Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Bynum, Celtics, Daye, Magic

October 1st, 2012 at 9:05pm CST by Michael Pina

Here are a few pieces of news from around the Eastern Conference.

Pistons guard Will Bynum appears much more comfortable heading into the second season with Lawrence Frank's system in Detroit, writes MLive.com's David Mayo.
The Celtics aren't worried about their lack of a true back up point guard, writes ESPNBoston.com's Greg Payne.
The Detroit Free Press' Vince Ellis writes that Pistons forward Austin Daye is headed into what could be the third make-or-break season of his three year career.
Kyrylo Fesenko passed up more than one other offer to join the Bulls training camp, tweets RealGM.com's Shams Charania.
To the untrained eye, it would appear the Magic are a franchise in rebuild mode, but as the team prepares to begin training camp, Orlando head coach Jacque Vaughn says the word "rebuilding" isn't allowed around his team, writes the Orlando Sentinel's Josh Robbins.

Celtics Notes: Rondo, Offense, Rivers, Lee

September 30th, 2012 at 4:45pm CST by Michael Pina

As they head into the 2012/13 season as a re-tooled, legitimate championship contender, here are a few bits of news regarding the Boston Celtics.

The Boston Herald has a short piece on who will step up and assume a major leadership role for a team with so many veterans and new faces. Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett are the obvious options, but Rondo said everyone is going to have to step up.
Celtics.com writer Marc D'Amico believes that the addition of Courtney Lee and Jason Terry will open up the team's offense and create some wonderful opportunities previously unavailable.
Celtics head coach Doc Rivers says he isn't surprised Rasheed Wallace is coming out of retirement to play for the Knicks, writes ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg.
Also from Forsberg on ESPNBoston.com, Rivers says his team's identity as a defensive strong unit hasn't changed, but on offense the strategy is all about maximizing possessions and improving an offense that's struggled these last few years.
Boston Herald beat writer Dan Duggan puts the spotlight on Courtney Lee, who's scheduled to be an opening day starter beside Rondo in Boston's backcourt, yet not too many people are talking about him.

Lee Turned Down Money To Sign With Celtics

September 30th, 2012 at 3:49pm CST by Michael Pina

New Celtics shooting guard Courtney Lee told reporters today that he turned down more money to sign with Boston in the offseason, writes the Associated Press. Lee was moved in a sign-and-trade deal from Houston that also involved the Trail Blazers.

Lee said the likelihood of the Celtics winning a championship combined with his close relationship with Rajon Rondo made the decision to turn down more money an easy one. He is expected to begin the season as Boston's starting shooting guard as Avery Bradley recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.

Atlantic Rumors: Calderon, Sixers, Darko, Nets

September 30th, 2012 at 1:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

Each of the five teams in the Atlantic Division is arguably improved from last season, which might make it the league's best. That doesn't mean that the division's GMs are done moving, and there's news on transactions past and, perhaps, future.

Jose Calderon isn't likely to ask for trade, but Raptors coach Dwane Casey probably won't try to get him extra minutes by playing him alongside fellow point guard Kyle Lowry, as Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes in his mailbag.
Andrew Bynum is in the final year of his contract, but new Sixers GM Tony DiLeo already has plans to build around him, as John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com looks at how Darko Milicic is trying to remake his image with the Celtics. Kevin Love accused Milicic of bringing "bad blood" to the Wolves locker room, as we heard earlier today.
Tim Bontemps of the New York Post looks back the busy offseason for the Nets, and Newsday's Roderick Boone breaks down the question marks for the team as training camp begins.

Northwest Rumors: Kirilenko, Kahn, Darko, Batum

September 30th, 2012 at 10:31am CST by Chuck Myron

Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune details the reasons why some of the Timberwolves' free agent acquisitions wound up in Minnesota, including Andrei Kirilenko, who signed with the Wolves in part because of his memories of coach Rick Adelman's old Kings teams. "Those Sacramento teams were some of my favorite teams," the former Jazz forward said. "I like that style. It's more like how we play in Europe." We passed along comments about the makeup of the Nuggets from coach George Karl earlier today, and there's more news out of the Northwest Division.

