Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Crawford, Smith, Knicks, Miller

December 27th, 2012 at 10:59pm CST by Zachary Links

J.R. Smith‘s production so far this season clearly outweighs his pay this season and the guard looks like a mortal lock to opt out of his $2.9MM option for 2013/14. However, Smith tells Sam Amick of USA Today that he hopes to stay in New York beyond this season. “Right now, I’m just trying to play it out and do the best I can throughout this year and hopefully I’ll be back here. That’s my plan. I don’t want to play anywhere else. I love it here,” said Smith. Here’s more (non-Nets) news from around the Association..

The Celtics could have had Jamal Crawford for the right offer, but they were still going after Ray Allen when Crawford inked his deal with the Clippers, tweets Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
Amick also spoke with guard Andre Miller about his reasons for re-signing with the Nuggets despite his desire to be a starter. The 36-year-old explained that at this stage in his life, stability was a major factor for him and his children.
Blazers center J.J. Hickson is playing exceptionally well as of late and Sam Amico of FOX Sports (on Twitter) sees him as a a trade candidate. The big man, who is set to hit the open market at the end of the season, has nine straight double-doubles.
Blazers veterans Sasha Pavlovic, Ronnie Price, and Jared Jeffries have been good soldiers in taking a backseat to Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Hickson, and Nicolas Batum, writes Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.

Latest On DeMarcus Cousins

December 26th, 2012 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings lifted DeMarcus Cousins' suspension on Monday after just two days, but that doesn't mean the big man will immediately return to the court for Sacramento. According to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter), Cousins is not with the team in Portland for tonight's game, a decision made by coach Keith Smart.

The move seems to signal that Smart wasn't prepared to reinstate Cousins so soon after his "indefinite" suspension ended, something that Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty discussed earlier today. Zeller pointed out that Smart's comments, in which he indicated that Cousins may not play right away, suggested that the coach "isn't on board with bringing D.M.C. out of the corner just yet."

While the Kings figure out what to do with Cousins on the court, there's still speculation that the club could explore trading the former fifth overall pick. In his weekly chat, ESPN.com's Chad Ford predicted that new agent Dan Fegan will be "pushing hard" for a trade, and hears that there's a split between the Kings' front office and ownership about what the team would want in return.

According to Ford, the Celtics are one team that could pursue Cousins, with the Pistons, Heat, and Mavericks among the other clubs that have "a lot of interest."

Atlantic Rumors: Lowry, Raptors, D-Will, Celtics

December 26th, 2012 at 12:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics were the only one of three Atlantic Division teams to win on Christmas, beating the division rivals Nets to tie them for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Boston is also the only Atlantic Division club not playing on the road tonight, as they have the day off. But no one will envy the Celtics tomorrow, when they must face the scorching Clippers in Los Angeles. There hasn't been much for Boston to crow about this season, and there's more about that along with other Atlantic Division scuttlebutt here.

Sam Smith of Bulls.com writes that the Raptors "supposedly would like" to package Kyle Lowry in a trade and hang on to Jose Calderon. I'm not sure about this one, since Lowry's deal, which lasts through next season, is cap-friendly while Calderon's expiring contract is paying him $10.56MM this year. The Raptors have won five of the six games Calderon has started since Lowry went down with a tear in his right triceps, but that's a tiny sample size.
Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun looks at five questions facing the Raptors, including the matter of who should start at point guard when Lowry returns to health.
When you’re a point guard, your job is to get others going, but when you’re making the max, as Deron Williams is, you also have to look for your own shot, something Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News urges Williams to do more often after his seven-shot, 10-point effort on Christmas.
There's more to team-building than simply adding talent, as Brandon Bass of the struggling Celtics attests to HoopsWorld's Lang Greene.

Odds & Ends: Smart, Cunningham, Mavs, Shved

December 25th, 2012 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

A holiday for most of us, December 25th is one of the most eventful days of the year on the NBA calendar, with five marquee matchups lined up for Christmas Day. Two scuffling Atlantic Division contenders, the Celtics and Nets, are in action in Brooklyn, while the Lakers look to extend their winning streak to five games later this afternoon against the Knicks. A Finals rematch (Heat/Thunder), an inter-conference battle (Rockets/Bulls), and a Western Conference showdown (Clippers/Nuggets) are also on tap later in the day.

