Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Lopez, Landry, Zeller

December 24th, 2015 at 2:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

The emergence of rookie Kristaps Porzingis clouds the future of Knicks offseason signee Robin Lopez, surmises Marc Berman of the New York Post, who earlier reported that the team is thinking about taking Lopez out of the starting five. He’s played 20 minutes or fewer in seven of his last nine games, though he’s shown hints of more efficient play and says he’s beginning to get a handle on the triangle offense, as Berman relays.

“I’m starting to see the opportunities,’’ Lopez said. “I’m starting to see when I’m supposed to look for me — on the block. When I’m supposed look for the pick and roll, where the cuts are going to be. I know it will get better. I’m getting a better idea of what I’m supposed to do offensively.’’

See more on the Knicks and the rest of the Atlantic Division:

The Cavs are in first place in the Eastern Conference with J.R. Smith and a now-healthy Iman Shumpert, but the Knicks have seen strong play from Lance Thomas, and coach Derek Fisher doesn’t regret New York’s participation in last January’s three-way trade with Cleveland and Oklahoma City. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News has the details. “Seems like both for J.R. and Shump it’s worked out well. They seem happy,” Fisher said Tuesday. “We like our team as it is at this point.”
Sixers offseason trade acquisition Carl Landry, the only player on the team older than 25, made his season debut Wednesday after a wrist injury cost him the first two months of the season, and he’s embracing a leadership role, observes Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News. The team has been in the market for additional veteran influences of late.
Tyler Zeller was an extension candidate this past summer, but the Celtics were reportedly interested in a deal only if it would come at a discount to them, and that hesitancy seems wise now that the center is averaging only 8.5 minutes a game. Still, the soon-to-be free agent posted a season-high 14 points Monday, and his lack of complaints about fluctuating minutes reveals a value, coach Brad Stevens contends, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNBoston.com notes. The Celtics organization is “even more endeared” to Zeller because of the way he’s handled the situation, Stevens said, according to Blakely.

And-Ones: Silver, Howard, Bradley

December 21st, 2015 at 10:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The controversial rules regarding intentional fouls will not be changed this season, NBA commissioner Adam Silver told Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post via email. Silver said he wouldn’t take action in midseason to prevent teams from employing “Hack-A” strategies, in which poor free throw shooters are fouled before the two-minute mark of a quarter. But the issue will be revisited when the competition committee meets in July, Silver added to Bontemps, who also conducted a phone interview with the commissioner and touched on a variety of topics.

In other news around the league:

The Mavericks shouldn’t even consider a trade for Dwight Howard, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News opines. Howard’s drama queen act and reputation as a coach killer isn’t worth the risk of bringing him aboard, Sefko continues. The Rockets center is also getting more brittle by the season, so the Mavs should not waste their cap space and trade assets on him, Sefko concludes.
Celtics shooting guard Avery Bradley is currently 20th in steals at 1.6 per game but Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy says that doesn’t measure Bradley’s true impact as a defender. The Celtics force a league-best 17.9 turnovers per game and Van Gundy credits Bradley for making that happen. “It’s a very, very aggressive defensive team,” Van Gundy said. “Bradley and [Jae] Crowder in particular are really aggressive defenders and when they have [Marcus] Smart, that gives them another guy that can really get after you on the defensive end of the floor. Bradley is one of the best pressure defenders in the league and sort of spearheads the whole thing.”
Bulls shooting guard Jimmy Butler does not regret the critical comments he made about first-year coach Fred Hoiberg, John Jackson of the Associated Press reports. Butler ripped Hoiberg for being too soft on his players over the weekend, then met with his coach to discuss his concerns. Butler believes he needs to be more of a team leader, Jackson adds. “[I was] a little frustrated after a loss, yeah, but then again, I put a lot of it on myself now because I have to lead better,” he said. Center Pau Gasol said he doesn’t mind Butler’s comments, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweets. “I think it’s good that certain guys want to take ownership and say, ‘Hey, let’s go,’” he told Johnson.

