Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Monroe, World Peace, Nelson

March 22nd, 2015 at 8:38pm CST by Will Joseph

Citing the Celtics’ need for a “true, low post scoring threat,” Greg Monroe, who will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, would be a good fit in Boston, Jackie MacMullan of Comcast SportsNet opines (video link). The Pistons big man is averaging 16 PPG and 10.4 rebounds this season. Only 24, Monroe is expected to receive plenty of interest from potential suitors this summer.

“I think he will fit in with anyone’s style of play,” MacMullan said. “I know the Detroit Pistons will do everything they can to keep him. Imagine Greg Monroe on one block, Jared Sullinger on the other and all those perimeter players you have. Who wouldn’t like that?”

Here’s more from around the world of basketball:

The head coach of the Italian league team Metta World Peace will reportedly sign with confirmed that the team has been in talks with the former NBA player, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia relays. “We are talking with Metta World Peace but we have not signed him yet. I did not read what media said. We are talking with a few players and he is one of them. He can bring us experience and also a lot of curiosity around his name. On Monday our GM will sign a player: it could be Metta World Peace or another one,” said Acqua Vitasnella Cantù coach Stefano Sacripanti, according to the report. World Peace last played in the NBA with the Knicks in 2013/14.
Jameer Nelson, who has a player option on his contract with the Nuggets for next season, said he still feels a strong attachment to Orlando, though he added he has moved on, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. Nelson, 33, spent his first 10 seasons in the league with the Magic. “My heart is still here for sure,” Nelson said in reference to Orlando.

Celtics Notes: Smart, Playoffs, Olynyk

March 22nd, 2015 at 9:00am CST by ChrisCrouse

The next 12 days are crucial for the Celtics, as they includes matchups against Brooklyn, Miami, Charlotte and Indiana. All of those teams are hovering around the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Boston currently occupies the eighth seed in the conference with a record of 30-38.

Here’s more from Boston:

Part of the reason the Celtics drafted Marcus Smart is because of the point guard’s fire and passion, but his flagrant fouls are really hurting the team, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Smart was suspended for one game without pay for hitting San Antonio Spurs center/forward Matt Bonner in the groin, the league announced on Saturday.
If Boston makes the playoffs, they will not have home court advantage and coach Brad Stevens believes the team needs to play better in road games, as he tells Abby Chin of CSNNE.com. “It’s hard to go on the road and win if you’re not physical. It’s hard to go on the road and win if you don’t believe and work together,” Stevens said. “[The Celtics] are better at it. We’re not as good as we need to be.”
Kelly Olynyk has struggled early in his return from an ankle injury, but the team is optimistic about the big man’s future, writes Chris Forsberg in a separate piece. “I think Kelly is starting to get back,” president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said. “There was definitely some rust for being out so long … but Kelly has had some really good offensive games and his defense is improving. We’re happy with Kelly’s development.”

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Boston Celtics

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Noel, Knicks, Young

March 21st, 2015 at 7:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers are doing themselves no favors by winning games, argues Tom Moore of Calkins Media. Even after an 0-17 start and trades that sent away Michael Carter-Williams and Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia could wind up with more wins than it had last season. Moore writes that each victory jeopardizes the team’s position in the draft lottery. The Sixers are currently third in Hoops Rumors’ Reverse Standings, one game above the Lakers.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers‘ Nerlens Noel is making a strong case for Rookie of the Year votes, Moore writes in a separate column. After missing all of last season while recovering from a torn ACL, Noel leads all rookies in rebounds, blocks, steals and double-doubles. “I feel that award should probably go to the best player,” Noel said, “who helps their team win games and keeps them in games and affects the games in so many different ways. I continue to get better and better.”
The Knicks can’t go wrong if they land the first or second pick in June’s draft, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Zagoria talked to NBA legend Magic Johnson, who said Duke’s Jahlil Okafor and Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns both have a chance to be stars. The Knicks currently have the league’s worst record at 14-55.
The Celtics have recalled guard/forward James Young from Maine of the D-League, the team announced in a press release. He has played 11 games with the Red Claws this season, averaging 22.4 points and 4.9 rebounds. His averages in 29 games as a Celtic are 3.2 points and 1.4 rebounds in 10.4 minutes of playing time.

Atlantic Notes: Ledo, Nets, Larranaga

March 20th, 2015 at 7:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Ricky Ledo could be a steal for the Knicks, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told Marc Berman of the New York Post. Ledo signed a 10-day contract with New York on Thursday because of injuries to shooting guards Tim Hardaway Jr. and Cleanthony Early. The Mavs waived Ledo last month so they could sign Amar’e Stoudemire, who agreed to a buyout with New York. He was playing with the Texas Legends, the D-League affiliate of the Mavs, before the Knicks signed him. “He is incredibly talented,” Cuban stated to Berman via email. “Because we are trying to compete for a championship, we really weren’t in a position to give him minutes to help his development. I think with playing time he will get better and better and could be a steal for the Knicks.’’

