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Kyrie Irving Talks LeBron James, Embracing Role In Boston

March 9th, 2019 at 11:57am CST by marksuleymanov

To label Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving as a mercurial presence in Boston this season would be an understatement. The point guard has garnered huge attention due to a streaky Celtics team, an uncertain future in Boston, his public comments, and his impending free agency.

At times, Irving has expressed frustration with his team and its inconsistent performance. Other situations have called for Irving to answer – and in many cases – deflect questions about his plans this summer. Despite all of that, the Celtics remain a lock for the postseason with Irving, a player with NBA Finals experience.

In a recent interview with Joe Vardon of The Athletic (subscription required), Irving discussed his season in Boston, getting used to negativity and his former teammate LeBron James‘ adjustment to the Lakers. Here are a few highlights:

On LeBron James’ first season in Los Angeles…

“You’re coming to a team like that and you have a lot of the responsibility, and you come back in the middle of the regular season, it’s hard because now other teams are gearing up for the playoffs, that next level of play. Bron knows about it, (Rajon) Rondo knows about it, but Kuz (Kyle Kuzma) and Brandon Ingram, he’s trying to teach these guys well about what it takes to win consistently in this league.”

On the adjustment to being the superstar on a contending team…

“It’s a little maniacal at times and a bit repetitive because you get asked the same questions about the regular season and we all know that, all that goes out the window once you get to to the playoffs. The thing that matters the most is how connected you are as a team heading into the postseason. … The deal that I had to become aware of, that I was signing up for, was like once you become one of the most coveted guys in the league, you’re signing up for basically, like you’re going to be attacked for the rest of your career. You’re going to be praised. You’re going to be brought up, you’re going to be brought down because that’s just the nature of the business.”

On his confidence as a leader…

“My confidence runs deep regardless, but especially when it’s at the highest point of competition, it’s when I did my best. I haven’t had the best games in the Finals sometimes. I haven’t had the best games in the playoffs. I’ve definitely been through some ups and downs. But I think that experience and that carryover from taking (the championship), from the opportunity of being in Cleveland and then taking (the experience) to Boston gives me my confidence in my teammates now.”

Playoff Teams With Open Roster Spots

March 6th, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors became the latest NBA team to fill their final open roster spot today, signing Andrew Bogut to a rest-of-season deal. The move made Golden State the ninth club currently holding a postseason spot to fill its 15-man roster.

Between now and April 10, more teams figure to join that list. During the regular season, there are benefits to carrying 14 – or even 13 – players for long stretches, particularly for healthy teams with luxury-tax concerns. But when the postseason rolls around, there’s little downside to filling the entire roster, even if it just means adding a 15th man during the final week (or day) of the season.

With that in mind, here are the teams in the top eight in each conference that still have at least one open spot on their 15-man rosters and could make a move or two in the coming weeks:

Playoff teams with multiple open roster spots:

Toronto Raptors (2)
Houston Rockets (2)
Oklahoma City Thunder (2)

The Raptors, Rockets, and Thunder will all be required to sign at least one more player in the coming weeks to ensure that they get back up to the NBA-mandated minimum of 14 players. Houston may actually need to make multiple moves, since a third open spot would open on the Rockets’ roster once Terrence Jones‘ latest 10-day contract expires.

Playoff teams with one open roster spot:

Boston Celtics
Los Angeles Clippers
San Antonio Spurs
Brooklyn Nets *

While the Celtics, Clippers, and Spurs each have one open roster spot, the Nets actually have a full 15-man squad for now. That could change as soon as Friday though, as Tahjere McCall‘s 10-day deal with Brooklyn is set to expire overnight on Thursday.

Playoff contenders with at least one open roster spot:

Miami Heat (2)
Sacramento Kings (1)
Washington Wizards (1)

Of the teams within three games of a playoff spot, these are the ones with roster openings. While the Kings and Wizards may opt not to add reinforcements as they push for a postseason berth, the Heat – like the other teams with two openings – will be required to add a 14th man soon.

For a full breakdown of the current NBA roster counts, be sure to check out our tracker.

Celtics Look To Build On Win Over Warriors

March 6th, 2019 at 12:39pm CST by Luke Adams

It was just yesterday that we were relaying the latest stories on the dysfunction in Boston, including Jaylen Brown‘s comments from earlier this week on the “toxic” environment created by the Celtics‘ losing. Just 24 hours later, the team appears to be in a better place – at least for now – after hammering the defending champions in Golden State.

