NBA Rumors Round-Up

NBA Rumors: Kendrick Perkins Comments on Rajon Rondo’s Future

RajonRondo_Celtics_2014_USAT1

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Rondo telling friends he’s happy in Boston

Rajon Rondo will have to make a decision on his future with the Boston Celtics when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Kendrick Perkins remains one of Rondo’s closest friends as a former teammate and believes the point guard wants to stay with the Celtics.

“I think it’s a great place for him,” Perkins said. “I think he wants to stay here. You know, we talk on a regular basis and I think he should stay. If I was him, I would stay.

“I just think it’s a perfect situation for him. He’s got a good group of guys around him, good coach. It’s his team, he’s able to play the way he’s capable of playing. He’s almost averaging a triple-double. He’s got some good talent around him in [Jared] Sullinger, Jeff [Green], the young kid [Kelly Olynyk]. He’s got some good talent around him. I think he wants to stay. I think he should. But you never know how it works out.”

Via Julian Benbow of the Boston Globe

This has to be a very encouraging sign for the Celtics and their hope to keep Rajon Rondo after he explores free agency this summer. Had Rondo been telling Perkins that his eyes were on greener pastures, Perkins likely wouldn’t have addressed the subject at all. However, in a day an age where saying the wrong thing can become headline news for days (just ask Derrick Rose), this is another example in what’s becoming a long line of them that Rondo wants to stay in Boston – despite the current rebuild going on.

Boston is 3-4 to start the year, but Rondo is clearly flirting with his previous form. He already has a triple-double under his belt this season, and was dangerously close to adding another one to his total last night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Rondo rejected the Celtics’ extension offer this summer, but it was more of a good sign of faith than anything. They knew it didn’t make financial sense for him to agree to it, and have acknowledged that he’s a max-level player. As long as everything remains harmonious between the two sides, it looks like the Celtics could be holding onto Rondo past the deadline and risk losing him for nothing as teams like the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers gear up for expected runs at his services. Good offers are likely to come prior to February 21, but as long as signals that Rondo is willing to stay are sent, it appears like they’re willing to make the gamble in order to keep one of the league’s elite point guards.

Perkins was also prompted about his interest in returning to Boston as he’s set to hit free agency as well. While he’s open to it, he said the ball is in their court – and they don’t appear to have much of a need for the veteran center who is likely to be courted by primarily contenders this offseason.

Harris interested in Knicks

Tobias Harris hopes that the New York Knicks will pursue him in restricted free agency.

“I’m telling you if the Knicks come at him hard, who wouldn’t want to play for their hometown team?” a Harris confidant told SNY.tv and The Knicks Blog.

Via Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv

Harris and the Magic engaged in extension talks prior to the October 31, but were ultimately unable to come to a deal. Harris was negotiating more off of what he can be, rather than what he’s accomplished so far, which made the Magic hesitant to make the kind of offer that he was looking for. Harris is hoping to net an offer in the $10-12 million range annually, but the Magic can, and are expected to, restrict his free agency with a qualifying offer.

While the Knicks will be one of several teams equipped with the cap space to pluck Harris away from the Magic, he just doesn’t really seem to be what they need to take the next step towards being a contender in the Eastern Conference. He shares a lot of similarities with Knicks star Carmelo Anthony in the sense that he needs the ball in his hands a lot to be effective, plays the same positions and still effects the game more with his scoring than anything. With long-term holes to fill at the point guard and center position being a much higher priority, it’s hard to imagine the Knicks making any type of serious offer. Even if they were too, there’s no guarantee that the Magic wouldn’t match. They’ve voiced interest in keeping him in Orlando, but want to see what he can do on a more consistent basis before making an eight figure commitment to him.

Charges filed against Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin has been charged with battery for allegedly slapping a man outside a Las Vegas nightclub in October.

Via TMZ

Mark this as reason 247 why it’s not a good idea to have training camp in Las Vegas, NV. You hear it all the time, but what happens in Vegas does not always stay in Vegas. Sure, it sounds like fun and the players were probably more excited to go through the grinds of training camp with the reward of enjoying Vegas during it as motivation, but there is simply too much temptation and things that can happen while you’re there to make it an ideal place for something so important.

For Griffin, this is not something that should impact him on the floor much at all, unless he’s found guilty. Right now he’s facing a misdemeanor battery charge, which holds a six month jail penalty and/or a $1,000 fine. Because he does not have any criminal history, the chances of Griffin going to jail are very low. This is likely one of those cases that we don’t hear much about – there won’t be any hearings live on Court TV or anything like that. Griffin’s attorneys should be able to handle this with minimal involvement from him, clearing the way to focus on the season.