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 Boston Celtics will explore all options if they win the NBA Draft lottery, team president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said Thursday.
During an interview with ESPN2 at the NBA Draft combine, Ainge said he’s not sure exactly how landing the No. 1 pick would change his team for next season.
“I don’t know,” Ainge said. “I think the No. 1 pick certainly has more value, but we’ll discuss trading that pick, using that pick and developing a good young player, we’ll look at every option that we can to get our team good.”
So this is what it’s come to, folks. I could have either led the dump with Kevin Durant’s outstanding performance closing out the Spurs, and what that means with respect to Boston’s shot at landing the guy this summer, or I could lead the dump with Danny Ainge saying Danny Ainge things that are big news because the only guys wearing Celtics jerseys these days are fans who are, depending on their physical condition, doing the rest of us no favors unless they’re wearing t-shirts under them.
But that’s beside the point. I think. The point is that the Celtics have options! If, for the first time in 30 years, they get a favorable draw in the lottery, they can either trade that pick (in what many consider a two player draft) for an immediate impact player, or address a weakness (scoring in the front court) and create a team that is potentially both younger and better next season. All while retaining plenty of additional leverage to upgrade rotation players.
Page 2: About that Durant performance.
Kevin Durant scored 37 points, Russell Westbrook added 28, and Oklahoma City beat San Antonio 113-99 on Thursday night to win the Western Conference semifinal series 4-2.
So, that seems to put an end to the idea of Durant packing up and heading to Boston this summer, right? Well, OKC still has to face the Warriors. And a lopsided series loss to the incumbents might well take away a lot of the shine of beating the Spurs (a team with which OKC matches up much more favorably).
So yeah, I’m saying there’s still a chance Durant pulls up stakes. I can’t imagine him going to either Golden State or San Antonio. But if Boston lands the #2 pick, and can acquire Jimmy Butler (say) without having to part with Jae Crowder, well……..
Page 3: Where it’s time to meet the future
You won’t find the Celtics contingent asking a player to compute the number of marbles in a jar, or to share what he would cook in a special dinner for his girlfriend — questions that were asked at last year’s NBA draft combine.
…
“Hey, it’s Brad Stevens,” assistant general manager Michael Zarren said yesterday, spreading his arms wide to indicate that no other approach should ever be expected.
As has been pointed out elsewhere, Boston has about one pick for every seven held by the rest of the league. So they get to talk to everybody at the combine. They’ve cast the net so wide, they’ve probably interviewed a few temps and facility staffers by accident.
Mark Murphy is on the spot, and has the article above with details of Boston’s evaluation process as well as Stevens’ comments on how drafting professionals differs from recruiting college students.
Page 4: Where Marcus Smart is on Team Miss Congeniality
USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo told the Globe on Thursday that Smart, who just completed his second NBA season, will be invited to join the Select Team for a second time. Team USA will begin training for the 2016 Rio Olympics in July in Las Vegas and Smart is expected to be among the Select members.
The USA Select team is the team that Team USA practices against, so this is basically like being declared not quite good enough to be on Team USA. While this can be taken as a fairly high compliment, it doesn’t seem likely to be taken that way by a guy as competitive as Marcus Smart.
Finally: Do you want to coach the Orlando Magic?
Because Scott Skiles sure doesn’t.
I would suggest that Skiles, a guy who doesn’t want to coach, try to get the Knicks coaching gig, where he can work for a guy who doesn’t want to be a GM.
The rest of the links
MassLive: Boston Celtics rumors 2016: Wyc Grousbeck knows importance of lottery, hopes to take ‘another step forward’ | Boston Celtics star Isaiah Thomas will serve as ESPN analyst during Eastern Conference Finals | 2016 NBA Draft Combine: Brandon Ingram among prospects meeting with Boston Celtics
Boston Herald: Bulpett: Danny Ainge won’t rush into bad move | Bulpett: What can Celtics expect from their top pick in NBA draft?
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