SI.com & ESPN; Celtics Interested in Chris Paul

Link below.

According to "sources" Danny Ainge is very interested in obtaining Chris Paul but the Hornets won't go even up for Rondo or for Rondo packaged with other Celtic players, so Danny is looking for a third team to get involved.

It's also being reported in the same piece that after last season's playoffs Trader Dan tried to do a Rondo and Green for Westbrook and Perkins swap but OKC declined.

One thing I'll say for Danny Ainge; he's got major (fill in the blank)s.

Regards

http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/7296934/sources-boston-celtics-deal-rajon-rondo-land-chris-paul

EDIT: The Pacers are reportedly the third team, at least for now, and could potentially be Rondo's destination in one scenario to land Paul. The link below is from an article that seems to have been written prior to the latest ESPN report above.

Interesting stuff anyway. Ainge certainly tries to leverage changing situations to our team's advantage.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AoEYUZ7eLF4mHsT0GBhobkS8vLYF?slug=aw-wojnarowski_boston_celtics_rajon_rondo_112911

The rumors are flying like crazy here in Boston. They have Rondo just about gone along with Baby, to NO. But they claim that Indiana is involved also so who is moving will be interesting.

Another thing, it is interesting to read that if the Celtics were involved in
any trade for Paul or Howard, the selling points are the Big Three. These
guys want a title and having those guys on your team is invaluable. Read
the CelticsBlog, rumors are crazy.

I don't know how I feel about losing Rondo, he is so exciting at times, but
his shooting still stinks. Paul would be such an addition to this team. Is it
2007 all over again????

Rosalie

Best we just sit and wait for a week. Certainly will be some heads rolling to other places but who's heads will be rolling here? And at what cost?

Got rid of the NBA package this year as with Marcus's games and all just wasn't worth it. So won't be listening to Tommy and Mike and will only be able to see the games that are on the NBA channel, TBS or TNT for now.

beat

Rosalie,

You may be right about it being 2007 all over again.

The framework around the new potential CBA and the short window to starting the season seems to have created an urgency by several teams to try and either deal for future free agents before they hit next year's market or to get value now for players a team might lose after the season.

We may see a few players with new teams by next week, including in Boston.

Even if we don't see anything major here for now, I like that Danny Ainge seems to be wasting no opportunity to try and improve the team and deal from whatever position of leverage or strength we may have.

It looks like we've gone from no NBA basketball to talk about, to the rumor mill at full speed in lightning fast time.

Regards

I hadn't realized that Chris Paul was involved in the Celtics' deliberations concerning Rondo. It rather defies the imagination to think about the balanced offense that could be mounted with a starting lineup of KG, Paul, Ray, Paul, and (oh oh, there's the rub—at the center position). In giving up Rondo for Paul, the Celtics would be sacrificing perimeter defense, which would heighten the need for the presence of a dominating shot blocker at the center position. On the other hand, Rondo has continued to have problems with pick-and-roll defense, especially against speedy PG opponents, and I have no idea how Paul performs in that area.

One advantage of trading for Paul would be that the Knicks wouldn't get him.

We should all prepare for a crash course in (1) the art of general managing and (1) creative use of the cell phone.

Sam

Paul Uninterested In Signing Extension With Celtics
Nov 30, 2011 11:03 AM EST


Chris Paul is not interested in signing an extension with the Celtics, according to a source close to the situation.

Boston has been mentioned as a team that is angling to execute a trade for Paul.

Chris Broussard has reported on Monday that Paul's preference is to end up with the Knicks and that he would also consider the Clippers.

Via Chris Broussard/ESPN (via Twitter)

While you never know, given Paul's preferences for either NO or NY, I'd say this pretty much kills this rumor.

bob


.

Bob,

You are probably right. NY has long been CP3's preference.

Then again... Garnett said no way he was going to Boston...

Regards

CP may be uninterested now, but remember that KG first stated that he wasn't interested in coming over to the Celtics.

"Anything's possible"

Ain't this fun?

