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.
1. Take me to your leader: I have no concerns at all regarding Kyrie Irving as a player, but his job will be different here — and not just because he’ll be cast as more of a true point guard. As the man in the spotlight, Irving will be looked to by his teammates and everyone on the outside to provide leadership. No doubt Al Horford will continue to be a key presence, on and off the floor, and Marcus Smart’s grit will set a tone, as well. But we’ll be looking for clues from Kyrie.
Does he embrace media duties as part of the job and, more importantly, a chance to communicate team goals to the public and to his teammates, who — despite what they might say — will hear every word?
It’ll be interesting to see if and how Irving uses his platform to build confidence in the younger players.
Herald: Bulpett: 7 things to watch for in Celtics camp this week
Of Steve Bulpett’s 7 things to watch as camp opens this week (related note: HOLY SHIT CAMP OPENS THIS WEEK!), the issue of leadership seems to be the most important.
Sure, we can talk about depth and jelling and all of that, but someone on the team has to be front and center after games. As much as we’ll miss Isaiah Thomas’ on-court performances, we may miss his leadership and ability to handle team business even more. His willingness to say what needed to be said was important to this team (even if emotions sometimes caused him to cross a line).
Can Kyrie Irving be that guy? Will he step up in the locker room and be the mentor and communicator? Will Al Horford? Will Gordon Hayward?
We’ll have to see how it shakes out. There aren’t many personalities on this team that need to be kept in check but there’s always an issue that pops up internally that needs to be handled. If no one steps up to handle it, it can escalate and derail things. I have confidence that someone will be able to do that… it’s just a matter of who.
Page 2: Carmelo’s in OKC
The NBA offseason came to a close with a bang this weekend as Carmelo Anthony became the latest big name to be dealt. Shams Charamia of the Vertical was first to report that the All-Star forward had agreed to waive his no-trade clause and trade kicker to facilitate a deal from New York to Oklahoma City. The Knicks will receive Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round pick (via Chicago) in exchange for the 33-year-old small forward.
The move puts an exclamation point on a phenomenal offseason by Thunder general manager Sam Presti. The Massachusetts native took advantage of an underwhelming trade market for stars not named Kyrie Irving (as well as some questionable talent assessment by opposing management) to land Paul George and Anthony for the low price of Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis, Kanter, McDermott and a second-round pick
BSJ: NBA Notebook: How does Carmelo Anthony trade impact the Celtics and landscape of NBA?
Finally, the Carmelo Anthony saga in New York is over. He’s gone and the Knicks are going from bad to worse. Why does this matter to us?
1: Not that the Knicks were much competition before but they should be an even easier W with their current construction. They might give up 150 points per game.
2: They’ve got waaaaay too many bigs. Just makes you wonder if they’ll be motivated to part with one. I don’t really think Boston will be able to get any of them (Porzingis isn’t going anywhere, Willy Hernangomez only just got there and probably won’t be moved, the only matching salary for Kyle O’Quinn would be Baynes or a combination of young players which make no sense, and no one wants Joakim Noah), but the Knicks could further sell off pieces to get even worse. They could potentially be worse than Brooklyn, which would push that pick further down the draft… which would make including that pick in the Kyrie trade look ok.
The West is really interesting… they’re so top-heavy now and star-laden that at some point guys are going to want to come East just to escape the crush of talent out there.
I’ve said this before but I’ll reiterate how important to Gordon Hayward’s personal legacy it was to move to the East. Without Jimmy Butler, Paul George, and now Carmelo Anthony, Hayward has a clear path to becoming an All Star starter. Become an All Star starter five or six years in a row and suddenly you’re building yourself a case for the Hall of Fame.
Sure, that’s a very long way off, but the point is that individual opportunities exist for Hayward in the East that didn’t in the West. Some REALLY good players won’t make the All Star team this year… but Hayward almost certainly will. He’ll have the chances to stack his resume pretty nicely. Players think about these things. I wouldn’t be shocked if some Western Conference stars looked at Hayward’s move with a tinge of jealousy.
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 24, 2017
And Finally…
Brad Stevens still wants Kelly Olynyk in Green…
All the while, Olynyk kept in close contact with Stevens. And the two connected again this past week at the Shooting Touch Gala in Boston, supporting a program that helps at-risk children in sports.
“Brad’s an unbelievable guy,” Olynyk said. “Great character. He doesn’t change. He congratulated me instantly, and he even gave me a call saying he doesn’t know how it could happen or what could happen but he wanted me back in a Celtics uniform however it could happen. I know we’ll stay in contact for a long, long time.”
I’m much more pro-Olynyk than a lot of you so I’ll just say this… the Celtics will miss Olynyk this year. I think he’ll do well in Miami.
The rest of the links:
CSNNE: Photo of Celtics’ 1963 White House visit recalls a simpler time | Celtics Storylines: Four factors that could improve rebounding | LeBron James, NFL players blast President Trump on Twitter
MassLive: Boston Celtics rumors: Gerald Green signing with Milwaukee Bucks
Herald: Knicks agree to trade Carmelo Anthony to Thunder | LeBron James slams Trump after Steph Curry tweet: ‘U bum’
Celtics.com: 2017-18 Roster Breakdown: The Bigs | 2017-18 Roster Breakdown: The Wings
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