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Your Morning Dump… Where tortoise beats hare?

Rich Jensen July 15, 2016 The Morning Dump 15 Comments

Danny Ainge takes another call about the Brooklyn pick swap

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.

Here’s an unpopular opinion: The Celtics should exercise the same sort of restraint they did in their pursuit of Horford and maximize that asset stash in order to ensure a sustained run as a title contender.

Next year’s free-agent class figures to be flush with top-level talent. Westbrook, Griffin, Steph Curry and Chris Paul headline the 2017 list. Familiar names Gordon Hayward, Danilo Gallinari and Paul Millsap sit right below the top tier. One summer after getting a chance to pitch to one of the league’s biggest stars in Durant, the Celtics would be armed with enough cap space to again pursue a superstar on the open market.

…

What’s more, Boston owns the rights to swap picks with the Brooklyn Nets in the 2017 draft (and owns their top pick outright in 2018). With the Nets projected to occupy the basement of the league, the Celtics would be in position to add a player from a draft that already is being hyped as transcendent at the top.

ESPN Boston

After yet another Barmecide feast of rumors and suspiciously vague and suspiciously detailed ‘scoops’, Thursday ended with, as far as I know, every single player in the NBA on the same team that he started out on.

If your life is somehow validated by getting retweeted, the thing to do, apparently, is to post something you know is incorrect, in such a way as admits no possible contradiction, and then sit back and watch people who want to believe in it retweet you.

At any rate, Chris Forsberg is the voice of reason in the article above. The Celtics have flexibility; they do not need a mammoth trade to get to the top of the pile. If they stand pat this season, they could end next season with 50+ wins, a top ten draft pick and enough cap space to sign another max salary free agent.

If you think that situation isn’t the envy of 27 other front offices, then you probably stopped reading this post somewhere in that previous paragraph.

Page 2: Where Chase Budinger might be the Celtics’ second big free agent signing this summer!

SMall bit of @celtics news … Still looking for shooters, source said they reached out to free-agent Chase Budinger.

— Sean Deveney (@SeanDeveney) July 14, 2016

Brad Stevens has been a coach for all of three years, but that’s long enough to say that Budinger might be a player that would benefit from playing for Brad. What formerly well-regarded (Budinger was co-McDonalds All-American MVP in 2006 with Kevin Durant) latterly dismissed player hasn’t thrived in Boston over the last few years? If you’ve got a chip on your shoulder, Boston is the place for you. Been scapegoated because you got stuck in a bad situation? Come to Boston where you’ll get treated like a human being and set up for success instead of failure.

Finally:

Someone decided that it would be a good idea to kill as many of his fellow humans as possible yesterday. Again.

Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. —Jon Donne

Because we are capable of such extraordinary cruelty, please choose to be kind.

The rest of the links

MassLive: Boston Celtics rumors: ‘No truth to’ Blake Griffin chatter, according to report | Boston Celtics trade rumors 2016: Russell Westbrook or Blake Griffin? Who should Danny Ainge target?

CSNNE (really hyping the trade rumors): In an ideal world, who should Celtics trade for? | Deveney: Think Celtics are finally on the brink of doing something | Mannix: Celtics looking to make trade in coming days | Mannix: Highly skeptical Griffin or Westbrook to Celtics at this time | Why no trade?

Boston Herald: Celtics notebook: Rookies create roster logjam

Boston Globe: Danny Ainge staying patient amid Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin rumors

Boston.com: Is Russell Westbrook a good idea for the Celtics? | Celtics reportedly pursuing trade for Blake Griffin

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Sean McLaughlin

Budinger has a nice stroke. Wouldn’t be a total difference maker, but for the right price he’d definitely fill the hole previously occupied by Turner as someone that can create their own shot.
Oh and Chris Mannix is killing my vibe, someone shut him off!
- Curt Hays
  
  Chris, don’t kill my vibe.
Luke Walton

You have indeed raised the key question.

If we stand pat, will we win 50+ games

I don’t think so.

My favorite line of the summer is teams with Al Horford as their best player don’t win championships. Of course, you don’t need to win a championship to win 50 games. But we’ve already lost two players, neither of whom sucked and both of whom contributed to the 48 wins. While most Celtics fans were happy with 48 wins last year, there remains a strong feeling that we overachieved. What if IT is no longer a 4th quarter stud this year? What if no one, save Terry Rozier, improves?

Bottom line:

There is no time like the present.

We must do something.

It must be big.

We must do it soon.

Not at any cost.

But if we want a shot a leap frogging Cleveland in the East and taking a shot at Goliath State, we cannot stand pat.
- MondoCane
  
  Please further elaborate the part where you say “we must do it soon”.
  Why? To be fooled by Sam Presti, Doc Rivers or Bryan Colangelo?
  We have no hurry to trade for anyone. We need to make trades when the counterpart is almost desperate to trade. That’s were Danny scores home runs.
  At this point, with the current roster I believe we are a 50+ W team. Does this make us a playoff team? Well, maybe not. It would be foolish to think that Horford will solve all our offensive woes come playoff time.
  - Luke Walton
    
    What I believe Danny is contemplating is 2007 redux, by which I mean, bring in three stars and gut the roster. This would allow him to fill in with free agents. While we did add brown and cassell mid-season, we started with house, posey, and the white stiff. So action must be taken sooner than later if we want to do anything other than muddle through next season.
    - MondoCane
      
      Provided that I find it hard to believe you can go down the same road twice in this business, at this point I do not see many complementary pieces left to sign. I mean, there are no sharp shooters left to sign, no veterans with playoff experience, etc.
      What we need to do is work on improvement, maintain flexibility (both cap and asset flexibility) and if the opportunity knocks, go for it, but absolutely I don’t want Danny to be rash.
      Besides, if the Golden State experiment works you can make all the noise you want in the East, but you’ll end up slaughtered in the Finals and for a owner there is no worst thing in the world than a costly team with no chance to win it all.
      - Luke Walton
        
        I won’t be the last one to say this, and I may not be the first. But I suspect GMs are all thinking the only way to beat GS is via a bigger, bruising team.
- Ron Flanders
  
  Smart will improve. Rozier seems to have improved. Isaiah, with a PnR PNP option like Horford, could be even more dangerous. We may not rebound as well, but we will shoot and defend better.
- AC3
  
  What’s the Laker coach doing in here? Security!
adam

the more I think about it, the more likely that the Celtics get Okafor or Noels this summer if at all.
Ron Flanders

Rich, you’re killing it. Great write-up!
zippittyay

You don’t want to be reactionary, just take advantage of those who are. Stay visionary.
zippittyay

Buddinger would be a nice pick up. So far, we have upgraded Sully for Horford and downgraded from Turner to Brown. We are really hoping that Olynyk, Jarebko, Crowder, Smart and Bradley all continue to improve but they all have their faults. I can see the potential in Jaylen, but honestly think I’d rather have Nader as my 3rd or 4th guy off the bench and watch Jaylen wreck the D-league with Dancing Bear for a little while until his percentages and feel for the game get better. I know, there’s probably a rule against that….
- Richard Jensen
  
  Rozier’s probably going to get most of Turner’s minutes.
Jimmy Gallagher

Great post Rich! I keep thinking we should trade for Griffin or Westbrook, but standing pat might be the best thing we can do. No need to rush unless we can get quality players for a good price.

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