Al Horford Out for LA Game

Al Horford has been put on concussion protocol after the elbow to the head by Bazemore in the Hawks game Monday. Looks like we'll get to see what the other "Bigs" can do in his absence. Good thing Marcus Morris is on the roster. Anybody still think that Morris is not an integral member of this team?

https://nesn.com/2017/11/al-horford-enters-concussion-protocol-will-miss-celtics-vs-lakers/

You guys keep playing up Marcus Morris. I don't think he's a nice guy and do not like him. He's not an All-Star and is not that great.

He is also not that bad. I don't get why everyone is making him out to be a legend or necessary.

He isn't.

The best thing anyone can say about Morris is he's serviceable. He's no role model. If there's a better person available who can play at his caliber, the Celtics would be better off.

3 games in I'm glad we have him

beat

Phil Pressey wrote:You guys keep playing up Marcus Morris. I don't think he's a nice guy and do not like him. He's not an All-Star and is not that great.

He is also not that bad. I don't get why everyone is making him out to be a legend or necessary.

He isn't.

The best thing anyone can say about Morris is he's serviceable. He's no role model. If there's a better person available who can play at his caliber, the Celtics would be better off.

Phil Pressey wrote:You guys keep playing up Marcus Morris. I don't think he's a nice guy and do not like him. He's not an All-Star and is not that great.

He is also not that bad. I don't get why everyone is making him out to be a legend or necessary.

He isn't.

The best thing anyone can say about Morris is he's serviceable. He's no role model. If there's a better person available who can play at his caliber, the Celtics would be better off.

The same could be said about Sheed. I didn't like him before he became a member of the Celtics, but once he wore Kelly Green, I rooted for him. I guess it is true that many of us root for laundry.

gyso

MY NOTE:  This article is from 2016.  I'm assuming the protocols are the same, just ignore parts about specific games since that was last year.



http://www.nbcsports.com/boston/boston-celtics/with-al-horford-out-nba-concussion-protocol-explained




Explaining the NBA's concussion protocol

By A. Sherrod Blakely November 02, 2016 1:12 PM





BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics announced that a blow to the head of Al Horford in practice on Monday, has landed the 6-foot-10 big man into the NBA’s concussion protocol program.
 

He will not play tonight against Chicago, and it’s unclear if he will be cleared in time to play against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.
 
Here’s a look at the league’s concussion program as it relates to a player returning to action.
 
A player in the concussion protocol program can’t return to the floor until the following:

• He is without concussion-related symptoms at rest.
  
• He has been evaluated by a physician.
  
• He has successfully completed the NBA return-to-participation exertion protocol.
  
• A team physician has discussed the return-to-participation process and decision with the Director of the NBA concussion program, Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher.
  

Ultimately, the decision as to when a player will return will be made by the team physician.
It is unclear at this time exactly where Horford is in the return-to-participation process.
 
As mentioned above, part of the Return-to-Participation protocol will involve Horford meeting certain benchmarks in order to show that he’s physically ready to step back on the floor.
 
From the NBA’s media central website, here’s a closer look at what the NBA’s Return-to-Participation protocol consists of:

1.  The return to participation protocol involves several steps of increasing exertion – from a stationary bike, to jogging, to agility work, to non-contact team drills.

2.  With each step, a player must be symptom free to move to the next step. If a player is not symptom free after a step, he stops until he is symptom free and begins again at the previous step of the protocol (i.e., the last step he passed without any symptoms).

3.  It’s important to note that there is no time frame to complete the protocol. Each injury and player is different and recovery time can vary in each case.



bob


.

Hey Phil

The Celtics did not make the trade to get Morris because he was some great player.

He is a legit 6' 9" PF with a reputation for being an above average defender.  He can handle the ball and he can make shots from distance.  He is a veteran on a very young team.  He is dependable and has played 82, 81, 80 and 79 games his previous 4 years.  He is a tough guy that is not afraid to play against the Lebron James's in the league.  

