Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Rondo, Granger, Rose, Deng

January 24th, 2014 at 9:12pm CST by Eddie Scarito

There’s been plenty of trade speculation regarding Rajon Rondo of the Celtics, despite GM Danny Ainge saying he’s not being shopped. The team has even begun discussing a contract extension with their newly named Captain. Rondo seems to be willing to be a part of the Celtics rebuilding efforts, and is open to signing an extension, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston.com. Rondo told Forsberg, “I don’t like change much. I wouldn’t mind staying here the rest of my career. Things don’t always seem to go that way, but like I said before, it’s just a business. I wouldn’t mind extending another 10 years in Boston.” Forsberg also writes that Ainge acknowledged that it would take “star” money to retain their point guard. In a separate article, Forsberg examines the merits for both player and team to work out an extension this offseason.

Here’s some other notes from around the Eastern Conference:

With Danny Granger relegated to a bench role in the wake of his injuries, as well as the rise to stardom of Paul George, Sam Amick of USA Today examines how Granger’s acceptance of his new role can help the Pacers thrive.
Despite being out for the season with another knee injury, Derrick Rose was named to USA Basketball’s 28-player pool for this summer’s FIBA World Cup of Basketball in Spain and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau would be happy to see Rose play for Team USA this summer, writes Sean Highkin of USA Today. Rose is expected to be medically cleared by the summer, and Thibodeau said “If he’s healthy enough, I think it would be great for him. I know how strongly USA Basketball feels about him. If his health is there, I think it makes a lot of sense.”
Luol Deng was traded from the Bulls to the Cavaliers on January 7th. Since that time, the Bulls have gone 7-2, and might be playing the best basketball of their season. The Bulls seem to be thriving without their former player, but Deng isn’t doing quite as well in Cleveland, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. He’s having to play “baby-sitter” on a young, but talented roster. How the team jells the rest of the season will have a direct impact on the Cavaliers chances at re-signing Deng this summer.

Odds & Ends: Young, Draft, Spurs, Celtics

January 24th, 2014 at 4:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

Thaddeus Young‘s name figures to be in plenty of rumors between now and the February 20th trade deadline. “There is not a GM in the league who wouldn’t want Thaddeus Young on their team,” an NBA executive tells Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Still, Young’s contract, with average salaries of more than $9MM through 2015/16, remains a turn-off for would-be trade partners, Pompey writes. The Inquirer scribe takes a stab at sketching the Sixers roster for 2014/15, concluding that a turnaround is still a ways off. Here’s more on a couple of prospects who could be in Philly next year, as well as more from around the NBA:

Several NBA scouts are leaning toward regarding Indiana’s Noah Vonleh as a better power forward prospect than Kentucky’s Julius Randle, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com, who debates the matter with colleague Kevin Pelton in an Insider-only piece.
The Spurs wanted someone who could guard small forwards after learning Kawhi Leonard would miss the next three or four weeks, and Gregg Popovich says that led them to sign Othyus Jeffers, observes Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News.
A splintered Clippers front office kept the team from trading for Kevin Garnett at the deadline last year, and that prompted the Celtics to draw back from discussions with the Nets about Paul Pierce, sources tell Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. The C’s would have been better off had those deals gone down than they are with the package they obtained from the Nets this summer, Deveney surmises.
Doc Rivers stuck up for Tom Thibodeau, his former assistant coach, saying that he didn’t think “any right-minded organization” would allow him to leave, as Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times notes. Rumors have suggested the Bulls might let their coach out of his contract so he can take over the Knicks.
Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders what more Pierre Jackson must do to convince New Orleans to sign him. The Pelicans hold the NBA rights to the D-League’s leading scorer, but they’ve given Jackson permission to seek a trade.

Celtics Rumors: Rondo, Bayless, Crawford

January 24th, 2014 at 11:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Celtics GM Danny Ainge denied earlier this season that any team had so much as inquired about Rajon Rondo‘s availability via trade, and while that seemed a little far-fetched, he isn’t changing his story much.

“I actually did have a team call me and say, ‘Hey, would you have any interest in trading Rondo?’ Before he even offered me a package,” Ainge said to Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe. “And I said no. And that’s it. That’s as long as the conversation happened.”

