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Atlantic Notes: Nets, Reed, Okafor

October 15th, 2015 at 8:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Nets‘ high-profile acquisition of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce from the Celtics prior to the 2013/14 season never worked out as planned for Brooklyn, and the team is trying to move on and rebuild as best it can despite dealing away multiple future draft picks for the two aging veterans, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes. “We all made the decision to go for it,” GM Billy King said. “We made a decision, and at that point we felt it was the best decision. And now we’re headed in a different direction. I don’t think you can sit there and say, ‘What if?’ You make a decision and you move on. That’s how we did it. You make the decision, and then you adjust and you move on as you have to.”

“If we hadn’t had injuries, could we have won more? Possibly,” King continued. “And then the picks [that went to the Celtics] . . . you know, I look at it like, there’s nothing that can be done about them. So now we’re focusing on trying to gain younger assets, as we did this year. And we’ll keep doing that. It’s something similar to what I did in Philadelphia, where we gave up a lot of picks early to get to The Finals. Then after that we started retooling and drafting second-round picks like Kyle Korver. You’ve just got to take what you have and work with it.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Nets power forward Willie Reed has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb and he’ll undergo surgery on Friday, the team announced. A timetable for his return will be established following the procedure, according to the release. Reed is one of seven Brooklyn players without a fully guaranteed deal, but the Nets would have to pay him until he’s healthy, even if they waive him.
The Sixers don’t expect rookie center Jahlil Okafor to be at full strength when the regular season begins, and they intend to take it slow with his minutes as he works his way back into shape from being sidelined with a sore right knee, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He’s been tremendously set back now,” coach Brett Brown said. “He was going to be fine, going through [training camp at] Stockton [University].” When asked about Okafor’s ideal playing weight, Brown responded by saying, “There are a few goals that we have. But like a little bit with Joel [Embiid], we will probably keep them in house. Fair question, but keep them in house.“
Rookie shooting guard R.J. Hunter has impressed the Celtics‘ coaching staff with his all-around game, and he is the likeliest of Boston’s three rookies to see significant playing time this season, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com relays. “I think it’s pretty obvious, just watching him, he really has a feel,” coach Brad Stevens said of Hunter. “It just comes pretty natural — little passes, simple plays, being able to put the ball on the money to other people, understanding spacing, understanding where his opportunities are going to come. And he’s got a pretty good feel for the game.“

Southeast Rumors: Wizards, Lamb, Hawks

October 12th, 2015 at 8:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

John Wall believes the Wizards will be able to play with a faster tempo now that aging small forward Paul Pierce has joined the Clippers, David Aldridge of NBA.com reports in his weekly column. The Wizards’ floor leader feels that with Otto Porter at that spot in place of Pierce, the club will be able to rely much more on its transition game. “We kind of wanted to be a halfcourt team because he couldn’t get up and down the floor,” Wall told Aldridge. “He’s not the young Paul any more. And he helped us out a lot in so many other ways, making big shots and being a leader. But now it’s going to be an opportunity to let Otto exhale, running the floor, being able to create off the dribble, him slashing to the basket, and just anybody that comes into that position.” The Wizards were just 16th in pace last season but coach Randy Wittman wants more possessions, Aldridge adds. “If you have the ball, and you have an open shot, you’re shooting it,” Wittman said to Aldridge. “If you don’t, you’ve either got to pass, or dribble penetration. You can’t hold it and dribble and dribble.”

In other news around the Southeast Division:

Shooting guard Jeremy Lamb has the most upside among the Hornets’ offseason acquisitions, Ken Berger of CBS Sports opines. With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist likely out for the season, Lamb could be a starter on the wing alongside small forward Nicolas Batum. But Lamb either has to display an improved jump shot or develop his drive game and get to the paint in order to take full advantage of the opportunity, Berger continues. The Hornets’ front office tried to acquire Lamb long before he was finally made available by the Thunder, Berger adds. Lamb was dealt in June to Charlotte for Luke Ridnour and a protected second rounder.
The Hawks are experimenting with a big lineup of Tiago Splitter at center, Al Horford at power forward and Paul Millsap at small forward but the results have been mixed thus far, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. “Obviously, we have a lot of good big guys,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer told Vivlamore. “We are trying to figure out a way to play them together.” The Hawks were 28th in the NBA in rebounds last season and the big lineup could help improve that figure, Vivlamore adds.
The Magic have not found any superstars with their recent lottery picks but they could all contribute the team’s revival, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Southeast Notes: Pierce, Lin, Green

October 10th, 2015 at 4:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Wizards are intending to utilize smaller, faster lineups this season, something they would have done a season ago if they had the proper personnel, J. Michael of CSNMid-Atlantic.com writes. According to point guard John Wall, the presence of Paul Pierce, who is now a member of the Clippers, was a big reason why Washington needed to play at a slower pace during 2014/15, Michael notes. “No disrespect to Paul but we wanted to kind of be a half-court team. He couldn’t get up and down the floor,” Wall said. “He’s not the young Paul anymore. He helped us out a lot in so many other ways in making big shots and being a leader. Now this is an opportunity to let Otto Porter excel, running the floor, being able to create off the dribble, slashing to the basket.” This desire to play at a quicker pace also led to the team swapping Andre Miller for Ramon Sessions at last season’s trade deadline, the CSN scribe adds.