He is on a cap friendly 2 year contract at $5,000,000 this year and $5,375,000 next year.  He is a bridge for us while Tatum develops enough to be a full time starter at the 4.

No one is making him out to be better than he is but at the same time he is a value added player that makes us better.

His character is not a question at this point. He is a Celtic.

dboss

dboss wrote:Hey Phil

The Celtics did not make the trade to get Morris because he was some great player.

He is a legit 6' 9" PF with a reputation for being an above average defender.  He can handle the ball and he can make shots from distance.  He is a veteran on a very young team.  He is dependable and has played 82, 81, 80 and 79 games his previous 4 years.  He is a tough guy that is not afraid to play against the Lebron James's in the league.  

He is on a cap friendly 2 year contract at $5,000,000 this year and $5,375,000 next year.  He is a bridge for us while Tatum develops enough to be a full time starter at the 4.

No one is making him out to be better than he is but at the same time he is a value added player that makes us better.

His character is not a question at this point.  He is a Celtic.

dboss

+1

Phil Pressey wrote:You guys keep playing up Marcus Morris. I don't think he's a nice guy and do not like him. He's not an All-Star and is not that great.

He is also not that bad. I don't get why everyone is making him out to be a legend or necessary.

He isn't.

The best thing anyone can say about Morris is he's serviceable. He's no role model. If there's a better person available who can play at his caliber, the Celtics would be better off.

Phil,

I don't know if he's a nice guy or not.  I know that he was acquitted of the recent charges against him and his brother.  Not a hung jury, acquitted.  "Acquitted" used to mean something in this country.

With the loss of Hayward having a player who can score is valuable depth.  He's not a playmaker like Hayward but that's why Hayward was an All-Star.  He's a scorer who made players around him better with his playmaking skills.  Ok, so Morris isn't a playmaking All-Star scorer, but he fills a hole we now have.  Imagine how truly screwed we'd be right now, as in tonight, if he wasn't here with no Hayward and no Tatum.

I agree with dboss.  He's a good veteran bridge for Tatum's full-time, veteran assumption of that position.  His contract is excellent too, so we're not overpaying for him.

He's only averaging 22mpg this season (vs his career average 26.2mpg and the 32.5mpg he averaged for Detroit last year) but his efficiency is way up.  Almost the same number of ppg (13.0 this year vs 14.0 last year) but in only 2/3 of the minutes.  Same with rebounds (4.0 vs 4.6) and steals (1.3 this year vs .7 last year), all in 2/3 of the minutes/game from last year.  His net rating, points scored with him on the court/100 possessions minus points given up with him on the court/100 possessions, is a +16.  Last year it was a -4.  In fact, this is only the 3rd year in his 8 year career he has had a positive net rating and in the other 2 years the max was a +3.  In other words he is a much better player so far this year under Brad than he ever has been career-to-date.  Is that Brad's doing, does he deserve the lion's share of the credit and not Morris?  Almost certainly, the difference is so dramatic, but so what?  He's performing better, absolutely, which means comparisons to previous years when he was in other coach's systems are flawed.  He is what he is, not was, and what he is this year is better.



bob


.

Good points on Morris, bob.

He has been and is a good player. If he can stay healthy he will be a very nice piece of this year's team. The Stevens Effect may already be helping him as it has so many others, and I like him on our team.

He is a role player, but a good one. Not every guy on even a good team needs to have all star numbers and reputation. Being an all star in your role on a team has always been part of a team being good. Even back in the Russell days, the Cs were loaded with such guys including my guy, Wide Clyde Lovellette at the end of his career. For the Cs he only averaged about 6.5 PPG, but still was an all star in his role of subbing for Bill Russell when needed after averaging nearly 20 PPG in his younger days.

Phil,

I don't think Morris is anything fantastic either, but he does add needed depth and size. Brian Scalabrine said it for me upon Morris' return last week, a game in which Morris played well and was an important contributor. I'm paraphrasing, but he said 'I've seen Morris play, and I didn't think he was this good!' That sums up my thoughts; I've seen him play and been completely underwhelmed. Yet he has undeniably come through in a limited amount of time for us.

