eligible to sign rookie scale extensions this year, beginning on July 1:
The following players were selected in the first round of the 2015 draft along with most of the players listed above, but aren’t eligible for rookie-scale extensions this year:
Now that the Celtics’ season is over, Aron Baynes will undergo surgery to repair a broken nose, which he suffered during Game 6 of the team’s series against Cleveland, the big man told reporters today, including Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald (Twitter link).
Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving‘s absence from Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals was also related to a nasal issue — as ESPN’s Chris Forsberg details, Irving underwent surgery to repair a deviated septum and wasn’t able to fly to the game in the wake of the procedure.
“It was a residual from the facial fracture he had earlier in the season,” Irving’s agent Jeff Wechsler told ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan. “He had the knee surgery, and now he’s taken care of this sinus surgery, so he will be all set going forward.”
Here’s more on the Celtics as their offseason officially gets underway:
Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe passes along several notable quotes from the Celtics’ exit interview today. Among those comments: C’s president Danny Ainge indicating that the team is unlikely to make major roster moves unless those changes represent clear upgrades.
Asked today about re-signing RFA-to-be Marcus Smart, Ainge expressed confidence in ownership’s willingness to spend, tweets Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. As Himmelsbach relays, Smart believes the Celtics will look to bring him back, and said he’d like to stay with the franchise. “I want to be in Boston,” Smart said. “I want to be here. I love this city, I love this team, I love the atmosphere it gives off. I’ve been here for four years. My heart’s here.” Smart also spoke after last night’s game about his value in free agency, as we detailed this morning.
Despite Ainge’s suggestion that the roster may not change much this offseason, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News says it will be interesting to see if the Celtics get involved in trade talks in the coming months in an effort to tidy up certain areas where their depth chart is crowded.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) previews the Celtics’ offseason, exploring the possibility of a Irving extension among many other roster moves.
Earlier today, we took a closer look at the Celtics’ salary cap situation heading into the summer.
Detroit redshirt junior Kameron Chatman, who initially entered the draft without an agent, is officially going pro after testing the waters, his father tells ESPN’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link). Chatman, who will sign with an agent, spent his first two college seasons at Michigan but saw limited minutes with the Wolverines. After transferring to Detroit and sitting out the 2016/17 campaign, Chatman had a breakout season this past year, averaging 17.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 2.1 APG with a shooting line of .472/.414/.849.
With the NCAA’s early entrant withdrawal deadline just two days away, we’ve got more draft updates to pass along:
Maryland forward Bruno Fernando is headed back to school for his sophomore season, the program announced today in a press release. “I think Bruno learned a lot during this process, and it will only make him a better basketball player,” head coach Mark Turgeon said in a statement. “We’re really excited to have his energy and passion in our locker room next year.”
Charlotte guard Andrien White, who tested the draft waters without an agent, is withdrawing his name and returning to school for his senior year, he confirms to Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports (Twitter link).
Rothstein also passes along an update on Wichita State’s Markis McDuffie, tweeting that the 20-year-old forward will rejoin the Shockers for his senior season. McDuffie, who is withdrawing from the draft for a second straight year, will be looking to build on a junior season in which he averaged 8.5 PPG and 3.1 RPG.
Georgia Tech prospect Josh Okogie suffered a grade 1 right adductor strain during a workout with the Grizzlies last Wednesday, his agent tells ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link). The injury, which was diagnosed by the Spurs on Thursday, brought Okogie’s workout schedule to a temporary halt — he’ll be re-evaluated tomorrow.
Warriors forward Andre Iguodala will miss his fourth consecutive game, head coach Steve Kerr confirmed today (Twitter link via Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News). Iguodala, who hasn’t suited up since Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, won’t play in Game 7 on Monday night.
“He’s frustrated,” Kerr said of Iguodala, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). “His body has not responded to this point.”
Iguodala bumped knees with James Harden in Game 3 and was diagnosed with a left knee bone bruise, which has hobbled him over the last week. In his absence, Kevon Looney has started the last three games for the Warriors — the Rockets won the first two of those three contests, but Golden State pulled out Game 6, with Chris Paul sidelined for the Rockets.
While Iguodala’s injury won’t necessarily have the same impact on the outcome of the series as Paul’s will (CP3 is considered a game-time decision for Game 7), the veteran swingman is an important part of the Warriors’ rotation. Iguodala is arguably Golden State’s top perimeter defender, and is one-fifth of the club’s ultra-effective “Hamptons Five” lineup alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green.
It’s not clear what Iguodala’s availability would look like in the NBA Finals if the Warriors can grab a victory tonight in Houston.
Heat forward James Johnson underwent surgery for a sports hernia, league sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). According to Charania, Johnson had the procedure sometime recently, following Miami’s elimination from the playoffs.
Johnson, 31, averaged 10.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 3.8 APG with a .503 FG% for the Heat in 2017/18. He started 41 of the 73 games he played for the club this season, and was a crucial part of Miami’s rotation.
Having signed a long-term contract with the Heat during the summer of 2017, Johnson remains under contract with the franchise for two more guaranteed years, with a player option for 2020/21. Assuming he plays out his full deal, he’ll earn about $46MM over the next three seasons.
While the Heat have yet to issue a statement on Johnson’s postseason surgery, the procedure seems unlikely to affect his ability for the 2018/19 season. I’d expect him to be good to go when training camps get underway in September.
After adding Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward during the 2017 offseason, the Celtics were widely viewed as one of the two favorites to come out of the East, along with the Cavaliers. Those two teams ultimately did meet in the Eastern Conference Finals, despite the fact that Irving and Hayward had long been absent due to injuries. Although Boston couldn’t get past Cleveland and no longer has cap room available, the team remains in great shape going forward, with plenty of extra draft picks in hand and its injured stars set to return in 2018/19.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Celtics financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:
After carrying cap room and vying for the top free agents during the last couple offseasons, the Celtics head into the summer of 2018 over the cap room. Even if they renounce all their free agents, they’d still be over the projected $101MM cap line due to their $104MM+ in guaranteed salaries. With their eight fully guaranteed contracts, plus Theis, Ojeleye, Nader, and the cap hold for their first-round pick, the Celtics’ total team salary increases to $109,073,793.
If they don’t bring back Smart, the Celtics would have plenty of breathing room below the tax line, clearing the way for the team to use the full mid-level exception and possibly the bi-annual exception too. However, re-signing Smart for a starting salary of $10-12MM would complicate that equation.
Footnotes:
Ojeleye’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 15.
Nader’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after August 1.
Theis’ salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 10.
Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
While LeBron James‘ upcoming free agency will be the biggest storyline of the NBA offseason, James himself has avoided discussing his future all season long, and the Cavaliers – including owner Dan Gilbert – are following suit. After the Cavs’ Game 7 win over the Celtics on Sunday night, Gilbert told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that the organization is completely locked in on its next series, not on the summer.
“We’re just focused – and it’s the truth, it’s not avoiding the question – we’re literally focused on (the now),” Gilbert said. “It’s just so intense in the playoffs and getting to the Finals and now the Finals, I don’t think – and I know he doesn’t – I don’t think even our guys are talking (about anything other than) what’s in front of them. … So, everybody knows, obviously what we want to happen and we’ll take the Finals first and take it from there.”
While the Cavaliers will head into the Finals as the underdogs, pulling off the upset could have a major impact on the club’s upcoming offseason plans — it would be hard for James to leave Cleveland right after leading the Cavs to another championship.
Here are a few more items worth rounding up from the Eastern Conference Finals:
Jayson Tatum couldn’t lead the Celtics to the NBA Finals, but he received plenty of praise from James as his impressive rookie season came to an end, per Chris Forsberg of ESPN. “I just love everything about (Tatum), the way he plays the game, his demeanor, where he comes from,” James said. “I just know he’s built for stardom. He’s built for success. And that’s both on and off the floor.”
James was also complimentary of the Cavaliers teammates who are headed to the Finals despite hearing for weeks that they weren’t doing enough to help LeBron. “I know I get a lot of the headlines – win, lose or draw, whatever the case may be – but in order to be successful, it’s a team game,” James told ESPN’s Doris Burke after the Game 7 win (link via Andrew Joseph of USA Today). “That’s why we’re going to another Finals — because my teammates played a hell of a game.”
One of those teammates, Jeff Green, spoke after the game about not taking anything for granted after undergoing open-heart surgery in 2012. Jeff Zilgitt and AJ Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today have the story on Green, who was the Cavaliers‘ second-best player in Game 7.
Their disappointing Game 7 performances will likely haunt Celtics youngsters Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown for a while, but that may not be the worst thing in the world, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston, who writes that this year’s loss can be a learning experience for Rozier and Brown as they continue to develop.