(NYCelt: great minds think alike)

I dont like it.

I think you can get more value out of Rondo with his deficiencies + whatever else we can get for the difference than we would with Chris Paul.

Chris Paul might be a better scorer but I am not sure the total team net would be better with him and that is not even including having to give up other pieces. I think CP3 is too big of a name to give really good bang for the buck.

gyso wrote:CP may be uninterested now, but remember that KG first stated that he wasn't interested in coming over to the Celtics.

"Anything's possible"

Ain't this fun?

(NYCelt: great minds think alike)

gyso,

It's just that I've never been accused of having a great mind!

NYCelt wrote:

gyso wrote:CP may be uninterested now, but remember that KG first stated that he wasn't interested in coming over to the Celtics.

"Anything's possible"

Ain't this fun?

(NYCelt: great minds think alike)

gyso,

It's just that I've never been accused of having a great mind!

Here's a link to the KG story:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2912075

The proposed trade that would have sent Kevin Garnett to Boston, agreed to in principle by ex-teammates Kevin McHale and Danny Ainge, was taken off the table Thursday after Garnett got word to the Celtics that he doesn't want to play for them.

Garnett, according to sources close to the situation, is hoping for a trade to the Phoenix Suns if he has to leave the only team he has ever played for.

"The Boston trade isn't happening," Garnett's agent, Andy Miller, told ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan. "If a trade were to happen, that's not a destination that we're interested in pursuing."

Suns general manager Steve Kerr told the Arizona Republic that he has been talking with the Wolves about acquiring Garnett, but said it would be "tough" to pull off.

KG ended up agreeing to the trade after the Celtics traded for Ray. KG also extended his contract and supposedly took less money than he could have. 20M is still alot and that salary is hampering us somewhat.

The questions are:

1. Will CP3 extend for less than he could otherwise get?

2. Is CP3 worth more than Rondo plus the extra $5-8M per year?

3. Will a green CP3 intice DH12?

gyso wrote:

NYCelt wrote:

gyso wrote:CP may be uninterested now, but remember that KG first stated that he wasn't interested in coming over to the Celtics.

"Anything's possible"

Ain't this fun?

(NYCelt: great minds think alike)

gyso,

It's just that I've never been accused of having a great mind!

Here's a link to the KG story:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2912075

The proposed trade that would have sent Kevin Garnett to Boston, agreed to in principle by ex-teammates Kevin McHale and Danny Ainge, was taken off the table Thursday after Garnett got word to the Celtics that he doesn't want to play for them.

Garnett, according to sources close to the situation, is hoping for a trade to the Phoenix Suns if he has to leave the only team he has ever played for.

"The Boston trade isn't happening," Garnett's agent, Andy Miller, told ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan. "If a trade were to happen, that's not a destination that we're interested in pursuing."

Suns general manager Steve Kerr told the Arizona Republic that he has been talking with the Wolves about acquiring Garnett, but said it would be "tough" to pull off.

KG ended up agreeing to the trade after the Celtics traded for Ray. KG also extended his contract and supposedly took less money than he could have. 20M is still alot and that salary is hampering us somewhat.

The questions are:

1. Will CP3 extend for less than he could otherwise get?

2. Is CP3 worth more than Rondo plus the extra $5-8M per year?

3. Will a green CP3 intice DH12?

Sound like Star Wars with R2D2 and CP30

beat

Hi,
As it was mentioned a lot on other boards, one of the main goals getting CP is to entice DH to join the green.

AK

Sometimes it baffles me, you wonder why a young guy like Paul wouldn't want to come to one of the greatest basketball cities in the NBA. It is well known
how great the fans are here in Boston. With a history like the Celtics have,
what a way to get acknowledged as having played on this team. NY is a
city that will boo you out of the arena if they don't like you. He doesn't know
what he is missing!!

I think gyso presents some very good questions and makes a point in doing so.

Although we don't know where this or any other attempted player move may be going, no single move being discussed is in and of itself "the whole story." The GM/President of operations has an overall agenda for a team he's trying to shape.

