Celtics notebook: Marcus Morris more than just a throw-in

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/celtics/2017/07/celtics_notebook_marcus_morris_more_than_just_a_throw_in



Celtics notebook: Marcus Morris more than just a throw-in



Matt Kalman


Saturday, July 15, 2017




Credit: Associated Press
Marcus Morris




WALTHAM — Although the July 7 trade of Avery Bradley and a 2019 second-round pick to the Detroit Pistons for forward Marcus Morris was partly forced by the Celtics needing to free up salary-cap space for forward Gordon Hayward and his four-year, $128 million contract, Morris can take solace that he was a coveted player in the trade.

“I’ve been a big fan of Marcus’ for a long time,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said via conference call yesterday. “He’s a guy that can guard a couple of different positions. He’s strong 3 who can also play the 4. … And he’s a guy that adds the ability to hit tough shots at the end of games when you’re guarded and they’re taking away the 3-point line. I think he’s a tough competitor and we’re looking forward to having him on our team.

“We’ve got a lot of guys now in the 6-6 to 6-9 range that can play a couple of positions. We’ll have at least two and as many as three, sometimes four, all out there at once. So I’m looking forward to all these guys being ready to play.”

The 6-foot-9 Morris averaged 14 points and 4.6 rebounds in 79 games last season. He also shot 33 percent from 3-point range.


Farewell Avery

Bradley played a vital role for the Celtics for seven seasons and president of basketball operations Danny Ainge didn’t enjoy having to trade the 26-year-old.

“I think that anybody that knows me over the last eight years knows what Avery meant to me,” Ainge said. “I’m not sure I need to address that any more than it’s been addressed in the past. But yeah, it’s always tough to trade players away, especially someone that you’ve grown that fond of, someone that you’ve helped raise up and had their back for many years.”

Bradley is entering the final year of his contract and that factored into Ainge’s decision.

“I mean the expiring contract and the uncertainty and the flight risk, sure that plays into part of it, absolutely,” Ainge said.


Coach bids a-Doo

Celtics strength and conditioning coach Bryan Doo announced he will leave the team after 14 seasons in that position. Doo said he is concentrating on other jobs he has in the Boston area and wants to spend time with his five children. …

Isaiah Thomas continues to rest the torn labrum in his right hip. Stevens, who earlier this month said Thomas might be able to avoid surgery, said there was no update.

“Every indication is from him and his doctors that he feels better and that he’s improving, which is a good thing,” Stevens said.

Ainge said the Celtics might get a clearer idea of Thomas’ status later this month. …

Abdel Nader agreed to a four-year, $6 million deal with the Celtics, according to Yahoo. Nader has impressed in summer league and played for the Celtics’ NBADL team in Maine last season.


Timeout tweak


Stevens knows he’ll be affected by the NBA’s decision to reduce the number of timeouts each team is allotted to seven and permit teams to call just two in the final three minutes of a game.

“As a coach I love the end-of-the-game situations. I think reducing it by one timeout just makes you have to be even more prepared with some of your walkthrough work and getting your team ready and having things ready you can call on the fly,” Steven said. “There’s probably going to be some transition and really getting a feel for that.

“Where I think that’ll be most interesting is when you have one just under a minute and you use another at 20 seconds, and then you don’t have one with two seconds left. I think that’s where it’ll be most interesting.”


bob


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"We’ve got a lot of guys now in the 6-6 to 6-9 range that can play a couple of positions. We’ll have at least two and as many as three, sometimes four, all out there at once. So I’m looking forward to all these guys being ready to play.”

I think that above quote from Brad Stevens is worth remembering when we wonder what he is doing, what Danny is doing, or what anyone in the NBA is doing. Honestly I'm surprised he only mentioned up to four, in the future I'll bet he says five.

THAT picture is not him.

Morris will become our second best big man on a nightly basis, and will bring more to the team than Olynyk, Johnson, Jerebko and Mickey.

He is going to play 30+ minutes and even some time at the small ball center. Yes, he is not a true big man like the old days, but the old days seem more and more in the past. It certainly seems like Ainge is going all in on the small ball stuff with the roster that he has so far constructed.

Anyway, Morris is going to score 18 PPG, get 8-9 RPG and play good defense at any position he plays.