Robert Williams

Celtics Rumors: G. Williams, Brogdon, Brown, Banton, Lillard

July 6th, 2023 at 8:05am CST by Luke Adams

When the Celtics struck a deal to acquire Kristaps Porzingis last month, Grant Williams recognized that there might not be as significant a role for him in Boston’s frontcourt if he were to re-sign with the team as a restricted free agent. However, he liked the trade for the Celtics, as he told Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

“With the (Porzingis) news, I was excited about it ’cause even if they did end up matching me, I would probably be playing less but my whole thing is about winning,” he said.

Still, Williams recognized that the addition of Porzingis’ salary made it less likely that the Celtics would be willing to spend to keep him when he reached restricted free agency. According to Weiss, the forward had a more competitive market when free agency opened last week, but the Celtics were asking for a first-round pick in sign-and-trade talks, which caused some potential suitors to move on.

“I had an understanding of that most of the way. I know how the numbers work out and yeah, they could have afforded to keep me,” Williams said of the Celtics. “But it’s one of those things where you’re really committing and after the prior year, I didn’t think it was realistic. Hey, Boston was trying to maintain their leverage. It’s one of those where you can’t be mad at them for it because it just shows they want you to be there in a way.”

With Williams’ market drying up, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe heard from a source as late as Wednesday afternoon that a return to the Celtics was still a possibility, but the Mavericks increased their push for the forward and Brad Stevens was amenable to sending the 24-year-old somewhere he’d get to play more. That led to a three-team sign-and-trade agreement that will send Williams to Dallas.

Here’s more on what’s next for the Celtics:

A league source tells Himmelsbach that the Celtics remain intent on bringing back Malcolm Brogdon after discussing him in trade talks earlier in the offseason. Himmelsbach’s source adds that Jaylen Brown‘s super-max extension should be finalized “in the coming days.”
Dalano Banton, who agreed to sign a two-year contract with Boston, is expected to join the team’s Las Vegas Summer League roster, tweets Himmelsbach.
Echoing an earlier report from Chris Haynes that said the Celtics were among the teams to reach out to the Trail Blazers to inquire about the price for Damian Lillard, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne stated on NBA Today (YouTube link) that Boston has “expressed some interest” in the star guard. Shelburne and ESPN colleague Zach Lowe stressed that the Celtics are not on Lillard’s wish list, but point out that a package of Brogdon, Robert Williams, and several first-round picks and swaps could be compelling. The C’s have given San Antonio first-round swap rights in 2028, but their future first-rounders are otherwise unencumbered.
A Celtics star forward would be in favor of a deal for Lillard, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears said during a TV appearance over the weekend. “I’m hearing Jayson Tatum is knocking on that door now too to figure out a way to get (Lillard) to come to Boston,” Spears said, according to Brian Robb of MassLive.com.

Celtics Notes: Mazzulla, Brown, Brogdon, G. Williams

June 1st, 2023 at 9:03am CST by Arthur Hill

Joe Mazzulla‘s ascension to head coach after Ime Udoka’s suspension led to disagreements between the coaching staff and several of the Celtics‘ stars over the team’s style of play, according to Jay King and Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Boston was coming off an NBA Finals run under Udoka built around a suffocating defense, and many players wanted to continue that philosophy. Mazzulla placed more emphasis on the offense and frequently relied on smaller lineups, using Derrick White as a starter even when Robert Williams was healthy.

Although Mazzulla generally had the support of his players, who recognized that he was in a difficult situation, one source tells the authors that the team “just lost focus” after the All-Star Game, going 7-6 in its first 13 games following the break. Some veterans wondered why Mazzulla went away from Grant Williams, whose playing time was cut in March. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown met with Mazzulla to implore him to put Grant Williams back in the rotation, sources tell King and Weiss.

Complaints about Mazzulla’s emphasis on offense continued into the playoffs, the authors add. Some players said they left timeouts unsure of the defensive coverages, and that Blake Griffin, Marcus Smart, Grant Williams and others would work things out at the last minute.

Even amid the chaos, players publicly remained supportive of Mazzulla after the Game 7 loss to Miami.

