{"id":611751,"date":"2017-01-21T08:50:08","date_gmt":"2017-01-21T13:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thesportsdaily.com\/?p=611751"},"modified":"2017-01-21T08:50:08","modified_gmt":"2017-01-21T13:50:08","slug":"your-morning-dump-where-evan-turners-back-in-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesportsdaily.com\/news\/your-morning-dump-where-evan-turners-back-in-town\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Morning Dump… Where Evan Turner’s back in town"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here\u2026 highlighting the big story line. Because there\u2019s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.<\/em><\/p>\n

“[Turner] says that he tried to call me when I was on the plane, but I don\u2019t believe him. [Boston reporters] believe everything he said but, believe it or not, I don\u2019t believe everything he said,” Stevens said with a wide smile. “No, I love that guy. I love that guy. What\u2019s really cool is he texted my 10-year-old [son, Brady], sent him a long text and said, \u2018This is why I\u2019m going and it was great to be there and everything else.\u2019 I think that sums him up. He\u2019s got a great heart, he\u2019s a great guy. After he did that, he didn\u2019t need to call me.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

ESPN Boston<\/a><\/p>\n

Well, Evan Turner’s back. Evan Turner–who took the money and ran (as who would not?), but still sent ten-year old Brady Stevens a text all about it.<\/p>\n

Evan Turner’s turnaround is a concrete demonstration of why players want to play in Boston. A Jackie MacMullen piece from April 2015 shows how the Celtics, and especially Stevens and Ainge approached Turner:<\/p>\n

Turner’s career has been reborn under the tutelage of coach Brad Stevens, who handed him the ball and told him, “I don’t care what you can’t do. Show me what you can do.” No one in Boston expected 25 points a night. The team just wanted him to share the ball and play the right way.<\/p>\n

Turner has registered three triple-doubles this season, joining a small, elite group of Celtics who have accomplished that feat: Larry Bird, Antoine Walker, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo.<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

There has been little drama surrounding Turner in Boston. His teammates have embraced him, and the fans have accepted him. He’s so secure with his coach that, when he missed two free throws in a close game in Denver back in January, Turner joked that he clanged them because “I wanted to give [Stevens] some gray hair. He already looks like he’s 15. I wanted him to be able to do bars and not get carded.”<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

“There’s a lot of truth to the idea that players’ draft positions can have a negative impact,” Ainge said. “But I feel once they re-establish themselves as a different player, and expectations are fair, that can be fixed.<\/p>\n

“One of the reasons we signed Evan to a two-year contract is we wanted to give him a chance to settle back into the league. We thought that might take a little longer to find his place.<\/p>\n

“We wanted to lower the expectations around the NBA so he could play and have fun again.”<\/p>\n

The game is back to being simple, Turner said. He is done trying to emulate someone else’s idea of what he should be.<\/p>\n

“I gotta stop thinking about being a former No. 2 pick and just be a basketball player,” he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

ESPN Boston<\/a><\/p>\n

That article has stuck in my head over the past couple years because it illustrates Ainge and Stevens’ understanding of people. Especially telling is Ainge’s comment that he wanted to ‘lower expectations’–at first that sounds harsh, but two years in Boston, playing within himself because Stevens didn’t expect him to do otherwise did transform the way Evan Turner was perceived around the league.<\/p>\n

Page 2: Let’s remember the best Evan Turner quotes from the Celtics years:<\/h2>\n

“When I was dribbling, I was like, ‘Oh, snap, I\u2019m at 15 feet, I\u2019m about to end this.’ And then I thought about [Michael Jordan] passing to Steve Kerr. And I thought, ‘Well, let me add that to my legacy. I\u2019ll pass one time.’ And that was it. It was unbelievable, actually. Ingenious by me.”<\/p>\n

“[Brad Stevens] spoke to me. I had to smell his breath for alcohol. I checked his office for drugs. I said, \u2018You\u2019ve gotta be high.\u2019 You know what I\u2019m saying? But I kept it classy, of course, and I trust the process. And that was it. But it\u2019s unbelievable, right?”<\/p>\n

I\u2019m just trying to stay out the way. That\u2019s it. You know what I\u2019m saying? Once again, I have a ’27 years without getting arrested’ streak, so I wanna keep that up. Maybe texting people back quicker. Stop lying about not seeing people\u2019s text messages. That would help. Checking my email more, maybe. You know what I\u2019m saying, kind of to be more dependable in that aspect.”<\/p>\n

\u201cYou’ve gotta respect a 15-percent 3-point shooter. A guy like that is always lethal.”<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s 15%, but it\u2019s a big 15%”<\/p>\n

People will say it’s for Kobe, but deep down it’s probably for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI threw away my LeBron poster in high school,\u201d Turner said, \u201cso I don\u2019t care how much he played tonight.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Source: Reddit (of course)<\/a><\/p>\n

There are plenty more where those came from, including these gems from his Philly days:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will always be haters, that\u2019s just the way it is. Hating dudes marry hating women and have hating ass kids\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI been on the toilet all night, my butt crack feels like it has sun burn #pause. I’m so annoyed\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Page 3: Where Avery Bradley’s out some more<\/h2>\n

The Boston Celtics expect Avery Bradley to miss “at least” one more game due to a strained right Achilles, head coach Brad Stevens said Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Bradley has missed five of the last six games because of the issue. After returning for one game earlier this week, he was ruled a late scratch minutes before Wednesday night’s loss to the New York Knicks. Afterward, Stevens suggested Bradley might have come back too early from the injury.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

MassLive<\/a><\/p>\n

Boston’s got Avery Bradley on just a fabulously good deal right now, but I have to say, as this season goes on, I’m starting to think that when it comes time for AB to get market rate pay, the C’s aren’t going to be the ones signing the checks (also: remember when AB was being overpaid<\/a>? Bonus–this article also includes a Lance Stephenson reference).<\/p>\n

Bradley’s got a more universally marketable set of skills than Marcus Smart–and he’s going to be the starting off-guard on a 50 win team by the end of the season–so there’s going to be high demand for that guy after the 2017\/18 season, and even though he’s got ongoing injury issues, teams–not the best run teams, mind you–always seem to think that nagging injury problems are in the past, and that a guy who’s had reconstructive surgery on both shoulders, tore a hamstring, and has had ongoing ankle problems is due for a long run of good health.<\/p>\n

If I had to pick the Celtics player most likely to be the centerpiece in a trade, it’s AB.<\/p>\n

Finally: IT is in an NBA commercial with some other ‘little guys’<\/h2>\n