- Celtics fans were excited to see a photo posted by president of basketball operations Danny Ainge of Gordon Hayward without his ankle brace, but coach Brad Stevens told A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston not to read too much into it. “This is exactly what they thought the timeline would be like, just being out of a brace,” Stevens said. “There’s a long way to go.” Hayward continues to make progress in his recovery from a fractured left ankle, but Stevens added that the timeline hasn’t changed.
- The Celtics have recalled Abdel Nader and Guerschon Yabusele from the G League, according to the team (Twitter link). Nader and Yabusele played for the Maine Red Claws during Sunday’s loss to the Raptors 905.
Here are Sunday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Lakers recalled rookie center Thomas Bryant from their G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers so he could play in tonight’s game, per a press release. Bryant has appeared in two NBA games this season. Bryant has appeared in two games for the Lakers this season. With South Bay, Bryant has averaged 21.3 PPG and 7.5 RPG in 29.7 minutes per game.
- The Bucks have recalled D.J. Wilson from their G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, the team announced in a press release. Wilson has appeared in 12 games with Milwaukee this season.
- After recalling the duo on Saturday, the Kings re-assigned Justin Jackson and Georgios Papagiannis to the G League on Sunday, per RealGM’s transactions log. The duo helped lead the Reno Bighorns to a victory, combining for 43 points and 20 rebounds.
- A pair of Celtics, Abdel Nader and Guerschon Yabusele, headed to the G League on Sunday, according to RealGM’s transactions log. The two youngsters suited up for the Maine Red Claws in Sunday’s loss to the Raptors 905.
- Is it time to start believing in the Celtics? That’s the question that Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports asks, suggesting that the team has made a case for itself as a legitimate contender for the East crown as soon as this season.
Back when he was on the trade block in July and August, Kyrie Irving reportedly had San Antonio on his list of preferred destinations. And according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Spurs weren’t just a bystander as the Cavaliers were considering their options. The Spurs “tried really, really hard” to land Irving, Woj said on ESPN late last night, per Ramona Shelburne (Twitter link).
Patty Mills, Tony Parker, and Dejounte Murray have handled point guard duties for the Spurs this season, and while they’ve been solid, the team clearly would have received a boost at the position by trading for Irving. However, it’s not clear what sort of package the front office could have put together that would have enticed the Cavs.
Unlike the Celtics, the Spurs weren’t holding any particularly attractive draft assets, since their own future first-round picks are unlikely to land in the lottery. LaMarcus Aldridge, who had yet to sign his new contract extension when Irving was dealt, could have been a trade chip. Danny Green probably would have appealed to Cleveland as well, but if the Cavs wanted to acquire a starting-caliber point guard for Irving, finding a match would have been tricky — Parker is 35 years old, Mills won’t be trade-eligible until January 15, and the 21-year-old Murray isn’t yet ready for a huge role.
While the Spurs’ pursuit of Irving didn’t pan out, Woj’s report on their strong interest in the former Cavs guard is the latest indication that San Antonio continues to explore ways to add star power, particularly at the point guard spot. The Spurs were also frequently linked to Chris Paul last spring before he was traded to Houston.
With Isaiah Thomas having returned to the Cavaliers on Tuesday, and the Cavs now poised to square off against the Celtics on Wednesday, it only makes sense to revisit one of the 2017 offseason’s biggest trades. ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan has done just that, taking a deep dive into the factors that led to Kyrie Irving heading from Cleveland to Boston.
Along the way, MacMullan passes along several noteworthy tidbits — while the whole piece is worth checking out, especially for Cavs and Celtics fans, we’ve rounded up some of the most interesting details below:
- While Irving made his trade request in July, the Cavaliers explored the possibility of moving the point guard in June, which MacMullan suggests contributed to Irving’s decision to ask out of Cleveland. “They didn’t want me there,” Irving said of the Cavs. Former teammate LeBron James disputes that notion, which he says “makes absolutely no sense.”
- One deal the Cavs explored in June would have sent Irving and Channing Frye to the Suns and resulted in both Paul George and Eric Bledsoe landing in Cleveland. However, Phoenix balked at that deal, since the club was unwilling to give up the No. 4 overall pick, says MacMullan. A few days later, the Pacers dealt George to the Thunder instead.
- Although no formal offer was made during those negotiations, Irving caught wind of the talks and believed they were orchestrated by James’ camp, since LeBron shares an agent with Bledsoe. Team and league sources suggest otherwise, telling MacMullan that former Cavs GM David Griffin sensed that an Irving trade request may be coming and initiated talks with the Suns.
