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.
“Jeff will play most of his minutes or half of his minutes at the 3, but also at the 4,” said Celtics coach Brad Stevens. “Evan has to play, whether that’s starting or coming off the bench. Evan can get into the paint, and that’s a critical thing for us. It’s what everybody’s strengths are. You shouldn’t try to be somebody you’re not.
“I like Jeff at the 3 and the 4. He creates different advantages at each. Maybe a little less post-up (at small forward), and more playing in space.”
Herald: It ain’t easy being Green
“I’m just going to try and fit in dude; do what he (Green) needs,” Turner told CSNNE.com. “Like I dealt with Paul George last year. I would check in. I knew we needed him at the end of the game so I would try to guard the tougher guy when he would let me. Paul’s a competitive guy, and I know Jeff is the same way. I’m going to try and play my hardest and at the end of the day, make it easier for our go-to guy.”
CSNNE: Green & Turner will coexist on the court for Celtics
Jeff Green is about to return to action after straining his calf in the intra-squad scrimmage during the open practice for season ticket holders. Turner has been solid for the Celtics in the preseason, demonstrating an ability to beat defenders and get into the lane and also see the floor and find open teammates.
Eventually Turner won’t get the minutes at the 1 or 2 that he’s seen in the preseason because the Celtics will go to a smaller rotation. He’ll end up being more of a 2/3 guy, with more minutes at the 3 and the opportunity to create off the dribble. Even if most of those minutes come off the bench, he’ll still eat into Green’s time, pushing him into the 4 spot.
This is where we may find trouble, because Jeff Green has historically had some trouble at that position. Stronger 4’s give him trouble on both ends, which could put Brad Stevens in a bit of a bind. If there’s an unsavory matchup and Turner is playing well at the 3, does he go with Sullinger at the 4 to match strength with strength, or does he go with Green at the 4 and hope he can figure it out?
There will be days where this is a problem. There will be days where Green won’t be happy with his time. This is a guy who can opt out and get a raise from his $9.2 million with a good year. And while no one will shed a tear for Green if he “only” get to make $9.2 million next year, he’s looking at this is as an opportunity to get a bigger contract with the right team in the right situation.
We’ll see how it all goes down, but Stevens will have his hands full with this situation this year. I don’t think we’ve heard the last of this story line.
Page 2: Marcus Smart’s D is earning him a lot of minutes
“Then the defensive side of the ball, I’m still blown away by it. We really hammered on trying to be in great body position on Saturday, even with less than 24 hours to prepare for the Knicks. And he was in it every time. He has a chance to be a great defender, and we just keep saying that, but he’s really done a good job.”
Stevens wasn’t done gushing.
“With Rondo out, [Smart is] playing more. But I anticipate him playing a lot of minutes for us,” Stevens said. “I just think that, as you sit over there on the bench, you really have to find certain things that work for your team. You have to find the right level of aggressiveness, the right level of skill, the ability to score, the ability to guard. But you’re inevitably drawn to guys that do the right thing over and over and over and over. It’s just the way you feel as a coach — you feel really comfortable with guys like that, and he does that. He’s very consistent in doing that.”
ESPN Boston: Smart’s defense continues to draw raves
Hmm… I’m going to read into head coach Brad Stevens anticipating Smart playing a lot of minutes for the Celtics and say Marcus Smart will probably play a lot of minutes for the Celtics this year.
There, that line should finally satisfy those assholes on the Pulitzer board.
Anyway, the Celtics and Stevens are gushing about Smart’s defense now like the Celtics and Doc Rivers gushed about Avery Bradley’s defense when he was drafted. The two will spend a lot of time in the backcourt for the Celtics, and I anticipate they’ll be used together in stretches. What Stevens has to do is balance when the drop-off offensively is worth the upgrade defensively.
Of course, the thought there is that the Bradley/Smart combo would be so disruptive offensively that they’ll force turnovers that lead to transition offense, which means they’ll need to be surrounded with finishers. So we’ll tie page one and page two of today’s dump together here by guessing that a lineup of Smart and Bradley might actually benefit from a Turner/Green combo to fill lanes and maybe Olynyk as the trailer who can hit 3’s.
Both Bradley and Smart can ball-hawk, which means they can apply pressure further up the court and eat up that shot clock. And if an opposing wing, say, Carmelo Anthony, is trying to start the offense with 12 on the shot clock, a defender gets to anticipate that isolation more. There’s only enough time left to make a move and a pass at that point, so the rest of the defense doesn’t have to rotate like mad to make a stop. The ball pressure takes the other team out of its game and takes the pressure off your own defense.
The Celtics could start 4th quarters like this and then put Rondo in after the first TV timeout to finish the game and execute on the offensive end when the pressure there get to be too much for rookies and non-ball handlers. Of course, they risk getting defensive pressure from other teams, but Turner and even Green could help bring the ball up if other teams press.
The point in all of this is the Celtics have options. Smart’s defense could lead to offense, and from there we’ll have to wait and see if he can develop into a better ball handler and shooter to see where he fits long-term.
Related links: WEEI: Is Marcus Smart really this bad a shooter?
And Finally…
— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) October 14, 2014
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Happy Birthday, Truth.
No, I don’t think the green candles are an accident #Celtic4Lyfe
Yep, I used a hashtag on a blog
The rest of the links:
Globe: Faverani undergoes knee surgery | Bill Russell, KC Jones treated like rock stars at Alcatraz | CSNNE: Mid-camp report card | Stevens working around injuries to form lineup | Faverani has knee surgery, out 6-8 weeks | ESPN Boston: Green in, Wallace out | Faverani undergoes clean-up surgery
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