Boston Celtics Offseason Moves & Analysis

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UNDER CONTRACT: F-C Kevin Garnett, F Paul Pierce, G Rajon Rondo, G Avery Bradley, F Jeff Green, G Jason Terry, F Brandon Bass, G Courtney Lee, F-C Chris Wilcox, C Jason Collins, C Darko Milicic

DRAFT PICKS: F Jared Sullinger, C Fab Melo

FREE AGENTS: G-F Mickael Pietrus

MOVES: VP Danny Ainge deserves a lot of credit for what he has done this offseason. Ainge ignored the tremendous temptation to break up the “Big Three” – Ray Allen’s departure to Miami notwithstanding – and has reinforced his roster while making it somewhat younger. When Kevin Garnett decided to continue playing, the Celtics didn’t even allow him to get to free agency, re-signing him to a three-year, $34 million deal that provided some flexibility beneath the luxury tax. In free agency, Boston used its mid-level exception on Jason Terry, committing $15.6 million over three years. Terry is not the shooter Allen is but is two years younger, a better scorer off the dribble and a better defender. The Celtics also re-signed a handful of their own free agents. Brandon Bass, who flourished as a starting power forward after Garnett moved to center, was retained with a three-year, $20 million deal. Jeff Green – who missed all of last season due to career-threatening heart surgery – was brought back with a four-year, $36 million contract, which sounds like a bit much. Green is said to be ready to resume his career and will provide great depth at both forward positions. And forward Chris Wilcox – who also had his season shortened by a heart ailment – was re-signed to a one-year veteran’s deal. And while Avery Bradley misses the start of next season while recovering from shoulder surgery, his starting spot likely will go to Courtney Lee, who was acquired from Houston. The Celtics sent JaJuan Johnson, E’Twaun Moore, Sean Williams and two second-round picks to the Rockets for Lee, who will get $21.5 million over four years. All of that activity left the Celtics with only their $1.9 million bi-annual exception – which was not enough to match Minnesota’s $3 million offer to Greg Stiemsma. But Ainge kept the exception by signing Jason Collins and re-signing Keyon Dooling to veteran’s minimum deals. Late in the offseason, the Celtics also signed well-traveled bust Darko Milicic for frontcourt depth and waived Dooling, who said he would retire. We have said throughout the offseason that the Clippers may have the best 1 through 10 roster in the league, but the Celtics are darn close.

TO-DO LIST: The Celtics still have not made a significant move toward Mickael Pietrus. They have said they want to bring back Pietrus, who had knee surgery after last season. But Pietrus has been pushed down Boston’s list of priorities, and his agent declared that one of the better remaining free agents will not play for the veteran’s minimum.

PROJECTION: Yes, the “Big Three” era is over. But if you look closely, you will see that Terry bears considerable resemblance to Allen. And Boston’s issues of depth – a huge factor in coming up just short of the NBA Finals – have been addressed. Ainge also made good use of his draft picks, who likely will help preserve the older core during the season, then drift into the background in the postseason. Even with Allen’s flight to Miami, the Celtics have closed the gap on the Heat and should be taken very seriously.

(RELATED: WHAT GRADE DID THE CELTICS GET?)

For offseason analysis of every team, click here.

Highlights of Rajon Rondo’s trip to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Philippines

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Rajon will be on Alcatraz Island Saturday, September 22, to host the finale of Red Bull King, the premiere one-on-one basketball tournament in the world. When this global competition was first played in 2010, it marked the first time basketball had been played on “The Rock” since the inmates left the island over 50 years ago. Now in its third year, the event is bigger and better than ever, having expanded to qualifiers in 27 countries, including 33 in the United States. From these qualifiers, 64 finalists head to the island. Catch more highlights at www.redbullusa.com/kingoftherock.

SH Blog: Kevin Love expects to make the playoffs, Channing Frye to miss the entire 2012-2013 season

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The Minnesota Timberwolves made some serious roster adjustments over the summer, all for the better. The most notable move was the acquisition of a revitalized Brandon Roy, but they also got a huge upgrade at small forward by obtaining Andrei Kirilenko and signed the likes of Chase Budinger, Alexey Shved, Greg Stiemsma and Dante Cunningham. As Kevin Love would tell you though, the real best part may have been “cleaning out the bad blood in the locker room”, and he believes the current roster should make the playoffs. See what Love had to say about his team, why Channing Frye will miss the upcoming season, the reason for Keyon Dooling’s retirement from the NBA and much more below:

