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Your Morning Dump…Where Danny took a trip to Spain to scout Mario Hezonja

Chris Jones February 15, 2015 The Morning Dump 5 Comments

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.

Danny Ainge ( president of operations for the Celtics ) collects firsthand information about some of the players that sound in all the pools to get elected high in 2015. Yesterday was the Palau watching the Barcelona Galatasaray Euroleague and their presence in Barcelona is basically due to Mario Hezonja, the Croatian jewel that meets next week 20 years.

Baloncesto.com – Danny Ainge was in the Palau ‘ spying ‘ on Mario Hezonja

This quote was translated from Spanish, so it comes across as a bit odd. But it’s interesting that Ainge took a trip to Barcelona to see the kid play when he probably has a small army of scouts to do this for him. While speaking on 98.5, Ainge mentioned the fact that his scouts told him there were a few players our there he needed to see himself. Hezonja appears to be one of those guys.

As far as draft projections, he’s been mock-selected anywhere from 6th-20th overall. The video below shows a player whose skills could certainly help the C’s — he’s got a crafty offensive game and a nice looking shot. I guess his knock is selfishness and being a difficult teammate at times, but he’s only 19. He may fall into the range Boston is selected to pick, partly because he’s a bit of an unknown playing in the Euroleague. If the Celtics really are trending towards the 8th seed, this may not be a bad selection if we aren’t able to somehow move up in the draft (or if the C’s don’t want to).

And if there is mutual interest between Ainge and Hezonja, Ainge could potentially tell Hezonja he plans to draft him. In that case, Hezonja could shut down additional pre-draft workouts and deter other teams from selecting him. I believe since he’s not in the NCAA, Ainge can be fairly open and transparent with recruiting and making draft promises. If he wants him, that is.

Page 2: Melo thinks the C’s need to become a powerhouse again

Anthony is keenly aware that the Knicks’ general awfulness isn’t ideal for the NBA.

“The league needs New York to be that powerhouse again,” Anthony said on Saturday after All-Star practice at Madison Square Garden. “The league needs the Lakers and Boston to be those powerhouses again.”

Last season was the first time in NBA history that the Knicks, Lakers and Celtics all missed the postseason, and unless the Celtics sneak into the eighth seed (not impossible, but certainly unlikely), that’s going to be the case again.

NBC Sports – Carmelo Anthony: “The league needs New York to be that powerhouse again”

It’d be nice to see the Celtics and Lakers renew the rivalry (I don’t really care about what the Knicks do). But there must be some benefit to having teams like Memphis, Portland, and Milwaukee all step up and either become elite or at least decent again. Meanwhile, attendance across home games for the Lakers, Celtics, and Knicks seems to remain solid while the teams rebuild. Maybe the NBA doesn’t ‘need’ us to become powerhouses again, but it’d certainly be nice. At least for one of those teams.

And last, in case you missed the Zach LaVine show last night:

Behind the back dunk was nuts.

The rest of the links:

CelticsBlog – How Boston shut down the best shooter in the NBA

Grantland – 2015 NBA All Star Weekend Special

ESPN Boston – Who would win Celtics dunk contest?

GreenBirdCro

I’m always a bit reluctant to seeing Croatians playing for Cs. Obviously, I would be very biased in assessing their role and contribution. That being said… Honestly, Hezonja had been flying under the radar even in Croatia for quite some time, much like Bogdanovic before him. The same reason in both cases is the fact that these boys left home at a very early stage of their lives not to say careers. And they both succeeded. In Spain. This should give them bonus points when it comes to draft night. Hezonja has been developing in Barcelona’s B squad and has since moved to the first team with increasing minutes. Some of this latest success had to do with team’s injury list but Hezonja took this opportunity by the horns and is showcasing his talent every time his on the floor. I would say that earlier scout reports were on the money, both in positives and negatives. However, as far as I can see, he seems more and more team oriented, with much improved shot (selection), off-ball play and even defense. Mind his age folks! His ceiling is way high, and most importantly he is continuously rising. What’s more impressive in my view is his ‘I don’t give a F…’ attitude in games. He’s got that positive aggression, he is fresh and he’ll attack anyone. This kid has been playing with and against grown man ever since he got out of the womb! That certainly counts for something, imho. And if Danny is going to draft him, he should bring him to Boston asap. Mario is not the draft-&-stash type of player. He should be thrown in a piranha pool at first chance. Cause he’s a shark in the making.
I drool over an idea that Cs have a player of such offensive talent and mindset. I know we need a center badly, but unless you’re getting Shaq in a draft (and even then, you can check the history books), you’ll need to invest much time in his development. Probably more time than what it would take for guys like Mario. Having Smart/Bradley/Young/Hezonja would solve Cs guard positions for years to come. So everything else from the famous chest trove could be used for acquiring the bigs (like M. Gasol, L. Aldridge etc.). If needed Mario is worth a trade-up in a draft. But, if it happens somehow, I am scared that my objectivity will go out of the window the first second he puts a green uniform on… Lol
(so glad to see that Danny doesn’t mind taking long trips just to see firsthand a potential pick, great work!)
- KGino
  
  Your insight from far across the pond is appreciated!
  - GreenBirdCro
    
    Lmao. Thanks. I just hope he doesn’t turn out to be a bust (for whatever unimaginable reason), especially not on Cs account. Celtics before anyone and anything else!
KGino

A few takeaways from the dunk contest: 1.) I was VERY happy to see the lack of props. IMO dunkers should only be allowed one prop dunk max… Maybe even none. The contest last night was the purest dunk contest in years because it was all about the dunks, not jumping over a car or blowing out a candle or some gimmick. They need to keep it that way.

2.) I still don’t understand how there are Youtube phenoms and And1 Mixtape players who have better dunks than the best dunkers in the NBA… It’s a joke! Now I’m not bashing on this years dunk contest cuz I think it was one of the better recent ones, but I’m amazed we haven’t seen a 540, 720, or under the leg 360. These are all dunks that I’ve seen non NBA players make. I was holding out hope Lavine would do the under the leg 360 since he looks like he could… But nope. To their credit, Oladipo’s first dunk and Lavines 1st 2 dunks were awesome. I’m just amazing there’s not a player in the league who has even CRAZIER dunks, because I’ve seen them done before by no names
- KWAPT
  
  Couldn’t agree with you more. This guy could give anyone in the NBA a run for their money in a dunk contest: http://youtu.be/RJkHQcznHP4