Celtics’ Brown questionable for Game 5 — The Boston Celtics need a win tonight in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals to keep their season alive. Whether or not they’ll pull that off is unknown, much like the status of their rookie swingman Jaylen Brown. Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com has more on Brown and the hip pointer injury he is dealing with:
Boston Celtics rookie Jaylen Brown is questionable for Thursday’s Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers because of a right hip pointer, the team announced Wednesday.
Brown is the latest Celtics player to battle a hip ailment.
Isaiah Thomas was shut down for the season after aggravating a lingering hip injury in Game 2 of the series. Avery Bradley has battled through hip pointers on each side of his body since the Washington series in Round 2.
The Celtics also announced that Jae Crowder (left groin strain) and Amir Johnson (right shoulder sprain) are both probable.
Crowder, who fell awkwardly during the second half, deemed himself “fine” after Tuesday’s Game 4 loss while Johnson was active despite being pulled from the starting lineup because of soreness in his shoulder since he was tangled with Tristan Thompson in Boston’s Game 3 win.
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Report: Bucks interested in Cavs GM Griffin — When the Magic hired Milwaukee Bucks GM John Hammond to fill the same post in Orlando two days ago, the thinking was Milwaukee would fill Hammond’s job from within the organization. That thinking has changed, apparently, and as Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com reports, Cleveland Cavaliers GM David Griffin is high on the Bucks’ wish list:
The Milwaukee Bucks have interest in Cavaliers general manager David Griffin, whose current contract expires at season’s end and who is in discussions with Cleveland on continuing there.
Multiple sources told cleveland.com that the Bucks, who lost general manager John Hammond to the Orlando Magic this week, have interest in Griffin, 47.
Milwaukee is conducting a national search for a GM instead of simply promoting assistant GM Justin Zanek, who was widely reported to be in line for the job once Hammond agreed to terms with the Magic.
Griffin and Cavs owner Dan Gilbert have spoken about continuing their partnership in recent days, sources said, though no agreement was reached. The two sides could potentially get serious about a new deal between the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals, time permitting. Or further discussion could wait until after the playoffs are over.
The Cavs hold a 3-1 lead over Boston in the conference finals with Game 5 set for Thursday. The Finals don’t start until June 1.
The Magic expressed interest in Griffin and held informal discussions with him about their openings for president and general manager, sources said. The Cavs denied requests for formal interviews with Griffin from the Magic and Atlanta Hawks.
The Bucks have not reached out to Griffin or the Cavs to speak, or for formal permission to interview him, sources said.
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Report: Heat, Bosh agree to part ways — As we mentioned in this space yesterday, the union between the Miami Heat and former star forward Chris Bosh seems to be nearing its end. To further update the story, ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst reports that the sides have indeed agreed to a deal that allows them to part ways, but some details still need to be worked out:
The Miami Heat, Chris Bosh and the players’ association have tentatively agreed to a resolution that would allow all parties to move on, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
Bosh, 33, hasn’t played since February 2016 because of blood clot issues. He has remained on the Heat roster as the sides have worked through complex medical and legal issues in this delicate and unique situation.
The agreement hasn’t been finalized as Bosh and his family, agents and lawyers are still reviewing documents.
Both the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Miami Herald reported that the sides were in talks Tuesday. It’s a process that has played out since last fall, when Heat team doctors declined to clear Bosh to take part in training camp following blood test results.
Bosh is guaranteed $52 million over the next two seasons, though a significant portion of that is covered by insurance. But he has remained on the Heat’s salary cap, limiting their ability to replace him. This agreement is expected to remove Bosh from the cap and allow the Heat to move on with their team.
The Heat will end up with between $14 million and $37 million in cap room, depending on player options, team options and waivers decisions.
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SOME RANDOM HEADLINES: According to the sports books, Kevin Durant is the favorite over Stephen Curry for Finals MVP … According to a report, the Atlanta Hawks are likely to make Travis Schlenk of the Golden State Warriors their new GM … Kobe Bryant breaks down what makes the Golden State Warriors so special … What’s next for the Orlando Magic after their front office restructuring? …
