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Irving On Viral Video With Durant: “My Life Is My Business”

February 24th, 2019 at 8:21pm CST by marksuleymanov

A viral video of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant — both of whom are set for unrestricted free agency this summer — speaking privately in a hallway during NBA All-Star weekend generated a lot of attention.

Fans on social media speculated both Irving and Durant possibly discussing plans to join the Knicks this summer. New York cleared cap space by trading Kristaps Porzingis earlier this month, creating two max slots. However, Irving said he paid no attention to the social chatter and left the content of his conversation with the Warriors All-Star private.

“Is the internet real for you in your life?” Irving told reporters, including NBC Sports Boston’s A.Sherrod Blakely. “It’s my life, right? It’s two people talking, having a conversation. If it’s the real world, would it be anybody else’s business? It’s a video of someone assuming what we’re talking about, right? Making an opinion about it. So why would I care? Why does that have an impact on my life? Why are you asking me those type of questions? About cooling it off? For what? I don’t get it.”

Both Irving and Durant expressed frustration with the barrage of attention leading into free agency. Given their status as two of the league’s top names, the conversation does not figure to subside until they reach decisions at some point in the summer. As Irving tries to steer Boston in the right direction with the postseason approaching, he said that speculative comments about his future will not concern him.

“What I do with my life is my business. It’s none of yours, none of anybody’s business,” he said. “So it’s a video of me and one of my best friends talking. And then it turns out to be a dissection of free agency meeting? You get that? Do you get that? And I’m asked questions about it? That’s what disconnects me from all this. I have no connection to all that. Over a video? Every wants to hear athletes talk about (bleep) like this. A video though? To pour water on it? It makes no sense.”

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Atlantic Notes: Irving, Green, Rozier, Rose

February 24th, 2019 at 2:30pm CST by JD Shaw

The Celtics were handed their second loss in a row on Saturday, dropping a 126-116 game to the Bulls at United Center. Boston failed to stop the avalanche caused by Zach LaVine (42 points) and Lauri Markkanen (35 points), bringing their regular-season road record to 14-15.

“It is what it is,” Kyrie Irving said, according to NBC Sports Boston. “Like I said, I don’t get frustrated with this type of stuff anymore. It’s just part of the regular season. In the playoffs where we can plan for a team and prepare for a team, I still don’t see anybody beating us in seven games.”

Irving played his part on Saturday, recording 37 points with 10 assists in 40 minutes of action. But the Celtics were dominated by the Bulls 49-32 on the glass, giving Chicago extra opportunities to score and pull away with an impressive home victory.

“It’s basketball, so we’ve got some figuring out to do,” Irving said, according to NBA.com. “Go back, watch film. Obviously, some effort plays where we really could’ve covered for one another. Just execution on both ends of the floor. Being able to give each other space, make basketball plays, read plays, just play the game at a high level. Obviously, these last two games, we haven’t done that at the level we’ve been capable of. We have to continue to do better.”

Boston holds the fifth-best record in the East at 37-23, currently trailing the No. 1 seed Bucks by 8.5 games. They have 22 more games to position themselves for the postseason.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division today:

  • Raptors guard Danny Green discussed a variety of subjects with HoopsHype’s Alex Kennedy, including Toronto’s new additions of Marc Gasol and Jeremy Lin, the future of Kawhi Leonard, his post-career plans and more. Green is in his first season with the Raptors after spending the last eight years with San Antonio, which included an NBA championship in 2014.
  • The Celtics‘ up-and-down play has generated some internal competition between Kyrie Irving and Terry Rozier, who work together to provide some of the most intimidating point guard play in the NBA. “I’ve been saying it since I joined and played with [Irving]…he’s like a big brother that I want everything that he got,” Rozier said, according to Chris Mannix of NBC Sports Boston. “It’s never hating on him or nothing like that, but it’s just I want everything you got. So, I’m going to challenge him every day and he’s going to challenge me.”
  • Former Knicks guard Derrick Rose showed the team he can still play in the Timberwolves’ 115-104 win in Madison Square Garden on Friday. Rose, who’s has a resurgent season with Minnesota, tallied 20 points and three steals off the bench against the Knicks. “It’s great, it’s always great playing here,” Rose said, as relayed by Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “The fans are great here, and I know it felt good just being back in the league and playing the way I normally play, playing with that aggression.”
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Poll: Where Will Kyrie Irving Play In 2019/20?