No one report or possibility should be viewed in a vacuum without asking why or if it might be so or what else it might lead to.

I'll end that thought right there since it sounds like I'm trying to write a legal disclaimer.

RosalieTCeltics wrote:Sometimes it baffles me, you wonder why a young guy like Paul wouldn't want to come to one of the greatest basketball cities in the NBA. It is well known
how great the fans are here in Boston. With a history like the Celtics have,
what a way to get acknowledged as having played on this team. NY is a
city that will boo you out of the arena if they don't like you. He doesn't know
what he is missing!!

Rosalie,

It could be because because of personal relationships he has with players on the Knicks, like 'Melo, or it might be because of endorsements. NY is probably even better for that than LA.

bob

.

Another rumor du jour:

NJ is prepared to offer Brook Lopez and two 1st round picks to Orlando for Dwight Howard NOW, before Howard becomes a free agent.

Sources say that Orlando hasn't given up on re-signing Howard, so they're not accepting offers at this time, however, as the year progresses and Howard's inclinations become more clear, this offer will still be on the table BEFORE Danny can have his shot.

bob

.

I really hold out no hope of Howard coming here to Boston. It just doesn't seem realistic. What are your thoughts of Rondo being traded? I am
really on the fence about it. I know Paul is terrific, but, in his own way, Rondo just fits here. My son is adamant that what he gives us defensively and the way he distributes the ball are not enough to keep him here. The one thing I
do see is that none of these young guys are safe. The veteran's may be safer than anyone realizes.

Some interesting rumors here, but some of it doesn't make sense to me.

First off, could the Celtics make the money work by acquiring Chris Paul? Would it leave them so strapped under the cap that they have to fill the roster with scrubs and D-leaguers? They currently have seven signed players on the roster:

Kevin Garnett $21,200,000 (4th highest in the league)
Paul Pierce $15,333,334 (18th highest in the league)
Ray Allen $10,000,000
Rajon Rondo $10,000,000
Jermaine O'Neal $6,226,000
Jeff Green $5,908,640
Avery Bradley $1,524,480

They're also paying for two non-players:

Rasheed Wallace $6,790,640
Shaquille O'Neal $1,399,507

Total 2011-12 salary presently committed: $72,473,961
http://hoopshype.com/salaries/boston.htm

Chris Paul's contract this year is for $16,359,805 (14th highest in the league). So even if they they lose Rondo's salary and use the amnesty thingy on Rasheed, they still wind up in the same place -- around $72 million. The salary cap last year was $58 million, and the luxury tax kicked in at $70 million. So I guess it works just as well as the situation they're in now. I'm still not 100% sure it works, because I think at least one other Celtic has to be involved to make the contract amounts add up.

But if someone could explain to me how Boston can keep all those guys AND get Dwight Howard ($17,885,400 this season, 11th in the league), I'm all ears.

As for why Paul wouldn't want to come to Boston, other than the obvious that he wants to go to New York and play with his buddies on the big stage, my guess is that it's because the window is so short in Boston -- this year, maybe next? Plus there's no young leaper for the alley oops like he had with Tyson Chandler (he really missed that last year). New York has Amare.

I forget who said it, but I remember a GM saying that for nine out of 10 rumors, by the time we hear about them, they're already dead, so all of this may be moot. Considering that it's no sure thing that he'd work out as planned with the Celtics (Sam made an excellent point about needing a shot-blocker in the middle, and it's expecting too much of KG to do that), it may be a good thing for the C's if it doesn't happen. But it sure has generated some buzz around the team, and it shows that Danny is willing to deal and think big. The downside is if Rondo is still here when the dust settles and all this messes with his head.

Outside

Outside wrote:Some interesting rumors here, but some of it doesn't make sense to me.