“I don’t think people give (Mazzulla) or us enough credit that, two days before (the) season starts, we find out we’re going to have a new coach,” Tatum said. “We didn’t have Rob the first 25, 30 games of the season, we never got a chance to have (Danilo Gallinari), and we got a new coach one day before media day. You know, that was an adjustment. We all figured it out. Obviously, we wanted to win the championship. Didn’t happen. But I think Joe did a great job. We won 50-some-odd games. We got to (Game 7 of the) conference finals. Obviously, everybody can be better, learn from this. But I think Joe did a great job this year.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

Among the reasons Mazzulla is likely to return as head coach next season is his contract, which still has $14MM remaining in guaranteed money, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic. Charania expects Mazzulla to be given the chance to build his coaching staff this summer.
Brown didn’t talk much about his future after Game 7, but Tatum said it’s “extremely important” that he remains on the team, per Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston. There has been speculation that the Celtics may explore trade options after Brown qualified for a super-max contract by earning All-NBA honors. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on his Hoop Collective podcast that he would be “stunned” if Boston doesn’t reach a new agreement with Brown (hat tip to Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report).
Either White, Smart or Malcolm Brogdon is likely to be moved this offseason to ease the financial crunch, writes Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston, who believes Brogdon could be the top trade asset despite his large salary. That savings could be used to keep Grant Williams, a restricted free agent, Forsberg adds.

Celtics Notes: Brown, Tatum, White, Williams, Brogdon

May 30th, 2023 at 8:03am CST by Luke Adams

Following a disappointing Game 7 loss to the Heat on Monday, the Celtics face some significant offseason decisions, writes Sopan Deb of The New York Times. Jaylen Brown‘s contract situation looms largest among those decisions, as his All-NBA berth this spring made him eligible for a super-max extension.

Boston will have to decide whether to put that offer – which could be worth nearly approximately $295MM over five years – on the table for Brown, who will be entering the final year of his current deal in 2023/24. While he didn’t specifically address the financial details of a potential Celtics offer, Brown’s co-star Jayson Tatum said after Monday’s loss that it’s crucial the team locks up Brown beyond next season.

“He’s one of the best players in this league,” Tatum said. “He plays both ends of the ball and still is relatively young. And he’s accomplished a lot so far in his career. So, I think it’s extremely important.”

For his part, Brown wasn’t ready to address his contract situation in the wake of Monday’s loss.

“I don’t even really know how to answer that question right now, to be honest,” Brown said, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “My thought process is take it one day at a time, focus on getting better. Focus on what the future holds and see where we are from there.”

Here’s more on the Celtics after they fell short of their second consecutive NBA Finals appearance:

Tatum sprained his ankle during the first minute of Game 7 on Monday. Although he remained in the game, Tatum admitted after scoring just 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting that he was “a shell of myself,” per Bontemps. “It was tough to move,” Tatum said. “Just frustrating, it happening on the first play.”
Game 6 hero Derrick White will undergo an MRI on his left leg, which he injured in the second half of Game 7, writes Bontemps. “I mean, I’ll be fine,” White said. “I’m not too worried about it. But I’ll find out more (on Tuesday).”
Despite the disappointing end to their season, the Celtics raved on Monday about how the locker room stuck together after the team fell behind 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals against Miami. As Jay King of The Athletic writes, Brown referred to it as “one of the most together groups that we’ve had,” while head coach Joe Mazzulla said it was “one of the best locker rooms” he has been a part of. “Obviously, we didn’t achieve our goal; we didn’t win, which was our goal,” Mazzulla said. “So, we failed in that regard, but it’s not because the guys didn’t have a sense of togetherness, character and just who they are as people.”
Robert Williams, who played just 14 minutes in Game 7, was battling an illness on Monday, a league source tells Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Weiss observes within the same story that Malcolm Brogdon was “clearly too injured to play” on Monday after missing Game 6 due to a forearm injury. Brogdon, a minus-15 in just seven minutes in Game 7, confirmed that he has a partially torn tendon in his right elbow and said he’d consider undergoing offseason surgery (Twitter link via Weiss).
Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype and ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) previewed the offseason decisions facing the Celtics, including how to handle Grant Williams‘ impending restricted free agency.

Celtics Notes: R. Williams, Horford, White, G. Williams, Tatum

May 20th, 2023 at 5:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla turned around the series with the Sixers by inserting Robert Williams in the starting lineup alongside Al Horford, but that pairing hasn’t been effective against Miami, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. In the 14 minutes that they’ve played together in the conference finals, Williams and Horford are getting outscored by 51.6 points per 100 possessions, which has made a difference in two close losses.

With the two big men on the floor together, Jimmy Butler has searched for opportunities to draw Williams away from the basket, Himmelsbach adds, and Horford has been outplayed by Bam Adebayo. After Game 1, Mazzulla was hesitant when asked whether he planned to stick with the two-big lineup, but they were both starters again Friday night. However, they played less than five minutes together as Mazzulla didn’t go back to that lineup after the Heat took an early lead.

