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Celtics sign Troy Murphy

By Jeff Lenchiner

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed forward Troy Murphy. The deal is for the pro-rated value of the veteran’s minimum.

It’s a great move for the Celtics, who are already a championship contender but just added the best player in the league who was available to be signed.

Murphy can shoot and rebound. He stretches the floor and adds yet another offensive weapon to a very diverse squad.

A 6’11” forward, Murphy has posted career averages of 11.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and has shot 39.1% from three-point range in his 10 NBA seasons. Murphy has posted five seasons during which he averaged a double-double (points-rebounds). Murphy recorded one of the best seasons of his career during 2008-09 when he averaged 14.3 points and a career-high 11.8 rebounds to go along with a 45.0% shooting percentage from the three-point line.

Report: Troy Murphy to join Celtics

Marc Stein of ESPN reports:

Highly coveted free agent Troy Murphy is signing with the Boston Celtics.

Murphy told ESPN.com via e-mail that he will join the Celtics after spending much of the past 48 hours agonizing between Boston and the Miami Heat. Murphy reached terms of a buyout with the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.

Murphy also received recruiting pitches this week from Portland, New York and Orlando, sources said, but the 6-foot-10 forward was always determined to sign with a top contender in anticipation of making the first deep playoff run of his career. Murphy has played in more games (639) than any other active player without appearing in the playoffs.

Thunder sign Kendrick Perkins to a contract extension

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed center Kendrick Perkins to a multi-year contract extension, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. Per team policy, the terms of the agreement were not disclosed. We will post contract details this afternoon.

“We had a unique opportunity to enter into discussions with Kendrick to solidify his future with our organization,” said Presti. “We are pleased to know that he will be a part of our core group now and in the future. Kendrick’s blue-collar, team-first approach aligns with the vision we hold for building a sustainable team in the Oklahoma City community.

Perkins (6-10, 280) owns career averages of 6.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 1.0 assist and 22.3 minutes in 454 NBA games. He has appeared in 12 games (7 starts) this season with the Celtics before being traded to the Thunder on February 24th, averaging 7.3 points and 8.1 rebounds in 26.1 minutes. The center has appeared in 68 career postseason games, averaging 6.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 25.7 minutes.

Perkins, originally selected in the 2003 NBA draft (27th overall) by the Memphis Grizzlies and then traded to Boston on draft night, was a Parade and McDonald’s All-America at Ozen High School in Beaumont, TX. He helped lead Ozen to a 96-3 record during his final three seasons, averaging 27.5 points, 16.4 rebounds and 7.8 blocks as a senior.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy reacts to Celtics trading Kendrick Perkins

Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports:

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was surprised — and he said so.

“That was interesting,” Van Gundy said after the Magic completed their shootaround to prepare to play the Thunder tonight.

“I have always said to you guys that nothing really shocks me in this league. I don’t know if it shocked me, but Perkins being traded surprised me. I was taken aback by that a little bit because I know how much they liked him in Boston. I know for a fact that their coaches liked him and thought he was a big part of it. He was a big, big part of their whole identity and the way they played. He was a big part of their toughness. He gave ’em a physical presence. He was a defensive-first guy. He didn’t need the ball on a team of stars.

“I think they decided they’ve still got Shaq, so they’ve got size, and that they’re good enough defensively with the other people that their defense wouldn’t be compromised too much. And then I think they thought they could make some offensive improvements — my guess is to try to get more space on the floor for [Rajon] Rondo and for [Paul] Pierce. Jeff Green is a guy who can give ’em depth at the three but he can play the four and spread out the floor. If you go back to their championship year, they went small a lot.”

Celtics sign Chris Johnson to 10-day contract

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed center Chris Johnson to a 10-day contract. He is the eighth NBA call-up of the 2010-11 season and is the first player to earn two separate call-ups. Johnson previously was with the Celtics during their training camp in October.

Johnson, a 6’11” center, has averaged 16.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 32.7 minutes per game for the Dakota Wizards of the NBA Development League. He has previously played for the Portland Trail Blazers earlier this season making two appearances averaging 2.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 8.0 minutes per game. He has recorded 15 double-doubles this season and recorded a high of 34 points against Rio Grande Valley on 1/22/11.

