The Boston Celtics have recalled rookie forward Kris Joseph from the Maine Red Claws of the NBA D-League, the team announced in a press release. This is the second time Joseph has been assigned and recalled in his rookie season.
In his three games with the Red Claws this season, he has averaged 21.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.0 APG. He has appeared minimally in two games for the Celtics.
Be sure to check out our complete list of D-League assignments and recalls to keep track of the latest moves.
The Celtics are in search of a rebounding big man and have considered bringing Erick Dampier in for a look, an NBA source tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. However, the club hasn't been in touch with Kenyon Martin or his representatives since July.
“We’ve done a thorough analysis of the marketplace,” said agent Andy Miller, “and at this stage, Kenyon is obviously biting at the bit for an opportunity to get back in and show his wares. So we’ve broadened our scope from where we were originally, and that was obviously on the heels of free agency opening up. We wanted to be with a playoff-bound team and have a significant role.”
Dampier, 37, hooked on with the Hawks last season on a pair of ten-day contracts before signing for the remainder of the year. The center had a 15 game stint in total and saw just 5.5 minutes of action per contest. The bruising big man could provide the Celtics with the kind of interior play that they're seeking, but he'll have to have better conditioning than he did in Atlanta. Dampier is one NBA vet who doesn't need to return for the money as he has earned roughly $98MM over the course of his 16-year career.
Martin, 34, last played with the Clippers and his rocky relationship with coach Vinny Del Negro may have something to do with his current unemployment. The forward also saw his stat sheet take a hit as he was less involved offensively on a talented Clippers team. Martin averaged 5.2 PPG and 4.3 RPG in 22.4 minutes per contest for Los Angeles.
One of the more insulting phrases in basketball circles is "sign-and-retire", a clever quip for players who ink lucrative contracts and seemingly transition into cruise control. Today, ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Insider sub. req'd) looked at several players who have been underwhelming so far in 2012/13 after signing big money deals. The Bucks' Ersan Ilyasova signed a five-year, $40MM deal this summer but now has a 9.69 PER to go along with 35.3% shooting from the floor. Other disappointing players highlighted by Hollinger include the Celtics' Jeff Green, the Pacers' Roy Hibbert, and the Raptors' Landry Fields. Here's more from around the Association..
Dwight Howard opened up this weekend about his parting with the Magic, in advance of Orlando's meeting with the Lakers last night, and he talked about his willingness to change teams if that's what the pursuit of a championship requires. John Denton of Magic.com interprets that comment to mean D12 might be willing to leave the Lakers as a free agent next summer, but it seems more logical that Howard was referring to his departure from the Magic. Either way, there's plenty of room for pessimism about this year's Laker team, which takes an 8-9 record on the road for seven of its next eight games. Here's more from around the Association:
The last-place Raptors are the only Atlantic Division team playing this evening on a six-game night in the NBA, as they take on the Nuggets in Denver. Toronto is also the division's only sub-.500 team. That doesn't mean every Atlantic squad is pleased with its record so far, though, since the Celtics would surely wish for better than 9-8. There's plenty of season left, though, and in the meantime, here's a roundup from the league's best division so far.
Monday afternoon linkage..
The Celtics are scuffling in the early going, and after last night's loss to the Bucks, they're 9-8 and in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, just a game in front of the Pacers for the final playoff position. There's plenty of time left in the season, but with a defense that's right at the league average statistically and rebounding that's among the NBA's worst, the team's problems are clear. There's more on why the Celtics are hesitating to make a move that might address those issues, as well as other Boston news below.
The Celtics have re-assigned rookie Kris Joseph to the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. Joseph played just five minutes against the Blazers in his latest stint for the big club Friday after the Celtics called him up earlier that day following his November 14th assignment to the D-League.
Joseph has played a total of eight minutes in two games for the Celtics, who took him 51st overall in June's draft. The small forward from Syracuse took advantage of his first two-game D-League stint earlier this month, averaging 25.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 39.0 minutes for Maine.
Joseph rejoins fellow rookie and former Syracuse teammate Fab Melo with the Red Claws. The Celtics sent the pair down there together last month, but Melo has not seen as much playing time with Maine. He's averaging just 8.0 PPG in 19.0 MPG for the Red Claws.
It's not often that all five teams from one division are favorites on a given night, but that's exactly the case for the Atlantic's clubs this evening. Even the 3-13 Raptors are slight favorites at home against a Suns team coming off a 40-point loss in Detroit. While we wait to see if the Atlantic squads can go five-for-five tonight, let's round up a few Friday afternoon items out of the division:
The Celtics have recalled Kris Joseph from their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. The move adds a little depth to the C's roster with Rajon Rondo suspended and Jeff Green questionable to play tonight.
Joseph, 23, was the 51st overall pick in June's draft. He appeared in one game for the Celtics early in the month before being sent to the Maine Red Claws along with Fab Melo. In two games for Maine, Joseph averaged 25.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG, though he shot just 35.6% from the field.
Be sure to check out our complete list of D-League assignments and recalls to keep track of the latest moves.