Tag: brad wanamaker

Celtics continue to voice concerns over unrest sparked by Floyd death

Several Boston Celtics continued to voice their concerns on social media over the death of George Floyd and the protests spreading across the country.

Several Boston Celtics continued to take to social media to voice their concerns over the unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd Friday, from two way players all the way up to the front office.

The unrest, over the killing of Floyd by an officer who used unapproved chokeholds and knelt on the neck of the man as he was taken into custody over an alleged counterfeit $20 bill, has sparked protests across the U.S.

The demonstrations have been punctuated by sporadic if intense violence, especially in Minnesota where the arrest occurred, and in the nation’s capital.

This all in a pandemic, and in some cities where quarantine has not necessarily been lifted, or even relaxed.

Celtics assistant general manager and team counsel Mike Zarren was largely at a loss for words, but shared a song invoking the names of several others who met their end while interacting with police in an effort to show solidarity.

Reserve guard Brad Wanamaker shared a photo of his children hoisting signs saying “No justice, no peace,” and “the police can’t kill our people,” with a message stating, “Imagine having to have ANOTHER talk with your kids, that they will ALWAYS BE A TARGET BECAUSE THEY ARE AFRICAN AMERICAN.”

And on Twitter, the Philly native shared a moment of silence at a protest happening in Atlanta.

Center Enes Kanter continued to be vocal in his show of solidarity:

And evidently plans to be at local protests — or at least the city of Boston — this coming Sunday, driving East from Chicago over the weekend to be able to avail himself of using the now-opened practice facilities at Auerbach Center.

The outspoken big man also shared footage of protests from several other cities across the U.S.

His good friend and fellow center Tacko Fall even posted about the events transpiring in Minnesota, retweeting a video of former NBA champ and friend to Floyd Stephen Jackson and Karl-Anthony Towns protesting Floyd’s death in Minneapolis:

>He also retweeted some choice words from teammate Jaylen Brown.

Fellow wing denizen Jayson Tatum retweeted a post by former President Barack Obama on the Floyd incident:

As well as a post from Brown announcing his plans to protest the death himself.

Speaking of, Brown made that announcement the night prior:

And the NBPA supported him in response.

The Cal-Berkeley product encouraged others to join him in the effort.

And retweeted a post about what white protestors can do to help de-escalate confrontations with police during demonstrations:

Finally, he retweeted a video by ESPN’s Jalen Rose retweeted by many of his peers, including LeBron James, that sums up the mood of many African Americans in recent days — if not much longer.

If nothing else, an open mind, heart and ears is in order.

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How coronavirus could hurt influx of overseas talent in the NBA

The NBA’s shifting schedule may impact free agency since a contractual issue may block overseas players from signing with an NBA team.

The NBA’s biggest priority at the moment is figuring out whether they can resume their season and crown a 2020 champion. However, the NBA’s shifting schedule has a wide-ranging impact that creates some unintended consequences. 

For example, when the NBA schedule is altered, certain deadlines in players’ contracts must be adjusted as well. While NBA contracts will certainly be updated to account for the league’s new schedule, many agents who represent overseas players are concerned that international teams won’t be so understanding and flexible when it comes to modifying contract language.

Some overseas players have an NBA-buyout clause in their contract (also known as an NBA-out) that allows them to leave their international team if they get an offer from an NBA franchise. Some NBA-outs are monetary buyouts, but many of these buyouts give players a certain date in which they are allowed to test the free-agent market and secure an NBA offer. 

“Every year, there are a number of overseas players who exercise their buyout clause to sign with an NBA team, and the deadline for those buyout clauses is normally between July 10 and July 20,” one international agent said. “That way, it’s during the free-agency period and the player has the option of participating in Summer League beforehand to see if an NBA team is going to offer him a guaranteed deal or a two-way contract.”

If the NBA is able to resume the season (as is being discussed), the league’s free agency period likely wouldn’t start until September or October. If overseas teams refuse to adjust their contracts, a player with an NBA-buyout deadline in July wouldn’t be able to sign with an NBA team this offseason. The earliest that they’d be able to exercise their buyout clause and sign with an NBA team would be July of 2021.

“We’re in limbo because the dates no longer match the NBA’s schedule,” one agent said. “It seems like the NBA doesn’t understand that moving free agency by several months will prevent most overseas players from coming over to the NBA because their contract only allows them to exercise their buyout clause in July.”

Also, some NBA-buyout clauses “are based on a certain number of days after the team’s last game,” according to another agent. These could present some unique challenges as well.

Some agents are hopeful that logic will prevail and the involved parties will be able to adjust the contract language without any trouble.

“FIBA released some overarching guidelines and one of them is that they expect teams and players to engage in what they call ‘good-faith negotiations’ on these kinds of topics,” one agent said. “They’re basically encouraging teams and players to compromise and figure these things out. They don’t want to have to resolve a thousand disputes like this. Let’s say a player had an NBA buyout set for July 15, which is 15 days after the start of free agency. The logical argument is that the new buyout date should still be 15 days after the start of free agency. So, if NBA free agency begins on October 1, the new buyout date should be October 15. The hope is that a lot of these situations can be sorted out logically.”

However, some agents believe that certain overseas teams will try to take advantage of this situation and use this loophole to keep their best players under contract internationally for one more season.

Real Madrid Rudy Fernandez
Real Madrid forward Rudy Fernandez

Euroleague officials recently canceled their 2019-20 season and the league is reportedly planning to start the 2020-21 season on October 1. Well, if the NBA’s free-agency period doesn’t start until late September or early October, that puts Euroleague teams in a very difficult position. While it’s easy to say that moving a player’s NBA-buyout clause to October 15 is a logical compromise, that means the Euroleague team would be losing one of their best players after the start of the season (when it’s extremely difficult to replace that player). This is why certain Euroleague teams may put up a fight when it comes to moving the buyout deadline. 

There’s also some concern that FIBA won’t get involved in these disputes since teams that refuse to change this deadline are technically honoring the contract and not breaking any rules.

“FIBA has the Basketball Arbitral Tribunal, which is their court for disputes,” one international agent said. “But in this case, you can’t go to FIBA’s court to ask them to change the date of the buyout because it’s not like the team is doing anything wrong (such as not permitting players to exercise the clause). The team can just refuse to change the buyout date and say, ‘Well, it’s not our fault!’ I can see overseas teams taking advantage of this.”

Even if FIBA does want to get involved, several agents pointed out that it would likely be very difficult for them to resolve these disputes since there are many different leagues (in many different countries) under the FIBA umbrella. They would have to handle each of these disagreements on a case-by-case basis, which is much easier said than done.

So, what does this mean for the NBA? Each year, there are a number of players who sign with NBA teams after playing overseas the previous year (recent examples include Shane Larkin, Malcolm Delaney, Brad Wanamaker and Nicolo Melli among others). This year, certain NBA-ready players who would otherwise make that leap may not be able to exercise their NBA-out. That means some significant free agents may be off the market. 

Boston Celtics guard Brad Wanamaker
Boston Celtics guard Brad Wanamaker

It could also mean that the summer of 2021 features more overseas talent than usual since it would essentially have two offseasons’ worth of free agents who are looking to exercise their NBA-out.

“The NBA is focused on so many other things right now, so I think this just slipped their mind,” one international agent said. “But this could have a big impact on teams that are targeting overseas players.”

For players who have a monetary buyout (and no specific deadline), their overseas team could still be put in a tough position due to the NBA’s altered schedule. If an NBA team is willing to pay the buyout and sign the player during free agency in, say, October, the overseas team would be losing their star midseason. 

Some international draft prospects have buyouts too, so NBA teams will need to do their due diligence and figure out the details of each prospect’s buyout clause (such as what it would cost to buy them out and whether there’s a deadline to do so). 

One other hurdle for NBA hopefuls who played overseas last season: Several NBA agents believe there won’t be a 2020 Summer League and that’s where these players typically showcase their development in hopes of earning a guaranteed contract or a two-way deal. However, that may not be a possibility this year.

Multiple agents said they believe the event will be cancelled because it would be a logistical nightmare given the circumstances. Also, there’s too much risk to justify a series of exhibition games. As one agent put it: “The downside is way greater than the upside.”

Even if the NBA did find a way to have a 2020 Summer League, it couldn’t start until September or October. By then, many overseas leagues would have already wrapped up their free-agency period, meaning most fringe players would’ve already signed with a team overseas and wouldn’t be able to participate in Summer League.

“If Summer League isn’t until September or October, everyone would just skip it and take a guaranteed deal with an overseas team instead,” one agent said. “Who is going to jeopardize a guaranteed deal for the entire season just to play in the Summer League for two weeks?”