Celtics and Thunder trade Kendrick Perkins, Jeff Green, more

The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired center Kendrick Perkins and guard Nate Robinson from the Boston Celtics in exchange for forward Jeff Green, center Nenad Krstic and the Los Angeles Clippers 2012 first round pick it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

“It is never easy to make decisions such as these and I thank Jeff and Nenad for their contributions to the Thunder organization and to this community. They define professionalism and I wish them the very best in the future,” Presti said. “We had a unique opportunity to add a proven presence in our front court in acquiring Kendrick. He will help anchor our defense while Nate will add depth and athleticism to our backcourt. We are excited to welcome them both to the Thunder organization.”

Perkins (6-10, 280), an NBA champion currently in his 8th NBA season, owns career averages of 6.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 1.0 assist and 22.3 minutes in 454 NBA games. He has appeared in 12 games (7 starts) this season with the Celtics, averaging 7.3 points and 8.1 rebounds in 26.1 minutes. The center has appeared in 68 postseason games, averaging 6.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 25.7 minutes.

Robinson (5-9, 180), the only three-time Slam Dunk winner in NBA history currently in his 6th NBA season, owns career averages of 11.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists in 393 games. He has seen action in 55 games (11 starts) this season with the Celtics, averaging 7.1 points, 1.9 assists, 1.6 rebounds in 17.9 minutes. The guard has played in 17 postseason contests, averaging 4.2 points, 1.1 assists and 7.5 minutes.

Cavaliers waive Leon Powe, trade for Erden and Harangody from Celtics

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired center Semih Erden and forward Luke Harangody from the Boston Celtics in exchange for a second round pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today.

The Cavaliers also waived forward Leon Powe.

“Semih and Luke are two young players that we’ve liked dating back to their respective drafts. Each has worked hard, continued to grow and proven themselves on the court this season,” said Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant. “Luke and Semih also understand what winning culture is about and we’re happy to have them as part of our team. We look forward to their continued growth with us.”

Erden, 24, has played in 37 games (seven starts) this season, averaging 4.1 points on .598 shooting and 2.9 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game. The 7-foot, 240-pound rookie from Turkey was selected with the 60th overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft. He has seven seasons of international experience, playing the last five seasons (2005-2010) with Fenerbache Ulker Istanbul of the Turkish League.

With the Celtics during the 2010-11 season, he scored in double figures on four occasions and grabbed seven or more rebounds in five games this season. Semih Erden (pronounced SEM-ee Err-DEN) posted a season-high 14 points on a perfect 5-5 shooting and added seven rebounds in 30 minutes versus Utah on Jan. 21st.

Harangody, 23, is averaging 2.3 points on .394 shooting and 2.0 rebounds in 8.6 minutes per game in 28 games (zero starts). He was selected with the 52nd overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft

Celtics trade Marquis Daniels to Kings

The Sacramento Kings today acquired forward-guard Marquis Daniels and cash considerations from the Boston Celtics in exchange for a protected second-round pick in the 2017 draft, according to Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie.

Daniels, in his eighth NBA season out of Auburn, appeared in 49 games for the Celtics this season, averaging 5.5 ppg (.491 FG%, .684 FT%), 2.3 rpg, and 1.3 apg, before suffering a bruised spinal cord on February 6 versus Orlando and has not seen action since then.

Celtics uncertain if Marquis Daniels will play again this season

Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports:

Though the Celtics are no closer to knowing when or if Marquis Daniels will return to the team this season, at least the forward may be nearing the end of his meetings with specialists.

His agent, Mark Bartelstein, said yesterday that Daniels plans to meet with the Celtics medical staff in a week to discuss a plan of action for treating his bruised spinal cord.

Daniels has met with three specialists, and over the next week plans to meet with two more doctors for additional opinions.

Paul Pierce is saving money at All-Star game

The AP reports:

Paul Pierce is glad to be back home for the All-Star game, even though the Boston Celtics star is hearing some boos.

“To come back here for a second time and play in an All-Star game really means a lot—just to save money on plane tickets and hotels for my mom and my aunts,” he said, laughing.

Pierce is from nearby Inglewood, where he used to sneak into the Forum growing up to see the Lakers play.

The boos Pierce has heard are reminiscent of Kobe Bryant getting booed when the All-Star game was played in Philadelphia, where he was a high school star.

“When you play for L.A.’s biggest rival, it’s tough getting booed by the fans. But I’m sure if Kobe Bryant was from Boston, he’d get booed, too, if he went back there,” Pierce said.