In the same piece, Zgoda says it's likely the Wolves must make the playoffs for GM David Kahn to keep his job. Minnesota has been a lottery team in each of Kahn's three seasons in charge of the front office.
Kevin Love told Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer press in July that he was glad the Wolves were rid of what he called "bad blood" in the locker room. Zgoda identifies amnestied center Darko Milicic as the player to whom Love was referring.
Blazers small forward Nicolas Batum is ready to live up to the four-year, $46.5MM deal he signed over the summer, as he told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. "I signed an All-Star-type contract and now it's up to me to play up to that level," Batum said. "I got team goals and personal goals I want to accomplish and becoming an All-Star one day is one of them. I want to be an NBA champion, I want to be a three-point champion. It's all about winning in this league and I'm ready for that next step in my career."

Odds & Ends: Thibodeau, Celtics, Green, Lakers

September 29th, 2012 at 9:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Tonight's look around the Association..

Even if the Bulls and coach Tom Thibodeau are unable to reach agreement on an extension, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes that it won't be a distraction for the hyper-focused coach. While many would expect a coach of Thibodeau's caliber to secure a deal well in advance of its expiration, Johnson notes that Thunder coach Scott Brooks and Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle both coached out their last contracts before re-signing.
Despite concerns about his health after missing last season with a heart issue, Celtics coach Doc Rivers says that forward Jeff Green has some of the best conditioning on the team, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Many have questioned the wisdom of giving Green a four-year, $36MM deal, particularly since it does not offer some type of insurance should his heart condition resurface.
Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register previews the Lakers with five questions surrounding the team as they enter the 2012/13 season. Chief among them is how Kobe Bryant and the newly-acquired Steve Nash will co-exist together in the backcourt. For the offense to run smoothly, Ding opines that Bryant will have to take a backseat at times in order to allow Nash and Dwight Howard to operate effectively.

Camp Rumors: Howard, Hornets, Murray, Miller

September 29th, 2012 at 4:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

It's looking more like the Lakers will have Dwight Howard in the lineup to start the regular season, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports hears the big man is determined to be ready for opening night, and that the progress he's made in recent weeks has upped his chances. Howard says his surgically repaired back is at 85%, Wojnarowski reports. The Lakers still don't have a timetable for his return, but it's just one more reason for optimism in L.A. The mood is upbeat all around the league this time of year, as teams start fresh in training camp. Here's a roundup of news from camps across the Association.

John Reid of The Times-Picayune hears that Hornets GM Dell Demps will work in tandem with executives Mickey Loomis and Dennis Lauscha on the team's basketball-related decisions. It's unclear exactly what role everyone will play, but I imagine Demps will continue to function in the day-to-day role of most GMs.
Ronald "Flip" Murray, who has an agreement to join the Grizzlies, was not on the camp roster released by the team today, but Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal says the journeyman guard will indeed be in camp (Twitter link).
This could be the last training camp for Heat swingman Mike Miller, who hinted at retirement after last season and wants to see how his back responds before promising anything beyond this year, Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida writes (Sulia link). Miller's deal has more than $13MM left on it and runs through 2015, with a player option in the final season.
Many of the Celtics veterans have been working out together since early September, while the rookies have been in Boston for most of the past three months. That's led to better chemistry as camp starts, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com writes.

