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.
Danny Ainge talks with Toucher & Rich about what the photo showing Gordon Hayward out of his brace means in terms of his recovery pic.twitter.com/oH8OgSLokh
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 11, 2018
Ainge tweets about Gordon Hayward work better than Cialis nowadays, but it turns out ol’ Danny Boy was just yankin’ our collective chains.
Danny Ainge on @985TheSportsHub on Gordon Hayward picture: "He's NOT good to go. Way too early to talk about that or even consider that. He's got a long, long way to go before he even gets on a court and starts doing real basketball activities. I was seriously just having fun."
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) January 11, 2018
I don’t know who the hell saw that picture and thought “HOLY SHIT HE’S COMING BACK TOMORROW!”
Personally, I saw that picture and thought
Chuck said it yesterday and I, a now card-carrying Gordon Hayward truther, an reiterating it. The photo means he’s on pace to fully recover with basketball still being played.
Does that mean he will play basketball this season? I don’t know. But that will become a discussion at some point.
And let me be clear here and reiterate a point I make often: If he’s healthy and ready to play, he should play… whenever that is.
Hayward suffered a catastrophic injury… like crashing a car. When the car is fixed, you drive it. It’s not like driving on a spare tire where you have to be careful.
When the broken bone heals, it’s healed. When the torn ligaments heal, they’re healed. When the supporting muscles are strong enough, then he can go about getting his wind back.
So if Gordon Hayward is healed, strong enough, and most importantly, mentally ready to return to the court without fear, he should return no matter if that’s March, June, or October.
Between now and then, we’ll have to deal with Slapstick Danny’s Twitter shenanigans. Just go to your doctor if your reaction lasts longer than four hours.
Related links:
Globe: Hayward rehab is on schedule, not ahead of it
NBCS Boston: (video) Scal: I always thought a Hayward return was possible | Celtics in London: Stevens warns not to get excited about Hayward’s return
MassLive: Should Gordon Hayward come back this season? | Brad Stevens says Boston Celtics expected Gordon Hayward to shed ankle brace around this time: ‘Nothing more to read into’
Herald: Gordon Hayward looking good but Celtics still eye training camp return
Page 2: The Contending Celtics are a way of life
But after a painfully slow rebuild, they now have a young, exciting roster led by superstar Irving which Grousbeck insists can be even more successful.
He said: “Back then we were one of the oldest teams in the league. Now we’re third youngest. So we’re set up for a more sustained chance at being good.
“For the next four years we’ve got seven first round picks so we feel we have the chance to continue to grow the team and improve the roster or change it around.
“With such young players and such a great coach and fans and an ownership who are willing to do what it takes, I don’t think it’s a window of opportunity, I think it’s a way of life.”
Express: Boston Celtics EXCLUSIVE: Wyc Grousbeck wants Kyrie Irving to build a new NBA dynasty
Keep these words in mind when you think it’s a good idea to just toss draft picks into trades for Tyreke Evans or Lou Williams (side note: forget about Lou Williams).
The Celtics are building a long, sustained winner. Two months of Tyreke Evans for a late first round pick might seem like something that’s OK, but it’s not the Celtics style and it doesn’t fit anything the power structure has been saying.
You have to keep in mind the Celtics financial situation, which could push them into tax territory next year if they’re not careful. The owners are willing to pay the tax, but pushing the repeater tax off for one more year just makes a lot of sense (like, tens of millions of dollars in savings kind of sense).
That late-round pick could end up becoming Terry Rozier… a guy who makes a couple of million bucks and becomes a key 7th-man kind of player. The Celtics will need A LOT of those kinds of guys because they’ll have to pay Hayward for a few more years, Kyrie Irving long-term after he opts out in July, 2019, and eventually Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum.
Young, talented, CHEAP guys to fill out the roster for a few years are much more important than Tyreke Evans for a couple of months at the end of this season.
That’s how you build the sustained greatness the Celtics are looking for. Pay the top stars big money and find guys who outperform their contracts to fill out the roster.
And Finally…
Woke Kyrie still doing his thing…
After flying halfway around the world to London, @TheStarters once again ask Kyrie Irving if the world is flat 😂 https://t.co/Wi5E5KAr3P
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) January 11, 2018
Kyrie is on some other shit, man
The rest of the links:
Globe: Jaylen Brown’s interests go beyond the Celtics and basketball
ESPN Boston: The Nerf dart battle that forged Marcus Smart’s unlikely friendship | NBA All-Star ballot: The best picks for all 10 starting spots | The NBA is in London, so why no UK stars in the league? It’s complicated | The challenge of being an NBA fan in the UK
NBCS Boston: Celtics-Sixers preview: Two teams that ‘trust the progress’ | Celtics’ youth movement shows NBA not finished with one-and-dones | NBA fines Isaiah Thomas $20,000 for hitting Andrew Wiggins in the throat
Herald: Watch: Kevin Durant becomes second youngest player to reach 20,000 points | Celtics notebook: London game a showcase of NBA’s young talent
ProJo: Frequent flyer miles adding up for Celtics
The Week: NBA London Game 2018 – 76ers vs. Celtics: team news
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