Atlantic Notes: Brooks, Lee, Green, Copeland
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.
- MarShon Brooks exceeded expectations in his rookie year, but the Nets put him on the trading block over the summer, and now the second-year player finds himself out of the mix as minimum-salary addition Keith Bogans has been the better fit so far. Tim Bontemps of the New York Post has the details.
- Celtics offseason acquisition Courtney Lee credits a meeting with coach Doc Rivers and a cameo in the starting lineup for his improved play following a slump, observes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Coming off the bench has proven a challenging adjustment for Lee and Jeff Green, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com points out.
- Mike Kurylo of The New York Times outlines the improvement of Chris Copeland, a surprising addition to the Knicks out of training camp who's been seeing more playing time of late.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com shares 10 observations about the Knicks from the season's first month, and the team's new faces figure prominently.
- One of the most effective offseason moves for the Knicks was behind the scenes, as new shooting coach Dave Hopla has made a difference, notes Jeremy Bauman of SheridanHoops.com.
Odds & Ends: Allen, Wizards, Gasol, Blazers
Monday afternoon linkage..
- Despite their offseason additions, it's clear that the Celtics are still missing Ray Allen, Shams Charania of RealGM writes. The C's have been careful not to burden Jason Terry with the responsibility of being Allen's replacement, but it's clear that he falls short in areas where Allen would shine. “It’s obvious they miss Allen. His shooting, his scoring. Terry is not the consistent shooter Ray was," one longtime advance scout and former assistant coach said.
- Wizards owner Ted Leonsis wrote an open letter to fans expressing support for the team's young players on his personal blog. While Leonsis says the club will look into making trades in order to help the club improve, he says the team "also must develop cohesion, chemistry and structure around a system with so many new and young players in the rotation."
- One hopeful Heat fan asked Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if Miami could swing a trade for the Lakers' Pau Gasol. Such a deal would require Chris Bosh to make the number work and Bosh has proved to be far more willing to play the center position than Gasol.
- Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap offered up support for Blazers coach Terry Stotts, saying he's the perfect man for their "re-shaping" period, tweets Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The Bobcats are one game under .500 while Portland sits at 7-10.
Celtics Notes: Kenyon, Sullinger, Joseph, Collins
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.
- In his weekly NBA roundup, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe says the Celtics are shying away from signing free agent Kenyon Martin because of his personality, noting that differences between Martin and Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro led the Clips to pass on re-signing him this summer.
- Glen Davis sees the similarities between himself and Jared Sullinger, and though he believes Celtics basketball president Danny Ainge envisions Sullinger as another Davis, Big Baby thinks the rookie has plenty to learn on the defensive end, as Washburn passes along.
- In a separate piece, Washburn notes that Celtics second-round Kris Joseph, assigned to the D-League today for a second time, doesn't mind shuttling back and forth between Boston's affiliate and the big club.
- Jason Collins has replaced Chris Wilcox as Kevin Garnett's backup, but Celtics coach Doc Rivers predicts the job will trade hands between two minimum-salary signees multiple times this season. A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com has details.
- After two seasons of better than 40% shooting from behind the arc for the Rockets, Courtney Lee is knocking down just 24% of his three-point attempts since coming to the Celtics in an offseason sign-and-trade, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com observes.
Celtics Assign Kris Joseph To D-League
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.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Bargnani, Raps, Stoudemire
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:
- Danny Ainge believes the Celtics could use a big man more than a point guard, but says the team isn't pressed to fill its 15th roster spot, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).
- For a Raptors team in need of a change, the "most potentially impactful way" to do so would be trading Andrea Bargnani, writes Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star. Raps president Bryan Colangelo didn't engage on the subject, telling Kelly, "We don’t discuss our intentions concerning player movement or acquisition."
- Compared to a few other NBA lottery teams, the Raptors' future doesn't look so bad, opines Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.
- Mid-December is no longer a realistic return date for Amare Stoudemire, who is now targeting Christmas instead, a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Celtics Recall Kris Joseph From D-League
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.
Eastern Notes: Varejao, Pietrus, Celtics
Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao received as good a vote of confidence as one can get from head coach Byron Scott, who called the Brazilian big man "the best center in the NBA right now." Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio writes that Varejao's statistical production makes Scott's statement a difficult one to disagree with, also mentioning that some fans have wondered if Cleveland should take advantage of his value and trade him. With that being said, Amico asserts that Cavaliers brass currently has no intention of dealing their most tenured veteran. For the rest of tonight's tidbits from the Eastern Conference, you can find them below:
- Bill McCandless, the agent of Mickael Pietrus, told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com about the other teams that that had been under consideration while they had waited for the right opportunity in free agency. Whereas the Rockets and Timberwolves were potential destinations in the West, McCandless listed the Bulls and Hawks as the other Eastern Conference teams which had been in the hunt along with Toronto.
- Celtics coach Doc Rivers offered a poignant comment about Rajon Rondo and the current state of his team, telling reporters: “I don’t know if I want to rally around my 6-foot guard being the enforcer. That’s nice but at the end of the day, if that’s the threat you’re sending, the other team has to feel [good]" (Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com reports). Although we heard Rivers say earlier that the team is in no rush to make any changes to the roster, Petraglia hypothetically mentioned Kenyon Martin as a possible target if Boston decided to look into free agency for help.
- Aside from wanting rookie guard Maalik Wayns to become a more accomplished defender, 76ers coach Doug Collins likes the direction of his development, writes Mark Narducci of Philly.com.
- Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer points out that Zydrunas Ilgauskas was at the Cavaliers' practice facility on Thursday to help Byron Scott teach forward Tristan Thompson about making quicker decisions and moves offensively to counter shotblockers.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer (also of the Plain Dealer) discusses the challenge that Danny Ferry faces in building the Hawks into a playoff contender, just as he had done in Cleveland from 2005 to 2010.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes that Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap has taken notice of Jeff Taylor's development as the rookie has stepped in to fill the void left by Gerald Henderson's injury. In another article, Bonnell mentions that the continued lobbying of New Orleans Hornets owners to rebrand their franchise could mean an opportunity for Charlotte to re-acquire the Hornets nickname.
- Nate Taylor of The New York Times discusses Tyson Chandler's offensive efficiency as of late, noting that the 7'1 Knicks center is averaging a career best in points (12.0 PPG) and leading the league in field goal percentage at 71.8%.
Odds & Ends: Celtics, Raptors, Trail Blazers
Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston heard from head coach Doc Rivers that the Celtics could decide to recall Kris Joseph and possibly Fab Melo up from the D-League while Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox are out of action. More notably, after Danny Ainge told WEEI radio that Rajon Rondo would be given a two game suspension (Twitter link), Rivers gave the impression that the team won't necessarily try to make any subsequent roster moves anytime soon. You can find more of tonight's miscellaneous links from the Association here:
- HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy says (via Twitter) that the Raptors are weighing their free agent options at the small forward position.
- Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey told Joe Freeman of The Oregonian of his plans to use D-League assignments accordingly for Victor Claver, Joel Freeland, Will Barton, and Nolan Smith. While Olshey thinks that his young players are currently benefitting through their NBA experience, he believes the best time to send them to the Idaho Stampede (their D-League affiliate) would be after they have built a good enough foundation with the coaching staff and need significant minutes to continue developing.
- According to Anthony Slater of NewsOK, Thunder GM Sam Presti was spotted at Oklahoma State University's basketball practice to supposedly begin scouting Marcus Smart and Le'Bryan Nash, two college prospects who are currently touted as potential first round picks.
- The Nets announced that the right foot sprain which Brook Lopez suffered during last night's game is unrelated to the foot injury he sustained last season, and added that he is only expected to miss the next two games (Howard Beck of the New York Times reports).
Atlantic Links: Rondo, Green, Knicks, Kidd, Brown
While much has been made about the new, cross-city rivalry between the Nets and Knicks, the Atlantic Division's fiercest rivalry might be between the Nets and Celtics. Things got scrappy between the two teams last night, with Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, Kris Humphries, and Gerald Wallace among the players involved in a scrum that spilled off the court below the Nets' basket. While we wait to see what sort of fines or suspensions are in store for the players involved, let's round up a few other items out of the Atlantic….
- As the Celtics' star, Rondo should be avoiding confrontations like last night's, not instigating them, says Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- Appearing on WEEI this morning, Celtics coach Doc Rivers expressed some disappointment in Jeff Green's play so far (link via ESPNBoston.com). As Grantland's Zach Lowe tweeted this morning, Green's PER (8.3) and salary ($8.385MM) are nearly identical, an indication that big four-year deal Green signed this offseason isn't off to a great start.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com wonders what the Knicks' best offseason move was, with a number of the team's decisions paying dividends already.
- One of the Knicks' summer additions, Jason Kidd, continues to be sidelined with back spasms, but Tyson Chandler recognizes that it's important for the team to have a healthy Kidd later in the season rather than rushing him back now. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News has the story.
- Sixers center Kwame Brown tells John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he's modeled himself after players with longevity rather than continuing to try to live up to the expectations of being a first overall pick.
Derek Fisher Expected To Sign Soon
7:58pm: A report 10 days ago by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News said the Mavs weren't interested in Fisher, but Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com wonders if they might be, since the team is exploring "tweaks" to its roster and coach Rick Carlisle has expressed admiration of Fisher in the past.
Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe believes the Celtics may have a pressing need for a point guard if Rajon Rondo is given a lengthy suspension for his involvement in a fight during tonight's game against the Nets (Twitter link).
6:48pm: Derek Fisher is expected to sign with a team in the next several days, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, who says the point guard is considering three teams and will likely make a decision by Thursday. Fisher hasn't been seriously linked to any teams since training camps began, though he's been working out with the Lakers. While it was initially thought Fisher couldn't sign with the Lakers, since they traded him away last year, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported last month that they can ink him to a deal, since he didn't exercise the 2012/13 player option on his contract before the Rockets bought him out in March.
The Lakers have been playing with third-stringer Darius Morris as the starting point guard with Steve Nash and Steve Blake sidelined, though Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game hears Nash could be back in seven to 10 days (Sulia link). Mike Trudell of Lakers.com tweets news that Blake will miss two more weeks, with Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times believing that he won't be back for nearly another month.
Fisher could only get a minimum-salary deal from the Lakers, who would have to waive someone else to fit him on the roster. This year's second-round picks, Robert Sacre and Darius Johnson-Odom, both of whom are currently assigned to the D-League, are on non-guaranteed deals.
There's no word that the Lakers are on Fisher's list of three teams, though they'd fit the profile of a contender, and Windhorst writes that the veteran is looking to sign with a team in the title hunt. Speculation linked him to the Celtics back in September, and while Boston seemingly filled its need for a backup point guard with Leandro Barbosa, the C's do have an open roster spot, as do the Thunder, for whom Fisher played last season. The Clippers and Grizzlies are also underneath the 15-man roster limit, according to our list of NBA roster counts.