Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
“[Turner] says that he tried to call me when I was on the plane, but I don’t believe him. [Boston reporters] believe everything he said but, believe it or not, I don’t believe everything he said,” Stevens said with a wide smile. “No, I love that guy. I love that guy. What’s really cool is he texted my 10-year-old [son, Brady], sent him a long text and said, ‘This is why I’m going and it was great to be there and everything else.’ I think that sums him up. He’s got a great heart, he’s a great guy. After he did that, he didn’t need to call me.”
Well, Evan Turner’s back. Evan Turner–who took the money and ran (as who would not?), but still sent ten-year old Brady Stevens a text all about it.
Evan Turner’s turnaround is a concrete demonstration of why players want to play in Boston. A Jackie MacMullen piece from April 2015 shows how the Celtics, and especially Stevens and Ainge approached Turner:
Turner’s career has been reborn under the tutelage of coach Brad Stevens, who handed him the ball and told him, “I don’t care what you can’t do. Show me what you can do.” No one in Boston expected 25 points a night. The team just wanted him to share the ball and play the right way.
Turner has registered three triple-doubles this season, joining a small, elite group of Celtics who have accomplished that feat: Larry Bird, Antoine Walker, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo.
…
There has been little drama surrounding Turner in Boston. His teammates have embraced him, and the fans have accepted him. He’s so secure with his coach that, when he missed two free throws in a close game in Denver back in January, Turner joked that he clanged them because “I wanted to give [Stevens] some gray hair. He already looks like he’s 15. I wanted him to be able to do bars and not get carded.”
…
“There’s a lot of truth to the idea that players’ draft positions can have a negative impact,” Ainge said. “But I feel once they re-establish themselves as a different player, and expectations are fair, that can be fixed.
“One of the reasons we signed Evan to a two-year contract is we wanted to give him a chance to settle back into the league. We thought that might take a little longer to find his place.
“We wanted to lower the expectations around the NBA so he could play and have fun again.”
The game is back to being simple, Turner said. He is done trying to emulate someone else’s idea of what he should be.
“I gotta stop thinking about being a former No. 2 pick and just be a basketball player,” he said.
That article has stuck in my head over the past couple years because it illustrates Ainge and Stevens’ understanding of people. Especially telling is Ainge’s comment that he wanted to ‘lower expectations’–at first that sounds harsh, but two years in Boston, playing within himself because Stevens didn’t expect him to do otherwise did transform the way Evan Turner was perceived around the league.
Page 2: Let’s remember the best Evan Turner quotes from the Celtics years:
“When I was dribbling, I was like, ‘Oh, snap, I’m at 15 feet, I’m about to end this.’ And then I thought about [Michael Jordan] passing to Steve Kerr. And I thought, ‘Well, let me add that to my legacy. I’ll pass one time.’ And that was it. It was unbelievable, actually. Ingenious by me.”
“[Brad Stevens] spoke to me. I had to smell his breath for alcohol. I checked his office for drugs. I said, ‘You’ve gotta be high.’ You know what I’m saying? But I kept it classy, of course, and I trust the process. And that was it. But it’s unbelievable, right?”
I’m just trying to stay out the way. That’s it. You know what I’m saying? Once again, I have a ’27 years without getting arrested’ streak, so I wanna keep that up. Maybe texting people back quicker. Stop lying about not seeing people’s text messages. That would help. Checking my email more, maybe. You know what I’m saying, kind of to be more dependable in that aspect.”
“You’ve gotta respect a 15-percent 3-point shooter. A guy like that is always lethal.”
“It’s 15%, but it’s a big 15%”
People will say it’s for Kobe, but deep down it’s probably for me.
“I threw away my LeBron poster in high school,” Turner said, “so I don’t care how much he played tonight.”
Source: Reddit (of course)
There are plenty more where those came from, including these gems from his Philly days:
“There will always be haters, that’s just the way it is. Hating dudes marry hating women and have hating ass kids”
“I been on the toilet all night, my butt crack feels like it has sun burn #pause. I’m so annoyed”
Page 3: Where Avery Bradley’s out some more
The Boston Celtics expect Avery Bradley to miss “at least” one more game due to a strained right Achilles, head coach Brad Stevens said Friday afternoon.
Bradley has missed five of the last six games because of the issue. After returning for one game earlier this week, he was ruled a late scratch minutes before Wednesday night’s loss to the New York Knicks. Afterward, Stevens suggested Bradley might have come back too early from the injury.
Boston’s got Avery Bradley on just a fabulously good deal right now, but I have to say, as this season goes on, I’m starting to think that when it comes time for AB to get market rate pay, the C’s aren’t going to be the ones signing the checks (also: remember when AB was being overpaid? Bonus–this article also includes a Lance Stephenson reference).
Bradley’s got a more universally marketable set of skills than Marcus Smart–and he’s going to be the starting off-guard on a 50 win team by the end of the season–so there’s going to be high demand for that guy after the 2017/18 season, and even though he’s got ongoing injury issues, teams–not the best run teams, mind you–always seem to think that nagging injury problems are in the past, and that a guy who’s had reconstructive surgery on both shoulders, tore a hamstring, and has had ongoing ankle problems is due for a long run of good health.
If I had to pick the Celtics player most likely to be the centerpiece in a trade, it’s AB.
Finally: IT is in an NBA commercial with some other ‘little guys’
(watch for a cameo appearance by Paul Pierce)
The rest of the links
MassLive: Boston Celtics’ Isaiah Thomas: NBA All-Star starting lineups show ‘I’m not where I want to be’ | Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown deciding whether to enter NBA Slam Dunk Contest
CSNNE: Bradley still hurting, will miss Celtics game vs. Trail Blazers | Celtics rookie Jaylen Brown still undecided on All-Star dunk contest | Thomas: ‘It hurts but I’ll be all right’
Boston Globe: Evan Turner returning to Garden to face Celtics
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