February 22nd, 2019 at 2:44pm CST by Luke Adams

A panel of ESPN’s NBA reporters and analysts were polled this week about the 2019/20 destinations for several key free agents, and the voting results on Kyrie Irving‘s home for next season were of particular interest.

It was less than five months ago that Irving vowed to re-sign with the Celtics in 2019, but in the wake of his more recent comments on free agency (“Ask me July 1”), ESPN’s panel isn’t overly confident that the star point guard will actually remain in Boston — the Celtics received about 53% of the vote, followed by the Knicks, Lakers, and Nets.

While Irving’s long-term NBA home will be a popular topic of discussion between now and July 1, it’s not clear that the 26-year-old himself even knows yet where he’ll play next season. After all, if the Celtics are bounced from the playoffs in the second round by a team like the Bucks or Raptors, Irving’s view on the franchise might be significantly different than if the C’s make a run to the NBA Finals and give the Warriors all they can handle.

If Irving sours on Boston, a move to New York could be appealing. The Nets are further ahead in their rebuild than the Knicks and will have a maximum-salary contract slot available. Of course, the Knicks will have two such slots, which would give Irving the opportunity to bring another star player along with him.

The Lakers have become an increasingly popular hypothetical destination for Irving, given the Lakers’ need for a second star and the efforts Irving and LeBron James have made to mend fences. Still, it’s hard to imagine the two All-Stars teaming up again after how things ended in Cleveland. L.A.’s other team, the Clippers, might make more sense as an Irving destination — they’re ahead of the rival Lakers in the standings this season and could potentially create a path to two max-salary slots.

Of course, there will be other teams with cap room available, but if Irving leaves Boston, those New York and Los Angeles teams look like his most probable suitors.

What do you think? Where will Irving be playing when the 2019/20 season begins? Will he stick with the Celtics, or have there been enough red flags in Boston this season that you expect him to jump ship and get a fresh start somewhere else?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to weigh in!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

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Celtics Notes: A. Davis, Irving, Tatum

February 20th, 2019 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

When he was interviewed in Charlotte this past weekend about his list of preferred destinations, Anthony Davis said that the Celtics are on that list: “I never said they weren’t on my list.”

However, Davis subsequently added that all 29 teams outside of New Orleans are on his list, which somewhat diminished the impact of him specifically including Boston. Now, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (video link) is reporting that the C’s may not really be on Davis’ short list.

“I’m still told his four-team list of the Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, [and] Bucks still exists in that order,” Charania said. “… There are a couple other teams – undisclosed right now – that he would also consider. The Celtics, I’m told, are still not a long-term destination for him in his mind. Where the Celtics stand has not changed despite what Anthony Davis said over the weekend.”

It’s hard to know exactly what to make of Davis’ comments at All-Star Weekend – which were a little all over the place, as Sean Deveney of Sporting News outlines – and Charania’s latest report. The long-term appeal of the Celtics for Davis will likely hinge in large part on whether or not Kyrie Irving sticks around, so AD’s camp might be hedging its bets to prepare for either outcome.

In any case, Davis’ wish list may ultimately not matter a whole lot, as the Pelicans plan to negotiate with any team that wants to get involved in the offseason — not just the four teams Davis views as potential long-term homes.

