Celtics Rumors

Celtics Notes: Season, Sale, Scheierman, Tatum

November 6th, 2024 at 10:55pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Despite missing starting center Kristaps Porzingis so far this fall and also having All-Star wing Jaylen Brown unavailable for multiple games, the 7-2 Celtics have picked up right where they left off after winning a title last season.

Tim Bontemps of ESPN even sees similarities between this year’s loaded Celtics squad and the 73-win Warriors of 2015/16, noting that Boston is similarly deep in its roster construction and three-point heavy in its shot diet — the C’s are also looking to quiet critics who may have thought their first championship was a bit of fluke.

All-NBA Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, for one, is aiming to win multiple titles during his tenure in Boston. The Warriors won four championships with their core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Thompson departed the team this summer to join the Mavericks.

“It was never just about trying to just win one,” Tatum said. “All the guys I looked up to growing up won at least one championship. Now it’s just a conversation of, ‘How great are you trying to be?'”

Could this Celtics club win 73 or even 74 games this season? Odds seem slight, given this extended Porzingis absence.

There’s more out of Boston:

On the heels of his second title with the franchise, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck made the surprise announcement that he was looking to sell his controlling interest in the team. Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic observes that this impending potential sale represents part of a growing trend. Several longtime owners have cashed out while team valuations have soared over the past few years. “Most owners that have been in for a while in any of the sports leagues are sort of asset rich and cash poor,” an investor observed. “Most of the long-term standing owners, I think, if you ask them, I think in their wildest dreams, they could never have imagined that these teams would become these mini-Disneys as I call them, or these phenomenal entities that have tremendous economic capacity.”
Celtics rookie swingman Baylor Scheierman has been assigned to the club’s G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, with the NBAGL season slated to tip off soon, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Scheierman had been competing for rotation minutes during the team’s preseason, but was ultimately pushed out by Jordan Walsh for the opportunity. Scheierman has instead suited up for just three NBA games, logging 18 total minutes, and should have an opportunity for more reps in Maine.
Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum‘s father, Justin Tatum, recently reflected on his son’s underwhelming gold medal run with Team USA this summer, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape. Tatum was a DNP-CD in multiple games and was up and down when he did play. “He wasn’t in the room pouting or throwing chairs around or it was a topic of conversation at dinner,” Justin, currently the head coach of the NBL’s Illawarra Hawks in Australia, said. “He said he could’ve stayed with his family, stayed home or done this… But he was happy to be out there winning the gold.”

Atlantic Notes: Claxton, Simmons, Boucher, Brown

November 5th, 2024 at 9:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nets center Nic Claxton received his first start of the season on Monday. Claxton, who signed a four-year deal worth up to $100MM during the summer, had 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals in a win over Memphis. He missed the preseason due to a hamstring injury.

“It’s just still getting back into the swing of things. I had like one stint where I was really tired, but other than that, I was good. Just trying to communicate, just find my balance again,” Claxton told Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Ben Simmons sat out Monday in the second game of a back-to-back. Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez wants Simmons to shoot more often — he’s taken five or fewer attempts in his six games, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post notes. “He is physically getting where he’s supposed to be, and those attempts need to go up,” Fernandez said. “Because then we are all going to benefit from it. I don’t care about makes-misses. I just want to see shots going up. He’s more than capable of doing it, so he’ll get there for sure.”
Chris Boucher was in and out of the Raptors‘ rotation last season. He came back this season determined to reestablish himself as a reliable reserve. So far, so good. He’s averaging 9.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 17.3 minutes per game. “I think there was a lot of stuff that I was doing that I kept saying I gotta do better, but I never changed it,” Boucher told Josh Lewenberg of TSN. “Obviously, when things are going well and you’re playing all the time you [think], well, I’m just going to keep doing what I’m going. But by the time I wasn’t playing, I was like, all right, well, now I’ve gotta figure it out or I won’t be here no more.” Boucher will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Celtics forward Jaylen Brown will miss his third consecutive game on Wednesday, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets. Brown is dealing with a hip flexor strain. He’s averaging 25.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest in the early going.

Atlantic Notes: Kolek, Queta, Dick, Barnes

November 5th, 2024 at 10:58am CST by Luke Adams

After playing a rotation role in each of the Knicks‘ first five games, veteran point guard Cameron Payne was unavailable on Monday in Houston due to a hamstring strain. That resulted in rookie guard Tyler Kolek seeing his first meaningful minutes of the season for New York.

