Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Mudiay, Crowder, Raptors, Nets

June 7th, 2015 at 1:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Emmanuel Mudiay is on his way to New York as he tries to prove that he is worthy of a top four pick in the NBA Draft, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Mudiay, who worked out for the Lakers Saturday, is scheduled to undergo physicals and have dinner with Knicks‘ brass Monday, and then follow that with a formal workout Tuesday. After skipping last month’s combine in Chicago, Mudiay is trying to make an impression through individual workouts. He gets high marks from scouts as a penetrator, defender and passer, but they question his outside shot. “I think I can be a great player when it’s all said and done,” he said. “I’m just the type of player who loves to win and compete and whatever I have to do for the team to win.’’ Berman noted that the Knicks also have interest in Duke’s Justise Winslow, who will be working out tomorrow, and Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein, who is due in June 16th.

There’s more news from the Atlantic Division:

Jae Crowder hopes to return to the Celtics, but not before testing the market, according to Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. The restricted free agent, who made a little more than $915K last season, is currently rehabbing a knee injury he suffered late in the playoff series with Cleveland. Despite initial concerns that the injury might impact his free agent value, it turned out to be just a sprain and bone bruise. “Of course you want to find out what your value might be,” Crowder said. “Time will tell that. I’m talking to my people and others, and everything will eventually show. My worth will be revealed.”
The Raptors are looking at former players to fill vacancies on their coaching staff, reports Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. One of the names mentioned is Jerry Stackhouse, whose tough-guy attitude might be perfect for getting through to some of the Raptors players, Smith writes.
The Nets are still compiling their workout schedule, but Oregon’s Joseph Young and UNLV’s Rashad Vaughn have been confirmed, tweets NetsDaily.com. Brooklyn owns the 29th pick of the first round.

Draft Notes: Looney, Payne, Workouts

June 7th, 2015 at 10:25am CST by ChrisCrouse

UCLA Product Kevon Looney told Zach Links of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link) that his agents hear that he could be drafted anywhere from No. 7 to No. 20 in the draft. The forward is represented by both Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management and Todd Ramasar of Stealth Sports, as our Agency Database shows. Looney also tells Links (Twitter link) that he has scheduled workouts with the Hawks, Heat, Bucks, Raptors, Hornets, Celtics and Knicks.

Here are some notes from Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times on the upcoming draft:

Woelfel is hearing that Looney won’t be taken until late in the first round due to concerns about his asthma. Scouts that have monitored his career since he was in high school believe it has adversely affected his play. Woelfel notes that other scouts are not overly concerned because there were several NBA players with asthma who’ve had productive careers with the proper medication.
In a poll of four longtime NBA scouts, Looney was ranked as the 10th best prospect in the draft.
Cameron Payne was expected to work out for the Bucks, but his agent informed the team that the point guard won’t be coming to Milwaukee because he believes Payne will be drafted before that.
Payne is still expected to work out for the Kings, who own the No. 6 selection. Payne has previously worked out for the Pacers and the Thunder.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Williams, Nash, Payne

June 6th, 2015 at 10:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

Five second-round picks will give Sixers GM Sam Hinkie a lot of flexibility on draft night, writes Tom Moore of Calkins Media. In addition to the third pick overall, Philadelphia owns picks number 35, 37, 47, 58 and 60. Hinkie also had five second-rounders entering last year’s draft and came out of it with K.J. McDaniels, Jerami Grant, Serbian point guard Vasilije Micic, Jordan McRae, the rights to guard Pierre Jackson and cash considerations. Moore expects the Sixers to be dealing on draft night, possibly trading two of the second-round choices for a late first-rounder. Or they could deal some of them for future picks and a chance to control the second round again next year.

There’s more news from the Atlantic Division:

Reports that the Raptors were trying to lure former Pelicans coach Monty Williams to their staff as an assistant were incorrect, tweets Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. He adds that Williams just called the team to recommend another coach, and although nobody is saying who it was, Wolstat notes that former Williams assistant Bryan Gates has a long player development background and coaching success in the D-League (Twitter link). Wolstat also reports that the Celtics refused to allow lead assistant Darren Erman to go to a division rival (Twitter link).
Celtics guard Marcus Smart is helping former Oklahoma State teammate Le’Bryan Nash prepare for the draft, according to Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. Nash worked out for Boston earlier this week, and Smart paid a visit to his hotel the night before to help Nash prepare. “I just try to take advice from him, asking him so many questions — how are practices, how are road games — so many questions I think he got tired of me asking him so many questions,” Nash said.
Murray State point guard Cameron Payne has a scheduled workout with the Knicks, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. He will also work out for the Lakers.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Winslow, Knicks

June 6th, 2015 at 3:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Celtics are looking at small forwards as the team prepares for the upcoming NBA Draft, Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald writes. One skill any draftee of Boston’s will require is the ability to score, preferably from the outside, Murphy notes. “Some things guys get better at easier than others,” director of player personnel Austin Ainge said about the franchise’s search for shooters. “There’s things we as a basketball profession do a better job of teaching. Are skills more acquirable? That’s something we evaluate. Their shooting fundamentals may be fixable, and other guys . . . wow, that may be hard to fix, that may take some time. We look at all of those things.”

