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Leandro Barbosa

Trade Candidate: Leandro Barbosa

January 19th, 2013 at 9:55pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Leandro Barbosa has been no stranger to being on the bench to start games. While at his peak during the 2006-07 season, he averaged 18.1 PPG and 4.0 APG while shooting 47.6% from the field and 43.4% from distance in 32.7 MPG, appearing as a starter in only 18 of the 80 contests he played in that year. Today, the 6'3 guard still starts the game as a reserve for the Celtics, but plays just a fraction of the high-level minutes that allowed him to become one of the league's best bench scorers for a significant portion of his career.

Several seasons have passed since the 30-year-old guard found his niche as a dynamic second unit scorer in Mike D'Antoni's high-octane "Seven Seconds or Less" offense in Phoenix, and since being dealt by the Suns after the 2009-10 season, he's had brief tenures with Toronto and Indiana. While he may not be as spry as in previous years, Barbosa's numbers have shown that he may still have some value to teams that lack guard depth if given the right amount of playing time. During his first season with Toronto in 2010-11, he averaged 13.3 PPG in 24.1 MPG. Before playing the final 22 games of the 2011-12 season with Indiana (averaging 8.9 PPG in 19.8 MPG), he averaged 12.2 PPG in 22.5 MPG with the Raptors. This year, he totals 10.8 MPG through 30 games.

With Doc Rivers having to account for Rajon Rondo, Courtney Lee, Jason Terry, and the recent return of Avery Bradley in his rotation, Leandro has found trouble earning consistent playing time. Since playing 14.3 MPG in November, he earned 6.5 MPG in December, and just 6.8 MPG this month so far. It's also worth mentioning that after appearing in each of Boston's first 16 games of the season, he has accumulated 11 DNP-CDs in their last 23 games. Despite his sporadic role, Barbosa has shown flashes of solid production this year, going 6-for-8 from the field for 16 points in 16 minutes against the Heat on opening night, 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting in 23 minutes against Utah on the first game of a back-to-back, and 17 points on 5-for-11 shooting against the Nets the next night.  

The veteran scorer is making about $1.23MM this year on a one-year deal, and became trade-eligible as recently as yesterday. One could only speculate about possible trade destinations, but with the team supposedly interested in J.J. Redick, Barbosa's contract may be included in any potential deal with the Magic. Other teams that could reasonably show interest are the Hawks, who recently lost Lou Williams to a season-ending injury, and the Lakers, who could be granted a Disabled Player Exception after Jordan Hill was ruled out for the rest of the season. A reunion with Steve Nash and Mike D'Antoni would arguably be the most welcome option for Barbosa if given a choice, and should a DPE be granted to the Lakers (worth about $1.78MM), the team will have enough to bring the Brazilian guard to Los Angeles. 

Two days ago, we initially heard a report from ESPN Brazil that Barbosa wanted out of Boston (he strongly refuted the rumor shortly after the story was released). Regardless of whether or not he remains a Celtic past the trade deadline, it wouldn't seem likely that the nine-year-veteran factors into the team's plans after this season. With that being said, it could be in the their best interests to shop Barbosa's contract to teams currently in need of guard depth instead of possibly losing him in the offseason for nothing. 

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Leandro Barbosa Denies Making Trade Request

January 17th, 2013 at 5:28pm CST by Luke Adams

5:28pm: Ainge told Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com that Barbosa has not brought any trade request directly to him. He explained Barbosa's frustration with his playing time but denied that the veteran guard has asked to be traded:

"I think it's been hard for [Barbosa] not to get an opportunity to play as much as he's wanted, but we have said from the beginning, even before he signed here, that minutes might be difficult to come by, because we were deep at that position, and he still chose to come here," Ainge said. "Actually, early in the year he played more than I expected him to play, and he played pretty well. So I think that we have had a couple of conversations, just about his role and where it went and he seemed satisfied with it. But he's never demanded or asked to be traded or any of those things at all."

2:14pm: Barbosa strongly denied that he wants to be traded by the Celtics, and denied making the statements passed along by ESPN Brazil, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald (Twitter links). "No, I want to play," Barbosa said. "I want to be here. That's it."

1:10pm: In a recent radio interview, Leandro Barbosa revealed that he has asked to be let go by the Celtics, according to an ESPN Brazil report (hat tip to Sportando). It's not clear whether Barbosa is hoping for a trade or a buyout, since he talks about wanting to return to Brazil, but either way, it doesn't seem like it's an option team president Danny Ainge is eager to pursue.

