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.
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said he has had preliminary contract talks with the agents for forwards Tyler Zeller and Jared Sullinger. Both players are eligible to be offered extensions prior to the Oct. 31 deadline, though it remains unclear whether the Celtics will choose that route for either.
“Obviously, those are two guys that we like moving forward,” Ainge said. “So, yeah, there will be more discussions with both of them, probably during the month of October.”
Forward Perry Jones, who was acquired in a trade with the Thunder in July, is also eligible for an extension. But he is not a lock to make the final roster this fall.
Zeller, 25, appears the most likely of the three to be in line for an extension.
In this case, “preliminary contract talks” might involve Danny Ainge asking each agent for a number and responding with a deep laugh or “I’ll get back to you.”
We’ve touched on Tyler Zeller’s extension here and here over the last few weeks, but there’s been little discussion about Jared Sullinger. As I’ve stated previously, this is a make or break year for Sullinger in Boston. Sully needs to be fit, punctual and productive in order to secure a long term future with the Celtics. I’m highly doubtful the Celtics management will be willing to make such a commitment based on what is shown by October 31.
It’s believed Zeller will command a deal with an annual value of $10-12 million. I think Sully is in that ballpark, although teams might be less willing to give Jared 4 years.
On Page 2, Isaiah Thomas isn’t happy with Sports Illustrated’s Top 100 rankings.
Sports illustrated Rankings are a JOKE lol. Feels like back in HS when those POLITICAL rankings would come out & we would just laugh it off
— Isaiah Thomas (@Isaiah_Thomas) August 31, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThomas is ranked 88th in the rankings of current players. That might seem low, but you have to remember there are 150 starters in this league. A top 100 ranking means you are considered one of the top 3 players per team.
The paragraph written about IT’s skill set is quite complimentary and I’m not sure why Isaiah would be pissed. Maybe he took a look at the players snubbed (Tony Allen?) and that set him off.
And finally, Dwight Howard unsurprisingly lacks knowledge of NBA history.
So who is the real GOAT. Kareem Jordan or Bill Russell. Me and the fellas wanna know yall answer.
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) August 31, 2015
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Who’s the best left handed player ever. I’m goin with James
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) August 31, 2015
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Hey Dwight, one of the guys you listed in the discussion for GOAT is a lefty so you might want to pull back on the praise for James Harden.
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