Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Stoudemire, Sullinger, Lee

February 28th, 2016 at 9:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat’s Amar’e Stoudemire sounded like he had some harsh words for former teammate Carmelo Anthony and Knicks management before tonight’s game, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Stoudemire spent four and a half seasons in New York before agreeing to a buyout last February. He didn’t mention Anthony by name but implied that ‘Melo was extremely jealous during the brief “Lin-sanity” period that turned Jeremy Lin into a star in 2012. “A lot of times you got to enjoy somebody else’s success,” Stoudemire said. “That wasn’t the case for us during that stretch. You got to enjoy that and let that player enjoy himself and cherish those moments. He was becoming a star and I didn’t think everyone was pleased with that.’’

Stoudemire also said not everybody was on board with the triangle offense that Phil Jackson instituted when he became team president in 2014. “I truly bought into it,’’ Stoudemire said. “Maybe three-quarters of the team thought it was great. But if you don’t have a full team that buys into a system, it’s never going to pan out.’’

There’s more tonight from the Atlantic Division:

Jared Sullinger may be making himself too expensive for the Celtics to keep with his recent rebounding spree, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com. Sullinger has posted double-doubles in five of his last seven games and has risen into the league’s top 10 in percentage of defensive rebounds collected. Sullinger will be a restricted free agent this summer, and while Boston would likely want to keep him for the $4.4MM qualifying offer, his price could rise much higher, Forsberg writes. One advantage the Celtics will have is Sullinger’s fondness for Boston. “When you play for the greatest franchise in the NBA and you see all those banners and all the fans, you don’t want to leave that place because it’s a special place in your heart,” Sullinger said recently. “It’s the first team I’ve played for in the NBA — hopefully it’ll be my last.”
Kelly Olynyk‘s talents made David Lee expendable in Boston, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Olynyk can play both center and power forward and he has 3-point range to stretch the floor. Lee agreed to a buyout with the Celtics and hit waivers February 19th.
The Raptors have recalled Bruno Caboclo from their D-League affiliate, the team announced via Twitter. Caboclo has appeared in three games with Toronto this season.

Celtics Notes: Mickey, Olynyk, Winslow, Thornton

February 28th, 2016 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics rookie Jordan Mickey doesn’t regret leaving LSU early and missing a chance to play with freshman sensation Ben Simmons, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. The move worked out well for Mickey, who was drafted 33rd overall last summer and received a four-year contract with the first two seasons guaranteed at a combined total of nearly $2.4MM. Mickey has spent most of this season with Boston’s D-League affiliate in Maine, but remains convinced that he made the right choice. “I have no regrets,” he said. “I feel I made the best decision for myself and my family. I’m in a pretty good situation, I would say.”

There’s more news out of Boston:

Kelly Olynyk is making progress in returning from his right shoulder sprain, but his timeline hasn’t changed, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. Olynyk was injured in a February 10th game and is projected to return in early March. “Taking a couple losses on that West coast trip, it’s tough; sitting in the back watching where you know you can help and want to be out there helping,” Olynyk said. “You have to do what you can to get back as quickly as possible.”
The Celtics got another up-close look Saturday at Miami’s Justise Winslow, a player they coveted on draft night, Blakely writes in a separate story. Boston offered a package of picks to Charlotte for the ninth selection in the draft, but the Hornets opted to take Frank Kaminsky and Winslow fell to the Heat, who also reportedly turned down an offer from Boston, with the 10th pick. “It doesn’t mean anything until possibly being a free agent or anything,” Winslow said of the Celtics’ interest. “It’s just business, just like it is with the other 28 NBA teams.”
Marcus Thornton, the 45th pick in last summer’s draft, is back from Australia and has joined the Celtics’ D-League affiliate, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Boston intended for Thornton to spend a season overseas, which led him to sign with the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League. “I think it was a good experience,” said his father, Wayne Thornton. “The team had some of their own issues, but overall it was a good experience for him.”

Eastern Notes: Sullinger, Thornton, Moore

February 27th, 2016 at 8:56am CST by Eddie Scarito

Jared Sullinger is in line to become a restricted free agent this offseason provided the Celtics submit a qualifying offer worth $4,433,683, but the big man would prefer to remain in Boston for the long-term instead of heading elsewhere, Mike Petraglia of WEEI 93.7FM writes. “Most definitely. Most definitely. My oldest brother always told me that the worst thing to happen to me sometimes is change and that I don’t handle change well. I strongly disagree,” Sullinger said, responding to a question regarding his desire to remain in Boston. “Sometimes, you just don’t want to change the scenery. When you play for the greatest franchise in the NBA and you see all those banners and all the fans come at you, you don’t want to leave that place because you know it’s a special place in your heart. It’s the first team I played for in the NBA and hopefully it’ll be the last.”

