Tag: Shabazz Napier

Traded for KD, ex-Nets guard Shabazz Napier might have done the same in GM Sean Marks’ shoes

Even with the vibes having been better and the wins comparable, Napier might have made the same choice if it were his job to do so.

If there’s anyone whose opinion on the Brooklyn Nets breaking up the hardworking, fun team that manager Sean Marks managed to assemble under the leadership of head coach Kenny Atkinson is worth consulting in light of the team’s turbulent end to last season leaking into the present one, it’s veteran point guard Shabazz Napier’s.

The former UConn standout was of course part of the package getting sent to the Golden State Warriors to bring Durant to the Nets in 2019, so Napier had a front-row seat to how the team was before his exit as part of that sea change.

But if you asked the man himself if he’d have pulled the trigger on that deal in light of the team’s 5-7 start to this season among the many other distractions following the team around like a dark cloud, you might be surprised by his answer to this very question in a recent interview with the Nets Wire.

Boston native Shabazz Napier on the Celtics, friendship with Kemba Walker, Noah Vonleh

The UConn champ opened up about his fandom for Boston sports while making a return bid with the Mexico City Capitanes.

Roxbury native Shabazz Napier is a New England sports fan, growing up rooting for the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins, and of course the Boston Celtics while growing up in Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood.

And while he stayed relatively local when he elected to play his college ball for the University of Connecticut Huskies in Storrs roughly two hours to the south where he helped win two NCAA titles, his pro career has taken him quite literally around the world if not back to Boston — at least yet. As is the case now, the team has usually been flush with guards, and his floor generalship has instead taken him to other teams.

Now playing for the G League’s Mexico City Capitanes along former No. 3 pick Jahlil Okafor and Celtics camp invitee Bruno Caboclo, Napier is following an increasingly popular path for players looking to get back in the league.

Celtics camp invitee Bruno Caboclo on Boston’s offseason, plans for 2022-23

The Brazilian big man revealed a certain former No. 3 pick was an unreported early participant in the Celtics’ training camp. as well

Many fans of the Boston Celtics were excited by the news of Brazilian forward Bruno Caboclo joining the team in the offseason on a training camp deal, hopeful the Osasco native might make the team as a potential depth option. Ultimately, the team would go in a different direction to solidify their roster for the 2022-23 NBA season, but it might not be the last time you hear Caboclo’s name connected to the Celtics.

Currently playing for the G League’s Mexico City Capitanes, the 6-foot-9 combo forward hopes to leverage a resurgent interest in big men in the league and his positional flexibility to find his way back to the NBA, whether with Boston or some other ball club.

Ahead of his season opener on Nov. 6 with the Capitanes, the Celtics Wire caught up with Caboclo to talk about his time in Boston, what brought him to Mexico, and more.

6 potential 2020 need-based free agency targets for the Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics still need bench scoring, and may need to bolster the frontcourt and guard rotation — here are six affordable candidates for those roles.

The Boston Celtics will go into the offseason with a lot of financial questions at the same time they’ll need to make important moves around the margins to boost their ability to contend for a title — not an easy proposition, to be sure.

What they will know is what the team needs, as well as the general range of players likely be available for the taxpayer mid-level exception (MLE), the most likely tool Boston will have to add an impact free agent.

With the pre-pandemic cap projections set at $115 million and the Celtics already looking a likely taxpaying team even in the pre- COVID-19 era, it seems improbable Boston will have even the full MLE at their disposal.

The two MLEs — previously at $9.75 and $6 million for the full and taxpayer, respectively — will be considerably less, but likely destined for the same group of players the Celtics will want to look at to fill a few lingering needs.

Those needs have changed little since the February trade deadline, but could be exacerbated if one or both of forward Gordon Hayward or center Enes Kanter decide to leave in free agency.

The needs in question are threefold — bench scoring, a reserve guard able to spell Kemba Walker as much as possible in the regular season, and a more traditional, bulky situational big, preferably with above-average defense.

So who are the candidates the Celtics should have their eye on?

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NCAA cancels men’s and women’s tournaments after NBA suspension

There will be no March Madness this season in the wake of the spreading coronavirus.

As the fallout from the spreading coronavirus and positive test for NBA star  Rudy Gobert is continuing to unfold, the NCAA announced on Thursday afternoon that they were canceling both the Men’s and Women’s basketball tournaments. Conference tournaments across the country were canceled on Thursday morning and after individual teams such as Duke and Kansas decided not to play, the NCAA finally decided it was time not to play around with their initial plan to play with no fans.

However, it’s not just basketball that is being affected. The NCAA also decided to cancel all spring and winter sports that are still going on. So, sports, like much of the world, are on hold as people in the United States are trying to be vigilant not to spread the virus among more people.

As for the NBA, the season is currently “suspended” and several reports have suggested that the league is prepared to have a month’s long absence. But given the rapidly changing situation, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them postpone the season for more than a month.

On March 11, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic.

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Timberwolves blitz Warriors in first game of new decade, 99-84

Lack of three-point shooting hurts the Warriors in their attempt to steal a win in the first game of 2020 in Minnesota.

2020 started much how 2019 ended for the Golden State Warriors— a loss with a limited bench. For the second straight game, the Warriors were without D’Angelo Russell (shoulder), Willie Cauley-Stein (illness), Kevon Looney (abdomen) and it showed.

The Warriors have battled with Minnesota in their first two meetings, in the final matchup of the season, it was a different story. The Timberwolves dominated the shorthanded Dubs to start their 2020 with a lopsided loss, 99-84.

The Timberwolves have struggled from three-point range this season, yet they were able to outshoot Golden State from downtown by a wide margin. Minnesota shot 13-43 from three, while the Warriors only made three total three-pointers on 20 attempts.

Similar to beyond the arc, Minnesota dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Warriors 52-43. Minnesota especially hurt the Warriors on the offensive glass, stealing 17 offensive boards to Golden State’s seven.

The Warriors will have another chance to grab their first win of 2020 over the weekend when the Detroit Pistons travel to Chase Center for the first time.

Slow out of the gate 

The Warriors started the game on a downwards trajectory, getting outscored 34-19 in the first period of the game. Two Timberwolves, Josh Okogie and Shabazz Napier almost combined to outscore the entire Warriors roster in the first quarter. At the same time, Golden State’s leading scorer, Alec Burks, only registered five points.

The Warriors couldn’t stop the Timberwolves scoring in the first quarter with Minnesota shooting 50 percent from the field on 13-of-26 shooting while adding four three-pointers, more than Golden State had all game.

Omari Spellman shakes the earth 

While it was a sloppy game overall for the Golden State Warriors, Omari Spellman provided one of the highlights of the season in the fourth quarter.

The Villanova product caught the ball at the three-point line and used a shot fake to drive the lane then slammed down a vicious one-handed dunk over former Warrior, Jordan Bell.

Bell fouled Spellman trying to go for a block, giving the Warriors the chance to cut the Timberwolves lead down to single digits. Golden State couldn’t complete the comeback, but Spellman’s dunk provided a moment that will get shown on repeat on sports highlight shows across the country.

Smailagic tracker

Alen Smailagic played in his fourth straight NBA game registering 16 minutes against the Timberwolves. Smailagic had seven points, three rebounds, a steal and an assist, registering a team-high plus nine in Minnesota.

Each time the 19-year old Serbian is on the floor, he flashes a new skill, with tonight being his passing ability. Smailagic drove into the lane and found a rolling Eric Paschall for an easy dunk.