Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Pistons, Kings, Iverson

February 20th, 2012 at 10:28pm CST by Ryan Raroque

With less than a week before the All-Star festivities begin in Orlando, here are a few other rumblings from around the league.

According to Marc Stein's Twitter, coach Doc Rivers does not expect any big deals for the Celtics near the trade deadline.
Keith Langlois of Pistons.com chatted with fans about the current state of the team and entertains the feasibility of their trade proposal ideas. Also, Pistons coach Lawrence Frank seemed annoyed at the notion of draft talk at this point in the season, as reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
Even with the possibility of the Kings re-locating to Anaheim or Seattle, the team could have the help of another billionaire in the effort to stay in Sacramento, according to Dale Kasler of The Sacramento Bee.
Allen Iverson has been offered a contract to play soccer for the Rochester Lancers of the Major Indoor Soccer League. The team's official website made the announcement this past Saturday.
Warriors coach Mark Jackson tells Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com that he's in no rush to give his young players more playing time.
Though Tyson Chandler believed he would re-sign with the Mavericks, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning news writes about how the situation unfolded over the summer.

Atlantic Links: Smith, Nets, Celtics, Raptors

February 20th, 2012 at 4:19pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of intriguing games involving Atlantic teams are on the schedule tonight — the Celtics play in Dallas, while the Nets, the first victim of Linsanity, get a rematch against Jeremy Lin and the Knicks. Here are a few Atlantic Division notes in the meantime….

Following his Knicks debut, J.R. Smith gave Carmelo Anthony credit for bringing him to New York, as Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. The godfather of one of his Smith's daughters, Carmelo "sealed the deal," according to the newest Knick.
In light of Stephen Jackson's comments about wanting to play with Deron Williams and Dwight Howard, Fred Kerber of the New York Post explores trade scenarios that could get both Jackson and D12 to New Jersey this season.
Although a trade is a possibility for the Celtics, coach Doc Rivers thinks the team's current roster can turn things around, says A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Boston has lost three straight games and five of its last six.
The Raptors are getting healthier, but Andrea Bargnani will be out at least past the All-Star break, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.

Atlantic Notes: 76ers, Pietrus, Lin

February 19th, 2012 at 11:06am CST by Daniel Seco

The rare feat of attending two games in one day has been made possible today thanks to bizarre scheduling by the NBA. With the Knicks taking on the Mavericks in one of the early games (1:00 PM EST), a die-hard fan with deep pockets could easily make it across the Hudson in time see the Nets battle the Bucks at 7:00 PM EST. Let's take a look around the Atlantic Division to see what else is going on before the Jeremy Lin versus Jason Kidd showdown occupies the early afternoon.

The 76ers need to find some offense if they want to continue their early season success, writes John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Mitchell points to the absence of injured 76ers center Spencer Hawes as a major reason why the team has struggled to score points as of late. While the team is balanced in featuring six players averaging double figures in scoring, the team's schedule becomes more difficult as they hit the road more frequently in the second half of the season.
A late pre-season acquisition by the Celtics has proved to be an excellent move by their front office, says ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg. Mickael Pietrus, 30, has enjoyed success on the court, but his true value to the team may be his affable personality and his ability to mesh well within the organization. As the replacement for the now-departed Glen Davis, Pietrus is averaging 7.1 PPG and 2.8 RPG on the season.
Chris Bernucca of SheridanHoops.com wonders if NBA commissioner David Stern played a role in steering Lin to the friendly confines of Madison Square Garden.

Odds & Ends: Bryant, Cap, Allen

February 18th, 2012 at 4:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

Today's matinee between the Clippers and Spurs, two of the top teams in the Western Conference, highlights a light NBA schedule. Here's what's up around the league:

Pau Gasol is averaging a career-low 16.6 PPG, and Kobe Bryant believes trade talk is one reason for the uncharacteristic performance, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times notes.
HoopsWorld's Jason Fleming has a rundown on the available cap space for each team. He notes the Grizzlies, who stand just over the tax line, could get under by making a deal before the March 15th trading deadline. The Kings, meanwhile, must either take on salary to get up to 85% of the cap or distribute that money to their existing players. Fleming has the Pacers in the same boat as the Kings, but James Posey's amnestied $7.6MM salary pushes them above the 85% line.
Salary cap guru Larry Coon sees J.R. Smith declining his $2.5MM option for next season and heading to another team with more money available. Smith already took the more lucrative option on the table this week when he picked the Knicks for this season over the Clippers. (Twitter links)
Coon tweets the Clippers may covet Ray Allen, one of the Celtics cornerstones GM Danny Ainge may be willing to trade, but doubts L.A. has enough assets to get a deal done.
We examined Tyson Chandler's impact as a free-agent signing earlier today. Justin Kubatko of The New York Times takes a closer look at the Knicks center playing in the shadow of Jeremy Lin.
Fellow Times writer Benjamin Hoffman looks at Brandan Wright, who is one of the centers charged with replacing Chandler in Dallas. The scant $1MM investment is paying off for the Mavs, Hoffman writes.
Mark Cuban and James Dolan are owners who like to spend money and meddle with their teams, but the similarities end there, writes Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News, who believes the Knicks' Dolan should try to further emulate his Dallas counterpart.
Omri Casspi's numbers are down since the Cavs acquired him via trade last summer, yet Casspi and coach Byron Scott aren't too concerned, notes Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio tweets that the team feels it got the better of the deal, which sent J.J. Hickson to the Kings for Casspi and a first-round pick.

