Kyrie Irving Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Irving, Grousbeck, Baynes, Horford

April 1st, 2019 at 8:18pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Celtic Paul Pierce believes Jayson Tatum would reach his All-Star potential if he drove to the basket more often, as he told Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.

“For a guy with his athleticism, his skill set and his ball-handling, his height, he should be a guy that gets to the line at least six times a night and makes five out of six,” Pierce said. “That’ll take him from a 16-point scorer to a 20-point scorer, and he’ll be in the conversation for All-Star every year on a winning team.”

Pierce also believes Tatum won’t fully blossom until he’s relied upon as a primary scorer.

“Look at James Harden,” he said. “We didn’t know James Harden was going to be this until he went to Houston. He was the sixth man on OKC. Now he’s a perennial MVP and arguably the best player in the league.”

We have more on the Celtics:

Kyrie Irving’s decision in free agency could be decided by how the postseason plays out, Bulpett speculates in the same article. While events during the season have seemingly tilted the odds in favor of Irving signing elsewhere, that could change if the team makes a deep run, Bulpett adds.
Danny Ainge attributed a seemingly critical comment by Irving against the coaching staff as frustration after a loss. Charlotte’s Kemba Walker scored 36 points against Boston in a recent loss and Irving said they should have trapped Walker more often. Ainge’s response came on a radio interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher & Rich” and was relayed by Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston. “I did hear (Irving’s comments). It’s not that uncommon,” the GM said. “Guys get frustrated, and maybe that was the first thing that came to his mind is, ‘We should have done something different with Kemba.'”
Owner Wyc Grousbeck believes the team can flip the switch during the postseason, he told Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. Grousbeck admits the team has underachieved but still believes better days are ahead. “We have not played at an elite level this year,” Grousbeck said. “We have to admit that at the moment. We’re in fifth place in the East. It’d be great to take that step now, or we’ll try to take it next year if we have to. But what I’m seeing, with the playoffs around the corner, I’m going to go into the playoffs with good energy and optimism and seeing what happens.”
Pairing Al Horford and Aron Baynes can give the Celtics more toughness inside but it would only work against certain lineups, as coach Brad Stevens explains to NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg. “With their size and length, I think we have a different impact at the rim. But when you’re playing a team that’s super small and spread out, that’s tough to guard when you have a more traditional lineup.”

Kyrie Irving May Prefer Nets Over Knicks

March 30th, 2019 at 5:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

There have rumors for months that Kyrie Irving will consider coming to New York when he opts out of his contract this summer. But Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News suggests the Knicks may not be his destination.

Bondy writes that “some sources around the league” believe Brooklyn would be Irving’s preferred choice and cites a recent NBA TV interview by former Cavaliers GM David Griffin, who spent time with Irving in Cleveland.

“I think Brooklyn is the fit that’s better for him in terms of his mindset,” Griffin said. “I think he likes what they’ve done there, culturally.”

The Nets have a huge head start if Irving is looking for an instant contender. Brooklyn is fighting for a playoff spot at 38-38, while the Knicks are limping toward the finish line with a league-worst 14-61 record.

Brooklyn will have enough cap space to extend a max offer to Irving, while the Knicks will be able to offer two max contracts and are hoping to team Irving up with another elite free agent such as Kevin Durant. However, signing Irving would probably mean the Nets will have to part with point guard D’Angelo Russell, who will be a restricted free agent after a breakout season.

Irving promised Celtics fans in October that he would re-sign with the team. However, as losses piled up, speculation has increased that he may go back on that pledge. The Celtics’ performance in the playoffs could go a long way toward determining whether Irving will return to Boston or take his talents elsewhere.

Injury Notes: Embiid, Richardson, McCaw

March 30th, 2019 at 3:07pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Joel Embiid will miss the next three games for the Sixers, starting with tonight’s tilt against the Timberwolves, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. The move to leave Embiid home during the three-game road trip is part of pre-determined maintenance.

Embiid missed time following the All-Star break with knee soreness and other players, such as Jimmy Butler and Ben Simmons, have also missed time because of injury and rest concerns. As a result, the team’s starting five has only played in 10 games together this season, as I detailed last week.