As we enjoy an action-packed slate of games and wish you happy holidays, let's round up a few odds and ends from around the NBA:

Despite Keith Smart's recent issues with DeMarcus Cousins, the Maloofs have "given every indication" that the Kings expect to keep Smart around for the duration of his contract, which runs through the 2013/14 season, according to Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.
The Mavericks don't have any immediate plans to recall first-round pick Jared Cunningham from the D-League, tweets Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Cunningham was assigned to the Texas Legends two weeks ago.
After losing Derek Fisher, the Mavericks figure to explore their options at point guard, but for now coach Rick Carlisle tells Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News that Darren Collison, Dominique Jones, and Rodrigue Beaubois "are our guys."
Rookie Alexey Shved has emerged as an important piece on a Timberwolves roster that has been hit hard by injuries, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
Shelden Williams, who signed with French club Elan Chalon this offseason, has been bought out by Fenerbahce Ulker and will join the Turkish team, according to a TrendBasket.net report.
Jarvis Varnado, signed by the Celtics this week, tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com that he feels "blessed" by the opportunity.
Nick Gibson of Ridiculous Upside examines the unique contract Gustavo Ayon had signed in Spain before he was bought out by the Hornets and eventually flipped in a sign-and-trade for Ryan Anderson.

Southeast Notes: Bosh, Wizards, Varnado, Heat

December 24th, 2012 at 11:45am CST by Sean Highkin

An early roundup of links from around the Southeast Division on Christmas Eve:

Israel Gutierrez of ESPN.com writes that Chris Bosh has proven skeptics wrong after facing criticism when he teamed with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in Miami in 2010.
David Aldridge of NBA.com writes that several Wizards players are frustrated with the team's struggles this season and are questioning whether the team has a direction.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman wonders whether the Heat will regret letting Jarvis Varnado sign with the Celtics if he has more success than Miami's Dexter Pittman.
Winderman has the same question about Wizards signee Garrett Temple, whom the Heat Let go in favor of Terrel Harris.
Shelvin Mack was surprised the Wizards were the team to call him up from the D-League, reports Michael Lee of the Washington Post.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Wilcox, Raptors, Bynum

December 23rd, 2012 at 1:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's a look at today's news out of the Atlantic..

Celtics coach Doc Rivers announced that Chris Wilcox will be sidelined for three-to-four weeks with his thumb/wrist injury, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The C's might be forced to find a big man, but it might not happen during their current road trip.
Rivers more or less shot down the idea of calling up Fab Melo from the D-League, Forsberg tweets. “I haven’t talked to anyone that thinks he’s ready to come up yet," said the coach.
The Raptors are expected to be one of the most active teams between now and the deadline, and they'll try to trade Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon as a package. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld writes that they're targeting a marquee small forward, just as they did over the summer.
Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com argues the Sixers made the right call in trading for Andrew Bynum, even if Bynum never plays for the team, since last year's squad had reached its ceiling.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/sixers/was-bynum-trade-worth-it/article_17a2dbc1-6fd1-510b-9a55-e8a7a17bfd60.html

D-League Moves: Joseph, Bazemore, Tyler

December 23rd, 2012 at 11:42am CST by Chuck Myron

We'll keep track of all the day's D-League transactions here, with the latest news at the top. Catch up on all the D-League comings and goings this season with each assignment and recall listed in this post.

The Celtics have recalled Kris Joseph from the Maine Red Claws, as Sportando's Emiliano Carchia notes via Twitter. Joseph's return to Boston isn't a surprise, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com noted when he was sent down yesterday that Joseph expected to travel with the Celtics on their upcoming road trip. Joseph shot just 3-for-16 last night as the Red Claws lost to the Erie BayHawks.
The Warriors announced they have sent Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Tyler to the D-League Santa Cruz Warriors. Both were sent down for one-day stints earlier this season. Neither has seen meaningful action for Golden State this year, though Tyler started 23 games for the big club as a rookie in 2011/12. Bazemore and Tyler will be around for Santa Cruz's home debut. The D-League team, which had played as the Dakota Wizards before the Warriors purchased the club this year, played its first seven games on the road this season while its arena was under construction.
The Thunder have recalled Reggie Jackson, DeAndre Liggins and Perry Jo nes III from the D-League, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman (Twitter link). The Thunder have shuttled all three, along with Daniel Orton and Jeremy Lamb, back and forth between Oklahoma City and the Tulsa 66ers this year. Jackson has played particularly well in his time with the 66ers, putting up 28.0 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game in three D-League contests this season, including a 37-point effort last night. Liggins is averaging 11.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG and 4.8 APG in three games with Tulsa, while Jones has played four D-League contests, posting 11.5 PPG and 5.3 RPG. Only Jackson has seen significant time with the big club, logging more than 24 minutes against the Timberwolves on Thursday.

