Celtics Rumors

Celtics Notes: Mazzulla, Tatum, Porzingis, Springer

December 26th, 2024 at 10:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics still may have the best roster in the league, but they haven’t looked like the defending champions for the past two weeks, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Boston is 3-4 in its last seven games, including losses against the sub-.500 Bulls and the short-handed Magic. Coach Joe Mazzulla was candid about his team’s recent play after falling to Philadelphia on Wednesday.

“We’re playing inconsistent basketball, so we’ve got to be better at both ends of the floor,” he said. “Got to be more consistent at both ends of the floor.”

The Celtics are second in the East and third in the NBA with a 22-8 record, but Robb notes that their schedule is about to get much more challenging. There are limited off days and a few back-to-backs coming up over the next three weeks, which could be taxing for a veteran roster and provides little opportunity for practice time.

“We’ve got to be better,” Jayson Tatum said. “It’s still a long season. Nobody’s panicking. We’ve got to navigate the emotional roller coaster of the NBA season. It feels a lot worse than it actually is. We’re not panicking or anything. We’ve just got to man up and look in the mirror and figure out some things that we’ve got to do better at. Everybody’s fully capable, and we’ve always done a really good job of responding, and I have no doubt that we will. So I’m not panicking, but we’ve got to be better, and we will.”

There’s more from Boston:

Tatum provided an explanation of the illness that made him a late scratch for Monday’s game against Orlando, Robb adds in a separate story. He described it as a “a 24-hour, 48-hour bug” that began to affect him after warmups. He was still feeling some effects from the virus on Wednesday, even though he managed to post 32 points and 15 rebounds in 41 minutes. “Maybe a little fatigued, I guess, from being sick the last few days, but I’m just trying to push through it, catch my second wind, things like that,” Tatum said.
The Celtics weren’t able to provide much information on a left ankle injury that sidelined Kristaps Porzingis for the second half of Wednesday’s game, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Porzingis seemed to tweak the ankle early in the contest, but he was able to keep playing before having his status downgraded at halftime. “I noticed that he played through it,” Mazzulla told reporters after the game. “I asked him how he was. He said he was okay and then he got re-evaluated at halftime. But I haven’t heard anything.” Porzingis didn’t talk to reporters, but Terada observed that he didn’t seem to have much protection on the ankle in the locker room.
Jaden Springer hasn’t played much since the Celtics acquired him in a February trade, but the fourth-year shooting guard tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe that being in Boston has been a good learning experience. “I’ve grown a lot,” Springer said. “Coming to a different organization you get to see a different way of basketball. Everyone plays a different style, so coming here you learn new things, pick up on new styles of play, and playing behind another great group of guys. (Jaylen Brown), (Tatum), Jrue (Holiday), Derrick White, (Porzingis), Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, a bunch of guys. So being able to learn from them and watch them every night, it’s been pretty big for me.”

Community Shootaround: Christmas Day Games

December 25th, 2024 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

Merry Christmas from the Hoops Rumors staff!

As usual, the NBA has a five-game slate on tap for Christmas Day, with many of the league’s top teams and biggest stars in action on December 25. Here’s today’s schedule:

11:00 am CT: San Antonio Spurs (15-14) at New York Knicks (19-10)
1:30 pm CT: Minnesota Timberwolves (14-14) at Dallas Mavericks (19-10)
4:00 pm CT: Philadelphia 76ers (10-17) at Boston Celtics (22-7)
7:00 pm CT: Los Angeles Lakers (16-13) at Golden State Warriors (15-13)
9:30 pm CT: Denver Nuggets (16-11) at Phoenix Suns (14-14)

While the goal on Christmas Day is generally to showcase some of the day’s biggest stars and best teams, this year’s schedule is a little lacking in the latter.

Despite featuring seven teams from the Western Conference, today’s slate of games doesn’t include any of the West’s top three seeds, the Thunder, Rockets, and Grizzlies. While Houston and Memphis weren’t necessarily expected to be this good, Oklahoma City’s absence is conspicuous, given that the Thunder were the No. 1 seed in the West last season.

Over in the East, we’ve got the No. 2 and 3 seeds in action today, but the NBA’s best team, the 26-4 Cavaliers, won’t be part of the Christmas Day slate. Instead, the third Eastern club is the 12th-seeded Sixers, who have been plagued by injuries but at least will have their big three available on Wednesday — Tyrese Maxey and Paul George aren’t on the injury report, and Joel Embiid is listed as available.

