Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: KG, Wallace, C’s, Sampson

October 5th, 2014 at 2:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Kevin Garnett nearly retired this offseason but Nets coach Lionel Hollins expects him to contribute more than he did a year ago, writes Andy Vasquez of The Record. “I do expect him to play more,” Hollins said on Sunday. “He’s been in great shape. Mentally, he’s very sharp. And we’d like to see him contribute more than 18-20 minutes per game.” Last season, KG played a career low 20.5 minutes per game.

One might think that Celtics forward Gerald Wallace wants to get out of town and join a contender, but that’s not the case at all, writes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. “It’s fun,” the 32-year-old said. “It’s fun for me. I’m with a great group of guys who are eager to learn, who want to get better. For me, it’s not a bad situation at all. The guys listen. They want to improve. They want to get better as a team. For me, that’s cool. It’s kind of fun.”
There has been little turnover on the Celtics staff and that means better chemistry amongst the coaches, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. Head coach Brad Stevens says that “he’s been able to get a head start on things” because of the familiarity on the bench.
We haven’t heard much about rookie JaKarr Sampson since he signed a training camp deal with the 76ers and Drew Corrigan of Ridiculous Upside wonders if he might be destined for the D-League’s Delaware 87ers. Sampson left St. John’s after two seasons, to the surprise of some, but the 76ers see potential in him.

Eastern Notes: Thompson, Rondo, Hornets

October 5th, 2014 at 10:44am CST by Eddie Scarito

The results of the starting center competition in Cleveland might have an impact on the team’s roster next season, Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal writes. Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao are both entering the final year of their contracts as well as competing to tip off games at the pivot. Varejao should come a bit cheaper, but Thompson is nine years younger and has a much higher upside, notes Lloyd, and Thompson needs minutes to put up numbers worthy of a deal in the four-year, $49MM range that Derrick Favors signed with the Jazz, which will be the likely starting point in negotiations with the Cavs.

Here’s more from the east:

Though he doesn’t get a vote in the matter, Celtics legend Bob Cousy is among those who thinks the team should hold onto Rajon Rondo, Bill Doyle of The News Telegram writes. Cousy, who knows a bit about point guard play said, “Guys like Rondo come along only every 20 years. So I would do everything I could to keep him. Obviously you don’t want to lose a talent like that and get nothing for him. I’m a big Ainge fan. I think Danny has done an excellent job since he’s been there. He’s a hard worker, he’s a good guy, he’s smart. If he really thinks he’s [Rondo] going, then sure try to salvage something.”
One item that didn’t factor into LeBron James‘ decision to return to the Cavs was who the head coach was, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com writes. Discussing his new head coach David Blatt, James said, “Him being here, it wasn’t part of my process of coming back. Obviously, I was excited once I made the decision to get to know him, get to know what he’s about and it’s been good so far.” James also added that he feels like he can work with any coach regardless of how impressive or pedestrian their past might be, notes McMenamin.
The Hornets talent level has improved over last season but the team also hopes that the remarkable locker room chemistry last year’s squad had will carry forward to this season, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. “It’s not going to be easy,” said Jannero Pargo. “If you change one player, one aspect of a team, you change the whole dynamic. But we have a good core of guys, so it can be done.”

Eastern Rumors: Vucevic, Knicks, Westphal

October 4th, 2014 at 7:42pm CST by Cray Allred

Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel runs down some of the considerations the Magic will have to make in deciding whether to sign center Nikola Vucevic to a rookie scale extension prior to the October 31 deadline. While Vucevic might not seem like a near-max talent, Robbins surmises that Orlando could regret not securing him in that range if he signs a hefty offer sheet next summer as a restricted free agent. Here’s a look around the rest of the Eastern Conference:

Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops expects Knicks president Phil Jackson to pursue trading for a star from a rebuilding team this year, shopping Amar’e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani‘s expiring contracts as cap-clearing assets for such a deal. Scotto pegs Rajon Rondo as a potential target for New York.
Carmelo Anthony nodded to his desire for Jackson to add another star to the Knicks roster in the future, telling Al Iannazzone of Newsday that he envisions another elite weapon, along with the team’s new triangle offense, as necessary elements to reduce his scoring load. “For this season right now, we have what we have,” Anthony said. “We’re going to deal with that. That was a big discussion with me and Phil talking about–that was one of my things. I didn’t want to have to do it night in and night out. I wanted some nights when somebody else can pick up the load.”
Nets assistant coach Paul Westphal tells Tim Bontemps of the New York Post that he returned to the bench primarily to reunite with head coach Lionel Hollins. The pair coached together in Phoenix. “I wouldn’t have [been an assistant] in any situation,” Westphal said. “I wasn’t desperate to go find a situation, but I definitely wouldn’t have said no to Lionel.”