Kolek was only on the court for 5:32 and was a minus-four in his limited playing time. Still, he knocked down his only field goal attempt (a three-pointer) and has made a positive impression on a head coach who typically doesn’t make a habit of playing rookies.

“I really like (Kolek) a lot,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. “I think he’s learning like most young guys coming into the league. He’s a gym rat. Works extremely hard. Puts a lot of time into film study. Extra work. Practice. He’s around really good veterans. That helps move it along in terms of how you learn. And then a big part of it is the trial and error of getting out there and doing it. So I think he’s putting everything he has into it. So we’ll see.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Having seen his rotation role increase over the past week, Celtics center Neemias Queta earned his first career start on Monday in Atlanta and delivered with 10 points, seven rebounds, and a plus-31 mark in just 23 minutes. As Brian Robb of MassLive.com writes, Queta’s transformation into a rotation player gives Boston more insurance up front behind veterans Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. “He’s grown a lot as a player and quite honestly he doesn’t know how good he can be,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said of Queta after Monday’s win. “He’s got a great ceiling and so the standard is very high and I thought he did some great things for us tonight.”
Following an up-and-down rookie season, Raptors sharpshooter Gradey Dick is showing early signs of breaking out in his second year, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca, who takes a closer look at how 2023’s No. 13 overall pick is thriving so far this fall. With a 26-point outing on Monday in Denver, Dick is up to 21.6 PPG on .473/.383/.929 shooting in his first eight games as an NBA sophomore.
After a meeting with doctors on Monday, the Raptors determined that injured forward Scottie Barnes won’t require surgery to repair the right orbital fracture he suffered last week, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. A surgical procedure likely would’ve extended the recovery timeline for Barnes, who will be reevaluated in about two weeks.

Nuggets Have Interest In Lonnie Walker

November 4th, 2024 at 8:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets could pursue Lonnie Walker IV at some point during the season, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack article.

Walker chose to sign with Zalgiris Kaunas in the EuroLeague last week after he was waived by Boston.

The veteran swingman signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Celtics in late August in hopes of winning a roster spot in training camp. He reportedly impressed team officials, but Boston is operating under second apron restrictions, so it would have cost roughly $8.8MM in luxury tax penalties to keep Walker, on top of his $2.1MM salary.

Walker’s agent, George S. Langberg, negotiated an unusual buyout in Walker’s contract with the Lithuanian club that enables him come back to any NBA team at a cost of $450K between now and Feb. 18. Real Madrid and Maccabi Tel Aviv were among the other EuroLeague clubs that pursued Walker, but Zalgiris‘ willingness to consent to that clause was a decisive factor for Walker, according to Stein.

The Celtics were hoping Walker would head to their G League affiliate in Maine, but Walker feels he has a better chance of impressing NBA teams by playing in the EuroLeague. Boston reportedly attempted to trade Jaden Springer before the end of camp to open up a spot for Walker.

The Nuggets have depth issues, so Walker could make an impact if they pivoted his way. Denver has a full 15-man roster and all of those contracts are guaranteed, so the Nuggets would have to trade or waive a player to make room for Walker.

Injury Notes: R. Williams, Curry, J. Brown, LaVine, Gobert

November 4th, 2024 at 9:44am CST by Luke Adams

Trail Blazers big man Robert Williams has been listed as questionable to play in Monday’s game vs. New Orleans, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. It’s a signal that Williams, who has been on the shelf for nearly a full year, is on the verge of returning to action.

Acquired by Portland in the team’s Jrue Holiday trade with Boston last fall, Williams appeared in just six games during his first season as a Blazer before going down with season-ending knee surgery. He has been sidelined this fall by a hamstring strain and has yet to make his season debut.

Williams’ return will give Portland another option in a crowded frontcourt. Deandre Ayton (31.6 minutes per game) has seen most of the action at center so far this season, with rookie lottery pick Donovan Clingan (12.9 MPG) playing a modest role as his backup and Duop Reath (3.5 MPG) not part of the regular rotation.

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

Warriors guard Stephen Curry has been out for the past three games due to a left peroneal strain but is nearing a return. He has been upgraded to questionable for Monday’s game vs. Washington, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. If Curry doesn’t play tonight, his next opportunity would come on Wednesday in a showdown with the defending champions in Boston.
Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown, who was born in raised in Marietta, GA, won’t be able to suit up for Monday’s contest in Atlanta, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive.com, who writes that Brown will miss a second straight game due to his left hip flexor. Brown indicated over the weekend that he would undergo another MRI on the injury after getting one a couple weeks ago.
Zach LaVine has yet to miss a game this season and has played at least 33 minutes in each of his six outings, but the Bulls guard isn’t fully healthy. After suffering a sprained AC joint last week, LaVine is listed as questionable for Monday’s game vs. Utah due to a right adductor strain, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network.
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert is considered questionable to play in Monday’s matchup with Charlotte due to a left ankle sprain, according to the team (Twitter link).