First off, could the Celtics make the money work by acquiring Chris Paul? Would it leave them so strapped under the cap that they have to fill the roster with scrubs and D-leaguers? They currently have seven signed players on the roster:

Kevin Garnett $21,200,000 (4th highest in the league)
Paul Pierce $15,333,334 (18th highest in the league)
Ray Allen $10,000,000
Rajon Rondo $10,000,000
Jermaine O'Neal $6,226,000
Jeff Green $5,908,640
Avery Bradley $1,524,480

They're also paying for two non-players:

Rasheed Wallace $6,790,640
Shaquille O'Neal $1,399,507

Total 2011-12 salary presently committed: $72,473,961
http://hoopshype.com/salaries/boston.htm

Chris Paul's contract this year is for $16,359,805 (14th highest in the league). So even if they they lose Rondo's salary and use the amnesty thingy on Rasheed, they still wind up in the same place -- around $72 million. The salary cap last year was $58 million, and the luxury tax kicked in at $70 million. So I guess it works just as well as the situation they're in now. I'm still not 100% sure it works, because I think at least one other Celtic has to be involved to make the contract amounts add up.

But if someone could explain to me how Boston can keep all those guys AND get Dwight Howard ($17,885,400 this season, 11th in the league), I'm all ears.

As for why Paul wouldn't want to come to Boston, other than the obvious that he wants to go to New York and play with his buddies on the big stage, my guess is that it's because the window is so short in Boston -- this year, maybe next? Plus there's no young leaper for the alley oops like he had with Tyson Chandler (he really missed that last year). New York has Amare.

I forget who said it, but I remember a GM saying that for nine out of 10 rumors, by the time we hear about them, they're already dead, so all of this may be moot. Considering that it's no sure thing that he'd work out as planned with the Celtics (Sam made an excellent point about needing a shot-blocker in the middle, and it's expecting too much of KG to do that), it may be a good thing for the C's if it doesn't happen. But it sure has generated some buzz around the team, and it shows that Danny is willing to deal and think big. The downside is if Rondo is still here when the dust settles and all this messes with his head.

Outside

outside,

They'd probably have to throw either Davis or Green into the deal to get Paul. If they can get Landry and/or Hayes, it might be Davis.

As far as Howard goes, I don't see how they could trade for him this year (NJ is offering Lopez and two 1st round picks and if Orlando gets the feeling D12 won't stay in Orlando, they might take that deal rather than take their chances in the offseason. A bird and two picks in the hand, and all that...) but next year is something else. KG's $21.2M and RA's $10M come off the books. JON would be off the books. Sheed would be off the books. Shaq would be off the books. I don't know if there's an amnesty clause for next year too, but if there is, then there's that too.

The flood gates open tomorrow, as agreements with free agent can be announced, although the contracts cannot be signed until 12/9. After the initial rush, and the prime beef is off the table, then we'll see what's left for Danny to buy or trade for.

bob

.

At some point the big three must be broken up.

Adding a better scoring PG will not change that fact.

I think DA should focus on adding more young pieces to the mix rather than simply trading our point guard for another point guard.

I think DA must think that if CP came then it may also help them to sign DH.

The problem is that DH will probably be traded midterm unless he agrees to an extension with Orlando and I am quite certain that he will name the teams that he would like to play for.

DA likes to gamble and if you take a close look at his track record, other than the great RA and KG moves he has missed on several trades and free agent signings.

I have been an advocate fo breaking up the big three for a while now but at the very least this should be their final year together.

CP wants to play in NY...so the notion that he may come here with the prospect of Dwight Howard also coming is far fetched.

If DA wants to make a move he should go after DH now and I would be willing to move 2 of the big three and draft picks to do it.

I think RA would fit nicely in the magic offensive scheme.

Anyways it is just as likely that nothing will happen before the season begins. I am more fascinated with the West/Green/Davis situation and also to see how our rookie Johnson fits in.

The Celtics are not going to win the championship this year because their main guys are too old and Doc is not going to transition the team into a style that permits the young guys to get more floor time.

The window has already close for this core group. RR is the only one that has a chance to be a significant part of the rebuilding process.