Here’s more out of the Southeast Division:

Hornets owner Michael Jordan, in an interview with Hou Qiang of Xinhuanet.com, was cautiously optimistic about Charlotte’s chances this season, saying, “They [the team] should be OK. We changed a lot of personnel. Everybody is excited I’m very excited but I don’t want to get overexcited.” Jordan specifically mentioned the team’s signing of point guard Jeremy Lin as a boon to the franchise, adding, “We just got Jeremy Lin, who I think is going to be our biggest acquisition. His penetration, his shooting capability, his point guard savvy, he can really pass the basketball, and [we like] his energy about the game of basketball.“
With the Heat‘s excellent depth heading into the 2015/16 campaign, Gerald Green will need to be more of a two-way player if he wants to log significant minutes for Miami, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. “Offense comes easy for me,” Green said. “I know if I go down and lock my defense down, nine times out of 10 we’re going to win. I know my role is to have energy on both ends of the floor. I’m really focusing on defense, that’s what I’m really trying to focus on. Scoring is easy for me. I’m not really worried about scoring. It’s the defense that I’m trying to work my best at. I know that’s the only way we can become a better team, if I’m a better defender.” The addition of the 29-year-old via a one-year, minimum salary deal is easily one of the best bargains of the offseason, regardless of how much playing time he receives.

Paul Pierce Likely To Retire If Clippers Win Title

September 25th, 2015 at 2:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Paul Pierce said today that he’ll probably retire if the Clippers win the NBA championship this year, tweets Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. The 37-year-old, who turns 38 next month, pondered retirement at the end of this past season before signing a fully guaranteed three-year contract worth nearly $10.584MM with the Clippers this summer. The deal contains a total of $8MM in guaranteed salary, with the non-guaranteed money bundled in the final season, which is partially guaranteed for $1MM.

Whether Pierce decides to give back a portion of that guaranteed money is ultimately up to him, though he would probably do so if he indeed retires. The team could press the issue and suspend him without pay for failing to honor his contract, but it’s doubtful the matter would come that. Instead, the team would likely see at least a portion of Pierce’s guaranteed salary of almost $3.528MM for 2016/17 come off the books. The Clippers have nearly $76.5MM committed for that season, when the salary cap is projected to rise to $89MM.

Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers and Pierce have a longstanding relationship from their time with the Celtics, so surely Rivers would like to see Pierce stick around. However, he’d certainly take a championship, too. Pierce said he thought the Clips would win the title this past season, notes Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). Rivers isn’t sure just how he’ll deploy Pierce on the court, but the 17-year veteran said he knows his playing time will decline and that he’s nonetheless on board with whatever Rivers decides to do with him, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). Pierce saw 26.2 minutes per game in the regular season and 29.8 MPG in the playoffs for the Wizards last season.

How much do you think Pierce has left? Leave a comment to weigh in.

Southeast Notes: Hawks, Beal, Frye, Heat

September 7th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Hawks have gone through several key changes since Bruce Levenson self-reported racially charged emails he’d sent and announced a year ago today that he was selling the team, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recaps. Tony Ressler took over for Levenson as the principal owner, Mike Budenholzer assumed former GM Danny Ferry‘s responsibilities and received a promotion, and Tiago Splitter and Tim Hardaway Jr. replaced DeMarre Carroll and Pero Antic as key parts of the roster. The team now faces the challenge of improving upon a season that saw “the most remarkable on-court run in franchise history,” as Vivlamore puts it. While we wait to find out where the Hawks go from here, see more from the Southeast Division:

Some people around the Wizards had questioned Bradley Beal‘s work ethic and whether he could become a great player, but the season that Paul Pierce spent in Washington helped Beal more than anyone else on the team, many Wizards insiders feel, reports Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders. Pierce opted out and signed with the Clippers, so it remains to be seen how Beal, whose extension candidacy I examined in depth Friday, will perform without the veteran mentor.
Channing Frye put up his lowest numbers in five years this past season after signing a four-year, $32MM deal with the Magic, and while he started 51 games, the Magic insisted that they brought him in as more of a complementary player than as a starter, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Next month, the 32-year-old Frye will try to hold off Aaron Gordon, who turns 20 in a few weeks, for a starting spot, but Frye would best serve the Magic in a reserve role that would emphasize his floor-stretching abilities, Schmitz believes.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel won’t be surprised if the Heat open the regular season with only 14 players on the roster, though he contends in his mailbag column that the team faces depth issues.