Despite the absence of so many top teams, each matchup still has something going for it, with plenty of star power on display.

The afternoon will feature rising phenom Victor Wembanyama visiting Madison Square Garden and the streaking Knicks, who have won four games in a row; a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals between the Timberwolves and Mavericks, who should have star guards Kyrie Irving (available) and Luka Doncic (probable) active today; and those aforementioned three Sixers stars going up against the defending champions in Boston.

The first evening contest between the Lakers and Warriors pits the No. 7 seed in the West against No. 8, but it also could be one of the last few times that NBA legends LeBron James and Stephen Curry face one another. James is considered questionable due to left foot injury management, but I’d be shocked if he didn’t play. A couple more would-be Western contenders who have had up-and-down starts will wrap up the day when the Nuggets visit Phoenix in a game that will feature a pair of former MVPs in Nikola Jokic and Kevin Durant.

We want to know what you think. Are there any teams you wish were or weren’t part of today’s schedule? Which of these five games are you most looking forward to? Which five teams are you picking to win this year’s Christmas Day matchups?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in, and feel free to use it as an open thread to discuss today’s games.

Injury Notes: Booker, Allen, Tatum, Lakers, Wizards

December 25th, 2024 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns will be missing guards Devin Booker and Grayson Allen on Christmas Day. Both players were deemed unavailable for Wednesday’s game vs. Denver after sitting out the team’s practice on Tuesday, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

Booker was originally ruled out for two games after injuring his groin last Thursday, with the Suns referring to the ailment as groin soreness. On its latest injury report, the team is now listing the star as out due to a groin “strain.” Wednesday will be Booker’s third consecutive absence.

Allen, meanwhile, has been in the concussion protocol since taking an elbow to the head in Saturday’s loss to Detroit. This will be the second game he has missed.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Celtics star Jayson Tatum was a surprise late scratch for Monday’s game vs. Orlando due to a non-COVID illness, as Brian Robb of MassLive.com details. Tatum has been listed as questionable to play in Wednesday’s Christmas Day game vs. Philadelphia as a result of that illness.
Lakers stars Anthony Davis (left shoulder contusion) and LeBron James (left foot injury management) are both listed as questionable for the team’s Christmas Day game against Golden State (Twitter link via Dave McMenamin of ESPN). However, I’d be surprised if either player missed the game — they were listed as questionable due to the same ailments on Monday before being upgraded to available. Point guard D’Angelo Russell is also considered questionable to play due to a sprained left thumb.
The Wizards were missing starters Bilal Coulibaly (right groin soreness) and Alex Sarr (low back soreness) on Monday, prompting the club to deploy a small starting lineup featuring guards Jordan Poole, Malcolm Brogdon, and Carlton Carrington (Twitter link). While neither of those injuries sounds serious, we’re still waiting for an update on big man Marvin Bagley III, who had to be helped off the court midway through the fourth quarter on Monday after suffering a painful-looking knee injury (Twitter video link).

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Mazzulla, Porzingis, Trade Priority

December 21st, 2024 at 7:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics star Jayson Tatum grew up as a huge admirer of Kobe Bryant, so he was excited about the chance to join the Lakers in the 2017 draft, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. However, Tatum never got a tryout with L.A., which held the second overall pick, even though he was one considered one of the draft’s top prospects following a stellar freshman season at Duke.

Lakers legend Magic Johnson, who served as team president at the time, explained this week that they were already set at forward with Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance Jr. on the roster and were focused on finding backcourt help.

“Yeah, I think I was upset at the time that there wasn’t genuine interest,” Tatum said. “From my perspective, I grew up the biggest Kobe fan and wanted to play for the Lakers. And Magic explained it. They had too many forwards and that was their thought process at the time. It wasn’t like I got any animosity toward Magic or the Lakers. It was just as a kid, I was close to accomplishing a life-long dream, the way I thought it would be.”

The draft played out perfectly for Boston, which landed Tatum with the No. 3 pick after trading down from No. 1. Tatum is already a five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection, while Markelle Fultz, who went to Philadelphia with the top pick, is currently out of the league, and Lonzo Ball, whom the Lakers took at No. 2, recently resumed playing in Chicago after missing more than two full years with a knee issue.

