Kris Joseph Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Celtics, Raptors, Trail Blazers

November 29th, 2012 at 5:42pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston heard from head coach Doc Rivers that the Celtics could decide to recall Kris Joseph and possibly Fab Melo up from the D-League while Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox are out of action. More notably, after Danny Ainge told WEEI radio that Rajon Rondo would be given a two game suspension (Twitter link), Rivers gave the impression that the team won't necessarily try to make any subsequent roster moves anytime soon. You can find more of tonight's miscellaneous links from the Association here:

HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy says (via Twitter) that the Raptors are weighing their free agent options at the small forward position.
Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey told Joe Freeman of The Oregonian of his plans to use D-League assignments accordingly for Victor Claver, Joel Freeland, Will Barton, and Nolan Smith. While Olshey thinks that his young players are currently benefitting through their NBA experience, he believes the best time to send them to the Idaho Stampede (their D-League affiliate) would be after they have built a good enough foundation with the coaching staff and need significant minutes to continue developing.
According to Anthony Slater of NewsOK, Thunder GM Sam Presti was spotted at Oklahoma State University's basketball practice to supposedly begin scouting Marcus Smart and Le'Bryan Nash, two college prospects who are currently touted as potential first round picks.
The Nets announced that the right foot sprain which Brook Lopez suffered during last night's game is unrelated to the foot injury he sustained last season, and added that he is only expected to miss the next two games (Howard Beck of the New York Times reports).

Celtics Assign Fab Melo, Kris Joseph To D-League

November 14th, 2012 at 10:50am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have assigned a pair of players to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today. Rookies Fab Melo and Kris Joseph are headed to the Maine Red Claws, the Celtics confirmed in a press release.

Seven games into the Celtics' season, Joseph has only earned three total minutes of playing time, in the team's November 2nd contest against the Bucks. Melo, meanwhile, has yet to make his regular-season NBA debut. With the Red Claws, both players will earn much-needed playing time and a chance to develop.

To keep tabs on all of this season's D-League assignments and recalls, check out our tracker.

Atlantic Links: Allen, Copeland, Chandler

October 25th, 2012 at 10:48pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Jackie MacMullan of ESPN Boston points out that not only did Heat guard Ray Allen turn down more money over a shorter contract length from the Celtics (compared to Miami's offer), he also left a no-trade clause on the table. She also delves into Allen's thoughts on the constant trade rumors and his reactions to them, Boston's efforts to re-sign him, and the feeling of rebirth in Miami. Here are more of tonight's Atlantic links:

Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com thinks that 28-year-old rookie Chris Copeland has presented a strong case to make the Knicks roster.
Despite leaving last night's pre-season game early after hurting his knee during a collision with Nets forward Gerald Wallace, Knicks center Tyson Chandler could be available for the season opener, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. An MRI revealed that Chandler did not suffer any structural damage.
While Celtics coach Doc Rivers notes that having days off could have an effect on a team's ability to remain sharp, he likes having a week for his players to recuperate before the season starts (says A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com).
Brian Daly of the Toronto Sun writes about Kris Joseph earning a spot on the Celtics roster and what it means for Canadian basketball.

Celtics Rumors: Ainge, Grousbeck, Joseph

October 24th, 2012 at 6:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics are in the midst of a long layoff, having ended their preseason on Sunday, nine days before Tuesday's regular season opener against the Heat. That doesn't mean the stream of news has stopped coming out of Boston, where the Celtics begin their sixth straight year as title contenders. Coach Doc Rivers addressed a report this weekend that traced the Ray Allen/Rajon Rondo feud back to a 2009 trade proposal involving the Suns, saying he didn't know about any such trade and didn't think the report was true, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston writes. Here's the rest of the scuttlebutt surrounding the Celtics.

In a Q&A with Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge addressed concerns that the team's window of opportunity to win a championship has closed. "Those were legitimate questions about the window on the team," he said. "But Paul Pierce had a great March and April last season before he twisted and tweaked his knee and wasn't the same in the playoffs. He was the player of the month in March and great in April. KG (Kevin Garnett) was one of the best big men in the league all year last season, including the playoffs. They certainly showed that the window is not closing on them. We've added depth this year, and that depth should take a little bit of pressure off them and prolong their ability to be good players in Celtics uniforms."
Zillgitt also spoke with owner Wyc Grousbeck, who insisted that winning championships, not profit, is the organization's primary concern, and praised the team's players for having "the best chemistry in the league."
We heard this weekend that the Celtics were keeping second-round pick Kris Joseph around for opening night, and now Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com reports the team has informed Joseph of their decision to do so. Joseph, the 51st overall pick this June, is on a minimum-salary deal that won't become guaranteed until January 10th. The team is expected to waive Rob Kurz and Micah Downs, its other two players on non-guaranteed deals, before Saturday's deadline to do so.
Rivers, a member of the league's competition committee, said All-Star rosters may be expanded to 13 players this season, Forsberg reports.

Celtics Rumors: Melo, Joseph, Green

October 21st, 2012 at 8:57am CST by Chuck Myron

It's only preseason, but the Celtics have given their Atlantic Division rivals reason to be discouraged in their last two outings. Boston recorded a 30-point win over the Nets on Thursday and rallied from down 20 points last night to beat the Knicks. They're doing so with one of the league's most overhauled rosters. Even though they still have mainstays Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo, only six players return from last year, fewer than all but three other teams. We've got news on a few of Boston's offseason acquisitions right here.