I can't see him ever getting ahead of Tatum or any other player as a regular starter. I don't think that was ever in team plans or realistic expectations. I didn't even see him being a part of the regular rotation, but he may be earning that. If he turns out to be a spot starter, and regular rotation player, he's picked a great time to surprise the likes of Scal, you and me. I'd be pleasantly surprised and happy. He comes at the right price and adds some size and a little fight.

I'd agree with you on his citizenship grades not looking promising, but there's the hope and chance that's in the past. Unfortunately, I think in sports at any level, you have to accept that the guy that helps put you over the top might be a real SOB. I always said KG was a real a**hole, but thankfully he was our a**hole. I can recall teammates I had that I didn't want to even talk to off the diamond or field, but they helped make our team stronger. It's just the way it goes. I'd be strongly for a group of players I could root for because of who they are, as well as how they play. Maybe I've become jaded, but I think that's a long-shot.

Regards

Jay King @ByJayKing
about 6 minutes ago
Al Horford has been upgraded to questionable for tonight's game: masslive.com/celtics/index.…
reply retweet like


bob


.

So, you're telling me there's a chance . . .

gyso wrote:So, you're telling me there's a chance . . .

Gyso,

Or maybe Danny's just screwing with Steve Clifford's head.


bob



.

Morris is actually a vital part of the rotation. I think the winning streak would've been cut short if not for his timely return.

Why do we care if Morris is an All Star? Don't we need a strong roster of players who can do multiple things? If he can score, play defense, rebound, and not hurt the team, then what is the problem??


KJ

NYCelt wrote:Phil,

I don't think Morris is anything fantastic either, but he does add needed depth and size. Brian Scalabrine said it for me upon Morris' return last week, a game in which Morris played well and was an important contributor. I'm paraphrasing, but he said 'I've seen Morris play, and I didn't think he was this good!' That sums up my thoughts; I've seen him play and been completely underwhelmed. Yet he has undeniably come through in a limited amount of time for us.

I can't see him ever getting ahead of Tatum or any other player as a regular starter. I don't think that was ever in team plans or realistic expectations. I didn't even see him being a part of the regular rotation, but he may be earning that. If he turns out to be a spot starter, and regular rotation player, he's picked a great time to surprise the likes of Scal, you and me. I'd be pleasantly surprised and happy. He comes at the right price and adds some size and a little fight.

I'd agree with you on his citizenship grades not looking promising, but there's the hope and chance that's in the past. Unfortunately, I think in sports at any level, you have to accept that the guy that helps put you over the top might be a real SOB. I always said KG was a real a**hole, but thankfully he was our a**hole. I can recall teammates I had that I didn't want to even talk to off the diamond or field, but they helped make our team stronger. It's just the way it goes. I'd be strongly for a group of players I could root for because of who they are, as well as how they play. Maybe I've become jaded, but I think that's a long-shot.

Regards

interesting post, that's what it is about sports at the professional level, in sports if you can play, you can contribute, bob heckler might be the nicest guy and a great locker room presence, but if he can't help the team and in fact makes it worse, then they have to give the position to someone with the right skills.....even if he may not be as nice or cool as bob.

dboss wrote:Hey Phil

The Celtics did not make the trade to get Morris because he was some great player.

He is a legit 6' 9" PF with a reputation for being an above average defender.  He can handle the ball and he can make shots from distance.  He is a veteran on a very young team.  He is dependable and has played 82, 81, 80 and 79 games his previous 4 years.  He is a tough guy that is not afraid to play against the Lebron James's in the league.  

He is on a cap friendly 2 year contract at $5,000,000 this year and $5,375,000 next year.  He is a bridge for us while Tatum develops enough to be a full time starter at the 4.

No one is making him out to be better than he is but at the same time he is a value added player that makes us better.