The power forward has enjoyed flying under the radar this season thanks to the attention All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas has received, Petraglia adds. “It’s a lot of fun, it’s a lot of fun. Growing up, I wasn’t really a high-profile guy,” Sullinger relayed. “Going into middle school, especially entering high school, and I kind of came out of nowhere and came into my own. My main thing was just to win. When they see you win, they see all the big-time games. That’s what I was told, especially in the AAU. Playing in the AAU, the more you win, the more you play against high-profile that get to this level, and the more you get exposure. The more you win, it just takes care of itself. As long as you focus on winning, the outcome is always greater.”

Here’s the latest from the Eastern Conference:

Despite Marcus Thornton being part of the nixed trade for Donatas Motiejunas, the Pistons likely won’t have any interest in signing him now that the Rockets have waived him, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press notes (on Twitter). According to Ellis, Thornton was just “trade filler” and Detroit had no plans to use him in the rotation.
The Hawks were extremely interested in signing center Anderson Varejao after the Blazers waived him, but the veteran chose to head west and join the Warriors instead, Vivlamore tweets.
After languishing on Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg‘s bench early in the season, E’Twaun Moore has flourished since being moved into a starter’s role, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes. “I’ve always been confident,” Moore said. “I know I’m capable of playing well. It’s not really a surprise. And I don’t think it’s a surprise to my teammates either. They see how hard I work and they’ve got faith in me. It’s no big deal to me.“

Atlantic Notes: Rambis, Stevens, Prokhorov

February 26th, 2016 at 6:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks interim coach Kurt Rambis referred to his team as immature and has changed his squad’s practice routine to include more team-oriented activities to help improve cohesiveness, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News writes. “Even though we got some older veteran ballplayers on our team, this is a relatively new team,” Rambis said. “I use the word immature but I don’t mean not having the maturity as individuals but just the growth process and how long these guys have been together and know how to work off of each other and help each other. They are not connected that way yet. You don’t get enough of it just by playing games. We got to be out there on the court so that they can actually work on timing and talk about timing and ‘Hey this is what I was thinking, what were you thinking on that play?’ so they get better communication, so they have an understanding out there.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

While the Knicks may not have as much talent as the teams they are chasing in the standings, Rambis believes improved team chemistry can help bridge some of that gap, Isola adds in the same piece. “They got to think like winners and believe like they are winners,” Rambis said. “I agree with you. We have talented guys on this ball club, but talent is not enough. This talent has got to play together. When this talent is combined with the unity that you have to have out there on the court, then we will be fine. When we are doing it right, we are playing really well. But we can’t just sustain or maintain it.”
One of the Celtics‘ strongest franchise assets is coach Brad Stevens, who has quickly developed into one of the league’s best coaches, Ben Dowsett of Basketball Insiders notes. “I think that’s all overblown with me,” Stevens said of his growing reputation as a high-IQ leader. “I don’t think I have anything to do with that. I think we’ve got really good players that are really smart players. They [were] high-IQ players long before they got here. You look for high-IQ players, and savvy players, period. Because it’s a long year, you see a lot of situations – you have to change on the fly, you have to tweak on a dime.”
New Nets GM Sean Marks said team owner Mikhail Prokhorov understands the rebuilding process won’t be a quick fix and the Russian billionaire will exercise more patience going forward, NetsDaily relays. “I think he understands now that there’s not a quick fix all the time,” Marks told Evan Roberts of WFAN. “And there’s processes you have to go through and when you skip steps, you potentially wind up paying a lot of money, and it doesn’t work out all the time.”

Heat Favorites For Joe Johnson, Cavs Long Shots

February 26th, 2016 at 1:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:40pm: The Heat expect they’ll sign Johnson this weekend, sources tell Zach Lowe of ESPN.com (Twitter link). He clears waivers Saturday. So, it appears Miami is poised to cross back into tax territory.

1:25pm: Miami is “far and away the most likely” destination for Johnson, but he’s yet to make up his mind, a league source said to Zagoria (Twitter link).

12:02pm: The Cavaliers have become long shots for Johnson, USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt hears (Twitter link).

