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.
“Boston made an offer for Love at the deadline, sources have told ESPN.com, and though the Cavs found it (dissatisfying),” Lowe wrote, “the Celtics may call again if other stars higher on their list aren’t available.”
In a column about the Eastern Conference Finals, why did Lowe bring up the possibility again? Over the last two games, both Cleveland losses, Love did not step on the court during either fourth quarter. A tweaked knee had something to do with the Game 4 benching, but still, it’s tough to justify paying a man more than $20 million per season when he sits during crunch-time. Lowe’s article highlights how often the Toronto Raptors have targeted Love in pick-and-roll situations, which helps to explain why the three-time All-Star can’t get off the pine during critical stretches.
No one knows what Danny Ainge is going to do with the third pick in the draft. No one. But that doesn’t stop people from guessing. Kevin Love’s name was suggested above as a new/old trade target if Danny chooses to move the pick.
Remember a couple of summers ago, when Love and Rondo were hanging out at Fenway Park and all of Celtics Nation believed Love was interested in coming here? Obviously, that didn’t work out, nor did later trade talks. And when the Olynyk incident happened, we all realized the Love dreams were actually nightmares.
Wouldn’t it be crazy now if the Celtics did finally manage to acquire him? Sure, a lot of Celtics fans have soured on the forward because his production has dropped since his Minnesota days, and simply because we don’t like anyone associated with the Cavs. But if he ever came to Boston, Love would probably thrive under Brad Stevens. Perhaps, by not having to play third or fourth fiddle on offense, Love could get back to producing 26 and 13 every night. We could use that coming from someone in green and white.
The other hot topic, of course, has been possibly swapping the pick and a player for Jahlil Okafor. Let’s get one thing straight: if Danny makes that trade, it should be for the pick only, no players included. Okafor was a third pick; Philly should get no more than that in return. They certainly should not receive Marcus Smart, a name some have thrown out there. Put it this way: Would you want to see Smart hounding the Celtics four times a year? No, me neither.
There’s plenty of disagreement about whether Okafor is the right player for the Cs, but here’s a different way of looking at it that is more appealing:
If the Celtics did trade the No. 3 pick and assorted other pieces to the Sixers for Okafor, I don’t believe it would be to keep him long-term. I don’t think Ainge or Stevens would look at Okafor as a core player, as reasonable as such a presumption would be. I think they’d look at him as the key piece to help them get the superstar they need in a trade. I think they’d look at him as their new Al Jefferson.
Boston.com – A Celtics trade for Jahlil Okafor would make sense — but not for the most obvious reason
Not being an expert on the salary cap or trade regulations, I don’t know if the Celtics would need to wait for a certain time between acquiring Okafor and trading him away. But if it was do-able, this scenario is highly intriguing. If Ainge could offer Okafor and a potpourri of picks, perhaps a star could be had without giving up a Crowder or a Bradley.
Meanwhile, we wait, knowing that draft night is still more than a month away.
Related: CBS Sports – NBA Mock Draft 2016: Sixers could trade Jahlil Okafor to land Kris Dunn at No. 3 | MassLive – 2016 NBA Draft rumors: Dragan Bender willing to work out for Boston Celtics
On Page 2: Busy week for Isaiah
The NBA is definitely a star-driven league, and the Celtics have been well represented in that category lately by Isaiah Thomas. The Little Guy has truly become the face of the franchise.
After repping the Cs at last week’s NBA Draft Lottery, Thomas was again in the spotlight while appearing on the ESPN studio show for telecasts of Cavs-Raptors Games 3 and 4. He did a nice job with his commentary, as well as his on-camera presence:
Isaiah’s a natural on air. Already mastered the fake “Everyone’s laughing I better start laughing” laugh https://t.co/9UVqJvBjvv
— Rich Levine (@rich_levine) May 24, 2016
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsBack in his native state of Washington, IT will throw out the first pitch at Friday’s Seattle Mariners game. It will be his second time on the Safeco Field mound. He did all right the first time – certainly a lot better than fellow left-hander Fifty Cent.
Isaiah will cap off his busy week by hosting his third annual Memorial Day “Zeke-End” Basketball Tournament in his hometown of Tacoma, Wash.
P.S. Isaiah has weighed in on the Sonics … um, Thunder.
And, finally: Celtics’ Twitter account is anything but lit
This is Twitter. Try and have a little fun, Celtics.
Complex – All 30 NBA Twitter Accounts, Ranked
Welp, fam, looks like the Celtics Twitter is trash. Dead last in these rankings, 30th out of 30. Better pick it up, or they’re gonna be Crying Jordaned. #turrible #NotOldSchoolJustOld
The Rest of the Links:
ESPN Boston – Danny Ainge: Teams have inquired about Jordan Mickey, Terry Rozier
Sporting News – Celtics have more to offer than anyone on this summer’s NBA trade market
Yahoo – Draymond Green on Warriors’ fall from 73 wins to 3-1 hole: ‘It’s stunning’
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