There’s more on the Celtics:

Himmelsbach’s recommendation for Game 3 is to put Derrick White in the starting lineup and give him more minutes in general. He notes that White is an All-Defensive Team selection who blocked two shots by Butler in Game 2. He makes Boston a better shooting team as well, hitting 6-of-10 three-point attempts in the series. White played just 23 minutes on Friday and hasn’t topped that figure in the Celtics’ last four games.
Mazzulla isn’t upset about Grant Williams‘ trash-talking incident with Butler in the fourth quarter Friday, even though Butler responded by leading Miami’s game-winning rally, per Brian Robb of MassLive. The exchange overshadowed a nice bounce-back performance from Williams, who made 4-of-6 shots after not being used in the series opener. “I mean, he didn’t do anything wrong necessarily,” Mazzulla said. “So, I don’t think it’s emotions getting the best of him.”
The Celtics’ biggest concern is the continued lack of production late in games from Jayson Tatum, observes Matt Vautour of MassLive. Tatum didn’t make a shot from the floor in the fourth quarter of Game 1 or 2, leaving his teammates to try to carry the scoring load.

And-Ones: Trade Market, Front Offices, Coaches, EuroLeague, More

May 16th, 2023 at 7:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Tonight’s NBA draft lottery is highly anticipated due to the hype surrounding projected No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama. However, some league executives are more focused on the trade implications for the team that lands the top selection, noting that quality centers could be dealt to free up playing time and address other parts of the roster.

“I’m as interested in what comes after the lottery as the lottery itself,” one general manager told Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. “This could be a tidal wave after it gets decided.”

For example, if the Pistons land the top pick — which they have a 14% chance to do — an Eastern Conference executive speculated that Detroit could get an impressive return for Jalen Duren, who was recently named to the All-Rookie Second Team. However, it’s worth noting that the Pistons have shown no desire to move Duren to this point after trading for him during last June’s draft.

“They probably could get a top-10 pick for him this year,” the executive said. “He has a lot of Robert Williams qualities, and he is like Williams because it might take a little time to polish. You can’t really play him and Wemby together, so he’d have to go. It would be crazy to see the market on him, he is still mostly upside.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Twenty-six clubs have been eliminated from title contention, but that doesn’t mean anyone is taking time off. In an interesting article for The Athletic, former league executives Seth Partnow and John Hollinger discuss the busiest time of the year for NBA front offices — the stretch that starts with the draft combine, which is currently ongoing, and runs through the first couple weeks of free agency.
Three of the past four championship-winning coaches are no longer with their former teams. The recent spate of dismissals — including Nick Nurse, Mike Budenholzer, Monty Williams and Doc Rivers — has left a negative imprint on some of the longest-tenured coaches, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes. “It’s disturbing,” said Erik Spoelstra, who has been the Heat’s head coach since 2008. “Doc’s a Hall of Famer. … There’s only so many teams that can advance. It’s just a really hard thing to do. Yeah, it’s been a tough couple weeks, hearing the news of just some really surprising firings.”
The All-EuroLeague First and Second Teams were recently announced (Twitter links), and several former NBA players made the cut. The First Team features Walter Tavares, Mathias Lessort, Lorenzo Brown, Sasha Vezenkov and Dzanan Musa, while Darius Thompson, Kevin Punter, Nikola Mirotic, Wade Baldwin and Mike James comprise the Second Team. A recent rumor indicated that Vezenkov, whose NBA rights are controlled by the Kings, is seriously mulling the possibility of coming stateside and making his debut next season.
Leonard Solms at ESPN.com profiles Samkelo Cele, who is hoping to become the second South African-born player to reach the NBA (the first was Steve Nash). Cele is currently competing in the Basketball Africa League.

Atlantic Notes: Brunson, Quickley, Raptors, R. Williams, Harris

May 12th, 2023 at 5:59pm CST by Rory Maher

There was a general perception that the Knicks may have overpaid point guard Jalen Brunson last summer when they signed him to a four-year, $104MM contract. Instead, he has been outperforming his nine-figure deal to an extent that’s rare for New York sports stars, according to Howie Kussoy of The New York Post (subscriber link).

Kussoy points to the contracts signed by various players across the four major North American sports leagues as examples, writing that most haven’t lived up to the lofty expectations of their enormous paydays.

Brunson, meanwhile, had an All-Star-caliber debut season with New York and has been the Knicks’ best player in the playoffs, averaging 26.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.5 steals on .457/.300/.915 shooting through 10 games (39.8 minutes). Kussoy states that Brunson has the “inside track” on becoming the best free agent addition in team history.

