Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Re-Sign Shavlik Randolph

March 11th, 2013 at 4:02pm CST by Zachary Links

The Celtics announced that they have signed Shavlik Randolph to a second ten-day contract. Boston first inked Randolph the former Duke standout to a ten-day deal on March 1st.

Randolph, a 6’10” forward, has yet to appear in a game for the Celtics since joining the club. Prior to making his NBA return, he appeared in 28 games for the Foshan Long Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association and averaged 32.0 PPG, 14.6 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 blocks in 36.5 minutes per contest while shooting 53.1% from the floor.

Prior to this stint with the C's, Randolph's last NBA action came in 2009/10 when he appeared in three games each for the Heat and Trail Blazers. The forward is still looking to see his first action in green and white and it could come tomorrow night if things get lopsided against the struggling Bobcats.

Celtics Re-Sign White; Randolph Expected Back

March 10th, 2013 at 10:11am CST by Chuck Myron

10:11am: White tells Blakely he signed a second 10-day contract with the Celtics this morning. Randolph said he hasn't re-upped yet, but is optimistic about his chances (Twitter links).

10:04am: D.J. White's 10-day contract with the Celtics expired last night, and Shavlik Randolph's is over after tonight, but the team is expected to announce soon that they're re-signing both of them, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Boston brought the big men aboard along with guard Terrence Williams shortly after the trade deadline to bolster an injury-depleted roster.

White and Randolph have occupied the final two spots on Boston's 15-man roster. It's not clear whether White and Shavlik will be signed through the rest of the season or receive a second set of 10-day deals. After his first 10-day contract with the Celtics expired, Williams received a deal that runs through the season and includes a non-guaranteed second year in 2013/14.

Neither White nor Randolph has seen much time on the floor for Boston. White has appeared in just one game so far, totaling four minutes, while Randolph has yet to see game action. Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com wrote yesterday that "all indications" were that White would be back with the team, since he accompanied them on their flight to Oklahoma City for today's game. Randolph is with the team as well, as Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe noted, though he'd be eligible to play against the Thunder either way, since his contract runs a day longer than White's.

Celtics Among 3 Teams Interested In Gigi Datome

March 10th, 2013 at 8:36am CST by Chuck Myron

Italian small forward Luigi "Gigi" Datome has drawn interest from the Celtics, who are among three NBA teams reportedly intrigued by the 25-year-old, according to a report from the Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport passed along by Sportando's Emiliano Carchia. Datome is playing in his native Italy with Virtus Roma this season, averaging 17.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game to go with 44.3% three-point shooting over 22 contests this season.

Datome's isn't in play immediately, since he's still under contract with Virtus Roma, but that deal expires in the offseason. It's unclear how much Datome will be able to command financially, but if a bidding war ensues, the Celtics would be somewhat handicapped. Boston will likely be over the cap this summer, meaning the team couldn't exceed the mid-level exception to bring him or anyone else aboard. The first-year salary is set at $5.15MM for next year's full mid-level.

As a 21-year-old in 2009, Datome went undrafted by NBA clubs, though it appears his game has evolved since then. As witnessed by the Knicks' signing of 35-year-old Pablo Prigioni this summer, overseas prospects don't have to be young to draw attention. Datome recently switched agencies, moving from Side by Side to Sigma Sports.

Atlantic Links: Bynum, Knicks, Celtics

March 9th, 2013 at 9:00pm CST by Ryan Raroque

After paying a hefty price of Andre Iguodala, Nikola Vucevic, Maurice Harkless and a first round pick to bring Andrew Bynum to Philadelphia, the 76ers have had little to reap from that investment this season. Ben Bolch of the LA Times wonders if it will be worth the risk offering the one-time All-Star a new deal this summer, something that GM Tony DiLeo called the team's "Plan A" for the upcoming offseason. Here's the rest of what we've heard out of the Atlantic Division tonight:

Howard Beck of the New York Times clarifies that Amar'e's contract is uninsured in the event of a career ending eye or knee injury (Twitter link).
Amare Stoudemire's injury could open up some playing time for sparingly-used Chris Copeland, writes Mark Herrmann of Newsday. Meanwhile, ESPN New York's Jared Zwerling talks about the fallout of not having Stoudemire and how the Knicks will have to adjust for the rest of the season.
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com highlights the potency of the Celtics bench, who he says has had an impact on nearly every aspect of the game. In another article, Jackie MacMullan of ESPN Boston delves heavily into the complete team player that Paul Pierce has been and how he has carried the Celtics on his back this season.
Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer profiles Raptors' rookie Jonas Valanciunas, who despite his inexperience has earned a significant role with coach Dwane Casey because of his high activity level and toughness.