Celtics Make David Lee Available For Trade

December 21st, 2015 at 11:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics are making David Lee available to teams that would like to trade for him, league sources tell TNT’s David Aldridge, who writes in his Morning Tip for NBA.com. That’s no grand surprise, especially since Lee’s average of 15.6 minutes per night this season is lower than the 18.4 minutes per game he saw with the Warriors last year, when he fell out of the rotation. Lee, on an expiring contract, is Boston’s highest-paid player, with a salary of nearly $15.494MM.

The two-time All-Star arrived in Boston with much fanfare over the summer, even though at the age of 32, he’s not the superstar acquisition the Celtics have long been hunting for. Lee’s representatives reportedly worked in conjunction with the Warriors to help him find a new team, and the big man recently said that he doesn’t have regrets about leaving Golden State, even amid an historic start to the season for the Warriors.

Lee averaged 18.2 points and 9.3 rebounds in 33.2 minutes per game for the Warriors in 2013/14, but like last season, he finds himself playing behind other talented frontcourt players this year. Jared Sullinger, Amir Johnson and Kelly Olynyk are all seeing more minutes per game than Lee is, and Tyler Zeller, last season’s starting center for the Celtics, is getting only 7.8 minutes per contest.

The sizable salary Lee has figures to be an obstacle to a trade, especially since expiring contracts aren’t as valuable as they used to be. Most teams are currently over the cap, so they would have to come up with salary of at least $10,493,680 to trade for Lee straight up. No team has a trade exception large enough for him — not even the Cavs, who have the league’s largest trade exception, worth more than $10.5MM.

Do you think there’s a team that would be a fit for Lee? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

And-Ones: Millsap, Lin, D-League

December 20th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Will Joseph

The Magic offered Paul Millsap a max contract on July 1st and the power forward told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel that Orlando’s pitch was impressive before he ultimately decided to re-sign with the Hawks.

“I was their first priority, and everything about their team was looking good at the time,” Millsap told Robbins. “It intrigued me. The presentation was great.”

Millsap, per Robbins, chose to stay in Atlanta, however, because he grew a fondness for the area and he got used to calling it home. Millsap added that his teammates and the Hawks’ coaching staff had a lot to do with his decision to re-sign because he believes Atlanta has “built something special thus far.”

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

The non-guaranteed minimum salary of recent Wizards signee Ryan Hollins becomes fully guaranteed if the team doesn’t waive him by the end of December 27th, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders in a roundup of guarantee dates. Pincus also reveals that Bryce Cotton, who signed with the Suns last month, is on a non-guaranteed contract for the minimum salary that covers just this season and wouldn’t become guaranteed until next month’s leaguewide guarantee date.
Hawks big man Mike Muscala, previously thought to have a $473,638 partial guarantee on his $947,276 minimum salary, has no guarantee at all, Pincus shows in the same post and on Twitter.
Jeremy Lin, who signed a two-year, $4.4MM contract with the Hornets in July, said his new team is a very good fit for his style and strengths, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle relays.
The Mavs recalled Justin Anderson, Jeremy Evans and Salah Mejri from their D-League affiliate, the team announced in an emailed press release. Evans has appeared in 19 games with the Mavs while Anderson has played in 17 and Mejri has seen action in five.
The Thunder assigned Josh Huestis to the D-League, the team announced. Huestis has appeared in nine games this season for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s D-League affiliate.
The Celtics recalled Terry Rozier and Jordan Mickey from their D-League affiliate, the team announced in an emailed press release.

Celtics Rumors: Stevens, Smart, Cousins, Crowder

December 20th, 2015 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Changes appear to be coming to the Celtics, starting with a shakeup of the rotation, according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. After three straight losses — and with the impending return of Marcus Smart from a bruised knee — coach Brad Stevens seems ready to try something different. “It’s one of the things that we’ve talked about,” Stevens said. “If we’re going to talk about our depth being a positive, then we should utilize it. So we’ll see. We’ll see what we think is best, not only for this particular game, but more so as we move forward.”