It's possible that some details of the story are being lost in translation, but it's not hard to see why Barbosa may be frustrated with his role in Boston. The 30-year-old is playing just 10.7 minutes per game, by far his lowest mark since entering the league, despite a PER (15.4) that's in line with his career average. Additionally, he's earning a minimum salary for the Celtics after making $7.6MM in 2011/12, the final season of a five-year contract.

Barbosa's comments suggest that the Celtics would like to keep him on the roster for depth purposes, but with Avery Bradley back in the lineup, there aren't enough minutes to go around for all of the team's backcourt players. Barbosa is certainly someone to keep an eye on as the trade deadline approaches, since he could earn more minutes for a team in need of an inexpensive scorer.

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Players Still Ineligible To Be Traded

January 15th, 2013 at 8:49am CST by Luke Adams

Today is January 15th, which means that a number of players who had been ineligible to be traded until this point are now free to be moved by their respective teams. As Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors outlined last month, Eric Gordon, Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, Ersan Ilyasova, and Jeff Green are among the players who weren't eligible to be dealt until today.

However, in addition to rules that keeps players from being traded until December 15th or January 15th, the CBA also includes a stipulation that a team must have a player on its roster for three months before being able to trade him. That means guys who have signed contracts since October 15th are still ineligible to be dealt.

Here are the players who can't be traded quite yet, along with the dates they'll become trade-eligible:

Leandro Barbosa (Celtics): January 18th
Daniel Orton (Thunder): January 31st
Shaun Livingston (Cavaliers): February 15th

Because the trade deadline arrives on February 21st, players signed after November 21st won't become trade-eligible until after the season. Here are the guys who fit that description:

Jeff Adrien (Bobcats)
James Anderson (Rockets)
Patrick Beverley (Rockets)
Daequan Cook (Bulls)
Kevin Jones (Cavaliers)
Mickael Pietrus (Raptors)
Garrett Temple (Wizards)

In addition to recent signees, players who were claimed off amnesty waivers last July are also ineligible to be traded until July 2013. Some amnesty victims, like Andray Blatche, cleared waivers without being claimed and signed new contracts, so they're trade-eligible now, but the following players can't be moved this season:

Elton Brand (Mavericks)
Brendan Haywood (Bobcats)
Luis Scola (Suns)

Finally, players on 10-day contracts, such as Dominic McGuire, Maalik Wayns, and Josh Harrellson, also won't be trade-eligible at any point this season, even if they eventually receive rest-of-season contracts.

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Atlantic Notes: Amare, Nets, Celtics, Brooks

December 22nd, 2012 at 10:49am CST by Zachary Links

The Knicks expect to have Amare Stoudemire back in action early next week and coach Mike Woodson says that they intend to plant him in the post, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.  It was reported this week that the Knicks were practically looking to give Stoudemire away this summer, but after flying the Erie BayHawks to New York for the express purpose of practicing with the forward, it would appear that they are committed to him.  Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division, including the cross-town rival Nets.

  • MarShon Brooks has been buried on the Nets bench after a breakout rookie campaign, but the youngster says he isn’t unhappy with the franchise over it, writes Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld.  Brooks scored 12.6 PPG in almost 30 minutes per game last season but is now averaging 5.3 PPG in eleven minutes per contest as he plays behind Joe Johnson.
  • The Celtics‘ Leandro Barbosa is another guard who would like to see some more burn, Brigham writes.  Barbosa isn’t sure why the Suns and Pacers didn’t look to bring him back this year, but he says that he was happy to join the Celtics, even if it meant seeing less time on the floor.  “They called me,” Barbosa said. “They gave me the opportunity and I was very appreciative that they wanted me to be a part of this team… I knew that my game would fit with this team. I wasn’t really worried about the amount of minutes I would play.”
  • Nets coach Avery Johnson says that he isn’t concerned about job security, but he is willing to point the finger at himself somewhat, writes Roderick Boone of Newsday.  The coach confessed that he is the man to blame for the club’s inability to close out quarters.
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Eastern Notes: Wizards, Bobcats, 76ers, Barbosa

November 26th, 2012 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The game that was supposed to kick off the Nets' new era in Brooklyn nearly a month ago will finally take place tonight. Initially scheduled for November 1st, the Knicks' first visit to the Barclays Center was postponed by Superstorm Sandy. Besides being the first time the crosstown rivals will face one another in Brooklyn, the game also has signifigance in the standings, where the 9-3 Knicks and 8-4 Nets are atop the Atlantic Division and trail only the Heat in the Eastern Conference.

