Celtics News

[Neurotic Guy]

Puts a pin in the bubble.  We?ve known all along that this team without JT is not championship caliber and though we?ve also known that JT can?t come back at 100% right away, hope was nestled in their somewhere. Another center and JT and who knows?

[jambr380]

The fact that Tatum himself mentioned what it would be like for him to come back 50 or 60 games into the season tells me that it isn't necessarily physical; it's more mental. Brown spouting off about he has been sacrificing his whole career and that he is proving he is a #1 can't possibly help here.

Tatum also watched team chemistry after Hayward returned and I'm sure he doesn't want people to blame him. But the fact is, this team is going absolutely nowhere without Tatum. They've been a try-hard team playing other injured teams and pulling out wins. That's not going to work in the playoffs. Maybe we'll lose a few more, drop in the standings, and he'll see himself more as a help than a hindrance

[celticinorlando]

This team can maybe make the playoffs in the East (although I think they are starting to level out) and maybe win a series. They are not winning the East with or without Tatum.

He needs to sit the rest of the year. No need to come back really.

[Birdman]

This team can maybe make the playoffs in the East (although I think they are starting to level out) and maybe win a series. They are not winning the East with or without Tatum.

He needs to sit the rest of the year. No need to come back really.

I agree let that Achilles heal a 110%

[seancally]

Brown spouting off about he has been sacrificing his whole career and that he is proving he is a #1 can't possibly help here.

No kidding. It is so incredibly tiresome. You know there are a lot of No. 1 options who don?t amount to anything, is that really the goal? You already got the contract, you have a Finals MVP, what are you really sacrificing? Tatum?s answer is, if anything, a perfect PR response that we can try and read into. Brown should really try and read the room.

[Roy H.]

A few tid bits found on Hoopshype:

Conversely, if there was a notable center upgrade that could be attained while using Simons' expiring contract, it could appeal to the Celtics. When the Clippers were struggling with a 6-21 record to begin the season, the Celtics inquired about an exploratory framework around Simons, a first-round pick, and a future first-round pick swap for Ivica Zubac and salary filler, which didn?t gain any traction, league sources told

New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi has drawn significant trade interest, including the Pacers, Hawks, Celtics, Knicks, Bulls, Lakers, and Raptors as suitors, league sources told HoopsHype. Amid trade talks, the Pelicans have signaled that they?d want a first-round pick to consider parting with Missi, league sources said.

Boucher has drawn exploratory interest from the Hawks, 76ers, Suns, and other teams, league sources told HoopsHype.

However, Simons has been an efficient sixth man off the bench, and league sources told HoopsHype that Boston has also been unwilling to part with a future first-round pick to simply shed Simons? salary and avoid the luxury tax. ... For example, earlier this season, well before Boston surged into second place in the East, the Chicago Bulls inquired on the possibility of trading center Nikola Vucevic for Simons and a Celtics first-round pick, which would have lowered Boston?s tax bill, but the Celtics weren?t interested, league sources told HoopsHype.

[slamtheking]

A few tid bits found on Hoopshype:

Conversely, if there was a notable center upgrade that could be attained while using Simons' expiring contract, it could appeal to the Celtics. When the Clippers were struggling with a 6-21 record to begin the season, the Celtics inquired about an exploratory framework around Simons, a first-round pick, and a future first-round pick swap for Ivica Zubac and salary filler, which didn?t gain any traction, league sources told

New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi has drawn significant trade interest, including the Pacers, Hawks, Celtics, Knicks, Bulls, Lakers, and Raptors as suitors, league sources told HoopsHype. Amid trade talks, the Pelicans have signaled that they?d want a first-round pick to consider parting with Missi, league sources said.

Boucher has drawn exploratory interest from the Hawks, 76ers, Suns, and other teams, league sources told HoopsHype.

However, Simons has been an efficient sixth man off the bench, and league sources told HoopsHype that Boston has also been unwilling to part with a future first-round pick to simply shed Simons? salary and avoid the luxury tax. ... For example, earlier this season, well before Boston surged into second place in the East, the Chicago Bulls inquired on the possibility of trading center Nikola Vucevic for Simons and a Celtics first-round pick, which would have lowered Boston?s tax bill, but the Celtics weren?t interested, league sources told HoopsHype.

