Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
What would make Stevens attractive to Indiana is his ability to recruit players, as he did at Butler withMatt Howard, Hayward, and Shelvin Mack, and turn them into a productive unit. Those players were not considered top recruits.
“Brad and the guys at Butler, they were what Indiana used to be, and that’s a big deal,” Dakich said. “Tom has a done a really good job in state [with academics], so the job itself in state has really been enhanced by the job Tom has done. The job is held in much higher regard because of the job Tom Crean has done.”
Stevens has never even discussed returning to college coaching, and NBA sources said he is totally invested in the Celtics. He wants to restore the organization to a contender and also has four more years on his contract. The organization made a sizable investment in his talents.
“I know he enjoys the hell out of the Celtics,” Dakich said. “I know he enjoys the challenge that is the NBA. I know that. We’ve talked about that. That’s not media [talk]. I’m not going to say that ultimately the Indiana job wouldn’t appeal to him, but I’m saying I honestly don’t think people think, ‘Of course he would come back.’
“I bet you Brad probably thought about it when he was at Butler, but I would venture a guess he hasn’t given that two thoughts since he’s been with the Celtics. I would bet my life on it.”
Boston Globe – Brad Stevens may feel pull of Indiana in the future (Sunday Notes)
We’ve read the rumors before, about Brad Stevens bolting for the Duke job as soon as it comes open. In fact, some have said that he’s unlikely to last his entire contract here in Boston because the lure of a big time college job would be to great. That, and there’s a good chance the C’s may never reach contending status while he’s here. But while he was at Butler, he had overtures from several big time schools including UCLA. I’ve maintained that Coach Stevens is more of the growth mindset person and would much prefer to see this rebuild through, rather than a fixed mindset person who would jump at the more appealing, easier job.
But as Washburn’s piece describe it at the end of the highlighted section, it appears to be nothing more than wishful thinking on the part of those at IU. After all, it is the holiday season so everyone tends to put wild dreams on their list for Santa. Unfortunately for those at IU, I don’t think Santa Claus will be delivering Stevens to them in a sack tossed down the chimney. That would just be weird… and as of now, it’s highly unlikely.
On Page 2, Sully needs to get going again
There is really no argument: When Sullinger plays to his standards, Boston is a better team. Consider this: Over the first 17 games of the season, the Celtics owned a net differential of plus-1.3 points per 100 possessions when Sullinger was on the floor. When he was off, that differential dived to minus-9.8 as Boston’s offensive rating dipped by 7 points and its defensive rating climbed by 4½ points.
Sullinger’s on/off splits were second best on the team among regulars during that stretch and essentially in lockstep with team-leading Avery Bradley (the two players owned a virtually identical amount of floor time as well).
For the season, Boston’s offensive rating is 103.1 with Sullinger on the floor — about a point higher than the season average. The defensive rating is 103.6, not a particularly great number, but still 1.1 points less than the team’s season average. Sullinger’s minus-0.4 differential overall is best on the team among regulars (only Marcus Smart and Gerald Wallace, who have played limited minutes, own positive marks for the team).
ESPN Boston – Boston Celtics need Jared Sullinger to bust out of slump
In his ongoing player evaluation series, Chris Forsberg does another fantastic job, this time spotlighting Jared Sullinger. What a perfect time too since Sully has been in a bit of a slump as of late. Most are unlikely to notice since it’s far more glaring when Rajon Rondo keeps putting up games of 2 points and hardly of Danny Ainge’s favorite stat: FGAs. But Sully has also been appearing more on milk cartons than he has the past handful of games. If the Celtics are going to have ANY chance of making a postseason run, there is no question they need Sullinger to take his game to the next level. He appeared ready to make that leap with some strong preseason play and has flashes of brilliance in the regular season, but it hasn’t been enough.
With a slew of games against mediocre competition (although with this team you can’t really say that about anyone) he has a chance to right the ship. But even the Sixers have been playing better and suddenly tomorrow’s game becomes a bit more intriguing. Let’s see if Sully can regain his strong play.
The rest of the links:
Boston Globe – Rajon Rondo is short on shots
Boston Herald – Celtics Notebook: Rajon Rondo helps Tyler Zeller take best shot | Paul Pierce’s age finally relates to his game (Sunday Notes)
CSNNE – Is another Celtics’ rebuild testing Stevens’ patience? | Celtics 2013 pick Iverson succeeding in Europe
