Celtics on Rudy Fernandez wish list

Jay King | July 16, 2010 at 8:19 am | 10 Comments

(Yup, that’s Dwight Howard who Fernandez just wrecked.)

The only downside to Rudy? He's Olympic teammates with Pau Gasol.

Rudy Fernandez has submitted a wish list to the Portland Trail Blazers consisting of five places he wouldn’t mind being traded. The Celtics are on that list. (Frank Isola, New York Daily News)

The Knicks and Nets are among the five teams on the wish list Blazers guard Rudy Fernandez has submitted to Portland management in the hopes of being traded.

According to a Blazers source, the club is looking to get draft picks in return for Fernandez, who no longer wants to serve as Brandon Roy’s backup. For the Knicks to acquire Fernandez, Wilson Chandler would also certainly have to be included in a trade.

Rudy Fernandez’ list of teams isn’t four but cinco: Knicks, Nets, Bulls, Celtics and that awful team in South Florida featuring LeCon.

What would it take to secure Fernandez? I really have no idea. But his contract only calls for him to be paid $1.246 million next year, with a team option for the following year and a qualifying offer (whatever the hell that means) for the third. Unfortunately, if it’s draft picks the Blazers want the C’s can’t give the most valuable ones.

But if the Celtics can somehow get Fernandez? Man, I would love that. He’s instant energy off the bench, can shoot the rock from outside, runs the wing on the break and is a lady killer at the same time. He had a down year last year, but has been stifled in a halfcourt Portland offense. Get Fernandez running the wing for Rondo and he’d certainly be a better player than he was last season.

There have been some rumors that Fernandez is so disgruntled he might end up back overseas, but this wish list is a sign he wants to remain in the NBA. Let’s hope he gets his wish, as long as it’s in Boston.

Lawrence Frank hired as Celtics assistant coach

Jay King | July 15, 2010 at 5:05 pm | 3 Comments

Lawrence Frank, the pasty-skinned former Indiana University team manager (and, later, the Nets head coach), has been hired to fill Tom Thibodeau’s spot on Doc Rivers’ staff.

Frank was fired after his Nets opened this past season 0-16, but is still a good hire – not even Jesus Christ himself could have coached that bunch of underacheiving misfits. He (Frank, not Jesus) is a no-nonsense, defensive-minded coach who should be able to step right in where Thibodeau left off. He’s got some big shoes to fill, though.

Highlight Reel: Derrick Favors destroys Slava Kravtsov

Jay King | July 9, 2010 at 2:30 pm | 0 Comments

Sorry to do it to you, Slava. But when you get someone’s nuts in your face like that, it’s only a matter of time before you get victimized in Highlight Reel of the Day form. I don’t care if you’re a Celtic. By the way, Favors took off from like ten feet out. He’s a freak.

If you care about whether the Celtics won or not, they didn’t. They lost 86-68. I haven’t seen the game yet, but Luke Harangody had 18 and 8. Check out the box score here.

Raptors would sign-and-trade Bosh to Cavs, but…

Jay King | July 6, 2010 at 1:00 pm | 4 Comments

Bosh and Lebron would be dangerous.

The Raptors would agree to a sign-and-trade deal that would make Chris Bosh a Cleveland Cavalier, according to ESPN sources.

So what’s holding it back? Bosh doesn’t seem to want to play in Cleveland. According to the report, Bosh would rather play with Lebron in a different city, namely Chicago, Miami or New Jersey.

The Toronto Raptors have told the Cleveland Cavaliers they will do a sign-and-trade with them for Bosh, according to several league sources.

The exact details of the potential trade have not been solidified, but Toronto likely would get Anderson Varejao and/or J.J. Hickson, Delonte West and perhaps Anthony Parker. A draft pick could be involved as well.

ESPN NBA insider Chris Broussard says he thinks LeBron James is leaning towards staying in Cleveland. Chris Bosh wants to play with James but would rather do it in a bigger city than Cleveland.

Both James and Bosh are aware that such a trade is possible, and James has tried to recruit Bosh to the Cavaliers several times in the past few weeks, according to sources.

But right now, Bosh remains cold to the idea of playing in Cleveland.

The Cavaliers are hopeful that will change, because in Cleveland, Bosh can meet two of his top priorities: playing with James, and getting a six-year, $125 million contract.

Responding to the ESPN report, Cavs beat reporter Brian Windhorst tweeted, “From what I hear Raptors & Cavs not as far down line on sign-and-trade as is being reported. There have been some talks, not serious yet.”

Anyway, where did all this “Bosh definitely wants to play with Lebron” stuff come from? Didn’t Bosh say a couple weeks ago he wanted to be the main star wherever he went? I don’t get how quickly and drastically that has changed. Now, all of a sudden, every report assumes he wants to latch onto a superstar and ride his coattails.

If this sign-and-trade ever happened, the deal would make the Cavs better. Obviously. But the Cavs landing Bosh and keeping Lebron wouldn’t be as devastating to the East as, say, Lebron and Bosh joining Rose and Noah in Chicago.

Wherever they go, I can’t wait until these stars sign so they can stop hi-jacking ESPN 24/7.

Scal getting interest from Nets, Sixers

Jay King | June 22, 2010 at 9:54 am | 0 Comments

Adrian Wojnarowski reports that a couple teams are interested in signing Brian Scalabrine.

“The Nets and Philadelphia 76ers are expected to have interest in Boston Celtics free agent Brian Scalabrine,” Wojnarowski wrote. “The reserve forward prefers to re-sign with the Celtics, but it’s unclear if they’ll make him an offer.”

Good for Scal. I wouldn’t mind seeing him in a Celtics jersey (aka a suit, at the end of the bench) next season, but if he’s not a Celtic I’d still like to see him in the NBA.

Report: Thibodeau gets ultimatum from Hornets

Jay King | June 2, 2010 at 3:05 pm | 3 Comments

"Don't worry, Doc. I might be back next year, after all."

The New Orleans Hornets are prepared to offer their head coaching position to someone else if Tom Thibodeau doesn’t accept the position by Thursday, reports ESPN’s Mark Stein.

The New Orleans Hornets, who offered their vacant coaching job to Boston Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau last week, might hire someone else if Thibodeau has not accepted the job before Game 1 of the NBA Finals, according to sources close to the situation.

The Hornets don’t want to let their coaching search drag beyond this week and plan to offer the job instead to Portland Trail Blazers assistant Monty Williams if Thibodeau, Boston’s defensive specialist, doesn’t accept by Thursday, according to sources.

If Thibodeau decides to keep New Orleans waiting and roll the dice that New Jersey or Chicago will offer him a contract, he risks losing the only sure thing he has.

Could we possibly go another season without Tom Thibodeau getting a head coaching job? It would seem almost unfathomable, but it might happen.