Celtics Links: White, Bobcats, Role Players

March 9th, 2013 at 5:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat are garnering plenty of attention for their 17-game win streak, but the second-hottest team in the East is the other team that made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. The Celtics have won five in a row, and beat the Hawks last night to pull into a tie with Atlanta for this year's sixth seed. Boston is only a game and a half behind the Nets for the fourth seed and home-court advantage in the first round, so while we wait to find out how far the C's can climb, here's the latest on the team:

D.J. White traveled with the Celtics to Oklahoma City in advance of tomorrow's matchup, and "all indications" are that White will get another contract from the Celtics once his 10-day deal expires tonight, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes.
Should he stay, he'll be particularly motivated for Boston's next two games, against the Thunder and Bobcats, two teams with which White used to play. White was taken aback when the Bobcats didn't pursue him when he came back from China this year, Forsberg notes in the same piece.
Celtics basketball president Danny Ainge may be reluctant to deal his stars, but one of those marquee talents believes he's excelled at finding role players, observes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. "I think the guys that Danny’s brought in are aggressive guys," Kevin Garnett said. "They fit the character of our team. They’re gutty guys, guys that are willing to work and get down. It’s guys who are willing to work, willing to listen, willing to be coached. And they’ve bought in. We don’t have any distractions in here. Everybody knows what the goal is."

Stein’s Latest: Josh Smith, Bucks, Mavs, Rockets

March 9th, 2013 at 12:21am CST by Chuck Myron

As rumors fly long past the NBA's trade deadline, Marc Stein of ESPN.com checks in with a Weekend Dime that's heavy on items about Josh Smith, as well as plenty of news about the Rockets. There's even a link between Smith and Houston, so let's dig in.

The Bucks came closest to acquiring Smith at the deadline, as a source tells Stein that Atlanta's talks with the Sixers were never as serious as they were with Milwaukee.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported earlier today that the Hawks nearly sent Smith to the Celtics, but Stein hears Atlanta's brass shared the concerns of many NBA teams that C's basketball president Danny Ainge would get cold feet about dealing one of his stars. Paul Pierce would have been sent to the Mavs in the rumored Smith-to-Boston trade.
The Hawks preferred to send Smith to the Western Conference, but were rebuffed by the Mavs, who refused to add a draft pick to a package that already included Vince Carter, Chris Kaman, Jae Crowder, Brandan Wright and Dahntay Jones. Many of those Mavericks were also part of the proposed three-way trade with the Celtics.
If the Rockets don't land top target Dwight Howard this summer, they'll turn their attention to Smith and Andrew Bynum next, sources tell Stein.
Aaron Brooks forfeited just under $3.4MM in his buyout from the Kings, Stein hears. Brooks was set to make $3.396MM next season on a player option, so presumably the buyout simply entailed him declining that option.
I took a look in January at all the former Rockets the team still has on the payroll, a list that's since grown even longer, as Stein notes. Houston has waived or bought out 10 players this season, all of whom are still on the team's cap.
Stein catches up with Thomas Robinson, who was surprised when the Kings drafted him last year and "shocked" when they traded him to the Rockets at the deadline.
There's a schism in thought around the league about whether Monta Ellis is leaning toward staying with the Bucks next season or exercising his early-termination option to hit free agency this summer.
Samuel Dalembert is hitting free agency no matter what, but echoing his report before the trade deadline that Milwaukee was no longer trying to move Dalembert, Stein says the Bucks have some interest in re-signing the Haitian center.

Celtics Nearly Traded Pierce In Deal For Josh Smith

March 8th, 2013 at 3:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Celtics stood relatively pat at last month's trade deadline, the team very nearly agreed to a blockbuster deal that would have sent Paul Pierce to Dallas, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski reports that the Celtics, Mavericks, and Hawks discussed a three-way trade that would have seen Boston acquire Josh Smith. However, the Hawks wanted a first-round pick in the deal, which the C's were unwilling to include.

According to Wojnarowski, the package that would have gone to the Hawks from the Mavericks featured Dahntay Jones, Jae Crowder, and Brandan Wright, along with the ability to swap picks in the 2013 draft. Based on Wojnarowski's report, it appears Atlanta was on board with the pieces coming from Dallas, but required one more sweetener from Boston, and the C's didn't relent.

The failed deal makes sense from Atlanta's perspective, since the club was looking to acquire some combination of young talent, expiring contracts, and draft picks in exchange for Smith. From the Celtics' perspective, Danny Ainge presumably felt that Smith was a player in his prime that the team could attempt to re-sign and keep for the long-term, though the GM wasn't willing to pay an exorbitant price to land him.