Here’s more on the Celtics:

  • In a conversation with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols (video link), Kyrie Irving spoke about the Celtics’ up-and-down season, his phone call to LeBron James, and whether his upcoming free agency is a distraction. He was also asked whether he agreed with Marcus Morris‘ contention that it hasn’t been a “fun” season in Boston. “It’s been a trying year for us,” Irving said. “We basically have a bunch of young men in our locker room that feel like they’re capable of doing a lot more than what they’re doing. And that’s okay. But there’s a maturity that you have to have, there’s a professionalism that you have to really showcase every single day, and that’s what the great ones do.”
  • A major player in those Davis trade rumors, Jayson Tatum told ESPN at All-Star weekend that he’d like to play for the Celtics for his entire NBA career. In order to achieve that goal, he may have to prove his value in the coming months, showing why Danny Ainge and the C’s shouldn’t include him in an offer for AD, writes Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston.
  • In a separate story for NBC Sports Boston, Forsberg makes the case that the 2018/19 Celtics are a legit contender worthy of fans’ complete attention — even if offseason speculation about Irving, Davis, and the team’s future seems more exciting at the moment.
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Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Marks, Tatum, Irving

February 18th, 2019 at 7:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks need to keep on tanking to assure themselves a top five pick in the draft, Steve Popper of Newsday argues. The team with the worst record can’t fall any lower than the fifth pick under the new draft lottery rules, Popper notes, and the Suns currently hold that distinction after New York ended its 18-game losing streak. After the top five players, including Duke’s trio of Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish, there’s an apparent dropoff in talent. The team with the second-worst record has a 20% chance of falling to the No. 6 slot, Popper adds.

We have more from around the Atlantic Division:

  • The Nets have made so much progress over the last three seasons under GM Sean Marks that they’re in play for top-level free agents, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Brooklyn has turned into a playoff-caliber team under Marks’ guidance. “Things surrounding the team probably look a lot more attractive to the outside,” Marks told Lewis. “We’re a more attractive destination. The young guys we know are going to be Nets for the foreseeable future, we’re proud of their development and that’s a pretty good foundation. People have taken notice and said, ‘Hey, I [could] play with that group.”
  • Boston hasn’t played like champions most of the season but one of its young stars says they’ll end up with the Larry O’Brien trophy. Jayson Tatum declared to ESPN’s Rachel Nichols (hat tip to Nick Goss of NBC Sports Boston) that the Celtics are going all the way. “We’re gonna win the Finals this year,” Tatum said. “Feb. 16, Jayson Tatum says (the Celtics) are going to win the Finals this year.”
  • Kyrie Irving agreed to some extent with Marcus Morris‘ criticism shortly before the All-Star break that the Celtics weren’t playing hard enough or having enough fun, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald relays. Boston won its last two games before the break after Morris’ comments. “Well, I mean, there was some truth into it,” Irving said. “You know, we obviously understand that we have a lot of talent in our locker room, so it’s been a lot to manage. But we’ve come out pretty successful — obviously not as successful as we would like to be, but that’s just overall the attitude that you have to have in order to win in this league.”
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Atlantic Notes: Russell, Giannis, Knicks, Mudiay, Irving

February 14th, 2019 at 6:26pm CST by JD Shaw

For D’Angelo Russell, getting traded from the Lakers to the Nets in 2017 was a blessing in disguise. Russell has excelled with the team this season, leading the Nets in points, assists and minutes played through 59 games so far.

“I came here with open arms,” Russell said, as relayed by Leo Sepkowitz of Bleacher Report. “I always knew I could do what I’m doing, it’s just all about opportunity in this league. For [Nets GM] Sean Marks and those guys to come get me and make it happen here, give me the opportunity to help myself thrive, I think it was more than necessary.”

Russell, who has held averages of 20.3 points, 6.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game in his first All-Star season, then went on to call the trade the “best thing that happened” in his career.

The Lakers, of course, moved Russell to Brooklyn as part of a salary dump that included the contract of Timofey Mozgov, and saw several of their young players featured in rumors around the trade deadline this month.

“I can’t imagine what they’re trying to block out,” Russell said, later adding, “if [the Lakers] didn’t let me go then, they were gonna let me go now, and I’d be going through what they’re going through. Best thing that happened in my career.”

