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Odds & Ends: Wizards, Pistons, Greene, Kings

April 5th, 2013 at 4:46pm CST by Luke Adams

As we prepare for a busy 12-game evening slate, let's check out a few Friday afternoon odds and ends from around the Association:

The Wizards have discussed adding a player from the D-League in the wake of Bradley Beal's season-ending injury, but head coach Randy Wittman tells J. Michael of CSNWashington.com that a signing is unlikely (Twitter link).
If Kevin Martin wants to remain with the Thunder next season, he'll likely have to accept a significant pay cut, says John Rohde of the Oklahoman in a chat. Rohde estimates that Martin would get no more than $7MM annually from the Thunder, who will be aiming to avoid the luxury tax.
The Pistons have a pair of solid building blocks in Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe, but the moves Joe Dumars makes this summer will have a significant impact on the direction of the club, writes Paul Flannery of SBNation.com.
Donte Greene, who was set to sign with the Nets last summer before fracturing his ankle, will join Puerto Rico's Brujos de Guayama, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com has an interesting profile on Celtics guard Terrence Williams, who says he understands he still needs to display consistency in the NBA. Williams' deal with the C's includes a non-guaranteed team option for 2013/14.
The final stretch of the Kings saga may come down to whether Sacramento or Seattle has the better arena plan, according to Tony Bizjak, Dale Kasler, and Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee.

Eastern Notes: Spoelstra, Williams, Wizards

April 4th, 2013 at 8:41pm CST by Michael Pina

A few notes from around the Eastern Conference.

Heat guard Ray Allen says "it's a no-brainer" that his coach, Erik Spoelstra, should win Coach of the Year, writes Fox Sports reporter Chris Tomasson.
The Celtics have struggled all season with their backup point guard position. But since signing Terrence Williams and implementing him in the role, Boston's offense has been slightly better, writes ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg.
According to CSNWashington.com's J. Michael, the Wizards are poising themselves for a playoff appearance next season.
The Sixers don't have any chance at making the playoffs this season, but their head coach swears they aren't giving up, writes CSNPhilly.com's Dei Lynam.

Eastern Notes: Heat, Williams, Thomas, Lowry

March 5th, 2013 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

The race for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference continues to become less dramatic by the day, as the Bucks won again on Monday night. Milwaukee now has a seven-game cushion on the ninth-place Sixers, who are at home against the Celtics tonight. If there's any drama in the East, it relates to seeding — the Bucks and Celtics are two of five playoff teams currently separated by just three games in the Eastern standings.

Here are a few Tuesday morning items out of the East:

Whether or not Chris Andersen returns to the Heat next season may depend on how much playing time he gets in the playoffs, says Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, noting that Ronny Turiaf left Miami last offseason after becoming an "afterthought" in the postseason.
Terrence Williams' contract with the Celtics will become guaranteed for next season if he makes the team out of camp, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
The Bobcats have told Tyrus Thomas to stay home during the team's four-game West Coast road trip for physical rehab and individual work, reports Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Thomas, who has fallen out of Charlotte's rotation entirely lately, remains a strong candidate to be amnestied this July, as I noted last week.
Kyle Lowry's first year with the Raptors hasn't been entirely smooth sailing, but after the team traded Jose Calderon, Chauncey Billups had dinner with Lowry and impressed upon the ex-Rocket that Toronto must have plenty of faith in him to hand him the point guard reins (Sulia link via Ric Bucher).

Celtics Sign Terrence Williams To Multi-Year Deal

March 3rd, 2013 at 11:35am CST by Luke Adams

SUNDAY, 11:35am: The Celtics officially announced Williams' multi-year deal in a press release. The team didn't disclose financial specifics, but Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports the contract includes triggers that would guarantee the deal for next season in stages.

FRIDAY, 2:52pm: Wojnarowski confirms that the contract is for the minimum salary and that it isn't fully guaranteed for 2013/14.

2:01pm: Terrence Williams' 10-day contract with the Celtics is set to expire after tonight's game, but Boston will re-sign the former 11th overall pick for the rest of the season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, the Celtics will also sign Williams conditionally for 2013/14, which I assume means '13/14 won't be fully guaranteed.