There’s plenty more from Ainge amid our look at the latest on the Celtics:

The Celtics boss also tells Holmes that the trade rumors about Rondo have emanated from outside the organization. “It’s just people, like I think recently, somebody, one of the national media guys, made a comment like, ‘Oh, I was talking with some NBA people on the road and they all think Danny is going to trade Rondo,'” Ainge said. “Well, it’s not like there’s a source. It’s just people that have their own opinion, sitting around, having a Diet Coke, talking about what I’m going to do with Rondo. Which is fine.”
Ainge says he’s hesitant to build around a single player, whether it’s Rondo or anyone else. “Nobody is ‘the future of the franchise,'” Ainge said to Holmes. “A franchise is bigger than any one individual. But we love him. That’s what [the extension offer] explains.”
Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com examines what Rondo could make on an extension if he signed one now, and compares it to the more lucrative alternatives of signing an extension this summer or waiting to ink a deal as a free agent in 2015.
Jerryd Bayless shares his impressions of the Celtics since coming to Boston via trade earlier this month and reiterates his desire to remain with the team long-term in a blog post on his personal website (hat tip to Forsberg).
Ainge let Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald know that part of the motivation to trade Jordan Crawford was to open up more playing time for Phil Pressey. Still, Ainge says he remains high on Crawford and MarShon Brooks, who also departed in that deal, and Ainge added that he’ll keep an eye on both when they hit free agency this summer.
The Celtics have six extra draft picks between this year and 2018, and that’s a reflection of a long-held philosophy that Ainge explains to Bulpett. “I’ve always believed that you build through the draft,” he said. “And whether those drafted players are Al Jefferson, who you love, and Delonte West, who we developed and loved, and then move them for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen — or whether those draft picks turn into Rajon Rondo or Paul Pierce and they’re with you forever.”

Celtics Have Talked Extension With Rajon Rondo

January 23rd, 2014 at 10:41am CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics and Rajon Rondo have discussed an extension, as GM Danny Ainge told Fred Toucher and Rich Shertenlieb of 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston this morning. Ainge suggested the talks aren’t ongoing, but he said the team would negotiate again this summer and “most likely the summer after.”

“In the collective bargaining agreement, there are limits on what can and can’t be done,” Ainge said. “Really it’s not that Rondo doesn’t want to accept an extension, but it’s just not financially smart for him to accept it right now.”

The Celtics could only add two years onto Rondo’s deal if they sign him to an extension now. They could give him a three-year extension starting July 1st, but that’s still fewer than the five years they could commit to him if they re-sign him when he hits free agency in the summer of 2015. The client of BDA Sports Management could sign a four-year deal with another team in free agency.

Though Ainge acknowledges that an extension is unlikely, it’s a signal that the Celtics intend to keep Rondo through the trade deadline. Ainge has consistently batted down the notion that he’s looking to trade the All-Star point guard, in spite of rival executives who believe the Celtics will shop Rondo.

Latest On Rajon Rondo

January 22nd, 2014 at 10:50am CST by Chuck Myron

Celtics GM Danny Ainge isn’t shopping Rajon Rondo, but he isn’t turning away calls, either, sources tell Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Still, Ainge has consistently rejected offers for the All-Star point guard, according to Berger. The only time the Celtics came close to trading Rondo was in a deal that would have landed them Chris Paul, Berger writes, presumably referring to a 2011 proposal.

Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders gets the sense from his time around the C’s that they want to keep Rondo around and gauge how well he can become a leader. It’s a role they envisioned for their newly appointed captain before the departures of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, so it appears they’re invested in him for at least the foreseeable future. A weekend report from Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News nonetheless indicated that executives around the league believe the C’s will try to trade Rondo at the deadline or before the draft in June. That echoes what Chad Ford of ESPN.com wrote last week.

Rondo has been at the center of several rumors since the Garnett/Pierce trade this summer, but most of the recent suggestions that he’s on the block appear to be coming from outside the Celtics organization. Ainge has been steadfast that Rondo isn’t a trade candidate, so perhaps the idea that he could be on the move is just wishful thinking from other teams.

Rondo’s contract runs through next season, when he’ll make a little more than $12.9MM, a bargain for a top point guard. It’s unlikely he’ll sign an extension, Berger writes, noting the limitations in the latest collective bargaining agreement that make it unappealing for most star players to do so. Berger says that Rondo can only add two years to his deal if he signs an extension this summer, and while he can actually add up to three years via extension come July, it would nonetheless be to Rondo’s advantage to wait until he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2015. Then, he could re-sign with the C’s for up to five seasons, or ink a deal for as many as four years with another team.

Celtics Sign Vander Blue To 10-Day Deal

January 22nd, 2014 at 10:26am CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 10:26am: The Celtics have officially announced their 10-day contract with Blue.

TUESDAY, 8:53pm: In the wake of Avery Bradley‘s injury, the Celtics are set to sign Vander Blue out of the D-League, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Blue was claimed by the Delaware 87ers one week ago. It’ll be a 10-day deal, according to Wojnarowski’s latest update.

The former Marquette guard was waived by Maccabi Rishon LeZion of Israel just before the New Year and was clearly on the NBA radar. Blue was in camp with the Sixers over the summer and had a partially guaranteed deal, so he received a $55K severance from Philly when he was let go.

The 6’5″ shooting guard helped lead Marquette to the Elite Eight in last season’s NCAA tournament, averaging 18.3 PPG in the team’s four March Madness games. He then left the Golden Eagles one year shy of his expected graduation date.