  • Kevin Love likes his chances of seeing playoff action for the first time, according to Kerry Eggers of Portland Tribune: “It would be a big surprise to me if we didn’t make a huge leap this year and make it to the playoffs,” the Lake Oswego native told me Wednesday… “We’re going to have a chance to be very good,” Love said. “We’re hoping Brandon can stay healthy through 82 games. Kirilenko is a big addition. Shved hopefully is going to be a big deal for us. “We’ll have more firepower in terms of veterans. Brandon and Andrei will help our locker room and on the court. It will make Coach Adelman’s job a lot easier. “If everything is put together, if Ricky comes back healthy, we’re going to be a force to be reckoned with.”
Suns say Channing Frye is sidelined indefinitely due to an enlarged heart. He will be re-evaluated in December.
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Marc J. Spears

 

  • Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic has updated news on Frye: “Suns forward Channing Frye told azcentral sports that he will miss the 2012-13 season because of medical concerns. Frye developed a dilated cardiomyopathy, which is an enlarged heart. This was found during a routine preseason physical by Suns team cardiologist Dr. Tim Byrne. ”The good news is it is a virus so it does have a good chance of going away,” Frye said. “My heart can be normal again.” Frye will not participate in any basketball activities and his progress will be re-evaluated in December. He said he would rest for six months, confining his activities to golf and yoga. Frye visited the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota Wednesday. ”It was very shocking and, at the same time, scary,” he said of his situation. “It’s not like an arm or a knee or an elbow where you’re like, ‘Maybe I can just rehab this.’ It’s something that keeps you going.”
  • Keyon Dooling has been waived by the Celtics and consequently retire from the league. Jessica Camerato of CSNNE has the details: ”Keyon has decided that he has given the NBA twelve good years and that it’s time to pursue other interests and spend more time with his family. He will never forget his time in Boston with the Celtics.” – Statement from Keyon Dooling’s rep, Kenge Stevenson.”… “We’ll miss Keyon’s spirit and energy, both on and off the court,” said Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge. “The whole Celtics family wishes him well as he enters the next phase of his life.”
  • The Celtics will instead work with Darko Milicic aka Mana from Heaven, according to Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated: “Free-agent center and former No. 2 pick Darko Milicic has agreed to sign with the Celtics, sources close to the situation confirmed. The deal is guaranteed for one year at the league’s minimum salary, according to one of the sources. Milicic, 27, had been looking for his next job since July 12, when the Minnesota Timberwolves waived him with the amnesty clause in order to erase the final two years of his controversial four-year, $16 million deal off their books for salary-cap purposes. Because Milicic will still be paid by the Timberwolves, he was less focused on the financial aspect of his next contract than he was finding the right fit.”
  • Austin Rivers explained how losing Ray Allen could benefit the Celtics, transcribed by ESPN Boston:  ”As funny as it sounds, I actually think both teams benefited (from Ray Allen signing with the Heat,” Austin Rivers said. “I think the Heat got a lot better obviously, because now the floor is spaced with Ray Allen. ”And I think the Celtics got better, because first off it was disappointing to (see him) leave because he was a part of that whole buildup to the Celtics again, but now you have a better defender in Courtney Lee, who is a great on-the-ball defender and someone who is going to add to the great defense the Celtics play already. And then you have Jason Terry, who is instant offense, something the Celtics need when you have older players like KG and Paul Pierce that get hurt. So when you have guys that are going to be inconsistent, not due to how good they are but how old they are, and the fatigue of a long season, you have guys who can come in and give you instant offense.”
  • The Clippers have exercised a team option on guard Eric Bledsoe, from Ben Bolch of Los Angeles Times: “Eric Bledsoe’s strong playoff performance might have ensured he’ll be wearing a Clippers uniform for at least two more seasons. The Clippers exercised a team option on the third-year guard for the 2013-14 season after he averaged 7.9 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 58.7% in 11 playoff games. Bledsoe, who is entering his third NBA season, was particularly good against San Antonio in the Western Conference semifinals, averaging 11.5 points while shooting 70%. He will earn $1.7 million this season and $2.6 million next season. Bledsoe averaged 3.3 points and 1.7 rebounds while shooting 38.9% in 40 regular-season games, making one start.”
Warriors confirm what Stephen Curry tweeted yesterday -- he's been cleared for all basketball activities, including 5-on-5.
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Matt Steinmetz
Free agent guard Terrence Williams has agreed to a training camp contract with the Detroit Pistons, league sources tell Y! Sports.
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Adrian Wojnarowski

 

