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.
HoopsWorld On Best NBA Contracts
The staff of HoopsWorld.com has posted a new roundtable in which several of their staff writers weighed in on which players have the best contracts in the NBA.
- Joel Brigham writes that as the best three-point shooter in NBA history, Ray Allen is a steal for the Heat at $3MM per year.
- Bill Ingram believes the Spurs got an excellent value in Tony Parker. Parker is making $12.5MM this season, considerably less than other elite point guards such as Chris Paul and Deron Williams.
- Robert Wing calls Kyle Lowry's contract a "complete steal," saying the Raptors got a major upgrade at starting point guard over Jose Calderon for cheap.
- Eric Pincus thinks the Knicks were able to take advantage of Raymond Felton's low stock after his poor performance in Portland last season to land the point guard for $14.9MM over four years.
- Alex Kennedy points out that Rajon Rondo would be worth much more on the open market than the five-year, $55MM extension he signed with the Celtics in 2009.
Eastern Notes: Jennings, Fesenko, Allen, Celtics
When we asked you earlier this afternoon which rookie scale contract extension will work out best for the team locking up its player, one fourth-year guard was notably absent from the list: Brandon Jennings. Shaun Powell of Sports on Earth calls the young Buck the most talented player from the 2009 draft class not to receive an extension from his club, and examines the outlook for the 23-year-old, who admits he's "kind of auditioning for other teams." If that's the case, his audition is off to a good start — Jennings was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week by the league this afternoon (Twitter link).
Here are a few more updates from around the Eastern Conference:
- Kyrylo Fesenko had a strong workout for the Hawks, but the team has yet to indicate whether it will sign him, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.com. The big man also isn't ruling out a return to the Bulls, the team that waived him in October, tweets Charnia. Chicago isn't eligible to sign a veteran to a minimum-salary deal for another two weeks.
- Marquis Daniels tells Charania that he feels like stories and rumors of the alleged feud between Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen have been blown out of proportion. Daniels, Rondo, and Allen all played in the Celtics' backcourt from 2009 to 2012.
- In order to get Allen the minutes he was promised when he signed with Miami as a free agent, the Heat may have to play him at the point from time to time, says Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- Appearing on WEEI's Big Show in Boston, Celtics president Danny Ainge spoke about the team's offseason, and about the Allen controversy. Chris Fedor of Sports Radio Interviews has the quotes.
- In a piece for the News-Herald, Bob Finnan express some concerns about the Cavaliers' bench.
Celtics Links: Terry, Barbosa, Wilcox
- 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.
Odds & Ends: Nolan Smith, Allen, Rondo, Paul
Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com wonders whether Nolan Smith's preseason troubles for the Blazers might be due in part to the pressure of the looming October 31st deadline the team has for picking up the third-year option on his rookie contract. Blazers GM Neil Olshey told Haynes he's going to wait as long as possible to make a decision. Stay up to date on this month's rookie-scale option decisions with the Hoops Rumors Rookie Contract Option Tracker, and check out the latest notes from around the league right here.
- The root of the hard feelings between Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen stemmed from a phone call Allen made to his then-teammate to get him to lobby against a trade that would have sent the pair to the Suns in 2009 for Amare Stoudemire, Leandro Barbosa and a 2010 draft pick, Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald reveals.
- Chris Paul was instrumental in recruiting Jamal Crawford and others to the Clippers, and doesn't give the look of someone who wants to leave L.A. as he enters the final season of his deal, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld writes (Sulia link).
- Marvin Williams is paying early dividends for the Jazz after coming aboard in an offseason trade, as Mike Sorenson of the Deseret News and Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune examine.
- Coach Doug Collins pointed to four Sixers whose minutes he wants to limit during the season, and all of them are offseason acquisitions, as Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com chronicles.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com and Newsday's Al Iannazzone share the opinion that a cyst in Stoudemire's left knee that will keep him out two to three weeks boosts the chances that Knicks non-guaranteed camp invitee Chris Copeland will make the team (Twitter links).
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel thinks Garrett Temple, Josh Harrellson and Dexter Pittman will all be on the Heat roster come opening night.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Smith, Prigioni, Melo
On this Sunday afternoon, here are a few bits of notes from around the Atlantic Division.
- Rajon Rondo tells CSNNE.com that this year's Celtics team has the most talent of any he's been a part of.
