Ray Allen Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Allen, Hawks, Anderson, Voting

May 6th, 2012 at 11:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

It was a day of odd sightings on the hardwood, as the Knicks overcame the loss of Baron Davis to a dislocated kneecap to win their first postseason contest in 11 years. A No. 1 seed lost a third straight playoff game as the Bulls fell to the 76ers. And in Denver, a woman with a history of stalking the Nuggets came onto the court during Game 4 against the Lakers, reports J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today. Here's the rest of what raised eyebrows around the Association today:

Teams interested in Celtics free agent Ray Allen this summer might not have to worry about how he'll respond to ankle surgery, since he says he may not go through with the procedure he originally thought was inevitable. Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com first tweeted the news, and Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com adds detail.
Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News believes the Hawks will deal either Josh Smith or Al Horford if the team can't rally from its 3-1 deficit to the Celtics (Twitter link). Of the two, Smith seems the easiest to trade, since 2012/13 is the last season on his contract.
Despite a subpar showing in the playoffs so far, restricted free agent Ryan Anderson figures to be near the top of this summer's market for power forwards. There's mutual admiration between Anderson and the Magic, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, who also notes the team's recent history of matching offer sheets.
The NBA released a statement acknowledging that Ernst & Young, the same accounting firm that handles the draft lottery, made an error tabulating the Most Improved Player of the Year voting, reports Chris Bernucca of SheridanHoops.com. A first-place vote meant for Andrew Bynum was mistakenly counted for Andrew Bogut. Either way, award winner Ryan Anderson comes out on top of the voting.
Fran Blinebury of NBA.com examines the divergent career paths of Spurs point guard Tony Parker and Jazz counterpart Devin Harris, more than four years after Parker expressed relief that Harris was traded away from the Mavs.

Atlantic Rumors: Injuries, Celtics, Raptors, Nash

April 28th, 2012 at 4:27pm CST by Chuck Myron

While the Sixers lost the first playoff game of the season this afternoon, their chances against the Bulls may have just gotten a boost after yet another injury to Derrick Rose, who'll have an MRI on his left knee after limping off in the final minutes this afternoon. That's not the only injury impacting an Atlantic Division team, as Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports Ray Allen is doubtful for the Celtics tomorrow in Game 1 versus the Hawks. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe tweets that Allen will have surgery to remove bone spurs in his right ankle after the season, and that could impact his free agent stock this summer. Plus, Knicks guard Iman Shumpert was helped off the floor after suffering an injury against the Heat. Here's the rest of the day's news from the Atlantic:

A. Sherrod Blakely examines the unlikely contributions of Avery Bradley and Greg Stiemsma, two under-the-radar pickups by Celtics GM Danny Ainge.
Earlier today we passed along some Raptors rumors courtesy of the Toronto Sun, and Eric Koreen of the National Post adds to that with comments from coach Dwane Casey, who wants to see the team add shooting, and GM Bryan Colangelo.
In spite of the presence Jeremy Lin, who is progressing well enough in rehab to perhaps make it back in time to play in the first round, as Howard Beck of The New York Times writes, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News believes the Knicks should make it a priority to sign Steve Nash in the offseason (Twitter link).

Ray Allen Unsure About Future With Celtics

April 20th, 2012 at 8:32am CST by Luke Adams

Ray Allen came close to being traded out of Boston last month, and will again face the possibility of changing teams this summer. Talking to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald about his impending free agency, Allen suggested that he'd prefer not to settle for a one-year deal this offseason.

"I don’t want to go into this season, like I have in past seasons, worrying about whether I was going to be traded or not," Allen said. "For all of us, you deal with that over the course of your career, but wherever I end up after this summer, that has to be the No. 1 mandate. At this time I owe it to my family to be ultimately selfish, because I’ve been a very unselfish team player, and I’ll always do that. But when it comes to myself and my family, I have to make sure that I don’t rock their worlds or put them off kilter in any fashion."

Allen is in his fifth season as a Celtic, having signed a two-year deal in July 2010 to remain in Boston. Asked about whether he'll be wearing a Celtics uniform next season, The 36-year-old said it's "hard to say" and acknowledged that his best chance to earn one final ring could come in another city. Whatever happens this summer, the veteran sharpshooter definitely wants to continue his career, and isn't ready to talk about retirement yet.

"The landscape always changes over the summer," Allen said. "Just from what I see around the NBA, there’s a lot of teams that look forward to having me. I just want to be somewhere where I’m valued, cherished and I can go out and play."

Celtics Rumors: Allen, Pierce, Mayo

April 19th, 2012 at 9:49am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics clinched their fifth straight Atlantic Division crown last night, but it was no ordinary division title for the Big Three, writes Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com, who notes that the team was two games under .500 at the All-Star break.

