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Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Knicks, Raptors

July 24th, 2016 at 3:24pm CST by Will Joseph

DeMarcus Cousins said he has enjoyed being around Carmelo Anthony with Team USA because the Knicks star has experience playing on both winning and losing teams in an interview posted on the Sacramento Bee’s website. The comment is interesting and while Knicks fans may read it and envision Cousins in blue and orange, there may not be much to put stock into. The Kings are refusing to listen to trade offers for the talented big man, who has two seasons remaining on his contract.

It’s well-known that I have been a Melo fan my whole life so just to work with him on a daily, I think it is going to help me be a better player.” Cousins said. “I‘m excited for it.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

DeMar DeRozan has epitomized the idea of staying loyal by never forgetting his Compton roots in California and choosing to remain with the Raptors this summer, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes in a worthwhile profile of the Toronto star. DeRozan told Medina that the reason he chose to re-sign with the Raptors and not sign with the Lakers had nothing to do with the latter’s recent shortcomings. “When you have an opportunity to go home, that’s something that certainly would cross your mind. But it wasn’t anything,” DeRozan said. “After I finish playing, I’m pretty sure I’ll live in L.A. But I just wanted to do something special and leave a legacy of my own in Toronto.”
With a need for shooting, the Celtics could conceivably make a bid for free agent J.R. Smith after failing to add more offense via free agency, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes.

Celtics Notes: Sullinger, Bentil, Nader, Jackson

July 24th, 2016 at 12:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former Celtics power forward Jared Sullinger had a pretty good idea that he would be changing teams when the season ended, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. Sullinger signed a one-year, $5.6MM deal with the Raptors last week after Boston rescinded its qualifying offer. The 24-year-old sensed a change was coming after spending four years with the Celtics. “It’s definitely a hard part when you walk into this locker room and you see the same people every day,” he said after Boston was knocked out of the playoffs. “These guys are great. This is one of the best teams I’ve been a part of as far as just the community of the guys. We do a lot of things together. I really can’t speak on the future, but if I leave, it’s going to be tough walking away from great guys like we have in this locker room.”

There’s more news today out of Boston:

Second-round pick Ben Bentil may have left college too early after slipping to the 51st pick in the draft, Bulpett writes in the same story. The 6’8″ power forward was a star at Providence, averaging 21.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore, but many observers believed he could have used another year in school. “I think it was a difficult call because he had such a great year,” said Friars coach Ed Cooley. “He had a really good year, and I thought he had an opportunity, but somebody had to like him, you know what I mean? And I’m appreciative of the Celtics giving him an opportunity to show what he can do. Getting a roster spot there is going to be very difficult, but I think, given the opportunity, he’s tough, he can score and he’s really physical. And hopefully some physicality and some scoring from a frontcourt person is something that Danny [Ainge] and Coach [Brad] Stevens can use. He’s all of 6’8 1/2″ flat-foot. He’s got a good wingspan and a great motor — a really, really good motor. I think he can add something to a team, and as he learns what the NBA game is about, I think he can improve.”
The Celtics may be adding second-round pick Abdel Nader to an already overcrowded roster, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. The Iowa State forward was taken 58th overall and impressed Celtics officials with his play in summer league. A source tells Himmelsbach that the Celtics are exploring several options, including designating Nader as a D-League player for next season and having him spend it with their affiliate in Maine.
Boston hopes to finalize deals this week with Bentil and Demetrius Jackson, Himmelsbach writes in the same piece. That would give the team 18 players under contract heading into training camp.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Lin, Embiid

July 23rd, 2016 at 9:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics have put major trade talks on hold after today’s flurry of signings, according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. So far, the quest to obtain Russell Westbrook or Blake Griffin has made little progress, with the Thunder and Clippers wanting more than Boston is willing to surrender. Instead, the Celtics wrapped up a few smaller moves today, agreeing to terms with free agent swingman Gerald Green and center Tyler Zeller, in addition to deals with second-round picks Demetrius Jackson and Ben Bentil. The Celtics now have 18 players under contract, three over the roster limit. Bulpett expects Bentil to battle in training camp with R.J. Hunter, James Young and John Holland for the last roster spot, with Hunter as the early favorite. That would mean the end in Boston for Young, a 2014 first-round pick whose $1,825,200 salary might be included in any Celtics trade.