“Obviously it worked out best-case scenario,” Tatum added. “But I love Magic Johnson. I love what he means to the game. I have no hard feelings toward him. Every time I see him, it’s always love. It’s just something that happened and it’s probably a million stories throughout the NBA that guys should have went or thought they were going somewhere. Everything happened for a reason.”

There’s more from Boston:

Coach Joe Mazzulla, who was fined $35K for “aggressively pursuing” an official following Thursday’s loss to Chicago, talked to his players before this morning’s shootaround about the importance of staying in control and not overreacting to bad calls, Washburn adds in the same piece. “It’s a long year, so whatever the keys are not only to games but to how you want to go about the season,” Mazzulla said. “It’s just small reminders, always good to refresh those.”
Kristaps Porzingis has been removed from the injury report for tonight’s rematch with the Bulls, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive. Porzingis was originally listed as questionable with a right heel contusion he suffered Sunday at Washington.
Assuming the big-man rotation stays healthy, finding veteran wing depth should be the Celtics’ priority in any trade before the deadline, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. He notes that Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman and Jaden Springer haven’t inspired confidence that they can be reliable during the playoffs.

Celtics’ Mazzulla, Nets’ Claxton Fined By NBA

December 21st, 2024 at 1:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has been fined $35K, while Nets center Nic Claxton has been fined $25K, the NBA announced today in a pair of press releases (Twitter links).

Mazzulla was hit with his fine for “aggressively pursuing and directing inappropriate language” toward a referee in Boston’s loss to the Bulls on Thursday. The Celtics’ coach came onto the court at the end of the game and had to be held back by his assistants and a security guard as he yelled at official Justin Van Duyne (Twitter video link).

Mazzulla was believed to be upset about technical fouls assessed to him, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum during the fourth quarter of the loss, but he offered a deadpan response when asked during his post-game media session about what he was saying to Van Duyne and the other referees.

“I just hadn’t seen them in a while, so just a Merry Christmas, happy holidays,” Mazzulla said (Twitter video link). “I wasn’t sure I was going to see them before the holiday. I just can’t let a moment go by where you wish someone just the best to them and theirs and their families.”

As for Claxton, he earned his $25K fine for throwing the basketball into the spectator stands during Brooklyn’s win over Toronto on Thursday.

That incident occurred in the second quarter — after being fouled by Kelly Olynyk, the Nets center tossed the ball into the crowd, seemingly frustrated about a non-call on the previous possession. He earned an ejection and also appeared to be on the verge of throwing a seat cushion before assistant coach Juwan Howard intervened (Twitter video link). Claxton admitted after the game that he needs to do a better job of keeping his emotions in check on the court.

“Yeah, he knows he has to be better, especially this one,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “You can control your frustrations. That’s no reason to do that. I understand that we all have emotions, but the team needs him. His teammates need him, and he knows it. And that’s why he’s going to come back and work and be better.”

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Guards, Celtics, Johnson

December 20th, 2024 at 8:42pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Although not much has gone right for the Sixers this year, the growing bond between rookie Philadelphia guard Jared McCain and veteran point guard Kyle Lowry is one of the bright spots. Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer examines the relationship between the 38-year-old former All-Star and the 20-year-old Duke alum.

“I call him Unc Lowry,” McCain said of Lowry. “Grandpa. Super vet. Super duper vet.”

McCain is now sidelined indefinitely after undergoing a left knee surgery. But prior to that, the No. 16 pick in this year’s draft was looking like a bona fide Rookie of the Year contender. Lowry’s tutelage has abetted the rookie’s early-season rise.

McCain had earned the Sixers’ starting shooting guard role by early November, but was versatile enough to also spell All-Star starter Tyrese Maxey at the point when he sat. Lowry talked him through that transition on the floor.

“Sometimes when I’m out there on the court, and I’m the only point guard out there, it’s hard for me to kind of adjust to being a shooting guard or a point guard,” McCain said. “Knowing where everybody is at on the court, being able to talk, being vocal. I’ve just got to adjust and be a leader.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

