Veteran NBA All-Star Joe Johnson agreed to a 10-day contract with the Boston Celtics earlier this week, returning to the franchise that drafted him with the 10th overall pick back in the 2001 NBA Draft. By doing this, Johnson did not only put a smile on the face of Celtics fans but also made some NBA history in the process.

Johnson made his comeback in Celtics’ uniform during the 111-101 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in which he scored two points during his two minutes on the floor. With this, the 40-year-old set the league record for the longest stretch between games for the same franchise at 19 years and 308 days, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.

Johnson played 48 games in his rookie season with the Celtics before being traded to the Phoenix Suns. He went on to play for five different franchises, including the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets while picking up seven All-Star nods and making the All-NBA Third Team in 2010.

Before his recent appearance for the Celtics, Johnson had his last action in the NBA during the 2017-18 season. He averaged 6.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 23 games with the Houston Rockets. In the meantime, the veteran played in the BIG3 league where he picked up two MVP honors.

“We know what he is,” Boston’s head coach Ime Udoka said. “Everybody said it as they walked in [the locker room]: ‘Joe’s a bucket.’ That’s what he is, and he’s always been, and so that’s not gonna change.”

The post 7-Time All-Star Joe Johnson Makes NBA History With Return to Celtics appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Houston Rockets keep adding players to their already stacked team. The team’s general manager Daryl Morey announced on Wednesday the acquisition of guard Joe Johnson, who signed a contract until the end of the season. Johnson joins the Rockets after being waived by the Sacramento Kings, where he landed from the Utah Jazz on the last day of the NBA trade deadline.

OFFICIAL: #Rockets GM Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed free agent guard/forward Joe Johnson for the remainder of the season. Johnson will wear #7 for the Rockets.

Details » https://t.co/78V6LBIDNl pic.twitter.com/MknYCi4CLC

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) February 14, 2018

“At this point in my career, obviously I still have something left, but this obviously has been a great team,” – said Johnson. “I understand what I’m up against with playing time or not playing. No gripes or groans with me, man. I’m here to help out. This is the team I wanted from the start. I didn’t even have a conversation with anybody (else).“

Joe Johnson played a minor role with the Utah Jazz this season, averaging 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. The Rockets will surely benefit from his past playoff experience as well as his shooting ability, something that is highly appreciated in Mike D’Antoni’s system.

“He can play different positions, play one through four, guard anybody Just experience, he makes big-time shots at the end of the game,” – said D’Antoni. “Playoff time, he’s got a lot of experience there. Then we’ll see how it all works out. We have to figure it out. It’s up in the air. We’ll see how it goes. Now, we just have to find room and get everybody comfortable and find rotations, which won’t be easy. Some guys are going to get squeezed a little bit. Hopefully, it’s all about the bigger picture and trying to go deep in the playoffs.“

Joe Johnson entered the league through 2001 NBA Draft where he was selected 10th overall by the Boston Celtics. He went on to play for a number of teams including the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, and Brooklyn Nets. Highlights of Johnson’s basketball career include seven All-Star selections and one All-NBA Third-team honors.

The post Houston Rockets Sign Veteran Guard Joe Johnson appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Take a deep breath if you are a Cleveland Cavaliers fan. The Cavs have used the NBA trade deadline to the max and basically reshaped their roster. The team has entered in a series of bad games since January, dealing with poor defense and locker room issues, so something needed to be done to keep their NBA Finals hopes alive. Still, no one expected so many changes in such a short period of time.

The biggest trade the team has made was one with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Cavs sent point guard Isaiah Thomas, forward Channing Frye and their first-round lottery protected 2018 draft pick to the Lakers in exchange for guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Larry Nance Jr.

The second trade Cavaliers made was a three-team deal, which also included Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings. The Cavs received guards Rodney Hood and George Hill from the Jazz and Kings respectively. The Kings got Iman Shumpert and a 2020 second-round pick from the Cavs and Joe Johnson from the Jazz. Finally, the Jazz got Jae Crowder and Derrick Rose from Cleveland.

The last trade saw Dwyane Wade heading back to the Miami Heat, with the Cavs getting a heavy protected second-round draft pick.

While there will lots of analyzing of these deals in the upcoming days, when the dust settles, the first impression is that the Cleveland Cavaliers got better with all these trades. Although the team won’t have much time to settle into a rhythm, the Cavs got younger, more athletic and in theory should be better on the defensive end. They got rid of Thomas and Crowder, who performed well below expectations since their arrival from Boston in Kyrie Irving deal. Aso, they have cleared the air in the locker room and could use a fresh start. Finally, the team has shown that they are still ready to surround LeBron James with the tools he needs to make a push for his eight NBA Finals appearance and maybe convince him to stay in Cleveland.