His character is not a question at this point.  He is a Celtic.

dboss

+I

The guy is on an absolute bargain of a contract. If you can get his production for that money in today's NBA, you have a steal. Steals like that allow us to not only sign other all stars, but also provide decent talent around them.

Regarding character, I can only assume the jury did it's job correctly. Even if he was involved, and I'm assuming he wasn't, the charges are not nearly as despicable as those leveled against D-rose and Kobe.

cowens/oldschool wrote:

NYCelt wrote:Phil,

I don't think Morris is anything fantastic either, but he does add needed depth and size. Brian Scalabrine said it for me upon Morris' return last week, a game in which Morris played well and was an important contributor. I'm paraphrasing, but he said 'I've seen Morris play, and I didn't think he was this good!' That sums up my thoughts; I've seen him play and been completely underwhelmed. Yet he has undeniably come through in a limited amount of time for us.

I can't see him ever getting ahead of Tatum or any other player as a regular starter. I don't think that was ever in team plans or realistic expectations. I didn't even see him being a part of the regular rotation, but he may be earning that. If he turns out to be a spot starter, and regular rotation player, he's picked a great time to surprise the likes of Scal, you and me. I'd be pleasantly surprised and happy. He comes at the right price and adds some size and a little fight.

I'd agree with you on his citizenship grades not looking promising, but there's the hope and chance that's in the past. Unfortunately, I think in sports at any level, you have to accept that the guy that helps put you over the top might be a real SOB. I always said KG was a real a**hole, but thankfully he was our a**hole. I can recall teammates I had that I didn't want to even talk to off the diamond or field, but they helped make our team stronger. It's just the way it goes. I'd be strongly for a group of players I could root for because of who they are, as well as how they play. Maybe I've become jaded, but I think that's a long-shot.

Regards

interesting post, that's what it is about sports at the professional level, in sports if you can play, you can contribute, bob heckler might be the nicest guy and a great locker room presence, but if he can't help the team and in fact makes it worse, then they have to give the position to someone with the right skills.....even if he may not be as nice or cool as bob.

Or I could be a great contributor but be the biggest prick to ever walk the earth.

Let me check Vegas to see what they think.


bob


.

bobheckler wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:

NYCelt wrote:Phil,

I don't think Morris is anything fantastic either, but he does add needed depth and size. Brian Scalabrine said it for me upon Morris' return last week, a game in which Morris played well and was an important contributor. I'm paraphrasing, but he said 'I've seen Morris play, and I didn't think he was this good!' That sums up my thoughts; I've seen him play and been completely underwhelmed. Yet he has undeniably come through in a limited amount of time for us.

I can't see him ever getting ahead of Tatum or any other player as a regular starter. I don't think that was ever in team plans or realistic expectations. I didn't even see him being a part of the regular rotation, but he may be earning that. If he turns out to be a spot starter, and regular rotation player, he's picked a great time to surprise the likes of Scal, you and me. I'd be pleasantly surprised and happy. He comes at the right price and adds some size and a little fight.

I'd agree with you on his citizenship grades not looking promising, but there's the hope and chance that's in the past. Unfortunately, I think in sports at any level, you have to accept that the guy that helps put you over the top might be a real SOB. I always said KG was a real a**hole, but thankfully he was our a**hole. I can recall teammates I had that I didn't want to even talk to off the diamond or field, but they helped make our team stronger. It's just the way it goes. I'd be strongly for a group of players I could root for because of who they are, as well as how they play. Maybe I've become jaded, but I think that's a long-shot.

Regards

interesting post, that's what it is about sports at the professional level, in sports if you can play, you can contribute, bob heckler might be the nicest guy and a great locker room presence, but if he can't help the team and in fact makes it worse, then they have to give the position to someone with the right skills.....even if he may not be as nice or cool as bob.

Or I could be a great contributor but be the biggest prick to ever walk the earth.

Let me check Vegas to see what they think.


bob


.

and if you can still play you'll always have a position, just don't go soft