James Young Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Nogueira, Young, Atkinson, Anthony

November 13th, 2016 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Lucas Nogueira may be able to fill the Raptors‘ hole at backup center left by the departure of Bismack Biyombo, writes Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet. Nogueira’s latest impressive performance came Saturday night with six points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and three steals in a win over the Knicks. The 7-footer is now averaging 8.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in four games. Nogueira says Biyombo appointed him as his successor when he signed with the Magic over the offseason. “During the summer [Biz] told me, ‘Lucas, your time to shine, go get it.’ I know Biz since I’m 15, playing in Spain against each other,” Nogueira said. “So we have a mutual respect for each other. It’s special, when he’s gone, he told me, ‘It’s your time, go get it.’ And I took it serious.”

There’s more this morning from the Atlantic Division:

Celtics shooting guard James Young had the best game of his NBA career with 12 points in 16 minutes in Saturday’s win over the Pacers, notes Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com. Boston recently declined the fourth-year option on Young’s rookie contract and spent much of the summer trying to find a team willing to trade for him. Celtics coach Brad Stevens took note of Young’s effort. “He’s shot it at such a different level than he shot it two years ago when he got here, as far as accuracy in workouts, in practice, and everything else,” Stevens said. “He’s certainly always a capable shooter with a beautiful stroke, but he’s really really worked hard on becoming accurate.”
Through the season’s first nine games, the Nets‘ Kenny Atkinson has proven he can be successful as a head coach, contends Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily. The longtime assistant has Brooklyn playing far above expectations with a 4-5 record despite losing point guards Jeremy Lin, Greivis Vasquez and Isaiah Whitehead to injuries. “It’s just been so mutually beneficial,” Brook Lopez said of Atkinson. “We definitely feed off each other and Kenny’s definitely instilled a lot of confidence within myself. It’s been a great two-way street in that regard. I think we’re continuing to learn about each other more and more.”
The Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony plans to diffuse the situation with referee Tony Brothers by staying quiet around him, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. After Anthony was tossed from Friday’s game, Anthony’s wife suggested on social media that Brothers has a vendetta against him. “It ain’t personal with me, on my end,” Anthony said. “I don’t have anything to say to him. He refs. I’ll play. I’ll keep my mouth shut next time.”

Atlantic Notes: Olynyk, J. Young, Nets, Knicks

November 2nd, 2016 at 9:01am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics made a pair of interesting decisions on October 31, opting not to exercise James Young‘s fourth-year option for 2017/18, and letting Kelly Olynyk‘s extension deadline pass without a new deal. The moves will put Young on track for unrestricted free agency in 2017 and Olynyk on track for restricted free agency. As general manager Danny Ainge explains, per Adam Himmselbach of The Boston Globe, retaining future cap flexibility was a factor in the Olynyk decision.

“If we didn’t have max cap flexibility next summer and the possibility to land a superstar-type player, an All-Star-caliber player, it might have been different in our negotiations,” the Celtics GM said. “But because we still are there, with where we are in cap management, there was no reason to rush into it.”

As for Young, Ainge suggested that the Celtics really like where he is at the moment, but want to wait to see “how he progresses” this season. The GM also observed that the third-year veteran can take solace in the fact that it has been a “great blessing” for a handful of players to have that option declined. Solomon Hill is one recent example — he inked a four-year, $48MM contract this past summer with the Pelicans after the Pacers declined his fourth-year option a year ago.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic division:

The Nets overhauled their point guard spot this offseason, and though Jeremy Lin has been solid as the team’s starter so far, the team’s second and third options at the position are off to slow starts. As Brian Lewis of The New York Post details, veteran Greivis Vasquez has struggled to produce and has been nagged by an ankle injury, while rookie Isaiah Whitehead doesn’t look ready for significant minutes quite yet.
The other notable new point guard in New York, Derrick Rose, only has six assists in his first three games with the Knicks, but his scoring and shooting numbers are solid. Fred Kerber of The New York Post suggests Rose is poised to make a strong impression this season in New York, given the team’s recent point guard history — the team has gone through 21 players at the position since Rose entered the NBA in 2008.
As Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News outlines, former head coach and current ESPN analyst Byron Scott questioned Phil Jackson‘s role in New York, where the Zen Master has been attending Knicks’ coaches meetings and giving input to players. “You hired [Jeff Hornacek] to be your coach, let him be your coach,” Scott said. “Kind of stay out a little bit. If you want to coach, fire him and take over like you did Derek Fisher. It’s really that simple. I think right now if I was Jeff, I would feel a little uncomfortable. I would feel some flames underneath my feet.”