The post Cleveland Cavaliers Reshape Their Roster Trading Away Isaiah Thomas among Others appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Veteran NBA All-Star Joe Johnson agreed to a 10-day contract with the Boston Celtics earlier this week, returning to the franchise that drafted him with the 10th overall pick back in the 2001 NBA Draft. By doing this, Johnson did not only put a smile on the face of Celtics fans but also made some NBA history in the process.

Johnson made his comeback in Celtics’ uniform during the 111-101 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in which he scored two points during his two minutes on the floor. With this, the 40-year-old set the league record for the longest stretch between games for the same franchise at 19 years and 308 days, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.

Johnson played 48 games in his rookie season with the Celtics before being traded to the Phoenix Suns. He went on to play for five different franchises, including the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets while picking up seven All-Star nods and making the All-NBA Third Team in 2010.

Before his recent appearance for the Celtics, Johnson had his last action in the NBA during the 2017-18 season. He averaged 6.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 23 games with the Houston Rockets. In the meantime, the veteran played in the BIG3 league where he picked up two MVP honors.

“We know what he is,” Boston’s head coach Ime Udoka said. “Everybody said it as they walked in [the locker room]: ‘Joe’s a bucket.’ That’s what he is, and he’s always been, and so that’s not gonna change.”

The post 7-Time All-Star Joe Johnson Makes NBA History With Return to Celtics appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Houston Rockets keep adding players to their already stacked team. The team’s general manager Daryl Morey announced on Wednesday the acquisition of guard Joe Johnson, who signed a contract until the end of the season. Johnson joins the Rockets after being waived by the Sacramento Kings, where he landed from the Utah Jazz on the last day of the NBA trade deadline.

OFFICIAL: #Rockets GM Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed free agent guard/forward Joe Johnson for the remainder of the season. Johnson will wear #7 for the Rockets.

Details » https://t.co/78V6LBIDNl pic.twitter.com/MknYCi4CLC

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) February 14, 2018

“At this point in my career, obviously I still have something left, but this obviously has been a great team,” – said Johnson. “I understand what I’m up against with playing time or not playing. No gripes or groans with me, man. I’m here to help out. This is the team I wanted from the start. I didn’t even have a conversation with anybody (else).“

Joe Johnson played a minor role with the Utah Jazz this season, averaging 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. The Rockets will surely benefit from his past playoff experience as well as his shooting ability, something that is highly appreciated in Mike D’Antoni’s system.

“He can play different positions, play one through four, guard anybody Just experience, he makes big-time shots at the end of the game,” – said D’Antoni. “Playoff time, he’s got a lot of experience there. Then we’ll see how it all works out. We have to figure it out. It’s up in the air. We’ll see how it goes. Now, we just have to find room and get everybody comfortable and find rotations, which won’t be easy. Some guys are going to get squeezed a little bit. Hopefully, it’s all about the bigger picture and trying to go deep in the playoffs.“

Joe Johnson entered the league through 2001 NBA Draft where he was selected 10th overall by the Boston Celtics. He went on to play for a number of teams including the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, and Brooklyn Nets. Highlights of Johnson’s basketball career include seven All-Star selections and one All-NBA Third-team honors.

The post Houston Rockets Sign Veteran Guard Joe Johnson appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Take a deep breath if you are a Cleveland Cavaliers fan. The Cavs have used the NBA trade deadline to the max and basically reshaped their roster. The team has entered in a series of bad games since January, dealing with poor defense and locker room issues, so something needed to be done to keep their NBA Finals hopes alive. Still, no one expected so many changes in such a short period of time.

The biggest trade the team has made was one with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Cavs sent point guard Isaiah Thomas, forward Channing Frye and their first-round lottery protected 2018 draft pick to the Lakers in exchange for guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Larry Nance Jr.

The second trade Cavaliers made was a three-team deal, which also included Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings. The Cavs received guards Rodney Hood and George Hill from the Jazz and Kings respectively. The Kings got Iman Shumpert and a 2020 second-round pick from the Cavs and Joe Johnson from the Jazz. Finally, the Jazz got Jae Crowder and Derrick Rose from Cleveland.

The last trade saw Dwyane Wade heading back to the Miami Heat, with the Cavs getting a heavy protected second-round draft pick.

While there will lots of analyzing of these deals in the upcoming days, when the dust settles, the first impression is that the Cleveland Cavaliers got better with all these trades. Although the team won’t have much time to settle into a rhythm, the Cavs got younger, more athletic and in theory should be better on the defensive end. They got rid of Thomas and Crowder, who performed well below expectations since their arrival from Boston in Kyrie Irving deal. Aso, they have cleared the air in the locker room and could use a fresh start. Finally, the team has shown that they are still ready to surround LeBron James with the tools he needs to make a push for his eight NBA Finals appearance and maybe convince him to stay in Cleveland.

The post Cleveland Cavaliers Reshape Their Roster Trading Away Isaiah Thomas among Others appeared first on SportzBonanza.