Jermaine O’Neal Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: O’Neal, Garnett, D-League, Davis

March 30th, 2012 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics announced today that Jermaine O'Neal underwent successful surgery on his injured left wrist. And as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets, all went well with Chris Wilcox's heart surgery yesterday too. Wilcox was waived by the Celtics earlier this month, and Boston could choose to let O'Neal go as well if the team needs to use his roster spot. For now though, the Celtics don't appear to be eyeing any free agents.

Here are a few more Friday afternoon updates out of the Atlantic Division:

Celtics big man Kevin Garnett appeared on WEEI's Mutt and Merloni show yesterday, and made some interesting comments, as Rich Levine of CSNNE.com writes. "I never wanted to be pieced around, or treated like a pawn, or a piece on the board," Garnett said. "Loyalty in this game has been depleted on both sides. The business of this game is terrible for players. It's all over the place. I have to choose and make a decision to whether to be part of the future of that. I wish players would take more of a stand in our league and understand that it's a player's league." Reading between the lines, Levine surmises that Garnett may have been referring to the lockout, the trade deadline, or both.
The NBA's D-League has turned into more of a true minor league system and is helping players reach the NBA, writes Jorge Castillo of the Star-Ledger. Castillo's piece is an interesting read, with a focus on the Nets' D-League call-ups, including Gerald Green and Jerry Smith.
The Knicks' offseason addition of Baron Davis fell under the radar following Jeremy Lin's emergence, but Lin's injury has given Davis a chance to re-enter the spotlight, says Keith Schlosser of the New York Times.

Celtics Frontrunners To Sign Hollins

March 21st, 2012 at 10:34pm CST by Sean Highkin

The Boston Herald is reporting that the Celtics are considered by league sources to be the frontrunners to land free agent center Ryan Hollins when he clears waivers.

Hollins was waived on Tuesday by the Cavaliers, and the Celtics have been rumored to be interested, especially in light of the news that Jermaine O'Neal will miss the remainder of the season.

Hollins, 27, averaged 3.7 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 24 games with the Cavaliers this season. He is in the final year of a three-year deal worth $7MM, and is making $2.4MM this season. He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Latest On Buyouts: O’Neal, Powell, Heat

March 20th, 2012 at 10:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

Earlier tonight we took a look at last year's buyout recipients and how they've fared since. Now let's dive into some of the buyout rumblings from this evening:

Contrary to what we heard before, Jermaine O'Neal insists he and Celtics GM Danny Ainge never had talks about a buyout, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (Twitter link). O'Neal says he did what he could to get his injured left wrist back in playing shape, Dan Duggan of the Boston Herald reports, but simply couldn't avoid season-ending surgery. One of the procedures he's considering could be career ending, tweets Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
J. Michael Falgoust and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today round up the buyout candidates. There's not much new here, but they do add the Nuggets to the list of teams interested in Josh Powell, which includes the Suns and Celtics.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel shared a few Heat-related items after Miami's 99-95 comeback win over the Suns tonight. Even though Derek Fisher appears headed to the Thunder, he thinks Mike James or Anthony Carter would be better point guard pickups because of their defensive abilities. And, after an inauspicious first career start by Dexter Pittman, the need to sign another center, like Ronny Turiaf, is as pressing as ever.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, O’Neal, Lopez, Nets, Celtics

March 19th, 2012 at 9:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Gerald Green signed with the Nets for the remainder of the season yesterday, but he hopes and expects to remain a Net longer than that, as he told Fred Kerber of the New York Post.

"Me being here is good. I think the team wants me here," Green said. "Next year, I don’t think I’m going anywhere. I’m going to be here and I think we can definitely work something out. I wanted the team to have all the flexibility it could for what they want to do in the offseason so they’re fine with that. I’m not trying to go anywhere. So we’ll just finish out this season and see how it goes."

Here are a few more Monday updates out of the Atlantic Division:

Carmelo Anthony says that the Knicks have been more relaxed since Mike Woodson took over as head coach, tweets Al Iannazzone of Newsday.
Jermaine O'Neal tweets that he's not sure what his basketball future will hold. Earlier today, the Celtics announced that the veteran will have to undergo surgery on his wrist and will miss the remainder of the season.
Brook Lopez was disappointed earlier this season when the Nets didn't offer him a contract extension but coach Avery Johnson says that the center isn't holding a grudge, writes Stefan Bondy of the Daily News. Lopez also heard his name pop up in trade rumors once again at the trade deadline as the Nets reportedly offered him to Milwaukee for Monta Ellis.
Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside thinks that Green's success with the Nets could make scouts re-examine some so-called failed prospects that are having success in the D-League.
After a quiet trade deadline, the Celtics' future is uncertain, writes Paul Flannery of WEEI.com.
In a separate piece for WEEI.com, Flannery examines how the deadline deals impact the Celtics.
Mike D'Antoni never viewed himself as a locker-room therapist, which was a factor in his parting ways with the Knicks, says Marc Berman of the New York Post.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

O’Neal To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

March 19th, 2012 at 4:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Jermaine O'Neal will undergo surgery on his left wrist and miss the remainder of the season, reports Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. O'Neal had been debating between trying to play through the injury or opting for surgery, and Bulpett says O'Neal and his doctor realized the wrist wouldn't heal without surgery (Twitter link).

