James Young Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Likely To Exercise Options On Smart, Young

October 23rd, 2015 at 4:03pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Celtics are expected to exercise the third-year options on point guard Marcus Smart and swingman James Young, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports. Both options are for the 2016/17 season, with Smart set to earn $3,578,880 that year, while Young would be paid $1,825,200. Danny Ainge, the Celtics’ president of basketball operations, declined to comment on the team’s intentions in terms of picking up team options or the status of potential extensions for fourth-year players Tyler Zeller and Jared Sullinger, Blakely notes in the same piece. November 2nd is the deadline this year for teams to decide on rookie scale options and extensions.

It was almost assured that Boston would pick up its option on Smart, who was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. During his rookie campaign in 2014/15, the 21-year old appeared in 67 contests, including 38 as a starter, averaging 7.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 27.0 minutes per night. His slash line was .367/.335/.646. He remains a big part of the Celtics’ future, though he is still learning the nuances of the point guard position.

Young’s situation is not so clear, with the 20-year-old struggling with his outside shooting since arriving in the NBA. Given the presence of 2015 first-rounder R.J. Hunter, his rotation spot is tenuous, though the young player certainly still has a high upside. “James is growing as a player and as a person,” Ainge told Blakely. “He has a better work ethic and he’s a better player.”

The Celtics executive did note that injuries and bad luck have played a part in holding Young back, the CSN scribe adds. “Last year, James’ development was stunted with no training camp, no summer league and hurt a couple times when he was just getting there and would have some kind of setback,” Ainge continued. “He had some really tough luck as a rookie.” In 31 appearances last season, Young averaged 3.4 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 10.7 minutes per contest.

Atlantic Notes: Clarke, Fisher, Wood, Young

October 22nd, 2015 at 8:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Derek Fisher experienced a difficult rookie season as Knicks head coach, but he feels that 2014/15’s growing pains are merely part of the learning process, and Fisher, who defied expectations throughout his playing career, may end up doing the same as a coach, writes Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. “Just continuing to chip away at what my vision is for coaching and teaching and leading,” Fisher told Ding of his approach this season, “Last year, coming in, I was learning and trying to figure out the best leadership styles. How do you work with players? How do you criticize players in a constructive way? All these things were unknowns. Just really learning as I went along. Not that I know the world of basketball a year later, per se, but I’m just more confident in what it is I expect and better able to articulate that to our players. Being really clear about what I want and not so much me trying to find that vision.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Combo forward Coty Clarke, who was waived by the Celtics on Tuesday, will play this season for Boston’s D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, Adam Johnson of D-League Digest relays (via Twitter).
Being passed over in this year’s NBA Draft is what is driving Sixers power forward Christian Wood throughout the preseason, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Wood, who is signed to a partially guaranteed deal, believes that he has a solid shot to make the team’s regular season roster, Breen notes. “I want to show every team what they missed out on,” Wood said. “I’m hustling on every loose ball. Giving it my all and giving it my 100% on every possession. I’m lucky to have a shot with the 76ers.”
Celtics swingman James Young chalks up a hefty chunk of his rookie difficulties last season to growing pains and believes he’s now on the correct path as a player, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes. “Last year, I just wasn’t thinking straight about the game,” Young said. “Now, I feel like I’m by that and I can just play my game.” When asked what was weighing on his mind last season, Young told Bulpett, “Hesitating, going back and forth to the D-League, off the court issues with my mom, family stuff. Everything’s caught up now, so I’m good.”

Atlantic Notes: Nets, Celtics, Knicks

September 27th, 2015 at 2:45pm CST by Will Joseph

The Nets have a much younger team than in recent years heading into training camp and Brooklyn head coach Lionel Hollins believes replenishing a roster with young talent is a necessity nowadays, Roderick Boone of Newsday writes. The Nets made several changes to their roster from last season and Andrea Bargnani is the eldest addition at 29, as Boone points out.

Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Carmelo Anthony, who underwent surgery on his left knee back in February, told reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post, that he is ready to show he has fully recovered this week. Anthony again rejected rumors that suggested he was upset with Knicks president Phil Jackson‘s offseason moves, Berman adds.
The battle for playing time is much greater in training camp this season for the Celtics, but James Young is more optimistic than he was at this time last year because he is fully healthy, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. Young’s development was hampered by a car accident prior to the draft that prevented him from playing on the Celtics’ summer league team last year, Blakely continues. Young played well in the D-League last season, but it remains to be seen whether he can be a consistent piece for Boston. Young’s game significantly improving from a year ago would be a huge plus for the Celtics, Blakely points out.
With the Celtics desiring to score more this season, there is a strong possibility that Isaiah Thomas, who emerged as one of the league’s best bench players last season, will be the team’s starting point guard, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald details. Thomas would still love to be a starter, Murphy adds, but the point guard is open to any role with the team.
In the same piece, Murphy suggests that of the three guards from the draft in training camp, combo guard Terry Rozier has the best shot at cracking the rotation.

Celtics Notes: Trades, Young, Draft Combine

May 15th, 2015 at 11:18am CST by Chuck Myron

A league source suggests to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that the impending leap in the salary cap for 2016/17 will make teams around the league more willing to take on sizable contracts in trades. Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren also sees a more liquid trade market and more activity ahead, as he tells Bulpett.

“I think so,” Zarren said. “I think there’s just a lot of teams in the middle in the NBA right now, and they all sort of feel like they need to do something. That will create more opportunities for us, because we’ve got as many assets as any other team, if not more.”

The Celtics have only one eight-figure salary on the books for next season, the nearly $10.106MM owed to Gerald Wallace, as Bulpett points out, and Boston is willing to attach a first-round pick to him to ship him out in a trade, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reported last month. While we wait to see if the Celtics can top the 11 trades they made in 2014/15, here’s more from Boston:

One opposing GM is high on James Young, telling Bulpett for the same piece that last year’s No. 17 overall pick would be generating top-10 buzz this year if he had stayed in school another year. Young spent extensive time in the D-League this season.
Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe adds Bobby Portis, Anthony Brown, Kelly Oubre, Dez Wells, Chris McCullough, Terry Rozier and Tyus Jones to the list of players who’ve interviewed with the Celtics at the draft combine (Twitter links), to go along with those previously reported.
Boston is slated to speak with Devin Booker, Myles Turner, Kevon Looney, Pat Connaughton and Jordan Mickey today, a source tells Himmelsbach (Twitter link).

Eastern Rumors: Monroe, Gooden, Celtics

April 6th, 2015 at 6:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Greg Monroe becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer and Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy is eager to see how Monroe blends with point guard Reggie Jackson and center Andre Drummond before the season ends, David Mayo of MLive.com reports. Monroe is expected to return Wednesday for the team’s five remaining games after missing 11 games with a right knee strain. Jackson has appeared more comfortable playing with Drummond and Anthony Tolliver, a power forward who shoots 3-pointers, rather than a low-post player in Monroe, Mayo continues. “Reggie will have to adjust, and I’ll have to adjust, and we’ll have to figure it out,” Van Gundy said to Detroit beat reporters. “We’ve seen Reggie play real, real, well; we’ve seen Greg play real, real well. So we’ve just got to make it all fit together.” Evaluating how that alignment works in conjunction with Monroe’s impending free agency is the biggest goal the Pistons have in their remaining games, Mayo concludes.

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Veteran power forward Drew Gooden, whose contract expires after the season, has become an important rotation player for the Wizards, according to Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. Gooden has received more playing time with the team trying to rest Nene Hilario for the postseason. His ability to make 3-pointers has given more space for guards John Wall and Bradley Beal to operate, Castillo continues. “It opens avenues for John to penetrate, for Bradley to put the ball on the floor, for our wings to put it on the floor,” Wizards coach Randy Wittman said to Castillo. “That’s really big.” Not only has Gooden played himself into an important postseason role, as Castillo adds, it could also enhance his chances of remaining with Washington.
Celtics rookie forward James Young has been productive during his stint with the franchise’s D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, and remains in the Celtics’ future plans, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports. The No. 17 overall pick in last year’s draft is averaging 21.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 17 games with the Red Claws. Young’s development was hampered by a car accident prior to the draft that prevented him from playing on the Celtics’ summer league team, Blakely continues. Young lost his rotation spot to Luigi Datome after a deadline trade with the Pistons but the organization has kept a close watch on Young after sending him to the D League, Blakely adds. “Our front office is watching him with every opportunity,” Boston coach Brad Stevens told local reporters. “The progress is good.”

