Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavs Interested In Will Bynum, Bobby Brown

January 25th, 2015 at 9:18am CST by Eddie Scarito

SUNDAY, 9:18am: The interest between Brown and the Cavs is mutual, reports Jorge Sierra of Hoopshype. “I will say this about Cleveland: How could anyone not want to play with LeBron [James]? First off, he is the best player in the league and second, you have a chance to be a part of a championship team. Plus, playing in Europe, I was a big fan of [David] Blatt] and always wanted to play for him. Also, I have known [David Griffin] since I was in the draft and have always been a huge believer in him,” Brown said.

SATURDAY, 8:43am: With the Cavaliers still seeking to add depth at the point guard spot, Will Bynum and Bobby Brown are two players whom Cleveland is keeping an eye on, Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal reports. Both are currently playing in China, and neither will be available until after the Chinese Basketball Association’s playoffs conclude in March, Lloyd notes. If the Cavs are unable to land a player via a trade before then, either Bynum or Brown could be brought aboard, Lloyd adds.

Bynum, 32, is a seven year veteran who will likely have a number of NBA offers to choose from, Lloyd writes. The Cavs will only be able to offer the guard the prorated veteran’s minimum, but a shot at an NBA title could be a strong draw for Bynum, Lloyd notes. Bynum has been playing for the Guangdong Southern Tigers since early December after being signed to replace the injured Emmanuel Mudiay, who is a likely 2015 lottery selection.

The Celtics had waived Bynum and his guaranteed contract, worth nearly $2.916MM, in order to free up roster space shortly after acquiring him from the Pistons in a preseason trade. Bynum’s career numbers in 353 NBA appearances are 8.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. His career slash line is .443/.280/.800.

Adding Brown would be a more complicated matter for the Cavs, Lloyd notes. The 30-year-old still has two years remaining on his contract with DongGuan, but there have been reports that Brown’s deal contains an NBA out clause. Brown went undrafted back in the 2007 NBA draft, and he has played for four NBA teams during his career. Brown had worked out for the Lakers prior to the season, but he had already inked his deal to head overseas prior to that display. Brown’s NBA averages over 113 career games are 5.1 points and 1.8 assists. His career slash line is .384/.311/.810.

Kelly Olynyk Expected To Miss A Month

January 23rd, 2015 at 8:40pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Celtics big man Kelly Olynyk is expected to miss at least a month of action, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports. Olynyk sprained his ankle during the fourth quarter of Boston’s 90-89 win over the Trail Blazers on Thursday night. The 23-year-old will undergo further testing this weekend to determine the exact extent of his injury, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald reports (Twitter link). The Celtics currently have the league maximum of 15 players in their roster, which includes Andre Dawkins, who inked a 10-day contract with the team today. Boston would need to release or trade a player if it wishes to add more frontcourt depth.

“He’s unlikely to be available until potential right at or after the All-Star break,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said of Olynyk. “I think it’s a sprained ankle. The MRI will tell us more but he got it pretty good. It wasn’t just a twist.” Stevens also confirmed that the center has returned to Boston for further medical attention and testing, Blakely notes.

Olynyk has appeared in 40 games for the Celtics this season, including 13 as a starter. In 24.5 minutes per of action per night he is averaging 11.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Olynyk’s career averages since being selected with the No. 13 pick in the 2013 NBA draft are 9.6 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 1.6 APG. His career slash line is .482/.352/.757.

Celtics Sign Andre Dawkins To 10-Day Deal

January 23rd, 2015 at 11:47am CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 11:47am: The deal is official, the team announced, adding that it has assigned Dawkins to the D-League.

WEDNESDAY, 10:44am: The Celtics and Andre Dawkins have reached agreement on a deal for a 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. Boston has an open roster spot, so no corresponding move would be necessary. The signing is expected to take place Thursday, according to Charania, though Dawkins is likely to spend most if not all of those 10 days on D-League assignment, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reported Tuesday. In any case, it’s no surprise the sides have struck a deal, since the C’s had been planning to bring Dawkins to Boston this week to meet with him as they considered inking him to a 10-day contract, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported Monday.

The 23-year-old joined Miami’s D-League team just last week shortly after the Heat waived him from the NBA roster rather than guarantee his rookie minimum salary for the season. He’s impressed in 11 appearances with the Sioux Falls Skyforce both at this past weekend’s D-League showcase and while on D-League assignment from the Heat, knocking down 53 of 104 three-point attempts to solidify his reputation as a premier outside shooter. The former Duke Blue Devil went undrafted this summer, but he joined the Rockets and Heat for summer league and made Miami’s opening-night roster out of training camp.

The Heat were reportedly interested in bringing back the John Spencer client on a 10-day contract at some point this season, but now it appears they’ll have to wait to see how it turns out for Dawkins with Boston. The Celtics will look to re-sign him to a second 10-day contract if his first one goes well, and he’d spend more time with the NBA team rather than their D-League affiliate on his second 10-day, as Blakely writes in a full story.

Atlantic Notes: Lopez, Kidd, Robinson

January 22nd, 2015 at 12:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets weren’t as close to trading Brook Lopez to the Thunder as they seemed, a league source tells Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher, adding that Brooklyn simply didn’t want Lance Stephenson, who would have come from Charlotte in a three-way proposal, or Kendrick Perkins. Still, a Lopez trade remains a possibility, Bucher writes, and the Nuggets are expected to make another run at him, according to Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post, just as they did when they reportedly spoke about a package with JaVale McGee as the centerpiece. There’s more on the Nets amid the latest from the Atlantic Division:

“High ranking sources” in the Nets organization dispute to Mitch Abramson of the New York Daily News that Mikhail Prokhorov wants to sell his majority interest in the club, but those same sources tell Abramson that it’s not out of the question that Prokhorov will give up the team.
The management for Jason Kidd‘s ownership stake in the Nets has asked the NBA for more time to find a buyer, reports Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg.com. Kidd owns one-sixth of 1% of the Nets, Soshnick notes, but he’s required to divest himself of that share, worth $2.5MM based on the Forbes valuation of the franchise, since he’s now coaching the Bucks instead.
Nate Robinson gave up $689K of this season’s salary of nearly $2.107MM in his buyout agreement with the Celtics, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
The Knicks and Sixers both have dreadful records this season, but only in Philadelphia’s case is that according to any sort of plan, as Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines.

And-Ones: Rondo, Karl, Allen, Turner

January 21st, 2015 at 10:11pm CST by Eddie Scarito

George Karl still wants to return to coaching in the NBA, and he had thought that the opportunity to do so presented itself when the Kings fired Michael Malone, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. But Sacramento promoted assistant coach Tyrone Corbin for the remainder of the season instead. “There’s obviously been communication,” Karl said. “But have they ever talked to me about being the head coach? We’ve talked around it, but we’ve probably never talked about that situation. Do I feel I’m on their list? Yes, but I think they made it very clear when they made the decision to give Corbin the opportunity to coach that that was what they were going to do.” Karl is indeed likely to be among the candidates for the Kings head coaching position, unless the team performs unexpectedly well under Corbin, according to Amick, who also notes that Warriors assistant Alvin Gentry is also expected to be a candidate. Sacramento has discussed Mark Jackson‘s potential candidacy internally, but he appears to have a minimal shot at landing the job, Amick writes

Here’s more from around the league:

Though the Mavs are said to be the favorites to re-sign Rajon Rondo when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, Kobe Bryant hasn’t given up on recruiting Rondo to come and join the Lakers, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes. “No way,” Bryant said. “I’m not done. I’m not stopping until he signs an extension.”
With the Celtics now fully in rebuilding mode, veteran swingman Evan Turner said that Boston’s situation is markedly different from what he experienced as a member of the Sixers last season, Bulpett adds in the same article. “This isn’t anything like it was with the Sixers,” Turner said. “They traded everybody, and on top of that they’d just go and get new players every 10 days. So this is sweet compared to that. When we make trades this year and get new players, I’ve actually heard of them. In Philly, they’d bring somebody in, and you just never heard of the person in your life. They’d introduce me to them, and I’d just go about my business. This is kind of typical. I can deal with these type of trades. The other stuff was crazy. I guess this is new to a lot of guys here, but this is small compared to what I was going through last year.”
Ray Allen has been leaning toward retiring instead of returning to action this season, but the veteran sharpshooter is hinting that he may have changed his thinking regarding suiting up to play, Dave Brousseau of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes.