  • Stephon Marbury shared his thoughts on the combination of Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. In short, he doesn’t like it, from Ian Begley of ESPN New York: “Amare needs a point guard like Steve Nash (to thrive). He’s a pick-and-roll guy, a pick-and-pop guy. He can’t play in the half court where everything’s slowed down,” Marbury told ESPN New York during a brief interview in Manhattan on Wednesday. When asked if he thought Anthony and Stoudemire could flourish together, Marbury said flatly, “Nope.” Many have expressed the same concerns with the Knicks’ star duo. In their season and a half together, the Knicks have a sub-.500 record when both are in the starting lineup. But Marbury brings a unique perspective to the debate. He played with Stoudemire in Phoenix during the 2002-03 season and for 34 games the next season before Marbury was dealt to the Knicks. He also spent five mostly rocky years with the Knicks. In addition to his thoughts on Stoudemire, Marbury also questioned the Knicks’ motivation in obtaining Anthony. New York executed a three-team blockbuster deal to bring Anthony in from Denver in February 2011. ”I don’t know if (Knicks owner James) Dolan brought him in to win games or to make money,” Marbury said. “I think it was to make money.”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar @ tells Globe he worked with #bulls C Joakim Noah this summer & expects him to have expanded post game this season
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gary washburn

 

  • Mike Wells of Indianapolis Star details his workout session with Roy Hibbert. If you know Hibbert, you could probably guess that the workout wasn’t basketball-related: “The big fella took it to another level this offseason when he started doing MMA training at Integrated Fighting Academy on the Southside of Indy to help his conditioning. Hibbert and I have had countless conversations over the years about his workouts. But rather than talk about what goes into his MMA training, Hibbert invited me to participate in a session so I could get a first-hand experience of the sweat and pain he goes through. Pacers rookie Orlando Johnson and Hibbert’s nutritionist Mike Roussell also took part in the workout on Wednesday. We started with four, three-minute rounds of sparring with a trainer with only a minute break in between each round. I was good for the first two rounds, but that’s when reality set in for me. I was so tired by the third round that I was throwing three-six combinations instead of the one-two combinations my trainer Sam was calling for.”
  • Walt Frazier believes the Knicks must capitalize within two years to win a championship with the current roster, and Carmelo Anthony must follow the path of LeBron James, from Nate Taylor of The New York Times: “I think their window is a two-year window right now,” he said of the Knicks’ chances at a championship. “They have to capitalize right away.” Frazier knows what it takes to win a title. In the 1972-73 season, Frazier said that he, Bill Bradley, Willis Reed and other teammates had great chemistry. Like a number of Knicks fans, Frazier is eager to see if Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire can form a stronger bond this season. “They better forget last year and do whatever it takes,” Frazier said of Anthony and Stoudemire. “They have to look at Miami and what LeBron James was able to do, Carmelo especially because James became the consummate player — defense, passing and whatever else it took for that team to get a championship.”
  • Why didn’t the Heat take a chance on Hassan Whiteside? Ira Winderman of Sun Sentinel has the answer: “Q: Why did the Heat pass on Hassan Whitehead? He’s a 7-footer, decent shot-blocker, a bigger version of Joel Anthony with less athleticism but also less expensive. — Smitty, Tampa. A: Because Joel already is under contract and finding a taker for the two years left on Joel’s contract likely would mean having to throw in a first-round pick to sweeten the deal. Joel still can fill a regular-season niche for this team, helping ease the man-on-ball defensive burden for the Heat’s veterans, with his second line of defense. Then, come playoff time, he likely would step aside when the need becomes more apparent to have all five players on the court “live” in the offense.”
  • Michael Jordan’s best scoring output in a regular season game was 69 points. Kobe Bryant scored 81 points. So who had the better overall game? Coach Nick of Bballbreakdown has the answer:

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Tweet of the Night: Jeff Green

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Tweet of the Night goes to Jeff Green, who can now proudly call himself a Celtic for the foreseeable future after the team officially signed him to a contract on Wednesday after much anticipation throughout the summer. It will be great to see the forward back in an NBA uniform after watching him miss the entire 2011-2012 season due to an aortic aneurysm, which required heart surgery. Here are some notable quotes from the signing, from NBA.com: “We are thrilled to be able to have Jeff back with the Celtics,” said Danny Ainge, Celtics President of Basketball Operations. “Jeff’s versatility on offense and ability to guard players out on the perimeter is something that we are looking forward to having on the court this season.”…“I cannot wait to get back out onto the court and help this team towards our goal of winning another championship for Boston,” said Green.

Earlier in the summer, reported rumors had Green signing a four-year contract worth about $36 million, which some found to be controversial. The details of his contract has yet to be disclosed, but the numbers are probably still within the same vicinity. Given the size of the contract, it will be interesting to see if Doc Rivers will start him at power forward alongside Kevin Garnett, who will presumably stay a center after all the success he found at the position last season.

