Your Morning Dump… Where Quisy doesn’t know why either

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here…
highlighting the big storyline. Because there’s nothing quite as
satisfying as a good morning dump.

“I don’t know why,” Daniels said. “But I’ve been through worse, man.
I’ve been through a whole lot worse than anything that can happen here.
It’s really hard to say. But I don’t ever think that this is about
making hoops. I just take my shots when they’re there.

“Just staying aggressive is the important thing for me. But right now
I’m just playing within the offense.”

Herald: Marquis Daniels a downer

Marquis Daniels was supposed to be, along with Rasheed Wallace, one of the main reasons why the Celtics were talking about 70 wins going into the season.  They were each guys who were starters who were willingly taking their games to the bench.

Quis was going to be Mr. Versatile… a guy who could fill the 1, 2 and 3 slots.  But he got hurt, and then he got lost.  But like Doc said yesterday, we can’t write him off.

“I think we have to do a better job of getting him the ball in the
post and activating hm,” Rivers said after Tuesday’s practice in which
Daniels spent time with the first unit after Pierce’s departure with a
shoulder injury. “Sometimes a player needs to be activated to get them
going, so maybe that [is what Daniels is lacking right now]. I’m
reaching, but we do need him. We need him to be the best defensive
player on our team at times and to be a better rebounder. We need him to
come back with more energy.”

…. “When your hand is hurting and you come back, you’re scared to do
things,” said Rivers. “He does still lose the ball with that hand, so
confidence has to be a factor.”

Paul Pierce is going to miss at least tonight’s game with his shoulder “stinger”… so Quis is going to get a chance.  It’s a pure Doc move.  Egregiously cut a guy’s minutes back, then give him the start when a guy goes down.

Let’s see how it goes.

Coming up, Page 2… where Doc doesn’t think the 3rd seed is that important

Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images

But as injuries and inconsistency continue to plague Doc Rivers’
club, slugging it out with Atlanta for the No. 3 spot in the East is not
a priority for the coach.

“Not as much as it is for everyone else,” he said following
yesterday’s workout in which Kendrick Perkins (knee tendinitis) returned
and Paul Pierce (shoulder stinger) left early. “Obviously, I guess you
want to avoid Cleveland (in the second round). That’s what everyone is
saying. But if you want to win a title, you’ve got play them eventually.
You can make the case that it’s better to play them early because
you’re fresher and you’re stronger.

“If we’re so old – or so everyone is telling me – maybe playing them
in the second round is better.

“Souza: Celtics not concerned about playoff seeding

It’s an interesting point.

If you’re a supposedly “old” team, why would you want to delay playing the best team in the conference.  Why not just do it as soon as possible when you’re fresher… and hope for an easier opponent in the Finals.

Sounds interesting when you write it down.  Of course… when you think about it… that requires losing now.  So…. are we ok with losing now?

Actually, as the guys say, it’s about guys getting healthy.  So you sit Paul Pierce a couple of games.  You sit Perk a couple of games.  You play the second unit a little bit more.

The other side… the side most of us have been talking about… is about getting the easier opponents early so you can dispatch them and rest up for the tougher opponent.  That requires playing hard now… and pulling the second unit earlier than you might want.

We’ve seen the Celtics do both.  So of course, we have no clue what’s really going on.  In the end, they’ve just got to play ball in the playoffs.  End of story.

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Remember, we’re giving away 5 sets of tickets today… one pair each hour from 11 am to 3 pm.  Be sure to come back often for a chance to go to Friday night’s Rockets game courtesy of T-Mobile.

The rest of the links:

Herald:  Pierce’s shoulder problem pops up again  |  Globe: Pierce still stinging after blow to shoulder  |  Q&A with Glen Davis  |  Thunder are making noise  | Thunder thumbnails  |  ESPN Boston:  Fear the Deer?  |  CSNNE: Pierce questionable with shoulder injury  |  WEEI:  Rondo eyes matchup with Westbrook  |  Pierce gets stung again  |  Celtics Hub: Well that explains a lot, Perk’s tendinitis bothered him for months  |  North Station:  Red’s Army, NSS, Project Spurs talk hoops from Boston  |  Gino’s Jungle:  Trying to understand Rasheed Wallace