On the eve of the beginning of free agency, the Celtics waived point guard Terrence Williams.
Williams, 26, played in 24 games with the Celtics after they signed him out of the Chinese Basketball Association. He averaged 4.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists over 13.3 minutes a game. Williams played sparingly during the playoffs. His brightest moment came in Game 5 in New York where he played 17 minutes, scored 4 points and grabbed 4 rebounds.
By waiving Williams, the C's save roughly $200,000. And with the move, Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley become the only players on the roster capable of playing point guard, and we all saw how that worked out for Bradley during the postseason.
Of course, the on-going investigation of Williams being arrested on gun charges last month didn't help his case for sticking around.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
Sources: Celtics, Nets agree to mega-deal
Danny Ainge has always said that he would never do what the late Red Auerbach did, which was let his Big Three limp into the sunset without getting anything in return for them.
And he lived up to his word.
According to multiple sources, the Celtics and Nets have agreed in principle to a blockbuster deal that would officially end the new Big Three era. The C's will send Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry to Brooklyn in exchange for Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, Keith Bogans, Kris Joseph and three future first-round picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018.
The trade cannot become official until the end of the free-agent moratorium, which is July 10 because Pierce and Bogans are free agents and need to be under contract for the new league year, which begins July 1.
As recently as Wednesday, reports surfaced that Nets GM Billy King had contacted the Celtics about the availability of Kevin Garnett, but many felt that any deal was highly unlikely. Less than 24 hours later, the tables have turned.
The deal evolved in a matter of hours before last night's NBA Draft. After being presented to ownership, the final hurdle in the matter was getting Garnett to waive his no-trade clause. During last night's draft, King and Nets head coach Jason Kidd made a pitch to Garnett that blew him out of the water. That pitch, along with his close relationships with Kidd and Pierce and the Nets fully guaranteeing the full $12 million on the final year of his deal -- Garnett could have been bought out before the 2014-2015 season for $6 million -- were the driving factors in Garnett waiving his no-trade clause.
For Danny Ainge, it's official: they are in rebuild mode.
And he lived up to his word.
According to multiple sources, the Celtics and Nets have agreed in principle to a blockbuster deal that would officially end the new Big Three era. The C's will send Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry to Brooklyn in exchange for Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, Keith Bogans, Kris Joseph and three future first-round picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018.
The trade cannot become official until the end of the free-agent moratorium, which is July 10 because Pierce and Bogans are free agents and need to be under contract for the new league year, which begins July 1.
As recently as Wednesday, reports surfaced that Nets GM Billy King had contacted the Celtics about the availability of Kevin Garnett, but many felt that any deal was highly unlikely. Less than 24 hours later, the tables have turned.
The deal evolved in a matter of hours before last night's NBA Draft. After being presented to ownership, the final hurdle in the matter was getting Garnett to waive his no-trade clause. During last night's draft, King and Nets head coach Jason Kidd made a pitch to Garnett that blew him out of the water. That pitch, along with his close relationships with Kidd and Pierce and the Nets fully guaranteeing the full $12 million on the final year of his deal -- Garnett could have been bought out before the 2014-2015 season for $6 million -- were the driving factors in Garnett waiving his no-trade clause.
For Danny Ainge, it's official: they are in rebuild mode.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
And with the 16th pick...wait..
With the 16th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics have selected...no one.
That's because the Celtics traded up.
The Dallas Mavericks, former owners of the number 13 pick, traded the pick to Boston for the 16th pick and two future second-round picks.
And with the 13th pick, the Celtics selected Kelly Olynyk.
Olynyk was a first-team All-American at Gonzaga last season. The seven-footer averaged 17.8 points 7.3 rebounds per game. He was the WCC Player of the Year.
Olynyk is not a shot blocker, but he is a perimeter shooter.
That's because the Celtics traded up.
The Dallas Mavericks, former owners of the number 13 pick, traded the pick to Boston for the 16th pick and two future second-round picks.
And with the 13th pick, the Celtics selected Kelly Olynyk.
Olynyk was a first-team All-American at Gonzaga last season. The seven-footer averaged 17.8 points 7.3 rebounds per game. He was the WCC Player of the Year.
Olynyk is not a shot blocker, but he is a perimeter shooter.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Ainge: It still hasn't hit me
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and team president Rich Gotham addressed the media last night for the first time this offseason. Ainge spoke on the departure of Doc Rivers, who will be officially named head coach and vice president of basketball operations with the Los Angeles Clippers at a press conference this afternoon.