There’s more news from the Atlantic Division:

A source confirms, “There is no big deal right now” for the Celtics, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.
New Nets point guard Jeremy Lin moved around the league so much because he has yet to find the “perfect” situation, relays Steve Serby of The New York Post. Lin recently signed a three-year deal with Brooklyn, which will be the sixth franchise for the six-year veteran. “And because I’ve been in situations I didn’t want to be in,” Lin explained, “I’ve created and negotiated in terms of free agency a lot of shorter deals that give me the flexibility to leave if I’m not happy with the way things are going.” In a wide-ranging interview, Lin expresses excitement about the future of the Nets and the chance to once again play for new head coach Kenny Atkinson, who tutored Lin when he was an assistant with the Knicks.
Defeating Justin Bieber in an arm-wrestling match may not prove that the Sixers‘ Joel Embiid is ready for the NBA, but that was just part of an active weekend in Los Angeles, writes Rob Tornoe of The Philadelphia Inquirer. More significant was a video of Embiid working out on the court that was posted online this morning by his trainer, Drew Hanlen. Embiid, who sat out his first two NBA seasons with injuries, was cleared for five-on-five play last month.

Heat Notes: Green, James, Wade, Riley

July 23rd, 2016 at 7:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

The addition of James Johnson, Derrick Williams and Wayne Ellington left no room in Miami for Gerald Green, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Green, who agreed to terms with the Celtics this morning, spent one season in Miami and saw his playing time decline steadily as the year wore on. He appeared in 69 games, starting 14, and averaged 8.9 points per night. Green had expressed a desire to return to Miami, Winderman writes, and the Heat could have offered the same $1.4MM deal he received from Boston. Miami made it clear that the 30-year-old swingman wasn’t in its plans by signing Johnson, Williams and Ellington to be part of an already crowded rotation that includes Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson. Amar’e Stoudemire and Dorell Wright are now the only remaining unsigned free agents from the 2015/16 roster.

There’s more news out of Miami:

As players become more powerful, the idea of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul on the same team becomes more likely, Winderman writes in another piece. During the season, James speculated on the possibility of the four friends someday joining forces.
Team president Pat Riley recently offered some insight on teaming up James, Wade and Chris Bosh in 2010, Winderman relates in the same article. All three were slated to get max deals of $16.5MM per season, but they wanted to add Mike Miller and re-sign Udonis Haslem. Eventually, Wade volunteered to take less money, and James and Bosh agreed to sign-and trades. “The interesting part is on July 9th, they all agreed to come in on five-year deals, room only, so I didn’t have to give up any assets,” Riley said. “Then, at the 11th hour, they all wanted the sixth year. You know what that cost me and Andy [Elisburg, the Heat’s general manager]? That cost us four picks. I just said to them, ‘If you want the sixth year because I know you’re going to opt out after the fourth anyhow, but if you want the sixth year, I don’t want any of you to walk into my office and say, ‘Hey, can we get any young guys around here? Can we get some draft picks around here?’ Because they were gone.”
Riley’s decision to add more physical players this offseason was likely a matter of taking what was available on the market, rather than a strategy, Winderman writes in a separate piece. Winderman’s comment came in response to a reader’s question on whether acquiring Johnson, Williams, Luke Babbitt and Willie Reed would make the Heat more like the roster Riley had with the Knicks.

Signing J.R. Smith Might Be A Wise Move

July 22nd, 2016 at 5:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Making J.R. Smith a competitive offer might not be a bad idea for the Celtics, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com argues. Boston could use another shooter and Smith made 40% of his 3-point attempts with the Cavaliers last season, Forsberg points out. The Celtics could renounce their rights to Tyler Zeller and craft a one-year deal somewhere in the ballpark of the $15MM that Smith is seeking. Smith opted out of the final year of his contract in June, though Cleveland still holds his Bird rights. The Celtics could weaken their chief Eastern Conference rival by signing Smith to a short-term contract while not sacrificing any of their future flexibility, Forsberg adds.

In other developments around the Eastern Conference:

Bryan Colangelo’s overt attempts to trade either Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor has backfired, Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer opines. The Sixers’ GM should have taken a more low-key approach and now has undermined his ability to trade either big man, Sielski continues. Both young players know that Colangelo is shopping them, and while it makes sense to now keep them into the regular season to improve their trade value, that might lead to discord in the locker room, Sielski adds.
The Knicks are one of three teams pursuing point guard Chasson Randle, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. Randle, who went undrafted in 2015, made a favorable impression on the Knicks’ brass while playing for their summer-league team. He could be New York’s No. 3 point guard behind Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings but the club is out of cap space and can only offer the rookie minimum of $565K, Berman adds.
Combo guard Tomas Satoransky expects to go through a significant adjustment period when he joins the Wizards this season, Gene Wang of the Washington Post reports. The 2012 draft-and-stash prospect officially joined Washington Thursday on a three-year, $9MM deal. “The game is quicker,” Satoransky told Wang and other media members during a conference call. “For sure, it’s better athleticism in the NBA than what I’m used to Europe, so I’ll have to adjust as soon as possible for that.” Satoransky could emerge as John Wall‘s primary backup at point guard, Wang adds.

