LAS VEGAS -- Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Saturday that the team is in the process of adding former Penn coach Jerome Allen to his staff.
The 42-year-old Allen played in the NBA and overseas, including part of one season with an Indiana Pacers team that Stevens grew up rooting for, before embarking on a college coaching career at his alma mater.
Allen's addition would fill the void left when Darren Erman left to join Alvin Gentry's staff with the New Orleans Pelicans. He'd join a coaching staff that includes Jay Larranaga, Micah Shrewsberry, Walter McCarty and Jamie Young.
"I coached against him [at Butler]," said Stevens. "Got to know him after coaching against him; spent time with him and learned a lot about him. I was always incredibly impressed with him.
"I have talked to players that have played for him that love him. And I knew about him as a fan watching him play and being a guy that has always appreciated smaller schools and what they can do. And the bright lights are on him and he was a great player. He’s a great person. And we’e looking forward to having him around."
Pressey leaves summer squad
Phil Pressey, a late addition to the Celtics' summer squad, did not accompany the team to Vegas and will not participate in summer league.
"He ended up going back home," said Shrewsberry, who is serving as Boston's head coach in Vegas. "He came out just to practice with us, get some extra reps."
Pressey, with a looming July 15 date for his contract to become fully guaranteed, had asked to join Boston's summer squad with the potential to audition himself a bit. But with Boston already committed to a trade that could deliver a nonguaranteed contract to the Warriors as part of a deal to fetch David Lee, Pressey was merely an observer during Boston's initial three-game stint at the Utah Jazz summer league.
The Celtics had originally planned to keep Pressey off the roster in order to give both Marcus Smart and 2015 top pick Terry Rozier more reps at the point guard spot this summer. But even with Smart set for planned rest during summer league, the Celtics couldn't seemingly take a chance at Pressey getting injured.
Both Pressey and Chris Babb are working on nonguaranteed contracts. One is needed to complete the initial iteration of the Lee trade that will also send out Gerald Wallace.
Thomas reveals surgery on hand
Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas engaged in a Twitter Q&A while flying to China on Saturday and revealed that he had a surgical procedure on his wrist.
Eagle-eyed observers had noticed some small bandages on Thomas' wrist in pictures posted to his social media accounts last month.
A user asked Thomas how his offseason was going Saturday and he responded, "Going good. Just rehab on my wrist from surgery a month ago."
It does not appear the surgery was a major procedure and Thomas did not even reference it while meeting with reporters earlier this week in Utah.
Young and the restless
James Young sat out Saturday's Vegas opener due to a sore hip.
Young was hoping to return to game action as early as Sunday, but spent Boston's morning shootaround on a stationary bike while trying to dull the pain of a collision that forced him out of Boston's finale in Utah.
Young downplayed any concern about the injury by noting he'd be back soon and that he was trying to remain patient despite a poor shooting performance over the Celtics' first three summer games.
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas
At least until Sunday's airing of Boston's 85-76 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in the team's Vegas opener. Celtics fans -- at least those without League Pass -- were unable to watch Saturday's game as NBA TV was broadcasting another summer matchup.
NBA TV will broadcast the game early Sunday morning back home.
Here's what you missed: Marcus Smart hit four first-quarter 3-pointers and scored a team-high 19 points overall to lead Boston (which erupted for 30 first-quarter points). ... Second-round pick Jordan Mickey added 15 points and 10 rebounds, while first-round selection R.J. Hunter added 13 points off the bench. ... Neither Smart nor Hunter were particularly efficient shooting the ball (a combined 7 for 25), but their early 3-point barrage fueled Boston on this night. Hunter was a team-best plus-16 in plus/minus for the night. ... Shrewsberry picked up the win in his summer coaching debut. Larranaga led the team to a 1-2 mark in Utah. ... Undrafted forward Jonathan Holmes had his best effort of the summer in putting up 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting with seven rebounds and two blocks over just 20 minutes of playing time in a starting role.