Lowe’s Latest: Aldridge, Spurs, Sanders

January 21st, 2015 at 9:28am CST by Chuck Myron

Grantland’s Zach Lowe spoke with a half-dozen executives from four different teams who brought up the possibility that LaMarcus Aldridge would sign with the Spurs this summer. It’s still unlikely that the All-Star power forward winds up with San Antonio, Lowe asserts, noting that Aldridge pledged this past summer to re-sign with the Blazers when he hits free agency after this season. The Spurs declined to give Kawhi Leonard a max extension this past fall, reportedly in part to preserve flexibility to sign a max-level free agent this summer in case Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili retire. The Blazers have nonetheless always been leery of teams from Aldridge’s native Texas above all other potential suitors for the 29-year-old who hits free agency this coming summer, according to Lowe. A November report indicated that the Mavs planned a run at him, though that was before Dallas acquired Rajon Rondo, and the Mavs would have to renounce their rights to some desirable free agents to chase Aldridge, as Lowe points out.

The Grantland scribe has more tidbits picked up from this past weekend’s D-League showcase in his must-read column, and we’ll focus on the news related to player movement here:

Larry Sanders will likely miss many more than 10 games on his latest drug-related suspension, according to Lowe, who hears from league sources who expect the Bucks and Sanders to eventually strike up buyout talks. Sanders is in the first year of a four-year, $44MM extension.
The Celtics have been calling teams in the past week and letting them know that they’re willing to take on cap-eating contracts, Lowe writes. Boston is over the cap but about $11.8MM shy of the luxury tax line this season, and the Celtics have only about $33.5MM in commitments for next season.
There’s “major skepticism” that the Suns will be able to acquire a first-round draft pick in exchange for Miles Plumlee, Lowe hears. That’s certainly no surprise, though Phoenix is looking for a first-rounder as they shop the big man, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported Sunday.
Executives from teams around the NBA have tried to sell league brass on an earlier trade deadline, Lowe reports, suggesting that the teams are aiming to move the deadline up by at least a week or two. This year’s deadline is February 19th.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Prince, Wroten

January 20th, 2015 at 5:43pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite the Knicks‘ playoff hopes being essentially non-existent at the halfway mark of the season, rookie coach Derek Fisher has no intention of allowing his team to tank for a shot at a higher lottery selection, Peter Botte of The New York Daily News writes. “I’ve only worked for one team in this capacity so I can’t get into what other teams may or may not feel,” Fisher said. “The only way I know how to approach a game is to try to win it every time. So I can’t read other people’s minds and what other organizations are trying to do. That’s not my job. You’re asking the wrong person about that. Maybe if you talk to them you can ask them. But there’s no interest in thinking about which pick we might get based on the way the ping pong [ball] bounces when we play Philadelphia Wednesday night.”

“There’s just no correlation in my mind,” Fisher continued. “Maybe some people see it differently. It’s the NBA. You always will get a chance to have good players. But will you have a foundation, a system, a way of playing that allows for the good players you have or the good players you eventually have in the future to be able to be successful?”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Carmelo Anthony acknowledges that the Knicks‘ recent trades will mean tough times for the remainder of the season, but ‘Melo believes things will turn around for New York in the future, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens called Tayshaun Prince a “good addition” to the team, and he hopes that the veteran will remain on the roster the rest of the season, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. The Celtics are reportedly going to try to trade Prince or, failing that, discuss a buyout of his contract
Tony Wroten will be out indefinitely with a sprained right knee, and the player will fly to California this week to consult a specialist about his injury, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The Sixers had reportedly discussed a potential deal with the Clippers for Wroten earlier this month, but with Los Angeles having recently acquired Austin Rivers, the chances of Wroten becoming a Clipper are likely nil this season. With Wroten having missed the last five contests, his trade value around the league will have taken a hit as well, though that is just my speculation.

