Your Morning Dump... Where the Draft is 10 Days Away

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.

Why didn’t they impact winning more? That question has now been applied to Markelle Fultz, the player most likely taken by the Celtics with the top pick in the June 22 draft. Though the point guard finished his career at Washington with sterling numbers that included a 23.2 scoring average, the Huskies won just nine games.

As such Fultz’ leadership potential has been debated. And that would be wrong, Ainge said.

“I don’t know why we do that,” he said of tying a young prospect’s upside to winning. “Impacting winning takes more than one player. If you’re talking about 25-year-olds, or 22-year-olds coming out of college, then maybe there would be more emphasis put on that.”

Fultz, like Brown last year, will be 19 when he is drafted. There are other ways to evaluate this kind of superior young talent, though as Ainge admits, the process isn’t as simple as, say, watching how fellow lottery prospects Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox functioned at Kentucky.

Brown was left to carry the University of California offense without much in the way of spacing or other capable options. As a freshman star he was given the ball and expected to score despite overloading by the other team.

Brown’s shot selection was questioned, and his 29.1 3-point percentage contributed to the belief that as athletic and explosive as he was, the young forward had limited promise as a stretch shooter.

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And where Brown’s freshman production was limited — his scoring average was 14.2 — Fultz still managed to get his numbers despite the same congested, overloaded conditions.

“The difference between Jaylen and Markelle is that Markelle still put up great numbers,” said Ainge, turning to another sport for an analogy.

“I liken it to Markelle being a quarterback on a bad football team, but still throwing for 400 yards a game,” Ainge said. “And Jaylen would have been the great wide receiver on a team that spent all of its time running the ball.

“I was never concerned with Jaylen’s shot selection, and maybe that’s because I watched him a lot, going back to high school. I didn’t worry about a 19-year-old kid’s shot selection — don’t really notice that, though believe me, I’ve questioned that in a lot of players.”

Boston Herald

The Washington Huskies won just nine games with Markelle Fultz at the helm. Last season’s top pick, Ben Simmons, faced criticism for not winning more games during his freshman season at LSU. And the 2014 number one pick, Andrew Wiggins, also received some heat for not taking Kansas farther in the NCAA Tournament.

Looking back, it seems foolish to criticize an 18 year old for failing to carry a college program. Fultz’ lack of wins as a Washington Huskie will not influence his draft stock in the eyes of the Celtics Front Office, and it’s not impacting his league-wide draft stock the same way it hindered Simmons and Wiggins.

Markelle’s college numbers were eye-popping: 23.3 points, 5.9 assists, 5.7 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 1.6 blocks, 41.3% 3FG and 47.6% FG. His size, length, and athleticism, combined with his handles, shooting, and court-vision make him one of the most intriguing point guard prospects in years.

Fultz was expected to join a Washington Huskies roster that included Marquese Chriss and Dejounte Murray, but they both had stellar seasons the previous year and were drafted in the first round. Talent evaluators know Fultz carried a mediocre group through a loaded Pac-12 conference. Despite the regular season struggles, his effort and demeanor never wavered, and this might have set him apart from Simmons and Wiggins.

We knew Ben Simmons was the best player in the country and the top NBA prospect when he first stepped on the court at LSU. The hype train eventually settled down, but so did his effort level. He got bored as the season progressed. Scouts began questioning his body language, and LSU suffered some embarrassing end-of-season losses. By March, there were serious concerns about his shot, and scouts started calling him “Evan Turner 2.0” and “a bigger Rajon Rondo.”

With Andrew Wiggins, his athleticism and speed immediately stood out. He had polished footwork and a sweet shooting stroke, but he often drifted from games and rarely asserted himself on offense. He was too predictable, looked scared of the moment, and many questioned whether he was actually the bonfire “superstar-in-waiting” we all expected. Some even thought he didn’t have enough passion for basketball.

But with Fultz, we don’t here any problems with his attitude, on-court demeanor, love for the game, or work ethic. No scout has questioned if he’s a “winner.” All he did was put up ridiculous stats for a below-average college program and never made a fuss about the lack of talent around him. Fultz is the safest top prospect in years, and in a few short weeks, he will likely be wearing celtic green.

