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 slung his arm around Young’s neck and told him not to worry about another poor shooting performance. The message to Young was universal: Just keep working and the results will come.
Young, the No. 17 pick in the 2014 draft, missed nine of the 11 shots he took in Tuesday’s 76-62 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers at the Utah Jazz Summer League. He finished with nine points, a rebound, and a steal over 20:32. Through two games, Young has connected on just six of 20 attempts and is 2-of-12 beyond the 3-point arc.
This is not the sort of performance that Young nor his support system were hoping for. Dominant at times while on assignment with the Maine Red Claws of the D-League last season, many expected a pronounced sophomore leap from Young, especially given his recent commitment to the weight room.
ESPN Boston: James Young hype train stalls leaving the station
[raises hand]Guilty as charged.
Maybe I was being unfair. Maybe I was expecting too much. But what I see from James Young and what I expected is as different as Homer Simpson and what he sees in the mirror.
So what’s the problem?
“I was just thinking too much every shot that I was taking,” Young said after Tuesday’s game.
Ahhhhh
The dreaded “thinking too much.” By now you know my next line is something about thinking is what kills you and you’re faster and better when you shut your brain off and react. Thinking is for practice. Doing is for games.
But are these really games?
No, they’re really not. They’re glorified scrimmages featuring refs in training and 60% of a roster that’s really auditioning for any of the other scouts that might be in the building (Exhibit A: CJ Fair). So there are a lot of results that aren’t really going to be the results of this upcoming season. Even with Young, life on the floor will be much different with his actual teammates out there and not this hodgepodge of rookies and cast-offs with virtually no practice time.
Still…
That doesn’t excuse my biggest gripe with Young, and that’s his seeming lack of effort. I spent most of last night’s disgusting excuse for “basketball” further punishing myself by dedicating most of my watching energy on Young and his off-the-ball movements. What I saw was a guy barely coming hard off screens, and making no real effort to be “the man” of the offense out there.
Young is in his second year in Boston, which makes him the “veteran” of this team. He’s also trying to show that he belongs on the big-boy Celtics and not in Maine for most of the year. Regardless of the results, I’d like to see the intangible things out there in situations like this… like that desire to lead this team as its primary scorer.
It’s really the little things like that which really bother me so far. It’s only been two summer league games, so I’m not jumping off the bandwagon. I’d really like for this kid to get his act together and become a viable option for this team. He’s show plenty of dedication by addressing his need to get stronger. He’s shown some improvement defensively in Utah, and he’s shown some hustle for loose balls. I won’t take any of that away from him.
However, I would like to see some effort to at least get the ball and become a scorer. If Fair, or Terry Rozier, or someone else is on some kind of iso mission, so be it. I don’t care if he gets the ball. I just want to see him want the ball. I want to see him want to get out there become a weapon.
The shots will fall at some point. The mentality, though, has to come first.
Related links: CSNNE: C’s remain confident in Young despite shooting troubles | MassLive: Young struggles again, Rozier shows off burst
Page 2: OK, we got David Lee…. So… what’s next?
The Celtics are about to make a trade for David Lee that will make them better.
And therein lies the problem — if this is where the dealing stops.
We cautioned you in yesterday’s Herald that no Celtics move this summer should be viewed in a vacuum. Any change to the roster needs to be seen, as well, for other moves for which it sets the stage.
This one isn’t even done. According to league sources, the sides are still figuring out how best to structure the transaction to take advantage of the “War and Peace” tome that is the NBA collective bargaining agreement.
Herald: David Lee deal a winner if it opens the door for more
In one of our many colorful off-blog conversations, Chuck and I recently argued about reactions to these early July trades and signings.
In one corner, Chuck argued that if we aren’t going to react and try to figure out what this means immediately for this team, we might as well shut this blog down until training camp starts in September.
In the other, I argued, as Steve Bulpett does in this piece, that it’s a fool’s errand trying to decipher rotations now that (insert new Celtic’s name here) is part of the team because (a) that player may only be here temporarily or (b) some other player in this equation might be on the way out.
We’re both right (well, mostly I am, as usual) because trying to figure out the rotation might lead us to the obvious candidates for the “next move.” The addition of Lee is curious in some ways as it gives us ANOTHER power forward with no real 3-point range (prove me wrong, Jared Sullinger… prove me wrong) who also lacks in defensive ability. But it’s obvious in that he immediately becomes the Celtics top frontcourt threat on offense. He may not be a floor-spacer, but he’s a threat that needs to be dealt with, which will open things up for other players.
Still, you don’t need a Ph. D. in basketball to realize that something else is up. The only question is when will this something else happen? Will Danny Ainge pull off a greater heist this summer, or did he trade Gerald Wallace for a possibly intriguing trade deadline threat for whom a contender will pay a king’s ransom?
David Lee will get minutes in Boston. And he will put up numbers on offense. Someone in February is going to be dealing with an injury or the need to bolster a roster to contend with the Warriors or Spurs. The Celtics sacrificed their best inbounder to maybe get a better haul down the road.
Ainge isn’t done dealing. There’s no way he is. Now the question is… what’s next?
Related links: Globe: Ainge finds Golden ticket with Lee trade | Celtics bolster frontcourt with Lee trade | Herald: Celtics add power in Lee | CSNNE: Mannix: Lee’s numbers not because of “diminishing skills” | ESPN Boston: grading the trade for Lee | Breaking down the Lee deal | MassLive: Analyzing the Celtics’ low-risk move | Agent: Lee happy with deal to Boston
And Finally…
Steph Curry took a little friendly shot at David Lee on his way out the door…
In honor of my boy @Dlee042 taking the next step in his career, this is how we started our relationship! Love you bro http://t.co/25UqWFtSJj
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) July 7, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
… Curry’s an MVP ball-buster too. I like this kid.
The rest of the links:
Globe: Report: Garnett returning to Timberwolves for two more years | Summer team off target again | Herald: Mates lose mentor with Wallace exit | CSNNE: Report: Warriors plan on keeping Wallace | Celtics shooting not so hot | Garnett, Timberwolves, reach agreement on two-year deal | WEEI: Report: Celtics looking to make splash in 2016 with two potential max deals | MassLive: Smart: Wallace “old,” but gave Celtics valuable advice
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
