Vitor Faverani

Eastern Notes: Van Gundy, Mirotic, Sixers

Pistons owner Tom Gores expressed a desire for more synergy between the front office and the coaching staff during his first meeting with Stan Van Gundy this spring, and that was “music to my ears,” Van Gundy tells TNT’s David Aldridge for his Morning Tip column on NBA.com. Van Gundy asserts that his dual executive/coaching role is as aligned with the owner’s vision as it is with his. It’ll be a while before we know whether Gores and Van Gundy had the right idea to consolidate authority, but while we wait on the early returns, there’s more on the Pistons amid the latest from the Eastern Conference:

  • Nikola Mirotic thought he’d keep playing in Spain until at least 2015 until the Bulls pushed for buyout talks with Real Madrid this spring, as Shams Charania of RealGM details.
  • The Pistons have discussed the idea of retaining the D-League rights to Josh Bostic and Lorenzo Brown with their respective agents, GM Jeff Bower says, according to MLive’s David Mayo. Detroit can do so with up to four of its preseason cuts.
  • Michael Carter-Williams told reporters today that the original prognosis when he had shoulder surgery in early May was for him to miss six to nine months, which conflicts with the two-to-four month timetable the Sixers released at that point, notes Tom Moore of Calkins Media (Twitter links). The reigning Rookie of the Year has yet to play in the preseason this month, though Carter-Williams added that he’s ahead of that six-to-nine month schedule.
  • Vitor Faverani will miss six to eight weeks after today’s left knee surgery, perhaps endangering his place on a Celtics roster on which he has one of 16 fully guaranteed contracts, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
  • Tom Thibodeau will make close to $4.4MM a year through 2016/17, but amid persistent rumors about his future and with the going rate for coaches on the rise, the Bulls should grant him an extension that’s more reflective of his value, opines Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Atlantic Notes: Lopez, Faverani, Nets, 76ers

After the Nets beat the Kings in Shanghai, center Brook Lopez praised the team’s hiring of coach Lionel Hollins, writes Lenn Robbins of NBA.com. “He’s been a successful head coach and he knows what he wants,” said Lopez. “He wants his players to get better. That’s what happened in Memphis and I think that can happen here. Hiring him was the right decision.”  More out of the Atlantic Division..

  • There are murmurs that the Celtics will cut Vitor Faverani, who has a guaranteed contract, to get down to a 15-man roster, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.  The big man, owed $2.09MM this season, has yet to practice in camp due to pain in his surgically repaired knee.  Meanwhile, Dwight Powell, who is guaranteed ~$507K for the upcoming year, has impressed teammates with his versatility and work ethic.
  • After a strong showing in Shanghai, big man Jerome Jordan may have earned a spot on the Nets‘ roster, writes Reed Wallach of Nets Daily.  The former Knick, who will lock in a partial guarantee of $100K if he’s on the roster through October 25th, has just 21 NBA games to his credit.
  • NBA.com’s Angus Crawford caught up with Sixers draftee Jordan McRae, who’s currently playing professionally abroad for Melbourne United, about life in Australia and his time in summer league.  The former Tennessee standout also sat down with Hoops Rumors for a Q&A prior to the June draft.
  • Forward Brandon Davies is fighting hard to make the 76ers’ roster.  There’s no guarantee that he will, but, at the very least, coach Brett Brown respects his effort, writes Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com.

Vitor Faverani Out For Season

Vitor Faverani will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee, the Celtics announced via press release. The rookie center has been out since January 28th. The Celtics have also been hit with a season-ending injury to Gerald Wallace, and the team sent Keith Bogans home earlier this year after a dispute over playing time. Avery Bradley is also out indefinitely, leaving Boston with 11 available players, including Chris Babb, who’s on a 10-day contract.

The continued absence of Faverani is probably a favorable sign for Babb, though the team could just cycle through others on 10-day contracts. The Celtics are seven games out of the playoffs and in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, so Faverani’s injury will have little bearing on the postseason race.

Faverani, 25, had been playing in Spain when he signed with Boston this summer. His contract is guaranteed for a little more than $2MM next year, and it includes a non-guaranteed season in 2015/16.

Eastern Notes: Ewing, Gay, Bynum, Celtics

Patrick Ewing is the lead assistant coach for the Bobcats, but the Hall-of-Fame 7-footer thinks front offices have a bias against centers that helps keep him from becoming a head coach, as he tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. None of the current NBA head coaches who played in the league were centers, and none of the 10 winningest coaches in league history were true centers, either, as Spears points out. Ewing has long been anxious to take over a team, and Bobcats head coach Steve Clifford says Ewing’s put in the work necessary to break the mold. Here’s the latest from the Eastern Conference:

  • Rudy Gay will face the Raptors for the first time as a member of the Kings tonight, and Matt Kawahara of The Sacramento Bee examines how Gay and his former team have both emerged better for the deal.
  • Andrew Bynum‘s pitch to the Pacers during a three-hour meeting with the team the night before he signed was key to the deal, GM Kevin Pritchard said Tuesday on ESPN Radio with Colin Cowherd. Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star provides a transcription.
  • The Celtics have recalled Vitor Faverani from the D-League a day after sending him down, the team announced. He suffered a left knee injury while with the Maine Red Claws on Tuesday, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe details.
  • Philadelphia’s shuttling of Lorenzo Brown continues, as the Sixers today recalled the point guard from the D-League after sending him down Tuesday, the team announced via Twitter. It was his fourth assignment of one day or less.