Ainge told reporters that from the start of the offseason, he expected Rivers to return as the Celtics head coach. Even as the talks with the Clippers went on and off, Ainge never felt the deal would get done.
"We were really never close to a deal with the Clippers, despite the reports," Ainge said. "So I think that this is part of the business."
"It still probably hasn't hit me because I didn't really think it was going to happen. I have not talked to one coaching candidate at this point. I think [Monday] for the first time really, I thought, 'This is going to happen. This is probably going to happen.' Up until that time, I never really thought it was going to happen."
Ainge laid out a timeline of how this whole thing unravelled.
"On May 3rd, our season ended [with a first-round playoff exit against the New York Knicks]. And there was some uncertainty as to whether Doc would return to the Celtics or not at that time -- I wasn’t aware of it then, but [the media] made me aware of it... I had every reason to believe that he would come back, but coaching is hard, and it’s draining, and what people say at the end of a long season, you don’t take to heart.
"On May 8th, Doc and I had a conversation about his future and I was curious about which way he was leaning and why... He was uncertain still at that time, but wondered what his options were.
"On May 9th, we sent him a letter saying that we expected him to be our coach, and he was under contract to be our coach for three more years. That was our intention all along and that’s what we hoped he would do. And then in subsequent weeks, conversations started as he still had uncertainty as to what he would do.
"[Soon after], we had a conversation, him and I, as friends and partners over the last nine years, and a guy that I really trust, we had a conversation that we discussed the possibility of him trying to get the Clippers job. There were other teams that were interested in hiring Doc, [but] we didn’t allow any of them to talk to Doc that had inquired. But the Clippers was one that intrigued him a little bit. I’m sure their great mix of talent had a lot to do with that, and his friends Skip and Al -- his golfing buddies out in Bel-Air -- had a lot to do with that. But with the idea that, if it wasn’t going to be a win-win-win situation, if it wasn’t good for the Celtics -- which is what my job is: Do what’s best for the Celtics -- and if it wasn’t good for him, it wasn’t good for the Clippers, we just wouldn’t do a deal. And he’d come back and coach [the Celtics]."
When asked why Rivers left, Ainge said that Rivers felt it was time for a new voice and he felt he wasn't getting through to some of his players. One of those players might be Rajon Rondo.
Over the weekend, there were reports of a near fight between Rivers and Rondo during a film session two seasons ago. Many felt that Rivers' relationship with Rondo was a big reason behind Doc's departure. Ainge's thoughts? "Rajon Rondo had nothing to do with this."
Ainge admitted that if Rivers did not take the Clippers job, he was fully prepared to come back and coach the Celtics.
While ruling himself out of the running, Ainge admitted that there is no urgency and no timetable as far as hiring a coach is concerned.
Of course, questions about the futures of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett arose. Ainge said that no decisions have been made regarding the two.
“I love Paul and KG and we haven’t made that decision yet,” Ainge said. “KG’s under contract, and Paul we have an option on in five days from now, and those are very big decisions for us. But those decisions, I’m not certain about either one of those."
Ainge also pointed out that the departure of Rivers will have nothing to do with what happens with Pierce and Garnett. Garnett was involved in rumors of going to the Clippers. However, as part of the compensation agreement with the Clippers, the Celtics and Clips cannot exchange players until the end of the 2013-2014 season.
Ainge told reporters that from the start of the offseason, he expected Rivers to return as the Celtics head coach. Even as the talks with the Clippers went on and off, Ainge never felt the deal would get done.
"We were really never close to a deal with the Clippers, despite the reports," Ainge said. "So I think that this is part of the business."
"It still probably hasn't hit me because I didn't really think it was going to happen. I have not talked to one coaching candidate at this point. I think [Monday] for the first time really, I thought, 'This is going to happen. This is probably going to happen.' Up until that time, I never really thought it was going to happen."
Ainge laid out a timeline of how this whole thing unravelled.
"On May 3rd, our season ended [with a first-round playoff exit against the New York Knicks]. And there was some uncertainty as to whether Doc would return to the Celtics or not at that time -- I wasn’t aware of it then, but [the media] made me aware of it... I had every reason to believe that he would come back, but coaching is hard, and it’s draining, and what people say at the end of a long season, you don’t take to heart.
"On May 8th, Doc and I had a conversation about his future and I was curious about which way he was leaning and why... He was uncertain still at that time, but wondered what his options were.
