Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

D-League Notes: Draft, Douby, Liggins, C’s

October 31st, 2013 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA D-League has released the official list of players eligible to be selected in tomorrow’s draft, which is set to take place at 7:00 pm ET in New York. There are plenty of intriguing names among the 180+ players hoping to be drafted, including a couple 2013 NBA draftees whose NBA rights are still held by their respective teams — Pierre Jackson (Pelicans) and Grant Jerrett (Thunder). Here’s more on the 2013 D-League draft class:

Potential top-10 picks include James Johnson, DeAndre Liggins, and Quincy Douby, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Johnson and Liggins were recently released by the Hawks and Thunder, respectively, while Douby averaged 31.6 PPG in China last season, including one 75-point game.
There are a handful of international players eligible to be drafted, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s brother Athanasios Antetokounmpo, tweets Givony. Givony adds in another tweet that there are prospects from Croatia and Japan in the draft pool as well.
Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside notes that former NBA veterans Ricky Davis and Salim Stoudamire are among the draft hopefuls.
The Maine Red Claws, the Celtics‘ D-League affiliate, announced 11 players on their camp roster today, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link). That list features Chris Babb, Damen Bell-Holter, and Kammron Taylor, who were in camp with Boston this month.

Celtics Rumors: Brooks, D-League, Osby

October 29th, 2013 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Jared Sullinger got some good news and bad news today, as Celtics GM Danny Ainge indicated that the team would pick up the forward’s third-year option for 2014/15. However, the team also announced that Sullinger would be suspended for a game to start the ’13/14 season. While Sullinger had domestic charges against him dismissed in court, the club elected to suspend him for one game for “failing to meet the high expectations we have for all Celtics employees.” As Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes, the former Buckeye understand and accepts the club’s decision.

Here’s more from out of Boston:

The Celtics don’t intend to exercise MarShon Brooks‘ fourth-year option, as we heard earlier today, and Forsberg has more details from Ainge on the team’s decision: “With MarShon, we haven’t enough chance to evaluate him in a fair way and so we probably won’t pick up his extension. But we will retain his Bird Rights and I’m sure he’ll get plenty of opportunities this year to see if he fits our system.”
According to Forsberg, Ainge would be open to all four Celtics camp invitees – Chris Babb, Damen Bell-Holter, DeShawn Sims and Kammron Taylor – joining the team’s D-League affiliate. NBA clubs are only allowed to retain the D-League rights for three players, but the Maine Red Claws already held Sims’ rights. Those players have yet to decide on whether to play in the D-League or pursue overseas jobs, so it’s not clear yet which ones will land in Maine.
The Red Claws are also trying to add another team’s camp invitee, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com, who reports that the Celtics’ D-League affiliate is attempting to obtain the rights to Romero Osby. Because Osby attended camp with Orlando, his rights belong to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, but the Magic share their D-League affiliate with five other NBA clubs, so their influence is limited. According to Charania, Osby is finalizing a D-League deal, and while the Celtics are in the lead to acquire his rights, the Warriors, Thunder, Spurs, and Nets have also expressed interest.
Ainge also suggested today that Jordan Crawford won’t be extended by Thursday, but a new deal for Avery Bradley is still a possibility.

Eastern Notes: Sanders, C’s, Heat, Knicks

October 29th, 2013 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Back in August, prior to signing a long-term extension with the Bucks, Larry Sanders changed agents, moving from Andy Miller and ASM Sports to Dan Fegan and Relativity Sports. While the switch seemed fairly innocuous at the time, ASM has filed suit against Relativity, claiming that the agency stole Sanders away with “flights on private planes, expensive dinners, invites to pre-ESPY awards parties, acting classes and trips to Disneyland for his family.”

According to Dareh Gregorian of the New York Daily News, ASM Sports is seeking the commission on Sanders’ new $44MM contract with the Bucks, claiming that “even in the hypercompetitive world of sports agents there are rules and boundaries that must be followed.” Sanders’ earnings shouldn’t be affected by the suit, but it’s a peek at what goes on behind the scenes at sports agencies when a big-name player is about to cash in.

As Sanders and the Bucks prepare for tomorrow’s opener in New York, let’s round up a few more items from around the Eastern Conference….