Eastern Notes: Sixers, Rondo, Knicks

October 4th, 2014 at 8:48am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Sixers might be the only franchise that is against revamping the NBA Draft lottery system, Tom Moore of Calkins Media writes. For any resolution to pass the league requires 75% of the teams to vote yes, which equates to 23 teams. Philadelphia’s Managing Owner Josh Harris commented on the possible change, saying, “It’s a change that flattens the lottery system. It would be a little bit worse for Philadelphia in the short run but long run, since we expect to be a consistent playoff or deep-caliber-playoff team, it’s actually better for us.” GM Sam Hinkie also added, “We are cognizant of being a good member of the league, but at the same time balancing that with what’s the right thing for Philly and the Philadelphia 76ers. We’re trying to draw that line the best we can.”

Here’s more from the east:

One of the main Celtics storylines this season will be whether or not GM Danny Ainge will trade Rajon Rondo. Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders believes that in addition to Rondo proving himself healthy prior to the trade deadline, the main determining factor will be the play of rookie Marcus Smart. Smart is expected to see major minutes early in the season with Rondo out for at least the first two weeks with a broken hand.
It isn’t likely that the Knicks will keep both Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr. past this year’s trade deadline, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops writes in his team preview. New York has a logjam at the shooting guard position, and though the team would prefer to unload J.R. Smith, other teams around the league are wary of taking on a player whom many think of as undisciplined, opines Scotto.
One of the main reasons that Danny Granger chose to sign with the Heat was their offensive system, Yi Tao of NBA.com writes. “I studied how hard it is to guard the three-point line when they’re moving the ball and spacing and everybody’s touching the ball,” Granger said. “It’s a very difficult offense to guard so now that I’m in it, I’m trying to learn it and hopefully I’ll be very efficient in it.”

Wizards Waive David Stockton, Vander Blue

October 3rd, 2014 at 10:47pm CST by Eddie Scarito

10:47pm: Both players have been officially waived, the team has announced.

10:20pm: The Wizards began paring down their preseason roster tonight by deciding to waive Vander Blue and David Stockton, Chris Mannix of SI.com is reporting (Twitter link). Both of the guards came to camp on non-guaranteed deals. These moves will reduce Washington’s preseason roster count to 18, with 13 fully guaranteed contracts and one that is partially guaranteed still on the books. Blue and Stockton were longshots to make the regular season roster for a Wizards team that is projected to be one of the top five teams in the Eastern Conference this season.

Blue went undrafted out of Marquette in 2013 and spent the bulk of last season splitting time between Maccabi Rishon LeZion of the Israeli League and the NBA D-League, where he appeared in a total of 27 games for three teams. Blue’s D-League stats were 16.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 2.9 APG. His slash line was .393/.327/.763. Blue joined the Celtics in January on a 10-day contract, making three appearances and logging 1.7 PPG.

Stockton, the son of NBA legend John Stockton, went undrafted this year after four seasons at Gonzaga. His college numbers were an unimpressive 4.8 PPG, 1.6 RPG, and 3.1 APG. His career slash line was .424/.306/.700. Stockton played for the Suns in the summer league, scoring a total of six points in less than 19 minutes over two games.

Eastern Notes: Wright, Bass, Sixers

October 2nd, 2014 at 6:18pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Greek League team Panathinaikos is considering signing Bucks forward Chris Wright to a deal, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports (Twitter link). Wright is currently in training camp with Milwaukee on a non-guaranteed deal after averaging 6.0 PPG and 2.5 RPG in eight appearances last season for the franchise. The Bucks would have to release Wright before he could sign any arrangement.

Here’s more from the east:

Brandon Bass is one of the senior members of the Celtics, but this doesn’t guarantee him a spot in Boston’s rotation, Brian Robb of Boston.com writes. “Every year I come into the season, I’m always in some kind of a situation,” Bass said. “I can’t really focus on those situations or I wouldn’t be motivated. For me, I kind of just simplify things for myself and I hope the other guys do the same.”
Robb also points out that in light of the way Boston’s roster is constructed, GM Danny Ainge exploring trade possibilities for Bass makes sense. The forward is in the final season of his deal and isn’t likely to be re-signed next summer, so it would be wise for Ainge to try and flip Bass for an asset instead of allowing him to leave and receiving nothing in return, Robb opines.
The Sixers are looking at the long term when it comes to rebuilding the franchise and this season looks to be another campaign in futility that the front office hopes will pay dividends in the seasons to come. Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio predicts another dead last finish and lottery appearance for Philadelphia in his season preview of the team.

