Boston Celtics Blog – Page 37 – NBA Blog

No love between Cavs and Celtics

Here’s the Boston Herald reporting on the Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, who will probably not be getting together for the holidays this year:

There were certainly no pleasantries as the teams met for the first time since a painful Sunday in April when Cleveland completed a four-game, first-round sweep with a win at the Garden. Kevin Love dislocated his left shoulder in a tangle with Kelly Olynyk, and Jae Crowder suffered a sprained left ACL when his knees buckled following a wicked elbow from J.R. Smith.

Crowder said Monday he was hoping for an apology, but no such gesture was made by Smith as the Cavs handed the Celtics a more-thorough-than-the-numbers-would-seem-to-indicate 89-77 defeat.

And clearly the Clevelanders didn’t stop competing when the game was finished. While Love and Olynyk have agreed the latter intended no harm, there is still ill feeling on the other front.

“No, I like it,” Smith said about the physical game that saw him give a couple of hard fouls. “It wasn’t chippy enough.”

Former Celtic Jim Loscutoff passes away

The entire Boston Celtics organization and our ownership group are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Jim Loscutoff, a Celtics Legend and seven-time NBA champion. Affectionately nicknamed “Loscy” and “Jungle Jim,” Loscutoff passed away on December 1 at the age of 85.

Upon the conclusion of his playing days in 1964, Jim and his wife, artist Lynn Loscutoff, founded Camp Evergreen, a children’s day camp where a wide range of programs are carried out to provide an enriching camping experience. Loscutoff’s nickname of “Loscy” was hoisted to the Boston Garden rafters on April 14, 1973 for his leadership and all-around excellent play. He is the only Celtics player to have his name, and not uniform number, retired.

We keep his wife Lynn, daughters Holly and Carol, son Jim, Jr. and his entire family in our thoughts at this time.

Celtics assign Jordan Mickey and James Young to D-League

The Boston Celtics have assigned forward Jordan Mickey and guard/forward James Young to the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League.

Mickey, a 6’8” forward, played in seven preseason contests with the Celtics this year and averaged 5.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 9.8 minutes per game. He was selected with the 33rd overall pick by the Celtics in the 2015 NBA Draft and in one regular season appearance with the team has recorded two points, two rebounds and one assist in two minutes of action in his NBA debut against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 28, 2015.

Young, who is in his second NBA season, appeared in seven preseason matchups for the Celtics this year and averaged 4.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game over that span. He played in 17 contests for the Red Claws last season and averaged 21.5 points, including shooting 44.2 percent from beyond the arc, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals in 32.9 minutes per game.

Celtics exercise contract options on Marcus Smart, James Young, Kelly Olynyk

The Boston Celtics have exercised their third-year options on guard Marcus Smart and guard/forward James Young, and their fourth-year option on forward Kelly Olynyk.

All of these moves were expected.

Smart, who is in his second NBA season, appeared in five contests for the Celtics this preseason and averaged 8.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.0 steal in 24.2 minutes per game. The 6’4” guard played in 67 games during his rookie year and averaged 7.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals in 27.0 minutes per game. Smart was named to the 2014-15 NBA All-Rookie Second Team, named the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for February 2015, and was selected with the sixth overall pick by the Celtics in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Young, who is also in his second NBA season, appeared in seven preseason matchups for the team this year and averaged 4.4 points, including connecting on 35.0 percent of his shots from beyond the arc, and pulled down 1.4 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game over that span. Young was selected with the 17th overall pick by the Celtics in the 2014 NBA Draft and is averaging 3.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game through 31 career contests.

Olynyk, who is in his third NBA season, appeared in six preseason games for the team this year and averaged 7.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 17.7 minutes per game. The 7’0” forward is averaging 9.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 21.1 minutes per game over his 134 game career. Olynyk was originally selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the 13th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft before the Celtics acquired him in exchange for the draft rights to Lucas Nogueira and two future second round picks on June 27, 2013.

Celtics waive Perry Jones III and Corey Walden

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have waived forward Perry Jones III and guard Corey Walden.

Jones, a 6’11” forward, was originally acquired by the Celtics on July 14, 2015 and averaged 2.0 points and 1.6 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game in five appearances with the team.

Walden, a 6’2” guard was originally signed by the Celtics on September 25, 2015 and averaged .5 points, 1.5 rebounds and .8 assists in 6.9 minutes per game in four contests with the team.

The Celtics roster now stands at 15.

Celtics lineup notes

Here’s the Boston Herald reporting on the Celtics, who boast an interesting squad that isn’t particularly strong yet appears deep, and should be competitive:

While some try to speculate on which group of five the Celtics will be starting when the regular season begins a week from Wednesday, Brad Stevens is looking at how smaller groups harmonize.