Celtics GM Danny Ainge continues to discuss a possible extension with Avery Bradley‘s camp, but won’t extend Jordan Crawford, tweets Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Ainge emphasized today that Bradley remains a big part of Boston’s future, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (via Twitter).
In his latest piece for Grantland, Zach Lowe explores the Heat‘s roster-building options going forward, concluding that, as creative as Pat Riley is, it will be tricky for the team to make significant upgrades around LeBron James in the next couple years.
Chris Smith believes he earned his spot on the Knicks with his play, but some rival agents believe he came as a package deal with older brother J.R. Smith, says Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
Responding to criticism from Charles Barkley, Carmelo Anthony said today that he thinks players would love to come play with him in New York, and that he has a “big rolodex” for when the time comes to recruit (Twitter links via Peter Botte of the New York Daily News).
According to Gigi Datome‘s agent (Twitter link via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando), the Pistons didn’t offer the most money to his client this offseason, but they did offer the best opportunity for the Italian sharpshooter.
While news of his trade to the Wizards initially caught him off guard, Marcin Gortat is excited to join a team with playoff aspirations, as he tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post.

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

October 29th, 2013 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

NBA teams are permitted to carry 15 players into the regular season, so now that opening night rosters are set, as many as 450 players could be under contract around the league. Instead, only 439 players are currently on NBA rosters, leaving 11 openings spread out among nine clubs. With the help of our roster count tool, here are the teams bringing open roster spots into the regular season:

Two openings:

Chicago Bulls
Memphis Grizzlies

One opening:

Boston Celtics
Golden State Warriors
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Clippers
Oklahoma City Thunder
Phoenix Suns
San Antonio Spurs

Teams carrying a full 15-man roster know that not all 15 players will see regular minutes in NBA games this season. Still, keeping an extra prospect or two under control, perhaps assigning them to the D-League to get them frequent playing time, could pay off in the long run, and has little downside. Many end-of-bench players are still on non-guaranteed contracts, so they don’t adversely affect a team’s roster flexibility, since they can be easily cut if the team wants to make a trade or signing.

The only real downside of carrying 15 players is having to pay 15 players. That’s why we shouldn’t be surprised to see that many of the teams listed above are either taxpayers or clubs hovering dangerously close to tax territory. For teams like the Bulls and Clippers, who are more focused on title contention than player development, carrying a 15th man all season isn’t worth the extra tax penalties. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies, Celtics, Thunder, and Pacers all have $68MM+ in guaranteed team salary on their books, so paying a 15th player would reduce cap flexibility for those clubs, who are looking to steer clear of the $71.748MM tax line.

We’ll be keeping our list of roster counts up to date throughout the 2013/14 season, so if you’re curious about whether or not a team has room to add a free agent or make an unbalanced trade, keep an eye on that page.

Atlantic Rumors: Noel, Bradley, Brooks, Stevens

October 27th, 2013 at 8:58am CST by Chuck Myron

Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes Nerlens Noel must grow physically and emotionally if he’s to live up to his expectations in the NBA, so, according to the Inquirer scribe, he’d be better off not returning from his left knee injury at any point this season. Coach Brett Brown this week attempted to dispel the notion that any decisions had been made about when Noel would play again, after making it seem on Monday as though Noel was likely to miss the season. The Sixers hoped injured center Andrew Bynum would come back to lead them deep into the playoffs last year, but there’s not much on the line this time around for Philly’s ragtag bunch. Here’s more from the Atlantic:

The Celtics and Avery Bradley continue talks about an extension, but no deal is imminent for the Mitchell Butler client, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. The 2014/15 team option on MarShon Brooks‘ contract is still a matter of debate in the front office, Murphy adds.
Former Suns GM Steve Kerr doesn’t say whether he was interested in Brad Stevens, but he does tell Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe that several GMs around the league had wanted to hire Stevens before the Celtics did.
Isiah Thomas last coached in the NBA with the Knicks in 2007/08, but he explains to Washburn that he hasn’t closed the door on a return to the bench.
Trade acquisition Andrea Bargnani struggled for the Knicks in preseason, and he isn’t a lock to keep his job as starting power forward, as Marc Berman of the New York Post details.

Celtics To Waive Chris Babb

October 26th, 2013 at 10:18am CST by Zachary Links

The Celtics will waive former Iowa state guard Chris Babb, sources told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Releasing Babb brings the C’s roster down to 14 and keeps them out of luxury tax territory.

Babb, 23, went undrafted this past June and hooked on with the Celtics in late August after playing for the Suns’ summer league squad. In his senior year at Iowa State, the 6’5″ guard averaged 9.1 PPG to go along with 38.2% shooting from three-point range. Babb was always viewed as a longshot to make the C’s but he managed to outlast fellow camp invitees DeShawn Sims, Kammron Taylor, and Damen Bell-Holter by a few days.

Stein On Hayward, Favors, Extensions, Durant

October 25th, 2013 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

At the start of the week, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein provided an update on the NBA’s remaining extension-eligible players on rookie contracts, reporting that Gordon Hayward was the likeliest candidate for a new deal. Stein is back today with the latest news on Hayward and others, so let’s dive in and recap his two newest pieces for ESPN.com….

