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Celtics Notes: Hayward, West, Roster

March 4th, 2018 at 2:56pm CST by marksuleymanov

With a series of videos updating his recovery progress, Gordon Hayward has been fueling speculation that despite long odds, he could suit up for the Celtics before the end of the season. However, head coach Brad Stevens gave his most definitive statement to date, declaring Hayward as done for the year, Michael Singer of USA Today Sports writes.

“He’s not playing this year,” Stevens said. “I don’t know what else to say. Is he progressing? Yes. … It’s great, and I think that the videos are great too because it continues to show the progress because sometimes when you’re in the midst of that long rehab you don’t feel the progress of the day-to-day the way now we all might see a video or somebody that hasn’t seen him may see a video, and say ‘man he is really getting better.’ But he’s super long way away from even being in on a 1-on-0 workout where he’s cutting.”

Hayward suffered a gruesome broken ankle on opening night against the Cavaliers — his first game in Boston green. The Celtics have added players to the roster and relied heavily on youngsters such as Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in Hayward’s absence. He is expected to be ready for the 2018/19 season.

Check out other Celtics news and notes below:

NBA legend Jerry West, a current consultant to the Clippers front office, admires the work that Danny Ainge has done to rebuild the Celtics’ roster and put the team near the top of the Eastern Conference, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald writes. “Danny’s done a nice job back there,” West said. “Are they good enough? They had a terrible break with a very good player (Gordon Hayward), and are they good enough now? At the end of a couple of years, they’re going to be judged by that, by how they’re doing then — not by now. They’ve got some good young players. They’ve got a terrific coach. They’ve got a lot of positive things going, that’s for sure.”
One of the most talked-about trade scenarios in recent years has been Anthony Davis joining the Celtics. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer opines that the Celtics would be better off pouncing on the next major name that becomes available instead of waiting on Davis, who may or may not ever become available.

Greg Monroe Shows Values In Recent C's Win

March 1st, 2018 at 11:13pm CST by Austin Kent

The Celtics understand that there will be situations where Greg Monroe can have a major impact on basketball games. The 265-pound big man recently seized an opportunity to impress his new teammates, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston writes.

Atlantic Notes: James, Smart, Theis, Anunoby

February 27th, 2018 at 10:52pm CST by marksuleymanov

A Philadelphia-based company purchased billboard space near Quicken Loans Arena pleading for LeBron James to sign with the 76ers in free agency this summer. While some may find the gesture as a distraction, James is flattered that in his 15th season, people are still trying to recruit him, Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor writes.

“You can say it’s a distraction, it’s not. Not a distraction,” James said Tuesday morning. “It is actually very flattering that I’m sitting here at 33 and in my 15th year and teams or guys — I don’t want to say teams because that becomes tampering — but people in their respective city want me to play for them. That’s cool I think. That’s dope.”

James will hit unrestricted free agency for the third time this summer and there has been a lot of talk that he is considering a second departure from Cleveland. For his part, James has downplayed every rumor and report surrounding his future and noted that he will personally address his decision at the appropriate time.

Check out other Atlantic Division notes below:

The effect of Marcus Smart has been noticeable for the Celtics since the guard’s return to the court. In Boston’s first two victories after the All-Star break, Smart impacted the ball on both sides, prompting Kyrie Irving to acknowledge his teammate’s difference-making abilities, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston relays. “He just adds a lot of versatility to our offense and our defense,” Irving said. “He has a high awareness on both ends. He’s able to create opportunities for all of us at both ends of the floor and we appreciate that.”
Daniel Theis has shown improvement all season long and plays the game with maturity beyond his years, Blakely writes in a separate story. “He’s been great,” Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said. “Been what you expect him to be from a skill set standpoint and activity standpoint. But he does it every night. One of the best things you can be called in this league is consistent. And he’s very consistent.”
The Raptors‘ recent struggles at the small forward spot may pave the way for a lineup change, Michael Grange of Sportsnet writes. OG Anunoby has been a stable defensive presence, but his offensive shortcomings could force a change.

Celtics Notes: Hayward, Smart, Irving, Baynes

February 24th, 2018 at 8:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

Plans have been delayed for Celtics forward Gordon Hayward to start joining the team on road trips, according to Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. The Celtics want Hayward, who suffered a brutal ankle injury on opening night, to do more conditioning and strength work on an anti-gravity treadmill before clearing him to travel.

“It doesn’t look like it’s any time in the next couple of weeks,” coach Brad Stevens said. “We talked the other day. He’s gonna do another alter-G process or progress starting on Sunday where he goes from 60 percent of his body weight all the way to 100, and then once he gets to 100 — once he can do stuff where he’s running or jumping, then it makes sense to bring him on the road.”