Atlantic Notes: Nets, Olynyk, Patterson

January 21st, 2014 at 8:03pm CST by Zachary Links

Fans who made it out to the Barclays Center tonight are being treated to a competitive game as the Nets are up 46-42 on the Magic at halftime. Joe Johnson, or Joe Jesus as Kevin Garnett calls him, leads the way with 10 points for Brooklyn while Glen Davis has 8 points and 6 boards on the other side. Tonight’s look at the Atlantic..

The Nets got the rights to Eden Bavcic in the Tyshawn Taylor trade with the Pelicans, but GM Billy King says that we shouldn’t expect to see him in the NBA, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. The 29-year-old is currently plying his craft in the Greek League.
Peter Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com grades the Celtics at the midway point of the season. Rookie Kelly Olynyk gets a C despite the considerable hype he had coming into the season. Meanwhile, Kris Humphries, who came over in the blockbuster with the Nets, gets a B+ for his play. Recently, Hump said that he wants to remain with the C’s beyond this season.
The Raptors also got a report card thanks to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. Patrick Patterson gets an A- for his work in Toronto even though he struggled for the first part of the season with the Kings. GM Masai Ujiri gets a B for pulling the trigger on the Rudy Gay deal but Wolstat notes that there’s still a great deal of work to be done.

Daniel Orton To Join Celtics D-League Team

January 21st, 2014 at 4:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

Free agent center Daniel Orton will sign with the D-League and play for the Maine Red Claws, the affiliate of the Celtics, USA Today’s Sam Amick reports (Twitter links). The Red Claws are acquiring his D-League rights via trade from the Tulsa 66ers, according to Amick. Orton had offers from Chinese teams, Amick adds, but he will instead showcase his skills within the range of most NBA observers.

The Sixers waived Orton earlier this month, just before his contract would have become guaranteed for the rest of the season. Philadelphia had picked him up during the preseason a few days after the Thunder cut him loose. The 6’10” Orton was the 29th overall pick of the 2010 draft out of the University of Kentucky, but he missed the 2010/11 season with injury and has yet to blossom. He’s appeared in a total of 51 NBA games so far, with career numbers of 3.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game with a 10.6 PER.

He hasn’t fared too much better when his NBA teams have assigned him to the D-League, putting up 12.4 PPG and 7.8 RPG in 27.8 minutes per game over 31 contests. If he impresses this time around, the Celtics will have the flexibility to sign him to the big club, since they have only 13 guaranteed contracts. Orton will nonetheless remain eligible to sign with any NBA team.

Atlantic Rumors: Carmelo, Nets, Rondo

January 21st, 2014 at 12:08pm CST by Chuck Myron

Players and coaches around the league share the general feeling that Carmelo Anthony will leave the Knicks in free agency, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, who believes the star is weary of the team’s losing. Anthony and other Knicks embraced Nets coach Jason Kidd after Brooklyn’s blowout win over their crosstown rivals yesterday, and Isola sees it as evidence that the club misses Kidd and other veterans on last year’s roster who are no longer around. Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Nets created trade a small trade exception as part of their swap with the Pelicans today, worth $788,872, equivalent to Tyshawn Taylor‘s salary. They don’t get one as part of their deal with the Bulls, since Marquis Teague is making more than Tornike Shengelia.
Boston anticipated Rajon Rondo would someday become the leader of the team, and so the Celtics have groomed him for that role, one GM Danny Ainge believes he’s better prepared to embrace now that he’s adopted a calmer demeanor, observes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
The Celtics appear high on Zeke Marshall, as the team’s front office pushed to acquire his D-League rights via trade earlier this year, according to Mike Taylor, Marshall’s coach with Boston’s D-League affiliate. Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal has more on the already well-traveled prospect who went undrafted out of the University of Akron this summer.
SB Nation’s Tom Ziller names the Knicks and Nets as two of the league’s most desperate teams, suggesting much is at stake for the New York City franchises between now and the trade deadline.

Kris Humphries Wants To Stay With Celtics

January 21st, 2014 at 8:52am CST by Chuck Myron

Kris Humphries seemed open to a trade earlier this season, around the time a report indicated the Celtics would “love to move” the 10th-year big man. A few more months around the team appears to have changed Humphries’ attitude, and now he tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe that he’d like to stick around.

“I want to be a part of this whole, building this team and doing all that stuff with the new coach and all that, I want to be here,” he said. “You never know if they want you or they don’t want you or what their plans are, but I like Boston, my teammates. I’m just getting a chance to play with [Rajon] Rondo a little bit now.”

Humphries, a free agent at season’s end, has developed a friendship with Rondo, and teammates have grown to respect the willingness of Humphries to play hurt, Washburn writes. Increased minutes have no doubt played a role in the newfound contentment Humphries has found in Boston, as he’s seen his minutes gradually escalate over the course of the season. He’s spent most of the season as a bench player, but he’s started the team’s last seven games.