NBA Rumors: Here’s How Celtics Tried To Bring Back Marcus Morris

https://nesn.com/2019/07/nba-rumors-heres-how-celtics-tried-to-bring-back-marcus-morris/




NBA Rumors: Here’s How Celtics Tried To Bring Back Marcus Morris


by Adam London


on Mon, Jul 22, 2019 at 2:52PM



The Boston Celtics were forced to watch Marcus Morris walk this summer, but it wasn’t due to a lack of effort.

Morris’ bizarre offseason culminated with the veteran forward landing a one-year deal with the New York Knicks. Bringing back Morris always was going to be an uphill climb for Boston, but the franchise reportedly still worked through the logistics and made somewhat of a run.

“Speaking of Celtics free agents, the question was asked, couldn’t the Celtics have re-signed Marcus Morris because they had his Bird rights if they were willing to pay the luxury tax,” The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn writes. “The answer is yes and no. Because the Celtics signed Kemba Walker into salary-cap space and did not execute an even sign-and-trade with Charlotte for Terry Rozier, the Celtics had to renounce Morris’s rights to bring Walker on. The Celtics would have loved to have re-signed Morris and they tried to give themselves salary-cap flexibility by working on sign-and-trades with Brooklyn for Kyrie Irving and Philadelphia for Al Horford. But as expected, any deal with conference rivals can be difficult and both teams asked the Celtics for more draft pick compensation than they wanted to give. The teams didn’t want to take back players because they were already getting a max player in Irving and a near-max in Horford, so, to help the Celtics’ cap, Brooklyn and Philadelphia wanted first-round picks, something the Celtics were not willing to do. Perhaps the Celtics could have worked out a sign-and-trade for D’Angelo Russell with the Nets, but they already had their eyes on Walker.”

It turns out Morris was an awfully sought-after player this summer. The 29-year-old originally agreed to a two-year deal in San Antonio before leaving the Spurs at the altar in order to sign with the Knicks. He also — perhaps unknowingly — passed on a lucrative offer from the Los Angeles Clippers, which just might have prompted the firing of his agent Rich Paul.

Morris, given his toughness and strong locker-room presence, would have been a great piece for a Celtics team moving forward with its young core. But given the other exits the C’s endured this offseason, you can’t blame them for doing what they needed to do in order to bring in an All-Star.




bob



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Morris was a great player for the Celtics. He was great in and out of the locker room. I have no complaints at all about his time on the team for the last two seasons.

With that being said, he had to go. The two J's need to spread their wings and having Morris on the team would take minutes away from them.

gyso

gyso wrote:Morris was a great player for the Celtics.  He was great in and out of the locker room.  I have no complaints at all about his time on the team for the last two seasons.

With that being said, he had to go.  The two J's need to spread their wings and having Morris on the team would take minutes away from them.

gyso

+1

Morris was a GOOD player here and undervalued on this board for sure. However the term great escapes me, maybe I simply don't understand what great means.

I would have rather kept Morris and Horford than sign Walker myself. I don't see Walker as some great signing, but perhaps I will be proven wrong.

I do not understand our whole off-season (draft, Free agents) to be honest, but I am just a fan and have none of the insights that the teams staff has into what they are trying to build here. So I will hope for the best.

Obviously, Ainge and company were going BELOW the tax line this year and that seemed to be one of the keys for the off-season. Take that as one may about where management sees where the team will fall in the NBA hierarchy.

As one of the charter members of the defend mook fan club, I concur with KDP that he was undervalued out here, and was the scapegoat for many a game on thread over his tenure.  

But he is what he is, another one of those guys who you would look at his per 36 numbers and see a potential star - yet he always plays less than 36, as his numbers fall apart at a certain point.  Career 11 and 5 guy, who had his two best years in Boston.

I am not so sure he is as great a 'locker room' guy as people think.  A few times last year, particularly during stretches when he was playing like crap - he took to the media and called out some of his teammates.

Good for him to make some money - playing for the Knicks, he will earn every dime of it with the drame he has to endure down there.  

Wish we could have gotten D’Angelo Russell

cowens/oldschool wrote:Wish we could have gotten D’Angelo Russell

I must be bizarro world now!!!

cowens WANTS another guard....have you gone over to the dark side?

kdp59 wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:Wish we could have gotten D’Angelo Russell

I must be bizarro world now!!!

cowens WANTS another guard....have you gone over to the dark side?

kdp,

Now do you see what I deal with?     LOL.


bob


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kdp59 wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:Wish we could have gotten D’Angelo Russell

I must be bizarro world now!!!

cowens WANTS another guard....have you gone over to the dark side?

I'm guessing that he wants Russell instead of Walker.

So, not another guard, just a different one.

gyso wrote:

kdp59 wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:Wish we could have gotten D’Angelo Russell

I must be bizarro world now!!!

cowens WANTS another guard....have you gone over to the dark side?

I'm guessing that he wants Russell instead of Walker.

So, not another guard, just a different one.

Exactly, I’m glad we got Kemba, but if I could chose one I’d go with the bigger younger one, who can also play the 2 and is a lights out shooter....

man, I thought next thing I was gonna hear good things about Kelly O from cowens or something!!

kdp59 wrote:
man, I thought next thing I was gonna hear good things about Kelly O from cowens or something!!

Kdp,

The only way you will ever hear that is if Cowens either goes off his meds or ups the voltage on his treatments..


bob


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Kelly O is bob hecklers kind of new age big, he used to respect what it took to win fierce battles in the paint, now it became about the hair and 3 ball....too bad he went soft, nice guy to eat with, loves Chinese food, like Red.

cowens/oldschool wrote:Kelly O is bob hecklers kind of new age big, he used to respect what it took to win fierce battles in the paint, now it became about the hair and 3 ball....too bad he went soft, nice guy to eat with, loves Chinese food, like Red.

I could do worse than to be like Red. A lot worse.

And when the game moves to the perimeter the battles aren't all about the paint anymore. I don't like it, not at all, but that's what the game has evolved into and I want to win now and in the future. The glorious past is what you think about when you're not winning in the glorious present.

Love you too, Cow. Next time I'm in NY I'll hit you and Steve up and we'll hang.


bob


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