Celtics To Decline James Young’s 2017/18 Option

October 31st, 2016 at 3:30pm CST by Luke Adams

After exercising their 2017/18 team options on Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier, the Celtics won’t pick up their option on James Young, reports Bobby Marks of The Vertical (via Twitter). The move will put Young on track to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2017.

Young, 21, has played sparingly for the Celtics since being selected with the No. 17 pick in the 2014 draft. The Kentucky product has averaged just 8.9 minutes per game in 60 total regular-season appearances, putting up 2.2 PPG and 1.1 RPG in those games. Still, Boston saw enough promise to keep him on its 15-man roster heading into this season, parting ways with 2015 first-rounder R.J. Hunter in order to make room for Young.

By turning down Young’s 2017/18 option, the Celtics will no longer be on the hook for a $2.804MM salary for him next year.

Celtics Exercise Marcus Smart’s 2017/18 Option

October 31st, 2016 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have exercised their 2017/18 team options on Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The team’s decision on Rozier had been previously reported, while there was never a question that Smart’s option would be picked up.

Smart, 22, continues to battle a sprained ankle and has yet to make his 2016/17 regular-season debut. In his first two seasons with the Celtics, he averaged 8.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.1 APG, and 1.5 SPG, shooting just 35.7% from the field but providing solid perimeter defense.

Smart will earn about $3.579MM this season, and his $4.538MM salary for 2017/18 will now be fully guaranteed, since the Celtics have picked up his fourth-year option. Assuming Smart remains in Boston, the C’s will have the opportunity to sign him to a rookie-scale extension next offseason. If he doesn’t sign an extension, the former OSU guard will be eligible for restricted free agency in 2018.

With the options for Smart and Rozier exercised, the Celtics still have one decision to make on James Young. The former first-rounder beat out R.J. Hunter to earn the Celtics’ final roster spot, but according to Blakely (via Twitter), he has yet to be informed one way or the other if the club is picking up his fourth-year option. If the C’s decide not to exercise Young’s option, he’ll hit unrestricted free agency in July.

Celtics Notes: Hunter, Horford, Smart, Young

October 30th, 2016 at 12:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

When the Celtics waived former first-round pick R.J. Hunter on Monday, they lost their compensation for allowing Doc Rivers to join the Clippers, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. While only Josh Richardson might have been a better choice among available players at No. 28 in last year’s draft, Hunter is still part of an uneven draft record that Boston has produced with its recent wealth of picks. While the Celtics have brought in Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley and Jaylen Brown, they have misfired with Hunter, Fab Melo, and the trade for JaJuan Johnson. They are also haunted by the 2008 selection of J.R. Giddens ahead of DeAndre Jordan, Mario Chalmers and Goran Dragic.

“Right now, the hardest thing is I like R.J. and we’ve invested time in him,” said Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. “I see Jaylen and Terry [Rozier] and Jordan Mickey and Demetrius Jackson and Abdel Nader, who had a terrific summer with us, and the two kids over in Europe that are playing fantastic right now. The draft is the draft, as we all know. You have some good selections and some that don’t fit and don’t work for you. So I’m not disappointed in that regard at all. I’m glad that we have another [Nets] pick next year and we’ll keep taking our swings and trying to find the right guys.”

There’s more today out of Boston:

ABC/ESPN analyst Mark Jackson believes the Celtics will benefit greatly from the free agent signing of Al Horford, Washburn adds in the same piece. “They did a great job of adding Horford, a big that brought to the table what they did not have — a defensive, tough, hard-nosed leader — and you can see that … already,” Jackson said.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens was happy to see Hunter find a new team so quickly, relays Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. Hunter signed with the Bulls on Wednesday, shortly after clearing waivers. “I think he’s a really good player,” Stevens said. “His ability to shoot the ball and his ability to pass the ball are two great strengths … I don’t know how he fits from a rotation standpoint; that would be a [Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg] question. But he’s certainly a good player that can help any team.”
The Celtics are taking their time with decisions about extensions for Smart, Rozier and James Young, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. The deadline is Monday to pick up the fourth-year guaranteed options for Smart and Young and the third-year option for Rozier. Bulpett believes the team is certain to pick up the $4,438,020 for Smart and the $1,988,520 for Rozier. However, the team is still examining trade options for Young, who would be owed $2,803,507 for 2017/18, and may save that decision until the last minute.