Page 2: Celtics-Lakers 30 for 30 Premiers Tomorrow

Just close all your windows, turn up the heat and dive into “Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies,” the latest ESPN 30 for 30 documentary. With three hours the first night for parts 1 and 2 and two more hours Wednesday for part 3, viewing will be an endurance test of sorts as it reminds/educates one on the history of the rivalry from the 1960s through the two Finals meetings in this century. Most of the attention is given to the 1980s wars, likely because there is more and better video to support the story and because the 2008 and 2010 renewals didn’t have nearly the same passion.

But “Best of Enemies” is more than just Celts-Lakers, West-Russell, Bird-Magic and, as voiced by narrators Ice Cube and Donnie Wahlberg, LA-Boston. It hits on the history of the NBA and its rise and the ways the game changed. Be prepared, too, for a heavy examination of race, both in the two cities (the Watts riots, busing) and how the makeup of the clubs impacted their perception among the public at large.

Boston Herald

If the finals ends tonight, at least we have this ’30 for 30′ to look forward to. The 1980’s Celtics-Lakers rivalry with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson was one of the seminal developments for the history of the NBA. The league was losing popularity in the late 70’s, and many credited Bird and Magic for bringing the NBA out of the doldrums and turning basketball into a global sport.

With ESPN’s ’30 for 30′ series, it typically examines overlooked sports stories, but with this latest documentary, the network is tackling one of the more important chapters in NBA history. This was a time when basketball was king in Boston, and the Celtics were arguably the most feared team in the NBA.

Page 3: Where Paul Pierce is Moving up in the Broadcasting World

A post-playing role in sports broadcasting was something Pierce had long been interested in—he enjoyed his previous guest work for TNT, ESPN as well as in Boston while playing for the Celtics—but Pierce was still itching to play a 19th NBA season. He ultimately opted to play one final year for the Clippers but announced early he would retire whenever the Clippers did.

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ESPN wanted Pierce as a guest analyst on NBA Countdown for this year’s NBA Finals, as well spots on some other NBA-centric studio shows including The Jump.

The partnership has been a success. Pierce, a future Hall of Famer, has added edge and additional bona fides to Countdown and well as the Rachel Nichols-led The Jump afternoon show. ESPN executives have been so impressed by Pierce’s work that they have let him know they are interested in bringing him in fulltime for the 2017-18 season. Pierce said he and his reps will sit down with ESPN executives after the Finals but this is something he wants. Nothing is official but take this one to Vegas: Next year’s fulltime NBA Countdown group will be Michele Beadle, Chauncey Billups, Jalen Rose, and Pierce.

“I can work in LA, which is where I am from, and I am already used to people at the network after working with them the last two years,” said Pierce, in an interview earlier this week. “And Beadle makes everyone feel comfortable. It just feels natural to me talking hoops and analyzing the game. I feel like I have been doing it forever.”

Sports Illustrated

It’s always welcoming seeing Paul Pierce on my TV screen. He’s not sinking threes anymore, but is nevertheless adapting well to his on-air role at ESPN. The executives at ESPN feel the same, as Pierce will be a major part of their basketball coverage for the next coming years.

Pierce recently made headlines when he declared Kevin Durant was the best player in the NBA right now, better than LeBron James, and that we’re watching “a changing of the guard.” We know he will offer honest analysis and won’t be afraid of criticizing his NBA brethren. ESPN needs its hot takes and Pierce should be able to provide them with regularity.

And Finally…

Is Gordon Hayward’s wife dropping hints about her husband’s impending free agency? She posted this photo last night:

Umm hello? Gordon Hayward's wife AND CHILD! @StoolGreenie @ColeyMick @dbardellini @AdamMKaufman @ByJayKing @SAMPACKARDNBA @tvabby @csl_duke pic.twitter.com/q089uK3Eiy

— Scott (@BostonsportZ) June 12, 2017

Celtics twitter immediately went into a frenzy. She deleted the post soon after. If the Haywards do decide to come to Boston, this is their introduction to the crazy fans they’ll be dealing with.