BOSTON (AP) — Power forward Robert Williams was projected to be a lottery pick — and that was last year, after his freshman year at Texas A&M.But there he was, sliding down to the Boston Celtics at the 27th pick in the NBA draft Thursday night."It's not my job to know what the other 26 teams are thinking," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said after adding the two-time Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year. "We thought that he was the right pick for us, and we felt very fortunate to be able to get him."A 6-foot-10, 237-pound Oil City, Louisiana, native, Williams was considered a certain first-round pick as a freshman — maybe in the top 10.But he decided he wasn't ready. He returned and averaged 10.4 points and an SEC-leading 9.2 rebounds while leading the Aggies to the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16."He's a rim-protector and a rebounder, and he can play above the rim on both ends of the court," Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said. "We don't have much of that."Williams, 20,... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Power forward Robert Williams was projected to be a lottery pick — and that was last year, after his freshman year at Texas A&M.But there he was, sliding down to the Boston Celtics at the 27th overall pick in the NBA draft Thursday night."It's not my job to know what the other 26 teams are thinking," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said after adding the two-time Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year. "We thought that he was the right pick for us, and we felt very fortunate to be able to get him."A 6-foot-10, 237-pound Oil City, Louisiana, native, Williams was considered a certain first-round pick as a freshman — maybe in the top 10.But he decided he wasn't ready. He returned and averaged 10.4 points and an SEC-leading 9.2 rebounds while leading the Aggies to the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16.He still has some work to do— especially on offense, according to scouting reports. Stevens said current Celtics big men Al Horford and Gordon Hayward will be a big help in... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics have selected Texas A&M power forward Robert Williams with the No. 27 pick in the NBA draft.The 6-foot-10, 237-pound sophomore is a two-time Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year. He averaged 10.4 points and 9.2 rebounds for the Aggies last year. He had been projected as a lottery pick.The Celtics followed an appearance in the 2017 Eastern Conference finals with an offseason overhaul that brought in Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving. Despite losing both of them to injuries during the season, they returned to the league's final four.They had picked third in back-to-back years, landing Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, thanks to the trades that dismantled their 2008 championship team. Williams could replace free agent Aron Baynes as a big man in the rotation behind Al Horford.

DETROIT (AP) — Dwane Casey looks at the roster of the Detroit Pistons and sees a core of players capable of a lot more than the team accomplished last season."Our time is now," Casey said.The Pistons introduced Casey as their new coach Wednesday, over a week after hiring him to replace Stan Van Gundy. Casey inherits a team built around Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson, but the roster has little flexibility and the team gave up its first-round draft pick this year to acquire Griffin.In other words, Detroit's performance in 2018-19 may depend largely on what Casey can get out of a group that fell short under Van Gundy."I'm telling the guys now: We're not developing, we're not two or three years away," Casey said. "We want to win right now."Casey took the Detroit job after being fired by the Toronto Raptors. He's a finalist for NBA coach of the year after leading the Raptors to a team-record 59 wins this past season, but he lost his job after Toronto was swept in the playoffs... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves are taking a pair of picks and a flexible approach into the NBA draft.The Wolves own the 20th overall selection in the first round as well as the 48th overall choice in the second round on Thursday night.In a draft that's considered deep in wing players, the Wolves could stay put and use one or both of those picks at a position where defense and 3-point shooting are critical and depth is needed behind Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins. Cap space would help, too, so trading out of their spot to seek salary relief would not be a surprise, either.President and coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters on Wednesday that "all options are open right now."___For more AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets have agreed to trade eight-time All-Star center Dwight Howard to the Brooklyn Nets for center Timofey Mozgov and two second-round draft picks, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday.The Hornets will get the Nets' second-round pick Thursday night (45th overall) and a second-round pick in 2021, the person said. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the teams have not announced the trade and the league cannot approve the deal until the trade moratorium ends on July 6.The 32-year-old Howard played only one season for Charlotte, averaging 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. He is due to make $23.8 million this season, the final year of his contract.Brooklyn will be Howard's fourth team in as many seasons. He had pushed for a trade from Orlando to the Nets during the 2011-12 season in hopes of joining Deron Williams, then changed his mind and recommitted the Magic, who instead dealt him... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets have agreed to trade eight-time All-Star center Dwight Howard to the Brooklyn Nets for center Timofey Mozgov and two second-round draft picks, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday.The Hornets will get the Nets' second-round pick Thursday night (45th overall) and a second-round pick in 2021, the person said. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the teams have not announced the trade and the league cannot approve the deal until the trade moratorium ends on July 6.The 32-year-old Howard played only one season for Charlotte, averaging 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. He is due to make $23.8 million this season, the final year of his contract.Brooklyn will be Howard's fourth team in as many seasons.After spending three seasons with the Houston Rockets, Howard was acquired by his hometown Atlanta Hawks in 2016 as a free agent and signed a three-year contract.But he wore out his welcome... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A person familiar with the situation says the Charlotte Hornets have agreed to trade eight-time All-Star center Dwight Howard to the Brooklyn Nets for center Timofey Mozgov and two future second-round draft picks.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the teams have not announced the trade and the league has not yet approved it.Howard played only one season for Charlotte, averaging 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. He is due to make $23.8 million this season, the final year of his contract.Mozgov has two years left on his contract at $16 million per season.New Hornets general manager Kupchak signed Mozgov to a four-year, $64 million deal in 2016 when both were with the Lakers.___AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown sued the city of Milwaukee and its police department Tuesday, saying officers' use of a stun gun during his arrest for a parking violation constitutes excessive force and that they targeted him because he is black.Brown's attorney Mark Thomsen filed the lawsuit in federal court, accusing police of "discriminating against Mr. Brown on the basis of his race." The lawsuit alleges officers involved in his arrest used their incident report to try to reframe what happened to give the impression Brown was resisted and obstructed them."Mr. Brown hopes that instead of the typical denial of the claims ... the city actually admit to the wrongs, admit that his constitutional rights were violated," Thomsen said at a news conference outside City Hall after filing the lawsuit.Brown had been talking with officers while waiting for a citation for illegally parking in a disabled spot outside a Walgreens at about 2 a.m. on Jan. 26, when officers took him... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown sued the city of Milwaukee and its police department Tuesday, saying officers' use of a stun gun during his arrest for a parking violation constitutes excessive force and that they targeted him because he is black.Brown's attorney Mark Thomsen filed the lawsuit in federal court, accusing police of "discriminating against Mr. Brown on the basis of his race." The lawsuit alleges officers involved in his arrest used their incident report to try to reframe what happened to give the impression Brown was resisted and obstructed them."Mr. Brown hopes that instead of the typical denial of the claims ... the city actually admit to the wrongs, admit that his constitutional rights were violated," Thomsen said at a news conference outside City Hall after filing the lawsuit.Brown had been talking with officers while waiting for a citation for illegally parking in a disabled spot outside a Walgreens at about 2 a.m. on Jan. 26, when officers took him... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown sued the city of Milwaukee and its police department Tuesday, saying officers' use of a stun gun during his arrest for a parking violation constitutes excessive force and that they targeted him because he is black.Brown's attorney Mark Thomsen filed the lawsuit in federal court, accusing police of "discriminating against Mr. Brown on the basis of his race." The lawsuit alleges officers involved in his arrest used their incident report to try to reframe what happened to give the impression Brown was resisted and obstructed them."Mr. Brown hopes that instead of the typical denial of the claims ... the city actually admit to the wrongs, admit that his constitutional rights were violated," Thomsen said at a news conference outside City Hall after filing the lawsuit.Brown had been talking with officers while waiting for a citation for illegally parking in a disabled spot outside a Walgreens at about 2 a.m. on Jan. 26, when officers took him... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Latest on a lawsuit filed against Milwaukee and the city's police department by NBA player Sterling Brown alleging excessive force (all times local):1:25 p.m.Milwaukee's mayor says he hopes the relationship between police and residents can improve in the wake of an excessive force lawsuit filed by Milwaukee Bucks player Sterling Brown.Mayor Tom Barrett released a statement Tuesday saying he's hopeful that the NBA player's arrest over a parking violation and the subsequent lawsuit "will be a turning point."The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in federal court . It accuses Milwaukee police officers of discriminating against Brown because he's black.Officers detained Brown at about 2 a.m. on Jan. 26 because he was double-parked in a handicap spot outside a Walgreens.Officers swarmed Brown and used a stun gun after taking him down because he didn't immediately remove his hands from his pockets as ordered. Brown wasn't charged.___12:30 p.m.Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown is... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown sued the city of Milwaukee and its police department Tuesday, saying officers' use of a stun gun during his arrest for a parking violation constitutes excessive force and that they targeted him because he is black.Brown's attorney Mark Thomsen filed the lawsuit in federal court, accusing police of "discriminating against Mr. Brown on the basis of his race." The lawsuit alleges officers involved in his arrest used their incident report to try to reframe what happened to give the impression Brown was resisted and obstructed them."Mr. Brown hopes that instead of the typical denial of the claims ... the city actually admit to the wrongs, admit that his constitutional rights were violated," Thomsen said at a news conference outside City Hall after filing the lawsuit.Brown had been talking with officers while waiting for a citation for illegally parking in a disabled spot outside a Walgreens at about 2 a.m. on Jan. 26, when officers took him... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Latest on a lawsuit filed against Milwaukee and the city's police department by NBA player Sterling Brown alleging excessive force (all times local):12:30 p.m.Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown is accusing Milwaukee police officers of discriminating against him because he is black when they used a stun gun during his arrest for a parking violation.A lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court says officers could have simply issued a citation instead of "unlawfully discriminating against Mr. Brown on the basis of his race."Officers detained Brown at about 2 a.m. on Jan. 26 because he was double-parked in a handicap spot outside a Walgreens. Officers swarmed Brown and took him down because he didn't immediately remove his hands from his pockets as ordered.The lawsuit accuses police of unlawful arrest and using excessive force. Brown has not been charged.11:15 a.m.The attorney for Milwaukee Bucks player Sterling Brown says police officers violated his client's constitutional... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown sued the city of Milwaukee and its police department Tuesday, saying officers' use of a stun gun during his arrest for a parking violation constitutes excessive force and that they targeted him because he is black.Brown's attorney Mark Thomsen filed the lawsuit in federal court, accusing police of "discriminating against Mr. Brown on the basis of his race." The lawsuit alleges officers involved in his arrest used their incident report to try to reframe what happened to give the impression Brown was resisted and obstructed them."Mr. Brown hopes that instead of the typical denial of the claims ... the city actually admit to the wrongs, admit that his constitutional rights were violated," Thomsen said at a news conference outside City Hall after filing the lawsuit.Brown had been talking with officers while waiting for a citation for illegally parking in a disabled spot outside a Walgreens at about 2 a.m. on Jan. 26, when officers took him... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Latest on a lawsuit filed against Milwaukee and the city's police department by NBA player Sterling Brown alleging excessive force (all times local):11:15 a.m.The attorney for Milwaukee Bucks player Sterling Brown says police officers violated his client's constitutional rights when they "set up, circled and then attacked" him outside a Walgreens store in January.Attorney Mark Thomsen spoke at a news conference Tuesday morning outside City Hall, shortly after filing a federal lawsuit against the city of Milwaukee and its police department. Thomsen urged city leaders to acknowledge that Brown's constitutional rights were violated and approve their claim.Brown was accused of a parking violation outside the drug store. Police videos show Brown remained calm and did not resist, yet the situation escalated, officers surrounded him and one used a stun gun on him. Thomsen says the city's policies don't prevent such conduct by police who arrested Brown that day.Brown was not... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the city of Milwaukee and its police department, claiming unlawful arrest and excessive force when officers used a stun gun on him during his arrest for a parking violation.Brown's attorney Mark Thomsen filed the lawsuit in federal court.Brown had been talking with officers while waiting for a citation for illegally parking in a disabled spot outside a Walgreens on Jan. 26, when officers took him down because he didn't immediately remove his hands from his pockets as ordered.Police Chief Alfonso Morales apologized to Brown last month when body-camera video of the arrest was released. Brown wasn't charged with anything and three officers were disciplined, with suspensions ranging from two to 15 days.Eight other officers were ordered to undergo remedial training in professional communications.Video of the confrontation shows an officer approached Brown around 2 a.m. When their conversation becomes tense,... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Latest on a lawsuit filed against Milwaukee and the city's police department by NBA player Sterling Brown alleging excessive force (all times local):10:55 a.m.A federal lawsuit against Milwaukee police alleges officers tried to reframe what happened when they used a stun gun during the arrest of Bucks' player Sterling Brown after a parking violation in January.The lawsuit Brown filed Tuesday says a group of officers instructed a colleague writing an incident report to describe the basketball player as resisting and obstructing them. Videos released by police and obtained by WISN-TV show Brown never threatened the officers and appeared calm while he waited for a parking citation.One officer involved in the arrest later sent a tweet mocking Brown, saying, "Nice meeting Sterling Brown of the Milwaukee Bucks at work this morning!"Brown wasn't charged with anything.The lawsuit naming the city, police chief, and eight officers alleges excessive force and unlawful arrest.___10:12... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the city of Milwaukee and its police department, claiming unlawful arrest and excessive force when officers used a stun gun on him during his arrest for a parking violation.Brown's attorney Mark Thomsen filed the lawsuit in federal court.Brown had been talking with officers while waiting for a citation for illegally parking in a disabled spot outside a Walgreens on Jan. 26, when officers took him down because he didn't immediately remove his hands from his pockets as ordered.Police Chief Alfonso Morales apologized to Brown last month when body-camera video of the arrest was released. Brown wasn't charged with anything and three officers were disciplined, with suspensions ranging from two to 15 days.Eight other officers were ordered to undergo remedial training in professional communications.Video of the confrontation shows an officer approached Brown around 2 a.m. When their conversation becomes tense,... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the city of Milwaukee and its police department, claiming unlawful arrest and excessive force when officers used a stun gun on him during his arrest for a parking violation.Brown's attorney Mark Thomsen filed the lawsuit in federal court.Brown had been talking with officers while waiting for a citation for illegally parking in a disabled spot outside a Walgreens on Jan. 26, when officers took him down because he didn't immediately remove his hands from his pockets as ordered.Police Chief Alfonso Morales apologized to Brown last month when body-camera video of the arrest was released. Brown wasn't charged with anything and three officers were disciplined, with suspensions ranging from two to 15 days.Eight other officers were ordered to undergo remedial training in professional communications.Video of the confrontation shows an officer approached Brown around 2 a.m. When their conversation becomes tense,... [More]