Asked about the difference between Tuesday’s showing and some of the Celtics’ other recent performances, Kyrie Irving suggested that a long cross-country flight to the Bay Area provided a good bonding opportunity for the club.

“That long plane ride helped us out,” the Celtics’ star point guard said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com. “I’ll just say that. That long plane ride helped us out. We needed it. It was just we were going to get to a point where we were just going to get tired of fighting each other, fighting the outside world. And it doesn’t even really matter. So, we just wanted to come out here and just play basketball. This is our sanctuary. And we have to do everything to protect it. We can’t let anybody infiltrate it.”

Jaylen Brown: Celtics Must Fix “Toxic” Environment

March 5th, 2019 at 12:53pm CST by Luke Adams

While Jaylen Brown has been fairly productive off the bench for the Celtics in recent weeks, logging some of his better performances of the season, he said this week that he’s “not feeling good at all” about the team’s overall play, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. According to Brown, the environment around the team needs to change.

“Right now it’s not good. It’s toxic,” Brown said. “I can’t really point out one thing. I don’t have all the answers. I’m just going to try to be part of the change. I’m going to try to do my best. That’s all I’ve got to say.”

Brown is just the latest in a string of Celtics players to express frustration with the situation in Boston. Kyrie Irving has done so multiple times this season, Marcus Morris spoke last month about the club not having any “fun,” and Marcus Smart said last week that the team is “just not together.” Like those other players, Brown doesn’t know exactly what the solution is, but still believes the C’s are capable of turning things around.

“I still believe,” he said, per Washburn. “I think we’ve got time to get it together. I’m very optimistic and very positive and think that we will . . . We keep talking about it. I’m just going to try to do it with my play, come out and play hard and try to change the atmosphere and this environment.”

Let’s round up a few more Celtics-related items…

Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston revisits several of the defining moments of the Celtics’ 2018/19 season, tracing the evolution of the club from Eastern Conference frontrunner to vulnerable, middle-of-the-pack playoff team.
In an illuminating story for ESPN.com, Jackie MacMullan talks to Gordon Hayward and some people around him about the veteran forward’s long, challenging quest to regain his All-Star form. Hayward has been assisted by a mental health counselor during the process, as MacMullan details.
According to data compiled by Eric Pincus at Basketball Insiders, the Celtics sent $2,055,910 to the Hawks in last month’s Jabari Bird salary dump. That amount was more than enough to cover the remaining portion of Bird’s $1,349,383 salary for 2019/20, so Atlanta easily came out ahead. So did Boston though — Bird’s cap hit would have cost the team about $2.27MM in projected tax penalties.

Agent: Hayward Will Shine Next Season

March 4th, 2019 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics have been slumping but Kevin Durant believes they’ll be dangerous when the playoffs arrive, as the Warriors star told a group of reporters, including ESPN’s Nick Friedell. Durant, whose team faces Boston on Tuesday, believes the Celtics are “still getting used to each other” but they’ll be a tough out in the postseason. “They’re right up there at the top,” Durant said. “They’ve been losing a couple games, but they’ve got the top talent, some of the top talent on that team, so they’ll be fine once the playoffs start.”

Gordon Hayward‘s agent promises that his client will return to All-Star form next season. Mark Bartelstein made the comments in a WEEI interview that were relayed by NBC Sports Boston’s Nick Goss. “My guess is he doesn’t get his game all the way back where we’re accustomed to seeing it until next year,” Bartelstein said of the Celtics forward. “He’s going to need a summer to get back in the gym and get back in the laboratory and the weight room and build on everything he did last year. But there’s not a doubt in my mind. He’ll be an All-Star in this league many, many times over.”

Celtics Notes: Lineup, Irving, Ojeleye, Rozier

March 4th, 2019 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

After snapping a four-game losing streak on Friday vs. Washington, the Celtics suffered another home loss on Sunday against the Rockets. The game once again left Boston’s players and coaches grasping for answers, with Kyrie Irving and head coach Brad Stevens both suggesting that the C’s simply have to “play better,” as Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com relays.