Celtics Notes: Brown, Tatum, Queta, Lee

November 3rd, 2024 at 10:56am CST by Arthur Hill

A hip flexor issue that forced Celtics guard Jaylen Brown to miss Saturday’s game has been bothering him for several weeks, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Brown sat out the second game of a back-to-back in Charlotte after playing 37 minutes on Friday night. An MRI two weeks ago revealed that it’s a strain and showed fluid in the affected area, and Brown plans to have more imaging done because his condition has worsened.

“I got an MRI in training camp and it’s been back and forth since then,” he said. “[Friday] I think I extended it a little more, and it’s already been giving me some trouble. I’m going to have to get another MRI and go from there.”

Brown is still playing at an All-Star level, averaging 25.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists through the first six games of the season. Saturday’s contest is the first one he has missed, and coach Joe Mazzulla told Washburn that Brown is considered day-to-day. He hopes to return for Monday’s game in his hometown of Atlanta, but he’s not sure how his body will respond.

“I haven’t felt like my legs have been underneath me, dealing with this hip flexor,” Brown said. “It’s more [affecting] my explosion and my burst. And then, mentally, trying to figure that out as well. Thinking about it kind of throws everything off a little bit, but I’ll be fine.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

An NBA source tells Washburn that Jayson Tatum talked with former teammate Grant Williams after Williams was ejected Friday for a hard foul on Tatum. Williams was reportedly apologetic and they patched up any differences, although they didn’t greet each other before or after Saturday’s contest. Tatum refused to discuss the incident while meeting with reporters Saturday (Twitter video link from Kayla Burton of NBC Sports Boston).
Mazzulla turned to center Neemias Queta to finish Saturday’s game rather than Luke Kornet or Xavier Tillman, observes Brian Robb of MassLive. Kornet got the start, but Queta logged 15 minutes off the bench compared to three for Tillman and appears to have passed him in the rotation.
Charles Lee only spent one season as an assistant in Boston, but he believes it helped him get hired as head coach of the Hornets, Washburn adds in a separate story. Lee said he learned a lot from being part of a title-winning team. “It’s cool to go to a championship-caliber organization with so much history,” he said. “How they structured their everyday schedule and what it means to be a Celtic. It was really cool and interesting for me and my family to experience. As a coach I was able to see how it works to have that much talent on your team, to have the target on your back all year as one of the best teams in the NBA. This team had gone through some hardships and we’re trying to get over that hump. To go through that journey with them last year and see that all that had to go into it was cool for me and my growth.”

Atlantic Notes: Williams, Achiuwa, K. Johnson, Nets Lineup

November 2nd, 2024 at 11:53am CST by Tristan Tucker

A Grant Williams foul on Celtics star Jayson Tatum resulted in an ejection for the former Boston forward on Friday night (video link via NBA.com). Teammate Jaylen Brown took offense to the foul – ruled a flagrant two – and approached Williams after the hit, questioning his motives, according to The Athletic’s Jay King.

“It was for sure intentional,” Brown said. “What are we talking about here? Did y’all see the same play that I’m seeing? He hit him like it was a football play, like (former NFL linebacker) Ray Lewis coming across the middle or something. It is what it is. Grant knows better than that.”

Williams said he was trying to make a play on the ball and that the collision looked worse than it actually was. The Hornets forward said “if [Tatum] had prepared and actually turned his head to the left,” it wouldn’t have looked as gnarly.

“It was just a hard foul,” Williams said. “And we play them again tomorrow. It’s nothing crazy or beyond the means. We all know JT’s my guy, so nothing intentional.”

Celtics players weren’t so sure. Both Brown and Derrick White chided Williams for the play after the game. While the Hornets forward called Tatum one of his closest friends in the league, Brown made it clear there was nothing friendly about Williams’ play.

“Actions speak loud,” Brown said. “So it is what it is. We got the win, we’ll move on, but there’s no place in the game for that. I thought JT and him was friends. I guess not.”