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

The Nets‘ future looks bleak regardless of whether they make the playoffs this season, Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com opines. The Nets don’t have total control over their own first-round pick until 2019 and even with ample cap space in the summer of 2016, Mazzeo doubts the Nets can attract impact free agents. The team has a leadership void and veteran players like Deron Williams and Joe Johnson with big contracts that are difficult to move, Mazzeo adds, plus GM Billy King is entering the final year of his contract.
The Nets were influential in the move that 2014 59th overall pick Xavier Thames made to join the D-League after he’d run into problems with his Spanish team, as Thames told Scott Kaplan and B.R. Smith of San Diego’s Mighty 1090 AM Radio (audio link), and as Robert Windrem of NetsDaily transcribes. Brooklyn acquired the shooting guard’s NBA rights on draft night in a trade with the Raptors.
Celtics assistant coach Jay Larranaga has declined to be part of George Mason University’s search for a new head coach, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Beasley, Bucks, Celtics

March 18th, 2015 at 5:37pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Michael Beasley‘s latest stint with the Heat has been a success, writes Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald. Miami signed him through at least the remainder of the season, after his second 10-day contract expired on Tuesday, and coach Erik Spoelstra believes he can be a contributor down the stretch. “Michael has been very good, and with all the changes and moving parts, we are very fortunate to add a player who is familiar to us and our system,” Spoelstra said. “He has improved a great deal and he has helped us, so he has made the most of the opportunity, and we’ll go from there.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Beasley confirmed that his contract for next season will be a team option, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (Twitter link).
The Bucks have signaled that they won’t pony up any more than the $250MM they’ve already committed toward the construction of a new arena in Milwaukee as legislators continue to haggle over public funding, as Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel details.
The Celtics may be on the verge of making the playoffs, but Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com (video link) is looking ahead to the offseason to see which free agents might land in Boston. Toscano believes it would be wise for the franchise to look at Draymond Green and Wesley Matthews as possible free agent targets. Toscano also names Greg Monroe as someone who the team could conceivably land.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Bargnani, Lopez, Bogdanovic

March 18th, 2015 at 8:58am CST by Chuck Myron

Soon-to-be free agent Andrea Bargnani isn’t making any promises, but he would like to remain with the Knicks, as agent Leon Rose indicated to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. An earlier dispatch noted that the Knicks are open to re-signing him for the right price, and Isola advances that report, writing that the team will “strongly consider” doing so.

“Andrea is optimistic about what [team president] Phil [Jackson] is trying to accomplish and he certainly wants to be part of it,” Rose said. “But he’s a free agent this summer so it’s too early to predict what may or may not happen.”

While we wait to find out where the former No. 1 overall pick plays next season, here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:

Brook Lopez revealed that he’s building a home at Disney World in Orlando, but he also said again that he wants to remain with the Nets as he spoke with Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Lopez has a player option worth more than $16.744MM for next season, but he hasn’t lent any clarity to conflicting reports about whether he’ll exercise it.
Bojan Bogdanovic and the Nets were both somewhat skeptical about just what sort of impact the draft-and-stash product would have even after he signed a three-year deal for the taxpayer’s mid-level exception this summer, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Inconsistency earlier this season validated that uncertainty, but he’s played well since the All-Star break and is showing signs that he’s capable of helping the Nets through a period of roster transition in the years ahead, Bontemps observes.
The Celtics are having success with undersized perimeter players, but that’s out of necessity, not by design, writes Paul Flannery of SB Nation, who hears from president of basketball operations Danny Ainge on the state of the team’s rebuilding. “We will make an attempt in free agency for sure but we have to be careful that we spend [money] correctly and on the right players and not just spend it because it’s available,” Ainge said of the offseason ahead. “We have to maintain that flexibility to get the right players.”

Eastern Notes: Rose, Stevens, LeBron, Pistons

March 17th, 2015 at 10:12pm CST by Charlie Adams

After Derrick Rose tore his meniscus, he was given a six-week recovery timeline that began on February 27th, but Tom Thibodeau said today that the former MVP is “ahead of schedule” in the healing process, notes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Thibodeau also said he was “hopeful” that Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler would return to action this week, but the Bulls coach stopped short of making any guarantees. Here’s tonight’s look at the Eastern Conference:

Celtics coach Brad Stevens is defying stereotypes and proving a coach hired straight out of the NCAA can be effective in the NBA, writes Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops, who points to P.J. Carlesimo, Tim Floyd, Leonard Hamilton, Lon Kruger, Mike Montgomery, Jerry Tarkanian, and Rick Pitino as big names who failed to make their mark at the NBA level.
Pat Riley admitted he was surprised when LeBron James left the Heat to re-join the Cavs, and he regarded the decision made by LeBron a result of the “contemporary attitude of today.” However, Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer isn’t shocked in the least at James’ decision and argues that the same attitude is the what led LBJ to originally leave Cleveland in 2010.
The Pistons took a risk when they made a deal to acquire Reggie Jackson, and given Detroit’s 2-10 record in games in which Jackson appears, both the soon-to-be restricted free agent and the team are hoping they can figure out how to effectively mesh during the last month of the season, as David Mayo of MLive details. It’s worth noting that Jackson scored 23 points and dished out 20 assists in tonight’s win over the Grizzlies.