If Atlanta wants him they can have him.  ask for that first rounder they got from NO   

[slightly biased bias fan]

The Celtics have placed Anfernee Simons on the trade market, per Chris Haynes.
 

[Goldstar88]

The Celtics have placed Anfernee Simons on the trade market, per Chris Haynes.

Was he ever off the trade block? 

[Roy H.]

The Celtics have placed Anfernee Simons on the trade market, per Chris Haynes.

Was he ever off the trade block? 

That was my thought.  Maybe it means that Brad is aggressively calling other teams now, but it always has seemed like Simons was acquired to be traded again.

[radiohead]

The Celtics have placed Anfernee Simons on the trade market, per Chris Haynes.

Was he ever off the trade block? 

That was my thought.  Maybe it means that Brad is aggressively calling other teams now, but it always has seemed like Simons was acquired to be traded again.

I?ll be sad to see him go for sure. He?s won us a couple of games and has been a real weapon off the bench. On the other hand, I?m excited for what Brad has in store.

[Goldstar88]

Despite Tatum?s candid musings about joining a Celtics team that is already sitting near the top of the Eastern Conference, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said on 98.5 The Sports Hub?s Zolak & Bertrand Thursday that his star player?s approach hasn?t changed in recent weeks.

The mindset has been relatively consistent (and) where it has been the entire season, Mazzulla said of Tatum?s approach. We don?t know yet. It was never a yes, it was never a no.

It was, Let?s work as hard as you can, trusting the sports science team, trusting his development, whether it?s in the weight room, on the training table, and then put yourself in the best possible position to be as healthy as you can be, and then reevaluate it.'

Tatum?s potential second guess isn?t due to any physical issue with the 27-year-old forward, according to Mazzulla.

There?s been zero setback, Mazzulla said of Tatum. He?s progressing naturally.

As for the mental aspect of getting back on the court and jumping right back into the playoff chase with a reworked roster, Mazzulla said that it shouldn?t come as a surprise for Tatum to show some tepidness as he tries to return to game action.

I look at disruption as a positive, Mazzulla said. He?ll come back and just make us better. I think it?s two things. One, I think as you go through an injury and a process like this, a thousand things are going to come up. And I think one of the greatest things about a guy like Jayson is his openness and his vulnerability and his honesty about where he?s at as a player and a person. So, I think you have to reward that, and those are just natural things.

But the second piece is, he knows that if we get him back, we?re just going to be a better team, and there?s just no ifs, ands or buts about that. He should never be worried about disrupting in a negative way, but he?ll be disrupting in a positive way because he?ll just make us better on both ends of the floor and already add to what we?ve been able to build here this season.

[Neurotic Guy]

The Celtics have placed Anfernee Simons on the trade market, per Chris Haynes.

Was he ever off the trade block? 

That was my thought.  Maybe it means that Brad is aggressively calling other teams now, but it always has seemed like Simons was acquired to be traded again.

I?ll be sad to see him go for sure. He?s won us a couple of games and has been a real weapon off the bench. On the other hand, I?m excited for what Brad has in store.

My mind is shifting since the news yesterday. The theme of this year has been that this team is outperforming expectations and that JT will be back and we?ll have a run in us that could bring us to the Finals. Embedded in that narrative was bolstering the roster at the deadline.

Now that it appears JT may not return this year I?m wondering what Brad can pull off to strengthen us for next year.   That was the thinking prior to the season. Now I feel like we may have come full circle. Simons is a valuable player, bolstered by his play over the last couple of months including a decent showing defensively. I hate to lose him but maybe we get a solid return.  Brad is either all in on this year or all in on next year. We?ll soon find out.

[SparzWizard]

Can the Clippers take Simons for Zubac, again? (I heard yesterday they declined to trade Zubac to the C's earlier this season, possibly before the season began, but maybe their opinions might've changed?)