Doc Rivers On Pierce, Allen, Celtics, Magic

September 3rd, 2015 at 8:54am CST by Chuck Myron

Doc Rivers believes Paul Pierce‘s choice in free agency came down to the Clippers and the Celtics, as the Clippers coach/executive said Wednesday and as Jay King of MassLive.com relays. That would mean the Wizards, with whom Pierce spent last season, finished no better than third.

“I think he wanted to go one of two places. He wanted to come back [to Boston] or he wanted to finish his career at home where he grew up, and I think it’s really cool for me that I can be a part of that,” Rivers said.

Those comments came while Rivers was in Boston for a charity function, so location perhaps played a role. Regardless, Rivers had plenty more to say about Pierce, the Clippers, the Celtics, and other topics, as we’ll round up here:

Pierce, who signed with the Clippers for the full value of the taxpayer’s mid-level exception, was the team’s priciest free agent addition, but Rivers said he’ll use him judiciously, notes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Rivers isn’t guaranteeing a starting spot for the 17-year veteran who turns 38 next month. “Paul will be great. Paul, I don’t want to overuse him. I know that,” Rivers said. “So, I don’t even know how we are going to use him yet. I want to play him at [power forward] a lot. What I want him to be is healthy in the playoffs. So however we can figure that out, that’s what I’m going to try to do.”
Rivers said he and Ray Allen recently played golf, but the Clippers executive added that he didn’t try to convince Allen to sign with the team, tweets Scott Souza of the MetroWest Daily News. The Clips were one of several teams that reportedly attempted to lure Allen this past season, when the shooting guard instead lingered in free agency.
Rivers said the collective trust the Celtics players had in coach Brad Stevens was readily apparent after last season’s flurry of trades, Souza also observed (Twitter link). An ESPN panel recently tabbed Stevens as Boston’s No. 1 reason for optimism about the C’s.
The Magic, another of Rivers’ former teams, have a shot to make the playoffs this year, Rivers said earlier Wednesday in an appearance on Mike Bianchi’s Open Mike radio show on 740 The Game in Orlando, as Bianchi transcribes in the Orlando Sentinel. Rivers praised new coach Scott Skiles. “I think he’s a wonderful coach,” Rivers said. “I think he was a great choice for the franchise. I think people will be surprised with how well they do this year.”

Pacific Notes: Lee, Stephenson, Pierce

July 23rd, 2015 at 8:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Celtics agreed to take David Lee from the Warriors in exchange for Gerald Wallace more than two weeks ago, but the move has still yet to officially take place. That should change by Monday, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link), and the Celtics sent a press release detailing an introduction of “offseason additions” scheduled for that day. While we continue to wait for the formal trade, here’s more from around the Pacific Division:

Duje Dukan‘s deal with the Kings is for two years, with the first season being fully guaranteed and year two carrying a partial guarantee, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets.
Clippers swingman Lance Stephenson said that nagging injuries and his game being too similar to Kemba Walker‘s were contributing factors to his down season with the Hornets last year, and led to him being dealt to Los Angeles, Jared Zwerling of BleacherReport writes. When asked why he was traded, Stephenson told Zwerling, “It just didn’t work. I felt like me and Kemba do the same type of stuff, and it just didn’t click. Kemba is like a smaller me. He dominates the ball and he’s a playmaker. And then my jump shot wasn’t falling, so it was a tough season. I had toe and groin injuries. I’m telling you, this was worse than my rookie year when I didn’t even play. I was really mentally down. I was trying everything to try to figure out what I can do to help this squad.“
Veteran forward Paul Pierce said he chose to sign with the Clippers because he wanted another shot at winning a title, and wants to end his career playing in Los Angeles, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post relays. “I’m at the point in my career where it’s winding down,” said Pierce. “I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I wanted another opportunity to win a championship. I thought just being here would be a great fit. I’m a veteran. I could be another voice in the locker room and I can just pretty much fill any role that they need me to play. If I didn’t think the Clippers were close then, no matter home or not, I probably wouldn’t have made this decision. “

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Clippers Notes: Griffin, Jordan, Pierce, Smith

July 21st, 2015 at 3:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Blake Griffin was amused by what he labeled as false reports of the Clippers’ rendezvous with DeAndre Jordan in the hours leading up to the end of the July Moratorium, as the forward made clear in The Players’ Tribune. Griffin penned his own account of what took place when Jordan reneged his Mavs deal to instead re-sign with the Clippers.