Odds & Ends: Gasol, Pelicans, Buyers/Sellers

Earlier today, we heard that the Suns’ interest in continuing talks with the Lakers about a potential Pau Gasol deal hinges on the 7’1 Spaniard’s recovery from a strained groin injury. With news from InsideSoCal.com’s Mark Medina that Gasol’s rehab will keep him out of action for at least another two weeks, this most likely creates another hurdle in trying to complete a potential deal.

Here’s plenty more from around the Association:

  • Kevin Ding of the Bleacher Report (via Twitter) says that because of the injury, Gasol may or may not have played his final game for the Lakers. One certainty, however, is that the Lakers are now more motivated to deal him than before.
  • The Pelicans have been “extremely active” in trade talks over the past few days, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. It’s unclear exactly what sort of deals they’re working on, but they announced last night that center Jason Smith is lost for the season, and they’ve reportedly been seeking a trade for a big man.
  • Regardless of whether or not Andrew Bynum can produce for the Pacers, the decision to bring him aboard represents a pledge from team management to the players that they’re willing to do whatever it takes to win a championship, says Jared Zwerling of the Bleacher Report.
  • In the same piece, Zwerling lists several teams who could be among the league’s buyers and sellers at the trade deadline this season, labeling the 76ers, Jazz, Bucks, Lakers and Bulls are potential sellers, while the Bobcats, Warriors, Knicks, Nets, Cavaliers, Wizards, Suns, Mavericks, and Pistons are potential buyers. According to one executive, the Timberwolves and Nuggets could fall into either group depending on what transpires in the next week or so.
  • Cedevita of Croatia has waived Josh Selby after the former Grizzlies guard suffered an injury, tweets David Pick of Eurobasket.com. Selby played 10 games in the NBA last season.
  • The NBDL’s Texas Legends’ close proximity to their NBA-affiliate Mavericks has made it easy for both to enjoy a highly active partnership as far as developing the Mavs’ young players, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. Frisco, Texas – where the Legends are based – is located about 30 miles north of downtown Dallas, conveniently allowing the Mavs an option to send someone to play for the Legends one night and then head back for NBA practice the next day.
  • The 76ers announced that they’ve assigned big man Arnett Moultrie and guard Lorenzo Brown to the Delaware 87ers (Twitter link).
  • The Hawks have sent guard Jared Cunningham to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBDL, according to a team press release earlier this afternoon.
  • The Celtics announced that center Vitor Faverani was assigned to their D-League affiliate Maine Red Claws earlier today.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post. 

Celtics Recall Faverani From D-League

The Celtics announced today that they have recalled center Vitor Faverani from their NBA D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. Faverani, a 6-11 center, has appeared in three games for the Red Claws this season and has averaged 16.3 PPG, 12.0 PPG, 3.7 APG, and 1.33 BPG , while logging 31.3 MPG.

During his recent assignment to the Red Claws, Faverani appeared in two games and recorded 16 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks against Delaware on Friday, and provided 20 points, 17 rebounds and six assists against Erie last night.

Faverani has played in 37 games this season for the Celtics, and has averaged 4.4 PPG, and 3.5 RPG, in 13.2 MPG. He’ll be in uniform for today’s game against Orlando.

D-League Notes: Hairston, Faverani, Siva

Earlier today, Chris Mannix of SI.com reported that executives around the league believe the Cavs are hesitant to send No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett to the D-League because they think it would look like an admission of failure on their part.  Meanwhile, the forward still hasn’t turned things around for the Cavs’ varsity squad.  Here’s tonight’s look at the D-League..

  • P.J. Hairston is impressing scouts and his stock is rising, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (via Twitter).  Now with the Texas Legends, the former UNC standout is averaging 27.4 ppg and shooting 43% from three-point range in five D-League games.  Hairston is currently ranked No. 26 on the most recent mock draft from DraftExpress.
  • The Celtics announced that they have assigned center Vitor Faverani and guard Vander Blue to the Maine Red Claws of the D-League.  Faverani, a 6’11” center, has appeared in 37 games for the Celtics this season and has recorded 4.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 13.2 minutes per game.  Blue, a 6’5” guard, has appeared in three games for the Celtics this season and has totaled five points, three rebounds, and an assist in 15 minutes of play.  Faverani is expected to be back with the Celtics on Sunday, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).
  • The Pistons announced today that the team has re-assigned rookie guard Peyton Siva and rookie forward Tony Mitchell to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the D-League.  Siva averaged 12.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 2.6 steals in five games during his first stint with the Mad Ants from December 28 through January 8.  In six games with the Mad Ants, Mitchell averaged 6.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 22.1 minutes per game.  They’ll likely be there for two weeks, according to David Mayo of MLive.com.