Eastern Notes: Bayless, Kelly, Young

October 24th, 2016 at 10:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jerryd Bayless was penciled in as the Sixers‘ opening night starter at point guard, but he’ll be in street clothes for at least the first month of the season while he recovers from a torn ligament in his left wrist, team sources told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. The team announced last week that Bayless would not have surgery on his wrist, but did not put a timetable on his return to action, Goodman notes. Bayless signed a three-year deal with Philly this summer after averaging 10.4 points and 3.1 assists with Milwaukee in 2015/16.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Hornets forward Frank Kaminsky is out of the walking boot he was required to wear after straining his right foot during Charlotte’s final preseason contest on Friday, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. His status for the team’s regular season opener is still undetermined, Bonnell adds. “He said he felt a lot better,” coach Steve Clifford said of Kaminsky. “He did a ton [of rehabilitation] Sunday and then he was back in here this morning. I guess you’d call him questionable [for the season-opener], but he’s making lots of progress.”
Celtics executive Danny Ainge confirmed that Ryan Kelly, who was waived by the team on Saturday, will be joining the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s D-League affiliate, Goodman tweets.
Ainge also weighed in on James Young, who barely made the Celtics‘ regular season roster this season by edging out R.J. Hunter for the 15th and final spot. The executive told Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com, “I told him [Young] this morning that I think this is the first time he’s earned anything in his life. He earned this by his play, day in and day out, and he just has to keep earning it. He was given a lot as a young kid, with a lot of promise and a lot of potential and … he had to come out and win a spot with some good competition, and he did. So he just needs to keep doing what he’s been doing.“
Pistons shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is eligible to sign an extension prior to this season’s deadline, but all signs point to him playing out the season and hitting restricted free agency next summer, as Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press explains.
Entering his third season in New York, this may be team president Phil Jackson‘s last chance to turn around the team, which is no lock, given the multiple roster and health questions surrounding the Knicks, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes.
The Hawks enter the season with just two point guards on the roster, a move the team made because of injuries suffered in the frontcourt, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. “With the injuries, the few nagging things on the front line, at the end of the day you are probably going to be a little short on the bigs or a little short on the point guard,” coach/executive Mike Budenholzer said. “We are going with an extra big, more cover on the bigs.”

Celtics Waive R.J. Hunter, Keep James Young

October 24th, 2016 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

4:05pm: The Celtics officially announced Hunter has been waived.

11:05am: After spending the last two seasons with the Celtics, James Young will remain in Boston for a little while longer. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter), Young has earned a spot on the Celtics’ 15-man regular-season roster. With Young not going anywhere, the Celtics have waived R.J. Hunter to get down to the 15-man limit, tweets ESPN’s Jeff Goodman.

After waiving Ben Bentil and a few other camp invitees, the Celtics were believed to be deciding between Young and Hunter for their final roster spot. The team didn’t want to cut loose either of the two players, who were first-round picks in 2014 and 2015, respectively — a report last week suggested that Boston was dangling both players in search of a second-round pick. However, the C’s were unable to find a deal, forcing them to part ways with last year’s 28th overall pick.

For Hunter, who turns 23 today, it’s not much of a birthday gift. Still, his salary for the 2016/17 season is fully guaranteed, so Boston will owe him $1.2MM. The Celtics would remove that hit from their cap if Hunter is claimed off waivers by another team later this week. Either way, the team won’t be on the hook for Hunter’s third- and fourth-year salaries, since those were team options that hadn’t been locked in yet.

As for Young, the Celtics will soon face another decision on the 21-year-old shooting guard. The team has until October 31 to decide whether to exercise or decline his fourth-year option for 2017/18. If Boston picks up that option, Young would be guaranteed a $2.804MM salary in ’17/18.

Celtics Waive Ben Bentil

October 21st, 2016 at 4:25pm CST by Luke Adams

4:25pm: The Celtics have officially announced that Bentil was waived.