Four Teams Face Tough Roster Decisions

October 2nd, 2014 at 3:41pm CST by Chuck Myron

October is a month of decision-making for NBA clubs, as they sort through rookie scale extensions and options and figure out how to shrink their rosters down to the 15-man regular season limit. That third task is fairly straightforward for most teams, who’ll cut players with non-guaranteed deals and diminutive partial guarantees and keep those on fully guaranteed contracts.

For a few clubs, it’s not so easy, either because they have more than 15 fully guaranteed contracts or because there are players on the roster with little or no guaranteed money whom the club would like to keep at the expense of one or more of their fully guaranteed guys. Often, this means waiving a fully guaranteed contract and eating that money, though sometimes teams are able to work out salary-clearing trades.

A look at our roster counts shows several teams with at least some partially guaranteed money on the books for more than 15 players, but the predicaments of four teams stand out. We’ll profile them here:

Celtics
It took a series of maneuvers, including waiving and re-signing camp invitee Christian Watford, just to give the C’s enough room to squeeze a contract for Evan Turner under the 20-man offseason roster limit. Boston has 16 fully guaranteed contracts plus a $100K partial guarantee out to Erik Murphy, so more roster gymnastics are ahead for president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. Phil Pressey and the newly acquired Dwight Powell have the cheapest guaranteed deals on the team, as each is in line for less than $1MM, though Pressey, a point guard, might have an edge if Rajon Rondo‘s injury lingers.

Pistons
The Pistons were set with 15 fully guaranteed contracts before Greg Monroe inked his qualifying offer, which is also fully guaranteed and carries a de facto no-trade clause. That sets up a tough decision this month for coach/executive Stan Van Gundy. Spencer Dinwiddie has the lowest amount of guaranteed money for this season, but his contract is also fully guaranteed for 2015/16. Tony Mitchell is the only Piston who has guaranteed salary that adds up to less than $1MM.

Rockets
Houston doesn’t look like it’s in a bind at first glance, since the team only has 15 fully guaranteed deals. Yet with projected starting point guard Patrick Beverley on a non-guaranteed contract, GM Daryl Morey will almost certainly part with one of those 15. Nick Johnson, Troy Daniels and Isaiah Canaan, the Rockets with the cheapest full guarantees for this season, all have a significant amount of guaranteed money on the books for 2015/16, too. Ish Smith, Jeff Adrien and Francisco Garcia are each on a fully guaranteed one-year deal that costs the team less than $1MM, but all three are proven veterans who saw time in NBA rotations last season. Further complicating the matter is that the team owes partial guarantees to Tarik Black, Robert Covington and Akil Mitchell.

Timberwolves
Minnesota’s situation is another that doesn’t appear troublesome initially, but the team invested a $250K partial guarantee in Glenn Robinson III, this year’s 40th overall pick, to go along with 15 fully guaranteed contracts. Robinson won’t earn a free pass onto the regular season roster, but the team is reportedly looking to unload J.J. Barea, whether by trade or buyout. If the Wolves don’t part ways with Barea, coach/executive Flip Saunders might cast his eye in the direction of Robbie Hummel, the only player with fully guaranteed salary that totals less than $1MM.

Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

Eastern Notes: Monroe, Rondo, Heat, Sixers

October 2nd, 2014 at 12:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Greg Monroe said it wouldn’t necessarily have taken max money to convince him to sign long-term rather than take the one-year qualifying offer from the Pistons, as Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News observes. The 24-year-old added that he doesn’t feel a need to cash in whenever and wherever possible and expressed that he was apprehensive about doing so with Detroit before he and new coach/executive Stan Van Gundy become more comfortable with each other.

“It’s no disrespect to the people working here but it was just tough for me to agree to another four years with new people,” Monroe said. “Honestly, if you were to ask the average person would they do that in the arena they’re in, they’d say no.”