Atlantic Notes: Noel, Knicks, Young, KG

March 17th, 2015 at 3:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Rookie Nerlens Noel is already essentially the centerpiece of the Sixers, and he has no complaints about the team’s radical rebuilding, as Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com examines.

“I love the direction that we’re heading in,” Noel said. “I love what [GM] Sam Hinkie is doing with our team: building through the draft, getting young guys and being very particular about the pieces that he brings into this organization. I think this is going to be a very solid team in the next few years and we’re just going to continue to grow together.”

Noel, unlike many other rookies who were drafted in the first round, is set for free agency in 2017, and not 2018, because he signed his rookie scale contract before sitting out the entire 2013/14 season with injury. So, it appears he’ll benefit from a cap surge instead of a potential cap drop like his fellow rookies, as I examined. Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The amount of cash the Knicks sent the Pacers this past June for the rights to 57th overall pick Louis Labeyrie was $1.5MM, a league source told Marc Berman of the New York Post. That counted against New York’s 2013/14 traded cash limit and doesn’t apply toward the $3.3MM the team can send out in trades between the end of the regular season and June 30th this year. Labeyrie recently signed a one-year extension with Paris Levallois in France, so a buyout would have to be paid for him to sign with the Knicks for next season, according to Berman.
The Nets‘ acquisition of Thaddeus Young for Kevin Garnett helped the team get younger, but it doesn’t erase the ill-fated trade for Garnett and Paul Pierce from 2013, opines Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Garnett did fill a leadership role, but no one has stepped into that void in his absence, Bondy also argues.
Brooklyn owes its first-round pick to Boston in 2016 because of that Garnett-Pierce trade, and Tim Bontemps of the New York Post examines how that dynamic and others makes Young’s decision about his player option for next season a crucial one for the Nets.
The Celtics have once more assigned James Young to the D-League, the team announced. It’s the 10th time that Boston has sent 2014’s 17th overall pick on D-League assignment this season, though none of his previous nine trips have covered more than three days.

Rival Execs Unsure Cavs Want Love On Max Deal

March 17th, 2015 at 12:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

Kevin Love silenced many rumors when he said in January that he plans to opt in for next season with the Cavs, but rival executives have begun to question whether Cleveland would want to re-sign Love for the maximum salary if he were to opt out, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN (video link). Many executives think Love will leave the Cavs, perhaps to sign with the Lakers, Broussard also says, reiterating earlier reports that the power forward has denied amid continued insistence that he’d like to stay in Cleveland. The Cavs haven’t given any indication that their desire for Love has waned, Broussard cautioned.

Love has missed the last two games because of a minor back ailment, and when he has played, he’s often sat out during fourth quarters. He hinted of frustration earlier this month with a role that has him acting as more of a spot-up shooter than in the past, though he’s mostly remained upbeat even amid a downturn in his scoring and rebounding averages and shot attempts per game. The Cavs have taken off despite the failure of Love to once again become the dynamic force he had been in years past with the Timberwolves, with Cleveland having gone 24-6 over its last 30 games to climb comfortably into second place in the Eastern Conference.

The 26-year-old has a player option worth $16.744MM for next season, but he’d likely be in line for a higher salary on a maximum-salary contract if he were to opt out and if a team were to make such an offer. The Cavs have plenty of other concerns this offseason, when all but five of their players can hit free agency, making it a distinct possibility that the team will have to pay the luxury tax next season if it returns largely intact.

The Celtics are reportedly among the teams planning a run at Love if he opts out, and he’d reportedly be willing to at least take a meeting with the Lakers if he becomes a free agent. In spite of his insistence that he wants a long-term future in Cleveland, the majority of Hoops Rumors readers believe he won’t remain on the Cavs next season.

Celtics Notes: Datome, Larranaga, Zeller

March 17th, 2015 at 9:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge isn’t insisting on a development-focused approach from Brad Stevens, who’s instead doing what he can to help the team win now and grab a playoff berth, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald details. So, soon-to-be free agent Gigi Datome has taken 2014 first-rounder James Young‘s place in the rotation, Bulpett writes. That leads right into other news from Boston, as we detail:

Datome says he’s having a “fantastic” time as a member of the Celtics, who’ve given him the sort of playing time he never saw with the Pistons, observes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. Datome is set for restricted free agency this summer.
Celtics assistant coach Jay Larranaga wouldn’t leave the Celtics for a college job, but he’ll consider interviewing for George Mason’s open head coaching position out of respect for the program, which used to employ his father in that job, a source tells Murphy for the same piece. The school had yet to reach out to Larranaga by midday Monday, a source told Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link), and both Bulpett and Mannix hear that Larranaga is happy in Boston. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported early Monday that the school was eyeing him for the gig.
The Celtics pulled off a steal when they landed Tyler Zeller from the Cavs this past summer, opines Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com. Boston gave up only a protected second-round pick that the team is unlikely to ever have to actually convey to Cleveland, and the C’s also took back Marcus Thornton and a first-rounder, which they flipped to the Suns at the deadline for Isaiah Thomas, further sweetening the deal. Zeller scored a career-high 26 points Monday.