The coach has already spoken of how well Isaiah Thomas works with someone like Jonas Jerebko, who spreads the floor, and now you can add Amir Johnson to the reciprocal complementary society.

“I think that’s been a good combination from Day 1,” Stevens said yesterday at the team’s practice facility.

The 6-foot-9 Johnson and 5-9 Thomas may appear to be an odd coupling when they walk down a street, but playing well together has come naturally.

Perry Jones hopes to stick with Celtics

Perry Jones hopes to stick with Celtics

For a rebuilding team that is expected to be competitive but not outstanding, the Boston Celtics boast a pretty deep roster. Here’s the Boston Globe reporting on an intriguing young talent who hasn’t solidified himself in the league just yet:

Perry Jones played in 143 games over three seasons for Oklahoma City, averaging at best 14.7 minutes and 4.3 points per game.

The Thunder traded the 6-foot-11-inch Jones to the Celtics for a conditional 2019 pick in a roster-clearing move in July. What’s more, the 2018 second-round pick the Celtics sent to Oklahoma City in return is protected from 31 to 55, meaning that if it falls in that range, the Celtics keep the pick.

So essentially, the Celtics get a fresh look at a player with considerable skills for a cash exchange. Nothing more. Jones has another opportunity to make an impression on a new team, a 24-year-old capable of playing multiple positions and adding to the team’s wealth of talented youngsters.

There is no guarantee Jones will make the roster. His situation will emerge as one of the more intriguing topics in training camp. Can coach Brad Stevens bring the best out of a player who has yet to show his best?

Celtics complete training camp roster

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed guards Levi Randolph and Corey Walden, as well as forwards Coty Clarke and Malcolm Miller. Each contract is likely non-guaranteed and just for training camp.

Randolph played in five contests for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2015 Las Vegas Summer League and averaged 8.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 steals in 31.2 minutes per game. During his senior year at Alabama, the 6’4” guard averaged a team-high 15.4 points, 2.5 assists and 1.4 steals, while also averaging 5.1 rebounds, in 35.3 minutes per game. Randolph was the first player in the program’s history to be named to the CoSIDA/Capital One First Team Academic All-District Team for three consecutive years. He was also named the 2015 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and second team All-SEC.

Walden appeared in two games for the Celtics during the Las Vegas Summer League and averaged 2.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.5 steals in 16.5 minutes per game. The 6’2” guard out of Eastern Kentucky averaged 18.6 points to go along with 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.1 steals in 34.6 minutes per game during his senior year. Additionally, Walden earned a spot on the Lou Henson All-America Team and the first team All-Ohio Valley Conference for the 2014-15 NCAA season.

Clarke, a 6’7” forward, spent the 2014-15 season playing for Hapoel Kazrin in Israel and averaged 19.4 points and 9.4 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game over that span. As a senior at the University of Arkansas, he averaged 9.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game.

Miller appeared in seven games for the Celtics during summer league play and averaged 4.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 12.1 minutes per game. The 6’7” forward was named to the All-Patriot League second team and averaged 14.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.6 blocks in 31.7 minutes per game during his senior year at Holy Cross.

Danny Ainge says Stephen Curry is the best shooter he has ever seen

Now this is a fun discussion. There’s no one right answer to who the greatest shooter in NBA history is, because it’s just an opinion. But even though Stephen Curry’s NBA career still has a very long way to go, many people are answering the question by pointing in his direction. Here’s WEEI.com reporting:

Danny Ainge spent nearly eight seasons alongside Larry Bird, the man many consider the greatest shooter in NBA history, so he doesn’t say the following lightly: Stephen Curry is the best shooter he’s ever seen.

Ainge made the observation on Twitter during the playoffs, which ended with Curry’s Warriors claiming the title, and he explained himself earlier this week in an interview with WEEI.com from his Waltham office.

“I think Larry was as good a shooter as I’ve ever seen before Steph. And Ray Allen is up there, too,” Ainge said. “If anybody were to come in and tell me, ‘Larry Bird‘s the best shooter of all time,’ I wouldn’t have much argument. Same with Ray. I probably wouldn’t argue. It’s really close.”

Celtics waive Zoran Dragic

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have waived guard/forward Zoran Dragic.

Dragic, a 6’5” guard/forward, was originally acquired by the Celtics along with a future second round pick and cash considerations from the Miami Heat on July 27, 2015. He appeared in 16 games split between the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat during the 2014-15 season and averaged 1.8 points in 4.7 minutes per game over that span. He posted a season-high 22 points on 9-17 (.529) shooting from the field, three rebounds, two assists and two steals in 41 minutes of action against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 15, 2015.