WATCH: Celtics Assistant Coach Scott Morrison on Wanamaker’s Play

Boston Celtics assistant coach Scott Morrison talks with team reporter Marc D’Amico on what reserve guard Brad Wanamaker has brought ot the Celtics this season.

While he might not get a lot of attention, reserve guard Brad Wanamaker has been a steady force for the Boston Celtics over the 2019-20 NBA season.

Consistently playing within his role as a steadying presence, a lot of Wanamaker’s value comes from what he doesn’t do — namely, make the many small mistakes non-star players often commit.

Whether leading the second unit or playing with the starters, the Pitt product has done exactly what has been asked of him without trying to pad his stat line at the expense of the game plan.

One of the best catch-and-shoot 3-point marksmen in the NBA this season, the Philly native can also get to the rack.

Celtics team reporter Marc D’Amico sat down with Boston assistant coach Scott Morrison to talk what Wanamaker has brought to Boston in his second season with the team, and why he’s so valuable to the Celtics despite his low-profile play.

Watch the video above to get Morrison’s take on these and other aspects of Wanamaker’s game, and how it’s helped Boston’s success this season.

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Missing March Madness: Kemba Walker and Brad Wanamaker advance

Two members of the 2019-20 Boston Celtics backcourt advanced in the NCAA tournament on this date – Kemba Walker, and Brad Wanamaker.

As we continue our Missing March Madness series reviewing the NCAA Tournament runs of current Boston Celtics in their collegiate days, we find three games by two players who run the show for their current team from the point.

That duo would be starting Celtics point guard Kemba Walker in his time as a UConn Husky, and his Big East rival, now-reserve guard Brad Wanamaker, formerly of the Pitt Panthers.

We’ll start with Wanamaker, whose Panthers knocked off the Xavier Musketeers in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2009 Tournament.

While Wanamaker was just a reserve that season, he still managed 6 points and 4 boards in the 60-55 win that would set up the Panthers for an Elite Eight meeting with another Big East foe, the Villanova Wildcats.

On the same day, Walker’s Huskies took out the Purdue Boilermakers 72-60, also in the Sweet Sixteen.

The Bronx native’s 5 points and 4 assists helped UConn advance to face the Missouri Tigers in the next round after a big game from teammate Hasheem Thabeet.

The future Celtic floor general would have a much bigger game on the same date two years later.

On March 26, 2011 Connecticut defeated the Arizona Wildcats 65-63 to advance to the Final Four of the 2011 NCAA Tournament the Huskies and Walker would go on to defy the odds to win.

Walker scored 20 points and 7 assists in the victory secured with the help of teammates and future NBA players in their own right Shabazz Napier and Jeremy Lamb.

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Missing March Madness: Time Lord takes an L; Williams, Wanamaker win

The Boston Celtics have three players who played NCAA tournament games on March 22 in their collegiate days, with two of them advancing.

While in normal years, the NCAA tournament is just starting to get hot right about now, this season, it — and almost all organized basketball — is on hold.

But we still have the past, and we’ll need it to get our basketball fix in the absence of NBA and NCAA games.

To this end, we’ve been revisiting the NCAA runs of all 12 current Boston Celtics in their collegiate days on the dates those games occurred, and on March 22nd, we have a trio of games — two wins and a loss.

The loss was Robert Williams III back when he was an Aggie at Texas A&M in 2018, his team falling to Michigan in the Sweet Sixteen.

The Wolverines prevailed handily, winning 99-72 despite 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks from Time Lord, whose legendary timing wasn’t enough to keep his Aggies in the Big dance.

For first-year forward Grant Williams, today was the start of a run — not the end. His Volunteers defeated Colgate’s Raiders 77-70 as Tennessee advanced to the round of 32 in 2019.

The Charlotte native logged 9 points, 7 boards and 3 assists in the win.

Reserve guard Brad Wanamaker also tallied a victory on this day in 2009, sending teammate Marcus Smart’s alma mater Oklahoma State home with an 84-76 win.

The Philadelphia native was still a reserve at that time, so he didn’t get much playing time, but he did manage to score 3 points and 4 rebounds as his Panthers advanced to face Xavier in the Sweet Sixteen.

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Missing March Madness: Hayward and Wanamaker escape the round of 32

As March passes with no NCAA Tournament, current Boston Celtics once advanced in tourneys past that we’re reviewing in the absence of basketball at all levels.

As we advance into the month of March without an NCAA Tournament to watch, we find ourselves reflecting on the anniversaries of ever-deeper runs by former Boston Celtics in the greatest of all college sporting events.