FRIDAY, 11:56am: Miami has pulled into the lead for Johnson, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link), as the longtime starter believes he’d see a more significant role with the Heat than with others, ESPN’s Chris Broussard says (Twitter link). Heat president Pat Riley expressed at least some level of openness Thursday to re-entering tax territory, though he spoke specifically about the team’s lack of point guards.

THURSDAY, 4:20pm: The Cavaliers are confident that they’re the favorites to land Joe Johnson now that he’s worked a buyout with the Nets, but the Hawks, in whom Johnson also reportedly holds interest, plan a concerted effort to lure him back to Atlanta, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (All Twitter links). The Heat are also among the teams he’s strongly considering, with the Celtics and Thunder close behind the trio of Cleveland, Atlanta and Miami, sources tell Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter link). Johnson appears likely to wait a couple of days before making a decision, Stein adds. He’ll be on waivers until Saturday at 4:00pm Central time, at which point he’ll most assuredly become a free agent, since no team has the cap room or an exception large enough to claim his salary of almost $24.895MM. Johnson will give back approximately $3MM of that figure as part of the buyout deal once he clears waivers, Nets GM Sean Marks said today in an appearance on The Michael Kay Show on ESPN New York radio, notes Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).

Johnson was reportedly planning to sign with the Cavs, but the Hawks have a financial edge, since Atlanta can offer a prorated portion of the room exception now worth about $2MM. Cleveland is limited to the prorated minimum salary, which would give Johnson approximately $400K. The cost of signing Johnson would nonetheless be greater to the Cavs than it would be to the Hawks because of Cleveland’s position as a luxury tax team. The 15th-year veteran would represent an investment of between $1.2MM and $1.3MM in combined salary and taxes for the Cavs.

Miami is in a tough position, since the Heat would slip over the tax line if they signed Johnson to any more than the minimum salary at any time before March 6th. The Heat would pay repeat-offender tax penalties of at least $2.50 for every dollar they’re over the tax line on the final day of the regular season. The Celtics, Rockets, Thunder and Raptors are all among those pursuing Johnson, according to Stein, and the Thunder have the most to give Johnson with about $2.4MM remaining on their prorated taxpayer’s mid-level exception.

The Nets clearly aren’t in the picture for Johnson at this point, but he wouldn’t dismiss the idea of re-signing with them in the summer, as he said before the buyout, and Marks didn’t rule out the possibility as he spoke on the radio today, Mazzeo tweets. “You never know what’s going to happen,” Marks said. Still, Johnson has also said he places a premium on winning, a remark that’s an auspicious sign for the Cavs in their competition with the Hawks and Heat and casts doubt on the idea of a summer reunion with Brooklyn.

‘Melo Turned Away Interest From Celtics?

February 26th, 2016 at 7:35am CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 7:35am: The Celtics went to Anthony’s “advisers” to gauge his willingness to waive his no-trade clause rather than the Knicks, and no trade talks took place between Boston and New York, sources told Marc Berman of the New York Post. Indications are that the Creative Artists Agency, which represents Anthony, wants him to keep an open mind about his future, Berman writes.

4:35pm: Anthony denies that he turned down any such trade proposal, saying the Knicks never approached him about waiving his no-trade clause, according to Frank Isola and Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. One of the first-rounders the Nets owe the Celtics as well as an additional pick, David Lee‘s since bought-out contract and a second player would have gone to New York in the proposed deal, Isola and Bondy write.

THURSDAY, 7:58am: The Celtics expressed interest before the trade deadline in obtaining Carmelo Anthony from the Knicks, but they were told that Anthony didn’t want to waive his no-trade clause to play for Boston, sources tell Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. It’s unclear how far talks between the Celtics and Knicks went, Begley notes. The teams were reportedly part of a preliminary three-way discussion with the Cavaliers that involved the idea of sending Anthony to Cleveland, but Begley’s report indicates that Boston and New York also had a chat on the side, however brief.

It’s no shock to see the Celtics having gone after a star, though the apparent interest in Anthony demonstrates how far president of basketball operations Danny Ainge would go to acquire a marquee name. Anthony turns 32 in May and is in the midst of a third straight season of declines in scoring average since leading the NBA in points per game with 28.7 in 2012/13. He’s under contract for a combined $78,731,280 over the three seasons following this one, including a player option for 2018/19, and the deal includes a 15% trade kicker. His no-trade clause would carry with him wherever he goes if he allows the Knicks to deal him away. Multiple disadvantages would come with trading for Anthony, to be sure, but the Celtics apparently remained of the belief that doing so could help their team.