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

Knicks reserve Immanuel Quickley has been ruled out of Friday’s Game 6 in Miami, head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters, including Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link). The third-year guard is still battling a left ankle sprain and had previously been listed as doubtful. Quickley will miss his third straight game with the injury.
The 2023 free agent class isn’t the strongest, particularly the group of players who might be available for the Raptors‘ mid-level exception or less, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic, who lists 25 players Toronto could target. Among the top candidates Koreen considers realistic are Bruce Brown, Donte DiVincenzo, Nickeil Alexander-Walker (for part of the MLE, not full) and Josh Richardson. Brown and DiVincenzo hold team-friendly player options for 2023/24, while Alexander-Walker will be restricted if Minnesota gives him a qualifying offer — only Richardson is an unrestricted free agent at the moment.
Celtics guard Marcus Smart was thrilled with head coach Joe Mazzulla‘s adjustment of inserting Robert Williams into the starting lineup for Game 6, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “I was ecstatic about it,” Smart said. “To have Rob in there, he changes the game a lot … that just goes to show you, Joe is learning. Just like all of us. I know he’s been killed a lot. Rightfully so. He needs to make some adjustments, and he did that. And that’s all you can ask for, just continue to be the best he can be. It takes everybody; it’s a full team effort.” Williams recorded 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, and the Celtics were plus-18 in his 28 minutes.
It was reported in April that Sixers owner Josh Harris had reached an agreement to buy the NFL’s Washington Commanders. Harris and the team released a joint statement on Friday officially announcing the sale, as Sam Robinson of Pro Football Rumors relays. The agreement still has to be approved by the other NFL owners, but that’s considered a formality.

Celtics Shifting Robert Williams Into Starting Five

May 11th, 2023 at 5:02pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Ahead of a potential elimination game tonight in Philadelphia, the Celtics have opted to swap center Robert Williams into their starting lineup for guard Derrick White, per Shams Charania and Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

The Sixers, led by newly-minted league MVP Joel Embiid and veteran point guard James Harden, currently lead Boston 3-2, and have an opportunity to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 22 years with a home victory tonight.

As The Athletic’s duo notes, Williams had served as the team’s All-Defensive Team starting center during Boston’s 2021/22 season, which resulted in an NBA Finals run. Injuries have limited his availability this season, and he has been used in more of a reserve capacity, with White replacing him in a smaller first five.

“Just [gives] us a different look,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said of the switch, Weiss tweets. “Rob gives us a lift on the defensive end.”

Sources inform Charania and Weiss that backup guard Payton Pritchard could also see additional time tonight after enjoying an active run in mop-up duty during the end of a Game 5 blowout loss.

Celtics Notes: G. Williams, R. Williams, Smart, Griffin, Brown

May 6th, 2023 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

While his Celtics teammates were celebrating their Game 3 victory Friday night, Grant Williams was in a dentist’s chair, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Williams had to get treated by the Sixers’ team dentist after Joel Embiid accidentally stepped on the back of his head while chasing a loose ball in the fourth quarter (video link).

“A swollen nose,” Williams said. “That’s about it and stitches in the mouth. I think it was three or four.”

Williams added that he didn’t need to be checked for a concussion and he expects to be ready when the series resumes on Sunday. The only change is that he’ll have some extra protection.

“I thought it would be a smart decision to throw a mouthpiece in there,” he said at Saturday’s practice. “My parents have been getting on me for the past three years for not wearing a mouthpiece. Let’s just say last night didn’t help.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

Robert Williams also had an injury scare on Friday night, hurting his right arm while saving a loose ball in the fourth quarter, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Doctors examined the arm after he was taken out of the game, and he was diagnosed with a right forearm contusion. Williams wore a sleeve on the arm today, but said he was feeling fine. He expects his team to face an even tougher test in Game 4. “We know what we’re coming into,” he said. “The crowd was crazy, we could barely hear each other last night. But the same fight, man. We expect to leave out the game with more scars than yesterday.”
Marcus Smart has been listed as questionable for Game 4 with a sprained left ankle, Terada, adds in another MassLive story. Smart was questionable for Game 2 of the series with a chest contusion, but wasn’t on the injury report for Game 3. Blake Griffin, who was a late scratch for Friday’s game because of low back pain, is also considered questionable for Sunday. The veteran big man hasn’t played yet in the Sixers’ series and made just one brief appearance during the first round.
Jaylen Brown‘s defense on James Harden has played a huge role in turning the series around, observes Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. After Harden’s 45-point outburst in the series opener, the Celtics began using Brown as the primary defender on him. Harden has been limited to 12 and 16 points the last two games and shot a combined 5-of-28 from the field.

