Shootaround: Sticking points

 Celtics, Clippers still talking
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The talk all weekend was about the potential goings on in the back halls at TD Garden. And it was not about the Stanley Cup Final making its way to Boston. There are proverbial moving boxes outside Doc Rivers' office if the team can get this thing figured out.

Jim Rogash/Getty Images/ZimbioCatching you up in case you had your head buried in the sand, the Celtics and Clippers engaged in talks where the Celtics would send Kevin Garnett to the Clippers for Eric Bledsoe and/or DeAndre Jordan. Boston would then let Doc Rivers out of the final three years of his contract so he could go to the Clippers and keep the band together.

By the end of the weekend, the talks had fizzled out. Boston wanted Bledsoe and Jordan to make the necessary release for Rivers (something Garnett would also condition his trade on too) and Los Angeles wanted to keep Bledsoe as insurance should Chris Paul leave the team in free agency.

Other than that, there still seems some mutual interest in getting something done.

Boston senses the end of the road for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and is trying to remain relevant while rebuilding around Rajon Rondo. And so the Eric Bledsoe sticking point seems to be a significant one at the moment.

That will not stop the discussions though as the Clippers too are trying to retool and capture the championship window while it is still slightly ajar. This is a move to grasp at that chance and keep Paul around.

Whether this deal happens or not, it is somthing to keep an eye on as the offseason quickly approaches.

Larry Drew adds Nick 'the Quick'
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Larry Drew is completing his staff in Milwaukee with a name that will surely delight fans of the NBA in the 1990s. Nick Van Exel will join Drew's staff with the Bucks, Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports. Van Exel had an always entertaining 13-year career most famously with the Lakers. Van Exel was previously in Atlanta as a player development instructor. He was previously an assistant coach with Texas Southern.

Bulls won't consider C.J. Watson
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Nets point guard C.J. Watson opted out of the final year of his contract and will become a free agent this summer for any team looking for a backup point guard. One thought for a team like that would be the Bulls, the team he played for before leaving for Brooklyn. But Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times says do not count on the Bulls thinking about bringing back Watson. Even though Tom Thibodeau likes the familiarity a player like Watson could bring, there is just too much "water under the bridge," Cowley writes, for the Bulls to consider it.

Omri Casspi hopes to stay in NBA
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Omri Casspi has had a mixed bag of a career in the NBA. He has played well in spurts as a shooter, but has not quite broken through. He spent most of last year buried on the bench in Cleveland and rarely saw playing time. His confidence, expectedly wavered. Casspi will be a free agent this summer and told an Israeli newspaper that he hopes to return to the NBA. But he said he needs a coach that will believe in him and give him minutes. Otherwise, he coudl explore returning to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Lakers thinking sign-and-trade for Monta Ellis?
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It sometimes feels like the Lakers just a pick a player they want and find a way to make the deal happen. That would be what would have to happen if the Lakers are sincere in their interest in acquiring Monta Ellis this offseason. Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reports the Lakers are among three teams interested in acquiring Ellis. The chances are just very remote. The Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks, two teams with cap room to sign him, are also interested according to Broussard.

Nuggets hire Tim Connelly as GM
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The Nuggets have hired Tim Connelly as their new general manager to replace the departed Masai Ujiri and and Pete D'Alesandro, Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports. Connelly steps in at a critical time for the Nuggets. They are set to interview both Brian Shaw and Lionel Hollins later on this week. The hiring, announced officially Tuesday, will not slow down the process in interviewing the two favorites for the coaching position. Connelly was previously the assistant general manager for the Pelicans.

About Philip Rossman-Reich

Philip Rossman-Reich is the managing editor for Crossover Chronicles and Orlando Magic Daily. You can follow him on twitter @OMagicDaily

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