Hooped Up

Free agent center Chris Andersen and his agent, Steve Heumann, arrived in Boston yesterday, had dinner with Ainge, and will meet with Ainge and his staff today. The Hornets are also interested in retaining Andersen. Free agents can begin signing contracts Tuesday.

The Celtics have had an interest in Andersen since he was reinstated by the NBA March 4 after serving a two-year ban for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. The athletic, 6-foot-11-inch, 228-pounder returned to the Hornets and played in five games. Andersen, who has also played for the Nuggets, has averaged 5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks over his six-year career.

“He’s a guy we’ve always wanted,” Ainge said. “We just want to sit down and talk to Chris and see where he is at with his desire to play in Boston and to see if we think he is a fit.”

The Boston Globe

On the first day of free agency in the NBA, the world champion Celtics, according to an NBA source, made contract offers to both Posey and Maggette. Since Boston, at most, has a mid-level exception available (expected to be about $5.8 million), it would seem doubtful they could land both players. Boston is also scheduled have New Orleans center Chris Andersen in for a visit today.

“I called [Posey] and just talked to him and told him how much we wanted him back,” Ainge said. “I told his agent and we had a conversation. So we’re still having conversations. After James, yeah, I called a lot of guys just to say that we had interest. But I can’t discuss names.”

Maggette, however, confirmed yesterday he was one of those names.

“I was very surprised they called. They just came off a championship,” said Maggette in a phone interview.

Boston Globe

There is no doubt that James Posey was a difference maker off the bench for the Boston Celtics in the Finals.  Now he wants to be paid that way and the Celtics really want him back.  It’s safe to say that Posey can go right ahead and pre-order those extra green and white mouth pieces anytime now.

For the NBA champion Celtics, free agency begins today with James Posey as the primary focus. Most other personnel matters will be handled after Posey’s situation is settled. One move was made last night when the franchise failed to make Tony Allen a qualifying offer, thus making the guard an unrestricted free agent, according to his agent, Mike Higgins. The arrival of draft picks J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker definitely hurt Allen’s chances to return to Boston. 

Boston Globe 

The wheelchair bit  was a little overboard but, Pierce was kinda funny.  

Derrick Rose is going home, and a record crowd of freshmen are following him to the NBA. The Chicago Bulls selected Rose, who grew up on the city’s South Side, with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft Thursday night, choosing the Memphis guard over Kansas State forward Michael Beasley.  Below are the rest of the NBA draft results.

Round 1 NBA Draft Results

Second round results after the jump Read the rest of this entry »

The 1986 NBA Draft was held on June 17, 1986 and is perhaps most notable for the drug-related death of highly-touted Len Bias less than two days after being selected second overall by the defending champion Boston Celtics.  Each year around NBA draft day, the pre-cautionary tale of Len Bias comes en vogue and we are reminded of the most tragic event in NBA draft history.

As fate would have it, Bias has now been dead for as long as he was alive, the Celtics are once again NBA champions and Micheal Weinreb has written The Day Innocence Died, the best Len Bias story I have ever read.  

After reading this story readers will truly understand the ripple effect caused by the death of Len Bias. 

Hooped Up

Jeff Van Gundy should never coach again and just call games.  Dude is hilarious! Even better than his humour is that he’s not Tom Tolbert.

Soon to be free agent James Posey was important to the Celtics championship run and Paul Pierce wants him back next year.

“Posey’s very important to what we’re trying to do around here and what we’ve done, man,” Paul Pierce said. “He’s invaluable to me, and you could see it in these playoffs when I got into foul trouble. When I go out, he comes in and fills in so amazingly that I can sit out, and it doesn’t hurt us too bad. You don’t always see it with the numbers, but he brings a lot to the team. He’s so smart. He’s got a great basketball IQ. Then he has that great ability to knock down shots and play defense.”

Boston Herald