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.
Breaking: The trade deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m. Eastern time.
Oh, wait. You already knew that. Of course. You’ve been refreshing websites for the past 48 hours, waiting for news. You turned on Twitter notifications for WojBombsTM. You’re debating who’s the best fit: Jimmy Butler or Paul George? You’re considering the value of standing pat and using the Nets pick. You’re holding your breath for news of fireworks, and wondering – if it comes – will you be ecstatic or wanting to hurl yourself off the Tobin Bridge?
With so many rumors coming in at light speed – and everything can change in an instant – the best thing to do is gather up all the conflicting, confusing, confounding links to the latest news about potential trades, and let you pick and choose which ones to read and believe or disown. That’s what we’ve done here. Live it up.
ESPN Boston – No need for the Celtics to lose their patience at deadline
Herald – Bulpett: Celtics plan to go big or sit tight at NBA trade deadline
Globe – What trade deadline options are the Celtics exploring?
CSNNE – What Celtics Have To Offer In Potential Trade | Drummond On Tweets And Trade Talk: ‘I Can Change My Profile If I Want To’
MassLive – Boston Celtics trade rumors 2017: Paul George unlikely to be traded, but one executive thinks he’ll land with Celtics | Boston Celtics trade deadline: 10 moves to improve that wouldn’t cost a Brooklyn Nets pick | Boston Celtics trade rumors 2017: Jahlil Okafor not on team’s radar, according to report
CBS Sports – Latest NBA trade rumors: Celtics discussed Griffin deal, Butler may stay with Bulls
The Ringer – The Ripple Effect of the DeMarcus Cousins Trade | The Tank Job: How the Celtics’ putrid 2006–07 season — and brilliant offseason strategy — set the stage for one of the greatest turnarounds in NBA history
Pro Basketball Talk – Reports: Bulls telling teams they won’t trade Jimmy Butler
ESPN – NBA Rumor Central: Celtics talked Blake Griffin, but deal unlikely
Boston.com – 5 shooters the Celtics could target at the trade deadline | What would the Celtics trade the Nets pick(s) for?
NESN – Celtics Can Win Now And Long Term If They Play NBA Trade Deadline Right | NBA Rumors: Celtics ‘Actively Seeking A Top-Tier Player’ Before Trade Deadline | NBA Exec Believes Celtics Will Trade For Paul George Before Deadline, ESPN Reporter Says
Basketball Insiders – NBA PM: 2017 Trade Deadline Watch Part I | Suns’ P.J. Tucker Drawing Trade Interest
NBA.com – Game Time: Boston’s Options (video)
Attention deadline shoppers: A reminder of Boston’s draft pick stash before Thursday’s deadline: pic.twitter.com/FOfqT6uw1d
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) February 21, 2017
On Page 2: He’s gonna need some magic
Jeanie Buss fired general manager Mitch Kupchak on Tuesday and put Johnson in charge of basketball operations. Jim Buss also was dismissed as the Lakers’ executive vice president of basketball operations in a major shake-up of the struggling team’s front office.
Jim Buss retains his ownership stake in the team, but Jeanie Buss has final say under the structure set up by their late father, Jerry Buss. She used it to chart a new course for the 16-time NBA champion franchise, which has the NBA’s third-worst record at 19-39.
The Lakers are almost certain to miss the playoffs for a team-record fourth straight season, and they posted the worst record in team history during each of the previous three years.
[…]
Just 19 days after Johnson returned to the Lakers in an executive role, Jeanie Buss decided the Hall of Fame point guard will be the Lakers’ decision-maker in basketball operations despite no experience as a personnel executive. Johnson is the Lakers’ new president of basketball operations, reporting directly to Jeanie Buss, and it appears that Johnson is moving quickly to surround himself with a team to help his transition.
NBA.com – Los Angeles Lakers fire GM Mitch Kupchak, name Magic Johnson president of basketball operations
Yes, LA Lakers owner Jeannie Buss decided, two days before the trade deadline, to replace her front office executives (firing her own brother!) with a guy who, although a Laker legend, has never run a team before. In fact, the only time Magic has tried has hand at basketball management was in 1994, when he took over as head coach for the final 16 games of a failed Laker season. Johnson went 5-11, closed with a 10-game losing streak, and bailed on that job.
Now he’s going to run the entire show for our hated rivals. So, let’s review some of the key phrases from that article above:
- “which has the NBA’s third-worst record at 19-39”
- “The Lakers are almost certain to miss the playoffs for a team-record fourth straight season”
- “they posted the worst record in team history during each of the previous three years”
- “the Hall of Fame point guard will be the Lakers’ decision-maker in basketball operations despite no experience as a personnel executive”
What’s my point? It’s fun to laugh at the Lakers.
