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.
Because the national team will not compete in any tournaments this summer, a bunch of stars opted not to play. Most who did treated the event like the Rising Stars Challenge, an exhibition where shots are rarely contested and purists may feel an overwhelming desire to scrub away the filth. Pull-up threes were launched from many feet behind the arc. Cutters ran straight to the rim for wide open buckets. At one point, Victor Oladipo told his defender he expected to be allowed an easy dunk.
It was not the ideal setting, then, for a glue guy like Amir Johnson. After being named a late addition to the Blue Team, which lost 134-128, the Boston Celtics big man still managed eight points and four rebounds over 16 minutes. He committed one egregious turnover (whoops) but also threw down a number of dunks, including this reverse:
MassLive – Boston Celtics’ Amir Johnson throws down reverse dunk in USA Basketball Showcase (video)
New Celtic Amir Johnson was able to get some summer burn with Team USA out in Las Vegas last night. It was basically a glorified pick-up game, although I’ve seen pickup games at the local Y have more intensity than this. That’s completely fine though since there’s no reason for any of these guys to go all out, or half out. Johnson was able to throw down this reverse jam in transition during the game so don’t be surprised to see him do this in a C’s uniform. Head Coach Brad Stevens will have a handful of options and lineups to go with and Johnson is just another versatile big to toss in the mix. Training camp doesn’t start for a while, but like Stevens I’m sure fans are already thinking of the different number of lineups that will be tossed out there.
On Page 2: Could Sullinger’s weight loss hurt his play?
It remains to be seen how his lost weight will impact what truly matters – his play.
Sullinger averaged 13.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season, the kind of numbers that rank him among the best players in his draft class. And he has done it playing overweight and because of that, his playing time to some degree has been limited.
To his credit, Sullinger has been able to make the most of his size both around the basket scoring as well as on the boards.
But with him not being nearly as massive as he has been in the past, there’s no way to tell if the lost weight also came accompanied with lost strength.
Fans and even his naysayers should be happy with the Sullinger we are seeing via social media these days.
He has never looked as healthy as he does right now. But good health alone doesn’t make you a good player.
Getting his body right was a good first step. But the next hurdle he has to overcome – being a consistent, dominating kind of player – will be even more difficult to achieve.
CSNNE – Sullinger losing weight, but how will it affect play?
I get what the argument here is, but more often than not, losing weight can only help in a number of ways. Especially a guy like Sullinger who struggled to play heavy minutes. The guy knows how to rebound and as long as he maintains his skills and instincts there, the weight loss shouldn’t hurt him at all. The challenge for Sullinger will be to maintain it. With something to prove and in a contract year, he has all the motivation he needs. If not, he can just look at the players Danny Ainge added this summer (Johnson, David Lee) as his writing on the wall. It’s an important year for the young big man. We’ll see what he makes of it.
And, finally… JaVale McGee signs with Dallas
Midway through 2014-15, McGee nearly agreed to join the Celtics. Negotiations got deep enough that team president of basketball operations Danny Ainge confirmed he intended to sign the center through the 2015-16 season. But after looking like a done deal, the discussions fell apart.
According to reports, McGee, who will still make $12 million next season from his former contract, did not want to agree to a team option for 2015-16. Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski explained the situation as follows:
For McGee, the plan is to sign a deal that provides him with a player option on the 2015-16 season – something teams, including Boston, would prefer to be a team option. That way, if McGee plays well, teams won’t be so vulnerable to lose him this summer.
After his flirtation with the Celtics, McGee never reached an agreement to play at the end of last year. Too late for Boston, he appears to have realized a team option could be his best option. Worse for McGee, as NBC Sports’ Dan Feldman noted on Twitter,Dallas’ team option is for 2016-17 — when the center won’t still be receiving money from his previous contract.
Indirectly, the 27-year-old could still potentially help the Celtics in the coming season. They will own the Mavericks 2016 first-round pick if it falls outside the top seven.
The Mavs have recovered from the DeAndre Jordan debacle by landing their next franchise center: JaVale McGee! I’m kidding, but Jordan reneged and Tyson Chandler bolted for Phoenix. The Mavs could very well finish in that key range where the Celtics would get their draft pick. As fas as McGee is concerned, I’m not sure this is a much better scenario than signing in Boston last season would have been, even for a half of a season but he at least gets a chance to redeem himself. It’s a no risk deal for the Mavs. But the real winners here are Shaq and the fans. Because we’ll be getting a hefty sample of McGee in Shaqtin’ a Fool.
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