Even as the Celtics locked up the Atlantic, the latest updates out of Boston revolved around yesterday's report about failed deadline deals involving Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Let's round up a few of them….

Doc Rivers appeared on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan Show and addressed the Allen and Pierce rumors, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com. The Celtics coach confirmed that the Allen trade was close, though he says it was GM Danny Ainge that called the veteran guard about the deal.
Rivers on the failed Pierce-to-the-Nets trade: "That wasn't close at all. That had no chance."
Allen deserved better treatment from the Celtics, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Washburn says Allen's demeanor has changed over the last few weeks, and that the likelihood of the sharpshooter returning to Boston next season may have diminished.
According to Donny Marshall on CSNNE, O.J. Mayo didn't have much interest in becoming a Celtic, and the Nets turned down the proposal involving Pierce.

Southwest Rumors: Hornets, Allen, Mayo, Kidd

April 18th, 2012 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's check in on a few Wednesday updates out of the Southwest Division….

The Hornets are expected to waive Chris Johnson and sign another big man to replace him, reports John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. With Chris Kaman and Emeka Okafor likely done for the season, New Orleans is lacking in frontcourt depth, and Johnson hasn't played in over two weeks since he suffered a concussion.
Following up on the Ray Allen/O.J. Mayo trade rumor from Yahoo! Sports, Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal says he heard the Celtics' asking price also included Mike Conley, Dante Cunningham, and Josh Selby in a large deal that included draft picks. The Grizzlies didn't want to give up so many assets to rent Allen, says Tillery.
Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld examines whether or not Mayo has a place in the Grizzlies' future.
Asked if he could see Jason Kidd becoming a coach when his playing career ends, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle replied, "He'll probably be an owner" (Twitter link via Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).

Celtics Nearly Traded Ray Allen To Grizzlies

April 18th, 2012 at 8:25am CST by Luke Adams

Although the Celtics ended up standing pat at last month's trade deadline, the team was close to making one or two blockbuster moves and breaking up its Big Three, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

According to Wojnarowski, Ray Allen received a phone call from Celtics coach Doc Rivers, telling him he'd been traded to the Grizzlies for a package that included O.J. Mayo and a draft pick. However, shortly after the call, Allen received word that the deal had fallen apart.

The Celtics also had serious discussions with the Nets about a deal that would've sent Paul Pierce to New Jersey in exchange for Mehmet Okur and a lottery pick, says Wojnarowski. Grantland's Bill Simmons wrote of those talks last week, noting that the Nets eventually elected to acquire Gerald Wallace from Portland for a similar package (one which also included Shawne Williams).

While the Celtics have played their best basketball of the season since the deadline and are a popular choice to upset the Bulls or Heat in the Eastern playoffs, the team's failed trades are interesting to consider. Had they made those deals, Boston would be heading into the summer armed with three first-round picks and even more cap flexibility, without Pierce on next year's books. We'll see if the Celtics' Big Three has one more run left to reward GM Danny Ainge's deadline decision to stand pat.

Odds & Ends: Smith, Olympics, Anthony

April 11th, 2012 at 7:32pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Two of the nation's top high school prospects, Nerlens Noel and Shabazz Muhammad, have been creating some buzz in the college basketball world regarding which schools they will commit to respectively for the 2012-13 season. While Muhammad announced that he will choose UCLA, Jeff Goodman of CBS tweets that Noel has chosen Kentucky over Syracuse and Georgetown. ESPN's Chad Ford provides a look at who could possibly headline the 2013 NBA Draft (Insider link), and Noel and Shabazz top the list. With that aside, we'll keep tabs of this evening's other noteworthy stories here:

Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel took some time to shed some light on Magic guard Ishmael Smith after his standout performance against the Pistons on Monday. In a separate piece, Schmitz outlines the uphill battle Orlando faces as they look to clinch a playoff spot. Six of their last eight games are against above-.500 teams, and four of those games are on the road.
If Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade could have things their way, players on the USA basketball team would be compensated for their participation in the Olympics. While Allen sees it as a matter of opportunity cost, Wade focused more on the jersey sales and summer commitment aspect of it (Scott Gleeson of USA Today reports). According to Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports, Team USA Chairman Jerry Colangelo responded to their comments, saying: "It’s never been discussed and it’s not even feasible in the reality of economics."
Jim Cavan of the New York Times examines the emergence of Carmelo Anthony after being moved to the power forward slot as well as the role it has played in the Knicks' recent success. If New York can hang onto a playoff spot and Amare Stoudemire is cleared to play, it will be interesting to see how Anthony will translate that success at the small forward position with Amare in the lineup.
The Kings team owners will make a case to the NBA Board of Governors in New York that the plan to finance a new arena in Sacramento needs more negotiating, writes Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee.
Gilbert Arenas tells J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today that he is happy to be out of the spotlight in Memphis as he looks to move forward from his troubled past.

