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.
Andrew Bogut, not only looking for a larger than peripheral role but also the greatest chance at a return to the NBA Finals, turned down a pitch from the Celtics Tuesday night after agreeing to terms with Cleveland.
The Cavaliers, who have also agreed to terms with point guard Deron Williams, will be a more significant challenge than ever for the Celtics, second place in the eastern conference and sliding, with losses in three of their last four games.
And for the time being the Celtics’ don’t have what a source called a “Plan B” in their attempt to improve their obvious weakness on the glass.
The source said that free agent forward Terrence Jones is off the table, though management hasn’t ruled out the possibility of adding Jared Sullinger — the former Celtic traded from Toronto to Phoenix and then bought out — “somewhere down the line if it is needed.”
Herald – Celtics lose out on Andrew Bogut, must look within for improvement
Did anyone truly think Bogut was going to sign with Boston, and pass up a chance to win another ring? Especially if the Cavs play Golden State, which dumped Bogut in a trade to Dallas.
The Celtics are going to have to ride with their current 15 players, none of whom has been capable of grabbing seven rebounds per game this season. I can’t believe they would go back to the flawed Sullinger, even though he did average 8.3 boards per game last year.
A Raptors source indicated the team grew frustrated with Sullinger’s commitment to conditioning as the season progressed.
MassLive – Boston Celtics rumors 2017: Jared Sullinger pursuit still not ruled out, according to report
With the Bogut miss, many fans are even more pissed that Ainge made no moves while Boston’s chief Eastern competitors acquired reinforcements for the remainder of this season. But in the big picture, the Celtics’ measures of success haven’t changed: win 50 games, get home court, and win a playoff series for the first time under Brad Stevens. Those were the goals since preseason, and they are still in play. If those are achieved, we really shouldn’t complain. (Note: I know people will complain no matter what.)
Related: MassLive – Boston Celtics rumors 2017: Andrew Bogut commits to signing with Cleveland Cavaliers | CSNNE – Blakely: What’s Next For Celtics Now That Bogut Chose Cavaliers? | Blakely: Celtics Haven’t Shut Door On Sullinger Return, But It’s ‘Highly Unlikely’
On Page 2: Passive or aggressive?
Horford’s usage is only slightly down this season, at 20.3 percent of possessions used from 20.6. But interestingly, the gap is much larger when he shares the floor with Thomas.
Al Horford With Thomas on-court With Thomas off
FGAs per 100 plays 16.5 19.2
FG percentage 45.3 44.8
Usage 19.7 23.2
This isn’t some indictment of Thomas. Of course he’s going to have the ball most of the time; he’s a top-flight offensive player. That’s not the issue. There are two problems. Horford tends to fade into the background with Thomas on the floor, and he isn’t really equipped to carry the load.
Horford has always been a do-it-all player. He can defend, pass, hit shots. His versatility is vital in today’s game, and he’s made the Celtics better. But he’s also just 13 of 37 in clutch time situations, per NBA.com. He’s not a go-to weapon, which is something Boston may need down the stretch.
CBS Sports – Al Horford isn’t equipped to carry the load, and that could hurt Celtics late in games
There’s no doubt about it: Horford has been in a slump lately. Through late January, he was regularly scoring well, with 17 or more points in 18 of his first 35 games. But in the past 13 games, Horford has scored more than 12 just once. Worse, he’s been in single digits for the past four games, shooting just 11 of 36 (including 1 of 12 on threes).
As noted above, Horford is often passive on the offensive end. He needs to change that, and Brad needs to help him by calling more plays for the big guy. They obviously know that, since they’ve opened the last couple of games by getting the ball to Horford early. But then they taper off from that approach and Al ends up just waiting at the arc much of the time. The Celtics need more than that from him.