Celtics Initiating Rondo Trade Talks

February 17th, 2012 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Trade rumors have swirled around Rajon Rondo ever since the NBA's lockout ended, and according to Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld, the ongoing rumblings aren't a result of mere speculation. Citing "multiple front office sources," Ingram reports the Celtics are initiating trade discussions involving Rondo.

Earlier this season, Celtics GM Danny Ainge insisted he wasn't trying to trade Rondo, stressing the difference between listening to offers on a player and aggressively shopping him. While Ainge may not be actively trying to ship Rondo out of town, the point guard, who turns 26 next Wednesday, is one of the team's few valuable young assets, as Hoops Rumors' Jesse Blanchard wrote last week. It wouldn't be a surprise if any trade inquiry Ainge makes leads to a discussion of Rondo sooner or later.

Within his HoopsWorld piece, Ingram singles the Utah Jazz out as a potential trade partner for the Celtics, arguing that a swap centered around Rondo and Paul Millsap would make sense. However, there's no indication any talks have occurred between Boston and Utah.

Odds & Ends: LeBron, Chandler, Lin, Barnes

February 16th, 2012 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

LeBron James raised some eyebrows earlier today when he told reporters, including Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, that he wouldn't rule out eventually returning to Cleveland:

"It would be fun to play in front of these fans again," said James. "I had a lot fun times in my seven years here. You can't predict the future, and hopefully I continue to stay healthy. I'm here as a Miami Heat player, and I'm happy where I am now, but I don't rule that out in no sense…. And if I decide to come back, hopefully the fans will accept me."

While James sounded contrite about the way he left the Cavaliers, I can't bring myself to put much stock into his comments about potentially returning. It strikes me as an attempt to mend fences and shed the villainous reputation he earned in Ohio following "The Decision."

Here are a few more links from around the league:

While J.R. Smith seemed anxious to leave China as soon as possible, Wilson Chandler had nothing but positive things to Sun Xiaochen of China Daily about his experience in the CBA: "It has been a very good learning curve and experience for me and has helped me mature in some ways and develop parts of my game that I hadn't worked on in a while."
The latest "We could have had Jeremy Lin!" story comes out of Boston, as Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports the Celtics twice hoped to claim Lin on waivers, but lost out to the Rockets and Knicks.
Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle doesn't blame Rockets GM Daryl Morey for letting Lin go.
Sophomore Harrison Barnes tells Chris Thomasson of FOX Sports Florida that it'd be a "no-brainer" to declare for this year's draft if UNC wins the national championship this year. I'm betting Barnes, who figures to be a top-five pick, will be entering the draft even if the Tar Heels are bounced from March Madness early.

Atlantic Notes: Lopez, Carmelo, Sixers, Celtics

February 15th, 2012 at 6:07pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Away from all the hoopla in Manhattan, Deron Williams looked to remain focused about his upcoming matchup tonight against the Grizzlies. When asked about the recent emergence of Jeremy Lin, Williams seemed apathetic. "Y'all got anything about [our game]?" Williams asked. "Anything that's relevant with us?"

That's where we come in. Here are a few notes about the Nets and the rest of the Atlantic Division.

Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News mentioned (via Twitter) a possible return of Nets center Brook Lopez before the All-Star break. Also, Colin Stephenson of The Star-Ledger tweeted that Jordan Farmar did not suit up for tonight's game due to a strained right groin.
Ian Begley of ESPN New York writes that Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony could return as early as Friday's game against the Hornets.
Bob Cooney of Philly.com discusses the uncertainty of how active the Sixers will be in the trade market before the deadline.
Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com touches upon the durability of Kevin Garnett, the trade value of Jermaine O'Neal, and the current state of the Celtics.
Linas Kleiza is out of the Raptors lineup after injuring himself during Tuesday's game against the Knicks, according to a tweet by Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.

