This Kyrie Irving Comment May Explain Why Celtics Stood Pat At Trade Deadline

https://nesn.com/2018/02/this-kyrie-irving-comment-may-explain-why-celtics-stood-pat-at-trade-deadline/



This Kyrie Irving Comment May Explain Why Celtics Stood Pat At Trade Deadline



by Darren Hartwell on Thu, Feb 8, 2018 at 4:05PM





Photo via John E. Sokolowski/USA TODAY Sports Images



The Boston Celtics were conspicuously quiet Thursday, and that might not be a bad thing.

The Celtics’ roster looks the same as it did before the NBA’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline, as Boston declined to make any moves outside acquiring big man Greg Monroe on the buyout market. So, why the inactivity?

Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving spoke with reporters Thursday morning before knowing whether his team would make any moves. But his response to a question about playing alongside Gordon Hayward once the C’s forward returns from injury now seems prescient.

“I think about the lineups (with Hayward) all the time,” Irving said at Boston’s shootaround in Washington ahead of its game against the Wizards, via MassLive.com’s Jay King. “I play the what-ifs because I know how talented Gordon is and what he would bring to the table, and how much pressure he would relieve off me and also other guys on this team.

“It’s kind of like having an ace in your back pocket.”

The Celtics indeed have an untapped resource in Hayward, who’s one season removed from averaging 21.9 points per game with the Utah Jazz. Hayward played just five minutes alongside Irving before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Boston’s season opener, but the thought of adding an All-Star to a C’s team that’s currently in first place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference is very enticing to Irving.

“I just think about big lineups, man. Me, G (Hayward), JT (Jayson Tatum), JB (Jaylen Brown) and Al (Horford). Or it could be me, Terry (Rozier), Gordon, JT (Tatum) and Mook (Marcus Morris). You have so many options to play with, and you could fill in as many other players as you want.”

In short: The No. 1 team in the East could be even more dangerous next season with Hayward in the fold, which might explain why Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge declined to do any more wheeling and dealing ahead of the deadline.




bob
MY NOTE:  This makes no sense to me.  None.  Danny didn't do a deal to improve this year's team because we'll have Hayward coming back next year?  Wuh?  If Danny didn't trade Marcus Smart it wasn't because of Gordon Hayward, it was because nobody offered him what he wants for him and he's a restricted free agent next year which means Danny still has control and doesn't need to cut his losses.  If Danny didn't give Memphis a 1st round pick for Evans it wasn't because of Hayward it was because he loves draft picks and Evans may just be a rental.  NOBODY offered Memphis a first for Evans, if they had he'd have been traded.

The author wanted to write about the trade deadline and why we did nothing, so he took a comment by Kyrie and spun a storyline out of vapor.

Not my job to decide what you all should read and appreciate, not my job to filter out stories that are garbage.  You are all smart enough to do your own filtering, I'm just posting it and letting the buffalo chips fall where they fall.  


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jrleftfoot wrote:Smart`s value is a constant source of debate around here, and sometimes in my own mind. His play is never going to be aesthetically pleasing and he`ll probably always be mistake-prone offensively, but Ainge apparently valued him and the draft picks more than an Evans rental or a three year Williams deal. I could see bringing Hayward into the discussion long term, but Evans will want a long term deal and Williams got one. I agree with you that, if Ainge had thought that anybody out there would put the Cs over the top this year, he would have dealt for them. I`m fine with adding Monroe. A shooter may become available, and an end of the bench guy could be jettisoned if that occurs.

JR,

"His play is never going to be aesthetically pleasing"


Not unless you consider making James Harden's head explode on 2 consecutive Houston inbounds in their end a thing of beauty and joy which will live forever, like I do.  I've re-watched the last 18.4 seconds of that game every time I need a pick-me-up. It still brings a smile to my face.







bob


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