Here’s more from the NBA’s Atlantic Division:

Duke forward Justise Winslow is slated to work out for the Knicks on Monday, and the franchise is seriously considering the freshman with the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets.
The Knicks have scheduled a physical for Emmanuel Mudiay on Monday, and the guard is set to work out for the team on Tuesday, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com reports (Twitter link). You can view our full prospect profile for Mudiay here.
Another player under consideration for the Knicks at No. 4 overall is forward Kristaps Porzingis, but the Latvian may not be the best for for the triangle offense, Begley writes. “He prefers to attack from outside. Make three-point shots,” says Christopher Ney, the founder of EuropeanProspects, a European scouting service. “He is quite similar in playing style to Andrea Bargnani so this might be a problem.”

Atlantic Notes: Clark, Cauley-Stein, Erman

June 5th, 2015 at 8:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Earl Clark‘s future with the Nets still remains unclear even after the forward spoke with GM Billy King, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (Twitter links). The 27-year-old wishes to remain with Brooklyn, but realizes his non-guaranteed salary for next season could make him expendable, Kennedy notes. Clark, who is scheduled to earn $1,185,784 during the 2015/16 campaign, indicated he would likely play in an NBA summer league if he is let go by the Nets, the Basketball Insiders scribe adds.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

NBA commissioner Adam Silver told reporters, including Rod Boone of Newsday (on Twitter), that he has talked to Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov about how to drum up more interest in the NBA over in Russia.
Kentucky big man Willie Cauley-Stein has a workout scheduled with the Knicks on June 16th, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets.
Celtics assistant coach Darren Erman departed for a post on Alvin Gentry‘s coaching staff in New Orleans because the Pelicans offered him a spot as a member of the bench staff, something Boston could not, Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald writes. “We heard rumors about the connections Erman had made in Golden State, where Alvin is now, though Alvin wasn’t in Golden State with Erman,” Celtics executive Danny Ainge said. “The people at Golden State, including a few of the players, were encouraging Alvin that if he got the job, Erman was the guy he needed to hire. . . . We didn’t want to lose him. We just didn’t have a spot on the bench for him here.”

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Nets, Blatt, Lalanne, Celtics

June 4th, 2015 at 10:27pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Nets will swap picks with the Hawks in the upcoming draft as a result of the Joe Johnson trade, meaning they’ll be selecting at 29th. Still, Brooklyn director of player personnel Gregg Polinsky doesn’t sound like he’s too worried about picking so low, as Roderick Boone of Newsday passes along, since Polinsky believes GM Billy King’s creativity will help the Nets land a difference maker late in the first.

2015/16 Roster Counts: Boston Celtics

June 4th, 2015 at 4:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

During the offseason it’s OK for teams to carry as many as 20 players, but clubs must trim their rosters down to a maximum of 15 by opening night. In the meantime, some teams will hang around that 15-man line, while others will max out their roster counts. Some clubs may actually have more than 15 contracts that are at least partially guaranteed on the books. That means they’ll end up paying players who won’t be on the regular season roster, unless they can find trade partners.

With plenty more movement still to come, here’s the latest look at the Celtics’ roster size, the contract guarantee status of each player, and how each player came to be on Boston’s roster.

(Last Updated 3-28-16, 3:00pm)

Fully Guaranteed (14)

Avery Bradley (G) — 6’2″/24 years old. Drafted with No. 19 overall pick in 2010.
Jae Crowder (F) — 6’6″/25 years old. Acquired via trade with Mavericks.
R.J. Hunter (G) — 6’5″/21 years old. Drafted with No. 28 overall pick in 2015.
Jonas Jerebko (F) — 6’10″/28 years old. Acquired via trade from Pistons.
Amir Johnson (F) — 6’9″/28 years old. Free agent signing.
Jordan Mickey (F) — 6’8″/21 years old. Drafted with No. 33 overall pick in 2015.
Kelly Olynyk (C) — 7’0″/24 years old. Draft rights acquired from the Mavs.
Terry Rozier (G) — 6’2″/21 years old. Drafted with No. 16 overall pick in 2015.
Marcus Smart (G) — 6’4″/21 years old. Drafted with No. 6 overall pick in 2014.
Jared Sullinger (F) — 6’9″/23 years old. Drafted with No. 21 overall pick in 2012.
Isaiah Thomas (G) — 5’9″/26 years old. Acquired via a trade with the Suns.
Evan Turner (G/F) — 6’7″/26 years old. Free agent signing.
James Young (G/F) — 6’6″/19 years old. Drafted with No. 17 overall pick in 2014.
Tyler Zeller (C) — 7’0″/25 years old. Acquired via a trade with the Cavaliers.