Ainge said the Celtics came close to pulling off a significant trade before the deadline, had the other team not pulled out of the talks, but it appears that conversation was about Jahlil Okafor, not Anthony. The C’s were also linked to Dwight Howard, Al Horford and others.

Anthony has been steadfast in saying that he wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause and doesn’t want to leave New York to play anywhere else, though he’d reportedly give strong consideration to a trade that would send him to the Clippers. Several teams apparently think that if the Knicks don’t make significant progress in their rebuilding project by mid-July, Anthony would be willing to approve a trade.

Do you think Anthony will finish his contract on the Knicks, or will he eventually approve a trade? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

And-Ones: Ashley, Williams, Thomas

February 25th, 2016 at 10:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

During an appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, Suns GM Ryan McDonough admitted that he’d erred in trading away point guard and 2016 NBA All-Star Isaiah Thomas last February. “I think in retrospect trading Isaiah Thomas when we did was a mistake. I think sometimes in the recruitment process things sound better in July [luring Thomas in free agency] than they do in November,” McDonough said. “He wanted more. He wanted a bigger role and I understand why: He’s a talented player. In retrospect, we should have carried him into the summer. If there’s one [decision] that stands out, if I could get a mulligan, that’d be it.” In 58 appearances for the Celtics this season Thomas is averaging 21.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 6.8 assists with a slash line of .422/.348/.898.

Here’s more from around the league:

Mavs affiliate player Brandon Ashley has signed with the German club Alba Berlin, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor reports (on Twitter). The exact terms of the deal are unknown, but international journalist David Pick (Twitter link) notes that Ashley’s deal includes an option for 2016/17, though it is unclear if that option belongs to the player or the team.
Thunder coach Billy Donovan indicated no date has been set for assistant coach Monty Williams to return to the team, John Reid of The Times-Picayune writes. Williams is still mourning the tragic loss of his wife Ingrid in a car accident earlier this month. ”I don’t have really know the answer to that,” Donovan said regarding Williams’ return.”We haven’t talked about when he’ll be coming back. It’s been more of how he and his children are doing; just them adjusting to life without Ingrid and just getting the kids settled and back in school. I haven’t really talked to him about that, but whatever he decides to do I’m behind him on that 100% because the one thing I know and respect about Monty is that he’s going to put his family and children first. Those decisions I think will be made once he gets to a point when he can get them into some kind of rhythm and routine after what happened.”
If the Rockets sign another player this season, he will likely be a power forward who is a solid defender, which probably rules out any interest in Joe Johnson, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com tweets. The Nets waived Johnson earlier today as part of a buyout arrangement.
Tim Frazier, whom the Blazers waived last week, is expected to rejoin the Maine Red Claws in the coming days, Reichert relays (via Twitter). Maine is the Celtics‘ D-League affiliate, though Frazier will be free to sign with any NBA team that were to come calling.

Eastern Notes: Stevens, Anthony, Splitter

February 25th, 2016 at 8:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Celtics coach Brad Stevens declined to comment about whether the team had any interest in pursuing Joe Johnson, who was waived by the Nets earlier today as part of a buyout arrangement, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com notes (ESPN Now link). The coach did specify what type of player Boston would be looking for to fill its open roster spot, saying, “I think versatility is huge. Certainly shooting’s a big deal. All those things come into play. Obviously, with Kelly [Olynyk] out, interior help is something that you’d have to consider, but hopefully he’s not out too long and I think the versatility stands out more than anything else.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis doesn’t want to lose Carmelo Anthony as a teammate and looks at the veteran scorer as a role model, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays. Several teams apparently think that if the Knicks don’t make significant progress in their rebuilding project by mid-July, Anthony would be willing to approve a trade. “Oh well, obviously I wouldn’t want to lose him,” Porzingis said regarding ‘Melo. “He is who he is on our team. He’s special and we need him to do big things in the future, especially for me. I love playing alongside him so that would obviously not be something that I want.“
Hawks center Tiago Splitter underwent successful surgery today to repair damage to his right hip, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution relays. Splitter will miss the remainder of the season as a result of the injury and subsequent surgery.
Bucks big man Greg Monroe has been coming off the bench lately for the team, which isn’t necessarily what he had in mind when he inked a maximum salary deal with the team this past summer, Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times writes. When asked if he regretted signing with Milwaukee, Monroe said, “It’s not something they had planned when I was coming here. So, no, I can’t answer that question because it wasn’t something that was planned all along.’’ The big man also admitted that he heard the trade chatter involving him but wasn’t fazed, Woelfel adds. “I didn’t get bothered by it. I’ve been in the league awhile; I’ve been in free agency and reports came out then and I know they were totally false. And these situations are basically the same, so I was sure it was all speculation.’’
The Celtics have assigned swingman James Young to the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Young’s eighth jaunt of the season to Maine.