Monroe hopes Van Gundy won’t decide to start Andre Drummond and Josh Smith over him purely based on their respective contracts, as Goodwill also details. Monroe’s impending unrestricted free agency will be a storyline we’ll follow all season, but for now, here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Rajon Rondo and the Celtics still have to convince each other that a long-term future together is the right course of action, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said today, tweets Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com. Still, Ainge also said that he and Rondo have spoken about roster moves they’d like to make, Rohrbach adds in a separate tweet.
Shannon Brown doesn’t have a guarantee on his contract with the Heat, but he’s emerged as the favorite to serve as the primary backup for Dwyane Wade at shooting guard, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes.
The deal that Ronald Roberts Jr. broke off with France’s Chalon-Sur-Saone to sign with the Sixers instead was guaranteed for more money than the $35K partial guarantee that Philadelphia gave him, writes Tom Moore of Calkins Media. “My mindset was if I have an NBA team knocking on my door, I’ve got to take it,” Roberts said.

Eastern Notes: Rondo, Monroe, LeBron, Raptors

September 30th, 2014 at 3:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

Soon-to-be free agent Rajon Rondo expressed utmost confidence Monday that Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge can return the team to contention, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald observes.

“Yeah, I’m pretty smart,” Rondo said. “I know this isn’t a championship team. But we’re going to go out there every night and fight hard. I think if we continue to do the little things and believe in each other and believe in [coach] Brad Stevens, we’ll surprise a lot of people. I have complete trust in Danny. The worst year of my career, in two months we turned it around. So I’m not worried about what he’s capable of doing. He’s done it.”

Rondo also spoke about the frequent appearance of his name in trade rumors, half-kiddingly suggesting that he’d like a no-trade clause in his next deal. It’ll be tough for him to avoid more rumors this season, one in which he seems like the most prominent trade candidate leaguewide. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Pistons aren’t giving up hope that they’ll reach a long-term deal with Greg Monroe, even though his signed qualifying offer means he’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer, owner Tom Gores told reporters, including Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free-Press. Monroe isn’t ruling it out either, as we noted yesterday.
Mike Miller confirmed a June report from Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com that the Heat‘s decision to amnesty him in 2013 upset LeBron James, as Miller tells Chris Haynes of the Plain Dealer. “LeBron thought it was an unnecessary change,” Miller said. “I’m not saying I would have been a difference-maker. San Antonio was unbelievable last year and there are a lot of things that go into a season, but it was difficult for LeBron. It was difficult for all of us. It was difficult for me. I had to uproot my family and move again. It was tough. I think he was disappointed because he understands legacies and he understands what he wants to do in life. That’s what makes him special.”
Raptors GM Masai Ujiri had hoped to find a one-to-one D-League affiliate for this season, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, who writes that the idea remains on the table for future seasons. Toronto will be one of 13 NBA teams sharing the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this year.

Contract Details: Papanikolaou, Suns, Sixers

September 30th, 2014 at 11:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Teams have made several roster moves in the past few days as they’ve prepared for camp, leaving a few loose ends to resolve contractually. Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders provides a few answers to the questions left unresolved, so we’ll pass along his revelations here:

The Rockets essentially reversed the salaries in each year of Kostas Papanikolaou‘s deal after the league forced the team to sign him to a new contract. He’ll make slighly more than $4.591MM this year and nearly $4.798MM next season, Pincus reports (Twitter link). It’s unclear whether the contract has guarantee dates, like the original pact, but it does include a signing bonus of almost $207K, according to Pincus (Twitter links).
The extensions that Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris signed with the Suns include salaries that go down in year two before rising again in years three and four, Pincus reveals (Twitter links). An earlier report had indicated that they were all escalating salaries.
Zoran Dragic will only make $1.5MM this year and the same amount in 2015/16, so his Suns contract is slightly less lucrative than thought, as Pincus details (Twitter link). Those figures include a signing bonus of about $413K.
The Sixers used some of their cap space to give Jerami Grant, this year’s No. 39 overall pick, a four-year contract that’s fully guaranteed for the first two seasons and non-guaranteed thereafter, according to Pincus (Twitter link). The final season also features a team option, Pincus adds. The salary of nearly $885K in the first year is more than the rookie minimum, but it’s otherwise a minimum-salary arrangement.
Christian Watford‘s new deal with the Celtics covers one year at the minimum salary and is non-guaranteed, Pincus shows (Twitter link). That makes him eligible to have signed an Exhibit 9 Contract that would keep the C’s from paying him if he were to suffer an injury in preseason, though it’s not clear whether it is indeed one of those sorts of pacts.