Celtics To Meet With Kent Bazemore Wednesday

Boston Celtics free agency rumors 2014: Kent Bazemore scheduled to meet with Celtics, Atlanta Hawks and San Antonio Spurs, according to report




Print Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com
on July 06, 2014 at 9:38 PM




As free agency moves forward, Kent Bazemore continues to be linked to the Boston Celtics.

In addition to approximately 30 other players, the Celtics contacted Bazemore during the first night of free agency. The two sides now plan to meet Wednesday, according to Mike Scotto of SheridanHoops.com. Scotto reported that Bazemore also has meetings scheduled with the Hawks (Monday) and Spurs (Tuesday).

Bazemore played sparingly in Golden State, but flourished after a midseason trade to the Lakers, averaging 13.1 points over 28.0 minutes per game with 37.1 percent shooting from behind the arc.

Maybe just as importantly to the Celtics, he's considered a great locker-room influence. Just check out this article about how the Warriors reacted to his trade. Andre Iguodala, a 10-year veteran, said, "That was probably the first one that I've been around that was kind of emotional."

If you want to love Bazemore, there's also this:





And this quote, which Celtics fans might enjoy, from a 2013 Bay Area Sports Guy article: "I like watching guys like Avery Bradley, guys who make 94 feet seem like four feet, the way they get up and down the floor. That’s one thing I want to do, bring energy, just play as hard as I can. That’s how I got in this league, that’s how I’m going to try to stick around.”

After agreeing to terms with Bradley, the Celtics do not have a lot of money to spend. Bazemore, 25, doesn't fit Boston's most pressing need and hasn't shown more than a few months of evidence that he can be a good shooter. But if he can sustain his 3-point accuracy (this was a fun article from a year ago that mentions the reconstruction of his shot), he could be a pretty cheap option to knock down open jumpers and exhibit the type of energy and defensive versatility Brad Stevens covets.



bob
MY NOTE:  Great, but where would we put him?  I love having defenders in the back court but between Smart, Bradley, Babb, Pressey and Rondo (when he wants to) I think we've got that covered.  I suppose, since everybody's waiting for the LeBron and Melo shoes to drop there will be time to make whatever roster changes take place and then we'll see where our then-current roster holes are.  I've heard a lot of people like this guy, think he's ready for a breakout year now that he has some NBA experience behind him. When I hear about stuff like this I think "there's going to be some fireworks", because otherwise I'm not seeing the need.

To be honest, I have very little clue why that video has much to do with Bazemore.  I just cut-and-pasted it because it was part of the article...

Undrafted, did some D-league, traded to LAL with Marshon Brooks for Blake last year.  Tore a tendon in his right foot 4/14, out for rest of year.

6'5", 200#, 6'11 1/2" wingspan, 25 years old.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bazemke01.html


2011 NCAA DPOY (Lefty Driesell Award)
2x CAA DPOY




.

I guess it's obvious that the Celtics have interest.  Perhaps they feel they haven't replaced Bayless and won't be bringing him back.  I like his size for a SG.  The "2011 NCAA SPOY" also caught my eye.  Other than that, who knows?

This appears to be a time when target are being sighted and preliminary work is being done but nothing can be finalized.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot the obligatory "We need a center" statement.

Sam

signing him now only makes sense if one of our guards is moved.

Or if the Celtics see Smart playing primarily at the floor general position and feel they need more height and firepower at SG.  Of course, if Smart plays a lot at the "1" position, it'll likely mean that Rondo has been moved per your comment.

Sam

Has Smart shown ability to distribute the ball well against NBA defenders and has Smart demonstrated an ability to dribble low instead of up high where the ball can get stolen easily? When the "yes" answers come in to those questions, maybe then I'd consider trading Rajon.

I do not like this course of action... There should be more diligence done towards improving the frontcourt. There's enough guards.


KJ

As far as I'm concerned, you're preaching to the choir, KJ.

Sam