Nets Waive Joe Johnson In Apparent Buyout

February 25th, 2016 at 2:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets have waived Joe Johnson, the team announced via press release. The statement didn’t refer to it as a buyout, but the sides were in buyout talks, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported earlier today. The 34-year-old was making almost $24.895MM in the final year of his contract and likely relinquished a portion of that in exchange for the chance to hit free agency.

“The Nets want to thank Joe for his many contributions to the team and the organization,” Nets GM Sean Marks said in the team’s statement. “Joe has been a quality professional since joining the Nets four years ago, was a valued member of three playoff teams, and provided many thrilling moments for his teammates and Nets’ fans. We wish him much success in the future.”

No team has enough cap room or any exception large enough to claim Johnson off waivers, so he’s poised to hit the open market Saturday. He’d been planning to sign with the Cavaliers in the event of a buyout, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported, but Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears he has interest in rejoining the Hawks, the team he played for from 2005 to 2012. The Cavs and Hawks are among a group in pursuit of the 15th-year veteran that also includes the Celtics, Rockets, Heat, Thunder and Raptors, according to Stein. Ethan Skolnick of the Miami Herald first reported the Heat’s interest weeks ago, but Miami is unable to sign anyone prior to March 6th without crossing the luxury tax line.

The move leaves the Nets with two open roster spots. Brooklyn saved more than $1.5MM through a buyout deal with Andrea Bargnani this past weekend. Marks has been on the job for only a week, but both Bargnani and Johnson have hit waivers in that brief time. The Nets also released Deron Williams in a buyout deal this past summer under former GM Billy King.

Nets, Joe Johnson Start Buyout Talks

February 25th, 2016 at 9:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets and Joe Johnson have begun talks about a would-be buyout deal, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Johnson would reportedly sign with the Cavaliers if he becomes a free agent this season, but Stein hears that the Hawks, Celtics, Rockets, Heat, Thunder and Raptors are also pursuing him (Twitter link). Multiple reports in recent weeks have cast doubt on the idea that Johnson would engineer a buyout, which would entail him giving back part of his nearly $24.895MM salary, and Johnson has said he wouldn’t rule out re-signing with the Nets this summer, when his contract is set to expire. Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, who reported the Cavs link, heard that whether a buyout happens comes down to Brooklyn’s willingness to reap financial savings at the cost of a move that would help Cleveland.

Johnson, 34, is averaging 11.8 points per game on 40.6% shooting this season, his lowest figure in either category since the 2002/03 season. Still, he’s shooting 37.1% from 3-point range, mirroring his career average. He remains in a starting role and hasn’t appeared as a reserve in any game since 2003/04, though many of the teams that would sign him would probably ask him to come off the bench.

It’s nonetheless no surprise to see Johnson attract interest from multiple suitors in spite of his declining production, as he’s still capable of delivering an offensive boost. He put up 27 points and 11 assists on February 5th in Brooklyn’s win against the Kings. That was a few days after Ethan Skolnick of the Miami Herald reported that Johnson would stir the Heat’s interest if he came free on the buyout market.

The Cavs and Raptors only have the prorated minimum salary of about $400K to offer, while the Thunder have the most to spend among the teams connected to him, since they have a prorated portion of the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception, which is now worth about $2.4MM. The Hawks and Celtics have prorated portions of the room exception now worth about $2MM. The Heat can’t pay even the minimum salary on a contract for the rest of the season until March 6th without inviting repeat-offender tax penalties, while the Rockets are roughly $500K shy of the hard cap they triggered when they signed Montrezl Harrell earlier this season.

Johnson would have to hit waivers by the close of business on March 1st to be eligible to appear in the playoffs with a team other than Brooklyn, a club with no postseason hopes of its own. The Jeff Schwartz client has been in the postseason every year since missing out with the Hawks in 2007.