Celtics Notes: Horford, Brown, Walker
Al Horford is wearing an opponent’s uniform as the Celtics open their season tonight, but his influence can still be felt in Boston’s locker room, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. Horford was an inspirational leader during his three seasons with the Celtics, and he remains close to many of the players who are still there. Marcus Smart said Horford kept texting him even after signing with the Sixers.
“He made my job way easier. His experience helped me out,” Smart said. “He showed me things and taught me things that I had to learn probably on my own like other guys, but I had help from him. Having Al over those years definitely helped me to be a professional and to be more professional.”
The players Bulpett talked to all seem to understand Horford’s decision to leave, even though he landed with a bitter division rival. Philadelphia gave him a four-year, $109MM contract with $97MM guaranteed, which is more than the Celtics were willing to offer.
“That was a smart decision,” Jayson Tatum said. “He got a lot of money, which he deserved. Everybody should do what makes them happy, so I’m happy for Al.”
There’s more Celtics news on opening night:
- Although he might have gotten a bigger contract by waiting for restricted free agency next summer, Jaylen Brown likes the security of signing with the Celtics now, tweets Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. Brown’s negotiations went down to the wire before he agreed to a four-year, $115MM rookie scale extension on Monday. “Boston is a top-five organization in this league,” Brown said. “Once I got to look at the offer in front of me, it was easy.”
- Executives around the league had a mixed response to Brown’s extension, according to Justin Leger of NBC Sports Boston. One thought it was too much money to commit, while another understands because it includes $12MM in incentives. An agent questioned why the team felt it was necessary to reach a deal now rather than waiting for the summer.
- Kemba Walker tells A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston that he’s ready for life in a bigger market with greater expectations. “This is what I wanted, the opportunity I wanted,” Walker said. “I’m happy to be here.”
Utah To Host 2023 NBA All-Star Game
Salt Lake City has been chosen as the site for the NBA’s All-Star Game in 2023, the league announced in a press release. The contest will mark the 30th anniversary of the last All-Star Game in Utah in 1993.
Commissioner Adam Silver made a formal announcement today at a press conference at Vivint Smart Home Arena (video link from Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune), joined by Larry H. Miller Group of Companies owner and chairman Gail Miller, along with team officials and local dignitaries.
“Along with a rich basketball tradition, Salt Lake City has proven to be a world-class destination for large-scale events and sports competitions,” Silver said. “I want to thank the Miller family and the Utah Jazz organization for their commitment to hosting our All-Star festivities and to developing a program that will leave a lasting impact on the community.”
The game is scheduled for February 19, 2023, and will cap off the traditional three days of basketball activities. NBA Cares and Diversity & Inclusion events will also be held during the weekend.
“The return of the NBA All-Star Game to Salt Lake City is a tremendous honor and an opportunity for us to welcome back the NBA family for one of basketball’s biggest events,” Miller added. “The memory of John Stockton and Karl Malone sharing MVP honors 30 years ago remains strong. We are excited to create new memories for this generation of NBA fans in a place that loves to celebrate basketball.”
The NBA’s next three All-Star games before the event in Utah will take place in Chicago (2020), Indiana (2021), and Cleveland (2022).
Hawks Claim Tyrone Wallace Off Waivers
The Hawks submitted a successful waiver claim for former Timberwolves point guard Tyrone Wallace, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Wallace was Minnesota’s final cut on Monday as the Wolves trimmed their roster to the league limit.
Atlanta will inherit his $1.6MM non-guaranteed contract, which comes with a daily cap hit of $8,973, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The Hawks are now up to 15 players and will have $3.7MM in remaining cap room as long as Wallace stays on their roster. His contract will become fully guaranteed on January 7, which is the league-wide guarantee date.
Wallace, 25, spent the past two seasons with the Clippers, averaging a 5.5 PPG in 92 combined games. He had a promising rookie season, but fell out of the rotation last year and saw his playing time cut to 10.1 minutes per night. The Wolves claimed him in July after he was waived by L.A.
Nick Young Ready To Retire If No Teams Call This Year
In an interview with Adam Caparell of Complex (hat tip to Sportando), Nick Young says he plans to retire if he doesn’t get another NBA opportunity this season.
Young signed with the Nuggets last December, but was waived three weeks later after appearing in just four games. He didn’t receive a training camp invitation this fall and realizes that retirement might be near.
“This is pretty much like my last year, if nothing happened,” Young said. “I’m just going to call it, it’s over. No more Swaggy P.”
Young has carried the “Swaggy P” persona through 12 NBA seasons with a mix of brashness, style and explosive offense. His best season came in 2013/14 when he averaged 17.9 points per game for the Lakers, and he was an important reserve on the Warriors team that won an NBA title in 2018.
“I’m a champion now,” Young said. “I’m just all around cool guy that played basketball. Kind of a Dennis Rodman, I think changed the way people dress for the tunnel now. Everybody want to get dressed up and I post pictures on Instagram, and be outgoing. I think that I had a major effect with that. I see people and it’s like damn, that had something to do with me.”
Whether another team is willing to take a chance on the 34-year-old free agent remains to be seen. He had brushes with a couple of franchises this summer, joining the Knicks for offseason workouts and attending a veterans’ mini-camp the Rockets held in Las Vegas last month.