Williams was one of three players signed to 10-day contracts by the Celtics after returning from China. D.J. White and Shavlik Randolph, who also spent the season in the CBA, are expected to be in uniform for the first time tonight. So far, Williams has appeared in three games for the Celtics, including playing nearly 25 minutes last Friday against the Suns, recording nine points, four boards, and four assists.

When Williams' contract becomes official, the Celtics will have 13 players on guaranteed contracts this season. For next year, Boston currently has 10 players on fully guaranteed deals. Paul Pierce also has a player option, while Williams will presumably have either a non-guaranteed or partially-guaranteed deal.

As I detailed earlier this week, the Celtics are already projected to be taxpayers this season. So even though Williams' contract will almost certainly be for the minimum salary, it will cost Boston twice as much as usual, once the tax penalty is considered.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Nets, Collins, Rasheed

February 28th, 2013 at 10:16pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge made his weekly appearance on WEEI radio in Boston to talk about what transpired during the trade deadline as well as his thoughts on the team moving forward. Greg Payne of ESPN Boston has the highlights, including Ainge's thoughts on why Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce weren't dealt, the CBA having a significant impact on the trade deadline, the long-standing interest in Jordan Crawford, and whether or not he would have been able to convince Garnett to waive his no-trade clause. Here's more out of the Atlantic Division tonight:

Guard/forward Terrence Williams received a vote of confidence from his former coach at Louisville Rick Pitino, who tells Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that Williams may have possibly found the perfect situation in joining the Celtics.
Roderick Boone of Newsday notes that Deron Williams and Joe Johnson are still trying to figure out how to mesh with one another in the Nets backcourt. Seth Walder of the New York Daily News believes that Williams' recent emergence with strong performances will be key in carrying the team for the remainder of the season, especially with Johnson recovering from injury.
With the team's recent struggles, Matt Moore of CBS Sports wonders if Doug Collins' days as the 76ers head coach are numbered. Tom Haberstroh of ESPN (Insiders only) discusses why Philadelphia has been disappointing this season, pointing to the team's shot selection, lack of playing time for Arnett Moultrie, and the offseason departure of two key veterans.
Marc Berman of the New York Post writes that Rasheed Wallace's decision to have surgery on his left foot instead of letting it heal on its own indicates that the 6'11 veteran plans on making a possible return during the postseason for the Knicks.

Atlantic Notes: Rivers, Williams, Martin, Raptors

February 28th, 2013 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

With Mike Krzyzewski likely having coached in his last Olympics, there's a "near-unanimous feeling in basketball circles" that Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is the logical choice to replace him for 2016, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. But a source briefed on internal discussions regarding Coach K's replacement tells Berger that Celtics coach Doc Rivers shouldn't be ruled out.

"With Doc, I think it would keep the same chemistry going," a source told Berger. "If Pop comes in, he would want his own way of doing it – kind of the Spurs' secretive way of doing things – and out of Jerry [Colangelo]'s norm."

As Rivers and the Celtics prepare for tomorrow night's game against the Warriors, let's check in on a few other items from around the Atlantic Division:

Former Celtics coach Rick Pitino, who coached Terrence Williams at Louisville, tells Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that he believes Williams could be a great fit in Boston.
Kenyon Martin isn't losing sleep over whether or not the Knicks will hang on to him beyond his first 10-day contract, as he tells Al Iannazzone of Newsday. "If what I do merits for me to be here the rest of the year, then I will be," Martin said. "And if not, then I won't. But I think the way my game is and the way I play, I'll let my play speak for itself."
Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun acknowledges that it will hurt Andrea Bargnani's offseason trade value if the Raptors bench him now. However, Wolstat thinks it must be done, since Bargnani's current performance isn't helping the team or his trade value anyway.
The Sixers helped create their current mess by sending a message to the team that Andrew Bynum was the only player who mattered, opines Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Daily News.