Hayward has said he hasn’t given up hope of playing again before the season ends. However, Stevens reiterated that the plan has always been to bring Hayward on the road for camaraderie and emotional support, rather than as an on-court contributor.

There’s more today out of Boston:

Marcus Smart feels fortunate that he didn’t put himself out for the rest of the season when he punched a picture frame last month, relays Chris Forsberg of ESPN. Smart was sidelined for 11 games with lacerations on his right hand, but doctors told him a piece of glass barely missed shredding two tendons near the pinky on his shooting hand. A little further over and Smart probably would have needed season-ending surgery. “So, [the doctors said],’You should go play the lotto or something because you missed your tendons,'” Smart said. “They don’t understand it. They don’t really see how. So I thank God for that every day. It could have been worse.”
Even though he asked to be traded, Kyrie Irving had a lot of adjustments to make when he was sent from Cleveland to Boston over the offseason. “Been a lot of newness, honestly,” he said in an interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols. “It’s an adjustment in itself. Being with a totally different group of guys, trying to bridge that gap with our group and trying to be my best self with our group. It’s been awesome. Trying at times, but well worth it.”
Center Aron Baynes is sitting out another game tonight with a sprained left elbow, the Celtics tweeted. He will undergo an MRI on Sunday to determine the extent of the damage, relays Jay King of MassLive. “He’s still sore,” Stevens told reporters. “But he’ll see our team docs and do the MRI thing tomorrow.”

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/21/18

February 21st, 2018 at 9:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA.

9:32pm:

The Warriors have recalled guard Quinn Cook and center Damian Jones from their affiliate in Santa Cruz, tweets Monte Poole of NBC Bay Area.
The Cavaliers have assigned center Ante Zizic to their Canton affiliate, the team announced on its website.
The Jazz assigned center Tony Bradley to their affiliate in Salt Lake City, according to the team website.

4:05pm:

The Rockets have assigned Zhou Qi and Chinanu Onuaku to their Rio Grande Valley affiliate, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.
The Celtics have sent Guerschon Yabusele to their affiliate in Maine, the team announced on Twitter.
The Raptors have assigned Alfonzo McKinnie and Malachi Richardson to the G League, according to a tweet from Raptors905.

Poll: Which Team Will Earn No. 1 Seed In East?

February 20th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Like the Rockets in the Western Conference, the Raptors entered the All-Star break on a hot streak that allowed them to claim the No. 1 seed in the East. With Toronto on a seven-game winning streak and Boston having lost three in a row, the 41-16 Raps now have a two-game cushion on the 40-19 Celtics.

While the Raptors currently hold the top spot in the East, they’re not a lock to hang onto it the rest of the way. The Celtics figure to bounce back, particularly when Marcus Smart returns to their lineup. And the Cavaliers aren’t going anywhere either — after a midseason swoon, a series of deadline-day trades have revitalized the Cavs, who have won four in a row to increase their record to 34-22, 6.5 games back of Toronto.

It would take a major slump for the Raptors to give up a 6.5-game lead with just 25 to play, but if that slump happens, we probably shouldn’t rule out teams like the Wizards (33-24), Pacers (33-25), and Bucks (32-25) either. Still, those clubs are very long shots for the No. 1 seed. The race for the top spot in the East looks like it will come down to three teams — and possibly just two if the Cavs dug too deep a hole during the first half.

Unlike in the West, where the Rockets and Warriors have been just as successful on the road as at home, a pair of top Eastern contenders have been much better when they’ve had home-court advantage. The Raptors have an NBA-best 24-4 mark at home, compared to 17-12 on the road. The Cavs, meanwhile, are 20-7 in home games and having a losing record (14-15) as visitors. Claiming the No. 1 seed and gaining home-court advantage throughout the playoffs could be a huge factor for those teams.

What do you think? Will the Raptors hang onto the No. 1 seed? Will the Celtics reclaim it? Will the new-look Cavs go on a hot streak to get back in the race to the top? Vote below in our poll and then jump into the comment section to share your thoughts!