"On May 9th, we sent him a letter saying that we expected him to be our coach, and he was under contract to be our coach for three more years. That was our intention all along and that’s what we hoped he would do. And then in subsequent weeks, conversations started as he still had uncertainty as to what he would do.
"[Soon after], we had a conversation, him and I, as friends and partners over the last nine years, and a guy that I really trust, we had a conversation that we discussed the possibility of him trying to get the Clippers job. There were other teams that were interested in hiring Doc, [but] we didn’t allow any of them to talk to Doc that had inquired. But the Clippers was one that intrigued him a little bit. I’m sure their great mix of talent had a lot to do with that, and his friends Skip and Al -- his golfing buddies out in Bel-Air -- had a lot to do with that. But with the idea that, if it wasn’t going to be a win-win-win situation, if it wasn’t good for the Celtics -- which is what my job is: Do what’s best for the Celtics -- and if it wasn’t good for him, it wasn’t good for the Clippers, we just wouldn’t do a deal. And he’d come back and coach [the Celtics]."
When asked why Rivers left, Ainge said that Rivers felt it was time for a new voice and he felt he wasn't getting through to some of his players. One of those players might be Rajon Rondo.
Over the weekend, there were reports of a near fight between Rivers and Rondo during a film session two seasons ago. Many felt that Rivers' relationship with Rondo was a big reason behind Doc's departure. Ainge's thoughts? "Rajon Rondo had nothing to do with this."
Ainge admitted that if Rivers did not take the Clippers job, he was fully prepared to come back and coach the Celtics.
While ruling himself out of the running, Ainge admitted that there is no urgency and no timetable as far as hiring a coach is concerned.
Of course, questions about the futures of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett arose. Ainge said that no decisions have been made regarding the two.
“I love Paul and KG and we haven’t made that decision yet,” Ainge said. “KG’s under contract, and Paul we have an option on in five days from now, and those are very big decisions for us. But those decisions, I’m not certain about either one of those."
Ainge also pointed out that the departure of Rivers will have nothing to do with what happens with Pierce and Garnett. Garnett was involved in rumors of going to the Clippers. However, as part of the compensation agreement with the Clippers, the Celtics and Clips cannot exchange players until the end of the 2013-2014 season.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Sources: Rivers to join Clippers
After the past week and a half of drama that was the Doc Rivers saga, it appears it all has come to an end.
According to ESPN's Jackie MacMullan and Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the Clippers and Celtics have agreed in principle on a deal that would allow Rivers to become the next head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. For compensation, the Celtics will receive an unprotected-2015 first-round pick back to Boston.
Rivers will essentially have the same deal as he did with Boston, which is three years, $21 million.
The two sides have been at this for a better part of two weeks now. After the talks alternating between on and off for the better part of last week, both L.A. and Boston have finally come to an agreement.
The talks began with a swap of big men. The Celtics were to send center Kevin Garnett to L.A. in exchange for DeAndre Jordan. However, in an interview on ESPN Radio on Thursday afternoon, NBA commissioner David Stern ruled out any such deal due to restrictions under the new collective-bargaining agreement.
Under the new CBA, which was signed in November 2011, a coach cannot be included in any transactions. With that in mind, the two sides tried to make two deals for one: Rivers would be released from his current deal with the Celtics -- Rivers had three years and $21 million owed remaining on his contract -- and sign with the Clippers while the Garnett trade would follow.
Throughout the entire process, the Clippers have been hesitant and stingy with their demands. They refused to take one of Boston's mid-level contracts -- Jason Terry and Courtney Lee were named that popped up -- refused to give up two first-round picks, refused to include Eric Bledsoe in any deal, and were gun-ho about only giving up one second-round pick for Rivers.
On Friday, according to Yahoo! Sports, Doc Rivers' agent told L.A. that he was no longer interested in the job and that he was going to decide between returning to Boston for a tenth season or take a broadcasting job. Multiple sources have confirmed that the aforementioned move by Rivers was a ploy to get the Clippers to change their minds on compensation.
According to multiple sources, this deal revived over the weekend for one reason and one reason only: Chris Paul. Paul, an unrestricted free agent, wants to play for Doc Rivers. One source said that it would be a "guarantee" that Paul would re-sign with L.A. Paul has been frustrated with the process all along, and he pushed ownership to change their stance on compensation. And it appears ownership has listened to Paul's demands.