Atlantic Notes: Prokhorov, Nets, Celtics, Raptors

April 11th, 2012 at 10:22am CST by Luke Adams

Nets majority owner Mikhail Prokhorov is in America this week and spoke to reporters yesterday about meeting with Deron Williams and his desire to turn the team into a championship contender. If you're looking for something substantial though, look elsewhere, says Dave D'Alessandro of the Star-Ledger. D'Alessandro calls Prokhorov an absentee owner who doesn't really follow the team closely, and wonders how that will affect players deciding whether or not to sign with the Nets.

Here are a few morning Wednesday morning links out of the Atlantic Division:

Trail Blazers fans are hoping the Nets' first-round pick Portland holds turns into perhaps a fourth- or fifth-overall selection, but as a NetsDaily piece points out, that's not possible based on the current standings. The best the Blazers' could do with New Jersey's pick right now is seventh overall. I updated the status of this pick and other protected first-rounders yesterday.
With the 2012 London Olympics approaching, a pair of Celtics teammates expressed a lack of interest in playing for Team USA, as Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida writes. Rajon Rondo said he loves his summers too much to consider playing in the Olympics, while Ray Allen said he believes players should be paid to participate, given the profit made off Team USA jersey sales.
Unlike Toronto's NHL team, the Raptors shouldn't be sorry for the team's performance this season, says Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. While Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke took out an ad in the Star to apologize for his team's disappointing record, Bryan Colangelo and the Raptors have done exactly what they intended this season — develop young players, maintain cap flexibility, and incorporate the philosphies of new coach Dwane Casey.

Atlantic Notes: Shumpert, NBA Draft, Allen

April 10th, 2012 at 9:35pm CST by Daniel Seco

The Knicks will look to make it two in a row against the Bulls tonight with Derrick Rose on the shelf due to injury. Philadelphia made life more difficult for New York as the Sixers knocked off the Nets to pull ahead of Knicks in the race for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. Here's the latest news and updates from around the Atlantic Division for your perusal.

Knicks rookie Iman Shumpert was told he was going to go undrafted when he decided to leave Georgia Tech early and declare for the draft one season ago, writes Scott Powers of ESPNChicago.com. Shumpert, who grew up in Chicago, was a surprise pick by the Knicks, who took the guard 17th in the 2011 NBA draft. The selection has proved to be a pleasant surprise for New York as Shumpert has averaged 9.8 PPG and 3.2 SPG, making him one of the most prolific thieves in the entire NBA.
While the Raptors may have an unlikely chance of winning the lottery in the upcoming NBA draft, the depth of talent already making themselves draft eligible improves the odds that the team will be able to acquire a player ready to contribute. Look for Bradley Beal, Harrison Barnes or Jeremy Lamb to land in Toronto if the Raptors end up with the sixth pick in the draft. All three players recently forfeited their remaining collegiate eligibility and declared for the draft.
HoopsWorld's Derek Page lists Celtics shooting guard Ray Allen among his top six NBA postseason assassins. Page points to the fact that only Reggie Miller has made more than Allen's 285 three-pointers in the playoffs as a major reason for the former UConn star making the list. Allen, 36, has averaged 19.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 3.4 APG in 110 playoff appearances with the Bucks, Sonics and Celtics.

Celtics Rumors: Allen, Garnett, Pierce, Rondo

March 22nd, 2012 at 10:31am CST by Luke Adams

With the Celtics' Big Three of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett potentially playing their last season together in Boston, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports talked to the Celtics stars about the trade deadline, the offseason, and their history. Spears also shares a few interesting trade and free agent tidbits along the way. Here are the highlights:

The Heat are expected to make a strong push to sign Allen this summer, a source tells Spears. Miami will almost certainly be a taxpaying team next season, so the club would only have a mini mid level exception to offer the sharpshooter.
Allen on the possibility of returning to the Celtics in free agency: "First of all, the team has to be willing to have me back. Then you have to look around to see what’s acceptable and who is capable of having me on the team and then you go from there. It’s hard to really say."
Coach Doc Rivers wouldn't be surprised to see Allen or Garnett, who are on expiring contracts, back in Boston next year: "I think people assume they won’t be back next year. I don’t know why there is that assumption. [Garnett and Allen] are free agents, but you can sign your own free agents last time I checked…. I don’t know if we will sign them both. We may sign one. But they’ve been great for us. Our [free agents] are probably the best ones and we will have the most money."
Rivers added that he thinks Garnett's first choice would be to return to Boston.
According to Spears, the Celtics were seeking first-round picks in exchange for Allen or Garnett at the trade deadline. Their asking price for Pierce was "a young star," and they were also only willing to move Rajon Rondo for an elite player.