Here’s more injury notes from around the league:

Heat coach Eric Spoelstra said there is no timetable for Josh Richardson (left heel) to return to action, as Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald relays on Twitter. Spoelstra added that he doesn’t believe Richardson is done for the season.
Patrick McCaw will be in a splint for approximately three weeks, according to a Raptors press release. He will be re-evaluated at that time.
Kyrie Irving and Al Horford will both miss tonight’s contest against the Nets, Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com passes along. Irving’s nursing a sore back while Horford has a sore left knee. Neither player is expected to miss an extended period of time for the Celtics.

Knicks Expected To Shop Frank Ntilikina

March 30th, 2019 at 9:10am CST by ChrisCrouse

Frank Ntilikina made a three-pointer against the Nuggets in the first quarter of the road loss last week and that bucket may be his last as a member of the Knicks.

Ntilikina, who has nursed a groin injury for the majority of 2019, has been shut down for the season, and according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, the team is expected to shop the former No. 8 overall pick this summer. Marc Berman of The New York Post previously reported that the Knicks would be willing to deal Ntilikina for a first-round pick.

New York’s point guard situation will be a top offseason storyline. The franchise traded for Dennis Smith in the Kristaps Porzingis deal and former No. 7 overall pick Emmanuel Mudiay found a mini-resurgence during his first full season with the club. While GM Scott Perry is responsible for bringing in both players, the front office won’t hesitate to put those two in the backseat and let Kyrie Irving drive the offense should the six-time All-Star decide that the orange-and-blue is his jersey of choice.

The Knicks are expected to pursue Irving this summer, though they won’t be alone. Their crosstown rival is also expected to be among the teams that make a run at him and some sources around the league tell Bondy that Irving actually prefers the Nets over the Knicks. Brooklyn already has an All-Star point guard in D’Angelo Russell, though it’s feasible that the team could look to coordinate a backcourt with both players.

During a recent NBA TV interview, former Cavs GM David Griffin suggested that Brooklyn was the more attractive situation to Irving. “I think Brooklyn is the fit that’s better for [Irving] in terms of his mindset,” Griffin said. “I think he likes what they’ve done there, culturally.”

Ntilikina’s future in New York doesn’t appear to be directly tied to Irving’s decision, as the team will shop him regardless of whether they land the Uncle Drew star.

The 20-year-old point guard is focused on getting healthy. He wants to play for France in the FIBA World Cup in August. Teams can’t flat out restrict players from playing internationally but they can strongly encourage or suggest that they should not.

“You can’t really dictate it. You can only suggest,” coach David Fizdale said. “I just think it depends on where the guy is at personally and how many years they have in their career. And what he necessarily needs in the summer. Some guys need to play games. And other guys need court work and drills with the coaches.”

Ntilikina skipped the World Cup qualifiers last offseason to train with the Knicks and it’s unclear whether New York will lobby for Ntilikina to avoid the risk of further injury and stay home during the international tournament. Then again, by the time August comes around, that could be another organization’s issue.

Celtics Notes: Williams, Irving, Stevens, Hunter

March 24th, 2019 at 9:04am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics are dealing with another injured center after rookie Robert Williams took a hard fall onto his back in last night’s game, writes Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston. Making his first career start because of injuries to Al Horford and Aron Baynes, Williams left the game with a back contusion in the second quarter.

“I’m guessing we’re looking at a Jaylen (Brown) time frame from this year, at least,” coach Brad Stevens said. Brown suffered a similar injury last March and missed six games. Boston has nine games left, so it’s possible that Williams won’t return until the playoffs. Jayson Tatum also fell on his back last night, but his injury appears to be less severe.

Losing Williams could affect the Celtics’ plans for their open roster spot. There was a report Friday night that they would be signing Greg Monroe to a 10-day contract, but when that didn’t happen yesterday, there were suggestions that the opening might go to Thomas Robinson, who joined the organization’s G League affiliate last week. If Williams is out for the rest of the season, that might tip the scales back in favor of Monroe.