- When Irving and his agent met with the Cavaliers on July 9, they pressed owner Dan Gilbert about the team’s direction, and mentioned the Spurs, Knicks, and Timberwolves as preferred landing spots for Irving. Boston didn’t come up during that meeting, but Gilbert coveted the Nets‘ 2018 first-round pick that was held by the Celtics, and Irving’s camp didn’t oppose a deal to the C’s.
- When the Celtics emerged as a viable trade partner for Irving and the Cavs, Gilbert went to James and attempted to secure a promise that he’d stay in Cleveland beyond the 2017/18 season, but LeBron declined to commit, sources tell MacMullan.
Of all the moves that Celtics general manager Danny Ainge has made at the helm of the Celtics organization, hiring head coach Brad Stevens could be his best, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald writes. When Stevens was hired, he had no prior NBA head coaching experience but Ainge said that his communication and work ethic made him a natural fit.
“You know, Brad was an outstanding move, yeah. He’s a joy to work with. I think that not only is he fun for me to work with, he’s fun for everybody to work with,” Ainge said to Bulpett. “I think he’s someone that respects every person in the organization, from the lowest-level people all the way up to Wyc and Pags (part-owners Wyc Grousbeck and Steve Pagliuca). I think he has relationships with everybody in the entire organization. And that makes my job easier, because so much of my job is managing people, and when there’s conflict, it just makes my job harder. So having a guy like Brad around makes my job easier, and I can focus on more important things.”
The Celtics currently own the best record in the Eastern Conference at 30-10, three games ahead of the Cavaliers. While the roster has changed a lot since Stevens took over for Doc Rivers, Stevens’ ability to manage and guide the team to winning has not changed.
Check out other Celtics news below:
- As the Nets win more games, the Celtics could not be happier as it reduces the chance that the Nets’ 2018 first-round pick — which was sent from Boston to Cleveland as part of the Kyrie Irving trade — being first overall, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston writes. It’s the last remnant of the lopsided 2013 trade that sent future Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn for a series of first-round picks.
- Former Celtics center and current Net Tyler Zeller recently spoke to Jared Weiss of Celtics Wire to discuss his three-year stint in Beantown. Zeller discussed how he accepted a constantly changing role in Boston as he went from playing 82 games (59 starts) in 2014/15 to an occasional reserve last year.
- The Celtics own the Eastern Conference’s best record and have received tremendous help from their young players, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston writes. The likes of Jaylen Brown, Semi Ojeleye, and Jayson Tatum have been crucial to the team’s success but lesser known names such as Daniel Theis and last year’s G League Rookie of the Year, Abdel Nader, have had an impact.
Celtics GM Danny Ainge is baffled by Isaiah Thomas‘ recent criticism of the team’s former medical staff, he said in a weekly radio interview that was relayed by Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports. Thomas called out the Celtics in an ESPN interview, saying he would have sat out last postseason if he knew he’d have a long-term recovery from his hip injury. Speaking on 98.5 FM The Sports Hub, Ainge said he was blindsided by the comment. “As you remember, he had a pretty special playoff run, including a 53-point game, but I really don’t remember what he’s referring to,” Ainge said. The Celtics did not retain their trainer and strength coach but Ainge declared it had nothing to do with their handling of Thomas’ injury.
In other news regarding the Celtics:
- The team hasn’t hosted an All-Star Game since 1964 but owner Wyc Grousbeck is hoping to change that, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe reports. The team has been reluctant to apply for hosting the annual event because of the way the league distributes tickets but Grousbeck is willing to accept its terms. “We can’t get all of our fans into the game, all of our season ticket-holders,” Grousbeck said. “We have a season ticket-holder wait list and relatively few of our season ticket-holders would be able to come to a game that we host. But nonetheless, we’re going to get a (application) package and see if we can work something out.” The earliest that could happen is 2022 because the league has already booked other venues prior to that year.
- Coach Brad Stevens has managed Kyrie Irving‘s minutes and the star point guard is fine with that approach, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of NBCSports.com. Irving is averaging 32.2 MPG, compared to 35.1 MPG in his last season with the Cavaliers. “Whatever is needed, I’m willing to do for the team,” Irving told the assembled media. “And I know Brad will echo the same things, so I trust what he’s got going on.”
- Fatigue is a factor in the Celtics’ inconsistent play of late, Chris Forsberg of ESPN notes. Boston has endured a front-loaded schedule in which it plays half of its games in 79 days, Forsberg points out. The Celtics will play their final 41 games over a 97-day stretch.
- Celtics big man Daniel Theis does not like playing with a protective mask on his face but his recent performance was not impacted by the facial inconvenience, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston writes. Theis grabbed 15 rebounds in the Celtics’ win over the Bulls last Saturday. While he maintains that the mask is bothersome, he said the current one he uses has improved his vision on the court. Theis hopes to play without the mask in three weeks.