Eastern Notes: Young, Price, Robinson

March 24th, 2015 at 5:59pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Thomas Robinson is making a strong case that he should be a part of the Sixers‘ future plans, Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News writes. “I’ve never played this much before and never played this consistently, so this is my first time getting an opportunity,” Robinson said. “You always want that momentum. This time of the year, it’s hard mentally when you know you’re not playing for anything. Us, in this locker room, we want to go out with momentum and know that we’re getting better, and we’ll go into the summer where we’ll know that we have a platform to start on. That’s all that really matters right now.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Celtics have assigned James Young to the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Young’s eleventh trek of the season to Maine. The swingman has appeared in 11 contests for the Red Claws this season and is averaging 22.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals in 33.2 minutes per game.
Thabo Sefolosha is expected to make his return to the Hawks‘ lineup on Wednesday night against the Magic, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets. Sefolosha has been sidelined since January 30th with a calf injury.
Hornets assistant coach Mark Price has been offered the head coaching position at UNC Charlotte, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reports. Sources told Goodman that Price has been offered a five-year deal and is mulling whether or not to accept it.

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: 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.

D-League Notes: Young, Dawkins, Goodwin

February 1st, 2015 at 3:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest D-League moves..

The Celtics recalled James Young and Andre Dawkins from their D-League affiliate in Maine on Sunday, the team announced in a press release. Young has played nine games for the Red Claws with a slash line of 23.6/5.3/2.2. Dawkins, who averaged 20 points per game in four contests with Maine, agreed to another 10-day deal with the Celtics today.
The Suns have recalled Archie Goodwin and Reggie Bullock from the Bakersfield Jam, their D-League affiliate, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter). The trip concludes Goodwin’s third D-League trip of the season and the first of Bullock’s career. Bullock averaged 25.5 PPG and 10.5 RPG in the D-League while Goodwin put up 26.0 and 11.0 RPG in his two games.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Pistons, Young, Celtics, Heat

February 1st, 2015 at 8:59am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pistons are still searching for a third point guard after the season ending injury to Brandon Jennings, but with about two and a half weeks until the trade deadline, the team wants to remain as flexible as possible just in case it can find a trade partner, writes David Mayo of Mlive.com. “We could do two 10-days, and then if nothing materializes, we’ve got a guy who’s been with us for three weeks,” team president Stan Van Gundy said. “And if something does, then we make a move. That’s part of the timing issue.” Mayo identifies Norris Cole of the Heat as a potential trade target that makes sense. The Pistons were one of the teams interested in Cole, and our own Chuck Myron examined the point guard as a trade candidate earlier in the week.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Celtics on Saturday assigned James Young to their D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, according to the team’s twitter feed. Young has already appeared in eight games for the Red Claws, averaging 22.4 points per game while shooting 47.9% from three point range.
Going into the season, the Celtics didn’t expect to contend for a playoff berth, but president of basketball operations Danny Ainge would love to make the playoffs as long as the team keeps improving, writes Kevin O’Connor of SB Nation. “I would love to see our team in the playoffs, but I don’t want to see us back into the playoffs with a really bad record and not even have a fighting chance. If our team can keep getting better by developing, if we can make some deals at the trade deadline that put us in position to actually get into the playoffs and have a chance to win a playoff series, I think that would be a lot of fun,” Ainge said. Boston is unlikely to make any moves that sacrifice the future in order to climb up the standings this season.
The Heat, with a record of 20-26, remain a good bet to make the playoffs thanks to the improved play of Hassan Whiteside, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. Winderman argues that Whiteside has nearly become irreplaceable for Miami and with Dwyane Wade‘s recent injury, the center may take on an even bigger role. The 25-year-old has 15.3 points, 17.7 rebounds and 4.3 blocks in just 29.8 minutes per game over his last three contests.