Celtics Notes: White, Williams, Melo

February 26th, 2013 at 10:44am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics completed their five-game western road trip last night with a big win in Utah, finally finishing off the Jazz in overtime with the help of a great performance from Paul Pierce. The C's head back home now, and will get a few days off before hosting the Warriors in Boston on Friday. In the meantime, here's the latest on potential roster moves for the team, courtesy of Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald:

D.J. White continues to wait on his letter of clearance from China before he can officially sign with the Celtics. GM Danny Ainge expects the paperwork to be complete very soon, but we'll see if the team waits until later in the week to formally add White — Ainge himself notes that 10-day contracts are often stragetically timed to maximize a player's time with the club.
Ainge wouldn't says whether the Celtics plan to sign Terrence Williams to a second 10-day conract when his current deal expires after Friday's game.
Ainge on roster additions and the possibility of committing to Williams or anyone else: "We’re still looking. Things change week by week and we’re still looking. We don’t really have to decide until the day before the playoffs start. There’s a lot of guys who can contribute, but there’s not enough of a difference between them to be able to say, 'He’s the guy.'"
There's a decent chance Fab Melo will be re-assigned to the D-League's Maine Red Claws when the Celtics return home this week. "If he hasn’t fit into the rotation, we’ll get him some minutes in Portland," said Ainge. "He was playing great until his concussion, then he got a thigh bruise, and then he came on this trip. It’s been good for him to be on this trip. He’s putting in a lot of time. It’s just experience."

Odds & Ends: Collison, Maynor, Williams

February 23rd, 2013 at 8:02pm CST by Michael Pina

A few random bits of news from around the league on this Saturday evening.

Nick Collison is often overlooked as a member of the Thunder frontcourt, but The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry gives him his due as a valuable member of the team.
Eric Maynor has much respect for the way his new team (the Trail Blazers) play, but isn't sure yet whether or not he'll re-sign with Portland this summer, writes The Oregonian's Mike Tokito.
ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg writes about new Celtics forward Terrence Williams, and how amazing he's already been at making plays for others.

Celtics Sign Terrence Williams

February 20th, 2013 at 1:34pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 1:34pm: The Celtics have officially signed Williams, who received his letter of clearance from China, to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.

MONDAY, 12:06pm: The Celtics have agreed to sign Terrence Williams to a 10-day deal, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Because Boston has a pair of open roster spots, no corresponding move will be necessary to clear room for Williams.

Williams, the 11th overall pick in 2009, spent most of this season playing in China for the Guangdong Southern Tigers. The 25-year-old averaged 17.9 PPG in 29 games in the Chinese Basketball Association this season, according to Asia-Basket.com. Mark Deeks of ShamSports reported last week that Donald Sloan had replaced Williams on Guangdong after Williams returned stateside due to a death in the family.

Although he has shown promise in stints with the Nets, Rockets, and Kings in three NBA seasons, Williams has recorded just 7.6 PPG and an 11.4 PER in his career. Williams, who was a camp invitee for the Pistons in the fall, will provide at least short-term depth for a Celtics team that has lost Rajon Rondo, Jared Sullinger, and Leandro Barbosa to season-ending injuries in the last month.

Washburn reported earlier today that the Celtics were close to signing Williams.

Atlantic Rumors: Knicks, C’s, Barbosa, Nets, Sixers

February 19th, 2013 at 12:50pm CST by Luke Adams

We've already rounded up a number of Celtics rumors this morning, but there's plenty happening around the rest of the Atlantic Division as well. Let's dive in….

Celtics president Danny Ainge and Knicks coach Mike Woodson both downplayed the possibility of their respectives teams making a trade this week, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com and Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter links).
If the Celtics get into a position where they need a roster spot, they may waive Leandro Barbosa, tweets Blakely. Barbosa would still receive his full salary in that case. For now, the C's have some flexibility — even with Terrence Williams on the roster, the club still has an open roster spot.

Earlier updates:

Nets GM Billy King told reporters, including Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter link), that there's a 10% chance the Nets will make a trade this week. I'd probably put the odds higher than that, but I suppose he'd know better than I would.
The Sixers are exploring a few trade avenues, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see them stand pat at the deadline, says John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I don't see anything for us right now," coach Doug Collins said. "If something happens for us right now, I think it would be something that would be very small. [GM] Tony [DiLeo] is on the phone, but I don't think there is anything major that is going to turn our season around. What would be major for us would be to get our guys healthy."
Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun doesn't expect the Raptors to find a taker for Linas Kleiza, who figures to be an amnesty candidate this July (Twitter link).
Terrence Williams' 10-day contract with the Celtics could be beneficial for both the player and the team, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.