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.
Boston entered with a particular need for size and adamant it couldn’t carry four rookies on next season’s roster. The Celtics then selected three guards — ballooning their backcourt depth chart to nine guards for the moment — and coach Brad Stevens said he can envision at least three of these rookies competing for a roster spot.
All of which will leave Celtics fans scratching their heads after draft night.
“The fans, they feed into what’s being written and said a lot, too,” Ainge said. “But I did say that we would try to move up. The price was way too high. There’s so many rumors out there. There’s so many things that are being said and written that are not even close to being true, that are just made up stories — no sources and fake sources — and people get caught up in these rumors and their expectations go even higher.”
ESPN Boston – Danny Ainge on Celtics draft: ‘We tried hard to trade up’
Before last year’s off-season, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck promised fireworks in terms of Danny Ainge’s roster moves. We believed it – but we’re still waiting. Last night’s NBA Draft was another opportunity to make it happen. Once again, the sky remained dark.
There were no trades to move up to a lottery pick. Willie Cauley-Stein did not slip as rumored. Nearly everyone who’d been projected as a potential Celtic and impact player was long gone before pick no. 16 was called. All the assets Ainge has collected weren’t enough to help Boston meet the fans’ expectations.
Then it got worse. A collective “WTF?” came from Celtics Nation after Adam Silver announced the Cs had selected 6’2” point guard Terry Rozier from Louisville.
No one saw it coming. Rozier (who?) wasn’t on anyone’s mock draft board for the Cs, and was such an unexpected pick that he wasn’t even at the Barclays Center. More important, Boston already has Thomas, Smart, Pressey and Turner to handle the ball. Why take another point guard when you need a shot-blocking big guy?
The disappointment was palpable among fans at the Celtics draft party and on Twitter.
The mood improved a bit when, on their second chance, Boston used no. 28 to select R.J. Hunter, a 6’6” shooter from Georgia State. That pick was more well-received than no. 16, because it didn’t come out of the blue and because Hunter was perceived as the better value than Rozier in their respective spots.
In the second round, the Celts used the 33rd pick to take Jordan Mickey, who at 6’8” was the nation’s leading shot blocker this past season (the long-awaited rim protector!). Pick no. 45 was yet another backcourt player: Marcus Thornton (not the old one, a new one), a 6’3” shooting guard from William & Mary.
So now we wait for the next step. There will be a next step, right Danny?
On Page 2: We really, really need a trade
Philly has a whole lot of young bigs. Boston has whole lot of young guards. Calls should be made.
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) June 26, 2015
Minutes after making his final pick, Ainge was thinking about addressing the logjam at some point.
“Obviously, we have a lot of guards. And we like them all. And we’ll figure it out,” he said. “We may have to make some tough choices, but we really like all the guys.”
MassLive – Terry Rozier? No trade into the lottery? What happened with the Boston Celtics’ NBA Draft?
With all the guards being chosen for a squad that already had plenty of guards, the logical draft night speculation was that Trader Danny must have something up his sleeve. He’s going to make some moves to balance the roster, right? The master plan will be revealed, won’t it?
Well, that “we’ll figure it out” quote makes you wonder.
As noted, Philly is a logical trade partner, but what happens if they aren’t interested? We often say, “In Danny, we trust.” Now he has to show us why.
The Rest of the Links:
Herald – Celtics catch ’em off guard | Celtics fans left to hope projections are correct
Globe – Ambitious Celtics can’t move up, so they draft three guards and a forward | With expectations soaring, this felt like a rough draft for Celtics
CSNNE – Despite ‘unbelievable offers,’ Ainge unable to make a deal | Scalabrine: Teams don’t want to be ‘bamboozled’ by Ainge
ESPN Boston – No. 16 pick: Celtics select Terry Rozier | No. 28 pick: Celtics take R.J. Hunter
Bleacher Report – Terry Rozier to Celtics: Twitter Reacts as PG Is Selected in 2015 NBA Draft
Forbes – NBA Draft: Lakers’ Russell Among the Winners, Celtics Head the Losers