Williams jokingly said after the game that he was preparing to have his former Celtics teammates over to his house after the game, but that they probably wouldn’t take him up on the offer anymore. Friday’s game served as a reunion for more than Williams. Former Celtic Kemba Walker is on Charlotte’s coaching staff, while Hornets head coach Charles Lee served as Joe Mazzulla‘s assistant last year.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Knicks big man Precious Achiuwa is making good progress from his hamstring strain, but head coach Tom Thibodeau says he’s still not practicing, according to the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy. “He’s doing a little more on the court,” Thibodeau said. “Once a guy can start doing stuff on the court, then usually he’ll travel with us. Sometimes it’s better to keep him back [in New York] because we can do more rehab stuff at the facility.“
The Nets received a spark off the bench from Keon Johnson in a Friday win over the Bulls, Bridget Reilly of the New York Post writes. In just five second-quarter minutes, he hit five shots in a row, including a pair of three-pointers and a dunk. Johnson, who finished with a season-high 12 points in just nine minutes on the night, is on a minimum-salary contract that’s partially guaranteed ($700K) for this season and includes a team option for next season.
Nic Claxton hasn’t been starting for the Nets as he recovers from an offseason injury that held him out of the preseason. But as the New York Post’s Brian Lewis writes, head coach Jordi Fernandez is going to have to make some tough calls when it comes to who remains in the lineup when the team is fully healthy. The Nets have six players who have a case to start: Claxton, Dennis Schröder, Cam Thomas, Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Ben Simmons. Out of those options, Johnson, Finney-Smith or Simmons are probably the likeliest candidates to move to the bench. “I mean, whatever. Personally, I feel like if I’m at full strength, then I’m a starter,” Simmons said. “That’s just what goes. But, yeah.“

And-Ones: Griffin, Amazon, Coaches, Tatum, WNBA, J. Porter

November 1st, 2024 at 9:55pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of his retirement as a player, six-time NBA All-Star Blake Griffin is said to be drawing significant interest not from NBA teams but from the league’s new television partners. According to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, Griffin is in talks with Amazon Prime Video about a role as an analyst on their NBA coverage, with NBC and ESPN also believed to be interested in the former Clippers star.

Amazon and NBC aren’t currently airing NBA games, but will begin to do so in 2025/26, when the league’s new media rights deal takes effect, and will need to fill out their broadcast teams with both game and studio analysts. One source suggests to McCarthy that Griffin, who has an engaging personality and tried his hand at stand-up comedy during his playing days, is a candidate to become “the face” of Amazon’s NBA coverage.

Ryan Glasspiegel of The New York Post recently reported that veteran play-by-play broadcaster Ian Eagle, who calls NBA games for TNT and YES Network, is in serious talks to join Amazon for its NBA coverage. Mike Tirico and Ian’s son Noah Eagle are expected to be the top two play-by-play broadcasters for NBC’s NBA coverage, per Glasspiegel.

We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

In an interesting story for The Associated Press, Tim Reynolds takes a closer look at the average shelf life for an NBA head coach, noting that 15 of the league’s 30 coaches are entering either their first, second, or third year with their respective clubs. “That’s a sobering reality of this profession,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, the NBA’s second longest-tenured head coach. “It bums me out when I hear that stat because there are a lot of really talented coaches that if they had the same type of structure and continuity and belief from (their teams) … there could be a lot more coaches able to do what I’m able to do here (in Miami).”
Celtics star Jayson Tatum has informally agreed to join a bid to bring a WNBA franchise to his home city of St. Louis, reports Jacob Feldman of Sportico. Billionaires Richard Chaifetz and David Hoffman are heading up the prospective ownership group, according to Feldman, who notes that NBA players are permitted to own up to a 4% stake in a WNBA franchise.
A second gambler has admitted to his role in the Jontay Porter betting scheme, pleading guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, per an Associated Press report. The Pennsylvania man, Mahmud Mollah, will be sentenced on May 2 in federal court. A wide range of sentences are possible, from a no-jail punishment to 20 years in prison.

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Raptors, Barnes, Queta, Watford

October 31st, 2024 at 10:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers star Joel Embiid has participated in multiple 5-on-5 scrimmages in recent days as he takes steps toward making his season debut, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania.

According to Charania, with the 76ers not in action again until Saturday, the expectation is that Embiid will be evaluated ahead of that game vs. Memphis after working out on Thursday and Friday. The former MVP has missed the first four games of Philadelphia’s season, but hasn’t yet been ruled out for Saturday’s contest against the Grizzlies.

The Sixers were fined $100K this week for inconsistent statements about Embiid’s health status. Pressed on Wednesday about the team’s lack of transparency, head coach Nick Nurse declined to offer any specific details about where things stand for the big man or Embiid’s co-star Paul George, who has yet to make his 76ers debut due to a bone bruise in his knee.