Look, Magic might well do a good job. He’s hugely successful in business, as head of the lucrative Magic Johnson Enterprises, and has amassed a personal net worth of $500 million. In my experience working in the corporate world, a new CEO always implements big moves early, to make a mark ASAP. And Magic has done that. He’s already hired a general manager and made one trade, sending Lou Williams to Houston for Corey Brewer and a first-round pick.
The question now, though, is: Will he overreach and try to do too much in the short time before the trade deadline? Because if he does, there are 29 other execs like Ainge, Bird, Riley and Buford who will gladly take advantage of Magic’s lack of experience. I think even Phil Jackson woke up from his coma when he heard about the Laker restructuring.
And here’s a caution. We all know Magic and Larry are best buddies. Don’t let that make you sympathetic to Magic’s task. Celtics fans must always root for the Lakers to fail disastrously in their rebuilding efforts. Not just because they are No. 2 in titles and all-time wins behind Boston, but because of this douchebag. ⇒⇒
Related: Herald – How the 1980’s Celtics v. Lakers rivalry grew up to run the NBA
On Page 3: Brook Lopez (!) has shot more threes than Larry Bird ever did
“We don’t need it,” Auerbach huffed then. “I say leave our game alone.”
The idea of awarding three points to shots made beyond an arch stretching 23 feet, nine inches from the rim and 22 feet from the corners was unnecessary, Auerbach believed. And he was not alone in believing this was some sort of publicity stunt.
“I think all of us thought it was,” said Larry Bird, of all people, in hindsight.
[…]
And then on Oct. 12, opening night of the ’79-80 season, with the Celtics playing the Houston Rockets, history happened in the first quarter. Chris Ford, a set-shooting journeyman and the only Celtic who bothered to shoot from deep in the preseason, trotted downcourt and happened to stand with his toes beyond the arch.
“Well actually,” said Bird, wisecracking, “they were double- or triple-teaming me and he was out there with nothing to do so I passed it to him.”
NBA.com – Doubt, disdain marked most NBA teams’ first forays into 3-point land
Need a break from trade rumors? Take a few minutes to read about how the NBA adopted the three-pointer. The article is entirely true: The shot that teams now launch dozens of times per night began as an oddity, a gimmick. Coaches weren’t sure how to utilize it.
Being older than you an OG, I was at that game when Ford swished the first-ever three. We knew that first triple was historic, but it had no effect on the result that night. The Celts shot three times from the arc, the Rockets tried 10, and both teams made only one apiece. (Actually, the bigger news by far, and the top reason I went to that game, was that it was Larry Bird’s debut as a pro.)
In 1979, shooters still took mid-range jumpers and forwards filled the lanes on fast breaks to get open for layups. No one ran to the three-point line. There was no reason to think the three would ever become anything more than a desperate, last-minute tactic for teams on the wrong end of the score.
But just two years later, Bird had realized the power of the three-point weapon. His triple in the last two minutes of the 1981 Finals’ Game 6 was the dagger that clinched Banner 14 (skip to 5:05 in the video to see it). Larry did it again to Houston in Game 6 of the 1986 Finals, crushing the Rockets’ will with a back-breaking trey (skip to 9:10 and listen to Dick Stockton’s comments).
Now, with advanced stats showing the value of the three, the game will probably never be the way it was. And that’s okay because, frankly, there are now many more players capable of shooting from deep. We’ve moved beyond the era of the three-point specialist, like Reggie Miller, Dale Ellis and Ray Allen, to where nearly everyone is expected to be a threat from out there. Hell, Amir Johnson is making 40.9% (18-44) from the arc, and in 51 games Brook freaking Lopez is 90 of 262 (34.4%). By contrast, Bird’s high for three-point attempts was 237, even though he had five seasons shooting 40% or better from deep. Simply a different era.
As Larry himself advised at the end of the article: “The game has changed,” Bird said. “You have to keep up with it or fall behind.”
And, finally: The two Kevins
Kevin McHale and Kevin Garnett are two of the most beloved Celtics of all time, and they’ll forever be connected – and not just for their roles in winning championships.
McHale was general manager of the Timberwolves when he decided to acquire Garnett with the fifth pick in the draft. It was seen as a risky move, since KG was coming straight from high school and at that time there had been few prep-to-pros successes. But, obviously, McHale did the right thing. He also became a mentor to KG, and later coached him in Minnesota, before trading Garnett to Boston – which resulted in Banner 17.
Now that both are working in television, McHale interviewed KG recently on NBA-TV. For your viewing pleasure, here are two of the best segments.
"Anything is possible!"@KGArea21 remembers winning the title in 2008 with the @celtics 🍀 pic.twitter.com/vZzXafPGuQ
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 21, 2017
.@KGArea21 reflects on his @NBA career & how he's handling life after basketball pic.twitter.com/bPci0w5j2y
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 21, 2017
The Rest of the Links:
Celtics.com – Parquet Magazine: Horford Breaks the Mold
Herald – Murphy: Celtics midseason report card
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