Jae Crowder Talks Eastern Conference, Horford

July 22nd, 2016 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer explains why it wouldn’t make a ton of sense for the Sixers to trade Jahlil Okafor to the Celtics, writing that Boston has concerns about possible character issues. As Pompey outlines, the C’s typically minimize risk by avoiding investing heavily in players with off-court question marks — as such, the 76ers would have a hard time extracting fair value in a trade.
On Thursday, we passed along some comments Jae Crowder made about the Celtics‘ failed pursuit of Kevin Durant. That wasn’t the only subject Crowder weighed in on during his conversation with Tom Westerholm of MassLive.com, however. The Boston forward also talked about the Eastern Conference outlook – the Cavaliers are the only team he’s worried about – and the team’s recruitment of Al Horford. As Crowder noted, Horford was also drawing interest from the Wizards as the C’s pursued him. “We beat them four times this year,” Crowder said of Washington. “You don’t want to go there.”

Pacific Notes: Durant, Lakers, Green

July 21st, 2016 at 9:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Jae Crowder, who participated in the Celtics‘ pitch to Kevin Durant earlier this month, isn’t thrilled that Durant ended up choosing the Warriors over Boston, or even over Oklahoma City. As Crowder tells Tom Westerholm of MassLive.com, the Celtics were the only team to beat both the Cavaliers and Warriors on the road last season, and the team’s presentation to Durant included an explanation of its strategies in those games.

“We played him clips from both games and told him basically the scouting report of how we guarded Steph (Curry) and Klay (Thompson) — our entire game plan, basically,” Crowder said. “That’s what made me mad. We (expletive) told him everything we do to beat these guys, and we beat them, and he went and joined them. I mean, that’s part of the process, but I did not think he would go to those two teams.

“I felt like afterward, I was talking to Isaiah (Thomas), like maybe after you sit back, you shouldn’t have told him everything, but who the (expletive) thought he was going to Golden State, realistically?” Crowder continued. “It was like a slap in the face for us, basically.”

Here’s more on Durant, along with a couple more Pacific Division notes:

The Lakers have an “unnamed trade target” in mind, but the team would be willing to use its cap room to accommodate another Jose Calderon-esque salary dump, writes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Taking Calderon off the Bulls’ hands landed Los Angeles a pair of future draft picks.
Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com examines how Durant is adjusting to his new role as a villain, while Michael Lee of The Vertical explains why the newest Warriors star isn’t worried about his legacy.
Draymond Green‘s attorney, James Heos, tells Christopher Haxel of The Lansing State Journal that his client’s court case could be resolved at any time. However, if a trial is set, Heos will ask that it happen after the Olympics and before the NBA regular season begins. The Warriors forward faces a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery stemming from a July 10 incident in East Lansing.

Big-Name Trade Targets A Long Shot For Celtics

July 21st, 2016 at 4:18pm CST by Luke Adams

While the Celtics are still being aggressive in trade discussions, most of the bigger-name targets – such as DeMarcus Cousins, Russell Westbrook, and Gordon Hayward – aren’t really available at this point, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. As Kyler details, Boston could probably land a veteran player like Greg Monroe or Rudy Gay, but GM Danny Ainge may prefer to keep his trade chips in the hopes of making a bigger deal down the road.

Guerschon Yabusele To Play In China

July 21st, 2016 at 11:13am CST by Will Joseph

Guerschon Yabusele, whom the Celtics drafted 16th overall last month, has agreed to a one-year deal with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe reports. Boston still holds Yabusele’s NBA rights, as Himmelsbach points out.

There have been recent reports suggesting that Yabusele playing overseas was likely, so this news is not entirely surprising. What’s more, the French forward likely needs more seasoning before playing in the league. He is only 20 and he brings versatility and a lot of potential.

At 6’8″ and 240 pounds, Yabusele likely does not lack strength, but there’s been some concern that he’s too short. He has, however, worked to improve his jumper and possesses above-average length and athleticism. He averaged 8.2 points and 6 rebounds in eight summer league games for Boston this year, per Himmelsbach.

Celtics Have Inquired About Cousins

July 20th, 2016 at 11:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings are refusing to listen to trade offers for DeMarcus Cousins, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Sacramento is aware of the Celtics’ interest in the All-Star center and has received an offer from the Cavaliers. However, it looks as if the Kings are determined to keep Cousins, who has two seasons remaining on his contract. Since the season ended, Cousins has embarked on a hot yoga program and has dropped about 25 pounds.