There’s more this morning out of Boston:

Kyrie Irving appeared to take another swipe at his young teammates, saying the Celtics need to be “more mature down the stretch” after blowing an 18-point fourth quarter lead in a loss to the Hornets, relays A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston. Irving, who has been outspoken about the difficulties of being a veteran leader on a young team, also questioned Stevens’ approach to handling Kemba Walker, who scored 18 fourth quarter points to lead the comeback. “We should have probably trapped him more like every other team does in the league but we didn’t,” Irving said. “He torches us every time we play them, so it’s no surprise.”
Before Saturday’s meltdown, Stevens indicated rotation changes could be coming, Blakely adds in a separate story. He told his players that “toughness” will determine who plays in the postseason. “We are in evaluation stage on who’s reliable,” Stevens said. “… If you don’t have that reliability; if you don’t have that toughness. If you don’t have the ability to move on to what’s next, you don’t last very long.”
R.J. Hunter hasn’t taken the court for Boston since signing a two-way contract in January, but he believes he’s a mentally stronger player than when he was drafted by the team in 2015. He talks about that aspect of the game an interview tweeted by the Celtics.

Celtics Notes: Irving, Horford, Hayward, Rozier

March 20th, 2019 at 7:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

No matter how it affects the Celtics‘ playoff seeding, Kyrie Irving plans to take at least a game or two off before the regular season ends, writes Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. Irving said at today’s shootaround that he is focused on being fully healthy for the postseason, which begins three weeks from Saturday.

“I’m definitely taking some games off before the playoffs,” he told reporters. “Makes no sense, the emphasis on these regular games, when you’re gearing up for some battles coming in the playoffs.”

Coach Brad Stevens has talked about resting Al Horford, who has pain in his left knee, and agrees that health heading into the postseason should be the team’s priority.

“I think this is the bottom line: If we choose to rest Al in a game, or Kyrie in a game, then we have other guys who should be able to step up and play well, and they’re approaching that as a great opportunity for those other guys, too,” Stevens said.

There’s more news out of Boston:

Gordon Hayward is making progress in the concussion protocol and could be ready to play by this weekend, Murphy adds in the same piece. Hayward, who was injured Saturday, worked on the treadmill yesterday and will be evaluated tomorrow. “Every indication is that he felt OK today,” Stevens said. “But he will go to the doctor in Boston (Thursday). If he’s cleared to go, he’ll go through the next steps and keep on going.”
During a recent radio interview, Terry Rozier discussed the problem of having too many players who feel like they can take over games, relays John Karalis of MassLive. Rozier admits that getting players to accept their roles has been an ongoing problem. “When you’re playing on a team you’re dealing with different types of personalities,” he said, “but now you’re dealing with so many different guys that feel like they the man, and now it’s like, how do you handle that?”
President of basketball operations Danny Ainge is looking on the bright side of a season that most observers consider disappointing, relays Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. Heavy favorites to win the East before the season began, the Celtics entered tonight in fifth place at 43-28. “There’s been a few games here and there when we’ve played really well,” Ainge said. “It’s like you take one step forward and take a step backward, and then you take two steps forward and take another step back. But I feel like there’s a lot of good things I see on our team.”

Kyrie: “The Way I’ve Handled Things Hasn’t Been Perfect”

March 11th, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Having assumed a leadership role in Boston after playing second fiddle to LeBron James for years in Cleveland, Kyrie Irving has made a handful of eyebrow-raising comments to the media this season. Over the last several months, Irving has called out his younger teammates, expressed the need for a 15-year veteran in the locker room, and walked back a preseason promise to re-sign with the Celtics.

Looking back on the season in a conversation with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Irving admitted that he hasn’t always taken the best approach in his attempts to set an example for his teammates and get the Celtics on the right track.

“The way I’ve handled things, it hasn’t been perfect,” Irving said. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes that I take full responsibility for. I apologize. I haven’t done it perfectly. I haven’t said the right things all the time. I don’t want to sit on a place like I’m on a pedestal from anybody. I’m a normal human being that makes mistakes. For me, I think because of how fixated I was on trying to prove other people wrong, I got into a lot of habits that were bad, like reading stuff and reacting emotionally. That’s just not who I am.”

It has been an up-and-down season in Boston, and many of Irving’s most noteworthy comments have come after bad Celtics losses. However, with the club seemingly at a low point after losing for the fifth time in six games last Sunday, a cross-country flight to California provided an opportunity for the team to reset and bond, as Jay King of The Athletic details.