Russell understood why the Lakers made the move, but immediately became motivated to lead a team in Brooklyn. The Nets now hold the sixth-best record in the East at 30-29, surprising many league observers and fans with their success.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division tonight:

  • Every NBA team except the Knicks scouted Giannis Antetokounmpo as a prospect in Greece, according to Greg Joyce of the New York Post. “Scouts started flying to Greece,” Antetokounmpo’s agent Giorgos Panou said. “Every day at practice, at games, executives, GMs, assistant coaches — every team came. Twenty-nine teams, except the Knicks, New York Knicks.” The Knicks have since refuted this claim, as relayed by ESPN’s Ian Begley (Twitter link).
  • Speaking of the Knicks, Emmanuel Mudiay is unsure of his current role with the team’s new rotation, Marc Berman writes for The Post. New York traded for starting point guard Dennis Smith Jr. earlier in the month, likely taking minutes away from Mudiay. “That’s out of my control,’’ Mudiay said. “That’s something you have to ask [coach] Fiz. I’m going to support my teammates.”
  • Celtics guard Kyrie Irving will be joined by team physical therapist Brian Dolan and personal trainer Robin Pound during the All-Star break in Charlotte, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald writes. Irving will continue rehab from a strained right knee suffered against the Clippers last Saturday, but his status for Sunday’s All-Star Game with Team LeBron has yet to be announced.
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Lakers Notes: Simmons, Hart, Ball, Zubac

February 11th, 2019 at 8:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers released a statement stating that the Sixers had sought their permission for floor leader Ben Simmons to speak with team president Magic Johnson, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets. Philadelphia emailed the Lakers in November, according to the statement, asking if Simmons could speak with Johnson about his Hall of Fame career. Lakers GM Rob Pelinka subsequently told Sixers GM Elton Brand that Johnson could only do that with Philadelphia’s written pre-approval. That was the end of the matter, the release adds. The league has launched an investigation to determine if any communication between the parties violated league rules.

We have more on the Lakers:

  • Guard Josh Hart received a PRP injection to treat tendinitis in his right knee, according to a team press release. Hart will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break, the release adds. Hart didn’t play in blowout losses against Indiana and Philadelphia and only lasted eight scoreless minutes against Boston.
  • Lonzo Ball isn’t considered a defensive specialist but the Lakers have missed him at that end of the court, Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times notes. The Lakers’ defensive rating is the third-worst in the league in the nine games since Ball was sidelined by a severe ankle sprain. “He allows us to switch a lot,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said. “If they want to run any pick and roll minus the center, the 1-5 pick and roll, we can just switch it. And we feel confident Lonzo can guard most of the other players there. We have Lonzo picking up full-court the other team’s points guard. He’s great at instincts, getting deflections.”
  • Trading young center Ivica Zubac to the Clippers to ‘rent’ power forward Mike Muscala doesn’t make much sense, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report argues. Zubac could have been an inexpensive, long-term contributor for the Lakers, Pincus continues. He would have been a restricted free agent with a modest cap hold of $1.9 million. Muscala’s cap hold is $9.5MM and he might not be any more productive than Zubac would have been the rest of this season.
  • LeBron James claims the reason he drafted Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis for his All-Star team had nothing to do with recruiting, according to another Ganguli story. “That’s all part of the speculation that continues to drive our sport,” he said. “It’s all good and well and dandy, but for me I picked according to my draft board and I picked according to who was the best available.”
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Atlantic Notes: Brand, Nets, Atkinson, Irving

February 10th, 2019 at 5:45pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

After years and years of asset collection and patience being the primary focus of the Sixers‘ plans, Elton Brand has dramatically changed the team’s course of action in a few months. First it was trading for Jimmy Butler. Then this past week, Brand took it to another level by trading several future assets for Tobias Harris, effectively creating a “big four” in Philadelphia.

These moves were made because Brand’s mindset is that the Sixers are in a position to contend for a championship right now. As Brian Seltzer writes for the 76ers’ team website, Brand is acting with a sense of urgency and focus on building a true championship team this season.

Should the 76ers re-sign both Harris and Butler, the team would instantly become one of the more expensive in the league, but Brand should be satisfied with the group of talent he has assembled for the foreseeable future.

There’s more from the Atlantic division:

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Celtics Notes: Deadline, Irving, Morris, Hawks’ Pick

February 8th, 2019 at 11:23am CST by Luke Adams

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge explored the trade market, but ultimately stood pat after not finding any deals he liked, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston.

“We spent a lot of time on the phone talking deals, looking for good ones,” Ainge said. “It was hard to find good ones this year just because we really like our team.”

While it may have been hard for Celtics fans to watch the Sixers, Bucks, and Raptors load up for the playoff race, the club remains confident that it has the pieces necessary to contend for the conference crown. As Blakely relays, Celtics players are happy the team’s core remained intact.

“The (trade) deadline was a lot, for a lot of other people,” Kyrie Irving said. “For us, we were pretty set. They made that very clear, management. So, I’m just happy we just have to focus on the rest of the season and have some fun doing so.”

Here’s more from out of Boston:

  • Irving called the moves made by the East’s other top teams “great pickups,” but he and his teammates were mostly unfazed by those clubs’ deadline deals, says Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston.
  • Speaking of Irving, Ainge was asked again today during an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub about the point guard’s upcoming free agency, and provided an interesting answer (link via ESPN.com). “The way I viewed the situation is that I think a lot of people, because of Kyrie’s announcement at the beginning of the year, thought that it was a marriage,” Ainge said. “And I think that it’s more like an engagement. And we’re going to get married on July 1st. I think that engagement is still on, as far as I know. In my individual conversations with Kyrie, we’re still engaged but we really can’t make those vows, sign that contract until July 1st.”
  • Markieff Morris was waived by the Pelicans at the deadline, but Marcus Morris won’t necessarily be pushing the Celtics to add his twin brother, pointing out that there might not be enough minutes to go around in Boston. As Forsberg relays for NBC Sports Boston, Morris just hopes that his brother doesn’t end up playing for one of Boston’s Eastern rivals. “We still trying to figure out what he’s going to do,” Marcus said of Markieff. “If he’s cleared [to return to play after a neck injury], then I’m definitely going to have the conversation with him. I’d rather him go to the West.”
  • Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports confirms (via Twitter) that the 2020 second-round pick the Celtics received in Thursday’s Jabari Bird trade is the Hawks‘ own selection and is top-55 protected. In other words, barring a massive turnaround from Atlanta next season, it won’t actually convey.
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LeBron, Giannis Draft 2019 All-Star Teams

February 7th, 2019 at 6:23pm CST by JD Shaw

LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo drafted their teams for the 2019 All-Star Game on Thursday, officially finalizing the rosters for this year’s contest. James and Antetokounmpo were chosen as captains because they were the All-Star starter from each conference with the most fan votes.

Both James and Antetokounmpo first had to select from a pool of starters, then from a list of reserve players. The starters, which consisted of eight other players, were voted on by the fans, players and media this season. The reserve players were voted on by the NBA’s 30 head coaches.

James drafted Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden as starters, choosing Durant as his first selection. His reserves were Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, Russell Westbrook, LaMarcus Aldridge, Karl-Anthony Towns, Bradley Beal and Dwyane Wade.

Antetokounmpo drafted Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, Paul George and Kemba Walker as his starters, selecting Curry with his first pick. He drafted Khris Middleton, Nikola Jokic, Ben Simmons, Blake Griffin, D’Angelo Russell, Nikola Vucevic, Kyle Lowry and Dirk Nowitzki as his reserves.

James later traded Westbrook to Team Giannis in exchange for Simmons, making an effort to repair the relationship of Westbrook and Embiid.

The 68th NBA All-Star Game is set to commence on February 17 at Spectrum Center, featuring 26 of the best basketball players in the world.

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