As for the Celtics, they felt that the best way to rebuild was to use their two most valuable assets, which were Rivers and Garnett. However, league officials believe that any deal for K.G. is on hold in light of Stern's comments. Garnett has two years and $24 million remaining on his current deal. Garnett has said in the past that Rivers is the only coach he wants to play for, so it will be interesting to see what happens with Garnett.
The other important domino for the Celtics is Paul Pierce. As you all may know by now, the Celtics have until June 30 to either buy out Pierce for $5 million or keep him and his $15.3 million contract on the roster. According to reports, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has been shopping Pierce and looking to get compensation in the form of a first-round pick for Pierce. So far, Ainge has been unsuccessful.
The Celtics will hold a press conference tomorrow at noon where Rivers will explain his decision for leaving Boston.
According to ESPN's Jackie MacMullan and Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the Clippers and Celtics have agreed in principle on a deal that would allow Rivers to become the next head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. For compensation, the Celtics will receive an unprotected-2015 first-round pick back to Boston.
Rivers will essentially have the same deal as he did with Boston, which is three years, $21 million.
The two sides have been at this for a better part of two weeks now. After the talks alternating between on and off for the better part of last week, both L.A. and Boston have finally come to an agreement.
The talks began with a swap of big men. The Celtics were to send center Kevin Garnett to L.A. in exchange for DeAndre Jordan. However, in an interview on ESPN Radio on Thursday afternoon, NBA commissioner David Stern ruled out any such deal due to restrictions under the new collective-bargaining agreement.
Under the new CBA, which was signed in November 2011, a coach cannot be included in any transactions. With that in mind, the two sides tried to make two deals for one: Rivers would be released from his current deal with the Celtics -- Rivers had three years and $21 million owed remaining on his contract -- and sign with the Clippers while the Garnett trade would follow.
Throughout the entire process, the Clippers have been hesitant and stingy with their demands. They refused to take one of Boston's mid-level contracts -- Jason Terry and Courtney Lee were named that popped up -- refused to give up two first-round picks, refused to include Eric Bledsoe in any deal, and were gun-ho about only giving up one second-round pick for Rivers.
On Friday, according to Yahoo! Sports, Doc Rivers' agent told L.A. that he was no longer interested in the job and that he was going to decide between returning to Boston for a tenth season or take a broadcasting job. Multiple sources have confirmed that the aforementioned move by Rivers was a ploy to get the Clippers to change their minds on compensation.
According to multiple sources, this deal revived over the weekend for one reason and one reason only: Chris Paul. Paul, an unrestricted free agent, wants to play for Doc Rivers. One source said that it would be a "guarantee" that Paul would re-sign with L.A. Paul has been frustrated with the process all along, and he pushed ownership to change their stance on compensation. And it appears ownership has listened to Paul's demands.
As for the Celtics, they felt that the best way to rebuild was to use their two most valuable assets, which were Rivers and Garnett. However, league officials believe that any deal for K.G. is on hold in light of Stern's comments. Garnett has two years and $24 million remaining on his current deal. Garnett has said in the past that Rivers is the only coach he wants to play for, so it will be interesting to see what happens with Garnett.
The other important domino for the Celtics is Paul Pierce. As you all may know by now, the Celtics have until June 30 to either buy out Pierce for $5 million or keep him and his $15.3 million contract on the roster. According to reports, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has been shopping Pierce and looking to get compensation in the form of a first-round pick for Pierce. So far, Ainge has been unsuccessful.
The Celtics will hold a press conference tomorrow at noon where Rivers will explain his decision for leaving Boston.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Rivers unsure of return
A few weeks after Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told ESPNBoston.com that Doc Rivers told him that he would return for a tenth season, Rivers told The Boston Globe last night that he is still unsure of what he wants to do.
In a text exchange with the Globe's Gary Washburn, Rivers said that he needed to "detox" after the season and apologized for being inaccessible to reporters. Rivers has not spoken about his future since his postgame press conference after Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the New York Knicks.
When asked what his plans are, Rivers said, "I'd rather not say."
According to CSNNE's A. Sherrod Blakely, a league source believes that Rivers' decision will be based on whether or not the team will go through a full-blown re-build.
In a text exchange with the Globe's Gary Washburn, Rivers said that he needed to "detox" after the season and apologized for being inaccessible to reporters. Rivers has not spoken about his future since his postgame press conference after Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the New York Knicks.
When asked what his plans are, Rivers said, "I'd rather not say."
According to CSNNE's A. Sherrod Blakely, a league source believes that Rivers' decision will be based on whether or not the team will go through a full-blown re-build.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)