While it’s not clear if Irving offered a similar mea culpa to his teammates on that flight, King writes that the star point guard helped improve the mood surrounding the club by playing music, card games, and dice games during the trip to the Bay Area. Head coach Brad Stevens, Irving, and several other members of the club have pointed to that trip as a positive turning point for the Celtics, who have since won road games over the Warriors, Kings, and Lakers.

“It’s a long flight across the country, everybody’s getting their headphones on or whatever,” Al Horford said, per King. “And (Irving) just started talking, and then he was like, ‘Hey, let’s play cards.’ And we just got to talking. I just think that his energy in all that, that kind of brought us together as a group. And that carried over to that practice the next day in San Francisco, which I thought was a really good one, and then that shootaround before the game was really good as well, really focused. But it all started with the plane ride.”

Of course, there’s no guarantee that the recent good vibes surrounding the Celtics will continue all season, or that they’ll translate to postseason success. But for now, at least, the energy around the club seems more positive — even if Irving made it clear that some of his complaints about how the media manufactures drama still stand.

“I just want to make sure this locker room understands who I am and what I represent,” Irving told Haynes. “I’m trying to make sure that they set a great example for young players that are coming after them as well. Like I said, I haven’t said the right things and done all the right things, and I don’t ever want to compare myself to perfection. But I can tell that I’m definitely learning from the older players, the players that are my age and the younger players on how to deal with the evolution of just media. It’s a platform now, it’s an entire industry that bothers a lot of people, entertainers, athletes.

“… This is the responsibility that I have. I’m done complaining about it. I have feelings about it, but I’m not going keep badgering the media, keep badgering other people, keep badgering this or that. It’s about moving forward and keeping my sanctuary as safe as possible. As long as I go out there and handle my business, I don’t have anything else to worry about. As long as I go out there and do my thing and make sure my teammates are playing well and their spirits are right, I’m doing my job.”

Kyrie Irving Talks LeBron James, Embracing Role In Boston

March 9th, 2019 at 11:57am CST by marksuleymanov

To label Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving as a mercurial presence in Boston this season would be an understatement. The point guard has garnered huge attention due to a streaky Celtics team, an uncertain future in Boston, his public comments, and his impending free agency.

At times, Irving has expressed frustration with his team and its inconsistent performance. Other situations have called for Irving to answer – and in many cases – deflect questions about his plans this summer. Despite all of that, the Celtics remain a lock for the postseason with Irving, a player with NBA Finals experience.

In a recent interview with Joe Vardon of The Athletic (subscription required), Irving discussed his season in Boston, getting used to negativity and his former teammate LeBron James‘ adjustment to the Lakers. Here are a few highlights:

On LeBron James’ first season in Los Angeles…

“You’re coming to a team like that and you have a lot of the responsibility, and you come back in the middle of the regular season, it’s hard because now other teams are gearing up for the playoffs, that next level of play. Bron knows about it, (Rajon) Rondo knows about it, but Kuz (Kyle Kuzma) and Brandon Ingram, he’s trying to teach these guys well about what it takes to win consistently in this league.”

On the adjustment to being the superstar on a contending team…

“It’s a little maniacal at times and a bit repetitive because you get asked the same questions about the regular season and we all know that, all that goes out the window once you get to to the playoffs. The thing that matters the most is how connected you are as a team heading into the postseason. … The deal that I had to become aware of, that I was signing up for, was like once you become one of the most coveted guys in the league, you’re signing up for basically, like you’re going to be attacked for the rest of your career. You’re going to be praised. You’re going to be brought up, you’re going to be brought down because that’s just the nature of the business.”

On his confidence as a leader…

“My confidence runs deep regardless, but especially when it’s at the highest point of competition, it’s when I did my best. I haven’t had the best games in the Finals sometimes. I haven’t had the best games in the playoffs. I’ve definitely been through some ups and downs. But I think that experience and that carryover from taking (the championship), from the opportunity of being in Cleveland and then taking (the experience) to Boston gives me my confidence in my teammates now.”

Celtics Notes: Lineup, Irving, Ojeleye, Rozier

March 4th, 2019 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

After snapping a four-game losing streak on Friday vs. Washington, the Celtics suffered another home loss on Sunday against the Rockets. The game once again left Boston’s players and coaches grasping for answers, with Kyrie Irving and head coach Brad Stevens both suggesting that the C’s simply have to “play better,” as Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com relays.

While there has been an assumption for much of the season that the Celtics will eventually figure things out and hit their stride, there are only 18 games left in their regular season schedule, and time is running out, writes Bontemps. Some league observers believe Boston needs to shake up its starting five, but Stevens isn’t sure it’s that simple.

“You know, obviously, we’ll look at everything,” Stevens said. “We’ve been looking at everything after every game. Every night when you go to bed, every minute when you wake up, you’re always thinking about that. There’s things that — that are helpful in that, and things that are not helpful. And if it’s the root of your issues, then I think the — then a small tweak can help. I’m not sure that that’s our root [problem].”

Here’s more from out of Boston:

Second-year forward Semi Ojeleye, who isn’t even a regular part of the rotation, made an effort to motivate his teammates on Sunday, yelling at them in a third-quarter huddle to “wake the f–k up,” as Jay King of The Athletic details. The Celtics were down by 28 points at the time. “Making or missing shots isn’t going to determine our wins or losses,” Ojeleye said after the game. “It’s really about effort right now. And I was just trying to tell guys to wake up. The look on everybody’s faces was like we already lost the game, and it was the start of the third quarter.”
Both King and Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer pointed to Marcus Morris‘ comments from last month about things not being “fun” this season in Boston, suggesting that the team’s demeanor on and off the court continues to line up with that sentiment. King writes that recent opponents have noticed the Celtics’ tension on the court, while O’Connor wonders if the club’s identity this season has become “discontent.”
Source around the team tell O’Connor that Irving’s persona has changed since around the start of February, and that he has become more “disengaged and detached from those around the team.” Of course, as O’Connor observes, February 1 was the day that Kyrie was asked again about his upcoming free agency and replied that he doesn’t “owe anybody s–t.”
League sources tell O’Connor that the Suns offered a protected first-round pick for Terry Rozier before the season, but Boston wanted an unprotected first-rounder.

Smart: Celtics “Just Not Together” During Losses

February 27th, 2019 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics lost their third straight game on Tuesday, falling in embarrassing fashion to the Raptors in Toronto. While the final score was 118-95, the game wasn’t even really that close — at one point, Boston trailed by 31 points.

As the Celtics struggle to determine why they’ve failed to deliver on lofty preseason expectations so far this season, veteran guard Marcus Smart offered one explanation, writes Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com. In Smart’s view, the C’s are “just not together” during their increasingly common slumps.

“What are the main ingredients to those collapses? Not being together,” Smart said. “And that’s it. We’re just not together. Plain and simple. That’s it. Because if we were together, that wouldn’t happen. We’re all talking and linking up, but like I said, it’s something we’re going through, and it’s something we’re going to have to continue to work at and figure it out.”

Meanwhile, head coach Brad Stevens shared his own thoughts on what’s causing the Celtics’ on-court struggles.

“We were taking a lot of shortcuts, and that hurt us,” Stevens said following Tuesday’s loss, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.

Asked about Smart’s and Stevens’ assessments of the Celtics’ slide, Kyrie Irving didn’t offer much to reporters on Tuesday night. Addressing Smart’s opinion that the C’s aren’t playing “together,” Irving replied, “That’s Marcus’ opinion. I respect it.” When a reporter asked whether Kyrie agreed that the Celtics were taking shortcuts and inquired about what the team might do to fix the issue, the All-Star point guard said, “I don’t know, it’s up to Brad.”

While Hoops Rumors typically doesn’t focus too much on game-to-game results, the ongoing dysfunction in Boston could potentially have a huge impact on the coming offseason. Irving – who was seen talking to president of basketball operations Danny Ainge in the locker room after Tuesday’s game, per Himmelsbach – will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, and no longer appears fully committed to his preseason vow that he’d re-sign with the Celtics.

If the Celtics don’t get things sorted out by the playoffs and are eliminated in the first or second round, that could help swing Kyrie’s decision. In turn, if Irving leaves, Boston would probably be far less inclined to go all-in for Anthony Davis on the trade market. In other words, the Celtics’ play over the next couple months will be worth watching closely, since it could significantly affect the NBA landscape going forward.