East Notes: Cavs, Donovan Mitchell, Celtics, Wizards

Cavaliers

Cavaliers star guard Donovan Mitchell said he’s not bothered by criticism, but he does sometimes use it to fuel him.

“And when people started talking (expletive) about, ‘Oh, he not that good,’ and I overcame that little hump, that’s when I was like, ‘Alright, bet. I belong,” Mitchell said on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast. “Because they only doin’ that — they not gonna talk (expletive), like you said, about the last guy on the bench.”

Mitchell singled out popular ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith.

“The greats go through the highs and the lows throughout, then that’s when I really stopped listening to the media for real, but that was when I realized, like, oh, you got the Stephen A. Smiths talking about, ‘Oh, he can be this. He can be that.’ And then you start struggling then it’s like, ‘Oh, he’s not this. He’s not that.’ That’s when I was like, ‘Alright, bet.’ You overcome that,” Mitchell said.

• In case you missed it, Jarrett Allen‘s contract extension isn’t likely to keep rival teams from trying to pry him away from the Cavaliers. We have that full story here.
• For more on the Cavs’ offseason and what could happen next, be sure to check out the latest Hoops Wire Live.
• We also have a look back at Cavs legend Austin Carr right here.

Celtics

Guard/forward Jaden Springer could potentially become a rotation player for the Celtics this season, per Rob Greene of SI.com.

“Springer’s strong showing at Summer League, stonewalling drives defensively and attacking downhill at the other end, finishing well from around the basket and feeding cutters for points at the rim, was an encouraging sign of the progress he’s mostly made behind the scenes,” Greene wrote.

• That said, a lot may depend on how quickly rookie wing Baylor Scheierman develops. It seems unlikely that the incredibly deep NBA champs will have regular-rotation minutes for both.
• As for the entire offseason, Boston received a “B-grade” from one noted analyst, as we relayed here.

Wizards

Many around the NBA seem to believe the Wizards could have signed center Jonas Valanciunas just to use him as a trade chip, as we relayed here.

“It is a really smart deal for (Valanciunas) because it got him paid at a time when there were just not that many spots available — it’s musical chairs and if you do not get one of the first slots now with the new rules, you’re screwed,” an NBA executive told Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports. “There’s not as much flexibility. But this gets you paid, and the team paying you can say, ‘Hey, we’ll get you to a contender when the time comes.’ You see it in baseball all the time, a guy who signs with a bad team just to be traded later, and you’re going to see more of it in our game.”

• The Wizards received a “B” grade for their offseason moves — which included their drafting of No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr — from ESPN analyst Kevin Pelton. “The Washington roster remains a mishmash heading into the season, which is OK ahead of a loaded lottery,” Pelton wrote. “The Wizards did add Valanciunas on a three-year, $30 million deal, perhaps with an eye toward trading him to a contender.”