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.
Ainge said that he talked with Garnett last week and would probably talk with him again soon. At the moment, Ainge believes that Garnett will come back but until a decision is made the Celtics are in wait-and-see mode.
“We’ll talk within the next week, but I’m not sure that’s a decision day for him,” Ainge said. “He may want to wait and see what kind of team we have. I know that he wants to come back. I know that he likes Boston and I know he loves playing for Doc and loves everything about the team and the city and so forth, so I think that his decision is going to be, ‘Do I really want to play or do I want to not play.’”
Here’s the timeline: Garnett becomes a free agent on July 1 and teams can begin negotiating with free agents at that point. Once a league-wide audit is conducted to set the salary cap and luxury tax for next season, players can begin signing contracts on July 11.
Add Danny Ainge to list of people who think it’s Boston or bust for Kevin Garnett.
How exactly can KG “wait and see” what kind of team Ainge builds before making a decision? Everything hinges on him. Danny can’t make any moves with Garnett’s $22 million cap hold.
All Ainge can do is give Garnett insight on discussions he’s had with players and agents. The conversation could go like this:
KG: “Hey mother-bleeper. How’s my team coming along?”
Danny: “Nice to hear from you, KG. Well.. It looks like we’ll have a deal with Jeff Green and I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to bring back Brandon.”
KG: “And Ray?”
Danny: “Not so much…”
KG: “You think we’ll have enough ammo to make another run?”
Danny: “Definitely.”
KG: “Let’s go to war then.”
A week from now we’ll know Garnett’s plans. Sit tight.
The rest of the links:
ESPN Boston – Garnett weighing his options | Ainge looks back at run, ahead at future | CSNNE – Lacerte wins trainer of the year award | Herald – Chief among honorees
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