- Raptors rookie Terrence Ross will be expected to push fourth-year guard DeMar DeRozan, writes Eric Koreen of the National Post.
- After finishing their second preseason game with a better performance than their first, the Celtics are looking like a very strong basketball team, writes WEEI.com's Paul Flannery.
- Being that the Celtics have no true backup point guard on their roster, Jamar Smith has a great chance at making the team if he can fill that role, tweets the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn.
- Knicks rookie point guard Pablo Prigioni is ready to put his disappointing Olympics performance behind him as he heads into his first NBA training camp, writes the New York Post's Marc Berman.
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders if the Celtics would be wise to send Fab Melo to the D-League.
Celtics Notes: Rondo, Offense, Rivers, Lee
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.
Odds & Ends: Atlantic, Previews, Draft
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.
Rajon Rondo Talks Allen, Terry, Lee, Celtics
Since Ray Allen left Boston for Miami, Celtics head coach Doc Rivers has addressed the topic multiple times, taking the blame for Allen's departure. Rajon Rondo, who reportedly had a strained relationship with Allen, hadn't said much about the topic, but in a conversation with Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, the Celtics point guard opened up about Allen and a number of other topics. Here are a few comments from Rondo, who has been in Los Angeles hosting a players-only minicamp for the Celtics:
On his relationship with Allen:
"People act like because me and Ray didn't get along or they think me and Ray didn't get along that I'm a bad person or he's a bad person. No. It's just life. If you look at your job, everyone doesn't always get along with every co-worker they work with. It's just part of life. People are blowing the Ray thing out of proportion. We had some words, but other than that it was no big deal…. There were so many rumors like I was looking Ray off. Why would I look Ray off? That doesn't make sense. He's the best shooter, so why would I look him off? People can see it how they want to. They can talk to Ray. But from my standpoint, he made his decision. I don't know why he made the decision, but he made the decision. I don't think it had anything to do with me."
On early workouts with new Celtics Jason Terry and Courtney Lee:
"The game is about tempo. We don't want to make it more complicated. It's just basketball. I am just trying to get the timing with J.T. and Courtney. That is why I wanted to get to work early, so I can know where I want them to be when I drive baseline or drive to the middle and where they like the ball."
On his role as a leader for the Celtics:
"I've kind of have taken that leadership and veteran role because I am a point guard and I have been in Doc's system. Other than [Paul Pierce], I have been here the longest. I know exactly what Doc wants, especially for me and this team. I'm trying to lead the team the best that I can."
On the Celtics' expectations in 2012/13:
"We won a championship and that's great, but I don't want to settle. I have a lot of NBA time left on my clock and I got the talent around me. Everyone can't say they can compete for a championship each year. With the talent around me now with the Celtics, it's time to obtain that goal…. There are only five teams right now that can say they can compete for a title realistically. And we're one of them."
Doc Rivers Talks Allen, Lee, Terry, Darko
With the NBA's training camps just around the corner, Celtics head coach Doc Rivers tells Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com that he can't wait to see his team in the gym to find out if he likes his roster as much on the court as he does on paper. Rivers also discussed a number of the Celtics' summer additions and departures. Here are a few of the highlights from the conversation:
On Ray Allen's departure and the impact that Rajon Rondo had on Allen's decision:
"It's just not right to put it all on Rondo. Ray didn't leave because of Rondo. He left because of Ray. He wanted the ball more. He wanted a bunch of different things. He didn't feel loved. That doesn't make Ray a bad guy…. Sometimes guys just run their course at a place. It's probably best for all of us and for Ray that he moves on."
On adding Courtney Lee:
"I love Courtney Lee. He's a very good player. I know that sounds very simple, but it's true. He does things well. He's a good defender, a great team defender, and he shoots the ball very well. He was second best behind the 3-point line after Ray. I don't think people realize how good a shooter he is. The thing I like the most about him is he's always fit in wherever he's gone. He accepts his role and goes out and plays. That's hard to come by."
On adding Jason Terry:
"Jason is a motivated guy. He's always been that. We needed another player who could score off the dribble, who could play in the pick-and-roll. Rondo could do it, Paul [Pierce] too, and we used Ray a little, but that was one of the things he was unhappy about. He wanted us to do it more, and I just didn't think he was as good at it."
On adding Darko Milicic:
"It didn't cost us much. He has it in him, and if we can get it out of him, then great. If not, well, I'd rather take a chance on a really talented guy."