“They are making progress,” Nurse said, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “They’re going to have workouts tomorrow, Friday. We hope to have a better indication where they are by then. I’ll update you then.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

As Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca and Eric Koreen of The Athletic write, the orbital fracture that will sideline star forward Scottie Barnes for at least the next few weeks will make it even more difficult for the Raptors to evaluate their core, which has been hit hard by injuries this fall. However, there are some silver linings, Lewenberg and Koreen note. The Raptors will have more minutes available for their younger players and are increasingly unlikely to be on the hook for an extra $45MM for Barnes, who would become ineligible for an All-NBA spot if he misses at least 18 games this season. The five-year rookie scale extension he signed in July would be worth a projected $269MM instead of $224MM if he earns All-NBA honors in 2024/25.
Neemias Queta provided the Celtics with some quality minutes in Wednesday’s loss to Indiana, pulling down nine rebounds as Boston outscored Indiana by 18 points in his 14 minutes of action. While Queta has played sparingly behind Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman so far this season, Brian Robb of MassLive.com makes the case that – with Kristaps Porzingis still out for a while – the time may be right for the Celtics to take a more extended look at Queta, who signed a three-year contract with the team in July and may be better suited for certain matchups and situations than Kornet or Tillman.
Nets forward Trendon Watford, on the shelf since early October due to a left hamstring strain, has been upgraded to probable for Friday’s game vs. Chicago, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. It’s unclear whether Watford will be part of Jordi Fernandez‘s rotation, but he should soon be available to make his season debut if needed.

Central Notes: Rivers, Middleton, LaVine, Harris, Reed

October 30th, 2024 at 11:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers may have missed out on a chance to lead the Celtics to more championships, but he told Steve Bulpett of Heavy that he doesn’t regret his decision to accept an offer from the Clippers in 2013. According to Bulpett, the team was “fairly pleading” for Rivers to stay and oversee a rebuilding project after trading Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn, but Rivers was attracted by the money and the chance to coach a team filled with stars in Los Angeles.

“I thought about it that first year with the Clippers, like, ‘Uh, I may have made a mistake,’” Rivers said. “But after that, I didn’t really think about it at all. … One thing I’ve never done is I never look back. I just don’t. I’ve never done that.”

Rivers said he was confident that Boston would rebuild quickly, which it did, largely from the draft picks the team received in the deal with the Nets. Rivers wasn’t able to get the Clippers past the second round of the playoffs before his time with the organization ended in 2020. He spent three years coaching in Philadelphia, then took the Milwaukee job midway through last season. Although he hasn’t come close to winning a title since leaving the Celtics, Rivers takes pride in what he’s accomplished.

“Everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve won,” he said. “I got fired in Philly, and we were .653 in the three years I was there, you know what I mean? So, like, I’m fine with my legacy. I’m eighth in (career) wins, fourth in playoff wins, so I’ve got a great legacy. But I want more. That’s why I’m still doing it.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

There’s still no timeline for Khris Middleton to return, but Rivers was encouraged by what he saw at today’s practice, per Jim Owczarski of The Journal-Sentinel. “He did a lot today,” Rivers said as the Bucks held their first full practice session since the season began. “A whole lot. Stayed out on the floor with our guys. So, he’s getting close.” Middleton still hasn’t been cleared to practice in a five-on-five setting, which likely needs to happen before he can return to action.
X-rays were negative on Bulls guard Zach LaVine‘s left shoulder after a collision in tonight’s game, according to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link). LaVine said he got treatment on the shoulder during the game, and he hopes to be ready for Friday’s contest at Brooklyn. He called it a “subluxation,” and Johnson expects him to be listed on the team’s injury report with a shoulder sprain.
Tonight marked a homecoming for a pair of former Sixers who joined the Pistons this summer. Tobias Harris, who signed as a free agent after five-and-a-half years in Philadelphia, wasn’t surprised to get a mixed reaction from the crowd, relays Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). “I think the fans here get a bad rep as far as their passion,” he said. “I’ve played in different cities and this is one of the cities where you can get booed by fans, but you’ll be out at a restaurant and they’ll put a baby in your hands for a photo.” Paul Reed, who got claimed by Detroit after the Sixers waived him in July, was happy to be back in Philadelphia for a night, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). “The city gave me a lot, I ain’t gonna lie,” he said. “A lot of trust. A lot of love. A lot of passion. So I really love Philly. I definitely felt some type of way when I left. But it is what it is. That’s the business.”

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