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.
The Celtics moved Marcus Thornton not only to get Thomas from Phoenix, but to give rookie James Young increased playing time. But Young is shooting just 29.5 percent from the field (13 of 44) since Feb. 1 and is 5 for 28 (17.9 percent) from the 3-point line in that stretch.
Young averaged 9.6 minutes per game before the All-Star break but is averaging 14.5 over the last six games.
Young worked on his defense during his time in the NBADL, but he makes rookie mistakes, such as Sunday when he ran to cover Shaun Livingston under the basket, leaving Curry open in front of the Celtics bench for a 3-pointer. Predictably, Curry drained the shot.
Yikes.
C’mon, James. We’ve been lobbying hard on your behalf all season and this is how you repay us?
Young’s shooting percentages for the season aren’t much better: 36% FG, 23% 3 FG. Those are some ugly numbers for a guy with such a pretty stroke.
It gets worse when you look at the defense. So much worse than I’m legally obligated to post this disclaimer: Warning, the remainder of this blog contains graphic numbers that some readers may find disturbing.
Kevin O’Connor of Celtics Blog delves deep into Young’s defense. If you’re the type who enjoys gory horror flicks, I recommend you give it a read.
This is what happens when you take the reins off unpolished 19-year-olds. You gotta take the bad with the good.
On Page 2, KG and Austin Rivers share a warm embrace. Not really.
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(gif courtesy SB Nation)
“I thought Austin should have punched him, personally,” Doc Rivers said with a smile after the game.
Austin Rivers, however, wasn’t smiling and sported a welt on his forehead that he said came as a result of a Garnett elbow earlier in the game.
“He elbowed me in my head, and that’s not going to fly, really,” Rivers said. “I have all the respect in the world for him. He’s one of the best players to ever play the game, but at the end of the day, I’m a man just like he is, and that’s all there is to it.”
Pretty sure KG said, “I was in this league when you were still popping zits on your funny face and jerking off with the lingerie section of the Sears catalog.”
The rest of the links:
ESPN Boston – Thomas, Stevens give Celtics playoff chance | CSNNE – Packed schedule has Cs own March Madness | Herald – Ainge plays off team | Benchmark honor for Celts Thomas | Mass Live – David Lee calls Boston a team to watch |
