Eastern Notes: Noel, Maxiell, Bird

Jason Maxiell hasn’t played in the Magic’s last nine games and has only one appearance since January 29th, but he’s trying to maintain a positive outlook, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Maxiell stated, “I’m respecting that this is a year for the young guys to develop and improve for next year. With the coaching staff and [general manager] Rob [Hennigan] and [assistant general manager] Scott Perry, I think more of the bigger picture is moving forward for next year and having a mixture of experienced young guys mixed in with some vets.” Robbins mentions that the lack of playing time could hurt Maxiell in the long run because of his contract. He signed a free-agent contract with the Magic during the offseason, and his salary of $2.5MM for next year is non-guaranteed and he won’t be owed anything if the team waives him before mid-July.

More from the east:

  • On Sunday the Sixers’ Nerlens Noel tweeted “4-4-14”, which hinted at a possible NBA debut date for the injured player. Marc Narducci and Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer discuss the likelihood of seeing the big man on the court this season.
  • On Thursday night, Zaza Pachulia will return to Atlanta for the first time since signing with the Bucks this summer. The former Hawks fan-favorite sat down with Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to answer some questions about his thoughts on his change of teams and what the future holds for him.
  • Larry Bird might be in charge of the Pacers, but the Celtics will always be a part of him. He still pays close attention to his former franchise and has quite a few complimentary things to say about GM Danny Ainge and point guard Rajon Rondo, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald.
  • Speaking of the Celtics, team owner Wyc Grousbeck joked that he wants Andrew Wiggins in this years draft, tweets Kevin Armstrong of the New York Daily News. This was said in response to commissioner Adam Silver noting there were already two Canadians on the Celtics roster. Wiggins is projected as a top-3 lottery pick in this year’s draft and the Celtics currently rank sixth in Hoops Rumors’ Reverse Standings.
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