And as part of our effort to fill that basketball-sized hole in our lives with the NBA and NCAA tourney suspended due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, that’s exactly what we’ve been up to at the Celtics Wire.

We’ve dug up all of the best of Boston’s 12 players with at least one appearance in the Big Dance to help you pass the time as you hole up for the long haul so we can send the coronavirus packing.

Matt Freed/Post Gazette

March 20th is a day that saw two current Celtics play three games in NCAA Tournaments past — former Butler forward Gordon Hayward, and ex-Pitt Panther Brad Wanamaker.

The latter played two games exactly one year apart, the first of the two games a first-round matchup with Oral Robert in the 2008 tourney.

The Panthers gave the Golden Eagles a thrashing to remember, sending their opponents home with a 82-63 win.

At the time, the point guard was still a reserve, and only scored 2 rebounds and an assist in 5 minutes of playing time.

The following year, the Panthers beat East Tennessee State 72-62 in the round of 64.

Wanamaker — still a reserve — fared a bit better against the Buccaneers, putting up 4 points, 4 boards, an assist, a steal and a block.

The Oklahoman/AP Photo

Hayward, on the other hand, only played once on this date, in a 54-52 squeaker against the Murray State Racers in the round of 32 on the Indiana native’s way to the 2010 national title game.

The future All-Star would score a solid 12-point, 7-board stat line that earned his Bulldogs the right to take on the Syracuse Orangemen in the Sweet Sixteen.

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Celtics defeat Grizzlies in 119-95 rout to pick up second straight win

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 23 points in the team’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.

The Boston Celtics have one of the most balanced offenses in the NBA, with most players having ample opportunities to score.

That balanced attack proved beneficial Wednesday night as the Celtics defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, 119-95, to pick up a second straight win. Six players scored in double figures, and Celtics forward Jayson Tatum scored a team-high 23 points on 50% shooting from the field.

Per Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, Tatum left the game in the third quarter with a right groin strain.

According to John Karalis of MassLive.com, Jaylen Brown was out with an ankle sprain. With Brown out, the Celtics needed someone to fill the scoring void. Brown is the Celtics’ third-leading scorer. Daniel Theis was second behind Tatum in scoring, as he totaled 14 points, grabbed four rebounds and had three blocks.

Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart both scored 12 points, and Enes Kanter and Brad Wanamaker combined for 23 points off the bench.

The Celtics had a quality shooting performance, as they shot 50.6% from the field and 43.8% from the 3-point line. A 41-point third quarter was the height of their offensive outburst.

Another key facet of the win was the Celtics’ defense. Rookie phenom Ja Morant was held to a season-low two points, and Dillon Brooks, the Grizzlies’ third-leading scorer, scored six points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field.

The Celtics will look to extend their win streak to three games Friday on the road against the Orlando Magic.

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Gordon Hayward ‘questionable’ vs. Detroit; Wanamaker ‘probable’

All-Star forward Gordon Hayward could return from a sore foot against the Detroit Pistons Friday, while reserve guard Brad Wanamaker is now ‘probable’ with an ankle sprain.

The Boston Celtics might get All-Star forward Gordon Hayward back tomorrow night against the Detroit Pistons.

Boston hosts Detroit at home this Friday, Dec. 20 at 7:30 ET, and may have their All-Star forward back in the fold if his sore left foot will let the Butler product play, the team officially elevating his status to “questionable”.

The Indiana native missed the road victory over the Dallas Mavericks along with teammates Marcus Smart, Robert Williams III, and Vincent Poirier, all of whom managed to get less healthy despite a five-day break in the schedule.

Hayward has reportedly been dealing with discomfort in his foot since recovering from a broken hand in November and early December.

Today, team president Danny Ainge appeared on local radio show Toucher and Rich, and described Hayward’s current condition with respect to his foot as “day-to-day”.

Guard Marcus Smart (eye infection) and centers Williams (left hip edema) and Poirier (broken finger) will miss Friday’s contest, and the latter two roughly three and six weeks at minimum respectively.

A new face joined the injury report in the form of reserve guard Brad Wanamaker, listed as ‘probable’ with a left ankle sprain. While it’s unclear when the sprain happened, it was likely lost in the shuffle of the win over Dallas, and seems to be a mild one given the status designation.

Report: Tremont Waters recalled from G League with Kemba Walker ailing

Boston Celtics rookie point guard Tremont Waters has been tearing it up in the G League and could see time on the floor in the event that the injured Kemba Walker is out for Boston.

