Your Morning Dump… Where we wonder if Pierce is trolling I.T.

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.

February 11 is more than a month away, and we’re already sick of the drama surrounding whether a tribute video for Isaiah Thomas should be played on the day of Paul Pierce’s number retirement. Chuck posted the gory details yesterday – take a look if you need to catch up.

Celtics fans had been split on whether or not the video should be played on Pierce’s special day. But with Pierce now on record as not wanting it, I think 99% of Green Nation will back The Truth. As much as IT was loved last season, he simply can’t match Paul’s resumé as a Celtics legend.

The remaining 1% includes the knuckleheads who’ve inexplicably suggested moving the Pierce ceremony to another date. I’ll let my friend and Truth superfan Bee reply (her cred: she’s about to give birth to a son, and she’s naming the boy Pierce.)

I can’t believe people are saying Paul’s night should be moved. Like WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

This is PAUL PIERCE.
15 years as a Celtic.
It’s been planned.
Tickets are like $350 for nosebleeds which people have bought.
HOW ABOUT NO

— bee (@bee_in_the_NE) January 4, 2018

Anyway, here’s a theory: Pierce is now a TV personality, and he made his statements on The Jump, where he appears regularly. Like every talking head, Pierce sometimes says wild stuff to get a reaction. Put that together with his love of talking trash, and it’s plausible that PP might’ve been trolling IT.

The next step should be for Isaiah to appear on The Jump and hash out everything during a conversation with Paul. It would be must-see TV that would drive ratings and Twitter trends, and that’s all anyone on the networks cares about.

Or … maybe Pierce really meant it. He tweeted this last night.

Is this really a topic🤔

— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) January 5, 2018

Perhaps the Celtics (and every team) should take Paul’s advice and just put all tribute videos online, via Twitter or Instagram. Otherwise, the Celtics will have to figure out a different way to honor The Little Guy without alienating anyone.

There’s always this approach:

Wait, guys, I think I figured out the perfect clip to play for Isaiah's tribute video on Pierce's retirement day. pic.twitter.com/WqXNx2SqMe

— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) January 4, 2018

On Page 2: Kyrie headed for All-Star; Al needs some help

Kyrie Irving with an outrageous early lead in fan All-Star voting among East guards. pic.twitter.com/u7GprDipEJ

— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) January 4, 2018

Kyrie Irving is the top player on the top team in the East, so it makes sense that he’s an All-Star lock, leading the vote among backcourt players. I’d like to think he also gets a boost by being on the Celtics, but more likely it’s from appearing in the Finals three straight years with Cleveland.

Al Horford needs some help and probably won’t rise to top three in the frontcourt. But the Cs deserve two players on the All-Star team, and Al is worthy of making it as a reserve.

Remember that the voting system was changed last year, because previous fan votes had often resulted in unworthy/laughable choices (Zaza Pachulia, anyone?). The final selections are now determined by a combination of votes by fans (a weight of 50%), players (25%) and media (25%).

If you need evidence that fan voting is no more than a popularity contest, look at the list above and note that IT has 87,680 votes – or 4,615 for each of the 19 minutes he’s played this season. And Dwyane Wade, who hasn’t been a legit all-star for several years, has almost as many votes as John Wall, who hit the Cs with 21 points and 14 assists on Christmas.

Voting continues until January 15.

Related: NBA.com – 2018 NBA All-Star voting first returns released