The Celtics aren't too concerned as first-round draft pick Fab Melo struggles in the preseason, but president of basketball operations Danny Ainge envisions sending him down to the D-League for some work this season, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald writes.
Believing his team is deeper and more versatile than last year's Celtics, coach Doc Rivers agrees with point guard Rajon Rondo that this year's Boston team is better than the one that came away with the title in 2008, Bulpett reports.
Kris Joseph, whom the team drafted 51st overall in June, is in camp on a non-guaranteed deal, but drew praise from Rivers, who touts his "unbelievable" rebounding for a 6'7" small forward, as CSNNE.com documents.
Rivers believes Jeff Green struggled after arriving in a trade from the Thunder in 2011 because he deferred too much to the team's stars. Green promised a more aggressive approach when he re-signed this summer, and so far, he's delivered, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com examines.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Nash, Raptors, Knicks

October 16th, 2012 at 8:32pm CST by Zachary Links

In case you were worried that Jeremy Lin's move from New York to Houston would cut down on the point guard's face time in the media, you can now rest easy. The former Knicks guard was profiled in the cover story of GQ's November issue and ran down his hectic summer and eventual signing with the Rockets. Mostly everyone was taken by surprise when the Knicks opted against matching General Manager Daryl Morey's offer and Lin disclosed that even the Houston front office wasn't expecting to come away with him. After signing the Rockets' offer sheet, the club told Lin that they believed there was an "80% to 95% chance" that he would wind up back at MSG. Here's more out of the Atlantic..

The Celtics are now looking at adding another veteran player by the end of the week after releasing Dionte Christmas and Jamar Smith, a source tells Paul Flannery of WEEI.com. Coach Doc Rivers says that the club won't limit its search to backcourt help either as Courtney Lee, Jason Terry, and Avery Bradley can also pitch in at one-guard. Meanwhile, it now seems likely that rookie Kris Joseph will make the final roster of 15.
In an interview with QMI Agency, Steve Nash admitted that he was extremely close to signing with the Raptors this offseason, writes Steve Buffery of the Toronto Sun. "I was very close, you know," Nash said. "Because it appeared that they were going to be an option long before free agency started. So I got my head around that and I was comfortable with that and happy with the opportunity to play in Toronto. But when this opportunity (with the Lakers) became a reality, I couldn't pass it up."
If the Knicks can't break through this season with their core of Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, and Amare Stoudemire, Sam Amico of FOXSports.com believes that they should look into going in another direction.

Odds & Ends: Team Canada, Harrellson, Magic

August 23rd, 2012 at 2:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

A handful of players with NBA ties have been invited to a weekend training camp that will take place soon to give Team Canada officials a first glimpse at candidates for their national team, as Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reports (Sulia link). Tristan Thompson of the Cavs, Joel Anthony of the Heat, Cory Joseph of the Spurs, Andrew Nicholson of the Magic and Kris Joseph of the Celtics are on the list. Robert Sacre, the 60th pick in this year's draft by the Lakers, remains unsigned, but he's been invited as well. The team has officially named former Raptors head coach and current Blazers assistant Jay Triano as head coach, Wolstat also writes, and Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson will also be an assistant with Team Canada. Lakers guard Steve Nash, serving as Team Canada's GM, said he wouldn't have accepted the position if Triano wasn't coming aboard, too, Wolstat notes. Here's more from around the Association this afternoon:

The Heat conducted a workout with Josh Harrellson today, as we heard earlier, but the Timberwolves have no interest in the 6'10" University of Kentucky product, as they prefer a center with more length, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News in Minneapolis. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel notes that Harrellson is just one of several big men the Heat are considering (Sulia link).
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel looks at the options the Magic have at power forward to replace Ryan Anderson.
The Bulls, Lakers, Clippers, Timberwolves and Warriors all have some significant injury issues with training camp about a month away, and Sam Amick of SI.com checks in on the status of Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard and others.
Robin Lopez is recovering from left knee surgery that took place a week after the Hornets acquired him in a sign-and-trade, but he's expected to be ready for training camp, as John Reid of The Times-Picayune reports. Lopez expressed his enthusiasm about coming to New Orleans, saying, "I’m excited to be here. We’ve got a young, energetic group. The good thing is we’ve got some youth that has a little bit of experience as well. Hopefully we can parlay that into something special.’’
Joe Dumars, Pistons president of basketball operations, traveled overseas with assistant GM George David to watch Jonas Jerebko and Slava Kravtsov in FIBA Eurobasket qualifying, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes.

Odds & Ends: Spurs, Perkins, Fields

July 12th, 2012 at 10:46pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The Spurs were two wins away from an NBA Finals appearance this year, and while some fans may be alarmed that the team fell short of a Finals berth after going 50-16, R.C. Buford explained why there's little need to panic (Jeff McDonald of SpursNation reports). Along with the re-signing of Tim Duncan, Danny Green, Boris Diaw, the team announced the additon of point guard prospect Nando De Colo and appear to be excited at the continued development of Kawhi Leonard. Here's the rest of what we've heard tonight out of the Association..

Contract Details: Taylor, Joseph, English

July 11th, 2012 at 9:18am CST by Luke Adams

Contracts for first-round picks have minimal variance from team to team, as most first-rounders sign for 120% of the rookie scale amount, with two guaranteed years and two team options. However, deals for second-round picks aren't quite as predictable. While second-rounders generally sign for the rookie minimum, which is $473,604 for 2012/13, certain teams are more willing to give guaranteed years than others. Mark Deeks of Sham Sports has tweeted the details on a few contracts for second-round picks, so we'll round them up below….

Celtics Sign Sullinger, Melo, Joseph

July 3rd, 2012 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have officially signed 2012 draft picks Jared Sullinger, Fab Melo, and Kris Joseph, according to a team release. Sullinger and Melo were first-rounders, taken 21st and 22nd overall, while Joseph was taken in the second round, with pick No. 51.