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.
“I didn’t expect to play him near that much,” coach Brad Stevens said. “I felt pretty comfortable with him on the floor, because he’s really savvy. He’s always in the right place, especially defensively. A couple of times he looked at me like, ‘Where am I supposed to go?’ Luckily that was mostly in the second half, so it was right in front of our bench. But he’s good. He’s a good addition to any group. He impacts winning. He impacts you in the right way.”
Prince did feel a bit out of place.
“Just kind of lost a little bit, you know?” Prince said. “Obviously, no matter how many years you’ve been in this league, when you play with different players, you get lost and you try to figure things out and try to figure out where you can do things at certain spots on the floor. It’ll get better, but defensively won’t be an issue at all, because it’s just a matter of grinding and guarding your guy and knowing when to help and when to get back and stuff like that.
“My key is just knowing when to pick my spots to make plays for people and try to get the offensive flow a little better.”
19 minutes for Tayshaun Prince. What in the name of Jim Loscutoff is going on around here?
This better be some sort of psychological tactic to get Prince to reduce his buyout number.
You won’t budge huh? Throw him back on the floor with Evan Turner. Make him defend alongside Kelly Olynyk.
Too bad James Young still has the flu, he could have used those 19 minutes.
The Brad Stevens rollercoaster of rotation minutes continues. One week ago, Jae Crowder lit up the Garden with 22 points in 36 minutes. He’s played a combined 54 minutes in 3 games since.
At 13-26, the Celtics own the 5th worst record in the league. They’re also just 3 games out of the 8th playoff spot in the East.
On Page 2, Doc Rivers approves of the rebuilding plan.
“I think they’ve done the best as far as rebuilding,” said Rivers. “They have the most assets, for sure. Getting assets is hard, and now the hardest step is the next one, turning those assets into actual players.
“I asked Danny jokingly, ‘Do you know how many picks you have?’ It’s amazing what they’ve done in the short term, and they still have some pretty good players. I think they’ve done a nice job.”
Rivers freely admitted that the reason he left Boston for Los Angeles was his lack of desire to rebuild.
“I was afraid of rebuilding,” he said. “I’ve done it, I’ve been through it, and it’s hard. Most people think rebuilding is easy. And I don’t think they understand how hard it is on the coach because you’re losing games.
“And any coach that I know — and I know Brad [Stevens] — every game you go into, you convince yourself you’re going to win, and then you don’t and then you’re down and then you build yourself up for the next game. It’s emotionally hard.”
Thanks, Doc. Your words mean a lot.
If Danny ever needs help on how to construct a terrible bench for a championship caliber team, I’m sure he’ll give you a call.
And finally, someone named Andre Dawkins might be joining the squad.
ESPN’s Marc Stein says the C’s are considering a 10-day contract for Andre Dawkins.
According to Chris Forsberg, the 23-year-old Dawkins is averaging 22.9 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game in 11 appearances for the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He’s shooting 48 percent from the floor overall, but 51 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.
The Celtics gained one roster spot when they waived Chris Douglas-Roberts. You will find more Dawkins highlights here.
Don’t panic James Young fans. Dawkins is merely cheap insurance. He won’t steal anyone’s playing time.
The rest of the links:
ESPN Boston – Celtics caught on west coast time | Dare to dream about DeAndre? | Power rankings: C’s down to 28 | WEEI – 5 things we learned as Celtics remain winless vs Doc | Globe – Celtics rally comes up short | Herald – Celtics struggle as Clippers ease away | CSNNE – Stevens: Prince good addition in debut | Stevens, Rivers discuss strategy of intentional fouls | Losing frustrating, discouraging to Stevens
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