Trade Exceptions Due To Expire Next Week

February 14th, 2012 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

In certain NBA trade scenarios, a team can acquire a traded player exception, which is worth a specific amount of money and can be used at any time over the next year. These trade exceptions allow teams to acquire one or more players without sending any salary back. However, if a team has obtained multiple trade exceptions, it can't combine them to acquire a more expensive player.

For more details on how trade exceptions can be obtained, check out our glossary of salary cap exceptions and Larry Coon's CBA FAQ, but here's a practical example:

When the Mavericks worked out a sign-and-trade deal to send Tyson Chandler to the Knicks prior to the season, the Mavs acquired a traded player exception worth about $13.11MM — Chandler's 2011/12 cap figure. The Mavs used most of that exception to absorb Lamar Odom's salary in a trade with the Lakers, who in turn received a trade exception worth Odom's $8.9MM cap figure. Now, the Mavs have about $4.21MM of their exception remaining, while the Lakers have yet to use their $8.9MM exception.

A number of trade exceptions were obtained leading up to last season's February 24th trade deadline, and are set to expire within the next ten days. Teams aren't obligated to use their exceptions — the amounts of some exceptions aren't substantial enough to be useful, and most will simply expire quietly. But they're worth keeping an eye on over the next week and a half.

Here's the complete list of trade exceptions due to expire by next Friday:

Feb. 22nd

Nuggets: $4,640,536 (Carmelo Anthony), $1,675,000 (Renaldo Balkman), $854,389 (Shelden Williams)

Feb. 23rd

Hawks: $1,042,320 (Jordan Crawford)
Hornets: $762,195 (Marcus Thornton)
Jazz: $1,815,873 (Deron Williams)

Feb. 24th

Bobcats: $1,486,330 (Gerald Wallace)
Celtics: $473,604 (Semih Erden), $473,604 (Luke Harangody)

Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this list.

Odds & Ends: Gasol, Thunder, Batum, Rondo

February 13th, 2012 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

February 13th has historically been a busy day for trades, with the most recent blockbuster coming in 2010 — the Mavericks and Wizards finalized a seven-player deal that sent Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood to Dallas. Other notable Valentine's Eve deals? Shawn Marion to Toronto (2009), Damon Stoudamire to Portland (1998), and Mychal Thompson to the Lakers (1987). With a late trade deadline this season, we're not expecting any big deals quite yet, but the day's still young….

Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle is still on board with the Rockets trying to acquire Pau Gasol.
While the Thunder might prefer a veteran backup at point guard, there are reasons to believe they'll be fine with Reggie Jackson, says Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman. The rookie has served as Russell Westbrook's backup since Eric Maynor went down for the season with a torn ACL.
Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops thinks the Lakers should consider signing Gerald Green from the D-League.
Re-signing Nicolas Batum will be a priority for the Trail Blazers this summer, whether or not Gerald Wallace exercises his player option, writes Derek Page of HoopsWorld.
Rich Levine of CSNNE.com tries to make sense of Rajon Rondo's season, wondering if trade rumors are affecting Rondo's performance at all.

Odds & Ends: Lakers, Knicks, Celtics, Bulls

February 12th, 2012 at 9:48pm CST by Jesse Blanchard

Teams in three of the top markets in the NBA, the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and New York Knicks, are struggling through disappointing seasons (though the Knicks have picked up lately under the promise of Linsanity). A fourth big-market club, the Chicago Bulls, now has a potential injury problem.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports officials from the Lakers attended a private workout for Gilbert Arenas. Arenas was amnestied this off-season by the Orlando Magic, and is hoping the same knee procedure that benefited Kobe Bryant in the off-season can produce similar results.
Amare Stoudemire returns Monday and Al Iannazzone of Newsday wonders how the Knicks' offense will look when Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony return. Stoudemire seems a natural fit alongside Lin. His skill set has always been maximized alongside a pick and roll point guard. Anthony, however, is one of the best isolation scorers in the NBA and the ball tends to stop in his hands.
Derrick Rose sat Sunday's game against the Celtics out with a back injury and will meet with some specialists Monday in Chicago reports Neil Hayes at the Chicago Sun-Times. Rose had similar back issues in high school, but this is the first time he's had trouble since. The Bulls lack the star power of some of the other team, but compensate with their depth and chemistry. That chemistry, however, still depends on Rose operating near peak form.
Brandon Bass is ailing, and Jermaine O'Neal is often injured. The Celtics have been looking for front court depth for some time. Today they got some good minutes from rookie JuJuan Johnson and veteran Chris Wilcox writes Green Street's Mike Petraglia.
Paul Flannery of WEEI.com wonders if Rajon Rondo is the centerpiece of the next generation of Celtics, or will he prove to be too unorthodox for a team minus three future Hall of Famers?