Eastern Notes: Irving, Rondo, 76ers

Earlier today, we made note of the rumblings that Kyrie Irving privately wants out of Cleveland. Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown told Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer that Irving has never approached him to complain about the team or wanting out (Twitter link). Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio may not be sure of what Irving has or hasn’t said behind-the-scenes, but he does know that Drederick Irving – Kyrie’s father – has been very vocal about his irritation with how the Cavaliers are utilizing his son this year. As the plot thickens in Ohio, you can read more of what’s going on elsewhere in the Eastern Conference tonight:

  • As recently as Tuesday, Schmitt Boyer writes that Irving came to Brown’s defense when reporters asked if Cavs players were starting to tune out their head coach: “I’m leaving my trust with coach Brown…I’m riding and dying with coach Brown. We’re going through ups and downs together. We’re all in this together, everybody in the locker room. We’re all going through this together. I have my teammates backs and I know they have mine.”
  • Howard Beck and Ric Bucher of the Bleacher Report discuss Rajon Rondo‘s future and tackle the topic of whether the Celtics should trade or build around the four-time All-Star.
  • Marc Narducci and Keith Pompey of the Inquirer talk about Michael Carter-Williams‘ historic rookie season and the mood of the 76ers locker room as the team has gone 3-10 over their last thirteen games. More from Pompey about the roster: “A lot of these (guys) are marginal NBA players and they came here for the opportunity to (showcase themselves) for next year…they know it’s not about wins and losses at the end of the day, it’s about attracting the eye of another GM so you can get another job somewhere else.”
  • The Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett says to look for Vitor Faverani to have a two-day stint with the Red Claws on Friday and Saturday before being called up again to the Celtics on Sunday (Twitter link).

Minor Moves: Darius Morris, Faverani, Goodwin

Here are a few minor transactions that have occurred so far today.

  • The Clippers had to decide by today whether they would retain point guard Darius Morris for the remainder of the season or allow him to become a free agent. It appears they opted to let Morris go as Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweeted this morning. With Chris Paul hoping to return from injury by the All-Star break, it seems the Clippers will rely primarily on Darren Collison for the nine games prior to the break. Morris appeared in 10 games for the Clippers averaging 5.4 MPG with 0.9 PPG, 0.5 APG. He is now a free agent. The Clippers now have 14 players under contract.
  • The Celtics announced in a team release they have recalled center Vitor Faverani from their D-League affiliate in time for today’s matchup against the Nets. The move was expected as Celtics GM Danny Ainge stated yesterday when Faverani was sent down that it would be “just a quick assignment to get Vitor some more game action, and he’ll be back with the Celtics for shootaround tomorrow morning.“ Faverani saw 26 minutes of play last night, in which he recorded 13 points and 7 boards.
  • According to a team release to NBA.com, the Suns have recalled guard Archie Goodwin from their D-League affiliate in time for Phoenix’s matchup against the Cavaliers tonight. Goodwin was sent down Thursday and was able to appear in two games during his short stint. In those two games Goodwin put up impressive numbers, averaging 44.0 MPG, 29.5 PPG, and 6.0 RPG.

D-League Notes: Ledo, Faverani, Celtics

In his latest piece for D-League Digest, Gino Pilato details the story of Curtis Stinson, a 30-year-old D-League veteran who’s never played in an NBA game. It’s an interesting read, and Pilato notes that a veteran presence like the one Stinson provides can be beneficial to the development of young D-League players. Here’s the latest news regarding the NBA’s official minor league affiliate:

  • Mavericks rookie Ricky Ledo will see his third D-League assignment this season, the team announced today via press release. He’s averaging 14.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 29.8 minutes per game for the Texas Legends. He’s started nine of the 15 D-League contests he’s played in.
  • The Celtics have assigned Vitor Faverani to the Maine Red Claws of the D-League, the team revealed today in a press release. The move might sound surprising since Faverani has played relatively well for Boston and averages about 13 minutes per game. However, comments by C’s boss Danny Ainge made it clear that it’s only a temporary assignment to help get Faverani some playing time: “This is just a quick assignment to get Vitor some more game action,” said Ainge, “He’ll be back with the Celtics for shootaround tomorrow morning.
  • More from Ainge on the move: “This is a great option for any Celtics player to get more in-game experience without missing any Celtics activities, and we expect there will be more of this type of assignment for Celtics players during the remainder of the season.” We saw Rajon Rondo see a similarly short assignment earlier this month.
  • Earlier today, we passed along that the Hawks recalled Jared Cunningham from their D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam.