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.
I mean, you can spin it any way you want if you close your eyes and imagine hard enough.
According to Stein, Irving’s plans for the 2019-20 season are “not at all clear.”
“There have been no firm indications from Irving or his camp that the All-Star guard is eyeing an exit from Boston next summer or that he’s angling to go to New York — as is often speculated,” he wrote.
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and maybe there’s a bit of smoke coming out of New York. Irving was open to playing there when he asked to be traded from Cleveland, although a lot has changed since then. Boston’s success with and without Irving on the court is encouraging, but I think adding Hayward last summer, who was set to team up with Irving in Cleveland before LeBron’s return, is the most significant development. If the Celtics win the East, which seems well within the realm of possibility, one would have to think that would entice Irving to re-sign.
“I expect Brooklyn to aim as high as possible in free agency while reserving the right to stay conservative if the Nets can’t convince top-tier free agents to take their money,” Stein wrote.
Simply posing the idea that Brooklyn will be pushing hard for free agents is no reason to get all in a panic. We’ve gone through this song and dance with the Lakers for years now, and yes, they’ve caught their big fish, but not before missing out on … checks notes … everybody else. Brooklyn has made a lot of moves to make them an appealing destination in the near future, but as things stand right now, signing with them would be taking a chance and not necessarily a sure-fire move to contend in the East. It’s a weak conference, sure, but very top-heavy. It’ll take a lot to build a team to break into the top three or four spots.
If you want more, this was part of the discussion on today’s Locked On Celtics podcast:
[protected-iframe id=”b4a02afe8f046d5f01518387f443e837-142507471-1227608″ info=”https://player.megaphone.fm/LKN8086681335?” width=”100%” height=”200″ scrolling=”no”]On page 2… we discuss the preseason schedule
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but what about a preseason schedule? I’d say it’s very telling.
Who's ready for preseason? #CUsRise
You can catch all four games on @NBCSBoston & @985TheSportsHub pic.twitter.com/WCsgyZNEPt
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) July 31, 2018
You might just see a couple of home-and-homes for the Celtics to get warmed up, but I see an early indication of the Eastern Conference hierarchy. The pre-season schedules are partially put together with the teams’ proximity in mind, I’m sure, but also with some caution as to not spoil a potentially great matchup in the regular season. There is no way we’d get a Celtics vs. Cavalier preseason game last year, where LeBron James and Kyrie Irving would have squared off for the first time in a game that ultimately meant nothing.
Last year, it was the Philadelphia 76’ers on the schedule instead of Cleveland, who were barely expected to win more than 41 games last year. Of course, they won 52, so maybe using a preseason schedule to rank teams isn’t so smart. Charlotte, on the other hand, is a painfully average team that looks to have stayed that way, although seeing them on the schedule again does bring back fond memories of the last time Gordon Hayward played more than five minutes in a basketball game.
Related links: Globe: Celtics announce preseason schedule | NBCSN: Celtics preseason schedule is home-and-home with Hornets, Cavs
Finally… more Gordon Hayward updates
Gordon Hayward says he also went 1-on-1 for the first time today. Said it wasn't a typical 1-on-1, it was more like a drill, but he dunked for the first time off the left foot. #Celtics #Boston
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) July 30, 2018
We’ve known that Irving and Hayward have been recovering just fine and are expected to be ready for Celtics training camp when it rolls around. The real interesting bit here is that we’re getting confirmation of Hayward’s progress via his Twitch stream. Guys like Hayward seem to keep personal matters to themselves while keeping us in the loop using is blog now and then. 2018 is so strange, that Hayward breaking news while playing video games doesn’t seem all that weird, but it’s definitely weird, right? It got drowned out by Kevin Durant and CJ McCollum beefing over a podcast, Kevin Durant beefing with kids on Instagram, and Kevin Durant calling a foul in a drill at team USA’s training camp, Kevin Durant calling travel during said drill… you get the idea.
Anyway, it’s August now. Next month is September, which means next month we watch professional basketball. Hang in there.
The rest of the links
Globe: As expected, Celtics release Rodney Purvis
MassLive: MGM, NBA sign off on new multi-year gaming partnership
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