Starting Green would push Brandon Bass, who also signed a lucrative $20 million contract of his own with the team, to the bench. Green and Bass are both undersized power forwards that aren’t known for their defense and don’t rebound particularly well – Bass grabbed a career-high 6.2 rebounds last season and Green has grabbed no more than 6.7 rebounds in his first four seasons – so the decision to start one of them should be based on their ability to score – an advantage that clearly belongs to Green.

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NBA Free Agency: Who Still Needs What?

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With the opening of training camps in late September, there is now more offseason behind us rather than in Andray Blatchefront of us.

With six weeks to go, many teams are looking to fill the final spot or two on their rosters. And as we pointed out last week, there is not much to choose from.

Although there has been talk about some of these teams possibly adding another player, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Golden State, Indiana, the Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis, New York, Oklahoma City and Phoenix appear to be done and ready to start the season.

Dallas, Detroit and Oklahoma City have 15 players with guaranteed contracts. Chicago, the Lakers and New York are over the luxury tax and Memphis is right against it. And Golden State, Indiana and Phoenix appear to have the roster flexibility to stand pat.

That leaves 20 teams – two-thirds of the league – who need at least one specific player to round out their roster. In our estimation, both Cleveland and New Orleans have multiple holes to fill.

With the gradual trend toward small ball, perhaps we are overreacting a bit. But the greatest positions of need appear to be the big spots of power forward and center. Fifteen teams – half the league – seem to have a roster that is short one big man. One of those teams is the defending champion Miami Heat.

So what does each team need? Let’s take a look.

Who needs a small forward?

ATLANTA: Moving Marvin Williams made financial sense, but it left the Hawks short at the 3-spot. Yes, Josh Smith can play there – and will, alongside Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia. But he is more effective at power forward, and his backup is shooting savant Kyle Korver, who has trouble defending the wing.

BOSTON: The Celtics have had a terrific offseason but need some insurance behind Paul Pierce, who turns 35 in October. Bringing back Jeff Green, who can play both forward spots, alleviates part of the problem. But the C’s need a true small forward. Hmmn, perhaps Mickael Pietrus?

CLEVELAND: This is one of two positions at which the Cavaliers need depth. Right now, their small forwards are Omri Casspi and C.J. Miles, who is expected to play some at shooting guard as well. They made a $2.7 million qualifying offer to Alonzo Gee, who averaged double figures last season and is finally getting attention from other teams.

NEW ORLEANS: The Hornets’ current small forwards are Al-Farouq Aminu and rookie Darius Miller. Yes, Ryan Anderson can and will play there alongside Anthony Davis and Robin Lopez in a big format. But he is too slow to defend that position. Bringing back Lance Thomas is an option.

Who needs a power forward?

CHARLOTTE: The Bobcats don’t seem interested in bringing back D.J. White, which leaves them with a power forward tandem of the inconsistent Tyrus Thomas and the learning-on-the-job Bismack Biyombo. With a center trio of perimeter-based B.J. Mullens and the foul-prone Brendan Haywood and DeSagana Diop, they could probably use a thug as a third power forward.

LA CLIPPERS: We have said throughout the offseason that the moves made by the Clippers have given them the best top 10 of any NBA roster. But their personnel shuffle cleared out Kenyon Martin and Reggie Evans, and LA could use someone behind the injury-prone Blake Griffin and the slender Lamar Odom. Trey Thompkins is not the answer. Maybe the underutilized Ronny Turiaf is.

MINNESOTA: Yes, Kevin Love is penciled in for 40 minutes every night. Behind him, however, are combo forwards Derrick Williams and Andrei Kirilenko, neither of whom throw a scare into anyone underneath the basket. What the Wolves really need is a guy who can play both big spots, backing up centers Nikola Pecovic and Greg Steimsma in an emergency.

PHILADELPHIA: No team got bigger in the offseason than the 76ers. Unfortunately, all of the monsters they added or re-signed – Andrew Bynum, Kwame Brown, Spencer Hawes and Lavoy Allen – are centers. They can play a pair side by side, but that will make them a bit slow down low. And given the injury histories of Bynum, Brown and Hawes, Philadelphia could use a true power forward.

TORONTO: You could argue that the Raptors need a center more than a power forward because their long-term look seems to be Andrea Bargnani at center and Jonas Valanciunas at power forward, where Ed Davis is the backup and needs to play. But Toronto may start the season with Bargnani at the 4 and Amir Johnson and Aaron Gray sharing the 5. Whatevere the case, the Raps need another big.