While there has been an assumption for much of the season that the Celtics will eventually figure things out and hit their stride, there are only 18 games left in their regular season schedule, and time is running out, writes Bontemps. Some league observers believe Boston needs to shake up its starting five, but Stevens isn’t sure it’s that simple.

“You know, obviously, we’ll look at everything,” Stevens said. “We’ve been looking at everything after every game. Every night when you go to bed, every minute when you wake up, you’re always thinking about that. There’s things that — that are helpful in that, and things that are not helpful. And if it’s the root of your issues, then I think the — then a small tweak can help. I’m not sure that that’s our root [problem].”

Here’s more from out of Boston:

Second-year forward Semi Ojeleye, who isn’t even a regular part of the rotation, made an effort to motivate his teammates on Sunday, yelling at them in a third-quarter huddle to “wake the f–k up,” as Jay King of The Athletic details. The Celtics were down by 28 points at the time. “Making or missing shots isn’t going to determine our wins or losses,” Ojeleye said after the game. “It’s really about effort right now. And I was just trying to tell guys to wake up. The look on everybody’s faces was like we already lost the game, and it was the start of the third quarter.”
Both King and Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer pointed to Marcus Morris‘ comments from last month about things not being “fun” this season in Boston, suggesting that the team’s demeanor on and off the court continues to line up with that sentiment. King writes that recent opponents have noticed the Celtics’ tension on the court, while O’Connor wonders if the club’s identity this season has become “discontent.”
Source around the team tell O’Connor that Irving’s persona has changed since around the start of February, and that he has become more “disengaged and detached from those around the team.” Of course, as O’Connor observes, February 1 was the day that Kyrie was asked again about his upcoming free agency and replied that he doesn’t “owe anybody s–t.”
League sources tell O’Connor that the Suns offered a protected first-round pick for Terry Rozier before the season, but Boston wanted an unprotected first-rounder.

Warriors Plan To Sign Andrew Bogut

March 4th, 2019 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

10:32am: The Warriors plan to sign Bogut for the rest of the season once he receives clearance from the Sydney Kings, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. That’s expected to happen within about 48 hours.

The Celtics were among the other teams with interest in Bogut, Haynes notes.

9:37am: The Warriors have emerged as the favorites to sign veteran center Andrew Bogut, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Charania, Bogut’s representatives are working to get him clearance to sign in the NBA after he spent the season with Australia’s Sydney Kings.

Charania first reported on Sunday that Bogut was drawing interest from NBA teams, citing Golden State and Philadelphia as two clubs in the mix. While there are a handful of contenders that could use a big man like Bogut, the Warriors make a lot of sense — the former No. 1 overall pick previously spent four seasons with the Dubs from 2012-16, and the team currently has an open roster spot.

The Warriors had been hoping that an NBA center like Robin Lopez would shake free on the buyout market last month, but Bogut would be a pretty solid fallback option. He was named the MVP and the Defensive Player of the Year in Australia’s National Basketball League this season, as his 11.7 RPG and 2.7 BPG both led the league by a substantial margin.

If Bogut agrees to sign with Golden State, the team will be limited to offering the minimum salary. The Warriors already used their mid-level exception on DeMarcus Cousins, and the bi-annual exception isn’t available because they’re over the tax apron.

The exact value of a minimum salary deal for Bogut would depend on when he signs it. He’d be in line to earn a salary of $13,525 per day, with a cap hit of $8,546 per day for the club. The Dubs would also incur additional tax penalties based on the big man’s cap charge.

Celtics Notes: Grousbeck, Brown, Ainge, Baynes

March 3rd, 2019 at 9:55am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics will be vulnerable in the first round of the playoffs, co-owner Wyc Grousbeck admitted yesterday, according to Nicole Yang of The Boston Globe. Speaking at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, Grousbeck said the team is coming off the “worst February” in memory since he assumed control of the team in 2002.

Boston posted a 5-6 record and ended the month with four straight losses. There have also been comments from players that the team lacked unity, along with rumors that Kyrie Irving may be reconsidering the verbal commitment he made to re-sign with the Celtics this summer.

“We also have the capability of losing in the first round,” Grousbeck said. “We have a very, very good set of opponents in the East, all of whom have beaten us in the last month.”