Eastern Notes: Tolliver, Dawkins, Butler

January 20th, 2015 at 2:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

The release of Josh Smith is easily identifiable as the turning point for the Pistons, but the acquisition of Anthony Tolliver, which took place two days later, has benefited the team, too, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic examines. The deal appears to have helped all three sides, with the Suns on a roll just as the Pistons are and Tolliver having seen an uptick in playing time since his arrival in Detroit. Tony Mitchell, the player the Pistons gave up in the deal, has found a new home after the Suns let him go, as we passed along earlier today. There’s more on the Pistons amid the latest from the Eastern Conference:

The Celtics are reportedly meeting with Andre Dawkins this week as they mull signing him to a 10-day contract, but if they do, he’ll spend most if not all of his time with the C’s on D-League assignment, a league source tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (Twitter link).
Retirement is far from the mind of 35-year-old Rasual Butler, who credits his time with the Thunder’s D-League affiliate in 2012/13 for his keeping his career aflame and helping spark his sudden resurgence with the Wizards this season, as he tells Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens admires the Hawks, as Julian Edlow of WEEI.com observes while wondering whether the best path the Celtics can take back to contention involves following Atlanta’s egalitarian approach instead of chasing stars.
The Pistons are recalling Gigi Datome and Spencer Dinwiddie from the D-League, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Datome averaged 13.3 points in 25.3 minutes per game and made 6 of 13 three-point shots in his first-ever D-League action, while Dinwiddie has put up 13.0 PPG and 5.4 assists per game in 29.8 MPG across seven D-League games this season.
Heat camp invitee Chris Johnson has signed with Turk Telekom Ankara of Turkey, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The former LSU center, who’s not to be confused with the swingman by the same name from the University of Dayton, played in China earlier this season following his release from the Heat prior to opening night.

Atlantic Notes: Prince, Galloway, Sixers

January 20th, 2015 at 11:05am CST by Chuck Myron

The last time the Knicks won a game, NBA teams had only pulled off one trade during the 2014/15 regular season. By the time New York snapped its 16-game losing streak Monday, there had been 11 trades, including the January 5th three-team swap with the Cavs and the Thunder that the Knicks were a part of. While we wait to see if the Knicks can make it back-to-back victories for the first time since early November, here’s the latest from the Atlantic Division:

It won’t be up to Brad Stevens to decide whether the Celtics keep Tayshaun Prince for the rest of the season, but the coach hopes Danny Ainge and his staff will retain the veteran forward, notes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. The Celtics are expected to try to trade Prince, and they’re likely to arrange a buyout deal if no trade partner emerges, as Bulpett reported this past weekend.
The Sixers are the only team that voted against lottery reform this past fall that stands to benefit in this year’s draft from the measure’s failure, SB Nation’s Tom Ziller observes. Philadelphia would have a 96% chance at a top-five pick if it finishes with the league’s third worst record, which the team has now, as our Reverse Standings show. The Sixers would be in line for only a 56% chance at a top-five pick had the league’s lottery proposal passed, as Ziller explains.
Knicks 10-day signee Langston Galloway has been a bright spot in an otherwise dreary season for the team, as George Willis of the New York Post examines.

Southwest Notes: Jones, Green, Pelicans

January 19th, 2015 at 10:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Two months after fearing his NBA career would end prematurely, the Rockets‘ Terrence Jones is preparing to return, reports Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle. Still recovering from a nerve issue in his left leg, Jones has been going through intense workouts and plans to start playing again soon, though no firm date is set. “I am more active than I’ve been in so long,” Jones said. “Being on the court feels real good and it’s a blessing to be able to get up and down and finally move my leg a little and jump and do things with the basketball that I couldn’t do two months ago at all.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Jeff Green has fit in smoothly since the January 12th trade that brought him from the Celtics to the Grizzlies, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Green’s versatility and feel for the game have made an impression in Memphis. “He’s extremely smart and he’s picked up our stuff very quickly,” coach Dave Joerger said. “Now we’ve just got to keep building the chemistry amongst the players.”
Mike Conley said Green could be the missing ingredient the Grizzlies need to win the Western Conference, reports Tim Bontemps of The New York Post. “I think with us adding a guy like [Jeff] … but even before him, I thought we had a chance,” Conley said. “But now with him, I feel it gives us that much more of a boost, that extra confidence that we belong, we can really do it now for sure.”
Pelicans coach Monty Williams tells John Reid of The Times-Picayune he has been doing a lot of self-evaluation as he tries to bring a winner to New Orleans. The Pelicans are 20-21, but haven’t managed three straight wins during the first half of the season. “I’ve always felt you should always look at yourself first as it applies to helping your team,” Williams said. ”Obviously our guys know if you play a certain way, it equals great success for us. At the same time, I have to make evaluations on what I’m doing and that’s not giving us a chance to be consistent. As frustrating as it is as a coach, I have to stay the course and make sure I get the right guys in the game.”