On Thursday, the Sixers got the green light from Philadelphia’s city council – on a vote of 12-5 – to construct a new $1.3 billion stadium downtown, per ESPN/The Associated Press. Local activists and residents from nearby Chinatown had been protesting the proposed deal. Sixers ownership hopes to relocate the club from its current home, Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia, to this new locale by 2031.
Although the Grousbeck family, majority owners of the Celtics franchise, had claimed they hoped to offload a majority ownership stake in the franchise by late 2024 or early 2025, no such agreement is yet on the horizon, a source informs Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. The source tells Himmelsbach that prospective buyers are still waiting on initial meetings with Celtics ownership, with bidding expected to tip off in January.
Nets forward Cameron Johnson is trying to ignore growing trade chatter ahead of this year’s February 6 deadline, reports Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “We’ve communicated that: Be where your feet are,” Johnson told Lewis of his conversations with Brooklyn brass. “I think the understanding is, don’t get caught up in things that we can’t control or things that are off the court when we have so much to worry about on the court.” Through his first 26 games this season, the 6’8″ vet is averaging 19.2 points (on .489/.431/.874 shooting splits), 4.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per night.

And-Ones: MVP Race, Redick, Birch, Obst

December 20th, 2024 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Nikola Jokic has a commanding lead in ESPN’s first straw poll of the season on the MVP race, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. The Nuggets center captured 57 first-place votes among the 100 ballots, giving him 827 total points.

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came in second with 24 first-place votes and 678 points, followed by Bucks big man Giannis Antetokounmpo, who topped 19 ballots and has 643 points. Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (267 points) and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (123) round out the top five.

A win by Jokic would give him four MVP trophies in five years and would put him in very select company, Bontemps notes. Only LeBron James and Bill Russell have collected the award four times in five seasons, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain are the other players to be named MVP at least four times.

Bontemps adds that Antetokoumpo had a significant surge in the poll after his dominant performance in the NBA Cup final. Twenty-nine voters changed their ballots after Tuesday’s game, giving him more than twice as many first-place votes and moving him much closer to Gilgeous-Alexander.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

J.J. Redick, who was a rising media star before being hired to coach the Lakers, weighed in on the NBA’s declining television ratings after Thursday’s game, according to Sam Amick and Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Redick doesn’t believe the league is being presented well by its national TV outlets. “We don’t have anybody that’s willing to step up to the fact that this is an awesome game and we should talk about it and celebrate it in a positive way,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we don’t critique it. We should critique it, but we should celebrate it. Nobody’s doing that, and the people that are have a small niche following on Twitter. And frankly, I would argue as well, that everyone in our ecosystem pays too much attention to what is said on Twitter. And part of this whole ratings discussion is because people on Twitter are talking about it.”
Khem Birch will remain with Fenerbahce for the rest of the season, relays Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. In September, Birch signed a one-year contract with an exit clause that would have allowed the Turkish team to terminate the deal in January. Urbonas states that other EuroLeague teams had interest if the 32-year-old center had become a free agent again.
German sharpshooter Andreas Obst spoke about a potential three-point shootout with Stephen Curry and his interest in an NBA future in a BasketNews Film Session Episode. Obst says he heard that NBA executives were talking about him after he starred in the 2023 World Cup, but he never got a formal offer. “At some point, yeah, I could see myself in the NBA,” he said. “I can fill a role as a shooter. I know how to use my gravity to space the floor, spot up, and play off the ball. That’s something I think any NBA team could use.”

Celtics Notes: Mazzulla, Brown, Springer, Horford

December 20th, 2024 at 10:05am CST by Arthur Hill

Head coach Joe Mazzulla had to be restrained from approaching official Justin Van Duyne after the Celtics lost to Chicago on Thursday night, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Mazzulla was angry about being whistled for a technical foul for coming onto the court after a jump ball was called following a loose-ball battle between Payton Pritchard and Ayo Dosunmu. Although Mazzulla was upset in the moment, he admitted to reporters after the game that the technical was justified.

“I just can’t be on the court,” he said. “The ref had to do his job. I was on the court.”

Jaylen Brown, who also received a technical during the exchange, provided a little more insight, Washburn adds. Brown told Van Duyne that he T’d up Mazzulla for no reason and alleges that the official told him not to say that again or he would get a technical of his own. When Brown repeated his comment, Van Duyne obliged.

“You can’t threaten guys with a technical foul,” Brown said. “That’s not part of the game either. You want to fine people for gestures and all this stuff, [then] fine that. We were down three at that time and that led to us being down eight. That affects the game. That could have been avoided. Joe didn’t say anything to deserve a tech.”

There’s more from Boston:

Brown’s mother and assistant coach Amile Jefferson both had their homes broken into this week, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Jefferson was with the Celtics in Washington when burglars struck his house on Monday, but Mechalle Brown was at home when she was targeted on Sunday. “We’re all right,” Jaylen Brown said. “We’ll deal with situations accordingly. Thank God nothing serious or physical or threatening happened, but the fact that it could have kind of lingers in your mind.” The NBA issued a statement saying that it is “deeply concerned” about burglaries in the Boston area, and its security representatives have contacted the Celtics and local law enforcement.
With Sam Hauser unavailable on Thursday, Jaden Springer got a rare opportunity for extended playing time, notes Souichi Terada of MassLive. Springer had four rebounds and missed both his shots in 13 minutes, marking the first time this season he’s played outside of the fourth quarter. Mazzulla said matchups were behind his decision to keep Springer on the court so long. “Just match the speed that (the Bulls) play with overall,” Mazzulla said. “I thought he does a good job on the offensive glass and his individual defense and just kind of wanted to match the speed there. I thought he played well.” Terada adds that Springer has already been involved in trade rumors and that his $4.2MM expiring contract could be useful in any Celtics deal.
Al Horford believes that becoming a three-point threat has extended his career, Terada states in a separate story. Horford only attempted 65 total shots from beyond the arc during his first eight NBA seasons, but he has evolved as the game has changed. “For me, physically, it has added years to my career, I feel like,” Horford said. “It’s been good for me, and I think Brook (Lopez) saw it as well, and it’s been a great benefit. And that’s what I was mentioning, that now, like the guys are coming in from college, and they’re already shooting it, and they’re confident, they’re giving them the green light, and it’s a good thing.”

Warriors Remain Atop 2024 NBA Franchise Valuations

December 18th, 2024 at 1:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors remain the NBA’s most valuable team, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico, who unveiled the website’s updated NBA franchise valuations for 2024 on Wednesday.

Badenhausen projects the Warriors’ value at $9.14 billion, making them one of three teams to surpass the $8 billion mark this year. The Knicks have a projected worth of $8.3 billion, while the Lakers come in at $8.07 billion, per Sportico. Only the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys – at $10.3 billion – have a higher valuation than Golden State among North American sports teams, says Badenhausen.

While Sportico’s figures suggest the Warriors, Knicks, and Lakers are worth significantly more than the fourth-place team (the Nets at $5.7 billion), the average value of an NBA franchise is up to $4.6 billion, with no team worth less than $3 billion.

That average has increased by 15% since Sportico released its 2023 valuations last December and has nearly doubled since the site published its first NBA franchise valuations four years ago, when the average was $2.37 billion.

The NBA’s new $77 billion media rights deal and a 15% increase in team sponsorship are among the factors contributing to the rising valuations of the league’s franchises, according to Badenhausen, who notes that a post-COVID boom in concerts and other major events has been good news for team owners who also control their arenas.

NBA team owners operated 10 of the world’s 20 highest-grossing concert venues in 2024, with the Nets’ Barclays Center coming in at No. 1, says Badenhausen. The Nets’ valuation is up 43% this year, per Sportico, easily the largest year-over-year increase among the 30 NBA franchises.

When Forbes put out its NBA franchise valuations in October, it pegged the average value of a team at $4.4 billion. In the past, we’ve used Forbes as our primary source for NBA franchise valuations, but with Badenhausen making the move from Forbes to Sportico in recent years and the outlet establishing itself as a go-to resource for sports business news, we begun highlighting Sportico’s projections as of 2023.

Of course, it’s worth noting that figures from Sportico, Forbes, or any other media outlet are just estimates and often don’t quite match up with the sale prices for franchises that change hands. But these projections are usually in the right ballpark and remain useful for getting a sense of the league’s most and least valuable teams.

Here’s Sportico’s full list of NBA franchise valuations for 2024:

Golden State Warriors: $9.14 billion
New York Knicks: $8.3 billion
Los Angeles Lakers: $8.07 billion
Brooklyn Nets: $5.7 billion
Los Angeles Clippers: $5.68 billion
Boston Celtics: $5.66 billion
Chicago Bulls: $5.56 billion
Miami Heat: $5 billion
Houston Rockets: $4.77 billion
Toronto Raptors: $4.66 billion
Philadelphia 76ers: $4.57 billion
Dallas Mavericks: $4.46 billion
Phoenix Suns: $4.32 billion
Sacramento Kings: $4.11 billion
Atlanta Hawks: $4.07 billion
Denver Nuggets: $4.06 billion
Washington Wizards: $3.98 billion
Cleveland Cavaliers: $3.95 billion
Milwaukee Bucks: $3.91 billion
San Antonio Spurs: $3.79 billion
Indiana Pacers: $3.74 billion
Utah Jazz: $3.67 billion
Portland Trail Blazers: $3.6 billion
Oklahoma City Thunder: $3.55 billion
Orlando Magic: $3.46 billion
Detroit Pistons: $3.45 billion
Charlotte Hornets: $3.39 billion
Minnesota Timberwolves: $3.29 billion
New Orleans Pelicans: $3.09 billion
Memphis Grizzlies: $3.06 billion

As Badenhausen notes, Sportico’s projections are based on a control sale price, rather than limited stake purchases. No NBA franchise saw its majority control change hands in 2024, but that could change in 2025, with control of the Celtics up for sale.

According to Badenhausen, team executives and investors have predicted a sale price ranging from $4.5 billion to $6.5 billion for the Celtics. The final valuation will be determined by a number of factors, including how many bidders are on the mix, what percentage of the team they can buy, and whether current governor Wyc Grousbeck insists on remaining in that role until 2028, which he has indicated is his goal.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks/Raptors Dispute, Shamet, Simmons, Beekman, Celtics

December 17th, 2024 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has scheduled an arbitration hearing regarding the Knicks/Raptors dispute for late July, reports Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link). As Bondy points out, that means the hearing will occur nearly two years after the Knicks initially filed a lawsuit against the Raptors and over a year after a U.S. District Court judge referred the matter back to the league.

The Knicks filed a suit in August 2023 alleging that former video coordinator Ikechukwu Azotam illegally took thousands of proprietary files with him to a position with the Raptors and shared them with his new club. New York was seeking $10MM in damages from Toronto.

The Raptors, referring to the suit as “baseless,” argued that the issue ought to be resolved through the NBA’s arbitration process rather than in court. The Knicks countered by contending that commissioner Adam Silver can’t provide an impartial ruling due to his close relationship with Raptors chairman Larry Tanenbaum, who is also the chairman of the league’s Board of Governors.

The Knicks, who have put out statements every step of the way criticizing the league for its handling of the situation, did so again on Tuesday.

“Last June, the Courts ordered the NBA to arbitrate this theft of proprietary and confidential files – and now, after the NBA sat on this for seven months, we are being told that we will finally get a hearing in another seven months,” an MSG spokesperson said (Twitter link via Bondy). “We remain skeptical because the NBA has consistently demonstrated no desire to address this matter, most likely due to the fact that the Chairman of the NBA is the defendant.”

We have more from around the Atlantic:

Landry Shamet, who dislocated his shoulder during the preseason, returned to action on Monday for the Westchester Knicks, scoring 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting in 20 minutes. There has been a belief that the Knicks will re-sign Shamet once he’s healthy and ready to contribute at the NBA level, but that won’t happen quite yet, according to head coach Tom Thibodeau, who attended Monday’s game (Twitter video link). “It’s good to see him out there healthy again,” Thibodeau said. “(But) there’s a number of things that have to happen before he can play with us.”
Ben Simmons played a season-high 31 minutes on Monday in his first game as the Nets‘ primary point guard following the trade of Dennis Schröder, but struggled running the offense and turned the ball over six times in a blowout loss to Cleveland, notes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “I think it’s just reading the game. When you speed up, you’re gonna have more errors,” said Simmons, who was making an effort to push the pace. “But that’s on me to just know where my guys are gonna be and taking care of the ball as a point guard.”
New Nets two-way player Reece Beekman wasn’t active on Monday, but he’s embracing his new opportunity after being sent to Brooklyn in the Schröder trade, Lewis writes in a separate New York Post story. “For this to be my rookie year and not even halfway through the season for me to get traded is a little crazy,” Beekman said. “But that’s life in the league. So I just got to be able to adjust fast. Just blessed for this opportunity. New situation, but got to get settled in and be ready to hoop. Just do whatever the team needs. I’m coming in with a work-hard mentality and try to do what’s best for the team to put ourselves in a better position.”
Brian Robb of MassLive takes a look at what the Celtics can and can’t do on the trade market this season, given their second-apron restrictions, and considers whether the team has any areas of need to address.

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