Celtics Sign Jarvis Varnado

December 23rd, 2012 at 10:59am CST by Zachary Links

Monday 10:59am: The team has made the signing official.

Sunday 10:22pm: The Celtics found out earlier today that they'll be without Chris Wilcox for three-to-four weeks, and they wasted little time in finding reinforcements. The C's are set to sign Jarvis Varnado of the D-League's Sioux Falls Skyforce, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).

Varnado, 24, was taken with the 41st overall pick in the 2010 draft out of Mississippi State. The 6'9" power forward opted to gain some experience overseas in Italy and went to camp with Miami in 2011 and 2012. He was one of the final cuts in Miami this year and might have had a chance at grabbing one of the final roster spots if it weren't for hamstring issues.

In eight games for the Skyforce this year, Varnado has averaged 14.0 PPG, 8.9 RPG, and an eye-popping 4.4 blocks per contest. Varnado is an adept shot blocker thanks in large part to his freakish 7'4" wingspan.

Latest On DeMarcus Cousins

December 23rd, 2012 at 9:30am CST by Chuck Myron

Speculation about the future of DeMarcus Cousins is mounting after yesterday's news that the Kings have suspended him indefinitely following his run-in Friday night with Kings coach Keith Smart. The Kings are becoming increasingly concerned about Cousins, as Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee tweets, and the team reportedly isn't completely closed off to the idea of trading him. Teammates feel as though Cousins has not matured into the better communicator he has talked about becoming, Jones reports, adding that many of them have passed the ball to Cousins during games simply because they haven't wanted to endure one of his tirades if he feels he's being overlooked.

Still, GM Geoff Petrie maintains the Kings are committed to Cousins, and as the Bee's Ailene Voisin writes, the Kings don't want to trade Cousins.

"It's not something that just showed up yesterday, last year or two years ago or five years ago," the GM said. "But he's our player so we want to work with him to get past this so he can be what everyone sees as possible."

If the Kings do shop Cousins at some point, Marc Stein of ESPN.com believes the Heat could have interest, given team president Pat Riley's prior success with troubled players (Twitter link). Yet Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel doesn't think the Heat would break up their championship core to acquire Cousins, and figures the Kings would want young players and draft picks, assets Miami doesn't possess. Yesterday, more Hoops Rumors readers identified the Celtics as the best potential suitor for Cousins than any other team. Though Cousins could certainly shore up Boston's rebounding, and the Celtics' veterans might be able to keep him in line, I'm not sure C's team president Danny Ainge is prepared to rip up his squad's foundation, despite Boston's slow start.

D-League Notes: Joseph, Machado, Selby, Wroten

December 22nd, 2012 at 3:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Today's D-League assignments and recalls…

The Celtics announced they have assigned Kris Joseph to the Maine Red Claws for a fourth time this season. In his previous stints in the D-League, the 6'7" rookie has averaged 20.9 points and 6.0 rebounds over seven contests. He may be back with Boston as early as Sunday, since he expects to join the Celtics on their upcoming road trip, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link).
The Rockets made their recall of Scott Machado official, according to a release from the team.
The Grizzlies have recalled Josh Selby from the Reno Bighorns, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Selby looked sharp in his two-game D-League stint, averaging 22.0 points, 7.0 assists and 6.5 rebounds after he was assigned to Reno on Monday. Rookie Tony Wroten will likely be sent to the Bighorns in place of Selby for the next eight games, according to Tillery (Twitter link).
The Rockets will recall Scott Machado from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers today, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). The 6'1" guard averaged 12.0 PPG and 7.1 APG for the Vipers in eleven games.
The Nets announced that they have recalled Toko Shengelia and Tyshawn Taylor from the Springfield Armor of the D-League. The two rookies were assigned to Springfield yesterday. Neither player has seen significant playing time for the Nets this season. Taylor showed off his offensive skills last night for the Armor when he posted 32 points off of 13-28 shooting. Shengalia had a triple-double with 22 points, 12 dimes, and ten boards.