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.

The Celtics announced Sunday that Avery Bradley did not accompany his teammates to Brooklyn for Monday night’s meeting with the Nets. The shooting guard suffered a bruised left hip during Saturday’s 100-97 loss to the same opponent.

Mass Live – Avery Bradley injury update: starter will not accompany Boston Celtics on trip to meet Brooklyn Nets

Marcus Smart’s game isn’t quite back to where it was prior to the left knee injury that kept him out for 18 games. Still, it’s pretty clear that the second-year guard is very close to resuming his usual workload in terms of minutes played. In the Celtics’ lackluster 100-97 loss to Brooklyn on Saturday, Smart’s play was one of the few positives throughout the game.

CSNNE – Marcus Smart’s increased workload becomes Boston Celtics’ necessity 

It’s a good thing Marcus Smart’s minutes are trending closer to his pre-injury averages (29 minutes), because they should be at, or in excess of that average tonight, and for any stretch of games that Avery Bradley may miss going forward.

Coming off of back-to-back losses to the bottom feeders of the league, one could assume there’d be a lineup shake-up –especially given the depth of the roster. With Bradley out, the work has somewhat been done for Brad Stevens, though Bradley is one of the last guys the Celtics would like to be without in what sort of feels like a “must win” situation tonight. Bradley, along with Smart and Jae Crowder, are tone-setters defensively, which has often spurred the offense when the Cs are at their best.

It would be a shock to see them come out flat tonight, and Bradley is usually a helpful early gauge; when he’s locked in, you know it from the opening minutes.

Smart will need to ratchet up his intensity even moreso to make up for Bradley’s absence. If it’s nothing more than a hip bruise, Bradley may only need the one game off, but if there’s any sort of hip flexor strain, that becomes a lot more tricky. With RJ Hunter nursing a shoulder injury, get ready for some more James Young.

Related Links: CSNNE – Avery Bradley (hip) will miss Boston Celtics’ Monday game with Nets

On page 2, One more chance to directly help the lottery odds

It’s just a Monday night game in early January, but this last chance against the Nets this season may carry a little more weight than the Celtics realize tonight in Brooklyn.

And this is leaving out the sand-kicked-in-face aspect brought on by the Celts’ Saturday afternoon home loss to what was, at tipoff, a nine-win Nets team.

We are all well aware that the C’s are counting on Brooklyn to deliver a high draft pick, part of the delightful deferred payment for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. The Celts still have this year’s unprotected pick, the right to swap first-round positions next year and the Nets’ No. 1 in 2018 in the pipeline.

But Brooklyn is apparently very determined to make things less rewarding for the Celtics. According to league sources, the Nets have been walking up and down the aisles in the NBA marketplace, looking for deals that could make them better in the short term as well as in the distance.

[…]

According to one league executive, “You’re going to see (the Nets) start making moves.”

They’ll still have an eye on what they can develop that will make them better in the next year or more, he said, but the Nets have to do everything they can to project the idea that they’re getting better and that they’re a place that free agents should want to sign.

Boston Herald – Last shot at Brooklyn

I referenced tonight’s tilt in Brooklyn as close to a “must win” for the Celtics. Hyperbole? Overraction? Maybe. But the last crack at a Nets team that holds a key to the Celtics’ future, plus a mini losing skid makes this one a “have to have.” If the Cs leave BK tonight with a three-game losing streak to the Lakers and Brooklyn twice, that’s inexcusable.

Beyond tonight, though, it’ll be fascinating to see how this Nets season unfolds. Jarrett Jack is out for the season after tearing his ACL on Saturday in Boston and the team is already without rookie Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Brook Lopez is always a threat to miss some time and Lionel Hollins is trotting out the likes of Donald Sloan and Shane Larkin with regularity. Yet, this team hasn’t completely folded. Its worst basketball came at the start of the year, and after losing nine of its first 10, the Nets have been competitive.

What’s more is that they are completely desperate for any sort of relevancy. A few league executives are quoted in Bulpett’s story as saying the Nets will be players at or before the trade deadline. That leaves me here racking my brain as to how the hell the Nets can get markedly better before the end of the season: Trade a draft pick in 2019? Drug a GM and make them take Joe Johnson’s corpse for a better, younger perimeter player?

The Nets could go the route of, well, the Nets and overpay at the deadline for veterans who could help them win a few more games to hurt Boston’s lottery chances and could presumably make free agents take notice this summer. The former could happen, the latter, no way.

As the trade deadline is only six weeks away, Celtics fans have the pleasure of watching the moves of not just one team, but two.

And finally, have a half, Jimmy Butler

Most points in a half – Bulls history: Jimmy Butler (2016): 40 Michael Jordan (1989): 39 pic.twitter.com/YYsghZEdTN

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 3, 2016

 

I think it’s common knowledge not only around the league, but within the Bulls locker room that this is, without question, Jimmy Butler’s team. That realization along with his continually improving play makes Chicago a legitimate threat in the east. After out-dueling Paul George last week he’s showing no signs of slowing down.