Tag Archives: Brad

Countdown to Celtics Tipoff: 57 Days

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Welcome back to the Celtics season tipoff countdown!

Recent Team News

Brad Stevens recently sat down for a Q&A with the Eagle Tribune. A couple of the more interesting quotes: when asked about the defensive success of his teams, he said, “It’s something players have to be really committed to, not only defending individually but defending together, and we’ve had guys willing to do that.” Stevens is always one to shift the praise to his players, and he continues to do so.

head coaching

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

He also said, when the Tribune asked him about his first five years, “Well, it’s been a lot of fun. I just enjoy going to work every day and working to get better.” It comes as no surprise that Stevens refuses to settle, just as he implores his players to do.

Read the full interview here.

On This Date

August 20, 2015: The Celtics signed free agent Coty Clarke to a deal. The small forward from Arkansas did not make the team after one preseason game. However, he would sign with the D-League affliate Red Claws shortly after. In March, he earned two ten-day contracts, in which he played in three games. He finished out the season in the D-League and was not retained afterwards.

Stats (2017-18)

  • Al Horford played 57% of his minutes at the center position. The remaining 43% were at the power forward.

Fun Facts

  • The 1957 Celtics team won the franchise’s first-ever NBA title. The team went 44-28 and defeated the Hawks in seven games to capture the championship.

    That concludes today’s Countdown to Celtics Tipoff. Make sure to check back here tomorrow as the clock continues to tick towards the 2018-19 season!

The Celtics Are Interested in Signing a Euro-League Star

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The Boston Celtics seem to be looking to add another overseas player for next season. His name is Brad Wanamaker, a Turkish guard who is very highly decorated. This was reported first by David Pick, who is considered the top guy for overseas news.

College Career

Wanamaker played college ball at the University of Pittsburgh. He averaged only eight points, four rebounds, and 3.5 assists during his four year college career. He also started the entire last two seasons for Pitt. Brad finished his senior career as a honorable-mention for the NCAA’s Men’s Basketball All-American.

Career Overseas

Brad started his professional basketball career in Italy and played for two Italian clubs. He then went back to America and signed with the Austin Toros, the Spurs’ G-League affiliate. The Toros won the developmental championship the only year Brad was on the team.

After his time back in America, Brad went overseas again to play in France’s top league, the LNB Pro A. He averaged nine points and 3.4 rebounds during his time there. After a brief stint back in Italy, Wanamaker signed with Brose Baskets, where they went on to win the championship with Brad winning Finals MVP. Brad re-signed with Bamberg and they went on to win their second straight title, and Wanamaker was MVP of the league.

https://twitter.com/fenerinmacivar/status/943187787863425024

Brad then went to go play in Turkey after his very successful German career. He signed a two-year contract with Darussfaka. After those years went by, Brad signed with the reigning Euro-League champs, Fenerbahce. He led them to their fourth consecutive Final Four. He eventually lost to Luka Doncic and Real Madrid in the championship game.

Wanamaker finished his Euro-League career averaging 13.5 PPG, 4.2 APG, while shooting 36% from three. He also achieved many accolades like German BBL MVP, 2X German BBL Champion, and a Finals MVP.

Contribution to the Celtics

The Celtics have a few guys coming off their bench who come from overseas. One of them is Daniel Theis, who like Wanamaker, played most of his professional career overseas. Theis as a rookie, made a very solid contribution off the bench in his rookie year. In the 63 games he played, he averaged 5.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, while shooting 54% from the field. Backup point guard, Shane Larkin, came from overseas to the Celtics as well. Larkin played in the NBA for the first 3 years of his career before going overseas to Spain. Larkin revived his career in Spain which led him to getting signed by the Celtics.

Brad Wanamaker is set to be paid $3.8 million dollars by Barcelona next year unless he signs with an NBA team. Chances are Wanamaker stays in Europe, but the Celtics are one of the few teams interested, and it could be very useful to help the scoring off the bench.