As we await the evening's battle of New York, here are a few odds and ends from around the East:

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Atlantic Notes: Barbosa, Stoudemire, Wallace, Brooks

November 24th, 2012 at 6:40pm CST by Michael Pina

The main motivation the Celtics had for signing veteran guard Leandro Barbosa was his ability to score.  According to CSNNE.com's A. Sherrod Blakely, they may be getting more than they bargained for. 

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Celtics Links: Terry, Barbosa, Wilcox

November 3rd, 2012 at 9:01pm CST by Ryan Raroque
The Celtics' win tonight ends a two-game losing skid to start the season. Before the game, Rajon Rondo told reporters that he accepts the responsibility of setting the tone defensively, and with the team allowing 86 points after giving up an average of nearly 110 PPG over their first two games, it was certainly a start in the right direction. We've got more notable links from Boston tonight, courtesy of CSNNE.com: 
  • In this video, Jason Terry talked about his impressions of the Celtics while he was a member of the Mavericks, the role Doc Rivers played in his decision to sign with the team, and gave a scouting report of himself. 
  • Team legend and color analyst Tommy Heinsohn answered a fan's question the team's struggles to start the season and implied that the team needs time to develop chemistry with all the new players they've added over the summer. When asked about Leandro Barbosa, he called the Brazilian guard to a spot-player who can either shoot the team in or out of a game and thus might not be right for a role with big minutes at this point. 
  • Heinsohn agreed with the idea that Chris Wilcox could be a key role player as Kevin Garnett's primary backup because of his defensive awareness, while he believes rookie Jared Sullinger is still too inexperienced to be the better option. 
  • This staff report asks if Sullinger getting the start over Brandon Bass is a good move. Celtics broadcast analyst Donny Marshall doesn't think so, saying that it sends mixed messages to the veteran forward. 
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Atlantic Notes: Carmelo, Raptors, Bynum, Barbosa

October 31st, 2012 at 10:57am CST by Luke Adams

It's an eventful opening week in the Atlantic Division, where the defending division champs opened their season last night with a loss in Miami. Despite Hurricane Sandy, the battle of New York will proceed as scheduled tomorrow, with the Knicks traveling to Brooklyn to face the Nets. And the 76ers' big offseason acquisition, Andrew Bynum, remains out indefinitely with knee troubles. As a pair of Atlantic teams (the Sixers and Raptors) prepare to host their home openers tonight, let's round up a few more links from around the division:

  • Looking ahead to the matchup against the Nets tomorrow, Carmelo Anthony noted that his own situation could have played out much differently (link via Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com). "When I used to sit back and reflect on what happened throughout that whole trade process and the whole quote, unquote Melo-Drama that was going on," Anthony said. "I could have easily been sitting there with a Brooklyn Nets jersey on at this very moment."
  • The Raptors' roster is finally composed of pieces that make sense, writes Bruce Arthur of the National Post.
  • John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News compares the Sixers' summer acquisition of Bynum to the team's signing of Moses Malone decades earlier, though he warns that the championship impact almost certainly won't be as immediate.
  • Not all of the Celtics' offseason additions were particularly impressive in the team's opener against the Heat, but the newest Celtic, Leandro Barbosa, was a bright spot, writes Matt Porter at ESPNBoston.com.
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Celtics Links: Terry, Sullinger, Green, Barbosa

October 22nd, 2012 at 4:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics played their final contest of the 2012/13 preseason yesterday, and now have more than a week to look ahead to next Tuesday's opener against Ray Allen and the Heat. As Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com writes, coach Doc Rivers is heading into next week optimistic about the season, saying that his team has a chance to be "very, very good." Here are the latest Celtics-related stories from around the web:

  • TNT's David Aldridge focuses on the Celtics in his latest Morning Tip piece for NBA.com, examining how new additions like Jason Terry and Jared Sullinger are meshing with the team's established leaders, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo.
  • According to Rivers, returning forward Jeff Green "stood out more than everybody" this preseason and has a chance have a "terrific" season, writes Paul Flannery of WEEI.com.
  • Rivers says he wasn't surprised that Leandro Barbosa signed with the Celtics for the veteran's minimum, since it seems Barbosa had shifted his priorities to factors besides money. "I think he had us zeroed in on his radar and he understood all the players in front of him," Rivers said, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. "He didn’t care. He kept saying that, which is refreshing. I was very honest with him. There’s a chance [he may not play] with the numbers. He said, 'I’m not here to ruffle any feathers. I just want to be on a team that wins and hopefully I can help.'"
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