There’s more this morning out of Boston:

At the end of Friday’s shootaround, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge could be seen talking to Jaylen Brown, relays A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston. Brown, who has struggled to adjust to a reserve role after being the team’s second-leading scorer last season, described Ainge’s comments as encouraging. “Some GMs might not say anything to you,” Brown said. “So I appreciate him. I try to listen to everybody, hear from everybody and their perspective… So, Danny’s definitely one of the people in my ear that I’m tuned in to, just because of his position and what he’s been through.”
Hall of Famer Kevin McHale warned back in November that the Celtics’ depth might turn out to be a problem because too many players would be expecting significant roles, notes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. The return of Irving and Gordon Hayward, who both missed last year’s playoffs with injuries, meant that Brown, Terry Rozier and others who helped the team reach the Eastern Conference finals were asked to make adjustments. “I think they’re in a spot where they’re trying to keep a lot of players involved and a lot of players happy and catching a rhythm for a lot of players,” McHale said. “That’s always really hard. I’ve always believed that you need to make sure, as a coach, that your three or four top guys are in a great rhythm, and then after that you’re going to have to have guys that fill in and play. You can’t make everybody happy all the time.”
The Celtics may get a boost with the return of center Aron Baynes, who is listed as questionable for today’s game. A left foot contusion has kept him off the court since February 1.

Ainge Defends Stevens; Baynes Nearing Return

February 28th, 2019 at 3:03pm CST by Luke Adams

While Danny Ainge acknowledged during a Toucher & Rich radio appearance on Thursday that “everybody has some fault” in the Celtics‘ struggles this year, the club’s president of basketball operations offered a strong defense of his head coach. “There’s blame to share for everybody, but I will say this: He’s the least, by far, of anybody that there is to blame,” Ainge said of Brad Stevens (link via Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston).
Aron Baynes, who has been sidelined with a left foot injury since the start of February, appears to be almost ready to play, Stevens said on Wednesday, per Taylor Snow of Celtics.com. “I would say that Friday is unlikely,” Stevens said of Baynes’ return date. “But beyond that, I think he could play any time in the days after that depending on how he comes out of (Wednesday’s) workout.”

Smart: Celtics “Just Not Together” During Losses

February 27th, 2019 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics lost their third straight game on Tuesday, falling in embarrassing fashion to the Raptors in Toronto. While the final score was 118-95, the game wasn’t even really that close — at one point, Boston trailed by 31 points.

As the Celtics struggle to determine why they’ve failed to deliver on lofty preseason expectations so far this season, veteran guard Marcus Smart offered one explanation, writes Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com. In Smart’s view, the C’s are “just not together” during their increasingly common slumps.

“What are the main ingredients to those collapses? Not being together,” Smart said. “And that’s it. We’re just not together. Plain and simple. That’s it. Because if we were together, that wouldn’t happen. We’re all talking and linking up, but like I said, it’s something we’re going through, and it’s something we’re going to have to continue to work at and figure it out.”

Meanwhile, head coach Brad Stevens shared his own thoughts on what’s causing the Celtics’ on-court struggles.

“We were taking a lot of shortcuts, and that hurt us,” Stevens said following Tuesday’s loss, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.

Asked about Smart’s and Stevens’ assessments of the Celtics’ slide, Kyrie Irving didn’t offer much to reporters on Tuesday night. Addressing Smart’s opinion that the C’s aren’t playing “together,” Irving replied, “That’s Marcus’ opinion. I respect it.” When a reporter asked whether Kyrie agreed that the Celtics were taking shortcuts and inquired about what the team might do to fix the issue, the All-Star point guard said, “I don’t know, it’s up to Brad.”

While Hoops Rumors typically doesn’t focus too much on game-to-game results, the ongoing dysfunction in Boston could potentially have a huge impact on the coming offseason. Irving – who was seen talking to president of basketball operations Danny Ainge in the locker room after Tuesday’s game, per Himmelsbach – will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, and no longer appears fully committed to his preseason vow that he’d re-sign with the Celtics.

If the Celtics don’t get things sorted out by the playoffs and are eliminated in the first or second round, that could help swing Kyrie’s decision. In turn, if Irving leaves, Boston would probably be far less inclined to go all-in for Anthony Davis on the trade market. In other words, the Celtics’ play over the next couple months will be worth watching closely, since it could significantly affect the NBA landscape going forward.