10-Day Contracts (0)

Off

TOTAL ROSTER COUNT (14)

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Smith, Draft

June 3rd, 2015 at 9:11pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Raptors have a busy summer ahead of them with six players set to hit free agency, and with the team also badly needing to upgrade its defense and rebounding, Holly MacKenzie of NBA.com writes in her offseason preview of the franchise. Toronto could also stand to add a veteran two-way forward like Paul Pierce, whose impact on the Wizards’ locker room didn’t go unnoticed by Raptors GM Masai Ujiri, MacKenzie adds. You can view Hoops Rumors’ offseason outlook for the Raptors here.

Here’s more from the NBA’s Atlantic Division:

Celtics coach Brad Stevens wants to see the team add versatility and shooting this offseason, in addition to rim protection, as he told reporters, including Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
J.R. Smith believes that the Knicks gave up on him this season, and said that he felt like a “throw in” who was included in the deal that brought him to the Cavs only for salary matching purposes, Rod Boone of Newsday relays (via Twitter). Smith certainly appeared revitalized as a player after the trade, playing in 46 games and averaging 12.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 31.8 minutes per contest for Cleveland.
The Raptors have workouts scheduled with Jerian Grant (Notre Dame), Chavaughn Lewis (Marist), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Arizona), and Justin Anderson (Virginia), the team announced. Also displaying their wares in a workout for the Raptors today were Maurice Walker (Minnesota) and Dallin Bachynski (Utah), the team relayed (on Twitter).

Eastern Notes: Bosh, Celtics, Hornets

June 2nd, 2015 at 7:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Heat had two players who are coming off of surgery resume basketball activities today, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. Forward Chris Bosh participated in court work for the first time since being sidelined since the All-Star break due to blood clots on his lung, working out today with members of the team’s coaching staff, Winderman notes. Also getting back on the court for Miami was guard Mario Chalmers, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee just four days ago, the Sentinel scribe relays.

Here’s more from the East:

The Celtics held workouts today for Andrew Harrison (Kentucky), Olivier Hanlan (Boston College), Terry Rozier (Louisville), Josh Richardson (Tennessee), and Corey Walden (Eastern Kentucky), Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com relays (Twitter link).
Former Temple point guard Will Cummings will work out for the Sixers on Wednesday, Marc Narducci of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “It’s definitely been a great opportunity for me to get the chance to work out for these NBA teams,” Cummings said. The guard also has workouts scheduled with the Suns and Nets, Narducci adds.
The Hornets will hold workouts on Wednesday for Kendall Gray (Delaware State), D.J. Newbill (Penn State), James Sinclair (Western Carolina), J.J. O’Brien (San Diego State), Antonio Robinson (East Carolina), and Ralston Turner (North Carolina State), the team announced.
Working out for the Wizards today were Dallin Bachynski (Utah), Cummings, Amere May (Delaware State), Jaleel Roberts (UNC Asheville), Marcus Thornton (William and Mary), and D-Leaguer Jarvis Threatt, the team announced.

Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Mavs, Grizzlies

June 2nd, 2015 at 1:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pelicans and Celtics assistant coach Darren Erman have an agreement in principle for Erman to join Alvin Gentry‘s coaching staff in New Orleans, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported overnight that the Pelicans were aggressively pursuing Erman, a detail-oriented defensive whiz who complements Gentry’s offensive acumen. The Raptors also recently made a run at Erman, sources told Wojnarowski. New Orleans is poised to hire Thunder assistant coach Robert Pack for Gentry’s staff, too, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times hears (Twitter link). However, Wojnarowski, whose story appeared later, writes that the Pelicans and Pack are in talks but makes no mention of a deal. Regardless, new Thunder head coach Billy Donovan is unlikely to keep Pack on his staff, Wojnarowski adds. Here’s more from around the Southwest Division:

San Diego State small forward Dwayne Polee worked out for the Mavericks late last month, as he tells Zach Links of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link). Michigan State’s Travis Trice, Stanford’s Chasson Randle, Dayton’s Jordan Sibert and Harvard point guard Wesley Saunders showed off for Dallas today, tweets Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.
Big men highlight the Grizzlies workout scheduled for Wednesday, with Kentucky center Dakari Johnson and French center Mouhammadou Jaiteh on the docket, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal in a subscription-only piece. Centers Youssou Ndoye from St. Bonaventure and Charles Jackson from Tennessee Tech, Connecticut point guard Ryan Boatright and Boise State shooting guard Derrick Marks are the others in the workout, as Tillery details.
Florida’s Michael Frazier is auditioning for the Spurs today, Scotto reports, and the team will also get a look at North Carolina’s J.P. Tokoto, according to Pincus (Twitter links).
Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders adds the Rockets to the list of teams working out N.C. State shooting guard Trevor Lacey (Twitter link).