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Playoff Break, Celtics

April 30th, 2023 at 1:54pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Injured Sixers center Joel Embiid faces a big test in the second round of the 2023 Eastern Conference playoffs. Rich Hoffman of The Athletic submits three key questions facing the star big man ahead of Philadelphia’s impending matchup against the Celtics.

Embiid is dealing with a lateral collateral ligament right knee sprain, and the health of that knee will be a huge focus of both teams in the series. Boston center Robert Williams III came off the bench in the team’s first-round series against the Hawks, but given how imperative Embiid is to the Sixers’ play, Hoffman wonders if Williams may get a starting nod to help stifle the 7’1″ MVP candidate. Hoffman notes that Jayson Tatum‘s help defense on Embiid was a big part of the Celtics’ game planning against him.

There’s more out of Philadelphia:

The Sixers enjoyed the lengthiest break between playoff series for any club in four years, writes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “We will take it, I think, at the end of the day,” head coach Doc Rivers said of the extended layoff. “This is the longest [break between series] I’ve ever had, so [we are] just trying to keep our guys as sharp as possible, and all that is not easy.” Mizell adds that Philadelphia has been working on honing its spacing on offense and some defensive concepts.
Given Embiid’s LCL injury, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer wonders if the Sixers will be able to adjust successfully enough to defeat the Celtics. Guards Tyrese Maxey and James Harden would be expected to help carry more of the scoring burden, and reserve center Paul Reed could see more run as Embiid manages the knee.
Rivers said that Embiid should still be considered doubtful to suit up for the opening game of the Sixers’ series against the Celtics on Monday, but continues to make strides in his rehab, Pompey tweets. Embiid did participate at least a little in Sunday’s practice, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com reports.

Celtics Notes: Brogdon, Pritchard, R. Williams, Brown

March 24th, 2023 at 7:46am CST by Luke Adams

Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon is making 45.1% of his three-point attempts this season, which represents a career high and places him third in the NBA. Speaking to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Brogdon suggested that his strong shooting performance is a result of his complementary role, as well as having teammates like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to draw the attention of opposing defenses, which wasn’t the case in Indiana.

“I think I’m less run down,” Brogdon said. “When I was with the Pacers, I had to do a lot. I had to run the show, I had to guard the best player, I had to do a lot. Here, I don’t have to do that. I don’t have all the responsibility. I have a role to play and I specialize in that role.”

Brogdon’s numbers in both Milwaukee and Indiana suggest there may be something to his theory. During his three years as a Pacer, he had a 25.3% usage rate and knocked down a respectable 35.2% of his three-pointers. The last time he had a usage rate lower than this season’s 22.5% was with the Bucks in 2018/19, when he converted 42.6% of his attempts from beyond the arc.

Here’s more on the Celtics:

Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, who has been out since March 6 due to a left heel injury, went through a live workout on Thursday and has a chance to return to action before the regular season ends, according to head coach Joe Mazzulla (Twitter links via Jared Weiss of The Athletic). Pritchard was upgraded from out to doubtful for Friday’s game vs. Indiana.
Boston held the No. 1 seed in the East for much of the season, but has slipped to second and is just a half-game ahead of the No. 3 Sixers. Still, guard Derrick White said the Celtics – who made last year’s NBA Finals as a No. 2 seed – aren’t too concerned about where they end up. “If we get the one seed, it’s cool,” White said, per Souichi Terada of MassLive.com. “If we don’t, it’s the same. We didn’t have it last year so we just want to keep playing the best basketball going into the playoffs, whether we are the No. 1, 2 or 3 (seed). It doesn’t matter.”
Robert Williams came off the bench in his return to action on Tuesday following an eight-game injury absence. While Williams may reclaim his starting spot once he gets up to speed, Mazzulla isn’t willing to commit to that plan quite yet, according to Terada. “It’s just going to depend on who we’re playing, who else is healthy and what the matchups are,” the head coach said. “So Grant (Williams) has started, Derrick has started and Rob has started. … So putting our team in a bind like, ‘This is our starting lineup,’ just doesn’t maximize our roster and the lineups that we can play. So we just have to see.”
In the wake of Jaylen Brown‘s noncommittal comments about his long-term future in Boston, Sean Deveney of Heavy.com spoke to some rival executives to get their thoughts on which teams might make sense as landing spots for the star wing if he doesn’t re-sign with the Celtics. Brown’s current contract runs through 2024.

Load More Posts