Atlantic Rumors: Celtics, Knicks, Allen, Nets

September 29th, 2012 at 1:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics have won the Atlantic Division five straight years, but the Nets and Sixers made changes this offseason that they hope will put them over the top. The Knicks have been active as well, and that's the club that wears the bullseye in the mind of Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, as Peter May writes in the New York Times. "My favorite games in this league are going down to Madison Square Garden and beating those guys," Grousbeck said. "We don’t always do it, but that’s my favorite experience of all — going to New York and beating the Knicks." Coach Doc Rivers acknowledged the division will be tough, but says he's primarily focused on beating the Heat, the team that kept the C's from the Finals last season. There's more from Boston and the rest of the Atlantic Division today, and we'll round it up here:

Ray Allen spoke about his departure from the Celtics, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel notes. "You always felt you had one foot in, one foot out," he said, referring to trade rumors he'd been a part of during his time in Boston. Still, he said the decision to leave the Celtics was more difficult than the choice he made to sign with the Heat.
Allen responded to comments Kevin Garnett made to reporters at Celtics media day, including Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com. Garnett said that he no longer has his former teammate's phone number. "That's a shame," Allen told Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com and other reporters following the Heat, saying he still considers Garnett a friend. "I'm a good person to talk to on the phone."
Nets GM Billy King believes his team's backcourt of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson is the best in the league, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USAToday.com, who sizes up the Nets as they begin training camp.
Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld, writing for USAToday.com, briefly examines the potential impact of Rasheed Wallace, who's expected to sign with the Knicks.

Odds & Ends: Atlantic, Previews, Draft

September 28th, 2012 at 9:22pm CST by Alex Lee

Here are a few odds and ends from around the NBA on Friday night:

Dei Lynam of CSN Philly goes "Around the Atlantic," touching on Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Garnett and a glowing quote from Keyon Dooling on Rajon Rondo.
Here is the index page of HoopsWorld's team-by-team season previews for the upcoming season.
We are a long way away from the 2013 NBA Draft, nine months to be (close to) exact, but I can't help myself. After dubbing LeBryan Nash the top NBA prospect in the Big 12 a few days ago, Draft Express rounds out their top five with Myck Kabongo, Jeff Withey, Elijah Johnson and Pierre Jackson respectively.
More draft news, as Joe Kotch of Sheridan Hoops published his top 10 list for the 2013 event. As we all know, this will change exponentially as the draft approaches. Now entering the 2012-13 season, be sure to use us to look back on the 2012 draft this past June.

Odds & Ends: Dentmon, Curry, Williams, Wright

September 28th, 2012 at 3:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are a few Friday odds and ends from around the Association, with opening night just over a month away:

After we rounded up a few highlights from the Celtics' media day earlier this afternoon, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com adds a few more, courtesy of Kevin Garnett's podium appearance. KG discussed Ray Allen, the Heat, and his decision to re-sign with the Celtics, among other topics.
Justin Dentmon has signed with Fujian Quanzhou in China, agent Bill Neff tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. Last year's D-League MVP had brief stints with the Spurs and Raptors in 2011/12.
Asked once again about his contract situation in a Q&A with Jason McIntyre of Big Lead Sports, Stephen Curry reiterated that he hopes to remain with the Warriors long-term, adding: "I’m an NBA junkie and I know all of the latest news and contract situations. But I won’t base my decision on 'Oh, this guy makes a certain amount, I need to make more' or that kind of thing. It’s about timing in the NBA and the right situation, and winning more than money. But yeah, I know everybody’s contract, that’s common knowledge, but it doesn’t impact my situation."
The Trail Blazers must decide by October 31st whether to pick up Elliot Williams' $2.37MM option for 2013/14, and with Williams' season over due to a ruptured achilles tendon, he's not sure what the team will do. Either way, as he tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, Williams intends to be ready and healthy for the '13/14 season.
Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside wonders which former D-Leaguers on camp invites have the best odds to earn regular-season NBA roster spots.
We heard earlier this week that Julian Wright was closing in on a deal with Israel's Maccabi Rishon, but David Pick of Sportando says (via Twitter) Wright may be having second thoughts after agreeing to terms with the club.
In a piece for the Detroit Free Press, Dan Feldman of PistonPowered says Joe Dumars' willingness to look overseas to acquire a player like Slava Kravtsov is a good sign for the Pistons.