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NBA Players Weigh In On 2018 Free Agency

February 19th, 2018 at 11:30am CST by Luke Adams

With a big offeason looming once the 2017/18 NBA regular season comes to an end, several ESPN writers spoke to NBA players to get their predictions on where they expect some of this summer’s top free agents to land. In total, 48 players weighed in. Here are some highlights from the results of ESPN’s survey:

LeBron James is considered likely to return to the Cavaliers, with 59% of the respondents picking Cleveland as his free agency destination, while 22% chose the Lakers. “He won’t leave after all the moves they made last week,” one Eastern Conference forward said of LeBron, referring to the Cavs’ trade-deadline deals. Asked where James should sign, even more respondents (66%) voted for Cleveland.
If James does decide he wants to join the Lakers, the LaVar Ball show won’t be a deterrent, according to 89% of the players surveyed. “If LeBron comes to L.A., then it’s the LeBron show. Not the Ball show,” said one Eastern Conference center.
Most of the survey respondents (80%) believe DeMarcus Cousins will re-sign with the Pelicans.
Only 33% of the players surveyed expect Paul George to be in the Thunder‘s opening-night lineup for 2018/19.
The respondents are slightly in favor (59%) of maximum salary contracts existing in the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. “LeBron, Steph and KD, all those guys bring a lot more than what they’re getting paid,” said one Western Conference guard. “But being a lower-tier salary guy myself, if you pay those guys even more, the lower guys on the totem pole don’t really get anything.”
Asked which teams make the best pitches to free agents, players chose the Celtics (27%), Heat (15%), Lakers (12%), and Warriors (9%), with nine other clubs receiving votes. One Eastern Conference guard on Boston: “If you bring Tom Brady? That’s pretty damn cool.”

Al Horford Is An All-Star Without All-Star Numbers

February 18th, 2018 at 5:35pm CST by marksuleymanov

Al Horford made his third All-Star team, and first with the Celtics, in 2018 and he did so without the usual eye-popping statistics of an All-Star, Chris Mannix of The Vertical writes. Instead, Horford earned his spot by being a complete player who can make an impact on both sides of the ball.

Irving Interested In Joining Forces With Porzingis?

February 18th, 2018 at 10:24am CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks fans may find some hope in comments that Celtics guard Kyrie Irving relayed Saturday about Kristaps Porzingis, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. “I told him I would love to play with a big like you, man, when we played them in the beginning of the season when he came to Boston,’’ Irving said. “He’s so versatile. So I wish him nothing but the best and hope he comes back even stronger.” Irving will be a free agent in the summer of 2019, which is the next time the Knicks will have a healthy amount of cap space. Porzingis is expected to be fully healed from ACL surgery by then and could give Irving, who grew up in West Orange, N.J., a reason to consider coming to New York.

Cavaliers Notes: LeBron, Irving, Love, Wade

February 18th, 2018 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Today’s All-Star Game will reunite LeBron James and Kyrie Irving as teammates for the first time since the trade that sent Irving to Boston for three players and two draft picks. They were on the court together at Saturday’s practice and neither made a big deal out of the reunion, relays Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.

Irving told reporters it was “pretty awesome” to be back with James, but added that their interactions were “just normal.” “Sorry, I know that sounds like not a lot,” he added, “but it’s just normal.”

James is responsible for bringing them back together. As one of the team captains for today’s game, he made the decision to select Irving, saying, “If he was available I was taking him.” James was originally angry that Irving requested a trade, but didn’t do much to talk him out of it, Vardon writes, even though he asked Cleveland’s front office not to make a deal. James said he still has fond memories of their partnership.

“Those thoughts still go into my head of how great it was to break the drought in our city, over 50-plus years,” James said. “The both of us had magical Finals runs and, so it’s always special.”

There’s more this morning out of Cleveland:

The Cavaliers got rid of a bad situation on and off the court with three deals just before the trade deadline, Kevin Love tells Vardon in a separate story. Several players the Cavs sent away were reportedly affecting team chemistry, although Love says he didn’t see any “friction” with Dwyane Wade. “It might not have been a bad thing to get some fresh faces in there and guys from situations where they really wanted to win,” Love said. “I think first and foremost, seeing those [new] guys in Atlanta, they didn’t play, but they got there right after the trade and they just said they want to win. You can tell when somebody says it, you can tell when somebody means it. They really meant it and it felt good to have that there.”
Love offered a medical update on the broken left hand that has sidelined him since late January, Vardon adds. Love has started running again and plans to have his cast taken off at the four-week mark, which will be in early March. His prognosis has him out of action for eight weeks.
James has been able to make about $20MM extra since rejoining the Cavaliers by signing one-year contracts with player options, notes Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com. The team wanted James to agree to a four-year max deal when he returned to Cleveland that would have been worth roughly $88MM. By opting for shorter commitments, James maximized his flexibility and will have earned $108MM by the end of this season.