Per the Boston Celtics, rookie point guard Tremont Waters — the 51st pick in the 2019 NBA Draft — has been recalled from his assignment with the NBA G League’s Maine Red Claws. Waters is on a two-way contract with the Celtics, so he can spend a maximum of 45 days with Boston.

Waters, though undersized at 5-foot-10, is an exceptional playmaker who routinely makes high IQ plays for his teammates and consistently creates space for himself off the bounce.

He’s averaging 20.2 points, 7.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks in 31.6 minutes per game this season for the Red Claws, having played in all five of Maine’s contests to this point.

The 21-year-old has likely been called up due to the neck injury sustained by starting point guard Kemba Walker during Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets.

Walker was listed as doubtful by the team for Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings but considering the expected severity of his injury, one would expect the three-time All-Star to get the day off.

If Walker is unable to start, second-year NBA pro Brad Wanamaker will likely assume the starting role and lend his steady hand to the team. Wanamaker has averaged 7.1 points, 2.8 assists and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 53.0% from the field and 35.3% from three this season.

Brad Wanamaker stepping up in Gordon Hayward’s absence and it shows

A season after being buried deep in the Boston Celtics rotation, Brad Wanamaker has a chance to help out in Gordon Hayward’s absence.

Lost in the shuffle of too many mouths to feed on last season’s Boston Celtics, reserve point guard Brad Wanamaker’s shot at the NBA seemed doomed to irrelevance almost from the rip.

It’s not that he wasn’t capable.

That much was made clear in practice and the handful of games he actually played significant minutes.

Even then, with so many players above him in the pecking order desperate for touches, he rarely had a chance to score, instead being tasked with being relegated to garbage time scoring or simply being a competent floor general when injury struck.

So, one would understand if the Pitt product had decided to pass on returning to the team that simply couldn’t give Wanamaker the burn his budding NBA career needed to find firm footing. But when the team made an offer with few guarantees apart from the money it offered, the former Panther signed on anyway.

“That’s how it’s been my whole life,” explained the Philadelphia native via MassLive’s Tom Westerholm. “I’ve never had anything handed to me. I kind of like that approach. Keeps you hungry, keeps you wanting more.”

Now, with fewer mouths to feed and a key injury plaguing the franchise after Gordon Hayward fractured his hand against the San Antonio Spurs, it’s the Celtics who want more.

Of Wanamaker’s play, that is.

Finally granted an opportunity to show he can make meaningful contributions to a winning team, the 30-year-old floor general is doing precisely that. In 14 games, he’s boosted his production (6.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game) significantly from his averages in the previous season averages (3.9 points, 1.1 boards, and 1.6 dishes per game).

Described by an emphatic Brad Stevens as having a “huge” impact for the Celtics (courtesy of the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach) over the course of their surprisingly successful season, the Celtics head coach was effusive in his praise for Wanamaker’s newly-expanded role with the team.

“[It’s] one of the more important things on our team, because you know what you’re getting every day. And he’s been really good. You can play with him with the ball, he can play off of it. He can guard bigger guys because he’s strong, and he’s very smart. So he makes the other players around him better when he’s in the game.”

One of many examples on this season’s roster currently exceeding the understandably low expectations fans and analysts had for the team coming into the season, Wanamaker’s improved play has not gone unnoticed by his teammates either.

In fact, quite the opposite:

“His work ethic is second to none,” said former NCAA foe and current teammate Kemba Walker. “It’s no surprise when he comes in and does what he does. He’s just solid … He’s a leader, man, a natural born leader. He’s a great guy, very high character. He gets along with everybody. He’s just one of those guys that you need around.”

One might expect to hear exactly this sort of thing about Walker himself, whose transformational leadership-by-example has been credited as a primary figure in Boston’s current success. No faint praise by any measure.

“He brings a certain poise and understanding of the game,” added third-year swingman Jayson Tatum. “He really is like a true point guard out there. Slows things down. He’s an OG.”

While his current opportunity will almost certainly be pared back once Hayward returns to health mid-December, Wanamaker has no plans to relax until someone else’s injury raises his profile in the rotation. He could easily have more nights like his 14-point, 5 assist nights off the bench in Wednesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

“Just go out there and produce every chance I get,” Wanamaker offered. “That’s the biggest key … You never know when your number is going to be called. So, you have to be ready.”

Precisely what Boston needs right now and, if truth be told, every day.