UTAH: C’mon, the Jazz don’t need a power forward! Up front, they’ve got Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter and … that’s it, folks. Marvin Williams can play the 4 in a small alignment, but Utah has no 7-footers and clearly needs another power forward.

Who needs a center?

BROOKLYN: Retaining Brook Lopez was a nice consolation prize to losing Dwight Howard, especially given what the Nets have put around their center. But he needs a backup, and after striking out on Nazr Mohammed, Brooklyn has to have a second center because none of its power forwards are big enough to man the pivot.

CLEVELAND: This is the other position the Cavs need to fill. Right now, their centers are rookies Tyler Zeller and Micheal Eric and undersized incumbent Anderson Varejao, who figures to play some at power forward as well. If they add a pivot, they should try to find a veteran.

HOUSTON: The Rockets didn’t get Dwight Howard but they did land Omer Asik, who has averaged 13 minutes per game in his career. His backup appears to be rookie stringbean Donatas Motiejunas. But Houston has a problem because it has the maximum 20 players on its offseason roster.

MIAMI: Many believe the Heat can repeat having added defense-stretchers Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis to the mix. But they still have a huge hole in the middle that Joel Anthony, Dexter Pittman and rookie Justin Hamilton are not going to effectively fill. With Roy Hibbert, Tyson Chandler, Andrew Bynum and Dwight Howard as potential playoff foes, Miami needs a center who can walk and chew gum at the same time.

NEW ORLEANS: Top overall pick Anthony Davis will play both big spots throughout his career. But his athleticism and activity likely will be maximized at power forward alongside Robin Lopez, whom we’re not sure is a 36-minute center. The addition of a small forward would help Ryan Anderson play more at the 4, and Hakim Warrick also is here. But the Hornets desperately need another true center; they just don’t have enough size.

PORTLAND: The potential plan is to start two rookies – Damian Lillard at point guard and Meyers Leonard at center. LaMarcus Aldridge and Eurobig rookie Joel Freeland can play the middle in a pinch, but the Blazers need another real center, and preferably a veteran. To add one, Portland could dump Sasha Pavlovic, whose salary is being paid by Boston.

SACRAMENTO: DeMarcus Cousins is a top-three center whose skills also allow him to play power forward, where the Kings are set with Jason Thompson and rookie Thomas Robinson. The backup center is 6-6 Chuck Hayes, whose big heart disappeared as soon as he got a big contract. Sacramento needs a true pivot, and it would help if he had some veteran leadership for this bunch of young bigs.

SAN ANTONIO: The Spurs don’t often play two true bigs together, but when they do, the best tandem is Tim Duncan at power forward and Tiago Splitter at center. San Antonio’s other “big men” are perimeter-based Boris Diaw and Matt Bonner and undersized center DeJuan Blair, who is on the trading block. The Spurs have a roster spot and should use it on a true center.

Who needs a shooting guard?

DENVER: Yes, the Nuggets just acquired All-Star Andre Iguodala to play shooting guard. But shooting is not one of his stronger skills, and his backups are the equally off-target Corey Brewer and rookie Evan Fournier. Denver needs another knockdown guy to take the heat off Danilo Gallinari.

MILWAUKEE: Although Monta Ellis is routinely among the league leaders in minutes played, his backup right now is rookie Doron Lamb. The Bucks let Carlos Delfino walk away and need to replace him with a veteran who can stroke it a little. Milwaukee could give some shooting guard minutes to Mike Dunleavy, but that’s not the best answer.

Who needs a point guard?

NEW ORLEANS: This is the third position the Hornets need to fill. At the most important position on the floor, they plan to start rookie Austin Rivers, with Greivis Vasquez and his vast experience of 136 career games behind him. As a third point guard, New Orleans could use the practice presence and experience of Mike James, who last season showed he can still play a little bit.

ORLANDO: The Magic are somewhat unsettled at many positions but have some stability at the point with Jameer Nelson. Behind him, however, is recently signed speed burner Ish Smith, who has to show he can make the jump from third-string to backup. Orlando needs a third point guard, preferably someone who has seen some court time.

WASHINGTON: Similar to the Magic, the Wizards are set with John Wall. But his caddies are Shelvin Mack, whose point guard skills are lacking, and A.J. Price, who cannot shoot and took a step back last season in Indiana. Washington has the roster room and the cap space to add another ballhandler.

Chris Bernucca is a regular contributor to SheridanHoops.com. During the season, his columns appear Wednesday and Sunday. You can follow him on Twitter.