There’s more this morning out of Boston:

A healthy Smart would certainly help, but it could be after Christmas or even the new year before he’s back in uniform, writes Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com. The injured guard hasn’t played since colliding with the Nets’ Thomas Robinson in a November 20th game. He was able to do some on-court work Friday and Saturday, but Stevens said he is taking a “wait-and-see” approach with Smart’s return.
It will take a major move from president of basketball operations Danny Ainge to get the Celtics beyond their current level, according to Paul Flannery of SB Nation. There have been rumors for some time about Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, but Flannery writes that Boston’s front office isn’t convinced he’s the player to try to build around. Any move will likely focus on draft picks, with the Celtics owning possibly four first-rounders and several second-rounders for 2016.
The Celtics have been pleasantly surprised by what they’ve gotten from Jae Crowder since he was included in the Rajon Rondo deal with Dallas last December, writes Taylor Bradford of WEEI.com. Boston has a 43-40 record in games that Crowder has played, and he has averaged 10.4 points per contest in that time. “I knew people had told me they thought he could be a pretty good player,” Stevens said. “I knew he was tough when he played at Marquette. And I knew nothing else.”

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Martin, D-League

December 19th, 2015 at 10:13pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Carmelo Anthony has been key to Kristaps Porzingis‘ transition to the NBA, as Ian Begley of ESPN.com passes along via Twitter. “From the first moment we met, he’s been like a mentor to me,” Porzingis said of Anthony. Through the first two months of the season, the 19-year-old has cemented himself in the rookie of the year conversation, averaging 17.4 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per 36 minutes.

Here are some notes from around the Eastern Conference:

Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel admits that Kevin Martin would make the Heat better, but he doesn’t believe a trade for shooting guard would be best for the team. Martin is reportedly available in trade discussions.
The Cavs have assigned Joe Harris to the Canton Charge, the team’s D-League affiliate, according to the team’s website. Harris is averaging 17.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists in nine games with the Charge this season.
The Celtics have assigned Terry Rozier to the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s D-League affiliate, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Rozier has only played a total of 95 minutes for the Celtics this season, scoring a total of 27 points.

Atlantic Notes: Yormark, Grant, Crowder

December 18th, 2015 at 6:39pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Nets CEO Brett Yormark admits that the franchise is having attendance issues with fans in the Barclays Center, particularly with no-shows, but said he expects that the franchise will rebound and be a “major player” in free agency next summer, NetsDaily.com relays. Yormark is banking on free agents being drawn to the team’s youthful core and believes that its $50MM Sunset Park training facility, scheduled to open in February, will attract top players, NetsDaily notes. Brooklyn is currently projected to have approximately $32MM-$38MM in free cap space next summer, depending on the amount of next year’s salary cap.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Knicks rookie Jerian Grant has been struggling mightily this season, and the point guard chalks much of his woes up to his failure to adapt to the triangle offense, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News relays (via Twitter). Grant is averaging 5.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 17.2 minutes per contest on the season.
Jae Crowder‘s grit, defense and wide-ranging skillset have come to embody the current Celtics team philosophy, despite the small forward being considered a throw in when he was acquired as part of last season’s Rajon Rondo trade with the Mavericks, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes in his look back at the swap.
The Sixers have assigned power forward Christian Wood to their D-League affiliate in Delaware, the team announced via a press release. This marks Wood’s third stint with the 87ers on the season.

D-League Notes: Martin, Mickey, Harris

December 17th, 2015 at 10:22pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Grizzlies assigned Jarell Martin, James Ennis and Russ Smith to the Iowa Energy, their D-League affiliate, and later recalled all three, the team announced. This was the first D-League assignment of the season for both Martin and Smith, and it was Ennis’ fourth. Martin is still recovering from a fractured left foot he suffered back in September, and he is likely a few weeks away from seeing any game action, Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal tweets.

Here’s more from the NBA’s D-League:

The Celtics have assigned Jordan Mickey to their D-League affiliate in Maine, the team announced. This marks Mickey’s seventh stint with the Red Claws on the season.
Joe Harris has been recalled from the Canton Charge by the Cavaliers, the team announced. Harris has appeared in nine games for the Charge this season, averaging 17.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 33.9 minutes per game.
The Hawks have assigned Edy Tavares to the D-League, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution relays. As part of the league’s flexible assignment program, Tavares will report to the Spurs‘ affiliate in Austin, Vivlamore adds.

Eastern Notes: Ainge, Jefferson, Wizards

December 17th, 2015 at 6:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Celtics are seeking to acquire a player who is a reliable scorer, especially during crunch time, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com relays. “I think the one thing that we could really use is a go-to scorer,” team executive Danny Ainge said. “We have some guys that have carried us — Kelly Olynyk has carried us, Avery Bradley has carried us, Isaiah Thomas has carried us, Jared Sullinger has carried us at moments during the season, Evan Turner has carried us — but it would be nice to find another player that’s a reliable scorer at the end of games, night in and night out.”

During an appearance on the “Toucher and Rich” show, Ainge was asked if he would be leery of adding a player like DeMarcus Cousins, who has a reputation of being difficult, to which Ainge replied, “I think [disruptive personalities are] a problem in any locker room. There’s a time — first of all, we have good character on our team right now and we have some mature kids, even though we don’t have an old team. I don’t think it’s ever a good idea to have players that are disruptive to your team, on the court and off the court.”

Here’s more from the East:

With Al Jefferson in the final year of his contract the Hornets could look to trade him prior to this season’s deadline, a prospect that will be made more challenging by team needing to recoup more than just expiring contracts in any swap, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. With Charlotte’s offseason priority likely to be re-signing Nicolas Batum, and with little desire to pay luxury tax, dealing Jefferson may be a palatable option for the franchise if it could secure some usable assets in any exchange.
The Wizards are a team caught between wanting to compete now and trying to maintain as much cap flexibility as possible for a run at Kevin Durant next summer, which is hurting the franchise in the short term, writes Jerry Brewer of The Washington Post. Washington risks regressing significantly as a team this season, which could serve to turn off a top-tier free agent like Durant, Brewer adds.

Heat, Bulls, Celtics Make Pitches For Cousins?

December 16th, 2015 at 10:43am CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 10:51am: The Celtics and Kings still haven’t had any conversation about Cousins, tweets Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Kings GM Vlade Divac indicated that he hasn’t received a ton of calls about Cousins and again signaled that he has no intention of trading the star center, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (on Twitter).

3:37pm: Heat sources who spoke with Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel deny any link between Whiteside and Cousins (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 2:19pm: The Heat, Bulls and Celtics are actively pursuing DeMarcus Cousins, though the Kings have no plans to make a deal, league sources tell Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops. The teams are nonetheless actively pursuing the Sacramento center, and Miami is offering Hassan Whiteside, Justise Winslow, plus others with enough salary to make a deal work, according to SheridanHoops founder Chris Sheridan. Miami would have to give up significantly more salary than the $3,463,068 that Whiteside and Winslow make to reel in Cousins, who makes nearly $15.852MM, however. The Heat are a taxpaying team, so they can’t take in any more than 125% plus $100K of what they give up in a swap.

A source tells Scotto that the Bulls are looking to find more playing time for rookie Bobby Portis, who’s stuck in a crowded frontcourt that features Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol, who can both become free agents this summer, along with Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic. Noah and Gibson are available, according to Scotto, though Bulls sources insist to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders that a Noah trade is not a consideration. The Celtics have copious draft assets, with as many as five extra first-round picks coming their way, though it’s unclear exactly what they’re willing to put on the table.

Cousins is signed through 2017/18, unlike Whiteside, who’s poised for free agency this summer. The Heat only have Early Bird rights on Whiteside, so they can’t exceed the cap to pay him more than the estimated average annual salary for next season, an amount that’s likely to come in far beneath his market value. Sacramento or any team that would trade for Whiteside would inherit those rights, so the Kings wouldn’t necessarily have any easier time re-signing him than the Heat would.

The Kings have held steadfast to Cousins in recent months after a flurry of rumors over the summer. They would have taken D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and a late first-rounder from the Lakers in exchange for Cousins in the offseason, but the Lakers were unwilling to do such a deal, according to Sheridan.