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.
Sherrod Blakely: I think there’s a 35-40% chance (Aldridge) comes here. Here’s the thing about Aldridge, he’s going to look for a situation that gives him the best shot at going deep into the playoffs. My understanding is the Celtics are going to be open to putting together some type of package deal where they would not only bring in LaMarcus Aldridge, they’d bring in one of his good friends, Wes Matthews. Now, if you’re the Celtics and you can put a deal together to get those two guys in town, you gotta do it.
A 35-40% chance the Celtics land LaMarcus Aldridge? Someone check on Sherrod Blakely because I think the man’s in dire need of medical attention.
The speculation is growing that Aldridge will leave Portland. The Spurs, Mavericks and Cavaliers are teams with interest, according to multiple reports. However, there hasn’t been an ounce of speculation that Aldridge would consider Boston, until now.
We’ve mentioned Wes Matthews as a potential off-season target. He would be one of those 2nd tier free-agents the Celtics would have to overpay in order to land.
I initially scoffed at Sherrod’s scenario. But… the Celtics might be the only team that could afford to pay big bucks to both guys. We also know how much guys enjoy playing with their buddies.
Maybe, just maybe….
On Page 2, it’s time for our annual summertime Colton Iverson stories.
A Celtics contingent that included director of scouting Dave Lewin and international scout Benas Matkevicius flew to Spain last month to check on Iverson and formally invite him to join the team’s summer squad again. They watched him practice, then took him to dinner to discuss the state of the team and the role he’d be competing for moving forward.
Said Iverson: “We essentially agree on everything that I need to do to make it happen.”
In 56 games this season between Liga ACB and Euroleague play, Iverson has averaged 7.3 points and 6 rebounds over 20.5 minutes per game. His scoring is down a tick from his first season overseas in Turkey last year, but he’s been a more efficient scorer, shooting 60.2 percent from the floor.
I’m not sure how much of a chance Iverson has of cracking the Celtics big man rotation of LaMarcus Aldridge, Tyler Zeller, Kelly Olynyk and Jared Sullinger.
It’s pretty simple: if Iverson can defend the post and protect the rim, there’s a spot for him on this roster. It might be way down the end of the bench, but there’s a spot.
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