Hayward and the Jazz continue to negotiate a new contract, and remain likely to work something out by Thursday’s deadline. Talks are expected to intensify this weekend as the team returns from a California road trip.
According to Stein, Derrick Favors‘ extension with the Jazz works out to just over $47.7MM in guaranteed money. Stein adds that a new contract for Hayward may still be end up being worth more than Favors’ deal.
Extensions are also still in play for Eric Bledsoe (Suns), Ed Davis (Grizzlies), and Avery Bradley (Celtics), who continue to talk with their respective teams. While there may still be one or two dark horse candidates, those three players, plus Hayward, are the strongest bets to sign long-term pacts next week.
In his second column, Stein discusses Kevin Durant‘s contract situation with the Thunder, noting that even though the star forward won’t be a free agent until 2016, OKC “would be wise not to relax” — Durant has dropped a couple “odd hints” suggesting he’s getting antsy about winning a championship, says Stein.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Rondo, 76ers, White

October 24th, 2013 at 4:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks coach Mike Woodson acknowledged yesterday that Chris Smith‘s family ties will play a role in the team’s decision on whether or not he makes the roster, but if it were up to J.R. Smith, that wouldn’t be a factor.

“I don’t want that to come into play because then I think that’s a crutch for him and that’s an excuse for him to make the team,” J.R. said, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. “I think that he should make the team based off his own talent and his own ability. Don’t get me wrong, he’s my brother at the end of the day, but at the same time I think his talent alone should set that apart.”

As the Knicks mull over their roster options, let’s check in on a few more stories from out of the Atlantic Division….

Within a column about Rajon Rondo and the Celtics, Sean Deveney of the Sporting News cites sources to report that Rondo hasn’t talked to coach Brad Stevens or GM Danny Ainge about any sort of trade this offseason.
Nick Menta of the 700 Level explores the 76ers‘ options when it comes to Evan Turner, who is extension-eligible, and Arnett Moultrie, Royce White, and Tony Wroten, whose 2014/15 team options must be exercised or declined by next Thursday.
For at least the start of the 2013/14 season, White appears to have a firm hold on a roster spot with the Sixers, as Jason Wolf of USA Today details.
The Celtics and Sixers both made roster cuts earlier today.

Celtics Release Sims, Taylor, Bell-Holter

October 24th, 2013 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have trimmed their roster to 15 players, according to Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe, who tweets that the team has released camp invitees DeShawn Sims, Kammron Taylor, and Damen Bell-Holter. All three players were on fully non-guaranteed contracts and won’t count against the team’s cap.

We heard last night that the Celtics intend to carry a 14-man roster into the season, preferring to keep one spot open rather than filling it with a non-guaranteed player. So while Chris Babb, the team’s final non-guaranteed camp invitee, remains under contract for now, he’ll likely be waived as well within the next few days.

Sims, Taylor, and Bell-Holter are all candidates to land with the Celtics’ D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.

Odds & Ends: Oden, Celtics, Turner, 76ers

October 23rd, 2013 at 11:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

Greg Oden stepped on an NBA court for the first time in nearly four years tonight, throwing down a dunk and grabbing a pair of rebounds in four minutes of preseason action for the Heat tonight. It still doesn’t constitute an official return the way a regular season appearance would, but it’s a positive sign for the Heat as they attempt to turn Oden from a minimum-salary gamble into a bargain of an inside presence. Here’s more from around the Association:

The Celtics don’t plan to keep any of their four players on non-guaranteed deals into the regular season, preferring instead to carry a 14-man roster in a money-saving effort, tweets Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
The Timberwolves front office is reportedly high on Evan Turner, but there’s no talk of a deal that would send the former No. 2 overall pick to Minnesota, according to Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News (Twitter link).
James Anderson and Daniel Orton have fully non-guaranteed deals, but they’ve all “all but wrapped up” spots on the Sixers opening-night roster, writes Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer looks at Orton’s efforts to make the team, which includes losing nine pounds since the Sixers signed him a week ago.
The Blazers cut three players yesterday, but coach Terry Stotts was effusive in his praise of E.J. Singler, as Mike Tokito of The Oregonian details.
Kings lead assistant coach Brendan Malone resigned today, the team announced, with GM Pete D’Alessandro citing “factors associated with the rigors of coaching in the NBA” for why Malone is stepping down after 27 years in the NBA. Malone is the father of head coach Michael Malone. Chris Jent will slide up the bench and replace the elder Malone as lead assistant, according to the team (Twitter link).
David Stern characterized as “relatively upbeat” a report that the Bucks gave to the league’s owners on the status of the team’s quest to fund a new arena, as Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel reports.