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The Boston Celtics announced today that they have recalled forward Kris Joseph from their NBA Development League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.
Joseph, a 6’7 forward, averaged 25.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block in two games while on assignment. He made his NBA debut against the Milwaukee Bucks and recorded one rebound and one assist in three minutes of action on November 2.
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Doc Rivers wants the Boston Celtics to be tough – not violent.
The message came too late for Rajon Rondo.
The Celtics point guard was ejected from Wednesday night’s game against the Nets when he retaliated for a hard foul against Kevin Garnett by shoving Brooklyn forward Kris Humphries into the courtside seats. Rondo, Humphries and Nets forward Gerald Wallace were ejected, and Brooklyn held on to win 95-83…
Joe Johnson scored 18 points and Andray Blatche had 17 points and 13 rebounds as the Nets opened up a 21-point, first-half lead and took advantage of the loss of the Celtics’ All-Star to win for the ninth time in 11 games.
Garnett had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Paul Pierce added 14 points for Boston. Rondo had three assists before he was kicked out, ending his streak at 37 games with double-digits – tied for second-longest in NBA history.
The Nets led by eight after one quarter and scored 19 of the first 25 points in the second to make it 47-26. Boston cut the deficit to 14 points and trailed by 16 when Garnett took an off-balance jumper from the right baseline and Humphries leveraged him to the floor with his left arm.
Rondo trailed the play with a two-handed shove that sent Humphries into the courtside seats.
— Reported by Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press
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Now that Glen Davis is co-captain of the Orlando Magic, the former Celtic only hopes that his maturity is showing. The forward goes into tonight’s game against his old team as Orlando’s second leading scorer (14.9 ppg), but believes his overall development is a reflection of another kind of transition.
He’s moved on from under the pressure of Doc Rivers’ strong hand to the more liberal touch of Magic coach Jacque Vaughn. Listen to Davis’ description of the change, and you can’t help but believe that he’s gone from boot camp to an ashram.
“Different guys,” he said after today’s pre-game shootaround. “Doc is more of a military-minded kind of guy, and Jacque is more of a Gandhi kind of guy. Soft but powerful.
“Doc’s more ‘get the job done,’ and Jacque Vaughn is more the kind of guy who will ask you, ‘Would you feel comfortable getting the job done?’” said Davis.
— Reported by Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald
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Rajon Rondo made up for lost time in a big way for the Boston Celtics after missing a game because of a sprained right ankle.
Rondo had 20 assists for the second time this season and added six points to help the Celtics beat the Toronto Raptors 107-89 on Saturday.
Jason Terry scored 20 points, Paul Pierce added 19 points and six rebounds before sitting out the fourth quarter, and Kevin Garnett scored 15 points in 17 minutes of playing time.
The Celtics held big leads early and late, but had to survive several surges in between while winning for the fourth time in five games. And any worries Boston fans might have had about Rondo’s ankle were quickly washed away when he had seven assists in the first quarter…
Garnett was 6 for 7 from the field, and Terry 7 of 10, including four 3-pointers in his highest- scoring game as a member of the Celtics. Rookie Jared Sullinger had his first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Andrea Bargnani and John Lucas led Toronto with 15 points apiece. DeMar DeRozan, Jose Calderon, Terrence Ross and Linas Kleiza added 10 each for Toronto…
Boston tied its season high for points, matching its total in a 120-107 loss to Miami in the opener.
— Reported by the Associated Press
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Craving a victory over a top team, all the Brooklyn Nets needed was someone to make a couple of big shots.
That’s one of the reasons they traded for Joe Johnson.
Johnson made the tiebreaking basket with 3:03 left, followed with another jumper, and the Nets beat the Boston Celtics 102-97 on Thursday night for their fourth straight victory.
Johnson finished only 6 of 17 from the field, but he had the two biggest makes of the game in the biggest victory his new team has recorded since acquiring him from Atlanta…
Williams and Brook Lopez each scored 24 points for the Nets, who were blown out by Miami in their lone game against a top opponent this season, their first with a rebuilt team and high expectations in Brooklyn…
Johnson finished with 19 points and eight rebounds for the Nets in front of a sold-out crowd of 17,732 that was divided but certainly loud in the tense, final minutes.
Pierce scored 22 points and Leandro Barbosa had 17 in place of Rondo, who was out with a sprained right ankle. Kevin Garnett added 14 points but Boston had its three-game win streak snapped and lost to the Nets for just the third time in the past 21 meetings.
— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press
InsideHoops.com note: The Nets are still without forward Gerald Wallace.
Rajon Rondo didn’t arrive until an hour until game time in his sweats tonight, and said he was uncertain if he was going to play on his sprained right ankle.
But in these cases the decision goes to Doc Rivers, who in turn defers to trainer Ed Lacerte. From that perspective, the choice was simple – no Rondo.
The point guard, who sprained his ankle in the third quarter of Wednesday night’s win over Utah, was thus placed by Leandro Barbosa in the starting lineup.
— Reported by the Boston Herald (Blog)
The Boston Celtics announced today that they have assigned forward Kris Joseph and center Fab Melo to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.
Melo, a 7’0 center, appeared in all eight preseason games for the Celtics and averaged 1.3 rebounds in 5.9 minutes per game. Melo was drafted by the Celtics with the 22nd pick in the 2012 NBA Draft out of Syracuse University where he averaged 7.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.9 blocks and shot 56.6% from the field in his sophomore season before entering the draft.
Joseph, a 6’7 forward, made his NBA debut against the Milwaukee Bucks and recorded one rebound and one assist in three minutes of action on November 2. He had averaged 4.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 10.8 minutes during the eight preseason games earlier this year. Joseph was drafted by the Celtics with the 51st overall pick in the 2012 draft out of Syracuse University. During his senior season for Syracuse he averaged 13.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
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Through seven games in Boston, Milicic’s career with the Celtics consists of one appearance of less than five minutes.
In the past, Milicic would have sulked or complained about his predicament. But today, he seems to better understand that his time to help the Celtics may not come as quickly as he would like it to. And there is a consensus among the C’s and Milicic that sooner or later, an opportunity for him to contribute will manifest itself.
“I just have to stay ready,” Milicic told CSNNE.com recently. “Just be ready to play when I get my chance. That’s all I can do.”
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Avery Bradley’s return from shoulder surgery is still on pace, but, according to Rivers, he’s six weeks or more away.
Said Bradley: “We’ve got a timetable, but at the end of the day it comes down to how I feel.”
He has still not been cleared for contact. . . .
The Celts and Wizards are in the midst of a home-and-home that will be completed Wednesday in Boston. The quick series brings together head coaching pals Rivers and Randy Wittman, who were once the Hawks’ backcourt.
— Reported by Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald
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A LOOK BACK AT THIS PAST OFFSEASON
With Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen set to become free agents and well into their 30s, change appeared imminent. The Celtics faithful fully prepared for an offseason of adjustment, the organization taking a step back to potential mediocrity after five years of elite status.
But the Celtics instead took a surprising turn, adding eight players and re-signing Garnett, and they remain one of the East favorites as they head into the home opener Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Conventional wisdom said there was no way Garnett, playing on aging legs and tiring at the end of playoff games, would return. Allen, meanwhile, had grown increasingly unhappy with his situation in comparison with second-year guard Avery Bradley and wanted to explore free agency for the first time.
So the 2012-13 Celtics likely would consist of Rajon Rondo, perhaps Paul Pierce, and a bunch of pieces meshed together until the Celtics could attract a major free agent. But as free agency approached, the central figure in their quest to extend the Big Three Era was Garnett himself.
— Reported by Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe