NBA Summer League Celtics 74 Heat 72

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2018/07/boston_celtics_miami_heat_summ.html

Guerschon Yabusele, Boston Celtics hold off Miami Heat 74-72 at Summer League: Five things we learned
Updated 5:33 PM; Posted 5:26 PM

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 06: Guerschon Yabusele #30 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket against the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2018 NBA Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 6, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Celtics defeated the 76ers 69-63.

By Tom Westerholm
The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat on Saturday, holding on down the stretch for a 74-72 victory and advancing to the quarterfinals.

Miami rallied late and drew within a point with under 10 seconds remaining, and Guerschon Yabusele went 1-for-2 at the line to give the Heat an opening. But Boston got one final stop as time expired and will face Portland at 8 p.m. EST on Sunday.

Here are five takeaways from Saturday's win.

1. Don't give up on Guerschon Yabusele yet.

If you watched only the first game of the Celtics' Summer League schedule, you would have been excused for wondering whether or not Yabusele's place in the league was safe beyond his time in Las Vegas.

Since then, he's probably shown enough to cement it. The game slowed down noticeably for him throughout the week -- he stopped forcing tough shots and started creating for himself off the bounce a little bit.

Just by doing that, Yabusele reminded anybody watching why the Celtics used the No. 16 pick on him back in 2016. His offensive versatility and mobility could translate to the other end as well, especially if he can drop a little bit of the bulk that has helped make him beloved by Celtics fans.

Yabusele isn't a guaranteed success (11 points on 5-for-16 shooting, 10 rebounds on Saturday), but he improved as the week progressed, and he's intriguing enough to warrant continued examination.

2. Hassan Martin could be a reasonably useful two-way player.

After a report surfaced that the Celtics will likely release Kadeem Allen from his two-way contract, it made sense to wonder who might take his slot.

The Celtics don't need to look far for one good option: Former URI big man Hassan Martin has been a clear standout as compared to most of his Summer League counterparts, and he could get one of the two positions likely to open up once Jabari Bird's contract for next year is guaranteed. Martin is a little undersized, and he doesn't space the floor much, but he has good feet and nice touch around the rim, and he's a rugged interior defender and rebounder.

Players on two-way deals aren't expected to be complete players. Picking up Martin and giving him a chance while also letting him develop for a significant portion of the season might be a savvy move.

3. Jarrod Uthoff's shooting might make him playable in the NBA.

If you can shoot threes and reasonably call yourself a big man in the modern NBA, you have a real chance to make a roster. Jarrod Uthoff isn't a strong defender, but he can really space the floor, and he's tall enough to at least somewhat credibly play against opposing fours.

Where Uthoff's next deal comes from isn't entirely clear -- the Celtics will probably have an extra two-way slot, but plenty of others likely will as well, so if Uthoff has impressed other teams in Vegas, he could choose elsewhere. But Boston has seen some very reliable 3-point shooting from him (although he was 1-for-4 on Saturday), and he has the potential to play himself into contention for a two-way spot.

4. No Robert Williams again.

At this point, it seems fairly evident the Celtics plan to sit Williams for the entirety of Summer League. There's no reason to risk his long-term health in meaningless games, so it's the right decision. But for those of us who were hoping to get a glimpse at a potential big of the future, it's certainly a bit disappointing.

5. That was ... ugly basketball.

The Celtics tried to give Miami a chance in the final quarter, allowing the Heat to rally back in the final minutes by going ice cold from the floor. But Miami couldn't take advantage as both teams clanked three after three, and Boston stumbled across the finish line and into the Summer League quarterfinals.

The numbers: Boston shot 39.2 percent from the floor and 19 from three. Miami, meanwhile, was little better -- 40.3 percent from the floor and 24 from three. No Celtics player scored more than Pierria Henry (6-for-11), while Derrick Walton Jr. led Miami with 15 (6-for-13).

Still, for the Celtics, it was survive and advance, and Boston advanced despite shuffling its feet the entire fourth quarter.

https://celticswire.usatoday.com/2018/07/14/report-boston-celtics-to-release-kadeem-allen/

I thought Bird was a RFA?

kdp59 wrote:I thought Bird was a RFA?

I thought he was unrestricted because he has not signed his QO

https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2018/07/09/jabari-bird-nba-restricted-free-agent

By John Karalis July 9, 2018
LAS VEGAS — Last year, the Celtics scored nicely when they signed point guard Shane Larkin away from Baskonia, a EuroLeague team in Spain.

This year, they hope to repeat that success with the Brad Wanamaker signing. Wanamaker has played for seven teams overseas, most recently Fenerbahçe in Turkey.

Jabari Bird is not planning on taking that same path.

“I’m an NBA player,” he said.

Bird is an athletic wing who can shoot and read defenses to score on backdoor cuts when he’s off the ball. He has been impressive early in summer league, averaging 19 points on 56 percent shooting in his first two games. That’s tough to do when most of his teammates in Las Vegas will only be teammates for about 10 days.

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Summer league can be a jumbled mess of motivations for teams. Every guy here is chasing a dream. Sometimes that chase can take the focus off of the team’s greater good for an aspiring NBA rotation player.

“Everybody’s motivated by something when they step onto the court,” Bird told Boston.com. “I can only worry about the things I can control, and I can’t be too concerned about what other guys are trying to do or what their motivations are. I’m just trying to play the team game and play the right way.”

Bird’s play is getting noticed. The stands are full of executives from around the world looking for ways to improve their team. Bird is a 6-foot-6 wing — one of the hottest basketball commodities these days. There are good teams in good leagues that could come calling.

“I’m an NBA player. That’s it,” Bird said. “G-League, NBA, I’m going to be in the states doing what I do. I got drafted last year, that’s one foot in the door. I’m a restricted free agent, that’s another foot.”

Restricted free agency could also be a foot out of the door in Boston. The Celtics don’t have much money to spend before they become taxpayers. They also don’t have many minutes to offer, assuming they are able to avoid another avalanche of injuries. Another team can offer something slightly above the league minimum and that might be just too much for the Celtics in their current situation. But Bird is content to let that situation play itself out.

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“I haven’t really been concerned about free agency,” he said. “The only time I talk about it or think about it, it’s when I’m in front of the media. Outside that, I’m more worried about what time is practice, when am I gonna get some sleep, [and] when’s the next game.”

Bird has the advantage of having performed on the NBA stage. His two-way contract got him into 13 games for the Celtics, including one start, so he’s shown that summer-league buckets aren’t just coming because he’s facing future G-Leaguers.

“Jabari has done that in NBA games,” said Celtics assistant and summer league head coach Jay Larranaga. “He’s incredibly talented, he’s made some spectacular plays. As he improves at the defensive end of the floor and embraces that I think he’s got a really bright future.”

Circumstances can change on a dime, and money can be a pretty good motivator, but Bird seems set on what his future holds — and it won’t include a passport.

“I’m going to make the best of the opportunities I have,” he said. “I’m just thankful to be here, I happy to be part of the Celtics, and I’m just looking forward to anything that happens moving forward.

“Wherever my dream takes me, at the end of the day I know I’m an NBA player.”

Thanks for the update which confirms that Bird is a FA.

Until the Smart situation is resolved the Celtics cannot sign Bird.

If Bird is healthy and does not play then Danny may be hiding him.

It's a little late to be hiding him. He's resting because, like many others who are sitting out, he has nothing further to prove in summer league. Bird will play in the NBA this year on an NBA contract, not a two way.

Against Miami Yabu was impressive. Several good signs. Good passing. Good scoring. Good rebounding. Alert.