Troy Williams Among Players Signed, Waived On Saturday
We passed along a large number of moves yesterday as most teams cut their rosters down to the regular season limit. NBA.com’s Transactions Log has a few more that slipped under the radar involving players who were signed and waived to either ensure their affiliate rights or to make sure returning-rights players get bonuses:
- Celtics — guards Justin Bibbs and Dorian Pickens.
- Pelicans — guard Aubrey Dawkins.
- Suns — forwards Aaron Epps and Troy Williams.
- Jazz — forward Anthony Lawrence II.
Williams is the only one in the group with previous NBA experience. He played 21 games for the Kings last season and has appeared in a combined 72 games over the past three years. Bibbs signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Clippers in March, but didn’t see any game action.
Knicks Notes: Point Guards, Ntilikina, Fizdale, Free Agency
The preseason didn’t bring any clarity to the Knicks‘ search for a starting point guard, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. Frank Ntilikina was supposed to have rediscovered his game after a strong summer of international competition, creating an intriguing battle with holdover Dennis Smith Jr. and free agent addition Elfrid Payton. However, nobody has stepped forward to claim the job. Ntilikina appears to be an “afterthought” again, according to Popper, as he sat out Friday’s preseason finale while Smith went 2-of-12 from the field and Payton had five turnovers.
“I don’t want to think about it,” coach David Fizdale said of the point guard competition. “I’ll tell you guys the next time I see you. No, they competed. They really competed hard. They’re making it tough on me. They’re making a tough decision for me.”
Popper suggests rookie RJ Barrett might be the best choice, even though he’s not a traditional point guard. Barrett was a standout throughout the preseason, even though he spent time at three positions.
There’s more this morning from New York:
- The Knicks have until the end of the month to pick up Ntilikina’s fourth-year option at $6.3MM, but Marc Berman of the New York Post hears that a decision could be made before Wednesday’s season opener to avoid having it become a distraction.
- In the same piece, Fizdale laments not having enough preseason games to adequately work out some important lineup decisions. The Knicks could have played up to six games, but management opted for four. In addition to the point guard battle, Fizdale has to determine whether Mitchell Robinson or Bobby Portis will be the starting center and he has to work out minutes at shooting guard with Wayne Ellington, Allonzo Trier and Damyean Dotson all in the mix, along with Barrett. “We understand where we are with a lot of new faces, but still are going out to compete to win,’’ Fizdale promised. “I don’t make any excuses. We’ll keep working through the chemistry and try to get wins.”
- Contrary to their public statements, the Knicks’ front office was “stunned and depressed” when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving announced their decisions to sign with the Nets, according to Frank Isola of The Athletic.
Raptors Sign, Waive Tyler Ennis
Point guard Tyler Ennis, who has spent time with four NBA teams, signed with the Raptors Saturday and was immediately waived, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic. The moves were designed to make Ennis an affiliate player for the organization’s G League team, Raptors 905 (Twitter link).
Ennis, who played in Turkey last year, is still recovering from a fractured right tibia that wiped out almost his entire season. The Raptors have liked Ennis, who was born in Canada, for several years and believe he could eventually provide depth in the backcourt.
Ennis was selected by the Suns with the 18th pick in the 2014 draft, but only appeared in eight games before being traded to the Bucks. He also had brief stops with the Rockets and Lakers before being waived in June of 2018.
Wolves Waive Tyus Battle, Barry Brown
The Timberwolves have waived guards Tyus Battle and Barry Brown, according to NBA.com’s Transactions Log. Both appear headed to the organization’s G League team in Iowa.
Battle and Brown agreed to Exhibit 10 contracts with Minnesota after going undrafted in June. They played for the Wolves’ Summer League team, but didn’t officially sign until Monday, so neither saw any preseason action.
Pistons Waive Four Players
The Pistons trimmed their roster by waiving guards Dakarai Allen and Tra-Deon Hollins and forwards Donta Hall and Tre’Shawn Thurman, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.
Hall signed with Detroit in July after going undrafted out of Alabama. He played for the Pistons’ Summer League team and saw limited action in three preseason games. Thurman signed on Friday and is expected to become an affiliate player for the Pistons’ G League team in Grand Rapids.
Allen has spent the past two seasons in the G League and was traded to Grand Rapids in January. Hollins has played in both the G League and in Canada.
Chinese Television Lashes Out At Silver, Morey
China has vowed “retribution” against NBA Commissioner Adam Silver for his role in last week’s standoff between the nation and the league, writes Catherine Wong of The South China Morning Post (hat tip to NBC Sports).
In a commentary that aired today, state-run CCTV claims Silver “crossed the bottom line” with his continued support of Rockets GM Daryl Morey, who set off the dispute with an Oct. 4 tweet supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
Silver said this week that Chinese officials had demanded that Morey be fired, but the commissioner refused to take any disciplinary action, citing the right to free speech. However, China’s foreign ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, disputed that claim yesterday.
“Silver has spared no effort to portray himself as a fighter for free speech and used freedom of speech as an excuse to cover for Morey, who voiced his support for the violent actors in Hong Kong,” CCTV said. “This has crossed the bottom line of the Chinese people.”
The broadcast also accused Silver of having “double standards” and charged that he “defamed” China in front of an international audience.
“To please some American politicians, Silver has fabricated lies out of nothing and has sought to paint China as unforgiving,” CCTV claimed. The network also accused Morey of having “problems in his character” and promised he “will receive retribution sooner or later.”