Celtics fined for contacting Durant's family

[Kori Ellis]

BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics confirmed Sunday that the team had been fined $30,000 by the NBA for excessive contact with the family of University of Texas star freshman and likely lottery draft pick Kevin Durant.

General Manager Danny Ainge sat next to Durant's mother during the Big 12 tournament. The league said Ainge violated rules demanding that contact be kept to a minimum between team executives and potential NBA draft picks, until college players officially declare for the draft.

Sports Illustrated first reported the story on its Web site.

Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss said Ainge is on the road scouting players and he did not offer specifics of the fine.

The Celtics won in San Antonio for the first time in 17 years on Saturday, topping the Spurs 91-85. At 20-46 on the year, the team has the league's second-worst record behind the Memphis Grizzlies.

[JMarkJohns]

Maybe them being seated next to each other was merely a fluke :)

[Trainwreck2100]

This has cemented the Celtics getting the third pick

[SRJ]

"Excuse me, miss. Wow, look at that, you've got great seats, I've got great seats - small world. Just two random people who ended up with seats next to each other, now we're making normal, non-tampering conversation after a chance meeting. Durant? Which one is he? Thanks. Gosh, I wish I'd brought my nephew along, he'd love to meet a pretty college student like yourself. Oh, you're Kevin Durant's mother, you say? Amazing. Danny Ainge, Boston Celtics. Remember, this isn't tampering, and can I get you anything - a program, a beverage, a house?"

[mavs>spurs2]

^ I'm sure that's exactly how it happened.

[DOMINATOR]

This has cemented the Celtics getting the third pick
lol nice one. probably so true too

[traitoravery]

This has cemented the Celtics getting the third pick
HaHa I love it...... :lol :lol :lol

[AZLouis]

Memphis Commerical Appeal through Hoophype.com


Durant's humility is sincere. In so many ways, he's still just a big kid on the bullet train to success. While he has become college basketball's cover boy this season, he's desperately trying to cling to the notion that basketball is still a game to him, not business.

But it gets harder and harder everyday.

"I'm not worried about that (the NBA)," Durant said. "I love playing in college. I know I'm having fun in college. I'm not sure I would have fun in the NBA."

Becoming an instant millionaire will be hard to pass up. But Durant said once his season concludes, he'll listen hard to his parents' advice.

Wanda Pratt, Durant's mother who works for the postal service, raised Kevin from the time he was eight months old until he was 13 in Seat Pleasant, Md., just outside of Washington, D.C. Five years ago, she reunited with Kevin's father, Wayne, who is a police officer at the Library of Congress.

Together, they have provided a solid support team for their son, even from long distance, after he decided to leave the D.C. area for the Lone Star state.

"We're not going to put pressure on him," Pratt said. "We lived pretty much the same way all of our lives. We want Kevin to keep his love of the game pure. We know he'll get everything he wants if he keeps working hard. He's always worked hard."

Durant's work ethic is something that Texas coach Rick Barnes had heard about from Durant's various coaches, especially from Taras Brown, an AAU coach at the Seat Pleasant Activity Center.

It was Brown, at Durant's mother's request, who molded Durant into a player. After school, Durant and Brown would begin the grueling individual workouts. Durant's grandmother even showed up nightly to bring her grandson dinner. He would take breaks to do his homework. Brown would condition Durant by having him run up the L Street Hill, a hill so steep that when you reach the top you can see the Lincoln Memorial.

The workouts were such a grind that one night they finally got to Durant. Brown wanted him to run the hill. It was nighttime and 30 degrees outside. Durant said he was quitting.

Even today, Durant distinctly remembers trudging toward his house crying.

"I walked for a couple of minutes," Durant said. "I knew I had a lot of work left to do. I didn't want to throw away all the work I'd done. I thought about my mother. So I turned around and went back. He (Brown) didn't say anything to me. It was like I never left."

When Durant's father came back in his life, having two parents guide him helped solidify his career path. They were intent on giving him the best opportunities to improve his basketball skills.

He spent his first two years in high school at National Christian Academy, a private school in Fort Washington, Md., where he played center on defense, then guard and small forward on offense.

As a junior, Durant transferred to the nation's foremost prep basketball factory, Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va. There, he averaged 19.6 points and 8.8 rebounds, playing power forward on a 34-2 team that included future Mississippi State point guard Jamont Gordon.

After that season, Durant committed to Texas. He and his dad had visited Austin, and both loved everything about their visit, but mostly they were drawn to the affable Barnes.

Durant switched high schools again. His parents wanted him close to home for his senior year, so he received financial aid to attend Montrose Academy in Rockville, Md.

Montrose polished Durant in every possible way. His academics improved drastically. He was taught etiquette. He improved his defense. He averaged 23.6 points and 10.2 rebounds, and scored 31 points in his last game, a victory over his old teammates at Oak Hill.

He was ready for Texas. But was Texas ready for him?

[JMarkJohns]

Another poster at another site made a good point. It was, that for any player wanting to return next year, he's going to have to return to school, finish out the semester and pass his classes to remain eligible. I know alot of these players have "Family Studies" type course work, but if I had the opportunity to get millions of dollars guaranteed, I'd probably forego my classes, take a month break while still on scholly, party hardy, then get to all things NBA draft.

No work, no eligibility.

[RonMexico]

In other news, Ainge also fined for trying to convert Durant to the Mormon faith

[George Gervin's Afro]

I live across the street from Ainge's niece. She is pretty tight with Ainge's son (her cousin). They both went to BYU... by the way she's hot :lol

[Don Quixote]

Yes, I have heard that the women in Utah are smoking hot. But since they won't talk to the likes of us anyway, what's the point?

Thurl Bailey, who played for the Jazz all those years, actually became a Mormon about 10 years ago. Oddly enough, black Mormons do exist, as do Asian and Polynesian Mormons. Yes, they have to ignore their own scriptures on a few things. But I digress ...

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

"Excuse me, miss. Wow, look at that, you've got great seats, I've got great seats - small world. Just two random people who ended up with seats next to each other, now we're making normal, non-tampering conversation after a chance meeting. Durant? Which one is he? Thanks. Gosh, I wish I'd brought my nephew along, he'd love to meet a pretty college student like yourself. Oh, you're Kevin Durant's mother, you say? Amazing. Danny Ainge, Boston Celtics. Remember, this isn't tampering, and can I get you anything - a program, a beverage, a house?"

Greatness.

[Rip-Hamilton32]

durant and green would be great to start a new young team

[RonMexico]

Mormon girls are EXTREMELY hot... if you can corrupt them, it's like winning the lottery. I'm telling you, scour the "former Mormon" chat rooms - that's where my non-Mormon friend in Utah found his really, really smoking new gf... just watch out for Dateline NBC... haha

[mabber]

Maybe them being seated next to each other was merely a fluke :)

I think it was more like Ainge & owner agreeing ahead of time that it was worth the $30,000 fine to try to push Durant's mom into telling him to go pro :p: Celtics have a decent shot at the 1st or 2nd pick in the draft. Last time I checked they had the 2nd worst record in league behind Memphis.

[sa_butta]

I dont understand why he would do this anyways. Its not like he has any control over the lottery balls. And if he is trying to get a higher chance then the Celtics need not beat the Spurs. They had the highest chance to get Duncan and did not get him, so it seems silly to me.

[mabber]

I dont understand why he would do this anyways. Its not like he has any control over the lottery balls. And if he is trying to get a higher chance then the Celtics need not beat the Spurs. They had the highest chance to get Duncan and did not get him, so it seems silly to me.

Odds were in their favor though. The Spurs were just extremely lucky that day.

[exstatic]

Odds were in their favor though. The Spurs were just extremely lucky that day.
I prefer to think of it as destiny. They did a test run, and it came up Spurs. The actual #1 pick? Spurs. The next ball? You guessed it. Spurs. :lol