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.
With Horford aboard, Boston now has the pressure of being one of the hunted in the Eastern Conference for the first time under Brad Stevens, who now has three seasons under his belt.
If Boston holds its own against most foes and finds itself near the top of the East at the end of the regular season, you can count on much of the credit being given to the Horford signing.
He may not immediately come to mind when you think of the NBA’s elite players, but you will be hard-pressed to find too many two-way big men better than the nine-year veteran.
But Horford is with a new team full of players he has never played with, so it’s hard to say how long it will take for him to be comfortable on the floor while doing the things on a consistent basis that have made him a four-time All-Star.
However, there’s one thing we do know about him already: Horford’s going to play a lot because 1) he’s that good, 2) you don’t sign players to max contracts unless you plan to play them a lot and 3) he is an absolute perfect fit for the style of play Boston has displayed under Stevens.
CSNNE is filling out the August doldrums with a series on the ceilings and floors of Celtics players. Thursday’s subject was new arrival Al Horford.
Sherrod Blakely seems to think that Horford will be expected to do more scoring in Boston, and that seems reasonable. It’s not entirely out of the question, at least in my mind, to peg him as the Celtics’ number two scorer next season.
Page 2: Where it’s time to hand out the hardware… predictions
John Karalis, Red’s Army (Bradley, Defensive Player of the Year): Let’s take the next step with Bradley, shall we? First-team All-Defense puts him on the map with the media. Every time he locks guys down, you’ll hear announcers refer to his All-Defense selection and that has an influence on the voters. Boston could be the second-best team in the East, and if the Celtics finish with a top-flight defense, Bradley could be the go-to vote for voters who (a) shun Kawhi Leonard because of the defensive dip San Antonio takes without Tim Duncan anchoring them and (b) shun Draymond Green because Golden State is too loaded to be handing anyone defensive awards. Bradley could be the guy voters are looking for to make a justified protest vote.
Mike Dynon, Red’s Army (Bradley, All-Defense): In a star-driven league, the Celtics are outliers. We all know they have no superstar, no one who’s automatically penciled in for All-NBA. Avery Bradley earning first-team All-Defense last season was a well-deserved breakthrough and he should repeat. But that’s it. Stevens will get some Coach of the Year votes, but unless the Celtics win 60 games, he’ll be a runner-up again.
Rich Jensen, Red’s Army (Bradley, All-Defense): Those All-Defense awards develop momentum. There are voters who seemingly rubber-stamp the previous year’s winners unless they’ve gotten injured or fallen off dramatically in performance. Chris Paul has been on one of the All-Defense teams eight of nine years; Tony Allen, five of the last six; and last season eight of the 10 winners — including Bradley — had been named to an All-Defense team at least once before.
Ben Mark, Red’s Army (Smart, Sixth Man of the Year): I’m high on Smart really breaking through in Year 3 and, if he does, he’ll do it off the bench. Turner received some Sixth Man buzz last season, and Smart will be called upon to fill Turner’s void as a playmaker off the bench. Smart, or maybe Bradley, will likely land on an All-Defense team. But if Smart has the impact I think he might, it will be hard to ignore him as one of the league’s best off the pine.
It’s the last installment of Chris Forsberg’s annual August predict-a-palooza, in which the Red’s Army regulars (and representatives from other, lesser, outlets) predict end-of-season awards some months before the season actually starts. Your humble correspondent, as well as the first Red’s Army writer he met in person, went the safe route. John and Ben were a bit more adventurous.
Page 3: Where Draper, Blakely and Aldridge talk basketball
A. Sherrod Blakely and Kyle Draper return for another episode of CSNNE.com’s “Celtics Talk” podcast with special guest David Aldridge.
Aldridge talks about whether the Celtics can make a major trade before the season. Other topics discussed include how soon it will be before the Celtics compete for a title, and whether there will be any road bumps with Kevin Durant in Golden St.
You may not know this, but there are other Celtics podcasts. Kyle Draper and Sherrod Blakely have a 40 minute listen over at CSNNE with special guest David Aldridge. Spoiler alert: Aldridge has the same take on Durant’s free agent decision that I do.
The rest of the link
MassLive: Shaquille O’Neal, Hall of Fame inductee, to speak at Springfield College leadership luncheon
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