12:44pm: Bentil will look to join another NBA team and isn’t expected to play for the Celtics’ D-League affiliate, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.

12:24pm: The Celtics have become the second team to cut a player they drafted this past June, having released rookie forward Ben Bentil, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Bentil was the 51st overall pick in the 2016 draft.

Bentil, 21, averaged 21.1 PPG and 7.7 RPG at Providence last season, and signed a three-year contract with the Celtics after being selected with one of the team’s six draft picks. While his deal wasn’t fully guaranteed, he did get a strong partial guarantee of $250K, so Boston would presumably love to see him clear waivers and make it to the team’s D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. However, as Charania observes, Bentil could be claimed or signed by another team, since the C’s no longer hold his NBA rights.

With 16 players on fully guaranteed deals for 2016/17, the Celtics had an overcrowded preseason roster of players capable of opening the season on an NBA team. Even after cutting Bentil, the team will have to remove one player from its roster — James Young and R.J. Hunter are viewed as the most likely candidates to be cut. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link), Boston has made both players available via trade, seeking a second-round pick in return.

The Jazz were the first team to waive a 2016 draftee, cutting 55th overall pick Marcus Paige from their roster last week.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Randle, Bradley, Sixers

October 17th, 2016 at 6:04pm CST by Luke Adams

With 16 fully guaranteed salaries on their books and just 15 regular-season roster spots to work with, the Celtics will have to make a tough decision in about a week. A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com and Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com each took a closer look at the roster bubble in Boston this weekend, and both writers agreed that Gerald Green and Jordan Mickey look pretty safe to make the cut. Assuming there are no other surprise trades or cuts, that leaves four players for two openings — Demetrius Jackson, R.J. Hunter, James Young, and Ben Bentil (who has a partial guarantee) are vying for those spots.

In Forsberg’s view, Jackson has done enough to make the team, while Bentil seems likely to be released and potentially to end up with the Celtics’ D-League affiliate. That leaves Hunter battling Young for the 15th roster spot, and Forsberg views Hunter as the favorite between the two.

As the Celtics mull their options, here’s more from around the Atlantic division:

Knicks point guard Chasson Randle, who suffered a left orbital fracture, will be able to resume full activity in about three or four weeks, the team announced today (via Twitter). That timeline comes after a visit to a specialist, who determined that Randle didn’t need to undergo surgery. Head coach Jeff Hornacek has indicated that Randle’s injury won’t affect whether or not he makes the Knicks’ regular-season roster.
Jonny Auping of RealGM.com makes a case for why the Celtics should view Avery Bradley as more of a foundational piece than an asset available via trade.
This was supposed to be the season that Sixers head coach Brett Brown finally had the talent necessary to start winning games and taking steps toward contention, but so far this fall, the injury bug has wreaked havoc in Philadelphia, stunting potential growth of the club, writes Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News.

Atlantic Rumors: Celtics, Young, Bayless, Raptors

October 6th, 2016 at 9:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jordan Mickey, James Young, Demetrius Jackson, R.J. Hunter and Ben Bentil are the players on the bubble for the Celtics, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports in a slideshow presentation. The fate of Mickey and Jackson may hinge on whether the Celtics decide to carry 14 or 15 players, while Young has helped his cause with a strong showing early in training camp, Blakely continues. Hunter has struggled with his shot thus far while Bentil, a second-round pick, is likely to fall victim to the team’s frontcourt depth, Blakely adds.

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

Thaddeus Young was misled by the Nets prior to be shipped to the Pacers in a draft-day trade, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders writes. The veteran power forward was told he was part of the team’s plans, then shortly afterward got dealt. “Initially when the summer had started, I was told by Brooklyn that they were looking toward the future and that it was going to take some time, and I was going to be around for it,” Young told Brigham. “Then, all of a sudden you’re hearing that you’re being shopped.”
Point guard Jerryd Bayless could miss the start of the season because of a wrist injury, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. The Sixers signed Bayless, an unrestricted free agent, to a three-year, $27MM contract to solidify their point guard spot.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey is already showing signs of frustration with his team three games into the preseason, Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun reports. Casey believes the team’s defense, in particular, has been shabby. “We are way behind defensively, way behind on both ends of the floor,” he told Ganter and other members of the media.