Celtics coach Doc Rivers had already said he didn't expect O'Neal to play for Boston again this season, so the decision doesn't affect the Celtics' plan much. The team is still expected to add at least one big man to bolster a depleted frontcourt. For other contenders, O'Neal's surgery removes a potential buyout candidate from the mix.

Rivers: Celtics Close To Adding Player

March 19th, 2012 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

1:09pm: Following up his earlier tweet, Blakely writes that the Celtics hope to add a player today, and expect to make a move by Friday at the latest. Blakely adds that Boston is keeping an eye on potential buyout candidates like Chris Kaman and Lamar Odom, just in case they become available.

"You want to wait for that," Rivers said. "You don't want to sign a guy and then another guy (you're interested in) buys out. It's a game of chicken, but it's hurting us. We literally need a body. We just need anybody."

12:51pm: If a move is imminent for the Celtics, don't expect it to involve Ronny Turiaf, says Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Although Turiaf "drew immediate interest" from Boston, he still needs to clear waivers, and agent Mark Bartelstein says his client may take some time after that to make a decision on where to sign.

10:44am: The Celtics are "close" to adding another player, coach Doc Rivers tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (Twitter link). Blakely adds that the player is likely a big man. The Celtics have been lacking frontcourt depth with Chris Wilcox and Jermaine O'Neal out.

Boston's roster currently sits at 15 players, so the team would have to make a corresponding move to make room for a new addition. O'Neal is perhaps the likeliest Celtic to be cut or bought out. Rivers said last week that he doesn't expect the veteran big man to play for Boston again this season, and O'Neal is rumored to be seeking a buyout. Resolution on his situation, whether that means a buyout or wrist surgery, was expected to come early this week.

As for the player the Celtics may be adding, Rivers said on Friday that recently waived Blazer Chris Johnson is "an absolute option" for Boston.

O’Neal Resolution Expected Early Next Week

March 16th, 2012 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics' situation with Jermaine O'Neal should come to a close by early next week, reports A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (via Twitter). O'Neal has been sidelined with a wrist injury, and could decide to undergo season-ending surgery, while a contract buyout also seems possible.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports suggested yesterday that O'Neal had been angling for a buyout and is interested in rejoining the Heat. The injured Celtic took to his Twitter account to seemingly refute that report, tweeting "You can't always believe what you see and hear on tv!"

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said yesterday that he didn't expect to see O'Neal back on the court for Boston this season, referring to the 33-year-old's wrist injury.

Rivers Doesn’t Expect O’Neal Back

March 15th, 2012 at 6:56pm CST by Sean Highkin

ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg reports that Celtics coach Doc Rivers does not expect center Jermaine O'Neal to play for the team again this season as he recovers from a wrist injury.

O'Neal's continued absence opens up the possibility of Boston adding another big man through the buyout market, something Rivers hinted at, although he said nothing was imminent.

"Right now there’s no reason to do anything, but if there’s a chance we can get another guy, then we’re going to have make a roster spot," said Rivers, who later added, "There probably will be some [buyout] guys [available]. The buyout follows the trade thing, so then you have to wait and see what you can get. Then we’ll know more."

O'Neal is in the final year of a two-year, $11.9MM contract he signed in the summer of 2010. He is making $6.2MM this season.

Jermaine O’Neal Angling For Buyout

March 15th, 2012 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Jermaine O'Neal, currently sidelined with a wrist injury, has been angling for a contract buyout, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. However, the Celtics are still exploring trades that could include O'Neal's expiring contract.

According to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), O'Neal has significant interest in rejoining the Heat. However, the Celtics are unlikely to buy out the big man's contract if they think that's the likely outcome.

GM Danny Ainge said this morning that there's about a 50% chance of the Celtics making a deadline deal. We also heard today that Ray Allen is drawing heavy interest from a number of contending teams.

Celtics Notes: Trade Talk, O’Neal, Moore

March 8th, 2012 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

Here's the latest on the Celtics, who suffered a resounding, 32-point defeat in Philadelphia last night….

Coach Doc Rivers isn't anticipating any major moves in the next week, as he tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. "I'm sure there will be more rumors, there's nothing you can do about that," Rivers said. "We pretty much know what we want to do…. Like I said a week ago, I'd be surprised if we did anything. Obviously, if we find someone out there who wants to give us a player, we'll take them."
The Celtics don't intend to trade any of their expiring contracts for young players with uncertain futures, a source tells Washburn.
Jermaine O'Neal is still debating between season-ending surgery or a cortisone shot for his injured wrist, says Washburn.
Also within Washburn's piece, Rivers says he isn't considering assigning E'Twaun Moore to the D-League.
Dan Duggan of the Boston Herald doesn't believe the Celtics will make a trade, but cautions that pre-deadline comments made by Rivers and GM Danny Ainge last year gave no indication that the Kendrick Perkins deal was coming (Twitter links).