Your Morning Dump... Where the other shoe dropped.

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.

https://twitter.com/McCefali/status/883454519581052932

“It’s no secret that Avery had been one of my favorite players, and on behalf of our entire organization, I’d like to thank him and Ashley for all of their contributions on and off the court,” Ainge said in a statement. “Avery did a lot of the dirty work and often didn’t get the recognition that he deserved, but our coaches, staff, his teammates, and our fans who watched him play every night appreciated what a special player and person he is.”

MassLive

Well this stinks.

And I don’t know if it would’ve stunk more if it came out of the blue, or if it’s worse that we all knew AB’s days in green and white were numbered ever since Gordon Hayward decided to sign with the Celtics.

Either way, a solid defender and a decent person is off the roster; a victim of timing, lower revenues and the salary cap.

Avery Bradley was, detractors aside, dedicated to improving his game, a decent person off the court, and a quiet presence on it. Bradley joins a fairly short list of Celtics who’ve made a connection with fans while playing through the lean years. I think of guys from when I was a kid like Dee Brown and Reggie Lewis, the former traded away by Mr. “Negativity in this town sucks” himself, and the latter, well, you know.

Not everybody who puts on the Celtics uniform makes that kind of connection–even if they play with the C’s for several years. Brian Shaw and Rick Fox played for the Celtics at the same time Dee Brown and Reggie Lewis did, but try to find anyone sporting their jerseys–and not just because they ended up playing for LA.

So, like Bird, Russell, McHale, and unlike, say, David Lee and Ray Allen, Bradley’s pretty much a lifetime Celtic at this point, even though he’ll be wearing a Pistons uniform next year. Feel free to cheer for him 78 games out of 82 next season.

Page 2: Where the return on the trade isn’t exactly even

Unfortunately for the Celtics, Morris also comes with legal baggage: he has a pending criminal law matter that could lead to a prison sentence, NBA suspension or both.

Morris, along with his identical twin brother, Washington Wizards forward Markieff Morris, are scheduled to go to trial on August 21 in Maricopa County, Arizona, to face felony charges. The two brothers each face two charges for aggravated assault—temporary disfigurement. Under Arizona law, a conviction on each of those charges carries a maximum prison sentence of 3.75 years and a presumptive sentence of 2.5 years.

Sports Illustrated

Okay, let’s get this out of the way to start off: These guys aren’t going to do time. The wealthy make mistakes, the poor go to jail.

But that doesn’t change the basic facts here: The Morris kids are basically Bradley’s age and have been in the league almost as long as he has, and about the only thing they’ve done to set themselves apart is obtain identical tattoos, pout and break some guy’s face.

There was, in the wake of this morning’s news, some speculation that bringing Marcus Morris on will address a few needs Boston has. I remember thinking the same thing about David Lee–and I’m sure that, just like D-Lee, if Morris brings a bad attitude to work in Boston or starts to pout if he can’t earn the minutes he thinks he deserves, he won’t finish the year in green.

Finally

And the first postgame interview goes to… pic.twitter.com/83VGKF7mUI

— Steve Bulpett (@SteveBHoop) July 8, 2017

It’s going to be an interesting year in LaLa Land. Share a few kind words with the rational Lakers fans in your life (if you have any). Old Magic Johnson videos will only drown out so much of the pain.