Your Morning Dump... Where IT's happy, Rondo's mad, and ET is as salty as ever.

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.

“It’s stuff you dream of as a little kid,” Thomas said. “I always say, to be in the Garden and play for the Celtics, and for them to be chanting MVP, it doesn’t seem real. For now, I’m staying in the moment, I’m embracing it. These fans are everything to me.”

Thomas is everything to the Celtics. As Boston struggles to re-establish its defensive identity, Thomas has kept the team afloat with his ridiculous offensive exploits. Entering the season, Thomas’ career high in scoring was 38 points. He’s matched or exceeded that number seven times since late December.

ESPN Boston

IT’s headed back to the All-Star game, and nobody’s surprised about that at all. That in itself is pretty surprising. Imagine I told you, back in 2013, that Boston would win more games in 2016/17 than they won with two future hall-of-famers, and that their starting lineup would consist of:

A point guard that the Kings didn’t want
Avery Bradley
The Mavericks’ third string small forward
Al Horford
An ex-D-leaguer

Imagine I told you that one of the players in that lineup would be going to the All-Star game, and that it wouldn’t be Horford.

This team is going to have let-downs, stuff happens, but in the main, take a moment and reflect on just how, well, goofy this whole situation is, and how enjoyable this run should be for us fans.

Page 2: Rondo does what Rondo does

Even in Boston when we had the best record in the league, if we lost a game, you could hear a pin drop on the bus. They showed us the seriousness of the game. My vets didn’t have an influence on the coaching staff. They couldn’t change the plan because it didn’t work for them. I played under one of the greatest coaches, and he held everyone accountable. It takes 1-15 to win. When you isolate everyone, you can’t win consistently.

“I may be a lot of things, but I’m not a bad teammate. My goal is to pass what I learned along. The young guys work. They show up. They don’t deserve blame. If anything is questionable, it’s the leadership.”

Instagram

Okay, you know, kudos to Rondo for saying some home truths–and saying them in style.

But–and this is sort of the thing with Rondo–what does this accomplish? Rajon is incredibly smart, but man alive, he can sure find a way to shoot himself in the foot sometimes.

Everything he said in that Instagram post was on the mark; neither Jimmy Butler nor Dwyane Wade have made their team better this year.

However, he’s not going to do anything to change how Butler and Wade act with that post; he hasn’t done any favors for Hoiberg, and I know he meant well–wanted to stick up for the young guys, and talk about the vets he had when he was new in the league, and all that.

But find me anyone who thinks that this actually made the situation in Chicago better.

Page 3: Where Evan Turner is still kinda awesome.

So, ET stuck up for Rondo on twitter, and that lead to this amazing exchange:

I wonder if rondo is willing to fight wade or butler on the undercard of the Soulja boy/Chris brown event. A Catch weight would be needed…

— Evan Turner (@thekidet) January 27, 2017

shut up, u make beats for Super Nintendo.

— Evan Turner (@thekidet) January 27, 2017

There are a few other snappy ET comebacks in that thread.

Page 4: Larry Sanders?

If he could return to form, Sanders’ shot-blocking could theoretically help shore up some of Boston’s defensive issues.

During his prime, he served as one of the league’s top rim protectors, a real deterrent inside. But he walked away from the game in 2015 after dealing with issues related to anxiety, depression and mood disorders. He has not played professional basketball since.

MassLive

Well, you pretty much knew that when Larry Sanders decided to come back to basketball, he’d look at Boston.

And we’re not just talking about Boston needing a defensive presence inside.

We’re talking about Brad Stevens’ rep as a guy who gets the best out of his players.

Jae Crowder? Coach’s decision-DNP’er in Dallas.
Evan Turner? Draft bust.
Jonas Jerebko? Discount pitch-in on a last minute trade.
Jordan Crawford? Remember when he won the NBA Eastern Conference player-of-the-week with Boston?
Isaiah Thomas? Under-utilized gimmick player in Phoenix.

If Ainge and Stevens think Sanders is worth signing, I think it’ll work out better than expected.

Sanders did some rock-stupid things when he was in Milwaukee, and hopefully he’s figured out how to move past them, even if he doesn’t sign with the Celtics.

Finally: Zugzwang

Getting rid of Anthony makes quite bit of sense for the Knicks, who want to build around potential superstar Kristaps Porzingis rather than a nearly 33-year-old star. Anthony has a no-trade clause, so the Knicks will need to find a destination he would like, and perhaps the playoff-bound Celtics would entice him to waive it.

MassLive

I’m not much of a chess player, but I do know some of the terminology. “Zugzwang” is the term for a situation in which a player has to make a move while having no good moves to make.

That’s where PJ is right now, and he’s only got himself to blame.

The Knicks are in, I believe, their forty-fourth year of a ‘win now’ strategy. It is hard to recall a move by the team that has demonstrated the least bit of foresight.

And PJ, given carte blanche and a silo full of hundred dollar bills, hasn’t changed the team’s direction in the slightest. It’s still a mix of delusion (we can land free agents because endorsements! and we’re a basketball town!!), and can’t-decide-to-crap-or-get-off-the-pot personnel moves (let’s trade everything for Carmelo Anthony! Let’s not find ANY players who complement his ability! Let’s assemble a 2011 dream team in 2016! Let’s blow it all up!!)

That the Celtics were mentioned as a destination for Anthony is a reflection of exactly what the relationship is between these two franchises. The Celtics not only have a much better record than the Knicks, they have the assets that the Knicks want in order to rebuild their team.