As for the Mavericks, they would have received another All-Star caliber veteran to pair with Dirk Nowitzki, but both players are in their mid-30s, and keeping Pierce next season would have eaten up the majority of the club's 2013/14 cap space. I feel like there must be a detail missing from the package that would have gone to Atlanta, since the Jones/Crowder/Wright trio earns significantly less than Pierce this season, meaning more salary would have to be included to make the deal work under CBA rules. Perhaps Shawn Marion, who has a $9.07MM player option for '13/14, was also in the proposal, which would have allowed Dallas to retain some financial flexibility in the summer. That's just my speculation though. Including Chris Kaman's expiring contract would also have worked for salary-matching purposes.

After being unable to finalize this deal, all three involved teams made smaller moves. The Celtics acquired Jordan Crawford from the Wizards, the Hawks acquired Jeremy Tyler from the Warriors, and the Mavericks and Hawks swapped Jones and Anthony Morrow.

Atlantic Links: Martin, Knicks, Sixers, Green

March 8th, 2013 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks lost a nailbiter at Madison Square Garden last night against the Thunder, but still hold a three-game lead in the Atlantic Division. Tonight, the Nets and Celtics will host the Wizards and Hawks, respectively, as they look to make up a half-game in the standings. Here's the latest out of the Atlantic:

Kenyon Martin played a season-high 17 minutes last night, and made a strong case for a rest-of-season contract, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. As Zwerling notes, Ronnie Brewer, the player the Knicks traded to Oklahoma City to clear a spot for Martin, received a DNP-CD for the Thunder.
In a video for Philly.com, Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Noah Coslov of CineSport argue that it doesn't make sense for the Sixers to re-sign Andrew Bynum in free agency this summer.
Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald spoke to Jeff Green about the heart condition that kept him out of action last season, and the trade that originally sent him to the Celtics for Kendrick Perkins. "I didn’t put that pressure on myself, but I felt that people put pressure on me to be who Kendrick was," Green said. "We were two different people and players, and I don’t think people understood that. This was one of the true Celtics who was leaving, and they figured since I was coming in that I was going to be the same. But we’re two different players, two different personalities."

D-League Moves: Selby, Lakers, Thunder, Jerrells

March 7th, 2013 at 4:33pm CST by Luke Adams

We'll track today's D-League moves, including assignments and recalls, right here, with any new items added to the top of the page throughout the day:

Josh Selby, who was released by the Cavaliers over the weekend, has been acquired by the D-League's Maine Red Claws, according to RealGM.com. The Celtics' affiliate sent a 2013 D-League draft pick to the Canton Charge in exchange for Selby.
Darius Morris and Robert Sacre have been assigned to the D-League by the Lakers, the team announced today in a press release. It's Sacre's third assignment and Morris' first assignment with the D-Fenders this season.
The Thunder have re-assigned DeAndre Liggins and Daniel Orton to the Tulsa 66ers, according to a team release. Liggins was recently assigned to the D-League along with Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones, but for Orton, it's his first assignment since being recalled in late January. Both players are expected to be active tonight for Tulsa's game against the Iowa Energy.
Curtis Jerrells, who had been playing in Turkey, is set to join the Maine Red Claws, tweets David Pick. The former Baylor point guard has never appeared in an NBA regular-season game, though he has spent time with the Spurs and Hornets.

Atlantic Rumors: Sixers, Josh Smith, Knicks, White

March 6th, 2013 at 11:42pm CST by Chuck Myron

Rob Mahoney of SI.com took a look at 18 players on troublesome contracts, and all five Atlantic Division teams have a representative. The last-place Raptors appear to have the most problems, with Rudy Gay, Andrea Bargnani, DeMar DeRozan and Landry Fields all on the list, though the Nets, with Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace, have multiple entries as well. Here's more from the Atlantic:

The Sixers were one of several teams reportedly pursuing Josh Smith at the trade deadline, and John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that the Sixers were "close" to a deal with the Hawks. Philly's interest in the soon-to-be free agent dates back to last season, Mitchell also notes.
Jerome Jordan, who spent last season with the Knicks, has been on the team's radar as he plays in the D-League this season, reports Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link). Zwerling says New York can't sign him this season, though the Knicks could bring him aboard if they go against their plan to re-sign Kenyon Martin when his 10-day contract expires. New York could also waive a player on a guaranteed contract, but that seems unlikely.
Andrew Perna of RealGM.com checks in with D.J. White, who finally made his debut for the Celtics tonight after signing a 10-day contract on February 28th. White revealed that he had opportunities to play for NBA teams before heading to China in September.