Beyond the numbers, Horford is a leader and a reliable passer (4.9 assists per game to lead all centers). But he has a max contract, and a vocal segment of Celtics fans on Twitter regularly complain that he doesn’t score and rebound enough to deserve it. Clearly, those complaints aren’t going away until Horford gets back on track.
On Page 3: Plays of the Week
Check out the @JetBlue Top 5 Plays from the first three games after the All-Star break. https://t.co/Zm80L6oi8O
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 28, 2017
And, finally: STFU, Draymond
Draymond Green’s beef with Paul Pierce continued on Tuesday. And this time, Green went after Pierce’s championship.
Speaking on the Uninterrupted’s Dray Day Podcast, Green opened up about his trash talk to Pierce from Thursday’s game against the Clippers. The taunts surrounded Pierce’s farewell tour in his final season, and Pierce hit back and called Green’s trash talk soft.
But really, Green’s latest jab at Pierce missed the mark. He said:
“Don’t get me wrong, Pierce was a damn good player. He had an amazing career, but people tend to forget he was struggling to get to the playoffs and was on the trading block every year. Then, all of the sudden, Ray Allen and KG showed up. Let’s not forget that.
“So, when you come to me and you say, ‘You can’t carry a team.’ … But how good were you at carrying the team? And by the way, it’s not really been proven that I can’t. Or that I don’t. It’s never really proven. But it’s proven with you because you couldn’t win. Just because you were scoring points, don’t mean you were carrying the team.”
USA Today – Draymond Green gets Paul Pierce’s career arc all wrong in latest round of trash talk
Legend-in-his-own-mind Draymond Green really needs to find a hobby other than going after Celtic-for-life Paul Pierce.
After this beef had started, Chauncey Billups urged Draymond to “respect the OG,” but the Warrior didn’t listen. His latest rant doesn’t even make any sense. “When you come to me and you say, ‘You can’t carry a team.’ … But how good were you at carrying the team?” Huh?
First: Maybe I missed it, but when did Pierce say anything about Draymond carrying a team?
Second: Implying that Pierce wasn’t the main man in Boston is at best misinformed, and at worst crazy. Pierce was All-NBA four times before the Big 3 was formed. He’s fourth in the NBA for career 3-pointers made. He was a Finals MVP. He survived being stabbed 11 times in September 2000 and came back to average 25 points while starting all 82 games in 2000-01. The list goes on and on.
Third: When Boston won the 2008 championship, nobody carried the team – not Paul, not KG, not Ray – because they believed in “Ubuntu,” the philosophy of “I am because we are.” They sacrificed for each other. And, with better injury luck, that Celtics core might have also won in 2009 and 2010.
No doubt, Draymond is outstanding on the court, too. He has his share of awards and a ring. But carrying a team? This season he’s been playing with a two-time MVP plus two other All-NBA guys. The reality is, Draymond is a fourth option.
Finally, what probably hasn’t dawned on him yet is that he carried the Warriors not to last year’s title, but away from it. All those “blew a 3-1 lead” jokes are his fault. With one stupid nut shot in Game 4, Draymond got himself suspended, provoked the wrath of LeBron, swung all the momentum to the Cavs, and triggered the most epic f*cking meltdown in NBA history.
Pierce was correct during his back-and-forth with Green when he tweeted that the Warriors’ 73 wins meant nothing. And it was all Draymond’s fault.
By the way, with the bad news last night that Kevin Durant suffered a possible major knee injury, Draymond might now have to put up or shut up.
Related: The Score – Draymond ribs Pierce for playoff struggles before Big 3 arrived
The Rest of the Links:
Herald – Bulpett: Isaiah Thomas won’t change ways after one subpar night
CSNNE – Starting Or Off The Bench, Jaylen Brown Says Approach Remains The Same
ESPN – Thomas is Mr. Fourth Quarter (video)
Globe – Celtics Notebook: Prospect Guerschon Yabusele could make D-League debut soon
Providence Journal – With Cavaliers in town, Celtics need to find old rhythm
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