Bob,

As far as Howard goes, yes, the C's could sign him with ease next year, but do you see any way that Orlando is going to allow this to drag on into the summer? It'll be like Carmelo -- he'll be either signed or traded prior to the trading deadline, and whoever gets him will get him with a new five-year contract.

The slimmest of possibilities is that whoever receives him in a trade accepts him as a rent-a-center for this year with the hope that they convince him to re-sign with them in the summer, like the Nets are doing with Deron Williams, and then Howard chooses instead to sign with Boston. That just seems like such a far-fetched possibility. No one is going to trade away all the assets needed to acquire Howard without getting an assurance that he's going to stay. The Nets are at least renting Williams for a year and a half, not just a few months.

Still, this looks like it's going to be wild. There could be some major shifts around the league.

Outside

Outside,

I had a interesting site shown to me by a guy on CelticsBlog. It not only has the Celtic player salaries, but their cap holds as well.

http://shamsports.com/content/pages/data/salaries/celtics.jsp

From the looks of it, Sheed no longer has a cap hold. The amnesty rule won't be used by his contract. His salary, both last year and this year, was/is under a half of a million. I never read where he retired and I don't believe that waived player salaries can be cut or eliminated, at least under normal conditions. There was something called "36 year old player exemption" or something like that. Perhaps that is what happened. I've never seen anything in print that explains that at all.

There are some other weird names and situations on the cap hold list. Ray Allen has a player option and until he takes it, his hold is 150%. Jeff Green is at 300%, Krstic and Davis are at 200% and so on down the line. Roshone McLeod? He hasn't played for 10 years. Dana Barros? Candy Man? Pollard? This stuff sticks harder than gum on the bottom of a shoe on a hot summer day!!

bobh is right, most things that I have read about aquiring CP3 involve either Davis or Green and maybe a third team (Indy?).

The amnesty clause is "one per team" and it has to be for a contract pre-2011 CBA (in other words, a contract that is already signed). Once a team uses amnesty, it is gone. A team can wait a year or two (or until the end of the new CBA, I guess) to use it.

gyso

What a day for the NBA rumor mill, much of it centering on Rondo.

He's been reported headed for the Hornets and Pacers, with later reports neither really want him. Sources greater in number than Clinton and Cain girlfriends combined have reported on our willingness to trade him.

Some of the rumors are obviously untrue, like the post season Rondo and Green for Westbrook and Perkins. That trade would have been prohibited by league rules at the time it was allegedly discussed.

Two teams at least willing to talk about deals involving Rondo now would have to play with his head though. He'll always feel like he's on the block.

Have we left ourselves no choice but to trade him? If we're not getting someone like Paul in his place, I hope not. We'll see.

Change is the constant; rate is the variable. I wonder what will come along by tomorrow?

gyso,

The ShamSports page is interesting and confusing. Why do they show Rasheed with a salary this year of less than $500K while HoopsHype shows him with $6.7 million? The Celtics bought him out in 2010, but even if they paid him off, the amount of his guaranteed contract (the $6.7 million) still counts toward the salary cap.

I figured out that he has no cap hold because he was waived. Guys who have never been waived, traded, or officially retired stay on with cap holds, which are meaningless even though they exist. I guess the cap hold on Roshone McLeod will stay until he dies.

I still haven't seen a definitive explanation of whether a team could use the amnesty clause for a previously waived player like Sheed. I've seen sites that say he's not eligible for the amnesty clause and other sites that say he's a perfect candidate. Gyso, have you seen anything definitive about this?

As far as any trade for Chris Paul, yeah, I assumed it would involved signing and trading Davis or Green, involving another team, or both. Parting with Davis would be tough considering he's one of the few live bodies that can play center, but I've come to believe that the Celtics might be better off parting ways with him because he's been emotionally erratic, he overvalues himself, and the fact that he gained a significant amount of weight during last season bothers me. But I guess they'd include whichever guy (Green or Davis) they'd need to include to get it done.

Outside