“By Tuesday morning [July 7th], I knew he was really struggling with it,” Griffin wrote in part about Jordan. “He really didn’t want to disappoint people, but I could tell his heart wasn’t in it. We text every day. It’s not always about basketball. Mostly it’s about life. I’m his friend above all else. I stuffed some clothes into a bag, ran through LAX and got on the first flight to Houston. My intention wasn’t to go down and sell DeAndre on the Clippers. We promised each other a long time ago that we’d never do that stuff. I just wanted to be there for my friend and hear him out.”

We passed along some highlights of Jordan’s first-person story about the affair earlier today, and he said in a press conference this afternoon that he didn’t intend the “fiasco” that took place, notes Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). Here’s more from Clipperland:

Paul Pierce, who inked a three-year deal with the Clippers this month, signaled that he intends to retire with the team, as Woike and Rowan Kavner of Clippers.com relay (Twitter links). “This will probably be the last ride of my career,” Pierce said. “I think this is where I’m going to end it. I’m going to go all in.”
The Clippers are only shelling out the minimum to Josh Smith on his one-year deal, and Smith said today to reporters, including Woike (Twitter link), that the roughly $5MM he still has coming his way from his old Pistons contract gave him the security to sign at a bargain rate in L.A. Still, he said he’ll look for a long-term deal next summer, notes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter).
The offseason for the Clippers has come a long way from the F-minus grade that J.J. Redick gave it before Jordan broke his deal with the Mavs, writes Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders, who adds that the Clippers are nonetheless lacking a true backup point guard.

Pacific Notes: Pierce, Clippers, Suns

July 20th, 2015 at 9:31pm CST by Will Joseph

Paul Pierce, a native of California, is happy to be back home after signing with the Clippers, but the Lakers would have never been an option, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. Pierce signed a three-year deal for approximately $10MM.

“It’s a dream come true to be able to come home, finally,” Pierce said. “I grew up a Laker fan but playing on all the Boston Celtic teams . . . there’s no way I could go there — so this was the next best choice. And it’s always been a dream to play in front of my family and friends.”

Here’s more on the Clippers and Pacific Division:

Despite reports that indicated a rift between Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan played a role in the center agreeing to sign with the Mavericks before ultimately re-signing with the Clippers, Paul said he’s delighted to have the big man back, Justin Verrier of ESPN.com writes. “DeAndre, he’s like my big little brother. We talk a lot more than people realize,” Paul said. “It doesn’t matter; the only thing that matters is we brought in [Pierce], who I’m probably the happiest about because of his championship pedigree, being that voice in our locker room. We brought in [Lance Stephenson], Wesley Johnson, brought Austin [Rivers] back, Josh Smith. Big summer for us.
Suns president Lon Babby said re-signing Brandon Knight was the team’s most important move, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic tweets. Knight, who signed a five-year, $70MM contract with the Suns, said he did not talk to any other teams, Coro also tweets.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr expects James McAdoo, who is expected to compete for a reserve spot with the Warriors in training camp in late September, to contribute next season, Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com writes. McAdoo split time between the Warriors and D-League last season.

Celtics Rumors: Ainge, Smart, Young, Jerebko

July 19th, 2015 at 4:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Danny Ainge‘s quest to find hidden gems explains some of the Celtics’ offseason moves, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. On a team without superstars, the executive is constantly searching for untapped potential. That’s why he picked up Amir Johnson, David Lee and Perry Jones III and took a calculated draft risk with Terry Rozier. Ainge is hoping at least one of his acquisitions will duplicate the success of DeMarre Carroll in Atlanta or Khris Middleton in Milwaukee.

There’s more news from Boston:

Two dislocated fingers on his right hand will prevent Marcus Smart from making a trip to Africa for an August 1st exhibition game, according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. Smart suffered the injury during summer league play and had to miss the final two games for the Celtics’ entry. There is no timetable for his recovery, but Smart is relieved that they weren’t broken. There is no speculation so far that the injury will linger into training camp.
Paul Pierce is an admirer of the moves the Celtics have made, Bulpett writes in a separate story. “They asked Danny to get good pieces, good tradable pieces, good foundation pieces, and that’s what he’s been doing,” Pierce said. “Over time you have to figure out who you’re going to keep and who you’re going to move to get better until you find that piece.”
James Young will spend part of the summer working out with former MVP Kevin Durant, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The players share the same agent, Rick Kleiman, and Young is excited about the opportunity. “He’s going to be able to start being able to play soon,” Young said of Durant. “I can’t wait. He’s a great guy, a great offensive player, one of the best players in the league, one of my favorite players growing up.”
The Celtics were always the first choice for Jonas Jerebko, who re-signed with the team last week, writes Marc D’Amico of Celtics.com. “I had some offers, but my first choice was always coming back here and we worked it out and I’m happy to be back,” Jerebko said. “There were teams that were knocking on the door, but I just liked being in Boston and what we had going on.”